Chapter 383 Understanding the Emperor
Nan Zhijin has been to the Marquis Mansion several times. It can be said that he is one of the closest people to the emperor. When he put a stack of memorials on the table, he was really close to the emperor. He bent forward and stretched out his hand. can be encountered.
But the two of them barely met each other. Every time he came, he looked down at his feet, determined the location with a glance, then arrived accurately, put down the memorial, and exited the room without a single step.
The emperor didn't even look up, as if the memorials had appeared on the table by himself.
There are too many people around the emperor, coming and going, if Han Ruzi pays attention to everyone, he doesn't have to do anything else this day, he has learned to turn a blind eye.
When the crystal bottle shattered, the two looked at each other, and it was not until now that they officially met.
Nan Zhijin was only under house arrest and suffered no hardship. As soon as he entered the room, he immediately knelt down, walked forward on his knees, and called him "criminal minister".
The clerk knelt on the ground and the emperor sat behind the desk. On the surface, they were very different, but in fact they were evenly matched. The emperor was even slightly weaker, because he was the attacker, and he had not found any obvious loopholes.
The eunuch and the guards all retreated, only Chao Jing stayed behind, standing on the side to watch the two rulers and ministers quietly, without saying a word from beginning to end, for him, it was a puzzling scene.
For ministers, this is a rare treat, and even a prime minister can't encounter it often. Nan Zhijin couldn't help but be surprised. He glanced up and quickly lowered his head.
Han Ruzi stared at the back for a long time. It was both obedience and rejection. He couldn't help but think about how many unyielding faces were hidden under all the heads bowed to the emperor.
"Flat," he said.
"Sinners dare not." Nan Zhijin touched the ground with his forehead.
"I haven't declared you guilty, why do you call yourself a 'criminal minister'?"
"Criminal... Wei Chen smashed the crystal bottle handed down by the Taizu, and the crime deserved death."
"You are an old official of Zhongshu Province. You must be familiar with the laws of my Great Chu. Which one stipulates that this is the crime of 'ten thousand deaths'?"
Nan Zhijin was speechless and confused. He originally came to see the emperor with the intention of death, but how did he turn into begging for his own death and the emperor absolving him?
Nan Zhijin got up slowly, still lowered his hands and lowered his head, "Weichen... confused, please forgive me."
"Do you want a charge in particular?"
Nan Zhijin was choked again, "I... Wei Chen, of course... Wei Chen did smash the crystal bottle, and His Majesty kept Wei Chen in the mansion. Because of this, Wei Chen thought... guilty."
"You are neither 'guilty' nor 'innocent' now, Nan Zhijin, please answer a few questions from me first."
"Yes, Your Majesty, Wei Chen knows everything and has nothing to say."
"It's a good one, who knows everything and says everything." Han Ruzi chuckled. To the courtier, this was a cliché that came out of his mouth, but he wanted to investigate its true meaning.
Nan Zhijin lowered his head a little lower, and suddenly realized that he might as well be more comfortable on his knees.
Han Ruzi thought for a while and said, "The gangs of pirates at sea have been rampant, and they have caused harm for a long time. I want to eliminate them, but also the people along the coast are peaceful. There are three generals to choose from. I am hesitant, please advise."
Nan Zhijin looked up at the emperor, more confused, the emperor was looking at the three documents lined up on the table, it didn't look like he was joking.
"Wei Chen..."
"Huh? I haven't said who these three generals are, and you have an idea?"
"Wei Chen doesn't understand the affairs of the army, so he dare not speak falsely."
"Then what do you know? What are you good at?"
"Wei Chen...is good at finding typos."
"You can become a Zhongshuren just because of this? I'm going to ask Zhongshujian and Zhongshuling to ask, what are they busy with every day?"
Being modest is not enough, Nan Zhijin had to say: "Zhongshu Province is the hub for uploading and distributing memorials, Weichen, like other colleagues, is familiar with all kinds of official documents, and can quickly pick out problems, or return or revise them, and ensure that they are delivered to Your Majesty. The official document in front of the Prime Minister is in line with the norm."
