The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Sure enough, the next day, Emperor Longqing saw the begging memorials of Chen Yiqin and Lei Li in the Qianqing Palace, both begging for leave due to illness.

"Chen Ju, go to the cabinet to tell Chen Yiqin to come see me."

"yes."

Chen Ju, who was standing at the door, bowed and responded, then quickly ran towards the gate of Qianqing Palace.

Emperor Longqing put the two memorials on the imperial desk. Now Lei Li's memorial was approved and not allowed, and the imperial doctor was sent to the palace to diagnose and treat him.

Such a memorial was approved yesterday.

When the imperial doctor returned to the palace, he also said that Lei Li's illness was indeed difficult to treat. Although he could still work now, it would not last long.

Therefore, Emperor Longqing made up his mind at that time to agree to Lei Li's performance when he presented it for the third time, in compliance with the etiquette of a monarch and his ministers.

As for Chen Yiqin, Emperor Longqing's attitude was exactly as Wei Guangde had guessed. Of course he would not let him go at this time.

However, before that, he did not mention this matter when he met with Chen Yiqin, so Emperor Longqing thought it was necessary to ask about the situation in person.

He couldn't allow him to think too much. Xu Jie had already used the power of the court to force away a high arch. He was worried that Xu Jie was behind this, so this time he would go against the rules and even directly issue an order. , ordering Xu Jie to become an official is within the optional range.

Of course, this decree cannot be given casually.

Before issuing an order, there must be some arrangements to avoid mistakes.

Emperor Longqing was anxiously waiting for Chen Yiqin's arrival in the palace, but at this time, the major yamen in Beijing were already exploding.

Lei Li requested to become an official, and everyone knew what was going on.

Lei Shangshu is indeed ill and has been delayed until now. In fact, a savvy person can probably guess that he is waiting for Zhu Heng to return to the court.

However, it was Chen Yiqin's memorial that made them upset.

I saw Chen Yiqin before, but he didn't seem to be ill at all. Why did he suddenly beg for leave due to illness?

Could it be that in the cabinet, Xu Ge's old faction and Yu Zhuan's faction completely broke apart?

At this time, rumors were flying all over the capital, and the news naturally reached Xu Jie's ears.

At this moment, he was sitting alone in the duty room, meditating.

Chen Yiqin's sudden attack made him stunned and also a little frightened, because he didn't know what was going on. Could it be that the one in the palace was going to attack him?

As for the news that just came from below, if the emperor ordered to be dismissed from office or even imprisoned at this time, those officials in the capital would not come out to protect him just because he was the chief minister. Except for those officials who were both prosperous and devastated with him. In addition, most people still only take pleasure in others' misfortune.

As for the reason, it is just as speculated by the outside world.

At that time, they will only think that it was him, Xu Jie, who forced Chen Yiqin to become an official in the cabinet, just like Guo Pu did last year.

The officials hated Gao Gong, but although they had some resentment towards Guo Pu, they were mostly jealous.

He became a cabinet minister through speculation, and was favored into the cabinet because he wrote Qing Ci for Emperor Jiajing. As for Guo Pu's own talent, they selectively ignored it.

However, after Guo Pu was forced to retire, public opinion reversed so much that even he, the chief minister, was somewhat unexpected.

In fact, if he had anticipated this, he would never have killed them all. He would have waited at least a year and a half before looking for an opportunity to deal with Guo Pu.

With this inherent impression, Xu Jie could imagine how the officials in the capital would view him.

They forced Gao Gong and Guo Pu away, and now they take action against Chen Yiqin. Is this a rebellion?

After a long time, Zhang Juzheng's voice asking for an audience came from outside, and Xu Jie came back to his senses and shouted: "Please come in."

Of course, the cabinet ministers who were equally puzzled by him were not only Zhang Juzheng who was suspicious, so he took the initiative to come to Xujie's room attendant to inquire. Even Li Chunfang, who was still on duty at his own room, had already put down his official duties at this time and felt a little uneasy.

I wanted to visit Chen Yiqin's house, but it was really not appropriate to go out at this time because the timing was not right.

After Chen Ju came to the cabinet and did not see Chen Yiqin, it was naturally impossible for him to go back to the palace directly.

He knew that Emperor Longqing had to see Chen Yiqin today, so he simply went to the palace gate again, planning to pass the news directly to his family.

Wei Guangde in the Ministry of Rites also learned from Lu Bu the news currently circulating in the yamen, and was a little dumbfounded.

If Xu Jie had known about this yesterday, he would have anticipated today's difficulties.

But both Wei Guangde and Yin Shizhen still lack experience in the court. Most of the time, they are hindsight and are used to finding ways to deal with others.

After Lu Bu left, Wei Guangde was still sighing in his heart. He didn't expect Chen Yiqin's method of resigning to have such a wonderful effect.

