It was still dark, and early in the morning, many eunuchs rushed out of the palace, some went to the yamen of the Ministry of Rites, and some went directly to the minister's house to call.

"Sir!"

Knock knock

Even if Yu Qian had developed the habit of getting up early for so many years, he couldn't get up before the internal officials arrived.

Yu Qian, who was a little sleepy-eyed, glanced at the sky and asked with a little puzzlement: "What's the matter?" ”

The housekeeper outside the door was also puzzled by the explanation: "Someone from the palace has come, saying that the emperor is going to the court today, please come over early!" ”

Yu Qian was stunned for a moment, but the New Year's Day is not the fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year, how can he think of the Great Dynasty today?

"Has something happened in Beijing these days?" Yu Qian asked very understandingly.

"To tell the truth, that is, the sons of several adult families were beaten, and then the township test is over, and there is no other news." The butler replied after a moment's silence.

"It seems that only when the court meeting begins can we know what the emperor's will is." Yu Qian sighed helplessly.

The current Zhu Qizhen is good at everything, but he wants to be the most unbearable, and he doesn't look like an emperor who has received a good royal education since he was a child.

Yu Qianyu, the head of the cabinet, came to Chengtianmen in full dress, and there were already officials who were earlier than him waiting here, and after seeing him, they greeted him one after another.

"Shousuke-sama!"

"Ting Yigong, what's going on? Is there something that is not peaceful? Let the emperor be so anxious to convene a court meeting temporarily? ”

Yu Qian smiled wryly, shook his head and said that he didn't know, seeing that Yu Qian did know as much as they did, his voice gradually became smaller and smaller, quietly waiting for the emperor's summons.

Zhu Qizhen's eyes were red, and his body exuded the tiredness of staying up late, Jin Qi followed him in a panic, wanting to persuade his master to rest well, so he didn't hold a court meeting.

But the emperor obviously didn't want to deal with him, and his steps were so big that Jin Qi couldn't keep up at all.

"Everyone is here, right?" Zhu Qizhen sat on the dragon chair, this was the first time he had sat here in several years.

Jin Qi gasped and said, "It's already outside the door, and the time hasn't come yet, why don't you take a break first?" ”

Zhu Qizhen shook his head and said, "Open the door and let them in!" ”

The door slowly opened, the officials rushed in, and Yu Qian, the head of the cabinet, stood at the front, holding his head high, enjoying the worship of hundreds of officials.

After the ministers stood still, Zhu Qizhen spoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you must be wondering what is the big deal with me informing you to come to the early dynasty!"

"Your Majesty! Have you heard? Chen Xun stood up, looking excited, thinking that Zhu Qizhen was in charge of them.

Although Wang Wen didn't believe it, some people said that this matter was quite important to him, and he also looked at the sky with a glimmer of hope.

Liu Yan inevitably stiffened, thinking if it was because of this, right?

There were not many courtiers in the court who didn't know about this, and when they saw this, they all began to talk in whispers.

Zhu Qizhen instantly held back when he wanted to speak, this Wang Wen and Chen Xun's heirs did a lot of evil, and they couldn't get rid of their father who was a big official, since they wanted to cut themselves first, then they would fulfill them.

"Lao Qing's family, if you have anything to say, just say it boldly." Zhu Qizhen encouraged.

"Your Majesty! The minister wants to impeach Liu Yan, the chief examiner of the Tianfu Township Examination in Jinkeshun, for unfairness in marking the papers! Favoritism! As a result, how many scholars with real talent and real learning have cut off the road to the imperial examination! It has caused a great loss to the imperial court! Chen Xun said loudly.

Even though Wang Wen has polished his face after so many years of ups and downs, when he heard this, he couldn't help but have hot cheeks, and he only hoped that Chen Xun's words were true.

The discussion even paused for a moment, and it was obvious in my heart that I had a judgment on this matter.

However, there are still people who stand up, such as Yang Shan.

"Your Majesty, the minister has also heard about it, and the minister seconded it!"

Even Wang Zhi, the secretary of the ministry, was also a heavenly official who was in charge of officials, and stood up and pointed out that Liu Yan was unfair.

This is not surprising, at that time, Zhu Qizhen fell into Tumu Fort, and the first person to stand up to defend the capital was Chen Xun, and he was not even promoted by Zhu Qizhen, who should have been the first assistant of this cabinet.

After a big man took the lead, the courtiers responded one after another, and for a time most of the court stood up, only Cao Nai and others stood in place and did not move, and only Gao Gu and Miao Zhen among the cabinet members did not express their position.

