I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 542 Someone is causing trouble in Tongzhou
That night, Hai Rui and his entourage encountered this group of dismissed officials making trouble at the Tongzhou Post Station.

Hearing the endless noisy clamor outside, Zhang Dao asked the smart and experienced Fang Zhiyuan to find out the news.

A quarter of an hour later, Fang Zhiyuan came back.

"What happened?" Hai Rui asked with a gloomy face.

Tongzhou City is not far from the capital. If four or five hundred officials were making trouble here, the impact would be huge if it got out.

Tongzhou is especially important as it is a strategic point along the canal. If you fart here, it will soon spread along the canal to all parts of the country, and it will also spread its smell.

"They are all people from the six ministries, temples, Hanlin Academy, National History Museum and other government offices who failed the examination in the third year of Longqing and were selected as outworkers. They are making a commotion at the post station."

Hai Rui muttered, "He was found to be an unqualified worker in the annual examination? Why didn't Xuanmiao Temple cause trouble but went to Tongzhou to cause trouble?"

Zhang Juzheng had implemented the performance evaluation system last year, which was divided into half-yearly and annual examinations. More than 100 officials had been dismissed for failing the half-year examination.

In the first year of the Wanli reign, Zhang Juzheng temporarily suspended more than 400 officials to deal with the early morning court on February 1. After the early morning court crisis, Wang Lin's party suffered a devastating blow, and Wang Shizhen's party, along with Gao Gong, Ge Shouli and others, were also demoted.

However, Zhang Juzheng continued to preside over the performance appraisal in the third year of Longqing, and directly assessed that more than 600 Beijing officials were unqualified, ranging from the ninth rank to the fourth rank, and all of them were dismissed from their posts.

This was like stirring up a hornet's nest. At that time, these officials, led by certain people, went to the cabinet to petition and appeal, but they couldn't even enter the Chengtian Gate.

These dismissed officials went to Nanhua Gate to knock on the palace gate and petition.

Zhu Yijun ignored them.

Zhang Juzheng was furious, and directly asked for an imperial decree, asking the Jinyiwei to dispatch a battalion of guards to capture these dismissed officials and bring them to the Xuanmiao Temple outside the city, and then he went to the temple in person to negotiate.

It wasn't really a negotiation, as Zhang Juzheng simply gave these officials three choices.

One is to support the border areas and serve as a ninth-rank minor official under Wang Yi'e or Cao Bangfu. After one year of training and being evaluated as qualified, you can be reassigned to a new official position.

If you fail, you will be sent back to your hometown to eat old rice.

The second is support work.

Go to Luanzhou or Taiyuan and follow the arrangements to enter the factory. The specific position is unknown and will be arranged by the factory manager.

There is no official rank, but the salary is good. After two years of experience and passing the assessment, you can also be reassigned to a new official position.

Third, just go back to your hometown and eat your old rice.

And they are only given ten days to report to the Ministry of Personnel after they have thought it over. If they fail to do so within the deadline, they will be dealt with according to the third situation.

When the ten-day deadline was up, only forty out of more than six hundred people were willing to go to the border areas, and more than seventy were discouraged and willing to return to their hometowns.

There are nearly 500 people willing to go to work.

Luanzhou and Taiyuan are not far from the capital after all, and working in a factory pays well. If you slack off for two years, you can be a good man again.

These people were first settled in Tongzhou, and then taken there in batches by people sent from factories in Luanzhou and Taiyuan.

Fang Zhiyuan said the news he had heard: "Master, there are people coming from the factories in Luanzhou and Taiyuan. These dismissed officials thought they were going to the factories to be managers, but they didn't want to be pointed out that it was not such a good thing. They went there to take the exam first and see the results.

You may start from scratch as an apprentice, or be a quality inspector, or a clerk or accountant. The salary is also based on the position, and it can be more or less.

These dismissed officials were furious and cursed the factory staff. The factory manager did not tolerate them either.

If you want to go, go. If you don't want to go, get out. Daming Factory never keeps idle people.

He also said that if the Ministry of Personnel and Zhang Yuanfu had not repeatedly communicated with the Shaofu Supervisor, and Eunuch Yang had not spoken, the factories in Luanzhou and Taiyuan would not have wanted these wastes. "

When Wang Shiqiu heard this, he knew the reason for the commotion. "This word 'waste' must have made these dismissed officials very angry."

"Brother Wang is right. These dismissed officials are furious. They said they studied hard for more than ten years, studied the books of sages, and even passed the imperial examinations to get a good degree, but they were actually called good-for-nothings by the vulgar stewards. They were so angry that they surrounded the stewards and beat them up."

