Chapter 613 Times Have Changed
The emperor's "handling" of Lin Tailai's contribution will naturally have different interpretations in the eyes of different people.
When the cabinet met today to discuss national affairs, Chief Assistant Shen Shixing was in a daze.
He didn't express any personal opinions on any matters and seemed to be showing off.
This made other pavilion elders very surprised. Could it be that rotten food is also a disease that can be transmitted from top to bottom?
Second Assistant Wang Xijue couldn't help but asked: "Shou Kui is unwell?"
Shen Shoufu sighed. One leaf fell and the world knew it was autumn. The cabinet had begun to show signs of being marginalized. You big brains were still unaware of it?
Maybe the world is like this. When the moon is full, it loses, and when the water is full, it overflows. The cycle of ups and downs is common sense.
A hundred years ago, the power of the cabinet began to grow, reaching its peak during the Jiajing Dynasty and reaching its peak in the Zhang Juzheng era.
After Zhang Juzheng, he could still manage to maintain the power of the cabinet.
However, in the people behind him, he did not see any ability to maintain the power of the cabinet or make the cabinet strong again.
Wang Er is a very smart person who always wants to be smart, always trying to play tricks on both sides, and who is not a smart person in the court?
Wang San is a person who cannot figure out his own position. You are obviously a cabinet minister who assists the emperor, but you regard yourself as the spokesperson of the Qingliu Party. Your attitude and consciousness are completely torn. How can this last long?
Not to mention Zhao Si, he doesn't even have an independent official character, and he is more than ten years older than himself!
Thinking of this, Shen Shoufu, who felt a little sad in his heart, said subconsciously: "There is no one left in the pavilion to follow."
Wang Er Wang San Zhao Si: "???"
Chief Assistant, you suddenly said a riddle. What do you want to express?
After Shen Shoufu came to his senses, he casually explained: "Lin Jiuyuan gave a speech at the Hanlin Academy last year, which was extremely impressive.
He used the literary world as a metaphor for the political world, saying that the center is constantly sinking and that the future will be an era of party societies.
Seeing the current situation, I feel that Lin Jiuyuan's words are even more reasonable. The future of the cabinet is uncertain. "
It may be that Shen Shoufu's level is too high, and other pavilion elders don't quite understand the meaning, but they can't put down their face and ask for advice carefully. After all, they are all pavilion elders.
So everyone could only act thoughtfully and pretend that they understood.
Chief Shen was too lazy to talk anymore. These colleagues couldn't even see the signs of marginalization in the cabinet, so what else could they expect?
When Shen Shoufu returned home, even his eldest son Shen Yongmao could tell that something was wrong with his father.
"Father wants to resign again?" Shen Yongmao asked tentatively, relying on his rich experience.
Shen Shixing glanced at the big boy and replied deliberately: "So what?"
Shen Yongmao said in surprise: "The situation in our update society is very good now. Why can't my father think about it anymore?"
He felt that his father was a bit like the "dead literary youth" that Lin Jiuyuan said.
There was no need to worry about talking to his son. Shen Shixing snorted coldly: "The cabinet is already marginalized. What else do I, the chief minister, do?"
Even most of the pavilion elders couldn't see the trend clearly, and Shen Yongmao certainly couldn't see it clearly. He was just confused after hearing what his father said.
Shen Shixing wanted to give some advice, so he asked again: "A hundred years ago, who was fighting among the civil servants?"
Shen Yongmao replied: "Naturally, the cabinet and the six ministries, especially the staff, compete for power among themselves."
Shen Shoufu asked again: "Who has been fighting in the past ten years?"
Shen Yongmao replied: "The Qingliu party members, with Ke Dao Yan Guan and Bu Lang as the main force, fought the most with the cabinet."
Finally, Shen Shixing asked: "So who has been fighting for power in the past two years?"
After Shen Yongmao thought for a moment, he proudly replied: "The Qingliu Party members with Ke Dao Yan Guan and Bu Lang as the backbone and Lin Tailai. No, come with us to update the society!"
Shen Shixing said helplessly: "So you have also seen that the cabinet has unknowingly faded out of the main role in the fight for power.
As the chief minister and the cabinet, I have to be forced to act as a mediator repeatedly. Isn't this marginalization? "
Shen Yongmao had never thought about it from this perspective, but today he was suddenly prompted by his father, and he had the feeling of "terrible after thinking about it".
Changes happened unconsciously, but I was unaware of the changes. Is this how little people felt in the great era of history?
Shen Shixing sighed: "Even the emperor has noticed it now, so he didn't get rid of Lin Tailai's bunch of part-time jobs. This is an attitude of deliberate support.
Perhaps the emperor believed that the rapidly rising Lin Tailai could play a greater role than the cabinet. "
Shen Yongmao corrected in a low voice: "It's our update agency."
Speaking of this, Shen Shoufu became more and more heartbroken. To use a disrespectful metaphor, he was like a leader of a subjugated country.
