In a certain room in Kunning Palace on the ninth day of the ninth month of the ninth year of Chongzhen, a lazy and seductive voice suddenly sounded: "Your Majesty, it's Chongyang today, don't go to the court." ”

"No, Chu Tong, I still have to go to the court to discuss the matter of the Shaanxi Liukou with the hundred officials today, but I should be back soon, you wait for me in the palace, and I will have dinner with you at noon today."

The voice of joy instantly sounded: "Really? ”

"Of course, when did I lie to you, you took Cijiong and tender to wait for me in the palace, and I will be back soon."

The sound of whizzing clothes sounded in the silent night sky, and after a while, a roof was lifted out of the Kunning Palace..., today is the Double Ninth Festival, it stands to reason that the emperor is generally not in the early dynasty in this festival, but the hard-working Emperor Chongzhen still insisted on crawling out of the bed of Queen Zhou, and hurried to the Jinluan Palace to have a morning meeting with the ministers.

After arriving at the Jinluan Hall and discussing the affairs of Shaanxi with the ministers for a while, Chongzhen saw that there was nothing to do, so he glanced at the eunuch beside him, and the eunuch quickly stood up and said in a sharp voice: "All Aiqing have a book to start playing and no book to retreat from the court!" ”

The thoughts of the ministers at this time had already flown to their homes at this time, and they shook their heads in unison after hearing this. At this time, a person stood out from the queue on the left, and he said loudly to Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, the minister has a play!" ”

Chongzhen, who was a little surprised, looked at the minister who stood up and asked in surprise: "It turned out to be Qian Aiqing, do you have anything else?" ”

This minister who stood up was fifty people, with a white complexion, a long beard under the chin, a wide nose and a wide mouth, and a standard official face, he was one of the leaders of the Donglin Party, Qian Qianyi, the right attendant of the Imperial Court Rites Department.

I saw Qian Qianyi quickly walk out of the column and report loudly: "Your Majesty, the minister has a play!" ”

Chongzhen glanced at Qian Qianyi with some doubts, although he was a little strange in his heart what could happen to him, the waiter of the Ministry of Rites, but he still said: "Present the fold!" ”

"Obey the order!"

Qian Qianyi respectfully handed over the fold to the little eunuch, and the little eunuch hurriedly took a few steps forward and presented it to Chongzhen.

After Chongzhen took the fold, he glanced at it a few times, and his face suddenly turned dark, and an irrepressible anger rose from his face, "Qian Aiqing, is what you said above true?" ”

"Long live back, it's true, it's true!" Qian Qianyi said loudly: "The evidence in this matter is conclusive and cannot be denied. ”

"He's so bold!" Chongzhen, who was stimulated, stood up and said angrily: "I treat him so kindly, but he is so bold, where does he put me?" ”

Seeing Chongzhen's sudden anger, the ministers above all looked at Qian Qianyi who was standing in the center of the hall in shock, what happened to this Qian waiter who was always a good gentleman today? actually made the emperor angry like this.

Feeling everyone's gaze, Qian Qianyi didn't speak, just stood aside with his head down and was silent.

Wen Tiren, who was standing at the head of the left hand, glanced at Qian Qianyi covertly and stood up and asked, "Your Majesty, what happened to make you angry?" ”

Chongzhen gasped and threw the fold in his hand to the ground, panting and said: "Look at it, look at it, Qingzhou is the commander of Pang Gang, without the will of the imperial court, he dares to send troops to North Korea without authorization, lawlessness, really lawlessness!" ”

"Sending troops to North Korea without authorization? What a sin! Wen Tiren was shocked, and hurriedly picked up the "Baidu Tieba Qihang Text" from the ground and looked at it at a glance and ten lines, it turned out that Qian Qianyi impeached Pang Gang, the commander of Qingzhou, for selling illicit salt, wantonly recruiting displaced people, and sending troops to North Korea without authorization.

Although Wen Tiren and Qian Qianyi are both officials of the Ministry of Rites, they are sworn enemies in politics.

Wen Tiren, the head of the cabinet, was snatched from Qian Qianyi's hands, so he was always wary of this subordinate who was cheated by himself, and he had to guard against him no matter what he did, but he always agreed with what Qian Qianyi opposed, and he always agreed with Qian Qianyi's opposition, and today is no exception.

After Wen Tiren read it, he handed the chapter to the next few court ministers and said with some displeasure: "Your Majesty, Qian Qianyi is not an official, nor is he a cabinet elder, according to the regulations, he has no right to speak to the emperor, besides, this is the words of Qian Qianyi's family, and he can't deal with a third-grade member of the court so hastily, this matter is related to the safety of the sect and society, so the minister thinks that he needs to act cautiously." ”

The effort is not big, and the chapter was circulated in the hands of the previous ministers, and everyone was an old fritter in the officialdom, and they could see at a glance that what was in this piece of music was all false, and only the article selling illicit salt at the front was the fundamental purpose of Qian Qianyi's chapter.

