I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 214 Hai Rui is going to investigate the case
The Imperial Household Department drafted the decree, which was co-signed by the Cabinet and sent Zhang Juzheng to Nanjing City to pay homage to the Emperor Xiaoling. The imperial edict was immediately issued, and there was a lot of discussion in the capital.

During this sensitive period, any movement in Xiyuan will be analyzed back and forth.

Gao Yi walked into the Ministry of Revenue in a hurry, nodding slightly along the way, his face full of anxiety and hurried steps, and soon arrived at the duty room in the backyard where the Shangshu was.

After the report, Gao Yi was led to Gao Gong's duty room. After greeting and sitting down, Gao Yi could not wait to ask, "Xinzheng Lord, Xiyuan asked Zhang Shuda to go south to pay homage to Xiaoling.

This is something very special.”

Gao Gong stroked his beard and said quietly, "The elder does not leave the capital easily, so he is naturally extraordinary."

After two major setbacks, Gao Gong's temperament changed. At least in the eyes of others, he became much more calm.

Gao Yi continued, "The Lianghuai Salt Administration has sent three capable officials. They are Hai Gangfeng, Wang Zijian, Xu Jifu, and, yes, Liu Zihe, the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue's assistant minister.

There are four of them, enough to investigate the salt administration in Lianghuai and the rest of the country."

Gao Gong smiled and replied, "Lord Nanyu, you have also seen it. Hai Gangfeng plus Prince Jian, or Prince Jian plus Xu Jifu, are more than enough to be the Lianghuai Salt Administration. Now that Zhang Shuda has been sent down, of course he will be more than just the Lianghuai Salt Administration."

Gao Yi narrowed his eyes and asked, "Does Xiyuan really intend to abolish Nanzhili and set up a provincial government?"

"Mr. Nanyu, what do you think?"

"This is our ancestral rule. Neither Chengzu nor the previous emperor dared to change this ancestral rule."

"When Emperor Chengzu was in power, he quelled the rebellion. Did he dare to change the ancestral system of Emperor Taizu? When the capital was moved to Beijing, he only dared to call Beijing the temporary capital. It was not until the Zhengtong period that the temporary capital of Beijing was officially abolished and Nanjing was changed to the post of the governor.

"The late emperor, why did the late emperor change it? It won't make any more money."

Gao Yi smiled gently. Gao Gong seemed to have become calm on the surface, but actually his temperament was still the same and he was very arrogant.

It is easy to change the country but difficult to change one’s nature!

Gao Yi added, "Duke Shaohu also contributed a lot to the disturbance in Yangzhou this time. Admiral Wu Shilai, who was in charge of the Yangtze River, actually allowed river bandits to sneak into the canal and rob and kill wealthy merchants in Yangzhou. This matter is a bit urgent."

Gao Gong sneered a few times: "It's better to be anxious. If you're not anxious, how can you reveal the flaws? If you don't reveal the flaws, how can you investigate further?"

Gao Yi was stunned and asked hesitantly, "I'm just curious. Isn't Wu Shilai from Jiangxi? I ​​heard that he had a close relationship with Yan's father and son before. Later, when the Yan Party fell, he had to work very hard to escape and went to Nanjing to avoid disaster. How did he get involved with the Jiangnan family?"

"It's not surprising. The Yan Party has fallen, and there is no Yan Party in the court. Most of the Yan Party backbones who are still in the court have changed their allegiance and follow Hu Zongxian's lead.

Wu Shilai doesn’t just think about himself, he also thinks about his descendants.”

Gao Yi asked curiously, "Descendants?"

"Wu Shilai's eldest son and a nephew took part in the provincial examination this year and both passed. They will take part in the metropolitan examination next year. Whether they can pass the imperial examination and be selected as a scholar-official depends on whether the Jiangnan family is willing to help."

Grohe completely understood.

Passing the imperial examination and being selected as a scholar-official is the specialty of the Jiangnan family. There is no need to cheat, just tell you secretly the writing style and preferences of the examiner of this year's imperial examination.

Going a step further, you present your papers to the examiners. They are familiar with your writing style and technique and will have an idea of ​​your performance.

It is still unclear who will be the examiners for next year's imperial examination, but more than half of them will definitely be from Jiangnan families.

It turned out to be the case.

No wonder Wu Shilai was willing to take the risk and do such a stupid thing. It turned out that he knew that his career had reached its peak and began to plan for the future of his sons and nephews.

Only when the torch is passed down from generation to generation can wealth and prosperity continue.

