My players are all acting

Zaizhi Zhang Jingbang's mansion.

A soft sedan stopped at the side door without a sound, and an official in casual clothes got out of the sedan chair, looked around cautiously, felt that no one had noticed him, and then tiptoed into the side door of the mansion.

Zhang Jingbang had been waiting in the mansion for a long time, and when he saw this person, he rushed over to greet him: "Wang Shangshu! Please hurry up."

The two sat down respectively, and the servant brought tea.

This Wang Shangshu looked very old, in his fifties, his face was wrinkled and his beard was sparse. He was originally suffering, but now he looked even more sad.

"Zhang Xiang! What can I do for it, what can I do for it!"

Wang Shangshu was like an ant on a hot pot, at a loss what to do.

The full name of this Wang Shangshu is Wang Shiyong, and he is the Minister of the Ministry of Officials of the dynasty, and he can be regarded as a powerful figure in the court.

And Zhang Jingbang is another prime minister besides Tang Qin.

It's just that Qi Huizong's two ministers in one dynasty are the main battle and the other main peace. But in Qi Yingzong's dynasty, the two rulers were all in harmony.

Originally, Qi Yingzong assigned the task to the two ministers, one for the outside and the other for the inside. Tang Qin was mainly responsible for seeking peace and signing agreements with the Jin people, while Zhang Jingbang was mainly responsible for suppressing the people internally and collecting people's wealth to meet the various unreasonable demands of the Jin people.

In this process, Wang Shiyong, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, worked the most. All the beautiful women he saw on the street were taken away and sent to the gold camp.

And later, since almost all the pretty women in the city had been captured, he painted and disguised the already unkempt and sickly women, and sent them to the gold camp in carloads.

Such an operation also caused complaints in the city, and the people were in dire straits, calling him the "grandfather of the golden man".

In the real history, Wang Shiyong's destructive power to the entire capital is unparalleled, because compared with other officials, he not only has no bottom line, but also has a lot of means, and he is particularly quick to do things for the Jin people.

Later, when the Jinren planned to abolish the Qi Dynasty royal family, he also created the "Five Guarantees Law", which ordered the five families in the lanes to protect them.

In this way, he looted all the royal family of the Qi Dynasty in the entire capital city and sent them to Jinying.

It's just that in this historical slice, we haven't reached that step yet.

Although Qi Yingzong had already entered the Jin camp, and had searched the city at the behest of the Jin people, the royal family of the Qi Dynasty, including Qi Huizong, was still there, and there were not many women who were taken away.

And after His Royal Highness King Yun led the Western Army back to the capital, the Jin people had already withdrawn their troops to Moutuogang. The abolition of the Qi Dynasty royal family and the establishment of Zhang Jingbang to establish a puppet regime, which had already been put on the agenda, were naturally shelved for the time being. .

It's just that for people like Zhang Jingbang and Wang Shiyong, this may not be a good thing.

...

Wang Shiyong took a sip of tea and said in a panic, "Yesterday, the officials summoned me."

Zhang Jingbang couldn't help but look terrified: "The officials blamed you for looting women for the Jinren?"

He was also a little nervous. After all, although the executor of this matter was Wang Shiyong, if he was investigated, he, the chief executive, was the culprit.

Tang Qin, another prime minister of the peace faction, was killed by the new official in the court hall. At that time, Zhang Jingbang was splashed with blood, and he was so frightened that he almost fainted on the spot.

After that, although the new official did not continue to kill, Zhang Jingbang and other ministers of the peace faction were already in danger.

Wang Shiyong smiled bitterly: "No!

"The officials didn't ask me about the plundering of women for the Jinren at all, but they just chatted with me."

Zhang Jingbang was a little surprised: "So, this official is still sensible?

"At this time, the Jin people are still approaching the city. The new official has just ascended the throne, and the court is in turmoil. He still needs us old officials to stabilize the situation for him.

"So, he doesn't plan to hold us accountable for the crime of plundering money and women in the city for the Jin people?"

Wang Shiyong's face was still ugly: "This... the lower officials don't know.

"But what makes the subordinate feel horrified is that although the official told me some common things, but... what he said was all private matters!

"He, he even knows exactly how many bowls of rice and how many dishes I had for lunch yesterday!"

