prosperous age

Zhang Juzheng's illness came on very suddenly. Last year, he only had a cough and was said to occasionally feel dizzy. The imperial physicians prescribed several rooms for him to recuperate.

As for the result, Wei Guangde initially thought it was good, because Zhang Juzheng did not neglect his duties in the cabinet because of it.

However, after the first month of the lunar calendar, Zhang Juzheng's health deteriorated rapidly. He only came to the cabinet intermittently after the second month, and after the third month he rarely came. Now in April, Wei Guangde has not seen him for more than a month.

News came from both the Ministry of Rites and the Hanlin Academy that Zhang Juzheng's three sons had all requested leave from their posts to stay home and care for their elderly father, indicating the severity of Zhang Juzheng's illness.

Wei Guangde visited once in early March, after he had taken three days off from work. At that time, he looked somewhat haggard, but his condition was not yet very serious. He sat by the bed and talked to Wei Guangde for a long time.

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde temporarily lost interest in the memorial in front of him and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

It seems that the purge began some time after Zhang Juzheng's death, probably after Feng Bao was brought down.

Thinking of Feng Bao, Wei Guangde frowned.

This year, thanks to Zhang Juzheng's protection, this person has begun to abuse his power and is secretly doing the same business that Yan Shifan used to do, placing officials in positions of power whoever pays the most money.

However, since Zhang Juzheng controlled the Ministry of Personnel, Wei Guangde could not say much and simply let things take their course.

In reality, there were many people in and out of the government who opposed Zhang Juzheng, and even more who hated Feng Bao.

Wei Guangde was unclear about how the situation developed at that time, but Feng Bao must have fallen from power, and then the officials began to impeach Zhang Juzheng frantically, listing his crimes. It is said that it was at that time that Emperor Wanli said that he had been deceived by Zhang Juzheng all his life.

In addition, some rumors about Zhang Juzheng and the Empress Dowager were exposed by the censor, which enraged the Wanli Emperor, who almost exhumed the body and mutilated it.

Feng Bao cannot be allowed to live. He is too domineering both inside and outside the palace, and they might even try to trample on him.

As for Zhang Juzheng, the question is how to help him out. Now that Zhang Juzheng has already started to bow down to local officials and plead for the exemption of their debts, he must have a backup plan.

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde looked at the Grand Secretary's office, which had been vacant for a long time. He would probably recommend a steady and reliable person.

With this in mind, Wei Guangde picked up Zhang Juzheng's memorial and put it aside, without making any special arrangements to send it to the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Wei Guangde was unsure how to draft this memorial, so he asked Zhang Siwei and Shen Shixing to discuss it before making a decision.

Before leaving the office, Wei Guangde summoned Zhang Siwei and Shen Shixing. While they were reading the Grand Secretary's memorial, he carefully observed Zhang Siwei's reaction to see if he had known about it all along.

However, judging from their reaction, they seem to be unaware of it as well.

After Shen Shixing finished reading, Wei Guangde asked, "The Grand Secretary is seriously ill, yet he still cares about national affairs. What do you two think is the best way to draft his memorial?"

"The Grand Secretary proposed to give equal importance to agriculture and commerce. Although the court is indeed encouraging industry and commerce this year, it is ultimately at odds with the fundamental principles of the nation. Isn't that somewhat inappropriate?"

Furthermore, it was forbidden to arbitrarily increase commercial taxes. Taxes were taken from the people and used for the people. Although the imperial court increased commercial taxes such as exchange silver, it also covered the expenses of schools in various places, providing free education for children.

If taxes aren't increased, won't all the children in the world continue to live their lives in a daze, just like before? Is that really a good thing?

Shen Shixing spoke first, saying that whether it's encouraging or restricting business development, it should be a matter for the Cabinet to handle.

Even now, Zhang Juzheng is still submitting memorials on this matter while on his sickbed, which gives Shen Shixing the impression that he is somewhat greedy for power.

