I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 901: Late Autumn of the Tenth Year of Wanli
In the study room in the backyard of the residence of Wang Chonggu, Grand Secretary and Left Prime Minister of the Cabinet, were sitting Wang Chonggu, Zhang Siwei and Wang Guoguang.

"Uncle, now the academicians and ministers from all over the country have arrived in Beijing one after another, and the curtain is slowly opening."

There was a hint of excitement in Zhang Siwei's words.

Wang Chonggu suddenly asked: "Feng Pan, I remember that you were born in the fifth year of Jiajing (1526)?"

"Yes uncle."

"In the fifth year of Jiajing, you are fifty-three years old."

Zhang Siwei was a little confused and had no idea what his uncle was up to.

"Then do you know what year Prince Jian was born?"

Zhang Siwei's face turned a little dark, Uncle, you are bringing up something that is not relevant!

The prince recommended Wang Yi'e, who was born in the 13th year of the Jiajing reign and was eight years younger than me. In the 32nd year of the Jiajing reign, I passed the imperial examination at the age of 28 and was very proud of myself.

But when I saw that there was a 19-year-old who passed the imperial examination in the same year, I was suddenly deflated.

That person was Wang Yi'e. He was the most popular student in that subject back then!
Then I passed the exam and ranked first, and entered the Hanlin Academy as an editor. Wang Yi'e failed the exam and could only be sent to a remote place. At that time, I felt balanced.

Later, his reputation as a literary figure spread far and wide, and within nine years he served as a co-examiner in the imperial examination in the 41st year of Jiajing, attracting attention from all over the world.

At that time, Wang Yi'e served in the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of War in Nanjing, and was later appointed as the prefect of a remote mountainous area in Fujian.

At that time, everyone thought he was like a shooting star, passing by suddenly. I was also secretly happy that he would never catch up with me.

He never expected that the prefect of Jianping in Fujian would become his turning point. As a distinguished Jinshi, he took up his sword to fight against the Japanese pirates and was noticed by the emperor, who was the crown prince at the time, and then he rose to prominence.

Although he was a scholar of the Advisory Bureau and director of the Spiritual Civilization Construction Committee, and Wang Yi'e was also a scholar of the Advisory Bureau, right chancellor of the Cabinet and minister of the Ministry of Justice, any discerning person could see that his career had reached its end, while his could still go further.

Not reconciled!
I won’t accept this!
Why!

Just because you can chop people? My brush is not sharper than your knife?
Wang Chonggu looked at Zhang Siwei who did not answer, and saw reluctance and desire in his eyes.

My own nephew, I know it very well.

But what is the right for you to compete with others?

The room was very quiet and the atmosphere was a bit eerie.

Wang Guoguang said, "Lord Jianchuan, the government and the public are talking about Fu Yingzhen and Liu Tai impeaching Prime Minister Zhang."

Wang Chonggu glanced at Zhang Siwei.

Fu Yingzhen and Liu Tai, these two fools, were really fooled by their own nephew.

The student impeached his mentor, which was a big taboo in official circles.

After the second year of the Longqing reign, the imperial examinations were divided into the high school entrance examination, the joint college entrance examination, the provincial examination equivalent to the township examination, and the national examination equivalent to the metropolitan examination.

However, in the minds of many scholars, these exams are no longer orthodox, they are all new policies and new exams.

The imperial examination in the second year of Longqing was considered by many to be the last orthodox imperial examination.

Orthodox imperial examinations are no longer in existence, and the teacher-student relationship between teachers and students has been diluted by school education, multiple examinations, reforms in examination content and question types, and centralized cross-marking, and can no longer serve as a strong bond in officialdom.

The more this is the case, the more traditional people cherish what is passing away.

Fu Yingzhen and Liu Tai were Jinshi who passed the last joint examination in the second year of Longqing's reign. Their teacher was Zhang Juzheng. Unlike other Jinshi of the same examination, they were recommended by their predecessors and formally submitted a letter of appointment to become his disciple.

This kind of teacher-student relationship has gone a step further.

The fact that both of them have been able to reach this point in their careers must have been due to the favor of Zhang Juzheng.

As a student of the Prime Minister, everyone else knows what to do!
Now you think that you have earned your official positions through your own abilities.

