prosperous age

Wei Guangde explained to Zhang Ji what a newspaper was, since he had never seen one before, so he patiently explained it to him.

"Prepare as I said before, including recruiting people, especially the editor I mentioned. Find more of those scholars who haven't achieved anything in writing vernacular stories; they are actually good at this kind of work."

The main focus is still on the street thugs in Beijing; they've seen and heard a lot of things.

With just a little melting, editors can turn it into short stories, and the news in those stories can be published in the newspaper.

Wei Guangde was still explaining that, after all, it was a new thing, so don't think about making it too high-end from the start.

Impossible; the more down-to-earth the better.

As for who sold vernacular newspapers in ancient times, don't forget that this is the capital city, where the literacy rate is the highest. Don't mistake the Manchu Qing dynasty's tricks of keeping the people ignorant for the truth of ancient times.

Of course, literacy rate and imperial examination are two different things, so writing articles in plain language was very detached from worldly affairs in this era, but it was also something that ordinary people could understand.

Moreover, the income of ordinary people in the capital was relatively high, so they could afford a newspaper that cost only a few coins.

For wealthy families in the capital, their leisure activities included watching plays, listening to music, and visiting prostitutes, while the lower and middle classes had few entertainment options.

Although Zhang Ji didn't think the business his master started would make much money, it was, after all, his master's order, so he naturally wouldn't object.

Silently noting down what Wei Guangde said, I planned to call several bookstore managers to make arrangements the next day.

"Oh, right, there's something else. Tomorrow, go check out the ingredients at the market and collect some good stuff. I plan to invite my colleagues for drinks in the next two days. We'll set up a few tables in the greenhouse in the west courtyard."

Remember to draw the screen; the women from all the families will come over too.

Let me know when the banquet is ready so I can arrange the invitations.

Wei Guangde continued.

"Sir, the women can have their feast in the greenhouse in the backyard."

Zhang Ji immediately reminded him.

"Yeah, that's okay."

Wei Guangde nodded. Hosting guests in winter is troublesome. Even if you put up several charcoal fires in the main room, it still feels cold inside, far from being as comfortable as a heated room.

Although the cost of building and maintaining a greenhouse is high, it is not a big deal for Wei Guangde.

However, maintaining a large heated room is still a bit of a luxury.

Therefore, the Wei family only built greenhouses in a few main courtyards.

As for other official families, only a few had it.

Even in the palace, it was pretty much the same. After all, heating materials were scarce these days, and only the palace could keep its greenhouses running continuously.

Even if he, Grand Secretary Wei, had the money, he couldn't buy that much charcoal.

He had told Zhang Ke and the others at the Aoshan Lantern Festival, so he couldn't go back on his word.

Before the fifteenth, he really needed to gather everyone together to discuss how to deal with the possible attacks on Zhang Jiangling after the New Year.

Another thing is to let my people know that I plan to start reforming some of the policies implemented during Zhang Juzheng's time as soon as possible, starting with the restoration of academies.

As for other decrees, we need to discuss which ones should be overturned and which ones should be retained.

Subtly reveal your desire to consolidate control over the finances and taxes of various government departments, and see their reaction.

These people are now working in different government departments, and naturally they all have their own agendas.

In fact, their reactions to this incident also reveal the potential turmoil that may be brewing in the imperial court.

After giving his instructions, Wei Guangde went back to the backyard to rest.

For the next two days, Wei Guangde rested at his residence before his shift.

However, they still received a copy from Wang Jiaping, who was on duty in the cabinet; it was a memorial submitted by the Shuntian Prefecture.

According to the rules, if there is a major event in the court, the cabinet ministers should naturally go to the cabinet immediately to handle the matter.

However, nothing particularly significant has happened during the New Year in recent years.

When Zhang Ke was seen that day, the Ministry of War had not received any urgent battle reports from Japan, so naturally they were too lazy to return to the ministry.

The memorial from Shuntian Prefecture was actually a report to the emperor, claiming that no one in the hundred-mile radius around the capital had died from cold or hunger, as winter was more than halfway over.

Wei Guangde has always attached great importance to people's livelihood, and he has been doing this for many years. Shuntian Prefecture has also long had its own rules and regulations.

In winter, those families in difficulty would be gathered together, and the government would allocate coal so that they could live together.

Although it's somewhat inconvenient, at least it guarantees that I'll survive this winter.

The common people also generally believed that this was a benevolent policy of the imperial court. The court took control of the coal in Xishan, and some virtuous families in the capital sent some food to them, which really created a prosperous scene.

In the eyes of scholars, all of this was what a prosperous era should look like.

The memorial from Shuntian Prefecture would undoubtedly appear in the official gazette soon, and then be praised by the literati.

Later that evening, the Wei residence became lively. Sedan chairs and carriages lined the side gate of the Wei residence, and officials and their families entered the residence and were led into the backyard and west courtyard respectively.

