prosperous age

"My three esteemed ministers, has something significant happened in the court?"

Inside the Qianqing Palace, the Wanli Emperor sat high on his throne and began to inquire.

"Thanks to Your Majesty's good fortune, the weather has been favorable and the world is at peace in recent years. We have not seen any reports of trouble. On the contrary, local officials have been respectfully wishing Your Majesty good health, so that the blessings can be spread and the people can live better lives."

Wei Guangde stepped forward and answered.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Wanli blushed and could only chuckle awkwardly.

He assumed the three elders must have something to say, so he asked first. Master Wei would then directly tell him what had happened and how to handle it.

Unexpectedly, Wei Guangde said that the world was at peace and that local officials were submitting memorials to the emperor to express their gratitude.

What are you doing here?

"only."

Before Emperor Wanli could speak, Wei Guangde suddenly said something in a low voice, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

"Master Wei, what happened? Tell me!"

Emperor Wanli knew something must have happened, so he urged them on.

It must not be some major national event, otherwise Wei Guangde wouldn't have acted this way.

"It is Your Majesty. An urgent report just arrived from Huguang today. Grand Secretary Zhang passed away five days ago."

"Master Zhang has gone?"

As soon as Wei Guangde finished speaking, the Wanli Emperor asked in a trembling voice.

"Your Majesty, please accept my condolences. Prime Minister Zhang has already passed away."

After the Ministry of Rites reported this, I had already instructed them to prepare everything.

Grand Secretary Zhang served as an official for thirty years, working diligently and tirelessly. Now that he has passed away, the court should give him a grand funeral to commemorate his achievements.

As Wei Guangde spoke, he handed over the copy of the official document sent by the Ministry of Rites with both hands.

Zhang Jing hurriedly stepped forward, took the memorial from Wei Guangde, and then returned to the emperor's side, presenting it with both hands.

However, at this moment, Emperor Wanli seemed to have lost his spirit, his body was weak and he leaned back on the throne, and he did not reach out to take it.

No one knew what the emperor was thinking at that moment. The former Zhang Juzheng was like a mountain pressing down on the young emperor's shoulders.

At that time, all the civil and military officials in the court sang praises to Zhang Juzheng, praising his reform measures for saving the Ming Dynasty.

The young emperor also had his own opinion on this, which was that this statement was correct.

Wei Guangde's education made him realize early on that the most important thing in governing a country is finance. Only with sufficient finances can the court do its work, quell border troubles, resolve public grievances, and bring peace to the region.

Only in this way can the dynasty's rule be long-lasting and secure.

The most important reason for the fall of the Yuan Dynasty was that the tax increases implemented in the later period for flood control and suppression of rebellions caused what was originally a peasant uprising in the Yellow River basin to quickly spread to the Jiangnan region.

Zhang Juzheng's land survey and land tax reform, along with the accompanying Single Whip Tax System, reshaped the tax system of the Ming Dynasty, enabling the court to acquire more wealth.

This included both the recovery of taxes that should have belonged to the imperial court and the increase in fiscal revenue through the redistribution of tax revenue between the imperial court and local governments, which was definitely beneficial to the continuation of the dynasty.

Moreover, Emperor Wanli knew that some of the suggestions, such as merging the poll tax into the land tax and adjusting the tax distribution, were actually put forward by Wei Guangde.

Local officials take too much tax revenue, and then use that revenue to bribe their superiors, paving the way for their own promotions, which ultimately damages the administration.

To rectify official corruption, it is better to first increase officials' income, then reduce their illicit income, and then use performance evaluation to select capable officials. This is actually better than directly pushing the Censorate to strictly investigate official corruption and use typical cases to deter corruption.

Now the results are in, with nearly a million taels of silver piling up in Taicang. This is an achievement. But at this time, Master Zhang, who promoted this reform, has passed away.

Even though those incidents had previously caused Emperor Wanli to feel displeasure towards Zhang Juzheng, it all vanished at this moment.

They're all dead, what's the point of arguing?
"Your Majesty, I'm sorry."

Wei Guangde, who was below, turned around and exchanged glances with Zhang Siwei and Shen Shixing. Then the three of them bowed and shouted in unison.

"Ah."

With a soft exclamation, Emperor Wanli seemed to snap out of his reverie and reached out to take the memorial from Zhang Jing's hand.

No one noticed how incredibly ugly Zhang Jing's face looked at that moment.

Now things are changing. Zhang Juzheng has just died, and given his standing in the eyes of the Wanli Emperor, it's hard to guarantee that the emperor won't remember his kindness and treat Pan Sheng well, perhaps even allowing him to continue serving in the cabinet.

If that's the case, then his and Zhang Siwei's plan has failed.

Thinking of this, Zhang Jing, who had stepped back, glanced down. At this moment, Zhang Siwei had his head bowed and his expression remained unchanged.

Someone like Zhang Jing, who only knows how to use his petty cleverness and scheme against others based on his understanding of the emperor, will eventually be discovered.

