Chapter 1260 The new Left Censor-in-Chief!

Yesterday's memorial was written by Zhao Wentao, a captain in Huainan, to Ye Mingsheng. In the letter, Zhao Wentao told Ye Mingsheng a good news and a bad news!

The good news is that the riot caused by Ma Jingui has been completely suppressed, and all the relevant criminals have been arrested!

The bad news is that according to incomplete statistics, the riot resulted in the looting of 700 shops in Huainan, harassment of nearly 100,000 households, nearly 10,000 casualties, and property losses of nearly 300,000 taels of silver. The most critical thing was that Gao Zhenji, who was temporarily acting as the Huainan Censor, ultimately could not be rescued!
Although Ye Mingsheng was mentally prepared for this, he still felt saddened to see such a situation. These casualties and losses could have been avoided!
Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but think of Gao Zhenji. Although this riot was not Gao Zhenji's original intention, it was he who lit the fuse after all!
Originally, Ye Mingsheng had already decided to demote Gao Zhenji to a commoner and never employ him again, in order to warn the other ministers and serve as a warning to others!

But now Gao Zhenji is gone, so even though Ye Mingsheng is angry with him, he is not going to hold him accountable and allows his family to handle his funeral affairs at the level of the third rank.

With the departure of Gao Zhenji, the arrest of Ma Jingui, and the riot that affected the entire Huainan, Huainan is now leaderless. Ye Mingsheng needs to consider the candidates for new governors and provincial judges!
Just like Jiangnan, Ye Mingsheng lacked sufficient understanding of the political situation in Huainan, so in the end Ye Mingsheng came up with the idea of ​​letting Murong Yuliang serve as the governor of Jianghuai and take charge of the political affairs of Jiangnan and Huainan...
Ye Mingsheng thought about this idea for a whole night last night before he finally made up his mind. In addition to letting Murong Yuliang serve as the governor of Jianghuai, Ye Mingsheng also wanted to give him the right to recommend the candidates for the provincial governors and provincial judges in Jiangnan and Huainan!

This time, Ye Mingsheng had the courage to hand over such a great power to Murong Yuliang. On the one hand, he trusted Murong Yuliang's ability, and on the other hand, he hoped that Murong Yuliang could make Jianghuai have better development!
In addition to appointing Murong Yuliang as the Governor of Jianghuai, Ye Mingsheng also made an important appointment in the army. This appointment was to let the former commander of the Fourth Army, Zhang Mengdi, replace He Jingyun as the commander of the First Army, and Shen Quan, who followed Ye Mingsheng to Jiangnan, took over the position of commander of the Fourth Army.

In addition to personnel transfers, Ye Mingsheng also ordered the 11th Division under the Fourth Army to enter Jingchu and the 12th Division to enter Huainan to ensure that all the reforms required by the court could be completed in Jingchu and Huainan without fail.

Ye Mingsheng is currently planning to expand the army by one division and include it in the First Army's organization, making the First Army the first army-level combat unit in the Fengwu Army to have three divisions. In this way, the total strength of the First Army will exceed 70,000 people, and it can independently undertake combat operations in Yunqian, Baiyue and other areas!
Ye Mingsheng hopes that in the next three to five years, Baiyue and Yunqian will become the actual controlled areas of Da Zhou. Ye Mingsheng has promised Zhang Meng that as long as he achieves these goals, he will become the fourth Duke of the future Xin Dynasty...
After making these appointments, Ye Mingsheng believed that his actions in Jiangnan were nearing their end, and he could begin to consider the return journey and the arrangements for his enthronement after returning to Yijing.

On the way to Jiangnan, Ye Mingsheng passed through Youyan, Jiyu, Qilu, Huainan, and finally arrived in Jiangnan. According to the original plan, Ye Mingsheng would not go to Sichuan and Shu, but would return directly to Youyan Yijing from Jingchu!

However, after hearing about some situations in Sichuan and Shu recently, Ye Mingsheng also had the idea of ​​going to Sichuan and Shu for an inspection. But the problem is that if Ye Mingsheng goes to Sichuan and Shu, it will take an extra two or three months, and now it is August, and it will be difficult for Ye Mingsheng to return to Yijing before the New Year.

January next year is the day Ye Mingsheng planned to ascend the throne and become emperor. Therefore, if he goes to Sichuan, it means that the day of Ye Mingsheng's ascension to the throne will need to be postponed, and all previous plans will need to be changed and redeployed.

