Chapter 685 784 Cabinet Affairs

After sending the two away, Wei Guangde sat down to rest and realized that it seemed that after entering the cabinet, his job was to bargain with the six ministries and local governments for money.

The local governments reported various difficulties and wanted to intercept the money that should have been sent to the Taicang warehouse. What he did in the cabinet was to either reject or deduct it.

There was a rebellion in a certain place, and the Ministry of War was considering where to send troops to support it. Then the Ministry of Revenue had no money, and it was also the cabinet that convened the heads of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue to discuss and communicate, and move money to solve the problem.

It feels that being a cabinet minister is similar to being the head of a business.

The real government affairs are all handled by the six ministries. The only thing that cannot be handled is the projects involving cross-ministerial and money. The ministries dare not make decisions on their own, so they will be handed over to the cabinet.

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde suddenly felt boring.

On the second day, not long after Wei Guangde arrived at the cabinet, he saw the new memorial submitted by the Ministry of Revenue. In accordance with the requirements of Emperor Longqing, the tax-free farmland of the nobles and relatives was re-verified. Afterwards, not only the Minister of Revenue and the left and right assistant ministers signed, but also the Tuntian Censor signed.

Wei Guangde did not hesitate to post a note and approved the memorial.

He put the processed memorial aside as the first memorial submitted today.

However, he did not immediately re-read the others. Instead, he sat and thought for a moment, then took out a piece of paper and spread it on the desk, picked up a pen and started writing.

This was a memorial intended to be submitted to Emperor Longqing. He intended to recommend the deputy general of the Shenjiying as the prime minister, the commander of the Baoding training army.

He only had the right to train troops, but not the right to command.

The purpose was naturally to allow Qi Jiguang to select and select soldiers from the guards around the capital, such as Jizhou, Tianjin and Baoding, to prepare for the grand review to be prepared next year.

The troops in the Beijing camp were not good enough, and Wei Guangde didn't believe that the surrounding guards could not gather people.

Previously, he wanted to increase the troops in the nine border towns, but when you think about it, it seems easy to do this, but adding thousands or tens of thousands of people to eat, drink, defecate and urinate is a considerable expense.

Whether this money is paid by the local government or the court, I am afraid that many people will submit memorials to discuss it, which is really troublesome.

It is better to supplement troops nearby and avoid many incidents.

Wei Guangde wrote his memorial and put it aside to dry, and then began to deal with other official documents.

In a mansion in Jiangling Prefecture, Huguang, Hong Chaoxuan, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, Cheng Yaoxiang, the commander of the Jinyiwei, and Shi Duchen, the deputy envoy of the Huguang Censorate, were all present.

In addition, because the officials of Huguang all said the same thing, they said that the Liao King Zhu Xian had the intention of rebellion because he had raised the flag.

Because Zhu Xian was involved in such a big crime, Hong Chaoxuan was very cautious and recommended Dong Wencai, the right counselor of Henan Provincial Administration, and Wu Daozhi, the deputy envoy of Shandong Provincial Administration, to join the investigation.

In more than a month, it can be basically confirmed that the thirteen charges involving the King of Liao impeached by Chen Sheng and Gao Guangxian were true.

However, there was a lot of controversy between Hong Chaoxuan and Shi Duchen on whether the King of Liao raised the big flag to rebel or for other reasons.

In fact, the officials involved in the trial knew that they had seen the King of Liao Zhu Xian and knew what kind of person he was.

If they said that such a good-for-nothing wanted to rebel, they would definitely not believe it.

However, rebellion was a matter of great importance.

To put it bluntly, whether the King of Liao rebelled or not was not decided by them, but by the one in the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Even if the King of Liao had no intention of rebelling, Shi Duchen reported the matter of the King of Liao raising the flag. If the emperor believed it, then the King of Liao was a real traitor.

Therefore, there were many concerns. At this time, including Jinyiwei Commander Cheng Yaoxiang, Henan Provincial Administration Right Counselor Dong Wencai and Shandong Provincial Administration Deputy Envoy Wu Daozhi, all sat silently aside. There was only the debate between Hong Chaoxuan and Shi Duchen in the room.

Moreover, the officials of Huguang spoke in unison, which in itself was also very telling. It felt that there was something more complicated behind this matter.

In the Ming Dynasty, the civil service group was never a monolithic entity, so the unity shown by the officials of Huguang at this time was really puzzling to these outsiders.

Even if Liao Wang Zhu Xian did all kinds of evil things, in the current situation, as long as the investigation of the case was reported, the capital would not be able to not react.

Under normal circumstances, Zhu Xian's title could not be kept, and Liao Wang would definitely be replaced.

The deposed Liao Wang was just a commoner, and even the jade book and golden book would be taken back, and it was impossible for him to stir up trouble again.

Judging from the posture of the officials from Huguang, they wanted to torture the King of Liao to death. As an outsider and an official of the same dynasty, they naturally did not want to have conflicts with so many officials from Huguang.

The King of Liao was no longer qualified for them to waste their breath to speak for him.

