prosperous age

This is why Wei Guangde sought out people early on to discuss how to handle the matter; once a suitable candidate was chosen, the matter could be settled as soon as possible.

After the meeting of the Nine Ministers, they can immediately take the memorial and the agreed-upon personnel to the Qianqing Palace to thoroughly investigate the case.

Once the Qianqing Palace appoints the imperial envoy, those outside who want to use this as an excuse will have no reason to continue their nagging.

The imperial court has already sent people to investigate, so what's the fuss about?
If they only say they want to investigate the case but haven't decided who will go, then there will be disputes and trouble.

Although it's still the Lantern Festival holiday, most of the department heads have already returned to their posts and are no longer resting.

At most, they might fish or dry their nets, but at this time they should all be in the government office.

Therefore, officials soon began to come and go in Wei Guangde's office.

The first to arrive were naturally the three cabinet ministers, who were closest to the capital, followed by the ministers of the Ministry of Rites and other ministers who were closer to the capital.

Wei Guangde and Shen Shixing were just chatting with the visitors and didn't mention Yang Keli's memorial. They planned to explain it all together when everyone was present.

The special relationship between Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng goes without saying.

As for Shen Shixing, although he was not so close to Zhang Juzheng, he was involved in the implementation of many of the reform policies at that time.

Especially around Shuntian Prefecture, when the land survey was conducted, the nobles and relatives caused quite a bit of trouble, and Shen Shixing had to deal with them personally.

As a cabinet minister, he had enough status to suppress the powerful nobles and relatives.

If Zhang Juzheng were to go, it would be somewhat like using his power to intimidate others.

The downfall of those people was nothing to Shen Shixing, but he was worried that the trouble would fall on him.

Therefore, when faced with impeachments from the court against Zhang Juzheng for illegal activities, Shen Shixing was somewhat inclined to side with Zhang Juzheng, also to avoid implicating himself.

At this moment, Xu Guo was holding a memorial in his hand and talking to Wei Guangde.

Pan Shiliang submitted a memorial stating that the Yellow River management project had been successfully completed. This is his memorial.

I had only heard about this matter before, but it was handled by the Cabinet and the Ministry of Works, and I didn't know the details, so I brought it with me.”

After saying this, Xu Guo handed the memorial in his hand to Wei Guangde.

"That happened in the sixth year of the Wanli reign. In the fourth and fifth years of the Wanli reign, the Yellow River flooded twice. The court appointed him as the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate and concurrently the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works to manage the river transport."

It's been five or six years now.

"Mission accomplished! This is the first big happy event after the New Year."

Wei Guangde and Yue Hehe took the memorial and began to read it.

Pan Jixun was quite lucky this time. In the years since the fifth year of the Wanli reign, although the Yellow River has experienced minor floods, the rainfall in the upper reaches has been relatively light, and the middle and lower reaches have weathered the storms without major incident.

Why was he so strong during the Longqing era? He had just reported the success of flood control when a flood struck the following year, destroying countless grain transport boats. He was immediately dismissed from his post.

However, there were too few officials in the Ministry of Works of the Ming Dynasty who had the ability to manage water resources and the courage to take on this task. In the end, after much deliberation, they could only send him.

Flood control has always been a major headache for dynasties throughout history, producing capable officials and also ruining many talented individuals.

It can be said that the success or failure of their water management efforts laid the foundation for their official careers.

If he succeeds, he will naturally be promoted and given a higher rank. More importantly, when similar incidents occur, the court will think of him first.

But if you fail, you lose all your reputation and can only slink back home in disgrace; only someone with great courage would dare to take such a risk.

The largest project in Pan Jixun's water management efforts was the Gaojiayan Dam, which directly determined the success or failure of his efforts.

Although the Ministry of Works opposed Pan Jixun's proposed method of constricting water to attack sand, it had no better solution and could only try to improve it.

