Chapter 459 He starts off with a big move!

Hai Rui's voice was not loud.

But at this moment, Xufu Lane was very quiet.

The sound immediately spread to the streets and alleys at both ends and reached the ears of officials in the capital who were leaving but not completely gone.

Suddenly.

In the dead silence, a huge uproar broke out.

People were dumbfounded.

Everyone in the officialdom knew that Hai Rui was a stubborn person and a rare honest official.

But what he did today, on the first day after returning to Beijing, he ran to the door of the current cabinet's second assistant's house and blocked him, and then asked him as soon as they met whether he could clear out the occupied land from his family.

Such a thing.

I'm afraid that in the whole court, only Hai Rui can do this!
Xu Jie, who was already worried about the situation in Jiangnan, was completely stunned at this moment.

Although he is over 60 years old and has served in the court for decades and in the cabinet for more than ten years, he has seen all kinds of people and things and all kinds of storms.

But this was the first time that he was questioned in public at his doorstep by someone like Hai Rui.

That's why.

For a moment, Xu Jie's mind went completely blank and he didn't know how to answer.

On the contrary, Xu Kun is young and doesn't seem to care too much about this kind of problem.

Instead, it was Hai Rui's attitude and questions that made him angry.

Xu Kun immediately shouted, "Hai Rui! How dare you! Don't you see where you are? You are just a minor official who has been recalled to the capital and has not yet taken up your post. How dare you question the second prime minister of the imperial court in the street like this?"

Hai Rui did not respond, but looked at him coldly, his eyes staring at Xu Kun as if he could tear him apart.

Just this look made Xu Kun tremble all over, and a chill rose from the bottom of his heart.

Without waiting for him to suppress his discomfort, he continued to refute and criticize Hai Rui.

Hai Rui had already coldly rebuked him: "Master Xu is in charge of military supplies at the Ministry of Revenue. If I remember correctly, after Guest Yan went south this year and delivered the military supplies, Master Xu immediately transferred the court's order for 100,000 pieces of cotton cloth to Songjiang Prefecture!"

He did not say that Xu Kun took the opportunity to embezzle money while Yan Shaoting was away from the capital and unable to manage military supplies.

But as soon as he said this, Xu Kun's face changed drastically.

He immediately blushed and defended himself, "I am a military supply officer of the Ministry of Revenue. What's the problem with where I buy the supplies? The price offered by the court has not increased. Is this official doing anything illegal?"

This is purely a forced explanation.

Hai Rui no longer paid attention to him, but turned to look at Xu Jie, whose eyes had regained clarity.

In front of Xu Jie, whose eyes were already bloodshot.

A smile appeared on Hai Rui's face.

"Lord Xu, could you explain to me who actually pocketed all the money the Ministry of Revenue spent on purchasing cotton cloth for military supplies this year?"

Without waiting for Xu Jie to speak.

Hai Rui asked again: "May I ask Lord Xu, regarding the question I asked earlier, do you know exactly how much farmland the Xu family has occupied from the people in Huating, Songjiang Prefecture, Southern Zhili of the Ming Dynasty? Would you like me to tell you the truth? Would you be merciful and return it to the people?"

Three questions in a row.

Xu Jie, who had already calmed down, was shaken again.

obviously.

Hai Rui's three questions showed that the other party had found out how much land the Xu family had occupied in Songjiang Prefecture and Huating County.

Otherwise, Hai Rui would not have asked so many questions.

Click.

The sound of footsteps came into my ears.

Hai Rui took a step forward, his expression unchanged, "Lord Xu, please give me your instructions."

Xufu Lane is located at the gate of Xu’s mansion, the current deputy prime minister of the cabinet.

Apart from Hai Rui's questioning, there was complete silence.

The early autumn wind blew through the halls and alleys, blowing up the dust in the corners of the walls.

Under the watchful eyes of officials at both ends of the alley.

Xu Jie actually took a step back.

The current cabinet's second-in-command actually backed off under Hai Rui's repeated questioning!
Xu Kun's face flushed red, and he was furious. He raised his arm tremblingly and pointed at Hai Rui: "Hai..."

Not a word has been said yet.

Hai Rui gave Xu Kun a look that startled him so much that he shut up and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.

Let’s talk about it in two parts.

Today, Hai Rui returned to Beijing shortly after entering the city in response to the imperial order.

When they left the yamen, they had not received any news yet. Yan Song led the Minister of Personnel Guo Pu, who had been called in advance, and Ouyang Bijin, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, into the Wanshou Palace.

Inner Temple.

It seemed that because of the change of seasons, Jiajing's complexion did not look very good and was a little pale.

There was also a faint smell of herbs in the hall.

This made Yan Song, who was leading the people in, sniffle imperceptibly.

On the platform.

Jiajing looked at the Prime Minister who suddenly asked for an audience, and forced a smile on his face: "It's autumn now, and this year is almost over. There have been no major disasters this year, thanks to the leadership of the court by Lord Yan."

Yan Song sat on a soft stool, clasped his hands, and smiled: "Your Majesty is a holy ruler who practices non-intervention and governance, which is why our dynasty is so prosperous and peaceful now."

