prosperous age

"What happened to the cabinet?"

Wei Guangde walked into his check-in room, sat down on the imperial chair, and asked Lu Bu who was following him.

"That's what the master said."

Lu Bu didn't understand the meaning of Wei Guangde's words for a moment and asked hesitantly.

"When I came in today, I found that everyone seemed a little strange."

Wei Guangde said, "I've only been away for a few days, but what big thing happened?"

"Sir, nothing happened in the cabinet during the few days you left.

As for the master feeling that those people are strange, I think it must be related to what happened in the palace yesterday. "

Lu Bu replied softly.

"In the palace? What happened in the palace?"

When Wei Guangde heard that something was going on in the palace, he stood up suddenly and asked.

Now there are only orphans and widows left in the palace. If something happens to the palace, it will be terrible.

"Sir, yes"

When Lu Bu spoke, he stuttered a little, as if he didn't know what to say.

"What happened? Tell the truth."

Wei Guangde doesn't like people like this following him and hesitating about everything.

"Yesterday. Yesterday, Mr. Zhang Ge beat the emperor."

Knowing that he couldn't hesitate, Wei Guangde didn't like such a subordinate, so he had to tell the matter.

However, because I was a little nervous, I still stuttered a bit when I spoke.

"what?"

Wei Guangde was startled when he heard Lu Bu's words.

Zhang Juzheng beat the little emperor. Is he going to rebel?

"What's going on? Please tell me carefully."

Wei Guangde calmed down quickly, knowing that the matter would definitely not be that simple, otherwise something big would have happened in the capital yesterday, and Zhang Juzheng's house would have been ransacked.

But when he returned to the capital last night, it was still calm, and even his family didn't know about it.

Otherwise, Zhang Ji would definitely not dare to hide it from him.

Beating the emperor is no small matter.

"Yesterday Zhang Gelao asked the emperor to recite something from the Four Books, but he didn't seem to be able to memorize it. It is said that this was the homework assigned a few days ago.

Mr. Zhang Ge said that His Majesty was playful and wanted to give him some punishment, so he slapped his palm.

This morning, as soon as Mr. Ge entered the cabinet, he was summoned by the palace. "

Lu Bu briefly told what happened yesterday in a low voice, leaving Wei Guangde stunned.

"Hit with a ruler?"

Wei Guangde suddenly interrupted and asked.

"It seems so. The villain is not there, but I don't know the details."

Lu Bu immediately explained.

"I see."

Wei Guangde then sat down, feeling a little impressed that Zhang Juzheng was so courageous that he even dared to hit the emperor's palm. No wonder he was later liquidated by Emperor Wanli.

One drink and one peck, could it be a predestined decision.

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde couldn't help but shake his head.

It's normal for children to be naughty. For other students, a slap on the palm would be enough, but that one was on the same day.

When Zhang Juzheng was called into the palace, it was definitely not the order of the young emperor, but the intention of the empress dowagers of the two palaces.

"hiss"

Thinking of the two empress dowagers, Wei Guangde suddenly understood Zhang Juzheng's intention in taking the risk.

Maybe it was unintentional, maybe he was just overly worried, but at this moment Wei Guangde still gasped.

The current empress dowagers of the two palaces attach great importance to the education of the young emperor Zhu Yijun. Zhang Juzheng's seemingly unintentional "beating the palm" behavior does not give the empress dowagers of the two palaces the idea of ​​​​a strict teacher.

The little emperor has been naughty for more than a day or two. Empress Dowager Li wants to punish him, but Empress Dowager Chen protects him.

She was reluctant to fight. After all, she had watched Zhu Yijun grow up. She had no children, so she poured all her affection into Zhu Yijun.

Well now, Zhang Juzheng has appeared and can play the role of Master Yan.

Wei Guangde didn't know whether this incident happened by chance or was the result of Zhang Juzheng's calculation. He was eager to know what happened in the Wenhua Hall at that time.

Ask Feng Bao?

Certainly not.

Now, although his relationship with Feng Bao has not reached a low point, it is almost the same. However, his relationship with Zhang Juzheng is very good.

"Lu Bu, you go find Chen Ju. If he has time, he can come to see me at Zhenxiu Residence outside the palace at noon."

Wei Guangde thought for a while, and it seemed that the only person in the palace he could trust at this time was Chen Ju.

Perhaps, he could find out what was going on in the Wenhua Palace at that time.

"Yes, sir."

Lu Bu agreed, and then asked, "Do you have anything else to say?"

"Just say that I want to ask about His Majesty's current situation. He should understand what I mean."

Wei Guangde said.

When Lu Bu walked to the door, Wei Guangde stopped him again and said, "Also, pay attention to when the chief assistant will come back, so that I can go there."

Wei Guangde came back from Tianjin. As usual, he should go over and explain the situation, which can be regarded as canceling the holiday.

Of course, Wei Guangde also had another purpose, which was to see whether Zhang Juzheng's mood was reprimanded in the palace or supported by the two queen mothers.

There is no doubt that if Zhang Juzheng wins the favor of the two queen mothers because of this incident, it will not be a good thing for him.

