The capital had been very peaceful these days. Everyone had their own duties, and everyone was doing well.
However, when the people from the Law Department appeared in the Ministry of Personnel, many people felt uncomfortable.
In the duty room of the Ministry of Personnel, Wang Guoguang glanced at Qi Fei and put down the document in his hand.
From beginning to end, Qi Fei bowed and did not move, waiting for Wang Guoguang to speak.
This was respect for Wang Guoguang.
In Daming City, no one dared to disrespect this old minister.
Daming City's Minister of Personnel was scary, but Wang Guoguang himself was even scarier.
During Longqing's reign, Wang Guoguang was already an assistant minister. In the first year of Wanli's reign, he became the Minister of Revenue. In the fifth year of Wanli's reign, he became the Minister of Personnel for ten years.
During these ten years, his position was as stable as Mount Tai.
Wang Guoguang could definitely be said to have students and old friends all over the world. Wang Tianguan's name was very famous.
"Dispense with the formalities!"
Wang Guoguang said with a sullen face. When Qi Fei stood up, Wang Guoguang said, "Why did the people from the Law Department come to the Ministry of Personnel?"
"Minister, to arrest someone!" Qi Fei said with a blank face.
Arrest?
Hearing this, Wang Guoguang raised his eyebrows and asked indifferently, "Arrest who?"
"The right assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Zhao Deqian!"
Qi Fei took out the document and handed it to Wang Guoguang respectfully. "Sir, this is the document from the cabinet!" Then she retreated to the side.
Although it was a cabinet document, it was stamped with the emperor's seal.
If it was issued openly, it would be an imperial edict. Putting the document aside, Wang Guoguang asked again, "Tell me, why are you arresting him?"
Qi Fei told him everything about Zhao Deqian without hiding anything: "Minister, the case of Zhao Deqian selling his official position, the facts are clear and the evidence is conclusive. The Law and Discipline Department is preparing to bring him back for interrogation."
After a while, Wang Guoguang said with a bitter smile, "Go!"
After Qi Fei left, Wang Guoguang sighed with a bitter smile. "I'm getting old. It's time to go home!"
When he said this, Wang Guoguang's tone was very complicated. There was a trace of relief and a trace of unwillingness.
Qi Fei led her people straight to Zhao Deqian's duty room. At this time, the people from the Department of Justice were already waiting there.
When they arrived at the door, Qi Fei waved her hand, and the people from the Law and Discipline Department rushed in. It was chaos inside, and by the time Qi Fei entered, Zhao Deqian had already been brought to the door.
"Zhao Deqian, the matter of you buying and selling official positions has been exposed. Come with us!"
"I am Qi Fei, the Minister of Law and Discipline. This is your arrest warrant!" As he spoke, he showed the cabinet's warrant to Zhao Deqian and said, "Alright, take him away!"
An arrest warrant was, of course, created by Zhu Yijun.
Although the Department of Justice had been given power, they could not arrest people as they pleased. Officials below the fourth rank needed to be arrested by the supervisor of the Department of Justice, who was the Left Deputy Imperial Censor, Wang Jiaping.
Qi Fei only needed to issue an arrest warrant for anyone below the Seventh Rank.
But above the fourth rank, this document must be approved by the emperor and issued by the cabinet.
The news that the Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Appointments, Zhao Deqian, had been taken away by the Department of Law and Discipline spread like wildfire throughout the capital.
Countless officials were baffled. What was going on?
Soon, the case was exposed. Zhao Deqian had sold his official position.
As the case was exposed, more people were arrested. More than ten people were arrested in the Ministry of Appointments alone.
Even the owner of the antique shop and Zhao Deqian's cousin, Zhao Dekun, were arrested.
The name of the Department of Law and Discipline instantly spread throughout the Daming capital. It was too frightening.
Although the Department of Law and Discipline was very high-profile when it was established, it was very low-key afterward. Who would have thought that such a big case would occur without a sound?
They directly pulled the Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Appointments off his horse, and the other officials were a little scared.
The actions of the Department of Law and Discipline were very fast and orderly.
Interrogation, evidence collection, and confession — everything was carried out in an orderly manner.
Forbidden City, Wenhua Hall.
Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Guoguang, who was kneeling on the ground, and walked down the steps with a bitter smile. He reached out and helped Wang Guoguang up.
Looking at Wang Guoguang's old face and white beard, all of Zhu Yijun's words turned into a sigh.
"Zhang Jing, go and prepare the dishes. I want to have a drink with you, Your Highness." Zhu Yijun turned his head and ordered Zhang Jing.
In fact, both Wang Guoguang and Zhu Yijun knew that Wang Guoguang couldn't continue as the Minister of the Ministry of Appointments.