So Ye Mingsheng was also very conflicted about whether to go to Sichuan. Just as Ye Mingsheng was thinking secretly, Song Haibo came in with a letter and reported to Ye Mingsheng:

"Marshal, the Madam sent a letter from Yijing!"

Ye Mingsheng was a little surprised to hear the news, and immediately took the letter from Song Haibo.

In the letter, An Miaoyi first asked about Ye Mingsheng’s physical condition, such as how he ate, how he slept, and whether he had any problems with acclimatization. Besides that, An Miaoyi said that Xiao Ba was almost a hundred days old, and Ye Mingsheng needed to give him a formal name...
At the end of these family gossips, An Miaoyi said that Ye Cui asked the world-famous Master Xuanyi to do some calculations. Master Xuanyi said that if the name of the new dynasty is Feng, and Ye Mingsheng will be crowned emperor in January next year, the Great Feng Dynasty will have a lifespan of at least three hundred years.

Seeing this, a hint of surprise appeared in Ye Mingsheng's eyes. He was indeed planning to ascend the throne and become emperor in January next year. As for the name of the new dynasty, although Ye Mingsheng had not yet made a decision, among all the options, Ye Mingsheng was more inclined to choose the word "Feng" as the name of the new dynasty!
But the question is how did Xuan Yi know this?

Ye Mingsheng did have some arrangements for ascending the throne in January next year, but these arrangements were very secretive and not many people knew about them!

Of course, although Ye Mingsheng's arrangements were relatively secretive, they had been arranged after all. This plan called Xuan Yi learned about Ye Mingsheng's deployment through some channels. This possibility does exist and cannot be completely ruled out!

However, Ye Mingsheng had never told anyone about the fact that he preferred Feng, not even to Pei Zhixiu.

So how did Xuanyi know?

Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng also became somewhat interested in Xuan Yi. After pondering for a moment, Ye Mingsheng asked Song Haibo:

"Do you know anything about this Xuanyi?"

Song Haibo thought for a moment and said:
“Your Excellency, I don’t know too much about Master Xuanyi. I only know that he is a Buddhist master who enjoys a high reputation among the people. He is as famous as Taoist Master Qingxu. The two of them have discussed Taoism many times and are well-known figures in the world…”

Hearing the name of Taoist Qingxu, Ye Mingsheng seemed to have thought of something for a moment. After thinking carefully, he blurted out:
"Is this Taoist priest Qingxu related to Lin Huaiwu?"

Song Haibo nodded and said:

"Yes, Marshal. Back then, Lin Huaiwu found a mistress named Liu in Yunbing. Liu was pregnant with a child. Lin Huaiwu was very happy at first, but later he found out that Liu had cheated on him and the child was not his. Lin Huaiwu was furious and wanted to kill Liu, her adulterer and her child!"

"However, Taoist Qingxu, thinking that the heavens are merciful, said that Lin Huaiwu was destined to have a calamity and needed to use the child's words to avert it. Although Lin Huaiwu was skeptical, he finally spared the lives of the three people. Half a year later, Lin Huaiwu's crime was exposed!"

Hearing this, Ye Mingsheng nodded with interest. It was because he heard about Liu's story that he felt that Lin Huaiwu was a bit pitiful. In addition, considering that Lin Huaiwu had followed him for many years, had made great contributions and worked hard, and had a good attitude to admit his mistakes, he felt pity for him and finally let Lin Huaiwu go!
"Where are Xuanyi and Qingxu?"

"Master Qingxu used to be in Yunbing, but it is said that he is now traveling around the world, while Master Xuanyi is in Yijing!"

Ye Mingsheng nodded slightly when he heard this. Seeing that Ye Mingsheng seemed interested, Song Haibo asked tentatively:

"Sir, do you want to find the whereabouts of Taoist Master Qingxu?"

Ye Mingsheng hesitated for a moment and ordered: "No need!"

After getting Ye Mingsheng's reply, Song Haibo bowed and left the room.
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Yijing, Ye Mansion

After listening to Qiqige's report, An Miaoyi asked in surprise:
"You mean to say that Zhang Mang is Murong Qingwu's man?"

"Madam, we are still not completely sure that Zhang Mang is Murong Qingwu's man, but what we can be sure of now is that Zhang Mang and Murong Qingwu have a certain connection. When Zhang Mang was the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Justice, the house he rented in Yijing was actually the property under Murong Qingwu's name!"

"Secondly, according to the information we received, Zhang Mang was promoted to the position of Langzhong of the Qilu Qingli Division of the Ministry of Justice, and now he is promoted to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. Murong Qingwu gave Zhang Mang a red envelope. In addition, Zhang Mang's youngest son Zhang Hongtu fell seriously ill last year, and it was Murong Qingwu who asked Doctor Song Qingyun from the Medical College to cure him!"

