Wanli Ming Emperor

Chapter 189: Migrating out of the Valley and Regrouping

The seventh year of Wanli, October 11, afternoon.

Wenhua Hall, warm room.

……

"Shi Yaochen and Lin Xun are actually not bad people. It's a pity to let them go."

There was a charcoal fire burning in the warm room. Zhang Juzheng was wearing a plain dress and a corner belt, sitting on a low stool and said regretfully.

Zhang Juzheng went to the palace to resign today - although he would only be retired for three months, the procedures could not be omitted.

Of course, it is only natural to discuss serious matters before leaving and to give instructions to colleagues and disciples.

Zhu Yijun heard this, but he did not raise his head from reading the memorials: "Even if I have the talent to govern the country, I can only regret it if I cannot use it for the new policy."

He circled a memorial, put it aside, and picked up another one: "Besides, forcing them to make their stance clear is just bullying them for having any shame, right?"

"Shameless people like them are still hiding in the court."

Distinguishing between friend and foe has always been the most difficult thing.

The movement in the southern suburbs seemed easy, but in fact it had been brewing for several months before it was effective.

Even so, we can only distinguish those that jump so hard that they cannot be hidden, and those that are too shameless to hide.

As for some court officials who are determined to endure hardships, they can only force their way forward and there is no way to take shortcuts - when doing things, their attitudes will always be revealed slowly.

Zhang Juzheng put his hand on the charcoal fire to keep warm and reminded: "More than 190 officials have been dismissed this time. This is already a serious injury. We cannot escalate the situation any further."

What does it mean to have one hundred and ninety officials in Beijing?

At least 30% of the backbone personnel of each department are missing!
If the 200 additional Jinshi scholars had not been admitted in the 2nd and 5th years of the Wanli reign, the daily affairs of various departments would probably have been affected.

Zhu Yijun couldn't help but smile when he heard this: "Is it a lot? Not much."

What are these people?
In history, the man who sat on the throne had been vacant for twenty years without being replaced, but didn't he still live his life as usual?

He added the number of Jinshi candidates ahead of time and immediately started to fill official positions. He was fully prepared and would definitely not cause any trouble.

Of course, Zhu Yijun had no intention of escalating the situation for the time being.

Zhang Juzheng stretched out his hand to warm himself by the fire, quietly looking at the emperor behind the desk.

Beneath the emperor's angular face, one can still vaguely see the childish and precocious shadow of his past.

But in the blink of an eye, it was able to protect Zhang Juzheng from wind and rain.

He saw the calmness with which the memorial was handled and was filled with emotion.

The emperor has really grown up.

Zhang Juzheng calmed down a little and asked, "How is your majesty going to end the matter of the Imperial Observatory?"

Seriously speaking, this is a bit unfair.

Even though it is in line with etiquette and regulations, its motives are still criticized.

Of course, the current popular saying is not that the emperor could not do this, but that Zhang Juzheng was not qualified to ask the emperor to do so - he would simply ruin the emperor's reputation.

Zhu Yijun slowly put down the red brush in his hand and looked up at Zhang Juzheng.

He glanced at the Prime Minister's rapidly thinning hair and said thoughtfully, "I intend to issue an edict to order the Grand Secretaries, the Six Ministers, the Chief Censor, and the Imperial Observatory to study further. After graduation, they will receive an assignment and this will be a permanent rule."

"After all, it's unrealistic for Shen Shixing and others to take it seriously as Yuan Fu did."

It’s not that Shen Shixing was not smart enough, but the reference of the cabinet ministers themselves seemed frivolous.

Now, with Hai Rui supervising the exam and using his reputation as an endorsement, the scholars and officials could not say anything.

But you certainly can’t do it the same way again, so you might as well customize it.

Just think of it as a privilege given to the cabinet and the second-rank yamen.

Zhang Juzheng touched his head unconsciously and said, "There won't be any obstacles in doing this now."

Zhu Yijun shook his head and said nothing.

