Minister

192 [The second year of Zhenglong]

"Hey?"

It was still early before dawn, and Qi Yuan felt the people around her move slightly.

"Are you up?"

"Well, go to sleep, it's still early, I'm going to practice the knife." Wei Chi got up gently, put on his clothes, and walked out.

When Qi Yuan got dressed and walked out, Wei Chi had already practiced.

"Why are you wearing this?" Wei Chi heard the movement, turned around and saw Qi Yuan coming out: "I must have disturbed you."

In the dark courtyard, the wind was very strong, and the heavy snow was blowing with the wind, and Wei Chi's blade was covered with solidified snowflakes.

"You must have not slept well last night, famous minister, Mr. Wei." Qi Yuan walked into the courtyard with a lantern.

Hearing what she said, Wei Chi sighed involuntarily: "It's too cold, since I woke you up, I won't practice, let's go in."

In fact, Wei Chi was only wearing an unlined jacket, and it was unreasonable to come here to practice swords in such a snowy weather. Qi Yuan took her cold hand and dragged her into the room.When the candles were lit, the dim candlelight made the atmosphere of the room warmer.

"You are so stingy, are you still worried about your official position?" Qi Yuan took a dress and put it on her.

Wei Chi rubbed his hands: "Do you really think I'm so stingy? After marrying a rich man like you, am I afraid that no one will support me?"

Seeing her joking, Qi Yuan smiled ugly: "Then don't sleep well, and get up in the middle of the night to practice swords."

It was indeed midnight.

"Are you worried about the emperor?"

Wei Chi's heart twitched for a moment: "Hey, he's actually still a child."

How will Chen Entropy face this group of courtiers who are like wolves and tigers, not to mention that he was indeed caught this time. Wei Chi himself dare not stand forward. Thinking about Chen Entropy's situation at this moment, he simply feels helpless thought about it.

"When you talk about him, he looks like an old hen." Qi Yuan tilted her head to study Wei Chi's expression carefully.

"Is this what an old hen looks like?" Wei Chi rubbed his face.

"Well," Qi Yuan nodded sincerely: "An old hen who is worried about chickens."

"You can't talk nonsense, this is the most honorable chick in the world." Wei Chi forced a smile, "Maybe it's because I've experienced too much with him, and I accidentally managed too leniently."

"Well," Qi Yuan said with a smile, "you are both teachers and students."

"Actually, that's not the case." Wei Chi thought about it seriously: "When I first met the emperor, he was really a child. Even I, who doesn't like children, would like it very much. But later on, it wasn't all like that , If you think about the night when I went to escort him to the palace, now that I think about it, maybe he and I are not completely in a teacher-student relationship."

"You saved him. What's the problem? If I were the emperor, I would definitely respect you more."

Wei Chi was embarrassed: "If you were a child and saw the other party's face covered with blood, what would you think?"

Qi Yuan froze for a moment, imagining Wei Chi's face covered in blood for a moment.

"It must be different from what you think," Wei Chi knew she couldn't imagine it: "What's more, it's not just blood, I chopped that maid's head in half. I only dared to come back to see you after washing my face." Yes, and when the emperor came out, the corpse was at my feet. I will never forget the way he looked at me, that expression was so pure, as if he couldn’t see anything but me. At that moment, I really I was moved, and there was a feeling of father and son rippling in my heart. Of course, I know this is irrational, I can't think like this, I have a relationship with him as a monarch, this is different."

"But you're so worried about him right now that you can't sleep." Qi Yuan couldn't imagine Wei Chi's face covered in blood, she could only sigh with emotion.

"So this is wrong, including helping him change the melody, which is actually wrong." Wei Chi sighed: "But what can I do?"

"You have done a lot for him," Qi Yuanyuan patted her hand comfortingly: "Everyone has his own destiny, doesn't he?"

fate?

The wind was very strong, and the snowflakes knocked on the door. Suddenly, there was a knocking sound outside the door. It didn't seem real enough, but the door did ring.

"My lord, it's me. Are you awake? Master Hu wants to see you." There was already some light outside the window, and Chen Hu's shadow could be seen.

Populus euphratica?Qi Yuan patted Wei Chi who was still in a daze: "Quick, Master Hu is looking for you."

