Beijing, cabinet duty.

A scribe walked into the room lightly with a stack of official documents, put it on the desk of Xia Junze, the first assistant of the cabinet, and bowed down and said: "Cabinet Elder, this is the list of people who have gone to serve in the local area reported by the Ministry of Officials, please give instructions." ”

Xia Junze looked at it, picked it up and walked to a house opposite, put the official document on the desk of Liu Ji, the second assistant of the cabinet, and said with a smile: "Elder Liu Ge, this is the list of selected officials sent by the Ministry of Officials, you give it a palm." ”

Liu Ji looked up at Lord Shoufu in front of him in a little surprise, got up and said with a smile: "Elder Ge has something to say hello, I'll just go over, how dare I bother you to come over in person." ”

Xia Junze has always had a good impression of Liu Ji, this second assistant is the regent's confidant, a person he really trusts, and he has become the second assistant of the cabinet in less than a year from a white body, which can be said to be a step to the sky.

But he has always respected himself, the first assistant, and at least he will give what he should give in terms of face.

The reason for this is naturally clear to Xia Junze, in addition to Liu Ji's self-cultivation, the most fundamental reason is that he, Xia Junze, knows how to advance and retreat, and does things in a measured manner.

He knew very well in his heart that his first assistant was a memorial arch erected by His Royal Highness the Regent, and it was erected for the officials and the people of the world to see.

Let everyone know that the regent is meritocratic and eclectic.

But Xia Junze, who has been immersed in officialdom for decades, knows his position very well, and he will never be self-absorbed when he encounters major events, he will seek the opinions of Liu Ji and Su Qin, and he will never make his own opinions.

He knew very well that his first assistant was only on the surface, and it was Liu Ji who was actually in charge of this cabinet.

He is measured and knows how to advance and retreat, Liu Ji naturally reciprocates the favor and gives him enough respect as the first assistant, so in the eyes of outsiders, the entire cabinet is harmonious, and Lord Shoufu is still the first person among the ministers.

"I'm old, my eyes are spent, thanks to His Royal Highness's love, and let the old man stay in this cabinet, the old man feels ashamed. There are many affairs in the cabinet, and many of them have to rely on Liu Ge to worry about. ”

The two sat on the chairs next to them, and Xia Junze sighed.

Liu Ji knew that he did it on purpose to show himself, showing that he had no desire for power, and said with a slight smile: "The old man of the pavilion should be strong and respectful, and according to the lower officials, he can serve the court for at least twenty years." If you just want to leave, Your Highness probably won't let you go. ”

Xia Junze felt comfortable, and the two laughed.

Liu Ji didn't look at the official documents in his hand carefully, after all, he was in charge of the officials, and he personally determined the list of these officials before they were reported to the cabinet.

The process that should be followed still has to be followed.

He picked up the list and flipped a few pages behind it, stopped, looked at the names of several people above and below Jining Mansion and said: "This time, His Royal Highness has set off a big storm in Jining, and almost all Jining officialdom has fallen. After reading the dossier sent by Qingzhou Mansion, it was really shocking. For example, although it has gradually calmed down today, the situation of corruption and corruption in the administration of officials should not be underestimated, which is really worrying. ”

Xia Junze deeply agreed: "After more than two hundred and seventy years in the Ming Dynasty, not to mention the local government, even the center of the imperial court is the same corrupt and erosive. If it weren't for His Highness to remove those tumors with a thunderous wrist and use talents like Liu Ge Lao, there would not be such a situation as today. If it weren't for His Highness's White Dragon Fish suit this time, he would have personally taken risks, and he would have known when the matter of Jining City would be revealed. Speaking of which, it's also a dereliction of duty for us to be courtiers. ”

Liu Ji said: "The elder is too modest, and the elder can have today's situation, and the elder is also indispensable." However, the most important thing is that God descended from heaven to such a heroic lord as His Royal Highness, so that the Ming Dynasty would not be subverted by the Liukou and the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and only then could he turn the tide. Now that the officials are corrupting, it is the time for us to do our best for His Royal Highness and to serve the court. Elder Ge should not say anything like saying anything about suing the old man and returning to his hometown, if His Highness knows about it, I am afraid that he will be blamed. ”

Xia Junze actually had a tentative mind in him when he said these words, and now when he heard Liu Ji say this, his heart was even more comfortable, and he said with a smile: "Liu Ge is right, the old man will fight this old bone and enjoy the service of His Highness." When you can't do it at all, it's not too late to say goodbye and return to your hometown. ”

After the two tried and praised each other, they got to the point and began to discuss the list of rogue officials this time.

There are two kinds of officials in the Ming Dynasty, one is the liuguan, that is, the officials selected by the imperial court officials to serve in the local government. Because they all have term limits and are often transferred, they are called liuguan.

There is also a kind of local official. Tuguan generally exist in areas where ethnic minorities live in large concentrations.

In this kind of area, the local affairs are basically managed by large and small toasts. These toasts are hereditary and passed down from generation to generation.

Some Tusi families have even been passed down for thousands of years, going through several dynasties.

The power of these toasts in the local area is very large, and the influence of the imperial court here is very small.

In order to co-opt these toasts and keep them from rebelling, the imperial court would often give these toasts official titles to make them appear to be nominally officials of the imperial court.

The officials below these Tusi are naturally all Tusi's own people.

Such officials became local officials, mainly from the meaning of the local aborigines.

A thousand-year-old toast, a hundred-year-old dynasty, these toasts don't pay much attention to the majesty of the court on weekdays, and they still play rebellion or something when they have nothing to do.

Successive dynasties have had a headache for these toasts.

The slightly ambitious emperors wanted to completely purge these Tusi forces so that they could be completely subordinated to the imperial court, rather than nominal territory.

It's just that these Tusi have been inherited for hundreds or even thousands of years, with a profound heritage, coupled with each other's grouping, the terrain in the area is bumpy and rugged, and the Tusi native soldiers are brave and good at fighting in the mountains.

At the beginning of the dynasty, the imperial court was powerful, and the war against Tusi still had a chance of winning. The more the middle and late dynasties passed, the less prestige the imperial court felt.

And every time the army is sent to recruit and suppress, it will cost countless money and food, and in the end it is often defeated, and the court has no choice but to choose the policy of restraint.

Over time, these toasts became more unscrupulous, and they lost their reverence for the imperial court.

At present, the situation in the mainland of Zhongzhou is even more so.

Although Jiang Chuan destroyed the Manchu Qing Dynasty, defeated Li Zicheng, and accepted Zheng Zhilong, Zhang Xianzhong seemed to be fine.

But in fact, in Nanzhao, Qianzhou, Lingnan and other areas where ethnic minorities gather, the power of Tusi is extremely strong, and it can even be said that it is the emperor of these three regions, and the orders of the imperial court cannot enter these three regions at all.

The order of the toast is like a holy decree, and no one dares to disobey it.

Therefore, the places where these selected officials will serve are those traditional provincial and state capitals, and the places controlled by Tusi cannot be inserted at present.

Even if a rogue official is dispatched, the best result is to be set aside, and the worst result is that the person dies before he takes office.