Wang Shiqiu asked quickly, "Did you hit it?"

"Fuck off. Those managers saw that the situation was not good, so they climbed over the wall and ran away. These grandsons are quite nimble, and it seems that they have climbed over the wall and entered the courtyard many times before."

Zhao Kuan asked, "Are those dismissed officials still making trouble?"

"They are still making a fuss, clamoring to return to the capital and go to Chengtian Gate to knock on the gate. Some of them are so angry that their eyes are blazing with fire, shouting that if the emperor doesn't come out and speak a fair word, they will hit their heads against the gate and die."

Shu Youliang was amazed at the side: "Tsk tsk, you are so brave now? If you really had some backbone, you would have died at Chengtian Gate before leaving Beijing. It's a little late to say this now.

It’s easy to get out, but it’s hard to get back in.”

"Brother Shu is very smart. I heard from the postman that a military school of the Jinyiwei Guard came to say hello two days ago. If there is any unusual movement, report it immediately, and a battalion of guards stationed nearby will arrive immediately.

The postman has already sent someone to report the news, so it should arrive soon."

Everyone listening to this has already foreseen the fate of these nearly 500 dismissed officials.

The Emperor and Zhang Juzheng, this teacher-student pair are not good people.

Shu Youliang turned around and looked at Hai Rui, who had remained silent, and asked softly, "Master, Zhang Yuanfu's methods are too cruel. He really doesn't leave any room for maneuver."

Hai Rui felt very conflicted.

He had been in the officialdom for many years and was well aware of the harm that mediocre and corrupt officials did to the people. He wished he could use drastic measures to eliminate all these cunning officials and restore order in the court.

However, Zhang Juzheng's methods were indeed too cruel and would have a huge impact on the literati.

Confucian scholars all over the world will regard him as their mortal enemy.

If the reform fails or the emperor abandons him, his end will be disastrous.

Hai Rui said slowly: "Why does Uncle Zhang need to leave any room for maneuver? Since he promised the emperor to serve as the prime minister, he has no way out.

Either you open up a new path or you die without a burial place."

Shu Youliang was shocked, "Master, this won't be a scorpion tiger."

Hai Rui glanced at him and said, "Throughout the dynasties, every reformer has risked his life, property, and even his descendants, to fight for his life.

Gao Suqing did not dare to fight, so he left Beijing sadly. He was ridiculed and humiliated by unknown people and died on the road silently.

Although the emperor, out of consideration for the late emperor, issued an edict to bestow the rank of Minister of Revenue and buried him with proper ceremony.

But it won't be long before no one will remember the pillar of the Yuwang Mansion during the Jiajing Dynasty, the cabinet minister and the Minister of Revenue during the Jiajing and Longqing Dynasties, Gao Xinzheng, the big bearded man. What everyone can remember is probably the two or three things he did.

"Things are like fragrant grass growing in spring, but people are like floating clouds and their shadows disappear. "Alas, "Who in the world can live for a hundred years?" Everyone was silent.

After a pause, Shu Youliang asked again: "Does Zhang Yuanfu have the intention to be a martyr?"

Hai Rui closed his eyes tightly, as if trying hard not to let his tears flow out. After a while, he opened his eyes again, his eyes were red, he stood up, stretched out his hand and pushed open the window.

I saw a waxing moon hanging in the sky, curved like a white jade hook, which could cut off the shackles of time and space but could not cut off the sorrow and melancholy of the world.

"Youliang, the word martyrdom comes out of your mouth lightly, but to carry it out personally is as heavy as a mountain, weighing me down and making me breathless."

Shu Youliang suddenly asked, "Master, when you bought your coffin, wrote your memorial, and prepared to die to advise Emperor Shizong, did you also have the idea of ​​martyrdom?"

Hai Rui turned and looked at Shu Youliang.

Everyone looked at him. His dark face was like a rock, and his small eyes were clear and transparent, yet bottomless.

Hai Rui looked up at the bright moon and murmured, "When has the moon appeared in the blue sky? I stop drinking and ask it now. Why do wind and frost hurt things? The world is ruthless but it also loves people.

Ming Dynasty, Ming Dynasty!
This old man and Taiyue are both for the bright moon in our hearts."

Everyone looked at his thin back with tears in their eyes.

Hai Rui turned around and looked at Shu Youliang and the others: "In terms of governing the country and enforcing discipline, I am not as good as Zhang Taiyue. In terms of reviving a country from decline and turning the tide, I am even worse than him.

I can only do what I can."