Jiajing smiled and waved his hand, glancing at Guo Pu and Ouyang Bijin who came in with Yan Song.

"Lord Yan came to the Wanshou Palace today after leaving the government office to ask for an audience. I guess he has something to report?"

"Your Majesty is as wise as ever. I cannot hide anything from you."

Yan Song explained with a relaxed expression.

Jiajing shook his head with a smile, and his face became a little redder because of the flattery.

He said, "If you have something to say, then please tell me. If the Prime Minister wants to see you at this time, it must be an important matter. How can I delay it?"

Yan Song nodded.

At this time, the Minister of Personnel Guo Pucai, who was standing behind him, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Hai Rui, the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate and concurrently the Governor of Yingtian, has been ordered to return to the capital today and has handed over the documents to the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate."

Ouyang Bijin, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, also spoke up, "Hai Rui was the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate when he went south to serve as the Governor of Yingtian. Now that he has returned to the capital, I would like to ask the Emperor whether he should be retained in the Censorate or whether the Emperor should appoint him to another post."

The two spoke one after another.

Jiajing had roughly understood the purpose of Yan Song bringing these two people to see him. He looked at Yan Song and said, "I recalled Hai Rui before because the officials in the court praised him. I thought about it and although Hai Rui seems to be a bit stubborn, he has always been loyal to me and the court. In addition, people outside say that he has outstanding talents, so I agreed to recall him to the capital and entrust him with important tasks."

Yan Song nodded silently.

The emperor's words explained why he agreed to Xu Jie and others' request to recall Hai Rui.

At least from the emperor's explanation, the emperor just recalled Hai Rui because he always felt that Hai Rui was loyal, and someone happened to praise Hai Rui's ability as an official, so he took the opportunity to recall him.

As for the impact of Hai Rui's staying in office or leaving the post of governor of Yingtian, Jiangnan, the emperor did not consider it at that time.

of course.

At least on the surface, this was the emperor's explanation.

Jiajing added: "Since the Prime Minister came here for this matter, I believe he also has some ideas on how to employ Hai Rui?"

Yan Song immediately bowed his head again and said: "The appointment of officials in the court, apart from the selection and examination by the Ministry of Personnel, is decided by the emperor. I dare not make any irresponsible comments."

This is a routine duty of a minister.

Jiajing also shook his head as usual and said: "You are the Prime Minister, the chief minister of the cabinet, you should have your own ideas on how to use people in the court and who to use."

With the emperor's words.

Yan Song then slowly said, "Since the emperor said so, I think that since the emperor knows that Hai Rui has a stubborn personality, he should not be placed in a position of power. I'm afraid that doing so will not be a good thing."

Jiajing immediately nodded in agreement. The reason why Jiajing was able to control the Ming Dynasty court in the past forty years was because he could identify and employ people.

Yan Song added: "Since he is already the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, I think it would be better to let him continue to work in the Censorate."

Jiajing's eyes sank: "That's all?"

Yan Song immediately explained: "The post of Shuntian prefect has been vacant since Zhang Juzheng was transferred to the post of Maritime Governor. We can let Hai Rui, who served as Yingtian governor for a year, take over the post. However, this would make it seem that the court does not value him enough."

Logically speaking, the court recalled Hai Rui back to the capital because of his talents and contributions, so it stands to reason that he should be given an important position.

Although the prefect of Shuntian was the governor of the capital, he was no longer in charge of the twelve prefectures under the jurisdiction of the Yingtian Governor's Office, but was now in charge of only one prefecture. It seemed that he was not valued.

This is actually what Xu Jie and others thought.

Hai Rui was brought back to Beijing, given a high-ranking honorary title of the Censorate, and then trapped in the position of Shuntian prefect to death.

Guo Pu immediately followed up, "According to the rules, Hai Rui can be promoted to the positions of Left and Right Deputy Censors of the Censorate and be awarded the rank of Third Rank. It just so happens that the position of Chief Justice of the Northern Zhili Censorate is vacant, so he can be appointed concurrently."

The chief official of the Judicial and Censorate was the Censor, commonly known as Neitai, which was exactly the third-rank official position.

The Censorate was the place in charge of criminal matters in a province.

For Hai Rui, this is truly a perfect match for his profession.

Such an arrangement can be regarded as a true reuse.

He held the official post of the Censorate, and concurrently served as the Northern Zhili Censorate and the Shuntian Prefecture.

As long as Hai Rui did not make any mistakes, the next step would be to strive for the position of the Chief Seal Officer of the Six Ministries and the Three Judicial Departments.

This is, of course, normal operation.

Another unconventional case is that of Yan Shaoting, who was able to suddenly take charge of the six provinces in the south of the Yangtze River at a young age.

Jiajing agreed with this arrangement.

If Hai Rui were really allowed to govern a region, he would be worried.

It is a good and appropriate arrangement to have an official from the Censorate be in charge of criminal affairs in the northern Zhili province and then carefully govern Shuntian Prefecture.

But Jiajing still looked at Yan Song: "What do you think, Prime Minister?"

