The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Empress Dowager Chen looked at Zhu Yijun and said, "Then let's take away the love."

Empress Dowager Chen chose to take away the love, in fact, she was more concerned about the attitude of the young emperor Zhu Yijun. His words "The court needs Mr. Zhang" were the fundamental reason for her decision.

When she was in Prince Yu's mansion in her early years, the mansion had lived a very tight life because of financial difficulties.

Of course, for her, tight life actually means that she can't make new clothes she wants to make, can't buy jewelry she wants to buy, and she still has no worries about food.

For the maids like Empress Dowager Li, they don't have such troubles.

Anyway, the mansion can give them food and pay them some silver money every month.

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So, Empress Dowager Li said that without Zhang Juzheng, the court would reduce the amount of money given to the palace due to financial difficulties, but Empress Dowager Li didn't take it to heart at all.

She had advised Emperor Longqing to restrict the extravagance in the palace and strictly control the harem, but she was almost deposed.

Empress Dowager Li was also happy to see that Empress Dowager Chen was persuaded with just a few words.

Strike while the iron is hot, Empress Dowager Li handed the memorial to the young emperor Zhu Yijun and said, "Emperor, this is your Mr. Zhang's memorial. Your mother and I want to deprive him of his love and leave him in the court to handle government affairs. You should approve it."

"Wait."

But at this moment, Empress Dowager Chen stopped her.

"Sister, what are you doing?"

Empress Dowager Li was puzzled and looked over hurriedly.

"It is not appropriate to directly vote at this time. Let the previous court submit a memorial to request deprivation of love first, and then the emperor can take the opportunity to propose deprivation of love."

Empress Dowager Chen said.

Although she did not have much political experience, Empress Dowager Chen instinctively thought that it was inappropriate for the palace to make such a decision.

It is better to follow the court's usual procedures for handling affairs, and it is safer for the outer court to submit memorials and the inner court to approve and seal.

"Who should I ask to make the memorial?"

At this time, Empress Dowager Li couldn't think of who would be the best candidate.

"Let Feng Bao do this. He is familiar with the previous dynasty. It would be safest to ask him to find someone from the six ministries to make the memorial."

Empress Dowager Chen said.

Empress Dowager Li nodded slightly after hearing this, and then asked the people around her to find Feng Bao.

Not long after, Feng Bao trotted into the Ciqing Palace. The palace servants here naturally did not dare to stop this powerful figure in the palace.

"Your servant greets the Empress Dowager Cisheng, the Empress Dowager Rensheng, and the Emperor."

Feng Bao knelt down and saluted as soon as he entered the room, shouting.

Although Feng Bao was so powerful outside, he was cautious here.

In front of the two empresses, any one of them could make him doomed, so he should behave in accordance with the rules.

"Get up."

Empress Dowager Li said, and then told him that he had to find someone in the previous dynasty to make a memorial to the emperor to ask for the emperor to take away his love.

Feng Bao lowered his head and listened, his eyes kept turning around, thinking about who to find.

If it was an ordinary official in Beijing, he really had someone under his command who could do this.

After all, Feng Bao had really placed some officials who had surrendered to him through Zhang Juzheng.

However, most of these people were people with bad conduct, who were excluded in the government office, or people who were not in power.

It was okay to keep them in Beijing as officials, but it was still difficult to rise to the top in one step.

Therefore, most of these people's official positions were not big, they were just transferred to positions with more oil and water.

For themselves and for Feng Bao's benefit.

The Queen Mother hoped that there would be six ministers, or at least officials at the level of assistant ministers, to make a memorial and request to keep Zhang Juzheng, which was really a bit blind for Feng Bao.

It's not that he didn't know them, but he couldn't talk to these people.

Although the cabinet ministers were polite to him, whether it was Zhang Juzheng or Wei Guangde, they had a good relationship with him, but most of the civil officials deliberately avoided interacting with eunuchs.

Especially for officials at the level of assistant ministers, who have already reached the third rank, who cares about a eunuch.

For the sake of reputation, they can talk to Feng Bao in private, but they will never have contact with him publicly.

The cabinet ministers can also say that they have to do so because of the power of the Silijian, but others cannot say so.

"Yes, madam, I will go down and arrange it now."

Although he knew that this matter was not easy to handle, Feng Bao could not say it here.

He must show that seizing the love is an opinion supported by many officials in the court, otherwise it is hard to say whether the two queen mothers above will change their attitude.

"Then you go down and do it, and the memorial of the prime minister will be left here first."

Empress Dowager Li said.

When Feng Bao left, Empress Dowager Chen spoke first: "Sister, I don't understand the affairs of the court, so I will use this to test the attitude of the officials.

If those people make trouble, the late emperor would also be very troubled at that time, and he would not dare to provoke them at all."

"Sister is right, sister is not thoughtful enough."

What else can Empress Dowager Li say, she agreed immediately.

Feng Bao left Ciqing Palace, thinking about who to find to do this.

Undoubtedly, the best government offices to report to are the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Personnel.