Zhang Jingbang's expression changed suddenly: "What?!"

This time, Zai Zhi, who had power over the government and the public, couldn't sit still anymore, stood up and walked around a few times, with an increasingly anxious expression on his face.

"Could it be... Wu Desi?

"The official is not playing with you, this is obviously a threat!"

Wang Shiyong nodded: "Yes, the day before yesterday, the officials said that they wanted to rectify the Wu De Department and put some people from the Western Army into it.

"At that time, everyone thought that the officials just wanted to use Wu Desi to stabilize the city's law and order, and to do things that were inconvenient for the Western Army to do directly.

"But now it seems that the officials are only using Wu Desi to maintain law and order? This is obviously...that is...surveilling us all!"

Zhang Jingbang's face turned pale: "Emperor and courtier... I'm afraid we will not have a good life in the future..."

The fortunes of officials such as Zhang Jingbang and Tang Qin are inseparable from Qi Yingzong's ascension to the throne.

During Qi Huizong's reign, senior officials including Tong Daofu, except for Li Boxi, were called the "Six Thieves", and the people fiercely petitioned to kill them.

Shortly after Qi Yingzong came to power, he indeed exiled these six people and bestowed them to death. Even if these people were in power during Qi Huizong's reign, it was inevitable that people would leave the tea at this time.

Even Tong Daofu could not be exonerated with his past achievements.

The reason is that Qi Yingzong didn't necessarily want to rectify the court or civilian grievances, but just used this as an excuse to get rid of Qi Huizong's old ministers in the court and make himself more powerful.

After getting rid of these people, Qi Yingzong promoted Zhang Jingbang, Tang Qin and other officials. If he had been in power for a little longer, and he hadn't run to the gold camp so quickly and was detained, maybe Qin Huizhi would also be able to get his reuse.

Originally, if these old ministers had been under Qi Yingzong's command, they would have been able to happily do harm to the country and the people, but the arrival of the Jin people instantly shattered their dreams.

So, following the example, these people will naturally search the people in the city desperately according to Qi Yingzong's intention.

Of course, it's hard to say how much of this is to cater to Shang's wishes, and how much is because of pure cartilage.

After all, when the Jinren left, Zhang Jingbang had to be established as a false emperor, and Wang Shiyong became one of his subordinates, with no bottom line. No matter how you look at it, it is unrealistic for these two people to throw all the blame on Qi Yingzong.

But at this time, King Yun ascended the throne.

These two old ministers of Qi Yingzong's time naturally had to be in a state of panic all day long.

Because they were very afraid that they would be liquidated by the new king like Tong Daofu and other former ministers of Qi Huizong's dynasty.

It is a trivial matter to be dismissed from office. If he is exiled or asked to be executed, then everything will be over.

"Zhang Xiang, what should we do now?" Wang Shiyong spread his hands, "Could it be that we can only sit and wait for death at this time?"

Zhang Jingbang pondered for a long time, and then said: "It is impossible to sit still and wait for death!

"The only way at this time... should be to form one body with all the officials in the court, and advance and retreat together."

Wang Shiyong blinked his eyes: "To form one body, advance and retreat together?"

Zhang Jingbang nodded: "Yes! Advance together and retreat together!

"At this time, the official has just ascended the throne. Although he has never heard of it, he has the Western Army in his hands. If we courtiers fight alone, it is impossible to be his opponent.

"Just like Tang Xiang, what if he killed him in court?

"Afterwards, as long as the officials make random accusations, no one dares to pursue this matter.

"Just like at this time, the official uses Wu Desi to monitor your every move, and it is simply too easy to find some criminal evidence from you.

"In other words, the officials are actually threatening you by chatting with you about the daily routine, letting you know that your every move is under his surveillance! Then the officials can deal with you as they please!

"If you dare to be disobedient in any way, Tang Qin will be punished!"

Wang Shiyong's face was pale: "But Zhang Xiang, why can we keep us safe by advancing together and retreating together?"

Zhang Jingbang said: "Although the situation at this time is very bad for us, there is one good thing, that is, the former emperor has pushed out all the officials of the old party!

"You think, if Li Boxi is here, the officials only need to help Li Boxi up, and they will be enough to kill us all.

