First Minister of Ming Dynasty

Zhang Ximeng waved his hands again and again, "My lord, that's not what I mean...Let's take Jiang Nan as an example, she is considered a talented woman, she is also smart, she dares to transport food, it is not an exaggeration to say that she is both smart and brave, and she has experienced by the princess and is rigorous in her work." It is reasonable to say that such a person is placed in the branch office to collect financial statistics and supervise all officials. But has the lord ever thought that such a woman, can she bear the head rolling? Can she accept blood flowing like a river? "

Zhu Yuanzhang said sullenly: "After all, you are a girl, and you can't be as hard as iron!"

Zhang Ximeng shook his head slightly, "My lord, if you want me to tell you that it has nothing to do with men and women... even a man with big eyebrows may not be able to control his life and death if he holds the power in his hands for a while."

Lao Zhu frowned, thought about the people around him, and finally nodded and admitted, "What Mr. said is reasonable...you mean that Jiang Nan is not suitable for this position?"

"No." Zhang Ximeng still shook his head, "My lord, she is more suitable for this position than more than [-]% of the people. It's just that there are some situations that I need to tell my lord. When she first came here, she was looking forward to handling cases, upholding justice, and upholding justice." , eager to get things done."

"Isn't that good?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked back.

"But as she saw the whole family of the Wang family destroyed, she became deeply terrified and felt that she could not persevere... The so-called worrying about gains and losses, being volatile between joys and sorrows, is her current situation. She suddenly puts power and burden on a person, whether it is Anyone, probably will be like this. When a person is in the officialdom and holds great power, it is a practice."

Zhang Ximeng sighed: "I know that my lord hates evil and doesn't have much good opinion of officials, so I have to use it. When officials make mistakes, my lord will not be soft. For example, Jiang Nan, if you really can't handle it, Just change another one. I dare not say that the lord is wrong. But I also want to say that no matter what time it is, talents are scarce. Although the lord has the power to change hundreds of officials, the lord cannot let the A person immediately has the ability and heart to complete the mission. And there is one more thing, the Ministry of Defense, the Branch Bureau, the Metropolitan Procuratorate...these complex supervision bureaus, with the power of life and death in their hands, especially need sufficient psychological endurance, otherwise They can fulfill the mission entrusted by the lord, but because of the huge pressure, they will accumulate some special things, gradually twisted and twisted, and they are no longer human."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned, thought for a while, and then pondered: "Sir, are you talking about the cruel officials Zhang Tang, Zhou Xing, come Junchen?"

"Well...it is these people, my lord, there are many heroes in the Han and Tang Dynasties, and they are also cruel officials. Do you know why, my lord?"

Lao Zhu thought for a while, then sighed: "The hero will naturally achieve extraordinary great things. If you want to achieve great things, you must use extraordinary people to do extraordinary things. Zhang Tang and others are just replacing the king's father. It's just infamy."

Zhang Ximeng nodded immediately, "My lord, I have a high opinion, I'm so devoted... I still want to ask my lord, do you want a cruel official?"

Old Zhu was startled, but smiled and asked Zhang Ximeng, "What do you think, sir?"

"I think it is necessary, but I don't think it should be too much. Although the cruel official is a sharp knife, it is easy to hurt the enemy and yourself, and it will also panic the people, causing the government and the public to be uneasy. When it is not necessary, it is better to use it sparingly. As for the people who supervise the officials, I boldly advise that my lord should be like a general in the army, give them some lessons, give them some education, correct their mentality, and clarify their responsibilities."

"For example, the country's laws and regulations, what crimes should be punished. After dealing with these people, how many losses have been recovered, and what effects have been produced... In summary, it is to let officials know that they did these things. value, strengthen their beliefs, and clarify their responsibilities and authority. I don’t think that by doing this, everyone can become an upright official, but I just want to ensure that most people can be loyal to the lord and perform their duties. In this way Even if there are occasional bastards who are ungrateful and corrupt the national code, the lord can easily get rid of them so as not to cause turmoil in the government and the public."

After hearing this all the time, Zhu Yuanzhang finally realized what Zhang Ximeng meant.

In short, Zhang Ximeng felt that Zhu Yuanzhang's treatment of officials in the past was too rough and simple.

The position is arranged, the power is given, and you are allowed to do things.

If you do what you do, you will be rewarded, if you are wrong, you will be punished.

If you commit a crime, you will be decapitated, and you will be severely stripped of the last grass.

This direction is naturally correct, but it is a bit too rough, treating everyone as a tool... The reason why people are human is that they are different from ordinary tools. People have complicated emotions.

Zhang Ximeng is not talking about treating officials as ancestors, nor is he treating officials as simple oxen and horses.Instead, they are seen as living people one by one, with flesh and blood, love and hatred.

