Chapter 546: Wrong Team
After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Taizu Gao chose Nanjing, a strategically located city, as the capital.
It was not until Emperor Chengzu ascended the throne that he turned his attention to the north and moved the capital to Beijing. Only then did Nanjing, the ancient capital of Six Dynasties, gradually fall into silence.
Although the emperor moved to Beijing, Nanjing still retained a ruling team, which is the two-capital system.
Although it is called the Two Capitals System, the power is in Beijing, and the six ministries in Nanjing are only responsible for taxation. Over time, Nanjing has become a place for frustrated officials to settle down and a post station in the officialdom.
There are only so many government offices in Beijing, and only so many positions, so each has his own position. The Ming Dynasty is not the former Song Dynasty, so it is impossible to tailor a position for you.
Therefore, most officials who had reached the required qualifications but had no job opportunities above them were assigned to work in the six ministries in Nanjing, and would be transferred to Beijing to fill vacancies. At this time, the six ministries in Nanjing served as official post stations.
This was the case with Chen Du. He had the qualifications and should have been appointed as a doctor, but there were too many people and too few jobs in Beijing, and he had no competitors to support him, so he had to come to Nanjing to take up the position and wait for his opportunity.
Now he is a doctor in the Ministry of Rites in Nanjing. He has nothing to do all day long. When he comes to the government office, he just drinks a cup of tea, reads a book, or chats with a few colleagues.
Chen Du has recently become fond of reading novels, especially those of supernatural nature, which he enjoys reading with great gusto.
"Doctor Chen!"
"Who?" Chen Du looked up. "Come in."
The door opened and a clerk stood outside and saluted, "Minister Wang, please come in."
Wang Hui, the Minister of Rites of Nanjing, was only 40 years old and could be said to be in the prime of life. The year before last, he had lost miserably in the competition for the position of Left Vice Minister of a certain ministry in the capital, so he came to Nanjing to take up the post in a depressed mood.
"Meet the Minister."
"You've come just in time." Wang Hui put down the document in her hand. "I heard that there's been a lot of turmoil in Suzhou Prefecture recently. You should go and take a look. By the way..."
Wang Hui waved, and Chen Du understood and came over, lowering his head.
Wang Hui whispered, "Chang Wei Bo is now in Suzhou Prefecture. That place is evil and the local tyrants are powerful. You should go there and take a look. If there is any discord, come back and report. If Chang Wei Bo has the upper hand..."
Jiang Qingzhi was a minister trusted by the Taoist priest. If he said something good about Wang Hui to the Taoist priest... Chen Du understood, "The minister was worried that Chang Weibo would have a hard time in Suzhou Prefecture, so he asked me to pass on a message..."
Chen Du looked up at Wang Hui and said, "If there is any problem, Chang Wei Bo can just speak up. As long as the Nanjing Ministry of Rites can do it, everything can be settled!"
"Go!" Wang Hui said with a smile.
This kind of thing can only be done by a confidant, Chen Du thought, have I become the Shangshu's confidant now?
Not long after he left, a man entered the duty room.
It turned out to be Rui Jingxian, the governor of the East Factory.
"My people have already gone to Suzhou Prefecture."
"Minister Wang is indeed a man of great righteousness!" Rui Jingxian said with a smile.
Can a person who knows the righteousness of the country be used in this way? An ignorant fool... Wang Hui smiled and said, "Although the old lady is in Nanjing, her heart is in the capital..."
Just waiting for your majesty's call!
This affectionate expression was met with a secret sneer from Rui Jingxian, who said, "Your Majesty has ordered."
Wang Hui stood up.
"If there is anything wrong in Suzhou, Nanjing should suppress it!"
"Yes!"
Wang Hui knew this was an opportunity to take sides, so he stated, "If Suzhou Prefecture is not doing well, I will take people down to suppress the local government."
Lao Wang is prepared to fight shirtless in order to gain a chance of promotion.
Rui Jingxian nodded and went out.
Several of his men followed him, and one asked, "Du Gong, why don't you go directly to Suzhou Prefecture?"
