The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Regarding the bomb that Wei Guangde planted for himself unintentionally, Gao Gong was still very active in seeking a solution. Now Wei Guangde could be regarded as a banner of Prince Yu's palace in the court, and nothing could go wrong.

That night, after Gao Gong and Wei Guangde had a secret talk, although they did not clarify what to do next, they had a general idea, which was to find an opportunity to expose the matter in front of Emperor Jiajing to avoid being reported to the emperor privately by political opponents.

The reason why they did not decide on a response strategy immediately was because the incident happened suddenly. Both Wei Guangde and Gao Gong still hoped to find a better way. After all, although taking the initiative to expose Qing Ci could gain some initiative, Emperor Jiajing would not What kind of punishment will be imposed is difficult to guess.

In the next few days, Wei Guangde did not relax just because he had a preliminary plan. Instead, he was looking for other ways to break the situation.

During this period, because nothing major happened in the court, Xiyuan no longer summoned ministers. Only the cabinet memorials were sent to the palace step by step every day, and the next day they were approved by the Director of Ceremonies and returned to the cabinet. handle.

Because of this, although Wei Guangde knows that some things cannot be left behind just because of luck, he is not so anxious.

With this delay, about ten days passed.

In less than half a month, Wei Guangde didn't do nothing. He made an appointment with Chen Ju for a secret meeting and told Qing Ci in detail.

Although no countermeasures have been finalized, Wei Guangde feels that regardless of whether it is active or passive, it is best for everyone in the palace to know in advance.

There is someone in the palace, whether it is to support Gao Gong or to prepare for someone to accuse someone alone, at least the palace knows what is going on and will not be caught off guard and not know how to deal with it.

Those who were familiar with Emperor Jiajing were actually the people around him. In addition to the important ministers in the court, they were the eunuchs around the emperor.

To be able to achieve the position of an important minister of the Jiajing Dynasty, in addition to being valued by the emperor for his ability or ethics, he also had to be a sensible person, at least not to offend the emperor, otherwise it would be impossible to achieve that position.

As for the eunuchs around the emperor, in addition to being capable and discerning, they must be able to understand the emperor's intentions, understand the emperor's preferences, adapt to his preferences, and serve the emperor comfortably, and they must also be loyal.

Wei Guangde explained the matter clearly, and also wanted to see what Chen Ju and Gao Zhong behind him thought of this matter. Based on their understanding of the emperor, Emperor Jiajing would be furious after learning about the matter, or would he laugh it off.

However, within two days, Wei Guangde received a note from Chen Ju's messenger. To his disappointment, there was no answer in the note.

The Qing Ci incident happened in Wuyi Hall at that time. There was a waiter outside the hall, so naturally everyone in the hall listened to the conversation word for word.

That is to say, Chen Ju, a low-level eunuch, didn't know that Huang Jin and Gao Zhong already knew about it that night.

However, they knew that they had no obligation to help Wei Guangde, so they all adopted a laissez-faire attitude. At least, they would not get on the pole until Wei Guangde took the initiative to come to him.

If Wei Guangde had a deeper understanding of the situation in the officialdom and the palace, he might be able to analyze it from clues.

In fact, in the eyes of Huang Jin and Gao Zhong, Wei Guangde's talent in poetry and poetry was not good enough, but what they were worried about was not Emperor Jiajing's concern.

In other words, even if this matter was brought directly in front of Emperor Jiajing, it would normally only be a few words and a slight punishment. Of course, the prerequisite is that there are no other incidents.

In fact, in court battles, even if you make a mistake, timing is still very important.

If the time is right, even if you make a big mistake, it may become minor or even invisible; if the time is not right, someone may catch a small mistake and magnify it infinitely, eventually becoming irreversible.

However, these are not things that Gao Gong, who was first involved in palace confinement, and Wei Guangde now can understand.

Although Gao Gong has enjoyed great success in the past two years, don't forget that for more than ten years before, he was just an official of Prince Yu's Palace. He did not have much real power, and he was also very unfamiliar to the court.

Although Prince Yu's Mansion and Prince Jing's Mansion have been fighting overtly and covertly, in the eyes of high-ranking bosses like Yan Song and Xu Jie, these battles are no different from children's play house.

It seems that the two kings are fighting passionately, but in fact they have no impact on the government at all.

But just as they were worried, if someone else made this mistake, maybe no one would be willing to mention it, but if it was the opponent and Yan Shifan was behind the scenes, then it would be a different matter.

As for Xu Jie, he actually caught this keenly when Gao Gong came to visit, but he did not tell Gao Gong the truth, but simply agreed.

In Xu Jie's opinion, it was just a favor. When the emperor summoned him one day, he would just find an opportunity to talk about it.

However, it seems that everything did not develop according to their ideal plot.

On this day, Xu Jie was dealing with the memorials on the documents in the cabinet. A clerk hurried in outside and whispered a few words in Xu Jie's ear.

