I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 159 The Crown Prince and I both want you to join the cabinet
Wang Guoguang, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, sat in the sedan chair, squinting his eyes, his body swaying slightly with the swaying of the sedan chair.

Prime Minister Xu Ge Lao came to find me.

Ever since the clerk ran to the Ministry of Revenue to report the matter, Wang Guoguang has been feeling uneasy.

There is no other reason. The most difficult job among the six ministries in the Jiajing Dynasty was that of the Ministry of Revenue.

In the past, when Yan Song was abusing his power, the Minister of Revenue was a thorn in his side. Ever since the former Minister of Revenue, Li'an Gong (Fang Dun), was moved to Nanjing by Yan Song, the Minister of Revenue has been replaced like a passing fancy, and would resign after only a few months in office.

Sometimes it remains vacant for months.

No one wants to do this hard work.

The heavy responsibility of the Ministry of Revenue fell entirely on the shoulders of the left and right assistant ministers.

Wang Guoguang was transferred from the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture to the right vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue. The previous left vice minister Hu Qingxu threw many trivial matters of the ministry to him.

Caught in a dilemma, Wang Guoguang felt like he was a paperhanger, and used all his skills to paper up the leaky doors and windows of the Ming Dynasty.

After working for more than a year, there is only one word to describe me: tired!

The Prime Minister Xu Ge Lao is looking for me today. What’s the matter?

Wang Guoguang went over all the major and minor events in the court in his mind and suddenly thought of something.

I heard that the Emperor's health has not been good since autumn. Could it be that Lord Xu is looking for me to prepare the expenses for the Emperor's death and the Crown Prince's enthronement?
The death of the previous emperor and the accession of the new emperor to the throne was a major event for most subjects, and for some it was a great thing. But for the Ministry of Revenue, it was like the collapse of heaven and earth.

The national mourning and the new emperor's ascension to the throne were two major events combined, and money was spent like water. The already huge hole in the Ming Dynasty's treasury turned into a bottomless pit.

"Master, we have arrived at the Meridian Gate." The attendant said at the window of the sedan chair.

Wang Guoguang let out a long sigh, adjusted his official hat, lifted up his clothes, and crawled out from under the curtain of the sedan chair lifted by his followers. He glanced at the towering Meridian Gate, took a long breath, and walked towards the side door.

After checking my badge, I entered the attic on the side, where people were coming and going in an orderly manner. Everyone seemed to be a little cautious, walking in small steps and not daring to make a noise.

A minor official took him and took him to a side room to sit down.

"Minister Wang, Lord Xu is meeting a guest. Please wait a moment. Have some tea."

Wang Guoguang sat down, picked up the teacup, and fell into thought again.

What should we do with such a big hole? When asked by Lord Xu, we must come up with a solution.

Xu Jie meets his favorite student Zhang Juzheng.

"After one year of experience in Shandong, I have done very well and made great progress," Xu Jie said happily.

Zhang Juzheng smiled bitterly, "Thank you, teacher. I did a good job, but I was secretly squeezed out by those aristocratic officials in Shandong."

Xu Jie leaned back on the armchair, stroked his beard, and said with a smile: "Uncle, you reformed the horse policy in Shandong, and collected 110,000 taels of silver in horse and horse feed money in one year. Now the Ming Dynasty is short of silver. Whoever can collect the silver will be a capable official!
I also know the following idiotic things. You reformed the horse policy in Shandong, implemented new laws, and compensated the leaks with silver. You also specifically targeted the aristocratic gentry to collect money. They are misers, and they feel that they have lost money if they make less, not to mention that you are taking money out of their wallets.

I sent people to the capital to bribe the censors and impeach you one after another. It was a mess. I heard that you were not polite either, you found some trouble and dealt with more than a dozen aristocratic families. "

Zhang Juzheng immediately replied, "Yes, teacher."

Xu Jie nodded: "That's how it should be! You are an official, the governor of Shandong, in charge of the civil and military affairs of a province, you don't need them to teach you what to do! Those who come out of the Futai Yamen are Junling, not toilet paper! You have to teach them a lesson."

Zhang Juzheng bowed and said, "I got into some trouble in Shandong. I am grateful that you took care of me in the court. Otherwise, I would not be able to abolish the Ma regime and implement the new law."

Xu Jie waved his hand, not caring at all, "Uncle, I am confident in your work, and so is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I heard that Lu Beishan also invited you to ride on a large sea ship, the prince's large sailing ship?"

"Teacher, do you also know about the prince's galleon?"