Who is Qian Qianyi, he is one of the leaders of the Donglin Party, and the Donglin Party represents the interests of the wealthy gentry in Jiangnan, and five out of ten wealthy gentry in Jiangnan are from smuggler salt dealers. That Pang Gang dared to sell illicit salt in Qingzhou, wasn't that pulling teeth out of the tiger's mouth?

Looking at the furious Chongzhen, Chen Xinjia, who was standing behind Yang Sichang, the secretary of the Ministry of War, was secretly happy in his heart, and he immediately stood up and said loudly when he thought that the opportunity had come: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that Pang Gang is responsible for the emperor's favor, but he does not want to serve the emperor, but instead does evil in the local area, and then sends troops to North Korea without authorization. ”

"Your Majesty, the minister is reconsidering!"

"The ministers also reconsider!"

As soon as Chen Xinjia's words came out, all the speakers behind him and a group of Donglin Party security members stepped forward one after another to explain their positions.

Among the officials who were in turmoil, only Wen Tiren, Yang Sichang and others chatted and a few people were silent.

In the end, Qian Qianyi, who was angry, stepped forward and said: "Please ask the emperor to judge!" ”

An official also stepped forward and said loudly: "Please ask the emperor to judge!" ”

Looking at the rare unanimity of all the officials in front of the palace, Chongzhen finally made up his mind, no matter how much he admired Pang Gang before, but the unauthorized dispatch of troops to North Korea is indeed a taboo for the superiors.

"Someone, I'm going to ......."

"The emperor is slow, the minister has something to say!" At this time, Wen Tiren stood up and stopped Chongzhen, and then asked: "Minister, may I ask the emperor, how do you deal with that Dingyuan general Pang Gang?" ”

"Needless to say, naturally it will be escorted back to the capital for the three divisions to be tried!" Chongzhen said without thinking.

"So that the emperor will know that according to Qian Shilang's words, Pang Gang is now fighting with the Tartars in Korea, dare to ask who the emperor will send to Korea to escort him back, and who will be the commander of the army in Korea?"

"This" Chongzhen couldn't help but be speechless for a while after hearing this, yes, people are now fighting with the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the dead land of the Ming Dynasty, but you sent someone to press the commander of the Ming army back, what is going on? Those who know won't say anything, but what will North Koreans who don't know think? You've captured all the commanders who came to rescue us, do you want to force us all to the Manchu Qing Dynasty?

Just when Chongzhen hadn't figured it out, Chen Xinjia jumped out again, "Your Majesty, what's so difficult about this, can't you order an official to be sent to North Korea to escort him back, and temporarily take over the responsibility of the commander-in-chief?" ”

"Okay!" Wen Tiren sneered and said, "Then how about bothering Chen Shilang to go to North Korea to escort Pang Gang back, and then lead his troops to resist the Qing soldiers?" ”

"Why not" Chen Xinjia only said three words, but he quickly swallowed the back words back into his stomach, he suddenly remembered one thing, since Pang Gang dared to send troops to North Korea without the will of the imperial court, he knew that this surname must be unruly. If you go to North Korea with hundreds of people to announce the decree, I am afraid that the decree will be clicked by this bold guy before it is finished!

Thinking of this, Chen Xinjia changed his words smartly: "Your Majesty, it was okay for Weichen to go to announce the decree, but Weichen, as a waiter in the military department, was busy with official business, but he couldn't get away. Therefore, it is better for the emperor to choose another minister to go to Korea. ”

"Oh, that's right!" Wen Tiren looked at Chen Xinjia with a smile, and then smiled after looking at the thick look and sending a chill down his spine, "Your Majesty, since this matter was brought out by Qian Shilang to mention the "Baidu Tieba Qihang Text", then Qian Shilang will make a hard trip, go to North Korea to announce the decree, and escort that Pang Gang back." ”

"What? Let me go to North Korea? Qian Qianyi's face turned pale with fright when he heard this, and he shook his head as if he was breaking a wave, "Your Majesty, the ministers are busy with official business, and I am afraid that they will not be able to go, so you should order others to go."

Chongzhen thought about it, too, they are all important ministers of the imperial court, and they can't leave Beijing easily, so let's let others go. So Chongzhen turned his attention to the officials behind Qian Qianyi, who knew that the officials who jumped more fiercely than the other just now all lowered their heads like ostriches at this time, lest the emperor notice him.

Chongzhen couldn't help but start to be unhappy in his heart, he casually pointed to a speech official wearing a six-grade cyan official uniform and said: "In this case, Yan Ming, as one of the directors of the six sections, you also impeached Pang Gang just now, and this time North Korea will be up to you!" ”

As soon as Chongzhen's words were finished, the brother who shouted the loudest just now was so frightened that he knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, Weichen is only the head of the sixth-grade business, how dare you lock it and think that it is a third-grade master, you should send another meritocracy!" ”

Now Chongzhen was annoyed, he stood up and shouted: "You were the one who shouted the most fiercely just now, and now you are also the one who is the turtle with a shrunken head, you are playing tricks!" ”

(To be continued)