Prime Minister

Chapter 1129 New Prime Minister

Chapter 1129 New Prime Minister

The government was outraged when it saw the corruption cases investigated by Cai Que.

Not only the lecturers and supervisors in the Imperial College, but even high-ranking officials such as Yuan Jiang, the Vice-Chancellor of State Affairs, and Xu Jiang, the prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture, were implicated.

The calmest people on the scene were Cai Que and Li Ding, who was newly appointed as the judge of the Imperial College last year. Li Ding was appointed as a censor because of his selection of officials, and was revoked by the Zhongshu Sheren headed by Su Song, which led to the Three Sheren Incident.

However, Li Ding's official career had been smooth. After Wang Anshi, Li Ding joined Cai Que and was promoted to the position of Baowen Pavilion Attendant and Imperial Edict Editor.

Before, when Su Shi went to Huzhou, it was Li Ding who quoted the sentence "knowing that he is foolish and out of step with the times, and it is difficult for him to keep up with the newcomers" from Su Shi's memorial, which eventually led to the Wutai Poetry Case that led to Su Shi's arrest and sent to Beijing.

Cai Que promised Li Ding that if he became the Secretary, he would fully support him to be the Chief Censor.

This Taixue scandal occurred before Li Ding was appointed as the judge of the Imperial College.

Li Ding immediately said, "Your Majesty, the corruption in the Imperial College is caused by the three-house system. The first-class upper-house students can serve as officials, the second-class students are exempt from the Ministry of Rites examination, and the third-class students are exempt from the examination. Therefore, students rush to the lecturers and dignitaries to compete for the upper-house."

"I think that to eliminate this abuse, we should either abolish the three-she system or cancel the qualification of upper-she students to serve as officials."

This was actually Zhang Yue's idea. He wanted to reform the Imperial College. But he couldn't say it himself, so he asked Cai Que to say it through Li Ding. Cai Que wanted to take the throne at this time, and it was the best time to use him. If you miss this opportunity, you will miss it forever.

The emperor replied to Li Ding: "This matter will be discussed by the prime minister and reported to me later."

The emperor looked at Yuan Jiang and agreed.

Yuan Jiang came out and said, "Your Majesty, this is the fault of this subject. I am willing to offer my entire life's salary and position, and ask Your Majesty to forgive my subject's crime."

Yuan Jiang's son Yuan Qining was imprisoned by Cai Que.

Knowing that Cai Que was a ruthless person, Yuan Qining was afraid of being tortured by Cai Que, so he confessed everything.

Yuan Jiang said earnestly, "I beg Your Majesty to forgive my crime for my old age."

When the emperor saw Yuan Jiang say this, he nodded slightly.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Yuan Jiang prostrated himself and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Although Yuan Jiang pardoned his son's crime, everyone could see that his position in the Secretariat had come to an end.

Yuan Jiang was as if he had been pardoned, and his tears were flowing, which made people feel sympathetic. Although Yuan Jiang didn't know why Cai Que suddenly took action, he guessed that there was probably some tacit understanding between Cai Que and Zhang Yue.

Ever since the Sansi arson case that year, he and Zhang Yue had a grudge against each other.

However, Zhang Yue was only one of the reasons for the arson. At that time, the three departments were not controlled by the Zhongshu and often opposed the Zhongshu in financial policy.

Therefore, when the fire started, Lu Huiqing instructed Yuan Jiang, the envoy of the Three Departments, to take ruthless action and directly burn down the Three Departments. Then, the scene of Zhang Dun bringing soldiers from the Military Equipment Bureau to put out the fire was staged.

Yuan Jiang thought about this and realized that the winners are the kings and the losers are the bandits. He really hated Cai Que at this moment. He had a close relationship with him before, but this time he suddenly turned against him and the other party actually threatened him to submit by using his son.

Yuan Jiang thought to himself, no flower stays in bloom forever, I want to see how long you, Cai Zhizheng, can stay in bloom.

After Yuan Jiang retreated.

General Xu also apologized to the government.

Finally, the government gave Yuan Jiang the green light and allowed the two of them to go to other places to serve as governors of lower states.

The treatment of the prime minister and the prefect of Kaifeng was decided by the government.

