1

Xiaolong's worries are not unreasonable, Chongzhen ten years, Yang Sichang, the secretary of the military department, led 100,000 troops, with the policy of "four positive and six corners, ten sides of the net" to besiege the righteous army, and really won a complete victory, Zhang Xianzhong's soldiers were defeated and surrendered, returned to the imperial court, stationed in Gucheng, controlled by the general soldier Zuo Liangyu, Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai collapsed into an army, fled in the wilderness, and disappeared.

The good news was transmitted to the Beijing Division, and the holy dragon Yan Dayue gathered the ministers in the Qianqing Palace, and rewarded the meritorious deeds, and the monarchs and ministers rejoiced. Seeing the joy of Long Yan, Wu Lu, the head of the household, took the opportunity to admonish: "Enlighten the emperor, the ministers look at today's victory, one relies on the emperor's heroic martial arts, the second relies on the loyal ministers to offer advice, and the third relies on the soldiers to fight bravely to kill the enemy." According to the minister's opinion, on the occasion of the new destruction of thieves and the initial determination of the Central Plains, the imperial court should widely select the world's talents, promote the good and eliminate the disadvantages, remove the old and innovate, implement good laws, appease the people, the people are safe, the country is bound to prosper, and then take advantage of the situation to cut gold, in one fell swoop to determine the world, Gou can be so, I will be forever solid, and all generations will not decline. ”

Emperor Chongzhen was overjoyed when he heard this: "What Aiqing said is extremely true, the good is eliminated, the old is renovated, the good law is formulated, and the people's hearts are appeased. ”

Wu Lu said: "Please forgive the emperor for the sins of ignorance, the mediocre talents of the ministers, and there is no good strategy, the strategy just played was smelled by the minister from the mouth of a madman ten years ago." ”

As soon as these words came out, both civil and military were shocked, and Chongzhen was also deeply curious, and asked, "Which madman can have such an opinion?" Where is this man now? ”

Wu Lu said: "From the perspective of the minister, although this person is crazy, he is a good person in the law, far comparable to Li Kui, and close to Wang Anshi." If this method can be activated, it will be able to promote the advantages and eliminate the disadvantages, eliminate the old and innovate, and within a few years, it will definitely be able to enrich the country and strengthen the army, and be proud of the others. ”

Chongzhen was overjoyed and asked, "Aiqing quickly send this person here, and I will summon him personally." ”

Wu Lu said: "Emperor Qiyu, this person's surname is Cao Mingyin, he is the Simen Langzhong of the Criminal Department of the Guangzong Dynasty, Geng is upright and loyal, not attached to the powerful, and is not tolerated by the eunuch Wei Zhongxian, so he was demoted to the county order of Ji'an Taihe County, and was later framed and imprisoned, and now he is in Nanchang Prison. ”

Emperor Chongzhen is a wise king who rules the world and a faint king in troubled times. Although he was diligent in government affairs, he was changeable and suspicious, and his decisions were often changed at will, so that the ministers did not know why, and the court under his rule was full of traitorous officials.

Li Banghua, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, has no talent and no virtue, and is not in harmony with Wu Lu, and he does not like Cao Yin's arrogance, seeing Wu Lu promoting Cao Yin, he said: "Your Majesty, I am full of talents, if you let a prisoner wear purple clothes, go to the temple, discuss the major events of the world, and practice the law of Taizu, wouldn't it make people laugh and be generous?" ”

Wu Lu said angrily: "This is a word that misleads the country and the people, what about the prisoner? At that time, Cao Yin, as the secretary of the criminal department, tried to explain the shortcomings of the law and put forward many innovative methods, all of which were good strategies for stabilizing the country and enriching the country and strengthening the army. After the minister heard that Cao Yin was demoted to Taihe, although he violated the law, he was actually framed. Since the emperor succeeded to the throne, he has set things right, redressed grievances, promoted loyalty, and reused talents without sticking to one pattern. ”

Chongzhen said: "Wu Aiqing, the Cao Yin you are talking about is the Cao Yin of the Northern Law who holds the 'Tongtian Wat'?" ”

Wu Lu said: "It's this person!" ”

Chongzhen was overjoyed and said: "I forgot about this person." ”

"Although Cao Yin has the false name of a great sage, he really has no real talent, otherwise, the first emperor would have used it. Now I have four people in the Ming Dynasty, although they have no power to bind the chicken, but they are the pillars of the heavens and latitudes, these four people are not famous to the heavens, but they are quite loved by the people, the emperor seeks talents, why bother to seek the near and far? Li Banghua saw that the emperor was about to use Cao Yin, so he hurriedly spoke up.

