prosperous age

Although Wei Guangde was confident that he could control the outcome of the cabinet meeting, the necessary procedures still had to be followed.

For example, when he submits a memorial tomorrow, he can't just openly include the three people he talked about with Shen Shixing today in the memorial.

The only excuse they could use was the lack of cabinet members to request the emperor to appoint more cabinet ministers.

After Emperor Wanli agreed and the imperial edict was issued, the Nine Ministers were summoned to make the selection process according to procedure.

First, let's get in touch with Shen Shixing, so that his people also know his attitude. This will reduce the resistance at the Nine Ministers Meeting.

Wei Guangde believes that Xu Xuemo, the Minister of Rites, is probably the one who will find it most difficult to accept the cabinet nomination process.

As someone who has one foot in the cabinet, he has never been able to truly settle down.

Moreover, with Zhang Siwei's mourning period ending, no one in the cabinet spoke up for him anymore.

You can't exactly nominate yourself in a cabinet meeting; scholars still have to maintain some dignity.

As for getting in touch with other people, Xu Xuemo wasn't confident unless Wei Guangde agreed.

So, after the court session ended, two sedan chairs were carried directly from Chengtian Gate to Zhang's residence. By then, white sails had been hoisted, and guests were arriving in droves to pay their respects.

It's not like people forget you when they leave. Zhang Siwei is about to leave the capital to observe mourning for his parents, so does that mean he no longer needs to rely on this powerful figure?

It's about saving face.

Officials in Beijing, regardless of their relationship with Zhang Siwei, would visit him at this time along with their colleagues to offer condolences, as this was considered respectable.

When Wei Guangde arrived, the surrounding streets were already packed with sedan chairs and carriages, completely blocking the way.

When Wei Guangde arrived, the gate of the mansion automatically parted to allow the two Grand Secretaries to enter first.

Wei Guangde alighted from the sedan chair, nodded, and entered the Zhang residence under the welcoming reception.

At the gate, Zhang Siwei's eldest son, Zhang Jia, hurriedly stepped forward to pay his respects, accompanied by his brother Zhang Taizheng, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) from the eighth year of the Wanli reign, who was currently serving as a principal officer in the Ministry of Personnel.

How is your father?

As they approached, Wei Guangde told the two to dispense with formalities and inquired about Zhang Siwei with concern.

"After returning home, my father was overwhelmed with grief and nearly fainted. He was unable to come out to receive guests. Please forgive him, Grand Secretary Wei and Grand Secretary Shen."

As Zhang Jiazheng spoke, he led Wei Guangde and the others into the mansion to pay their respects at the mourning hall.

After offering incense, with Zhang Jiazheng accompanying him, Wei Guangde said, "Taizheng, you two brothers shouldn't just stand here. Go outside and greet the guests."

"Yes, thank you for your understanding, Grand Secretary Wei."

Zhang Taizheng was a respected official, and although he was dressed in mourning clothes at this time, he was the most presentable person in the Zhang family, making him the most appropriate person to greet the guests at the gate.

After Zhang Taizheng left, Wei Guangde said to Zhang Jiazheng, "Go in and check on your father. Everyone will be here soon, so it would be best if he came out to see them."

At this time, only Zhang Siwei's wife and Zhang Dingzheng and Zhang Jiuzheng's brothers were in the mourning hall, which was not a proper way to treat guests, so Wei Guangde naturally had to say something.

When Zhang Jiazheng entered the back hall, Zhang Ke also came in with several Ministry of War officials. Seeing Wei Guangde and Shen Shixing sitting to one side, he simply nodded slightly and then went over to offer incense.

After the condolences were over, I sat down and chatted with them.

When Zhang Jiazheng helped Zhang Siwei out, Xu Xuemo, Zhang Xueyan and others had already arrived.

It was clear that Zhang Siwei was in a bad mood, and no one said much, only asking him to take care of himself and offering condolences.