He and Yin Shizhen knew the reason why Chen Yiqin begged for divorce, so they naturally understood that the matter was not as evil as the rumors outside said.

However, Wei Guangde had already sensed that this unintentional move had the potential to become a masterstroke.

Official sentiment can sometimes influence the situation of the government.

Carefully recalling Chen Yiqin's demeanor when he said those words yesterday, Wei Guangde was not sure if he had expected this. However, this method of retreating into advancement was indeed very effective. I think Mr. Xu Ge must also feel the pressure.

Just as Wei Guangde thought, Huo Yi, who had originally planned to go to the cabinet later to submit a begging petition, was now hesitant.

Lei Li and Chen Yiqin's begging for a divorce has caused a stir in the city. What would be the consequences if he also begged for a divorce at this time?

He could only stay put for the time being and wait for news from Yang Bo.

If Yang Bo also asked him to submit a memorial, he would have no choice but to do it even if he was reluctant to do so.

So, just when the officials in the capital were talking a lot and various rumors were emerging one after another, in the afternoon, an even more shocking news came out. Huo Yi, Minister of the Ministry of War, also submitted a memorial to the court asking for impeachment and dismissal.

He did not say that he requested to retire due to physical reasons, but because Hu Ke had previously advised Zhang Qi on the disaster, "Autumn defense is important, and the emperor should summon the nine ministers and order them to present their strategies for guarding the captives. If the talent and knowledge are mediocre, , Those who hesitate in their words are not serving the country sincerely, and should be ordered to retreat."

Huo Yi took Zhang Qi's words as saying that he was not able to correct the situation by neglecting his ministers, and his hope was not enough to convince the public. There is no effect at all, and the talent and knowledge are mediocre. You don't need to be called and asked to know later.

Despite this, suspicions aroused in both the government and the opposition continued.

Several important ministers in the DPRK have resigned one after another. It would be strange if there was no discussion.

Not many officials knew about the secret affair between Xu Jie and Yang Bo, but quite a few knew about the close relationship between Huo Yi and Yang Bo.

From this, Baiguan became even more confused. He didn't know whether Xu Jie had offended Yang Bo or what the reason was.

However, the news in the palace was still very fast. Emperor Longqing did not know whether Huo Yi's memorial had been seen or not, but the memorials of Lei Li and Chen Yiqin were both sent back to the cabinet and they were not approved.

What happened today was actually carried out according to the previous plan of Xu Jie and others. However, a variable like Chen Yiqin made the current direction of the government and the opposition extremely unfavorable to Xu Jie.

At this time, the Xu family members had been dispersed to various restaurants and teahouses in the capital to inquire about the news, mainly to see what officials and people thought of the matter.

Yes, although he has not summarized an effective theory of public opinion warfare, Xu Jie has already become proficient in manipulating public opinion based on his many years of experience, and has used it as a weapon to attack political opponents.

When dealing with Gao Gong and Guo Pu, they all achieved their goals through this method.

At this time in the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Longqing also read Huo Yi's memorial, but there was only a trace of amusement in his eyes.

It is true that he is a little slow, but he is not stupid. He has already seen that this is actually a test by Xu Jie, Yang Bo and other old people.

Chen Yiqin has also explained clearly that it is really just a personal reason and he wants to take a break to recuperate his body, and there are no external factors involved.

In this way, Emperor Longqing was relieved.

The previous idea of ​​taking a preemptive strike and ordering Xu Jie to be expelled was given up.

The court had to do things decently, and if it didn't come to that point, he didn't want to lose that person.

He just had a little dislike for Xu Jie, and the reason was Gao Gong, but he had no other thoughts about other important ministers.

He still remembered the last words of Emperor Jiajing, "You are not an accomplished monarch, so you need the support of virtuous ministers."

He can use Chen Yiqin, Wei Guangde and others with confidence, but that doesn't mean that all his subordinates should switch to the ones recommended by them.

Even if his abilities were really inferior, Emperor Longqing still needed a balanced distribution of power among his courtiers.

Ministers come from all over the world, each representing their own interests.

The emperor must mediate and balance the interests of all parties, and then they will listen to the emperor's words.

Balance is the weapon to stabilize imperial power.

Therefore, at this time, Emperor Longqing did not intend to act out of impulse, and wrote in Huo Yi's memorial, "If the ministers stay or leave, they will have their own punishment when I call them. There is no need to confess themselves in advance, and serve carefully for deputy appointments." "

"Chen Hong, please stamp this memorial and send it to the cabinet early tomorrow morning."

Emperor Longqing did not put Huo Yi's memorial into other memorials, but took it out separately and gave it to Chen Hong to handle in person.

"Yes, the minister knows."

Chen Hong agreed, stepped forward to take it, took the memorial and put it in his sleeve.

This memorandum follows the normal process and cannot be sent out today.

However, if you let people handle it alone, although the memorial will not be sent to the cabinet, the news will spread first.

