Chapter 99                                                             �

When Zhou Mengchen came to Jiajing, Jiajing actually knew that Li Chunfang fell ill.

So when Zhou Mengchen reported, Jiajing had no unnecessary reaction at all. This was as expected, and even when Jiajing scolded Li Chunfang, he had already had a premonition of this matter. The only uncertain thing was how Li Chunfang used to rescue himself from this embarrassing situation.

It seems that pretending to be sick is quite smart.

Jiajing was different from usual. This time he did not meet Zhou Mengchen in Yichun Palace. Instead, he sat in a wheelchair and let Huang Jin push slowly and move slowly in the path of Xiyuan. The lake and mountains were in a while. The wind passed by the three seas, bringing a trace of water vapor, and the sun shone like silk, which was quite gentle. The weather was very good.

It also seemed to be silencing the seriousness of the two's conversation.

Jiajing did not ask Li Chunfang about it, nor did he make any comments on the changes in the cabinet. Instead, he raised another question and said: "Why did Xu Jie retire?"

Zhou Mengchen said, "I don't know."

Jiajing said, "Let's talk about it for now."

Zhou Mengchen actually admired Xu Jie's resignation. On the one hand, he admired Xu Jie's ability to let go if he said he could let go. Zhou Mengchen might not have such courage. On the other hand, Xu Jie's arrangements have achieved the best of both planning for the country and self-scheming.

But these words are not very good to say to Jiajing.

How to count? The biggest reason for Xu Jie's retirement was that he was afraid that if he continued to do it, he would repeat the mistakes of the chief minister before. Unless he died of illness and went to office, he would not have any good endings.

However, Zhou Mengchen also knew what kind of person Jiajing was.

I guess Jiajing had already figured it out at this moment. After thinking about it, Zhou Mengchen remembered the feeling of seeing Jiajing for the first time. It is difficult to lie in Jiajing like this. It is best to tell the truth.

Zhou Mengchen said, "Your Majesty, Mr. Xu is probably worried that he will not be safe in his later years."

Jiajing sneered and said, "Xu Jie is selfish and has no loyalty. Look at his disciples, who are a person like Li Chunfang, and he still wants to be my chief assistant, which is not qualified at all."

Although Jiajing was mean, it has to be admitted that Jiajing had a good vision of selecting talents. At least Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng and other groups of people all made their mark in the Jiajing Dynasty. Most of the chief assistants of the Jiajing Dynasty were above the level. Even though Yan Song did the opposite, Yan Song was not without skills.

It’s just that Zhou Mengchen cannot defend himself.

It’s not that Zhou Mengchen defended Xu Jie, but that Zhou Mengchen has already taken over the role of the prime minister at this moment. He is not defending Xu Jie, but defending the Ming Dynasty prime minister.

Zhou Mengchen took a deep breath and said, "Your Majesty, Mr. Xu has been in power for so many years, and it is obvious to all the world. There is something wrong with suddenly resigning. But it is wrong to say that he has no loyalty. It is just that people prefer their children as old as they are."

Jiajing said, "Yes, so you exchanged the position of chief minister for the wealth of the Xu family. Are you sure you can keep the wealth of the Xu family?"

Zhou Mengchen felt a little nervous, but Jiajing knew about the transaction between Xu Jie and himself. He was also prepared.

He said, "Your Majesty, this matter is not in my memory, but in Mr. Xu. Your Majesty knows that I have no choice. If Your Majesty wants to pursue Mr. Xu's crime, I have nothing to say and I am willing to be the same. It's just that I have a heartfelt word. Please allow your Majesty to submit it in person."

Jiajing said, "Say."

Zhou Mengchen said: "Your Majesty, it is normal for Mr. Xu to be afraid. Even the ministers also have fear. All officials miss Emperor Hongzhi. It is not without a reason."

Jiajing sneered and said, "Do you think I am not upright in my position or be mean and rude?"

Zhou Mengchen immediately knelt down in front of Jiajing and said, "Your Majesty asks, but I dare not refuse to give a direct advice. I think it is not Your Majesty's problem, but the cabinet's problem."

Jiajing's anger slightly relieved.