Wei Guangde also said to Zhang Jiazheng privately, "Pay more attention to your father. This is the time for you to care about him."

Also, has a memorial been submitted to the palace? Has anyone from the palace come?

Wei Guangde asked.

"Grand Secretary Wei, His Majesty has already sent Eunuch Zhang to offer condolences."

Zhang Jiazheng replied.

"Oh, which Eunuch Zhang is it?"

Wei Guangde asked casually.

"Zhang Jing, Eunuch Zhang."

Zhang Jiazheng replied, and Wei Guangde nodded, "He is currently a favorite of His Majesty. His act of representing His Majesty in offering condolences demonstrates the Emperor's boundless grace."

You've all been very busy lately, but please take care of yourselves. I'll head back now.

After Wei Guangde finished his condolence visit and left the Zhang residence, he found the place still packed with people.

In the vast city of Beijing, how many officials were there, as well as Shanxi merchants and Zhang Siwei's old friends from the same year? They were probably all here today.

Wei Guangde didn't care. He walked directly to his sedan chair, bent down, and climbed in. "Let's go back to the manor."

At Wei Guangde's command, the four sedan chair bearers lifted the sedan chair with all their might and strode towards home.

Wei Guangde wanted to see Zhang Siwei to gauge his reaction.

After all, once you've done something, you feel a little guilty.

Judging from Zhang Siwei's reaction, we can tell what the situation is like and whether there's more to it than meets the eye.

Fortunately, Zhang Siwei showed no other reaction today, so Wei Guangde was relieved.

However, although he eliminated a formidable rival, he was not in a good mood.

There's no other reason than that his elderly father is still alive, and it's said that his health hasn't been very good lately.

The job at Jiujiang Guard is now just a formality; people basically don't go to the yamen to work anymore.

Wei Guangde thought that he should write a letter home when he got back and make some arrangements.

At the front lines, the Ming army and the Japanese army were locked in a stalemate, and a fierce battle was about to break out. Meanwhile, in the capital of the Ming Dynasty, intrigue and power struggles were still rampant.

That evening, Wei Guangde finished writing a letter to his elder brother in his study. He held it in his hand to check for any omissions and waited for the ink to dry completely when Zhang Ji came in and said, "Master, Zhang Ke, Jiang Zhi, and Lao Kan have arrived."

"What are they doing here? Were they notified beforehand?"

Wei Guangde was taken aback and asked casually.

He didn't remember Zhang Ji mentioning this; they had already arranged to come over.

"No, we didn't send a message to the manor before."

Zhang Ji hurriedly said.

"Oh, I see. Please come to the reception hall and bring out a few more basins of charcoal."

Wei Guangde gave an order, but he didn't go over immediately. Instead, he waited until the letter in his hand was completely dry before putting it in an envelope, sealing it, and placing it in a shelf on the bookshelf. Only then did he get up and leave.

When Wei Guangde went to meet them, he realized that they had indeed come for the matter of adding cabinet ministers.

"To be honest, Ru Mo and I discussed this matter this afternoon. Even if you hadn't said anything, I would have contacted you later."

Sitting in the main seat, Wei Guangde said to the group, "Tomorrow I will submit a memorial to His Majesty requesting the addition of cabinet ministers. As for the list, it has been roughly decided that Yu Youding, Xu Guo, and Wang Jiaping will be included."

Wei Guangde told them the situation without hiding anything, since they were all trustworthy people.

Wei Guangde explained his considerations, which generally took into account the interests of all parties, so Zhang Ke and the others naturally had nothing to say.

They all agreed with Wei Guangde's decision, which could be considered as a settlement.

"By the way, I just received a memorial from the government office in the manor, reporting that the Japanese pirates are mobilizing cannons from all over the country, intending to fight a decisive battle with our Great Ming Dynasty in China."

Immediately, Zhang Ke took out a copy of the memorial from his sleeve and handed it to Wei Guangde to read.

