I'm really not doing business

Chapter 1003 This is the only way; there is no other option.

Zhang Juzheng's thinking is not hard to guess: to nip problems in the bud.

Before the situation deteriorates to the point where a huge price needs to be paid, we must have the courage to make tough decisions and take action sooner rather than later, when it will be too late.

Early detection, early diagnosis, early intervention, and early treatment were Zhang Juzheng's consistent principles.

The decision to take action against Wang Zhuan this time was based on these four principles. If things continue to drag on, Wang Zhuan will not be treated the way he is now after Zhang Juzheng's death. He still has a chance to live now, but if this mistake continues, he will surely die in a few years.

There was another reason why Zhang Juzheng did this: the will of Heaven had changed.

It wasn't that His Majesty the Emperor no longer trusted him as the Imperial Tutor. By the time the Wanli Reforms had reached this point, the emperor and the chief minister were already in the same boat.

Zhang Juzheng felt that the emperor's will had changed, and that his paranoia would only grow stronger as he remained in power for a longer period.

Rather than waiting for His Majesty to strike him down, it's better to strike first himself, so that the Emperor knows that Zhang Juzheng is still a loyal subject.

According to Xu Chengchu's investigation, Wang Zhuan's problems were not serious, mainly involving money and not related to his stance or position. In other words, his crimes did not warrant the death penalty.

If Wang Zhuan really did speak of the scandalous affairs of Zhang Juzheng, the Grand Tutor and Imperial Preceptor of the 45th year of the Jiajing reign, in the Wenhua Hall in front of the ministers, then the emperor would have no choice but to have Wang Zhuan beaten to death.

The saying "Those who speak ill of Mr. Yan shall be executed" still holds true.

"Wang Zhuan, it is easy to govern a strong state, but difficult to manage a weak and chaotic one. In this hall, there is probably only myself. I am not someone who has been through the past. Let's not bring up the muddled accounts of the past again." Zhu Yijun reiterated his attitude, not letting Wang Zhuan talk nonsense, so that he could still live.

Wang Zhuan was caught off guard by the sudden change and was in a state of shock. After being reprimanded by the emperor, Wang Zhuan had completely come to his senses. His matter was at most a matter of 300,000 taels of silver, but to reveal the shameful things that happened when his teacher was in dire straits back then would be a capital offense.

The former governor of Sichuan, Luo Yao, was also a student of the Master. He embezzled 340,000 taels of silver, but His Majesty did not kill him. Even though he fell into the hands of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, he only suffered some hardship and was eventually able to live.

If it weren't for the major case of rebellion at Qingma Bridge in Rongcheng, this corruption scandal along the Beijing-Guangzhou Highway wouldn't have escalated to such an extent.

"This guilty subject is ashamed." Wang Zhuan bowed again.

Zhu Yijun waved his hand, signaling the official in charge of etiquette who was about to take action to step back. The official in charge of etiquette immediately came to Wang Zhuan's side the moment the emperor became angry, ready to correct Wang Zhuan's lack of decorum. He did not want to be dignified, but he had no choice but to be dignified.

Zhu Yijun flipped through Wang Zhuan's memorial. Xu Chengchu's investigation had lasted for more than two months. In fact, Wang Zhuan had also sensed something was amiss. Otherwise, why would a high-ranking official of the third rank knock on the door of Xu Chengchu, a minor official?
Wang Zhuan's downfall began in the eighth year of the Wanli reign. That year, he was in high spirits, rising rapidly from Vice Censor-in-Chief to Assistant Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, eventually becoming the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief. At this time, a former classmate contacted him. This classmate had been impeached, and Wang Zhuan intervened to protect him.

From this point on, Wang Zhuan began his path of accepting bribes and acting as a guarantor. At first, these were just classmates, but later, anyone who paid money and asked for directions could find him.

Wang Zhuan was Zhang Juzheng's top henchman. In the eyes of all the ministers, whoever Wang Zhuan attacked was ordered to attack by Zhang Juzheng. Whoever Wang Zhuan wanted to protect, everyone had to give him face. Moreover, Wang Zhuan didn't need to do it himself; his steward would just go to the steward of the official in charge, and the matter would be taken care of secretly.

