prosperous age

Following Zhang Han, Wu Zhongxing also publicly submitted a memorial opposing the "seizure of love" and requesting that Zhang Juzheng be allowed to return home to attend his father's funeral. The news was still fermenting in the capital.

All we can say is that the power of role models is infinite, and in this era, etiquette and laws are indeed more important than anything else.

Just when some people could only oppose in their hearts but dared not put the plan into practice due to the power of the Prime Minister, the successive memorials submitted by these two people were like a boost to their spirits.

With a start, there will naturally be no shortage of successors.

The next day, Wei Guangde was still in the duty room dealing with memorials when Lu Bu came into the room with a gloating look on his face and whispered in Wei Guangde's ear, "Master, the Ministry of Public Administration has received another memorial impeaching the Prime Minister."

As someone close to Wei Guangde, Lu Bu naturally hoped that Wei Guangde could go one step further and become the chief minister of the cabinet of the Ming Dynasty.

In this way, the tone of voice of the people around him, the prime minister, whether in the cabinet or outside, became different.

Ever since Wei Guangde was still a minister, he felt the change in the attitude of people around him towards him.

The gentle tone and respectful attitude were all achieved after Wei Guangde was promoted continuously.

If Wei Guangde could be called the prime minister of the cabinet, although his influence outside could not compare to that of Zhang Ji, the chief steward, he would still be very powerful, at least the second steward.

Even the housekeeper Zhang cannot come here, so only Lu Bu can come to serve.

Therefore, although Wei Guangde did not want to compete for the position of Prime Minister, the people around him, although no one said it to his face, were helping him secretly.

If Zhang Ji had not been warned before, I am afraid that when Zhang Ji met other court officials at this time, he would have tried his best to instigate them to impeach Zhang Juzheng for being unfilial.

Zhang Ji is now very cautious when he is outside because of Wei Guangde's warning.

In the cabinet, Lu Bu did not have so many concerns. He was very arrogant these days and even walked with a flutter.

Wei Guangde retracted his gaze, looked up at Lu Bu and asked, "Who is impeaching the Prime Minister again?"

"Zhao Yongxian."

Afraid that Wei Guangde didn't know who he was, Lu Bu added considerately: "He is a reviewer of the Hanlin Academy and a Jinshi in the fifth year of Longqing. Hehe, he is a student of Prime Minister Zhang."

"Was he previously responsible for compiling the Ming Dynasty Code?"

Wei Guangde still remembered this name, because when Zhang Juzheng proposed to recompile the "Da Ming Hui Dian" two years ago, this name seemed to be on the list of editors, but he was not sure whether it was the same person.

"Yes, that's him. He is the editor of the Statutes."

Lu Bu replied hurriedly.

"He is such a heartless person."

Wei Guangde frowned and then cursed.

He was recommended by Zhang Juzheng to participate in the revision of the "Da Ming Hui Dian", which was a free credit to the people in the Hanlin Academy, and he had benefited from it.

But such a person would actually jump out at this time to oppose the person who recommended him, who was also his master.

Even if you think Zhang Juzheng's behavior is inappropriate, you can go to him and remind him in person, or play ostrich and do nothing, but you can't stab him in the back.

But he did it anyway.

"I don't know if he is a ruthless person, but I'm afraid the Prime Minister will be in big trouble.

Two students impeached him, how dare he still seize the cabinet position?"

Lu Bu still had that expression on his face and said cheerfully.

Wei Guangde glanced at him and said nothing.

Zhang Ji behaved well outside and did not become arrogant just because he saw a possibility of getting promoted.

But if everyone around you is like this, it is inevitably abnormal.

In order to deceive the people around him, Wei Guangde had to have Zhang Ji and Lu Bu, two people with obviously different behaviors, around him, so that outsiders would think that he was interested in the throne of Prime Minister, but was also very restrained.

This is also the reason why Wei Guangde did not show the reed cloth before, he only reminded Zhang Ji.

Perhaps, only Zhang Ji could guess what he meant.

After all, Wei Guangde had talked to him privately and asked him to keep a low profile recently.

"hehe."

Wei Guangde just sneered. He didn't want to pay attention to the fate of these traitors.

Zhang Han used to be a good friend of Zhang Juzheng. Now, two people who have come out to impeach Zhang Juzheng are his disciples. One can imagine how great the impact on the literati is.

At this time, Wei Guangde also thought of Liu Tai, who was now on his way to exile. He had set a very bad precedent.

Wei Guangde was well-informed. He also heard that although Liu Tai had lost his official position, he still had a good reputation among the literati.

The route he took to exile was not deserted as most people thought. Instead, he received generous help from the gentry along the way, who all called him "Mr. Liu" when they met him.

As long as such people are not dead, there is a high probability that the verdict will be overturned after a change of government.

Those gentry who tried to curry favor with him might have had the idea of ​​​​reinforcing the old stove.

With just a little investment, there is a possible bright future. Why not do it?

