prosperous age

Chapter 1098 1189 Zhang Siwei

Zhang Juzheng felt a little embarrassed when Wei Guangde pointed out the smuggling of Shanxi merchants.

In fact, regarding smuggling, it was not only in the north. The imperial court had long known that smuggling by merchants along the southeastern coast eventually developed into Japanese pirates. Tea and horse merchants in the southwest and northwest were also involved in smuggling to some extent.

In particular, officials are often involved behind these smuggling activities.

For the tea-horse trade in the west, officials would often report a very low price to the court in order to suppress the trading prices of those tribes.

The merchants would exchange them for better horses and other goods at a slightly higher price.

Because the price offered by the imperial court was too low, they traded their inferior horses to the Ming Dynasty, and these horses were eventually transported to the border.

This is the collusion between officials and businessmen, exploiting the surrounding tribes, and when the oppression reaches the extreme, they become enemies.

They will not only blame the businessmen and officials, but will also hate the Ming Dynasty.

When Wei Guangde said this, he actually revealed his true colors, which was that he did not support the restoration of Ma Shi, as it was a purely military issue.

"What about stricter control measures?"

Thinking of the people who came to his house in the past two days, Zhang Juzheng was helpless.

Who says that the Prime Minister of the Ming Empire has all the power in the court? There are times when they have to help others get things done.

These, whether due to favors or other exchanges of interests, forced him to agree to help them.

Wei Guangde shook his head at this time and said with a smile: "What's the meaning of these to the businessmen who have tasted the sweetness?

Besides, even if the imperial court strictly restricted their trade with the Mongols, they were doing private business that was not allowed to be shown on the stage, which itself violated the rules. "

"How do you know? The horse market isn't open yet."

Zhang Juzheng said hurriedly.

"Brother, you can ask the Imperial Guards to find out how many iron artifacts those merchants secretly hid when they traded with the Mongols."

Wei Guangde said bluntly.

Wei Guangde didn't believe that Zhang Juzheng knew nothing about it and was just helping those people out of courtesy.

The biggest rival of the Mongols they traded with was the Ming Dynasty.

In fact, the Ming Dynasty's restrictions on ironware were not only aimed at the Mongols, but also included a ban on trade with Japan.

Wei Guangde's fleet was secretly operating this route, which was actually a serious crime.

Of course, Wei Guangde did set up several layers of firewalls. By participating in the shares of the chamber of commerce, he showed that he did not interfere with the business of the chamber of commerce.

However, precisely because he knew this, he was even more worried about the Shanxi merchants.

History has proven the integrity of Shanxi merchants. Even if history had not, they would have started to do it after tasting the sweetness of business.

Well, Wei Guangde actually only allows the county officials to set fires but does not allow the Shanxi merchants to light lamps.

He can do it, but he does not allow others to do it, or to do it without his control.

The main commodities in the business with Japan are silk and porcelain. What’s the big deal? Wei Guangde doesn’t care even if there are some ironware.

It is true that Japan is short of iron, but don't forget that they are still in the Warring States Period. Even if they melt iron, it is for village and town fighting. There is nothing wrong with that.

However, it is difficult to explain how to sell these things to Mongolia.

Zhang Juzheng didn't speak for a long time this time, as he couldn't tell some lies.

We are all smart people, and telling lies with open eyes is only useful to those who are not in the know.

"Okay, let's put the matter of the horse market on hold for now. Let's discuss it again after the rules are set. Everything should be done in a safe way."

Zhang Juzheng said this, and he had given up on this matter for the time being. He did not intend to continue.

Just when Wei Guangde thought that today's matter was almost over, he didn't expect Zhang Juzheng to mention another matter, which was the treatment of Liu Tai.

Liu Tai, the Inspector General of Liaodong and a student of Zhang Juzheng, had been punished by the young Emperor Wanli for impeaching Zhang Juzheng. He had been brought back to the capital from Liaodong by the Embroidered Uniform Guards and imprisoned in the imperial prison, awaiting the final sentencing and punishment.

There was much controversy in the court about Liu Tai's punishment. Most people believed that Liu Tai was not guilty. After all, he was an imperial censor and his nature was to bite people.

Moreover, Liu Tai's impeachment of Zhang Juzheng could not be considered as hearsay, but was mostly based on facts.

As expected, everyone has their own opinion on whether Zhang Juzheng was abusing his power, so what crime did Liu Tai commit?

The most intense reaction came from a group of censors in the Censorate.

After all, if Liu Tai was convicted, it would definitely not be a good thing for them, as it meant that they could not impeach the Prime Minister.

The lessons are right before our eyes.

But their duty is to impeach officials. What could be more eye-catching than impeaching cabinet ministers and chancellors?

Not being punished for speech has always been their biggest trump card. Now that their trump card has been exposed by Zhang Juzheng, how can they continue to play this game?

