Chapter 572: Yan Shifan Resigns

A strange scene occurred in the hall.

Everyone looked at Yan Shaoting with strange and curious eyes.

Although today's debate in Wenhua Hall cannot actually be regarded as a Confucian debate, Yan Shaoting was able to display his erudition so suddenly in such a short period of time. His remarks included not only the teachings of Confucian sages, but also the military strategists, Mohists, Legalists, and so on.

at this point.

That's what surprised everyone.

No matter how you say it.

After what happened today, Yan Shaoting will definitely be known as a learned man in the future.

After all, in this era, it is already very difficult to read the articles of Confucian sages, let alone the works of various philosophers.

At the same time, because of this reason, Gao Gong, Li Chunfang and others felt extremely heavy.

They are not afraid of a powerful official who can do his job well.

But it is unacceptable that a powerful official who is highly favored by the emperor is also proficient in the Four Books and Five Classics and various schools of thought.

However, Yan Shaoting, who was under the gaze of everyone, remained calm and composed.

At that time, I wanted to build a college in Changping and a library at the foot of the college mountain.

But it's not just for the sake of looking good, nor is it just for the sake of fame.

I can’t say I have read all the vast amount of books in the library, but at least I know that these books exist.

You can’t even read well, and you want to do other things?

Facing the surprised eyes of the crowd and under the smiling and eager gaze of the emperor.

Yan Shaoting smiled slightly and bowed: "Your Majesty, I am not the only one who thinks this, nor do I advocate civil affairs over military affairs. In my opinion, the state is like a person, and a person has four limbs. The civil and military ways are like a person's two feet, neither of which can be missing, just like a person's two arms, if one is missing, the person will be disabled."

After giving advice to the emperor.

Yan Shaoting turned around and looked at Gao Gong again. He behaved very politely, just like a subordinate and a junior.

He smiled and said, "The Prime Minister is in charge of the central government and is the chief minister of the cabinet. Naturally, he puts the country first and thinks about everything again and again. What I said today is not meant to criticize the Prime Minister. Thinking about it, the Prime Minister is also well aware that for the country, only enriching the people and strengthening the country, but not using weapons in hand, is not a long-term solution. The new borders of Hetao and Yinshan are like the newly reclaimed fields of our Han family. There must be straw men to scare away birds and fences to stop beasts. I don't want to urge the country to engage in militarism. The Five Military Commandery and various departments have discussed that the plan for the new border is not something that can be achieved easily. It will take three to five years. The country has the confidence to spend money and food, and it is worth spending this money and food!"

Gao Gong's eyes flickered.

In fact, this is the truth, just as Yan Shaoting said.

As Gao Gong and Gao Suqing, how could he not know that for a country to be truly strong, it must have a more powerful military force as a guarantee.

And at this moment.

His heart was also in turmoil.

Gao Gong was unwilling to admit that he was wrong.

But he knew that his words and actions today had become somewhat stressful because of the emperor's change in attitude.

It was impossible to bow my head.

However, Gao Gong still chose to raise his arms and bow, nodding to the emperor and saying, "I am afraid that the country's new expedition and new path will go wrong. My words are biased. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me. If the country really does not engage in excessive military aggression and only uses weapons to protect the border people, I will do my best to make the new border as solid as a rock and not allow the barbarian horse to cross the Yinshan Mountains!"

This is his attitude.

It is his attitude as Gao Gong, the Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty Cabinet.

Once we recover our lost territory, we will never allow the Hu horse to cross the Yinshan Mountains!

After hearing this, Zhu Zaigui's face immediately filled with smiles.

He was really afraid that his teacher in the palace, now the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, would have conflicts and contradictions due to different political views at the beginning of his reign, which would lead to disunity.

He also needed the Prime Minister to help him implement Gia Long's new policies in local prefectures and counties.

Look around at everyone present.

Zhu Zaigui knew very well that Gao Gong was the only one who could implement the details of Gia Long's new policies at the local level.

other people……

Either he does not have the ability, or it is not appropriate for him to step forward and take charge of the situation now.

Zhu Zaigui immediately chuckled, shook his head and waved his hands, saying: "The Prime Minister is worried about state affairs, how can I blame him. As the saying goes, the more you argue, the clearer the truth becomes. When the late emperor was in power, the ministers also had many arguments in the court, but what was the result? The late emperor had the ministers to follow him, so he launched a new policy to seek revival."

Seeing that the emperor's attitude towards him was still peaceful, Gao Gong secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He immediately turned to look at the three dukes present, as well as nobles such as Zhenyuan Marquis Gu Huan and people from the Five Military Governor's Office.

"Since the Five Military Commanders' Office has already discussed with the various ministries, and the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Works have always been diligent, I think there should be a conclusion on how to build the new border. Since I am the chief minister of the cabinet, I should personally review it and check and fill in the gaps with my colleagues in the cabinet. Now that my dynasty has launched a new policy, we, as ministers, should work together to achieve great things. We will stand on Yinshan Mountain and look north. In the future, we will ride on the northern desert and drink water from the vast sea, achieve unprecedented merits, and become capable ministers in the prosperous era!"

