I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 664: You Qi? This is Huguang!

The second year of Wanli, spring, the second day of the second month.

On the Han River, three paddle boats were sailing downstream. The middle boat was larger, with a flag hanging on each of its two masts. The one in front read "Minister of War" and the one behind read "Governor-General of Huguang."

Wang Yi'e wore a sky-blue robe, a navy blue long jacket with fur edges, and a large hat with the hat string tied tightly under his chin.

With my hands behind my back, I stood on the top of the ship and looked at the scenery on both sides of the Han River.

"Governor, we will arrive at Hanyang Prefecture in another hour." His secretary Li Mingchun walked up the stairs from the cabin and stood beside him to report.

"So fast."

"Going straight from Xiangyang to Hanyang, it will be faster if the wind is favorable."

Wang Yi'e nodded and suddenly asked, "What do you think about You Qi's matter?"

You Qi protected Wan Quan by land, from Zhili to Henan, and then from Nanyang to Xiangyang, Huguang. Along the way, he was under the banner of Prime Minister Zhang Xiang and was treated favorably by local officials along the way.

Li Mingchun stood at the back, glanced at Wang Yi'e, and pondered for a moment, "Superintendent, when I was in the capital, I heard that You Qi was Zhang Xiang's younger brother, and he was trusted and regarded as a brother."

Wang Yi'e smiled softly, "Ziming is also showing off his wit. We can be considered brothers, but we are not blood brothers after all."

Li Mingchun saw that he could not hide his little thoughts from Wang Yi'e, so he smiled and said, "It still cannot be hidden from the eyes of the governor. Then the student can speak freely."

"Say!"

"Students feel that the governor has no control over what You Qi does in other places. But here in Huguang, he has to behave himself."

Wang Yi'e nodded, "That's right. Other places have their own governors and governors-general. It's not my turn to worry about them. But You Qi is not honest in Huguang. If someone points it out, the emperor will ask, what does the governor of Huguang do for a living?
Then I will be in trouble."

Li Mingchun leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice, "The Governor has reached his current position. If he wants to move up one step, Prime Minister Zhang will no longer be a help, but a hindrance."

Wang Yi'e looked back at Li Mingchun and deliberately asked, "Hindering me? Are you worried that Zhang Xiang will stop me? Shouldn't you treat You Qi better?"

Li Mingchun chuckled and said, "Governor, you are testing the students again. You know that's not what the students meant."

Wang Yi'e wanted to test him, so he continued to ask, "Then tell me, what do you mean?"

Li Mingchun's expression was serious, as if he was handing in an exam paper to a strict teacher, "What the students mean is that the governor is already the Minister of War, a local lord, and the next step is either the cabinet or the military government.

No matter where it is, it is not something that Prime Minister Zhang of the Cabinet can stop or help. It is all up to the Emperor to make the final decision."

Li Mingchun glanced at Wang Yi'e and continued, "I heard that there is a calligraphy piece written by Emperor Sejong himself hanging in the Cabinet Council Hall, which reads 'Harmony'."

"Yes, this calligraphy was proposed by the emperor and written by Emperor Shizong. Only when we fight but do not break, can we be in harmony. Ziming has realized that Longhua Academy has produced outstanding talents."

"Thank you for your praise, Governor. What do you want to do with You Qi?"

Wang Yi'e sneered, "You Qi is escorting the Divine Doctor Wanquan to Jiangling to treat the old lady of the Zhang Mansion. This is an important matter and we dare not delay it. Now that the Divine Doctor has arrived in Jiangling, this Governor will settle accounts with You Qi.

The counties of Xiangyang and Chengtian Prefectures have been flattering. I guess You Qi has a lot of money in his pocket after returning to Jiangling. This governor has asked Wang Yongji, the inspector of the inspection office of the governor's headquarters, to lead a team to Xiangyang and Chengtian Prefectures for inspection. "

Amazing!
Li Mingchun sighed inwardly.

Wang Duxian is really good at handling things.

You Qi's mission when he returned to Jiangling this time was to send Doctor Wanquan to treat Zhang Juzheng's mother. If he investigated as soon as he heard about it on the way, it might hinder Doctor Wanquan from going to Jiangling and delay Zhang's mother's condition.

