Han Shizu

Chapter 2131 Sejong Chapter 6 The next minister

Liu Jichang, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, his experience is actually legendary and inspirational. Although he is the son of King Xu, he is only an adopted son, and his actual background is still a bit stained. His biological grandfather was Qianyu who was listed by Emperor Shizu in the early days. The emperor's uncle Liu Xin was a typical example of disaster for the country and the people.

Liu Jichang's political ability is not top-notch, his conduct is hardly upright, and he has even less integrity. However, he was able to climb step by step to the position of prime minister of the empire, and was in charge of the officials and officials. Among them, in addition to extraordinary opportunities, he also had a sensitive political sense. , and outstanding speculation skills.

At least, being able to be recognized by the two generations of emperors Shizu and Taizong at the same time, and firmly becoming one of the final winners in the complex struggle of the Kangzong Dynasty, is in itself a manifestation of ability.

However, as he grew older and became a famous official, Liu Jichang also gradually lost the character and temperament that he once relied on to thrive. His sense of smell was no longer keen, and his vision became increasingly narrow. Just for the sake of the family.

In less than half a year, the internal struggle within the imperial court has not stopped. Although King Zhao returned to the palace from Mangshan to rest in peace, he refused the emperor's reciprocal power and did not interfere with the affairs of the imperial court. Therefore, , the struggle for central power in the imperial court in the early Duangong period started between Shangshu Ling Xiang Deming and the Ministry of Civil Affairs Shangshu Liu Jichang.

Once the emperor and the courtier, Liu Wenji ascended the throne, opening a new chapter in the history of the Han Empire. Naturally, many "employment shortcomings" during the Kangzong period had to be rectified. Even if Liu Wenji did not say anything, people like Liu Jichang would take the initiative to push forward.

As a result, Wang Qinruo, Ding Wei and other Pingkang ministers who had entered the ranks of high-ranking officials because of their "lucky advancement" were suppressed one after another. Wang Qinruo was still able to stay in the political hall because of Liu Wenji's protection. Ding Wei, who had been promoted to the governor of Kaifeng, was more unlucky. , during the trial of a murder case, he was demoted to Fengxiang as the prefect because of excessive torture, causing death, and violating the law.

Old people went and new people came, and around the vacancies left by the suppression of Pingkang courtiers, a fierce struggle began between Xiang Deming and Liu Jichang. Not only those vacancies, but also people from their respective factions were criticized.

Xiang Deming had military aristocrats behind him, while Liu Jichang had the support of those in the political clan. Xiang Deming had the righteousness of the Shangshu Ling, while Liu Jichang had the advantage of being the Minister of Civil Affairs. Therefore, the two sides were evenly matched for a while.

The fight against Liu was endless, but it made the empire more solidified and the upper class more energetic. The changes in important court positions and local feudal territories entered the most frequent stage in about ten years.

Zeng Hui was in office for almost eight years. He shouldered the military and political burdens and performed very well. Not only did he firmly hold on to the government's power, he tried his best to resist the erosion from all aspects of the Andong Kingdom. He also took advantage of the port to boost the local economy. The development and management are remarkable.

On the other hand, as a "naturally weak" new king, Liu Wenji also needs these powerful officials to fight and restrain each other, which is most beneficial to him. Of course, he needs to fight without breaking.

After the assassination failed, it didn't take long for the mastermind and several accomplices to be detained. According to their confession, the assassination was an act of revenge because Zeng Hui's previous strict law enforcement had cut off their financial resources.

As for Liu Jichang, after a period of close observation, Liu Wenji was greatly disappointed with this nominal imperial uncle. Although he had a solid resume and had a reputation as a "talent" in his early years, his performance in the center was inferior to his reputation as "a capable person". Uncle Liu Ai, the king of Lu, was famous for being "foolish". The difference was not that he was one or two blocks away. It would be difficult for Liu Jichang to win Liu Wenji's favor simply because his selfish desires override public power.

Looking at the entire map, there are only three places under the direct jurisdiction of the empire that can truly be called enclaves: Subinfu, Jeju Island, and Yangpyeong County (Singapore). However, the Zubin Mansion is under the greatest pressure to maintain the authority of the central government, and the pressure naturally comes from the neighboring Andong Kingdom.

In response to this, Liu Wenji still had a slight smile on his lips. He didn't seem to be unhappy at all, and offered him a seat as usual. Liu Wenji came to Liu Jichang because of the affairs of the Andong Kingdom, but the specific reason was to discuss an issue that had been discussed by the prefect.

Of course, Liu Jichang didn't seem to care about the new emperor's favor, and he didn't seem to be self-conscious in front of the emperor. The emperor summoned him and waited for half an hour before he slowly came to see him. When meeting the emperor, the tone and gesture of the salute also seemed very reserved, as if he was waiting for the emperor to grant him a seat.

