The Prosperous Era of Longwan

In the case of Nanjing Hu Ke, Lu Fengyi committed the ten crimes of bullying, corruption and sexual misconduct against Hu Zongxian, the governor of Zhejiang Province. However, after Wei Guangde read his memorial, he curled his lips and handed the copy to Zhang Juzheng.

Look at what Lu Fengyi said to Hu Zongxian. Hu Zongxian and the pirate leader Wang Zhi were from the same hometown. Jiang Zhou, Chen Keyuan and others he hired were all pirate spies. During the suppression of Japanese pirates in Jiangnan, Hu Zongxian used his troops to play against the pirates, and He privately promised Wang Zhi the post of coastal defense officer and vowed to make peace with him. If the emperor had not been wise and decisive in killing Wang Zhi, the shame would have been irreversible. However, Hu Zongxian actually took credit for his success and achieved success in the court. In recent years, I have spent long nights drinking and watching the influx of bandits from Jiangxi and Fujian. They invaded and embezzled military pay, squandered the people's wealth, accumulated mountains of money in the governor's office, gathered friends like friends, promulgated sexual immorality, kept concubines, deducted the annual supply of cloth and silver, indiscriminately gave away money to promote excellence, sold official positions in the market, and served officers and soldiers privately. Please punish me more severely.

To say that Hu Zongxian appointed spies from the pirates was not just to frame Hu Zongxian for colluding with the pirates.

Indeed, Emperor Jiajing had no good impression of Japanese pirates. If this was true, there would be no need to mention other charges, which would be enough to kill Hu Zongxian ten times or eight times.

However, Wei Guangde did not believe that Hu Zongxian would collude with the pirates, or even if it was true, what evidence would he leave behind.

It has been impossible to verify how many years Wang Zhi has been dead. What's more, when he supervised Wang Zhi's execution, Wang Zhi did not mention his collusion with Hu Zongxian. He always said that Hu Zongxian had deceived him.

As for the other charges, they are actually not uncommon. If you want to impeach an official, you can just list these charges.

Now Wei Guangde does not have the right to invade and embezzle military pay, defraud people's wealth, and deduct tribute silver. As for private military officers and soldiers, well, he has quite a few in his family.

The people his father sent him were all serving sergeants with military status in Jiujiang Guards. In fact, most officials in this era would not hire a few sergeants to look after their homes and homes, and do some hard work.

After Zhang Juzheng finished reading the manuscript and handed it back to Yin Shizhen, everyone in the room turned their attention to Zhang Juzheng.

Before that, both Yin Shizhen and Wei Guangde had expressed their opinions, but Zhang Juzheng was the only one who remained silent.

After reading the transcript of the impeachment memorial, everyone was very interested in Zhang Juzheng's opinions and wondered what he would say.

Being looked at by so many people, Zhang Juzheng showed a look of embarrassment on his face, and then said with a smile: "Why are you looking at me like this? In fact, this matter does not matter to you and me, the cabinet, or the ministers, but to you. Your Majesty’s wishes.”

"hehe."

Hearing what Zhang Juzheng said, Wei Guangde smiled and said: "Of course we know this, we just want to hear what uncle thinks, can this matter be done?"

Because both Yin Shizhen and Wei Guangde felt that this was the case, there was no need to delay, and they directly made some "slander" in front of Emperor Jiajing, betting that Hu Zongxian did not have the guts to cause trouble, so they could only arrest him with his hands tied, so in fact they had reached an agreement. .

"Hu Zongxian doesn't have that ability. Now the Fujian bandit-suppressing army is on his side. If he dares to stab him, he may be directly destroyed by the imperial army."

Zhang Juzheng shook his head and said: "Now in Fujian, Yu Dayou is temporarily leading the Jiangxi and Fujian armies, and Liu Xian and Chen Wangmo are commanding the Fujian army. Although there are many soldiers and generals in Zhejiang, I don't believe they dare to go against the imperial court and do it for him." The guilty minister rebels against the imperial court."

Wei Guangde nodded. Zhang Juzheng had the same understanding as him. At this time, most people still wanted to care about the court. The most important thing for officials was to make more money and take advantage.

Rebellion, except for those bandits who have done many evil things and who will die if they fall into the hands of the government, who would think about it.

The reason why we are worried that Hu Zongxian will lead troops to cause rebellion is actually because over the years, many people have impeached Hu Zongxian for embezzling military pay. Presumably there should be many private transactions between him and his military leaders. If anything falls into the hands of Hu Zongxian, these people will They may not be suppressed by Hu Zongxian and have to follow him.

"but."

At this moment, Zhang Juzheng suddenly uttered two words, and then he didn't know whether he hesitated or did it deliberately, but he just didn't continue.

"But what?"

Wei Guangde was waiting for Zhang Juzheng's opinion, and Yin Shizhen couldn't help but ask.

"The teacher sent this news, maybe to find out whether the palace is..."

At this moment, a waiter came in from outside and whispered a few times in Li Fang's ear, and then Li Fang waved him out.

