Chapter 191 Imperial Party
A eunuch hurried into the Ministry of Rites and asked, "Where is Chang Wei Bo?"
"Too late!" Menzi smiled bitterly.
"What?" The eunuch stamped his feet. "Did they do it?"
Menzi nodded, "Chang Wei Bo started to attack as soon as he arrived. The Ministry of Rites was furious. Noble, is His Majesty angry?"
"Maybe!" The eunuch rushed in and saw an official lying on the ground screaming, while Lord Jiang was facing dozens of officials from the Ministry of Rites alone without fear and was even laughing at them.
"They took advantage of Uncle Ben's absence to do something shady, and when Uncle Ben came back they didn't dare to say anything. I think the Ministry of Rites should just change its name to the Ministry of Softies."
"Chang Wei Bo, His Majesty has summoned you." The eunuch breathed a sigh of relief. "Luckily, there is only one person."
An official rushed out from the side duty room and said, "Zhao Fa's nose is broken and the bleeding can't be stopped. Go and get a doctor."
……
"Jiang Qingzhi is back."
Yan Song said slowly.
Cui Yuan glanced at Lu Bing.
Yan Shifan put down the memorial and said, "You two have been fighting for a long time, but this is not a life-and-death feud. You are just making fun of yourself."
Lu Bing sneered, "This old dog doesn't care about the overall situation."
"You, Lu Bing, have the overall situation in mind." Cui Yuan said sarcastically, "You said nothing at the critical moment, but when the dust settled, you were not left behind when competing for credit."
"Old dog!" Lu Bing stood up suddenly and put his hand on the hilt of the knife.
"If you dare to kill me, I would praise you, Lu Bing, for your courage!" Cui Yuan stood up and pointed at his chest, "Come on, come here."
"Okay." Yan Song paused for a moment.
Someone came in, "Prime Minister, His Majesty has summoned you."
Later, Yan Song and others met Jiang Qingzhi who was waiting to be summoned.
"Isn't this Prince Consort Cui?" Jiang Qingzhi greeted them familiarly. "Prime Minister Yan, Commander Lu, long time no see. What are you staring at Prince Consort Cui's head for?"
The story of green hat has a long history and is deeply rooted in people's hearts.
Cui Yuan subconsciously touched his head and thought of the ugly things that happened at home.
But Lu Bing was staring at Jiang Qingzhi.
This bastard has been causing so much trouble since he came back... Cui Yuan hated him secretly.
Huang Jin came out, "Everyone, follow me."
Inside the hall, Emperor Jiajing was holding a Taoist book in his hand, still looking like an immortal.
"I have met His Majesty."
Emperor Jiajing put down the Taoist book and looked at Jiang Qingzhi.
"You said in your memorial that Xuanfu was corrupt. What did you mean by corrupt?"
Memorial?
Lu Bing glanced at Yan Song.
Yan Song shook his head imperceptibly.
Memorials to the emperor should have gone through Yan Song, so it must have been Emperor Jiajing who gave Jiang Qingzhi the power to submit memorials directly.
This avoided the eyes and ears of Yan Song and others.
Your Majesty, is this going to build another group of troops... Lu Bing felt a chill in his heart.
"After I arrived in Xuanfu, I found that the entire civil and military system was rotten. The civil officials only cared about sharing the money, and the military officers only cared about embezzlement... The soldiers below not only had to train and deal with the enemy, but also had to be conscripted to do hard labor, which was unbearable."
Jiang Qingzhi said: "The military pay is not much, but those generals took advantage of it and deducted half of it. Some were even greedy and embezzled most of it..."
The Taoist looked calm, but the corners of his eyes were trembling slightly.
"Now I know why so many soldiers from the garrisons across the country have deserted." Jiang Qingzhi's anger rose again.
"It's better than the former Song Dynasty!" Cui Yuan said.
Jiang Qingzhi laughed, "The military men of the former Song Dynasty were of low status, and were called thieves. Their status was low, but they were well-equipped. How much does a set of infantry armor cost, Cui Fu Ma?
Most of the soldiers I saw in Xuanfu were dressed in rags. If they went out, they might be regarded as beggars. Prince Consort Cui, do you know what they eat? They eat bran and vegetables!"
Jiang Qingzhi could no longer contain his anger, "Prince Consort Cui feels better than Song before, so why not eat meat?"
"When did I ever say that?" Cui Yuan had never expected the army to have reached such a situation.
"The superiors treated them harshly, the military pay was embezzled, the weapons and armor were in tatters. The generals were afraid of the enemy, they were hungry, cold, and had to do private work for the civil and military officials... Are these soldiers who defend their country? They are slaves! If it were me, I would run away too!"