"However, those ministers headed by Li Boxi have all been reprimanded by the late emperor. At this time, all the people in the court are people from my lineage. If you want to work for the late emperor and search for the golden people, you and I have Who can get away with it?

"If the official family is liquidated, it will be a situation where everyone is in danger and things are hurting others.

"So, only if we all unite and advance together, can the officials retreat. At least until the Jinren retreat, we can all be safe."

Wang Shiyong's complexion improved a little, and he suddenly said: "Mr. Zhang is right! Although the officials hold the Western Army in their hands, we still need people like us to deal with political affairs.

"If we don't cooperate with him, even if the officials want to change people, they can't do it in a hurry.

"Plus the threat of the Jinren is still there, and the officials can only temporarily compromise with us.

"But... what if the Jinren retreated?"

Zhang Jingbang has already thought about it: "First of all, the officials may not be able to defeat the Jinren. Although the Western Army's combat power is strong, what happened when Zhong Pingyuan entered Jingqin Wang? As for the siege of Taiyuan, that was also the case. The officials unexpectedly led the Western Army to support them, and the Jin talents were defeated. Otherwise, Zhong Pingyuan would not have escaped death.

"At this time, the Jin army is in full swing, and the two armies are gathered together. If the official family loses a lot, then we will be of great use in seeking peace for the official family, and naturally we will be reused; There are victories and defeats, and the two sides are in a stalemate. Thinking about it, it is difficult to move us, and we still need to maintain the court and handle political affairs for him.

"Even if it's the worst situation, the officials really won a big victory, and the Jinren really retreated...

"That will take a lot of time. As long as this period of time passes, the officials will not be able to use old accounts to punish us. At that time, even if we use other reasons to judge the crime, the crime will be reduced, and we will not die. off."

Wang Shiyong suddenly nodded: "Mr. Zhang is right!"

After this analysis, Wang Shiyong also understood that the only way at this time is to unite all officials and find a way to make the new official's decree fail, so as to show his strength, so that the new official has to cooperate with him !

If these officials are still in a mess, then the new official can kill whoever he wants.

With the presence of Wu Desi, a single official can't resist at all if he is imprisoned for any crime.

But what if all the officials could advance and retreat together as much as possible? Then even if the officials killed one or two officials, they would not be able to change the status quo, and it was still a government order.

On the contrary, the more they killed, the more chaotic the court became, and the officials naturally retreated in spite of the difficulties.

In this way, facing the threat of the Jin people, the officials must first stabilize the interior, and more or less forgive them, the old officials.

Therefore, what officials like Zhang Jingbang and Wang Shiyong are thinking at this time is not to die or fight against the emperor, but to take the last road to protect themselves.

As for whether it is possible to let all officials advance and retreat together?

Although difficult, it is still possible.

Because at this time, which officials in the DPRK and China have no dark history?

As an official under Qi Yingzong, he more or less did things for the Jin people, or searched for money, or kidnapped women, or suppressed civil unrest, or went to the Jinying to seek peace...

When you get to the bottom of it, no one's butt is clean.

Moreover, there is a tradition in this dynasty not to kill scholar-bureaucrats. But this new official didn't care at all, not only directly killed Tang Qin, the prime minister of the dynasty, but also used the Wu Desi to monitor all the officials, and even vaguely raised the status of the warriors, sitting on an equal footing with these civil servants, and even had Over plan.

Is this worth it?

If these warriors are allowed to ride on their heads, then next, will the official want to reduce official salaries, eliminate redundant staff, cancel favors, and reform the imperial examinations?

In fact, the new official seems to be planning to cancel the official's grace, which is a very bad signal.

Although these literati and doctors have no special talents, none of them are stupid.

They are smart enough to see the situation clearly.

At this time, the series of behaviors of the new officials are obviously intended to attack their entire group. And if there is no resistance at this time, are these interests going to be handed over to the Qi Dynasty's good policy of suppressing martial arts with literature since ancient times?

Therefore, although Zhang Jingbang's method is an expedient measure, it will definitely be effective.

After all, in their view, there are only so many ministers in the court. Li Boxi and others have already been squeezed out, and it is very difficult for the current officials to pull and fight a group.