Hu Yanglin came with the wind and snow: "I'm leaving immediately, just to tell you," Hu Yanglin lowered his voice: "All officials are stopping outside the Meridian Gate today."

Wei Chi's heart skipped a beat when he heard these two words.

"The emperor sent people from Dongchang to go, and the people from Dongchang said that it is not a good thing, you must not enter the palace today!!"

Hu Yanglin left in a hurry, Wei Chi was stunned for a moment: "No, I have to go."

The sky was getting brighter, and the snow was still heavy. Wei Chi didn't dare to ride a horse, but dared to go to Dachen Palace on foot.The square outside the Meridian Gate was brightly lit, there were constant cries, and the snow was trampled in a mess. Several people dressed as officials were running outside. Everyone was wearing hats with upturned brims, which was extremely dazzling at the moment.

"Stop beating! Stop beating!" Wei Chi grabbed the man's whip and protected the old man.

In the center of the square are people from the cabinet, and they are also shouting: "Don't fight! Stop fighting!"

It's a pity that no one listened.

It wasn't until the sun rose that the people in Dongchang stopped. Chen Entropy stood on the city wall and looked coldly at the mess on the square: "I have passed on my word of mouth that if any official wants to make trouble, the one who comes to the court will be beaten." .”

Hong Fang knelt on the ground and kowtowed: "Your servant obeys orders."

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Lu Jing's face was full of snot and tears, and his voice was hoarse from crying: "You can't do it! You can't do it! Hong Fang! You villain, you still don't persuade the emperor! You still don't persuade the emperor! "

Chen Entropy turned his head and sneered: "Arrest this incompetent servant, give him a stick of forty, and beat him hard."

good fight?

The eunuchs next to him didn't dare to neglect and dragged Lu Jing down.

It wasn't until evening that Wei Chi was able to see him. When he arrived at the entrance of the main hall, he saw a group of cabinet members kneeling in the outer hall. Seeing him walking in, these cabinet members looked up at him unnaturally.

"Hmph!" Hong Fang coughed unceremoniously.

Everyone lowered their heads, including Wei Chi.

Entering the empty inner hall, Chen Entropy sat alone on the throne alone. He said to Hong Fang: "I will pass on my oral order to let Mr. Zhou Ge find out who is behind the scenes, and let all the cabinet members go back. If any of them I don’t want to go back, there are places for them to kneel.”

Hong Fang took the order, retreated, and closed the door.

Wei Chi knelt on the ground and didn't dare to raise his head until he was supported by both hands. It was Chen Entropy. Before he knew it, the child who used to be coquettish in his arms was almost as tall as him now.

"Master Wei, all this is my fault."

Wei Chi didn't expect Chen Entropy to say this, so he quickly turned his hand to support him: "Your Majesty, don't say that."

Chen Entropy's eyes turned red: "No matter what, I will definitely protect Master Wei, and Master must believe it!"

While speaking, Chen Entropy's tears dripped down.

"Master Wei, let me cry for a while, just let me cry for a while. There are people outside the hall, I can't let them hear."

Just like many years ago, Chen Entropy hugged Wei Chi, and hot tears flowed down Wei Chi's collar.Wei Chi could feel Chen Entropy trying to suppress his crying, and couldn't help hugging him back.

Chen Entropy's sobbing with difficulty affected Wei Chi's heart, and this pain made him forget what he wanted to say.In a trance, that word appeared in my mind: fate?

fate?

The word shock is no longer enough to describe the mood of the ruling and opposition parties.

Zhou Wenyuan's expression was still calm, he ordered other cabinet members to visit the injured minister again, and walked back to the duty room to continue reading the memorial.This is not because Zhou Wenyuan is pretending to be relaxed, it is because the spring famine caused by the failure of the Northern Expedition the year before last has continued to the present, and he has finally managed to get enough salaries for hundreds of officials, and he still has to give the bureaucrats and common people across the country a stable year.

Zhou Wenyuan's son is Zhou Lingju, who is now the servant of the household department. He heard from the food delivery person at home that he was still on duty, so he came to have a look.Zhou Lingyu was still in his 50s. When he opened the door and saw his father, he felt that he was as old as the Taifu.

"Father."

"Lingyan, are you here?" Zhou Wenyuan put down his pen: "Have you eaten yet?"

