prosperous age

Those who were most familiar with the Wanli Emperor's temperament and personality were undoubtedly just his close associates.

Zhang Jing is now advising Zhang Siwei to arrange for censors to impeach Feng Bao for abusing his power and manipulating Princess Yongning's marriage to attack him. This is actually the result of his careful planning.

Princess Yongning, Zhu Yaoying, was the fourth daughter of Emperor Muzong of Ming, Zhu Zaiji. Her mother was Empress Dowager Xiaoding, née Li, and she was the younger sister of Emperor Shenzong of Ming, Zhu Yijun, who shared the same mother.

Just this January, the Wanli Emperor bestowed the title of Princess Yongning upon his younger sister and selected a husband for her, with the eunuch Feng Bao of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs in charge.

After accepting bribes, Feng Bao chose Liang Bangrui, a wealthy young man in the capital who was suffering from tuberculosis. The then Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng strongly agreed, and Empress Dowager Li was kept in the dark by them.

On the day of the wedding, Leung Pong-shui suffered a nosebleed that soaked his wedding dress, making it almost impossible for him to complete the ceremony. The eunuchs, however, insisted that it was an auspicious sign.

After his marriage, Liang Bangrui was repeatedly extorted by eunuchs and palace maids, and was beaten and verbally abused. He died less than two months after his marriage in March. Princess Yongning never knew anything about bedroom matters in her entire life.

This incident occurred in May and caused a sensation in Beijing at the time.

However, no uproar occurred in the court afterwards, because the palace remained silent from beginning to end, and there was no news of any investigation into Feng Bao's responsibility.

Princess Yongning's mother and brother did not stand up for her, so the officials in the court naturally knew what to do.

In fact, if this kind of thing were handled differently and happened in the general public, it would be a case that the authorities wouldn't investigate unless the public reported it.

The woman can sue the authorities on the grounds of marriage fraud, but most cases are resolved privately through negotiation and are rarely adjudicated by officials.

Wei Guangde had no idea what was going on with Empress Dowager Li.

After all, that was Empress Dowager Li's palace. Even Chen Ju could only place a few eunuchs there. It was too difficult to arrange people around the Empress Dowager; they were all subordinates of the chief eunuch of Cining Palace.

The reason why Chen Ju was able to place people in the Qianqing Palace was because he had previously served as a palace eunuch and worked alongside the emperor. Therefore, he had already sent people to serve him in the palace at that time.

"Is His Majesty truly dissatisfied with Feng Bao?"

Zhang Siwei still had a slight worry in his heart, but he saw Zhang Jing smile easily and say, "Although I don't know what's going on with the Empress Dowager, the Prince is definitely dissatisfied with him."

However, I can tell that His Majesty still has some reservations about Feng Bao.

Zhang Siwei nodded slightly upon hearing this.

In fact, an emperor should not treat a servant in his household in this way.

Unfortunately, Feng Bao had taken care of the emperor's daily life since he was a child, and had been teaching the emperor by imperial decree. To Emperor Wanli, Feng Bao was also a kind of teacher.

Moreover, Feng Bao would also take advantage of the situation.

Often, instead of personally instructing the emperor, they would use Empress Dowager Li to punish him.

So over time, Emperor Wanli developed a certain degree of fear of Feng Bao.

This fear wasn't of the servant himself, but of his mother, Empress Dowager Li.

The high-ranking officials in the imperial court were somewhat aware of this matter.

It was also because the emperor was truly afraid of the empress dowager that no one dared to say anything.

"However, I think that although Empress Dowager Li did not say it outright, she must have been extremely dissatisfied with Feng Bao."

Zhang Jing added, "After all, she ruined her daughter's lifelong happiness; it's no wonder Empress Dowager Li hates her."

However, Zhang Jing couldn't understand why, after the incident, neither the Empress Dowager nor the Emperor publicly punished Feng Bao, nor were there any negative comments about Feng Bao from the Cining Palace.

"Let's drop two pawns to test the palace's reaction?"

Zhang Siwei understood; Zhang Jing had this other purpose.

It's unclear how Feng Bao managed to appease Empress Dowager Li, or whether Empress Dowager Li suppressed her dissatisfaction. In any case, as long as they submitted a memorial impeaching him, they would have a chance to discern their true intentions.

Whether the emperor would take the opportunity to punish Feng Bao, whether the empress dowager would speak up for him, or whether she would kick him while he was down, remains to be seen.

"Heh heh, you just dismissed Pan Sheng, and now you're impeaching Feng Bao. Grand Secretary Zhang, what do you think will happen to the court after this?"

Zhang Jing continued.

"Hehe, Father-in-law's insight is brilliant."

Zhang Siwei flattered Zhang Jing with a somewhat obsequious smile, "So, how did His Majesty approve Pan Sheng's memorial?"

If this plan succeeds, Zhang Siwei will become the only person in the court who can inherit Zhang Juzheng's political legacy.

Even if the news reached Zhang Juzheng of Jiangling, he would know what to do if he wasn't stupid.

Pan Sheng fell, Feng Bao collapsed, and all his arrangements in the court were rendered meaningless.

