Travel back in time and become Chongzhen, watch me turn the tide

Yan Yingyuan was urgently summoned to the Grand Council early in the morning. He hurried all the way there, and as soon as he stepped into the door of the Grand Council, he keenly noticed that the atmosphere in the room was so solemn that it seemed suffocating.

Now, except for the monthly New Moon and Full Moon sessions, all other morning court sessions had been abolished by Chongzhen. On weekdays, the Cabinet shouldered the heavy responsibility of handling state affairs, while important matters were decided personally by Emperor Chongzhen at the Grand Council every day.

The relatively fixed staff of the Grand Council today includes ministers such as Shi Kefa, Liu Zongzhou, and Zhang Shenyan, while Chen Zilong, Zhang Zhengchen, and Ma Jiazhi are responsible for administrative work such as recording meeting content and drafting imperial edicts.

At this moment, everyone had gathered in the Grand Council, except Emperor Chongzhen.

"Miss Wan'er, what happened?" Seeing this, Yan Yingyuan quietly asked Wang Wan'er who was busy at the side.

Wang Wan'er had now successfully infiltrated the Grand Council. She had no particular desire to do anything, but simply enjoyed the work atmosphere. She was primarily responsible for Chongzhen's daily chores. Because Chongzhen was quite indulgent towards her, everyone in the Grand Council tacitly accepted her presence.

"Last night, Tian Yang mobilized soldiers from the Beijing camp without authorization and was captured by Zhu Ge," Wang Wan'er responded briefly.

"Ah!" Yan Yingyuan suddenly realized why he was summoned. But when he thought about it carefully, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

The Beijing Camp is now under his jurisdiction. Previously, when Emperor Chongzhen asked him about his control over the Beijing Camp, he swore that there was no problem. Now that such a serious incident has occurred, he is naturally to blame and cannot escape punishment.

However, it was not his fault. The reorganization of the Beijing camp had just begun, and because the northward military movement had been successfully passed, he had thrown himself fully into the preparations for the northward movement, and had neglected the reorganization of the Beijing camp and had not paid enough attention to it.

As the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Tian Yang must have had his own trusted men planted within the Beijing Camp. However, he was so bold that he dared to secretly mobilize soldiers from the Beijing Camp, and the Emperor even learned of his actions.

Just as Yan Yingyuan was lost in thought, Emperor Chongzhen, accompanied by Wang Chengen, entered the Grand Council, walked straight to the brocade couch and sat down. He then asked, "Lord Yan, how is the reorganization of your Beijing camp going?"

"Your Majesty, I know my crime." Yan Yingyuan knew that this was directed at him, so he quickly knelt on his knees and said in panic.

"You're quite well-informed." Chongzhen glanced at Wang Wan'er with dissatisfaction, then said, "Then tell me, what is your crime?"

"This... My fault is that I failed to manage my subordinates well." Yan Yingyuan responded with a stiff upper lip, feeling uneasy.

"Hmph! The people of the Beijing Camp can be mobilized at will without any orders from the generals," Chongzhen snorted coldly and scolded, "Is this Beijing Camp my Ming Dynasty's, or Tian Yang's?"

"I was wrong."

"Tian Yang oppressed the good and mobilized the army recklessly. Lord Shi, as the head of all officials, please tell me what you think." Seeing Yan Yingyuan's sincere attitude, Chongzhen turned to ask Shi Kefa.

"I will arrange someone to handle this matter immediately." Shi Kefa said calmly.

"Zhu Ge, cooperate with the two adults to handle this matter properly." Chongzhen instructed Zhu Ge.

"According to the order."

"Your Majesty, the commander of the Jinyiwei, Ma Luan, was thrown into prison because of the affair of his father, Ma Shiying. Now the Jinyiwei is still short of a commander. Can Zhu Ge take over the position?" Shi Kefa suggested.

"Jinyiwei." Chongzhen frowned slightly and fell into deep thought.

The Jinyiwei's reputation had long been notorious, but its function was indispensable, and it could be said to be the sharpest blade at the emperor's side. However, Chongzhen had no intention of retaining this department, otherwise he would not have asked Zhu Ge to form the secret guard.