"Regarding the matter of the King of Liao raising the banner, I insist on my own opinion. The King of Liao did not rebel, but just wanted to use this method to quibble about his innocence. There is no need to pursue this matter.

This official was ordered to investigate the illegal acts of the King of Liao. He acted upright and stood upright, and was not afraid of being framed by villains."

Hong Chaoxuan had to answer this question because Shi Duchen insisted on reporting the King of Liao's rebellion and attacked him personally, suspecting that he had accepted a valuable gift from the King of Liao's mansion.

"Sir Hong, you are the chief envoy, you can cover the sky with one hand, but don't forget that there is still a bright world above the blue sky.

This official will not take part in this matter. Even if you insist, I will report the matter of the Liao King raising the banner truthfully, and see how Your Majesty and the officials in the court view it."

Shi Duchen still insisted on this matter, which made Hong Chaoxuan frown.

Although he felt that he was fair in dealing with the Liao King, it was hard to say what the emperor thought about the Liao King raising the banner.

What is the banner?

The banner is a large flag in the army or at important ceremonies, usually used to command the army and boost morale.

The holder of the Great Ban must be an emperor or a general. Although the King of Liao was also qualified to hold it, with the Emperor of Heaven at the court, the King of Liao who erected the Great Ban really had the intention of treason.

If it was a matter of solar terms, it would be easy for the King of Liao to erect the banner, but it happened to be done when the imperial envoy was ordered to investigate.

"Three gentlemen, do you also think that Liao Wang Dazhi intends to rebel?"

Knowing that he had nothing to do with Shi Duchen, Hong Chaoxuan turned his attention to Cheng Yaoxiang, Dong Wencai and Wu Daozhi, hoping that they could support him.

However, he was obviously wrong.

Cheng Yaoxiang was a royal guard and was naturally sensitive to the crime of rebellion.

If the King of Liao just behaved inappropriately, he would not actually get much credit, but if he was involved in rebellion, it would seem that he would get a lot of credit.

However, it was not convenient for him to say it clearly, so when asked by Hong Chaoxuan, he just smiled and said: "Just report it truthfully. As for erecting the big banner, let the King of Liao explain it to the emperor himself."

Dong Wencai and Wu Daozhi have also made up their minds not to go against their colleagues in Huguang. Since they have united to defeat the King of Liao, they can do whatever they want.

During this time, they also heard a lot of things in Jiangling. The most popular one was the grudge between Zhang Juzheng, the elder of the court, and the King of Liao. They knew that Zhang Juzheng's grandfather died because he was drunk by the King of Liao. of.

Thinking back to the actions of Huguang officials, they thought that there might be some influence from Beijing.

Although Cheng Yaoxiang is a hawk, the meaning behind his words is very obvious. It is best to report this matter to the emperor.

Report it to the emperor, so what is the point of everyone discussing here whether to report the King of Liao's rebellion as a crime in the memorial?

Even if he didn't mention this matter in his memorial, Cheng Yao would definitely report it to the emperor after he returned to the capital.

In their opinion, as a doubt point, it is enough to record it in detail in the memorial. As for whether it is considered treason, let Emperor Longqing decide.

Therefore, Dong Wencai and Wu Daozhi also supported the suggestion in the memorial that the King of Liao was suspected of treason, and would erect a large banner as evidence to report to the court.

The decision-making power of the memorial rests with Hong Chao. He originally handled the case from a practical point of view and could not understand Shi Duchen's approach of seeking to incriminate others.

But now, the other three people are obviously not on his side, even though he is the highest ranking among everyone here and is still a Beijing official.

The guard that had been loosened just now stabilized again in an instant. He felt that it would be too embarrassing to admit defeat like this.

"I also know what you mean, so I also reported the matter of the Liao Prince's Mansion in the memorial. However, I still don't agree with this alone to conclude that the King of Liao has the intention of treason, so I don't include it in the memorial. Will mention this."

Although Hong Chaoxuan made some concessions, he still would not write everything according to their wishes.

As for how the adults in Beijing will view this matter, it has nothing to do with him.

"Sir Hong, when the King of Liao raised the banner, he was disobedient. What if he didn't intend to rebel? I really don't know why you are so partial to the King of Liao. I will report this matter to the court later and tell the story of Jingzhou."

Shi Duchen seemed to be encouraged by the words of Dong Wencai and Wu Daozhi, and said without any appreciation for Hong Chaoxuan's concessions.

"As I said, I have a clear conscience. If you have any dissatisfaction, you can report it to the public. The princes in the court will naturally distinguish right from wrong."

Hong Chaoxuan became irritated by Shi Duchen's pressing step by step, so he just said lightly.

After that, Hong Chaoxuan revised the memorial and added it to the Dabu. Dong Wencai and Wu Daozhi both smiled and stroked their beards to express their satisfaction. Prime Minister Cheng Yao's face was calm and there was no trace of fluctuation. Only Shi Duchen was still very dissatisfied.

On the same day, the officials left the main hall and went back to the courtyard to rest. While Hong Chaoxuan was still polishing and copying the memorial in the study, Shi Duchen sent someone out of the imperial envoy's office.

