Emperor Zhengde

Chapter 111 We are just learning the Analects
Jiaofang Division.

This place has always been a place for high-ranking officials and nobles to have secret meetings.

At this time, Zhao Botao, Langzhong of the Ministry of Personnel's Wenxuan Division, Zuo Dongxiu, Jieshizhong of the Ministry of Personnel, and Liao Yiming, the Censor, were also meeting here.

Although these three people did not hold high official ranks, they had great power. They almost controlled the personnel power, the power of review and rejection, and the power of supervision of the entire empire!

Small officials hold great power, which is also a characteristic of the Ming Dynasty, which adheres to the principle of controlling the superiors from below.

I don’t know whether this system is good or bad.

But in general, it always makes it difficult for the rulers to concentrate power to accomplish major tasks. For example, Zhu Houzhao had discussed the reform of the official selection system with the cabinet and the Ministry of Personnel during the court meeting this time, but it was still suspended.

"Come here, beauty, give me a kiss. I heard that you used to be from Xie Gefu's house. It's okay. No one will love you in the future. I love you!"

Zhao Botao embraced the girl from the Jiaofangsi and acted dishonestly, kissing her everywhere with his greasy old mouth.

At this time, Liao Yiming also undressed with another girl and said, "Lord Zhao is so elegant. I don't know how the court will deal with us this time."

"What can they do to us? All they can do is dismiss you and Lord Zuo from your posts! But they have to find a reason to dismiss you. You are the censor and it is your duty to impeach officials. Lord Zuo is the censor of the Ministry of Personnel and it is the law of our ancestors to refute unreasonable government orders. If the higher-ups dismiss you without reason, it is against the rules and the officials will not accept it!"

Zhao Botao left the breast of the girl from the Jiaofangsi and spoke while picking and choosing the dishes on the table.

"It's a pity that Wang Shu is still alive! As long as he is in the court, we can forget about living a carefree life!"

Liao Yiming was shaking up and down at this time, speaking hurriedly, and his anger increased by three points.

"Although he is not dead, he is also injured. With his advanced age, he cannot go out for activities without recuperation for a year or two. In a short period of time, the court will be without a minister of the Ministry of Personnel. I have been impeached and suspended by you, Censor Liao. Let's see how the court will select officials then! Now the court has a large number of vacancies and the government orders are no longer implemented. If the Ministry of Personnel delays the selection of officials, I am afraid that the court will not be able to function. The emperor and the cabinet above can only let the Ministry of Personnel select officials as soon as possible. The so-called method of selecting officials through examinations can only be delayed for three to five years. When people like him, Ma Wensheng, die or the cabinet is replaced or the emperor is replaced, there will naturally be no method of selecting officials through examinations!"

Zhao Botao burst into laughter as he spoke.

At this time, Zuo Dongxiu, the official in the Ministry of Personnel, also came out from the inner room, with a hint of weariness: "This new girl from the Jiaofangsi is really easy to live with." As he said this, he changed the subject:
"Doctor Zhao is right. We have our own countermeasures for every decree from above! Just like what Scholar Yang said, doesn't the current emperor want to be a sage monarch, a great emperor? Then we should use the same methods we used against sage monarchs to deal with him! Hahaha!"

Zhao Botao also laughed out loud because of this, and said, "To be honest, if the three cabinet assistants had not been involved in the regicide case, Zhao would really miss the time when they were in power. Everything was based on the laws of our ancestors. The Ministry of Personnel selected civil officials, the Ministry of War selected military officials, the censors could impeach at will, and the eunuchs did not dare to act recklessly. It was truly a time when the court was full of upright people and politics was clear. But now, the eunuchs are rampant, and corrupt officials are listed in the six ministries of the cabinet. It can be said that it is a dark and chaotic time!"

After Zhao Botao said this, Zuo Dongxiu and Liao Yiming nodded frequently. Zuo Dongxiu said, "I heard that the higher-ups are going to come up with some kind of performance evaluation system. Then, life will be even harder for officials like you and me!"

