Zhu Hui still didn't borrow Lin Heng and Wang Lingzhi.

Chen Xi sent a scout team of 100 people to escort. This scout team was the elite force under Chen Xi. He was cultivated by him and was basically a veteran transferred from Huguang and Jiangxi.

After taking office as governor of the Three Borders, at the end of the year and at the beginning of the year, Chen Xi transferred 3,000 soldiers from Huguang and Jiangxi to Sanbian, consciously cultivating his own strength in the border troops.

Next, he was preparing to transfer Jing Yue, Feng Zhaoyuan and others to the northwest to serve. These people were his old subordinates, so that his power in the border army could be more stable.

If you have no direct troops in the northwest, you will be restricted from doing anything. The generals and commanders are mostly nobles in the court. The purpose of these people in the northwest is to make achievements and get promoted and make money. Whoever is blocking the way will fight with force.

After Zhu Hui and Wang Shouren left, the three sides officially became the territory of Chenxi, but many generals and officials had not completely surrendered.

Especially after the trilateral financial review came to an end, nearly one million taels of silver were found in the last period, which became the source of many people's grudge against Chenxi.

Chen Xi promised to let go of the group of civil and military officials under his command, but Wang Shouren's final thorough investigation made many people suspect that Chen Xi was secretly making trouble.

Even though he didn't think so, Zhu Hui was sowing trouble before leaving, which made people suspicious.

There is nothing to worry about here in Chen Xi... So what if you know I did it?

I once said that you will be honest and you will not blame the stolen money for withdrawing the stolen money for your crimes. How did you do it? Just perfunctory, the stolen money is only a small part of the stolen money, and you still want me to forgive me?

No way!

This time, the matter has established some prestige for Chen Xi. Zhang An and others are respectful to Chen Xi. In the eyes of the upper-level generals, Chen Xi did a great job in this matter. The fire did not spread to the upper-level officials, but only pulled some middle and lower-level officials out as scapegoats. Moreover, these scapegoats were mainly "reported" by Zhu Hui. Chen Xi just wanted to help Wang Shouren take people.

Chen Xi is ready to pick out all the borers in the three-sided officialdom in the next year.

The investigation of the deficit of money and grain initiated by Shen Xi is not to eradicate the financial disadvantages at one time, but to prevent Liu Jin from taking advantage of the situation. Once Zhu Hui leaves the northwest, any financial deficit will be exposed, he will only bear it himself. Chen Xi is not willing to take this risk no matter what.

Just when Shen Xi felt that nothing big should happen next and was preparing to train troops, another news came from the court, which cast a shadow on the three sides of the officialdom—

Liu Jin was still in dispersed and did not take advantage of the deficits of border troops in the past ten years. Instead, he wanted to investigate the deficits of the nine borders over the past ten years, and was preparing to bear the deficits with the governor, governor, and civil and military officials at all levels who served in the northwest at that time, in the name of checking for shortcomings and filling in leaks and reducing the burden on the treasury.

Although the fiscal deficit in the past ten years has nothing to do with Chen Xi’s penny, it has a great impact and will inevitably affect the stability of the Northwest officialdom.

The main purpose of Liu Jin's large-scale investigation of financial problems was to cause trouble for Chen Xi, so that Chen Xi could not live in the northwest, so he had no time to take care of the palace.

...

...

It was said that it was an investigation, but the investigators could not reach the three sides for a while. This time, it was no longer the people in the six ministries who were responsible, but the factory guards sent by Liu Jin.

At this time, there was still a Jinyiwei in the northwest who was stuck in the middle of the world. It was Jiang Liwei who had been struggling with Chen Xi before and had been in Yulin Weicheng and dared not return to Beijing.

Jiang Liwei was in an awkward situation. He first sent to the northwest to fight against Liu Jin with the relatives of Zhang and Zhang Yuan, but before leaving the capital, he hooked up with Liu Jin and took on the task of investigating the corruption case. The reason for changing his political stance is that Jiang Liwei and Chen Xi have a grudge. He racked his brains to frame Chen Xi, and even secretly contacted Zhu Hui, but unfortunately it was difficult to get what he wanted.