In addition to the Gaojia Weir, two other dams were built on the Yellow River to confine the water flow, and a segmented continuous flushing method was adopted to minimize the sedimentation of yellow sand in the riverbed.

As a result, after the Gaojiayan Dam was completed in the eighth year of the Wanli reign, the sand flushing project, which should have been completed in the first year, was delayed for another two years.

After the three dams were completed and water was released to flush away sand multiple times, Pan Jixun finally felt that he had succeeded.

As for the projects proposed by Wei Guangde, such as building flood discharge areas and flood discharge channels near the river, these were also implemented during this flood control project.

However, this approach is not ideal. We can't keep reserving channels for the Yellow River just to prevent it from flooding.

It can be said that the Yellow River before the Qing Dynasty would still be an unsolvable problem even in later generations; it could only be alleviated, not eradicated.

This was determined by the circumstances, and it does not mean that the ancients lacked wisdom.

Of course, if you were to apply cement and tile the Yellow River, the water-binding sand-fighting method might be even more effective.

However, in the end, the Yellow River will still change its course, because the sand accumulating at the estuary will eventually block the river mouth.

Aside from increasing the land area, it serves no other purpose.

“I remember that in the past two years, reports from Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces have indicated that rainfall has been less than in previous years.”

After reading the memorial, Wei Guangde handed it to Shen Shixing, who was already aware of it, and also spoke to the others.

"Indeed, Shaanxi has reported signs of drought in some areas, but it is not considered severe yet."

When Shen Shixing was reviewing the memorials, he heard Wei Guangde's words and echoed them.

"The effects of this flood control effort will not be known for another two years."

However, the draft proposal could request the Ministry of Works that river maintenance and dredging should not be delayed due to the great achievements in flood control.

Wei Guangde suggested.

Thinking that the flood control is successful just because a few dams have been built is like popping champagne halfway through a celebration—absolutely unacceptable.

The necessary tasks still need to be done; the river channel must be maintained.

Otherwise, even if the flood control measures are truly effective, the effectiveness may gradually decline if river officials become complacent, eventually leading to flooding.

"The Grand Secretary's proposal is sound, and I support it. The Ministry of Works cannot afford to be negligent in matters concerning the Yellow River."

Wang Jiaping immediately said.

Wang Jiaping has now replaced Shen Shixing in his position, and he is often the first cabinet minister to express his support for Wei Guangde's proposals.

Yu Youding and Shen Shixing exchanged a glance and nodded slightly before Yu Youding expressed his second opinion.

Minister of Rites Xu Xuemo, Minister of Revenue Zhang Xueyan, and others arrived one after another. The last to enter was Minister of Justice Zeng Shengwu. Since the Ministry of Justice was the farthest from the Forbidden City, the meeting of the Nine Ministers officially began only after his arrival.

Having already put down Pan Jixun's memorial, Wei Guangde took out Yang Keli's memorial and said eloquently, "This is the memorial of Yang Keli, the censor of Yunnan Circuit. In the memorial, he impeached that the Liaowang case during the Longqing era was a miscarriage of justice fabricated by the former Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng, and that the Zhang family took the opportunity to seize the Liaowang's assets."

"boom."

Wei Guangde was just the beginning, and the people in the duty room were in an uproar, whispering among themselves to their colleagues.

It's not that people lack manners; the fact that they're still discussing this at a time like this is truly unexpected.

In fact, most of the people here were in the court at the time and were familiar with the Liao King case.

The truly unfamiliar ones are only a few people like Zhang Ke.

However, having prior knowledge of the news, Zhang Ke had also had people search through the documents and official gazettes from that time to understand the ins and outs.

The Liaowang case was actually a collective counterattack by the local authorities against the misconduct of the prince. The entire officialdom of Huguang participated in the impeachment of the Liaowang, demonstrating their united will.

Zhang Juzheng was merely going with the flow.