And even if it is to reform the imperial examinations and find a way to promote some new officials from the common people, it will always take some time, and it cannot be done overnight.

And this window period is the best time for them to play.

If you don't fight at this time, when will you wait?

Do you really have to wait until the new official beats off the golden man and puts the butcher's knife on their necks before he thinks about it and regrets it?

Wang Shiyong gritted his teeth: "Okay, Zhang Xiang, I'll do it now! I just don't know if I can hide it from Wu Desi's eyes and ears."

Zhang Jingbang said: "Be as low-key as possible, and hide it if you can, but there is nothing you can do if you can't. The officials will know about this matter sooner or later, but for us, it is a conspiracy.

"We bet that it is impossible for the officials to leave us to take care of the court. As long as this remains the same, no matter how soon the officials find out, we will be able to hold on to it!"

Wang Shiyong deeply agreed, and after saluting, he left Zhang Jingbang's mansion, got on the soft sedan chair again, and went to visit other ministers.

...

Fan Cun was not surprised when he saw Wu Desi's latest report.

Because these things were all within Sheng Taizu's expectations.

"This Zhang Jingbang is really not willing to die until the Yellow River." Fan Cun said with emotion.

Sheng Taizu snorted coldly: "He is also at the end of his rope and has nothing to do!

"He knew that he would die sooner or later, and the dying struggle at this time was just to fight for his own survival.

"An ordinary emperor who doesn't have any means will really be checked to death by his move, making him a deadly move."

Fan Cun nodded, because he had seen this scene before.

In the last trial illusion, the emperor who presided over Wang Wenchuan's reform was actually facing such a situation.

Not as intense, but the meaning is about the same.

The reason why Wen Junshi was able to silence the emperor with the phrase "In order to share the world with the scholar-bureaucrats, the important people should carry it out" is because the emperor found that he really could not handle political affairs independently from these scholar-bureaucrats.

He wanted to rely on Wang Wenchuan at first, but Wang Wenchuan could not control the officials at the grassroots level well, which led to public grievances in the process of implementing the new law; and because the emperor disagreed with Wang Wenchuan, he felt that his imperial power was being weakened by the prime minister's power. So want to take back some power.

But at the end of the toss, the emperor found that even though he withdrew some powers, many decrees still could not be implemented.

After such a toss, the emperor was naturally disheartened.

The relationship between the emperor and his ministers is very complicated.

Although the Qi Dynasty is also a centralized regime, the emperor has absolute initiative, just like Qi Huizong and Qi Yingzong, two living treasure emperors who can forcefully bury the entire dynasty, but the emperor is not omnipotent.

When the emperor faced the individual officials, he could use too many methods.

But if the emperor violated the interests of the entire bureaucracy and scholar-bureaucrat group, then these officials could also use non-violent non-cooperation methods to make the emperor unable to do anything.

Wen Junshi is a typical representative. After so many years of forbearance, he finally made the Qi Dynasty return to the old path of ancestral law.

But now, Zhang Jingbang obviously does not have Wen Junshi's ability, skills and goals, nor does he have any ambition to ostracize the emperor.

He is a flattering and cowardly person by nature, otherwise he would not be a dog for Qi Yingzong and Jinren.

It's just that the rabbit wants to bite people when it's in a hurry. Seeing that the new official's butcher's knife is about to fall, he has to borrow the power of the bureaucracy and the entire class of the scholar-bureaucrat group to find a way out for himself.

If it is inferred according to common sense, King Yun will give him this way of life.

Because the Qi Dynasty has always had the law of sharing the world with the scholar-bureaucrats and suppressing the ancestors of the martial arts;

Because King Yun himself had won the number one scholar, he was naturally close to these literati;

Because the enemy is now present, it is time to ease internal conflicts and resolve the threat of the Jin people first.

No matter how you look at it, it is the new official today who should make concessions.

It's just that Zhang Jingbang was the only one who made a mistake.

His enemy is not King Yun, but...

Sheng Taizu.

Fan Cun closed Wu Desi's report and looked at Sheng Taizu: "Then follow His Majesty's wishes...

"Take all these people together!"

...

Chaohui.

On the Golden Luan Hall, all the officials arrived.