After all, upright and honest officials like Hai Rui and Xu Chengchu are rare. Zhang Juzheng served as prime minister for twenty years, and his faction was powerful. Who would dare to offend this top henchman?

Later, Wang Zhuan's family started doing business. These transactions did not involve prohibited items, such as opium. Wang Zhuan was very cautious about this, as black market goods were extremely dangerous and would implicate a large number of people if they were discovered.

Moreover, black market goods don't actually make money; only desperate people do. They're not as profitable as white market goods, which have a larger volume.
Wang Zhuan's business dealings were mainly driven by merchants seeking favor and protection.

Even Sun Kehong, the head of the Songjiang Ocean Merchant Guild, had to go through Wang Zhuan's connections to do business. In those days, doing business from Songjiang Prefecture to all parts of the country was like passing through a gate of hell every time you crossed a border.

With Wang Zhuan as their talisman, Songjiang Ocean Trading Company would receive some face from the local government wherever they went, and with a little tactful bribery, they would be able to get through the ordeal.

“Wang Zhuan, do not harbor resentment. The master was trying to save you. You have one foot in the grave and you are unaware of it.” Zhu Yijun looked at Xu Chengchu’s memorial and said with a solemn expression, “Good and evil are determined by one’s own actions, and fortune and misfortune are brought upon oneself. Your greed is a bit too great.”

"This guilty subject acknowledges his crime." Wang Zhuan bowed again.

In the Ming Dynasty, merchants were divided into white, red, gray, and black categories. Wang Zhuan's bribery had already spread from the white to the red and gray categories. If this continued, he would become a protector of evil people. The law is merciless, and he would end up with his head separated from his body.

Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment, then picked up the vermilion brush and said, "Wang Zhuan has been a sycophant, corrupting the law and disrupting the government. He shall be dismissed from office and allowed to return to his hometown."

He was simply dismissed from his post and sent back to his hometown. His academic achievements were not stripped. Back home, he remained a high-ranking official who had passed the imperial examinations and could still live a peaceful life as a local gentry. The severity of this punishment was not great, but the difference between being a court official in the Wenhua Hall and a rural gentry was already a form of punishment.

The main reason was to respect Zhang Juzheng. Purging the party was one thing, but harming Zhang Juzheng would damage the very foundation of the Wanli Reforms.

"Your Majesty, such a lenient punishment may invite criticism. I beg Your Majesty to punish him severely without leniency." Zhang Juzheng immediately stood up when the emperor announced the punishment. His purpose was to purge the faction. If the emperor only gave a light punishment for such a serious mistake, then probably no one would dare to offend Zhang's faction in the future.

"What does Grand Secretary Lu think?" Zhu Yijun looked at Lu Guangzu, who was in charge of the Anti-Corruption Division. He wanted to see what Lu Guangzu, who was also the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, thought about how to handle this case.

Lu Guangzu paused for a moment, then stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty is right. Although Wang Zhuan’s crimes are heinous, he has ultimately rendered service to the nation. His ‘Jiangfang Kao’ written when he was in charge of the river defense still protects the Ming Dynasty. His corruption is despicable, but if he is punished too severely, it may discourage his officials from serving the country.”

"What the Grand Secretary says is also true. The Grand Secretary has served the country for twenty years, cultivating the emperor's virtue, suppressing favored officials, strictly evaluating performance, verifying names and realities, clarifying postal records, and investigating land use. He has revived the declining and destroyed, and cannot be said to be without talent. However, his authority is too great. His subordinates have relied on the Grand Secretary's authority and acted recklessly. They should be severely punished to serve as a warning to others."

“This matter is of great importance, and the degree of its severity is truly difficult to determine. Your Majesty, I humbly request your wise judgment.”

"It must have been difficult for Grand Secretary Lu." Zhu Yijun waved his hand, indicating that Lu Guangzu should return to his post. The emperor was right, the prime minister was right, he played a game of cat and mouse, and finally asked the emperor to make a judgment, passing the ball back to the emperor.

