My life skills in Daming Liver

Bus, in the Han Dynasty, it was the name of the official who was responsible for receiving petitions from the subjects and recruiting people. Later, it also referred to the official who came to Beijing to take the exam.

The Imperial College students who submitted the letter this time, as well as the three hundred scholars in Beijing, are all scholars with great reputations.

Five hundred Imperial College students and three hundred distinguished scholars knelt in front of the Zuoshun Gate in darkness. The officials of the General Affairs Department were so frightened that their legs trembled.

Any student here standing in front of him, he can scold or even beat him at will, but eight hundred people are different!

In the past, there were only a dozen or twenty people in the Yanguan Fugu Palace. A few dozen people would be a large-scale organization.

But this time, a total of eight hundred people crowded in front of Zuoshun Gate. The dark crowd made the officials of the General Affairs Department feel scared.

Not only the officials of the General Affairs Department felt fear, but even the imperial guards guarding the palace looked down nervously. The eunuchs in the palace all took their weapons and looked nervously at the dark crowd outside the door.

The General Affairs Department official looked at the young scholar who took the lead and knelt in front.

It has started to snow in the capital in November. The snow last night has not melted away yet, and there are still snowflakes falling this morning.

Tong An and his companions from the study group held a long memorial in their hands. On it was a phalanx of their advocacy of imperial reform, as well as densely packed signatures and red handprints.

These red handprints stand out in the snow, like plum blossoms blooming in the snow.

Tong An raised his head and glanced at the palace. He could see the imperial guards holding muskets and bows on the palace. He suppressed the fear in his heart and continued to hold up the letter in his hand.

The Zuoshun Gate suddenly opened, and three ministers wearing scarlet official robes walked out of the Zuoshun Gate.

The first assistant in the cabinet is Yang Bo, the second assistant in the cabinet is Gao Gong, and the fourth assistant in the cabinet is Li Chunfang.

Yang Bo seemed to have a hint of relief in his heavy expression.

Shandong was defeated and a letter was sent to the public. His cabinet was completely overthrown.

The imperial court needs a responsible chief minister, and Yang Bo has also discovered that the Ming Dynasty court is already a pit of fire.

It is my blessing to be able to escape unscathed at this time.

Yang Bo's attitude was very kind. He comforted everyone, and personally helped Tong An and others who were the first to submit the memorial. He also took their memorials and said they wanted to present them to the emperor.

Compared to Yang Bo, Gao Gong's face was ugly.

Shandong was defeated, and Xu Wenbi was impeached by officials in Shandong and the capital. As the person who recommended Xu Wenbi as minister of the New Army, Gao Gong must bear the main responsibility.

The main demand of the letter is to restore the prime minister system. Who is the formal prime minister in the Ming Dynasty today?

Isn't he just a cabinet minister?

And who is the most powerful among the cabinet ministers now? Isn't it because he has high arches?

Another request made by these scholars asked the emperor to recall the mine supervisor. Isn't this what Gao Gong had been writing to Longqing to advise?

Gao Gong knew very well that this bus letter had already buried a deep rift between him and Emperor Longqing.

Gao Gong had just arrived at the palace and asked to see the emperor but was not allowed in. Gao Gong's guess had already been verified.

The emperor must have felt that he was behind the bus letter!

I can't be a minister in the cabinet for long.

Gao Gong has realized this, but he can't be as relaxed as Yang Bo.

The New Affairs Movement was only halfway advanced, and there were still many things that had not been done. Without himself as a powerful promoter in the court, could the Ming court continue to implement the New Affairs?

Gao Gong looked around. Yang Bo was old and had long wanted to retreat. He would definitely step down with him.

Li Chunfang?

This guy is a scheming villain. If he were in the cabinet, he would definitely obey the emperor for the sake of his status.

Zhang Juzheng?

After much deliberation, Gao Gong concluded that only Zhang Juzheng was suitable to be his successor.

He has means, ideals, and tact. The key is that Zhang Juzheng is now the third assistant in the cabinet, but he is not involved in the defeat of Shandong and the public letter.

Can Zhang Juzheng be pushed to the position of chief minister of the cabinet with just his influence in the emperor's heart?

Being called the cabinet, how should we respond to the petition from this group of scholars?

In fact, Gao Gong also supported their demands. Restoring the power of the prime minister and promoting ministers were what almost all civil servants dreamed of.

You no longer have to worry about eunuchs and relatives, you can even bypass the emperor and take charge of the court.

However, based on Gao Gong's understanding of imperial power, the emperor could make concessions on other things, but on the matter of restoring the power of the prime minister, it was impossible for the emperor to make concessions under any circumstances.

Zhu Yuanzhang relied on those major cases in the early Ming Dynasty to finally abolish the prime minister system. After that, Emperor Zhu Ming had monopoly power.

Jiajing, a political genius, took imperial power to the extreme.

Relying on etiquette and personal power, a mere vassal king who came to Beijing to succeed the throne easily defeated the important minister Yang Tinghe who had entrusted him to assist the government.

This was almost impossible in previous dynasties.

