The Prosperous Era of Longwan

From Li Chunfang's mouth, Wei Guangde learned that Gao Gong often slandered other ministers in front of Emperor Longqing, and he understood Gao Gong's plan.

Although Li Chunfang only told Gao Gong the evil things he had accused them of, she probably said a lot about him as well. Just to maintain the appearance of being a worldly expert and stay out of the matter, she did not tell herself the truth.

Li Chunfang was also not honest, and wished that Chen Yiqin and his group would fight to the death with Gao Gong in the cabinet, so that Gao Gong would not have the energy to covet the position of his chief minister.

Will Wei Guangde fall into Li Chunfang's scheme?

Of course not.

However, since they knew that Gao Gong had spoken ill of them in front of the emperor, they naturally could not pretend that nothing had happened and let it pass.

And, most importantly, how did Li Chunfang know this news?

Wei Guangde had Chen Ju and Feng Bao in the palace, both overt and covert, and neither of them disclosed this information to him.

Are they blocked, or is there another reason?

But no matter what, Wei Guangde planned to spread the news to Chen Ju and Feng Bao. Li Chunfang quietly planted a nail in the palace, and he had to find out who was secretly contacting him.

Wei Guangde did not mention this matter to Chen Yiqin and Yin Shizhen. If they had known about it, they would have informed him long ago.

After handling the government affairs for a day as if nothing had happened, Wei Guangde left the imperial city until the office was dismissed. When he got into the sedan chair, he whispered to the attendant next to him: "Contact Eunuch Chen in the palace, and invite him to come to me if you have time." Tell me at home."

"Yes, sir."

The chief followed the order, and after serving Wei Guangde on the sedan chair and leaving, he did not follow the team far away. He left the team within a few steps and headed towards the Donghua Gate of the Imperial City.

Although Wei Guangde, Chen Ju, and Feng Bao were usually in the palace, Wei Guangde's activities were only near the cabinet, and it was impossible for him to go to the palace without being summoned.

Chen Ju was walking around the Qianqing Palace with the Supervisor of Ceremonies, while Feng Bao spent most of the time with the prince. He only had one hour a day to deal with his own affairs. If there were major issues, the eunuch would naturally inform him and handle them in time.

Therefore, even though the distance between the three of them is not far, they would never touch each other on weekdays.

Feng Bao won't talk about it. During the Jiajing Emperor's period, he was already one of the eunuchs Bingbi, the Chief of Ceremony, and his status was not low. Now Chen Ju's status in the palace is relatively stable.

Although his status was not high, for some reasons, no one was willing to target him, so his subordinates also accepted some godsons.

In fact, in the palace, eunuchs with a little status would arrange for a godson to be on duty at Donghua Gate, which was used to contact the outer court.

If there is news from outside that needs to be sent in, he will go to Donghua Gate to find someone, but he will never come to Chengtian Gate.

As for Xihua Gate, although you can also contact the outside world, it is opposite the Xiyuan Gate and surrounded by inner court offices, so it is not easy for outsiders to run there.

For this reason, almost all the eunuchs on duty at Donghua Gate are supported by the chief eunuchs in the palace, otherwise they would have been deprived of their positions long ago.

The people who can be arranged here are often the godsons whom the people behind them trust.

After Wei Guangde returned to the mansion, he directly ordered Zhang Ji who came up to greet him: "Ask the kitchen to prepare a table of food and drinks. Eunuch Chen may come later."

"Yes, sir."

Zhang Ji got the order, and after sending Wei Guangde into the backyard, he turned around and went to the kitchen to arrange food and drinks.

In fact, Wei Guangde's dinner is relatively sumptuous on weekdays, but there may be guests, so naturally he has to serve something better.

After changing into casual clothes, Wei Guangde went to the study to read and eat some snacks to cushion his stomach.

When Chen Ju knew that the news would arrive, he usually had to wait until the first watch, so there was still at least an hour, and usually by this time he would already be having dinner at home.

Sure enough, not long after the first watch, there was movement outside.

Wei Guangde is not sure what time this time is in later generations. He estimates that it is probably around eight o'clock in the evening.

A flower hall was already served with sumptuous food and wine. Wei Guangde welcomed Chen Ju here and the two of them sat down.

"I got some good wine today and sent someone to find me."

Chen Ju sat down, looked at the wine bottle next to him, and asked cheerfully.

"The Shandong Qiulubai was just delivered. Brother Chen, please give it a try."

Wei Guangde replied with a smile, stretched out his hand to lift the wine bottle and filled it first for the one in front of Chen Ju, and then filled the wine glass in front of him.

Qiulubai is a kind of strong liquor produced in Shandong during the Ming Dynasty. Because it is made with sorghum in autumn, it is called Qiulubai.

Don’t think that just because sorghum wine is low-grade, Qiulubai was actually one of the palace wines of the Ming Dynasty.

The wines that emperors of the Ming Dynasty usually drank were mainly lotus stamens, Han Tan Xiang, Qiu Lu Bai, Bamboo Leaf Green, Golden Stem Dew, and Taixi Bai.

