Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

Although it was a rainy day that was approaching dusk, the news that Wan An was kicked out of the Forbidden City by His Majesty spread like wildfire.

"This paper-paste pavilion boss has finally been kicked out, and the Ming Dynasty will be prosperous!"

"Such a sycophant is truly a disgrace to our civil servants, and they should be brought to shame!"

"Stop talking, I'm going to beat my two concubines tonight until dawn!"

…

After learning that the high-ranking chief minister Wan'an was kicked out of the Forbidden City by His Majesty, many civil servants' reaction was not that Shangshu begged His Majesty for mercy, but that they clapped their hands and cheered.

Although Wan'an had been in the position of chief minister for ten years, he was only a yes-man for the late emperor, which made many officials very disdainful of him.

Not to mention that their civil servant group is responsible for limiting imperial power. The chief minister like Wan An, who relies on flattery to rise to power, is destined to be criticized by mainstream civil servants. Their ideal leader must be a moral gentleman like Xu Pu, who upholds the principles of saints and sages. Instructions for living in high places.

Now that the chief minister of the cabinet, Wan'an, has fallen, the courtiers who followed Wan'an will naturally fall apart, and this court will usher in a new era of renewal.

As night fell, the rain in the capital stopped.

The lights in Xu Mansion are brightly lit and the doors are bustling.

Like sharks smelling the smell of blood, the officials in the capital rushed to the Xu Mansion from all directions with gifts, determined to embrace this thick thigh.

Now that Wan'an, the leader of the Mei Party, has collapsed, regardless of Liu Ji's situation, the cabinet is now seriously short of personnel, so it is imperative to increase the number of cabinet ministers.

Although Zhou Hongmo, the Minister of Rites, was the person closest to the threshold of the cabinet, and Xu Pu, the left minister of the Ministry of Personnel and a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, came later, Xu Pu was far superior to Zhou Hongmo in terms of ability and reputation.

The most important thing is that Zhou Hongmo, the Minister of Rites, is from the same hometown as Wan'an, and he was able to reach this position thanks to Wan'an's support.

Just like this, Zhou Hongmo, the Minister of Rites, will be implicated in the Wan'an incident, and Xu Pu will enter the cabinet to worship the prime minister without any suspense, becoming a well-deserved banner of Qingliu.

The Xu Mansion is a luxurious house, with a special heating pavilion built in the back house. A sumptuous banquet has been prepared here tonight, and all the guests are sitting in order.

Xu Pu, who was wearing a second-grade official uniform, sat in the main seat, eating food and drinking with the guests, and felt a sense of elation and joy in his heart.

Ever since the new king's succession to the throne had been met with obstacles one after another, everything was finally back on track. The old guy who had been the most troublesome had left, and his future had once again become bright and dazzling.

"If it weren't for this old guy, Li Yu would have gone back to Jiangxi by now." Ni Yue, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, took a sip of wine and immediately said bitterly.

Ye Qi, the right servant of the Ministry of Finance, put down his chopsticks and nodded gently: "Not bad! Fortunately, Wan'an is gone now, and Ming Dynasty will be restored!"

"Come, let's drink this cup together and seek a prosperous world together!" Yu Zijun, Minister of the Ministry of War, raised the wine glass in his hand and urged him with great courage.

Yu Zijun is from Sichuan, and he and Wan'an are from the township party. However, after the new dynasty, he and Xu Pu gradually got closer. Tonight, he came directly to Xu Pu's house to conspire on big things, and he has resolutely become Xu Pu's party member. core personnel.

Water has no permanent power, and people have no normal state. This is the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty.

Although Yu Zijun followed Wan An earlier, apart from the teacher-student relationship that was like father and son, there was never absolute loyalty to his fellow students and fellow villagers. Many officials have always followed whoever can carry the banner of the leader of the civil service group. mix.

Xu Pu was very proud of the spring breeze tonight, and he seemed very comfortable at the moment. He raised the wine glass in his hand and responded: "Come, drink together, and seek a prosperous world together!"

A few glasses of wine were consumed while the glasses were being exchanged, and the relationship between everyone was quietly rising.

Xu Pu looked at Yu Zijun, the Minister of the Ministry of War, Ye Qi, the right minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Ni Yue, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Liu Jian, the bachelor of Hanlin, who were present, and knew that these were all important members of his future control of the court.

If there is any regret in my heart at this time, it is that Prince Kuanren, who was clearly trained by himself, ended up ascending to the throne as if he was a different person.

Xu Pu originally wanted to use tough methods to scare away Zhu Youtang, who was timid and had no independent opinions. However, the political risks involved were too great. He suddenly raised his glass to Liu Jian, who was also the emperor's master, and said, "Xueshi Liu, let's have a drink together." !”

"Scholar Xu, I don't dare, I respect you!" Liu Jian looked flattered when he saw Xu Pu raising a glass to him from afar.