There is support from the Queen Mother at the top, and there is a foreign minister and an internal minister below, who still control everything in the Ming Dynasty.

Not long after, Wei Guangde was finishing some memorials in the room, and Lu Bu came into the room and whispered in his ear: "Master, Mr. Zhang Ge is back."

Lu Bu would not call Zhang Juzheng the first assistant in private. He was serving the second assistant. Calling Zhang Juzheng the first assistant would make Wei Guangde feel uncomfortable.

Therefore, he always calls Zhang Juzheng after Zhang Ge.

Wei Guangde didn't say anything about this.

This is the political wisdom of low-level officials. They know what to say that their superiors like to hear.

"What do you think of his expression when he comes back?"

Wei Guangde put down the memorial in his hand and asked seemingly casually.

"You can't tell, it's just the same as usual."

Lu Bu said hurriedly.

In fact, he could guess some of Wei Guangde's thoughts now.

But you know you know it, but you can't show it. If you show it too much, you will be frowned upon.

He also read the storybook of "Three Kingdoms" when he had nothing to do, and naturally he also knew the allusion of "it is tasteless to eat, it is a pity to throw it away".

Yang Xiu thought he was smart and could no longer pretend to be talented, but little did he know that his overperformance eventually led to his death.

Therefore, he just needs to answer Wei Guangde's questions honestly, and not a single word will come out of his mouth.

"Okay." Wei Guangde only said one word, then stood up, walked out of the duty room and walked to Zhang Juzheng's duty room.

When I saw Zhang Juzheng, I saw that his expression was neither happy nor sad.

Well, after working as a cabinet minister for seven or eight years, Zhang Juzheng had mastered the art of cultivating his qi, but Wei Guangde had no idea what he was going through in the palace.

Zhang Juzheng would not take the initiative to mention it, and Wei Guangde would not take the initiative to ask. After meeting and greetings, he truthfully reported everything he saw in Tianjin.

In Wei Guangde's view, only when Shangguan is truly familiar with the situation below can he avoid making mistakes when making decisions in court.

If you exaggerate things, you will often be affected and make wrong decisions.

Even though he and Zhang Juzheng are now inseparable, he still won't be careless when it comes to court affairs.

The matter in Liaodong is, in the final analysis, a military matter, and he cannot escape, good or bad.

"So good."

Wei Guangde was very satisfied after listening to Wei Guangde's account. The main reason was that there was no loss in the shipping grain this time. 200,000 stone grains were delivered to Tianjin, and another 300,000 stone grains were shipped directly to Gaizhou.

Five hundred thousand shi of grain is nearly one-eighth of the annual grain transportation volume.

Although the flood season on the Yellow River has passed, waterships have already arrived in Tongzhou to deliver grain.

If that's the case, if the grain can be safely transported to Tongzhou Granary, half of the burden on the cabinet will be lifted.

If you have food in your hand, you won't panic. In fact, the same is true for Ming Dynasty.

Cao Liang not only supplies the capital, but also supplements the military rations of Jizhen and Xuanda, which is of course very important.

After saying this, Wei Guangde hesitated for a moment, then spoke again and repeated what Yu Dayou said in Tianjin.

This is of course an eye-opener for Li Chengliang. If he dares to scheme against the cabinet, he must be prepared to be discovered.

This was also done to prepare for the transfer of Li Chengliang to Yunnan after the war.

In the past, Wei Guangde was worried that the northern general was not familiar with southwest operations and was good at transferring Li Chengliang there, so he was worried about something bad happening.

But knowing that although the southwest combat environment was complicated, it was not to the point where it was impossible to mobilize troops, Wei Guangde naturally knew what to do.

Li Chengliang was asked to take charge of the plan for Burma. If he won, someone would be needed to guard the country. It would not be a bad idea to give the Li family a title.

The most important thing is that Myanmar is isolated overseas and far away from the capital. Even if the Li family has different intentions, the court will have time to respond.

What's more, in Wei Guangde's memory, there seems to be no record of the Li family's opposition. The most common saying is that Li Chengliang was self-respecting and wanted to accumulate merit and gain a title.

If you win, satisfy him.

It is also appropriate to open up new territories and be awarded a title.

As for losing, then use it at a lower level and just idle it, and no one outside can say anything.

Only when rewards and punishments are clear can the public be convinced.

Sure enough, after Wei Guangde said Yu Dayou's words, Zhang Juzheng's expression suddenly changed. He immediately got up and walked back and forth in the room. It took a while before he gradually calmed down.

Indeed, what Yu Dayou said is correct.

Wang Gaobuchen, he can just lead his troops and fight over it. Is it necessary to expand the border wall?

The camp occupied by Wang Gao was just used as a border town for the Ming army. The construction of Kuandian Six Forts was actually an invitation to war and wanted to force Wang Gao to take action.

"After the Kuandian Six Fortresses are built, Jianzhou Jurchens will definitely feel a great threat. I can imagine that after the imperial court destroys Wang Gao, other Jurchen tribes will also be dissatisfied with the imperial court because of the Six Fortresses."

