prosperous age

As the moon rose above the treetops, the glazed tile roof ornaments of the Zhengyangmen Arrow Tower held a half-moon in their mouths.

The lanterns of the government offices on both sides of Qipan Street lit up one after another, making the blue bricks of the Six Ministries look as if they were soaked in tung oil.

The sound of the clapper from the Five City Garrison Command echoed through the alley, startling the bronze wind chimes perched on the eaves of the Ministry of Rites' office. Their tinkling mingled with the hoarse voice of the night watchman: "First watch at Xu hour, close doors and windows, beware of fire and theft."

Inside the Wei family's study, several candles illuminated the room, and a group of people sat around the tea table, talking quietly.

"As we all know, the Grand Secretary has been recuperating at home for over a month. The reason I called you here today is to give you some news: Zhang Jiangling may be in some danger this time."

Wei Guangde had a purpose in summoning people.

Let's give them a heads-up first, so they have some idea.

"How could it be so serious?"

Zhang Ke was startled and hurriedly asked.

Tan Lun, the Minister of War, is also seriously ill and has not been to the Ministry of War for three months. Wei Guangde also plans to report Zhang Ke's candidacy for Minister of War in the next few days.

Well, this can be considered a deal between him and the Cining Palace.

Originally, Wei Guangde did not want to interfere too much in the affairs of the inner palace or speak out for the eldest prince. He would only do it subtly, but he would never directly tell the emperor, as this would offend the sensitive nerves of the increasingly opinionated young emperor.

However, the Empress Dowager gave a hint, so an exchange was arranged naturally.

Zhang Ke was appointed as the successor to the position of Minister of War, and Wei Guangde risked offending the emperor by speaking up for the palace maid.

"Perhaps, this is fate."

Wei Guangde simply replied with a low voice, then continued, "Today he submitted a memorial to the palace, cough cough, not a posthumous memorial."

Seeing the cryptic looks from the group, he quickly explained, "It's just some insights on governance strategies."

Wei Guangde recited Zhang Juzheng's memorial directly from memory; he had a good memory, so this was a piece of cake for him.

"Giving equal importance to agriculture and commerce is a good thing. It's also correct to prohibit the exploitation of merchants. I've heard that some people below are already finding ways to extract money from merchants."

The Grand Secretary is mature and prudent; it's good that he brought this up at this time.

Lao Kan praised him.

"I rejected it."

As soon as Lao Kan finished speaking, Wei Guangde continued.

"Ah!" This time, not only Zhang Ke and Lao Kan, but also Jiang Zhi and Wei Shiliang exclaimed in unison.

"Why?"

Lao Kan was even bolder and asked directly, his tone carrying a hint of accusation.

"For no reason other than that this is what we are meant to do, and we don't need his advice."

Wei Guangde spoke calmly, then looked around at everyone before continuing, "When I received that memorial, I realized that in the first year of the Wanli reign, Zhang Jiangling abolished a series of policies in Gaoxin and Zhengzhou, but a few years later, most of these policies were reinstated in different ways."

I don't want to make things so complicated. Considering the needs of both agriculture and commerce has always been my responsibility. As for prohibiting the imposition of exorbitant taxes on merchants, that in itself is dereliction of duty and a crime.

Wei Guangde has already made his point: the suggestion is good, but it cannot be proposed by Zhang Juzheng; it must be put forward by someone on his side after he officially takes over as Grand Secretary.

Temporarily assuming the power of the Grand Secretary is not enough.

The people inside fell silent after hearing Wei Guangde's words.

They understood that in the early stages of his rule, Wei Guangde would do the same as Zhang Juzheng: first overturn some of the things his predecessor had done, and then start afresh.

Although it seems unnecessary,
wrong.

Jiang Zhi quickly realized the problem and stared at Wei Guangde, asking, "Shan Dai, do you think Zhang Jiangling might..."

He didn't finish speaking, but his tone was very low.

"His performance evaluation system offended all the officials in the court, and his land survey and closure of academies offended the literati. It won't be easy for him to get through this."

Wei Guangde nodded and said softly.

"Then what should we do, wait and see?"

Jiang Zhi did not say anything to kick someone when they were down. In fact, whether it was Wei Guangde or the others in their group, they all admired Zhang Juzheng. Wei Guangde, in particular, always referred to Zhang Jiangling as "Zhang Jiangling" in his conversations, but the two often interacted in a very tacit way.

"I suspect that once that time comes, an imperial censor will definitely be the first to fire a test."

At this point, Wei Guangde looked at Lao Kan and then continued, "We will remain still."

However, if the situation escalates further and the calls to overthrow Zhang grow stronger, we will shift their focus and have them impeach Feng Bao.

Feng Bao has offended many people over the years. Zhang Juzheng used to protect him, but he did not know how to restrain himself.

Although we both came from Yu-Chi, we were ultimately not on the same path. He was even more selfish and ruthless than I was.

Wei Guangde believed that although he had used power to achieve some goals, strictly speaking, it was harmless.