Emperor Longqing felt that the cabinet and the six ministries were restricting him from spending money properly, so he sent a mine supervisor to collect money for him.

Gao Gong looked at these young faces. Although he had no hope in their loyalty, he also felt that these people might be the last hope of the Ming court.

Yang Bo accepted the joint petition from the scholars in front of Zuo Shun's gate, and then persuaded everyone to return to their residences and wait for the court's reply.

Some young scholars who were kneeling in the snow and freezing their bodies stood up one after another when they found the steps.

Only Tong An and others in the first row remained motionless, still kneeling in the snow.

Yang Bo sighed and ordered the officials of the General Affairs Department to bring fox furs and personally cover the students kneeling in the snow, and then said:

"I will enter the palace immediately and present your petition."

At this time, most of the scholars dispersed, leaving only a few stalwarts still here.

Yang Bo and other cabinet ministers took the petition and came to the Wenhua Hall to ask for an audience with the emperor.

Emperor Longqing immediately opened the door of Wenhua Palace.

Yang Bo held the letter from Tong An and others and said:

"Your Majesty, most of the scholars outside Zuoshun Gate have dispersed. This is their petition, please Your Majesty to take care of them."

Feng Bao finally wrote a thick letter, which felt heavy, and sent it to the emperor's imperial case.

Opening the petition and seeing requests to withdraw mine supervisors, restore prime ministerial power, recommend ministers, and comprehensive new affairs, Emperor Longqing, who had always been mild-tempered, became furious and said:

"Rebel! Feng Bao, send the Jin Yiwei to check the ones who took the lead in writing the letter! Is it a spy planted by Southeast to deliberately confuse the court?"

Yang Bo and Gao Gong immediately said: "Your Majesty, you absolutely must not do this!"

Gao Gong gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, these scholars are not just talented scholars. Behind them are the world's gentry, and they are the world's scholars."

Emperor Longqing also calmed down.

He looked at his teacher with mixed emotions.

Gao Gong was responsible for making the decision. At that time, Gao Gong proposed to leave the Western Hunting Team and go to Xuan Mansion to gather the border troops to regain the capital. Later, Gao Gong led him to persuade him to ascend the throne.

Originally, Emperor Longqing had great trust in Gao Gong and entrusted him with the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Jingchao Bureau.

But this time the bus letter made Emperor Longqing suspicious.

Isn't the position of cabinet minister not enough? Gao Gong also needs to be prime minister?

What if he became prime minister? Is it possible that he still wants to be the emperor?

The imperial power was so cold and exclusive, and the little affection Emperor Longqing had for Gao Gong had long since been worn away.

Emperor Longqing gave up the idea of ​​punishing those who took the lead in writing books, and planned to leave it to settle accounts in the future.

Yang Bo added: "Your Majesty, it is a small matter for scholars to submit letters. They also care about the imperial court."

"The top priority now is the war in Shandong."

Gao Gong looked at Yang Bo in confusion. Why did this Clay Sculpture Pavilion Master suddenly change his gender? That’s a lot to talk about all of a sudden.

There must be something abnormal in this!

Yang Bo continued: "I believe that Xu Wenbi is unworthy of his responsibilities and has betrayed His Majesty's trust. He should be dismissed immediately and returned to Beijing."

Emperor Long Qing nodded immediately. It was undisputed that Xu Wenbi was the one who took the blame for defeating the front line this time.

"If Xu Wenbi can be withdrawn, who should be in charge of the overall situation of Shandong?"

Yang Bo continued: "Shandong was defeated, but luckily among the misfortunes, the new army commanders of the three towns were cautious and did not follow the plan formulated by Xu Wenbi. They preserved the elites of the three towns and did not cause a catastrophe."

Emperor Longqing nodded quickly. When he first received the news of Shandong's defeat, Emperor Longqing was almost frightened to death.

Later, when he learned that the Shandong local army and rural regiments had been damaged, the emperor breathed a sigh of relief.

Now Yang Bo mentioned the problem in Shandong, which made Emperor Longqing nervous again.

I only heard Yang Bo say:

"Now the new armies in the three towns are dissatisfied with Xu Wenbi. Wang Bengu, who resigned before, also listed Xu Wenbi's crimes in the newspaper. The Shandong local army and the township regiment also blamed Xu Wenbi for the defeat. The top priority is to immediately punish Xu Wenbi. Dismissal."

Emperor Longqing nodded quickly, but then he said:

"But if Xu Wenbi is dismissed, who can serve as the minister of the new army and command the troops in Shandong?"

This time Yang Bo did not speak as silently as before, but said immediately:

"I think that Li Chengliang, who is offering wine at the New Army Academy, is worthy of a great job."

Gao Gong almost blurted out: "No!"

Gao Gong stared at Yang Bo. Yang Bo must have reached some secret agreement with Li Chengliang to recommend Li Chengliang before he resigned.

Gao Gong suppressed Li Chengliang for so long because he didn't want him to get involved in the military power.

If Li Chengliang really went to Shandong, then Gao Gong's efforts to suppress the newly rising military forces would be in vain.