Wei Guangde analyzed.

"Then what do you mean, should we build these six forts or not?"

What Zhang Juzheng wanted at this time was a stable border environment, and he did not want to be dragged down by war all year round.

At first, he wholeheartedly supported Li Chengliang's plan to gain prestige, but now he is still worried about this.

First it was built, but now someone has rebelled and overturned the original plan. It makes people feel that the government's decrees are changing day and night, which is not a good thing for him.

"What I mean is, after killing Wang Gao first, let Zhang Xueyan summon the Liaodong generals for discussion. If he feels it is inappropriate, let the local government make another appeal and ask the court to revise this order.

If necessary, the leaders of the Jurchen tribes can also jointly beg for His Majesty's grace. "

Wei Guangde said, "This can be regarded as His Majesty's kindness, and it may be more conducive to the peace of Liaodong.

The strategy for Liaodong is to wipe out the rebels. Anyone with objections will be dealt with as soon as possible without leaving any hidden dangers.

Of course, Li Chengliang had too much influence in Liaodong. When Governor Zhang was doing business, he could transfer Li Chengliang to the capital to report on his work and accept rewards.

Or, transfer directly from Liaodong. "

After hearing Wei Guangde's words, Zhang Juzheng hesitated and asked, "Then where do you plan to transfer him?"

Seeing that Zhang Juzheng was concerned about this matter, Wei Guangde did not hide it and said directly: "Yungui."

After hearing Wei Guangde's answer, Zhang Juzheng was just surprised for a moment and then returned to normal.

He may not have thought that Wei Guangde would be so evil towards Li Chengliang and sent him directly to the southwest.

Regardless of whether it is in the past life or in this life, almost everyone knows Southwest as a place where young and old are marginalized and poor, so naturally no one wants to go there to become an official.

In fact, most of the people who were elected as county magistrates were arranged here, because most Jinshi were unwilling to be assigned here.

Therefore, many official positions in the southwest region are mostly held by local candidates. They are nothing more than inter-provincial arrangements, which can be regarded as officials in other places.

Of course, this result also caused many Southwest candidates to give up going to the capital to participate in the examination hosted by the Ministry of Rites and strive for Jinshi status after passing the provincial examination, and instead focused on finding jobs locally.

Zhang Juzheng did not express his position. After Wei Guangde finished what he had to say, he also took his leave and returned to his room to continue processing the memorial.

At noon, Wei Guangde entered Zhenxiju, asked for a private room, and waited quietly.

Not long after, Chen Ju arrived here in casual clothes.

Arrangements had been made inside and outside, with family members of the Wei family guarding them. Wei Guangde and Chen Ju exchanged a few words before taking their seats.

"Brother, do you want to ask about what happened yesterday?"

Chen Ju asked straight to the point.

Wei Guangde nodded and asked, "Brother, could I be with you at that time?"

However, to Wei Guangde's disappointment, Chen Ju shook his head, "Yesterday, I was in charge of the memorial at the Director of Ceremonies and did not follow him to the Wenhua Hall.

But, I asked someone about it last night. "

Just when Wei Guangde showed a disappointed expression, Chen Ju said again.

"hehe."

The two looked at each other and smiled, and then Chen Ju started talking about what happened yesterday.

It turned out that Zhang Juzheng asked the young emperor to recite the Xiangdang chapter of "The Analects of Confucius". Originally, because of his playfulness, Zhu Yijun could not recite it fluently. As a result, when he recited "Se Bo Ru Ye, Zu He Ru Ye", the word "Bo" was pronounced incorrectly. Pronounced as "Bei".

In fact, the word "Bo" originally has two pronunciations. If it is a single theory, it does not matter whether it is pronounced "Bo" or "Bei". However, in the Analects of Confucius, it is naturally pronounced "Bo" here.

As a result, Zhang Juzheng became furious and shouted loudly: "You should read Bo."

The young emperor of Wanli, Zhu Yijun, was so frightened that he trembled all over. After that, he was naturally unable to recite the unfamiliar text.

Therefore, Zhang Juzheng immediately hit the young emperor Zhu Yijun's palm with a ruler.

Feng Bao rushed in to stop him, but he was a step too late and the little emperor was beaten.

After that, the news spread in the palace, and Feng Baocai hurriedly issued a hush order not to mention it to anyone.

So until now, only people in the palace know about it, and people outside the palace don't know about it.

"Today in the palace, did Queen Mother Chen of the two palaces praise Zhang Shoufu?"

Just as Wei Guangde had guessed, when the Queen Mothers of the two palaces found out about this today, they indeed invited Zhang Juzheng to speak to him and praised his strict academic attitude.

"Empress Dowager Li also took out the "Emperor's Illustrations" compiled by him and praised the book for its good compilation."

Finally, Chen Ju added in a low voice.

Of course, Wei Guangde knew about the book "Emperor's Illustrations". Zhang Juzheng designated the book compiled by Ma Ziqiang and other Hanlin officials as a textbook for Emperor Wanli. (End of chapter)