Because everyone was actually doing the same thing, it's just that the business ventures Feng Bao did later were really wrong.

He was not short of money; the Burmese mines alone brought him a considerable income each year, and he also manipulated things within the inner court. By all accounts, he should have been rolling in money long ago.

But he still wasn't satisfied and secretly manipulated officials' official positions, which violated some taboos.

At the very least, Wei Guangde did not think this should be done.

If an official position is obtained through bribery, the first thing that comes to mind upon taking office is probably figuring out how to recoup the costs rather than what to do to improve one's performance.

"That's easy. All we need to do is spread the word that Feng Baoben is in cahoots with Zhang Jiangling. He'll protect Zhang Jiangling's reputation after death."

Those who are dissatisfied with Zhang Jiangling will surely direct their anger at Feng Bao.

Wei Shiliang smiled, his face full of ease.

He had already foreseen that once Zhang Juzheng died and Wei Guangde became the Grand Secretary, he would not be far from becoming the Minister of Justice.

A simple calculation makes it clear that suddenly taking control of so many important government offices is like returning to the Jiajing era twenty years ago, a time when the court was full of upright officials.

Don't underestimate the importance of the Ministry of Justice. The Minister of Justice is one of the Nine Ministers, one of the most influential people in the court. It's no exaggeration to say that he holds a high position and wields great power.

"Dong dong dong."

Just then, there was a knock on the study door, and everyone looked over at the same time.

"Come in."

Wei Guangde spoke up.

The door opened, and Zhang Ji appeared outside.

"master."

Zhang Ji called out.

"Come in, what's up?"

Wei Guangde was quite tolerant of his childhood friend who had followed him around since he was young.

However, upon returning to the mansion today, Zhang Ji was seized by Wei Guangde and interrogated in the study for half a day.

Well, he saw the shadow of these family members of the Grand Secretary in You Qi, so he naturally interrogated Zhang Ji to see if he was just as arrogant as You Qi outside.

The outcome was obvious. Although it was nothing unusual under normal circumstances, the timing was very sensitive and crucial now, and Wei Guangde did not want to give others cause for criticism and ruin his reputation.

Of course, he wouldn't actually punish Zhang Ji, but a warning would still be necessary.

Because of what happened today, Zhang Ji didn't dare to come in immediately, as the people in the room were all extraordinary, being the literary stars of Jiangxi Province.

Having received confirmation, Zhang Ji stepped into the room, walked to Wei Guangde's side, and found a note on the ground. He whispered in Wei Guangde's ear, "This note from Eunuch Chen in the palace must have been thrown out after the room was locked."

Once the palace gates are locked, it's impossible for the chief eunuch to leave unless he has the Empress Dowager's or the Emperor's decree.

However, they would leave people outside the palace walls in some places, which would allow them to maintain contact with the outside world and pass on messages.

Wei Guangde took the note, and Zhang Ji tactfully withdrew. Wei Guangde opened the note, glanced at it, pondered for a moment, and roughly understood its meaning.

"Empress Dowager Li did not speak up for him. The memorial was taken from Cining Palace and sent to Qianqing Palace. We do not yet know how His Majesty will respond."

Chen Ju is currently only holding a temporary post in the Directorate of Ceremonial. He has his own office and doesn't usually go there unless there are important matters that require the senior eunuchs to discuss. Therefore, he is completely unaware of the situation regarding Zhang Juzheng's memorial.

However, he was unaware of this, but someone was deliberately trying to pass him a message.

Then, his spies in the palace would report what they saw to him, and that would basically clarify the situation.

Before the emperor assumed personal rule, everyone in the outer court knew that the court was controlled by three powerful figures: Empress Dowager Li in the harem, Feng Bao in the inner court, and Zhang Juzheng in the outer court.

The three of them had a special relationship, and Empress Dowager Li used them to stabilize the situation inside and outside the court and ensure that the imperial power would not fall into the wrong hands.

However, since Emperor Wanli's wedding, Empress Dowager Li has rarely interfered in court affairs, and her involvement is limited to the inner palace.

However, this was one of the Empress Dowager's rights. Although it was not as powerful as the Empress's in the harem, her status was more noble, and the Empress did not dare to oppose her.

This iron triangle has clearly broken down. Empress Dowager Li no longer cares about anything, not even Zhang Juzheng's affairs. So what about Feng Bao?

This is what Wei Guangde is thinking now: perhaps Feng Bao's position is not as secure as it seems.

Everyone else knew that the message came from the palace, so they weren't surprised.

It would be strange if someone who has reached the position of a cabinet minister didn't have some kind of information channel in the palace.

However, none of them spoke, because the most crucial thing now was to see how the emperor would treat this memorial.

The cabinet's draft proposals are ultimately just opinions and do not mean that the emperor will follow them. It is possible that the emperor will write other approvals.

"The Empress Dowager's attitude is clear. We'll see how His Majesty approves the imperial edict tomorrow."

Finally, it was Wei Guangde who spoke.

