prosperous age

"Wei Cifu, the court should still give Prime Minister Gao the respect he deserves."

Zhang Siwei on the side whispered to Wei Guangde at this time.

His idea was similar to Jiang Zhi's. Seeing Wei Guangde standing there in a daze, he thought that Wei Guangde disliked this person because of his previous grudge with Gao Gong.

However, he had no idea that Wei Guangde's daze at this moment was more due to the influence of Lu Bu's news that Gao Gong died shortly after meeting Zhang Juzheng.

Yes, a month ago, news came from the southwest that Liu Tai had just arrived in Xunzhou and died suddenly after drinking on the second night.

Although Zhang Juzheng was not in the capital at that time, Wei Guangde still felt creepy and got goose bumps.

Judging from Zhang Siwei's reaction, he seemed to be completely unaware of this matter. Therefore, Wei Guangde concluded that Liu Tai's death was related to Zhang Juzheng.

Well, this time Zhang Juzheng was ordered to return home, and the emperor gave him enough face by sending the Embroidered Uniform Guard to escort him south.

As a result, he met Gao Gong when he passed Xinzheng. According to the news reported at that time, the two had a very pleasant conversation.

But who knew how much time had passed before Gao Gong died.

This sudden situation forced Wei Guangde to associate Gao Gong’s death with Zhang Juzheng.

He was stunned, and also because he was frightened by Zhang Juzheng's thundering methods.

He thinks this way, but others don't know.

Zhang Siwei was greatly supported by Gao Gong in the court, so his feelings for Gao Gong were the deepest among those present.

Seeing Wei Guangde like this, he thought that Wei Guangde was thinking about how Gao Gong suppressed the three of them during the Longqing Dynasty. Others didn't know about these things, but Zhang Siwei knew them very well.

When Gao Gong forced Chen Yiqin away and expelled Yin Shizeng, his methods were not necessarily glorious.

At that time, Wei Guangde had good relations with both Chen and Yin, so it is conceivable that Wei Guangde and Gao Gong had a bad relationship.

Although Wei Guangde had never been exposed, it was just like many people in the court and the public did not believe that Gao Gong would do so.

After all, Chen Yiqin, Yin Shizeng and others are old employees who have worked with Yu Ji and Gao Gong for many years.

Just because Chen Yiqin was promoted to the second assistant minister after Gao Gong was dismissed from office, blocking his path to becoming the first assistant minister, he brazenly attacked Chen Yiqin and forced him away.

Later, Yin Shizeng attacked Gao Gong in the cabinet, and this was one of the reasons.

Although Gao Gong had some flaws in his character, he had a good relationship with his uncle Zhang Siwei, who even pushed for him to join the cabinet in the late Longqing Dynasty. Zhang Siwei must have remembered this favor, so he had to speak up for Gao Gong in the court.

Before, it can be said that he was afraid of the power of Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao, so he did not dare to show it, and Zhang Juzheng valued him very much.

But now that the person is gone, the past grudges should be written off.

When the final verdict is made, if no one speaks up for Gao Gong, he will probably be buried with the name of being dismissed from office, which is somewhat of a stain.

So Zhang Siwei continued to say to Wei Guangde: "Mr. Wei, no matter what Mr. Gao did, he is no longer alive, and the court must give him the respect he deserves.

He was also the teacher of the previous emperor, so it is not an exaggeration to call him the emperor's teacher.

You two worked together in Prince Yu's Mansion. Don't you have any feelings for each other anymore?

He was also the minister appointed by the previous emperor when he passed away. How would the outside world view the court's determination to deal with the old minister? "

Zhang Siwei's series of words woke the dazed Wei Guangde up and it took him a moment to understand the meaning of Zhang Siwei's words.

Glancing at Zhang Siwei, Wei Guangde said calmly: "I am not remembering the old grudge, but just thinking about the feeling of an old friend's sudden death.

I felt that it was a little hard to accept for a while.”

Wei Guangde opened his mouth to explain. Of course he would not say that he was thinking about Zhang Juzheng. Besides, whether Gao Gong's death was related to Zhang Juzheng was another matter of debate. Everything was just his guess.

However, it was understandable that he was somewhat shocked by the death of an old friend, which made Zhang Siwei believe it a little.

So, he continued, "Duke Wei, Duke Gao was dismissed from office by the court and returned home. He served in three dynasties. Even if he has no merits, he must have worked hard.

I have also heard people say that during Yu Ji's time, he was loyal to the late emperor and never abandoned him. The court cannot allow an old minister who has devoted his life to the court to be buried in vain."

"You mean, reinstate him?"

Wei Guangde asked.

Chen Zan, Tan Lun and others did not interrupt the conversation between Zhang Siwei and Wei Guangde, as it was not their business.

Even if the six ministries wanted to intervene in this matter, only Ma Ziqiang from the Ministry of Rites could participate in the discussion of this matter.

Just as Chen Zan and others were about to get up and say goodbye, leaving the space for the cabinet and the people from the Ministry of Rites who were supposed to come over soon, Yin Zhengmao suddenly said, "Lord Wei, Lord Zhang's words make sense, the court should sympathize with old ministers.