It wasn't that Lu Guangzu didn't know what to do; he simply dared not offend Zhang Juzheng. It was best for the Zhang family to resolve the internal strife themselves.

Lu Guangzu seemed to say nothing, but he subtly expressed his stance. He dared not get involved easily, even though Wang Zhuan's case was being handled by Zhang Men's Xu Chengchu, not by him, Lu Guangzu.

This confirms Zhang Juzheng's statement that the Zhang faction was powerful, the officials were speechless, and the Ming Dynasty's error correction mechanism was ineffective against the Zhang faction.

Lu Guangzu's attitude was that he should be severely punished.

Zhu Yijun had been emperor for twenty years, and he could understand the meaning behind his ministers' words.

"Then let's do as you say, and also strip him of his official rank." Zhu Yijun increased the punishment, removing him from his official position and stripping him of his academic titles, which was already a very severe punishment.

“Sir, in any case, Wang Zhuan’s efforts to strengthen the river defenses have been of great merit to the nation, so there’s no need to say more,” Zhu Yijun added, seeing that Zhang Juzheng was about to speak further.

Wang Zhuan's study on river defense mainly focused on determining the defenses along the Yangtze River, targeting both river pirates and Japanese pirates.

Although the Japanese have not dared to invade the Ming Dynasty's sea borders since the establishment of the Ming Navy, Wang Zhuan's river defense assessment has revitalized the Yangtze River, and Wang Zhuan deserves some credit for the successful opening of the sea today.

As Lu Guangzu said, if we continue to pursue the matter relentlessly, it will dampen the enthusiasm of scholars across the country to serve the country.

Some people do indeed drift apart as time goes by, but he remains a capable minister of the Ming Dynasty.

"This guilty subject kowtows to thank Your Majesty for your great kindness!" Wang Zhuan finally understood that once Zhang Juzheng took action, no one dared to plead for him. Only with His Majesty's insistence was he able to have a somewhat dignified ending.

He served as Zhang Juzheng's apprentice for thirty years, doing countless things for Zhang Juzheng, yet he has ended up like this today!

But after thinking about it, Wang Zhuan finally sighed. It was no wonder that Zhang Juzheng disregarded the bond between teacher and student.

Good and evil are determined by one's actions, and fortune and misfortune are brought upon oneself. Zhang Juzheng had reminded him several times, both openly and secretly, but he was still blinded by greed and refused to correct his mistakes. Wasn't he just the chicken that was killed to warn the monkey?

Deserve it.

To rise to the emperor's court in the morning and become a peasant in the evening—that's already an excellent outcome.

Fortunately, the country is now stable and there is no factional strife in the court. If it were the situation in the early years of Wanli, the Jin faction would have used him as a pretext to pester him relentlessly. Wang Zhuan does not know the outcome of the factional strife, but he probably would not have a good ending.

"You may leave." Zhu Yijun waved his hand, indicating that Wang Zhuan could leave the court.

Wang Zhuan bowed again before standing up. He bowed and retreated to the entrance of the Wenhua Hall before turning around and stepping out of the hall. As soon as he stepped out, the imperial guards surrounded him and removed his official hat, belt, and robes. Zhang Hong handed him a Confucian robe, and the imperial guards helped Wang Zhuan put it on.

The emperor had no intention of humiliating his minister, and had Wang Zhuan change into a Confucian robe and leave with dignity.

Wang Zhuan put on his Confucian robe, turned around, and bowed deeply to the emperor on the platform, saying obsequiously, "This humble subject bids farewell to Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!"

After bidding farewell to the emperor, Wang Zhuan stood up, walked down the platform of Wenhua Hall, and went to Zuoshun Gate. He stood there for a long, long time. He had spent half his life passing the imperial examination and then another half of his life stumbling and falling to become a high-ranking official and ascending to the Emperor's Hall. This was the last time he would see Wenhua Hall and Wenyuan Pavilion.

"He only has himself to blame." Wang Zhuan finally sighed and left the palace under the guidance of the eunuch.

