The Prosperous Era of Longwan

When Wei Guangde came out of Wenzhao Pavilion, he didn't take two steps before he was quickly caught up by Zhu Heng who came out from behind and whispered a few words.

"hiss"

Wei Guangde suddenly stood still, looked at Zhu Heng and said, "Brother Shi Nan, this"

"When you told me that thing the day before yesterday, I felt that it was inappropriate and that it should be postponed for a while. Based on what happened just now, I made this guess."

Zhu Heng replied in a low voice.

What Zhu Heng said in his ears just now was exactly what he and Tan Lun had guessed, that Zhang Juzheng suddenly recommended Zhang Han. I am afraid that he was not doing it randomly, but was prepared.

Wei Guangde's influence on the court situation was still not as good as Zhu Heng's. He had been operating in the court for many years, and one of the reasons for this was the word "enlightenment".

Zhu Heng was a Jinshi in the 11th year of Jiajing. After serving as a local official for two terms, he returned to the capital to serve as chief minister and doctor. After that, he was promoted to the chief envoy and the right deputy to the imperial censor. When he returned to the central government, he was already determined. In the Ministry of Industry.

It can be said that with decades of officialdom, he has rich experience at both local and central levels.

Wei Guangde did not expect the impact of this incident, because he did not think about the possibility of Zhang Han being hooked at all.

Wei Guangde couldn't think of it, but Zhu Heng did.

Zhang Juzheng recommended Zhang Han. From Wang Zhigao's behavior, Zhu Heng discovered that Zhang Juzheng seemed to have not greeted him in advance, which caught them, Zhang Dang, off guard.

Zhang Juzheng did this deliberately, and naturally he had a purpose.

But no matter what, as long as he doesn't get caught, all Zhang Juzheng's actions will be in vain.

Therefore, Zhu Heng started to analyze what kind of impact it would have on the court if Zhang Han was really appointed as the official minister by the palace, and it was naturally easy to draw a conclusion.

The first thing he thought of was that Zhang Han might be grateful to Zhang Juzheng and obey his orders.

After all, Zhang Han had no foundation when he entered the court. He needed Zhang Juzheng's support for everything. From this, the official department could be said to be firmly in Zhang Juzheng's hands.

What's more, Zhang Juzheng could single-handedly put the unknown Zhang Han to the position of official in the Ministry of Civil Affairs, which could show his influence on the palace. As a result, those in the court who wanted to follow the trend were still flocking to him.

If you want to be promoted, you must curry favor and take refuge with Zhang Shoufu, which will inevitably become the unanimous judgment of many ministers.

It can be said that after this incident, Zhang Juzheng's prestige in the court will be greatly increased, reaching a level that no one can reach.

But until now, it seems like they have nothing to do about the incident.

It was also because of this that Zhu Heng was so anxious to come to Wei Guangde to discuss the matter.

He couldn't think of a way, naturally because he didn't have many connections in the palace. He really couldn't think of an idea and couldn't find anyone to help.

But Wei Guangde is different. He also has many connections in the palace. Maybe tell him and he will think of a way.

But now Wei Guangde was reminded and lowered his head to think.

Breaking the situation at this time is actually simple, that is, not letting Zhang Han take the position, because all Zhu Heng's speculations are based on Zhang Han's taking the position.

If Zhang Han is not allowed to ascend to the throne, then the palace must refuse, but how to influence the palace.

Once this memorial is uploaded, I believe the results will come out in two or three days, so it shouldn’t take too long.

However, in the past two days, Wei Guangde had not had the opportunity to go to the Wenhua Hall to give lectures.

In other words, during this period of time, he could not see the little emperor Wanli, so it was naturally difficult for him to speak in front of the emperor.

Although major affairs in the government are now mainly decided by the empress dowagers of the two palaces, and minor matters are decided by Feng Bao, Zhu Yijun actually does not have much say.

But selecting the official minister is no small matter, and it must go through the hands of the queen mothers of the two palaces.