"Let him in."

Xu Jie immediately put down the things in his hands and sat upright.

Within a moment, a young chamberlain came into the room, saluted Xu Jie and loudly said: "Mr. Pavilion, Your Majesty invites you to the West Garden for an audience." ’

"I see."

Immediately, Xu Jie stood up, and the clerk next to him quickly helped him clear away the memorials on the table, as if he wanted to sort out the approved memorials and send them to the palace together.

"Mr. Xu Ge, Your Majesty is still waiting."

The little waiter said again.

The subtext of these words is, of course, don't waste time, we will talk about these things later.

Xu Jie glanced at the young chamberlain. He had no expression on his face and couldn't tell anything. Xu Jie couldn't figure out what happened in Xiyuan, so he could only nod in agreement.

Then he stepped out, followed by the young chamberlain, and saw Yan Song's back getting into the sedan.

He was a little scared in his heart, something must have happened, otherwise he and Yan Song would not have been asked to go to Xiyuan.

Normally, for small matters, only one of him or Yan Song would be chosen to go there. Only when the matter was serious would both of them be called.

Not long after, the sedan arrived in front of the gate of Xiyuan. The two got off the sedan, exchanged a few words and entered Xiyuan one after another.

When the two entered the Yongshou Palace, they felt that the atmosphere was not quite right. The eunuchs of all sizes standing around were all well-behaved and did not dare to make any big noises. It was obvious that the emperor was not in a good mood at the moment.

Before receiving the news of the summons, the scribes around him only said that there might be something going on in Xiyuan, and a few servants were sent out from the Yongshou Palace, but they did not know what happened specifically. Looking at the situation now, it seems that what happened Not too small.

When they stopped in front of the palace door and waited for the chamberlain to come in, Yan Song and Xu Jie looked at each other, but this was not the place to talk.

"Two pavilion elders, the emperor wants you to come in."

The little chamberlain who went in to report had already come out quickly and made a gesture of invitation to them.

Yan Song and Xu Jie stepped into the main hall. Emperor Jiajing was not sitting on the throne. No one was seen in the main hall, but soon they saw Emperor Jiajing sitting in the side hall.

At this time, Emperor Jiajing was sitting there with a serious face, and Huang Jin was standing on one side with his eyebrows lowered and his eyes submissive. On the other side stood Zhu Xizhong, the Duke of Cheng, who was wearing the official uniform. He also had his head drooped slightly at this time. Like Huang Jin, he didn't even look at them.

The two men immediately walked over and saluted, but after bowing down, they did not receive the words "Easy" from Emperor Jiajing.

"Can Hu Zongxian annihilate the Japanese pirates? How long do I have to give him?"

The continuous questions made Yan Song and Xu Jie, who were still bending over, stunned for a moment.

It is not easy to exterminate the Japanese pirates. The strongholds of these gangs are overseas and their movements are erratic. It is not that they can be eradicated by simply annihilating them.

"Your Majesty, what happened in Jiangnan?"

As the chief assistant, Yan Song was the only one who could speak at this time.

"In order to give him military expenses to suppress the Japanese, I promised him to send more taxes and levies. In order to raise military expenses, I also promised him to collect lijin. But how many years has it been since?"

Having said this, Emperor Jiajing stood up, walked back and forth in front of the throne twice, and then stood still and said: "Before, there were memorials from various places in the south of the Yangtze River, saying that taxes and fees would be increased. The people in the south of the Yangtze River were already suffering unspeakably. If we continue I'm afraid it won't be sustainable if we increase the levy, what do you say?"

When Emperor Jiajing said this, Yan Song and Xu Jie knew that something must have happened over there in Jiangnan. They just saw how big the leak was and whether it could be plugged.

Unconsciously, the two of them bowed even lower.

"At the beginning of the year, Wei Guangde came back from Jiangnan and said that the people in Jiangnan could survive for another year, but he was afraid that something unbearable would happen after one year. Unexpectedly, in just half a year, Jiangnan would not be peaceful."

After Emperor Jiajing said this, he turned back to sit on the throne and waved to Zhu Xizhong next to him, "Let's show them."

"According to the order."

Zhu Xizhong agreed, and then he didn't know when he had a document in his hand. He walked to Yan Song and handed it to them.

Xu Jie, who was behind Yan Song, also stood over at this time, his eyes falling on Yan Song's unfolded documents.

The documents sent to the palace by the Jin Yiwei were not unfamiliar to them. Although they had few opportunities to see them, they had seen them before, not to mention that Zhu Xizhong was here.

But soon, they frowned.

At the junction of Fujian and Guangdong, there was a bandit uprising. It was not as simple as proclaiming himself a king. They actually held a ceremony to worship heaven, ascended the throne and became emperor, and also changed the Yuan Dynasty to "create a calendar."