"Well, this is what it looks like. You can give me advice from the perspective of Zhongshusheren."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Nan Zhijin found that it was better to follow the emperor's wishes honestly.
"The first one, Di Kai, the commander of the Naval Army of Nanyue County, has been a general for many years. This year, there are three out of fifty. He is quite experienced in water warfare. He has fought against pirates three times, winning every battle. He has beheaded one hundred and sixty-seven levels. Seventeen ships. What do you think?"
Nan Zhijin pondered for a while, "How many prisoners does it say there?"
"No."
"This item will not be recorded in the local area. If it is not mentioned, that is, there are no prisoners. This may indicate that the pirates are stubborn and unwilling to surrender, or that this General Di is bloodthirsty."
"Well, the second one, Master Yan Peng, from the East China Sea, five out of 20, the commander of the infantry army, who participated in the battle of peace a few months ago, led a single ship, entered the sea hundreds of miles, and defeated the enemy ships. More than 20 ships, killed more than 300 people, and captured 174 people. He is currently the general superintendent of construction, supervising the shipbuilding of the East China Sea, and he was sent to Beijing the day before yesterday."
"Master Yan Peng...is it related to Yan Kang, Prime Minister of the East China Sea?"
"Father and son."
"The lone army goes deep, and its merits lack the evidence of friendly forces. It is inevitable that the father recommends the son to exaggerate. Wei Chen thinks that more investigations should be carried out."
"Okay. The third is Lai Bingwen, thirty-eight years old, former commander of Qi and now Linzi. At the time of the rebellion, he guarded a military town in Linhai alone with 300 people, retreated the enemy fifteen times, and prevented pirates from landing. If he can go around other places, it is said that he used to be a civil servant, and when Emperor Wu was in the military, he has been in the army for fourteen years."
"Wei Chen remembers this person, Duwei Lai must have written a strategy, right?"
"Pingping the pirates, these three have written them. Lai Bingwen was rated as first-class by the Ministry of War, and I thought so too. You sent these strategies."
"WeChen only looks at whether the format conforms to the norm and whether there are errors or omissions in the text, and does not pay much attention to the content."
The Zhongshu Department is in charge of the exchange of official documents, remembering what should be remembered and forgetting what should be forgotten.
Han Ruzi smiled and said, "What do you think of this Lai Bingwen?"
"In the later period of Emperor Wu, the four seas were peaceful, and there were no strong enemies outside and no big robbers inside. There must be special reasons for Duwei Lai's choice of writing to join the army at that time. Wei Chen suggested that His Majesty check it out first."
"Since you remember Lai Bingwen, don't you remember why he abandoned literature and followed martial arts and stayed away from the capital?"
"Wei Chen doesn't remember, Wei Chen's nature likes tranquility, he doesn't like to interact with people at ordinary times, and he has very little understanding of the major affairs of the DPRK, only a little impression of the name."
The emperor was very satisfied, raised his hand and said: "Look, this is what I need: to judge whether a general is qualified or not, it does not necessarily have to look at his military merit, a qualified Zhongshu provincial official can also give me an excellent staff advisor. , such as your Nan Zhijin, such as Zhao Ruosu before."
After turning a big corner, the emperor finally got to the point.
Of course, Han Ruzi didn't just beat around the bush. He thought they were all good, but they were not completely satisfied. He really needed some advice from outsiders. Nan Zhijin's analysis just now was quite enlightening to him.
Nan Zhijin was shocked. He almost knelt down again. After being silent for a while, he said, "Although Zhao Ruosu is younger, he has unique insights and is more suitable for staff and government affairs than Wei Chen."
"It's a pity that such an excellent Zhongshu Sheren first resigned and then disappeared. I can't figure it out. Did I do something wrong so that all the handsome people in the world fled far away?"
Nan Zhijin didn't hold on, he knelt down again, and the emperor ordered him to be flat, so he had to stand up again, "In my humble opinion, I think there must be other reasons for Zhao Ruosu's disappearance, not to avoid His Majesty?"
"That's good. You and Zhao Ruosu are both ministers in Zhongshu Province, so they should be familiar with each other. Do you think he will come back again?"
"Wei Chen...I don't know..."