"Sir, I did not strip him of his official title because I intended to send him to Japan to atone for his crimes," Zhu Yijun said with a hint of regret after Wang Zhuan left.

Wang Zhuan was very capable and did an excellent job supervising the defense of the Yangtze River. His "Examination of Yangtze River Defense" in six volumes was no less significant to the Ming Dynasty than Liang Menglong's "Examination of Maritime Transport".

Zhu Yijun planned to wait until Zhang Juzheng's internal purge had passed before re-employing Wang Zhuan, sending him to Japan to atone for his crimes and continue to serve the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty had many incompetent officials but few virtuous and capable ministers. Wang Zhuan was one of the most exemplary officials. Zhu Yijun would cherish any talented person he encountered, but there were simply too few capable people to use.

"If we don't punish them severely, how can we turn the blade inward?" Zhang Juzheng sighed, bowed his head, and returned to his post. Wang Zhuan's case was merely the prelude to the internal purge within Zhang's faction.

What Zhang Juzheng was most worried about was that the emperor intended to reinstate him!
Zhang Juzheng knew very well whether Wang Zhuan was capable or not. He became the top henchman of the Zhang family not because of nepotism, but because of his ability. Traitorous officials are all bad people, not fools.

Once the emperor takes a liking to talent and reinstates Wang Zhuan, Wang Zhuan's return to the court is almost a certainty, which would mean that the recent large-scale purge would be completely justified.

The court discussion continued, but the officials were somewhat distracted. On the eighth day of the first lunar month, Zhang Juzheng gave all the officials of the Ming Dynasty a severe baptism of fire.

If Zhang Juzheng dared to kill even his own top henchman, then he would show even less mercy to others. For a time, the minds of the court officials were no longer on state affairs.

It's still the Lunar New Year period, and there's nothing else major happening.

Last year, the capital city experienced three consecutive blizzards. The snowfall in Suiyuan was so heavy that it blocked the doors. There was no drought in Shaanxi, Gansu, and Suiyuan. The emperor even visited the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and took five days to reflect on his health, thanking the heavens for the heavy snow that spared these already impoverished areas further hardship.

In addition to favorable weather, the Ming Dynasty's annual revenue reached a new high last year. For the first time in the nineteenth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, the Ming court's annual revenue exceeded 60 million taels of silver, reaching 6012 million taels. Of this, land tax was less than 10 million taels, amounting to 924 million taels. His Majesty once again reduced land tax last year to counteract the celestial anomaly. Commercial tax reached 5088 million taels, far exceeding the previous year's 4658 million taels.

Of this 5088 million taels of silver, more than 120 million taels came from the diversion of funds from the Yangtze River diversion bureau. This was a legacy of Wang Zhuan's efforts to rectify the river defenses by imitating the management methods of the imperial highways.

The rectification of the river defenses brought the court more than 1.2 million taels of silver in tax revenue each year, while Wang Zhuan embezzled a total of about 320,000 taels of silver from the eighth year of the Wanli reign to the nineteenth year.

Wang Zhuan's stance and position were not problematic, so how could the emperor make up his mind to severely punish Wang Zhuan?

Back then, Yan Song went to great lengths and spent five or six years trying to find 100 million taels of silver to repair Yongshou Palace for the Taoist priest.

The advent of the Shengping No. 10 Iron Horse represents a further step forward in the miniaturization technology of steam engines in the Ming Dynasty. It is also beneficial to the improvement of the previous nine types of small-horsepower steam engines. The influence of the Ming Dynasty Iron Horse is gradually spreading along the imperial roads to the entire territory of the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty acquired vast wealth from overseas, which spurred technological improvements and advancements, further enhancing its productivity. This was the fundamental way to cope with the changing times.

More good news has come from Xuzhou: the first phase of the Xuzhou Machinery Factory has been completed ahead of schedule, and various small iron horses and machinery have been manufactured, with improvements in miniaturization and weight reduction.

These were all good news, but Zhang Juzheng's internal reforms still caused great concern among the court officials.

"Sir, please stay. Court is adjourned." Zhu Yijun, seeing that the officials were all preoccupied with their own thoughts, did not continue the court discussion but instead ended it, asking Zhang Juzheng to stay.