After greeting the young emperor Wanli, the words reached the Queen Mother's ears easily.

At this moment, Wei Guangde suddenly realized something, looked up at Zhu Heng and smiled bitterly: "Brother Shi Nan, I'm afraid we really don't have much chance this time."

"How to say?"

Zhu Heng said curiously.

"I can't convince the Queen Mother of the two palaces. In the past, such things could only be done through Feng Bao. After all, he is a eunuch, which has a much advantage over us ministers.

But with the current situation, I think Feng Bao probably told Uncle Zhang about the matter, and he agreed to help.

With this relationship in the palace, he dared to take risks in this court meeting. "

Wei Guangde guessed.

"Is there really nothing we can do?"

Zhu Heng did not come from the Imperial Academy. It can be said that the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was the highest official position he could achieve.

Continuing to go up, that is, adding titles, such as the three official and three lonely official positions, but with no actual power.

Therefore, he devoted all his energy to the competition for the position of Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, hoping to successfully ascend to the position.

But looking at the situation now, it seems that this is no longer possible.

"I think Uncle Zhang may have picked up on this matter."

Wei Guangde shook his head helplessly, "Now he is the first assistant, and I am the second assistant. To ensure the stability of the government, the authority of the first assistant must be guaranteed first.

From this point of view, I analyze that even if the empress dowagers of the two palaces knew who was behind you and Zhang Han, 80% of them would choose to support Zhang Shuda.

As for me, the second assistant, what they value more is my clamping effect on the first assistant, so that he cannot cover the sky with just one hand.

Therefore, if it is a general official position, maybe they will support the person I recommend. But for an official position like Tianguan of the Ministry of Civil Affairs that can influence the government, either there is a candidate in the palace, or they choose to support Zhang Shuda. "

When Wei Guangde said this, he saw Zhu Heng opening his mouth to say something, so he shook his head and continued: "I know what you mean. The Queen Mother may not choose to weaken the strength of the first assistant and support me instead, so that I can deal with him more effectively. The first assistant carries out clamping.

But this is impossible. In the palace, Zhang Shuda and Yang Weiyue have always been regarded as the same party. After Yang Weiyue became an official, the power of the chief assistant has been weakened, so it is likely that his candidate will be given priority for this position.

You know, what the palace is really concerned about is the balance of forces between the DPRK and China.

Before this, with me keeping the chief minister in check, he could not speak his mind in the court at all, so the palace was satisfied, or in other words, they were satisfied with the current balance of power in the court.

If you are allowed to take the position, this balance is likely to be broken, and I have the ability to challenge the authority of the first assistant.

Regardless of whether I have this intention or not, they will never let such a thing happen.

For the Queen Mother of the two palaces, the most important thing is to ensure that the government runs smoothly until His Majesty comes of age and takes charge.

What's more, the person who can speak to the Queen Mother at this time should be on Zhang Shuda's side. "

"I'm lucky to get it, but I'm destined to lose it. Good loan, let's leave it to fate."

Zhu Heng sighed, and finally said helplessly.

Wei Guangde returned to the cabinet, sat and thought for a while, and gradually figured out the meaning of Zhang Juzheng's adventure.

Except for throwing away the official position of Salt Transport Envoy, no matter what happens in the end, he will actually not suffer any loss.

If you achieve your goal, you will make a profit, and it will be a big profit.

Wei Guangde didn't want to continue to tangle with Zhang Juzheng. He just wanted to watch him complete his reforms and see what kind of changes Zhang Juzheng's reforms could bring to the Ming Dynasty.

In the afternoon, a sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside. As Lu Bu entered the door, Wei Guangde also put down the memorial in his hand.

"What happened? There are so many people running outside?"

Wei Guangde asked.

"I was chatting with Cui Fu and Zhang Bao in the front yard before. The secretary of state came to deliver a letter saying that Duke Cheng Zhu Xizhong was gone. Someone from the Duke Cheng's palace had come to the palace to report the funeral, so we ran back to report the news."

Lu Bu whispered to Wei Guangde.