"Who? Li Aiqing can quickly follow the four of them to see me, "Chongzhen is eager to seek talents, as long as he hears that there are talents, he is anxious to see them."

Li Banghua was overjoyed, glanced at Wu Lu contemptuously, and said to Emperor Chongzhen: "Lujiang County Cheng Jing Kui, the criminal room officer Jing Ying, the criminal room warden Jing Si, the inspection department inspected Jing Fei Although the four brothers were young, they were in Lujiang County for the herdsmen of the sky, and the Lujiang River was well organized. ”

Chongzhen was overjoyed: "Oh! There are such talents! Ganshan thieves and thieves made trouble, there were many villains in the counties of the Central Plains who fought for the tigers, and went to the Liukou to take advantage of the fire to rob, and there was no one in Lujiang County who was a thief, how did the Jing brothers do it? ”

Li Banghua said: "The Jing brothers are herdsmen in accordance with the law, and the law is strictly enforced, regardless of whether the case is big or small, regardless of whether the thief is strong or weak, regardless of whether the subject is expensive or cheap, regardless of whether the cost is high or small, as long as there is a traitor in the territory, even if someone steals a penny from others, they will not hesitate at all costs to arrest the thief." In doing so, at first the county government was short of manpower, but after getting on the right track, there were fewer and fewer cases of committing adultery and criminals, and now hundreds of fast men in Lujiang County are idle in the county government and there are no prisoners to arrest. Cao Yinqi has his name in vain, he has done nothing in the court for several years, and he is also mediocre after arriving in Taihe County, compared with the true talent and real learning of the Jing family brothers, there is a fluorescence than Haoyue, and the emperor is clear. ”

Chongzhen was overjoyed: "I often give birth to children, and children are in phase, for a year, the vertical son is not playful, the white is not mentioned, and the servant is not plowed." In two years, the city did not hesitate. For three years, the door is not closed overnight, and the road is not forgotten. For four years, the field did not return. For five years, the soldier has no ruler status, and the mourning period is not ordered. Today, the Jing brothers are in power, and they are ten times more victorious. Then he sent a decree: "Li Aiqing, quickly summon the four brothers of the Jing family to the capital, and I want to reuse them." He glanced at Wu Lu again and said, "As for Cao Yin, he himself has been imprisoned as a traitor, how dare I expect him to rule the people according to the law for me!" ”

Wu Lu is submissive, but secretly he is happy.

2

Since Cao Yin was imprisoned, Man Chao Jian couldn't help but think of the sentence left by the shadowless man after the four sages were promoted, "For the sake of a jade Ruyi, he harmed four foolish sages, how foolish and ......" Although Man Chao recommended that he was already living at home, he was unwilling to be unfortunate by the shadowless people what he did, so no matter what, he had to find a way to save Cao Yin from prison, so that he could make a comeback and be used by the imperial court.

After a few months of hard thinking, he finally came up with a plan, so he wrote to Wu Lu and told him to do this. After Wu Lu got the letter, he secretly found the four brothers of the Jing family, placed them in the house to do things, and lied to the outside that they were distant relatives, after more than a year, Wu Lu saw that the Jing brothers were really talented, so he recommended four people to the ministry, and the officials said that Wu Lu took care of his relatives, and he also issued an official document and sent four people to Lujiang to be officials. The Jing brothers lived up to Wu Lu's high expectations, concealed their master-apprentice relationship with Cao Yin, worked diligently in Lujiang, and really governed the territory in an orderly manner, and the reputation spread to the imperial court.

A month later, outside the Wuying Hall in the Forbidden City.

Li Banghua told Sijing: "A month ago, Lord Wu, the head of the household department, wanted to recommend others, but I strongly recommended the four in front of the emperor. The four of them thanked and said: "The adults are very kind, and the four students are not forgetful." ”

Entering the Qiankun Palace, after a big ceremony, Emperor Chongzhen saw that the four people were elegant, and the dragon face was happy, and said: "I can't imagine that the four young talents can govern Lujiang County so stable, it is really my blessing to the Ming Dynasty." Li Banghua saw that the emperor praised Sijing, revealing a beaming demeanor.