Of course, the emperor must be drinking fine wine that was carefully brewed, but what was brought into Wei Guangde's house would logically taste more mellow.

Probably because the production of the best wine is very small, we don't dare to make the emperor's mouth cunning.

"The jade dew condenses in the sky, and the silver trough is empty and weeps the autumn red. The Xue family's new lotus color makes it easy for the Qingzun to sit next to the blue tube."

Chen Ju muttered something in his mouth, stretched out his hand to pick up the wine glass, then raised his neck and drank it all.

"hiss"

After drinking, Chen Ju couldn't help but gasp.

"Haha, Brother Chen drank too fast. This wine is very strong. Hurry up and eat the food."

Wei Guangde laughed hurriedly when he saw this.

"It's three points stronger than what I drank in the palace."

Chen Ju took a chopstick and put the dish into his mouth, and then smiled after eating it.

"Don't dare to give your Majesty the strongest wine, as it will make you drunk easily."

Wei Guangde just smiled.

"But we still like to drink strong alcohol, haha."

Chen Ju just smiled.

It's strange to say that many of the big eunuchs in the palace now like to drink strong wine. The higher the grade, the stronger the taste. The stronger the wine, the better.

"I still have two jars here. Brother can just take them back."

Wei Guangde smiled and gave Chen Juman another drink while speaking.

"By the way, we are all family members, and I won't beat around the bush. What do you want from me today?"

Chen Ju did not reach for the wine glass this time, but looked at him and asked.

"It is said that."

Wei Guangde told Chen Ju in detail the news he heard from Li Chunfang. He also stared at Chen Ju's expression as he spoke, and saw that he was also surprised after hearing this.

You know, when you reach this position, you are very careful about your words and deeds. Generally, you will not express your attitude towards certain people in front of the emperor. Even if you are very dissatisfied with someone, you will not say something too unpleasant, just for fear of being criticized. The listener thinks that he is narrow-minded and intolerant.

When Chen Ju heard what Wei Guangde said, if it were anyone else, he would definitely think it was nonsense.

But the two of them were very familiar with each other, so they naturally knew that Wei Guangde was not a bluffing person.

After Wei Guangde finished speaking, Chen Ju said: "After all, my time in the imperial court is limited. Everyone takes turns to serve in the imperial court, so I don't know whether Gao Xinzheng really said these things.

But normally, if it were true, I would also know it from others. "

"Could it be that he said it after he retreated? In the palace."

Wei Guangde hesitated and said.

He couldn't do this without saying these things first. He knew that Chen Ju was a good drinker. If he said it too late, he would be drunk and talk nonsense.

"Screen back left and right, haha."

Chen Ju just smiled and then said: "I have recorded this matter and will go back to inquire about it. However, you said that the Chief Assistant should also have someone in Qianqing Palace. In fact, you should have thought of this a long time ago.

When Yan Song returned to his hometown, many people were purged from the palace.

I don’t know who got involved with Lord Chief Assistant, but I guess it’s either Teng Xiang or Meng Chong. "

When he said this, Chen Ju seemed to have just remembered it, and continued: "By the way, there is news that you may not know yet. I only heard about it in the past two days."

"what's up?"

Wei Guangde asked in surprise.

"Teng Xiang's health is probably in danger. He is almost seventy and seems to have been taking medicine recently.

The day before yesterday, I saw him serving His Majesty. His hands and feet were shaking violently, so I sent someone to watch him and found out. "

Chen Ju said in a low voice.

"oh"

Wei Guangde was slightly shocked. He had not heard the news in the outer court. He thought that Tengxiang had blocked the news very tightly because he was afraid that someone would plot it at the last moment.

However, Wei Guangde was not interested in Teng Xiang's family background. Instead, he was interested in the position he left behind.

Who will succeed him as the palm eunuch?

Today's Tengxiang is just like Huang Jin during the Jiajing Dynasty. He is extremely favored by Emperor Longqing, so he has great power in the inner court.

Li Fang served Emperor Longqing for more than 20 years, sharing weal and woe, but his skills were inferior to Teng Xiang's flattery, which shows that his methods are also extremely clever.

It can only be said that there is no simple person who can emerge from the inner court.

"Then you have to pay attention to who does the palm prints."

Wei Guangde just whispered.

"Actually, it's just those few that I'm optimistic about Meng Chong."

Chen Ju whispered: "I heard that Meng Chong and Teng Xiang had an offensive and defensive alliance at the beginning, and Teng Xiang recommended Meng Chong when he came down. This is also the reason why Chen Hong was anxious and wanted to help Gao Gong."

"Where's Feng Bao?"

Wei Guangde asked directly.

"Feng Bao is betting on the prince, not today."

Chen Ju replied in a low voice, "What he wants is ten or twenty years from now, so he and Tengxiang Meng Chong have a good relationship. We each get what we need and take care of each other.

That was when the palace besieged Chen Hong, and he was the one who benefited the most. "

"Feng Bao is a smart man. He knows that the chess move is one step away, so he simply avoids it."

Wei Guangde said.

"If Teng Xiang is on the line with Mr. Chief Assistant, then Meng Chong will most likely be too."