When you get authority, you will be excited and inflated, and when you see death, you will panic and blame yourself.

How to make these people adapt to the work at hand, adjust their positions, and better perform their duties... In the final analysis, although they are officials, they still need to be educated and encouraged to improve.

This is also the biggest problem that Zhang Ximeng found out from Jiang Nan. The biggest problem for women to be officials is not the world's discussion, nor is it a kind of custom education. A man who obeys becomes a man who wields power.

The same principle is also suitable for those children from poor families and rookies who have just entered the officialdom.

The child who chiseled the wall and stole all the light at the beginning, after he became the prime minister, exclusively robbed land and occupied [-] hectares of fertile land, and ended up dismissed from office and died of depression.

The poet who writes hard work, once in power, likes to eat chicken tongues for the sake of appetite. A bowl of dishes requires more than 300 chicken tongues, and the chickens with their tongues cut off are piled up like a mountain...

Governing the country and governing officials is not a simple matter after all.

After thinking about it again and again, Lao Zhu felt that the meaning was far-reaching and he was very inspired. He asked, "What do you think, sir?"

Zhang Ximeng said: "I can't say exactly what to do. My lord needs to explore carefully, but I think that, in terms of the present, we can use the case of the Wang family to educate the officials. The Du Branch Bureau, together with other yamen, clarified the case, analyzed the cancer clearly, and announced the disadvantages involved in it to the world, so that the people can learn a lesson. Especially the Guozijian, and the schools everywhere, let those Young people who are about to enter officialdom should be alert and avoid making mistakes."

"Oh...that's an idea!" Lao Zhu's eyes lit up, and he kept talking about how to educate the people, but isn't this a good example?

And why bother to look through the pile of old papers to find examples that are far away in the sky.

Lao Zhu immediately became interested, "What do you think Mister will do with this matter?"

"I thought that the Ministry of Punishment could take the lead. In addition, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Officials, and the Imperial Academy could all transfer personnel to explain the case clearly."

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "That's right, this is a big matter. We have been thinking about how to rectify the bureaucracy... At first, we thought about chopping off a few heads, but now that we think about it, there may be a better way."

After Zhu Yuanzhang finished talking to Zhang Ximeng, he felt emotional in his heart. He felt more and more that this idea was too good. It was not easy for a person to study and become an official to climb to a high position.Although people who are willing to be officials are like crucian carp crossing the river, there are very few people who are qualified for the position.If this method can be used to ensure that most officials are competent and useful, it will be of great merit.

Zhu Yuanzhang was excited for a while. He felt that he should take all the files of the Wang family case, look carefully, and find out the part that can be used to teach officials.

It just so happened that in the afternoon, Zhu Yuanzhang was going to ride a horse and shoot arrows... He decided not to go, and went directly to Li Menggeng to ask for the file, and asked him face to face to see if he could explain the matter well!

He is also his old subordinate. If he can do it, he will be promoted.

Lao Zhu was full of joy, and when he arrived outside Li's house, because it was a sudden attack, Lao Zhu was sitting in a carriage and wearing casual clothes, so he really couldn't tell the identity of King Wu.

Coincidentally, just in front of Lao Zhu, there was a carriage, which also arrived outside the gate of Li's residence, and when the curtain was lifted, two young women came out one behind the other.

They smiled coquettishly, twisted their figures, and swaggered directly into Li's residence.

Zhu Yuanzhang lifted the curtain of the car, revealing a slit. Looking carefully, the two women were definitely not Li Menggeng's family members, and they didn't look like relatives in their clothes.

In an instant, Lao Zhu's anger rushed up, why did this shit happen again and again?Especially the minister of a country, don't you want to lose face?

Chapter 324 The Prime Minister's Self-cultivation

Li Shangshu, who doesn't want his old face, is now embracing a beautiful woman, drinking fine wine, enjoying double happiness, almost flying to the sky.

When a person relaxes, the mouth also relaxes.

Usually, I was cautious, crossing the river with the egg in my hand, for fear of making a wrong sentence or doing a wrong thing, but now I became unscrupulous.

"You two should take good care of you, and you will be promoted to the prime minister in the future, but it is not something you can serve... As a person, I only love young and beautiful people!"

The faces of the two girls who had just turned twenty were so frightened that they threw themselves on Li Menggeng's body and said delicately, "Master Xiang... I know you are nostalgic, so I can't let us go!"

"Master?" Li Menggeng was taken aback, and one of the women in light green clothes smiled coquettishly, "It's not your old man's, and he's going to be prime minister soon, can you still lie to our little girl?"

Hearing this, Li Menggeng couldn't help pinching the other person's face, and smiled even more wantonly.