"So, no matter what, we must find an opportunity to drive these corrupt officials out of the six ministries and cabinets. The six ministries and cabinets can only be run by clean officials, so that we can rectify the situation!"

Liao Yiming said indignantly.

……boom!
Jinyiwei Qianhu Liang Ze kicked the door open and walked in. Seeing that everyone in the room was in dishevel, he couldn't help but say, "The three adults are really elegant!"

Zhao Botao and the other three officials who were enjoying themselves covered their faces with their hands in surprise when they saw the Jinyiwei appear. "What are you doing? What are you doing?"

"You should know what we are here for, Doctor Zhao. Censor Liao just filed a memorial to accuse you, but you are so generous that you even drank with him and played with girls!"

Jinyiwei Captain Liang Ze said with a smile.

"You Jinyiwei, don't think you can do whatever you want just because you are the emperor's men. We are not Doctor Zhao. Don't talk nonsense. We are just exchanging poems, poems!"

Doctor Zhao denied it without thinking because he was not wearing his official uniform today.

"Yes, yes, we are all candidates who came to Beijing to take the imperial examinations. We are just studying the Analects! You Jinyiwei can't arrest people at random!"

Zuo Dongxiu also hurriedly denied it. He was a member of the Ministry of Personnel and did not want to be caught and taken back in such an embarrassing manner, so he also denied the fabricated story.

Liang Ze always felt that this was unfair. When he was a seventh-rank military officer, he couldn't even support his family, while the official in the Ministry of Personnel was also a seventh-rank official, but he had a lot of servants and lived a life of debauchery every day. Fortunately, he was now a Jinyiwei, so he didn't have to endure this kind of humiliation anymore. He just shouted:
"Don't try to quibble! This nameplate and official seal can never deceive people! What a good way to exchange poems and learn the Analects. Since you are a candidate going to Beijing to take the imperial examination, do you still need to learn the Analects?"

Liang Ze picked up the nameplate and official seal that Censor Liao had dropped on the ground and threw it in front of them.

Seeing that he could not hide it, Zuo Dongxiu, the official in the Ministry of Personnel, slammed the table angrily and said, "How dare you! Since you know our identities, why do you dare to arrest us? Even if you are the emperor's lackeys, you cannot arrest court officials without reason and interfere with government affairs! I am a censor in the Ministry of Personnel and I have every right to report you first!"

Liang Ze smiled coldly and took out the imperial edict directly: "According to the order! Put Zuo Dongxiu, the official in the Ministry of Personnel, and Liao Yiming, the censor, into the imperial prison! Strictly investigate their crimes! You really overestimate your own abilities. You dare to refute the decree agreed by the emperor and the cabinet, and even play the trick of impeaching your own people! Take them away!"

As soon as Liang Ze finished speaking, the Jinyiwei took all three people away.

Zuo Dongxiu, the official in the Ministry of Personnel, shouted directly: "You Jinyiwei are nothing but running dogs of the court. What qualifications do you have to arrest me? I was given the power to refute by Taizu. You have no right to arrest me, and neither does the cabinet! Even the emperor can't! You are framing loyal officials! Suppressing upright ministers! Disrupting the government!"

No matter how the Ministry of Personnel's Attendant Zuo Dongxiu yelled, Liang Ze was too lazy to pay attention. He just looked at Zhao Botao, the Doctor of the Ministry of Literature, who was still lying on the couch in dishevel. "I will report your affairs to the Emperor truthfully! You drank wine with the censor who impeached you, and played with the same girl together. If I hadn't been a Jinyiwei, I really wouldn't have known that you civil servants were so harmonious and generous to each other!"

Liang Ze said, "Record today's scene and report it truthfully!"

Zhao Botao was already panicked at this time, muttering: "How could it be, how could it be like this, why are they arresting people directly!"

"You are trying to stop the imperial court's decree. Do you think the court will be polite to you?" Liang Ze said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)