At this time, Liu Yan naturally couldn't hide behind, and when the scene calmed down, he came out of the crowd and knelt heavily on the ground.

"Your Majesty! The old minister is not talented, but he also knows what should be done and what should not be done! Mr. Chen's accusation of unfairness and favoritism is nothing more than the minister's repeated refusal of his request and impartial reading of the file, his son Chen Ying did not win, so he took revenge for personal gain, and the minister asked the emperor to choose the file reading officer again, and return the minister to a clean house! Liu Yan said.

Of course, Zhu Qizhen had no opinion, but he didn't agree immediately, because Chen Xun wanted to gamble and hadn't placed a bet yet.

"Lao Qingjia, you said that Liu Yan bent the law, but after all, he is a minister in the court, so he must have some evidence, right?"

Chen Xun raised his head and said: "So many people say that he bent the law, did they all wronged him?" Your Majesty, please make a judgment! ”

Zhu Qizhen showed a particularly embarrassed expression, making the ministers think that he was the chief examiner he had chosen, and he wanted to cover up his ugliness and save his face.

Sure enough, it had an immediate effect.

Yang Shan said: "Your Majesty, this Liu Yan disregards the grace of heaven, and only by bringing the guilty to justice can you defend your majesty!" ”

"Do you think so too? What about Chen Laoqing's house? Zhu Qizhen immediately took over and asked.

Nodding countless people, Chen Xun naturally stood proudly in place and voted for himself.

"Hey! Why bother! ”

Chen Xun also thought that Zhu Qizhen was going to favor Liu Yan, so he said: "Your Majesty, the embankment of thousands of miles was destroyed in the anthill, and the matter of the imperial examination to the public was destroyed, how can the people of the world live in peace and work happily?" ”

"Alright then!" Zhu Qizhen finally nodded, but as soon as the voice changed, he said to Chen Xun: "But there is a law for the Ming Dynasty, and the false accuser sits back, can Chen Laoqing's family think about it?" ”

Everyone is forced here, how can there be anything else to say, Chen Xun nodded immediately, not panicked at all, and even a little proud.

Only Wang Wen's face was not very good-looking, as if he remembered some unhappy experience.

"Bring the test papers!"

It's still early, and after reading these candidates' papers, I also have plenty of time to do my own thing.

Then a stack of test papers was brought to the scene of the early dynasty, which was checked by the six bigwigs of the cabinet, and the talents in the Hanlin Academy were selected to start the on-site marking.

In the square in front of the hall, the sound of paper turning was rattling, and the officials in a circle could not help but look around like ordinary people in the market, as if they could know some inside information in advance.

"Master Zhang, that's your family, right?"

"Hey, Lord Li is not confused, these are all transcribed test papers, how can you see it!"

"Don't think I don't know, there's a secret hidden there!"

……

Zhu Qizhen was suddenly a little bored, holding his head with his right hand, quietly looking at those officials, it was a boring big drama, acting in a variety of life.

His Majesty the Emperor, who was aesthetically fatigued, waited until the sun was rising and drowsy, and the cabinet sorted out the results of the papers.

He just glanced at it and put it down, and for a while the courtiers were talking, wondering why the emperor didn't speak.

"Your Majesty! Please let us know the results! Chen Xun was impatient, he had put in such a big effort, and there were many graders in his own faction, how could he not be confident, and he didn't think that he had lost.

Demon Museum

Zhu Qizhen was puzzled: "Is this really the case? I can say that I am falsely accused, Chen Laoqing's family, it is better to leave this matter at that, they are all colleagues in the same palace and ministers, where is there any hatred or grudge to do things! ”

"Your Majesty, I can't tell the difference! To be a man is to be responsible for your own behavior, what do you say, Lord Liu! Chen Xun didn't give up, and he also pulled Liu Yan.

Liu Yan was already upright, and immediately said when he was provoked by the words: "Your Majesty, please announce the result and return the minister's innocence, otherwise the minister can only die to make his will clear!" ”

"Please make it clear to the emperor!" For a while, regardless of their position, as long as they were present, the courtiers knelt down and pleaded.

"You! Chen Xun: Why do you bother? Zhu Qizhen seemed to be annoyed and angry.

The old god Chen Xun is here, although he is kneeling there, he looks even more majestic than Zhu Qizhen, the emperor.

I saw Zhu Qizhen pinching his forehead and kneading it gently, Jin Qi wanted to help but was opened by him, pointed to the result and said, "Read!" ”

"After review, there is nothing wrong with the test paper judged by Liu Yan!"