Wei Guangde would only stand outside the greenhouse to greet the arriving guests after receiving notification.

"Is the news from Shandai accurate?"

Inside the warm house, all the main guests had arrived. After exchanging pleasantries, before the banquet even began, Wei Guangde took the opportunity to tell them about Yang Keli and others' plan to impeach Zhang Juzheng.

Everyone's faces turned serious, a stark contrast to the relaxed atmosphere of before.

They were aware of the tacit understanding between Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng.

If they succeed in overthrowing Zhang, they might continue their attacks and shift their focus to Wei Guangde.

After all, if Zhang Juzheng's previous actions were wrong, then Wei Guangde, as the second-in-command, failed to stand up for justice, which was a dereliction of duty on the part of the second-in-command, and naturally he would have no face to remain in the court.

This has nothing to do with the reasons for overthrowing Zhang Juzheng. Even if Zhang Juzheng's crime was to embezzle the property of the imperial family, Wei Guangde was also at fault for negligence.

“If they submit a memorial impeaching him after the court meeting on the fifteenth of the month, even if the Ministry of Personnel immediately uses its power to transfer him, it will be too late.”

Lao Kan said with a gloomy face.

"According to the Ministry of Personnel, transfer documents will not be issued until after the first month of the lunar calendar, unless it is an imperial edict."

Wei Shiliang's expression was also not good at the moment. If he had known that those people would be so troublesome, he should have transferred them away before the New Year.

"The issue now is not about reassignment. Even if we send people to other places, they will still have the right to submit memorials to the emperor."

Wei Guangde spoke up, "The main issue is that they have indeed submitted a memorial. What should we do?"

"Given Zhang's character, although it's uncertain whether he's suspected of manipulating major cases, I don't believe he instructed his followers to embezzle the royal family's property."

Lao Kan spoke up.

"probably not."

Later, Jiang Zhi and others also held this view.

Zhang Juzheng was a trustworthy person. They dared not deny whether Zhang Juzheng had really plotted to frame the Prince of Liao, but they would never believe that he had taken the opportunity to embezzle the property of the imperial family.

With the power of the Grand Secretary, there's no need for him to dabble in such money.

After listening for a while, Wei Guangde finally spoke up to remind him: "Uncle Da wouldn't do such a thing, but he can't keep it from his family, especially after the King of Liao is convicted. Will he get involved in some of the punishments?"

Wei Guangde didn't mention that he had already arranged for someone to send a message to the Zhang family; it's better to keep such things to yourself.

But as long as you do it, you'll leave some clues.

The so-called perfect crime is impossible; it's just that no one will find any clues.

Didn't you see that Wei Guangde's side was inspired by this and began to eliminate some past hidden dangers? Wasn't it because they were afraid that someone would notice and then use this as an excuse to attack them?

Wei Guangde's words today were actually meant to remind those around him to be careful.

If they've done anything shady behind the scenes, they should deal with it as soon as possible to avoid being impeached.

"If we can't stop them, we might as well intervene."

Finally, after a period of silence in the room, Lao Kan spoke up, “Once the memorial is submitted, it will surely be reviewed by the Censorate, the Ministry of Rites, the Imperial Clan Court, and the Inner Court.”

We also sent people in to try and control the situation, preventing the enemy from acting recklessly, especially within the palace.

"Zhang Hong will not go to the palace; he will stay in the capital. The only ones qualified to participate are Zhang Cheng or Chen Ju."

"You mean, you want Eunuch Chen to volunteer?" Wei Guangde frowned and looked at Lao Kan, asking.

"It's better than letting Zhang Jing from the Eastern Depot do it, who knows what the consequences will be."

Lao Kan immediately said.

“If someone is deliberately trying to frame someone, they can pin the blame on the Zhang family even if it has nothing to do with them.”

Wei Shiliang then said, "Shan Dai, this matter must be guarded against."

It's acceptable to investigate, but we can't allow them to frame others at will.

In short, the case should be confined to the case of the Prince of Liao and should not be extended to other places.

However, if those involved are of low rank, they will have no say in the rewards, and if they are allowed to write the reports, that would be extremely problematic.

“In matters like this, the people in the palace have the most influence.”

Lao Kan spoke again.

"Who would be suitable to go to the Censorate?"

At this moment, Jiang Zhi looked at Chen Zi and asked cautiously.

The Censorate was the trigger for this incident, and it needs to be handled with extra care.

Otherwise, it would be difficult to suppress them from the censors in the academy.

Don't think that just because Chen Kai is the Left Censor-in-Chief, he can command the censors. That's why they're called mad dogs; when they go crazy, they're truly uncontrollable.

As long as they believe they are right, no one can change their mind.

No matter who the imperial court sends, the Censorate is definitely not an option.

Therefore, the person sent out must have enough prestige to surpass that of the other censors, and no other censor would dare to question his judgments.

Do such people exist?

After some mental calculation, Chen Zi realized there really wasn't a suitable person.