"After eating, I just heard from my family that my father is still there, so my son wanted to come over to have a meal."

The value room of the cabinet is actually not luxurious at all, except for tables and chairs, there are memorials and memorials.

In fact, the father and son often sleep in the value room, because they are both busy and rarely visit.There was no one else on duty, so Zhou Lingyan took a pair of tongs and added a few pieces of charcoal to the stove: "At the beginning of this year, so many weaving workshops and government loans in Jiangnan went bankrupt. In September, there was a severe drought in the southwest, and many places in Yunnan and Guizhou had no crops. At the end of the year, it’s hard to think about getting through the New Year, right? The emperor’s quarrel made the child lose his temper, and now he really doesn’t know how it will end.”

"The emperor is a king, and this old man is a minister. This is naturally my fault. It's just that my ability is limited. I don't know if there will be a day when it will be difficult to turn things around."

Zhou Lingwan looked at the dark red charcoal fire: "Jiangnan went bankrupt, the Northern Expedition failed, and the national treasury has long been empty. Now it is just eating enough food and scraping together. If more things are worse than less things, then it will be better. At this moment, there is another incident like this, My son is flustered like last year when Monan soldiers came to the city."

Zhou Wenyuan's eyes flickered as he looked at Zuoshu: "Lingyan, there is no one else here. If you want to ask, just ask."

Zhou Lingwan didn't dare to look at his father, and after thinking for a moment, he opened his mouth: "If this matter can be suppressed from the middle of the matter, it will not cause such a big trouble. The national economy is already difficult, so what's the point of such internal friction? ?”

Zhou Wenyuan didn't even raise his head: "As expected, he is my son, and he has to go around in circles when talking with his father. You mean, although I don't need to read those memorials, according to my nature, I should have read them all. Why don't you send them back to the emperor? Avoid today's blunder?"

Zhou Lingyu didn't dare to answer.

Zhou Wenyuan rubbed his stiff fingers: "Think about it, why do you have to have a hard time with a fifth-rank official? As a father, you are at the head of the cabinet, and you can't even tolerate a fifth-rank official?"

"My son dare not."

"But having said that, although Wei Chi's official is small, he is indeed a key person. The so-called key person, if his words and deeds are correct, then the emperor will benefit, but if he is slightly wrong, the one who will be destroyed is the emperor, or It’s the whole dynasty! When I saw his sketch, I really thought it was ridiculous. Wei Chi went through the Northern Expedition, defended the capital, and was appreciated by Wang Yunyi and Liu Min. Minister Gu Ming, but now it seems that we have all misunderstood the person. He thought he was the supervisor of ceremonies? He dared to help the emperor to approve memorials, so let me ask you, what else would Mr. Wei not dare to do? The emperor is right I can understand my resistance, but as far as this matter is concerned, the emperor not only resists me, he even resists the establishment of a supervisor of ceremonies. Then let me ask you, is Wei Chi the one who decides the affairs of this country? What's more, Wei Chi really credible?"

It was the first time that Zhou Lingwan heard his father say so many things to him, and he didn't know how to answer for a while.

Zhou Wenyuan saw that Zhou Lingzhen kept her head buried, and suddenly lost interest: "You are an official, so you can't help but be careful in everything. But sometimes I think, if you can be as bold as Wei Chi, maybe you will be a little lucky. I won't go back tonight Now, since you're here, go back and talk about it by the way."

Zhou Lingwan backed out and closed the door.

The wind and snow stopped tonight, Zhou Wenyuan stopped his contemplation and was about to open a book of memorials to read again, but found that the ink had frozen.It turned out that the few pieces of charcoal that Zhou Lingzhen had filled just now blocked the air vent, and the fire in the stove was almost extinguished.Zhou Wenyuan shook his head helplessly, and while ordering someone to change the charcoal fire, he smashed the ice with ink.

Zhou Wenyuan sighed, thinking that a boy from commoner background like Wei Chi might not be so stupid.It's a pity, it's a pity, Wei Chi, you are too ignorant of danger, and now you are being demoted to Nan Zhili, but what if one day you face the death penalty?Chen Entropy is only in his teens, and he dared to openly confront the courtiers of the Manchu Dynasty. His courage is commendable, but why don't you think about it carefully, which one of Yan Wang and Wang Yunyi is not a kindness to him?How dare you trust Wei Chi so much?If you only believe in him like this forever, the officials will oppose you sooner or later, and you will eventually be destroyed in your own hands.

