The crown prince was scolded, the scope of the investigation was narrowed, the household department was temporarily safe, and the Overwatch Council straightened up again. The angle between Tobe Shangshu's body and the ground.
Hu Dashi patted the table in the Ministry of Education under his door, pointed at the faces of the elders of the six departments, and scolded these officials for being unclean. Anyway, he was still young and angry, and he didn't need to put on a senior official like Shu Wu. His style and demeanor, what His Majesty needs is the reputation and drive of Hu Dashi, but in the matter of checking the household department, Hu Dashi did not fully meet His Majesty's requirements.
Because in his opinion, at least judging from the investigation, the household department... is really not easy. What makes Hu University most angry is that the matter has come to this day, and some officials in the court are still obsessed with it, and want to find some criminal evidence related to Jiangnan from the accounts of the Ministry of Accounting.
The sound of slapping the table sounded again, and Master Hu frowned deeply, staring coldly at the officials beside him, and said in a deep voice, "Transfer silver to Jiangnan? Where is the silver? Isn't it still in the warehouse of the household department? In the future, there is no evidence, so don't talk nonsense about these unnecessary things, so as not to chill the hearts of officials."
He looked at these earth-colored officials and snorted coldly: "My lords, let's do it for ourselves."
After saying this, Master Hu flicked his sleeves and walked out of the small room next to the palace, leaving many officials in the room looking at each other in blank dismay.
Everyone felt deep regret and embarrassment. Check the household department, the household department is clean, but the factions of people like myself have been found out countless problems. The backers behind these officials are inextricably linked with Jiangnan. From the situation in Jiangnan, these big shots judged Well, the silver used by Fan Xian to use Xia Qifei to hedge against the Ming family must have been transferred from the treasury.
It is precisely because of such a judgment that these people dared to launch an offensive against the Ministry of Accounts so firmly. Since so much money is still stored in the Internal Treasury Transit Department, it must not be wiped out in the national treasury.
But... there is no trace at all!
These officials hated their teeth so much that they didn't dare to speak back even after being reprimanded by Master Hu Dashi. They shouted so loudly, but they couldn't find any problems in the end!
The Fan family, father and son, are too insidious.
It was early morning at this time, the sun had not yet risen in the east, and the Zhongshu under the door was just preparing a memorial for today's court meeting. The officials looked a little tired, and most of them had not slept all night, just thinking about the struggle at the court meeting soon, Everyone must raise their spirits. The first stage of the investigation by the Ministry of Household Affairs obviously ended with the complete failure of the two factions of the eldest princess and the East Palace, but...how can we restore the situation
Intentionally or not, these officials cast their eyes on a young official who had been sitting in a dark corner.
This young official, surnamed He Ming Zongwei, is a newly promoted celebrity in the imperial court. Behind him, he has some previous connections with the East Palace of the Eldest Princess, and now he is highly appreciated by His Majesty.
It is precisely because Master Hu did not want to make a big fuss about the Ministry of Household Affairs, so His Majesty had many wishes that could not be made public and could not be handled by officials smoothly, so He Zongwei, the new Zuodu Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, was called in. Inspect the household department's team.
The officials looked at He Zongwei, naturally they wanted to know from this young official how the palace was going to deal with this matter.
This person has been specially appointed to listen to the affairs of Zhongshu under the sect for three days, and has been stable in his duties. He has always been polite and strict to Hu Dashi and other ministers, he does not talk too much, does not act rashly, and is deeply calm and calm.
Just being stared at by several officials like this, He Zongwei knew that he had to show certain abilities, not only for himself, but also for His Majesty.
"It's a mess." He sighed, and gently said to several officials: "It seems that this matter will have to be tossed slowly. University scholar Hu was also a little anxious before. Don't worry too much, my lords."
Slowly tossing and tossing explained the attitude of the palace. Fan's response was ingenious and tough, so that the palace would not be able to find a good way to remove the Minister of the Household Department for a while, and had to wait for another chance.
