It was going to be the New Year soon, and there weren't many things to do in the imperial court. No one looked for Zhu Yijun for some unimportant matters, so Zhu Yijun had some free time.
Although the weather wasn't good this year, the imperial court was rich, so many things weren't a problem.
However, there was one more thing that Zhu Yijun needed to intervene in before the New Year, and that was the Imperial Censorate.
The Imperial Censorate had become a sore point for Zhu Yijun now. It was attacking this and that all day long, and it was killing him.
Fortunately, the previously arranged candidates were already in place. One was Wang Zhuan, and the other was Wang Jiaping. Although both of them had the surname Wang, they weren't related.
Compared to Wang Jiaping, Wang Zhuan was more famous.
The current Nanjing Imperial Censorate was the Left Imperial Censorate, which was also the Chancellor. However, his reputation wasn't very good.
Wang Zhuan was one of Zhang Juzheng's people. After Zhang Juzheng fell from power, Wang Zhuan was one of the people who was punished.
Compared to Wang Shizhen and the Geng brothers in Jiangnan, Wang Zhuan wasn't really a clean person.
In fact, Wang Zhuan didn't dare to use the real clean person, such as Wang Shizhen, who was suspected to be the author of "Jin Ping Mei", Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng.
Speaking of which, Zhu Yijun was really interested in this matter. In history, the identity of this Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng had always been an unsolved mystery.
Now that he had a chance, it seemed like a good idea to figure this matter out.
However, given his current identity as the Emperor, if he sent someone to look for a pornographic novel, he might be criticized if word got out!
Although later generations had affirmed the literary and artistic value of "Jin Ping Mei", this book didn't have a very good reputation in this era.
Sitting on the throne, Zhu Yijun's imagination ran wild, but there was no expression on his face.
In fact, for Zhu Yijun, this ability had long been cultivated to great success, and he could basically hide his emotions.
Not long after, Wang Zhuan walked in with Zhang Jing leading the way. This was the first time Zhu Yijun saw Wang Zhuan.
He looked like a skinny old man in his fifties, but he looked quite spirited.
After entering the main hall, Wang Zhuan knelt on the ground and bowed to Zhu Yijun.
All the way from Nanjing, Wang Zhuan had been feeling uneasy. The Imperial Censorate of the Imperial Censorate, Chen Zhao, had been punished, and the court was in an uproar. Everyone was fighting over this position, and Wang Zhuan had never thought that this position would fall into his hands.
Although there didn't seem to be anything major happening in the capital, anyone with a discerning eye could see that a huge storm was brewing in the imperial court.
The one who pushed this storm forward was the young emperor in front of him. The matter of the officials and gentry paying taxes as one had already caused an uproar.
Although it had been carried out, it would take at least ten years to maintain a stable transition and be accepted.
This was assuming that there were no major changes in the next ten years. Would this young Son of Heaven have the patience to wait?
"Get up," Zhu Yijun raised his head and said with a smile, "You've worked hard all the way here!"
"It's my duty!"
Wang Zhuan hurriedly bowed. Although he had been highly regarded by Zhang Juzheng, and this young emperor was Zhang Juzheng's student, this was the first time Wang Zhuan had come into contact with this young emperor, so he had to be cautious.
Zhu Yijun nodded. He had summoned Wang Zhuan to show that he valued Wang Zhuan, and also to test him.
Zhu Yijun had his own plans for the Imperial Censorate, but he didn't know what Wang Zhuan was thinking for the time being.
Although he had his eyes on him, it still depended on whether Wang Zhuan's attitude was satisfactory.
Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Zhuan and said, "Wang, I'm sure you have heard about the Imperial Censorate, right?"
"Your Majesty, I've heard about it!" Wang Zhuan nodded and bowed.
Zhu Yijun nodded. "The Imperial Censorate is responsible for inspecting, impeaching the officials, clarifying the injustice, supervising the various departments, and serving as the Son of Heaven's eyes and ears."
"The ministers are treacherous, the villains are in cahoots with each other, the officials are despicable, greedy, corrupt, corrupt official discipline, the scholars are not upright, the scholars are disorderly, the rules and regulations are disrupted, and those who attempt to use them are all impeached. They have the authority to make a memorial."
"In the event of a pilgrimage or an inspection, they will confirm with the head of the Ministry of Personnel whether they are capable or not, and the officials will be promoted and demoted.
In major cases, the serious criminals will be tried outside the court and judged fairly with the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court.
These are the duties of the Inspector, am I right? "
At this point, Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Zhuan with a burning gaze, waiting for him to reply.
"Your Majesty, what you said is the duty of the Imperial Censorate!"
Wang Zhuan didn't understand why the emperor was saying all this, but he didn't dare to delay and replied to Zhu Yijun.
Nodding, Zhu Yijun sighed and said with a bitter smile, "But what about the Imperial Censorate now?
They report rumors and accuse others indiscriminately, treating the power to report rumors as a stepping stone to advancement. They don't look like imperial censors at all. "
"They collude with the ministers in the court, fight for the powerful officials, and eliminate dissidents, but turn a blind eye to the treacherous officials. How can they serve as the Son of Heaven's eyes and ears?
What will happen if this goes on?