Public business turned into private grudges.

After You Qi and his party returned to Jiangling and completed their mission, Wang Duxian began to investigate. He was able to explain himself both publicly and privately.

After the reform, the former lowly but powerful inspectors became weapons in the hands of the governor-general and the governor-general. Wang Yongji, the inspector sent by Wang Duxian, was a colleague of Li Mingchun and knew him well.

He passed the imperial examination at the age of 40, was steady in his work, and upright in nature, taking Hai Rui, Duke of Gangfeng, as his role model. He led a team to investigate Xiangyang and Chengtian Prefectures, and he would definitely get to the bottom of the matter.

Li Mingchun is Wang Yi'e's clerk, and although his official rank is low, he is one of Wang Yi'e's closest subordinates and must be the most trusted one among his confidants.

The two are one, sharing honor and disgrace.

In addition to official documents, many personal letters were also opened and sorted by Li Mingchun before being presented to Wang Yi'e.

A few days ago, an old acquaintance of Wang Yi'e in the capital wrote to him, mentioning that Zhang Siwei had tricked Pan Yinglong in order to compete for the position of Minister of Public Security.

Although the matter was finally resolved satisfactorily, Pan Yinglong took a crucial step by becoming the acting governor of Shuntian Prefecture.

But this result was achieved because they were alert and responded appropriately.

What if Pan Yinglong was careless for a moment and got into trouble, and ended up in a fight with Feng Bao where both of them suffered losses and their future was blocked? Who would bear the loss of the Southeast Group?

Li Mingchun also learned some inside information about this matter from his correspondence with his good friend Shen Wanxiang.

Shen Wanxiang was Pan Yinglong's clerk.

Now the emperor has appointed Zeng Shengwu as the Minister of Public Administration.

Although he has good relations with all parties, everyone knows that he is Zhang Juzheng's confidant.

And Zhang Siwei, who instigated this incident, secretly defected to you, Zhang Juzheng, and was not affected by the downfall of Gao Gong and Wang Lin.

Now this guy has become the director of the Cultural Construction Committee. Shen Yikuan, who jumped up and down in the incident of assassinating Pan Yinglong, is a classmate of Shen Wanxiang and Li Mingchun. He has become the deputy chief historian and chief clerk of the Cultural Construction Committee.

Not only was he fine, he was also promoted, and escaped from the two stagnant pools of the Hanlin Academy and the National History Museum.

You have taken all the benefits. Is there such a good thing in the world?

If we give up here, will the Southeast Group still have face in the future?
Do Hu Zongxian, Tan Lun, Yang Jinshui, Wang Yi'e, Xu Wei and other Southeast Clique bosses still have any face left?

So the big guys secretly reached a tacit understanding that Wang Yi'e would take the opportunity to deal with You Qi and give Zhang Juzheng a good beating. As for Zhang Siwei and Shen Yiquan, someone would deal with them, but Li Mingchun didn't know who it was.

Wang Yi'e continued, "I never thought that time would pass so quickly. I have been inspecting Hubei for three or four months, and in the blink of an eye it is the beginning of spring in the second year of the Wanli reign.

Next, I will do my best to deal with Yang Yinglong of Bozhou. Ziming, are you ready?"

Li Mingchun immediately replied: "In reply to the governor, the students are ready."

"A thousand hammers make a sharp weapon, and a hundred tempers make pure steel. Ziming is a talented young man with great potential, but if he wants to achieve great things, he needs constant experience. This is your great opportunity, Ziming, you must seize it."

Li Mingchun smiled and replied, "Governor, the students are ready."

Wang Yi'e looked at him with a complicated expression, "This matter is extremely risky and concerns life and death. You have to think it through."

"If a governor wants to achieve extraordinary feats, he must do extraordinary things."

Wang Yi'e nodded with satisfaction, "That's good. By the way, has Lord Zhuo Wu arrived in Wuchang?"

"Yes. Mr. Zhuo Wu came to Wuchang to inspect Jiangxia Public School and Jianghan Public School, and it was also a good opportunity to meet his good friend Mr. Geng Ba."

