prosperous age

That's how history works; the time bomb that Zhang Juzheng planted more than a decade ago finally exploded after his death.

It began when the Wanli Emperor listened to rumors from the streets, when his tutor was strict with the young emperor, and when he reacted after consolidating power.

When Zhang Juzheng was alive, he truly wielded immense power, even surpassing the influence of the powerful minister Yan Song.

Such power is essentially derived from the erosion of imperial authority.

In order to reclaim power, Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty chose to strip Zhang Juzheng of all his honors, thus ending this farce.

Even when facing Zhang Juzheng, Wei Guangde could only achieve his political goals through private deals and dared not openly break ties with him.

Of course, it was also because of this situation of not openly confronting Wei Guangde that Zhang Juzheng was unwilling to easily clash with him.

A delicate balance is maintained within the cabinet.

However, once outside the cabinet, the impression of Zhang Xiang's immense power was deeply imprinted in the eyes of all the officials.

Even the second-in-command doesn't dare to object to or question the actions of the prime minister, so how could they dare?

Wei Guangde was actually aware of this, but he just laughed it off.

This was actually the result he wanted; at least he could retain his position as Grand Secretary by not openly participating in Zhang Juzheng's erosion of imperial power.

Unbeknownst to him, Wei Guangde had become increasingly reliant on his current power.

"Master, Madam, we have arrived at the villa."

After a long journey, the carriage finally arrived at this newly built hot spring villa.

When we came here last year, the courtyard was only mostly completed, but the main building was finished and could meet their living needs.

After a year, the villa was finally completed. Xu Jianglan had visited once before, not only to soak in the hot springs, but also to inspect the property.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and Wei Guangde was the first to climb out of the carriage. Then, he naturally reached out to help Xu Jianglan out of the carriage before stepping into the courtyard.

The layout of the courtyard is similar to that of the Wei residence, with a front and back courtyard, and additional side courtyards for Wei Guangde's concubines to live in. Each courtyard also has its own hot spring and independent hot spring pool.

The hot spring pool in the backyard belongs only to him and his wife, Xu Jianglan.

"Madam, please have something to eat first, then we'll go soak in the hot springs to relieve the fatigue from our journey."

Wei Guangde and Xu Jianglan entered the courtyard, followed by the others, who went directly to the backyard.

Yes, it's warmer inside.

"The others should follow the earlier assignments and lead them to their respective courtyards, and not come to the backyard."

Xu Jianglan gave an order to the maid behind her. Normally, those who came with her should first go to the backyard to pay their respects before they would be allowed to leave.

However, Xu Jianglan was also a bit tired and didn't want to go through so much formality, so she simply sent everyone back to their respective courtyards.

"so comfortable."

As Wei Guangde entered the room in the backyard, he felt a sense of warmth and unconsciously murmured to himself.

He then opened his hands, and Xu Jianglan took off his cloak. Wei Guangde then quickly walked to the heating pipe, but did not touch it with his hands.

It's really cold outdoors in the Yanshan Mountains this winter.

At that moment, he was enveloped in warm air, and the feeling of comfort was truly indescribable.

"The master's method is good. Since the hot spring water enters the room through the pipe, it saves money on charcoal."

Xu Jianglan, having her cloak removed by her maid, followed them into the room with a smile.

“A heated room is not like that. It’s just that they heat the air, which flows through the flue and warms the floor and walls, thereby raising the indoor temperature.”

Hot springs can't be like that, otherwise they'll leak, so ceramic pipes are the best option.

Wei Guangde laughed.

"The surrounding houses also follow the master's method, hehe."

Xu Jianglan laughed and said, "The Duke of Dingguo's mansion wrote to my brother, mentioning the hot spring residence, and he was extremely envious."

Although Jinling wasn't as cold as the capital, it certainly wasn't warm either; the only way to keep warm indoors was by using a brazier.

"Isn't there anything around here?"

Wei Guangde was not familiar with Nanjing, having never lived there for an extended period, so he asked.

"Yes, of course there is. There is also a hot spring in Tangshan in the east of the city, and there is also a villa in the mansion."

However, they also fired paper pottery pipes in Nanjing this year to draw water; I don't know if they've used them yet.

Xu Jianglan chuckled.

Hot spring pools were mostly called "tangchi" in ancient times, so it can be said that there are countless "tangshan" (hot springs) on the land of China.

Before long, Wei Guangde felt warm all over, so he took off his coat, sipped his fragrant tea, and waited for the food to be served.

Xu Jianglan, on the other hand, directed her maid to open the luggage and take out two pieces of bright clothing.

The Mingyi can be considered an ancient Chinese swimsuit, but its uses were not limited to that.

Mingyi refers to the clean undergarments worn by people in ancient times after bathing during fasting, as well as the clean undergarments worn by the deceased after purification. It is an inner garment made of light and thin silk.