The new official who had just ascended the throne was sitting on the throne, and behind him, there was no longer the seat of the Supreme Emperor Qi Huizong.

From any point of view, the new official only regarded his father as a reason and a tool for seizing the throne on the side of the Qing emperor. After he ascended the throne, he did not have the slightest idea of ​​sharing power with him.

Although he was not under house arrest like Qi Yingzong was like guarding against thieves, and he even entertained him with delicious food and drinks, showing his father's kindness and filial piety, but there was no shortage of secret surveillance and precautions.

At this time, the new official's position in the court is somewhat special.

He parachuted into the emperor with the Western Army in his hand. Although there was no problem with his legitimacy, after all, the entire imperial court had not yet been unified, and it was unknown how many people who did not agree with him were hidden among the officials.

Today, the official seems to be in a bad mood.

He flipped through the report in his hand and said casually, "Mr. Zhang."

Zhang Jingbang hurriedly replied: "The minister is here."

Fan Cun looked down at him: "You and the officials have done a good job in setting up porridge sheds to serve porridge to the people, so you should be rewarded."

Zhang Jingbang bowed his head and saluted: "Officials, ministers dare not take credit, this is all due to the official's grace."

Fan Cun changed the subject: "But... I asked you to discuss a method to get rid of the shade of grace. Why hasn't there been a conclusion until now?"

Zhang Jingbang hurriedly said: "Officials, the grace of the ancestors is the law of the ancestors. Our dynasty shares the world with the scholar-bureaucrats. This law of grace and shade is the foundation of our dynasty, and it cannot be shaken!

"Back then, Wang Wenchuan wanted to reform the Law of Grace, but as a result, the people were living in dire straits and complaints abounded, and my government was in turmoil. Only then did the Jin people take advantage of it.

"The officials asked the ministers and colleagues to think about the method of getting rid of the shadow of grace. The ministers pondered hard, referred to the past emperors of the past dynasties, and listened to the opinions of many scholars and common people. It is really difficult to find a method that can achieve both.

"I dare not disobey the orders of the officials, but this matter involves a lot, so I'm afraid we still have to... slowly draw it out."

This is obviously the common view of Zhang Jingbang and other officials.

Grace is the most important privilege of the bureaucratic and scholar-bureaucrat class. Today's officials want to get rid of it?

If you don't do something, isn't it tantamount to handing over your lifeblood?

Of course, Zhang Jingbang and others did not dare to openly challenge the emperor, so they could only procrastinate in this way to express their non-cooperative attitude. When the emperor has nothing to do, the matter will naturally be over.

However, just when Zhang Jingbang thought the matter was over, he heard the high-ranking emperor suddenly slap the dragon chair, and shouted loudly: "Zhang Jingbang! How dare you collude with the officials and put pressure on me?"

Zhang Jingbang couldn't help being startled, and quickly knelt on the ground: "Officials, why do you say that? You are dedicated to doing things for the official and have no other intentions. How dare you put pressure on the official?"

Fan Cun said with a cold face: "Then why have you not even come up with a plan to get rid of Enyin!

"If you can't, then it's your talent, and it's not enough to be the prime minister at all!

"If you don't want to, then you will be deceiving the emperor, and you will be treasonous!"

Zhang Jingbang was even more panicked, but still reluctantly supported: "Calm down the anger of the officials! You can learn from your loyalty, but getting rid of Enyin is really a matter of great importance, and the relevant regulations are extremely complicated, and it won't be smoothed out in three or two days!"

Fan Cun sneered: "Oh? It's important? Extremely complicated?

"Come here, read to him my measures to get rid of grace and reform the imperial examination!"

A young eunuch nodded in agreement, and immediately took out the prepared edict and recited it in court.

All the ministers listened carefully, and a needle could be heard in the hall.

Zhang Jingbang knelt on the ground, the more he listened, the more chill he felt.

what's the situation?

He didn't pay much attention to this matter.

Grace is the privilege of bureaucrats and bureaucrats, how can the emperor abolish it with a single sentence? Zhang Jingbang was not the only one who disagreed, few ministers in the Manchu Dynasty would agree!

They thought with all their heart that as long as they didn't come up with a specific plan, or debated the details of some plans, this matter could drag on for at least a few months.