Seeing the situation, Ling Yunyi was afraid that the emperor and Zhang Juzheng would really get into a fight, so he chose to stay even without an imperial edict. The three of them went to the Wenhua Hall and Tonghe Palace Imperial Study, where they discussed matters for an hour before it finally ended.

The good news is that the emperor and the prime minister did not quarrel.

The bad news is that Zhang Juzheng persuaded the emperor to conduct a thorough investigation of all his associates for corruption and bribery.

“Prime Minister, Shen Shixing has been reprimanded and Wang Zhuan has been dismissed. Your plan is good, but it is a bit too harsh.” Ling Yunyi was sitting on the small train heading to Wenyuan Pavilion, discussing the purge with Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Juzheng, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them upon hearing Ling Yunyi speak. His expression was somewhat complicated as he said, "I have personally witnessed the Yan Party, Xu Party, and Jin Party rise to prominence, host lavish banquets, and then collapse. I cannot leave Your Majesty a towering building that is destined to crumble."

"The Yan faction, the Xu faction, the Qingliu faction, and the Jin faction were not the greatest scourges to the country from the beginning. They were all aiming to save the nation and prevent its collapse."

“Wang Chonggu was a scholar who passed the imperial examination. He quelled the Japanese pirates in the south and resisted the barbarians in the north. He never thought of becoming a treacherous minister or a minister who would harm the country. But the Jin faction pushed him to that point.”

"This is all I can do; there is no other way."

Zhang Juzheng thoroughly persuaded His Majesty in the Imperial Study of Tonghe Palace to support his self-criticism. The reason given was that if the Zhang faction were not cleaned up, it would follow in the footsteps of the Xu faction, engaging in corruption, bribery, abuse of power, protecting the unworthy, and disrupting the law and the government.

Once Zhang's faction reached this point, it would become universally condemned due to widespread opposition, and the Wanli Reforms would ultimately become just a ripple in the long river of history.

"The reform movement must begin with governing the officials; without governing the officials, failure is inevitable." Zhang Juzheng reiterated his reform principles, stating that nothing can be accomplished without governing the officials.

"Alright, alright, you're right, you're right!" Ling Yunyi waved his hands repeatedly, no longer trying to persuade him. As Zhang Juzheng got older, he became more and more stubborn and less sentimental, completely opposite to Wang Chonggu, who was overly sentimental.

"Prime Minister, has His Majesty issued any imperial edict regarding the matter of the emperor residing in Songjiang Prefecture next year?" Ling Yunyi brought up another matter.

Zhang Juzheng said with a strange expression, "His Majesty has agreed, and Songjiang Prefecture has made full preparations. However, the officials of the Southern Court are not so happy about it. In recent days, the Southern Censor and the Southern Court Censor have submitted a series of memorials requesting His Majesty to stay in Yingtian."

"Yingtian Governor Wang Xiyuan has done a good job of renovating the Southern Palace on the shore of Mochou Lake, setting up offices and leaving positions vacant."

“Nan Ya didn’t know he had repented; he knew he was going to die.” Ling Yunyi looked at the gloomy sky outside the carriage window. After a gust of cold wind, snowflakes began to fall again in the capital. It was as if the heavens were playing a trick on him. Last year, there was no snow at all, but this year, heavy snow fell continuously, and after the New Year, a gentle rain fell.

Spring rain is a good thing; this year's spring planting season will be much easier for people.

Once the emperor decides to reside in Songjiang Prefecture, Nanjing, Yingtian Prefecture, will be practically rendered useless, becoming just another ordinary prefecture in the Ming Dynasty. Songjiang Prefecture will gradually take over all of Yingtian Prefecture's functions. Now you know how to show your loyalty? Too late!
The fifth major case of the Wanli Emperor was the selection of tribute officials in the sixteenth year of his reign. The following year, during the emperor's southern tour, 622 powerful local gentry families in the Southern Court were executed. His Majesty personally went to the Southern Court to supervise the executions.