A simple sentence made Chen Xun's face disappear with joy, and in his stunnedness, he even forgot that there was a difference between monarchs and ministers, and stared directly at Zhu Qizhen's dragon chair.

"Lord Chen! Have you forgotten your humility? Wang Wen hurriedly suppressed his voice and shouted sharply.

Chen Xun reacted at this time, and bowed his head in despair.

Gao Gu stood up and said: "The son of the minister is already favored by heaven and his descendants can be shaded, and now it is no longer suitable to compete with the Hanmenzi for the Jinshi, and they can't be satisfied with the destiny of talent, can it be that framing the examiner can change them?" Brother Dezun, don't admit your guilt! ”

Takaya said this in the previous life to maintain the emperor, and Takaya in this life opened his mouth to maintain the stability of the court, and each had his own ideas.

Sure enough, after Gao Gu's reminder, Chen Xun immediately kowtowed and asked for guilt, saying that he had been blinded by his descendants and had done such a foolish thing, and asked Zhu Qizhen to punish him.

Zhu Qizhen smiled and asked Geng Jiuchou, the secretary of the Criminal Department: "Geng Jiuchou, what is the crime of fraud in this imperial examination?" ”

Geng Jiuchou bowed his head and replied, "Executed after the autumn!" ”

"In this way, it is indeed too heavy, after all, it is a veteran of the DPRK and China, how can I not watch Chen Laoqing's family being beheaded!"

Chen Xun lifted it up in one breath and spit it out, and finally felt a little more relaxed in his heart, so he heard Zhu Qizhen say again: "Then exile Lingnan!" ”

"Your Majesty! Mr. Chen is very old, and if he is really exiled to Lingnan, I am afraid that he will ...... Please ask the emperor to forgive Mr. Chen when he is old and confused! Wang Wen was the first to kneel down and plead.

Zhu Qizhen looked at the courtiers who knelt down in a large area, the corners of his mouth rose, and he silently recited a word of friends, and his eyes fell on Yu Qian, the head of the cabinet.

Yu Qian was still the same as usual, his eyebrows and eyes were lowered, and he did not change because of this situation.

Zhu Qizhen wanted to speak, but he couldn't help it, and set his eyes on Chen Xun and others who impeached Liu Yan.

"What are you doing here? I just forced me to check the test papers, I can persuade you a few times, and now I come to intercede, what, when I am the emperor, is it a three-year-old child at your mercy? ”

The louder he spoke, the louder he became, and then it was like thunder.

But he couldn't scare these hundred officials who advanced and retreated together, after all, the emperor couldn't cut everyone down, and the huge court couldn't do without them.

"Please be gracious to the emperor!" Wang Wen slammed his head on the ground and never got up, and the rest of the officials followed suit.

Zhu Qizhen didn't speak, and looked at them quietly, "Geng Jiuchou, what is the crime of forming a party for personal gain?" ”

"Your Majesty, the minister is the first assistant, and this incident in the court is caused by the unfairness of the minister's handling of things, please punish the emperor! Don't hurt the dragon! Yu Qian spoke first, he was really afraid that Zhu Qizhen would cut everyone up.

Wang Wen and the others were shocked, as if they felt a sharp blade hanging above their heads, waiting to fall down at any time.

Zhu Qizhen's unbelievable eyes were projected at Yu Qian, even if it was to maintain the stability of the imperial court, it didn't have to be like this, right? Is fairness really so unimportant in your eyes?

"Yu Qian, you have to think about what you want to do!" Zhu Qizhen said angrily.

Yu Qian's head couldn't be lowered into his chest, and Zhu Qizhen's eyes were like knives, as if he saw that night again, there was longing in that eye, and there was a determination to put life and death out of the way.

Have you changed?

Zhu Qizhen couldn't believe it, was this Yu Qian he knew? Or have you been wrong all along? He didn't know, he really didn't.

"Whew!"

He finally calmed down his mood, put aside the filter for Qian, and followed his words: "Then according to Yu Qing's thoughts, how can I punish the crime?" ”

"Please ask the emperor to dismiss the ministers of the cabinet and pardon them, the ministers who have received because of the ministers!" Yu Qian really dared to speak.

If it weren't for Zhu Qizhen's fear that the courtiers in the court would think that he was estranged from Yu Qian, he really wanted to agree directly at this time, but I don't know how long Cao Nai has coveted this position.