Jing Kui said: "Emperor Taizu made the "Great Ming Law", the Ming Rite guided the people, the law was stubborn, and he made the "Great Message", set five punishments, compiled into a book, published at home and abroad, this is the foundation of Anbang, the treasure of a strong country. The territory of Lujiang is peaceful, and the people are stable, thanks to the laws and regulations set by Emperor Taizu, and thanks to the emperor's Shengming Longen, my four brothers just strictly abide by the law, what is the merit? ”

Jing Ying said: "The people of Lujiang all said: 'The laws of the Ming Dynasty are strict, and we have no worries about food and clothing. There are also humanitarians: "Today, the saint can practice the law of Taizu, and any of us still follow the thieves, even if the thieves hold a knife on their necks and threaten them, I will not leave Lujiang even if I die." It can be seen that the stability of the Lujiang River depends on the miraculous effect of my Ming law. ”

Chongzhen sighed: "The four Aiqing don't have to be too humble, having said that, although the law of Taizu is good, it also needs people to implement it, so many prefectures, prefectures, and counties across the country, officials at all levels all practice the law of Taizu, why is only Lujiang governed well?" Besides, I remember that Emperor Taizu left a testament: 'Born to be a steaming people, you can't be desireless, desire to be emotional, and hypocrisy is increasing.' 'It has been more than 200 years since the law of Taizu, and now the people are greedy, there is no etiquette and righteousness, thieves are everywhere, and the road of monarchs and ministers is chaotic! The four Aiqing can manage the Lujiang River well, and they don't take credit, it's very good! ”

Jing Si said: "Your Majesty, the rebellion of the Liukou is not the fault of human desires, nor is it the reason why the law of Taizu has been invalid for a long time. People are greedy, thieves are there, good people are also good, there are hungry people in Ganshan, and there are poor people in Lujiang. Although the same law is practiced in other places, the law is not strictly enforced, as if it is impossible, and my four brothers are in power, and they only practice the law. It can be seen from this that in Luzhou and other places, the root cause of governance and chaos lies in whether the law is practiced or not. ”

Jing Si's words aroused the great interest of Emperor Chongzhen, and the emperor leaned forward and said, "How the four Aiqing implement the law of Taizu, let's hear it." ”

Jing Fei worshipped and said: "Your Majesty, the ministers and the other four regard the word 'law' as the emperor, and the word 'law' as Jiuding, "Da Ming Law" 30 volumes, 460 articles, 28,745 words, one law, one word, the ministers are regarded as the most treasure, if the emperor's holy decree, dare not change half a word. If someone violates the law, in the hearts of the four ministers, this person is against the teachings of Taizu and disobeys the emperor's holy will, whether he is an official or a citizen, a noble or a low, a powerful or a weak people, and no matter whether he is committing murder and arson or stealing chickens and dogs, even if he steals a silk thread, robs a cabbage, or cheats a mustard seed, the four ministers will arrest him without discrimination. In this way, the villains and hooligans in the territory all understand a truth, that is, the law cannot be violated, the law cannot be bullied, the law will be caught, and the law will be arrested, so the Lujiang River is naturally peaceful, and the people are naturally stable. ”

"Okay, good, the four Aiqing are virtuous," Emperor Chongzhen Long Yan Dayue, almost dancing, and praised Li Banghua's recommendation of Sijing, and said happily: "Li Aiqing, I have talents like the four brothers of the Jing family in the Ming Dynasty, why worry that the world is not peaceful." ”

Li Banghua nodded again and again and said: "What the emperor said is extremely true, the minister has the courage to recommend the four brothers of the Jing family to enter the court as officials, serve the emperor, and serve the Ming Dynasty." ”

Jing Kui bowed and said: "I'm ashamed, the four ministers and brothers only learned one ten-thousandth of their teacher, and it is okay to govern one county and one state, if they want to enter the court as officials, the four ministers will never dare." ”

"Teacher? Who is Aiqing's mentor and where is it? Why didn't he come out and be an official? Chongzhen was overjoyed and asked eagerly.

Jing Kui said: "Chen Enshi's surname is Cao Mingyin, proficient in the laws of all dynasties, and has studied the laws of Guan Zhong, Li Kui, Shang Ying, Wu Qi, Li Si, Han Fei, and Wang Anshi, and can be said to be a rare Legalist genius through the ages. What we did in Lujiang was all learned from our teacher, but unfortunately, the four of my brothers had just been apprenticed for less than half a year, and they only learned a little bit of skin, and the teacher was framed and put in prison. ”

Li Banghua was shocked, and couldn't help but secretly complain, the Sijing he had painstakingly recommended turned out to be Cao Yin's student, unlucky, really unlucky, how could I rashly recommend them without inquiring in advance, isn't this lifting a stone to shoot myself in the foot?

