prosperous age

In the early Song Dynasty, the national revenue was managed by the Three Departments, and the Ministry of Revenue only handled matters such as tribute, with very little power.

After the Yuanfeng reforms, the Three Offices were placed under the Ministry of Revenue, which is why "the current Ministry of Revenue was originally the Three Offices of our ancestors, and it is responsible for all accounting and disbursement of the country."

During the Song Dynasty, the Ministry of Revenue consisted of five departments: the Left Department, the Right Department, the Department of Finance, the Department of Gold, and the Department of Granaries. Each department was responsible for different duties, making it a large and complex organization with a large number of officials.

The duties of the Left and Right Departments were important and complex. Apart from the Minister, who was not always appointed, the six departments were headed by two Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Revenue and one Director of each of the five departments. Thus, the Left Department had 45 people and the Right Department had 41 people.

The Ministry of Revenue had a Department of Finance, whose officials included a Director of Finance, who was in charge of the department's affairs.

The Ministry of Revenue originally had 69 officials, but after the organization was streamlined during the Song Dynasty, the number of officials in the Ministry of Revenue was reduced to 46.

The Ministry of Revenue also had the Ministry of Finance, which at its peak had 77 officials, but was later reduced to 56.

In addition, the Ministry of Revenue also had the Granary Department, which was actually the Ming Dynasty's Ministry of Revenue's granary supervisory office, with 28 officials.

The affairs they were in charge of were actually the same as the Thirteen Offices of the Ministry of Revenue and the granaries at present. The Ming Dynasty only had less than a hundred officials in these offices, while the Song Dynasty had more than two hundred.

"Master, master."

Just as Wei Guangde was pondering, he suddenly heard Lu Bu calling him, and immediately came back to his senses.

"Ah."

Wei Guangde gave a casual reply before calming down and carefully reading the memorial.

Just now, Lu Bu saw that Wei Guangde was clearly distracted while holding the memorial, and he didn't know what was on his mind.

However, when the memorial arrived, the palace instructed the cabinet to process it as soon as possible. The eunuchs even reviewed the list at the Secretariat outside and sent it directly here.

The memorial in his hand was Zhang Shize's impeachment of Wang Guoguang for selling official positions, engaging in corruption and embezzlement. The memorial was prefaced with an imperial edict from the Wanli Emperor: "The relevant authorities are to investigate and verify this."

Well, this is a fairly standard annotation for responding to impeachment memorials.

Wei Guangde put it aside and picked up another book to look through. This time, when he opened the memorial, Wei Guangde's eyes widened.

This memorial was Yang Yinqiu's impeachment of Wang Guoguang for six major crimes, which included many examples, and also implicated Zhang Siwei.

At the beginning of the memorial, Emperor Wanli's handwriting was clearly legible: "How despicable! He shall be dismissed and reduced to commoner status."

Wang Guoguang, the Minister of Personnel, was thus dismissed by the Wanli Emperor.

"Dismissal as a commoner" was a severe punishment for officials in ancient times, which had the dual nature of "dismissal from office" and "stripping of official status".

In ancient dynasties, there were several ways to punish officials. One was to dismiss them from their posts, which was also known as being idle. Their official positions were removed, but they retained their official status and waited for the Ministry of Personnel to reassign them.

The second is demotion, where someone is demoted from their official rank due to a mistake.

The former retains his rank, while the latter has been demoted and must await a new appointment from the Ministry of Personnel.

In addition, there is dismissal from office, which is also divided into two categories. One is dismissal and returning to one's hometown. This means that one is relieved of one's official position, but retains one's official status and returns to one's hometown to retire. The court will not arrange a new official position for you, which means that your career path is completely cut off.

Within this category, there are generally two subcategories: those who enjoy the benefits of retiring officials and those who do not.

This included discounted salaries and corvée labor. Some officials, though the emperor still held a shred of sentimentality, were often allowed to retain their dignity. Local authorities would then arrange for laborers to perform menial tasks such as carrying sedan chairs in the form of corvée labor.