Then, one of the principal and accomplices died mysteriously in prison, and then nothing happened. Zeng Hui reported the "surprising" aspect of the matter to the court, but it was not taken seriously. Zeng Hui did not insist on his explanation, but later strengthened the security of himself and his family.

It's just that to do this, you need superb political wisdom and strong control capabilities, otherwise it will be easy to get away with it. It is also necessary for the fighter to have a sense of purpose and know the appropriateness. Xiang Deming is a hero who has been tempered in the fire and water. He has a good grasp of the appropriateness and can take the overall situation into consideration during the struggle for power.

The entire struggle is a battle between noble forces. Those who are bureaucrats from common people are jointly excluded and suppressed. Even Prime Minister Wang Qinruo is bullied to death in the political hall. There are always people taking advantage of him. Before and after Liu Wenji succeeded to the throne, the Qin Dynasty and Mu Chu came to laugh at him. After all, Wang Qinruo was a scholar with a thin skin, and he complained to the emperor from time to time.

Regarding these, Emperor Liu Wenji was sitting in the Long Live Palace, having an insight into the truth, but watching the fire from the other side. On the one hand, he ignored the suppression of Kangzong's old ministers by those in power. He needed to clean up Kangzong's influence from all aspects. An emperor for eight years, no matter how bad a bastard he was, left enough traces to be imprinted on the foundation of the empire, and those in power What he did was exactly what he wanted to do.

Observing his experience, Liu Wenji naturally had a particularly good impression of Zeng Hui, believing that he was a loyal minister and good official who had the courage to take on tasks and the courage to charge on the front line.

At the same time, capable ministers such as Wang Qinruo and Ding Wei, the more severely they were suppressed and the more helpless they became, the more they would move closer to the new emperor and be used by Liu Wenji. Among the many ministers promoted by Kangzong, the only ones Liu Wenji liked were Wang Qinruo and Ding Wei.

Zeng Hui has done well, which will naturally not be good news for the government, business, military and civilians of Anton State. Zeng Hui has gradually become a thorn in the side of Anton. In the seventh year of Pingkang, Zeng Hui was assassinated when he went out for inspection. , if the guards had not fought tooth and nail to protect him, he would have died long ago.

However, when asked about Zeng Hui's performance, Liu Jichang gave him a very low evaluation, saying that he was mean and harsh in his administration, which led to dissatisfaction among most of the people under his rule (the merchants of Anton). He also mentioned that when King Andong came to Beijing, he impeached Zeng Hui, saying that he was arrogant and arrogant, despised the king and ignored the law. Liu Jichang also charged Zeng Hui'an with "estrangement of family ties and damaging the relationship between the imperial court and the feudal country".

Moreover, Liu Jichang also said on the spot that although Shuibin was far away in a remote place, he had served for eight years, which was far beyond the imperial tenure system. The Ministry of Personnel had begun to discuss whether to transfer him or demote him.

Liu Wenji didn't believe that Liu Jichang couldn't hear the appreciation for Zeng Hui in his tone, but he still gave such an evaluation, so Liu Wenji didn't mention a word about Zeng Hui next.

Then he asked about the arrangements for the chief envoy of Liaodong Province. This was a relatively important vacancy in the court at the moment, and it was also a new battlefield in the "battle against Liu". Liu Jichang took the opportunity to tell the emperor about the candidate recommended by the Ministry of Personnel, the young eunuch Song Yixiu in the palace. Liu Jichang said that he had rich experience, outstanding talents, and was from a famous family, so he was qualified for the job. Song Yixiu was the son of Song Qi, the famous prime minister of Kaibao and one of the "Twenty-four Ministers of Kaibao". Of course, more importantly, he was Liu Jichang's in-law. Regarding this relationship, Liu Wenji, who spent several months reading through the "household affairs" of the Han Dynasty's powerful people, actually knew it very well. He still did not express any opinion on Liu Jichang's "promoting talents and not avoiding relatives". Instead, he said with a smile, The imperial court recommends talents to the public and promotes talents according to the system. It is always indispensable.

Later, Liu Wenji did not mention the original intention of summoning Liu Jichang at all, and just listened to his work report with a smile. As for the many "mistakes in government" by Shangshu Ling Xiang Deming, he only reservedly said that he would investigate.

And it is conceivable that after Liu Jichang resigned with satisfaction, Liu Wenji's expression changed from sunny to gloomy. If it was just dissatisfaction before, then after what happened today, Liu Wenji has already put an "X" on Liu Jichang.

This person is no longer qualified to serve as a heavenly official in the Ministry of Personnel, or even stay in the central government!