"Does the Grand Secretary think the Southern Prefecture or Songjiang Prefecture is better?" Ling Yunyi asked.

"What does the Second Minister think?"

Ling Yunyi answered very quickly: "Songjiang Prefecture".

"His Majesty thinks so too." Zhang Juzheng played the role of a conservative in the court, and he genuinely thought Yingtian Prefecture was good because it was the place where the Ming Dynasty rose to power.

"Does the Grand Secretary favor Yingtian Prefecture?" Ling Yunyi asked, somewhat surprised.

"It's not up to me, it's up to His Majesty," Zhang Juzheng replied with a smile. He and the emperor often disagreed, and sometimes he persuaded His Majesty, and sometimes His Majesty persuaded him.

On the afternoon of the first day of the Lunar New Year, the emperor went to his residence at the Marquis of Yicheng and discussed this matter. The emperor persuaded him to confirm that the emperor would reside in Songjiang Prefecture starting from the 21st year of the Wanli reign.

After leaving his post as Marquis of Yicheng, the emperor went to the neighboring General's Mansion to pay his respects for the New Year, something the emperor did every year.

On the other hand, how could an emperor pay New Year's greetings to his subjects? But when the emperor was coming, Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang had no choice but to dismantle the threshold so that His Majesty could walk on flat ground.

Zhang Juzheng felt that stationing the emperor in Songjiang Prefecture was too resolute and left no way out. It represented a decision to go all out and not look back on opening up the sea. Once the emperor stationed his emperor in Songjiang Prefecture, it meant that the Ming Dynasty had completely abandoned the option of closing the country to the outside world.

The decision to stay in Yingtian Prefecture was even more strategic, using the pretext of paying homage to Emperor Taizu Gao. If His Majesty grew tired or decided not to open the seas in the future, the decision could be canceled at any time, and officials could be dispatched to perform the ceremony.

The emperor's reason for persuading Zhang Juzheng was simple: he wanted to build five large tiled houses for the Ming Dynasty, and only after the five large tiled houses were built could the success of the Wanli Reform of the Ming Dynasty be declared.

The Dinghai education system was too expensive, so the only option was to expand overseas.

That's how education is. To promote universal education, you have to spend money. This stuff is really too expensive, even more difficult than ensuring that everyone in the Ming Dynasty could have enough to eat.

"Then let's go with Songjiang Prefecture." After some deliberation, Ling Yunyi finally made this choice.

"Second Grand Secretary, what do you think of Gao Qiyu?" Zhang Juzheng asked Ling Yunyi, bringing up Gao Qiyu.

Ling Yunyi looked at Zhang Juzheng and said with certainty, "It's a waste of his talents to make him Grand Minister of Rites. It would be better for him to be the Second Grand Minister. Shen Shixing is still somewhat gentle and kind. If Shen Shixing were to become the Grand Minister, his gentle and kind nature, which makes him want to be thorough in everything, would cause him to suffer a great loss. Gao Qiyu is a bit more ruthless."

“This time it’s not Gao Qiyu who initiated the impeachment, but his decision to host a banquet will cause a lot of trouble in the future.”

"That's fine." After saying that, Zhang Juzheng closed his eyes to rest again. The upcoming purge of the party would definitely be a raging storm. He was sixty-nine years old and getting old, so it was already a bit difficult for him.

Shen Shixing was very clever. During the New Year, he met with all of Zhang Juzheng's followers. It wasn't that Shen Shixing didn't guess what Zhang Juzheng was going to do; it was just his personality. Although he had learned how to make choices after taking office in Songjiang Prefecture, Shen Shixing was still not ruthless enough and still wanted to be thorough in everything.

Having just taken the party leadership, Shen Shixing knew he should meet with some people and avoid others. For example, he met with Wang Zhuan. Shen Shixing knew that Xu Chengchu was investigating Wang Zhuan, but he still felt that Wang Zhuan and Zhang Juzheng's thirty-year teacher-student relationship shouldn't have deteriorated to this extent.

Gao Qiyu is ruthless, ruthless to himself and even more ruthless to others. Moreover, he follows the path of a loyal minister, which can effectively compensate for Shen Shixing's gentle and benevolent nature.