What a joke! You are so capable, why don’t you go to heaven!

There are so many Jinshi in the same subject, who is worse than you?

Why are you already fifth-rank officials while others are still trying to get promoted to sixth or seventh rank?

It would have been fine if he had not known how to be grateful, but after being deceived, he became blinded by greed and turned around to stab his mentor. He thought that Zhang Juzheng was about to retire and would end up like Yan Song and Xu Jie, so he hurriedly curried favor with the upstarts.

joke!

You even dare to betray your mentor, who would dare to use you?
The officials in the court are not Dong Zhuo, who treats Lu Bu as a treasure.

Zhang Siwei, the mastermind behind the scenes, remained calm and said as a matter of course: "If the water is not muddy, how can we catch the biggest fish? As the prime minister of the cabinet, and at a delicate time of transition and retirement, Zhang Shuda was suddenly attacked by students, so naturally the world was paying attention.

If everyone is paying attention to this matter, it will be easier for us to act.”

Wang Guoguang remained calm, with a hint of sneer flashing across his lips, which was keenly noticed by Wang Chonggu.

Wang Guoguang was one of the few capable financial officials in the court. He had been in charge of the Ministry of Revenue for many years and was deeply trusted by the emperor and Zhang Juzheng.

He is from Shanxi and has a good relationship with me.

After the fifth year of Wanli, it became increasingly clear that Zhang Juzheng was about to retire and change his term. Wang Guoguang, who wanted to go further, gradually approached him and became one of the so-called new party leaders.

But he had a bad relationship with his nephew Zhang Siwei. It could be said that they were in conflict with each other. If he hadn't been able to keep things under control, the two of them would never have gotten along.

Haha, what new party? It’s just a makeshift team!
The real Jin Party was beaten to pieces by Emperor Shizong and his grandson, the Emperor, in the 43rd year of Jiajing, and there was no possibility of recovery.

why?
The rise of the Shanxi Jin Party was due to the Shanxi merchants.

What do Shanxi merchants rely on?
It is the trade with the Mongolian tribes south of the desert through Datong and other checkpoints.

The normal trade and the illegal smuggling trade made a lot of money, and the salt from Jie Chi made the Jin Party prosperous.

Now that Mobei has become part of the Ming Dynasty's territory, export trade has become domestic trade, and Shanxi merchants have fallen into decline.

Even though there is an industrial base in Taiyuan, it is neither up nor down. Its heavy industry cannot compare with Luanzhou, or even the developing and rising Northeast. Its light industry cannot compare with Shanghai, or even the rising Tianjin.

The identity is awkward and is barely maintained.

Productivity is the basis of everything, and economy is the basis of politics, society and culture.

What the emperor said is so wise and correct!
Zhang Siwei didn't notice this and continued, "Uncle, Uncle Zhang is about to step down this term, you can definitely make a push for the Prime Minister."

Wang Chonggu stroked his beard and shook his head, "I don't have such extravagant hopes."

Not only Zhang Siwei, but also Wang Guoguang was attracted by this sentence.

"Mr. Jianchuan, why do you say that?"

"You all know the emperor's rules. A Grand Secretary can serve for five years at a time, and can only serve for two terms of ten years at most. I was appointed in the fifth year of the Wanli reign, so I can only serve for one more term at most.

The Emperor means that in order to ensure the continuity of national policy formulation and implementation, the Prime Minister must be re-elected for two terms. "

Zhang Siwei was anxious, "Uncle, you can't just quit at this moment!"

Wang Chonggu's status as a counselor provided Zhang Siwei with a lot of help. If Wang Chonggu retired, his situation in the court would become difficult.

Wang Chonggu glanced at his nephew. Who would be willing to step down?

I have only been doing this for five years, and there are still five years left, so of course I have to keep doing it.

"I am interested in the position of Chief Censor of the Censorate. Although Lord Hai has only served for one term, he is nearly 70 years old and has not been in good health in the past two years.

Moreover, Lord Hai was too strong and powerful. During the five years he was in charge of the Censorate, the Ming officialdom was in a state of silence. Even the emerging industries and commerce in Northeast China, Huguang, Guangdong and Guangxi were affected. People from all walks of life in the court and the public were full of complaints against Lord Hai.

