The Ming Dynasty's Spokesperson

After Zhao Shoufu's relevant memorials were sent to the inner palace, Emperor Wanli was a little confused after reading them, so he asked the eunuchs in charge of rituals:

"Zhao Zhigao said that there is currently no suitable minister to serve as minister of the Ministry of Rites, and proposed that the cabinet minister Li Chun should also be in charge of the Ministry of Rites. What does this mean?"

Most of the ceremonial eunuchs and eunuchs didn't think about it for a while. In the end, Chen Ju thought about it first and said:

"Li Chun was recommended by Wang Jiaping. Having Li Chun also in charge of the Ministry of Rites may temporarily calm down those ministers who want to support his achievements."

Emperor Wanli suddenly understood and praised: "Zhao Zhigao is thoughtful."

If the courtiers are making trouble for the country, the Minister of Rites is a figure who must express his position, and he will often become a victim of conflicts. The previous Minister of Rites, Luo Wanhua, is an example.

And Li Chun himself was the person who pushed the Qingliu forces into the cabinet. If Li Chun was allowed to serve as the Minister of Rites, then the Qingliu forces would have to "throw the rat out of the way."

In order to keep Li Chun, he had to temporarily cease all activities on national issues.

Moreover, the responsibilities of the Minister of Rites are relatively pragmatic and his actual power is slightly less than that of other ministries. Even if a cabinet minister is appointed as the Ministry of Rites, he cannot have exclusive power.

"Very good, accurate!" Emperor Wanli pointed at the memorial and said.

As for the issue of the order of cabinet ministers mentioned in the memorial, it was even less important in the eyes of the emperor, and it was all approved.

Then the imperial edict was issued, and the cabinet minister Zhu Geng was appointed as a bachelor of Wuyingdian, Li Chun was made a bachelor of Wenyuange and also in charge of the Ministry of Rites, and Zhang Wei was made a bachelor of Dongge.

Needless to say, when the outside ministers looked at the title of the palace, they knew that Zhu Geng was the second assistant, Li Chun was the third assistant, and Zhang Wei was the fourth assistant.

So after Li Chun was forced to become a secondary examiner with a lot of curses, he was also forced to serve as the Minister of Etiquette under a lot of curses.

Who wants to work part-time as the damn Minister of Rites? Before the national issue is resolved, this is the biggest trap in the imperial court!

It will be easy for anyone who wants to kill him in the future. Just find a few cannon fodder characters to jump out and cause trouble in the country, and you may be forced to fall into the trap!

He didn't think he had a poor IQ. He was still ranked number one in the second class in the same year, but he was too young and not as smart as those old men.

We must recruit people! He needs to recruit a few retainers who are old and cunning enough to serve as his advisers!

It was already April of the 20th year of Wanli. When Lin Tailai's latest spirit was conveyed to the capital, the order of cabinet ministers was determined, and the candidate for the Minister of Rites was confirmed, the court seemed to have entered a stage of stability and no major events.

It happened that at this time, a North Korean delegation came to Beijing for pilgrimage.

In fact, it can't be called "just right". After all, there are missions every year, sometimes two or three times.

The chief guest officer of the Ministry of Etiquette, Lin Zhongzhong, is still on vacation, and the work of the host and guest department is temporarily in charge of Yuanwai Lang Zhong Huamin.

After the North Korean delegation arrived in Beijing, Zhong Huamin sent chief Zhao Nanxing to the South Korean Embassy to negotiate first and discuss the tribute procedures.

Nowadays, these ceremonial matters are very simple, and the emperor is not coming out anyway, so everyone is really relieved.

For example, in the past, the important project of Mianjun required special coordination of time, location, and specific procedures.

But now we only need to take the envoy outside the Huangji Gate, bow in the direction of the inner palace, and then take the envoy to Guanglu Temple to eat the royal banquet and get watermelons - if there is any.

Zhao Nanxing was about to go to do something when he suddenly saw someone sent by the Ministry of War and asked the Ministry of Rites to ask the North Korean mission about "preparing for Japan".

Some time ago, the Communications Department of the Ministry of War was "preparing for Japan". It was uncertain whether the emperor would stay in China or not, so he took this opportunity to consult the Korean mission.

Zhao Nanxing's official position became smaller and smaller. From being a member of the Literary Selection Department of the Ministry of Personnel to the head of the Host and Guest Department of the Ministry of Etiquette, Zhao Nanxing was heartbroken. In the past two years, he had been a walking zombie with no love.

We have to go to the North Korean mission anyway, so it’s okay to ask a few more questions for the Ministry of War.

The envoy of the North Korean mission this time is Yin Zhuoran. He came once three years ago and was personally received by Lin Tailai, who had just taken office.

After three years, Yin Zhengshi can still be a court angel again, which shows that he has done well in North Korea, so he always gets this kind of fat job.

After discussing the itinerary in general, Zhao Nanxing remembered his mission and asked Yin Zhengshi: "When you were in the East Kingdom, did you ever hear the warning of Japanese invasion?"