He could not go back to work with Zhang's relatives, nor could he give credit to Liu Jin. He could only stay in the northwest and try to find evidence of Chen Xi's illegality.

It’s not that Jiang Liwei doesn’t want to leave, but she can’t leave. She is like a stray dog ​​who thinks Chen Xi doesn’t know what he is going to hide, and she hides in the city, like a clown jumping.

Even though Chen Xi knew what this person was doing and where the person was, he was too lazy to pay attention to it. After three months, Chen Xi did not care much about the special envoy sent by the court to investigate the case, and focused all on Lin Heng and Wang Ling's training.

...

...

Capital.

After March, Liu Jin became more and more adept at handling the government affairs.

A large sum of money had already filled the warehouse, and there were new items every day. No one in the court dared to disrespect him, and even others dared to call him by his name, and even did not dare to write his name on paper. Those double-choice "red versions" memorials were all under the name of "Eunuch Liu" and became official regulations.

Those in power can decide everything.

Liu Jin deeply understood this point. He was the one who was responsible for all matters in the court. The emperor did not care about it. Even if he went to court occasionally, he would not care about it.

At first, someone reported to Liu Jin, but the impeachment failed several times. Then these people were retaliated by Liu Jin and were imprisoned one after another. The court officials finally learned to be smart. No matter who he is in power, they turned a blind eye and passed it.

In addition, the court has changed a little. Every time Zhu Houzhao was about to come to the court, Qian Ning would first enter the Ganqing Palace hall. As the Jinyiwei Qianhu, he stood on the side of the court, and unknowingly he had the qualification to follow the government.

Qian Ning had just appeared on this day, and the ministers were neatly listed outside the Ganqing Palace. Soon, Zhu Houzhao came late while yawning.

When Zhu Houzhao saw the court officials, he waved his hand and said, "It's right for all the ministers to come in and talk."

March Tian said it was cold or not, but it was not that warm. Most of the ministers were old ministers over 60 years old, and they all entered the Ganqing Palace tremblingly.

Zhu Houzhao sat on the dragon chaise, and the ministers saluted respectfully, "Long live long!"

"It's exempt." Zhu Houzhao seemed very impatient. "If there is any important matter, let's talk about it now. If there is no major event, just hand over the court affairs to Eunuch Liu. If there is any difficult memorial or involves military affairs in the Northwest, tell me back."

Zhu Houzhao was concise and finished what he should say in an instant.

Don’t bother me. If you have something to bother Liu Jin, I’m very busy and have no time to listen to you.

Liu Jin responded first, then looked at the ministers present and said, "Are you a good job reporting?"

I asked twice in a row, but no one answered.

Zhu Houzhao nodded, as if he was very satisfied with the ministers' "knowing the face". The ministers waited here for two hours, and they could say goodbye in less than a cup of tea.

Just as Zhu Houzhao was about to get up and go back to the back bedroom, go to bed and have a good sleep to deal with the evening's flower and wine, Xu Jin, the Minister of Personnel, walked out and said, "Your Majesty, the old minister has something to do."

When Liu Jin's power was inflated, the court officials did not dare to confront Liu Jin head-on, and could only expect Xie Qian or Xu Jin to come out and take the lead. One of them was the chief minister and the other was the Minister of Personnel. As the two with the highest official positions and reputation in the court, if Xie Qian fails to do anything, Xu Jin must bear the brunt.

When Zhu Houzhao heard Xu Jin's words, she couldn't help but frown. Her half-raised butt fell back on the chair. She looked at Xu Jin and then asked, "Xu Qing family, what are you doing to start the song? Try to be simple and clear. I don't want to listen to your long-winded words. It's better to finish what you want to play in one sentence."