Moreover, for an old minister like Su Qing, given his relationship with the late emperor, if he were to be buried in vain and meet the late emperor in the afterlife, I’m afraid it would be difficult for the court to explain the matter.”

Yin Zhengmao was similar to Zhang Siwei, and had close relations with Jianjian and Gao Gong, so when Zhang Siwei came forward to speak well of Gao Gong, Yin Zhengmao also chose not to remain silent, but to intercede for Gao Gong.

Wei Guangde glanced at Zhang Siwei, then at Yin Zhengmao, and finally at the officials from other ministries. He felt that the room was a bit crowded, so he said, "I already know about this matter. Let's discuss it after the Ministry of Rites arrives.

Censor Chen, please stay for a while as well. The Censorate also has the right to participate in this matter."

"it is good."

Chen Zan nodded.

The Censorate is such a government office. It cannot handle any major affairs in the court, but it can take a part in all major events because it has the power of supervision.

Wei Guangde had already roughly figured out the attitudes of the others.

When his eyes fell on Tan Lun, he nodded slightly, and Wei Guangde naturally understood the meaning.

There's no need to get angry with the dead.

Jiang Zhi's attitude was similar to Tan Lun's, and he had no intention of opposing it.

As long as the Minister of Revenue Zhang Xueyan looked at Zhang Siwei with a slightly different gaze, when Wei Guangde looked over, Zhang Xueyan just lowered his head slightly.

As for Yin Zhengmao, there is no need to say more, as his attitude has just been expressed.

As for the other assistant ministers and doctors, Wei Guangde was too lazy to say anything, so he said: "The matter of sailing to the West will be carried out as previously discussed. All departments must fully cooperate with Admiral Yin's request, and all departments must give priority to this matter."

"Yes."

Others nodded in agreement.

Although they had planned well in Beijing, they would not know if there was anything they had missed until they set off.

Then we have to find a way to solve it as soon as possible after it is exposed.

However, although the Ming Dynasty had not gone on a long voyage for a long time, Yu Dayou had led the navy out to sea several times in recent years and had accumulated a lot of experience, so there were no major omissions.

After everyone from each department said goodbye and left, only Wei Guangde, Zhang Siwei and Chen Zan were left in the room. Wei Guangde then spoke up and said, "When Su Qing was dismissed from office, was his official position still Junior Tutor and Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, Minister of Personnel, and Grand Secretary of the Zhongji Palace?"

Among these official positions, the most useful titles are actually Shao Shi and Zhongji Dian Grand Secretary.

Shao Shi was a first-rank official position, while the Grand Secretary of Zhongji Hall was only a cabinet position. His status was equal to that of Wei Guangde at the time, but lower than that of Zhang Juzheng.

After all, Gao Gong missed the chance to be promoted from Junior Tutor to Grand Tutor or Grand Tutor after Emperor Wanli ascended the throne. Zhang Juzheng did not miss this chance and became the only Grand Tutor in the court, a first-rank official, and was promoted to Grand Secretary of Zhongji Hall at the same time.

Wei Guangde was only the Junior Tutor, Junior Protector, and Minister of Rites, and the Grand Secretary of Jianji Palace. He was only a first-rank official in the court, half a level lower than Zhang Juzheng.

Wei Guangde had already made up his mind at this time to see what the Ministry of Rites thought.

If the Ministry of Rites thinks it's okay, then just go with the flow. There's no need to get angry with a dead person or put pressure on Gao Gong.

For Gao Gong, who was arrogant and looked down on others, expelling him from the center of power was the greatest punishment for him.

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde couldn't help but think of Gao Gong's death. He might have seen Zhang Juzheng at this time, who was the most favored person in the world and managed the country in an orderly manner. It was also related to the recent rumors about Zhang Juzheng's scenery along the way when he returned to his hometown to bury his father.

You know, when Gao Gong was expelled by Xu Jie for the first time, he left the capital in despair.

What was the momentum at that time?

The whole court was in opposition, and almost no one spoke for him.

As for the second time, it was even worse. He was chased all the way back to his hometown by palace servants holding water and fire sticks. If Zhang Juzheng had not been afraid of losing face for the court, he would have requested to send a carriage. It is hard to say whether Gao Gong could return to Xinzheng alive.

The three people in the room had no mood to chat at this time, each had their own plans.

Perhaps, Chen Zan was the only one who had nothing to do at the moment, so he had to stay here.

"Lord Wei, should we also send a message to the palace?"

Zhang Siwei sat there for a while before he felt something was wrong with the atmosphere.

He was immersed in the sorrow of Gao Gong's death and did not notice anything.

Now that I came back to my senses, I found that the atmosphere in the room was very depressing.

"The palace should already know about this."

Wei Guangde shook his head slightly and said, "Besides, the documents have not been sent to the cabinet yet. What can we report to the cabinet? Should we report something just based on rumors?"