As Gao Gong made his final conclusion.

Everyone present bowed and saluted.

"I am willing to be driven by the Prime Minister to make the Ming Dynasty last forever!"

This is the status and authority of the Prime Minister of the Cabinet today.

Even when the emperor was present, these civil and military ministers still needed the prime minister's approval before they could do anything.

With the support and affirmation of the Prime Minister, things will naturally be much easier.

Seeing these people being so harmonious in front of him, Zhu Zaigui felt happy.

But at this moment.

Yan Shifan, who had not spoken today except for refuting Gao Gong, suddenly came out again.

His face was extremely solemn. He bowed deeply, then waved his official robe and knelt on the ground.

"I am the Minister of Justice, Yan Shifan."

"I beg the Emperor to grant my resignation as Minister of Justice."

Without waiting for the emperor to ask.

Yan Shifan continued, "Throughout history, there have been countless powerful ministers, and whenever there are powerful ministers, the court is in turmoil. Looking back at our dynasty, since our second ancestor, we have never seen a father and son in the court holding the six ministries. I was selected by the late emperor and trusted by the emperor. I am deeply terrified to be in charge of the Ministry of Justice. The Yan family has been blessed by the emperor for generations and has been loyal and good. For the sake of the stability of the country, the emperor's wisdom, and the stability of the court and the people, please allow me to resign."

A hint of surprise appeared on Zhu Zaigui's face.

He frowned and looked deeply at Yan Shifan who was kneeling in front of him to resign.

Gao Gong, on the other hand, smiled and nodded silently.

Although Yan Shifan had been controversial in the past, he actually did the right thing today.

Originally, because the emperor promoted Yan Shaoting to the position of Minister of Rites, and Yan Shifan was the Minister of Punishments, Gao Gong was very hesitant and didn't know how to solve this problem while the old Grand Tutor Yan Song was still alive.

It is truly commendable that Yan Shifan can bring this up on his own initiative.

However, Li Chunfang cursed secretly in his heart.

If Yan Shifan doesn't do this today, I will have someone submit a petition tomorrow to impeach the Yan family for having two ministers from the same family.

Now Yan Shifan took the initiative to resign, unexpectedly disrupting his plan.

Even Gao Yi, after observing Gao Gong for a while, smiled and looked at Yan Shifan, saying, "Minister Yan, you are too kind. What Shaobao Yan said today about the country shows the loyalty of the Yan family. Although our dynasty has never seen two ministers in one family, we cannot say that Minister Yan is a powerful official. Besides, now is the time for the country to recruit people, and the new policy urgently needs concerted efforts from all quarters. Since Minister Yan took charge of the Ministry of Justice, the criminal cases in the country have been smooth, and there are few unjust, false and wrong cases. How can he resign at this time?"

"Don't break the rules!"

Yan Shifan's words were confident, his face was solemn, and his voice was powerful.

He still raised his arms and clasped his fists: "There has never been two ministers in one family in our dynasty, and I cannot break this rule. Today, I am resigning not to delay the new policy, nor to retreat in order to advance, nor do I intend to buy it. If Your Majesty does not agree, I will follow the example of the ancient sages and resign."

When Yan Shifan said he wanted to resign and leave, even Yan Shaoting was shocked and looked surprised.

The fact that Yan Shifan could say this shows that he was really determined to resign.

For a while.

Yan Shaoting could not help but feel puzzled, and he also had a little more respect for Yan Shifan. After all, everyone knew that the young cabinet minister was a complete official fanatic who loved to manipulate power.

Now he has made it clear that he wants to resign.

Compared with the past, it is very different.

Even Zhu Zaigui was shocked. He could still tell whether what Yan Shifan said was true or false.

But Yan Shifan really wanted to resign from the post of Minister of Justice.

This was really too sudden.

For a moment, Zhu Zaigui looked hesitant.

Yan Shifan remained silent, with his head held high and his eyes determined.

It seemed that if he couldn't resign from this position today, he would never be able to get up from his knees again.

at last.

After a long silence.

Hu Zongxian suddenly said, "Your Majesty, the fact that Minister Yan has such an ambition is enough to prove that the Yan family is full of loyal people. Although the court is in need of talents now, the loyalty of Minister Yan cannot be ignored. Two ministers in one family is just as Minister Yan said. In order to prevent the loyal and good people from being attacked for no reason by villains, and to ensure that the emperor and Minister Yan are in a good relationship, I think Your Majesty should approve Minister Yan's request."

Yan Shifan immediately smiled, looked sideways, and bowed to Hu Zongxian: "Mr. Hu has a wise and discerning eye."

Zhu Zaigui's face became more and more hesitant. He glanced at everyone present again, as if hoping that someone could help him solve this problem.

Immediately.

Zhao Zhenji also stepped out and bowed: "Minister Yan does not want to be a powerful minister who is slandered by villains. He wants to preserve the reputation of the emperor as a wise and wise monarch. This is the heart of a minister to protect the monarch, and the emperor should also preserve the intention of the minister to be loyal. Once this matter is over, the emperor and Minister Yan are a perfect match for each other, which will naturally spread throughout the world and be recorded in the annals of history. The emperor should give Minister Yan the opportunity to leave his name in history."