The rest of the officials involved in the case were all approved by Cai Que. The lighter punishment was a copper fine, the medium punishment was removal from the current position and replacement, and the heaviest punishment was dismissal from office.

As for those students who took bribes, the heaviest punishment was two years in prison, and the rest were expelled and would never be employed by the court again, and they would no longer be eligible to be officials.

Hundreds of people were punished from top to bottom.

The Xiangzhou murder case, the Fuyan Road case and the Taixue Yu Fan case were all handled by Cai Que, and he can be said to have strictly governed his officials.

……

After the court meeting, the ministers reported on what had happened.

Wang Gui and Zhang Yue stayed behind to make their own comments. The emperor said to Wang Gui and Zhang Yue, "I have been feeling better recently, so we can arrange the imperial lecture again."

The matters of the imperial lecture not only concerned what the emperor heard, but were also an opportunity for officials to show themselves in front of the emperor.

In the past, when the emperor first took power, it was a very important opportunity to select talents. Now the emperor has already made up his mind and it is not easy to fool him, but it is also an opportunity to stand out.

In the past, Wang Gui and Zhang Yue would have definitely fought for this position, as this was a good opportunity to place their followers. They would each make a long list.

But the emperor suddenly mentioned it today. Both of them have been in officialdom for many years, so how could they not understand it?

Wang Gui said: "I think An Tao, the Left Counselor, who is directly in charge of the Academy of Scholars and the Court of Judicial Review, is knowledgeable and well-versed in the classics. He can be a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy."

The emperor was obviously very satisfied with the selection of Wang Gui.

Zhang Yue said, "I think Chen Mu, the doctor of the Ministry of Revenue and the assistant censor in charge of miscellaneous affairs, was neither humble nor arrogant when he was on a diplomatic mission to Goryeo, and he did not disgrace the dignity of the state. His knowledge is applicable to both ancient and modern times, so he can be the assistant lecturer of Tianzhang Pavilion."

Regarding An Tao and Chen Mu who were recommended by Wang Gui and Zhang Yue.

The emperor said, "I have approved both of them."

"Now that Yuan Jiang has left, the position of Vice Minister is vacant. I wonder what the two ministers are considering?"

The emperor first did a favor to Zhang Yue and Wang Gui, and then asked about the candidate for the position of Vice-Chancellor. It was obvious that he already had the answer in his mind.

Seeing Wang Gui, Zhang Yue remained silent. The emperor said, "I think it is more appropriate for the Secretariat to have two ministers and two judges. What do you think?"

Wang Gui said: "Your Majesty, I think Cai Que and Zhang Dun are both suitable."

After hearing what Wang Gui said, Zhang Yue cursed inwardly. In the past, the emperor had recommended Cai Que and Zhang Dun to the two of them, but they were either rejected by Wang Gui or Zhang Yue.

This is just like the famous joke on the Internet, that India wants to become one of the five permanent members of the United Nations. Every time the other four permanent members agree, any country will take turns to exercise its veto power.

Zhang Yue and Wang Gui wished that there was only one prime minister in the Secretariat. Two prime ministers with two referees, or two prime ministers with one referee, are not as good as one prime minister with no referee.

But this time the emperor was a little serious. The emperor was embarrassed to see the two people refuse again and again, so the matter could only be delayed.

After all, the emperor's other appointments have to be implemented through the Secretariat.

But at the level of prime ministers, the emperor could appoint them directly through "Bai Ma" without going through the Zhongshu in advance. The Zhongshu only had to go through a confirmation procedure after the appointment.

However, this move will undoubtedly hurt the feelings of the prime ministers, and the new candidates will easily be excluded and sidelined by the prime ministers.

Therefore, the government still had to discuss with the prime ministers. In the past, when Wang Anshi was strong, the government had wanted Zhang Fangping to be prime minister, but Wang Anshi opposed the idea and the plan was abandoned.

This time, Wang Gui gave up his position first and followed the emperor's wishes to recommend Cai Que and Zhang Dun.

Now the pressure is on Zhang Yue. Zhang Yue can no longer oppose it, as it would be seen as a power grab. If you don't allow new politicians to join the Secretariat, what do you want to do, Zhang Yue? Do you want to make the Secretariat a tightly sealed place?