Yin Zhengshi was very confused and replied: "I have never heard of it."

Zhao Nanxing asked again: "But some people in my Ming Dynasty said that in April and May this spring, Japanese soldiers will cross the sea and invade Korea."

Yin Zhengshi seemed to have remembered something. After recalling for a while, he replied: "Last year, the Toyotomi family of the Japanese country wrote to our king, requesting to enter the Tang Dynasty via a false road from our country this spring."

The so-called false way into the Tang Dynasty literally means going to the Ming Dynasty through North Korea.

Then Yin Zhengshi smiled and continued: "The whole country regarded this matter as a joke and ignored the Toyotomi family who did not know the heights of heaven and earth.

The rumor that the Japanese soldiers invaded our country probably came from this incident. Mountains and seas separate us, so rumors are passed down, and there are inevitably exaggerations and inaccuracies. "

After Zhao Nanxing thought for a while, he asked again: "And then there's nothing further?"

Yin Zhengshi responded: "Although our country is small, it is also a powerful country in the east. It relies on the sea, so why should we not be afraid of Japanese slaves?

Toyotomi's words are actually completely false and should not be ignored at all. What's the point? "

Then Zhao Nanxing understood what was going on, and why Lin Tailai had inexplicably read the book "Bei Wo Shu".

It was probably that Lin Tailai heard about the contents of the letter of credence given to Korea by the Japanese Toyotomi family from people like maritime merchants, and then exaggerated it and made up an early warning to the court.

After all, the Communication Department of the Ministry of War was newly established, so there must be some movement to prove the role of the Communication Department.

As for how likely it is that the Japanese soldiers will cross the sea, just look at the attitude of the Korean envoys, who simply treat it as a joke.

Could it be that Lin Tailai can understand the situation of Korea better than the Koreans?

Thinking of this, Zhao Nanxing felt that he had uncovered the truth of the facts, and then told his colleagues about this truth.

Then, following the Minister of War, the Minister of Revenue, the Left Censor-in-Chief and other ministers, the censors launched a second wave of accusations against Lin Tailai.

Compared with the first wave of facts, the second wave was more reasonable and well-founded, and fully demonstrated that Lin Tailai was sensational and bluffing for his own selfishness.

In addition, Lin Tailai was accused of being arrogant because of his favor, relying on the grace of the emperor and not afraid of punishment, and wantonly fabricating enemy information.

It can be said that it was a fierce and profound revelation from the depths of Lin Tailai's soul!

Under the persuasion of the chief minister Zhao Zhigao, Emperor Wanli still kept the list and did not send it out. Anyway, Lin Jiuyuan said that it was April or May, and there was not much time left.

In this April, the biggest event of the court was to select a new batch of Shujishi.

Originally, according to the principle that "too many Hanlins are useless", the Hanlin Academy only wanted to select a dozen Shujishi this time, which was much less than the scale of 20 to 30 in previous years.

However, due to the human relations in all aspects, the list of Shujishi was finally increased to 18 people.

Wang Heng, the eldest son of the former Grand Secretary Wang Xijue, and Gu Bingqian, the retainer of Jiuyuan Zhenxian, were selected.

Although Zhu Geng, the new cabinet minister recommended by Zhao Zhigao to Wang Xijue, was far away in Zhejiang during the February competition, he did not have time to rush back to the capital to serve as the chief examiner.

However, through some interest exchanges, Zhao Shoufu still selected Wang Heng. In the Wanli Dynasty, this operation mode was already very mature.

Then in April, Zhao Shoufu instructed the Hanlin Academy to select Wang Heng as a Shujishi.

So far, Zhao Shoufu has fulfilled his promise to Wang Xijue and helped Wang Heng get on the horse.

As for Gu Bingqian, he was a Hanlin in history and finally became the chief minister.

If Gu Bingqian couldn't even enter the Hanlin Academy with his help in this time and space, Lin Tailai would feel that he was a waste.

It was still in front of the platform of the main hall of the Hanlin Academy, but there was a group of new people under the stage.

Today was the first morning class for the new Shujishi. Many old people who had nothing to do stood by and watched the excitement, including Zhou Yingqiu and Dong Qichang.

Zhou Yingqiu didn't move, just staring in one direction. Dong Qichang followed Zhou Yingqiu's line of sight and saw the new Gu Bingqian standing there.

"Why are you always staring at him?" Dong Qichang couldn't help asking.

Zhou Yingqiu frowned and said, "Ever since the spring of the 18th year of Wanli, when he rushed to take charge of the miscellaneous affairs of the Lin Mansion in the capital, I had a premonition that this was my lifelong enemy!

Sure enough, he also came to the Hanlin Academy this year and began to keep pace with me."

Dong Qichang didn't know what to say. Is this the principle of like repels like?

Originally, among the people around Lin Tailai, Zhou Yingqiu occupied a track alone, and his category was different from that of others.

But Gu Bingqian seemed to be on the same track as Zhou Yingqiu, no wonder Zhou Yingqiu reacted so strongly.