"Do the Japanese pirates have more than two hundred cannons in their country?"

Upon hearing the number, Wei Guangde was taken aback. Although he was dismissive of the number, he still took it and glanced at it.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guards speculated that the cannons were likely cast by barbarians in Haojing and smuggled to Japan by barbarian merchants."

The imperial court had long ago issued an edict prohibiting communication with the Japanese pirates, but the barbarians clearly had not obeyed the laws of our Great Ming Dynasty. Even though Haojing had been leased to the barbarians, it was not a lawless place.

Shan Dai, you said earlier that keeping the luxury mirror would be useful, but you didn't use it there.

But this time, it's clearly an opportunity—an opportunity to terminate the lease.

Zhang Ke began to speak.

Clearly, as the Minister of War, he was quite dissatisfied to know that there was a leased piece of land within the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

Before coming here, he had carefully considered Wang Xijue's memorial and planned to take this opportunity to transfer Guangdong troops to take back control of Haojing.

"That lease is nothing, it wasn't approved by the imperial court, it was at most a decision made by Xiangshan County."

A single official document from the imperial court could easily overturn the decision and reclaim control of the fortified city.

Wei Guangde said dismissively.

The contract between the Ming Dynasty and the Portuguese regarding the moat mirror only bears the official seal of Xiangshan County, which does not conform to the contract template at all.

It can only be said that the Portuguese initially viewed the Ming Dynasty as having the structure of a European country, assuming that any agreement signed by local nobles would be effective.

Little did they know that the Ming Dynasty was a centralized state and did not recognize this system at all.

This is also why the Portuguese continued to bribe officials in Xiangshan County and Guangzhou Prefecture, and were always very timely and in full when it came time to pay rent.

In fact, any new magistrate of Xiangshan could overturn the previously signed lease.

The Ming court turned a blind eye, mainly because it did not want to wage war over such a trivial matter.

After all, they had fought the Portuguese twice and knew they were a tough opponent.

Of course, not now.

Portugal is now completely exposed to the Ming Dynasty, and knowing their limited strength, there are virtually no obstacles to reclaiming the Haojing.

"You want to take back the trench? Because of the gun emplacement?"

After reading the memorial, Wei Guangde suddenly asked Zhang Ke a question.

"Yes, how can there be a place like Haojing within the territory of our Great Ming?"

Zhang Ke's dissatisfaction is justified. If we rent it to you, you should just live there obediently, repair the boat, and carry out some business activities.

However, perhaps because the Ming Dynasty had neglected the affairs of Haojing for too long, the Portuguese actually built two forts in Haojing, ostensibly to "defend against Japanese pirates".

Although the Portuguese in the Haojing region did help the Ming Dynasty fight against Japanese pirates a few times, the presence of foreign armed forces within the Ming territory was something that Zhang Ke, the Minister of War, could not accept.

At this time, Chen Kai, the Left Censor-in-Chief, also said: "As far as I know, some censors from Guangdong Circuit have also set their sights on that place. I heard that they have set up a council hall in Haojing, and all matters, big and small, are decided by voting in the council hall. However, no Ming people participate; all the representatives are foreigners."

Moreover, the criminal law of Haojing was also handled by the barbarians, and was not reported to Xiangshan County at all, making it like a state within a state, which was extremely inappropriate.

"How does Xiangshan County manage that area?"

Wei Guangde asked.

“Besides collecting rent, the county magistrate would go back there every year to inspect the area.”

Chen Kai replied, "The county magistrate had previously ordered the barbarians to dismantle the forts, but they paid lip service to it and did not actually dismantle them."

"The matter of the luxury mirror has already touched upon the foundation of the nation."

Wei Guangde nodded slightly and commented.

After a quick mental calculation, I realized that a concession was absolutely out of the question.

As for leaving Portuguese merchants and artisans behind, that's acceptable, just like in the port area of ​​Songjiang Prefecture, where foreigners are allowed to reside there long-term, but they cannot leave the port area without permission.