"Your Highness, ladies and gentlemen, Xiyuan has just summoned two cabinet elders, Xu and Yuan, as well as the six ministers to discuss matters."

After waiting for others to leave, Li Fang opened her mouth to report.

"This matter should be discussed. It seems that His Majesty will make a decision today."

Yin Shizhen said.

King Yu nodded and said with a smile: "From what you said, my father probably won't let Hu Zongxian get away this time."

Everyone nodded when they heard the words. At first, several big bosses were interested in pursuing it and were unwilling to push too hard, so they never touched Hu Zongxian.

It has been less than half a year now, and some adjustments are still in progress. Naturally, I want stability and hope that all parties will complete their arrangements before attacking him.

Lu Fengyi is now the first to report impeachment. Although it has disrupted the plan, looking at the situation, she can make the best of the situation and follow the trend.

With the general trend in hand, no one believed that Hu Zongxian could cause any trouble.

In fact, the most dangerous time was precisely the period when Yan Song became official. At that time, everyone in the Yan Party was panicked, and it was the time when it was most unpredictable what he would do.

Now it is basically clear that most of the members of the Yan Party were dismissed from their posts. Even Yan Shifan, who was designated as the chief culprit, was only exiled instead of beheaded. Naturally, the previous worries were gone.

What's more, in Fujian, next door to Zhejiang, a brigade of officers and soldiers has just completed the task of suppressing bandits. The main force is still repairing and has not yet returned to the station, so there is no need to worry about trouble in Zhejiang.

"Uncle, please continue, why did Mr. Xu Ge send the news?"

Wei Guangde remembered what Zhang Juzheng had not finished just now and asked.

Because someone came in before, Zhang Juzheng immediately shut his mouth and did not finish speaking.

While Prince Yu was talking in his palace, Emperor Jiajing was also asking Yang Bo, Minister of War, about the current situation of the Fujian and Guangdong armies in Yongshou Palace in Xiyuan.

It's just that unlike Prince Yu's Mansion, Yang Bo has a better understanding of the distribution of troops in Jiangnan.

"Your Majesty, in addition to the local guards in Fujian, the Southern Jiangxi troops led by Yu Dayou have not yet withdrawn, and the wolf army led by General Chen Wangmo is still stationed in the border area between Fujian and Guangdong. If necessary, the Guangdong army led by Governor Liu Xian will also You can quickly go north, but now, the troops led by Governor Liu are still encircling the Japanese pirates along the coast."

Yang Bo briefly introduced the situation of the soldiers and horses in Fujian, which gave Emperor Jiajing an intuitive understanding of the soldiers and horses there.

"Let's talk about Lu Fengyi's impeachment of Zong Xian. Zhang Qing, Pan Qing, do you think the matters mentioned in the memorial should be verified?"

Emperor Jiajing said this, and all the officials in the hall already understood that the emperor had already made plans to remove Hu Zongxian, which was pretty much what they thought.

Zhang Yongming, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, and Pan En, the Censor of the Zuodu Procuratorate, both came out and bowed in response.

This is a sub-question. First, I ask about the situation of the armies around Zhejiang, and then I ask the minister in charge of punishment whether there should be an investigation. If I can't express my attitude in such a simple way, I might as well protect myself wisely, retire as soon as possible and go home.

However, Emperor Jiajing's attitude towards deposing Hu Zongxian was clear, but for the cabinet's chief minister Xu Jie and second minister Yuan Wei, the real war had just begun.

The two of them unconsciously looked at each other secretly, and quickly separated after their eyes touched, waiting for the emperor on the throne to speak as if nothing had happened.

The governor-general of Zhejiang Province was in charge of the money and food for the Jiangnan anti-Japanese war, so he was a good man.

After Hu Zongxian was dismissed, who would take over was a question they had to consider.

"It won't work if Master Gao goes to Zhejiang."

After Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, King Yu was the first to object.

Now, there are not many officials that Prince Yu's Mansion can handle. Governor Zhe Zhi must be at least a third-grade official, and he can be promoted to one level by the way. If you look closely, among the people who go out from Prince Yu's Mansion, only high-ranking officials can meet the requirements. Arch one person.

"I just said that this may be the purpose of the teacher's message. They should also guess that His Majesty will use Lu Fengyi's impeachment as an opportunity to take down Hu Zongxian in one fell swoop, but who will take over?"

Zhang Juzheng said a little aggrievedly that he was just making his own analysis, but he didn't expect to be rejected by King Yu as soon as he finished speaking. He didn't say anything.

"No wonder, I'm still wondering. Mr. Xu Ge and Mr. Gao both sent people to deliver news about such a matter."

Wei Guangde really didn't expect this part, but when Zhang Juzheng reminded him, he realized that the lover was asking if he had any recommendations in his pocket.

As for Zhang Juzheng's talk about Gao Gong, it was just an analysis of candidates related to the palace and who could take over as governor of Zhejiang Province.

As of now, it seems that only the high arch meets the conditions.