I'm very disappointed in the Imperial Censorate. "
"This time, many important officials of the court recommended candidates for the Imperial Censorate's Left Imperial Censorate to me, but I rejected them all because they are too deeply involved with the court."
"You are in charge of the Nanjing Imperial Censorate, and you are an incorruptible person. Mr. Zhang also thinks highly of you."
At this point, Zhu Yijun seemed to be a little emotional and said, "Mr. Zhang mentioned you to me when he was on his deathbed and praised you a lot. Today, I want to entrust the Imperial Censorate to you."
The meaning of Zhu Yijun's words was very obvious. He was trying to build a relationship with Wang Zhuan. To put it bluntly, Wang Zhuan had to work hard for him, be it public or private.
Wang Zhuan complained incessantly in his heart. Everyone knew that Zhang Juzheng thought highly of him. Zhang Juzheng recommended Wang Zhuan before he died, and the Emperor was also prepared to put you in an important position. If Wang Zhuan didn't do it, what would he become?
However, Wang Zhuan could also tell that the young Emperor was going to make a move against the Imperial Censorate, and he was going to make use of him.
The Emperor had even said such words, and it was obvious that he didn't want Wang Zhuan to reject him. Wang Zhuan naturally understood what the Emperor meant. After thinking for a while, Wang Zhuan knelt on the ground and said loudly, "I will do my best and not let you down."
Nodding with a smile, Zhu Yijun walked to Wang Zhuan's side and said, "You, please get up. Indeed, you don't let me down."
"Don't do anything before the New Year. You should familiarize yourself with the matters of the Imperial Censorate and the officials in it first. As for the rest, wait until next spring.
However, you have to be prepared. This time, I will put the Imperial Censorate in an important position, and I will also put you in an important position. "
Wang Zhuan hurriedly thanked the Emperor and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness. I will definitely not let you down."
After Wang Zhuan left, the smile on Zhu Yijun's face slowly disappeared. He turned to Zhang Jing, who was beside him, and said, "Send someone to keep an eye on him and see what he does after he leaves. Get some capable people to keep an eye on him and don't mess things up."
"Old Slave understands!" Zhang Jing agreed and turned to make the arrangements.
Zhu Yijun didn't dare to fully believe what Wang Zhuan had said. If he did, Zhu Yijun would probably be betrayed sooner or later.
If Wang Zhuan was sincere and was willing to do as he said, then it would naturally be easy to negotiate. His position could also be promoted. After the reform was completed, Zhu Yijun didn't mind giving him the position of a scholar in the cabinet.
If Wang Zhuan didn't mean what he said, then it would be troublesome. After all, the Imperial Censorate was a matter of great importance, and they couldn't be careless.
The first step in reorganizing the Imperial Censorate was definitely to purge some people from the Imperial Censorate.
This process would definitely offend a lot of people, and it was also a test for Wang Zhuan. Since ancient times, being an inspector meant offending people.
If he didn't even have the determination to do so, then there was no need for the Imperial Censorate.
After making arrangements for Wang Zhuan, Zhu Yijun still had one more thing to do before the New Year, and that was to make arrangements for the Armament Department.
In fact, the Armament Department had always been doing quite well, but Zhu Yijun now needed to transfer someone out. This person was Pan Jixun.
Originally, Zhu Yijun had wanted to let Pan Jixun go to the Armament Department and then transfer Chen Ju out.
In the end, Chen Ju wasn't willing to come back, so it would be a waste to leave the two of them in the Armament Department.
Now, Zhu Yijun needed Pan Jixun to do something else. He needed to arrange for a new person in the Armament Department and carry out the handover.
The Armament Department was already on the right track, so it wouldn't be a big problem for Pan Jixun to leave.
In addition, with Chen Ju around, there wouldn't be any problems with the Armament Department.
After lunch, Pan Jixun walked over in the snow. The moment he walked into the warm room, Zhu Yijun felt a gust of cold wind and subconsciously shivered. Seeing that Pan Jixun was about to bow, Zhu Yijun waved his hand.
"You don't have to since it's so cold!" With that said, Zhu Yijun pointed to the charcoal basin and said, "Warm yourself up!"
After thanking him, Pan Jixun went to the charcoal basin to warm himself up, thanked Zhang Jing for bringing over the stools, and then sat down.
After Pan Jixun sat down, Zhu Yijun said, "You've done a good job in the Armament Department, but I feel that it's a little overkill.
I have an errand here for you to do after the New Year. "
Pan Jixun was stunned. This news was a little sudden!
However, Pan Jixun wasn't so clueless. Although he was doing quite well in the Armament Department, he did feel like he was idle.
Chen Ju was in charge of the R&D and manufacturing. Other than being in charge of some logistics, he really didn't have much to do.
If this position was given to another minister, it would be a big problem, especially now that the rules had been set.
"I will listen to Your Majesty!" Pan Jixun smiled and said.
Zhu Yijun nodded and said with a smile, "That's good. After you go back, you will arrange the matters in the Armament Department and choose a successor. Try to finish these things before the New Year."
Pan Jixun nodded and said with a serious expression, "Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will do it when I go back."
"As for you's new errand, I have already thought about it. It is to control the flood."
Zhu Yijun said with a smile, "In Daming, compared to controlling the flood, you are second to none. I won't be at ease leaving this matter to others. Only you can do it."