"If we go to Suzhou, those scholars will shout that the powerful eunuchs are here. You know..." Rui Jingxian said with some disappointment: "The reputation of the Jinyiwei in the south is notorious, and my Dongchang is not much better. It was all deliberately ruined by that group of people."
The emperor's minions, lackeys, committing all kinds of evil and killing people without blinking an eye...
The South is the stronghold of the literati and it is very easy for them to ruin someone's reputation.
"Chang Wei Bo entered Suzhou almost alone. Isn't that dangerous?" said his subordinates.
"This matter seems to be a dispute between Confucianism and Mohism, but if you look deeper..." Rui Jingxian narrowed his eyes and stood outside the gate of the Ministry of Rites. Passing officials avoided him.
"Your Majesty gradually walked out of the Western Garden, which triggered an undercurrent in the capital. The matter of the biogas tank was their counterattack. What divine punishment is just to fool the ignorant people.
They seem to want to attack the Mohists, but in fact they are suppressing Your Majesty. Think about it, the biogas digester promoted by Your Majesty has attracted divine punishment. What is Your Majesty?"
The subordinates behind him were startled, "It's the emperor."
"Son of Heaven, Son of Heaven. But today, the Son of Heaven has been punished by God. Hehe, God's punishment. This is to tell the world that your Majesty, the Son of Heaven..."
Rui Jingxian didn't dare to say the following words, but his subordinates murmured: "May God punish this son..."
"Shut up!" Rui Jingxian shouted at his men, stroking his smooth chin. "If the master humiliates the minister, the emperor's authority will be damaged, and those civil officials will take advantage of the situation to suppress us. Jiang Qingzhi came to Suzhou alone, like a lamb among wolves. We are worried that he will not be ruthless enough."
"If it were us, we would just arrest him directly." The subordinate said proudly, "Our East Factory is still the most sharp in action."
"We will stay in Nanjing and wait for news." Rui Jingxian said, "Our reputation in the south is too bad. If we rashly go to Suzhou, Jiang Qingzhi will definitely not appreciate it. Let's go and have a drink!"
In the duty room, Wang Hui closed the door, turned around and covered his forehead, "This is a big gamble. If I win, I, Wang Hui, will be in the eyes of His Majesty. If I lose... someone, come here."
He opened the door and an attendant came over, "Shangshu."
"Go and ask if there is any news from Suzhou."
Here comes the news.
Rui Jingxian was the first to get the news.
"Chang Wei Bo was assassinated in Suzhou Prefecture!" Holy crap!
Rui Jingxian stood up suddenly and said, "Call the six ministers!"
If Jiang Qingzhi gets into trouble in the south, Rui Jingxian will not be able to escape the punishment of the Taoist priest, and the six departments in Nanjing will not have an easy time.
After a while, everyone met at Rui Jingxian's residence.
Rui Jingxian's face was stern. "Chang Wei Bo went to Suzhou Prefecture with the great trust of His Majesty. Biogas pools benefit the country and the people, but someone is secretly playing tricks. Let's pick a few today. The Yang family of Suzhou Prefecture, the Zhou family... I have news from the East Factory that this case is related to more than ten families. Nanjing can send people to the south to arrest them!"
This is the way the East Factory does things. They won’t compete with you, but will just use direct tactics.
So this is also what the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard are criticized for. They don’t give you a chance to argue and just take you down directly.
Minister of Rites Wang Hui said: "I think... it's OK."
He looked at the other five.
Minister of Personnel Zhao Ben sneered: "Do you have any evidence?"
"After the torture, it will come out naturally." Rui Jingxian stared at him, "This is an important matter entrusted by His Majesty. Why does Minister Zhao object?"
"Of course I won't." Zhao Ben looked at everyone, "But I heard that the Yang family and other families are doing good deeds in Suzhou Prefecture. It's inappropriate to arrest people just based on hearsay. If it causes local unrest, who will be held responsible?"
In history, when Emperor Wanli sent people to collect taxes, those powerful people refused to show up, but instead plotted behind the scenes to incite civil unrest, forcing Emperor Wanli to recall the tax inspectors stationed in various places.