"Mr. Gengba?"

Geng Dingli Geng Ziyong, also known as Chuhuang, was a native of Huangzhou Prefecture (now Hong'an County, Hubei Province). Together with his elder brother Geng Dingxiang and younger brother Geng Dingli, they were collectively known as the 'Three Gengs of Tiantai'.

It is said that Mr. Geng Ba once studied at the Imperial College in Beijing in the 38th year of Jiajing, and met Mr. Zhuo Wu, who was then a doctor of the Imperial College. They were both his teacher and friend, and they were very good friends. "

"The Geng family of Huangzhou? The Three Gengs of Tiantai." Wang Yi'e thought for a while, "Is his brother Geng Dingding or Geng Chutong?"

Although Geng Dingxiang was ten years older than Wang Yi'e, he passed the examination in the 35th year of Jiajing, while Wang Yi'e passed the examination in the 32nd year of Jiajing. He was definitely a senior, and there was nothing wrong with calling him by his first name. "Yes, the governor, it's Chu Tonggong."

Wang Yi'e laughed, "This guy is a well-known old scholar of Neo-Confucianism. He has a stubborn temper and has quarreled with Zhuo Wugong many times in the capital.

In the winter of the first year of the Longqing reign, an official in Beijing hanged himself because his salary was too much. He rushed to the Ministry of Revenue and spit in the face of the Minister of Revenue, Xinzheng Gong.

Later, because he opposed the new policy and offended Zhang Xiang, he had no place in the court anymore, so he resigned in anger and returned home.

Lord Zhuo Wu has come to Wuchang. Haha, I guess this old man will definitely go to confront Lord Zhuo Wu."

Li Mingchun also laughed, "Governor, we still have time to go and watch the fun."

Wang Yi'e turned his head and glanced at Li Mingchun, "Ziming, we can't just watch the fun in this matter, we have to cheer for Lord Zhuo Wu."

"Governor, is it convenient for us to end this academic debate?"

"Ziming, when you are an official doing practical work, you can't just keep your head down and work hard. Sometimes you have to look up at the sky."

Li Mingchun was startled and quickly bowed his hands and said, "Student, please give me some advice."

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"Do you know about the newly established Cultural Construction Committee?"

"Students know that Zhang Fengpan is also the director of this committee, and Shen Yikuan is the deputy director."

"Ziming, you look down on Zhang Fengpan and Shen Yikuan, and by the way, you also look down on this Cultural Construction Committee?"

Li Mingchun lowered his head and smiled awkwardly, which was considered as his agreement.

"Ziming, let me ask you, what is the most important thing in officialdom?"

Li Mingchun thought for a few seconds and said, "Superintendent is a title."

it is good!
He is talented and is indeed a talent cultivated by Longhua Academy.

"That's right. If the name is not right, then the words will not flow. If the words are not flowing, then the things will not be accomplished. There are only two committees in the Daming Central Committee. What is the other one?"

"The Central Steering Committee of the Ming Dynasty's Performance Evaluation System." Li Mingchun's face changed, and he finally understood what Wang Yi'e meant. "Superintendent, the emperor has high hopes for the Cultural Construction Committee, but he only appointed Zhang Siwei and Shen Yikuan."

“It’s a bit of a misnomer, isn’t it?”

"Yes. The governor should be very clear about what kind of people Zhang Siwei and Shen Yiquan are."

"This governor knows it clearly, and the emperor knows it clearly."

Li Mingchun was very surprised and wanted to say something but didn't dare to ask.

Wang Yi'e saw this and asked with a smile, "Ziming, do you want to ask, since the emperor knows the personalities of Zhang Siwei and Shen Yiguan, why did he still appoint them to the Cultural Construction Committee?"

“Yes, the students do have this doubt.”

"What are the responsibilities of the Cultural Construction Committee?"

"Use culture to educate and change customs and habits."

“What does it mean to change customs and habits?”

Li Mingchun thought for a while and answered hesitantly: "Changing customs and habits is just a name, but it actually means changing old ideas."

"Yes, you can see it, and Zhang Siwei saw it too. He wrote in his memorial, 'We should build a new spirit and new courage with a new culture to respond to the new era created by the Holy Emperor.'