Perhaps Emperor Wanli couldn't understand it at the time, but after a little reflection, he would have realized that the timing of some things was too coincidental.

Wei Guangde disliked using such petty tricks and preferred to go with the flow, enticing people with benefits.

Even if doubts arise later, considering the benefits, one will still believe it was their choice at the time.

If the benefits are huge enough, they will persist even after being discovered.

No one can stop the pursuit of self-interest, which is the root of all human activities. In fact, everyone is striving to gain more of the right to share in the benefits.

"Master Wei, I am deeply saddened."

Finally, after Emperor Wanli finished reading the memorial from Huguang, he spoke to Wei Guangde.

"Your Majesty, my elder brother has already passed away. I imagine he wouldn't have wanted Your Majesty to end up like this."

As he spoke, Wei Guangde looked at Emperor Wanli and said, "As long as Your Majesty can work hard and govern the Ming Dynasty well, I think my uncle will be able to rest in peace."

Throughout his life, he never truly taught any disciples; he devoted all his energy to instructing His Majesty.

Emperor Wanli stared at Wei Guangde for a long time before waving his hand to Zhang Siwei, Zhang Jing and others, saying, "You may all leave now. Grand Secretary Zhang, Grand Secretary Shen, I will trouble you two with the affairs of the cabinet. I would like to have a chat with Master Wei."

In addition, the Cabinet and the Ministry of Rites discussed the matters concerning the sacrificial rites and reported back upon completion.

After everyone in the room left, Emperor Wanli stepped down from his throne and pulled Wei Guangde to sit down on a stool.

"Master Wei, I remember the first time I met you was in the Prince's Garden. I was with my father, and you were with Master Zhang."

Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng met the Wanli Emperor at the end of the Jiajing era. In fact, both of them had already been assigned positions in the court, but they would visit the Prince Yu's residence on their days off.

It was around that time that Prince Yu entrusted Zhang Juzheng with teaching the prince literary matters, while Wei Guangde was put in charge of military matters. Thus, the two became the teachers of the three-year-old child.

At that time, Zhang Juzheng did not teach the young emperor anything. Instead, Wei Guangde took him horseback riding in the garden of the Prince's Mansion when he was four years old, and even had the craftsmen of the Prince's Mansion make a small short bow as a toy.

However, during the Longqing reign, Zhang Juzheng had more contact with the young emperor and later even took charge of compiling the learning materials for the Wanli Emperor.

The two kept recounting the interesting things they remembered about Prince Yu. Back then, Prince Yu was just a prince. Every time Wei Guangde had a day off, he would go to Prince Yu's mansion and talk to Prince Yu for a long time. After that, he would always take the young emperor to play in the garden for a while. In his words, children don't need to be restrained. It's the age when they should be playing.

This is why the young emperor enjoyed the pleasures of childhood. Perhaps because Wei Guangde treated his own children the same way, it also influenced Prince Yu.

However, Wei Guangde still keenly noticed that the young emperor seemed to always vaguely mention how they entered the back garden of the Prince's mansion, that they needed to be informed before they could see the Prince, and so on.

When leaving, he was accompanied by eunuchs as he exited the backyard before he could leave alone.

Wei Guangde didn't understand why at first, and it wasn't until he recalled for more than an hour that the recollection ended when he mentioned that Wei Guangde had returned to his hometown to observe mourning in the fourth year of the Longqing reign.

This also marked the end of the young emperor's carefree childhood. After Zhu Yijun ascended the throne in the sixth year of the Longqing reign, he naturally never lived such a carefree life again.

After leaving the Qianqing Palace, Wei Guangde slowly walked towards the cabinet, feeling increasingly uneasy.

However, considering that Zhang Juzheng had just died, for Emperor Wanli, who had long relied on him, it was probably just a memory of the past.

Wei Guangde didn't dwell on it and unconsciously quickened his pace. Meanwhile, inside the Qianqing Palace, the Wanli Emperor, who had just been filled with grief, wiped his face, trying to erase the sorrowful expression.

At this moment, he stared at the palace gate, as if he could see through the wooden door and see the people outside.

If he had some doubts before, it was because so much time had passed that he couldn't remember everything clearly.

As evidenced by Wei Guangde's words, Emperor Wanli's initial doubts had been completely dispelled.

Back then, Master Wei and Master Zhang could go to the Prince's Mansion two or three times a month. Each time they went to the backyard, they had to announce their arrival to see the Prince.

As for staying in the backyard, apart from when Master Wei picked him up and they rode horses in the front and back yards of the mansion, when has Master Zhang ever lingered in the backyard?

That Gao Gong is truly despicable. Even after he's dead, he still fabricates rumors to frame Master Zhang and ruin the Empress Dowager's reputation.

At this point, Emperor Wanli was tempted to kill Gao Gong several more times.

Zhang Jing has already reported this to the authorities, and the Imperial Guards have begun to mobilize to confiscate all copies of "Last Words from the Sickbed" on the market. However, there's really no way to deal with those that have already been bought or copied; they can't possibly search and confiscate them from house to house.

