The Prosperous Era of Longwan

In the study room of Wei Mansion, Wei Guangde sat alone behind his desk. There was a note on the desk, which was sent by Chen Yiqin.

If he didn't expect it at the beginning, now that he was reminded by Chen Yiqin, Wei Guangde finally realized that this incident would really turn out to be a waterloo for Gao Gong.

Lifting the maritime ban and opening up the sea are against the ancestral system no matter how you look at it. As a cabinet minister who supports such a resolution, it is really an excuse for criticism if it is used by someone with ulterior motives.

The key reason is very in line with the views of most people in the Ming Dynasty officialdom. The inviolability of the ancestral system has become a creed that many people adhere to.

In fact, blocking change is not a reaction of officials who want to preserve existing privileges and interests.

The so-called ancestral system has long ceased to exist in the Ming Dynasty. Since the Yingzong period, the ancestral system has been gradually changed to what it is now.

During the Zhu Yuanzhang period, anti-corruption efforts were unprecedented, but after several emperors, the entire officialdom fell.

Officials deliberately distorted the so-called ancestral system, and now this is the benefit they hope to get.

They also hope that their family can enjoy these preferential treatment forever. Enjoying these benefits that they have worked hard to gain through subtle efforts, the class has also begun to solidify.

However, in the Ming Dynasty, imperial examinations were implemented to select people, and scholars were selected through stereotyped writing, so it was also important to urge family members to study.

However, what should we do if there is really no material in the family for studying?

Then achieve this goal by manipulating the imperial examination.

Many people think that the ancient imperial examinations were relatively fair. In fact, this was true in the early days of the New Dynasty. However, in the middle and late periods, records of imperial examination frauds were common. This is why.

With this understanding, officials became uncharacteristically keen on maintaining the ancestral system, and any changes were unacceptable to them.

Because they are satisfied with the current situation, it is important to maintain the existing system.

Why are Emperor Jiajing's official or Ming Dynasty history records generally negative? It's because he changed the ancestral system many times after he succeeded to the throne, which the civil servants of the Ming Dynasty thought was a bad sign.

It's just that Emperor Jiajing was indeed very good at playing power. During his reign, he divided his courtiers into fighting each other to stabilize his rule and became a very successful emperor.

The reforms of the Ming Dynasty began in the Jiajing Dynasty and finally achieved a decisive victory in the eleventh year of Wanli when conservative officials successfully counterattacked Zhang Juzheng.

Wei Guangde was not familiar with these, and only had a vague impression that after Zhang Juzheng's fall, the outcome of the Ming Dynasty seemed to be doomed.

At this moment, what he was thinking about was that if Gao Gong really went down, Xu Jie would definitely continue to be in power. So what happens next?

Although the power will eventually be transferred to Zhang Juzheng, Wei Guangde is still worried that Xu Jie will use this time to crazily suppress Yu Zhuan's old man.

You must know that driving Gao Gong away will offend people like them today. Instead of waiting for them to counterattack, it is better to work non-stop and drive as many people as possible out of the court.

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde became a little worried about the situation between himself and Yin Shizhen.

When Chen Yiqin entered the cabinet, he already had a immunity card. At worst, he would become an official. If he quit the power struggle, he could escape safely. But what about him and Yin Shizhen?

Can you leave without being able to fight?

Wei Guangde didn't know whether Emperor Longqing would be able to save them at that time.

The high arch seems to have become a key point. If the emperor cannot save him, it seems that he and Yin Shizhen cannot be saved.

It has to be said that no matter Chen Yiqin, Yin Shizhen or Wei Guangde, at this time, they only thought that Xu Jie's reason for taking action against Gao Gong was because he wanted to change the ancestral system. Even Gao Gong himself was not aware of it. He was proud of it. His powerful influence on Emperor Longqing was the fundamental reason why all officials could not accept him.

Because Gao Gong's impression was too negative, giving many people a feeling of being arrogant and self-willed. Especially because of his strict requirements on official governance, many people were unable to accept him as the chief minister of the dynasty.

He is too opinionated and cannot listen to other people's opinions, so it is difficult for others to work with him.

Emperor Longqing had already seen Tu Zemin's memorial in the Qianqing Palace, and naturally also saw the votes of the cabinet ministers.

Sure enough, there are supporters, but the opponents seem to have a higher status.

Emperor Longqing did not express his attitude immediately, but chose to stay in China.

After midnight on the second day, the cabinet ministers returned to their rooms one after another, and everyone was waiting for the ceremonial supervisor to send the emperor's approval memorandum.

What these emperors expressed their opinions on was the official business they had to deal with every day.