Of course, because it's so thin, it's almost clinging to the body and very transparent after showering.

In later film and television works, actors are depicted bathing in water while fully clothed, which is actually in line with ancient customs. However, the clothes are so thick that they completely cover the body.

Okay, if it's too transparent, it probably won't pass censorship if it's filmed.

At this moment, Wei Guangde was wearing such clothes, lying in the hot spring pool enjoying the warmth of winter.

The silk fabric clung tightly to his body, making it appear from a distance as if he were completely naked.

"My hair is too long, it's uncomfortable."

At that moment, he naturally thought of the future, where everyone had short hair and was soaking in a pool wearing swimming trunks.

And now, his head is still wrapped in hair, which looks a little heavy.

However, he had no choice; he couldn't shave his beard and hair under the current circumstances.

Xu Jianglan, who was next to her, was still pretty. Compared to her younger days, she had only gone from a girl to a mature young woman, but she had gained a little weight.

Over the next few days, Wei Guangde truly relaxed both physically and mentally in the villa.

Aside from rarely leaving his residence, he completely forgot about the intrigues and power struggles in the court.

He spent more time in the backyard, but he also visited the other courtyards, where his concubines, whom he kept in the mansion and other residences, lived.

Xu Jianglan couldn't possibly be unaware of these people; it was simply a matter of whether she wanted to or not.

Meanwhile, in the capital, several censors secretly gathered, ostensibly for a drinking party among colleagues, but during the meal they also secretly discussed the memorial to the throne.

"Ziyu's memorial will be submitted after the fifteenth. At the same time, we will also revise our previous memorials and submit them as well."

Li Zhi suggested in a low voice, "Perhaps this is the last impeachment memorial I will issue in my capacity as an imperial censor."

"What? You want to play it out loud?"

The person next to him asked in a low voice.

"I have received confirmation that Lord Chen and the Ministry of Personnel have arranged my destination."

Li Zhi picked up his wine and downed it in one gulp. Clearly, this was not a good place, so he was in a bad mood. He just shook his head and did not mention the official post he was to be sent out to.

“Ziyu, you should be prepared for being sent to a post outside the capital when you submit this memorial.”

Jiang Dongzhi also spoke up, saying that his fate was the same as Li Zhi's—both were promoted in name only but demoted in reality.

While the official rank appears to have risen from the seventh rank to the sixth rank, the actual power is greatly reduced. Most importantly, if a censor performs well and is truly promoted, they could at least reach the sixth rank, or even the fifth rank.

Their transfers can actually be seen as a deliberate suppression by the "evil" forces in the imperial court, and they may never be able to return to the court in the future.

Only they themselves know the gains and losses involved.

Although he gained a good reputation among scholars, he also ruined his career.

Unless they can weather the storm and survive until this force collapses, they might have a chance to make a comeback.

Just like Zhao Yongxian, Wu Zhongxing, and others, who were dismissed for offending Zhang Juzheng, they were all reinstated after Zhang Juzheng fell from power.

Of course, the official position he received was not much better than before. Although his rank was improved, he lost his prestigious position in the Hanlin Academy.

This was naturally at Wei Guangde's behest.

If they were to be reinstated to their original positions and return to the Hanlin Academy, who knows how it would be interpreted by outsiders.

Next, at the banquet, the group began to divide up the tasks.

On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, Yang Keli, Li Zhi, and Jiang Dongzhi would definitely submit their memorials together, while the others would be scheduled to do so the following day.

If the transfer documents for the next few people don't come through, they will continue.

In short, these individuals were to work together and take turns submitting memorials to impeach Zhang Juzheng.

In fact, because of the previous impeachment memorials, they had all been written down in someone's little notebook and were gradually being squeezed out of the capital.

However, the Ministry of Personnel has to go through procedures, and the vacant official positions there are either in high-ranking prefectures and counties, reserved for people with connections or wealthy families, or in low-ranking prefectures and counties in remote areas, which are places no one wants to go.

Sending people directly to these low-class places would be too conspicuous and would require time to adjust, which gave them the opportunity to plot this time.

Their conversation at the banquet was later written down on a note and secretly handed to Zhang Jing.

"Zhang Cheng also wants to try his hand at it, hehe, this is getting more and more interesting."

Zhang Jing looked at the name written on the note and said with a smile.

Among these people were his own people, as well as people from other forces. Among them were also people from the court of Zhang Cheng, the second-in-command of the inner court.

Without Zhang Cheng's tacit approval, this person would absolutely not have dared to get involved in this matter.

Early in the morning, as soon as the city gates opened, a fast horse left the north gate of the capital and galloped towards Yanshan.

After a few days of rest, Wei Guangde was also relaxed both physically and mentally.