Of course, there were also those who were completely cut off from their government benefits; they received no salary and naturally no corvée labor.

Besides this, Wang Guoguang was also punished by being dismissed from his official post and stripped of his birth status, becoming an ordinary commoner.

This was the most severe punishment for an official; his status as a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) was revoked, and he was practically dismissed and punished.

Wei Guangde had not expected the Wanli Emperor's punishment to be so severe. The previous document was still subject to investigation by the authorities, but this one had already reached the point of being dismissed, without even needing to be investigated.

Yes, they're not investigating anymore. They've already been punished, and it was the most severe punishment they could get.

Wei Guangde carefully studied the memorial and finally began to understand its meaning.

The young emperor seems to intend to strongly support Zhang Siwei.
The thought flashed through Wei Guangde's mind. He knew that his education seemed to have succeeded, and his student had finally used the art of balancing against him.

Why would you think that way?
This memorial contained some points involving Zhang Siwei, but Emperor Wanli ignored them and only punished Wang Guoguang.

The fact that this memorial and imperial edict circulated revealed the emperor's immense trust in Zhang Siwei.

The following memorials were all directed at Wang Guoguang, including the memorials that had been kept by the Wanli Emperor earlier. These were also returned this time, but without any further annotations.

Undoubtedly, the emperor did not intend to punish him, but merely dismissed him, which could be considered a truncated offense.

After reviewing several memorials, I did not find any memorials impeaching Feng Bao that had been returned.

Wei Guangde looked up at Zhang Siwei's duty room, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, which seemed very forced.

Some things he can't just choose not to do; sometimes he has no choice but to use them.

Gao Gong used it; now it's his turn.

Wei Guangde got up, took the memorial and went back inside. He sat behind his desk, had Lu Bu grind the ink, and then picked up his pen to draft the memorial.

The imperial edict dismissing an official didn't need to be elaborate; it went straight to the point: "Minister of Personnel Wang Guoguang is hereby dismissed and reduced to a commoner, and ordered to leave the capital immediately."

There's no need for charges. If they're not even going to investigate, why bring up any charges?

Well, in a feudal dynasty, this could be considered the last bit of dignity the imperial family left for its ministers.

If the crime is confirmed, then he should be called a "criminal official".

Wei Guangde wrote the imperial edict and handed it directly to Lu Bu, instructing him to deliver it.

This explosive news has already begun to circulate among the cabinet's secretaries and clerks.

The Minister of Personnel was dismissed by the emperor and reduced to commoner status, which meant his career was completely ruined.

Soon, the news will spread beyond the palace and quickly reach the entire officialdom.

There's no story of an official being perfectly content in his position, only to be suddenly dismissed by the emperor, leaving him stunned upon receiving the decree.

At this time, Wang Guoguang was in the mansion, sitting quietly in his study, waiting for the court's final decision.

When the imperial envoy arrived, he announced the decree without waiting for the incense table to be set up in the palace.

It was short, yet every word carried a sharp and incisive quality.

"Dismissed and reduced to commoners."

After receiving the imperial decree, Wang Guoguang murmured to himself, recalling how spirited he had been when he passed the imperial examination in the twenty-third year of the Jiajing reign.

Unexpectedly, after decades of hard work and navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom, this is the final result.

The reason for such sentiments is that Wang Guoguang's career was full of hardships from the very beginning.

In the twenty-third year of the Jiajing reign, Wang Guoguang passed the imperial examination, but soon received news of his mother's death. Although she was his stepmother, he did not take up his post and stayed home to observe mourning.

Perhaps all of this was a warning to him that his career path would not be smooth sailing.

He left officialdom twice, in the 39th and 44th years of the Jiajing reign, but returned in the 3rd year of the Longqing reign because of a letter from his friend Zhang Juzheng.