For a time, Liu Wenji's mind was filled with things about when Emperor Taizong succeeded to the throne more than 20 years ago, Kang Wang Liu Ye killed the evil slaves of the Liu family in the street, and more recently, Liu Jichang took over Anton King Liu Wenyuanliang. Thousand-year-old ginseng plant and a box of precious furs and jewelry

After settling old scores, Liu Wenji began to think about how to expel Liu Jichang from the court. This matter is not that easy, and it is not that simple. After all, after many years of management, Liu Jichang has a large force within the imperial court and has the support of the clan. You must know that Liu Jichang is the only clan representative in the political affairs hall. .

Liu Wenji's fear of Liu Jichang was a trivial matter. What he worried about was that a single move could affect the whole body. If the government was destroyed and the "Xiang Dang" family became dominant, the situation would be even more serious.

Unless, by changing the generals, all "Xiang Liu" is given to him. It is undeniable that when this idea came to his mind, Liu Wenji was tempted and his heartbeat accelerated. However, when reason took over his mind again, Liu Wenji simply gave up the idea.

After taking the throne for less than a year, he dismissed two prime ministers, including the prime minister. This has a huge impact and can easily cause uneasiness and resistance among the powerful.

While Liu Wenji was pondering over it, Liu Jichang made some moves. Just like before the imperial court, Zeng Hui was "consistent with his words and deeds". Zeng Hui was soon transferred from the Bin Mansion and demoted to Ganzhou as the magistrate of Xiedan County. From Haidong Bin, to the Hexi Plain, there was a big shift.

More importantly, this was obviously an unfair decision. Zeng Hui, who was over sixty years old, also faced a major setback in his career. What is almost unknown is that Emperor Liu Wenji originally wanted to promote Zeng Hui as the chief envoy to Liaodong and continue to use it to restrict Anton's affairs.

Then, after reaching a consensus among the officials, Liu Jichang directly signed the appointment letter for Song Yixiu, the chief envoy to Liaodong. Although it was under the guise of obtaining the "holy will", he did not follow the rules and counterattacked Deming. Immediately afterwards, the matter was blocked from the Zhengshitang level. An important position like Fengjiang was not authorized by the Zhengshitang and only had a document signed by the Ministry of Personnel, which was also invalid.

Regarding the appointment of the chief envoy of Liaodong Province, it has become the most intense event in the "battle against Liu". The actions of both sides can be said to be a complete rift, and there is no longer any restraint. The battle between the two prime ministers also completely aroused the dissatisfaction of the knowledgeable people in the court. Liu Jichang will not go into details. "Old and become a thief" is Xiang Deming. His reputation has also declined, and he has been criticized and criticized. .

Although the ministerial order of the Han Dynasty has great power, it has never been an easy position to sit in. There is only one Zhao Pu who can really subdue the ministers, and this only maintains a superficial suppression. During the Kaibao Dynasty, there were many people who dared to attack Zhao Pu. The most famous one was Lu Duoxun.

Under such a situation, Emperor Liu Wenji, who had been planning for a long time, made up his mind to defeat Liu Jichang first. At least, this would be a suppression of the Xungui Group, and it could also borrow the power of Deming. For this reason, it was worth doing. .

When faced with the suppression of the emperor and Shangshu Ling at the same time, Liu Jichang's downfall became inevitable. Of course, there were still some ups and downs in the process. First, the Censor Board of Directors wrote a letter to impeach Liu Wei, a doctor in the Ministry of Industry, for embezzling money for planting trees and consolidating soil on the Yellow River embankment, accepting bribes, raping and raping civilian women, and committing murder.

As soon as this impeachment was published, the whole court was in an uproar. Some were shocked by Liu Wei's evil deeds. More importantly, Liu Wei's identity was that he was the son of Liu Jichang. Liu Wei, on the other hand, was the "protagonist" in the first year of Yongxi's reign, who allowed evil slaves and fierce horses to run rampant in the streets and was killed by Kang Wang Liu Ye, which subsequently triggered a major political turmoil.

Liu Wei had his legs broken at the beginning, and was later sent to the northwest to blow sand for ten years. Probably because of these connections, he felt very guilty for his son Liu Jichang. After taking him back to Beijing, he doted on him even more. When Kangzong succeeded to the throne, he took advantage of the situation and was promoted to prime minister. After taking charge of the Ministry of Personnel, he was given a job as a doctor in the Ministry of Industry.

As for Liu Wei, after suffering so much, not only did he not think about his own mistakes, but he intensified his efforts. Not only did he not restrain himself, but he also brought his two sons, father and son, to "play" together.

While the impact of Liu Wei's incident was still fermenting, one by one was shocked, and the "thunder" of Liu Jichang's family and old friends swept over the ministers and officials. Such a movement, such a scale, if there is no one behind it Instigation is obviously impossible, and almost all eyes are on Shangshu Ling Xiang Deming.