Because of the discussion in the court today, Wei Guangde and Yin Shizhen did not go to Chen Yiqin's house after leaving the office, which was really eye-catching.

That afternoon, many of Chen Yiqin's former disciples came to visit him one after another to check on his condition.

They also went over at this time, which easily gave the impression of conspiracy. A few people got together and thought of ways to pull off another trick.

Chen Yiqin will not continue to petition for leave, because today in the palace, Emperor Longqing has promised to reduce his work pressure as appropriate, but the cabinet cannot be without him.

In fact, there was only one cabinet minister in the Jiajing Dynasty who had the title of cabinet minister, stayed at home to recuperate all year round, and occasionally came out to do things. That was Lu Ben.

In the last few years of his career as a minister, he spent most of the time recuperating from illness.

Even if Emperor Jiajing gave him the opportunity to participate in the 35th Jiajing Examination and expand his wings, he was unwilling to break with Yan Song. Instead, he directly became the boss after the examination, and there was no big deal in the court. Don't go back to the cabinet to do errands.

From time to time, he submitted a memorial to beg for his retirement, but Yan Song and Emperor Jiajing rejected all of them, saying only that he should be allowed to recuperate.

The reasons are very complicated, including Emperor Jiajing being satisfied with the functioning of the cabinet, and also because Lu Ben's illness is not serious and can be treated.

In fact, Chen Yiqin's current physical condition is similar to Lu Ben's back then. If he recovers well, he can continue to work as a errand, but he must pay attention to rest.

Emperor Longqing had already said so, so naturally Chen Yiqin couldn't say anything more.

What's more, he also heard some rumors about the government and the opposition today.

The court was in turmoil, which was not what he wanted. Although the wind direction was unfavorable to Xu Jie, he did not want that either.

Therefore, as the visiting guests left, Chen Yiqin's condition quickly spread in the capital.

I am really sick, and Qiu Xiu really wants to rest for a while and recuperate my body. There is nothing like what the rumors say.

Therefore, Xu Jie was temporarily relieved after receiving the news.

If it were others, they might think it was okay and that his position as chief assistant was still secure, but Xu Jie didn't think so.

You know, even though the three important ministers begged for leave or retired from official duties in one day, Emperor Longqing did not summon him to ask him for advice. This actually showed that the emperor no longer regarded him as his chief minister in his heart.

What do cabinet ministers do?

What does a Grand Master of Diange do?

That is the person who provides reference and consultation to the emperor. If the emperor doesn't come to him when he encounters problems, what's the point of continuing to stay in this position?

Just for the right to vote in the cabinet?

Inadvertently, Xu Jie's determination to retreat became even more determined after this incident.

Wei Guangde went out after dinner and went to Lei Li's home.

Today in the court, everyone's attention was attracted by Chen Yiqin and Huo Yi, looking at the cabinet, but Wei Guangde and a few others knew that something else happened in the afternoon.

That is, the eunuch Teng Xiang had a big quarrel with Lei Li, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, who came over, and said that he would go back to the palace to sue him.

Wei Guangde went to Lei Li's home, firstly to visit, and secondly to find out the details of what was going on.

"Tengxiang came to the Ministry of Works to ask for materials to rebuild the imperial utensils. He said that the materials for your majesty's utensils should not be included in the annual regulations. I said that the imperial regulations should be used to update the imperial utensils. It is said that there is no quota for making money and food, so extravagance and waste are not allowed. What's the point? wrong?"

Lei Li sighed and said, "At the beginning of the emperor's ascension to the throne, the service and royalties have been updated since then. It has not yet passed the new year, so there is no need to change the dragon bed, brine book, etc. Other miscellaneous utensils should only be included in the annual records.

It’s not like I don’t know what Tengxiang’s idea was. It was said that he spent huge sums of money on purchasing utensils and repairing musical instruments for altars and temples, and cut off the large trees left in the factory at will.

How could the Ministry of Industry have so many materials for him to take as he requested? "

Lei Li said angrily.

Wei Guangde understood that Tengxiang was trying to make money under the guise of the emperor.

Most of Emperor Longqing's current imperial utensils have only been used for more than a year, and some of them need to be replaced.

What's more, for daily maintenance and repair, the Ministry of Industry will provide materials and money, which is annual.

Wei Guangde sighed and said: "What Gu Hegong said is true, but it offends the villain."

"If I don't offend him, it will be Zhu Shinan's turn to be in trouble."

Lei Li, however, didn't take it seriously and laughed to himself: "I took the blame, so Tengxiang would only do it to me. I have to go back to Jiangxi anyway, how can he tolerate me?"

When Wei Guangde nodded slightly, Lei Li continued: "Tomorrow I will beg for leave, and your Majesty will approve it. After I leave, the capital will be entirely dependent on you and Shinan."

"I know."

Wei Guangde nodded and said. (End of chapter)