If the successors are all characters like Wang Er, Wang San, and Zhao Si, the Ming Dynasty's tradition of strong chief assistant may end with him.
Shen Shixing has feelings for the official position of Chief Assistant. After all, his main position in history books will be Chief Assistant.
If the official position of Chief Assistant fails in the future, it will also affect his historical evaluation of Shen Shixing.
Shen Yongmao couldn't help but persuade: "Maybe father is worrying too much, and the situation is not so pessimistic."
Shen Shixing said doubtfully: "Why do you say that?"
Shen Yongmao answered with certainty: "Can't we just wait until Lin Tailai joins the cabinet in the future? If Lin Tailai becomes the first assistant, it will be just around the corner to restore the strength of the first assistant."
Shen Shixing: "."
What you are saying makes so much sense!
Human beings have different joys and sorrows, but Uncle Shen Yongmao just wanted to tell the truth.
So after his father had a rest, Uncle Shen hurried out the door and went straight to the Lin Mansion.
Even without any lighting, Uncle Shen could skillfully walk through the two alleys and reach the door of Lin Mansion accurately.
"My father seems to be homesick again!" Shen Yongmao reported actively after entering the Lin Mansion.
Lin Tailai said "Oh" casually, still absent-minded, as if he didn't take it seriously.
Shen Yongmao emphasized: "My father seems to want to resign again!"
Lin Tailai looked at Shen Yongmao strangely. It wasn't like he didn't understand. Is it necessary to repeat it?
Then he replied: "If you want to resign, just resign."
Shen Yongmao was shocked. It seemed that he heard thunder in the middle of the night!
Lin Jiuyuan actually didn't care whether his father would stay or go! Then wouldn’t my own value be greatly reduced? How can this be a good thing?
After thinking about it, Lin Tailai told Shen Yongmao again: "You have to be patient and appease your father. If you can bear the big thunder of Guoben, it would be wise to retreat if you can't bear it."
After sending away the restless Shen Yongmao, Lin Tailai continued to ponder his own problems.
It can be seen from the emperor's decree that he has truly "passed the test" this time and can continue to do things freely.
There are currently two major matters, one is the prisoner presentation ceremony, and the other is the establishment of the Communications Department of the Ministry of War, which are both major events that the emperor is most concerned about.
As for the possible new climax of the national dispute, I will ignore it! What does it have to do with Lin Tailai?
After all, Lin Tailai is a pragmatic official who is not interested in forming cliques.
The next morning, when Lin Tailai was about to go out, the guardians came to ask for instructions, where should he go first today?
For various reasons, Lin Tailai rarely announces his itinerary in advance. He always decides before going out on the day.
"Go to the Hanlin Academy first." Lin Tailai ordered.
When he arrived at the No. 1 Scholar Hall of the Hanlin Academy, Lin Tailai began to immerse himself in writing a detailed plan for establishing the Communications Department of the Ministry of War.
No one else can ghostwrite this, so I have to do it myself.
Unlike in other yamen, whenever Lin Tailai sat in the Zhuangyuan Hall, he would often be visited by his colleagues in the Imperial Academy.
In the same year, Dong Qichang was one of the most frequent visitors, but recently he found that the situation was getting more and more complicated.
It is difficult to chat with Lin Jiuyuan casually for more than half an hour like before.
We can't blame Lin Jiuyuan for not being nostalgic, we can only blame the fact that there are too many coquettish bitches who follow the trend.
Today, Dong Qichang came to the Zhuangyuan Hall to drink tea again. Zhang Wen, the guardian of the left, said to Dong Qichang outside the door: "Master Dong, please wait for now. It is not convenient to go in now."
Dong Qichang said helplessly: "Who is inside?"
Zhang Wen replied: "It was Master Chen who was in charge of the academy. He rejected everyone, even the two old champions Zhu and Tang came out."
Dong Qichang: "."
Can the situation get worse? Why did Director Chen come over personally to join in the fun?
In the No. 1 Scholar Hall, Bachelor Chen said a little impatiently: "The Yan officials have started to go to Shu Nao Guoben, why haven't you made arrangements for me yet?
We agreed to go to the Ministry of Industry or the Ministry of Punishment, but why was there absolutely no movement? "
Lin Tailai said calmly: "I, Lin Tailai, am called Jin Bu, and Bu is the Ji Bu who promises a thousand pieces of gold! Whatever I promised you, I will definitely do it!"
Scholar Chen asked: "Can you explain how to handle the matter? It will also give me some peace of mind."
After thinking about it, Lin Tailai decided to reveal it, so that Chen Xueshi would not worry blindly, "Didn't I forcefully impeach Lu Guangzu, the censor of Zuodu, and Song Qi, minister of the Ministry of Industry, and force them to resign?
Therefore, it is a good thing that someone is making trouble in the country. The emperor will most likely dismiss one of Lu and Song from office first to divert the firepower of the Qingliu party.