If he insisted on doing it, he would definitely be disgraced. Wang Guoguang's power was only when he didn't make any mistakes.
Once he made a mistake, he would be caught and attacked. There was nowhere to hide even if he wanted to.
Hearing Zhu Yijun order Zhang Jing to prepare the dishes, Wang Guoguang smiled. "Your Majesty understands me!"
When the dishes and wine were served, Zhu Yijun picked up the flagon and poured a cup for Wang Guoguang. Then he said with a smile, "This cup of wine is to thank you. Thank you for you devoted yourself to Daming. Thank you for you sacrificing yourself for me."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Wang Guoguang picked up the cup with trembling hands and drank it in one gulp.
After a while, Wang Guoguang said, "I've been an official for many years. There are a few things I regret. But the most regretful thing is that I couldn't accomplish what Your Majesty wants."
"In recent years, some people have said that I'm too old to go back. But I know that I'm not nostalgic for the official position."
"I just want to be satisfied. I was the Minister of Revenue in the first year of Wanli's reign. At that time, Minister Zhang just started to govern. I remember it clearly. Minister Zhang said that he was going to do something big and asked me if I should help him."
"I just want to ask, what is it?"
At this point, Wang Guoguang sighed. "I still remember Minister Zhang's words. At that time, he said to me, 'Revive the Daming.' For these four words, I fought with Minister Zhang."
"How much criticism and hardship have there been? It's been fifteen years."
Zhu Yijun was silent. Wang Guoguang's resignation represented the decline of the Jiangling Party and the complete end of Zhang Juzheng's reform.
If Zhang Juzheng's death was the beginning of the end, then now it was the beginning of the end.
"There are smart people in the world. When Minister Zhang was reforming, many people said that he would follow in Wang Wengong's footsteps."
"Didn't Minister Zhang know?
Didn't I know?
Are they the only smart people in the world? "
At this point, Wang Guoguang said with some emotion, "But in the world, someone has to do it. He has to do it with the courage to do it even if there are millions of people."
"I am very happy, not for Minister Zhang, not for myself, but for the Daming."
"It is the Daming's blessing to have you, Your Majesty!"
At this point, Wang Guoguang said with a bitter smile, "I originally thought that if time passes, I would help you fulfill your great ambition."
"Now it seems that it won't be possible. But I will wait and see. I hope that with time passes, I can see that day."
After drinking the wine in his cup again, Wang Guoguang lifted his robe, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed to Zhu Yijun. "I'm leaving. Your Majesty, take care. I will wait for the day when Your Majesty dominates the world."
Zhu Yijun said with a smile, "You just wait and see. I will make the Daming's voice shake the world and the sea."
After Wang Guoguang left, Zhu Yijun stood on the steps and didn't say anything for a long time.
Next to Zhu Yijun, Zhang Jing looked at Zhu Yijun worriedly and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, now that things have come to this, take care of yourself!"
Glancing at Zhang Jing, Zhu Yijun smiled faintly.
In fact, Zhu Yijun was just thinking about Wang Guoguang's words. There were indeed many smart people in the world who could see through everything. After they saw through everything, they chose to avoid it. They hugged their shoulders and laughed at those who couldn't avoid it as idiots.
But did those who couldn't avoid it really not know how to avoid it?
It wasn't that they didn't know, but that they couldn't.
In the world, there were some things that people had to do, even if it meant sacrificing themselves or dying.
Zhu Yijun thought of the modern history of Huaxia. The mountains and rivers had fallen, and the iron hooves had crushed the mountains and rivers.
Countless smart people had made choices. They hid, evaded, and even obeyed.
But how many people had chosen to resist? Did they not understand?
But there were some things that people had to do.
It had nothing to do with right or wrong. It had nothing to do with one's heart.
The next day, the Minister of Personnel, Wang Guoguang, submitted a memorial asking for forgiveness and a memorial to resign.
After these two memorials were submitted, the direction of the imperial court suddenly changed.
The right assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Zhao Deqian, was arrested. No one had much reaction, even though he was the assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
They were only worried that they would be implicated. They didn't care much about anything else.
But Wang Guoguang's resignation was a big matter. The minister of Personnel's resignation represented a major upheaval in the central government of Daming.
This upheaval was perhaps second only to the death of Zhang Juzheng ten years after Wanli.
But at this time, no one was stupid enough to jump out. Instead, the capital gave people a strange kind of peace.
Under these circumstances, the imperial court announced the candidate for Governor Xuan. The current Governor Xuan, Ceng Shengwu, had returned to the capital.
The imperial court said that there was another appointment, but they didn't say what it was.
This made the imperial court seem even more strangely quiet. Everyone knew that the time of change in the imperial court of Daming had arrived.