"Feng Bao has already sent Pan Sheng's memorial to the Qianqing Palace, but the Emperor has not yet approved it."

However, I heard Eunuch Feng keep saying bad things about Pan Sheng, saying that he started forming factions while serving in the Ministry of Rites in order to get into the cabinet.

His actions were so egregious that even Xu Xuemo, the Minister of Rites, couldn't tolerate them and submitted a memorial impeaching him.

Zhang Jing laughed.

Hearing that Feng Bao was still helping them to assist Pan Sheng, Zhang Siwei's smile widened, as if he had already foreseen that the palace would issue an edict in the next two days ordering Pan Sheng to return to where he came from.

Pan Sheng was quite unlucky. He was over sixty years old when he received the imperial decree to enter the cabinet. He happily traveled from Zhejiang to Beijing, only to hear news of his impeachment in the court.

After analyzing the power structure of the court, he decisively backed down and didn't even dare to ask for the position of Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet that he had been longing for.

This shows just how cautious this person is; he clearly understands the importance of self-preservation.

Meanwhile, outside the gate of Lao Kan's residence in the capital, several servants carrying torches and lanterns were seeing the group off.

"Ren Zhi, go back now, no need to see me off."

Wei Guangde slurred to Lao Kan.

“You’ve had too much to drink. I’ll escort you to your sedan chair before we go back. Watch your route.”

Today, Lao Kan is hosting a banquet to entertain officials with whom he has a good relationship, and Wei Guangde is naturally among them.

Just as Wei Guangde was about to get into the sedan chair, Lao Kan whispered in his ear, "Shan Dai, everyone thinks that Zhang Siwei is not simple. You should keep him in mind."

Wei Guangde stopped in his tracks and stood in front of the sedan chair. He turned back to look at Lao Kan and suddenly smiled.

Seeing his smile, Lao Kan was suddenly surprised. This was not the kind of unrestrained, drunken smile he had.

"I am aware of your reminder and I was prepared for it. Please don't spread this message."

Wei Guangde spoke these words in a very soft, almost inaudible voice. If Lao Kan hadn't been right next to him, he would have been almost unable to hear what he was saying and would have thought it was a drunken murmur.

Seeing Wei Guangde bend down and get back into the sedan chair, and the sedan chair bearers lift the sedan chair and carry it away into the distance, Lao Kan finally came to his senses.

"I had planned this all along, but I didn't want anyone to know."

Lao Kan muttered something to himself, then shook his head and walked back.

There are still a few drunk people in the mansion, and arrangements need to be made to send them out one by one.

He was actually quite drunk. When he stepped over the threshold of the mansion, he even reached out to help a servant so that he wouldn't trip.

The sedan chair traveled through the streets and alleys, and arrived at the gate of the Wei residence in less than a quarter of an hour.

Lao Kan's return to the capital to take up an official post was naturally a long-term plan, so the house he bought in Nanxunfang in the inner city was not far from the Wei residence, which made it convenient for them to drink and talk.

Even if the emperor needed to attend court, it would be closer to depart from here.

In fact, although Zhang Juzheng's residence was in the outer city, he also had a house in the inner city. However, the courtyard was not large and it was a place for him to prepare for the morning and evening court assemblies. He rarely stayed there more than two or three days a month.

Soon, the gates of the mansion opened, and a servant helped the drunken Wei Guangde into the mansion. Zhang Ji also rushed over after receiving the news, took Wei Guangde from the servant, and helped him walk to the backyard, whispering in his ear, "Master, news has come from Guanghe Tower tonight."

"Oh."

Wei Guangde paused slightly before continuing to walk towards the backyard.

Upon entering the backyard, Wei Guangde instructed the maids and servants who came to greet him, "Prepare hot water; the master wishes to take a bath."

After that, he took Zhang Ji to the small study in the backyard.

"Tell me, what information have you found out?"

At this moment, Wei Guangde was already lying in the rocking chair, swaying back and forth as he asked Zhang Ji in front of him.

"Prime Minister Zhang and Eunuch Zhang are conspiring to impeach Feng Bao, using the matter of Princess Yongning as a pretext, and also to test the palace's attitude towards Feng Bao."

At this moment, Zhang Ji bent down and whispered in Wei Guangde's ear.

"Is the news accurate?"

Wei Guangde frowned, thinking to himself that this tactic was actually effective, but he couldn't use it.

Because he and Feng Bao maintained a superficial harmony and did not break off their relationship.

It would be perfectly reasonable for Zhang Siwei to take action, since everyone in the court knew that the two were not on good terms.

"Absolutely accurate."

Knowing that Zhang Jing loved opera, I had people plant spies in several private rooms at Guanghe Tower. Whenever they booked a room, I'd send people inside to eavesdrop.

Zhang Ji said with a hint of smugness.

"Hehe, when you took over Guanghe Tower, I never expected that it would become their place for discussing secrets by accident."

Wei Guangde smiled and offered a compliment.

Walking down the street, Wei Guangde himself didn't know which of the shops on the street were not his own, or which he didn't own a stake in.