"Yu Qing, don't be funny, how can I really be serious with Chen Xun? It's just a game with this old kid. You say yes, Chen Lao Aiqing? Zhu Qizhen smiled.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Even if Chen Xun didn't want to answer, there were people who got off the donkey to answer for him.

The scene became relaxed, and Zhu Qizhen said casually: "But what Gao Gu said is right, what a good thing this shadow is, why don't you want it?" Do you really feel that the shadow narrative hinders the future of future generations? ”

"This, the ministers naturally don't mean this, they just hope that the court can give the children some opportunities to be loyal to the country!" Chen Xun replied.

"That's it! All right! Zhu Qizhen suddenly agreed, "From now on, there will be no more hereditary shadows, and all the children of official eunuchs can freely participate in the imperial examination!" If the descendants have participated in the imperial examination, they cannot be examiners in the five uniforms of the same clan! ”

Without waiting for the courtiers to object, Zhu Qizhen continued: "The silver coins have been minted and issued for a while, and the silver ingots will be canceled in the future, and the fire consumption will be returned to the public. ”

"Besides, the gentry will no longer enjoy privileges in the future, and the gentry will pay the grain as one! The people don't kneel when they see the officials! Cancel the lowly slave status, and the minimum monthly silver in all walks of life is limited to the guidelines issued by the household department, and the lower one is severely punished! ”

"Any act of selling and buying officials, regardless of the target, will be executed!" "Abolish the privileges of the royal family, and those who fail the annual assessment will be demoted and punished in the same way as officials, and they will no longer be supported by the imperial court in the future, and they will receive a salary for themselves, and they will also pay taxes according to law."

"Finally, add mathematics, astronomy, calendar, geography, medicine and other subjects for the imperial examination, and those who pass the examination can enter the court as officials!"

Every holy decree that popped out of Zhu Qizhen's mouth was like a mountain range pressing on the hearts of the courtiers, even Yu Qian was unbelievable.

In the past, everyone only thought that Zhu Qizhen was young and unqualified, but now it seems that the emperor's belly is far beyond everyone's imagination, and even let himself assist him at the beginning, in retrospect, those words have other meanings.

Zhu Qizhen hadn't finished speaking, and took advantage of the courtiers' astonishment and said, "Cao Naijin is a scholar of the Jinshen Palace." ”

After speaking, without waiting for the courtiers to react, he reflexively returned to the inner palace, and after a long time, the sound of crying and worshiping the ancestors resounded in the sky.

After all, it is cool, but Zhu Qizhen's will was still rejected by the cabinet, the General Administration, and the six sections.

The dignified emperor can now only use the "Imperial Times" to spread his political ideas.

Even before two issues were issued, the "Daming Daily" sponsored by the Ministry of Household Affairs began to publish articles to refute the "Huangming Times", which made the common people who had never seen this kind of battle in their lives enjoyable.

Zhu Qizhen had expected it, how could this kind of thing be so easy? If nothing else, the abolition of a hereditary shadow is something that all officials cannot tolerate.

What's more, there are any rules for returning fire to the public and paying food as an errand and one body, even if he wants to set an example, the courtiers will "feel sorry" for him to refuse.

Yes, all of these wills, except for the last one to promote Cao Nai to a cabinet scholar, were all refuted by the courtiers on the same grounds.

"The emperor is the Son of Heaven and should be supported by the world." As long as Zhu Qizhen is still being raised, then the legitimacy of the officials to enjoy the people's fat and people's ointment is there, and they can refuse Zhu Qizhen's will for various reasons.

Since that day, there have only been half a person left among the ministers who really follow Zhu Qizhen.

The reason why he said half a person was that Cao Nai had to rely on Zhu Qizhen to contend with Yu Qian, but he didn't want his children and grandchildren to have no support, and he had no big income, so he could only wander outside Zhu Qizhen.

Fortunately, Jinyiwei has been cleaned several times, and now it is finally clean, but it will not make Zhu Qizhen lose his eyes and ears.

It seems that he didn't want to get into too much trouble with Zhu Qizhen, Yu Qian dismissed Chen Xun afterwards, and those officials who participated in it were punished more or less.

even changed his style, and every once in a while he would go to the palace to ask for peace.

No, after half a year, it was still thunderous, and as soon as the first month came out, he hurriedly came to the outside of the Qianqing Palace to ask for a meeting.

"Your Majesty, Yu Shoufu is here, look?" Jin Qi whispered.

"What are Cao Jixiang and Cao Nai and Shi Heng eating? Haven't you done it yet? Zhu Qizhen said something irrelevant.