Therefore, you still have to discuss this with the emperor. What if you keep opposing it and the emperor doesn't consult you anymore?

Repeated opposition would easily offend Cai Que and Zhang Dun.

Zhang Yue said, "Your Majesty, the two ministers of the Secretariat are not right. The number of the world is no greater than three. Laozi once said, 'Tao gave birth to one, one gave birth to two, two gave birth to three, and three gave birth to all things.'"

"Too many people will lead to chaos, chaos will lead to difficulty in making decisions, and it will be easy to shirk responsibility when things happen. I think it would be better to add a vice chancellor first."

After listening to Zhang Yue's words, Wang Gui also said immediately: "Your Majesty, I think what Jixian said is very right. We should appoint one of Cai Que and Zhang Dun as prime minister."

The emperor asked, "If that is the case, who should be chosen between Cai Que and Zhang Dun to be the prime minister?"

Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty, a good minister is like a good friend."

"When a ruler chooses his ministers, he should choose his friends in the same way. What are good friends? What are bad friends? Friends who are honest, understanding, and knowledgeable are good friends. Friends who are flatterers, kind, and gentle, and friends who are flatterers are bad friends."

The emperor thought to himself, what else can Zhang Yue say? Confucius said that one should make friends with those who are upright, tolerant, and well-informed.

Instead, avoid making friends with those who follow crooked ways, like sweet talk, and flattery.

The emperor asked, "How does Mr. Zhang make friends?"

Zhang Yue said: "I don't make friends with people who are my friends now. When I encounter something, no matter who is right or wrong, they will first side with me."

"I want to do something. I don't care about right or wrong, success or failure. I will gamble my life and property with you. Please go with me."

Guan Jia smiled and said, "Isn't this a good friend?"

Zhang Yue said: "I thought so when I was young, but now that I have encountered more things, I know that this kind of friend is worse than a bad friend, and even a bad friend. I will stay away from them when I meet them."

The emperor thought to himself that Cai Que was the kind of person who would please him in everything, just like what Zhang Yue said, he was a bad friend.

But Zhang Dun was not necessarily convinced, as his military campaign in Fuyan Road failed this time.

He was about to execute a transport officer.

All the ministers said, "Don't behead him."

The official was furious and asked, "Why can't this man be beheaded?"

Wang Gui said: "Since our ancestors, scholars have never been killed. We do not want Your Majesty to start this."

The official pondered for a long time and said, "It can be matched with tattooing on the face and kept away from evil places."

Zhang Dun came out and said, "It would be better to kill him."

The emperor thought Zhang Dun supported him and asked, "Why?"

Zhang Dun said: "A gentleman can be killed but not humiliated."

The official asked sternly, "Can't you do anything that pleases you?"

But Zhang Dun said bluntly, "It's better not to do such a pleasant thing."

This sentence still makes the official's lungs ache.

The emperor thought to himself when he heard this, it seemed that Zhang Yue was interested in Zhang Dun, not Cai Que.

It is said in the streets that these two people are not in harmony, but it seems that this may not be true. Could it be that they are lying to me?

……

Cai Que’s residence.

Cai Que was washing his mother Ming's feet.

Cai Que was very careful and meticulous in his actions. After serving his mother, his wife Sun helped to take away the footwashing water.

Ming glanced at Sun's back and said, "I heard that you are going to be the prime minister. Recently, many relatives and in-laws have come to visit you. What are your plans?"

Cai Que sat up and said, "Mom, when Dad passed away, how did those relatives and in-laws treat us? Have you forgotten?"

"I will remember the warmth and coldness of the people during my father's funeral for the rest of my life."

"Sanlang said that I came from humble beginnings, so I don't recognize my relatives. He is right. I have seen all kinds of fickleness in the world, and my heart has long been cold."

Ming sighed deeply and said, "I know those people didn't treat you well back then. Your father was an official and lived in poverty all his life. Otherwise, why would you have to go through such a difficult road?"

"The government has asked you to do so many things that offend people. I'm really scared."

Cai Que said, "Mother, I know my limits. The hard times are over."

"Now our Cai family still has a great vengeance to settle. I promised my father that I would take revenge on the Chen family when I have the chance in the future."