A light laugh came from the hall.

Everyone looked at Zhao Zhenji with a smile and nodded slightly.

It is no wonder that Lord Zhao Zhenji is the most eloquent person in the court.

This is indeed a beautiful statement.

Jokingly, this gave Yan Shifan a reason to resign.

It also gave the emperor a reason to nod in agreement.

Zhu Zaigui opened his mouth slightly, but was still a little hesitant.

Gao Gong suddenly said, "Minister Yan's loyalty to the emperor is evident to all. However, your majesty's love for talent is also known to the world. Your Majesty should allow Minister Yan to resign from the post of Minister of Justice, and issue another decree to select another official position for Minister Yan."

Yan Shifan resigned as the Minister of Justice, no matter what his purpose was, but the position of the Minister of Justice naturally became vacant. As long as he did something, he could naturally let a large number of people from his faction be promoted one after another.

Zhu Zaigui kept rubbing the ring he was wearing with his fingers, his brows furrowed.

Waiting in the eyes of everyone.

After a while.

Zhu Zaigui slowly spoke: "Yan Qing is loyal and good, and heaven and earth can bear witness to it. I must reward you. From today on, you will be given the title of Prince Taifu and transferred to the position of Jijiu of the Imperial College."

After finishing speaking.

He did not give the others a chance to speak, but looked up at Gao Gong with a smile on his face: "Master Gao, do you think my arrangement is appropriate?"

Gao Gong's body moved slightly.

This was one of the rare times that the emperor called himself "Master Gao" after he ascended the throne.

Gao Gong smiled and hesitated for a moment before nodding and saying, "Your Majesty is so fair and just."

Yan Shifan breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as you are not the Minister of Justice, it will be fine.

He immediately kowtowed to accept the order and express his gratitude.

Gao Gong, however, looked at the emperor silently.

The Prince's Tutor was one of the three teachers and three junior officials in the Eastern Palace, a first-rank official title, and was a prestigious one. The Imperial College's Jijiu was only a fourth-rank official position, and was only responsible for supervising students.

But there was one thing he remembered.

The right to select students for the recommendation system for potential officials, which has been implemented for several years, is still in the hands of the chief academic officer of the Imperial College.

In recent years, as more and more juren and xiucai entered local government offices through the system of waiting for officials, the Imperial College has gradually become known as the Ministry of Personnel.

The fact that Yan Shifan was allowed to go to the Imperial College also shows that the emperor still favors the Yan family.

However, even though Gao Gong thought of this, he did not intend to stop it.

Even though the Imperial College was known as a small Ministry of Personnel, it was not a real Ministry of Personnel after all.

If Yan Shifan resigned from the post of Minister of Justice, he could arrange for his subordinates to take over the Ministry of Justice and also promote a group of people to official positions one after another.

Come to think of it, this is what I need most right now.

This matter is over.

The atmosphere in Wenhua Hall also returned to normal.

Since the purpose was to discuss the new border, the discussion naturally focused on the two towns of Hetao and Yinshan.

Issues such as how many troops should be stationed there, how many prefectures and counties should be set up, and how many years should be allocated to build the Great Wall, the Six Towns City, and the Acropolis north of the Yin Mountains all need to be discussed in detail.

But generally speaking, there is basically no need to argue about these issues. The most is that when it comes to hiring, each party wants to place people from their own faction.

But personnel arrangements will have to wait until later.

It was not until the news that the Mongols had presented the Emperor to the Heavenly Khan reached outside the palace and a second round of fireworks and firecrackers were set off in Beijing to celebrate that everyone left the Wenhua Hall.

Walking on the way out of the palace.

Yan Shaoting always looked curiously at the back of Yan Shifan who was walking in front of him.

He was very curious about the reason that made the other party willing to resign from his post as Minister of Justice.

Wait until the father and son leave the imperial city.

After Yan Shifan boarded the carriage waiting outside the palace gate, he smiled slightly and said, "Four words."

Yan Shaoting looked puzzled.

I don’t know why Yan Shifan suddenly said this, and what the four words he wanted to say were.

Yan Shifan's eyes sparkled as he looked up and down at his eldest son who followed him into the carriage. The smile on his face became more and more intense, and he nodded from time to time.

Wait until the carriage starts moving.

Yan Shifan then took out a copy of the Spring and Autumn Annals from the bookcase on the carriage and began to read it, and he slowly spoke.

"Too much is too little."

Yan Shaoting's heart moved, but his brows were tightly furrowed.

These were the four words Yan Shifan wanted to say, and he also completely understood the reason why the other party resigned.

This is making way for yourself.

Paving the way for yourself!

The price was that Yan Shifan, a man who had been known as the Little Prime Minister in the Ming Dynasty since the Jiajing period, resigned from his post as the Minister of Justice.

For a moment, Yan Shaoting didn't know how to start.

Yan Shifan just smiled and shook his head, then continued to read the Spring and Autumn Annals.

…………

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(End of this chapter)