Wei Guangde replied casually.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Siwei lowered his head and stopped talking.

The cabinet all knew the news, so it was impossible for the person in the palace not to know about it, and it was impossible for him not to pass the news on to the two queens.

However, Gao Gong has been away from the court for many years and has almost lost his influence on the court. The palace should not care about him anymore.

At this time, Zhang Siwei could only think that he also knew the reason why the two Empress Dowagers disliked Gao Gong.

The bottom line is that he offended too many people, and no one spoke up for him at the critical moment.

But at that time, Gao Gong was really a little proud because he had gained the high trust of Emperor Longqing.

Zhang Siwei only realized these things after Gao Gong was expelled.

At that time, none of the people around Gao Gong realized that Gao Gong’s situation was actually very risky, and they thought that the new emperor would trust him like the previous emperor did.

Fortunately, this awkward atmosphere did not last long, as Lu Bu reported that Ma Ziqiang had already arrived at the cabinet.

"Please."

Wei Guangde said hurriedly, then stood up and went to greet him.

Zhang Siwei and Chen Zan also stood up and followed Wei Guangde.

At the door, Ma Ziqiang came in with a document in his hand. He exchanged greetings with several people first, and then handed the document sent by the Xinzheng government to Wei Guangde: "Lao Wei, the cabinet should have known the news about Xinzheng."

In fact, the Ministry of Rites was not the first government office to know the news. The news had already spread from the Ministry of Public Security long before the Ministry of Rites.

Wei Guangde sighed, pretended to be sad, took the document, read it carefully, and then handed it to Zhang Siwei.

After Zhang Siwei and Chen Zan had also read the document, Wei Guangde asked, "What does the Ministry of Rites think?"

“Lord Wei, Lord Gao was dismissed from office and returned home. He has nothing but his status as a Jinshi.

After all, he had done a lot for the court, so the Ministry of Rites can restore his official position and bury him at their discretion."

Ma Ziqiang expressed the Ministry of Rites' opinion without hesitation.

If Mr. Gao were still alive, it would be extremely difficult for him to be reinstated, but it doesn't matter if he is dead.

After saying this, Ma Ziqiang took out the memorial from the Ministry of Rites from his sleeve and handed it to Wei Guangde.

Wei Guangde reached out to take it, read it through, and found that it was indeed a request to restore Gao Gong's official position.

"We were discussing this in the cabinet earlier, and most people shared the same view."

At this point, Wei Guangde thought that he might as well do a good deed to the end, so he said to Ma Ziqiang: "We discussed before that Gao Gong's previous official positions were Junior Tutor and Prince Grand Tutor, Minister of Personnel, and Grand Secretary of Zhongji Palace. It would be better to remove the word "discretion" and directly request to be granted the original official position. It would also be more face-saving."

"The Junior Master is also the Grand Master of the Crown Prince, the Minister of Personnel, and the Grand Secretary of the Zhongji Palace."

Ma Ziqiang whispered it once, then nodded and said, "The Ministry of Rites has no objection, and the Ministry of Rites second what Elder Wei said."

"Let's see if the Ministry of Rites changed it directly."

Wei Guangde shook the memorial in his hand and asked.

"Let the cabinet directly vote on it. I am too lazy to go back to the government office."

Ma Ziqiang spoke up. Although Ma Ziqiang and Gao Gong actually had some conflicts, he also showed a hint of sadness at this time.

If the Ministry of Rites changed the petition, he would have to go back to the government office to get its seal, instead of just making changes directly on the petition.

But among the people in the room, I'm afraid only Zhang Siwei is sincere. Wei Guangde, Chen Zan and Ma Ziqiang are mostly untrue.

"Then please let Ziwei draft it. I second the motion."

Wei Guangde handed the memorial from the Ministry of Rites to Zhang Siwei and asked him to draft it.

After Zhang Siwei prepared the draft, he suggested reinstating Wei Guangde to his original position as Wei Guangde had said, and Wei Guangde signed it afterwards.

Things were over here, so Chen Zan and Ma Ziqiang both said goodbye, left the cabinet and went out of the palace.

Wei Guangde smiled at Zhang Siwei and said, "Ziwei, let's send this memorial directly to the palace. If Eunuch Feng asks about it, just say that the cabinet and the six ministries have the same attitude. This is what Gao Suqing deserves."

For an official like Gao Gong who had served as the Prime Minister, simply reinstating his position was actually a poor treatment. However, Zhang Siwei also considered the attitudes of Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde and did not dare to make any further requests.

Normally, the normal treatment after death is to be promoted to a higher rank, be given a posthumous title, and have one's son be given a privileged position. However, all these were deliberately ignored by Wei Guangde.

After all, Gao Gong was dismissed from office. If he was treated with normal courtesy as a cabinet minister, some things would not make sense in the future.

If things go wrong, someone might use this as an excuse to fabricate rumors that the court is deliberately suppressing old officials.

Although it didn't matter to Wei Guangde, as the protagonists were Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao, he would inevitably be implicated if things got out of hand. (End of this chapter)