Now, Yan Song and Xu Jie knew where Emperor Jiajing's dissatisfaction came from.

Although the Zhang Lian proclaimed emperor mentioned in the document was not justified, but after all, he had carried out the banner. The emperor of the Feilong Kingdom also changed the Yuan Dynasty and created the calendar. This was no longer an ordinary bandit, but a rebellion and a rebel.

The description of Zhang Lian's power behind the document also frightened the two of them.

This Zhang Lian was originally a bandit who defected to Zheng Ba in Dabu. After Zheng Ba's death, he was elected as the new leader. Later, he joined forces with Xiao Wan to start a rebellion and attack nearby towns and counties. The local government also failed many times in their encirclement and suppression campaigns. Gradually, Zhang Lian and his group became famous and became a force.

As their power grew, they joined forces with Lin Chaoxi from Chengxiang, Luo Pao and Yang Shun from Dabu, Zhang Gongyou and Lai Ci from Xiaojing, White Rabbit Li Dongjin and other ministries. Now they have gathered less than 100,000 people to continuously harass Longyan, Fujian. , Shanghang and Longjing counties and Chaozhou Prefecture in Guangdong.

Nearly 100,000 people?

Seeing this number, Yan Song and Xu Jie felt a little bitter in their mouths. This was no longer a group of thieves.

But the key point is that the governor of Fujian did not report this matter. It seems that the Jinyiwei letter was sent by Qianhu Jinyiwei in Guangzhou.

Cover the lid.

At this moment, both Yan Song and Xu Jie thought of the reason why the Fujian government did not dare to report it.

Perhaps at the beginning, Fujian sent troops to suppress it, but it seemed that it must have failed.

If you lose the fight, you will naturally not dare to report the matter.

"What do you think Liu Tao is doing right now?"

Before the two of them could answer, Emperor Jiajing asked again coldly.

Liu Tao is the governor of Fujian. According to the official document, most of the activities of this group of rebels are in southern Fujian, and there are also activities in the north of Guangdong. It is obvious that the Fujian government should send troops to suppress it.

Both of them lowered their heads and did not dare to bite. It was really difficult to answer this question.

In fact, this matter felt very unfair to Yan Song and Xu Jie. The cabinet did not receive any report on this matter from Fujian and Guangdong.

Naturally, they had heard that the governments in the south of the Yangtze River were unstable. In fact, not only the south of the Yangtze River, but also the north had been infested with thieves over the years. However, they did not expect that the people in the south were bolder and the situation was more severe than in the north. A large force of tens of thousands of people had actually appeared.

If the cabinet had known about this earlier, of course it would not have wasted any time and would have immediately issued an order to suppress it quickly.

However, after Yan Song quickly glanced at the official letter in his hand again, he immediately thought of something to say, bowed and said to Emperor Jiajing: "Your Majesty, September and October are the periods of Japanese pirate attacks. At this time, Governor Liu's main focus should be on exterminating Japanese pirates. On top of that, I may not be able to deal with Zhang Lian and his gang of rebels."

"Your Majesty, from the official letter, it appears that Zhang Lian is from Guangdong, and he initially committed crimes in Guangdong. It would be best if Guangdong and Fujian work together to eliminate this matter. If Fujian alone sends troops to encircle and suppress it, and if the rebels harass Guangdong and even Jiangxi, it will be difficult. Destroy them quickly."

Xu Jie also spoke at this time.

"What you mean is that this Liu Tao has no fault and has contributed to the suppression of the Japanese."

Emperor Jiajing said with a sneer on his lips.

"I don't dare. According to the official documents, the rebels are mainly from Dapu's Jiao people, Nanwan's boat people, Youxi's mountain people, Longyan's miners, and refugees from Nanjing, Yongding and other places. Naturally, we cannot take them lightly. It should be eradicated as soon as possible.

It is now November, and the Japanese pirates along the coast have retreated. It is an opportunity to mobilize troops and horses for encirclement and suppression. Liu Tao should quickly order Liu Tao to mobilize troops to eliminate them. "

Yan Song immediately replied.

Regarding the countermeasures proposed by Yan Song, Emperor Jiajing was noncommittal and glanced at Zhu Xizhong, the Duke of Chengguo next to him.

Zhu Xizhong just lowered his head at this time, not knowing whether he was thinking about this.

Emperor Jiajing looked back at Xu Jie. As the second assistant, he should have his own opinions at this time.

Xu Jie saw Emperor Jiajing's gaze and knew that it was time for him to express his opinion. He hurriedly took half a step forward and bowed and replied: "Japanese invasions have been frequent in Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong in the past year. The primary focus of the local governments should be on Suppressing the Japanese might be a little lax on the lower side.

Fujian's achievements in fighting Japanese invaders are remarkable, and Governor Liu's contribution is indelible and can be punished with meritorious service."