"Brother Uncle, I heard that His Majesty has already issued an order to punish him with a hundred strokes of the cane and send him to the border to guard the frontier. This should be announced at the next grand court meeting."

Wei Guangde was a little confused. He didn't know what Zhang Juzheng meant by Liu Tai. Did he want to kill him?

If this is true, then Zhang Juzheng would have a hard time explaining himself, because he would become the public enemy of all civil servants in the world.

At the very least, since those who initiated the impeachment are all there, they won't directly fight anyone to death.

Being exiled to the border is already the most severe punishment.

As for sentencing the official to death, Liu Tai would have to have committed an unforgivable crime.

Does Liu Tai have it?

I don’t know. At least the Jinyiwei didn’t find out and didn’t report it.

The biggest crime Liu Tai is now charged with is that he impeached Zhang Juzheng, his teacher, which made him lose all face. And Zhang Juzheng's student, the young Emperor Wanli, wants to vent his teacher's anger.

The emperor wanted to help the teacher and punished an official by sending him to guard the border, and everyone accepted it.

Thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all grace from the emperor, not to mention the face of the prime minister.

Therefore, although many people in the court had opinions, few dared to submit them and comment on the matter.

“In fact, I was too embarrassed to face people at the time, so I planned to resign, but I didn’t expect His Majesty to be so angry about it.

Now that I think about it, it was because of my inappropriate handling of the matter that His Majesty took his anger out on others, so I plan to submit a memorial requesting His Majesty to spare Liu Tai.

Even though he misunderstood me, there was no need to make such a fuss."

Zhang Juzheng said to Wei Guangde.

Well, Wei Guangde understood what Zhang Juzheng meant. He wanted him to be the loudspeaker for this matter and help him restore some reputation among the court officials.

"So, how do you plan to deal with Liu Tai? After all, he was brought back to the capital by the Jinyi Tiqi. If you just let him go, it will be a loss to your Majesty..."

Wei Guangde asked tentatively, wanting to see how Zhang Juzheng was going to deal with his student Liu Tai.

The current situation is a bit troublesome. At the beginning, Zhang Juzheng got into trouble because of his reputation, so the emperor helped him vent his anger by capturing Liu Tai.

  If you let him go now, does the emperor have to save his face?

There are only two ways to deal with Liu Tai. If he is not guilty, he will be released and reinstated. This is absolutely a slap in the face of the current emperor and the prime minister, which is basically impossible. If he is guilty, he will be punished for spreading rumors, demoted, or dismissed. Even more serious is what the emperor is doing now, sending him to the border.

Wei Guangde still didn't know what he was thinking in the end, and he didn't want to interfere in the affairs between them as teacher and student.

No matter which side you stand on or what you say, you will offend people.

Even if he helped Zhang Juzheng, people might think he was laughing at the joke afterwards.

It is better to let him speak for himself and fully cooperate with his performance to complete the task.

Wei Guangde believed that this was the only thing he could do as a bystander.

"I have already mentioned the caning in the court and exile to the frontier."

Zhang Juzheng felt a little embarrassed at this time. After all, everyone knew the truth. He could only continue to act and hope to win back the hearts of the people.

"Shan Dai, how about punishing Liu Tai and removing him from the ranks of a commoner?"

Zhang Juzheng spoke up, and it was obvious that he still could not let go of the fact that Liu Tai had impeached him, causing him to lose face in front of the world.

There are two types of dismissal from office. One is resignation, which means losing the office but still having the status of a Jinshi. Without a clear imperial decree, one is not allowed to serve as an official again. After a few years, especially after Zhang Juzheng fell from power, there was still a chance for reinstatement.

The most serious one is what Zhang Juzheng said, being expelled from the list, which means losing one's official status, is like going from being a Jinshi to being an ordinary citizen. Of course, ordinary citizens cannot be officials.

For a scholar, losing fame and honor is a big deal. It can be said that Liu Tai lost all his face because of this.

Although Zhang Juzheng spared Liu Tai, the punishment of expelling him from the throne and becoming a commoner was harsh enough for Liu Tai.

"okay, I get it."

Wei Guangde nodded and agreed, not wanting to say more.

Seeing that Wei Guangde agreed, Zhang Juzheng directly took out a memorial from his sleeve and handed it to Wei Guangde.

Wei Guangde took it anyway, but before he had time to read what Zhang Juzheng had written, someone outside came in to report that Zhang Siwei, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, wanted to see the Prime Minister.

"Brother Uncle is busy with official duties, so I won't bother you anymore and will go back first.

If there is anything wrong with my uncle, just send someone to let me know."

Wei Guangde immediately stood up and said goodbye.

"Okay, today I will mainly discuss the Southwest War and Datong with Shandai, there is nothing else to discuss."

When Wei Guangde said goodbye and left, Zhang Juzheng saw him off to the door.

"Meet Lord Wei."