The most important event, the raising of the great banner by the Prince of Liao, is also undeniable. Therefore, the fact that the officials in Huguang unanimously said that the Prince of Liao had rebelled is actually in accordance with the provisions of the Ming Dynasty law.

After all, the "great banner" is absolutely forbidden.

The text on the banner is not important.

Zeng Shengwu, who arrived last, reacted the most strongly, immediately standing up and saying, "The Great Ming Code clearly stipulates that it is forbidden to privately possess vests, badges, cannons, flags, and badges."

I remember that when the Liao Prince's mansion was searched, not only did the Liao Prince raise his banner, but he also had more than a hundred sets of unconventional weapons and armor, as well as a number of assassins.

These things are all documented and verifiable; how can they be considered a fabricated miscarriage of justice? Yang Keli is talking complete nonsense.

"Take a look at Yang Keli's memorial first. According to him, Zhang Juzheng framed the Prince of Liao because he resented the Prince of Liao for killing his grandfather, and forced the Prince of Liao to raise the banner. The Prince of Liao had no intention of rebelling; he was forced into it. Moreover, after the Prince's property was confiscated, the Zhang family embezzled the money."

As Wei Guangde spoke, he couldn't help but shake his head, it was unclear whether he was shaking his head at Yang Keli's impeachment or at Zhang Juzheng's actions.

However, the noise in the duty room quieted down at this moment. The memorial had been passed to Yu Youding, and Wang Jiaping next to him turned his head to look at it together.

After that, Xu Guo, Xu Xuemo, and others naturally took turns reading the memorials and then discussed them in hushed tones.

"One is fabricating a wrongful case. Whether it's a wrongful case or not, there are evidence of the military equipment and flags that were confiscated at the time. To say that it was a frame-up is an exaggeration."

However, this constitutes the appropriation of the Prince's property.

Those who have read the memorial have also keenly noticed this point: the memorial actually mentions more about the Zhang family's encroachment.

After everyone had seen it, Wei Guangde spoke again, saying, "Now that everyone has seen it, let's share our opinions."

This time, Xu Xuemo first stated that although he is about to step down, he is still in office.

"This is a serious matter; it would be best to investigate."

Since the cabinet has convened the nine ministers for discussion, it must mean the same thing, after all, it involves the grudges between a vassal king and the former chief minister.

I had actually heard about the feud between the Zhang family and the Prince of Liao mentioned in the memorial before.

However, since the evidence in the Liao King case was conclusive, I didn't think much of it.

However, I truly know nothing about the Liao Prince's assets.

Now that someone has suggested it, it would be best to investigate thoroughly so everyone can feel at ease.

"What Lord Xu said is absolutely right. I don't believe that the Liao King case was fabricated by Chief Minister Zhang, but it would be good to investigate."

Then others followed suit and expressed their opinions.

"What's there to investigate? It's just a censor making things up based on hearsay, deliberately smearing Minister Zhang."

The court should reject this memorial. Whether it's investigated or not, it's only tarnishing Minister Zhang's reputation.

Zeng Shengwu was adamant in his stance. After all, he had a close relationship with Zhang Juzheng, being both a teacher and a friend, which made it absolutely impossible for him to accept the investigation of Zhang Juzheng.

However, there are very few people in the court who support him.

Moreover, according to convention, if someone does impeach someone, an investigation should be conducted.

Of course, if someone above strongly suppresses or directly refutes the claim, then naturally no one will mention verification.

It can only be said that Wei Guangde's attitude was not so firm; he refuted it this time, but there will be a next time.

Chen Kai suggested that Hai Rui handle the case, and that his judgment would be accepted by both the court and the public.

This is the best way to handle the matter, because protecting Zhang Juzheng would only drag himself into it, which is not in Wei Guangde's interest.

"This matter needs to be decided as soon as possible. Since the general opinion is to investigate, we need to arrange who will be in charge as soon as possible to avoid controversy in the court."

At this moment, Shen Shixing suddenly spoke up.