When Chen Hong, the eunuch and eunuch of the ceremonial department, brought stacks of memorials with his chamberlain, several cabinet ministers opened the door and walked out.

"Eunuch Chen."

The cabinet ministers were actually very polite to the eunuchs around the emperor, with Gao Gong being the exception.

It seems that only low-ranking officials in the court have the same attitude as Gao Gong.

"The memorials approved by the emperor yesterday are all here, please keep them first."

Chen Hong responded politely to several cabinet ministers who greeted him, and handed all the memorials behind him to the secretary of the cabinet, who then assigned them to the cabinet ministers on duty.

"Has your Majesty reviewed Governor Tu's memorial yesterday?"

Second assistant Li Chunfang came out at this time and asked.

There was no room for him not to care about this matter. Last night, many disciples came to his house to pay homage. Without exception, they were all inquiring about this matter and the teacher's attitude in the cabinet.

They don't believe all rumors in the market. With a teacher in the cabinet, it is naturally more accurate than listening to outsiders' opinions.

"Governor Tu's memorial was sent to Qianqing Palace yesterday, but it was later sent back to the Director of Ceremonies' memorial. It seems that I didn't see that copy."

Chen Hong replied.

"No?"

Li Chunfang asked in surprise.

The failure to return the memorial means that Emperor Longqing chose to stay in China, or he might be hesitating and not sure of his attitude.

There are many categories of memorials to emperors from ancient courtiers, but there is one category that most emperors will ignore and treat coldly, and that is matters involving the palace.

For such memorials, the emperor generally considered them to be private matters of the Tian family and was unwilling to involve courtiers.

Tu Zemin's memorial, of course, has nothing to do with the Tian family. If it was retained by the emperor, there is only one possibility. The emperor was persuaded by the memorial, but he had not yet made up his mind and was still hesitating.

Hesitation not only means that the emperor is considering the feasibility of the matter, but may also be worried about the attitude of the courtiers after approval.

In fact, after the Yingzong reign, the dictatorial power of the Ming Emperor was greatly weakened.

Although the emperor could still forcibly promote his will through the appointment and dismissal of people, royal guards, etc., the courtiers had many means to resist.

The emperor's will cannot go outside the capital. This is really the current political environment.

The emperor retained control over the personnel of the Six Sections in order to ensure the legitimacy of the imperial edict.

However, the officials of the Sixth Section said that at the end of the day, they were still part of the civil service group, so it was difficult to guarantee which side they would stand in the face of the collective interests of the imperial power and the civil service.

There are some things that the emperor knows how to do, but the courtiers object fiercely, and the Sixth Section and even the cabinet can refute the imperial edict.

If Emperor Longqing easily agreed to Tu Zemin's memorial requesting the opening of the sea, and the decree was sent to the cabinet or the Sixth Section was rejected, it would be a loss of face, considering that he had only been on the throne for less than a year.

Therefore, when a new emperor ascends the throne, he will always be cautious about the decrees he sends out to avoid such things from happening.

Because at this time, his power was not stable and he did not have his own team to help him stabilize his rule.

At this time, staying in middle school seems to be the most appropriate strategy for some people. It depends on the attitude of the courtiers before deciding whether to do this.

When Li Chunfang looked back at her colleagues, she found that Xu Jie's face was full of gloom, while Gao Gong, Guo Pu and others had happy faces. When he saw Zhang Juzheng and Chen Yiqin, their expressions were very bright. Calm, not showing much emotion.

Let Zhongshu receive the memorial. After a few words of greeting, several cabinet ministers returned to their respective rooms and waited for the memorial to be delivered.

At this time, the Yamen of the General Affairs Office was extremely busy. There were an unusually large number of officials delivering memorials today, so the scribes were busy copying the memorials and did not even have time to drink tea.

Beijing officials all have the right to submit memorials. Youdao says that "when there are more than a hundred people, there are all kinds of strange things."

Different people have different ideas, because each official comes into contact with a different circle, and naturally there are some people who hope to attract the attention of those above through speculation.

After a night of fermentation, most officials in the capital knew about the matter and also knew that the cabinet was very controversial about it. Naturally, some people wanted to be the first to stand out and choose a side in order to get their attention.

Most of the officials who came to the General Affairs Office to submit memorials against Tu Zemin wanted to express their views immediately, lest they fall behind others.

They didn't care what the emperor would say. They could just write down their well-thought-out wishes in the memorial, submit it, and then wait for the result.

At this time, many censors in the Imperial Palace also came to the duty room of Wang Ting, the censor of Zuodu, to submit their memorials.

At this time, Wang Ting only felt that one was as big as two.