"Then send someone to send a message to Mr. Xu Ge and let him choose. Our Prince Yu's Mansion has no recommendation."

King Yu also realized at this time that his attitude was a bit extreme and said hurriedly.

How can he ask Gao Gong to go to Hangzhou? How can he ask Master Gao for advice when something happens?

How far is the capital from Hangzhou? Thousands of miles away, relying on messengers to deliver letters back and forth, I'm afraid the day lilies will get cold.

Xiyuan, Yongshou Palace.

"Pass the decree and order the Jinyi Guards to escort Hu Zongxianzhu to Beijing for trial."

Emperor Jiajing on the throne finally made a decision. With Yang Bo's guarantee, he was no longer worried about any trouble in Zhejiang.

If there are really daring people, then they will be eliminated all together.

"According to the order."

Huang Jin stood up hurriedly, bowed and replied, then turned around and walked out of the hall, sending someone to notify the Jin Yiwei.

The Jinyi Guards in the capital will send Tiqi southward, and will also notify the Jinyi Guards in Hangzhou to take the person through internal news channels. When the Jinyi Guards in the capital arrive, they will be handed over and escorted to the capital.

The people of Jin Yiwei were busy for a while. This was a rare job to arrest a high-ranking official like the Governor.

"Your Majesty, the Japanese invaders in Jiangnan are still there. Even if Hu Zongxian is brought to Beijing, please appoint a replacement to ensure that the good situation of suppressing Japanese invaders in Jiangnan is not lost."

Emperor Jiajing ordered Hu Zongxian to be arrested. In line with the stance of his colleagues, several ministers in the palace did not sing in unison to praise the emperor's wisdom.

Catching corrupt officials is also a warning to ministers like them. It seems not good to rejoice at this time.

However, as the chief assistant, Xu Jie could not remain silent and could only go out to the class to lecture.

Previously, Hu Zongxian was the governor of the Japanese suppression. He went down, but the suppression of Japanese in Jiangnan had not stopped yet, and someone had to be arranged to take over as soon as possible.

The appointment of a governor is not a trivial matter, and it cannot be decided today. According to common sense, it will take two or three days for everyone to come up with recommended candidates, and finally the Emperor Jiajing will appoint him.

Xu Jie's petition was naturally echoed by Yuan Wei, Yang Bo, Guo Pu and others, who all asked His Majesty to determine the successor.

But what surprised them was that this time Emperor Jiajing did not immediately play the music accurately. Instead, he stared in the direction of the entrance of the hall, as if he could see the south of the Yangtze River in the Ming Dynasty.

After a long time, when everyone was getting impatient and wanted to petition again, Emperor Jiajing finally said: "I have decided to cancel the appointment of governor of Zhejiang Province and re-establish a governor of Zhejiang to patrol the places and appease the people. What do the ministers think?"

Emperor Jiajing's words made all the ministers in the palace eclipse slightly. No one expected that after taking down Hu Zongxian, Emperor Jiajing would directly remove the post of governor and reset the governor to appease the place.

In fact, Zhejiang originally had a governor. However, after Hu Zongxian took over the post of governor, whether it was Yan Song's deliberate intention or something else, no more governors were appointed. Instead, the governor's office directly contacted the Zhejiang Chief Envoy to issue orders. .

Governors and governors were not positions established after the founding of the Ming Dynasty. They were both systems that were gradually formed over several generations.

The main difference between the two is that the governor is generally designed to lead wars, while the governor is more in charge of civil affairs.

The original governor was actually a censor dispatched by the Metropolitan Procuratorate to supervise local officials. He also had the responsibility of punishing evil, promoting good, and arresting bandits.

However, due to the inconvenience of transportation, the temporarily dispatched supervisors gradually became the official position of governor and became a permanent local official of the capital.

The establishment of governors is often inseparable from wars. The ministers sent by the court in response to wars issue orders on behalf of the court nearby. Therefore, in terms of hierarchy, governors are higher than governors.

Now Emperor Jiajing directly dismissed the post of governor and restored the permanent governor, which has profound implications.

The first person to react was Xu Jie, who immediately came out and said: "Your Majesty, the Governor was originally established to deal with the Japanese pirates near Zhejiang Province. Now most of the Japanese pirates here have been eliminated, and the remaining bandits continue to flee south. How many Japanese pirates are there in the Zhejiang Province area?" Nearly extinct, it’s time to reinstate the role of governor.”

Although a little disappointed, Xu Jie would not criticize Emperor Jiajing's decision.

Judging from the current situation along the coast, the Japanese pirates in Jiangnan have indeed weakened significantly. Unlike the situation in the past, restoring the governorship of Zhejiang can indeed reassure the local people.

"I remember that Yang Qing had predicted before that the Japanese pirates continued to fail under the encirclement and suppression by our Ming army, and their power was no longer what it used to be. Therefore, the purpose of the Japanese pirates' attacks would move south. Since the governor of Fujian and Guangdong has been established, Zhejiang naturally does not need a governor. Minister of Military Affairs."

Emperor Jiajing looked at Xu Jie and praised him.