prosperous age

"Rumo, come and sit here."

In the study of the Wei Mansion, Wei Guangde received Shen Shixing.

The two of them sat down, and after the maid brought the tea and left, Wei Guangde smiled and said, "I've been working in the Ministry of Personnel for almost a year. How do you feel about it?"

Shen Shixing put down the teacup in his hand and answered carefully, "When I first joined, I was assigned to the two offices of Jixun and Kaogong. The Kaogong Office is in charge of the promotion and demotion of officials and the examination of merits, which is quite important.

Fortunately, with the guidance of my predecessors, I was able to cope with it. Now that the Examination Office has been replaced by the Selection Office, it is also very important.

All I can say is that the Ministry of Personnel controls the careers of officials, so they must be extremely careful in their actions. Moreover, the officials have complicated connections behind them, so they need to be handled with great caution."

It should be said that the importance of the Wenxuansi in the Ministry of Personnel is higher than that of the Kaogongsi. It is in charge of the shifts, grades, promotions and transfers of officials and is considered the core of the Ministry of Personnel.

However, for the Ministry of Personnel under normal circumstances, the Ministry of Examination is actually more important. After all, it is in charge of official evaluation, and evaluation is related to the evaluation of officials. Especially at the end of the year during the Beijing inspection, the Ministry of Examination is the place that Beijing officials need to keep an eye on.

"Do you know why we need to change the Department of Selection?"

Wei Guangde smiled and nodded, then asked again.

"The whole trustee minister supports it."

Shen Shixing said hurriedly.

The changes in the departments and bureaus under the charge of Shen Shixing were previously proposed by Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng, and were eventually conveyed to Wang Guoguang, which led to the changes in Shen Shixing's business management.

In fact, it was for this reason that Zhang Juzheng asked Shen Shixing to come to the cabinet to make a statement.

Wei Guangde hoped that Shen Shixing would familiarize himself with the Ministry of Personnel as soon as possible to facilitate other arrangements for him.

"The Ministry of Personnel is almost familiar with it, right?"

Wei Guangde suddenly asked again.

In response, Shen Shixing just nodded humbly.

"Now that you have gone through the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel, what are your plans for the future?"

Wei Guangde continued to ask.

By this time, Shen Shixing's heart was already in his throat.

Because he knew that as a Hanlin scholar and having gone through the training in the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel, his next option would be to transfer to become a minister in another government office, but that would almost cut off his last option.

You still have a place to go, which is to join the cabinet and become one of the decision-makers at the core of power in the Ming Dynasty.

"I will serve the court and do my best. As for other ideas, I don't have any. The cabinet and the palace will naturally arrange them."

Shen Shixing lowered his head slightly and answered.

"At today's cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister proposed that you join the cabinet and lead the survey of the land in the country."

Wei Guangde did not hide anything and directly told Zhang Juzheng what he said in the afternoon.

Shen Shixing was not a fool. Although his family was not a big landlord, his family's land increased dramatically after he became an official.

In fact, anyone who achieves fame and fortune will encounter this disaster.

It’s not a matter of whether you are willing to accept these contributions, but you are forced to accept them.

Those who donated the land were all fellow villagers. If they were refused, one can imagine the reputation they would have in their hometown.

They will not care about the court's decrees, but only consider their personal gains and losses. If they submit to you, they can pay less taxes.

The court suffered losses, while the profits were taken away by officials and landlords, so it was a win-win situation no matter how you look at it.

Therefore, even honest and upright officials often have no choice but to turn a blind eye to the demands of their fellow villagers.

This also became the unspoken rule of the Ming Dynasty, and local officials would pretend to be ignorant of the changes in the attributes of these fields and turn a blind eye to them.

How could Shen Shixing not know who was offended by the land survey led by Zhang Juzheng this time, not to mention the hidden land of local big families.

He did support the land survey, but like Wei Guangde, he was unwilling to take on such a heavy responsibility.

"Lord Wei, Rumo is not talented enough and has little knowledge. I am afraid that he cannot take on the important task of the court and will delay important matters of the court. Please help me to decline politely."

Shen Shixing said hurriedly.

Wei Guangde waved his hands and said with a wry smile: "I declined for you at the time, but unfortunately, the Prime Minister said that he and you had a very pleasant conversation on the matter of land reclamation and that you had the same views, so he specially recommended you to join the cabinet to take on this important task."

At this point, seeing Shen Shixing's face change slightly, he continued: "Finally, what I can strive for for you is to no longer bear this responsibility, but to assist the Prime Minister in handling the land survey affairs.

"The Prime Minister summoned you today and told you something that made him recommend you to take on this important task."

Wei Guangde asked curiously.

"Lord Wei, Rumo actually supports the Prime Minister's land reclamation. I believe you also support him, otherwise you would never get along well with the Prime Minister in the cabinet."

Shen Shixing started talking and saw Wei Guangde nod slightly.