You think he is a fool, but he is actually the one who laughs at you. Gao Yi looked at Gao Gong and sighed in his heart, it turns out that your opponent knows you best.

Gao Gong and Xu Jie had been fighting openly and secretly for so many years, and they knew each other very well. Gao Gong could see through Xu Jie's little tricks behind the scenes at a glance.

"With the help of Lord Xinzheng and Lord Shaohu, such a big loophole has been left. Lord Gangfeng and Prince Jian can get to the bottom of the Lianghuai Salt Administration and the dirty deeds of Nanjing City with a little effort.

Uncle Zhang is heading south at this time, is he trying to appease those nobles in Nanjing?"

"Comfort? Is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince someone who can comfort you?" Gao Gong asked back with cold eyes.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will comfort you and treat you well, provided that you are his and work hard for him.

If you are his enemy and go against him, he has plenty of ways to deal with you.

Some time ago, dozens of upright censors submitted memorials criticizing the Supervisory Office for "disorderly politics" and demanding that order be restored. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince humbly accepted the request and sent these "loyal ministers" to remote places to entrust them with important tasks.

This kind of routine will make all the officials unable to do it.

You said the prince was incompetent and unwilling to accept advice?
But he did listen to the advice, and issued an edict praising those "loyal ministers" who had made remonstrances. He then entrusted them with important tasks, asking them to go to the local areas and personally eliminate some of the bad policies pointed out in the memorials.

But the problem is that these upright officials who made remonstrances were often only good at talking. They either did not dare to accept the imperial edict and take up their posts, or they messed up the posts after taking them up, and in any case, they were all ruined.

This method of seeking benevolence and gaining benevolence, and taking advantage of the situation, is much more clever than that of the previous emperor.

“Whoever raises a problem must provide a solution to it.

What is the difference between being able to only ask questions and being a commoner who bangs the table and curses? You have read many books of sages and have been through many political experiences, but you only learn to ask questions but don’t know how to find solutions to problems. What’s the point?
Finding a solution to a problem is only the first step. Whether the solution is right and effective must be tested in practice. When dealing with military and national affairs, it is not only about words, but also about practice. Only when it benefits the country and the people, can your solution be considered correct and effective. "

Grohe blah blah recited a passage.

Gao Gong narrowed his eyes and said slowly: "This is what the Crown Prince said when he was talking with Zhang Siwei, Wang Shizhen, Wei Xuezeng, Wang Xijue, Ye Mengxiong, Mei Guozhen, Li Zhi and other lecturers in the Eastern Palace, and it was later circulated.

This shows the Crown Prince's views on selecting officials and governing the government."

Gao Yi sighed and shook his head: "Lord Xinzheng, I can't control these for now. Now I wonder if Uncle Zhang was sent to Nanjing to target the nobles and officials there?"

Gao Gong answered slowly, "Maybe. When heavy objects are added layer by layer, even the strongest house will collapse at some point. First it was Hai Gangfeng, Wang Zijian and Xu Jifu, and now Zhang Shuda is being sent.

Can the nobles and officials in Nanjing withstand such heavy pressure? If they can’t, as long as one part collapses, the whole house will collapse.”

Gao Yi praised: "Mr. Xin Zheng is right. Now it depends on how Hai Gangfeng and his team investigate the case."

Gao Gong replied indifferently: "Let's see how Hai Gangfeng and his men turn Southern Zhili upside down."

The Jiangdu City of Yangzhou Prefecture at that time.

Hai Rui's imperial commissioner's office hung up a sign, announcing an investigation into the case of Wu Shilai, the Right Censor-in-Chief of Nanjing and the Admiral of Jiang, who neglected his duties, watched river bandits cause chaos, and robbed and killed local wealthy businessmen. Wu Shilai was then detained in the office and the trial began. His assistants and staff were also imprisoned one by one and interrogated one by one by the people in the imperial commissioner's office.

The governor of the grain transport department, Wang Yi'e, also hung up a sign, announcing that he would take over the military affairs of the Yangtze River in accordance with the law, and went south to the Guazhou area to inspect the various river defense camps.

Only Xu Yangzheng took his men to the Lianghuai Salt Transport Commissioner's Office to start checking the Lianghuai salt administration accounts.

When the news came out, Yangzhou, Nanjing and the southeast were in an uproar.

Many people don't understand the tactics used by Hai Rui and Wang Yi'e.

However, there were also many people who understood where the three men were pointing their swords. For a time, the undercurrent in Nanzhili became even more turbulent.

(End of this chapter)