Almost all of those who came to submit memorials were impeachment memorials. Many people impeached Tu Zemin for trying to change the ancestral system, which was really treasonous, and there were also many censors who pointed the finger at Gao Gong.

He certainly knew how Wang Ting went from the position of Minister of Rites in Nanjing to the position of Yushi of Zuodu. It all depended on the help of fellow villagers Chen Yiqin and the current people behind the scenes. Otherwise, he might have been retiring in Nanjing and waiting to die.

What happened yesterday, he also visited his fellow countryman Chen Yiqin overnight to learn what was happening in the cabinet.

They are all veterans, so they naturally know that the matter is of great importance. Of course, they need to find someone to ask about the situation first, so as not to endanger themselves by standing on the wrong team, or even harm their old friends.

"Everyone, everyone, be quiet."

A group of people were huddled together in the room, holding memorials in their hands and discussing. Some people with different political views were still arguing fiercely, making the whole room seem noisy.

As Wang Ting spoke, the young censors in the room fell silent.

In the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the old censors had long since been transferred to official positions. They had either joined the yamen of various ministries or found a place to be posted outside. Therefore, most of the censors who were still in the yamen were people who had not been in the officialdom for a long time.

One characteristic of this type of people is that they are quite passionate, and with a little incitement they become as excited and belligerent as if they had been given blood.

Wang Ting knew from just a casual glance that none of the censors who had stayed in the Metropolitan Procuratorate for a long time showed up. They were all people who had only entered the Metropolitan Procuratorate in recent years.

"No matter what your opinions are or who you want to impeach, just put down the memorial and I will hand it over to you."

Looking at everyone looking at his censor, Wang Ting continued: "Our court never blocks the way of speech. As long as your opinions are pertinent, the cabinet and your majesty will definitely absorb them.

As for any disagreements, we can discuss them calmly and don't get too excited. We are all in the same yamen, so we don't look up or down. "

"Master Wang, this Tu Zemin is a villain who brings disaster to the country and the people. He actually provoked His Majesty to change the ancestral system."

"Yushi Zhou, what you said is wrong. Governor Tu is just talking about Fujian's affairs. How come he has become a villain in your mouth and is causing harm to the country and the people?"

"Isn't it true that Gao Gong and Gao Suqing are not good people either?"

The room was only quiet for a moment, and the censors who had been arguing fiercely were about to start a fight again. Wang Ting hurriedly shouted: "Didn't you hear what I just said?

Your opinions have been formed into a memorial, and I will submit it myself. Your Majesty and the cabinet will decide everything. What do you mean by quarreling here? "

The two censors who almost got into an argument just shut up immediately. After all, Wang Ting was also their immediate superior, and it would not be good to offend them.

"Okay, you all put down the memorials. I will go to the cabinet in a while, so I will bring all the memorials with me. But before that, we can discuss it but we are not allowed to be malicious, and we are not allowed to slander anyone wantonly."

The two of them had anticipated today's situation when they were at Chen Yiqin's house yesterday, knowing that there would be a stupid young man hurriedly expressing his views.

As long as these two days pass, the courtiers should come to their senses.

Therefore, today is very important for the officials of each yamen. They must suppress the momentum of those who dance the most happily below.

Chen Yiqin also gave him a thorough explanation, that is, His Majesty should support opening the sea, but he will be more cautious and try to open the sea little by little.

With the existing financial resources of the Ming Dynasty, it was difficult to support the large-scale use of troops in the north and south, so it was necessary to find a way to quell the Japanese invasion as soon as possible.

Despite the vigorous encirclement and suppression by Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayou, Tang Kekuan and others, the large number of Japanese pirates along the coast have been wiped out, but the officers and soldiers still have to continue to station along the coast, because there are still sporadic Japanese pirates in various places, which is really difficult to prevent.

At this time, in the cabinet, after several ministers had processed the memorial sent back from the Supervisor of Ceremonies, at Chen Yiqin's request, several people began to discuss the current situation in Xu Jie's duty room.

Emperor Longqing left that memorial in mind, and they must consider the possible reactions of the government and the public and how to deal with it.

One of the responsibilities of the cabinet is to stabilize the government and prevent courtiers from causing trouble. This is definitely the fault of several ministers in the cabinet.

At this time, there were several piles of memorials sent by the General Secretary on the duty desk. According to the preliminary screening of the secretaries, more than 80% of the memorials opposed the opening of the sea, and only 10% supported it.

At this time, there were several people in the room, including Gao Gong and Guo Pu, whose faces were not good-looking.

From the existing memorials, we can also see the opinions of most courtiers on this matter, and very few supported them.

"Today, I have signed a note with the officials of Liubu Hall. They should come over soon to discuss and put the matter down first."

Xu Jie said.