At this time, the brilliant new star in the officialdom, the new champion and the champion Han Yu, appeared for some reason, and also strolled over, standing on the side to watch the excitement with a gentle and calm demeanor.

A man in the crowd of scholars said to Han Shineng, the instructor on the platform: "The champion is the leader of his peers. I heard that there is a tradition in the Hanlin Academy that the champion goes on stage to give a speech and set an example for his peers."

Han Shineng said with a gloomy face: "I have been in the Hanlin Academy for more than 20 years, and I have never heard of such a rule."

The man still insisted: "But I heard that this rule has been in place for the past three years."

Han Shineng replied: "This is Lin Jiuyuan's rule, not the rule of the Hanlin Academy."

The man seemed to have transformed into a "clever workplace" newcomer, and continued to question with his neck stiff, "Why can Lin Jiuyuan have this rule?"

After he finished speaking, he deliberately glanced at Han Yu on the side of the crowd. This probably meant that since they were all champions, why couldn't they go up and speak?

With a snap! The newcomer was suddenly slapped in the face, and when he was dizzy, he was kicked hard.

It was not until he stumbled and sat on the ground that he saw clearly that the person who attacked him was Gu Bingqian, his classmate.

Gu Bingqian was just a middle-aged man who was neither tall nor strong. The new nitpicker wanted to jump up and fight.

But he saw that several other seniors from the Hanlin Academy quickly stood behind Gu Bingqian, also staring at him covetously.

So the new nitpicker immediately changed his fighting strategy and asked: "Brother Gu Nian, why did you beat me in front of Mr. Han? It's simply insulting the Hanyuan. Please ask Mr. Han to make a decision for me!"

Gu Bingqian said contemptuously: "Don't you want to know the reason? This is the reason, this is Lin Jiuyuan's rule, do you understand now?"

The old man from the Hanlin Academy who was watching heard what Gu Bingqian said, and he couldn't find a reason to refute it.

If Lin Jiuyuan hadn't always carried a big gun, or there was always a group of strong men standing around, how could you let Lin Jiuyuan develop a habit of lecturing?

Gu Bingqian looked around and said, "I am not talented, but I have set an example. If any of my peers really want to go on stage and give a speech, they should learn from me."

Because of the faction relationship, Zhou Yingqiu had to stand behind Gu Bingqian to show his strength, but he was still a little unhappy to see Gu Bingqian in the limelight.

So he also took a step forward, raised his hand and pointed at the new champion Han Yu not far away, and shouted:

"Mr. Zhuangyuan! If you want to learn from Lin Jiuyuan to perform on stage and improve your reputation, just go up, no need to send a small soldier to test!

However, Lin Jiuyuan can become a great poet in literature, and he can be the first to break the city in seven battles. He can talk about a lot of things, but what can you talk about?

After thinking about it, I suggest that you might as well talk more about how your several major families in Puzhou colluded with the northern barbarians to smuggle, how your good father-in-law Zhang Siwei was fickle in the officialdom, and how you controlled the private salt of Yuncheng Salt Industry.

Let us poor people from poor backgrounds open our eyes and broaden our horizons!"

Hearing this, there was a low laugh in the crowd, and many people couldn't help laughing.

Han Zhuangyuan's face turned pale, and his gentle and calm image could no longer be maintained. He turned around and left without hesitation.

It is meaningless to argue at this time, and it will only make things worse.

I just can't understand why the atmosphere in Tsinghua is so simple and crude?

Either hitting people or directly attacking people, there is no technical content at all, it is really disappointing!

The Hanlin Academy in the mouths of fathers, fathers-in-law, uncles and uncles is not like this.

Zhou Yingqiu seemed to be unsatisfied, and shouted to Han Yu's back: "It is also fate to be lucky enough to be in the Hanyuan with you, let's get closer in the future!

As for Jiuyuan Jun, you have to work hard for military and national affairs, so don't disturb or touch him!"

The implication is that you are not worthy of being compared with Lin Jiuyuan, or I, Zhou Yingqiu, will be your opponent!

I don't know whether he wants to belittle the new champion or to raise his own status.

Gu Bingqian said very dissatisfiedly: "Han Zhuangyuan is my classmate, it is not your turn to get close to him."

"You are just a Shujishi now, not a formal Hanlin, study hard first!" Zhou Yingqiu said disdainfully.

Dong Qichang looked at Zhou Yingqiu and then at Gu Bingqian. Now he was sure that these two might be enemies for life.

I didn't expect that even the shameless lackey track would be so complicated! Fortunately, I was on the literary and artistic track, and there were not many such people around Lin Tailai.

In this dull April, even the small conflict in the Hanlin Academy could be a topic of conversation for a few days.

It was not until the 600-mile urgent report sent by Liaodong Governor Hao Jie arrived in the capital that this dull tranquility was broken.

This month, an unknown number of Japanese soldiers crossed the sea and landed at the southern end of the Korean Kingdom. The Korean army collapsed at the first touch!

It doesn't sound like a big deal for the time being, but everyone thought of Lin Jiuyuan's "Preparation for the Japanese Report".