This was also the first time that local scholars and officials won a complete victory against the emperor, thus opening the curtain for the decline of imperial power.
A guard came over and whispered in Rui Jingxian's ear: "Governor, Zhao Ben has close ties with the powerful people in Suzhou."
I see... Rui Jingxian sneered, "Is Minister Zhao sure he wants to guarantee the Yang family and other families?"
This eunuch!
Zhao Ben naturally didn't want to guarantee... Being able to become a minister, even the almost honorary position of Nanjing Minister of Personnel, is not an easy task.
Wang Hui felt that it was impossible for Zhao Ben to guarantee for those families, so when he saw Zhao Ben nod, he knew that the relationship between this man and the powerful people in Suzhou had reached the point where he could not escape.
When one is prosperous, both are prosperous; when one is lost, both are harmed!
Only in this way can an old fox in the officialdom like Zhao Ben take the risk and take action.
Wang Hui agreed, but Zhao Ben opposed.
The other four ministers avoided the topic and Rui Jingxian was furious, "Is this still the Nanjing of the Ming Dynasty?"
The Minister of War coughed dryly and said, "Admiral Wang, the South is a place with flourishing culture!"
——This is the base camp of the literati. You asked us to suppress Suzhou Prefecture, and then you just walked away. We have to face the crazy revenge of the literati in the south.
Do you think I'm stupid?
Rui Jingxian naturally knew this truth, and he said coldly: "What a great Nanjing Six Departments, just don't regret it."
Wang Hui coughed dryly and thought to himself, "I am on the side of His Majesty."
Chen Ben looked at him coldly, "I heard that there has been a lot of trouble in Suzhou Prefecture recently. I wonder how much public opinion it will cause if the news reaches the capital."
——Don’t think that you, Wang Hui, are having a great time now. There are many people in the capital who are waiting for news from Suzhou Prefecture. Once Jiang Qingzhi suffers a setback, the Taoist’s desk will be piled up with impeachment documents in an instant.
The southern scholars will take advantage of the situation to fight back. They will encourage the scholars to speak out and even dare to incite the people to cause trouble...
When the news of the south's turmoil and danger reached the capital, the officials in the capital gave another helping hand... Decades later, Emperor Wanli was forced to bow his head and compromise.
What can the Taoist do?
Could he just sit back and watch the South decay?
Once the South becomes corrupt, the Ming Dynasty’s purse will be ruined.
In Altan's eyes, the Ming Dynasty, without money and food, was just a fat sheep.
Wang Hui thought about all this and took a deep breath. "Just suppress it!"
Since you are going to take sides, do it thoroughly!
"What a great Minister Wang." Chen Ben said, "Will you take responsibility for all the consequences caused by this?"
Wang Hui stood up and said, "If Nanjing's hesitation leads to all the problems in Suzhou, are you willing to take the responsibility?"
Chen Ben stood up and said, "I will take responsibility for it!"
"Then why should I be afraid?" Wang Hui stared at the other party.
Knock knock knock!
There was a knock on the door.
Rui Jingxian's entourage went to open the door.
The door opens.
A Dongchang guard came in and said, "Sir, from Suzhou Prefecture, Chang Wei Bo sent someone to Nanjing to report the news."
Are you here to ask for help?
Chen Ben raised his eyes slightly, feeling secretly proud and relieved.
Wang Hui leaned back slightly and felt dizzy.
Is it time for us to take action... Rui Jingxian nodded, and a soldier was brought in.
"Greetings, all the ministers." The soldier stood up straight and said loudly, "My Lord, you have investigated the so-called divine punishment case in Suzhou Prefecture and found that it was done by local nobles in collusion with Suzhou Prefecture officials. All six people died at the hands of the nobles."
"Impossible!" Chen Ben exclaimed, "Do you have any evidence?"
The soldier glanced at him. "The evidence is irrefutable! In addition, after the incident was exposed, the powerful Yang family and other families in Suzhou plotted rebellion, which was suppressed by the army led by Chang Wei Bo. The heads of the Yang family and others are now hanging outside the gate of the Suzhou government office. The local people are in a stable mood!"
……
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(End of this chapter)