Han Ruzi didn't get angry, but kept his color right, "You said just now that you don't understand the big and small affairs of the DPRK and China, but do you understand the big Chu?"
Nan Zhijin was confused, not understanding what the emperor meant.
"It is rare for the Huns to invade the customs in a century. Regardless of whether there is a strong enemy in the West, the Huns are the biggest threat to the Great Chu right now. Although a peace agreement has been reached, the two sides do not trust each other. It won't take long for the Huns to make a comeback. Is Chu capable of defending the enemy from outside the country?"
"Your Majesty is here..."
"No, no, look at this threat from the experience of your Zhongshu Sheren. You already served in the Zhongshu Province when you were Emperor Wu, so it's just a comparison."
Nan Zhijin thought for a while, "Wei Chen remembers that in the 23rd year of Emperor Wu, there was an endless stream of memorials from northern Xinjiang, accounting for nearly half of all the memorials, and the content was all about building a city, garrisoning troops, water plants, horses, etc. , Two years later, the Chu army defeated the Xiongnu, and ended the reign of Emperor Wu, and there was no defeat. Now the memorials from the northern Xinjiang have been greatly reduced, and the content is mostly about repairing the city, abandoning the city, and insufficient expenditure. Wei Chen dare not assert , but the only way to be safe is to be prepared, Da Chu's current preparation... does not seem to be sufficient."
"What's the reason?" the emperor asked.
"The official treasury is empty, there are many internal troubles, and it is unable to support the northern Xinjiang."
"This is what I have never forgotten. When I was trapped in Jincheng, I saw with my own eyes that Master Xiao, the censor of Zuocha, was loyal to the country, and he was worthy of the ministers of the court. It's all my fault, but I hope that all the ministers will work hard, so that I have no worries and can concentrate on eliminating internal troubles and destroying strong enemies."
Nan Zhijin knelt down for the third time and kept kowtow.
Han Ruzi didn't let him be flattened. After waiting for a while, he said: "If you understand, the entire Zhongshu Province, and even the entire imperial court, you know me the most, right?"
Nan Zhijin sat slumped on the ground with a look of panic, "Zhao Ruosu... he already said that?"
Han Ruzi shook his head, "He didn't say anything, I saw it myself: Before you were detained, the memorials sent by the Zhongshu Ministry were arranged in an orderly manner, which was quite in line with my heart, as if I knew what I would do to you. I am interested in the memorials, so I put them on top so that I can see them first. Since Zhao Ruosu disappeared and you were left behind, the ordering of the memorials has become more and more chaotic day by day.
Nan Zhijin was sweating profusely. Of course he knew the emperor, but he still underestimated the emperor's intelligence.
Han Ruzi didn't say a word. Zhongshusheren could put the memorials that the emperor was interested in on it, and naturally he could hide some special memorials in the middle. It happened that the emperor was a little tired and he didn't see it when he was thinking about it. Passed through, ignoring the true meaning of it.
Zhongshu Province hid the prime minister's reply in the middle, which was self-defeating. They really needed officials like Nan Zhijin and Zhao Ruosu.
This is why Zhongshu Sheren is so important, but it is too difficult to cultivate. After the old official Nan Zhijin, only Zhao Ruosu can take over. His resignation will even serve the emperor directly. Ministers of the DPRK and China have far-reaching influence.
Zhao Ruosu would not be killed, and Han Ruzi believed that he was being locked up somewhere and was persuaded hard.
"You can go, and the memorial is still placed according to the previous rules. If you happen to see Zhao Ruosu, tell him that you will come to see me within three days, otherwise, you will deceive the king and you will be punished for the sect."
Nan Zhijin resigned in a hurry, of course he understood who the "crime of annihilation" was left to.
The emperor looked at Chao Whale, who had been standing on the sidelines, "Don't divulge these words between me and Nan Zhijin."
Chao Jing spread out his hands, "I can't do it if I want to leak it, I don't understand it at all."
What the emperor said to Nan Zhijin was that he wanted Zhao Ruosu, not to deal with the officials in the court, but if Zhao Ruosu could not appear alive, he would go to war with the ministers.