However, such good days cannot last.

A few days later, it was time to return to Beijing.

The maids and servants in the mansion had already begun packing their luggage, and they would set off for the capital the next morning. However, at noon, Wei Guangde received a secret letter from the capital.

"Yang Sizhi, Yang Keli, Li Zhi."

Wei Guangde silently recited these names, sensing something was wrong.

"King of Liao."

Seeing Wei Guangde gives me a headache; Zhang Juzheng was indeed secretly directing this matter from afar.

There is no evidence, of course, unless you really search through the letters in the Zhang residence, you might find a few words.

You definitely can't stop them.

Unless Yang Keli and a few others are immediately released.

But even if it were played outwards, that would be nothing more than self-deception.

They still hold official positions and can still submit impeachments.

Whether the old story of the Liao King was unjust or not, of course it was not.

Few of the Ming Dynasty's princes lived honestly in their localities; they frequently engaged in extortion, plunder, and bullying.

Like the King of Liao, many things were actually covered up during the handling of the case, and not all the crimes uncovered were made public.

Of course, this is to save face for the royal family.

The only point that might be overturned is that the original charge included "plotting rebellion."

In the second year of the Longqing reign, Prince Zhu Xian of Liao was impeached by the censor for thirteen major crimes, mainly including violating the rites, being licentious and immoral, and colluding with sorcerers to plot treason.

Although the censor Hong Chaoxuan, who was in charge of the investigation at the time, thought it was inappropriate for Prince Zhu Xian of Liao to erect the "Great Banner for Seeking Justice" and did not believe that he intended to rebel, the local officials in Huguang unanimously believed that erecting the banner was treason, so they were right to send troops to surround the prince's mansion.

This involves the rules of officialdom. If the King of Liao did not rebel, then the officials of Huguang were at fault.

Therefore, in the end, the King of Liao was arrested for his crimes, demoted to a commoner, and exiled to a high wall.

In fact, punishing the Prince of Liao at that time was in line with the political correctness of the time, but deposing him as a commoner and exiling him to a high wall was a bit excessive.

In fact, after the death of the Jiajing Emperor, the court had been purging the officials and members of the imperial family who had encouraged and supported the Jiajing Emperor's cultivation practices. Prince Zhu Xian of Liao was one of them.

In the first year of the Longqing reign, the court stripped Zhu Xian of his title of "True Man," which he had received for currying favor with the Jiajing Emperor, and also punished the Liao Prince's Mansion by reducing its salary.

However, Wei Guangde was genuinely unaware of the accusations that Zhang Juzheng used his position for personal revenge, remotely manipulated the Liaowang case, and especially the later claim that Zhang's family had seized assets belonging to the imperial clan.

Logically, this kind of thing shouldn't happen.

The property of the Liao Prince's Palace can only be handled by the inner court; no one else can touch it.

Wei Guangde still remembered that when the Liao Prince's Mansion was confiscated, all the gold went into the inner court, and the silver was used as military funds to distribute to the border towns.

The Prince's Mansion was sealed off, and no one dared to touch that place.

As for the Prince's estates and properties outside the palace, they were all put up for sale.

"For sale."

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde's heart stirred.

Zhang Juzheng may not have touched the Liao Prince's property, but with his father there, he might have actually done so.

After all, Zhang Juzheng was already in a very high position at that time, especially since the Grand Secretary was Xu Jie, his teacher, and Zhang himself was a cabinet minister.

In the Huguang region at that time, the Zhang family held a rather high status.

If the charge of embezzling royal property is confirmed, the Zhang family will certainly be held accountable.

The saying "to let one's father down" comes from later generations, but in Zhang Juzheng's case, it seems that he was "let down" by his father.

Especially since Wei Guangde himself wasn't clean, and he had taken a lot of benefits after the Yan family fell from power, the Zhang family would naturally get a share as well.

If he dared to get involved as a favorite minister of the Jiajing Emperor, then the Zhang family, who were cabinet ministers, would certainly be even more so.

That's what it means to judge others by your own standards.

If the Zhang family falls from grace, will it affect me?
This was the question on Wei Guangde's mind at that moment. Although he had said he would protect the Zhang family, if the situation became too serious and he couldn't protect them, then of course he couldn't.

Besides, I've already taken action several times. The Zhang family has too many troubles and is extremely sensitive.

However, this also served as a reminder to Wei Guangde that those who knew about this matter should take action as soon as possible, especially regarding any letters they might have left behind.

Whether it's someone at the Wei residence or someone else.

Although Wei Guangde did not write anything to them, it cannot be ruled out that officials in Jiujiang mentioned this matter in private correspondence.

"We need to clean it up; what needs to be burned should be burned."

Wei Guangde had already made up his mind to identify those who might have known about the incident and erase all traces at the source. (End of Chapter)