There are three classes for the promotion of officials in the Ming Dynasty, first, the promotion of officials after completing the examination.

Second, the minister is short of personnel, and he is promoted without waiting for the examination to be completed, which is called promotion.

Third, the Son of Heaven is pro-Jane.

First, three were not many in the Ming Dynasty, so the senior members were all promoted by the court.

The system of Tingtui was unique to the Ming Dynasty.

It was implemented from the beginning of Hongwu, and it was the emperor who participated in the court push, and although it was said to be the court push at that time, the appointment of ministers was still hand-picked by the emperor.

But since Xianzong, the emperor has not participated in the court push, and I heard that Xianzong withdrew from the court push because of the influence of his stutter.

Therefore, some people say that the isolation of monarchs and ministers in the Ming Dynasty did not start from Jiajing, but from Xianzong. From then on, the emperor no longer participated in the meetings of the monarchs and ministers.

Since then, whether it is a court discussion or a court push, it is the ministers themselves who have discussed and decided.

However, Tingtui's strategy has also been repeatedly sabotaged, such as Xiao Yu's case, although it is in the name of the Son of Heaven, everyone knows that Zhang Whale wants to intervene.

After Xiao Yu took a seat, Shen Shixing and Yang Wei glanced at each other.

Then Yang Wei handed the book to Shao Zhonglu, who had been Hou Lide's Wenxuan Shilang, and said: "Since Gonggong Xiao is also here, it just so happens that I am also being promoted by the public, for the candidates who can be appointed officials, Gonggong Xiao not only came forward on behalf of the saint, but also asked for a look or two." ”

Xiao Yu smiled, and was about to reach out to take it, but when he looked up, he saw Yang Wei looking at him meaningfully, Xiao Yu suddenly felt a pang in his heart, this surname Yang is not easy to with, and the ancestors before coming have repeatedly explained that they must not offend this person.

Xiao Yu pushed his hands at the moment and said: "Anyway, we have to read it for a while, our family is the same whether we see it or not, Dazai is it." ”

Yang Wei narrowed his eyes and took back the Kan Ren sticker, and handed it to Shao Zhonglu in the Wenxuan Shilang behind him, and then stopped talking. Shao Zhonglu respectfully took the post from Yang Wei's hand with both hands, and said solemnly after spreading it out: "Today, I am ordered to discuss with the court, and the right attendant of the Ministry of Rites is ......."

The adults present stopped talking.

Shao Zhonglu read out the officials' backgrounds, resumes, and merits one by one, and also commented on them.

The list of qualified officials in the court push is pre-drawn up by the Ministry of Officials, and the Ministry of Officials gives their own opinions on the talents of the qualified officials, so it can be said that the Ministry of Officials has the power to influence the court push.

In the twentieth year of Wanli, since Shen Shixing's resignation, the cabinet and the ministry have serious disagreements. The cabinet is unable to approve the appointment of officials, or even recommend the list of eligible officials.

In order to wrest power from the hands of the ministry, Zhang Wei, the deputy assistant of the cabinet, made a conspiracy, and he changed the practice of preparing a list of officials from the ministry to one person for each of the nine secretaries.

Despite the unanimous opposition of the officials, the proposal was finally supported and passed by the Son of Heaven, and the power of the officials was greatly reduced, and finally they became the nominal presiding officers of the meeting.

Zhang Wei is certainly clever, but in the final analysis, it is the power of the cabinet. The reason why the six books are the same level as the cabinet scholars, but people want to bow down to you, is the reason.

But now the cabinet and the ministry still wear a pair of pants.

The first one to read in the anthology was Xu Xianqing, who was a fellow villager of Shen Shixing. Shen Shixing was originally called Xu Shixing.

In addition to Xu Xianqing, Shen Shixing is also a son and daughter of Xu Xuemo, a former Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites from Suzhou, and Xu Taishi, another official from Suzhou, and his second son Shen Yongjia are both in-laws of his mentor, Dongfen, the former Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites.

Shen Shixing attaches great importance to the friendship of the villagers, and after he served as the first assistant, Xu Xianqing can be said to be on the rise.

It's just that Xu Xianqing's talent is a little mediocre, but he is better in qualifications.

The second reading is the original text of the selection of Jiang Zunzhen in Shilang.

Jiang Zunzhen served as the Wenxuan Shilang during the Zhang Juzheng period, and in this position, there were really many officials who received his favor back then. The dignitaries present, except for Yan Qing, an old minister of the Three Dynasties, even Shen Shixing had to sell this person's face.