Cui Yuan saw that Emperor Jiajing's eyebrows were twitching suddenly, so he sneered and said, "Could it be that Chang Wei Bo thinks they should rebel?"
This was a sarcastic remark, but Jiang Qingzhi walked up to him and said, "Either you become a slave in the army and be tortured to death, or you flee to the mountains and become a savage. If it were me, I would also rebel!"
Your Majesty, please listen...
Cui Yuan lowered his eyes.
Jiang Qingzhi's anger grew. "Today we are just fleeing. What if the people of the world can't survive and someone raises a banner? How can we defeat the enemy with this slave-like army? Not only that, but those soldiers who have deep resentment may turn against us and kill those fools who don't regard themselves as human beings."
He looked at Yan Song and others, "Those idiots are not just military generals, civil and military officials, literati, and even local princes..."
"Enough!" Emperor Jiajing's face turned pale.
"Your Majesty!" Jiang Qingzhi stiffened his neck and continued, "The Ming Dynasty at this moment is just like the former Han Dynasty. The world is full of resentment and now it just lacks a trigger. The former Han Dynasty was triggered by a drought. The Yellow Turban Army destroyed half of the country... Now what the Ming Dynasty lacks is a natural disaster."
Jiang Qingzhi pointed outside and said, "Every two or three hundred years, there will inevitably be a catastrophe. Catastrophes are not to be feared, but man-made disasters are! The Ming Dynasty today is a man-made disaster..."
"go out!"
Emperor Jiajing suddenly shouted.
"My minister retire."
After venting his anger, Jiang Qingzhi felt refreshed.
When he reached the palace gate, he turned around.
My Lord, please calm down!
Zhu Xizhong smiled bitterly in his heart and winked at Jiang Qingzhi.
"Your Majesty, that night, Lieutenant General Jiang Ce rebelled, and the servants who followed him did not hesitate."
"What do you want to say?" asked Emperor Jiajing.
"What I am worried about is whether this Ming army belongs to your Majesty, the Ming Dynasty, or... those generals."
Jiang Qingzhi is gone.
He dropped a few bombs and left in style.
This was the first time since the Zuo Shunmen Incident that a minister roared in the court.
Yan Song's eyes look at the nose, and his nose looks at the heart.
Zhu Xizhong was a little uneasy and forced a smile, saying, "Your Majesty, the weather is dry, and I'm afraid that Chang Wei Bo is getting angry." Your Majesty! This guy is almost sixteen and still hasn't married. As the saying goes, a single yang cannot produce life, and his temper is too strong.
Cui Yuan said: "Back then, Yang Shen and others persecuted Your Majesty. Even today, the wailing outside Zuo Shun Gate seems to still echo in my ears. I didn't expect to see the domineering ministers again today..."
Zhu Xizhong sneered, "Back then, outside Zuo Shun Gate, Yang Shen encouraged all officials to knock on the palace gate. They rammed the gate, shouted "Emperor Taizu", and their cries reached the sky. But what did they want? Power."
Yang Tinghe and his son Yang Shen had a common goal and wanted to use the Great Ceremony Debate to suppress Emperor Jiajing.
"But what is Chang Wei Bo doing? Most of the civil and military officials in Xuanfu are involved in corruption and regard him as their mortal enemy. Chang Wei Bo is in danger everywhere. That night, someone even plotted a rebellion and raided his residence. If he had been a little less vigilant, we would probably have to discuss what posthumous title to give him now!"
Zhu Xizhong was furious. "He is such a loyal minister to Your Majesty, and he is so disappointed with the Ming Dynasty. You call him arrogant? Is it true that he is loyal to you if he just sits back and does nothing about it, and thinks that everyone is happy?"
Cui Yuan had never seen such a fiery Duke of Cheng. Just as he was about to speak, Zhu Xizhong spit on his face, "Bah! It was you who sat back and watched, which led to the corruption of the border troops."
Cui Yuan loves beauty. She wiped the spit off her face and said angrily, "Zhu Xizhong!"
"What do you want?" Zhu Xizhong rolled up his sleeves and said with a fierce smile, "Do you want to compete with me?"
Cui Yuan's triangular eyes twisted, "Am I afraid of you?"
Huang Jin shouted, "This is the Imperial Palace!"
Emperor Jiajing looked at everyone coldly.
"The Xuanfu mutiny must be severely punished!"
This is the tone.
"The case of embezzlement of military funds in Xuanfu must be investigated strictly."
coming!