"Your Majesty, since you know and admire Hai Rui's talent in criminal justice, I think the Ministry of Personnel's recommendation for his appointment is in line with your Majesty's wishes."

Yan Song gave an unbiased answer.

Jiajing smiled softly and turned to look at Lu Fang beside him: "Did you hear what the elder said?"

Lu Fang immediately smiled and nodded: "My Lord, I heard everything. The elder has been in power for decades and has been in charge of the cabinet for Your Majesty. This is the best use of his talents."

Jiajing nodded and said, "In that case, let's just follow what we said just now and issue the decree. There's no need to make Hai Rui wait too long. With his personality, I think he can't sit still. It's better to let him take office quickly and get down to business."

Lu Fang obeyed the order.

Yan Song and the other two bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Jiajing waved his hand, stood up holding his Taoist robe, walked down the platform and stood in front of Yan Song.

"Whether I am wise or not depends entirely on the hard work of the elders in the court."

As he spoke, his hand was already on Yan Song's shoulder.

Guo Pu and Ouyang Bi Jin saw it with their own eyes and kept it in mind. They both knew that the emperor still valued Yan Song the most. They were afraid that what the emperor said at the beginning would really come true, that he wanted to maintain the friendship between the monarch and his subjects. It was obvious that the prime minister would not be replaced.

Jiajing smiled and changed the subject: "I heard that your little grandson has not been named yet? Is that why you and the three old masters in the academy are arguing all the time?"

Yan Song looked embarrassed: "With four generations living under one roof and the family expanding, I can't help but feel happy. The three masters also have sincere hearts, which is why we don't even have a name now."

Speaking of this, Yan Song's heart moved.

Did the emperor want to name his great-grandson?
really.

Just as Yan Song expected.

Jiajing laughed and said, "Since you still don't have an idea at this time, I will give it a name."

Yan Song immediately bowed and said: "This is the blessing of my great-grandson."

Jiajing became more and more happy: "I think you have looked for countless classics everywhere. I won't quote any classics. How about giving the child an auspicious name? Let this child live a carefree and happy life!"

Yan Wuyou?
It does not cite any classics, but just takes the literal meaning.

Yan Song immediately raised his head and smiled: "With the name bestowed by Your Majesty today, this child will surely live a life without worries."

Jiajing burst into laughter.

This is one of the many benefits of being an emperor.

He smiled and waved his hand: "It's getting late, let's all go back. When the time comes, I will take my grandson to play with the great-grandson of the elder, so that the two children can have each other's company."

The emperor has high expectations.

Yan Song remained calm and agreed to the matter.

Only Guo Pu and Ouyang Bijin had their minds rekindled.

As Hai Rui's latest appointment was finalized, Yan Song and others left Xiyuan.

The decree was quickly drawn up.

Soon, the person who came out from Xiyuan to convey the imperial edict found Xu Fu Lane.

This was also the time when Hai Rui had been questioning Xu Jie one step back in public, forcing him to do so.

"Hai Yushi!"

"The Emperor's order!"

The eunuch's shout made Xu Jie feel relieved.

He had long been aware of Hai Rui's character as an official, but he had never imagined that one day, when he and Hai Rui were face to face, the other party would actually attack him right from the start.

Who the hell can stand this?

How can I answer this?

There is not even the slightest room for maneuver. Every move he makes is a powerful one, and every move he makes is a powerful one when he gets close to me. I can't handle this even if I spend half my career in the officialdom.

The arrival of the eunuch finally saved him from the predicament.

Faced with the imperial edict, Hai Rui could only take two steps back and kneel on the ground.

"Your Highness Hai Rui, respectfully requests the Imperial Edict."

The eunuch stepped forward, with a hint of doubt in his heart.

He first saluted to Xu Jie, and then opened the imperial edict and read the contents to Hai Rui.

When the imperial edict was revealed, Xu Jie's face sank again.

Everything about Hai Rui's appointment seemed to be going according to his plan.

But it's completely different.

First of all, the emperor's order came down before he had anyone submitted a memorial to advise him.

Secondly, he had originally planned to have Hai Rui work in the Censorate and concurrently serve as the prefect of Shuntian. But now, without his knowledge, there was another Northern Zhili Censor.

"I thank you and accept your order."

At this time, Hai Rui had already stood up, holding the imperial edict in his hand, and looked at Xu Jie again.

The eunuch who delivered the imperial edict seemed to know Hai Rui's reputation and left without asking for any reward.

But Hai Rui had already spoken: "This eunuch has not received the reward yet, please stay for a while."

This person was recommended by Lord Yan and is an official valued by the master.

The eunuch who delivered the imperial edict did not dare to disobey, so he seemed a little nervous and stood there awkwardly.

But Hai Rui looked at Xu Jie with a smile on his face.

"I have just arrived in Beijing, and everything is still unsettled. I have no place to live, and I am short of money."

"But Lord Xu is rich in a prefecture and supported by hundreds of thousands of people. I think his family must be rich. I wonder if you can give this reward to me?"

…………

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(End of this chapter)