Yu Youding glanced at his classmate and immediately chimed in.

Although Wei Guangde didn't say anything else, his slight nod conveyed his opinion, clearly indicating his support for Shen Shixing's statement.

Therefore, Wang Jiaping also expressed his support.

"The Censorate will definitely raise this issue and report it to the palace. The palace will also likely send a trusted eunuch to accompany His Majesty."

Moreover, in the initial disposal of these assets, besides transporting the items back to the capital for safekeeping, the inner court also participated in the disposal of land and real estate.

Yu Youding continued.

The Liao Prince's residence would certainly not be sold; it would simply be sealed up and await its next owner.

However, some of the other properties and land belonging to the Liao Prince's Mansion will be confiscated, while others will be disposed of, sold, or reclaimed.

"This is an old case, which is inherently difficult to investigate. It is hard to convince the public unless a person of high moral character and prestige presides over it."

At this moment, Chen Kai spoke up, "Based on my understanding of the Censorate, the most suitable candidate is Hai Rui, who will serve as the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief in Nanjing."

Hai Gong enjoys immense prestige both in official circles and among the general public. Having him in charge of this retrial of an old case should ensure a satisfactory outcome.

"No, although Hai Rui has a great reputation, no one is perfect, and his character is questionable."

Those who opposed Hai Rui were naturally Zeng Shenwu.

Well, whether he knows it or not, everyone here knows that Zhang Juzheng didn't have a good impression of Hai Rui.

It is said that when Hai Rui was reinstated, it was after much persuasion from Wei Guangde.

Otherwise, Zhang Juzheng would never have reinstated Hai Rui.

Even so, Hai Rui was kept in Nanjing all these years, and there was no intention to promote him further.

Everyone believed that Wei Guangde favored Hai Rui, while Zhang Juzheng harbored resentment towards him because of the past incident involving Xu Jie.

If Hai Rui were to handle Zhang Juzheng's case, the consequences would be unimaginable.

As a result, some people looked at Wei Guangde with surprise, wanting to see his reaction.

"Will Hai Rui's investigation findings be convincing to the public?"

At this moment, Wei Guangde simply looked at Chen Zi and asked seriously.

"If anyone still dares to doubt the results of Hai Gong's trial, then no one can really handle this matter."

Chen Zi spoke up.

Upon hearing his words, everyone around him, except for Zeng Shengwu, nodded in agreement.

Everyone, including Xu Guo, agreed with this view.

“Shan Dai, we must be careful with this matter. Hai Gangfeng and Shu Da have a past grudge, and I’m afraid the outcome may not be fair.”

Upon seeing his colleague's attitude, Zeng Shengwu hurriedly reminded Wei Guangde.

"No rush. This matter is not under his control, and there will be a senior eunuch accompanying him from the palace."

Hai Rui is indeed trustworthy, and I would agree if he were in charge.

I am aware of the concerns of the three provinces. When we go to the Qianqing Palace later, I will request His Majesty to send Chen Ju from the inner court to accompany him.

I have known him for many years and know him to be a fair and steady person.

Furthermore, let's discuss again which officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Justice should be sent south to investigate the case. This way, we can take care of things from multiple perspectives. What do you think?

Wei Guangde spoke up.

Xu Xuemo certainly wouldn't send peacemakers to the Ministry of Rites; they would naturally be looking for trouble.

The person sent by the Ministry of Justice was, of course, someone "reliable" arranged by Zeng Shengwu.

As Wei Guangde said, by taking into account all aspects, the result should be convincing to both the government and the public.

What are your thoughts, gentlemen?

After Wei Guangde finished speaking, he asked another question.

"That would be best. Let's decide on this matter as soon as possible to avoid any discussion in the court."

"Yes, this matter cannot be delayed."

"In that case, gentlemen, please come with me to the Qianqing Palace to see His Majesty."

Wei Guangde spoke. (End of Chapter)