Moreover, while advocating for commerce and industry, they also want to protect them from exorbitant taxes and levies. This raises questions about the Ming Dynasty's agricultural foundation and demonstrates a lack of confidence and trust in the current cabinet.

There's also the issue of tax increases. The imperial court always has a clear purpose when it increases taxes, so how can we stop doing it just because of one person's word?

Shen Shixing's opposition to Zhang Juzheng's memorial is therefore understandable.

In fact, Wei Guangde felt somewhat uncomfortable after seeing this.

Shen Shixing was simply very dissatisfied with Zhang Juzheng's suggestion, while Zhang Siwei saw something similar to Wei Guangde. He could tell from the memorial that Zhang Juzheng was in good health and naturally thought of his intention in submitting the memorial, which seemed to be to curry favor with the officials in Jiangnan.

In recent years, the main increase in taxes in the Ming Dynasty has been levied on merchants.

Limiting further tax increases on merchants is simply appeasing them and relieving their worries.

Normally, Zhang Siwei would definitely support this memorial, and now, he still chooses to support it.

Because the Zhang family was a family of merchants, restricting the imperial court from continuing to levy taxes on merchants would benefit his family.

After glancing at Wei Guangde, Zhang Siwei said, "The Grand Secretary is still concerned about state affairs even while ill, which shows how much he values ​​this matter."

As for your statement that this petition violates the fundamental principles of the nation, that is an exaggeration.

In just a few years, the imperial court has adjusted taxes multiple times. Through land surveys, the tax burden on the people has been greatly reduced, which is enough to show the importance the Grand Secretary attaches to agriculture as a national policy.

However, the amount of commercial tax that the imperial court has been increasing in recent years has a certain suspicion of competing with the people for profit.

It should be understood that although commercial taxes are ostensibly levied on wealthy merchants, these taxes are ultimately passed on to the prices of goods, and in the end, it is the common people who bear this portion of the commercial tax burden.

The Grand Secretary's opposition to arbitrarily increasing commercial taxes and infringing upon the interests of merchants is, in fact, a voice for the people, not an attempt to keep them ignorant.

Zhang Siwei still spoke up for Zhang Juzheng, refuting Shen Shixing's words.

Shen Shixing did not refute, but instead looked at Wei Guangde.

As is customary, now that the two cabinet ministers have differing opinions, it remains to be seen what the chief minister and the second minister will say.

With the Grand Secretary absent, Wei Guangde naturally had the final say.

As for whether Zhang Juzheng's opinion was right or wrong, Wei Guangde felt that it was generally in line with the historical trend, encouraging the development of industry and commerce while also taking into account taxation, and preventing the government from levying exorbitant taxes on merchants.

Wei Guangde understood Zhang Juzheng's concerns. The current prosperity of commerce was a good thing, but he was afraid that officials would focus their energy on the merchants' wallets.

However, what Wei Guangde needs to consider now is not whether Zhang Juzheng's proposal is right or wrong, but rather to put himself in Zhang Juzheng's shoes and understand the things he did to settle scores with Gao Gong in the first year of the Wanli reign.

Yes, Gao Gong's policies were mostly correct, at least that's what Wei Guangde thought.

However, after Zhang Juzheng replaced Gao Gong, he still abolished most of these policies.

Those that were useful were repurposed and used again after a year or two, but they had become the policies of Chief Minister Zhang.

This is how Zhang Juzheng drew a clear line, separating himself from Gao Gong.

After all, Gao Gong was essentially banished from the capital.

As for Wei Guangde, if he didn't know that Zhang Juzheng would be purged by the Wanli Emperor, it seems that he didn't need to do anything and could just continue to do things according to the current system.

However, he knew that the Wanli Emperor would soon begin a purge of Zhang Juzheng, which nearly drove the Zhang family to their deaths.