On the second day, two fast horses, one behind the other, left Jiangling Mansion and headed for the capital.

"Shaloan, your majesty has already approved the report from the Ministry of Household Affairs, so you can draft the decree and send it to the Director of Ceremonies and the Sixth Section for distribution."

Li Chunfang was in the room, and Wei Guangde took the memorial returned from the palace from Li Chunfang.

"Okay, I'll ask Mr. Li Ge to correct me later after I draft the decree."

Wei Guangde held the memorial in his hand and said respectfully to Li Chunfang.

"Oh, and this is your previous memorial recommending Qi Jiguang as the Governor-General of Jichang and Baoding Military Training. His Majesty also approved it."

Li Chunfang picked up the memorial below and said again. She also stretched out her hand and handed it over as she spoke.

Wei Guangde hurriedly took it and took a look.

"Shandai, His Majesty has entrusted you with the preparation of the Grand Parade. You recommended Qi Jiguang to be responsible for the military training around the capital. Is it really that the capital camp cannot be used for its full purpose?"

Li Chunfang suddenly asked.

"Li Shoufu, Shandai knows what you mean. To tell you the truth, if Shilang Tan and Qi Jiguang hadn't come to me to complain, I wouldn't have believed that the capital camp had become so corrupt.

According to what they said, most of the 890,000 or 90,000 troops remaining in the capital were old, weak and remnant soldiers, and the remaining half were veterans and oilmen who were simply unusable.

It would be fine if they were just used as a guard of ceremony, but it is absolutely impossible to use them as a ceremony for the Grand Parade.

There are only more than 10,000 people in the Beijing camp still available. Even if we recall those thousands of soldiers and horses from the border towns, we can barely make up 20,000 people. How can we show the power of our Ming army? "

Wei Guangde sighed and said.

This was said by Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang, and of course it cannot be faked. Li Chunfang would know it as long as he sent someone to investigate carefully, so there was no need to hide it.

"I have thought about it before, sending more troops from the border towns back to Beijing to participate in the parade to build momentum, but mobilizing nearly 10,000 troops would be a huge effort. If more troops are needed, even if the household department can afford it, the safety of Jiubian will be at risk. will be affected.

These are the elites from each town, and they are mobile troops to defend against raids by cavalry. If the deployment to participate in the parade really leads to a border crisis, it will not be worth the gain.

That’s why I decided to visit the three health centers in Jizhen, Changping and Baoding around Gyeonggi Province.

It had already been decided that Tan Lun would be the governor of Ji Liao. Taking this opportunity, Tan Shilang could also see what his men would look like in the future, and also asked Qi Jiguang to help train the troops. "

As soon as Wei Guangde finished speaking, Li Chunfang smiled and said, "I know what you mean. This is also for the sake of the court."

Wei Guangde nodded slightly when he heard this to show his gratitude.

"Another thing is that Huguang reported that he had left dirty money as a fine to provide disaster relief. At that time, you and Yin Shizhen both said that this behavior was unacceptable.

Of course, I know that what you are thinking about is that the money in the imperial court's hands is in decline, and there is an urgent need for money to be shipped from various places to the capital to meet the urgent need.

However, similar reports were issued in Jiangxi and Shandong later, and the cabinet votes were all halved. "

Li Chunfang suddenly paused when he said this. Wei Guangde knew that Li Chunfang was blaming Xiao Jiujiu for beating each other, which meant that he was using his power to overwhelm others.

Seeing the uncertainty on Wei Guangde's face, Li Chunfang remained silent. After Wei Guangde's expression softened slightly, he spoke: "We all work together in the cabinet, so it's better to understand each other on some matters.

There should be regulations for the memorials issued by the cabinet. For example, in the past two years, there have been frequent disasters in Huguang, Jiangxi and other places. It would also be good for the local government to request that some money be reserved for emergencies. "

"The lesson learned by the Chief Assistant is that we did not consider this matter at the beginning. Huguang should also decide according to the halving method. Only in this way can it appear that the cabinet is acting fairly."

Wei Guangde knew that Li Chunfang wanted to create a harmonious cabinet and did not want to see internal fighting due to some of their respective interests.

There were already signs of such a scene happening, so he decided to intervene decisively and mediate in private.

“It’s best for Shandai to think like this.”

Li Chunfang clapped her hands and said with a smile, "I will ask my uncle to come over later to explain the memorial. I also told him about it. The memorial in Huguang is still with me. When the time comes, the memorial will be drafted again and submitted."

"This matter is entirely up to the adults. Loans are meaningless."

Wei Guangde bowed and replied.

Although there are currently several people in the cabinet, the Yu-Zhuan clique has an absolute advantage, but just now, Wei Guangde suddenly realized that if the Yu-Zhuan clique was too strong in the cabinet, although it would indeed help Emperor Longqing implement his decree, it would not be able to influence Chen , Yin and himself, it is by no means a good thing.

Maybe, the three of them would have a bad reputation in the court.

At that moment, Wei Guangde knew that he still had to maintain Li Chunfang's absolute dominance in the cabinet, so that if the sky fell, someone would be able to hold him back.