Hearing Qiqige say this, a cold light flashed in An Miaoyi's eyes. She knew that Murong Qingwu had always been unwilling to be lonely and wanted to support forces in the court. She had always been wary of this, but she never expected that this bitch Murong Qingwu would quietly let her people sit on the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice!
Although Zhang Mang, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, was only a temporary position in Ye Mingsheng's order, given Cui Zibo's current physical condition, which was already on the verge of death, it was very likely that Zhang Mang would be promoted to a permanent position if nothing unexpected happened.

Of course, even though Zhang Mang was really promoted to the Minister of Justice, a third-rank minister did not have much say in the current court and was just a senior executor!

But the problem is that Zhang Mang is very young, only 37 years old this year, and he seems to be highly valued by Ye Mingsheng. After a few years of experience, he will have a certain chance to enter the cabinet in the future. Once he enters the cabinet and becomes a cabinet elder of Da Zhou, it means standing at the pinnacle of power in Da Zhou and having a say in all matters of the court...

Thinking of this, An Miaoyi asked:

"How is Zhang Mang's work in the Ministry of Justice?"

Qiqige thought for a moment and said:
"It is said that Zhang Mang has done a very good job, so it is very likely that he will be promoted to a regular employee!"

After Qiqige confirmed the matter once again, An Miaoyi also gave instructions in a deep voice:

"Investigate this Zhang Mang thoroughly! See if he has any evidence against him!"

Qiqige heard this and said:

"I heard that Zhang Mang has a good reputation in the Ministry of Justice, so it should be difficult to find any evidence against him. However, I heard that Zhang Mang has been trying to get close to Minister Li recently, so Madam, do you want to say hello to Minister Li? If you can use Zhang Mang, that bitch will go crazy!"

An Miaoyi seemed somewhat tempted by Qiqige's suggestion, but after thinking for a while, An Miaoyi decided:

"Don't alarm Li Jian yet. Secretly investigate whether Zhang Mang has any evidence against him!"

"Yes!"

After explaining the matter about Zhang Mang, An Miaoyi asked again:
"Has Shen Kaixiong made any moves recently?"

Qiqige said without hesitation:
"Shen Kaixiong has been very close to Youyan Censor Zhuang Shanhe recently. Zhuang Shanhe even stepped forward to help Shen Kaixiong solve some problems..."

An Miaoyi nodded and ordered:
"Keep paying attention to Shen Kaixiong. If he makes any move, notify me immediately!"

"Yes!"

After chatting with Qiqige, An Miaoyi wanted to check on Jingren's academic performance. She had been very busy recently, so she hadn't checked on Jingren's academic performance for three days. Today, she heard that Gu Sansi was going to lecture Jingren on the Book of the Later Han, so An Miaoyi was also very interested in how Jingren was doing.

However, before An Miaoyi left the room, she saw her trusted confidant, Madam Cao, quickly approaching her. Upon seeing An Miaoyi, Madam Cao immediately whispered:

"Madam, the Imperial Household Department has just received a letter from the Marshal. The Marshal has approved Xiao Lingyu's retirement petition and allowed Xiao Lingyu to return to his hometown in Liaoyang to recuperate. He has also ordered the Liaoyang Provincial Administration Department to build a large house for Xiao Lingyu in his hometown!"

Hearing what Madam Cao said, An Miaoyi's expression became serious, and she immediately interrupted Madam Cao and asked in a deep voice:
"Did the Marshal say who will take over Xiao Lingyu's post as Left Censor-in-Chief?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Cao swallowed her saliva and said:
"It seems to be Chu Zhiyi, the Censor of Yunping!"

"Chu Zhiyi?"

When An Miaoyi heard this name, her face changed slightly.

Madam Cao nodded and said:
"it's him!"

Seeing Nanny Cao confirm again, An Miaoyi's expression became complicated. She had also heard of Chu Zhiyi's name. Although Chu Zhiyi's upright character made him very suitable for the position of Censor, An Miaoyi really didn't expect that Ye Mingsheng would actually let him replace Xiao Lingyu!
When An Miaoyi thought that Chu Zhiyi would become the Zuodu Yushi in the future, she felt vaguely in her heart that this meant that Ye Mingsheng had made up his mind, and Chu Zhiyi was the knife prepared by Ye Mingsheng, but who would this knife be aimed at?
(End of this chapter)