prosperous age

After the news of Zhang Juzheng's father's death reached the capital, Zhang Juzheng submitted a petition requesting to return home to observe the mourning period. Then, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Li Youzi requested to "seize the favor" and the Prime Minister stayed in the capital to observe the mourning period.

Until the emperor followed the public opinion and approved the petition to "deprive the love", and then Zhang Han submitted a memorial to oppose the "deprivation of love", and then he was dismissed from office.

What happened afterwards seemed to be nothing dramatic, and the Ministry of Public Security never received any memorials from other officials on the matter.

No one expressed support or opposition, as if it had nothing to do with them at all.

Zhang Juzheng and the emperor completed their three requests and three resignations smoothly. Until the content of Zhang Juzheng's fourth memorial was announced, the officialdom in the capital was shaken.

As mentioned before, everyone believed that Zhang Juzheng, the head of all officials, would choose to abide by the etiquette and continue to insist on returning to his hometown to observe the mourning period in the fourth memorial, which would also allow the emperor to understand his filial piety.

However, no one expected that in the fourth memorial that truly revealed his inner thoughts, Zhang Juzheng would choose to stay in Beijing to observe the mourning period. Such blatant greed for power was not only intolerable to those officials who hoped to make progress, but also unacceptable to those officials who respected Zhang Juzheng.

To them, this was blatant betrayal.

They could regard the previous rumors in the capital as malicious slander from certain people.

But when the facts were clearly laid out, they simply could not accept it.

Yes, they could not accept the fact that the person they respected actually gave up filial piety for the sake of power and conspired with the eunuchs in the inner court to "seize love."

The conditions proposed in the memorial, such as requesting to wear plain clothes and a corner belt when entering the cabinet to work, attending lectures every day, refusing salary, observing official regulations, etc., were nothing more than a trick to deceive everyone in their eyes.

Without waiting for the emperor's approval, some people began to submit memorials on this matter.

No one expected that those who attacked Zhang Juzheng this time were not his political enemies hiding in the court, but his students who had always supported him.

Wu Zhongxing, the editor of the Hanlin Academy, submitted a petition requesting that Zhang Juzheng be allowed to return home to attend his father's funeral.

Wu Zhongxing, courtesy name Zidao and alias Fu'an, was a native of Wujin County, Changzhou Prefecture, Nanzhili. He became a Jinshi in the fifth year of Longqing's reign, was selected as a Shujishi, and appointed an editor in the Hanlin Academy.

That year, Wei Guangde was supposed to preside over the imperial examination, but because he hurriedly returned to Jiangxi to mourn his father, Emperor Longqing finally asked Zhang Juzheng to support the imperial examination and become the teacher of this session of Jinshi.

As a student, Wu Zhongxing was the first to impeach Zhang Juzheng, which undoubtedly shocked the officialdom in the capital like a bomb.

Wei Guangde originally wanted to see who Zhang Juzheng's enemies were so that he could pay more attention to them, but he never expected that before his political enemies jumped out, Zhang Juzheng's own people jumped out to oppose him first.

Perhaps at this time, even Zhang Juzheng himself was in a confused state.

Wu Zhongxing's memorial was submitted through the Ministry of Public Security, so even though Feng Bao withheld the memorial, Wei Guangde copied the original from the Ministry of Public Security and saw the full text of the memorial.

"Master, there is news outside that Editor Wu went to the Prime Minister's residence before submitting the memorial. There is a rumor that the memorial was read by Prime Minister Zhang before it was submitted."

Lu Bu's voice appeared in Wei Guangde's ears at the right time, which was like a blockbuster bomb.

At this time, Wei Guangde suddenly felt some sympathy for Zhang Juzheng.

There was "Liu Tai" in front and Wu Zhongxing in the back, and the key point is that both of them were Zhang's students.

With them taking the lead in overthrowing Zhang, it is hard to imagine what choice the other so-called students of Zhang would make. If they all rushed forward to impeach Zhang Juzheng, then Zhang Juzheng's notoriety would never be washed away.

Don't look at this issue from the perspective of later generations, because the traditional "ritual system" has long been lost among Chinese people. In their view, it is nothing more than keeping the body for three days, and relatives and friends sitting together to eat and drink.

Perhaps, only the closest relatives will mourn for the deceased for a while.

All the work is outsourced to one-stop service, so naturally it is done as simple as possible.

But now is still the feudal Ming Dynasty, an era that attaches great importance to filial piety.

Zhang Juzheng was despised for being unfilial at first, and then his students stabbed him in the back. To be honest, Wei Guangde admired Zhang Juzheng very much for being able to sit firmly in the position of Prime Minister and carry out his reforms unwaveringly under such adversity.

In order to smoothly implement the previous performance evaluation system, Zhang Juzheng successively dealt with people like Yu Maoxue, then Nanjing Huke Jieshi, who was dismissed from his post and made a commoner, Fu Yingzhen, then censor, who was exiled, and Liu Tai, then Liaodong Circuit Inspector, who was imprisoned.