It's also because his prestige is not as high as that of Emperor Taizu Gao, so he has no right to create ancestral systems on his own with just a few words. Otherwise, how could he have to use the ancestral system of this emperor like he is now?

But...it won't be too far.

After reviewing the last memorial, he put down his pen and stretched himself: "Let's go, sir. I will take you to the Meridian Gate."

Zhang Juzheng saw this and stood up as well: "I will go on my own. I dare not trouble Your Majesty."

Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "Sir, you are being polite. Of the cabinet ministers I could escort to the Meridian Gate, there were not many left. Yesterday, he helped Ma Gong to leave. Didn't he accept it calmly?"

After saying that, he turned around and walked out.

Zhang Juzheng followed reluctantly and said, "My situation is different from that of Mr. Ma. I will be back in three months."

The restriction was three months, but we were given extra leave for the journey, so we returned in March.

Zhu Yijun pushed open the door of the warm room, and a gust of cold wind blew in, causing the old man and the young man to both shrink their necks.

The eunuch outside the door hurried forward, put a cloak on the emperor, and handed another one to the prime minister.

Zhu Yijun rubbed his face and asked: "Has the Prime Minister gone to see Mr. Gao and Lu Gong?"

He did not ask Ma Ziqiang because the latter had gone to see Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Juzheng put on his cloak and said, "I went there this morning. Zixiang is still the same as before. He is conscious but can't get out of bed. However, Heqing's phlegm disease has improved slightly."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun sighed and said to himself: "When I am done with my work these few days, I will go see them."

While the two were talking, they walked out from under the eaves of Wenhua Hall, one in front and one behind.

Zhang Juzheng followed the emperor on the right side, half a step behind. Seeing that the eunuchs were following far behind, he continued the previous topic: "Your Majesty should add more cabinet ministers."

It would have been fine if they had intentionally let it go before, but now that no cabinet ministers are being appointed, Shen Shixing will be so busy that he will get sick.

At this point, Zhu Yijun could not help but feel a little regretful: "Originally, I wanted Yu Youding to join the cabinet after he finished his work on Shandong Salt Administration. Unfortunately, he is now confined to the position of Shandong Governor."

After saying this, he turned to look at Zhang Juzheng, with an ambiguous tone: "Sir, do you think Wang Xilie is in the main bedroom?"

He couldn't remember when Wang Xilie died.

But he was nearly 50 years old and died of heart failure just two months after taking office. It is hard not to think too much.

Zhang Juzheng was silent for a moment, then replied sternly, "Your Majesty, don't think too much about things that have no cause."

Zhu Yijun was speechless.

There was no snow in the sky, only the winter wind sweeping back and forth.

Zhu Yijun held his cloak tightly with his hands, skipped the previous topic, and continued to talk about the addition of cabinet ministers: "I prefer Wang Xijue to be the Minister of Personnel. When you come back, I will let him return to the Ministry of Personnel and work in the cabinet."

Zhang Juzheng was not surprised to hear this. After all, the emperor had been planning to let this person come to Beijing at the beginning of the year.

But he couldn't help but comment: "Wang Xijue has served as Nanjing's Vice Minister of Justice, Left Vice Minister of Rites, and Governor of Yingtian in recent years. His test scores have always been excellent. His family background and qualifications are suitable, but..."

"He just has a violent temper, quite like Earl Ding'an."

When Gao Gong was in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, he was impeached every other day, which was naturally related to his style of doing things.

Wang Xijue is no less capable than him.

Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "I will pay attention to it."

What we want is that Wang Xijue has a bad temper.

Otherwise, how could Shen Shixing suppress the six ministries, or even Wang Chonggu, in the past six months?
Since Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue were known as the "Suzhou Lovers", it was appropriate to use them during this window period between the cabinet and the officials.

Zhang Juzheng saw that the emperor had made up his mind, so he didn't say anything else, but immediately asked, "Where are the officials from the six ministries?"

After the Nanjiao incident, half of the officials in the six ministries had lost their positions, and it would be impossible not to fill their positions.

The two of them walked out of Wenhua Hall and onto the Imperial Road.