Emperor Chongzhen was first surprised and then rejoiced, thinking that Cao Yin's student was still so virtuous, he himself must be an outstanding genius in the world, I don't need him, who else should I use? Immediately passed the decree: "Spread my will, pardon Cao Yin's sins, and when the holy decree arrives, I will go to Beijing immediately and wait for reuse." ”

Emperor Chrysostom made a final decision, although Li Banghua was not convinced, he didn't dare to say more, so he had to flatter with a strong smile: "The emperor is sage." ”

3

Li Banghua was haunted by it for several days, so he was not depressed.

On this day, in the back garden of the house to enjoy the flowers to relieve boredom, suddenly a family came to report, the Dali Temple trial and punishment department often asked to see, Li Banghua returned to the main hall, the two of them had a pleasantry, sat down to drink tea. Chang Ziyu saw that Li Banghua had a sad face, and knew that it was for Cao Yin's comeback, so he said: "Lord Shangshu is depressed about the emperor's use of Cao Yin?" ”

Li Banghua pounded the table and sighed: "I want to be a big tomorrow, but I want to use prisoners to be officials in the court, wouldn't it make people laugh."

Chang Ziyu said: "If the adult falls for Wu's treacherous scheme, you should think of a countermeasure, and you can't let it go." ”

"No, it was my own carelessness, at that time, Wu Lu recommended Cao Yin, and it was I who recommended the Jing brothers to the emperor to replace Cao Yin, and I blamed me for being negligent for not finding out the origin of the four of them, alas, speaking of which, it's really a joke." Li Banghua fell to his feet and sighed.

"Hahahaha......" Chang Ziyu laughed, "Lord Li didn't know that he had fallen for the trick, the four brothers of the Jing family went to Lujiang as officials and were recommended by him Wu Lu, think about it, the four of them can help you?" ”

"Ah...... Seriously? Li Banghua never dreamed that there was another hidden secret.

He often drinks tea by himself, with a smiling face.

Li Banghua slammed the table again and said angrily: "Wu Lu and Cao Yin are arrogant villains, if they are ambitious, how can we have a foothold in the court?" ”

Chang Ziyu put down the teacup and said, "Since Lord Shangshu knows the stakes, why not try it as soon as possible?" ”

Li Banghua thought for a long time, his face turned from anger to frustration, shook his head, and sighed: "The Holy Jade Sound has been decided, and there is nothing I can do." ”

Chang Ziyu said with a smile: "What's so difficult about this, the officials are not talented, and with a little tricking, he can make Cao Yin unable to return to Beijing." ”

Li Banghua was overjoyed and asked, "What is the plan of the judge?" ”

Chang Ziyu said: "Now the most trusted by the emperor in the court is the military department secretary Yang Sichang Yang, who has just made great contributions, and there are many protégés of the military department, why don't you instruct all the protégés to persuade Lord Yang, ask him to show the emperor, first find out the crimes committed by Cao Yin, if it is indeed wronged, and then promote and reuse it is not too late......"

Li Banghua said: "However, this official has heard that the crime committed by Cao Yin ten years ago was indeed deliberately obstructed by someone in the court, and your plan can only be delayed for a while, and it will not stop him after all." ”

Chang Ziyu said with a smile: "The emperor is changeable and suspicious, Lord Yang is in a high position, he persuaded the emperor, the emperor must agree, and naturally the case will be handed over to the Criminal Department and my Dali Temple for review and trial. ”

Li Banghua was overjoyed when he heard this: "The trial of the master is a clever plan, a clever plan!" ”

4

Yang Sichang, the secretary of the Ministry of War, defeated the Liukou and returned to the division in triumph, and that night there were Li Jun, the secretary of the Ministry of War, Tong Hao, and the director of the arsenal ** late at night, these three were Li Banghua's protégés, and they were ordered by Li Banghua to meet their bosses. Yang Sichang brought the three of them into the main hall and sat down, and the three of them said: "My lord has returned triumphantly, and my subordinates have come to congratulate me." ”

Yang Sichang spoke quickly and said, "The three adults came to visit late at night, so there must be something else important, right?" Could it be that there is a mess in the military department? ”

Li Jun said: "Since the Lord led the military department, the bureaucrats of the military department have all done their best, and there has never been any chaos. ”