Zhang Juzheng had long aroused strong dissatisfaction by cracking down on officials and forcibly pushing for the implementation of the performance evaluation system.

Now, as Zhang Juzheng's reforms continue to advance, opposition forces are also accumulating.

Wei Guangde had already seen why so many twists and turns occurred after Zhang Juzheng's death. Those officials who had once opposed Zhang Juzheng and were hit as a result would surely retaliate after returning to power.

That would definitely mean that the Zhang family would be tortured to death, and the end would be a fight to the death.

Wei Guangde didn't know that another student of Zhang Juzheng, Zhao Yongxian, who was also a Jinshi in the fifth year of Longqing, was also writing furiously at this time, preparing to impeach Zhang Juzheng, opposing his failure to observe filial piety for his father and demanding that he return home immediately to observe the mourning period.

It can be said without hesitation that because of Zhang Juzheng's "love seizure" incident, the number of officials who supported Zhang Juzheng was far less than the number of officials who opposed him.

If Zhang Juzheng had been able to face the reality and choose to retreat at this time, his family would not have been purged so severely later.

Wei Guangde still stayed in his duty room and did not go out. He just dealt with the memorials sent to him, as if he was oblivious to the outside world.

In the duty room not far from him, Zhang Siwei was feeling uneasy.

Yes, although Zhang Siwei entered the cabinet with the help of Zhang Juzheng, the power he represented was unwilling to let him become a complete vassal of Zhang Juzheng.

It is beneficial for them to join Zhang Juzheng now, so Zhang Siwei is still willing to follow Zhang Juzheng and do his best to work for him, but it does not mean that they must be tied to Zhang Juzheng's boat.

At this time, Zhang Siwei had the possibility of taking a further step, so he was naturally very excited.

In the past two days, this topic has been discussed many times in Zhang Siwei's home, and Zhang Siwei is very excited.

However, seeing that the Second Assistant Wei Guangde did not make any move, Zhang Siwei and the people behind them were able to endure it and did not dare to act rashly.

After all, it was impossible for Zhang Siwei to replace Zhang Juzheng. There was Wei Guangde in the cabinet before him. In terms of seniority and status, it was impossible for him to surpass Wei Guangde and replace Zhang Juzheng.

However, after seeing Wu Zhongxing’s memorial today, Zhang Siwei’s suppressed heart began to become restless.

The addiction to power is so attractive that it is hard to stop.

"Master, that Lu Bu has come out of the deputy assistant's duty room."

The clerk reported in a low voice to Zhang Siwei.

"Did Wei Guangde take any action? Or did Lu Bu go to see someone?"

Zhang Siwei stopped when he heard this and immediately asked.

“No one noticed. After Lu Bu came out, he was guarding outside the duty room, just like usual. No one noticed him going to look for anyone.

Although I don’t know what Wei Ci Fu is doing in the room, he hasn’t come out, so he should still be reviewing memorials.”

The clerk answered in a low voice.

"Go and keep an eye on it. Report to me if you have any news."

Zhang Siwei frowned slightly, then waved his hand to let them go.

It can be said that Wei Guangde's silent performance made Zhang Siwei feel confused.

It was hard for him to understand how Wei Guangde could have the patience to not fight for the position of Prime Minister.

At this time, although there was a mourning hall outside Zhang Juzheng's mansion, the number of officials coming to the mansion increased a lot more than usual.

Yes, in the three days before, many officials came here to pay their respects. Almost all officials and nobles in the entire capital city came in person or sent people to pay their respects.

In the following days, the number of guests who came to pay their respects began to decrease. However, today, the number of people who came suddenly increased.

Because there were so many people coming, they crowded into the film studio, making it difficult for the Zhang family to cope.

There is no doubt that these people came to visit the Prime Minister Zhang Juzheng.

However, only a small number of them were able to meet Zhang Juzheng.

At this time, in the flower hall of Zhang's mansion, Zhang Juzheng looked expressionlessly at Ai Mu, the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Justice, and Shen Sixiao, the Chief, who were standing in front of him. It was unknown what they were thinking, and he turned a deaf ear to what they said.

These two people were his fellow townsmen from Huguang. They came here to seek a meeting, and Zhang Juzheng chose to meet them. However, after the greetings, the two quickly turned the topic to the matter of "seizing love".

There is no doubt that they were also opposed to "seizing the throne" and were persuading Zhang Juzheng to give up his position as Prime Minister and return to his hometown to observe mourning and wait for his reinstatement.

Just now, Zhang Juzheng had received the news from Wu Zhongxing's memorial.

As rumored outside, Wu Zhongxing first showed the memorial to Zhang Juzheng, and again persuaded him to return to his hometown to observe the mourning period instead of staying in the capital.

However, Zhang Juzheng refused and used the imperial order as an excuse.

Although he did not make a direct threat, Zhang Juzheng believed that he had expressed his meaning clearly enough and hoped that he would not submit the memorial.

