Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 122 Hesitating and Difficult to Decide (Part [-])
What does Tall Beard want to do?Of course Zhang Juzheng also doubted this question in his heart, but he didn't want to reveal it to Feng Bao.

Zhang Juzheng's attitude towards Gao Gong, to be honest, even he himself can hardly define it in a few words.

Both of them used to be regarded as "educational" backgrounds. From the Imperial Academy to the Imperial Academy, from the Imperial Academy to the lecturer of King Yu, they have always been colleagues. politics.The academic views of the two of them are very close, or Gao Gong had a great influence on the establishment of Zhang Juzheng's academic views.

Although both Gao and Zhang claimed to be Confucian officials, what they actually admired was Legalism.Of course, this is not surprising. After all, the past dynasties in China have often been "confucian skins and legal bones", wearing the skin of Confucianism and doing what legalists love to do.From the imperial education and Hanlin education proposed by Gao Gong in "Benyu", to Zhang Juzheng's "Xin Weihui Exam Cheng Ce" and "Answer to Chu Xuedao and Jin Shengwu on Xuezheng" and other articles, it can be seen that the two people's thoughts are different. very similar.

Gao Gong's advocacy of reality and "noble-modernism" is completely different from those rotten Confucians who talk about the Tang and Yu Dynasties at every turn, and Zhang Juzheng's "Queen of Law" is the same reason.It can be seen that the two of them share common political ideas and value orientations.

Furthermore, both were against lecturing.Historically, the Jia, Long, and Wan dynasties were the heyday of Yangming's philosophy of mind.Xu Jie once gave lectures in Lingji Palace in Beijing with famous Wang scholars Nie Bao and Ouyang De. Sometimes there were as many as 5000 people who attended the lectures, which can be seen from the prosperity of the lectures.

Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng grew up and worked in such an atmosphere, so naturally they could not be immune to its influence, and since Zhang Juzheng was Xu Jie's disciple, he also had a lot of contacts with a group of Wang scholars (Wufeng Note: There are many letters of Zhang Juzheng to testify to this) .However, he often denounced that group of lecturers for just empty talk, for "using false views as implicit evidence", and for "toad Zen".He often advises these people to "keep their feet on the ground", "advocate the essence", and oppose "giving up their skills and not opening a school to learn".

It is precisely because of this kind of thinking that Zhang Juzheng later destroyed the academy and killed He Xinyin in history, and stood in a completely opposite position with those lecturers.

As for Gao Gong himself, he was a master of practical learning, so he didn’t have much contact with those lecturers, but it’s strange that he didn’t find how fiercely he opposed these people from his writings and letters.His practical learning belongs to his own set, standing apart from Cheng, Zhu, Lu, and Wang. He did not follow the popular Wang Xue at the time, but he did not return to Cheng and Zhu, but insisted on starting from the current reality. , what kind of knowledge is actually needed to govern the country well, he will do whatever.

It is precisely because the views are almost identical, so in the current cabinet, Li Chunfang and Zhao Zhenji are more like Xu Jie's direct disciples, while Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng are the other faction. On the other hand, through investigation and relegation of Beijing officials, curbing the lectures of the capital, correcting the style of study with practical studies of the world, and changing the officialdom atmosphere of talking about speculation and not being practical.Therefore, although the two of them may be more or less influenced by Yangming's philosophy of mind, anti-teaching is their common academic standpoint.

This position made Zhang Juzheng stand on the opposite side of his teacher Xu Jie, and it was also an important factor in Zhang Juzheng's failure to accept the huge political resources left by Xu Jie after Zhao Zhenji entered the cabinet.Conversely, this is also the reason why Zhang Juzheng tried every means to create momentum for Gao Gong's comeback after Gao Gong's resignation. After all, Zhang Juzheng also wanted to do practical things. He knew that if Gao Gong couldn't come back, he would be unable to deal with him as a junior with the lowest qualifications. Li Chunfang and Zhao Zhenji are an alliance in the actual sense.This is the first point where Zhang Juzheng hesitates about his relationship with Gao Gong: Without Gao Gong to attract firepower, will he become cannon fodder?

So Gao Gong came back, and he was still the Gao Gong who did what he said he would do, completely different from Xu Jie back then, muddling along and keeping his reputation and status as his top priority.

Zhang Juzheng himself was in the cabinet. Although he was mainly in charge of the Ministry of War, he was still very aware of the reform measures that Gao Gong had taken since he concurrently served as Minister of the Ministry of Officials: Abolish the "constraint theory" and use both Jinshi and candidates; Establish a personnel file system and set up an echelon of alternate officials; the rejuvenation of state and county officials, "no one over [-] can be the head of a state or county"; shadowy officials, depending on their performance; adjust the employment policy, improve the regional avoidance system; cut down Redundant staff, streamlining the organization, rectifying morale; and so on and so on.

All these measures are all that Zhang Juzheng himself is eager to see, and even wants to do it himself.

This is also the second point where Zhang Juzheng is hesitant about his relationship with Gao Gong: Without Gao Gong, with his qualifications and prestige, would he be able to do these things well?Will it suffer from various constraints and finally fail to implement it?

Because of these two points of doubts, Zhang Juzheng felt that at least when Li Chunfang and Zhao Zhenji were still in the cabinet, he still needed to maintain a good relationship with Gao Gong.

What's more, who is Zhang Juzheng, why would he not know why Feng Bao came to him so eagerly to get close to him?It was simply because Gao Gong recommended Chen Hong and Meng Chong, the two supervisors of ceremonies in succession, but he still refused to recommend him!

But Zhang Juzheng didn't know what Gao Gong was thinking in his heart?It's nothing more than not wanting to see another Wang Zhen or Liu Jin from Daming!
However, he Gao Gong thinks so, but I, Zhang Juzheng, don't think so?I, Zhang Juzheng, am not a civil servant?I, Zhang Juzheng, just want to see eunuchs chaotic politics?joke!

But the sneer in his heart returned to the sneer in his heart, after all Zhang Juzheng's personality was not like Gao Gong's, where happiness and anger were directly displayed on his face, so he was willing to cooperate with Feng Bao in the performance: "Forgive Juzheng for being dull, I don't know what Duke Zhongxuan has in mind."

Feng Bao laughed, and said in a low voice: "I heard that Mr. Xu sent someone to visit Mr. Taiyue today. I wonder if there is such a thing?"

That's what he said, but as the admiral of the East Factory, Feng Bao obviously has enough confidence to confirm this point.

So Zhang Juzheng didn't bother to defend himself, and directly admitted: "Just now You Qi was going to talk to me about this matter... However, I was on duty in the cabinet today, and I just came back not long ago, so the person sent by the teacher couldn't meet with me, I also don't know why the teacher sent him here."

"What else could it be, isn't it the trouble caused by the case of retiring the land?" Feng Bao snorted, and said, "Hai Rui is no longer satisfied with the resignation of Mr. Xu's land, and has already begun to deal with the Xu family. Young master... Mr. Xu is no longer in the center after all, so he can only send someone to the capital to find a way, Mr. Taiyue, you are Mr. Xu's most valued disciple, if he doesn't come to look for you, who else can he go to?"

(End of this chapter)