prosperous age

Wei Guangde was not flustered at all when Emperor Wanli arranged for Feng Bao to meet Zhang Juzheng; on the contrary, he felt somewhat gratified.

Although the young emperor didn't think of himself first when he encountered difficulties.

But think about it, you've already given your opinion on this, so what can you expect from asking me again?
While Wei Guangde was sitting in the cabinet handling official business, Feng Bao had already sat down in front of Zhang Juzheng's bed.

However, the Zhang Juzheng he saw at this moment made him somewhat unwilling to acknowledge him.

Her face, which was noticeably thinner than before, made her cheekbones look very high.

Moreover, Zhang Juzheng's skin was sallow at this time, and his once magnificent beard, which had been the most outstanding among officials in Beijing, seemed to have lost its former luster and appeared dull. He was no longer the handsome man Feng Bao remembered.

"How did your illness become so severe? What did the imperial physician say? If he can't cure you, we should find someone else as soon as possible."

Feng Bao immediately spoke to the two young masters of the Zhang family who had accompanied him in.

"Eunuch Feng, the imperial physician said that my father has been overworked for years, which has damaged his vital energy. He can only rest and recuperate."

Zhang Jingxiu, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Personnel's Bureau of Personnel, bowed and said.

The Zhang family had always been on good terms with Feng Bao, so they naturally wouldn't look down on him just because he was a eunuch.

Moreover, the other party was representing the emperor to visit my father.

"Then make a list for me on how to replenish vital energy and what is needed. I will go to the palace to look for it. If I can't find it in the palace, I will send people to look for it outside. I must find a good medicine to cure Uncle Da's illness."

He left the palace by imperial decree this time, and went to the Empress Dowager's place before leaving.

Although the two empress dowagers did not care much about national affairs, having left them to the emperor and the cabinet, they still had feelings for Zhang Juzheng.

It wasn't romantic love, but rather gratitude for having assisted the young emperor.

When the Wanli Emperor ascended the throne at a young age, it was a time when imperial power was at its weakest. If someone harbored malicious intentions, they would be powerless to stop them.

Fortunately, of the regents chosen by the late emperor, Gao Gong was the most unreliable, and he was suspected of disrespecting His Majesty, while the others were alright.

In particular, Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde were both people who came from Yuzhi, and in their eyes, they were true friends, so they felt at ease.

And they did not fail the late emperor's trust, supporting the vast empire during the emperor's childhood.

Not only did they hold on, they did an excellent job.

In recent years, the Ming Dynasty's imperial army has fought in the north and south, displaying its might beyond the borders. Two years ago, when the young emperor got married, all the famous vassal kings from the surrounding areas came to attend.

The two empress dowagers also noticed their respect for the Wanli Emperor.

Not to mention that envoys from Europe, thousands of miles away, came to offer their congratulations and presented many interesting gifts.

In domestic affairs, Zhang and Wei also performed well in the cabinet.

They didn't understand other things, but they did know one thing: the imperial court had already made up for the deficit that had remained unresolved since the Jiajing era.

In the past two years, the imperial court's finances have recovered, with revenue exceeding expenditure, and there is finally a surplus.

In reality, no matter who it is, sitting in that high position, no matter what huge things they see, it's all settled with money.

Therefore, the two empress dowagers had realized that governing the country, in the end, was all about making money.

With money, one can stabilize a region and provide disaster relief.

With money, the government army would have the fighting power to drive out foreign enemies and demonstrate its might overseas.

What other major events are there besides this?

It seems like that's all.

Therefore, the two men were quite at ease with the Zhang-Wei cabinet.

The two cooperated and checked each other, making them a perfect combination.

Therefore, when Feng Bao came to discuss this matter, the two of them naturally gave orders to do everything possible to save Zhang Juzheng, as the court really couldn't do without Grand Secretary Zhang right now.