The officials fell silent, a little unwilling and a little worried.
Since Fan Jian's status remained unchanged, the officials who led the attack would naturally have to pay the corresponding price.
…
…
At the subsequent court meeting, officials belonging to the eldest princess and the Donggong faction launched the final offensive, not to kill the enemy, but to protect themselves. Even if the household department is clean, it is always caught by the investigation team with some problems, especially under the guidance of He Zongwei, who joined after the fact, the officials have abandoned those appalling charges, and just clung to some minor problems in the household department, such as Some accounts are unclear, for example... a small amount of money is missing.
Although they are all small problems, at least it shows that the people like me are not investigating the household department for revenge and attack, but really want to find the household department's problems.
At the court meeting, listening to the impassioned accusations of those ministers, Hu Dashi was the first in the row on the left with a sneer, Shu Wu was beside him with a worried face, and Yan Xingshu, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, said nothing.
The emperor sat on the dragon chair and looked at a person in the civil service team with somewhat complicated eyes.
Today, Fan Jian, Minister of the Household Department, also came to the court meeting.
Looking at Fan Jian's slightly gray hair below, the emperor sighed inwardly, and asked, "Where did that 180,000 taels of silver go?"
Fan Jian came out, didn't defend himself, didn't explain, showed his old age, saluted, and directly pleaded guilty.
The 180,000 taels of silver have already been sent to the Yamen of the governor of Heyun!
…
…
There was an uproar in the court hall, and the faces of the officials and related officials who advocated the investigation of the household department were all happy, and they didn't understand why the old and spicy minister of the household department would be in the court hall, in front of His Majesty, Frankly admitted that privately transferred Kuyin to the governor's office of Heyun, but they knew that this was an opportunity not to be missed!
All of a sudden, the officials came out one after another, blaming the Ministry of Household Affairs, and even targeting Fan Jian.
In this world, only His Majesty's will has the right to mobilize the national treasury, and no one else can. Fan Jian asked the Ministry of Household Affairs to transfer money to the governor's yamen of Heyun, but he did not have an imperial approval. No matter how you look at it, it is a crime of deceiving the emperor.
The emperor stared at Fan Jian's tired face, with a faint light in his eyes, but he didn't seem to listen to the voices of the courtiers in the court asking to punish the household department.
The emperor didn't listen to it, but some officials could hear it clearly, and their hearts were filled with anger!
The deficit in the household department is closely related to those officials who attacked the household department. Even if Fan Shangshu's transfer of treasury silver to Hegong was inappropriate, his heart can be forgiven. Healed the sore spots attacked by those shameless villains!
Shu Wu's brows trembled anxiously, his eyes were full of anger, and he turned his head to stare at the civil servants who came out.
In fact, these veterans who were in the middle school all knew that the imperial court had to transfer money, and the procedures were really complicated. If they really wanted to ask for an order slowly and then transfer the money to the river project, the river would have burst its embankment long ago. And in the depths of winter, Shu Wu once complained to the emperor about this matter. Although he didn't know the details of Fan Jian's transfer of money from the household department to the governor's office of Heyun, he dared to conclude that it had nothing to do with self-interest. what relationship.
Bullshit! Transferring money to repair the river, his old Fan's family has no land on both sides of the river, so he can reap a lot of benefits!
Shu Wu suppressed the anger in his chest, stood up, and saluted the emperor in the dragon chair.
Seeing this highly respected scholar come out of the queue, the officials who attacked the household department silently stopped and retreated into the queue.
The emperor glanced at him and said, "Secretly transferring Ku Yin, what crime is it?"
Old Bachelor Shu raised his head and said directly: "Your Majesty, if you ask Qing Lu, you should ask the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple. The old minister walks in the middle of the door, but he is not very familiar with Qing Lu."
The emperor said with a half-smile, "What does the old scholar want to say?"