Cui Yuan perked up, Lu Bing made secret calculations, and Yan Song pinched the piece of paper in his sleeve. It was a list just drawn up by his son Yan Shifan, and on it were all the confidants of Yan's party.
This wave will bring down many civil and military officials.
There is one person for each job, and when someone falls, someone else will take his place.
This is a great opportunity to arrange your own people.
"It's not just the civil and military officials of Xuanfu who are involved here."
This is still the tone.
"Qingzhi was right. How many government offices in the capital were watching over the money and grain? Why didn't anyone impeach the civil and military officials of Xuanfu? Why didn't anyone discover that the money and grain were embezzled?"
Your Majesty, you are going to expand this... Cui Yuan's tongue was dancing in his throat with excitement.
"Military Department!"
Emperor Jiajing was like a skilled cook. His first words made everyone present very excited, but then he poured a bucket of cold water on them.
This matter is limited to Xuanfu and the Ministry of War.
If Yan Shifan were present, he would surely exclaim in praise of this brilliant idea.
"This case..." Emperor Jiajing's eyes turned.
coming!
The second chance has come.
Lu Bing was looking forward to it.
Who will try the case?
"Jinyiwei..."
"I'm here." Lu Bing felt relieved, and so did Yan Song and others.
Now that we have power, we can sit down and share the fruits of our labor.
"The Jinyiwei has a lot of things to do." Emperor Jiajing glanced at Zhu Xizhong, and the old playboy was delighted.
His gaze turned again and looked at Yan Song.
If Yan Song gets involved, it will be difficult for Lu Bing to take the initiative.
When their eyes met, sparks flew.
When the previous emperor was alive, he raised many ferocious beasts in the leopard house.
At this moment, Emperor Jiajing felt that he was the one who raised ferocious beasts, and these ministers were jackals, tigers and leopards.
He held a piece of fat meat in his hand and watched the beasts salivate and fight for it.
If he had followed his original intention, he should have continued to create a balance within Yan Song's party, making Lu Bing, Yan Song, Cui Yuan and others appear to be in harmony but actually at odds with each other...
What a fool!
Emperor Jiajing suddenly thought of Jiang Qingzhi's anger.
The anger at not fighting back almost materialized.
……
"Xuanfu is not far from the capital. After Xia Yan came back, he was still able to call friends and have fun. You should do more at such a young age."
The eunuch relayed the original words of the Emperor Jiajing, "In this case of embezzlement of military funds, order the Jinyiwei and Chang Weibo to investigate together, and make sure to get to the bottom of it. As for rest, you will be allowed to rest for two days."
As soon as Jiang Qingzhi returned home, he submitted a memorial, saying that he was physically and mentally exhausted after the trip to Xuanfu and needed to rest for a while. However, Emperor Jiajing handed over the power to try the case to him.
After sending the eunuch away, Hu Zongxian and Xu Wei looked at each other.
"My Lord, this is something His Majesty values!"
Xu Wei said: "There are too many ways to manipulate this matter. Lu Bing and others must want to use this to attack their opponents and promote their confidants. The involvement of the Earl will serve as a check and balance. This shows that His Majesty values and recognizes the Earl."
"Your Majesty feels that Lord Bo has the potential to check and balance the Yan Party, which is also His Majesty's tacit approval for Lord Bo to grow stronger." Hu Zongxian said softly: "This is the formation of a party permitted by His Majesty..."
"What party?" Sun Chonglou asked.
"The Emperor's Party!" Xu Wei felt his heart surge, "From now on, we will be able to make decisions in the court."
Everyone looked at the calm Jiang Qingzhi and thought that the uncle was indeed calm and composed.
"The Imperial Party?" Jiang Qingzhi looked at his team and suddenly felt that the fog in front of him was gradually dissipating.
Each individual is alive and well.
"This is the first battle!" Jiang Qingzhi said slowly, "It is also a battle that will make you famous and raise your flag. From now on, there will be countless open and covert attacks."
Xu Wei said calmly: "Xu has always felt that life is too boring."
Hu Zongxian said calmly: "If the enemy comes, we will fight them; if the water comes, we will block it with earth."
Morale is high!
Fu Cheng felt the uplifting atmosphere and said to Sun Chonglou, "I thought of Zhou Gong."
"Isn't Duke Zhou in charge of sleep?" Sun Chonglou asked, "Master, are you sleepy so early in the morning?"
Fu Cheng gnashed his teeth and said, "It was the famous minister throughout history, the Duke of Zhou who spit out food to feed his guests and the people of the country were at peace with him."
(End of this chapter)
