I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 738 Chapter You Ming Dynasty Riddlers!
Zhao Zhenji returned to the Censorate, and Zhang Juzheng and Tan Lun returned to the Daming Gate Cabinet.

Turning from Chang'an Avenue into the gate of the office area on the left side of Daming Gate, the carriage drove for five or six minutes and stopped in front of an archway-style gate at the innermost part. This was the main entrance of the cabinet.

Zhang Juzheng and Tan Lun got off the carriage one after another, holding up their front lapels, and walked silently into the gate and the front yard. They smiled and bowed to each other, walking straight and to the left at the same time.

Zhang Juzheng walked straight to the innermost government affairs room, where Zhang Xueyan and Zeng Shengwu were waiting at the door.

"I have met Prime Minister Zhang."

"Go in and talk."

After entering the spacious outer room of the government office, Zhang Juzheng sat down at the top seat, while Zhang Xueyan and Zeng Shengwu sat on both sides.

After the servants brought the hot tea and left, Zeng Shengwu could not help but ask, "Teacher, there was a meeting in Xiyuan today, and there was a lot of noise. Some people said that the nobles were caught in one fell swoop, and they were arrested by the Beijing camp as soon as they left Nanhua Gate."

"They are temporarily confined to their homes. They are in big trouble." Zhang Juzheng briefly recounted the causes and consequences of the Shenwu Society case.

Zhang Xueyan smiled and said, "Prime Minister Zhang, the emperor still uses the old method of outflanking and attacking from the side. First, he conducted a large-scale investigation of tax evasion and tax avoidance, and used it as a starting point to catch the most important Shenwu Society.

I am sure that the Shenwu Society has long been investigated by the East Factory and the Jinyiwei, and the Fenglei Operation in Shuntian Prefecture is just a trigger to bring out the whole case in a legitimate way."

Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard and said, "As long as it works, it doesn't matter whether the prescription is old or not.

The emperor cherishes his reputation and does not want to be like Emperor Taizu, who sent imperial guards everywhere and implicated people for no reason. He has great ambitions and wants to establish his own ancestral system. "

Zeng Shengwu chuckled and said, "This time the nobles have fallen into a trap.

The emperor hesitated again and again on the matter of the chief military envoy this time, and his attitude was so mixed that even I couldn't help but wonder, is the emperor really going to give the chief military envoy to the nobles?"

Zhang Juzheng replied: "Your Majesty is exercising checks and balances between the civil and military officials. The post of Chief Military Officer will no longer be given to civil officials, but it will not be given to nobles easily either. It will take some time for the process to be gradual.

Hu Ruzhen and Tan Zili were the most suitable transitional figures. They were born as civil officials, and fought with the military generals and could hold the fort. They were also awarded titles for their military merits and were honorable men.

Those who are interested know the situation. You see, Tan Zili has been sitting on the Diaoyutai, not panicking at all. It's just that those nobles are blinded by greed."

Zeng Shengwu said with a smile, "Those nobles have always been at large and have never truly understood the emperor's thoughts and methods, which is why they fell into his trap. Anyone who has experienced training under the emperor must keep their eyes open when sleeping.

I just wonder if these nobles have a chance to sum up their experience.”

Zhang Juzheng glanced at him and said, "Sansheng, don't gloat over other people's misfortunes!

Today, the emperor also took the opportunity to criticize us. The 65 bird guns of Shenwu Society were lost from Zhejiang. Jinyiwei Yiweisi formed a special task force to investigate the case thoroughly.

The stick is hitting the head of Zhejiang Province, but it is also hitting the cabinet and the heads of us civil servants. "

Zhang Xueyan said thoughtfully: "The emperor's methods are becoming more and more like Emperor Shizong's."

Zhang Juzheng replied, "It's inherited from our ancestors! The emperor is the good grandson of Emperor Shizong. He would give his subjects a warning from time to time to prevent them from jumping out of line. This must have been taught by Emperor Shizong himself."

He stroked his beard and frowned slightly.

"Zhejiang has indeed fallen behind in the past two years. Jiangsu and Huzhou next door are thriving and becoming more and more prosperous. On the contrary, Zhejiang has been lukewarm in the past two years."