"Let him go back, I don't want to see him, let Cao Nai tell me something." Zhu Qizhen said to Jin Qi.

Jin Qi said: "Yu Shoufu brought the list of examiners in Chunfu, as well as the scope of the exam questions, please ask the emperor to delineate it, this time is about to come, or the emperor will still meet, right?" ”

Zhu Qizhen glanced at Jin Qi and asked, "Has your godfather had any correspondence with you recently?" Forget it, let's ask Shousuke-sama to come in. ”

The footsteps gradually became clear, and Zhu Qizhen closed his eyes and didn't want to be polluted.

"Subordinate Yu Qian knocks to see the emperor, respectfully ask the emperor to be sainte!"

Yu Qian's voice came from his ears, and Zhu Qizhen didn't put up any shelf, so he pointed to the embroidery pier on the side and asked people to sit down.

Knocking on the table, Jin Qi sensibly sent the concert over, and after taking the booklet, Zhu Qizhen read it carefully and found that the examiner candidates were the same as the township test, but there was less resistance.

The following topics are all extracted from the Four Books and Five Classics, and the policy discussion is based on the use of military taxation and even the optimization of the imperial examination system, and a few are drafted for Zhu Qizhen to see.

Especially the optimization of the imperial examination system, revealing a strong sense of reconciliation, Zhu Qizhen who watched it was slow, and almost showed a good face.

But after all, he has been an emperor for almost ten years, Zhu Qizhen quietly put the song on the table, and his index finger gently tapped the table to make a knocking sound.

"Cao Nai is a scholar of the Ministry of Rites, and he should preside over this Spring Festival, but the policy should be changed to a different topic "The world is for the public", and I will go to see it in person with the test, and add an astronomical geography test. Zhu Qizhen said.

Yu Qian didn't bargain, as if he was frightened by Zhu Qizhen's strategy of driving the tiger and devouring the wolf, and agreed to get up and retire, and Zhu Qizhen, who was watching, was also stunned.

"Could it be that my strategy has worked?" Zhu Qizhen himself was not sure.

Anyway, it was a good start, and his mood was relaxed for a while, and he no longer had to worry about the hasty preparation of time.

As for Yu Qian, after he went back, he looked at the ministers in the courtyard and shook his head solemnly.

"Isn't the emperor still able to let go of this childish idea? This world is his world, and it is also the world of us scholars, how can we be so capricious! Chen Xun said.

"Tingyi! What the hell do you say, don't just shake your head! You can also let us know the bottom of our hearts! Wang asked.

Yu Qian didn't answer, and spread out the music in his hand, revealing the four big Zhu batches inside.

While the crowd came forward to watch, Yu Qian said: "The emperor also said that he would add an astronomical and geography question to the supplementary test, and he would go to see it in person." ”

As soon as these words came out, everyone was in an uproar, and what they were most afraid of was that the status of the scholar was threatened, which was more important than the rise and fall of their family, which was related to the belonging of the world in the future.

If this precedent is opened, then it will no longer be a situation where scholars and the royal family share the world.

"In this case, we can only do bad things." Yang Shan said.

Jingshi Xiangwang's Mansion, from here, there are also people who come to visit at night, and even in the middle of the night, Yu Qian, the head of the cabinet, has also haunted his official residence.

In addition to the Xiangwang Mansion, the most lively place in Beijing is not the imperial palace, but the home of Jiang Wan, a scholar of Wuyingdian University.

Since the conflict between the emperor and the courtiers last year, Jiang Wan has been saying that he is not sick until now.

There are Jinyiwei and Dongchang in the capital, and nothing can escape Zhu Qizhen's eyes, of course he knows these changes, but in addition to asking Fan Zhong to contact Zhu Qiyu and others who are out of the house, at most he will only meet with Cao Nai.

Cao Jixiang, who was waiting, was anxious and scared, Zhu Qizhen was still reluctant to do it, he still didn't want to face the person he once trusted the most, even if there was a fundamental difference in the concept of the two later.

With the passage of time, the most eye-catching thing in the entire Ming Dynasty became the imperial examination, in which Zhu Qizhen added a subject that made the candidates complain.

There are many people who are dissatisfied with the emperor's concern for the sideways, and some people say that the emperor has been subjected to evil spirits since he came back from Tumubao, and he is no longer the original Ming Emperor at this time.

In this way, on the ninth day of the second month of the year of Ding Mao, the meeting came as scheduled, the north wind was howling, and the weather was cold.