The Prosperous Era of Longwan

"The Ministry of Personnel rejected the emperor's order and refused to issue documents to the chief assistant to stay in Beijing and guard the system."

"Yeah, I thought that after three applications and three resignations, Zhang Chief Fu would wear mourning clothes and do errands in the cabinet. I didn't expect that someone actually opposed it openly."

At this moment, the news spread in various government offices in the capital, and officials who knew each other would inevitably talk about it in private when they met.

"How dare he, how dare he."

In the ceremonial prison, Feng Bao looked at the note from Wang Guoguang and said in disbelief.

Zhang Han was attached to Zhang Juzheng in his early years, and Zhang Juzheng recommended him to be the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Who would have thought that he would actually do evil in secret.

To win love, it must be smooth without any twists and turns.

After all, officials are well aware of the concept of a carrot and a pit.

From the national perspective, the emperor stepped forward to prevent the ministers from returning home to Ding You.

After all, Ding You was just a family matter, not a serious matter of state. There were several precedents of seizing love before the Ming Dynasty.

For example, in the second year of Chenghua, Emperor Zhu Jianshen was already twenty-one years old, and there were no major affairs in the country. Li Xian, the first assistant, did not have to stay, but he still wanted to win his affection.

The trouble is that Zhang Juzheng has become the target of public criticism at this time. The Ming Dynasty ruled the world with filial piety. There are few opportunities for Zhang Juzheng to resign with confidence.

Feng Baoke was much calmer than Zhang Juzheng. He knew that many officials were actually dissatisfied with the chief minister because of the New Deal.

It's just that due to the power of the chief assistant, especially the six subjects, which are personally supervised by the chief assistant, the power has been greatly increased.

Under such circumstances, few ordinary officials are willing to come forward to oppose "stealing love."

But everything depends on someone taking the lead. Now the officials are taking the lead in firing the first shot against "stealing love", and it is in the yamen controlled by Zhang Juzheng, and the subsequent reaction.

Feng Bao felt his scalp numb just thinking about it and didn't dare to think any more.

Zhang Han, a man who was destined to leave the court, did not expect that he would do this at the last moment.

"Come here, all the memoranda sent by foreign countries against seizing love should be handed over to me as soon as possible."

At this time, Feng Bao's first remedy was to control his speech and prevent "opposition" voices from entering the palace.

Yes, the Director of Ceremonies has this ability.

All memorials, whether sent directly to the imperial court or drafted by the cabinet, could not bypass the Supervisor of Ceremonies.

As long as this position is stuck, you can control the direction of the memorial.

Although it cannot affect the discussion outside the court, at least the news in the palace can be controlled.

It is no longer possible to send it directly to the emperor.

When you are a young emperor, you cannot handle affairs independently at all. All memorials are sent to the cabinet for voting by the ceremonial supervisor, and the eunuch Bingbi cannot approve them independently. They must either approve them according to the cabinet votes, or they must be reported to the empress dowagers of the two palaces for final decision.

It should be said that the current eunuchs in charge are actually more powerful than the previous two emperors Jiajing and Longqing. However, Huang Jin and others are not people who are good at power and do not use this power for their own benefit.

Of course, the most important thing is that the emperor did not delegate power to them. After all, there is still a queen mother above them.

However, the advantage that eunuchs have over courtiers and even cabinet ministers is that they are the people closest to the emperor and the queen mother, and they are also the people they trust the most.

Feng Bao could only block the news now and prevent it from being known to the palace. Fortunately, the palace had been cleaned up once before due to "rumors".

However, now that the matter has happened, Feng Bao also knows that Zhang Juzheng must deal with it as soon as possible, otherwise the two people's efforts will be in vain.

At this time, in the side room of the mourning hall of Zhang Mansion, Zhang Juzheng also got the news that Zhang Han, the Minister of Civil Affairs, actually took the lead in opposing "stealing love".

This incident made Zhang Juzheng doubt his ability to handle affairs for the first time.

He was just a little indecisive, but he didn't expect to loosen his grip slightly. He wanted to save face for Zhang Han and leave the court decently, but he chose to put him in the dilemma of being unfaithful and unfilial.

Zhang Han's memorial directly tore away the fig leaf of "stealing love", although it was not what he wanted at the beginning.

But by this time, who would believe what he said? Feng Bao had already manipulated the entire incident.

If at the beginning, I had discovered that Zhang Han had different intentions due to the affairs of the cabinet ministers, and dealt with this person directly and harshly, what happened today would never have happened.

At this time, Zhang Juzheng still felt a little guilty, and even thought of Liu Tai before.

Among the courtiers, how many people would choose to be "Liu Tai"?

Thinking of this, Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but take a breath.

Even though Liu Tai and his family have all been relocated to Guangxi, Zhang Juzheng still knows that the Liu family's reputation in Shilin has also risen, especially Liu Tai's.