Xunzhou is located in the southeast of Guiping City in Guangxi in later generations. The Datongxia-Yao Uprising in the Ming Dynasty and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom-Jintian Uprising in the Qing Dynasty were both within the territory of Xunzhou Prefecture.

Guiping City has beautiful mountains and rivers, and is home to numerous scenic spots. It is a tourist destination and Buddhist holy land that is "a different world", "famous for its phoenixes" and "the most beautiful place in the southern sky".

In the Ming Dynasty, Xunzhou Prefecture was established, which governed three counties: Guiping, Pingnan and Guixian.

Liu Tai was exiled to Xunzhou, Guangxi, which is here.

At this time, in the duty room of the Fengyi Guard of Gui County in Xunzhou Prefecture, the guard commander Pang Shiqi was standing respectfully beside a middle-aged man.

"Do you understand what I mean?"

The middle-aged man asked.

"Master Yao, I understand what you mean, but do we need to take action right after this man arrives in Xunzhou? It would be safer to wait a little longer."

Pang Shiqi suggested cautiously.

"No, I'm leaving soon, and I have to watch him die before I leave."

The man stared at Pang Shiqi and said, "As for the rest, just follow the normal procedures. Don't be afraid. I have already made arrangements.

No matter whether it is the Dusi or the Ministry of War or the Ministry of Justice in the capital, they will not make things difficult for you."

Pang Shiqi hesitated for a moment, then he clasped his fists and bowed his head and said, "I understand. Tomorrow evening will be the day he dies."

"Very good. I will leave the day after tomorrow and rush back to Jingzhou. When the time comes, I will report your name to my master, and of course I will not miss your benefits."

The man named Yao finally cracked a smile on his face and said to Pang Shiqi happily.

"Thank you, Master Yao, for everything."

Pang Shiqi looked up, also with a smile on his face, and spoke in a flattering manner.

After saying this, Mr. Yao stood up and said goodbye, and refused no matter how Pang Shiqi tried to persuade him to stay.

After Pang Shiqi sent the man away, he couldn't help but sigh as he watched the carriage leaving.

This Mr. Yao was none other than Yao Kuang, one of the housekeepers in the mansion of Prime Minister Zhang Juzheng. In name, he was sent by Zhang Juzheng to Jingzhou to attend the funeral. However, his actual destination, or first stop, was Xunzhou, Guangxi.

For such a big matter, Zhang Juzheng would not delegate it to others, but would send the most beneficial person around him to keep an eye on it until it was completed.

Wei Guangde discovered the value of "Liu Tai" belatedly, but Zhang Juzheng was not like that.

After experiencing betrayal, Zhang Juzheng no longer trusted the people around him, especially his disciples.

Therefore, the only response he could come up with was to intimidate them with more brutal means.

But, it was still a step too late.

Before the news of Liu Tai's death reached the capital, his good students actually began to roll up their sleeves and take action against him.

In a flash, another day passed. Early in the morning, countless eyes were staring at the Ministry of Public Security to see if anyone would come forward to impeach Zhang Juzheng today and demand that he immediately return to his hometown in Huguang to attend his father's funeral.

As expected by these people, as Ai Mu, the deputy director of the Ministry of Justice, and Shen Sixiao, the chief clerk, walked into the Ministry of Public Security, it was soon reported that the two of them had jointly submitted a petition to impeach Zhang Juzheng, still wanting him to return to his hometown to observe the mourning period.

Wei Guangde heard the news in the cabinet. In the past three days, there had been memorials submitted about Zhang Juzheng, all of which were against "seizing the love" and demanding that he return home to observe mourning.

However, Wei Guangde had already approved Wu Zhongxing's memorial and sent it to the palace, but two days have passed and the memorial has not been returned to the cabinet.

It can be seen that Wu Zhongxing's memorial should have been kept by the palace, and the palace did not give any opinion.

As for Zhao Yongxian’s memorial yesterday, I think it should have the same result.

Thinking of the joint memorial from Ai Mu and Shen Sixiao, Wei Guangde didn't know how long the palace could keep its composure.

However, once the palace erupts, I am afraid that those who submit petitions will be slaughtered.

After all, as the second-in-command of the cabinet, he knew the attitude of the palace, which was to favor Zhang Juzheng.

By the afternoon, the thousand-mile dam was finally breached by an ant hole. More than a dozen Beijing officials walked into the Ministry of Public Administration one after another and submitted their memorials, the contents of which were all against the emperor's "seizure of love" without exception.

Wei Guangde arranged the memorials from Wu Zhongxing, Zhao Yongxian and others together and read them through.

Among them, Zhang Juzheng's student, Hanlin Academy editor Wu Zhongxing, wrote a memorial saying that Zhang Juzheng's seizure of love was "a matter of eternal principles and morality, watched by all quarters, and only if we do not do anything wrong today, there will be no future generations to criticize."

