prosperous age

Chapter 1099 1190 Shen Shixing

The reason why everyone treated Zhang Juzheng in this way was actually because the performance evaluation system he was promoting was too unfriendly to officials.

Being punished for procrastinating in handling government affairs was something that these officials who had passed the imperial examinations could not accept.

  I finally became an official, why should I be restricted by rules and regulations? What's the point of being an official?

It can be said that a large part of what happened to Zhang Juzheng after his death was caused by the performance evaluation system.

Liu Tai was released from the imperial prison and left the capital in disgrace.

"Master, when Liu Tai left, no official came to see him off."

In the study of the Wei Mansion, Zhang Ji whispered to Wei Guangde what he had seen this morning.

"Well, it's good enough to leave alive. Otherwise, you will be convicted and sent to guard the border, which is worse than death."

Wei Guangde didn't have any emotion about Liu Tai being punished. It didn't mean that because Liu Tai did the right thing, he should come out to help speak and protect him.

In fact, Liu Tai had his own considerations for doing this. All we can say is that he made the wrong bet.

The officialdom is actually gray, there is no such thing as black or white.

Wei Guangde also realized that when most people deal with things, they mostly consider their personal interests and choose their own positions.

Even Hai Rui, who was known as the "honest official", could not escape the rules and restrictions of the Ming Dynasty officialdom.

However, he will try his best to gain some benefits for the people.

It is precisely because of his actions that he has gained great reputation and influence among the people.

In fact, this had already been revealed when Hai Rui was handling the Xu Jie case. He tried his best to talk to Xu Jie, hoping that the Xu family would return some of the occupied land from the people and keep less.

He was finally moved away by Gao Gong because Gao Gong thought such a method was too mild. He should have hoped that Hai Rui would live up to his reputation and directly remove Xu Jie.

However, Wei Guangde thought that Liu Tai had left and the matter was over. But he had no idea that when he saw the memorial again a few years later, he realized that Liu Tai was doomed after all.

As for the later rumor that Liu Tai died at the hands of Zhang Juzheng, it is hard to say. After all, Liu Tai offended more than just Zhang Juzheng in his impeachment memorial, but also Zhang Siwei, Zhang Han and others who were named in the memorial.

Zhang Siwei at that time was not an ordinary person. He might have killed someone in the name of Zhang Juzheng.

In fact, according to history, after Gao Gong was expelled, Zhang Siwei entered the cabinet and became a cabinet minister, forming the troika of the cabinet in the early Wanli period with Zhang Juzheng and Lu Diaoyang.

However, because of Wei Guangde's intrusion, Zhang Siwei's path to entering the cabinet has been delayed until now.

"Cough cough."

Just then, a servant outside the door coughed twice.

After hearing this, Wei Guangde said to Zhang Ji, "Go and see what's going on."

"Yes, sir."

Zhang Ji agreed and walked out quickly, but soon came back with a list in his hand.

"Master, Mr. Zhang's gifts have been counted and put into storage. Please have a look."

Zhang Ji handed the gift list he had just received to Wei Guangde with both hands and asked him to take a look.

Wei Guangde took it and took a look at it. He couldn't help but smack his lips and said, "This Zhang Ziwei is really generous."

There were quite a few things recorded on the gift list in his hand, many of which were rare treasures such as jade, jadeite and coral, as well as many pieces of the finest Suzhou and Sichuan embroidery. However, there were no tacky things such as gold, silver and Tongbao coins.

"Then what the master means is, do you want to..."

When Zhang Ji heard Wei Guangde say this, he realized he had misunderstood the meaning and spoke hesitantly.

'What do you want? Haha, if he dares to give it to me, I dare to accept it. What's the big deal? I will just return the gift with a slightly heavier gift during the solar term.

Remember this, and tell me when you prepare the gift list.'

Wei Guangde was not some fool. He was like this when Zhang Siwei was in the Hanlin Academy. Whenever there was something going on in the academy, he would come to the academy and give ten or twenty taels of silver, saying that silver could help with many things and was much better than gifts. If he didn't need the money, he didn't have to exchange it for silver.

Then, he was reported for bribing his colleagues.

Fortunately, the silver given out at that time could be checked, and it was given in front of everyone. Moreover, he gave silver in this way to everyone who had something to worry about at that time, so he was only reprimanded and was not expelled from the Hanlin Academy.

"Zhang Siwei"

Wei Guangde couldn't help but mutter to himself, thinking about the time when they worked together in the Hanlin Academy.

It can only be that Wei Guangde does not think that Zhang Siwei has much talent, but there are many people willing to help him.

The reason has been mentioned before.

Zhang Siwei is good at socializing, perhaps it is due to family inheritance, after all, he comes from a merchant family.

He himself had a high level of literary accomplishment and wrote many works. It is worth mentioning that he was able to be selected into the Hanlin Academy as a scholar because of his calligraphy.