Xu Jin saluted respectfully and then asked: "The old minister wants to participate in the eunuch Liu Jin, the chief eunuch!"

It was true that there was a word, and there was no pause in the middle. When he said that, Zhu Houzhao was stunned, and then Liu Jin's face changed.

Although Liu Jin has been in power for some time and has criticized a lot of criticism in the court after he abusing his power, even if someone wanted to participate in Liu Jin before, he would take advantage of the situation and dare not directly say that he would pull Liu Jin off the horse and confront him head-on.

This time, Xu Jin was different. He did not attack the court, but directly pointed the finger at Liu Jin. When Xu Jin took out the memorial, Liu Jin was a little panicked. After all, he was impeached in public and was requested by the Minister of Personnel, which made him feel that the pressure increased greatly.

This pressure mainly comes from no preparation in advance.

Zhu Houzhao glanced at Liu Jin in a sideways, then nodded and said, "Shangshu Xu, I already know that you are involved in Eunuch Liu. As the chief of the Secretariat, he doesn't seem to have much contact with you. What's wrong with you?"

In his words, Zhu Houzhao was very partial to Liu Jin, which made Xu Jin feel that this impeachment was not that easy, but he still gritted his teeth and reported:

"When you go back to your Majesty, Liu Jin was domineering and repeatedly scolded the court officials. He did not perform the responsibility of the court officials in the name of the court officials, and interfered in the court affairs repeatedly, which was a violation."

To participate in Liu Jin, there must be a legitimate reason, and Xu Jin began to list Liu Jin's crimes.

What kind of crime is the greatest? Of course, it involves disobedience and disobedience to impersonate imperial power. Xu Jin has figured it out. Those who sell official positions and titles were said to be done by Liu Jin, but Zhu Houzhao turned a blind eye to it and didn't care much. If Liu Jin was impeached for these things, the effect would not be obvious.

Xie Qian also knew this truth well, so he knew that when Liu Jin sold official positions and titles, he still kept silent because the result of this matter would implicate the emperor.

Xie Qian glanced at Xu Jin and thought to himself: "You, Mr. Xu, are quite knowledgeable. You know that you may have a little chance of reporting from Liu Jin to report things."

Even if Xie Qian agreed with Xu Jin's approach, he did not intend to follow up, but watched the fire from the sidelines.

Sure enough, when Xu Jin talked about Liu Jin's interference in the government and scolding the ministers, Zhu Houzhao looked unhappy and said that you, Liu Jin, are just a eunuch, helping me with work. As a result, you roared at my ministers and interfered in the government. Who is the emperor?

Zhu Houzhao asked, "Eunuch Liu, is it true that Xu Shangshu's case for you?"

When Liu Jin heard that there was not much reprimand in the emperor's tone, he felt relieved and said respectfully: "Go back to Your Majesty, I did do some slightly outrageous things..."

With such a frank answer, Xu Jin didn't expect that no one could guess it.

When Zhu Houzhao heard this, she was slightly stunned and then continued to ask: "Why do you want to overthrow the court officials and even interfere in the affairs of the court?"

Liu Jin seemed very unfair: "Your Majesty, I am in charge of the rituals and ceremonies. I have to ask about all the affairs of the court. The memorial is mainly based on the three old masters' votes. I just do my duty. If I don't understand anything, I should always ask about the corps and corps. If there is something wrong, I should ask about the corps. If there is something that I can't do well, I will inevitably say a bit heavier. If those adults think I am talking too much, I will apologize here."

Hearing Liu Jin's words, many ministers present wanted to kill him.

Xu Jin, Xie Qian and others thought: "Liu Jin is so cunning and not cunning. He pleads guilty to the emperor when he comes up, and then he looks so innocent. He even said that he would admit his mistakes to the court officials. With such a frank attitude, no more punishment will be added if any emperor is replaced."

