Shen Mingzhi resigned from the position after less than one year in office. Even in the reign of Emperor Wu, who often changed prime ministers, it was considered a "short-lived", which inevitably caused a lot of speculation.
Shen Mingzhi has submitted the application dictionaries five times, each with different content. The similarities are that he is brilliant in writing and can be regarded as a model, and the meanings are similar: first, he is seriously ill and can no longer support the heavy duty of prime minister. The modest ability is insufficient, and faced with the internal and external troubles of the Great Chu, he was unprepared, and he was ashamed of the trust of the emperor and the court. Then he turned his pen and praised the emperor's wiseness and martial arts, and the capable ministers in the court.
The emperor tried his best to keep him in his reply, but in the end he reluctantly agreed to grant him a large amount of gold, silver, cloth, and seals, to reward the prime minister for his contributions during the most critical period of Great Chu.
Afterwards, the emperor went to the prime minister's house in person and had a secret conversation with Shen Mingzhi for an hour. Everyone believed that the new prime minister was finalized during this conversation.
Shen Mingzhi can be regarded as a successful retirement. During his tenure as the censor of the right patrol, he was known for being upright and daring to challenge the powerful. As a prime minister, he pursued "rule by inaction". As, after returning to his hometown, he was even more fascinated by the landscape, and wrote many well-known leisure poems.
For the emperor, the resignation of the prime minister was the beginning of a new battle.
In the prime minister's mansion, Han Ruzi and Shen Mingzhi didn't actually talk about anything, and there was no "secret talk". There were at least two eunuchs present. The two chatted for a while, flattered each other for a while, and made some emotions and complaints. But when it was time to talk, the eunuch told a little joke, and it was like this for an hour.
In the following month, the position of prime minister was vacant, and the emperor made a series of changes to the ministers in the court.
First, they rewarded the soldiers and soldiers who returned from Yunmengze. Although Zhuo Ruhe was a civil servant, he also made great contributions. He was recalled to the capital and was promoted to the Ministry of Household Affairs. Minister of the Ministry, Feng Ju no longer served concurrently.
The same as the six departments, the personnel department has the most power, and therefore the status of the Shangshu is also the highest, and Yuan Jiuding has been improved.
At the same time, Qu Zixi, the emperor's lecturer, was appointed Minister of Rites.
A total of 14 officials of the third grade and above were adjusted together, and the number of officials shocked the court and caused many rumors.
Just one month later, the emperor made another adjustment. Zhuo Ruhe was promoted to the censor of the right patrol, and Qu Zixi took over as the minister of the household. At this point, it was clear to the discerning person who would be the next prime minister.
However, the emperor has not yet appointed a new prime minister. During this time, Han Ruzi mobilized everyone around him to inquire about the minister's movements. If the opposition was too intense, he would have to find another way or even prolong the waiting time.
East Sea King and Cui Teng contributed the most.
The "Children's Army" returned safely from Iron Broken City without hurting a single person. Many of them lost weight and darkened, but their bodies were stronger, which greatly pleased their parents. Mrs. Ping'en Hou took the opportunity to go in and out of each house and inquired about a lot of information for the emperor.
Mrs. Ping'en Hou has been relatively proud recently. Her son Miao Yuan has made contributions in Yunmengze and has a bright future. Therefore, after receiving the task from the East Sea King, he gladly accepted it.
The King of the East Sea did not say who he was doing things for. Mrs. Ping'en Hou was tacit, believing that everything she inquired about would eventually reach the emperor's ears.
This afternoon, the King of the East Sea was summoned to see the emperor in Lingyun Pavilion, and after entering the house to salute, he stood aside, waiting for the emperor to notice him.
As the weather turned warmer, Lingyun Pavilion opened the window, and the breeze came, bringing the fragrance of the garden.
Han Ruzi put down the memorial in his hand, raised his head, and said, "I heard that the officials of the Ministry of Personnel are quite rude about the appointment of the prime minister?"
The King of Donghai took two steps forward, "Yes, according to the usual practice, to be promoted to the prime minister must take the path of the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the Censor of the Left and Right, but now Your Majesty favors a person who has never been the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and the power of the Ministry of Personnel is affected. , of course those officials will have some ideas."
Today's left and right censors are Feng Ju and Zhuo Ruhe respectively. On the surface, both of them may serve as prime ministers, but everyone knows which one the emperor prefers.
"Where are the other yamen?" Han Ruzi asked.
The King of the East Sea thought for a while, "There are many ministers with different ideas, and I am not sure, but there is one thing I think Your Majesty should know."
"Say."
"Zhuo Yushi's wife is His Majesty and my aunt. She is not in good health. She needs ginseng and other precious medicinal materials to supplement all the year round. , each plant has six or seven weights, and it costs nothing."
This is a trivial matter, and there is even a suspicion of bribery, but Han Ruzi laughed, "So there are ministers who support Zhuo Ruhe."
"There's still a lot. To be honest, I'm even a little surprised. Zhuo Ruhe was expelled from the capital by other ministers in the past, but now he is popular."
"Where's Feng Ju?"
"I heard that Mrs. Feng was very unhappy. She scolded Mr. Feng for being incompetent at home. She lost the chancellor she had in her hands, and she will be shameless in the future. Mrs. Feng still wanted to enter the palace to find a way out, but in the end she was unable to do so. I guess it was Feng Ju who stopped her. "
Most of the news about the King of the East Sea comes from Mrs. Ping'en Hou, so it is "how is the lady", not "how is the adult".
Han Ruzi snorted, Feng Ju failed to become prime minister, one of the important reasons was that Mrs. Feng used to be a nosy and went to the palace to plead for the "Children Army". She didn't know it, but she still wanted to enter the palace.