After all, these two people are high-ranking members of the Qingliu Party, and the Qingliu Party has no choice but to save them.
I predict that among these two people, Song Qixian, the slightly weaker minister of the Ministry of Industry, is most likely to be dismissed from office by the emperor.
The Minister of the Ministry of Industry has been dismissed, so won’t there be a vacancy for the minister of the Ministry of Industry? If I recommend you to go to the Ministry of Industry, who can compete with you based on qualifications? "
Bachelor Chen was stunned and speechless for a long time.
You, Lin Tailai, have impeached so many people before, and attacked Lu Guangzu, the censor of Zuodu, and Song Hui, minister of the Ministry of Industry, to the point of resigning. You look crazy, what's the use of this?
No wonder everyone thinks that you, Lin Tailai, are extremely arrogant, and that you are exactly the template of "If you are mad, there will be disaster", but you, Lin Tailai, don't care at all!
It turns out that the essence of this matter is to provide "robbery material" to the emperor.
No wonder the emperor was so indulging in Lin Tailai, and even sent eunuchs Bingbi all over the streets to consult Lin Tailai according to the treatment of the elder. It was not without reason.
Scholar Chen vaguely felt that Lin Tailai seemed to be more useful to the emperor than the cabinet at present?
But Xueshie Chen couldn't figure it out, why did the times become like this?
If you don’t understand, just don’t think about it for the time being. Scholar Chen talks about another thing: “Do you have any recommendations for Shujishi to teach?”
Lin Tailai asked: "Can you recommend yourself? Actually, I think I am quite suitable."
Bachelor Chen: "."
Stop making trouble! The current new generation is all your age, how can you be a teacher? Isn’t this generation in chaos?
Lin Tailai had no choice but to say: "Then let's ask the cabinet, lest our Imperial Academy make the decision without authorization and the cabinet will be unhappy. After all, the cabinet is the nominal leader of Ci Lin."
Chen Xueshi asked tentatively: "What if you are not satisfied with the candidates after the cabinet proposes them?"
Lin Tailai said naturally: "Then please change the cabinet to another person. After all, the cabinet is the leader of Ci Lin. We must fully respect the opinions of the cabinet and cannot make decisions without authorization."
Bachelor Chen: "."
This is so respectful, so respectful.
In just a few words, I found out what Lin Tailai's current mentality is when he views the cabinet.
After seeing off Bachelor Chen and chatting with Dong Qichang for a few words, Lin Tailai closed the door of the No. 1 Scholar Hall and concentrated on writing a plan for establishing the Communications Department of the Ministry of War.
In the afternoon, Lin Tailai's usual practice was to randomly change places to work. After some consideration, he told the guardians on his left and right: "Go to Taichang Temple."
Zhang Wen, the Zuo protector, said in surprise: "I heard from Mr. Gu's analysis that you, the Young Minister of Taichang Temple, don't have an empty title by sitting in the palace?
It's just for the sake of rank and a salary in name. You don't have to worry about the affairs of the yamen, so why go to Taichang Temple? "
"What's a false title but not a false one? Do you know what it means to be true and false?" Lin Tailai said.
Everyone knows that on both sides of the south side of the imperial city, the Qinglong Block to the east is the civil service yamen, where most of the ministries are located; the Baihu Block to the west is the military attache yamen, where the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion and the Jinyi Guards are located.
There is only one yamen with the most special location, and that is Taichang Temple.
It is not located in the civil service area to the east, but is located in the west, sandwiched between a bunch of governor's mansions.
The location of Taichang Temple has always been like this, and Lin Tailai didn't understand why it was designed this way.
In fact, the political status of Taichang Temple is still very high. Apart from the Six Ministries, Duchayuan, Dali Temple, and General Affairs Department, Taichang Temple has the highest political status.
After all, the ancients said that "the great affairs of the country lie in sacrifice and military affairs." Taichang Temple is the yamen responsible for the specific affairs of sacrifice and ceremony.
When Lin Tailai went to Taichang Temple, a series of imperial approvals were issued from the palace.
Previously, the emperor had a backlog of sensitive memorials that had not been issued, but today a large number of them were suddenly issued.
The memorials of the eight famous officials who impeached Lin Tailai were all dismissed, four of them were transferred out of Beijing, and four were fined.
Sun Jigao, who was Shao Zhan and served as a bachelor and Shuji scholar, was transferred to the Nanjing Imperial College and took charge of the Nanjing Imperial College Supervisor.
Aimu, the minister of Taipu Temple, was ordered to become an official because he was old, feeble and incompetent, and was given a crown and belt of the fourth rank.
Song Hui, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, was dismissed from office and ordered to return to his hometown to live leisurely.
After this bunch of decrees were issued, the officialdom of the capital immediately became boiling.
Although I guessed that the emperor might be partial to Lin Tailai, he didn't expect to be so biased!
The Qingliu Party members, who had gained momentum in the past year, were hit hard again in an instant!
Lin Tailai only used one title to exchange for so many "heads"!