Nowadays, when scholars outside see or talk about Liu Tai, they all respectfully call him "Liu Gong" to express their admiration for his heroic spirit of not fearing the powerful.

Zhang Juzheng thought for a moment and finally made up his mind.

Picking up the pen, he quickly wrote down a note, folded it and sealed it in an envelope. He then stamped the seal with his personal seal and asked someone to send it out immediately.

This child cannot be kept.

Zhang Juzheng has realized the dangers of the court's power game, and he will take action when it's time to take action. He can only use ruthlessness to interrupt those people from having unwanted thoughts.

Thousands of miles away, the Liu clan members who were still walking on the distribution road never imagined what they would encounter when they arrived at the distribution area.

And these seem to have nothing to do with them at all.

No one cares whether Liu Tai is happy or regretful at this time. For a little person, no one cares about his life or death.

This is like a fire in the court, which will affect the fish in the pond. Many things will not be repaid until you do them. Maybe you will also suffer disasters if you do nothing.

As for Zhang Juzheng, there is only one way to go to the dark side at this time.

The idea of ​​"stealing love" has arisen in the palace, and he really can't let go of the ongoing political reforms, so he can only choose to follow his heart.

Feng Bao could suppress the memorial for a while, but it was impossible to stop the spread of the news.

At this time, Wei Guangde also learned from Lu Bu the news from the General Affairs Department.

"Zhang Han, this man is so bold."

Wei Guangde couldn't help but be stunned when he heard Lu Bu's report.

This person had almost been forgotten by him, but unexpectedly, he used this action to make the officials in the capital hear his name again.

"Revenge against Zhang Juzheng or do you want to imitate Liu Tai and leave a clear name?"

Wei Guangde was surprised and couldn't help but murmured.

"It would be best if you pay attention to Zhang Han's memorial."

Wei Guangde originally wanted to assign the bookkeeper to Zhang Siwei during the arrangement of the memorial, but after thinking about it, he knew it would not work.

This matter is not trivial and must be decided by his second assistant personally.

Moreover, the number one person in charge of the Supervisor of Ceremonies would not hand over the memorial to the cabinet at will.

Feng Baona will definitely take action before submitting the memorial to the cabinet.

For example, contact yourself or Zhang Siwei, or even find Zhang Juzheng to discuss how to proceed with the voting process.

Wei Guangde just pondered for a moment, then waved his hand and asked Lu Bu to leave the room. He continued to process the memorial sent over.

He had made up his mind to face everything by staying still and see how Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao would handle this matter in the end.

It would do no harm to him to properly tarnish Zhang Juzheng's reputation.

In any case, he and Zhang Juzheng are political enemies. Although they are also political allies, there is no need to make it public.

Wei Guangde had already thought about it. He would still practice Tai Chi and leave it to the palace judges, and he would not express his opinion.

This is also a common trick used by those in the officialdom. If they can't make the decision, they can just leave it to the emperor. At least there will be no mistakes.

If you do more, you will make more mistakes; if you do less, you will make more mistakes; if you do less, you will make more mistakes.

If he participated in the rebellion, even if some people would praise him, it would be unreasonable to say that he coveted the position of chief assistant behind the scenes.

Instead of doing this, it is better to stay out of it, just work hard and do your job well.

Zhang Han's big move involved the entire officialdom of the capital. Everyone was watching to see the development of subsequent events, wondering whether Zhang Juzheng would continue to take Xiao as his chief assistant or return to his hometown Ding You.

Sure enough, at night, after Wei Guangde was still sending away the visitors, the door of the mansion was knocked again, and a man wrapped in a cloak walked into the Wei mansion.

It was not Feng Bao's first time here, so he was familiar with it. Even the concierge recognized the face covered by the cloak at a glance.

When Wei Guangde received the news, he just had a wry smile on his face, then shook his head and spoke to his wife, then walked out of the backyard to the front.

In a secluded flower hall, Wei Guangde saw Feng Bao coming here.

After the screen retreated, Feng Bao also got straight to the point. He knew that the news of Zhang Han's memorial could not be hidden from Wei Guangde.

The whole capital is rumored to be crazy, how can you hide it?

"Shandai, what do you think about this matter?"

Feng Bao got straight to the point and asked directly.

Before coming, he had quietly met with Zhang Juzheng and learned some of his guesses from Zhang.

Although he still felt that it was not safe, Feng Bao still wanted to come and ask questions in person.

"What's the matter?"

Wei Guangde said something carelessly.

"The matter of Zhang Han's memorial."

Feng Bao directly called out his name, with no respect in his tone, only contempt.

"I've heard about it, but I haven't seen it."

Wei Guangde pushed four, five, and six, not wanting to answer directly.

"The memorial is here with me."

As he spoke, Feng Bao took out Zhang Han's memorial that shocked the officialdom of the capital from his sleeve.