In this way, the emperor's patience was worn out step by step, and the matter was dragged on.

Unexpectedly, in just two days, the emperor came up with a plan for the reform of the official system!

This plan directly pointed to the current status of redundant officials in the Qi Dynasty, and canceled a large number of idle jobs that only received salaries and did not do anything, and cut it across the board!

But what shocked Zhang Jingbang was not limited to this.

The most important point is that the emperor's plan is clearly organized and has a clear direction, and it is by no means a plan full of loopholes.

what does that mean?

It means that they are a group of civil servants, it is difficult to pick faults!

Normally, although the emperor holds power, he is definitely not clear about and not good at these specific plans. If you want to implement a certain policy, you must rely on those capable ministers.

Just like when Wang Wenchuan reformed the law back then, the emperor also needed Wang Wenchuan, the prime minister, to handle affairs.

In this way, the emperor may have conflicts with the officials on some points, and the officials of the opposition can seize this point and attack, thus causing the whole plan to fall apart.

But now, the emperor actually came up with a perfect plan by himself!

This plan was drastic, and it hurt these officials very much, but it happened to be very tight, with no loopholes to exploit, and no mistakes to pick.

The most important thing is that this is the emperor's own plan.

Then there will be no conflict between the emperor and the governor. Any official who wants to criticize this plan will be courting death!

After the little eunuch finished reading the plan, Fan Cun didn't wait for Zhang Jingbang to speak, and said directly: "Zhang Jingbang! Is this what you said is important and extremely complicated?

"Are you lacking in ability, or do you intend to deceive the king? You choose one yourself!"

Zhang Jingbang was so frightened that the cold sweat on his forehead continued to ooze, he hastened to kowtow: "I... I am not capable enough, and I have failed His Majesty's high hopes!"

Fan Cun nodded: "So?"

Zhang Jingbang looked terrified, but he reacted quickly, and hurriedly said: "Since the minister is not capable enough...then, please resign from the position of prime minister!"

Fan Cun said with satisfaction: "Okay, sure!

"This plan is for the Ministry of Officials to implement."

After all, he looked at the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, and it was Wang Shiyong who had been very close to Zhang Jingbang before and tried every means to find women in the city and give them to the Jinren.

Wang Shiyong was stunned, why did such a big matter fall directly on my head?

For this, he was not mentally prepared at all.

If this plan is really carried out, why not offend the officials to death? The point is, he is also a member of the group of officials, so how is it possible for him to give up his favor?

Seeing that the official family was about to disperse, Wang Shiyong hurried out and said: "Official family, wait a minute!"

Fan Cun glanced at him: "Anything else?"

Wang Shiyong originally wanted to say that this matter needs to be discussed in the long run, but after being glanced at by the new official, he was instantly discouraged.

Don't court death!

Zhang Jingbang was the prime minister of the court, and he was directly dismissed because of his ineffectiveness. He is a minister of the official department, although he is also a high-ranking official in the court, but in the eyes of the emperor, is he considered a fart?

At this time, no matter whether he shows unwillingness or inability, he will be dismissed directly like Zhang Jingbang.

After just a short moment, Wang Shiyong already regretted that he had stood up.

Fortunately, he was quick-witted and said: "Officials! The position of Zaizhi is vacant, after all... it makes the court unstable.

"It's just Zhang Xiang in the official family, and now there is not even a prime minister in the court.

"I also ask the officials to decide on the two prime ministers early to stabilize the court."

As soon as this remark came out, Wang Shiyong couldn't help but sigh with emotion at his quick wit.

After Congxin, he decisively found another good topic, and temporarily kept his official position.

The two ministers in the previous court were Tang Qin and Zhang Jingbang.

Tang Qin was killed by this official family in court, and his position of Zai Zhi has been vacant since then; now the new official family has dismissed Zhang Jingbang, which means that the two positions of Zai Zhi in the court are all vacant.

Let the emperor fill these two positions earlier, right?

Fan Cun couldn't help laughing, he casually glanced at all the officials, and finally his eyes rested on Zhang Jingbang and Wang Shiyong.

"Who told you... that there must be a ruler in the court?

"Scatter!"