In any case, the Wei family also inherited the mantle of the previous cabinet ministers, opening a pawnshop in the capital and doing business as a banker for the Ming Empire.

In order to develop the empire's economy, Wei Guangde provided a considerable amount of money to merchants who needed funds.

If there's anything his current financial business lacks compared to banks in later generations, it's the lack of the right to accept deposits.

Since it was a pawnshop, some people made money from the business, while others lost money. Then, the business was used to offset debts and was given to the Wei family, becoming part of the Wei family's property.

These changes will remain unknown to outsiders unless the Wei family produces a contract; at most, they will assume that the owner has changed managers.

"This idea was proposed by Zhang Jing, who suggested that the person in charge of appearance go to the censor."

Zhang Ji said in a low voice.

"Haha, let them be. We shouldn't interfere in their family affairs."

Wei Guangde smiled, then stared at Zhang Ji and asked in a low voice, "What's the current situation with the people arranged by Pingyang Prefecture?"

Pingyang Prefecture?

Upon hearing Wei Guangde's question, Zhang Ji was taken aback, clearly having forgotten about it since it hadn't been mentioned in a long time.

Wei Guangde didn't continue speaking, waiting for Zhang Ji to react.

Sure enough, a moment later, Zhang Ji remembered the hidden plot he had laid out earlier.

Well, those were spies sent to gather evidence of the Zhang family's corruption. A family like that wouldn't be worthy of being a high-ranking official if they didn't commit some evil deeds and bully the weak.

"They've already entered the manor, and we haven't been in contact for the past two years."

Zhang Ji remained bent over and replied softly.

"I heard that Old Master Zhang has a bad cough, and Ziwei has been searching everywhere for cough medicine."

Wei Guangde uttered a sentence softly, which made Zhang Ji even more confused.

“Opioids have a special effect on relieving coughs. Send some over, and add a little to the spices.”

After giving his instructions in a calm tone, Wei Guangde waved Zhang Ji away.

Zhang Ji was still a little confused. At this time, there was no such thing as drugs. It was true that opium was a cough medicine, but why did Grand Secretary Wei ask to add a little bit to the spices of the old master of the Zhang family?
Doing good deeds anonymously?
After Zhang Ji left, Wei Guangde's drunkenness disappeared. Although his face was still flushed from drinking, his eyes were clear, and he showed no signs of being drunk.

"Sometimes, to bring down an official, you don't necessarily have to find his weakness and impeach him."

Wei Guangde muttered to himself, "Zhang Jiangling can dispose of a prison sentence, but do you, Zhang Siwei, have the audacity to do that?"

Turning his head slightly, Wei Guangde saw several booklets on the desk next to him, with the four large characters "Last Words from My Sickbed" prominently displayed on their yellow covers.

Wei Guangde raised his hand slightly on the armrest, but ultimately put it down without reaching for it.

However, he couldn't help but think of the strange smile Gao Gong had given him before leaving after their conversation that year.

Wei Guangde suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Gao Gong was truly ruthless; he could kill someone without anyone noticing.

That's no ordinary person.

Looking at the booklet again, Wei Guangde's face was full of bitter smiles.

The "Last Words on My Deathbed" consists of four volumes and is said to have been written by Gao Gong before his death. The book recounts how Zhang Juzheng colluded with Feng Bao to seize the position of Grand Secretary. It describes Zhang Juzheng as a treacherous and vicious person and denounces him as "a witch doctor and a ghost, playing the flute, pinching eyes, beating the drum, and playing the pipa."

This book has been in the capital for quite some time, reportedly at least a month, and was clearly printed after Zhang Juzheng left the capital.

Recently, this book has been circulating widely in Beijing, and the palace must have received the news by now.

After all, Feng Bao still controlled the Eastern Depot at this time. Although he was not the director of the depot, he must have had his own spies and agents planted in the Eastern Depot.

Whether this book was actually written by Gao Gong is probably difficult to ascertain.

After all, Zhang Juzheng had many enemies, and it's possible that someone might be impersonating him.

However, Wei Guangde felt that the book was most likely written by Gao Xinzheng, and he was definitely not going to swallow the insult that Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao had tricked him.

He was capable of writing a book and publishing it after his death, when Zhang Juzheng had lost power, to damage Zhang Juzheng's reputation.

Although he and Zhang Juzheng seemed to have reconciled when they met in the sixth year of the Wanli reign, this did not change their minds.

Wei Guangde did not believe that the feud between the two had truly been resolved; he merely wanted to use Zhang Juzheng to secure a posthumous reputation.

Although Gao Gong was dead, Wei Guangde's resentment towards him remained unresolved.

They used to be on the same side, but this old bastard plotted to cut off my way into the Pavilion. Even though he didn't succeed, the feud was already set in stone.

However, before he could figure out a way to deal with him, Zhang Juzheng had already taken care of him.

As for his methods, Gao Gong's methods were not necessarily honorable; they were just as despicable.

Actually, everyone is pretty much the same, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to climb to this position.

"Master, the water is hot."

"understood."

A maid's voice came from outside the door, and Wei Guangde casually replied.

He stood up and slowly walked outside. (End of Chapter)