"Oh, got it."

Zhu Xizhong's disease had actually been sentenced to death a long time ago, but the Chengguo Palace had been using good and precious medicinal materials to keep him alive, and visited famous doctors everywhere to diagnose and treat him.

In fact, everyone knows the reason. The trust established by Zhu Xizhong and Emperor Jiajing at the beginning would mean that as long as Zhu Xizhong or the emperors of the old Zhu family would choose to trust him.

But once the person is gone, the emperor may not trust his nephew as much as he trusts him.

Wei Guangde was not related to Duke Chengguo, so their relationship could only be described as average. However, Wei Guangde was actually a little secretly happy about Zhu Xizhong's death.

In the beginning, because of the relationship between Wei Guangde and Xungui, they were able to talk to each other. Therefore, when there were matters in the court to discuss with Xungui, Wei Guangde usually came forward.

But later, Wei Guangde discovered that Zhang Juzheng was getting closer to the Chengguo Palace intentionally or unintentionally. Later, it was reported that Zhang Juzheng and Zhu Xizhong had become good friends who talked about everything.

We are all political figures, so naturally we don't get to know each other easily, but at least on the surface the two people have a very close relationship.

After Zhu Xizhong died, the connection between Zhang Juzheng and Xungui was severed. Even if he wanted to re-establish such a connection, it would take time to choose a new partner.

Relatively speaking, the bond established by Wei Guangde through marriage seems to be more stable.

But since he was the Duke of Ming Dynasty after all, Wei Guangde had to go to the Duke Cheng's Mansion to show his face, so today he planned to leave his duty early and go directly to the Duke Cheng's Mansion first.

Now that Wan Shihe has not arrived in Beijing, Wei Guangde is also worried that the Ministry of Rites has neglected him.

Thinking of Wan Shihe, Wei Guangde couldn't help but pat his head. Even the Minister of Rites could choose the Minister of Nanjing. Why hadn't he been prepared for this before?

Wei Guangde went to Chengguo Duke's Mansion quite early. After sitting there for a while, he asked the Duke if everything was ready, then he said goodbye and left.

When he was leaving the palace, he happened to meet the eunuch Feng Bao who came to express his condolences. They chatted for a few words in front of the Chengguo Duke's palace and then left.

But Wei Guangde didn't know that Feng Bao stayed in the Duke Cheng's mansion for nearly an hour and talked about a lot of things there.

Zhu Xizhong is the great-great-grandson of Zhu Neng, the famous general of Jingnan and Duke of Chengguo, the son of Zhu Feng, and a distinguished minister of the Ming Dynasty.

In the 15th year of Jiajing's reign, Zhu Xi ascended the throne and became the Duke of the country. Because of his loyalty, alertness, and good ability to make friends, Zhu Xi was famous above all other nobles.

Over the course of three dynasties, he represented the emperor sixty-six times, offered sacrifices to Yuanqiu thirty-nine times, Fang Ze twenty-nine times, participated in Jinshi Enrong Banquets nineteen times, and both Muzong Muzong and Ming Shenzong ascended the throne, assuming the task of holding the festival crown. The rewards are endless.

When such an important minister dies, the court will naturally discuss his posthumous title.

Originally, such a matter should have been discussed by the Ministry of Rites and reported to the cabinet, and finally approved by the palace. However, that afternoon, Zhang Juzheng, the chief minister, took over the matter and skipped the discussion with the Ministry of Rites on the grounds that Wan Shihe had not yet arrived at the Ministry of Rites. The matter shall be decided directly by the Cabinet.

Wei Guangde was very surprised when he received the notice from the first assistant to check in. This was somewhat against the rules.

But when he entered the chief assistant's duty room and saw Zhang Juzheng, Wei Guangde was shocked as soon as Zhang Juzheng opened his mouth.

"Zhu Gong served for three dynasties and worked diligently. It is sad to see his death now."

Zhang Juzheng waited for Lu Tiaoyang to arrive before he expressed his intention politely.