In fact, Jiajing was not so angry. The reason why he was so angry was not because Zhou Mengchen did anything. It was because he lost control of the situation in the court. After Xu Jie replaced Yan Song for several years, Jiajing went from getting the political situation to the direction he wanted. As a result, Xu Jie left the trap in the last moment. He suddenly became seriously ill. Naturally, he had no energy to think about these things. However, the situation in the court was not changed by Jiajing's thoughts.

It has become a foregone conclusion that Zhou Mengchen defeated Li Chunfang.

Anyone who monopolizes the power is uncomfortable for Jiajing, including Zhou Mengchen.

But he was angry, and there was no way. This powerlessness made Jiajing even more angry. He was angry that his body could not hold on at critical moments, and he was also angry that he was so angry that he was actually in such a predicament.

Even Jiajing had a crazy idea in his heart, wanting to have a big reshuffle.

Jiajing survived the Zuoshun Sect's Incident. Now, at worst, you can kill a few Shangshu and a few Grand Secretary. There is always a way.

But Jiajing also hesitated.

It was not that Jiajing was conscientious and felt guilty about harming loyal and kind-hearted people. But he was worried that this would be effective?

As for whether Jiajing knew whether he was mean and merciful? How could he not know this? But he regarded all the ministers as tools. Some tools lasted for a long time. They were like a pen, and they had more or less a little emotional. But when they were really about to break, there would be no hesitation.

Naturally, Jiajing had never thought about these people, and even had to squeeze out the value of each person before letting go. As for what they would encounter in the future, it was not what Jiajing cared about.

Now Zhou Mengchen changed his voice and said it was a problem with the cabinet. Although he felt that Zhou Mengchen was flattering him, he was willing to listen and said, "What's the problem with the cabinet?"

Zhou Mengchen said: "The cabinet was originally intended for consultants, but in recent decades, the power of the cabinet has been increasing. Although it is called the chief minister, it is actually a minister. However, the cabinet's power is only a fifth rank. The charter is extremely vague, and many things are determined by people. The original cabinet's charter has become a piece of paper. Without a charter, it means that the cabinet has no rules. It can be said that everything can be managed and nothing can be managed. The power is so great that it can surpass the prime ministers of the Tang and Song dynasties, and the power is lighter, but it is just a mere minister. Because of this, Your Majesty is worried, and there are also intrigues in the cabinet, such as Xu Gong, who is naturally worried."

"This is a problem that is not worthy of its name."

After hearing this, Jiajing said, "No, not bad. That's exactly."

Jiajing was naturally very happy to hear Zhou Mengchen wash himself white and tender. And it sounded very reasonable. Even if he said it, no one would say anything wrong.

It can be seen from this that flattery requires skill. Zhou Mengchen's 20 years of flattery made Jiajing happy.

Of course, what Zhou Mengchen said is not unreasonable.

The power of the cabinet can be very small. When Jiajing first took over the chief minister, he was often relaxed. But it could be extremely great. Zhang Juzheng claimed that he was "not a minister, but a real person." This shows that Zhang Juzheng had amazing power in the early years of Wanli.

Of course, the power of the cabinet is so strange. In fact, there is a reason. That is, with the expansion of imperial power.

The cabinet not only wants to share the work for the emperor, but also does not have detailed power regulations, so that the emperor can get back power at any time. In essence, it is the reason why the emperor is the only one who respects the imperial power and does not want to share power with others.

When Jiajing was young and energetic, he never felt that there was anything wrong with the cabinet system. Now that he was not energetic, many things were burdens for Jiajing. He also complained about his ministers and refused to be loyal to his affairs and became a sacrifice to the country.

Seeing this, Zhou Mengchen said, "Since your Majesty thinks that my words are reasonable, I would like to change the cabinet constitution so that the superiors and subordinates can be at peace and good and bad. There is a place for the great affairs of the court."

After hearing this, Jiajing was silent for a moment and said, "Emperor Taizu has a lesson: Those who dare to speak out to become prime ministers will die. Zhou Mengchen, do you want to die?"

Zhou Mengchen only felt that the hairs on his back were standing up. Even though he knew that Jiajing might not really want to kill him, Jiajing did have this ability. How could Jiajing not be afraid? But the more this happens, Zhou Mengchen would be more calm and said, "Your Majesty, is there really no appearance in the Ming Dynasty now?"
Chapter completed!