"Of course I know. This ship was built at the Wusong Shipyard, not far from my hometown. When it was launched, tens of thousands of people from nearby counties and cities came and were all shocked. It is said that the cannons on the ship are even more terrifying." Zhang Juzheng looked solemn and deep, muttering, "The power to destroy a country and a city is by no means an empty statement. The sound of its cannons shattered all the students' previous obsessions.

I have seen a new world, a completely different world. I was half-believing and half-doubting many of the things His Highness said before, and I didn’t believe some of them at all. But now, I dare not not believe them! "

Xu Jie's eyes narrowed and his hand stroking his beard slowed down.

Uncle Zhang went to Shandong and his whole spirit changed a lot, he became more reserved. Could it be that in Shandong, he saw many things he had never seen before?

"Uncle, you are a disciple of the Holy Church. With the sage teachings in your heart and your vast knowledge, you have passed the imperial examination and embarked on this path of officialdom. Your mission is to educate the world and create a harmonious world. Don't be distracted."

Zhang Juzheng straightened his face and said with a smile: "Teacher, you are joking. When we arrived in Shandong, the first thing we did was to go to Qufu to pay homage to the great sage.

It’s just that local affairs are trivial, complicated, and complicated, and there are also scumbags who mingle among them, bully the people, and do evil. What students want is to use education and law to solve the problem properly.”

Xu Jie was slightly relieved and continued, "Uncle, your transfer back to Beijing has nothing to do with those impeachment memorials in Shandong. Those are just bullshit, stinking and no one will take them seriously.

It was mainly my idea to transfer you back to the capital, and Your Highness the Crown Prince has no objection."

Zhang Juzheng's eyes flickered, and he was confused: "Teacher, what does this mean?"

Xu Jie leaned forward and lowered his voice, "The emperor's health is failing. It's worse than last year, and it's visibly worse.

His Royal Highness invited famous doctors from Huguang, Wan Mi Zhai and Li Shizhen, famous doctor from Sichuan, Pan Shiliang, famous doctors from the southeast, Xia Pingjue and Liu Chuncui, to find a way to take the emperor's pulse, but they didn't even dare to prescribe a prescription. "

Zhang Juzheng's eyes became stern and his expression became serious.

"A few days ago, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince acted decisively and forced Xin Ai to rebel. Then he immediately sent out troops to sweep across the Kharchin tribe and built three cities, Xinghua, Fengning, and Chengde, along the Luan River. He restored the prosperity of Kaiping and won an unprecedented victory since the Xuande era."

Zhang Juzheng understood, "Your Highness is seeking to build a good reputation for the Emperor."

"Yes. Your Highness, please start preparing. Uncle, I will also prepare for you early."

Zhang Juzheng stood up, clasped his hands and said, "The students are entirely at the discretion of the teacher."

Xu Jie's eyes flashed with strangeness, and he waved his hand, "Uncle, please sit down, you are my successor, so I will naturally make a perfect plan for you.

You reformed the horse policy in Shandong. Apart from those people in Shandong who were making noises, the Cabinet, the six ministries, and the Censorate all said that it was a good job. It saved the people from suffering from bad policies and added money to the national treasury. It was the best of both worlds.

Seeing Zhang Juzheng listening quietly, Xu Jie continued, "Yan Yangzhai is in poor health and wants to return home. The emperor has also approved it. I am thinking of recommending you to join the cabinet.

Uncle, once the crown prince ascends the throne, Gao Xinzheng will definitely return to the capital. This matter concerns the crown prince's reputation, and no one can stop it. If you can't stop it, don't stop it. "

Zhang Juzheng replied in a deep voice: "I know what you mean, teacher. I will definitely live up to your expectations."

"That's good. I have also tried to inquire about the Crown Prince's intentions, and His Highness also hopes that you will join the cabinet. With him speaking to the Emperor, this matter will definitely be accomplished."

"The student thanked the teacher."

"You're welcome. We are teacher and student, and we are as close as family. There's no need to be so distant."

After talking for a while, Zhang Juzheng said goodbye and left.

Looking at his back, Xu Jie felt a little dazed and felt that he was not sure about his disciple's thoughts.

"Sir, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Wang Guoguang, has been ordered to come here and is waiting in the side room."

Xu Jie suddenly came back to his senses, "Oh, okay, go and invite Ru Guan over."

　Finally got the badge of the best! I've tried my best! Four updates a day! But let me make it clear that if there are only three updates a day, it's because I really had something to do and couldn't make it.

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(End of this chapter)