Zhu Yijun hesitated for a moment and said, "I am still a little unsure. Please give me some advice, sir."

Zhang Juzheng followed behind the emperor and did not say anything to refuse - it had been like this in recent years.

Zhu Yijun moved closer to Zhang Juzheng, in case the old man's ears were not working well due to his old age: "Now the Minister of Rites Ma Ziqiang has retired, the Left Vice Minister Zhao Jin has retired, and only the Right Vice Minister Lin Shizhang is left."

"I intend to let He Luowen, the chief priest of the Imperial College, take over the post of Left Vice Minister. As for the position of Minister, I am still undecided."

It’s not that there is no one available, the question is who is more suitable.

Zhang Juzheng was a little surprised when he heard this: "Is it inappropriate for Lin Shizhang to be promoted to Shangshu?"

Lin Shizhang was the third place in the imperial examination in the 38th year of Jiajing. His seniority was much greater than Xu Guozhang's. It was rather inappropriate for him to be ranked below Xu Guozhang.

Zhu Yijun replied helplessly: "I have thought about it, but after the investigation, the Ministry of Personnel said that Lin Shizhang colluded with foreigners and collected taxes privately, and the censor impeached him for not being able to bear the sacrificial rites."

"In addition, I have been in office for two years and have seen Zhao Jin act up and down, and he has not been open to me, so I am not too reassured."

Zhang Juzheng hesitated to speak.

The impeachment of Lin Shizhang by the Kedao was just a minor matter.

As for letting Zhao Jin go, it was not a heinous crime. No one could say for sure whether Minister Lin wanted to stage a "Zheng Bo defeats Duan Yu Yan" incident. After all, it was the emperor who let Zhao Jin go first.

However, since the emperor said he was worried, there was nothing much to say.

Zhang Juzheng gave up the idea of ​​giving advice and searched for a suitable candidate in his mind. After a moment, he said, "How about Wang Zongyi?"

When Zhu Yijun heard the name, he did not answer for a moment, but started to think seriously.

Wang Zongyi was a Jinshi in the 17th year of Jiajing, and was once known as "a man who has reached the top eight positions and is expected to serve in three dynasties". His qualifications were definitely sufficient. In fact, because he refused the solicitation of Yan Song and his son, he was also very suitable for the position of Minister of Rites in terms of reputation in the literati circle.

The only bad thing about him is that he is a little too practical. Whether he is a county magistrate or a court official, he is always prudent, diligent and quick-witted, and he corrects long-standing malpractices.

Even the common people say that he "works hard for the country and the people without complaint." This kind of person is suitable for doing practical things, but is not suitable for the Ministry of Rites.

Especially if this person sits in the position of Minister of Rites... I'm afraid that the good days of Zhu Yijun being able to order Ma Ziqiang around at will in recent years will be gone forever.

But after weighing the pros and cons, Zhu Yijun could not find a more suitable candidate than Wang Zongyi.

Finally, the emperor nodded slowly: "Good."

Having said that, Zhu Yijun did not stop and simply told the arrangements of the six ministries one by one: "The Ministry of War has a vacancy for a right assistant minister this time, and I prefer Chen Jingbang."

"The position of the Minister of Personnel vacated by Chen Yu's retirement will not be filled for the time being. Yao Hongmo will be allowed to assist Wang Xijue. He is honest and dutiful, so the two of them can get along well with each other."

"As for the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, I prefer Xu Guo."

"I don't have a candidate for the right vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue to be the governor of the warehouses at the moment."

Zhang Juzheng listened quietly to the emperor's detailed account.

When the emperor mentioned the Ministry of Revenue, Zhang Juzheng immediately responded: "How about Fan Yingqi?"

Zhu Yijun's pace suddenly slowed down.

Fan Yingqi...Zhu Yijun couldn't help but hesitate.

There is nothing wrong with Xiao Fanren. He was born as a top scholar and is now the Minister of the Ministry of Rites. His qualifications and resume are just right.