"According to the system, a duke is granted the title of king, and a marquis is granted the title of duke. If Zhu Guogong has made great contributions to the court, he can be posthumously granted the title of king."

Having said this, Zhang Juzheng looked at Wei Guangde and Lu Tiaoyang and said with a smile: 'What do you two think? ’

Before Wei Guangde could speak, Lu Tiaoyang immediately replied: "Master Chief Assistant, the title given by the Duke refers to those who have made great achievements. Although Zhu Guogong served for three dynasties, he has never been on the battlefield, so it cannot be regarded as a great achievement.

I'm afraid it would be inappropriate to make him a king. "

After Lu Tiaoyang finished speaking, Wei Guangde also nodded: "He Qing's words are reasonable. Zhu Zhenqing did do a lot for the court, but she did not achieve any military merit.

Great honors and great achievements are nothing except rescuing the driver or military merit. Even if he rescued the driver from the fire, it was Lu Wenfu who carried the late emperor out of the fire. He only played a role in protecting the driver.

The title of king has passed. "

"But now the palace has this idea. To stabilize the nobles, they need to set an example, and Zhu Guogong is a typical example.

When he first brought back the great treasure of the late Emperor's enthronement from Anlu, he also worked diligently and diligently after that. "

Zhang Juzheng said.

Hearing that it was the palace's intention, Wei Guangde and Lu Tiaoyang looked at each other and chose silence.

I know it's against the rules, but if it's the Queen Mother and the Emperor's intention, then naturally it's hard to say anything more.

It's just that Wei Guangde didn't know that there was no intention in the palace to encourage Zhu Xizhong to pursue the title of king. In fact, it was because Zhu Xizhong's brother Zhu Xixiao gave him a large sum of money when Feng Bao paid his condolences yesterday.

To say that the relationship between the two brothers is really good, after Zhu Xizhong died of illness, Zhu Xizhong bribed the eunuch Feng Bao with a large amount of money and asked to grant his brother Zhu Zhong the title of king.

When Zhang Juzheng went to express his condolences, he also informed him of the incident.

That night, Zhang Juzheng had a secret meeting with Feng Bao to discuss the matter.

To the palace, Feng Baohui told the two empress dowagers that it was the result of cabinet deliberations and suggested that Zhu Xizhong be granted a royal title based on his contribution to serving the emperor over the years.

As for foreign affairs, Zhang Juzheng used the palace's will to let the three cabinet members choose to support it, at least not to oppose it openly.

Based on Zhang Juzheng's understanding of Wei Guangde and Lu Tiaoyang, as long as he told them that this matter was the palace's attitude, they would not object again.

Wei Guangde never dreamed that in the first year of Wanli, Feng Bao and Zhang Juzheng were so bold that they dared to deceive superiors and subordinates, and made such a big move as to pursue the title of king.

You know, when Zhang Juzheng said what he meant, Wei Guangde and Lu Tiaoyang had already expressed their opposition.

One can imagine how violent the reaction in the court would be after the news spread.

Zhang Juzheng did not dare to nod in the Chengguo Palace, but after Feng Bao also came forward to lobby, he finally acquiesced in the matter. In fact, he was somewhat involved in the selection of the Minister of Personnel.

Now he is riding a tiger but cannot get off. Although he has a good relationship with Zhu Xizhong, under normal circumstances he would not support the title of king.

However, the situation is becoming more and more complicated now. In order to ensure that he establishes unparalleled prestige in the court, Zhang Juzheng does not have to worry about much.

While the cabinet was discussing the matter, in Ciqing Palace, Feng Bao also sent the court meeting memorial to the queen mothers of the two palaces, and also analyzed the pros and cons of selecting candidates for them.

"The first assistant supports Mr. Zhang Han, the second assistant supports fellow villager Zhu Heng, and someone also recommended Ge Shouli, the censor of Zuodu. All three of them have sufficient qualifications.

But from the perspective of the ministers, in order to ensure the stability of the court at this time, it is better to support the chief minister more." (End of this chapter)