The Prosperous Era of Longwan

In the first assistant's duty room, the first assistant Zhang Juzheng and the second assistant Wei Guangde had reached a secret agreement. They would choose to oppose Wang Yangming's entry into the Confucius Temple to worship.

"Brother Uncle, do you think it is necessary to ask the imperial court to reaffirm the school rules?"

Thinking of the lectures organized by the disciples of Xin Xue, Wei Guangde also felt a little dizzy and couldn't help but speak.

Yes, after a few days, when the situation develops, it is estimated that a minister will report this matter.

By then, the attitude of the two of them will inevitably spread, and what will follow will be wanton criticism from the disciples of Xin Xue.

Although being scolded behind your back won't make you lose any weight, it's still disgusting.

Wei Guangde proposed to reiterate the school rules at this time, which was actually to prevent those students from participating in the lectures on mind science.

Scholars also have classes. Scholars without any fame are undoubtedly at the bottom of the ranks.

No matter what their attitude is, the government treats them just like ordinary people and does not care about anything.

As for the scholars with a good reputation, that is, the students, the government's attitude is very different. At least they cannot be treated as ordinary people.

The difference in the right to speak also determines the difference between the two among the people.

What the students say is naturally better than those scholars who have no reputation.

Therefore, as long as the student members can be separated from lectures and gatherings, the influence of such activities organized by the Xinxue disciples in the scholars will be greatly reduced.

This is definitely more beneficial to the court.

"May the Minister of Ceremonies proceed?"

Zhang Juzheng heard Wei Guangde's suggestion, lowered his head and thought for a moment, and then said, "You can mention it to the Ministry of Rites."

When Zhang Juzheng said this, his tone was obviously lacking in confidence.

Wei Guangde also knew what was going on. Now the Minister of Rites had been replaced by Wan Shihe. He was similar to Lu Shusheng, and neither of them was that easy to talk to.

In fact, in the Ming Dynasty, although the Minister of Rites had real power, they mostly stayed with Qingliu and hated the smoky atmosphere in the court. They were all elected people with high moral character, at least they would not follow the trend.

Therefore, neither Zhang Juzheng nor Wei Guangde felt confident enough to speak in front of Wan Shihe.

Because they consider issues from the perspective of the cabinet handling government affairs, some subsections will not be considered at all.

But Wan Shihe didn't know that. He would only focus on the affairs of the Ministry of Rites, so he was only responsible for the duties of the Ministry of Rites, and he criticized some of the decisions of Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde.

This matter obviously falls within the purview of the Ministry of Rites. If the cabinet raised it, I don’t know what Wan Shihe would think.

In particular, it was emphasized that students were not allowed to talk or form associations. Although it was a rule set in the early Ming Dynasty, it has been ignored for a long time now. Not many people still abide by it. Scholars held poetry meetings, literary meetings, etc. It has become common practice to hold rallies to promote one's reputation in the hope of influencing the results of imperial examinations.

Wei Guangde also benefited from it to some extent, but at this moment, Wei Guangde, who had successfully passed the imperial examination and landed in the country, naturally no longer considered the problem from the perspective of a student.

"Well, let's just say that students should still focus on the imperial examination. The right way is to have less associations and read more books."

Wei Guangde answered.

It was reasonable for the Ming Dynasty to prohibit students from forming associations and speaking out.

First, the students' profession is to study and learn. If they discuss politics hastily, they will have "unruly rules."

Second, most of the students are young and energetic, with limited knowledge. Once they hear about the current situation, they will be passionate and speak rashly, which will only be counterproductive.

Third, compared with the wise men and celebrities, the ministers were of low opinion, and their words could not influence local affairs, nor could they influence the national affairs.

Fourth, the students are the future of the country, and the most important thing in their behavior is to maintain tranquility, maintain tranquility, abide by the Tao, and keep the body. To cultivate his integrity and strengthen his moral character, he will do what he can in the future and serve the country effectively."

Of course, whether students are actually allowed to speak out and whether it is legal to do so depends more on the interests of the ruling class.

Generally speaking, if the emperor or the court feels that it is necessary to form some kind of consensus between the government and the public, they will acquiesce to the discussion in the countryside, and vice versa.

"Yeah, that's what I mean too."

Zhang Juzheng showed a bright smile at this time and said, "By the way, how's it going in Yunnan?"

When Wei Guangde heard Zhang Juzheng's question, he shook his head slightly and said, "No news has come back from Yunnan, but the armies of the three provinces, led by Li Chengliang and his son, secretly gathered in Yongning Prefecture a month ago.

This place is only three to five days away from Yunnan. Once there are changes in Yunnan, the army can immediately enter Yunnan to quell the chaos.

In addition, the Duke of Guizhou, Mu Changzuo, has already brought troops from Yunnan and deployed them in the Shunning and Yongchang areas. If something happens, Yongchang Mansion can be protected.