And so it continues to this day. If I had insisted on staying in my hometown back then, perhaps...
Wang Guoguang blankly accepted the imperial decree and, amidst the sorrow of his family members around him, instructed, "Pack your things, we're leaving here and heading back to our hometown."

The butler will stay behind to handle the property affairs within the mansion, and will follow afterward.

After speaking, Wang Guoguang walked towards the study.

The cabinet received the news.

The Six Ministries processed this memorial with exceptional efficiency, directly copying it for filing and then approving it immediately.

"hehe."

Wei Guangde could only manage a bitter smile. This was all Zhang Juzheng's doing, and the unfortunate one who ended up being Wang Guoguang.

The resentment that the Six Ministries held towards Zhang Juzheng was all retaliated against on his friends.

Zhang Juzheng, back then, restricted the six ministries because the emperor was young, so how could these mad dogs tolerate it?

So, in front of Zhang Juzheng, they naturally fawned over him, but now they're showing their true colors. "How strange, why hasn't Feng Bao's memorial come out yet?"

Wei Guangde didn't have any major issues with Feng Bao, but the man was too greedy, and they couldn't get along.

Wei Guangde considered himself a gentleman, and a gentleman loves money but acquires it in a proper way; he doesn't covet just any kind of wealth.

If he's within the system, he should take what he's entitled to. If he doesn't, how can others take it?
He doesn't care about the money from other things; his main goal is to blend in with the world.

One reason he didn't help Feng Bao was that the second and third most powerful figures in the palace now seemed to be of much better character and integrity than Feng Bao.

Zhang Hong was not well-known in history, but he was honest and simple. It was rare for him to hold a high position in the palace without being arrogant.

In addition, there is Zhang Cheng, who, like his name, is an honest and trustworthy person.

You'll only see Chen Ju later. Anyway, although Chen Ju has a very high status in the palace, he's still being suppressed by three powerful figures.

But it doesn't matter, these people are all older than Chen Ju, they can all persevere and eventually succeed.

As for Feng Bao's fate, Wei Guangde had already thought it through. After all, he was someone from Yuzhi. If Emperor Wanli really wanted to punish him severely, then he would just send him to Nanjing to live out his days, just like he did with Lü Fang.

Send them far away, out of sight, out of mind.

By doing this, those old acquaintances who still had close ties with Yu Zhi would praise him, saying, "Lord Wei is of noble character."

However, not seeing him, Wei Guangde naturally stopped his guarantor activities for the time being.

There were still some unfinished memorials on the desk, so I picked them up and continued processing them.

As for the two memorials that Wei Guangde was concerned about, they were naturally placed on the imperial desk in the Qianqing Palace, but Emperor Wanli had not yet decided how to approve them.

Meanwhile, in the inner palace, Feng Bao already knew about the two memorials.

He also understood that this memorial must have been sent by Zhang Siwei as revenge against him.

In the past, he wouldn't have even blinked; it was no big deal.

But now it's different. He knows that the Emperor seems to be dissatisfied with Zhang Juzheng and may not be very friendly to him.

In particular, regarding the impeachment proceedings involving the eldest princess, he did indeed accept money from others.

Well, if the Empress Dowager were to be displeased by this, then he would be doomed. So after thinking for a long time, he did not go to the Qianqing Palace, but instead got up and walked towards the Cining Palace.

The only one who can save him now is Empress Dowager Li.

As long as Empress Dowager Li still needs him to keep an eye on the court, she will certainly not ignore him.

As for feigning misery in front of the Empress Dowager, Feng Bao was actually quite adept at it.

When Princess Yongning's affair came to light, Empress Dowager Li was furious. She even sent two eunuchs to vent her anger.

Anyway, he, Eunuch Feng, was also deceived and knew nothing about that matter.

If we hold fast to this point, there is still room to salvage the situation.