Zhang Xueyan echoed, "Prime Minister Zhang, Zhejiang has been resting on its laurels for the past two years. Thanks to Yang Jinshui, Mr. Tan, and Shangshu Wang who laid a solid foundation in Zhejiang, we haven't lost too much."

Zhang Juzheng shook his head: "That won't work. Zhejiang has such a good foundation. If we progress too slowly, we will fall behind!
The cabinet still expected it to increase cotton, silk and foreign trade. If it only wanted to rest on its laurels, wouldn't the cabinet's expectations be dashed?

In fact, it is still a problem of the leader. The emperor is right. After the national policy is determined, the most important thing is the implementation of officials at all levels. Whether the ship runs fast or not depends on the captain's ability.

Zhejiang is not doing well, and Governor Xu Bolu (Xu Shizeng) cannot escape the blame! "

Zhang Xueyan and Zeng Xingwu looked at each other and said carefully, "Prime Minister Zhang, Xu Futai is a senior and knowledgeable man, and is also proficient in medicine, divination, yin and yang, etc. He is also a fellow student of Shi Lugong, so they have a close relationship."

Zhang Juzheng's eyes were cold, "Zi Yu is reminding me that Xu Bolu was recommended by Li Shilu. I know this.

Although Li Shilu lives in seclusion in the Law Courts, he is the former Prime Minister and the Emperor's teacher.
Just now Zi Yu also said that Xu Bolu was erudite, proficient in medicine and divination, but he lacked courage and means. To be a governor in a local area, to supervise the three departments and to reconcile yin and yang, what he needed was courage and means.

I have made up my mind. I will transfer him back to the Ministry of Rites to serve as the Right Vice Minister, and he will also be in charge of the Civil Affairs Department, responsible for medical care, relief and other matters. But now I am worried about the new candidate for the Governor of Zhejiang. It is not easy to choose! "

Zhang Xueyan and Zeng Shengwu remained silent.

Tan Lun returned to the "office" that belonged to the assistant cabinet minister. His office was one-fourth smaller than Zhang Juzheng's government office and was also divided into two rooms, front and back.

The work of changing the cabinet from assistant ministers and left and right councilors to left and right chancellors is in progress. The candidates for left and right chancellors are said to have been decided at the meeting of the Advisory Bureau. Now they just have to wait for Tan Lun to move to his position, and then a bunch of people will start to fill the gap.

Tan Lun had just sat down and taken two sips of hot tea when the clerk came to report.

"Master Assistant Manager, Marquis Runing is here to visit."

"Please come in!"

Lu Tang walked in hurriedly, bowed, and sat down on the chair next to him.

"Hurry up and serve tea. I'm dying of thirst. I thought Mr. Tan went to the Ministry of War. I went there for nothing."

Tan Lun replied calmly, "I have already handed over the Ministry of War's affairs to Zheng Yuxiu (Zheng Luo), so why am I still staying there?"

Lu Tong glanced at the door, leaned forward, and asked softly, "Mr. Tan, will the emperor be ruthless this time and sweep away all the nobles?"

Tan Lun glanced at him and said, "What do you mean by sweeping away everything? Duke Chengguo, Marquis Zhenyuan, and Marquis Yangwu are not nobles? You and I are not nobles? Qi Yuanjing and Yu Zhifu, who led the Western Expedition and the Southern Ocean Strategy, are not nobles?"

Lu Tong said with a bitter face: "Mr. Tan, what I mean is, will the emperor wipe out all the noble families that were canonized by our ancestors? This is too harsh."

"The Emperor wants to divide the civil and military affairs into two parts. The nobles want to share the pie of the military government. If they have more, we will have less. Are you willing to share with them?"

Lu Tong thought for a moment and replied sternly, "Mr. Tan, I don't care. With the favor we have received from the Emperor, they can never snatch it from us. It's okay to give them some of the scraps from the big pie of the Rong government.

We are now nobles, and our titles are hereditary. After a few generations, we will be the same as them. If we don’t help them now, who will help us in the future?”