"The best way to replenish vital energy is with ginseng, astragalus, wolfberry, and epimedium. Ginseng is naturally the best. My father also took it, but unfortunately he said he was too depleted and could only recover little by little."

Zhang Jingxiu answered softly, as if afraid of waking his father on the bed.

"Ginseng? Go to Shandai. He has a lot of top-quality ginseng in his household. Give me the list of how many years old you need, and I'll ask him for it."

Feng Bao immediately stood up and said.

“Eunuch Feng, the ginseng we’re using now is all top-quality ginseng sent by the Wei family, including an 800-year-old ginseng. But the imperial physician said that we can’t take too much of this tonic, because my father is too vain and can only take it slowly.”

That 800-year-old ginseng was meant to save lives in critical moments; adding it to the medicinal soup would be counterproductive.”

Zhang Jingxiu repeated what he had heard from the imperial physicians over the past few days: in short, it wasn't a problem with the medicine, but rather with Zhang Juzheng's health.

In his early years, Zhang Juzheng was in good health, so his minor ailments were not obvious and could not be detected at all.

When he fell ill, all his symptoms erupted at once, like a landslide.

There's really no other way besides treatment.

For someone like Zhang Juzheng, excessive tonics would actually be a death trap, directly taking his life.

When will Uncle Da wake up?

Feng Bao was not ignorant of worldly affairs; Zhang Jingxiu's words were reasonable and well-founded, and they came from the imperial physician.

Although everyone says their prescriptions are unreliable, their pharmacological knowledge is genuine.

Without real talent, you can't get into the Imperial Hospital.

"Father has been asleep for a while, but should wake up soon."

"It's been like this for a while now, sometimes I'm fully awake and sometimes I'm completely dazed."

Feng Bao sat there listening to what Zhang Jingxiu said, and remembered to tell the Empress Dowager and the Emperor when he returned to the palace.

At the same time, Feng Bao saw Zhang Juzheng on the couch and knew that Wei Guangde would not be in the position of Grand Secretary for long.

Zhang Juzheng truly cannot recover in a short period of time.

If someone in such a physical condition continues to sit in the position of Grand Secretary, it will only further damage his reputation.

"Has Grand Secretary Wei visited the residence before?"

Feng Bao suddenly asked.

“Grand Secretary Wei came after my father fell ill, around the beginning of March. At that time, my father entrusted the affairs of the cabinet to him, Grand Secretary Zhang, and Grand Secretary Shen. He did not come to see me for the past month.”

"I suppose they're too busy with official duties to come."

Zhang Jingxiu answered immediately.

Feng Bao was now getting a sense of the situation. Although Wei Guangde was unsure about Zhang Juzheng's condition, he probably had some guesses after seeing the memorial.

It was just that my guess was a bit accurate.

Feng Bao knew perfectly well what Gao Gong did when he replaced Li Chunfang, and what Zhang Juzheng did when he replaced Gao Gong.

"Cough cough."

Just then, Zhang Juzheng on the couch suddenly opened his mouth and coughed.

Zhang Jingxiu hurriedly stepped forward and gently helped Zhang Juzheng up, while Zhang Sixiu, the second son of the Zhang family, stepped forward with a basin.

"Cough cough."

After another bout of violent coughing, Zhang Juzheng spat out a mouthful of thick phlegm that floated on the water, the turbid yellow phlegm seemingly speckled with bloodstains.

Feng Bao could tell that the two brothers were already very skilled at serving Zhang Juzheng, and this must have been the case for some time, which was why they worked together so well.

Zhang Juzheng spat out some phlegm and saw Feng Bao beside him. He tried to get up, though he felt his current state was inappropriate. However, Feng Bao wouldn't let him get up. He quickly reached out and pressed Zhang Juzheng down, taking him from Zhang Jingxiu's arms and helping him back to bed. He kept complaining, "You were so sick and you didn't even tell me. If the Emperor and Empress Dowager hadn't sent me to check on you, I wouldn't have known."