Yes, it can be wrong under different circumstances. Wei Guangde previously thought that Zhang Juzheng was making a mountain out of a molehill and doing something unnecessary, but now he understands that there is actually profound political wisdom in it.

It's not a simple reckoning, but a division of political legacies.

Perhaps the legend that Emperor Wanli purged Zhang Juzheng and overturned all his reform achievements is also nonsense.

That was merely a division by the Wanli Emperor to take over Zhang Juzheng's political legacy, removing what he didn't want and repackaging what he did want to make his own.

Do I need to tell you what I should do?

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde said, "Emphasizing both agriculture and commerce, as Ru Mo said, goes against the national policy of prioritizing agriculture, and is absolutely unacceptable."

As for strictly prohibiting arbitrary tax increases on merchants, this was discussed and decided by the court officials. It's impossible to increase commercial taxes without cause; the Grand Secretary is probably overthinking it.

Upon hearing Wei Guangde's words, Shen Shixing merely nodded slightly, while Zhang Siwei's brows immediately furrowed. He already knew what Wei Guangde was doing; he was preparing for the post-Zhang Juzheng era, and he was cutting ties.

"Ziwei, is there anything else you want to say? If not, then let's proceed with the draft. The Grand Secretary's memorial seems to have some issues, and we need to consider adopting it."

When Wei Guangde spoke, he essentially set the tone for Zhang Juzheng's memorial: "Not permitted."

Even though Zhang Juzheng is still alive, Wei Guangde no longer values ​​his opinions.

After that, Zhang Siwei decisively let go and stopped protecting Zhang Juzheng.

After all, Wei Guangde held a higher position than him, and no matter what, he couldn't argue with Wei Guangde. Wei Guangde's opinion now represented the cabinet, not the sick Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng.

As Wei Guangde walked out of the Forbidden City gate, he suddenly stopped before getting into his sedan chair and instructed his attendants behind him: "Take my invitations and invite Vice Minister Zhang of the Ministry of War, Minister Jiang of the Ministry of Works, Vice Minister Wei of the Ministry of Justice, and Censor Lao of the Censorate to come to my residence for a chat tonight."

After giving his instructions, Wei Guangde bent down and climbed into the sedan chair.

Immediately, the sedan chair bearers lifted the sedan chair and strode towards the Wei residence.

The attendant, having received the order, lifted the front of his long robe and strode towards the Ministry of War.

Just as Wei Guangde entered the mansion, Feng Bao was hurriedly summoned back to the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs in the Forbidden City by a eunuch. Zhang Cheng respectfully handed him a memorial.

"Eunuch Feng, this is a memorial that has just been sent by the cabinet. It was submitted by Grand Secretary Zhang."

Zhang Cheng was on duty at the Directorate of Ceremonial today, and naturally checked the memorial that the Cabinet had specially sent over immediately.

However, in just a moment, he broke out in a cold sweat.

Zhang Juzheng had only been recuperating at home for a little over a month when the cabinet seemed to be ignoring him, directly stating that his memorial was inappropriate and needed to be reconsidered.

Well, this is something Zhang Cheng didn't expect.

This is going to be a big problem.

This was Zhang Cheng's first thought. Grand Secretary Wei couldn't hold back any longer. Seeing that Grand Secretary Zhang was seriously ill, he planned to bring Zhang down.

So hurry up and call Feng Bao back. It's the safest way to handle such a big matter. If anything goes wrong, he won't be blamed. He wouldn't dare to handle it casually.

"Oh, the Grand Secretary's memorial, let me take a look."

Feng Bao naturally didn't realize anything and thought that Zhang Juzheng hadn't submitted any memorials for a long time, and that Zhang Cheng had asked him to handle them because he had received them today.

After all, when the message was being relayed, Zhang Cheng wouldn't reveal the contents of the memorial and the draft; it was best to let Feng Bao read it himself.

Feng Bao took the memorial, walked to his seat, and began to read it.