Wei Guangde seemed oblivious to this and had no intention of reaching out to take it. He just shook his head at Feng Bao.

He is not Feng Bao's enemy, at least he doesn't want to be his enemy yet.

If this memorial appears here and falls in the eyes of other people in the palace, it will be enough to make Feng Bao drink a pot.

How can such a memorial be taken out of the palace at will?

To say that it is small is disrespectful to the imperial power, to say that it is big is to be beheaded and cause serious disaster.

If Wei Guangde didn't answer, he could naturally say that he didn't know whether it was true or false because he hadn't seen it.

Feng Bao dared to bring it out openly, so he naturally knew that Wei Guangde would not snitch. He was not that kind of person. He had never harmed anyone in his many years as an official.

Of course, there are many indirect injuries.

At the very least, in order for the people he supported to rise to power, those who had more reason to rise to power must have been deprived of their opportunity.

It is impossible to say that it really does not affect people.

When Feng Bao saw that Wei Guangde didn't answer, he wasn't angry and said directly and seriously: "Then Zhang Han is not a good person and ruined my big things."

"oh."

Wei Guangde just responded lightly and stopped talking.

"When the memorial comes to you, how will you draft it?"

Although Feng Bao felt a little unhappy, he did not show it, but asked directly.

"I have no way of expressing my opinion on this matter."

Wei Guangde's tone was still calm, as if it had nothing to do with him.

Hearing this, Feng Bao just frowned slightly.

In fact, after hearing his words, Feng Bao felt relieved because Zhang Juzheng analyzed Wei Guangde's current mentality.

"He will not take the initiative to participate in this matter. The court is already troubled, and Shandai will not take the initiative to take over the position of chief assistant, because it is too troublesome."

These were Zhang Juzheng's original words, and they were still recalling in Feng Bao's mind.

He now also understood the meaning of Zhang Juzheng's words. "He" would not show his coveting for the position of chief minister, but he would not give up easily. He would just accept the fate and let the palace decide.

Feng Bao didn't believe it before, no one would refuse to go further, and he wouldn't, otherwise he wouldn't be where he is today.

But now seeing Wei Guangde's reaction, it seems that Zhang Juzheng really guessed it.

However, even though he thought so, Feng Bao still asked: "Shandai, give me a guarantee, how do you want to vote?"

Wei Guangde just frowned slightly when he heard this. In fact, his meaning had been clearly expressed, but he didn't expect that Feng Bao still broke the casserole and asked the truth, which was very rude.

In official circles, this is a taboo.

However, thinking of the importance of this matter to him and Zhang Juzheng, Wei Guangde felt a little relieved.

"I respectfully request the Holy Judgment."

Wei Guangde smiled bitterly and answered in a low voice.

The sound was so small that if Feng Bao hadn't been concentrating at this time, he could hardly hear it clearly.

Feng Bao stared at Wei Guangde for a while, then nodded slightly, clasped his hands and said, "Thank you very much."

After that, Feng Bao stood up and said goodbye and left.

Wei Guangde just sat on the chair without moving, with no intention of sending him out.

This is actually a gesture of Wei Guangde.

It's not that he can't give it away, but he just can't give it away.

There was no political deal with Feng Bao, there was no need.

The cabinet matter was a deal between Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao, and there was no need for him to get involved now.

After a while, Zhang Ji entered the flower hall, stood in front of Wei Guangde and whispered: "Master, he is gone."

"Um."

Wei Guangde did not send him out, but Zhang Ji who was guarding outside was not so discerning, so he sent Feng Bao out of the house immediately after he came out, and then came back immediately.

"It's okay. I'll go back to the backyard. You can rest too."

Wei Guangde then got up and walked straight to the backyard.

Although he didn't know why Feng Bao came so late, Zhang Ji could more or less guess what happened in the capital in the past two days.

However, even the closest people around Zhang Ji couldn't guess what the two people were talking about and what the outcome was.

There was no argument between the two in the room, and their voices were very soft. When Feng Bao came out, his face was neither happy nor worried. It was really hard to understand what the conversation was about.

When they arrived at the backyard, Mrs. Xu Jianglan only cared about it, knowing that it was Feng Bao who came tonight.

Then she said nothing.

Even she in the back house had heard about the turmoil in the court, and Duke Dingguo's mansion had sent many gifts today.

But looking at Wei Guangde's expression, Xu Jianglan guessed that it was not that simple.

"Madam, do you think I should compete for the position of chief assistant?"

Thinking that she was the back house and had many contacts with nobles and the families of other dignitaries in the capital, Wei Guangde took the initiative to tell her this matter, so as not to run errands outside and say the wrong thing, which would cause people to misunderstand.

"I don't fight, I just fight when I'm doing my job well, because I can straighten out the court.

No argument, it's because the court is too complicated now, and taking over will have to deal with the mess left by my uncle. "(End of chapter)