Wei Guangde said goodbye to Zhang Juzheng and ran into Zhang Siwei from the Ministry of Rites who was waiting at the door.

"Brother Ziwei, please be polite. The Prime Minister is in the room. You can go there at will."

Seeing Zhang Siwei bowing respectfully, Wei Guangde did not dare to be arrogant. He immediately clasped his fists and bowed as well, thus completing the etiquette.

"Then I'll take my leave, Lord Wei. I'll definitely visit you when I have time."

Zhang Siwei continued to speak politely, walked past Wei Guangde, and entered Zhang Juzheng's duty room.

Wei Guangde chuckled and shook his head, then walked towards his duty room, but he stopped after a few steps.

Thinking of the Datong issue that Zhang Juzheng had discussed with him before, and his sudden plea for Liu Tai, he was ready to let Liu Tai go.

Suddenly, Wei Guangde felt that Zhang Siwei was probably deeply involved in this matter.

Yes, whether it is the lawsuit involving Da Tongxue or Liu Tai, Zhang Siwei is actually involved.

The senior colleagues didn't say much, but in Liu Tai's impeachment memorial, he specifically mentioned Zhang Siwei.

In his impeachment memorial, Liu Tai said that Zhang Juzheng violated the "ancestral system" and was determined to push Zhang Siwei into the cabinet, which was actually a very strange thing.

He wanted to tell the emperor and the people of the world about this strange thing, because when Zhang Siwei was in the Hanlin Academy, he was attacked for his misconduct.

Zhang Juzheng was not unaware of these things, but he still appointed him to the cabinet as a Grand Secretary. This is strange.

The reason was that although Zhang Siwei had a bad character, he was good at adapting to changing circumstances, had some abilities, and was particularly good at flattering, which made Zhang Juzheng turn around.

Zhang Juzheng's father was very old, and he might pass away one day, so Zhang Juzheng would have to return to his hometown to "observe the mourning period."

At that time, Zhang Siwei was in the cabinet, and it would have been much more convenient for him to arrange for Zhang Juzheng to be "reinstated" and return to the court as soon as possible.

Therefore, Liu Tai believed that it was his responsibility to remind the emperor to be wary of Zhang Juzheng, because Zhang Juzheng was too terrible. He was far-sighted in everything he did, but his foresight was not for the country, but for his own interests and power.

Along with Zhang Siwei, Zhang Han was also named and criticized, saying that he was corrupt and notorious when he was the governor of Shaanxi.

Wei Guangde looked back at the empty door of the Prime Minister's duty room and shook his head again.

Zhang Siwei is a capable person, but he is also first-rate at spending money.

Zhang Siwei's father was a famous salt merchant in Puzhou, his grandfather made bamboo and wood lacquerware and also transported military rations, his uncle ran a huge commercial market, and his father-in-law also engaged in reselling in various places.

His brother gave up his studies early and learned to manage the family business from a young age.

When Zhang Siwei entered the officialdom, Wang Chonggu, the governor of Xuanda in the Ming Dynasty, was his uncle, and Yang Bo, the then Minister of Personnel, was his fellow townsman and relative-in-law.

It can be said that such wealth and network of relationships were extremely rare even in the Ming Dynasty.

He was criticized in Hanlin because he was generous and broke many unspoken rules.

For example, when a colleague's family has something going on, everyone has the agreed-upon contribution of money, but Zhang Siwei doesn't do that and gives more than anyone else.

In addition, Zhang Siwei seemed to have no interest in a career in politics and often took leave to travel.

Wei Guangde actually didn't know how to respond if Zhang Juzheng recommended Zhang Siwei to join the cabinet.

Zhang Siwei had previously said he wanted to visit him, and he almost said he wanted to give him some money.

Back in the duty room, Wei Guangde glanced at the memorial, took out the note and drafted it directly.

Of course, Zhang Juzheng could not draft the memorials he submitted himself.

This matter ends here.

A day later, the palace finally issued a clear decree regarding the punishment for Liu Tai. Liu Tai was dismissed from his post and became a commoner, and was never to be employed again for the rest of his life.

The decree was an imperial decree and was directly transmitted to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and only the cabinet was informed.

Of course, before this, news had already spread in the court that the Prime Minister Zhang Juzheng had put aside past grudges and submitted a memorial requesting forgiveness for Liu Tai.

These rumors were naturally spread inadvertently by Wei Guangde during the banquet. In just one day, they spread throughout the capital.

Liu Tai was released from the prison, but he had nothing left.

The Ministry of Personnel had already stripped him of his official position, and the Ministry of Rites had also removed his honors.

No one would speak up for him, a fallen official, let alone the prime minister.

Although, perhaps if he was beaten with a stick in the court and then sent to guard the border, people would still shed a few tears behind his back and make a few more remarks expressing dissatisfaction with Zhang Juzheng's rule.

But that was all. No one would stand up publicly to continue impeaching Zhang Juzheng. No one dared to do so.