Why didn't you tell me sooner?

If Feng Bao had known that Zhang Juzheng was so ill, he would have criticized Wei Guangde in front of the Wanli Emperor.

Regardless, although he and Wei Guangde had a good relationship, at least on the surface, he knew better than anyone that his real support in the outer court was Zhang Juzheng.

Feng Bao was very clear about who was close and who was distant.

Wei Guangde had Chen Ju as an inside agent in the palace. Although he was only ranked fourth or fifth, this position provided him with good protection.

At least Feng Bao wouldn't be able to suppress Chen Ju, because of Wei Guangde's influence and his position.

If those others join forces with Chen Ju to oppose him, it will be very troublesome.

Despite being a senior attendant with influence over the emperor and empress dowager, Feng Bao knew perfectly well that they were all his masters' servants.

Keep those that are useful, and get rid of those that are not without hesitation.

Even if there were feelings involved, at most they would arrange a better place for him to settle down, such as Nanjing, or bestow some gifts upon him.

Therefore, Feng Bao was always on guard against the other senior eunuchs in the inner court and dared not let his guard down at all.

As for trying to win people over, I've tried, but with little effect. Given my position, I'm a target of everyone's criticism.

After exchanging a few words with Zhang Juzheng about his illness and expressing his own and the palace's concern, Feng Bao then told Zhang Juzheng about the memorial he had submitted and the cabinet's draft proposal.

Whether Zhang Juzheng was mentally prepared or it was because of his expression, there was no indication that he was surprised; he just looked the way he was.

"Since that's the case, then so be it. The current cabinet is still capable of doing a good job."

Zhang Juzheng's voice was clearly weak; he took a long time to finish speaking just ten or so words, and he stammered.

Feng Bao sighed inwardly, knowing that this reinforcement was probably not going to work out and he would have to find another one.

"Does the current cabinet need any adjustments?"

Feng Bao whispered in Zhang Juzheng's ear.

His meaning was, of course, that the cabinet had Wei Guangde and Shen Shixing, while Zhang Siwei was the only one.

Fortunately, with Wei Guangde's rise to power, Zhang Siwei will also become the second-in-command. However, he will still lack a voice, which is why Wei Guangde was able to enter the cabinet when he applied for the position.

However, Zhang Juzheng's mouth was slightly open but he did not speak, as if he was pretending to be asleep.

Just as Feng Bao was getting impatient, he opened his eyes and said again, "Not for now."

He knew exactly what Feng Bao was planning to do.

It's impossible to say there were no arrangements.

In recent years, Wei Guangde has been worried that there are not many talented people coming out of Jiangxi. In fact, Zhang Juzheng also had this problem.

It's true that Jiangxi and Huguang were excellent at the imperial examinations, but as the Ming Dynasty's economy developed, Zhejiang and Southern Zhili were also rapidly catching up.

Zhejiang, in particular, is a land of outstanding natural beauty and literary talent, and in recent years it has surpassed Jiangxi in the imperial examinations.

Jiangxi was very successful in the imperial examinations during the early and mid-Ming Dynasty because of its tradition of community schools. The unification wars waged by the Ming Taizu (Hongwu Emperor) were mostly fought in the Huguang and Jiangzhe areas, where the damage was most severe.

Therefore, Jiangxi candidates showed strong academic ability from the beginning, and with the support of their hometown ties, they protected each other, which led to the situation where Jiangxi people dominated the cabinet on several occasions.

However, after the mid-Ming Dynasty, the economies of Jiangnan and Jiangbei, as well as Zhejiang, developed rapidly. With the support of resources, candidates from these two regions also caught up and far surpassed those from Jiangxi.

Throughout the Ming Dynasty, Zhejiang had the largest number of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), followed by Southern Zhili (Southern Zhili), and then Jiangxi, demonstrating the great potential of these two regions.