Zhu Houzhao seemed to be singing a double act with Liu Jin, nodding and said, "In this way, it's all right for you to do things. If you just say a few heavy words or ask about things, it's not a mistake. I won't scold you. Shangshu Xu, if you impeach Eunuch Liu for this, then let him admit his mistake with you, and the matter will be concluded."

After saying that, Zhu Houzhao planned to get up and leave.

Xu Jin quickly recounted: "Your Majesty, Liu Jin scolded the ministers in the court, and even cursed them wantonly. The world has a view that His Majesty is the emperor and Liu Jin is the emperor. If this continues, I am afraid that someone will plan to usurp the throne."

When Zhu Houzhao heard this, she blinked and immediately sat upright on her butt, looked at Xu Jin, and while she was thinking about it, Liu Jin began to refute.

Liu Jin seemed respectful before, but at this moment, he pointed at Xu Jin angrily and cursed: "Shangshu Xu, our family respects you as an old minister. He is diligent in the Ming Dynasty and dare not abolish it. He admits his mistakes to you. However, you are aggressive and disturbing the Shengshen with nonsense..."

"Our family is just a helpless eunuch in the inner palace, dedicated to serving the country. Just because the Ministry of Personnel's assessment did not cater to your wishes, you actually slandered our family so much, and said that our family was determined to rebel, so where was the intention?"

Liu Jin and Xu Jin no longer had the same warmth as before. At this time, they were facing each other. If they were not in the court, it would be possible that the two of them would have fought.

Any court official would understand that any corruption and abuse of power Liu Jin did was a minor problem, but if it was involved in endangering the imperial power, even if the emperor favored him, it would be a dead end.

Xu Jin attacked Liu Jin with folk sayings, which was considered to be the master of Liu Jin's life. Zhu Houzhao felt a turmoil after hearing this. He used to be dedicated to protecting Liu Jin, but now he was sitting there frowning and thinking deeply, not even saying a word of comment.

Liu Jin was very anxious and quickly expressed his loyalty to Zhu Houzhao: "...Your Majesty, you must believe in Laozi. Laozi has absolutely no intention of usurpation or rebellion. Laozi just wants to assist you so that the Ming Dynasty can continue its prosperous era...Woooo..."

When fighting with Liu Jian and Li Dongyang, Liu Jin knew that Zhu Houzhao was soft-hearted, so he knelt down and cried to get Zhu Houzhao's sympathy.

Zhu Houzhao frowned: "Get up, you're so old, you're crying like you're crying. This is the Qianqing Palace, not the place where you make trouble."

It sounded like a rebuke, but in fact, Zhu Houzhao still softened his heart and thought to himself: "If Liu Jin had an act of usurpation, maybe it was true. Now I don't care about the affairs of the court, and I don't know what he does. Just listening to him say in front of me, it might be possible to be deceived by him. But it would be a bit irrelevant to say that he wants to be the emperor. He is a eunuch, and he will be the emperor. Who will pass the throne to after his death? All the civil and military ministers in the court will obey the orders of a eunuch?"

Liu Jin still refused to get up, knelt on the ground, did not cry loudly, but kept wiping his tears.

Just at this moment, Liu Yu, the Minister of War, stood up and said, "Reply to Your Majesty, I have something to say about Xu Shaofu's participation."

Zhu Houzhao said: "What do you mean by Shangshu Liu? Just say it directly. I hate people going around the bush the most."

Liu Yu glanced at Xu Jin, pretended to be contemptuous, and said, "What Xu Shangshu said was just a scoundrel in the market, especially those around the capital were offended by Eunuch Liu's review of tax acres, deliberately creating public opinion. Eunuch Liu was in charge of the ritual supervision for only half a year, and had made the warehouses around the capital full of grain and the people were rich, but because of offending some people who embezzled and owed tax acres, these people slandered them everywhere!"

If this was said by Liu Jin himself, Zhu Houzhao would definitely not believe it, but Liu Yu, the Minister of War, said it, Zhu Houzhao would have to think about it.
To be continued...