This sentence hits the nail on the head.

We will vigorously promote industry and commerce, and boost the economy, so that the country will be strong and the people will be rich. In terms of spirit and courage, we must also make the people strive for self-improvement and stand out in the world.

Only in this way can we complement each other and achieve the double harvest of material and spiritual civilization that the emperor once said! "

Li Mingchun suddenly realized, "Duxian, are you saying that while we are building material civilization, Zhang Siwei is using the Cultural Construction Committee to start changing customs and habits, the first step in building spiritual civilization?"

"Yes. The emperor is far-sighted in his work. There was the case of Wang Lin and others in the capital, three major cases in Jiangnan, and the case of the abolition of the examination in Huguang. After several major cases, the evil was eliminated and the literary style was corrected. It is a good time to carry out cultural construction to change customs and habits."

"But I still have the same doubt, why did the emperor give such an important task to Zhang Siwei?"

"If we don't give it to Zhang Siwei, should we give it to Lord Zhuo Wu?"

Li Mingchun realized something and shook his head subconsciously: "Mr. Zhuo Wu is honest by nature, focused on learning, and his writings are very sharp, but his ability to 'persuade' people is not satisfactory."

Wang Yi'e laughed loudly, "That's right, Ziming, your 'persuasion' got the point across. The main job of the Cultural Construction Committee is to persuade people.

This is Zhang Siwei's strong point!"

Li Mingchun was still a little confused, "Why did the governor say that?"

"Zhang Siwei transformed himself from a great Neo-Confucian scholar and literary celebrity to a pioneer of new learning. He first convinced himself. Ziming, if you want to convince others, you must first convince yourself."

The governor is right.

Zhang Siwei was extremely intelligent and his literary attainments were well known to all. Even Wang Shizhen, the world's literary leader, was full of praise for him.

But what everyone admires most is his flexibility.

There were several major disturbances in the imperial court, and he was always there, and he was able to escape safely every time.

You may despise the character of such a person, but you cannot deny his vision, his understanding of human nature and his flexible methods.

Mr. Zhuo Wu is good at studying, but with his temper, he is not very good at persuading people.

Zhang Siwei is different. He is well aware of the weaknesses of human nature and knows very well how to "convince people with reason."

Got it. Li Mingchun understood.

"Governor, we have to go and support Lord Zhuo Wu now. We can't let him lose his aura. He is the core of changing customs and habits, and Zhang Siwei is just the surface of changing customs and habits."

"Haha, great, you can draw inferences from this."

Jiangxia Public School, located near the Confucius Temple in Wuchang City, was formerly the prefectural school. In the first year of the Longqing reign, the government promoted the coexistence of public and private schools, and it was changed to Wuchang Prefecture Public School and named Jiangxia Public School.

After Wang Yi'e became the governor of Hunan and Hubei, he implemented new policies and allocated special funds to expand the Jiangxia Public School. He also instructed Cao Guozong, the right councilor of the Hubei Provincial Administration, to oversee the construction of the Hubei Provincial Public School - Jianghan Public School.

Today is the fourth day of February, an auspicious day, and the expanded Jiangxia Public School officially opens.

Not only was the ceremony presided over by Cao Guozong, the Right Counselor of the Hubei Provincial Government, but Li Zhi, the world-famous Minister of Rites and the Chief Academician of the Nanjing Imperial College, and many famous scholars from Huguang were also invited, led by Geng Dingxiang, the principal of Wenjin Academy.

There were crowds of people, bustling about, flags waving, and drums and gongs beating.

As the focal point, Li Zhi was surrounded by the crowd, with countless eyes cast on him. Among them was Geng Dingxiang's gaze, which was full of jealousy and hatred that could not be concealed.

The man next to him, who looked 60% like him, looked at Li Zhi with joy and comfort in his eyes.

He is Geng Dingxiang’s second brother and Li Zhi’s good friend Geng Dingli.

Li Wanyi, the principal of Jiangxia Public School, announced loudly: "The auspicious time has arrived. Please invite Lord Zhuo Wu and Councillor Cao to open the gate for the new campus of Jiangxia Public School!"

(End of this chapter)