"Okay, I'll show you how clever I am, this department... I won't forget you, don't worry!" Li Menggeng said with a smile: "Li Xiang has already followed me, and if you want to recommend me to participate in politics, Li Shanchang is still a good person." It counts, but he can only be half of the family when he is in the upper position, and there is no way to make a final decision."

"Then what should we do? The slave family is still waiting to serve the Prime Minister!"

Seeing the woman's admiring face looking at him, Li Menggeng's half-aged heart came alive, and he became more and more arrogant.

"Don't worry, when the truth is done, there will naturally be someone more powerful than Li Shanchang to help us! You don't know... I'm working on the criminal system, and it's only a few days before the first draft is finished. I told Zhang Xiang, Zhang Xiang The meaning of the law is that it needs to be tested in practice... Listen, Zhang Xiang is very good at inventing words, and a practice will help us a lot!"

The two girls stared at Li Menggeng, expressing their incomprehension.

"How do you know the way of doing this? After Zhang Xiang's practice, he wants to announce the interim regulations, let the criminal system work first, and completely replace the Yuan court's legal regulations." Li Menggeng said with a smile: "Don't look at the enthroned king of Wu, Zhang What is the redefinition of the rules and regulations... This is all lip service, the real key is the criminal system. The ones used below are still Yuan Ting's, but some obviously inappropriate ones have been eliminated. We can only wait for our criminal system to be announced If so, then it is truly remaking the universe!"

"Oh, Mr. Xiang, you are really amazing! You are, what are the advantages of this new criminal system? Let us open our eyes!"

Li Menggeng just wanted to say a few words, but when he looked outside, the sky was getting darker, and he still had to do business!He laughed and said: "What do you want that dead thing for? No matter how the punishment is set, it will not delay our enjoyment of the blessings of equal people! Come and go, if you want to open your eyes and see the world, just look at our Li Xianggong!"

Seeing Li Menggeng reach out to embrace one, panting, he rushed to the ivory carved gold bed, which made the woman scream.The other woman wanted to run away, but Li Menggeng was arrested because she was old and had good hands and feet.

At this time, the woman in green had already sat up, and said to Li Menggeng, "Master Xiang, the prime minister has great power, he is in charge of the country, and he can row a boat in his stomach... But you are still so impatient, let us sisters accompany you!" Master Xiang drinks, chats while drinking... I will dance a song for Master Xiang, and sister Nuer will play the piano for Master Xiang, this is a good night!"

Li Menggeng was startled, and said with a smile: "That's right, that's a good point!" He shouted outside, "Old Wang, bring some dishes here."

No one answered outside, but there seemed to be footsteps, Li Menggeng didn't care, but sat on the teacher's chair, and the two beauties rushed over, surrounded Li Menggeng, teasing and chatting.

At this moment, the door suddenly opened, and it was probably Lao Wang who came in with wine and vegetables.

"Just put it on the table, you can get out!" Li Menggeng said without raising his head.

After listening to the order, the other party put a few side dishes and a pot of wine on the table, but they didn't leave. They just looked down at Li Menggeng from a high position.

Covered by a huge back, Li Menggeng also felt unhappy, what's the matter with this old king, didn't you see that I was going to do business?

"You still haven't quit!"

Li Menggeng raised his head subconsciously, just in time to see Zhu Yuanzhang's livid face, and tried his best to squeeze out an extremely terrifying smile.

"Li Xianggong, do you want us to listen to your orders?"

"Go up to the top position!"

Li Menggeng grinned, slipped directly from the chair to the ground, fell with a bang, and the two women were so frightened that they rolled and crawled, retreated a long way, crawled on the ground, trembling.

Li Menggeng's mind is completely blank, where am I?who I am?What did I do?

Seeing his appearance, Zhu Yuanzhang was not in a hurry, but put the dishes on the table, picked up the wine glass, and poured himself a glass.

The color of the wine was slightly red, Zhu Yuanzhang put it under his nose, sniffed it carefully, and took another sip.

"Added deer blood? Or you Li Xianggong will enjoy it!"

After finishing, Zhu Yuanzhang poured the remaining drink on Li Menggeng's face.

Ah!

This suddenly made Li Menggeng wake up.

"Superior, superior, please spare me!"

He knelt on the ground, kowtowed, weeping, snot and tears came down, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't stand it anymore, he raised his foot, pointed at Li Menggeng's old face with the sole of his shoe.

"You are an old man who followed us across the river, and you have seen a lot of life and death. What we can't see is crying and futile virtue. Just don't make us bother, maybe you can save the lives of your family members, otherwise your The fate of your family will not be any better than that of the Wang family!"

Li Menggeng was stunned again, and after a while, he kowtowed loudly, "Your Majesty, my minister, my minister is unkind, my minister deserves to die!"