Tan Lun smiled with relief, "You, Big Beard Lu, are kind and righteous."

He nodded, his expression becoming serious, "It is reasonable for us to lend them a hand, and I will lend them a hand even more."

Lu Tan was stunned for a moment, then he understood what Tan Lun said.

Everyone who is interested knows that after fishing, Tan Lun will replace Hu Zongxian as the chief military official, and he will represent the interests of the Ming military, including the nobles, both new and old.

When you are in a position, you must do your job!

Tan Lun must safeguard the interests of the military, otherwise he would be incompetent. He must lend a hand to the nobles.

Lu Tong kept his upper body leaning forward, "Mr. Tan, I have something to tell you."

"what's up?"

"Before entering the West Garden today, I went to the Lin Family Pozi's Inn to have breakfast. Pan Yinglong also went there and sat next to me. He then asked me to tell Duke Chengguo and Marquis Zhenyuan a message."

Tan Lun raised his eyebrows, "What?"

"Empress Song."

"Empress Song, is that all?"

"Yes. When I arrived at Nanhua Gate, I didn't dare to go to Duke Chengguo and Marquis Zhenyuan rashly. After thinking it over, I started practicing boxing in front of the gate. As a result, I actually lured Zhu Xixiao over and successfully delivered the message." Tan Lun smiled but said nothing, still thinking about what Concubine Song meant by this sentence.

“Mr. Tan, I don’t understand what Pan Yinglong meant by this, but it must be a warning to them.

Pan Yinglong asked me to pass on the message to remind them, while he pulled out the Dubi pants of Duke Chengguo and others in the Taiji Hall, and took the opportunity to light the fuse of the thunder bomb of the Shenwu Society.

Mr. Tan, is he a little bit..."

"Have it both ways?"

"Yes, the two ends of the rat's head, I don't like it."

"Although Pan Fengwu is a minister in the same palace with us, he has his own duties and positions. He is willing to ask you to pass on the message in private, which shows that he has good intentions and leaves room for maneuver.

Be a good person and leave some space for us so that we can meet again in the future."

As Tan Lun spoke, his right hand, which was stroking his beard, remained still. He suddenly realized the meaning of what Pan Yinglong had said, and he immediately made up his mind.

"Somebody come!"

The attendant at the door responded, "Master."

"Go to the Transportation Department and get the files and evidence from the Wanli 2nd Year Case No. 64 handed over by the Security Bureau. Remember to take the copies, and only take part of the evidence."

"Yes."

The Transfer Office is similar to the road administration and shipping departments, and is responsible for both land and water transportation. It is the regulatory department for post service companies and passenger and freight transport companies.

After a while, a clerk followed by his entourage knocked on the door and came in, handed over a thick document and a wooden box, and placed them on the table.

Tan Lun waved his hand and told them to go down, pointing at the files and wooden box on the table.

"Marquis Runing, open the wooden box."

Lu Tong opened the box, and inside were more than twenty silver coins, the same as those circulating in the market, but they didn't seem to be as bright.

This is normal. Silver coins may be circulated in the market, exposed to rain and soaked in water, touched by countless people, or fall into mud and filth. All kinds of possibilities are possible.

So some have bright luster and some have dull luster.

"These twenty or so silver coins are all fake."

Lu Tong was stunned. "Fake? I can't tell."

"The fake silver coins were first received by several post stations and discovered when they were deposited in the bank. Then several more post stations and two passenger transport companies received similar fake silver coins and reported them.

I passed the clues to the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Justice, and also asked the Transportation Department Security Bureau to check, and they actually found something."

Don't underestimate the Ministry of War, it is a powerful department just like the Ministry of Justice. Most of the post station service companies and transportation companies under it are transferred from the garrisons, and all of them are from the military.

The Security Bureau of the Transfer Department is in charge of the security departments of various post stations and transportation companies. Its duty is to protect the safety of people and goods in the post stations and transportation companies. It needs to fight wits and courage with thieves, robbers, robbers and scammers. It can fight very well!
There is also an investigation department that specializes in handling major cases involving post stations and transportation companies, and it is even more capable!
Tan Lun opened the file on the table, glanced at the table of contents, pulled out a copy of the paper from the middle, handed it to Lu Tong, and then pushed the wooden box containing the fake silver coins over.