Before Ceng Shengwu went to Xuan University, he was about to enter the Cabinet. This time, when he went to Xuan University, the military reform was completed beautifully, and the administration of Xuan University was also very good.
For more than a year, Ceng Shengwu had made great achievements in Xuan University.
So what kind of appointment would Ceng Shengwu get when he returned to the capital at this time?
Everyone could see that Ceng Shengwu's entry into the Cabinet was already inevitable.
After entering May, the rain gradually increased. Zhu Yijun also liked to watch the rain more.
Standing under the eaves of Wenhua Hall and watching the raindrops hit the ground outside, Zhu Yijun's heart would calm down.
At this time, thinking about some things was something that Zhu Yijun enjoyed.
"The Imperial Majesty, Wang Jiaping and Qi Fei ask for an audience!" Zhang Jing stood behind Zhu Yijun and said respectfully.
Zhu Yijun nodded and said, "Let them in!"
Not long after, Wang Jiaping and Qi Fei walked in from outside. Both of them looked very serious.
After seeing Zhu Yijun, they knelt on the ground and saluted. When Zhu Yijun waved his hand, they stood up from the ground.
"What brings you here today?" Zhu Yijun looked at the two of them and said.
"Your Majesty, did the imperial court approve Lord Wang's resignation memorial?" Wang Jiaping didn't say what it was, but asked Zhu Yijun in return.
He turned back to look at Wang Jiaping and said, "Yes, the former official retired."
In Daming, the former official retired was equivalent to the treatment of retirement in the future. The former official retired meant that after retirement, he would still enjoy the treatment of not retiring.
Not to mention money and rations, the former official retired had a very important power, which was that he could continue to report to the Emperor.
This was a very great treatment. Of course, the former official retired was also a special honor.
Wang Jiaping didn't care about Wang Guoguang's retirement. He wasn't that familiar with Wang Guoguang.
The key was that he still had two cases on hand. One was the case of the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and the other was the case of the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
Once these two cases were exposed, wouldn't they be dealt with according to this case?
What about the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Justice?
Would they also retire?
Once they retired, he would be able to remove three out of the six Ministers, and the reputation of the Law and Discipline Department would be ruined.
Of course, this was a small matter. How could the Ministry of Personnel work without three Ministers?
It was already very troublesome without a Minister and an Assistant Minister, but without two Ministers and an Assistant Minister, it would be even more troublesome.
However, the case couldn't be ignored. Wang Jiaping didn't know what to do, which was why he brought Qi Fei to the palace.
In fact, there was another reason why Wang Jiaping brought Qi Fei, which was Qi Fei's identity.
Although Wang Jiaping didn't know that Qi Fei was from the inner court, he knew that Qi Fei must be the Emperor's confidant. He brought him here to tell the Emperor that he was the one who caused this and not to implicate him.
It wasn't that Wang Jiaping didn't want to bear the responsibility, but it was really not easy to bear.
"Your Majesty, these are the two cases that the Law and Discipline Department is investigating."
Wang Jiaping bowed and presented the two files she brought. Then, she stood aside and waited for the emperor to read them.
Zhu Yijun was a little confused. If the Emperor wanted to investigate, then investigate. Why did he have to show it to him?
After taking a look at the files, Liao Yuan looked at the raindrops outside the window speechlessly. He was in no mood to watch the rain.
These two cases were big, and they involved two assistant ministers of the six ministries.
If the case was carried out as usual, the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Justice would have to go home.
With the addition of the two assistant ministers, this time the Minister of Revenue and the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel were vacant, and the six ministries of the imperial court suddenly lost half of the big shots.
However, it was even more inappropriate not to investigate, because this was a big case.
Zhu Yijun handed the files to Zhang Jing, then glanced at Qi Fei and said lightly, "Tell me, what do you think?"
Zhu Yijun was very familiar with Qi Fei. He was an outstanding graduate of the first batch of the inner factory, very capable, and a direct descendant of Zhu Yijun's.
His performance in Shandong was outstanding, especially in the investigation of the White Lotus Society, where he showed unparalleled talent and ability.
In order to reward him, and to make better use of his talent, Zhu Yijun transferred him to the Law and Discipline Department.
The facts proved that Zhu Yijun's foresight was not bad at all. The Law and Discipline Department did not act, but once they did, they sent three assistant ministers, and it was very likely that they would also send three ministers. It was definitely a big move.
After this battle, the Daming of the Law and Discipline Department would definitely be heard, and they would definitely be able to suppress Dongchang and the Imperial Bodyguard.
Compared to Dongchang and the Imperial Bodyguard, the Law and Discipline Department's cases were ironclad. They were not afraid of investigation, and they were not afraid of overturning the case.