……

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly visited the mansion of Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment, and immediately caught Li Menggeng. The old man before crossing the river, the civil official in charge of the transfer department and the Ministry of Punishment, just fell down.

Forget about the courtiers, even the two prime ministers were astonished... Zhang Ximeng was stunned for a while, and then said to Song Lian, "I still want the Ministry of Criminal Justice to take the lead and explain the case of the Wang family to all the officials, so as to alert the world. Thinking of Li Menggeng himself as a negative example first."

When Song Lian heard this, he couldn't help sighing, "Master Zhang, the administration of officials is never a trivial matter, especially when he just started his business, Li Menggeng must be severely punished. It's just that the superiors will anger Zhang Xiang?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "That won't be the case. I would like to thank Jiang Tiju for getting up. She has already found out the evidence of Li Menggeng's embezzlement and perverting the law. This time I will pass it to the lord. It's just Li Xiang, who appreciates Li Menggeng." , They are colleagues from the same country, if he is angered, I will not care about him."

Song Lian also laughed, "Li Xiang is to blame for that, no one else is to blame."

Zhang Ximeng thought about it, and called Jiang Nan over, "Haven't you attended the imperial meeting yet?"

"No." Jiang Nan said honestly.

Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "Okay, this time you are responsible for bringing your ears and eyes to feel it! Temples are much more interesting than Buddhist halls."

Jiang Nan obediently agreed and followed Zhang Ximeng.Song Lian could only sigh incompetently, who made him an old man, so he was not welcome!

Zhang Ximeng followed Jiang Nan to see Zhu Yuanzhang about Chen Limenggeng's case.

On the other side, Li Shanchang took the first step, arrived at Zhu Yuanzhang's place, and cried to Lao Zhu.

"Superior, minister, I have found out recently that it was Li Menggeng, a bastard who bribed the servants around me, and took the opportunity of giving me something from Yingtian to send the bag of Longjing tea to Hangzhou and put it in the minister's house." The desk was later taken away by Zhang Xiang, and it led to the case of the Wang family. From the beginning to the end, I didn't know about it, and I was killed by this beast!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was surprised, "Is there such a thing?"

"Indeed, I have all the witnesses here, and I can call Li Menggeng, and I am willing to confront him... It seems that I am negligent. I feel that I am an old friend. I have followed the minister for many years and worked hard, so I was negligent. The minister made a mistake."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly: "Indeed, don't you still want to recommend Li Menggeng as a political advisor? What about your knowledge of people?"

Li Shanchang was taken aback for a moment, and then quickly said: "The superior, I want to understand. Does Li Menggeng think that I don't know his methods, so I have a way to use people around me to frame me! Then he can replace him!"

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he groaned for a while. That guy Li Menggeng swears, he regards himself as Li Xiang, and in words, he looks down on Zhang Ximeng and Li Shanchang. Maybe this guy really thinks so!

It should be killed!

"I really didn't expect Li Menggeng to be so treacherous and evil. You have to be more careful in the future, especially when it comes to knowing people. You can't be careless...Even, even Mr. After the punishment system is completed, I will also recommend him!"

"what?"

Li Shanchang was ecstatic, my God!

It turned out that Zhang Ximeng also fell into this pit!

God bless, gods and Buddhas open their eyes!

For many years, Zhang Ximeng has always been bullying him. He is obviously the prime minister on the left, and he is in charge of the Central Secretariat, but he is always lower than Zhang Ximeng.

But it was his turn to be unlucky, Lao Li was happier than he won the dog head gold.

But it can't be revealed on the surface.

"Superior, Li Menggeng is still very careful in cultivating the criminal system. After all, Zhang Xiang is a little younger. I don't know that people's hearts are unpredictable, and the world is dangerous!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly, it was nothing, it was acquiescence to Li Shanchang's law, who can not make some mistakes!

At this moment, Zhang Ximeng and Jiang Nan arrived.

After saluting, Zhang Ximeng stood there, and Jiang Nan followed closely behind, standing with his hands down.

"Zhang Xiang, that bastard Li Menggeng was exposed by us and has already been imprisoned pending investigation."

Zhang Ximeng hurriedly said: "Congratulations, my lord, I have captured a silverfish... I also have something to report here. Li Menggeng was involved in corruption of ink in the case of the Wang family. The preliminary investigation found that there was a huge amount of 10,000+ taels, and it also involved acres of land... The minister thinks that we should conduct a thorough investigation again, and we must not let this bastard go!"

After finishing, Zhang Ximeng handed Zhu Yuanzhang a list... At this time, Li Shanchang had a strange expression flashing across his face, and he was ten thousand times more depressed than his dead father!