As for Zhang Siwei's unique insights on border affairs, Wei Guangde did talk to him about some of them, but they were mostly what Zhang Juzheng had said to him today. As long as the Mongols' demand for Ming Dynasty materials was met commercially, they would not go south to herd horses, and the border would be peaceful.

The Ming Dynasty would also benefit greatly from developing trade with the Mongols. After all, it is a business deal, and neither side will suffer. It is much better than the people suffering in the scourge of war.

At that time, Zhang Siwei was Wei Guangde's predecessor. He was a Jinshi in the 32nd year of Jiajing. Not long after Wei Guangde entered the Hanlin Academy, he became an editor like him. He was promoted before he had even completed the term as a Shujishi.

However, Zhang Siwei worked as a Shujishi for more than two years before he was granted the position of Hanlin editor. After that, Zhang Siwei was always an unknown person in the Hanlin Academy. His real promotion did not begin until Gao Gong returned from the Longqing Dynasty.

Perhaps at that time Gao Gong urgently needed someone like Zhang Siwei who had been on the sidelines in the court for a long time to join him. Supporting these people is much better than taking over others.

As the saying goes, it is easy to add icing on the cake, but difficult to provide help when the time is right.

What's more, Zhang Siwei has a powerful background. As long as you show some favor to him, you can gain the favor of both Yang Bo and Wang Chonggu at the same time.

And Zhang Juzheng also favored Gao Gong after his death, probably because of the same consideration.

However, Wei Guangde still shook his head. Zhang Siwei was actually okay whether he was in the Ministry of Rites or the Ministry of Personnel, but Wei Guangde still felt that it was inappropriate to let him enter the cabinet.

Why did Zhang Siwei waste those years in the Hanlin Academy? It was not because he did not have strong connections. You have to know that Yang Bo had already transferred to the Ministry of Personnel as a senior official at that time, and it would have been easy for him to be promoted to a Hanlin editor.

Even the noble President of the Hanlin Academy would never displease Lord Yang over such a small matter and would definitely agree to support it.

However, during that period, Zhang Siwei was like a hopeless case, and he was idle in the Hanlin Academy all day long.

Yes, the impeachment may have had a great impact on him, but ultimately it was a problem of his character.

Children from wealthy families always lack the spirit of being enterprising and hardworking.

For Zhang Siwei, money should just be a number.

Zhang Siwei was no longer surprised by the things that many children from poor families dreamed of.

Others studied hard in the hope that one day they would be able to enter the officialdom, bring honor to their family and change their family's circumstances. However, Zhang Siwei's study, imperial examinations and officialdom were just a life choice. He might have the ambition to realize his ambitions, but he definitely had no expectation of changing his family's circumstances.

In fact, the pitiful salary of Ming Dynasty officials might not even be enough for Zhang Siwei to buy a good book.

It is said that Zhang Siwei was very intelligent and precocious when he was a child. When he was seven years old, his speech and behavior were no different from those of an adult.

My father was away on business all year round, but he liked to send things to Zhang Siwei.

My father’s gift was not toys or local specialties, but a cart of books.

Yes, books, and they were pulled back by car.

In ancient times, a good book was very expensive, but Zhang Siwei's father collected a large number of rare and valuable books from everywhere and transported them back by car for Zhang Siwei to study, which shows how wealthy his family was.

In the imperial examinations of the Ming Dynasty, the performance of Puzhou was not ideal.

But Zhang Siwei was an outlier who emerged from this place. He passed the imperial examination at the age of 24, became a Jinshi at the age of 28, was awarded the title of editor of the Hanlin Academy at the age of 30, and became the fifth-rank You Zhongyun at the age of 42. In the fourth year of Longqing, at the age of 45, he was promoted to Hanlin Bachelor and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and really began to emerge in the Ming court.

There is a comment about Zhang Siwei in the "History of Ming Dynasty" that "Siwei is suave, talented, and well-versed in current affairs." The word "suave" can reveal Zhang Siwei's free and easy nature.

Perhaps, he never thought about joining the cabinet and dominating the affairs of the Ming Dynasty from the beginning, but was pushed to the forefront by Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng.

Because they want to take advantage of his power, or the network of relationships behind him.

However, after Gao Gong paved the golden road for him to enter the cabinet, he and his family had no choice.

"It's really a headache."

Wei Guangde murmured that he had no way to refuse Zhang Siwei from joining the cabinet, as he had all the qualifications and he had taken good care of all the officials above the fourth rank in the court.

Until now, even though they knew that Zhang Siwei's gifts were more expensive than others, the Censorate was too lazy to pay any attention to him.

Because their family is rich and arrogant.

He didn't just give expensive gifts to certain people who were useful to him, but he gave expensive gifts to everyone equally.

What reason does the Censorate have to doubt the motives behind giving gifts?