Therefore, when calculating the favor account, Jiang Zunzhen has an advantage. But in the officialdom, people are still generally cool, and he has been in the opposition for many years, so of course his influence is not as good as before.

The third one is Huang Fengxiang.

Huang Fengxiang was born in the list, and he was very clear in the court, he belonged to the standard of the Qingliu Party among the scholars and doctors of the Ming Dynasty, he was upright, and he did not lose his temperament, and dared to speak out when necessary.

However, such an official is pedantic in the eyes of the emperor and the ruling party of Shen Shixing, but Shen Li and Song Qi are willing to promote him.

After Shao Zhonglu finished reading the three worthy officials, he cleared his throat, and then said: "Lin Yanchao, the young Zhan Shi of Zhan Shi and a bachelor of Hanlin Academy, Jiajing Renshu, is from Hongtang Township, Houguan County, Fuzhou Prefecture, and is a member of Houguan County at the age of fourteen, and is raised in the township at the age of fifteen. ”

The previous paragraph introduced Lin Yanchao's origin.

The first three in the palace examination are Jinshi and the first, the second is from Jinshi, and the third is from the same Jinshi.

Below are the lifters, the prisoners, and so on.

The first thing to choose an official is to look at the background.

"After the release of the brown into the Hanlin Academy, in the courtyard conscientious and conscientious, successively served as the Zhan Mansion Zuo Zhongyun, the Hanlin Academy, and the feast day to speak, lecture service, the Holy Will Commendation, three years later released to the Guide Mansion Tongzhi, and then promoted to the Governor of the Guide Mansion, the Ministry of Officials ranked first in the world, transferred to Beijing to serve as the left concubine of the Zhan Mansion and the bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, and moved to the Zhan Mansion Shao Zhan Shi is still the bachelor of the Hanlin Academy."

The second is the resume.

In the end, Shao Zhonglu commented: "Lin Yanchao has studied for more than ten years, has been an official for eight years, and can be called a scholar who lives up to the ancient and modern sages, and the officials do not live up to the people of the Son of Heaven**************. ”

After Shao Zhonglu finished speaking, all the adults knew that Lin Yanchao's background and resume were not picky, and he was the most outstanding of the three, but his qualifications were a big shortcoming.

You must know that Xu Xianqing, Huang Fengxiang, and Jiang Zunzhen are all Jinshi in the second year of Longqing.

The most important thing is that before the meeting, there was another matter of bribing the nobles in the palace.

Shao Zhonglu said that after finishing the job, he returned it to Yang Wei.

Yang Wei said: "Fang Cai Shao Langzhong's words have been heard clearly, you can push people, you must not be preconceived, you should think of the country and society, and uphold the public heart." Later, the old man handed down this poster, pushing who is right and who is accompanied, and after the princes have decided in their hearts, they will draw their own inscriptions, and they cannot discuss with others. ”

This is the process of pushing, after the official department reads the official's resume, the following officials will inscribe on everyone's appointment post.

Each official has two recommended places, one is a positive and a deputy, and if he thinks it is positive, he writes a positive under the name of the official who can be posted, and if he thinks it is deputy, write a companion word.

Generally speaking, the most orthography is written in the first, which is called Zhengtui, and the most words are written in the second, which is called Accompaniment, and the final list is presented to the Imperial Circle, which is used by the Son of Heaven.

This is the squire-level official Tingtui, there is a positive push to accompany the push, if it is a cabinet elder, Shangshu-level official Tingtui, it is necessary to write more.

But no matter how many names there are, under the long-term tacit understanding between the emperor and Wenchen, the name written in the first one is Zhengtui, and under normal circumstances, the Son of Heaven will respect the Huitui system and circle the officials who are being pushed.

Of course, there are also emperors who don't take the usual path, and they don't use positive pushing, but accompany pushing.

But at this time, the civil officials will be very unhappy, and when they meet the emperor who is easy to speak, the civil officials dare to directly paste you with the chapter...... On the wall, it was to the effect that 'Emperor, are you going to rebel?' '

And the officials who were used by the emperor to accompany the emperor would sometimes be subject to the pressure of public opinion and abide by the system of court push, and would resign from the appointment of the Son of Heaven and dare not take over the position.

In order to deal with the hand of the civil officials, the emperor simply did not use the officials who were pushing and pushing, and ordered the civil servants to re-push, and the Zhengde Emperor did this, and for an official position, he ordered the civil officials to re-push three times, and in the end it was still not used.

He didn't even make a decree to push it, and would rather have an official position vacant.