"Here's an idea, you guys think about it."

The fortifications and docks of Haojing were incorporated into the South China Sea Navy to establish a naval stronghold, which was then taken over by the naval battalion.

As for government affairs, the council hall can be retained, but the Ming people and the Yi people each occupy half of the hall, and one person is elected as the chief, with the two sides taking turns serving as chief.

Furthermore, regarding criminal litigation, cases between Yi people can be handled by themselves, but those involving Ming people must be handled by Xiangshan County.

Wei Guangde retained the European council system not to relinquish governing power, but to test whether this system could take root and flourish in the Ming Dynasty.

Europeans were indeed more advanced than the feudal autocracy of the Ming Dynasty in terms of democratic deliberation, although they also had many problems.

The attempt was ultimately a very small-scale experiment, and Wei Guangde felt it was harmless.

Wei Guangde's consideration was to reclaim military and judicial power, and to allow the Ming people to intervene.

Zhang Ke, Chen Zi, and the others fell into deep thought, and after a long while, they all nodded in agreement.

They did not consider whether the barbarians would accept it; the decisions they made were not something the barbarians could oppose.

Even if the report were submitted to the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Wanli would certainly nod in agreement, or even be more radical. A tenant should act like a tenant and not overstep his bounds.

"If the Ministry of War submits this memorial tomorrow, requesting the South China Sea Fleet to send officers and soldiers to garrison Haojing, will it be in time?"

Wei Guangde looked at Zhang Ke and asked.

"I will write a memorial to the throne as soon as I get back."

Zhang Ke immediately replied, "I will personally deliver it to the palace tomorrow morning."

“Gongfu”.

Wei Guangde then said to Wei Shiliang, "Go back and find someone to submit a memorial to the emperor tomorrow afternoon when he presents the memorial to the emperor."

It should take only a morning for the news from the Ministry of War to spread to all the government offices.

"Have your people in the Ministry of Justice also submit a memorial, as I instructed before, and report it."

Wei Shiliang nodded and smiled, "I will arrange this matter tonight, and I will definitely submit the memorial tomorrow afternoon."

"I will contact Wang Jiaping tomorrow and tell him about this matter. He will then submit a memorial on behalf of the Ministry of Rites."

Although Wei Guangde had previously underestimated Portugal, it was, after all, the end of the Age of Exploration. Spain and Portugal had enjoyed the benefits of the Age of Exploration for the past century, and he was not clear about their true national strength.

However, with increased contact and, especially after Yin Zhengmao and Yu Dayou's visits to Goa and his interactions with the English, Wei Guangde no longer considered Portugal an adversary.

They were actually just a group of armed merchants, constrained by the small size and poverty of the country, and could not cause any real trouble.

The Spanish, on the other hand, appear stronger due to their national power.

However, in the Western Pacific, the Ming Dynasty still holds an absolute advantage.

Having Myanmar as a window to the Indian Ocean is enough; Wei Guangde had no intention of reaching out.

However, in East Asia, the Ming Dynasty had to be an absolute monarch.

The next day, Wei Guangde entered the cabinet and handed over his draft memorial to supplement the cabinet ministers to Lu Bu, asking him to send it directly to the Directorate of Ceremonial.

The memorials submitted by cabinet ministers naturally did not need to go through the cabinet's drafting process; they could be sent directly to the emperor.

Not long after he entered the duty room, Zhang Ke hurriedly entered the cabinet with memorials from the front lines and reports from the Ministry of War.

"Go and invite Minister Zhang, um, invite Minister Shen over."

Wei Guangde was a little unaccustomed to Zhang Siwei's absence from the cabinet, but he immediately sent Lu Bu to invite him.

"Has the message already been sent to the Ministry of War?"

After Lu Bu left, Wei Guangde asked.

"Arrangements have already been made."

Zhang Ke nodded. (End of Chapter)