Throughout the first month of the lunar calendar, a vigorous purge of the party began. This upheaval even overshadowed the upcoming twenty-year imperial examinations. Starting with Wang Zhuan, many of Zhang's followers were taken away by the Anti-Corruption Bureau and disappeared without a trace.

“This won’t do. The cabinet will know in the next chapter. Fu Zuozhou must be protected.” Zhu Yijun flipped through the list of the Anti-Corruption Department and decided to protect one person: a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the fifth year of the Longqing reign. He was currently serving as the Vice Censor-in-Chief in Yingtian Prefecture, overseeing river defense and the affairs of the Longjiang Shipyard. He was a model official.

Fu Zuozhou was a fellow townsman of Zhang Juzheng, from Jiangling County, Jingzhou Prefecture. Xu Chengchu investigated and found that Fu Zuozhou had abused his power and accepted bribes, totaling 40,000 taels of silver.

Judging from the facts, Fu Zuozhou's demotion by three ranks and the fact that he paid bribes are established and irrefutable evidence.

However, Fu Zuozhou was in charge of the expansion of the Longjiang Shipyard. During his last southern tour, Fu Zuozhou had already presented this matter to the emperor and received the emperor's leniency. Some of the money was not accepted by Fu Zuozhou, which made the merchants uneasy.

The main issues involved expansion and construction, ship quotas, and ship passage through customs. If Fu Zuozhou, the governor of the river defense, hadn't collected this small amount of money from the merchants, these merchants would have been exploited along the way when they traveled to the hinterland of Huguang.

Living off the water, how many private customs posts have been set up along the Yangtze River? Local governments, when it comes to exploiting people, show no mercy whatsoever.

If Fu Zuozhou didn't accept the silver, the merchants would lose more money than they gained from the trip, so they wouldn't bother going at all.

"Your subject obeys the decree." Feng Bao accepted the order, but still felt uneasy, so he went to the Grand Secretariat in person and met with Zhang Juzheng, relaying the emperor's verbatim edict to Zhang Juzheng.

"During the Southern Tour in the seventeenth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, Fu Zuozhou had already met with the Emperor and presented his memorial to him. The Emperor had already pardoned him at that time, saying: 'Minister Fu has worked tirelessly for the country. The defense of the Yangtze River is a matter of great importance and cannot be neglected.'"

"After Fu Zuozhou left, His Majesty said to me: 'If I had issued an imperial edict, the local government would not have set up private checkpoints to levy taxes on passing merchant ships, and our Great Ming Dynasty would have been peaceful and prosperous long ago.'"

After recounting the past, Feng Bao changed the subject and said in a low voice, "Prime Minister, let Fu Zuozhou go for now. After all, His Majesty personally pardoned him."

“When an upright official is to get things done, he inevitably has to make compromises. The Prime Minister’s investigation into Fu Zuozhou was still too harsh. It didn’t even reach the threshold of 50,000 taels of silver for the Anti-Corruption Bureau.”

Zhang Juzheng then said, "Since Your Majesty is lenient, then let it be."

Not everyone is like Shen Shixing, who is favored by the emperor and can still have a bright future even after being demoted three ranks. If Fu Zuozhou were demoted three ranks, he would be impeached by the censors within half a year and would have to submit a memorial to resign.

"Then I'll return to the palace to report." Feng Bao breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Zhang Juzheng's agreement, fearing that Zhang Juzheng might change his mind, and quickly left.

Wang Zhuan has already been dismissed from his post and stripped of his honors. Everyone on the Yangtze River defense line is in danger. If even Fu Zuozhou falls, this line will cause some trouble that His Majesty does not want to see.

A model official is certainly not a paragon of integrity, because a model official, in order to get things done, will inevitably compromise. Zhang Juzheng's rigorous internal review system could easily constrain a model official.

Internal purges are absolutely necessary. Without renewal, this party will sooner or later follow in the footsteps of the Jin party.

However, the degree of exertion involved is extremely difficult to control.

(End of this chapter)