What I am most worried about now is actually the Xuanfu divisions of Ganya, Longchuan, and Nandian. If they are influenced by Mang Yinglong and switch sides, Yongchang Mansion may not be able to hold on. "

The several Xuanfu divisions mentioned by Wei Guangde were chieftains under the jurisdiction of the Chief Secretary of Yunnan. Although they had submitted to the Ming Dynasty in recent years, at this time, Wei Guangde did not dare to pat his chest and ensure that they were infallible.

After all, they are all ready to use swords and guns, and these chieftains will inevitably have more contact with chieftains from outside the territory. At this time, it is hard to say whether they will still submit to the Ming Dynasty or have other ideas.

This was also the reason why Mu Changzuo did not lead troops and deployed directly at the border. The border was the territory of the chieftains, and it was not very safe for the army to be stationed there.

Instead, he stationed himself in the state capital and pushed the local chieftains to the front line. If Mang Yinglong really led his troops to attack, Ming Dynasty would be able to calmly dispatch troops and horses to resist.

However, if the worst outcome occurs, Yongchang Mansion will be devastated by war and will be inevitable.

Yongchang Mansion is under the jurisdiction of the Chief Envoy of Yunnan, and there are many local Han people, so they will be affected to some extent by then.

"Mu Changzuo was not allowed to lead troops into battle? Why did the Ministry of War order him to gather troops in Shunning and Yongchang?"

Zhang Juzheng remembered that only Wei Guangde could take out the map and elaborate on the Ministry of War's arrangements for this, but it did not mention that Mu Changzuo would be used to lead the army in combat.

"The way Yunnan is now, no matter how slow Mu Guogong is, he will still react."

At this time, Wei Guangde shook his head and said with a bitter smile: "The official documents from Yunnan were sent down to the central government, and each one pointed to Burma. If he didn't notice the trouble, he, the Duke of Guizhou, would not have to guard Yunnan.

Although he did not have a written document from the Ministry of War, he had the Emperor's Sword, and relied on Prince Mu's Mansion to accumulate prestige in Yunnan for many years. He commanded troops and horses to be deployed near the border. Who would dare to disobey the orders of the generals leading the troops?

When the Ministry of War received the report from the Duke of Guizhou, it could only supplement the official document, and there was really no way to punish him for it. "

Seeing Zhang Juzheng frowning slightly, Wei Guangde continued, "The Ministry of War has given an order to the Duke of Guizhou. Once there is a change, the soldiers and horses of Yongchang Prefecture will go straight to Tengchong, and the soldiers and horses of Shuning Prefecture will go straight to Luliang. The two places are locked." Stay at the passage where the barbarians advance eastward. ’

Zhang Juzheng heard that the Ministry of War had already made a plan. Although he did not know the value of Tengchong and Luliang mentioned by Wei Guangde, he also knew that the Burmese soldiers must pass through here when entering.

With the Duke of Guizhou, Mu Changzuo, leading his troops to garrison here, he will definitely be able to report that Yunnan is worry-free, and there will be no worries at the moment.

"I didn't expect that for many years of peace in the southwest, there would be such a dangerous situation hidden. If Shandai hadn't discovered it, it would have almost caused a serious disaster."

Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but secretly feel lucky when he thought about the chaos that almost happened in Southwest China.

No matter what, the DPRK and China were finally prepared and had mobilized elite troops and generals in advance to make complete preparations. Otherwise, if the Burmese soldiers really broke into Yunnan, the government and the public would probably be in trouble.

Although everyone regards the southwest as a barren land, and no one wants to be an official there, it is still the territory of the Ming Dynasty. If something goes wrong, the Ministry of War and the cabinet will not be the ones responsible.

"It's just a fluke."

Wei Guangde hurriedly said humbly, he couldn't say that in Myanmar, it seemed that the war with China continued on and off for many years, which really gave them a lot of advantages.

"It's just that now, in the Ming Dynasty, I accidentally fell into war in the southwest and southeast at the same time. There is actually no peace in Liaodong. Shandai, do you think this is because you and I have neglected our duties?"

Zhang Juzheng said.

Indeed, according to the current development of events, it is really possible that Ming Dynasty will fall into a two-front war.

In normal times, Ming Dynasty's current financial difficulties would not be able to support such a war.

Fortunately, the Liaodong issue was resolved at the beginning of the year, and now that it is the end of the year, it should be able to be postponed.

"It's all a long-term mistake. It just happened to be discovered by you and me. How can I say it was a dereliction of duty?"

Wei Guangde said cheerfully.

Zhang Juzheng certainly knew that freezing three feet did not last in a day. Whether it was Liaodong or Myanmar, it was the bane left by the Jiajing Dynasty.

However, in Southeast Luzon, it was a different story. It was completely led by Wei Guangde, who wanted to open up a territory overseas, not to mention that he had always been obsessed with restoring the Old Port Xuanwei Division.

However, Zhang Juzheng could barely accept Wei Guangde's idea.

Nowadays, Western Yi ships visit the Ming Dynasty more and more frequently, which fully shows that the number of Yi people on the Ming Dynasty sea is constantly increasing.