Shu Wu saluted again, turned around and looked contemptuously at the Chaozhongxiao boys, and then slowly said: "The old minister thinks that Fan Shangshu is not at fault for this matter."
"How to say it?"
"Hegong's affairs have always been tight. This year's lucky thing, the spring floods are not as strong as in previous years, but the summer floods are coming soon. As for the transfer of the bank from the Ministry of Households to the Hegong Yamen," Shu Wu took a deep breath and said respectfully : "It's the old official's book that was written and approved by the door, and then directly transferred to the household department, so the old official is actually clear about the household department's transfer of money."
As soon as this remark came out, there was another uproar in the court!
Master Shu actually took a big risk and tied himself with the Fan family? what is this
Fan Shangshu also seemed a little surprised, looking at the old bachelor in front of him.
The emperor frowned slightly, and suddenly smiled after a while: "Oh? Why didn't I know about this?"
"It's the old minister who is confused. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Master Shu is not an idiot, he couldn't bear to see the turbulent discussions in the court before, and it was the old and firm conscience in his heart that stirred up, and his blood rushed, making him stand up as a security guard for the Ministry of Household Affairs, but After waking up at this moment, I realized that His Majesty definitely doesn't like someone in my sect Zhongshu who will be a guarantor for Liu Bu. He smiled wryly and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, poor old minister, I drank two more glasses yesterday. I made some youthful and frenzied remarks, and now I can’t take it back even if I want to.”
The emperor couldn't help laughing when he saw a majestic academician pretending to be a clown, and the unhappiness of being contradicted gradually dissipated.
It is impossible to take away both the Minister of the Household Department and a bachelor just because of a mere 180,000 taels of silver.
"Hu Xuzhi," the emperor asked with a smile, "in your opinion, what crime should the household department be charged with?"
Hu Dashi came out, and after a little consideration, he said softly: "The crime of deceiving the emperor."
There was a buzzing sound in the hall.
The emperor raised his eyebrows and asked with interest: "Then how should we punish?"
"No." Hu Dashi lowered his body very low.
"Why?"
"The Ministry of household transfers silver to the river workers. It is a public heart, and it is a loyalty to serve your majesty. Although it is deceiving the emperor, it is a deception of loving the emperor." Hu Dashi said calmly: "Qing law condemns people, cares Understand the principles and determine the situation, understand the principles and understand the situation, the officials of the household department and the ministers are all open and sincere, Your Majesty clearly observes."
"Oh?" The emperor seemed very interested in this statement, and said with a smile: "But the law is here, if you don't follow the law, how can you calm down the mouths of the common people in the world, and how can you calm down the mind of all officials to abide by the law?"
"There is no need to block the mouths of the people in the world." Hu Dashi replied in harmony: "As long as the breach of the long embankment of the great river can be blocked, the people can see with their eyes and hear with their ears, have something to eat, and a place to live in peace. I know His Majesty's painstaking efforts."
The emperor was moved and nodded.
Hu Dashi continued: "As for the officials," a wry smile suddenly appeared on the corner of his lips, "If the officials really observe the law, then that's all. In a word, if His Majesty sympathizes with the hard work of the household department and grants lenient punishment, all the officials in the court will feel the sacred heart."
He finally said softly: "Your Majesty, it has been raining continuously recently."
This last sentence was spoken in such a low voice that no one could hear it except for the few officials who were close to the dragon chair.
The emperor fell into deep thought, knowing that the reason why his closest disciples of Zhongshu scholars stood by the Fan family today was for the sake of the court and the money of his family's Daqing Dynasty. He frowned and thought, Hu and Shu didn't know my true intentions, and they were provoked by the repair of the river, so they came forward to protect Fan's family. But... Could it be that what I did this time was really wrong
Could it be that some conscientious officials in the court think that Fan Jian should stay
His frowning brows gradually relaxed, looked at His Highness Fan Jian, and asked softly: "I don't want to hear what other people said, so you come and tell me why you transferred the money without my permission?" The Yamen of the Governor of the River Transport?"