"The left assistant minister is promoted, and the right assistant minister is replaced. Lu Diaoyang, you have caused me a big trouble."

Wei Guangde was still muttering to himself that there was no one in his pocket.

In recent years, the performance of Jiangxi candidates has not been good. My classmates were not selected as Shujishi at all, so it was difficult to find help.

I looked through the list of Jinshi candidates who passed the imperial examinations in the 38th year of Jiajing, but couldn't find a suitable person. I then thought about the Jinshi candidates who passed the imperial examinations in the 41st year, and the first person I thought of was Duan Mengxian.

Unfortunately, this guy's performance in the palace examination was quite good, ranking over 80 in the second class, but in the end no one was selected as a Shujishi, and he was not qualified to enter the Ministry of Rites as a vice minister.

"Shen Shixing?"

Suddenly, the name of Xu Shixing, the top scholar in the 41st year of Jiajing, appeared in Wei Guangde's mind.

Although Shen Shixing could not enter the cabinet, he was now the Chancellor of the Chancellery and a Bachelor of Imperial Academy, and he was only one step away from entering the court.

  How about I give him a kick and send him to the Ministry of Rites?

Wei Guangde's heart moved slightly and he had an idea.

Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng spent many years preparing to bring Zhang Siwei into the cabinet.

It's okay if you don't have anyone on your side, but you might as well reach out and pull people from outside to your side.

Shen Shixing was the top scholar in the imperial examination, so he had an innate advantage in entering the cabinet.

In fact, in the Ming Dynasty, the top three candidates in each exam were directly recommended to the Hanlin Academy to serve as officials, in order to be selected for future entry into the cabinet.

Some people will lose their qualifications for various reasons, while some will stay and become the lucky ones.

Yes, joining the cabinet does involve some element of luck.

Just like Chen Jin, the top scholar back then, who was about to be promoted, but unfortunately something went wrong while delivering his credit, and he fell ill on the way. As a result, he lost his credit and was directly eliminated from the competition.

But Shen Shixing was just missing the last step, which was to transfer from the Zhanshi Mansion to the Ministry of Rites or the Ministry of Personnel.

For those who have connections, like Zhang Siwei, there will be people to arrange things for them.

People like Shen Shixing are unlucky and can only wait for opportunities.

This time, Wei Guangde planned to help Shen Shixing out of his misfortune. If Shen Shixing knew what was good for him, he would naturally come to his house to visit and express his gratitude, and the relationship would be established.

Wait and see his ability to handle official business in the Ministry of Rites, and then decide whether to help him and send him to the cabinet to be his right-hand man.

In the past, Wei Guangde's attention had always been on the provincial governors and prefects, as well as several major government offices in the court, and he had never considered helping out in the cabinet.

It was just a wrong move that delayed Zhang Juzheng by many years.

Obviously, Zhang Juzheng actually made this mistake, which is why he chose Zhang Siwei and appointed someone supported by Gao Gong.

"Fortunately, it's not too late to find out now."

Wei Guangde made up his mind that when Zhang Juzheng proposed to recommend Zhang Siwei to join the cabinet, he would give the position of Right Vice Minister of Rites to Shen Shixing.

Wei Guangde could foresee that since Zhang Siwei was not afraid of suspicion when he visited his house, Zhang Juzheng would surely take action soon.

Sure enough, within two days, during a meeting in the Prime Minister's office before the end of the court to discuss government affairs, Lu Diaoyang said to Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde: "My old illness has come back these days, and I plan to take a few days off to rest. If it doesn't work, I will submit a petition to retire and return to my hometown to retire. The two elders should make early plans for the cabinet's work."

"I see that Brother Heqing is in good spirits, so there is no need to rush. If you are unwell, just rest for a few days."

Wei Guangde smiled.

"It's an old problem. It hasn't gotten better after several attempts of treatment. It's better to give up the position. There are many outstanding talents in the court. It's time for them to share the worries of the old minister."

Lu Diaoyang just smiled. There were only three people in the cabinet. If one person was missing, there would be a lot more government affairs to deal with. It would be okay for him to continue to occupy the position for a short period of time, but after a long time, both Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde would probably be dissatisfied.

"Yes, Shandai's words make sense. Let's take a rest for two days first, and don't mention retirement anymore."

Zhang Juzheng also spoke.

"I understand what you two mean, but my body really can't take it anymore."

Lu Diaoyang smiled bitterly and said, "Let's see who in the court is suitable. When the time comes, I can recommend someone in the memorial."

Lu Diaoyang was a good man. He had long seen that Wei Guangde had not prepared anyone to join the cabinet, and that only Zhang Juzheng had plans.

To put it bluntly, once the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister have agreed on the candidate, the matter is basically settled.

He wanted to use this opportunity to sell himself well and get some of his people better positions.

Upon hearing this, Wei Guangde said nothing more and just looked at Zhang Juzheng.