At that time, Zhang Juzheng was not good at stubble, in the early years of Wanli, he promoted the secretary of the ministry, and the result of the court was that the left capital Yushi Ge Shouli was the first, the Ministry of Industry Zhu Heng was the second, and the Nanjing Ministry of Industry Zhang Han was the third.

At that time, Zhang Juzheng did not like Ge Shouli and Zhu Heng, so he instructed the Son of Heaven to promote Zhang Han, who was the last name, to be the secretary of the ministry. Zhang Han had a shallow foundation in the court, and he could only rely on Zhang Juzheng after serving as the secretary of the ministry.

And when today's style is in the same vein as Zhang Juzheng, the minister of special simplicity does not say, and there are not a few people who use the escort push, and the last push is not a few, of course, the officials think that the Son of Heaven's move is not physical.

And Shen Shixing never confronts the emperor in the court push, since the emperor likes to choose to accompany the push, he will be replaced by his own person in the second push, and which one to choose depends on the emperor's mood.

After Yang Wei finished speaking, all the ministers discussed silently in their hearts, at this time, they could not communicate with each other, but they had already ventilated if they wanted to ventilate, and then Yang Wei was ready to send the Kan Ren sticker down.

And at this moment, Sun Piyang, the secretary of Dali Temple, came out of the class and said: "Colleagues, Sun Mou doesn't know whether to say a word or not!" ”

Yang Wei said: "Before the public promotion, Sun Tingwei also asked to make a long story short!" ”

Sun Piyang said bluntly: "Back to Dazai, I'm afraid this word can't be short, yesterday night, this official interrogated the case of Shao Zhan Shi Lin Yanchao's brother Lin Yanshou for bribing the eunuch Gao Huai, the governor of the palace!" ”

Shen Li and Song Qi looked at Shen Shixing together.

"Now that the evidence is complete, today on top of Tingtui, I don't know if I can show the evidence to the dukes?"

The hearts of all the adults are in the bottom of their hearts, Sun Piyang has always been upright, the high arch hits the high arch when he hits the high arch, Zhang Juzheng hits Zhang Juzheng when he hits him, is it Shen Shixing's turn now?

Yang Wei asked: "Sun Tingwei, if you don't say it sooner or later, why do you say it at this time?" ”

Sun Piyang said: "Qi Yuanfu, Dazai, yesterday Yuanfu ordered Sun to report the case before the court push. ”

The officials looked at Shen Shixing, but saw that Shen Shixing nodded and acquiesced in the matter.

Yang Wei asked: "Sun Tingwei didn't say anything before the court pushed, why did the court talk about it when the court pushed?" ”

Sun didn't say it because Sun thought he had said it clearly enough. Lin Yanshou's case and the impeachment of the official, the impeachment of the official is attributed to the Metropolitan Procuratorate, whether there is any evidence, whether it is a suspicion of chasing after the wind and shadows, this is of course up to the court and the public to distinguish themselves. However, Lin Yanshou's case was transferred from the Criminal Department to Dali Temple, and this case involved Hanlin Bachelor, Sipin Jingqing, and this time the Ministry of Rites was a candidate, so Sun was responsible for this matter. ”

"I wonder if Yuanfu can ask Sun to submit the case file, confession, and physical evidence in front of the dukes?"

Shen Shixing remained indifferent.

Wu Shilai, the imperial historian of Zuodu, immediately said: "Sun Tingwei, this is Que Zuomen, not the Dali Temple Court!" Shall I wait to accompany you in the trial? ”

Sun Piyang said: "Sun understands, so Sun has already brought the evidence to the court outside the noon gate, as long as Yuan Fu says a word, he can present it to the duke." ”

Xiao Yu coughed lightly at this moment.

Wu Shilai was about to talk about it later, but Shen Shixing said: "You need to be cautious in examining and employing people. As Li Sikou said, no one has any faults, but if they really have them, they should be discussed first. What's more, this matter involves the people around the saint, and it just so happens that Gonggong Xiao is here, so we can also give His Majesty an explanation. ”

Shen Li said at this time: "Yuanfu's move is fair and strict, and we admire it." Shen Li then said to Sun Piyang: "Sun Tingwei's case involves the reputation of an important minister of the imperial court, you have to be careful." ”

Sun Piyang said loudly: "If Sun wrongs Master Lin with a word, Sun will immediately resign and return to the field, and he will no longer be an official in this life!" ”

"A good one to resign and return to the field, and no longer be an official in this life! Sun Tingwei remembers what you just said. Wu Shilai nodded and pushed down.

Shen Shixing said: "Then Sun Tingwei, present the evidence to the left door of Que." ”

Sun Piyang said that it was, and soon after several officials from Dali Temple came, among which three sandalwood boxes were particularly eye-catching. Each box is carried by two packers.