"That lackey Zhang Jing almost misled me."

At this moment, Emperor Wanli muttered under his breath, resenting Zhang Jing's saying, "A dying man's words are good," which had almost fooled him as well.

Given the strict access control at the Prince's Mansion at the time, how could Zhang Juzheng possibly have gone to the backyard of the mansion to do such filthy things?

As for the Longqing era, that was even more impossible. The Empress Dowager had already entered the palace by then. Zhang Juzheng could freely enter and leave the Qianqing Palace, but going to the inner palace was out of the question; there was simply no way he could.

"Could it be that he did this on purpose, wanting to take revenge on Master Zhang, and using me as a tool?"

Finally, Emperor Wanli realized the reason.

By this time, even the Wanli Emperor could not be certain whether the book was written by certain people or whether it was truly made by Gao Gong.

Wei Guangde had previously analyzed Zhang Juzheng's reform policies, explaining the advantages and disadvantages to Emperor Wanli in detail.

The gentry were undoubtedly the ultimate victims of the reforms, as they had to pay significantly more in taxes.

In particular, once the performance evaluation system was introduced, officials who wanted to be promoted were forced to pay the full amount of taxes for the current period, otherwise it would affect their careers.

Previously, these gentry would give some silver to local officials, which would often allow them to delay paying most of their taxes. When the emperor issued an edict to reduce or exempt taxes, the tax arrears would be wiped clean.

The number of gentry families that Zhang Juzheng offended is too numerous to count; it can only be said that the gentry of the world have suffered under Zhang for too long.

"Then what should I do to gain the greatest benefit?"

The young emperor murmured to himself, lost in thought once more.

As soon as Wei Guangde returned to the cabinet, he saw a Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) dressed in a flying fish robe standing outside the duty room. Who else could it be but Liu Shouyou?

"Commander Liu, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Wei Guangde went over and said in a very warm tone.

"I dare not. The Grand Secretary is working hard for the country, and it is only right for me to wait."

Liu Shouyou hurriedly bowed and said.

Wei Guangde smiled and then said to Lu Bu, who was standing beside him, "In the future, if an important person comes, please go into the room to rest first if I am not there. You must not make people wait outside. That is not proper etiquette."

"Yes, sir, I know I was wrong."

Lu Bu hurriedly bowed and admitted his mistake.

"Lord Liu, please come in."

Wei Guangde then gestured with his hand, leading Liu Shouyou into the duty room.

After the two sat down, Lu Bu served tea, and Wei Guangde smiled and asked, "What news have you brought today?"

"I have failed to complete my duties properly and have come here to apologize."

Liu Shouyou hurriedly stood up and said to Wei Guangde.

"What haven't you done well?"

Wei Guangde asked suspiciously.

"My lord ordered me to select skilled men to assassinate Toyotomi Hideyoshi in Japan. Today I received news that the assassination mission has failed."

Now that Hideyoshi Hashiba is heavily guarded, it is difficult to assassinate him, so I have come to apologize.

Liu Shouyou said, bowing his head.

"Failed"

Wei Guangde muttered something under his breath, then shook his head helplessly.

In fact, most of those who have left their mark on history are protected by good fortune.

Maybe, this is fate.

As for Oda Nobunaga's assassination, it can only be said that he was not destined to unify Japan.

Of course, this statement is rather far-fetched, but those who survive assassination attempts often end up achieving great things.

"Hehe, so what if we fail? It's not a big deal."

Immediately, Wei Guangde smiled at Liu Shouyou and said, "Even if he failed, he still deployed heavy troops around the area, which shows that he was aware of the danger."

Therefore, he couldn't possibly ignore who did it and only target the one who opposed him—what was his name again?

"Shibata Katsuie."

Liu Shouyou quickly replied.

"Yes, Shibata Katsuie is on guard, and he might even anger the other party because of his suspicions."

In any case, this matter will definitely not end so easily; the two sides may soon begin to clash, which could even lead to war.

"By the way, your men failed; didn't that expose the existence of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

Wei Guangde asked calmly.

"Your Excellency is wise. The intelligence sent back today mentioned that Hideyoshi suspects that the assassin was sent by Shibata Katsuie. He has also sent people to monitor the Tokugawa family and several other families. The situation there is quite delicate now."

Although his men failed in their mission, they all escaped and were not captured.

Liu Shouyou hurriedly said.

"That's good."

Wei Guangde nodded and said, "Next month, the Ministry of War will convene generals to rehearse the Eastern Expedition plan, relying entirely on intelligence from your Embroidered Uniform Guard."

You should also go to the Ministry of War to participate then, and check if there are any oversights.

"Yes, thank you for your guidance, Grand Secretary."

Liu Shouyou hurriedly said.

"You are a military general with a prominent position in the court, so it is only right that you attend this kind of meeting."

Wei Guangde waved his hand, indicating that he should sit down and talk instead of standing.

"How much do you know about Sato's entry into the mountains and the situation at Iwami Ginzan? Have you reported this to the palace?"

Wei Guangde asked. (End of Chapter)