Zhang Juzheng had long been aware of the power of Zhejiang, and he was also adept at forming alliances and winning over the gentry of Shanxi, so naturally he would not let go of the scholars from Jiangsu and Zhejiang who had passed the imperial examinations.

In Zhejiang, many people sought refuge under his protection.

However, this relationship might still be useful to him, but what about afterwards?
They're all adults; he doesn't believe these people can really be trusted.

However, after comparing the two, Zhang Juzheng still trusted Wei Guangde more, since he had never persecuted anyone.

Feng Bao's plan was naturally to use Zhang Juzheng's men and then win them over through favors.

He's still useful in this kind of situation, but in his current state, Feng Bao will not only fail, but will also make things worse.

Zhang Juzheng was very methodical in his work and had already laid out multiple plans.

Feng Bao was worried, and he was well aware of it, so he was now weighing who to recommend.

But he wouldn't easily give up this favor of being recommended, especially since he wasn't necessarily going to die.

Feng Bao hurriedly returned to the palace at noon and carefully recounted what he had seen at the Zhang residence to the two empress dowagers and the emperor.

He certainly wouldn't say anything else, only that Grand Secretary Zhang was very ill and in some danger.

As for the young emperor's concerns, Zhang Juzheng provided the answer: trust the current cabinet's decision.

Naturally, Emperor Wanli did not agree to the memorial based on the cabinet's draft, but he did not reject it either; instead, he chose to keep it in the meantime.

This was also taught by Wei Guangde, who instructed him to observe Emperor Jiajing's handling of the situation and, if unsure, to keep it for later review.

Recently, the Wanli Emperor has been reviewing all the memorials his grandfather reviewed from the time he entered Beijing until his death in the Qianqing Palace.

He had to carefully study the various types of memorials that were approved, rejected, or kept, to understand the thoughts of the Jiajing Emperor at that time.

Once you've figured it out, you'll have mastered the art of rulership.

However, Wei Guangde had no idea what the Wanli Emperor had figured out; he had to judge based on the emperor's words and actions.

News from the palace naturally couldn't escape Wei Guangde's notice.

Wei Guangde learned of this when Feng Bao hurriedly returned to the palace, especially when he jogged towards Cining Palace.

Based on Feng Bao's behavior, Wei Guangde naturally guessed more.

However, at this time, he also noticed huge changes in Japan, which he was paying attention to.

"Hunting the Takeda. He ordered the execution of everyone in the Takeda family?"

Wei Guangde was somewhat shocked. According to Japanese tradition, once a country submits, it is generally not allowed to exterminate its inhabitants.

This time was clearly different. Oda Nobunaga issued an order to exterminate the entire Takeda clan.

"Yes, Katsuyori and his son Nobukatsu of the Takeda clan were executed. However, there are reports that Tokugawa Ieyasu and some of Oda's senior retainers found it difficult to accept Nobunaga's orders and hid the remaining Takeda retainers."

Liu Shouyou said, "Oda Nobunaga's actions this time not only show his hatred for the Takeda clan, but may also trigger collective fear among the daimyo of Wa (Japan).

"What's the use of fear? He has the advantage now; he has money and soldiers."

Does Japan still have any power capable of resisting him?

Wei Guangde said dismissively.

Although he seemed to disregard the words, he still understood the meaning behind Liu Shouyou's words to some extent.

If the rules of Japan are broken, Oda Nobunaga might suffer a backlash.

Wei Guangde looked at the intelligence report and learned that in order to achieve his goal, Oda Nobunaga had also set fire to Huilin Temple, supposedly because it was hiding former retainers of Takeda.

Temples wielded considerable power in Japan, and Oda Nobunaga was willing to offend them.

Wei Guangde shook his head slightly, but a smile quickly appeared on his face.

Such a ruler of Japan doesn't seem to be a bad thing for the Ming Dynasty.

It's hard to say. If the Ming army establishes a foothold in Japan, those daimyo might actively unite with the Ming army to fight against the Oda clan. (End of Chapter)