At the moment, three sandalwood boxes were placed in the open space in front of the left door, and the officers saw that the boxes were pasted with the seals of the criminal department and the two yamen of Dali Temple.

But seeing a Dali Temple official walking up to Sun Piyang and giving his hand, Sun Piyang asked in a deep voice: "Is the seal intact?" ”

The official of Dali Temple said: "Return to the Ministry of Justice, the seal is intact. ”

Sun Piyang said again: "Please ask Li Sikou to take a look, is the seal of the Criminal Department complete?" ”

Li Shida got up and walked to the box to inspect it, and then said, "It is indeed intact." ”

Sun Piyang said: "Please also ask the princes to see them one by one." ”

Several officials stepped forward to look at them one by one.

Sun Piyang walked up to Xiao Yu and said, "Father-in-law Xiao, you are here on behalf of Your Majesty, you should also come to have a look." ”

Xiao Yu said: "No need, our family can trust Master Sun." ”

Sun Piyang said: "Father-in-law Xiao, it's better to see it, otherwise some people will say that Sun has wronged others." ”

When Xiao Yu heard this, he got up to inspect it, and immediately said, "It is true that the seal is intact." ”

Sun Piyang nodded, then walked to the box and said: "Sun Mou was ordered to preside over Dali Temple, handle the cases of hundreds of officials impartially, and never dare to have a place for privacy and affection." In the past, Sun and Master Lin did not intersect, but like Zhugong, they respected his talents, respected his character, and admired his iron bones. ”

"But it is such a gentleman, for his own glory and wealth, for the sake of fame and fortune, to do such things, only then can the official impeach Xu Zhangyuan, marry a rich businessman, and flatter the big man, both of which are Lin Bachelors. This is a rumor in the history of the palace, but my Dali Temple wants to blame a person, there must be solid evidence. In these three sandalwood chests were 12,000 taels of silver, which were used to sell officials and make friends with the powerful. ”

The dignitaries were silent.

Sun Piyang showed the case file, confession and other things to all the dignitaries one by one, and Wu Shi, the left capital of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, came to see the file, and his brows furrowed tightly.

Then Wu Shilai walked to the box with his hands in his hand, and immediately said: "Open the seal for the old man!" ”

Sun Piyang nodded, and several officials of Dali Temple used knives to pick open the seal. Wu Shilai came to the big wooden box and opened the lid of the box, but saw that the box contained fifty taels of silver, stacked one ingot at a time.

Wu Shilai was about to inspect it, when Sun Piyang directly took a silver ingot and handed it to Wu Shilai. Wu Shilai took the silver and bit it, licked it with his tongue, and then stopped talking.

Sun Piyang showed the ingot of silver to all the adults one by one.

Song Qi, the head of the household department, said: "This is Su Wu's horseshoe silver, which is a private imitation of Taicang silver, this is not official silver, but also the official silver issued by the household department, where did this more than 10,000 taels of silver come from?" ”

Shu Yinglong, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, directly inspected the silver and said: "If it weren't for seeing to be believing, how would you know such a corrupt person!" Doesn't Dali Temple arrest people yet? ”

Li Shida, the secretary of the Criminal Department, said: "Everyone, don't be impatient, this case was indeed transferred to Dali Temple by the Criminal Department, and as far as this official knows, Master Lin does not know about this matter." ”

Shu Yinglongcheng said: "If you don't know, is it true that in the future, if the officials commit crimes, they can push them on the family slaves, and if you don't know about it, it's over?" ”

Shen Li covered the file and said: "Judging from the file, the human and material evidence is there, and it is possible to conclude an iron case, what do you think of Yan Gong?" ”

Yan Qing, the secretary of the military department, has been sitting on the chair and not speaking, after he became the secretary of the ministry, he resigned because of poor health.

But the Son of Heaven has been thinking about Yan Qing and has asked him to come back as an official several times.

Yan Qing shirked it, but he could only go out of the mountain and serve as the secretary of the military department. But Yan Qing's health has not been very good, even after he became the secretary of the Ministry of War, he has always been sick, and rarely works in the department.

This time, it is really difficult to participate in the court push.

Yan Qing's qualifications and prestige in the DPRK and China are extremely high, and when Zhang Juzheng is the most powerful, no one else pays attention to him, but he is polite to Yan Qing.

Although Yan Qing is sick now, as long as he sits there, not to mention Shen Li, Song Qi and them, even the emperor feels that the court has a backbone.

Until now, Yan Qing has not spoken, because his body is already very weak.

But Yan Qing has always known what happened.