The room became warm again, Zhou Wenyuan rubbed his forehead and continued to work at his desk.

In addition to the routine work, Zhou Wenyuan still released Chen Entropy's meaning according to the order, and asked to track down the real culprit of the trouble.The people in the sixth department really refused to accept it, because if the real culprit is to be discussed, then the sixth department is the real culprit. If the emperor must investigate, then the sixth department should be dealt with directly.But no one expected that things would develop so quickly. Lu Jing, who was "beaten well" forty times, died.

Lu Jing struggled through the second day. He was about to drink the medicine, but he vomited a mouthful of blood as soon as he got up, and then swallowed, as if he had finally spit it out, and swallowed.

Lu Jing was by Chen Entropy's side when he was a baby, and his death allowed the government and the public to witness Chen Entropy's determination.What's more, Hong Fang is now in charge of all the internal supervisors. This Hong Fang is much more famous than Lu Jing, and he has been on duty in the East Factory for many years.Huang Gui's remnants had been cleared out of Dongchang and the palace, so there weren't many people left, and Hong Fang was considered a leader.

Hong Fang is not Lu Jing, he is not a good old man, what he is best at is to carry out the emperor's order exactly, and to beat all the officials, if he can do the first time, he can do the second time.The cabinet can act perfunctorily according to Chen Entropy's will, but Hong Fang can't.

Secretly, the courtiers were divided into two factions, the six subjects were put on the bright side and had to fight, and the rest, regardless of which faction, shrank to one side, waiting for the situation to become clear.

Chen Entropy showed his bottom line to all the officials—his eunuch can be killed, but Wei Chi cannot be moved, not to mention the demoted official Nanzhili, but he can't move at all, and he will kill anyone who wants to mention it, without exception.

Chen Entropy was not stupid, he knew it was time to make peace, so he took the initiative to find Zhou Wenyuan.

Zhou Wenyuan and Chen Entropy, two people with a age difference of more than 60 years, sat alone together for the first time.

Chen Entropy didn't directly ask Mr. Zhou Ge about the "true culprit". He showed Zhou Wenyuan a document.

This is a letter written by Zhou Wenyuan to Chen Xing, and the content involves Guo Taifu.

Chen Entropy looked at the old man indifferently, and saw that his calm expression became tense and distorted.He knew that he couldn't reason with this great scholar, but there are some things that don't need to be reasoned. Since you can threaten me with Master Wei, then I happen to have your master in hand.

It's just the evil you did to your master!

Zhou Wenyuan suppressed his anger and nausea: "Your Majesty, I have no way to find the real culprit. All I can do is to appease the officials."

"Then do your best to appease," Chen Entropy motioned to take back the letter: "I just hope that my eunuch Bingbi will be more effective this time. If I accidentally take these things out, it will be terrible. Don't you think so?" Mr. Ge."

Zhou Wenyuan made a salute: "What your majesty said is true, but in the era of the Supreme Emperor, the ceremonial supervisor was strict in discipline and capable of manpower. Naturally, the ministers only care about loyalty and don't worry about these things. Now it seems that it is indeed the most important thing to be careful. As your majesty said, The minister must carry it out."

Zhou Wenyuan didn't admit defeat, but he knew that Chen Entropy didn't talk about rules at all, and if he confronted head-on, he would inevitably make something happen.Now it's enough to beat and test each other, let's let each other go first, and have a good year.

The order was restored in the court, the personnel of the Sixth Division were rewarded, and all crimes belonged to Lu Jing. Chen Entropy expressed his gratitude to the officials for their faithful advice, but Wei Chi was not wrong. It was his fault. Supervise.

The big wave of the second year of Zhenglong seems to have passed, not only Wei Chi, but everyone breathed a sigh of relief, preparing for Chen Entropy's wedding and having a good year.

Five days before Chen Entropy's wedding, the rich fragrance of the twelfth lunar month is getting stronger and stronger. Yang Jifan came back from the suburbs of Beijing with a cold air.

Separated by a wall, inside the city is the prosperity of the emperor's wedding, but outside the city is full of bitterness of the hungry people.