It is said that the emperor is also dissatisfied with Duke Hai. Wang Guoguang asked in disbelief: "Duke Jianchuan, how is this possible? The emperor respects Duke Hai so much, how could he be dissatisfied with him?"

"Wang Ruguan, other things are easy to deal with, but will the emperor feel comfortable if the economic construction is affected? You are the right chancellor of the cabinet and the minister of the Ministry of Revenue. You know how important the economic construction is to the emperor."

Wang Guoguang nodded silently and said nothing more.

Zhang Siwei said excitedly, "Great, this is a good thing! Uncle is flexible and has a combination of firmness and flexibility. If he takes charge of the Censorate, he will be able to wipe out the many shortcomings of Hai Rui in the past five years."

Wang Chonggu looked at Zhang Siwei, squinted his eyes and asked, "Ziwei, what do you want?"

Upon hearing the voice, Wang Guoguang turned around and looked at Zhang Siwei.

"Uncle, this is what I think.

Among the four ministers of state, Zhang Shuda will definitely retire.

His vacant position of prime minister was difficult for his uncle to take over, let alone for me, his nephew.

Tan Ziri was appointed as a replacement mid-term and should be able to serve another term.

However, since the eighth year of the Wanli reign, his health has deteriorated. In the ninth year of the Wanli reign, he has been hospitalized twice in the Beijing General Hospital due to phlegm. With such a health condition, he will definitely retire after completing this term.

As his nephew, I dare not even hope to take over the post of Chief Military Officer that is vacant."

Wang Guoguang next to him smiled coldly in his heart, "You think you are qualified?"
"Uncle, you will replace Hai Gangfeng as the Chief Censor. Your vacancy should naturally be taken over by Wang Ruguan."

Hearing this, Wang Chonggu and Wang Guoguang couldn't help but frown slightly.

You old man will not do anything without benefits. You have been thinking about it for a long time, but you haven't gained any benefits at all. How is it possible!

Zhang Siwei leaned forward, lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "I heard that the emperor intends to increase the number of advisors."

Wang Chonggu raised his eyebrows slightly but said nothing.

Wang Guoguang was shocked. "Ziwei, where did you hear this news?"

The Advisory Bureau was the highest decision-making advisory body of the Ming Dynasty appointed by the emperor, and its power was greater than the previous cabinet.

As the highest level advisor in the Advisory Bureau, his power is greater than that of the previous cabinet ministers.

Adding one more position as the Grand Secretary would mean changes in the political situation of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhang Siwei chuckled, did not answer, sat up straight, picked up the teacup beside him, and took a few sips with dignity.

Wang Guoguang turned to look at Wang Chonggu again. From the expression on his face, he knew that the news was most likely accurate.

"Lord Jianchuan, if this is the case, the wind and waves this year may be stronger and higher."

Wang Chonggu nodded, "That's right, the wind is strong and the waves are high, everyone should be careful. Ziwei, especially you, don't fail to catch any fish and end up falling into the water."

Zhang Siwei's eyes flickered and his expression became serious.

"Uncle, don't worry. This concerns my own future. I will be extremely careful."

At Beijing South Railway Station outside Guang'anmen in the southern part of the capital, local officials from all over the country have been arriving in an endless stream over the past ten days.

Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu Xu Zhenming, Governor of Shaanxi Shi Xing, Governor of Henan Liu Yupu, Governor of Hunan Hu Xi, and Governor of Hubei Song Yingchang agreed to get off the car.

The train they took was the Beijing-Hankou Line, going directly north from Henan, entering Hebei from Anyang, passing Handan, Xingtai, Zhending and Baoding, entering Shuntian Prefecture at Zhuozhou, crossing the Lugou River at Liangxiang, and going around Wanping County to Beijing South Railway Station.

A few people exchanged a few words on the platform, waiting for the people from the Ministry of Public Security to come over.

At this time, a train slowly approached and stopped at the opposite platform. The last sleeper car of this train was obviously an additional one, a treatment only available to officials above the rank of imperial doctor.

"Oh, this train goes from Pukou to the capital, along the Jinpu Line. There should be colleagues there."

Sure enough, not long after the train stopped, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi Liu Yingjie, the Governor of Jinghai Zhang Xueyan, the Governor of Jiangsu Cai Maochun and others got off the train.