"Have you heard of Kang Zijiao?" Han Ruzi asked.
Donghai Wang nodded blankly, "This year's new class is second, right? He said that he is quite talented. He could have won the top spot in the exam, but because he didn't perform well on the spot during the palace exam, he was named second."
"That's right, it's him. He has two wrong strokes in the strategy. Several examiners thought that he couldn't be named the champion."
The palace test was presided over by the emperor himself, but the examination was conducted by many people at the same time, and the emperor was not good at arguing against the crowd.
"Why did Your Majesty suddenly talk about him?"
Han Ruzi picked up the memorial on the table, "Kang Bangyan rewrote a ten thousand words policy, which mentioned the prime minister's choice."
The King of the East Sea laughed, "This person... is too impatient. He shouldn't even have a formal job right now, right?"
All new jinshi have to wait in the Ministry of Personnel for at least a month, or even a year or two, and Kang Zijiao has not yet received any appointments.
Han Ruzi nodded, "It's not important, his words are very interesting, saying that the prime minister is the prime minister of the Great Chu, not the prime minister of honor, but since the reign of Emperor Harmony, the prime ministers are mostly officials and nobles. The people do things and know very little about the people, and things often backfire.”
The King of the East Sea shook his head, "This is not right, the people have their own officials, the prime minister is in charge of all the ministers, and he can govern officials. According to the meaning of the second place, the prime minister is to be selected from among the people? Such people understand the people. Suffering, but I don’t understand how the imperial court works, and after a few tossing, the imperial court will be destroyed, and once the imperial court is destroyed, the world will be in chaos, and what benefits will the people get then?”
Han Ruzi didn't want to argue about this kind of issue, and said, "I don't care about this, but to know who Kang Zijiao is speaking for?"
King Donghai slapped his forehead, "I'm really confused." After thinking for a while, "I can go and find out, but it's easy to guess that scholars always turn to scholars."
Among the three prime ministers selected, only Qu Zixi came from the most ordinary background. Although his family was not poor, his ancestors had never been an official, which was quite in line with Kang Zijiao's expectations.
"Forget it, this may just be the words of Kang Zijiao's family, don't care too much."
"Yes, Your Majesty." King Donghai understood that the emperor did not want to investigate this matter too closely.
Han Ruzi hesitated again and again, but still asked: "Feng Ju and Zhuo Ruhe, the two censors, which one will you choose to succeed the prime minister?"
The emperor's tendency is already very obvious, but the East Sea King still replied: "Feng Ju."
"Oh? What's the reason?" Han Ruzi really wanted to hear a different idea from his own.
"Feng Ju is obedient." The Donghai King's answer was very simple, and then explained: "After so many incidents, Feng Ju will no longer think that the position of prime minister should belong to him. Therefore, if he becomes prime minister, he will tremble and dare not violate the holy will."
Han Ruzi laughed, this is indeed the idea that the King of the East Sea could come up with, "But Da Chu doesn't need a trembling prime minister right now, I need a capable minister of the chief minister."
"Then I will also use Feng Ju."
"Why is that?"
"Feng Ju is an old minister left by Emperor Wu, and he has been promoted all the way. He has served in the Ministry of Personnel for many years. He has a good understanding of the ministers in the court and officials from various places. It is the most suitable for stabilizing the government. Zhuo Ruhe is different. Zhuo Ruhe has not been in office for a long time, so Zhuo Ruhe's foundation is not deep enough. If he becomes prime minister, he must first promote his old friends before he can gain a firm foothold in the court. Will your majesty allow him to do this?"
"What you said makes sense." Han Ruzi said nothing.
As the emperor, he has to listen to many opinions, and finally make a decision alone.
The King of the East Sea resigned, and he was even more convinced that Zhuo Ruhe was the next prime minister.
Han Ruzi got up, walked to the window, and breathed in the fresh air outside. Suddenly, he heard a burst of laughter, which quickly disappeared. He thought it was probably the servants of honor and honor who were joking.
Han Ruzi asked the eunuch outside the door to summon Cui Teng.
It was because of Cui Teng's whistle-blowing that the "Children Army" suffered so much, but he was not hated for it, at least not on the surface, but was more flattered and attracted.
"Everyone has no opinion, no opinion at all. Even if His Majesty makes a dog prime minister, no one will object." Cui Teng said happily.
Han Ruzi frowned, and sometimes wondered how he could trust such a person, but Cui Teng was indeed loyal enough, and he often gave the emperor some inspiration unintentionally.
"Feng Ju and Zhuo Ruhe, who do you think is more suitable to be the prime minister?" Han Ruzi asked the same question.
Cui Teng thought for a long time, frowning for a while, scratching his head for a while, and said after a long time: "The prime minister has such great power, His Majesty should forget it himself."
Han Ruzi laughed, drove Cui Teng away, and called Zhao Ruosu again.
"Do you still have any contacts with Zhongshu Province?"
Zhao Ruosu shook his head, "No more contact."
He is regarded as a traitor of Zhongshu Province and can only cut off the previous contact.
"But you still know about Zhongshu Province. From the standpoint of Zhongshu Province, who do you think is more suitable to be the prime minister?".
Zhao Ruosu thought longer than Cui Teng, and finally said, "Does your majesty allow me to meet a few people?"
Zhao Ruosu is a cautious person and rarely actively participates in government affairs. Han Ruzi couldn't help but be taken aback, "Who do you see?"
"Master Feng, the censor of the left inspector, Master Shi Zhuo, the censor of the right patrol, Master Qu, the Minister of the Household Department, and Master Shen, the former prime minister, can only give your Majesty an answer after seeing each other."