Fan Jian sighed, took a few steps forward, bowed to the ground, and replied simply: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid it will be too late."
This amount of money is actually a part of the money sent by the Ministry of Households to Jiangnan. The emperor knows it well, and Fan Jian naturally knows it. The emperor knows it well. Jian, however, insisted on not defending himself, let alone trying to ask the emperor to share the burden for him.
For the benefit of all the people, he dared to transfer Ku Yinxiu Dahe privately. He was really a rare minister of justice in the Daqing Dynasty. No wonder the two great scholars Hu Shu were moved.
For His Majesty's face, daring to face serious crimes without defending himself, is really a rare pure and loyal slave in the Daqing Dynasty, no wonder His Majesty the Emperor is also a little moved.
The emperor pondered, then nodded slowly.
※※※
After the court meeting, the decree came down, the household department suffered a serious deficit, His Majesty was furious, and ordered the investigation to continue, and the problems that had been found were handed over to the Overwatch Council and Dali Temple for trial.
Fan Jian, Minister of the Ministry of household affairs, was removed from the second-level title, fined his salary, and stayed in his post.
It's funny to say that this second-level title was granted by the palace after Fan Xian saved the emperor in the Hanging Temple. As for the penalty salary, plus the previous penalty salary, Fan Jian should not be paid for two full years up.
But...he still sat firmly in the position of Hubu Shangshu.
Correspondingly, many officials were implicated in the shortfall that the Ministry of Accounting had already found out, and a vigorous investigation began. The forces of all parties began to be forced to cut off their own brothers and feet, so as not to cut off their heads because of the deficit that had been suppressed by the Ministry of Finance for so many years.
The prince's 400,000 taels of silver was filled by the empress dowager's private house.
However, the officials of the other factions did not have such a good grandma. Whether it was the East Palace faction or the Princess Princess faction, a large number of officials were sacked one after another, and some fresh blood, such as young people like He Zongwei, began to gradually enter the court. among.
Last autumn, because of the war between Fan Xian and the second prince, a group of courtiers had been purged.
In the late spring of this year, because of the war between the household department and the eldest princess, the courtiers were purged again.
Abandoning, giving up, became the main style of the court for a while.
The source of this story is in the south of the Yangtze River. It is precisely because Fan Xian made such a fake situation that the people on the side of the eldest princess thought that they had caught the biggest crime of the Fan family, so they dared to throw so many pawns. In this cloud of muddy water, the intention is to bring down the Fan family in Kyoto.
But no one thought that the money came from the Northern Qi Dynasty, and the Fan family did not touch the money in the treasury.
Of course, the emperor thought that he knew that the Fan family had moved, and that they moved with his permission.
The emperor thought he knew everything under the sun, but he was wrong.
All in all, it was extremely difficult for the Fan family to gain a firm foothold, and the emperor... had strengthened his control over the court officials, making the palace a little more stable.
Everyone is happy.
Judging from the current situation, at least on the bright side, there was no force in Beijing that could threaten that chair. For a while, Chunhe Jingming was extremely peaceful.
And in the dark, the crown prince and the second prince were forced to form a temporary alliance. Although the Fan family suffered some damage because of this incident, but... everyone knows that if Fan Xian, who is far away in the south of the Yangtze River, returns, he will definitely be there again. Something big happens.
…
…
Being able to force the two dragon species who were originally irreconcilable to unite closely, this kind of power, this kind of power is enough to make everyone feel proud and elated.
But Fan Xian, who made all this happen, wasn't the slightest complacent.
On the one hand, it is because the news from Kyoto has not been able to reach the distant Jiangnan so quickly.
On the other hand, it was because he was able to beat up the princes in the capital without making a sound, but in Jiangnan, far away from the capital, facing the Ming family who was blindly retreating, he was surprised to find that he wanted to defeat the Ming family. , It was so surprisingly difficult.
It is even more difficult than defeating your own imperial brothers!