Seeing Shen Li handing over the file, Yan Qing shook his head and said, "I can't see it." ”

Shen Li respectfully asked, "What is Gong Yan's opinion on this?" ”

Yan Qing was silent for a while, and then said: "Regarding this case, the old man listens to the opinions of the princes. The old man only talked about Bachelor Lin, he went from studying to being an official, and the old man watched it from beginning to end. ”

Yan Qing finished speaking, but heard the laughter coming.

Everyone looked at Xiao Yu laughing.

Xiao Yu always remembered Zhang Whale's words before he came, Shen Shixing, Yang Wei can't be offended, everyone else can not give face, Yan Qing is not among them.

In his eyes, Yan Qing is an old-fashioned scumbag, half-cut official, where does he put it in his eyes.

But seeing Xiao Yudao: "Yan Sima's words are wrong, now that the human and material evidence is there, and even the criminal has confessed, what is Mr. Yan still doing with this person?" Whether the emperor and the judges of the current dynasty are guilty or not depends on the facts. ”

Yan Qing leaned on the chair and said reluctantly: "Gonggong Xiao's words are high-minded, but he can't help but ignore his deeds. But the old man didn't mean to be a bachelor, he just said a few words from his heart. ”

Shen Li was very respectful to Yan Qing, at this time, Shen Shixing, who was the most supportive of Lin Yanchao, Yang Wei still wanted to clear up the suspicions, but Yan Qing was able to say a few words impartially.

But no one felt that he meant to favor Lin Yanchao.

There is no other reason, in the eyes of scholars, a person is really fair and strict, even if he is just a cloth cloth, but any sentence is naturally majestic, more credible than the holy decree.

Shen Li said: "In this case, the old man also believes that it has nothing to do with Master Lin. As far as I know, the Zhen family, who married the Lin Mansion, was originally a wealthy businessman in Beijing, so it can be explained that the Zhen family produced this silver, and it has nothing to do with Master Lin. ”

Sanfu Wang Xijue kept flipping through the confession, and then he suddenly said: "Everyone, why does it say in the confession that Lin Yanshou asked Zhang Shen to bribe Zhang Jing, the governor of Dongchang, instead of Gao Huai, the governor of the capital, can there be an explanation for this matter in Dali Temple?" ”

Xiao Yu and Shu Yinglong were all stunned when they heard this.

Xiao Yu said: "This is a false accusation, why should Wang Ge take it seriously? ”

Wang Xijue pinched his beard and narrowed his eyes slightly: "Then you say that since this Lin Yanshou has already confessed, this confessed person has come to frame the blame?" ”

As soon as Wang Xijue said this, Xiao Yu was shocked, thinking that this person is really shrewd, why didn't the ancestor remind me to guard against him.

Wang Xijue got up and said: "When the princes were just speaking, Wang Mou was looking at the file all the time, and dared to ask Gonggong Xiao, you have been working under Zhang Dugong for many years, does Zhang Dugong have a godson named Zhang Shen?" ”

Xiao Yu was embarrassed.

At this time, Sun Piyang said: "There is indeed this person, this person has supported the reputation of Zhang Dugong in recent years, and everyone in Beijing knows it. After the case was discovered, I had sent someone to interrogate Zhang Shen, but Zhang Shen did not know his whereabouts, and I did not know his whereabouts when asked about him. Later Sun found out that this person was in the East Investigation Factory. ”

Wang Xijue nodded and said: "Looking at what the confession says, Zhang Shen and the Zhen family are cousins, and it is not an accident that the other party confessed to Zhang Shen. ”

Li Shida, the secretary of the Criminal Department, said: "Exactly, there must be a confession from Zhang Shen." ”

Sun Piyang said: "Since you adults want the truth, please invite Zhang Shen to come here!" Anyway, it's come to this point, and it's not okay not to ask for a piece of water, but fortunately, the East Investigation Factory is just a cup of tea. ”

Shen Shixing nodded and said to Xiao Yu: "Then immediately tell Gonggong Zhang and invite Zhang Shen to come here!" ”

Xiao Yu thought for a while and said, "It's not that it delays the court discussion, I'm afraid it's ......."

Yang Wei patted the armrest and said sharply: "I am not afraid of delay, what are you afraid of?" Or do you want to hide something? ”

Xiao Yu suddenly changed color when Yang Wei drank it.

But seeing Shen Shixing, he suddenly said: "Dali Siqing, where is the book of the Criminal Department?" ”

Li Shida and Sun Piyang got up together.

Shen Shixing said: "You immediately lead the criminal department, the officials of Dali Temple to Dongchang to get people!" ”