It seems like the family tradition is not very good - the family tried to merge land, which accidentally caused a mass incident, and finally the top scholar was forced to commit suicide. The situation is really complicated.

After thinking for a while, Zhu Yijun decided to give him a chance: "Then let's do as you said, I will let Shen Shixing recommend him later."

That's the difference between being in power and not being in power.

The right to nominate officials for the six ministries lies with the court.

If the emperor is not in power, let alone want to employ someone, he won't even be able to see their name.

As for now...of course we should be considerate to Shen Shixing and let him be a good husband in his comfort zone.

In just a few words, the candidates for the new term of officials in the six ministries were decided. It seemed an easy task, but in fact, Zhu Yijun had already felt the shortage of talent.

After familiar faces like Zhang Juzheng and Shen Shixing were discovered, the others had to be screened over and over again for their abilities and trustworthiness - Lin Shizhang was one of those who failed.

This will inevitably consume a lot of Zhu Yijun's time and energy.

Just like the officials of various departments just discussed, He Luowen, Chen Jingbang, Xu Guo, and Fan Yingqi, they were all Jinshi in the 44th year of Jiajing, and were born as daily lecturers. Since the first year of Wanli, they have served in local areas and the two capitals of the north and the south. It is only now that they have completed the training of their abilities and the screening of trust.

But it was also said that this was due to his background as a Japanese lecturer.

After this, Zhu Yijun could no longer spend a lot of time on daily lectures and imperial lectures as he did before.

All I can say is... the value of Zhongshu Sheren is still rising.

Just as he was thinking about something, Zhang Juzheng's voice brought Zhu Yijun's voice back.

"Your Majesty, after I leave, Your Majesty must think twice before doing anything."

The Meridian Gate was in sight and Zhang Juzheng had already begun to say goodbye.

Zhu Yijun took his hand out of his cloak and grabbed Zhang Juzheng: "Sir, you just said that half a year is not a long time."

Zhang Juzheng had no choice but to let the emperor grab his hands out of his cloak and expose himself to the cold wind.

He continued to talk about business: "Your Majesty, once the land survey and household liquidation have begun, the situation has become increasingly serious. After the central government is done with this, it can still be quiet for a while, but the local areas will probably not be willing to be left out. Your Majesty must remember to proceed slowly."

Zhu Yijun nodded.

He was mentally prepared for Zhang Juzheng's reminder and would not take it lightly.

What was the scene like when Zhang Juzheng measured the land in history?
It was the report of the Fengyang Governor Jiang Yilin that in the Jiangbei area, the military and civilians lived together and bandits were rampant.

The Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi reported that bandits have been rampant recently.

It was Wang Tingshan, the governor of Sichuan, who reported that Zhao, Jianchang and other counties had suffered tragic burns and looting.

Well, this only appeared within a month.

In addition, the Japanese pirates from Zhejiang, the green forest bandits from Shandong, the miners from Huguang, and the white lotus from Henan all emerged at once as if they were in a hurry.

If we respect objective laws, these things should also be placed on Zhu Yijun's desk later.

This is called being unwilling to be lonely.

But at the same time, the center cannot be led by these things.

No matter how intense it is, the land reclamation cannot stop. After the land reclamation is completed, the banditry will gradually subside.

Zhu Yijun grabbed Zhang Juzheng's hand and said sincerely, "Don't worry, sir. I can save it."

He paused and continued, "The tax officials who have passed the examinations in the Ministry of Revenue in recent years will be deployed with the Jinyiwei after the new year to supervise the local areas."

"We will strive to complete the land survey and household clearance within three years."

The field is measured using the open method, which involves multiplying and dividing the diameter and circumference, and cutting and supplementing any odd numbers.

A clerk who is not good at math cannot do this.

Therefore, it is reasonable for the central government to send some talented people to reinforce local areas.

As for the Jinyiwei, it is only reasonable that they are there for self-defense.

Zhang Juzheng asked curiously, "Who will supervise this matter?"

Zhu Yijun already had an idea in mind: "Shen Li."

Zhang Juzheng was silent for a moment, recalling Shen Li in his mind.