It should be said that these three government offices, except for the Ministry of Rites, are the government offices that Zhang Juzheng controls more firmly.

However, Zhang Juzheng returned to his hometown to observe the mourning period, and the Minister of Rites should have the most say. But thinking of Ma Ziqiang's stubborn character, Feng Bao was secretly worried.

He himself felt that it would be difficult to persuade this adult.

However, Feng Bao did not dare to delay at this moment. He left the imperial city and went directly to the Ministry of Rites.

When Feng Bao arrived, Ma Ziqiang did not dare to neglect and directly welcomed him into the check-in room.

I look down on eunuchs, but after all, the royal family is standing behind them, and they still have to give face.

"Eunuch Feng, your Majesty is here at the Ministry of Rites today. I don't know if I have any advice."

At this time, Ma Ziqiang thought that Feng Bao's arrival was to help the little emperor choose a successor.

After the people had been sent to the palace for a long time, Ma Ziqiang thought that the result had been achieved and asked them to prepare for the next ceremony.

After the selection of the queen is decided, the Ministry of Rites must submit a petition for the title, and then the palace will issue an edict.

However, Ma Ziqiang was destined to be disappointed.

"Ma Shangshu, Shuanglin is here because of the chief minister's affairs."

Feng Bao also got straight to the point, but his voice was much lowered and he said: "You know what the situation is in the court now. The New Deal of the First Assistant has only started for three years. If the First Assistant is worried, the New Deal seems to have been stranded.

The two empresses believe that the current new policy is beneficial to the court."

Therefore, Feng Bao, in the name of the Queen Mother, began to explain the situation in the DPRK and China in detail to Ma Ziqiang, expressing the inner court's hope that the DPRK would take the initiative to petition to retain Zhang Juzheng.

In fact, when Ma Ziqiang heard Feng Bao talking about Zhang Juzheng, he already had some guesses, but he just frowned slightly and didn't say much.

From Ma Ziqiang's point of view, he certainly did not want Zhang Juzheng to steal his love, because this meant that it would be difficult for him to enter the cabinet.

Yes, once you reach the position of Minister of Rites and continue to move up, the only way left is to enter the cabinet.

If Zhang Juzheng is retained, the cabinet will inevitably not need to replace people, and he will naturally not be able to make progress.

As for the benefits of Zhang Juzheng's new policy to the court, Ma Ziqiang naturally knew it, but he was unwilling to end his career because of it.

Even if this is what the Queen Mother meant.

"Eunuch Feng, the chief assistant returned to his hometown to observe the rules because of his father's death. This is a matter of etiquette. The Ministry of Rites cannot make requests for love."

Ma Ziqiang expressed his attitude very directly, and he could not agree to it either emotionally or rationally.

If the Ministry of Rites invites him to "seize love", then he, the Minister of Rites, will no longer be able to continue his job. He will only be ridiculed by the scholars as a person who follows the influence of others.

"Master Ma, don't you think about it at all?"

Feng Bao saw Ma Ziqiang's firm attitude, but still fought for it.

"No, as the Minister of Rites, I cannot take the lead in destroying etiquette."

Ma Ziqiang said bluntly.

"In this case, Na Shuanglin will take his leave. I only hope that when the DPRK and the Central Committee are discussing the matter of seizing love, Ma Shangshu will think more about the changes in the current situation of the DPRK and not deliberately obstruct it because of etiquette.

After all, this is what the palace means. "

In fact, Feng Bao knew that the possibility of Ma Ziqiang gaining something here was very small, but he still went to the Ministry of Rites as his first stop, just to use the Queen Mother to suppress Ma Ziqiang so that he would be a little restrained by the Ministry of Rites when he was involved in the dispute over "robbing love". Point, don't be so presumptuous.

If Ma Ziqiang wants to join the cabinet, he must obtain the consent of the harem.

This time, Ma Ziqiang didn't answer and just sat quietly.

He now also understands Feng Bao's intention. Winning his support is fake, but putting pressure is real.

When Feng Bao came out of the Ministry of Rites, he was wondering who to look for next.

What we are looking for this time must be someone who can persuade him to petition for love.

Thinking of Zhang Juzheng's New Deal, the one who actually benefited the most was the Ministry of Household Affairs, so Feng Bao went straight to the Ministry of Household Affairs.

The current Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, Wang Guoguang, has actually gone to the Ministry of Personnel. Because Zhang Han offended Zhang Juzheng, he has already handed in two memorials to his official appointment. He will be able to return to his hometown after the palace returns the third memorial and submits it for approval. Enjoy your old age.

The successor of the Minister of Personnel is Wang Guoguang, the Minister of Hubu.

The current Ministry of Household Affairs is temporarily in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, and the Minister of Household Affairs, Zhang Xueyan, has not yet been appointed governor of Liaodong.

After all, Liaodong is the gateway to the northeast of the capital. When the new governor takes office, the two still have to hand over.

In addition, the war in Liaodong has just ended, and many matters still need to be dealt with, so Zhang Xueyan is afraid that he will have to wait until the end of the year to take office.