The arrival of these people will inevitably lead to competition for interests between the original vassal states of the Ming Dynasty.

From the reports from the Jinyi Guardian officials in Mancajia and Luzon, it can be seen that both places have been occupied by the barbarians, and the barbarians have ulterior motives.

The foreign expansion led by Wei Guangde can provide a buffer for the Ming Dynasty. At least the Ming warships appeared in Nanyang, which can provide strong support to the Nanyang vassal countries. This is a significant initiative for restoring the Ming Dynasty's influence on the vassal countries.

"I was thinking that now that the new king has ascended the throne, the local government has contributed a lot of auspiciousness recently. As cabinet ministers, you and I should also come up to celebrate."

However, Zhang Juzheng suddenly spoke to Wei Guangde.

In fact, Zhang Juzheng told Wei Guangde about this matter at this time, which was also the result of careful consideration.

Although he is now the chief assistant, because of the forced examination, there have been complaints in the lower state capitals, especially in the Jiangnan area.

For many years in the Central Committee, Zhang Juzheng has been deeply aware of an important problem, that is, the triennial Beijing inspection and external inspection established by the imperial court have become a tool for officials to criticize each other. It is difficult to truly perform the duties of inspecting officials, and the effectiveness of inspections is great. discount.

A few honest officials alone cannot solve the country's deep-seated conflicts. To fundamentally solve the problem, the court must implement reforms at the local level.

In the process of reform, we must strictly control the behavior of officials and avoid being obedient, otherwise our efforts will be in vain.

The implementation of the examination law is to strengthen the supervision of court officials so that it can effectively restrain the behavior of officials and ensure the smooth progress of government affairs.

Many officials are opposed to this policy because they have been accustomed to the previous loose environment, but now Zhang Juzheng has placed strict constraints on everyone, which is naturally difficult for everyone to accept.

As a result, under the undercurrent in official circles, the anti-Zhang faction was gradually taking shape.

They opposed the reform policies implemented by Zhang Juzheng for the country and wanted to return to the past.

In order to solve the undercurrent, Zhang Juzheng had no choice but to maintain his favor and serve the palace well just like Yan Song did back then.

Since this year, in order to express respect and loyalty to the little emperor, officials from all over the country have presented rare treasures that symbolize good luck, including rare white lotus flowers and flawless white swallows.

This is also a tradition left over from the Jiajing Dynasty. People at that time believed that the discovery of white animals and plants symbolized auspiciousness and heralded the coming of good things. White deer, turtles and tigers are considered auspicious omens, bringing hope and joy.

Emperor Jiajing was quite fascinated by such matters, so Hu Zongxian, who was stationed in the southeast, followed his favour, often looking for auspicious omens to offer to the emperor, in order to please the Sacred Heart and ensure that his favor would be stable.

But now, Zhang Juzheng is also considering this matter.

Although he will not personally look for any auspiciousness, he will not criticize it, and of course he will not openly encourage it. However, as a cabinet minister, he should naturally celebrate the auspiciousness that appears.

It is also appropriate to write a carefully written congratulatory note to express my respect and joy for this auspicious omen.

However, when they were in Prince Yu's Mansion, they scorned Xiangrui and others. Lu Tiaoyang didn't know it, but Wei Guangde knew it very well.

Therefore, before submitting this congratulatory note, he felt it was necessary to communicate with Wei Guangde to avoid any bad words being spread later.

"Auspicious?"

When Wei Guangde heard Zhang Juzheng's words, the smile on his face gradually faded, and then he looked at him in surprise.

Zhang Juzheng felt a little embarrassed when Wei Guangde looked at him, so he had to lower his head slightly and reach out to stroke his beautiful beard to relieve his embarrassment.

"Uncle, how could you think of this?

It's their business to offer auspiciousness at the local level. We just don't participate. Why should we go to the outside to celebrate? "

Wei Guangde said directly.

But after the words came out, he immediately realized the deep meaning behind Zhang Juzheng's move.

The little emperor may not care about auspiciousness or inauspiciousness, but his mother may not be so.

When your son becomes emperor, it is certainly a good thing if there are such good omens as auspiciousness.

Moreover, Wei Guangde also knew that those so-called auspicious things were indeed extremely tight, and Zhu Yijun was very fond of these things.

Zhang Juzheng wanted to please the palace.

A thought appeared in Wei Guangde's mind and he couldn't get rid of it for a long time.

"Shan Lian, you don't know that it's tradition for officials to come to celebrate when something auspicious occurs."

Zhang Juzheng said calmly.

Zhang Juzheng's words are correct. There are auspicious congratulations on the table. However, because of the events of the Jiajing Dynasty, now all officials are silent when they see auspicious gifts from local places.

It is conceivable that under the current situation, if Zhang Juzheng takes the lead in congratulations, the impact will be great.

"This greeting card"

Wei Guangde wanted to refuse, but then changed his mind and said, "Yes, I should go."