He directly believed that if Zhang Juzheng could "seize the relationship" in this way, then all officials who encountered similar situations in the future would seek to "retain their posts and observe the system", which would lead to the loss of the country's principles and cause endless troubles.

If Wu Zhongxing was just worried that this precedent would undermine social order, then Zhao Yongxian's impeachment of Zhang Juzheng was a direct rebuke of his greed for power, and he believed that stories from previous dynasties should not be used to justify Zhang Juzheng's seizure of power.

It can be said that the words used in their memorials were more intense than the other.

However, not all memorials submitted at this time were opposed to this matter. There were also memorials supporting Zhang Juzheng.

But compared with the opponents, the memorials of support were really insignificant.

Similar to Wei Guangde's considerations, even those who supported Zhang Juzheng's continued tenure would not stand up to support him, because they were at a disadvantage on a moral level. They could only use ancestral rules to oppose the judgments of those who impeached him.

No matter how they argued, they were despised by the traditional scholar-official class. With Yang Tinghe's example in front and moral principles in the back, Zhang Juzheng was not worthy of being prime minister.

When Yang Tinghe was planning to leave Beijing, many officials tried to persuade him to stay, but Yang ignored them all, truly demonstrating his unwillingness to cling to power.

The capital was so bustling that the newly-appointed scholars could no longer sit still. Led by Zou Yuanbiao, they began to submit memorials to discuss the matter. Their ultimate goal was naturally to oppose "seizure of love."

It can be said that for a time, Zhang Juzheng was like a rat crossing the street, and everyone was shouting and beating him, and they were desperately asking him to return to his hometown to observe the mourning period.

During these few days, Zhang Juzheng stayed in his mansion, never going out of the front door or the back door, and his life was extremely difficult.

He was sad about his father's death and disappointed with the current court.

After all, he worked hard while in office, but he didn't expect to end up with such a result.

What was even more unacceptable to him was that the main force of opposition came from his students and fellow villagers.

Why are many of those who sang against him his students and fellow townsmen?

The reason is very simple. Liu Tai and Fu Yingzhen were role models. Although they both did not end up well for impeaching Zhang Juzheng, they left behind a temporary fame.

What other people say is just a difference of political views and does not mean much.

As a student or fellow townsman, if you dare to oppose your mentor or fellow villagers, you will appear to be more fair. This is a good opportunity to gain fame.

"Shandai, should we also submit a memorial to discuss this matter?"

In the Wei Mansion garden, Tan Lun, Jiang Zhi and others, even Wang Xilie, who had always had a bad relationship with Wei Guangde, came here.

There is no doubt that this was a meeting of fellow villagers.

What they wanted to discuss, naturally, was the crisis facing this war, because just this afternoon, the palace returned Zhang Juzheng's memorial, and Emperor Wanli accepted all of Zhang Juzheng's requests, agreeing that he could stay in office to observe mourning, govern the country in plain clothes, and not participate in other court activities. He even promised that Zhang Juzheng could return to his hometown next year to bury his old father.

"Hey, let's not get involved in this matter. Uncle must be upset enough right now."

Wei Guangde looked at everyone and finally said, "I understand your feelings, but this really can't be done this way.

Among those who are opposing now, how many are truly standing up for the sake of moral principles? Some are either doing it for fame or profit. I really don't want to be associated with them.

Ask yourself, is the Prime Minister's governance biased? "

Wei Guangde questioned.

It must be admitted that although many of the policies implemented by Zhang Juzheng received mixed reactions from both the government and the public, in reality they were all beneficial to the court.

Wei Guangde just took advantage of this point to force them not to get involved in this storm.

"For the sake of your own career, remember, you must not get involved.

Whether to seize the love or not is something that can only be decided by the palace.

Today's decree has been issued, and the palace's attitude is clear. Is there any need for us to continue arguing?"

Wei Guangde said again.

After saying this, Wei Guangde spread his hands and said with a wry smile: "It's really not necessary."

Wei Guangde's attitude was already very clear, so naturally no one else could say anything. Even Wang Xilie remained silent at this time.

He was just resentful that Wei Guangde had risen to a high position at such a young age and had been promoted quickly by flattery.

However, this time, facing the temptation of the position of Prime Minister, Wei Guangde resisted and did not allow them to participate, which inevitably made Wang Xilie look up to him.

Putting himself in his shoes, he probably found it difficult to do so.

"Someone from the Ministry of Rites is colluding and wants to go to Zhang's house to discuss this matter with the Prime Minister in person."

Wang Xilie suddenly took over the conversation.

"You can express your attitude, but the words should not be harsh. Friendly reminders are fine, but threats are absolutely not allowed."

Wei Guangde said this, glanced at Wang Xilie, and continued: "If a colleague is pushing too hard, you should step in to ease the situation.

The Prime Minister is still the Prime Minister after all."

Hearing this, Wang Xilie nodded slightly.

No matter what, Zhang Juzheng is still the Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty, the head of all officials, and his dignity cannot be taken away. (End of this chapter)