"Support is one thing, but if you really want me to take responsibility, I don't have the willpower of the Prime Minister."

Soon, Shen Shixing simply recounted what he had said during his meeting with Zhang Juzheng.

Similar to Wei Guangde, they are hesitant and even avoid domestic issues.

In comparison, the people offended in this incident were not foreign vassals who could be settled by a beating, but rather the gentry families and the entire bureaucratic group that had been rooted in Chinese society for thousands of years.

It’s actually not a big deal to offend the emperor as long as you don’t lose your head.

But if you really offend these people, there will be no other way out except to seek refuge overseas.

Although Shen Shixing was capable, he was unwilling to do so. Even though he saw the benefits of Zhang Juzheng's reform, he did not dare to say it publicly.

His uncle's family was a small businessman. They didn't have much land and didn't take the donations seriously.

However, he could not stand on Zhang Juzheng's side because the risk was too great.

In another time and space, all officials who stood on Zhang Juzheng's side were purged. This was the price of offending the ruling class of an empire.

No one can escape the net, unless they can, like Zhang Juzheng, use their status as a teacher to cooperate with the palace to suppress the imperial power.

But what was the situation at that time? The young emperor Zhu Yijun had already reached adulthood and needed to rule the country himself. It was obviously inappropriate to continue suppressing him.

As the young emperor had just come to power, he was in urgent need of support from the inner and outer courts. As a result, the original ruling group headed by Feng Bao and Zhang Juzheng had come to an end.

Wei Guangde didn't know whether Shen Shixing saw this level, but he could see that Shen Shixing's choice was very similar to his.

Support, but will not express it publicly.

Be it weakness or flattery, he would never fully support Zhang Juzheng, and would jump out from time to time to oppose certain issues.

By trying to trip each other up, they could also let the outside world know that the two of them actually don't get along.

"Lord Wei, I have never thought of joining the Prime Minister's side.

Although I support his reforms, I still think his approach is inappropriate. Perhaps with the support of the elders, there will be other better ways to solve those problems. "

After saying this, Shen Shixing hastily stated that he absolutely had no intention of abandoning Wei Guangde and joining Zhang Juzheng. He also flattered Wei Guangde a little, saying that he would handle the matter more safely and better than Zhang Juzheng.

However, Wei Guangde dared not accept this flattery. Interests are not so easy to reconcile. In the end, someone will blame him for the loss of interests.

In fact, he had earlier suggested to Zhang Juzheng that the regulation of tax exemption for meritorious service be implemented in order to gain wider support from officials and gentry.

If you do not have the support of this group when doing things in the Ming Dynasty, you can accomplish nothing.

Someone like Zhang Juzheng could accomplish things, but he could not accept the consequences.

"Don't say these things anymore, there is no way to have the best of both worlds.

These days, you should just do your final job in the Ministry of Personnel and make the necessary arrangements early.

I think you will be appointed soon, so I would like to congratulate Mr. Shen first."

As he spoke, Wei Guangde bowed and smiled at him.

Knowing that the matter was settled and his entry into the cabinet was almost certain, it was impossible for Shen Shixing to be unhappy, but he still tried to suppress his emotions and said carefully to Wei Guangde: "I hope that Lord Wei will give me more advice in the future."

Wei Guangde asked him to make arrangements, and he naturally understood that it was to place some officials in the Ministry of Personnel who were close to him in appropriate positions as soon as possible.

In fact, it also includes relationships with other government offices. Those who should be transferred should be transferred as soon as possible. Once they leave the Ministry of Personnel, it will be difficult for him to control their careers.

Paving the way for these people will also be a boost to his cabinet path.

Without the support of the six ministries, even if you enter the cabinet, you will not have a good life, and your status as a cabinet minister may even be worse than that of the six ministers who hold real power.

After seeing Shen Shixing off, Wei Guangde returned to the backyard. Xu Jianglan came over and took off his outer robe for him and asked with a smile, "What did you say to Lord Shen? Now there are rumors outside that he will soon enter the cabinet and become a cabinet elder."

"Everyone in the backyard knows about this?"

Wei Guangde was a little surprised. It had only been such a short time since the cabinet meeting ended that the news had already leaked out from the cabinet.

"What do you think? The news from this Forty-Nine City spreads so fast. After all, we are at the feet of the emperor, and we can talk to everyone we meet."

Xu Jianglan covered her mouth and chuckled.

Wei Guangde laughed in silence. Come to think of it, the secretaries coming and going outside the duty room, as well as the clerks serving outside the duty room, would surely show off proudly when they heard the news.

Then, when they went out to the streets and had a meal and drank tea, the news spread quickly.

The Ming Dynasty did not have any tradition of keeping secrets. Even for military and national affairs, news had already spread in the city before official documents were issued.

He just didn't expect that the news could be heard in the backyard, so he asked about the source of the news in surprise.