But obviously, his words did not stop Wu Zhongxing from doing what he did, and he still submitted the memorial.

"I'm tired, please go back.

It is time to go to the government office now. It is not right for you two to come here. Have you asked for leave from your superiors?

It is better to return to the government office as soon as possible to avoid being punished by your superiors."

Zhang Juzheng finally broke down. He was already in a bad mood due to his father's death, and then there was the obstruction of "seizing his love", especially Wu Zhongxing's impeachment, which made him depressed.

Now, these two so-called "fellow villagers" kept chattering in front of him for a long time. They only cared about etiquette and rules in their words, without considering the feelings of him as the person involved at all, which really made Zhang Juzheng feel disheartened.

You know, they were able to enter Beijing and the Ministry of Justice with his help.

Instead of speaking for him at this time, someone comes to persuade him for fame and reputation. It's disgusting to see.

After saying this, Zhang Juzheng didn't give them time to speak and walked out of the hall.

As for the two people inside, Zhang's servants naturally went to clear them out of the house.

Zhang Juzheng had no intention of considering what Ai Mu and Shen Sixiao were thinking.

Maybe it was really for his own good, or maybe it was just for the so-called "reputation", but at this point, it was too late to say anything.

The memorial had already been sent out, and everyone outside knew what Zhang Juzheng was thinking. Even if Zhang Juzheng changed his mind again and chose to return home, he would still become a laughing stock among those people.

How could Zhang Juzheng, who always thought highly of himself, tolerate this?

Zhang Juzheng returned to his study and had just sat down when another servant came to report.

"No one will see them. Let them pay their respects, have some tea and rest for a while, then please leave."

Zhang Juzheng had no intention of seeing anyone at this time. He had already guessed that most of these officials who had come here again were thinking the same thing as Ai Mu and Shen Sixiao, and all wanted to persuade him to leave.

Still the same thing, even if it's really for his own good, it's too late now.

"Master, this is a note from Eunuch Feng."

However, this time the servant did not leave immediately. Instead, he handed over an envelope with both hands and said.

When Zhang Juzheng heard that it was Feng Bao's note, he guessed that Feng Bao might have known the news, so he was a little flustered.

I took it, opened it and took a look, and it was indeed about discussing solutions.

"Is anyone still there?"

Zhang Juzheng asked.

"Yes, I am waiting for the master's reply."

The servant replied hastily.

"Go tell him I know, and ask Eunuch Feng to handle it on his own."

Zhang Juzheng didn't even bother to write a note, and just asked someone to take the message back.

In fact, Zhang Juzheng did this for insurance purposes.

If a note was really left, it would be even worse if it was exposed.

The note written by Feng Bao was actually to inform him in advance of his solution to the problem, so as to avoid any disagreement between him and Zhang Juzheng.

Feng Bao was also a veteran in the inner court, so he naturally had a way to find an excuse to resolve the crisis in the palace.

It can be said that none of the eunuchs who can stand out in the inner court are simple.

Li Fang was just lucky back then. He was chosen to be by Prince Yu's side right after he graduated from the Inner Academy, and he gained experience bit by bit.

In the end, it was thanks to Prince Yu's rapid ascension to the throne that he was able to stand out in the palace.

Also because he had no experience in internal court struggles, he was defeated in just over a year and was driven to Nanjing.

That was still considered fortunate, thanks to the help of Chen Yiqin, Wei Guangde and others, and the eunuchs in the palace also had concerns, so they did not take ruthless action.

Feng Bao was not like that. He was the winner in the harem struggle, so naturally he had many ways. However, he was somewhat overwhelmed when dealing with the outer court and needed the help of Zhang Juzheng.

Just like what Zhang Juzheng thought, Feng Bao did not plan to suppress the memorial. He already knew Wei Guangde's plan, so he could directly expose these people's intention of "seeking fame and reputation" to the nobles in the palace.

As for how the nobles treated them, it was none of Eunuch Feng’s business.

At this time, the one who actually took action was Feng Bao, while Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng just stood by and did nothing. Zhang Siwei was uneasy and wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to make trouble, but when he saw that Wei Guangde did not move, he gave up the idea.

In the struggle, Zhang Siwei thought he was not as experienced as Wei Guangde.

In any case, Wei Guangde had fought against Gao Gong together with Chen Yiqin, Yin Shizeng and others, and had much more experience in political struggles than Wei Guangde.

But he didn't know that Wei Guangde had the advantage of being a foresight, so he could always stand on the side of the winner.

Speaking of means of struggle, to be honest, ordinary people in later generations really cannot beat these old foxes in the workplace.

If he had been a government official in his later life, perhaps the situation would have been different.

However, knowing the general trend of history is already a great advantage.

Therefore, there were not many historical changes in this life. The main cabinet ministers did not take any action, but some "clowns" below were active in the court.

The only "Nine Ministers" who stood up was also yesterday's news. (End of this chapter)