At this time, Chen Ju suddenly said.

"Master Chief Assistant can still maintain his position, haha, we won't talk about this anymore."

Wei Guangde smiled and said, "Come, drink."

"What has Mr. Gao Ge been busy with recently?"

The next day, Wei Guangde asked Lu Bu in the duty room of the cabinet.

As Wei Guangde's housekeeper, in addition to handling housekeeping affairs, he also has the responsibility of seeking information from the cabinet.

"I heard that recently, all the impeachment memorials have been sent to Zhongshu for distribution to him."

Lu Bu thought about it before replying, "Other than that, he is no different from other pavilion elders."

"He's going to handle the impeachment memorial?"

Wei Guangde frowned and immediately understood the purpose of what he did.

Gao Gong is in the cabinet and has always talked about rectifying the administration of officials, and his understanding is very deep.

On the eve of Gao Gong's entry into the cabinet, when he was the Minister of Rites, he also wrote "Reversing Declined Habits to Reverend Saints and Regulate Essays", which was later widely circulated as "Abolition of Eight Abnormalities".

This book was put forward by Gao Gong's personal observation and careful consideration of the bad government that gradually formed in the late Jiajing period.

By reading this book, you can roughly understand his analysis of the political environment at that time. The root cause of the current difficult situation lies in "bad habits". These "old habits" were analyzed in detail and listed as "eight disadvantages".

One is "bad law", which means misinterpreting the law and arbitrary severity;

The second one is "scammer", that is, selling one's official position and taking bribes;

The third is "mean", which means being cold and harsh and making things difficult for the people;

The fourth is "jealousy", that is, competing for credit and blame, ostracizing each other;

The fifth is "passing the buck", which means passing the blame and assigning blame without distinguishing between merit and guilt;

The sixth one is "party comparison", which means forming cliques and fighting against different parties;

The seventh one is "Gouqi", which means following the rules and obeying the story;

The eighth is "floating talk", which means confusing discussions and confusing right and wrong.

I have to say that even Wei Guangde, a later generation, would applaud after reading it, because Gao Gong's analysis of the Ming Dynasty's officialdom was very accurate and would not be outdated even in later generations.

Since the middle period of the Jiajing period, a culture of fame-seeking and profit-seeking has prevailed in the officialdom. In order to pursue fame, fortune and a prosperous official career, officials engaged in corruption and bribery. Yan Song came to power, which further worsened the official style. "Competition has become a custom, and bribery has become a common practice."

They openly sell their officials, "No matter how big or small the official is, all have their own prices."

Officials at all levels get official positions because of bribes, and get bribes because of official positions. "If you give up a hundred, you will ask for a thousand; if you give up a thousand, you will ask for tens of thousands."

In Gao Gong's eyes, if the bad governance of corruption, bribery, and selling out officials and titles is not completely eradicated, the country will not be governed and the government will decline.

Wei Guangde is not opposed to rectifying the officialdom. Although he does not want to get involved in this thankless job, it does not mean that he will allow it to flourish.

In fact, all dynasties and generations hate corrupt officials.

However, what Wei Guangde was mainly on guard against was Gao Gong's use of this trip to eliminate dissidents, so he told Lu Bu: "In a moment, go to Zhongshu to check and write down what happened to those people who have been dealt with recently." .”

Being in a confidential position in the cabinet, the information is naturally very complete.

After all, whether it is the impeachment of officials from the Ministry of Education or the investigation and punishment by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, reports will be reported, and naturally the cabinet will leave records.

At almost noon, Wei Guangde had already obtained a list from Lu Bu, recording in detail the officials Gao Gong had dealt with recently.

Wei Guangde took a quick look at it, but he couldn't see any clear direction. In other words, it didn't seem to be an action taken to combat certain forces.

During the official affairs, Zheng Dajing impeached Xiao Jimei, the magistrate of Hui'an County. He had stolen a false reputation for a long time, and recently sent a large sum of money to the chariot hub. Please arrest and punish him.

In the end, both Gao Gong and Emperor Longqing approved it, and I think the person has now been arrested and imprisoned.

In addition, Yang Jiaxiang, the censor of Zhili, impeached Li Tianyou, the commander-in-chief of the water transportation department, and eight other people for corruption. The Ministry of Personnel investigated and investigated Sun Dalin, a doctor in the Shanxi Division of the Ministry of Punishment, for accepting bribes of nearly 3,000 taels. The amount of stolen money was huge. According to the corruption regulations , Sun Dalin resigned from his post to serve the people, etc.

Since Gao Gong couldn't see any action, Wei Guangde couldn't say anything. At least it was a good thing for Gao Gong to clean up the officialdom.

Among the seven or eight people Gao Gong dealt with, all were involved in bribes. To take bribes, one must bend the law, and to bend the law is to take bribes.

Wei Guangde had no objection to the use of severe punishments to punish corruption and bribery and eliminate corruption. However, seeing Gao Gong handle so many cases in such a short time after returning to the court, he still secretly said that his anti-corruption efforts were the only ones in the Ming Dynasty.