"After Lord Shen entered the mansion, I asked the stewards in the front yard. They went out to inquire and came back to tell me."

Xu Jianglan did not hide it. It's not that the news has really spread to everyone, but if you pay a little attention, you can definitely find out.

"Didn't you say you wanted to rectify the situation? The court is like a big sieve, and any news dares to leak out."

Hearing this, Wei Guangde was stunned, and remembered that he seemed to have said this once when he was drunk. It was a conversation between him and Zhang Juzheng about the Forbidden Academy.

But that news, well, some of it was not intentional, and some of it was actually released by him on purpose.

However, when the news got out, rumors in the streets spread that Wei Ci Fu was in a very bad light, as if he was completely suppressed by Zhang Juzheng in the cabinet, which was why he said those words to his wife.

"Have you arranged for someone to deliver the letter home?"

Wei Guangde suddenly asked.

Knowing that the land survey in Fujian was nearing completion, Wei Guangde anticipated that Jiangxi, Nanzhili and other places would also enter the land survey stage one after another, including Huguang and Shanxi.

After all, the hometowns of cabinet ministers must be the first to be surveyed, also to avoid suspicion.

We can't just survey other provinces and then single out the prime minister's hometown and delay any action. Who knows how many people will take the opportunity to cause trouble.

Therefore, Wei Guangde wrote a letter a few days ago, asking his family to fully cooperate with the government's land survey work when the time comes, so as to avoid being noticed by other people with ulterior motives and taking the opportunity to attack himself or the government.

If you want to sit firmly on the throne of cabinet minister, you must first ensure that you do not make any mistakes.

If one tries to find out the landscaping while making excuses, he will inevitably be hated and impeached.

"It has been sent off. It should be received soon. I also wrote a letter to my brother in Nanjing, giving him the same instructions."

Xu Jianglan said again.

"In all likelihood, Uncle Da will assign Shen Shixing to be in charge of the land survey in Northern Zhili. After all, there are too many nobles and relatives here, and ordinary people really don't dare to take action."

At this point, Wei Guangde shook his head.

Zhang Juzheng's attempt to deceive me at this critical moment was really killing several birds with one stone, forcing me to help and appease the nobles and relatives in the capital.

Fortunately, the opening of the sea to Songjiang Prefecture, which is currently under preparation, has brought them a lot of benefits. I think there will be no more grudges between them because of the output of the land.

It must be said that Zhang Juzheng was really good at finding opportunities.

Even if the land survey issue caused dissatisfaction among the nobles and relatives, faced with the huge amounts of money earned from overseas trade, I think they would not care about the small taxes on the land.

If they cooperate, he would assign more members to them. Wei Guangde guessed that this was Zhang Juzheng's way of controlling them.

Don’t think that the shares were distributed through internal negotiation among the nobles. Zhang Juzheng’s attitude, or the attitude of the court, was very important to their distribution.

If you don't like someone and it gets out, you will be suppressed by other nobles.

Just like Wei Guangde insisted on giving them to the nobles and relatives, there were people watching over them, and if they were not given, no one would have any chance of getting those ship guides.

Although the nobles may unite "temporarily" for the sake of interests, they are usually somewhat dirty to each other, otherwise how could they be divided into factions.

The Duke of Yingguo is considered one of the factions, and the Duke of Chengguo and the Duke of Dingguo also have their own supporters.

Shen Shixing, who was on his way back home, was also clenching his fists in the sedan chair to cheer himself up.

He had actually heard the rumor before coming to Wei's house, but since Wei Guangde hadn't spoken it out loud, he was still very cautious and didn't dare to reveal it.

Before Ma Ziqiang's time, news about him was everywhere, and even cabinet ministers expressed their support, but what was the final result?

In the end, Ma Ziqiang still returned with failure and had no choice but to retire and return to his hometown to live a quiet life.

Ma Ziqiang is old, but he is still young and there are countless possibilities.

After getting the news from Wei Guangde tonight, it will be confirmed.

Although he was very dissatisfied with Zhang Juzheng's trick on him, what else could he do?

Even if he entered the cabinet, he would still have to listen to him as long as that person was still the prime minister.

Today, he heard from Wei Guangde that Zhang Juzheng wanted to throw the most troublesome things to him and had no good intentions in recommending him to join the cabinet. This made Shen Shixing immediately lose his gratitude to Zhang Juzheng.

If Wei Guangde had followed his suggestion and joined the cabinet after the land survey was completed, there would have been a lot less trouble.

But seeing that Zhang Juzheng was pushing hard, Shen Shixing couldn't help but have a headache as he had to take office before the court issued an order for a comprehensive land survey, and he would also be responsible for the land survey affairs in northern Zhili.

I should go home first and write a letter to tell my relatives the good news.

Shen Shixing grew up relying on his family and relatives, so he often had to consider his family. (End of this chapter)