Shu Youliang shook his head: "The master's bad temper is known to the whole world. To those Confucian scholars, you are just a stinking cesspool, and there is no need to bother with you.

But what Zhang Yuanfu did was like scraping the flesh and blood of the high-ranking officials in the temple. It would be disastrous if it happened!"

Hai Rui laughed and said, "You bastard! How can you say that about your own master?"

Shu Youliang chuckled and said, "Master, I have a straightforward personality and my words may sound harsh, but I always speak directly."

As he was speaking, hundreds of guards rushed in and quickly surrounded the 500 dismissed officials. The courtyard, which had been noisy just now, suddenly became quiet.

Shu Youliang said with a smile: "This rooster is so bold that he was jumping up and down just now, shouting that he wanted to go to Chengtian Gate to die.

How come everyone is as obedient as quails now?"

Hai Rui glared at him and said, "Stop making sarcastic remarks."

In the capital, the Minister of Personnel Fang Fengshi hurried into Zhang's residence. A servant held a lantern to light the way and led him to the study.

"Yuanfu, how did you deal with the matter of Tongzhou Post Station?" Fang Fengshi asked as soon as he entered the door.

"Jinhu is here," Zhang Juzheng raised his head from the desk, squinted his bloodshot eyes for a few seconds before he saw clearly that it was Fang Fengshi, and hurriedly greeted him.

"Please take a seat. I won't serve you tea this late. Someone, serve Fang Tianguan a bowl of Tremella soup."

"Yuanfu, please tell me quickly, how do you deal with things everywhere?" Fang Fengshi asked anxiously.

"I have informed the Jinyiwei envoy Song Du and asked him to dispatch the guards near the Tongzhou Post Station to suppress the rebellion."

"Suppress it?" Fang Fengshi's eyes bulged, he couldn't believe it, "You actually asked the guards to suppress it?"

"Jin Hu, if we don't suppress them, what will happen? Should we politely invite them back and reinstate them?"

"Taiyue, why do you have to do things so radically?"

"Don't say absolute things, but be sure to do absolute things."

Fang Fengshi almost jumped up, "Who said that? It's absolutely true."

"The Emperor said so."

Fang Fengshi quickly swallowed the following words.

"How could the emperor say such a thing?"

"The emperor was only ten years old at that time, and I was answering his questions in the Xi'an Gate Library in the Western Garden. One day, I was reading the "Records of the Grand Historian" and came across the contention between Chu and Han. We talked about Liu Bang and Xiang Yu. Why could one of them become the Emperor Gaozu of Han, while the other could only commit suicide by slashing his throat by the Wujiang River?

The emperor said that Liu Bang would not say anything absolute, but he would definitely do something absolute. Xiang Yu was different, he would always say absolute things, but when it came to doing things, he would always show mercy.

Fang Fengshi swallowed, not knowing how to answer.

Zhang Juzheng continued, "Jinhu, the performance evaluation law is a regulation that offends all officials, and it offends them to death. Once it is implemented, there will be no turning back for us.

The emperor once told me that reform is not like inviting people to dinner, where you can be polite and get away with it. Reform will destroy many people's jobs and cut off many people's financial resources. It is an enemy of life and death.

These people will not reason with us, nor will they tell us to leave some wiggle room for everything.

Jin Hu, you are the Minister of Personnel and I am the Prime Minister. We both know the purpose of the performance evaluation system. It is to set limits and hold people accountable for their performance. For officials in the current government, it is like asking for their lives.

If we don’t use drastic measures at the beginning and don’t let them feel fear, it will be even more difficult to deal with things later.”

Fang Fengshi also slowly regained his composure and said slowly: "Five hundred officials from the capital, that's a lot of power. I'm worried that someone with ulterior motives will take advantage of the opportunity..."

As he was speaking, someone suddenly came from outside the door to report something urgent.

"Master, someone from the Royal Guards came and said they have something urgent to report."

"Quick pass."

Soon, a Jinyiwei military officer was brought to the door of the study.

"I am the deputy lieutenant of the Jingji Bureau of the Jinyiwei Zhenfu Division. I have been ordered to report a matter to Zhang Yuanfu."

Zhang Juzheng had a bad thought: "What's the matter?"

"At dusk, five hundred dismissed officials were making a commotion at the Tongzhou Post Station. The nearby guards were ordered to suppress the riot. Suddenly, someone set fire to the courtyard, causing panic and stampede. The number of casualties was unknown.

Our Jinyiwei Songdushi has already rushed over and specifically asked me to report to Zhang Yuanfu."

"what!"

Zhang Juzheng stood up suddenly, his face turning pale.

(End of this chapter)