To be honest, he didn't have a very good impression of this person.

It was because he was Gao Gong's fellow Henan native that he refused Ding'an Earl's recruitment.

Zhang Juzheng inevitably heard a lot of insults about Shen Li.

Now that I have calmed down and examined it, I suddenly feel that this old-fashioned thing seems to be just right for this job.

Zhang Juzheng nodded slowly: "Your Majesty has his own ideas."

After saying this, he hesitated for a moment, and could not help but warn: "Your Majesty, you must restrain the tax officials and the Jinyiwei to prevent them from making trouble out of nothing."

Zhu Yijun didn't mind hearing this, but smiled and said, "So I will send the censor and the eunuchs to supervise together."

It is not easy to set up the tax police framework, but it is not difficult to handle special matters in a special way, which can be regarded as the foundation.

When the two men walked in front of the Meridian Gate, Zhang Juzheng felt that there were still too many things he had not explained, so he stood in front of the Meridian Gate for a while.

Zhang Juzheng looked at the emperor's figure obscurely and said, "Your Majesty, after the New Year's Day this year, you may review the Beijing troops."

After the emperor ascended the throne, Zhang Juzheng mentioned this matter, but unfortunately the emperor rejected it on the grounds that his figure was not big enough to intimidate the soldiers.

Now, seven years later, the time is ripe.

Zhu Yijun still did not agree this time. Instead, after thinking for a moment, he replied cautiously: "I will discuss this with Lord Wang and Governor Gu later."

Although he didn't agree, he was moved in his heart.

Thanks to his good balanced eating habits of meat, eggs and milk, as well as the comprehensive development of morning exercises, jogging and archery, he was almost 1.7 meters tall when he turned 17.

You don't have to worry too much about your physical appearance, the only thing you have to consider is the political impact.

As long as Wang Chonggu supports it and Shi Maohua from the Ministry of War does not react too strongly, there won't be any big problems.

Zhang Juzheng took off his cloak and returned it to the eunuch. Then he looked at the emperor and said hesitantly, "Your Majesty, if Shen Shixing cannot control the situation, Your Majesty may write to me."

The reason for his hesitation was, of course, that the words were a bit presumptuous.

But he couldn't help but say it.

Zhu Yijun couldn't help but grin after hearing this: "Well, I haven't done anything stupid in the past eight years, sir, you can go back home with peace of mind."

As he spoke, he took the cloak again and put it back on Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Juzheng himself felt that he had lost his composure and could not help but smile at each other.

He put away his thoughts, took a half step back, and bowed to the emperor: "I am leaving, Your Majesty, please be careful."

Zhu Yijun nodded: "I will go up to the tower and see you off, sir."

After saying that, one of them turned around and walked out of the Meridian Gate, while the other climbed the stairs to the city wall.

Zhang Juzheng walked away, and Zhu Yijun stood on the city wall, leaning on the railing and looking into the distance.

After Zhang Juzheng's back disappeared on the Thousand-Step Imperial Road, Zhu Yijun spoke slowly, "My dear, is there anything else I haven't done?"

Zhang Hong had aged a bit in the past four years. He stood behind the emperor. Upon hearing this, he took a step forward and bowed, answering, "Your Majesty, you said at the beginning of this month that you would personally visit Shuntian Prefecture after the affairs of the southern suburbs were completed."

Zhu Yijun suddenly remembered this matter and forgot to choose the candidate for the governor of Shuntian Prefecture.

He tilted his head to look at Zhang Hong and said, "Daban, send someone to give a note to Shen Shixing and Wang Chonggu respectively."

"Tomorrow the court will discuss and nominate the governor of Shuntian Prefecture to accompany me on a tour of Shuntian Prefecture."

"Also, discuss matters concerning the New Year's Day military parade."

　I couldn't sleep recently and felt a little anxious. I found a particularly healing travel blogger, who was like a traveling bullfrog. His name was Lan Zhanfei (this only represents my personal short-term feelings after watching the video, and I am not responsible for any inappropriate remarks that may appear in the future)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)