No matter which faction is in the government office, the opposing faction will definitely jump out to criticize them.

Choosing a third-party faction might not win over the masses, and going there wouldn't achieve the desired outcome.

The best person to go to this house would be someone who is fair and impartial, and who has not previously belonged to any of the various factions in the court.

Chen Ti was thinking, and Lao Kan, who was more familiar with the situation of the Censorate, was also thinking, but he quickly shook his head.

"No, we can only send a Vice Censor-in-Chief. At least most censors would not dare to question it."

Lao Kan spoke up.

The Vice Censor-in-Chief was a censor who supervised other censors, and was a figure that most censors feared.

Wei Guangde looked at Lao Kan, and after he finished speaking, he looked at Chen Kai.

He valued this government office, but he mostly placed his fellow townsmen who had passed the imperial examinations into it.

The Censorate saw the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) as a good place to go, where they could freely express their energy and vent their frustration from the previous imperial examinations.

However, the promotion system within the Censorate is internal, and the imperial court has little say in it.

The only one who could be manipulated was the Left Censor-in-Chief, who was one of the Nine Ministers and ultimately needed the emperor's decision, which gave the cabinet a certain degree of influence.

"ShanDai, are you trying to get away with this, or do you hope to completely eliminate the hidden dangers left by Zhang Jiangling?"

Chen Kai suddenly looked at Wei Guangde and asked seriously.

Before Wei Guangde could reply, he continued, "If we just need to get through this hurdle, sending Vice Censor-in-Chief Wu Peng is one way. He can express our attitude toward the Zhang case according to our wishes and also temporarily suppress the censors in the hospital."

but"

Upon hearing this, Wei Guangde bowed slightly, appearing to be listening attentively.

Chen Zi then continued, "This matter is unlikely to end so simply; they will certainly continue afterward."

After all, their goal wasn't to overthrow Zhang, but to negate the policies he issued.

Ultimately, it will still affect you.

Therefore, every time they find a reason to impeach Zhang Jiangling, we must respond.

"Then how can we solve this completely?"

Wei Guangde nodded slightly; he had experienced this situation several times before.

Because of his strained relationship with Feng Bao, he did not get involved in Feng's downfall.

Feng Bao has fallen.

Zhang Juzheng has already tested the waters twice, and both times he overcame the challenge.

This is the third time.

But if it fails, there's no guarantee there won't be a fourth, a fifth, and a succession of impeachments.

The best way is of course to solve the problem completely, but Wei Guangde was also curious about how to solve it completely.

"To sever someone's reputation is a bit risky."

Chen Zi said.

"Who?"

Wei Guangde knew that Chen Kai wouldn't ask him to handle it personally, but who else could do it?

"Hai Rui, Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate."

Chen Zi said.

"No."

"I'm afraid that's not a good idea; this person is completely unreasonable."

Jiang Zhi immediately said.

After Hai Rui was expelled from the capital and went to Nanjing, he was reprimanded by the Ministry of Works for his involvement in the water control project.

The other person to speak was Zhang Xueyan.

He entered the industry relatively late, so he has always kept a low profile. Zhang Xueyan didn't interrupt him when he was speaking earlier.

But when he heard that Chen Kai planned to send Hai Rui to Huguang to investigate Zhang Juzheng's affairs, he instinctively objected.

When Hai Rui served as the warehouse supervisor, he also conducted a thorough investigation of the Ministry of Revenue's warehouses in the south in his capacity as an imperial censor.

Although Zhang Xueyan was not in the Ministry of Revenue at the time, he had heard of this man's great reputation.

The reason Gao Gong ultimately abandoned Hai Rui was that he couldn't wield the sword effectively.

Even Zhang Juzheng dared not use him. If it weren't for Wei Guangde's persuasion, and especially the tempting prospect of exchanging silver for money through brokers, and the fact that only Hai Rui could suppress all sorts of villains, Hai Rui would probably still be farming in his hometown.

As it turns out, Hai Rui was indeed able to suppress officials in various regions.

As the Vice Censor-in-Chief, after overseeing the exchange of silver, commercial taxes in various regions were fully deposited into the treasury, and schools in various regions also had sufficient funds to maintain themselves, so no one dared to interfere.

After that, he was naturally promoted to Vice Censor-in-Chief.

His investigation into Zhang Juzheng would silence everyone.

He was at odds with Zhang Juzheng, so his investigation results were absolutely reliable.

With his good reputation, no one would doubt that he would be tempted by other factors and make a wrong judgment.

It can be said that as long as Hai Rui could prove Zhang Juzheng's innocence, then at least no one in the Censorate would dare to impeach Zhang Juzheng again.

However, because Hai Rui was upright, he probably wouldn't let the Zhang family off the hook if he discovered their problems.

"Even if Zhang Jiazhen is involved in the case, I believe he will make a careful judgment, since Zhang Jiangling is most likely unaware of it."

Chen Zi explained. (End of Chapter)