While Emperor Wanli was alone in the main hall reviewing memorials and pondering how to respond, Zhang Hong was angrily berating Zhang Jing in a quiet room in the Qianqing Palace.

"You little brat, you've caused such a huge mess. How are you going to clean this up? What business is it of yours to meddle in Eunuch Feng's affairs?"

Zhang Jing knelt there silently with his head bowed, but only he knew what he was thinking.

After Zhang Hong finished cursing and sat down to drink water, Zhang Jing whispered, "Godfather, this wasn't my idea; it was the Emperor's instruction."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty will ask you to find someone to submit a memorial to punish others?"

Don't think I don't know. The Emperor only complained a little, and you've already done all this behind my back.

You certainly understand the Emperor's feelings, but the Emperor hasn't issued a decree, and the Empress Dowager hasn't spoken either. What are you getting involved in?

Perhaps Feng Shuanglin could plead with the Empress Dowager and the matter would be resolved.

"Just wait a while, and you'll see how Feng Shuanglin deals with you."

Although Zhang Hong was angry, he was, after all, his godson, and he was thinking about how to protect him.

Going directly to Feng Bao won't work.

Even if Feng Bao agrees not to pursue the matter at this critical juncture, who knows what will happen after time has passed?

But Zhang Hong wasn't confident he could actually fight Feng Baodou.

Feng Bao's biggest backer was not the emperor, but Empress Dowager Li.

During Yu Zhi's reign, Feng Bao served Empress Dowager Li, who was then a concubine.

It can be said that Feng Bao has offered her many suggestions and advice in helping Empress Dowager Li reach this point.

To be honest, from an ordinary maid to becoming Empress Dowager because of Prince Yu's one-night stand, Empress Dowager Li's life was absolutely legendary.

Given her limited knowledge, without Feng Bao's guidance, she would probably have been defeated by someone long ago.

Prince Yu had many beauties around him, and he was a womanizer. The power struggles in the palace were even more intense than those in the imperial court.

"Godfather."

Just as Zhang Hong was pondering, a sound came from outside the door.

"Come in, what's the matter?"

"Eunuch Feng has gone to Cining Palace."

The door opened, and a eunuch came in, whispering something to them.

"Okay, go keep an eye on things."

Zhang Hong nodded and told him to leave. Zhang Jing, who was kneeling on the ground, looked up and asked, "Godfather, should I go to the Emperor's place?"

"Go and serve His Majesty well."

Zhang Hong only said one sentence: he was still considering what to do.

He had never considered fighting Feng Bao.

In fact, Zhang Hong is not a person who likes to "compete".

Given the current situation, it seems there's no other way to protect his godson unless he begs Feng Bao.
Zhang Jing left the meditation room and quickly returned to the outside of the main hall.

"Ruoyu, is the Emperor inside?"

At this moment, there were two eunuchs standing outside the main hall. One of them was Liu Ruoyu, and the other was Wang An.

"His Majesty has chased us all out. If we go in now, he probably won't be happy."

Seeing that Zhang Jing wanted to go in, Liu Ruoyu immediately whispered a reminder.

"It's alright, I'll go take a look. At worst, I'll be kicked out too."

Zhang Jing was a bit thick-skinned, but more importantly, he was also more favored by the emperor, who could confide in him about many things, so he naturally became bold.

Liu Ruoyu remained silent, and Wang An beside him was even more so.

He was of even lower status and belonged to Eunuch Feng's side.

The fact that Feng Bao has been impeached by officials of the previous dynasty is no longer a secret in the palace.

Although everyone had confidence in Eunuch Feng, Wang An, who had served here for many years, could somewhat sense the emperor's attitude towards Feng Bao.

At this time, you have to keep a low profile and do things carefully, for fear of being noticed.

It wasn't that he was disloyal, but rather that under the prevailing circumstances, going against the tide meant he would be crushed into dust.

The previous dynasty established teacher-student relationships through the imperial examination system, and the harem followed the same approach. (End of Chapter)