He was in a good mood today as well. In fact, the lack of additional members in the cabinet was not only blocking Xu Pu's path. If Xu Pu successfully enters the cabinet, the position of Hanlin bachelor will be vacant and he will fill it.

It's just that Xu Pu failed to enter the cabinet, and as a result, he, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, could not go further. He looked at the position of a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy and could not get it.

The same is true for the subsequent Ci officials. If he vacates the position of the Hanlin scholar, all the subsequent Hanlin officials will be happy.

Fortunately, now that Wan'an, the chief minister of the cabinet, has finally fallen, Xu Pu has obtained the position of chief minister of the cabinet, and he will become the new Hanlin bachelor, and the ministers behind him will also be able to advance step by step.

"Both of us are old people from the East Palace. Now we are officials in the same dynasty and we should advance and retreat together!" Xu Pu knew that Liu Jian was an ambitious official and was interested in deepening the relationship.

Although Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the prime minister, the civil service group lost its natural leader. But after so many years of exploration, they have actually found a suitable leader, Qingliu Cichen, who has the status of "Emperor Master".

Judging from the history that followed, both Gao Gong, the imperial master of the Longqing Dynasty, and Zhang Juzheng, the imperial master of the Wanli Dynasty, both possessed this attribute.

Ye Qi, the right servant of the Ministry of Finance, looked at the two imperial masters drinking together, and felt very envious in his heart.

"Xu Xueshi, Wan'an is gone now, what should we do next?" Ni Yue, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, was slightly drunk and inquired.

Yu Zijun, Minister of War, and other officials stopped their chopsticks and turned to look at Xu Pu curiously.

Now that Wan'an has been successfully overthrown by them, the next court will face a major reshuffle, and their next game is also very important.

Xu Pu had already made a plan. He picked up a broad bean and put it into his mouth, chewed it and said, "It is almost a full moon since Your Majesty ascended the throne. However, if you do not hold a day sermon or a Sutra banquet, it is not the behavior of a wise king! You are all ministers of others. , since I have been admonishing Your Majesty to hold a Sutra banquet and start the day of lectures!"

The system of daily lectures and classic banquets did not originate from Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, but the emperor who ascended the throne at the age of eight. During the Sanyang Bingzheng period, the ritual notes of daily lectures and classic banquets were first formulated. One lecture every day and one lecture every ten days was the main way for emperors to receive Confucian education. The Four Books, the Five Classics and the "Emperor's Illustrated Manual" were the main teaching materials.

In fact, the daily lectures were secondary, mainly the Sutra Banquet system. Even the emperor was bound by the etiquette and laws of the Sutra Banquet, making the emperor feel like he was undergoing rigorous military training one after another.

It's just that Zhu Youtang's ascension to the throne is about to be full moon, but the daily lectures and scripture banquets have been postponed. Now Zhu Youtang is asked to reopen the Sutra Lecture Banquet. Even if Zhu Youtang cannot be brainwashed a second time, it would be better to teach this grandson a lesson at the Sutra Banquet.

"That's right! We ministers cannot turn a blind eye to His Majesty's inappropriate behavior. We will go to court tomorrow morning to ask for a memorial!" Ni Yue, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, responded immediately.

Yu Zijun, the Minister of War, and others knew that Xu Pu did not want to increase the internal friction of the civil service group, but pointed the finger at the new king, and they all nodded in agreement with this plan.

In fact, this approach appears to be more clever. Ten thousand parties will fall into disarray. If they raise the banner of anti-imperialism among the civil servants, other officials will naturally join in, thus becoming the well-deserved number one force in the new dynasty.

"How about we ask His Majesty to reset the daily living notes together tomorrow?" Ye Qi, the right minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, felt a slight movement in his heart and seriously suggested.

The Daily Note is a historian-type official position that records all the words and deeds of the emperor in addition to his private life in the palace. It can be said to be a recorder that follows the emperor.

In the early days of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, paid great attention to it, but he soon realized that the daily life was just making himself uncomfortable, so he decided to abolish it, and it has not been reinstated to this day.

"Isn't this not good?" Liu Jian, a bachelor of Hanlin Academy, knew that this was to monitor the emperor's every move reasonably and legally, and his eyes looked complicated.

"What's wrong? Your Majesty should set an example, speak and act as an example, and be a virtuous king who will go down in history!" Ye Qi, the right minister of household affairs, insisted on his own opinion.

The corner of Xu Pu's mouth twitched slightly, but he finally stood up and tried to dissuade him: "Shilang Ye, this matter should be done step by step, don't do it too hastily!"

"Xu Xueshi is far-sighted!" Ye Qi, the Minister of Household Affairs, saw Xu Pu speak and gave up the idea temporarily.

Next, everyone began to make arrangements around tomorrow's morning action and communicated about possible variables, in order to achieve the strategic goal that could be achieved overnight.

Tonight, the lights in the Xufu Nuan Pavilion are very bright, the wine in the glasses is very mellow, and everyone's eyes are getting brighter and brighter. Some people are already looking forward to the peaceful and prosperous era that they will create.