"Take it."

Lu Tong was a little dumbfounded, "Mr. Tan, what should I do with it?"

"Go to Duke Cheng!"

Although Lu Tan didn't know what the copy and the fake silver coins were used for, he understood that Tan Lun was trying to help the noble families.

He took the copy and stuffed it into the secret pocket in his sleeve, then closed the wooden box containing the fake silver coins and tucked it under his armpit.

"Mr. Tan, let's go. I'm going to Duke Cheng's Mansion now. I guess all these guys are gathered there, feeling dejected together. Hehe, I just like doing this job!"

Lu Tong left in a hurry. Tan Lun was silent for a while, then suddenly smiled and said, "You are so good, Pan Fengwu. I didn't realize you were so cunning before."

In the flower hall of Duke Cheng's mansion, Zhu Xizhong, Zhu Xixiao, Gu Huan, Xue Han, Song Shien, Tang Shilong, Zheng Kun, Liu Zhen, and Wu Jijue sat in a circle, all with sad faces.

Zhu Xixiao, Song Shien, Tang Shilong, Zheng Kun, Liu Zhen, and Wu Jijue were puffing on Red Sun brand cigarettes, and puffs of blue smoke came out one after another, filling the air. Soon the whole hall was filled with smoke, and the few people seemed to be sitting in the morning mist, looming in and out.

Lu Tong followed the servant in and saw this scene. He couldn't help laughing, "Brothers, what are you doing? Smoking meat!"

Wu Jijue, who was sitting at the outermost position, waved his hands to disperse the smoke around him. He saw clearly that it was Lu Tong and asked with a complicated expression, "Marquis Runing, what are you doing in the Duke Cheng's mansion?"

"Look at your sour look. I'm not going to your Gongshun Marquis's Mansion. I'm here to see Duke Cheng."

Looking at Lu Tong's arrogant look, Wu Jijue felt so angry that his teeth were itching.

"Are you here to laugh at us?"

"Look at your petty and narrow-minded appearance. What's so good about your jokes? Instead of watching your jokes, I might as well go to Zuifenglou to see the top performers there.

Duke Cheng, I have something to talk to you about."

Zhu Xizhong clenched his right fist, covered his mouth, bent over and coughed a few times, "Marquis Runing, please sit down. Don't smoke. Marquis Runing must have something important to tell you."

Lu Tong sat down and smiled, "Duke Cheng still understands me."

Wu Jijue just didn't like him, "What's the matter?"

"I'm here to help you."

"You would be so kind?"

Lu Tong shook his head and said, "I have gone through life and death, fought bloody battles, and finally became a marquis for my military achievements. I am equal to you, Old Wu, and I am also a member of the nobles. If the nobles are in trouble, I am in trouble."

Wu Jijue was furious.

What Lu Tong meant was that I was awarded the title based on my military merits, and you, Old Wu, are on equal footing with me because of the influence left by your ancestors. What qualifications do you have to question me?

Zhu Xizhong said in a deep voice, "Marquis Gongshun, let Marquis Runing finish his purpose."

Wu Jijue moved his butt and turned his body to the other side.

Seeing Wu Jijue's frustrated look, Lu Tong felt relieved and took out the things. "Duke Chengguo, Marquis Zhenyuan, this is what Mr. Tan asked me to bring to you."

Gu Huan deliberately asked, "Dongning Marquis Tan Gong?"

"Yes, Lord Tan, the Marquis of Dongning!"

After reading the file, Zhu Xizhong opened the wooden box containing the fake silver coins, his face uncertain.

You are teasing me!

Previously, Concubine Song asked Lu Tong to bring the matter to us, but we haven't figured it out yet. Now she has slipped in a copy of the summary report on the fake silver dollar case and more than twenty fake silver dollars. What does this mean?

You guys should explain it clearly!

I just like to play tricks and riddles here, it's fun, right? !
(End of this chapter)