“Shan Dai, there’s something else. I’m afraid Feng Bao will come to you again tomorrow, and we might have a big argument.”

Lao Kan suddenly said.

"Yes, I'm prepared."

This time, Wei Guangde was clearly betraying Zhang Juzheng by interfering in his memorial. Given the relationship between Feng Bao and Zhang Juzheng, he might actually come to the cabinet to cause trouble for him.

However, by this time, Wei Guangde had basically concluded that Zhang Juzheng was beyond saving, and he began to prepare to take over the Ming Dynasty court, which he considered a matter of course.

Zhang Juzheng would not hand over his political legacy to him; it might go to Zhang Siwei, or it might be a new cabinet member recommended by Zhang Juzheng.

Therefore, he had absolutely no need to continue Zhang Juzheng's governing style.

"If Feng Bao had any sense at all, he should have kept a low profile and kept quiet at this point."

Wei Guangde spoke calmly.

"Zhang Ji."

After speaking, Wei Guangde called out to the door.

"master."

The door opened, and Zhang Ji walked in.

"I've been keeping an eye on the Grand Secretary's residence these past few days. I need to know who went to see him."

"Yes."

After giving his instructions, Wei Guangde waved his hand, and Zhang Ji agreed before leaving, closing the door behind him.

"Shan Dai, should we go and visit him too?"

Jiang Zhi asked, "We are all ministers in the same court, so it is only natural to visit a colleague who is seriously ill."

"Going now would be too deliberate. Let's wait until news of the Grand Secretary's illness spreads outside before going with the people from the government office. That way, it won't seem so deliberate."

In fact, given today's incident, Wei Guangde will visit Zhang Juzheng's residence with Zhang Siwei and Shen Shixing in a few days to inquire about Zhang Juzheng's health.

He didn't need to explain why Zhang Juzheng opposed his memorial; he believed Zhang Juzheng would understand.

Of course, whether or not to accept it was Zhang Juzheng's business.

After years of cooperation, Wei Guangde did not want to break off the partnership, especially given his previous relationship with Zhang Juzheng.

When he goes to see Zhang Juzheng this time, he will make it clear that he will not forget the promise he made to protect the Zhang family back then.

After seeing the group off, it was already past midnight, as everyone sorted out their respective relationships.

Taking over the power of the Grand Secretary, the key is how to take control of the two powerful ministries, the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue.

The one who was most calculating was naturally Wei Shiliang. In the past, he only had his eyes on the position of Minister of Justice, but now his eyes were on these two departments.

Yes, Wei Guangde won't easily relinquish control of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel; he'll definitely put someone else in those positions.

It seems like I also have a chance.

He doesn't care about the position.

At the very least, he would be the Minister of Justice, but he was actually satisfied with that as well.

The next day, Wei Guangde entered the cabinet to carry out his duties, but he did not see the memorial from the palace that had been returned to Zhang Juzheng.

Wei Guangde remained calm and handled the memorials sent from various places according to usual practice.

All morning, Feng Bao did not come looking for them.

Wei Guangde couldn't help but wonder if his judgment was wrong. Had the Wanli Emperor kept Zhang Juzheng's memorial in the palace?

He sent Lu Bu out to gather information, while he remained in his duty room reading memorials and writing draft proposals.

"master."

A short while later, Lubu came in from outside and called softly beside him.

"Tell me, what information have you gathered?"

Wei Guangde didn't look up, continuing to peruse the memorials.

"At the hour of Si (9-11 AM), Eunuch Feng left the palace, saying that he was ordered to visit the Grand Secretary's residence."

Lu Bu whispered in Wei Guangde's ear.

"Oh, I understand. You can go now. Let me know if you have any news."

Wei Guangde spoke in a calm tone, and only after Lu Bu left the duty room did Wei Guangde reach out and lightly pat his forehead.

He was only thinking about the Wanli Emperor's hatred for Zhang Juzheng, but seemed to have overlooked the time.

At this time, Emperor Wanli was probably unaware of some things, so he still trusted Zhang Juzheng.

Only when officials impeached Zhang Juzheng and revealed some information about Zhang's household did the young emperor feel deceived and develop a deep hatred.

Judging from yesterday's memorial, the young emperor probably didn't pay much attention to it; he was more concerned about Zhang Juzheng's health.

After all, he had gotten used to being a hands-off manager over the years. In any case, although the cabinet had great power, it was controlled by him and Zhang Juzheng respectively, so the imperial power was very stable.

With Zhang Juzheng's condition currently unclear, the emperor is unlikely to rush to make a statement.

"I've matured a bit and know that it's right not to express my opinion too easily."

Wei Guangde did not believe that the approach of being careless and always trying to distinguish right from wrong was correct.

In reality, when sitting on the emperor's throne, the primary consideration is maintaining balance.

It seems that his student has learned the art of ruling from above and is beginning to put it into practice.

"hehe."

Wei Guangde merely chuckled, unconcerned. Zhang Juzheng should understand his methods, so Feng Bao's side wouldn't get the desired result. (End of Chapter)