But this time Yang Bo did not flinch, but looked at Gao Gong and asked:

"Sir Gao, besides Li Chengliang, who else can serve as the minister of the new army? The defense of Shandong is related to the safety of the capital. What if the southeastern thieves take advantage of the chaos and go north?"

When it came to the safety of the capital, Emperor Longqing immediately became frightened.

Gao Gong hesitated to speak. He was going to recommend Zhang Juzheng in Huguang to be the minister of the new army. However, Zhang Juzheng might not be willing if there was no ventilation.

Secondly, Gao Gong also wanted to recommend Zhang Juzheng to replace him in the cabinet and continue to promote new affairs.

When he looked up and saw the look in Emperor Longqing's eyes, Gao Gong's heart froze again.

I have already lost the emperor's trust, and recommending Zhang Juzheng at this time may be counterproductive.

Gao Gong could only swallow his words. Now it seemed that no one in the capital was suitable to be the minister of the new army.

In this way, Li Chengliang's appointment as Minister of the New Army and went to Shandong to reorganize the Shandong defense line was approved.

Li Chunfang came out and said:

"Your Majesty, don't worry about the scholars outside the door. Just use your methods and they will be dispersed soon."

Li Chunfang said his method, and Emperor Longqing nodded quickly and ordered to do it according to his method.

Gao Gong came out of the Wenhua Hall in a daze, looked up at the falling snowflakes, and suddenly felt a sense of relief that he had given up on himself.

Li Chunfang immediately went to Zuoshunmen and announced the court's handling of the matter.

The emperor accepted the scholar's suggestion and "considered" political reform.

Immediately afterwards, Li Chunfang announced another major event. The Spring Festival Ceremony will be held in advance after the New Year. This time, the scale of the imperial examination will be larger than before, and the number of Jinshi will be greater than before!

After the Spring Festival, there will be an additional rural examination in Shuntian Prefecture. All scholars with the title of student, regardless of whether they are from the capital or not, can participate. The number of people admitted to the provincial examination this time is also far higher than in previous years.

Those scholars who stayed outside Zuoshun Gate became excited.

Several readers from the reading club who attended the book together with Tong An also raised their heads.

Tong An sighed, knowing that this petition was a failure.

Aren't these scholars with great reputations just for the sake of becoming officials in the imperial examination?

The Ming court directly wanted to hold the imperial examination and dismissed the scholars.

Of course we are not afraid if we all submit a letter together, but if we continue to stay here, what will happen if we are recorded by the court and our qualifications for the imperial examination are cancelled?

It would only be enough to disqualify oneself from the imperial examination, but it might also affect three generations of descendants, relatives and friends, and then the entire family would be cast aside.

Tong An and others had no choice but to stand up, look at the tall palace gate and sigh.

While his companions were happily discussing next year's imperial examination, Tong An suddenly had an idea. He had been pursuing the imperial examination for his whole life, so what else could he take?

Is it possible that he really wants to die with Daming?

When Zhang Juzheng of Huguang and Hanyang received the news, it was already December.

Zhang Juzheng not only received the changes in the Ming Dynasty, but also received news of the convening of the Constitutional Convention in Nanjing.

Delegates to the Constituent Assembly from counties in the southeast, selected through various methods, have gathered in Nanjing.

It is said that in order to hold this constitutional meeting, Southeast also specially renovated the Ming court palace, demolished part of the palace wall, and built a conference hall.

Only then did everyone in the Southeast realize that this Constitutional Convention seemed to be the most important part of the political reform in the Southeast.

Zhang Juzheng, who has been paying attention to the political reform in Southeast China, also carefully studied the contents of this constitutional meeting.

"Is it too idealistic to use the Constitutional Convention to restrict civil servants?"

"Letting the Constitutional Convention decide tax rates? That's child's play."

"At least Su Rulin is not crazy enough to ask the Constituent Assembly to elect him as the Governor."

After putting down the information about Nanjing, Zhang Juzheng looked at the information about the capital again.

After the letter was written on the bus, Yang Bo's cabinet began to resign collectively.

Even Zhang Juzheng, who was in Huguang, was listed on several dictionaries in succession.

The emperor refused to accept the speeches of the four people, and even issued an order to comfort Yang Bo, Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng and Li Chunfang.

However, the four people continued to submit their lists, and finally Emperor Longqing accepted the lists of words given by Yang Bo and Gao Gong.

Zhang Juzheng's official position remains unchanged and he is still in charge of Huguang.

Li Chunfang remained in the cabinet and became the biggest beneficiary of this political turmoil.

Although the emperor still asked Yang Bo and Gao Gong to stay in the cabinet until after the Lantern Festival, this also meant that Gao Gong's cabinet had collapsed.

Li Chunfang?

There was a sneer on Zhang Juzheng's lips. Even if Gao Suqing was in power in the capital, who was Li Chunfang?

Zhang Juzheng looked at the "New Commentary on the Three Classics" on his desk and thought, "Go to their heavenly right of kings." Since the court did not want to change it, it could only let others force it to change it.