Yang Sichang said: "Oh, what's the big deal, let's talk quickly." ”

Li Jun said: "My lord doesn't know, after the lord exterminated the rebels, the emperor was happy, and Wu Lu took the opportunity to recommend to the emperor that Cao Yin, who was imprisoned for a crime ten years ago, to preside over the law in the court, and the holy decree has been sent to Nanchang. ”

Yang Sichang smiled: "What is there to worry about such a trivial matter? ”

**Dao: "My lord, since ancient times, the reform of the law, is a major event that moves the country, regrets the society, my dynasty since the Taizu opened the foundation, set the "Ming Law" to serve the people, the system of "Da Hui" to calm the world, the law of the ancestors to protect my Ming Dynasty for more than 200 years. Now the traitors Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong are plotting chaos, thanks to your good use of soldiers, in addition to the great harm to the country, this merit belongs to adults. At present, although there are a small number of rogues who have not descended, with the god of adults using soldiers, within half a year, the world will be peaceful, why is it enough to suffer? But now that someone is recommending Cao Yin's method of reforming his ancestors in order to seek peace in the world, wouldn't it be a weak scholar to rob the credit of the adult in vain? ”

Tong Hao also said in a weird manner: "Wu Lu didn't recommend it early, he didn't recommend it late, and when he saw that the adults won a complete victory, he recommended Cao Yin to come out to practice the law, using the strategy of transferring flowers and trees, and winning the work of thousands of generations, what a wonderful plan!" ”

Yang Sichang was furious: "The erector is hateful, I will meet the emperor tomorrow, and the villain's trick will not succeed." ”

5

As the old saying goes, the ruler is short and the inch is long, Yang Sichang is a generation of famous generals, with a plan for the army, for the official has no plan, listened to the slander of his subordinates, his heart was furious, the next day the golden palace faced the saint, spoke quickly, after reporting the military situation, he said to Chongzhen: "I heard that the emperor has issued an order to announce that the prisoner Cao Yin entered the capital to practice the law, and the minister thought it was impossible." ”

Emperor Chongzhen said: "Since ancient times, the military generals have governed the country, and the civil ministers have ruled the country. Aiqing set the world in one war, I want to mention Cao Yin's rule of law, and in the future, I will be safe and secure in the Ming Dynasty, all of which are the work of Aiqing and Cao Yin, why not? ”

Yang Sichang said according to the conspiracy of Li Jun, Tong Hao, and **: "Your Majesty, the crime committed by Cao Yin ten years ago violated the Three Principles and Five Constants, and was not done by a gentleman, although there are rumors that he was framed, but I don't know whether it is true or false, since the emperor intends to promote this person, Weichen asked the emperor to hand over Cao Yin's case to the Criminal Department and Dali Temple for review and review. If the crime he committed is true, even if he has talent, he is also a traitor, and the emperor's reuse of him will not only not stabilize the world, but will cause chaos in the world. ”

Emperor Chongzhen thought for a moment, and felt that Yang Sichang was reasonable, although Cao Yin was talented, if he was not virtuous, would there be a second Wei Zhongxian if he was reused? Nai Dao: "What Aiqing said is extremely true, but I have already pardoned Cao Yin's sins, so I can't go back on my word, how can I do it?" ”

Yang Sichang said: "Since the emperor has pardoned his crimes, he can order him to temporarily serve in Jiangnan Prefecture and County to test his talents, and at the same time order the Criminal Department and Dali Temple to secretly investigate his case and verify his injustice." If he is indeed a genius and is wronged, it is not too late for the emperor to announce that he will enter Beijing for reuse. ”

Emperor Chongzhen nodded again and again: "What Aiqing said is extremely true, I didn't think about it before, I decided in a hurry, and I made a few mistakes, but fortunately Aiqing admonished, and Aiqing is really virtuous!" ”

Yang Sichang said: "Before the ministers returned to Beijing, Jingmen Judge Chen Tai was killed in the middle of arresting the scattered thief army, many officials were injured, the governor, the school inspector and others have been disabled, and continue to be unorthodox officials, Cao Yin and his four students can fill their vacancies, temporarily serve as Jingmen judges, governors and other positions, the emperor can send Jingmen Zhizhou, Hubei Inspector Yushi and others to secretly investigate their abilities, if there is great talent, it is not too late to entrust them with important tasks after half a year." ”

Emperor Chongzhen Long Yan Dayue said: "Zhun Qing played." ”