What is even more dizzying and what everyone is looking forward to is that Lu Zongdao, the censor of Zuodu, received a report directly accusing Liu Jichang of bribery, dereliction of duty, overstepping of regulations, disrespect and other crimes, and it was accompanied by detailed evidence of the crime, detailing the time and date. The locations and characters are complete.

After Liu Wenji ascended the throne, he summoned Lu Zongdao, a famous remonstrator, back from the northwest and appointed him as the censor of Zuodu. And with Lu Zongdao's temperament, when he received such a "big material", he opened it without hesitation.

As a result, the whole dynasty was really shocked. How could such a rebellious minister who was greedy, selfish, derelict in his duties and violated the law be appointed as a heavenly official in the Ministry of Civil Affairs?

Even the emperor Liu Wenji was shocked and issued an edict to have the Political Affairs Hall hold a court discussion on the matter, asking Liu Jichang to defend himself. At this point, Liu Jichang couldn't sit still anymore. He denied all culpability and at the same time attacked Lu Zongdao, saying that he had fabricated accusations and framed the prime minister, and his crime should not be punished.

Liu Jichang was also anxious. In order to divert the fire and confuse the line of sight, he secretly used his confidants to reveal "dirty information" about other ministers. Who didn't have some shit under their butt? For a while, the upper echelons of the imperial court stunk. What surprised Liu Wenji was that there were many things that even the Imperial City Division had not monitored

This move also became Liu Jichang's last song at the center of the empire. After all, public anger is hard to offend, and under the siege of everyone, Liu Jichang's right to speak was directly deprived of him. The minister ordered Xiang Deming to lead the crowd to petition Liu Jichang to be dismissed from his post and sent to prison for questioning.

The arrogant Prime Minister Liu Jichang, a veteran of the Four Dynasties, was dismissed, and he only had half a year to truly dominate the government. Of course, in consideration of his past achievements, he spared his life, took away his position, deposed him as a commoner, confiscated his family property, and exiled Anton with his family.

And this, for Liu Jichang, was obviously more uncomfortable than death. The people of King Xu and his family were willing to share their favors as much as they wanted. Because of their old age, they hoped to be more lenient, but Liu Wenji refused. He was very curious about how Liu Wenyuan would treat Liu Jichang, who was down and out. Dealing with the major feudal states has become a compulsory course for the emperor of the empire, and the Andong Kingdom is honored to be the feudal state that the emperor pays most attention to.

As for the power vacuum after Liu Jichang's fall, it was quickly eaten up by the gluttons who stood at the top of the imperial food chain. Among them, Emperor Liu Wenji was the most satiated.

First of all, the post of official was taken over by Liu Wenji's favorite Kou Zhun. Secondly, Zeng Hui, who was still on his way to Ganzhou in the west, received the latest edict on the way and was transferred to Liaodong Road as the envoy. There were many political stars in the Han Empire who had completed the triple jump in the past, but Zeng Hui was the only one to have this experience of prefect-magistrate-chief envoy. There was no other semicolon. For a time, Zeng Hui became famous in the imperial officialdom. Become a typical late bloomer.

As for the heroes in the process of "overthrowing Liu" such as Lu Zongdao and Dong Hui, they also received rewards. As for the emperor's meritorious rewards, from the beginning to the end, Shangshu Ling Xiang Deming did not express a word of objection on behalf of the Xungui Group.

Others don’t know, but Xiang Deming doesn’t know? Foolish people often only look at the surface and attribute Liu Jichang's downfall to themselves, but Xiang Deming knew very well that the emperor already had great righteousness and the trend was so powerful that he could not use this secret method. No more worries.

What's more, because of the party dispute with Liu Jichang, his reputation also declined. Xiang Deming also noticed these things. In the end, Xiang Deming could only smile bitterly. This emperor was chosen "well"!

What can be clearly discovered is that after Liu Jichang's fall, the central ministers became more cautious when in front of the emperor Liu Wenji, and did not dare to behave in an overt and arrogant manner. In more than half a year, Liu Wenji also successfully changed his impression in the eyes of many powerful people.

With the re-examination of Kou Zhun and Zeng Huizhe, the bureaucratic power of the common people, which had been suppressed for a long time, finally got a chance to breathe and was once again on the rise.

Of course, this, especially the reuse of Kou Zhun, also caused dissatisfaction within the "imperial party", one was Wang Qinruo and the other was Xu Shilian.

Although he had not passed the first year of Duangong, Wang Qinruo already regarded himself as the first minister of the imperial party and the minister of the Ministry of Personnel. He also wanted to be! As for Xu Shilian, his concerns were simple. He was an old minister of Taizong, and he was not young yet, but he was being taken over by Kou Zhun, a junior scholar. How could he be willing to do so?

(End of this chapter)