Everyone came forward, greeted each other and exchanged a few words.

Liu Yingjie laughed and said, "Hu Futai, the Guangdong section of the Wuhan-Guangzhou Railway is being repaired overtime, and you Hunan people should also work harder. Once it is repaired, I don't have to transfer to Shanghai by sea and take the Shanghai-Nanjing-Tianjin-Pukou Railway. I can directly take the Wuhan-Guangzhou-Beijing-Hankou Railway."

Hu Xi smiled and replied, "We are speeding up the repairs. Not only is Liu the governor urging me, but Zheng Bingbu (Zheng Luo) has sent me three telegrams a month asking about the progress of the project."

Liu Yupu looked at Zhang Xueyan curiously, "Zhang Ziyu, you came back from Jinghai so quickly? Isn't it autumn and winter now? Isn't it bad to go north with strong north winds?"

Zhang Xueyan smiled and replied: "Tang Chen, you don't know, I took a steamship from Jing'an (Haiphong) to Xiangjiang. It happened that Governor Liu also wanted to go north, so we took a steamship together and went directly to Shanghai, and then took a train north from there."

"Steam ship? Oh, I've heard of it.

It is said that in the early years of the Wanli period, the Qinhuangdao Jingji Shipyard and the Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard each developed a small steam boat called a small steamer.

Are steam ships now in use?"

"Yes, the ship we are on is called a steam sailing ship, also known as a motor sailing ship. When the wind is favorable, we raise the sails and use the steam engine to drive it. When the wind is against us, we lower the sails and use only the steam engine.

It was very fast, Governor Liu, we saved two days from Hong Kong to Shanghai this time, right? "

"Yes, it saves two days, and we travel very fast on the sea. This steam engine is a real treasure."

Cai Maochun saw Shen Wanxiang and Wang Yongji standing beside him like minions.

"Chizuru, Mingshou, you are back from your mission."

He shouted in surprise, and the others turned around, gathered around happily, and asked questions one after another.

They were surrounded by three layers of people inside and outside, and they were forced to become the favorites of the Advisory Bureau and the Court Council.

Shen Wanxiang and Wang Yongji got on the carriage, their heads still buzzing.

We looked at each other and smiled bitterly. These senior officials were so enthusiastic. They asked us all kinds of questions and answered us without turning their heads. Our brains were about to boil.

A line of horse-drawn carriages drove out of the South Railway Station and entered Guang'anmen.

The capital city was still as beautiful as ever in the winter of the tenth year of Wanli's reign.

The appearance of the entire city is changing again. There is an extra row of street lamps on both sides of the street. These should be the gas street lamps that were said to be repaired before we set off.

Guo Changshun, the Right Junior Secretary of the Honglu Temple, who came to pick them up, sat opposite the two and said, "The current Shuntian Prefecture Governor is Lord Nangong. These gas street lamps were repaired by him, and the underground drainage and water supply pipe network were also completed by him.

Recently, a thermal power plant was built in the southwest of the city, which can not only generate electricity but also provide heating for the city. Now the construction of the heating system and the power grid is underway.

There are new things coming out all the time.”

Shen Wanxiang sighed: "The Ming Dynasty has entered a new era, and it is changing with each passing day."

When they arrived at Sifang Pavilion, Guo Changshun settled the two people down, said a few polite words and left.

According to the rules of the imperial court, no official could have formal contact with the imperial envoys who were ordered to leave the capital before they returned. Shen Wanxiang and Wang Yongji were naturally imperial envoys since they were ordered to go overseas.

Guo Changshun came to pick them up just as a courtesy, and left after making all the arrangements.

Sifang Pavilion has been renovated to imitate the model of Changyi Pavilion in Nanyuan. It is very comfortable to live in and even has a hot bathhouse.

Shen Wanxiang and Wang Yongji took a nice hot bath to wash away the dust and fatigue from the long journey, changed into comfortable clothes, and sat in the warm room. It was so beautiful!

The two were drinking tea and enjoying the rare comfort when there was a knock on the door.

Wang Yongji went to open the door and a man came in. He who was standing and Shen Wanxiang who was sitting were both stunned.

Why is he here!

(End of this chapter)