Let Li Youzi come forward. Although he is only the Minister of the Ministry of Finance, he can also represent the attitude of the Ministry of Finance.

Moreover, almost all the people in the household department were trustworthy by Zhang Juzheng, so Feng Bao thought that if he found Li Youzi, things would be done easily.

What's more, if Li Youzi wants to go one step further and become a minister, he must obey, otherwise the title of minister will be his last official position.

Arriving at the Department of Revenue, Feng Bao easily arrived at the lobby of the Department of Revenue.

At this time, Li Youzi was temporarily in charge of the big seal of the Household Department, so his work was carried out in the lobby of the Household Department instead of returning to his duty room.

Feng Bao was an ally of Zhang Juzheng, so Li Youzi was very polite to him.

As before when he went to the Ministry of Rites, Feng Bao repeated what he had said to Li You after sitting down, and then looked at Li Youzi's statement.

At this time, Zhang Juzheng, Feng Bao and other people in the palace came out. No one else knew about Zhang Juzheng's "love". Ma Ziqiang knew about it, but he would not talk nonsense. Wei Guangde also guessed it, but he would not talk nonsense.

Therefore, after Feng Bao finished speaking, Li Youzi frowned in surprise and said nothing.

It is not a trivial matter to petition for love. Although it seems that Tobe's petition is indeed justified, the risks behind it can also be seen.

Chief Assistant Ding You, everyone below will have the opportunity to take a further step.

But if it's love-stealing, it's like blocking someone else's path to advancement.

In fact, many officials, especially senior officials of the imperial court, were opposed to Zhang Juzheng's affair. This is a very important point.

In addition to "profit", the remaining low-level officials got involved for "reputation".

"Minister Li should have seen the changes in the Ministry of Revenue over the years. You should know what the Ministry of Revenue is like without Prime Minister Zhang, and the palace knows it too, so the two Empress Dowagers want to seize the love and let the Prime Minister stay in office.

Minister Li, you are a smart man. You should know that although there are risks in doing so, the benefits are also great."

Seeing that Li Youzi's attitude was unclear, Feng Bao continued to put pressure on him decisively.

"Eunuch Feng, it's useless for me to make a memorial alone for such a big thing."

Finally, Li Youzi spread his hands and said.

"You just need to make a memorial, and the memorial will naturally be in the hands of the Empress.

As for your worry about being alone, you don't have to worry about it. You are definitely not the only one who hopes that Prime Minister will stay in office."

What Li Youzi thought of, Feng Bao could naturally think of. He only needed someone who could stand up and make the first voice, and then someone would follow up.

Not only Feng Bao's people, Zhang Juzheng would also arrange it secretly.

Although Zhang Juzheng did not make a clear statement yesterday, after Feng Bao said it, Zhang Juzheng's attitude was obviously loosened, and he just said to wait and see.

The higher the position, the less eager to express his attitude.

Since Zhang Juzheng has not made up his mind, Feng Bao will help him make this decision.

"Don't worry, Eunuch Feng, I know what to do, and I will report this matter tomorrow."

Finally, Li Youzi couldn't resist the temptation and decided to take a gamble.

There is no doubt that if this matter is done well, the Prime Minister will reward him for his merits, and he will naturally be the first to do it.

"There is no time to lose, it is best for you to submit the memorial this afternoon."

Feng Bao saw Li Youzi on the road, and immediately said, "Tomorrow there will be others who will follow and report this matter."

Seeing this, what else can Li Youzi say, he immediately nodded in agreement.

After Feng Bao came out of the Ministry of Revenue with a smug look, he immediately sent someone to call the censor Zeng Shichu and the official Chen Sanmo to make some arrangements for them.

As long as Li Youzi's memorial enters the palace today, the two of them will immediately submit a memorial tomorrow, echoing Li Shilang's words and begging the emperor to retain the prime minister.

After separating from Zeng Shichu and Chen Sanmo, Feng Bao got on the sedan chair and ordered people to carry him directly to Zhang's house.

After making these arrangements, he had to say hello to Zhang Juzheng.

"Yesterday, I came to express condolences on behalf of the palace, and today Shuanglin came here personally."

When he saw Zhang Juzheng, Feng Bao also explained his purpose.

Yesterday, he was ordered to express condolences, and today it was his personal behavior.

"Shuanglin is thoughtful."

After Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao paid their respects, he welcomed him to the side room and arranged for someone to serve tea and snacks.

"Uncle, what you said yesterday has been approved by the two ladies in the palace to His Majesty.

This time, I left the palace because the Queen Mother arranged for me to find the ministers in the court to report the intention of seizing the love."

After the servants of Zhang's house left, Feng Bao directly stated his purpose.

"This"

Zhang Juzheng didn't know how to respond when he heard this.

After all, his father had just died. Although he was still thinking about the government, his sadness was not fake.

Since returning to Beijing in the 37th year of Jiajing, he has not been home for more than 20 years.

"The emperor said that the court needs Mr. Zhang."

Feng Bao continued. (End of this chapter)