Chongzhen's positioning of the secret guards was similar to the national security department of later generations, rather than an organization like the Jinyiwei that monitored all officials internally.

"Let's do this for now. I'm going to disband the Jinyiwei, and their functions will be redistributed in the future." Chongzhen thought for a moment and then said, "I'm also going to restructure the court's institutions, and we'll deal with them all together when the time is right."

"According to the order!"

The court, which had been gradually calming down, was thrown into turmoil again because of the Tian Yang incident.

All officials from Ma Shiying and Ruan Dacheng's party were implicated to varying degrees, while some officials who had been suppressed before were reinstated and reused this time.

The Donglin Party was particularly favored, and for a time, members of the Donglin Party could be seen everywhere in the court. However, the person who was most disappointed at this moment was Qian Qianyi.

Initially, Qian Qianyi and other Donglin Party members secretly promoted Zhu Changxun, the Prince of Lu, contrary to Ma Shiying's opinion. When Zhu Yousong, the Prince of Fu, ascended the throne, Qian Qianyi, fearing the death penalty, wrote a letter praising Ma Shiying's achievements. Ma Shiying then recommended Qian Qianyi for the positions of Minister of Rites and Assistant Chancellor of the Imperial Secretariat during the Hongguang reign of the Southern Ming Dynasty. Qian Qianyi even strongly recommended Ruan Dacheng, a member of the eunuch faction, for the position of Vice Minister of War. Ma Shiying subsequently marginalized the Donglin Party members at court, but spared Qian Qianyi.

Qian Qianyi's actions not only failed to please Ma Shiying, but also created enmity with the Donglin Party, causing several important officials of the Donglin Party to almost break off their relationship with him. This was the reason why he ignored Shi Kefa's letter to him.

After the Chongzhen Emperor ascended the throne, his situation became extremely awkward. Although the Chongzhen Emperor did not remove him from his position as Minister of Rites and Assistant Secretary of the Imperial Household, for a long time, the Chongzhen Emperor never summoned him alone once.

When Tian Yang got into trouble, everyone said that Emperor Chongzhen was going to purge Ma Shiying's followers. Qian Qianyi, who had once flattered Ma Shiying, was naturally worried. He even stayed at home on the pretext of illness and did not go out for the past two days.

"Master, you just wrote a few articles praising Ma Shiying. His Majesty is magnanimous and will not vent his anger on you. You should focus more on official business now instead of hiding at home under the pretext of illness..."

The woman who spoke had skin whiter than snow, as smooth and delicate as mutton-fat jade, shimmering with a faint glow. Her eyebrows, like distant black ink, were slender and slightly raised, like two dancing willow leaves. A slight frown between them added a touch of endearing melancholy. Her eyes, like stars falling into autumn water, were bright and deep. Their fleeting glances held both a lively intelligence and boundless passion, their radiant gaze seeming to take in everything in the world. Her nose, slender and straight, was perfectly framed in the center of her face, like a mountain range. Her lips were like cherries, unadorned and vermilion. The corners of her mouth, slightly raised, held a faint smile, sometimes playful, sometimes charming, sometimes stubborn, ever-changing and unpredictable.

Her jet-black hair falls like a waterfall, or is tied into an exquisite bun, pinned with a few simple yet elegant pearls and jade, swaying gently with her movements, making crisp sounds; or is spread out, dancing freely in the wind, making her look like a fairy descending to earth.

She was wearing an elegant plain silk dress, the hem of which fluttered in the wind, occasionally revealing a pair of small embroidered shoes. Her lotus steps were as graceful as flowing clouds and water, as if the whole world had become softer because of her presence.

This stunningly beautiful woman is none other than Liu Rushi, one of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai. Not only does she possess stunning beauty, she also possesses an otherworldly temperament and talent.

If Chongzhen heard what Liu Rushi said at this time, he would definitely scold Qian Qianyi. A talented man known for his literary talent and elegance was not as knowledgeable as a woman.

"Alas, one wrong step leads to all wrong steps. Now the court is in a complicated situation. I'd better stay at home and avoid the limelight." Qian Qianyi did not comment on Liu Rushi's words.

At this moment, the butler suddenly ran over and shouted loudly: "Master, the angel is coming, hurry up and welcome him..."