He was also curious about what Zhang Juzheng would say in his memorial to the throne while he was ill, and if possible, he would approve it directly.

However, his relaxed expression turned serious the moment he opened the memorial, because he had already seen the draft resolutions tucked inside.

"Inappropriate. Needs further consideration."

Upon seeing this, Feng Bao realized something: the usually amiable cabinet seemed to have changed.

If anything changed, Feng Bao immediately thought of Wei Guangde.

The only one capable of causing trouble now is this Vice Minister.

Soon, Feng Bao, with a stern face, finished reading Zhang Juzheng's memorial. However, he did not speak, but put the memorial into his sleeve and strode out of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Zhang Cheng watched him leave, guessing that he was going to Cining Palace to see the Empress Dowager.

With no one around, Zhang Cheng couldn't help but spit at the door.

"What are you? Just because you have the Empress Dowager's favor, you think you're so great? With Chief Minister Zhang out of power, let's see how long you, the Emperor's chief attendant, can remain so arrogant."

Zhang Cheng was not Feng Bao's godson; they were of the same generation. However, Feng Bao was far more powerful and influential, and Zhang Cheng was no match for him.

Currently, the only person in the palace who can truly rival Feng Bao is Zhang Hong.

However, he is an honest man who doesn't fight or compete. It is precisely because of this honesty that he has been able to live peacefully until now without anyone stabbing him in the back.

If Feng Bao falls, Zhang Hong will likely take over, and Zhang Cheng and Chen Ju will probably not be able to compete with him.

Feng Bao was not only arrogant in the outer court, but also in the inner court, relying on the power of the emperor and empress dowager.

Zhang Hong has a good temper, which is why he didn't have a conflict with him.

This may also be the source of Zhang Hong's wisdom: if you can't win, then don't fight.

Zhang Cheng didn't think the Empress Dowager could do anything about this. Empress Dowager Li had already returned power to the Emperor two years ago, and the memorials from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs were now sent to the Qianqing Palace instead of being sent to the Empress Dowager first for review before being sent to the Emperor for his approval.

If Zhang Juzheng falls from power, Feng Bao will probably suffer the same fate.

Zhang Cheng thought to himself, and then considered who else could compete with him. It seemed that only Chen Ju was the one.

Chen Ju has Wei Guangde, the second-in-command, acting as an external ally, so it seems he can't be offended.

If you can't afford to offend them, then befriend them.

In an instant, Zhang Cheng made up his mind and called out to the outside, "Xiao Shunzi, come in quickly."

The eunuchs who were standing outside the door hurriedly entered the room and stood properly in front of Zhang Cheng, waiting for instructions.

"Go and tell the kitchen to prepare a table of good wine and food. I'm going to treat everyone later."

Zhang Cheng gave the order.

"Yes, Grandpa, I'll go and deliver the message right away."

Xiao Shunzi agreed and immediately ran outside.

Zhang Cheng glanced at Xiao Shunzi and gently shook his head.

He's honest, but just too honest.

If someone is clever, they will definitely congratulate him first, regardless of whether they know why, and they will definitely shower him with compliments.

Eunuchs in the palace wouldn't casually invite guests for drinks.

Zhang Cheng also got up and walked towards the Imperial Workshop, which was Chen Ju's territory. He thought it might be useful in the future.

Meanwhile, inside the Cining Palace, Feng Bao walked out with a frown, ignoring the eunuchs and palace maids who bowed to him.

As he walked out of Cining Palace, several eunuchs sweeping the palace road outside kept saying they needed to relieve themselves or had stomach aches, and soon left, causing the leader of the group to frown.

You know perfectly well what's going on, but pretending to be confused is the only way to live longer.

The foreman ordered the remaining eunuchs to hurry up and get to work. He pretended not to notice and checked around. Finding that it wasn't clean enough, he immediately kicked one of the eunuchs and cursed at him. (End of Chapter)