prosperous age

"The Qi nourishing skills are pretty good. Since you have eaten snacks, you don't need to prepare dinner."

Gao Gong heard that Nao Fang had been waiting in the flower hall all afternoon, just drinking tea and eating snacks, and felt that he had to show up for the sake of etiquette or something else.

Otherwise, if the news spreads, it will only be said that he was rude.

"Come over after dinner and take me over to meet with him to see if he wants to talk to me about something important."

Finally, Gao Gong gave instructions to the housekeeper.

Although he was forced to retire due to impeachment, during the period after Gao Gong returned home, many people from all over the world came to visit his residence.

There were too many people coming, each with different purposes, which made Gao Gong find it difficult to deal with, so Gao Gong was not happy with such uninvited visitors.

After he finished his meal, he was led by the housekeeper to the flower hall and met Nafang for the first time.

This time, Naifang learned the lesson from the previous time. He thought that he should be treated with dignity and courtesy by helping others seek reinstatement, so he still had a sense of superiority in his behavior. Now when he saw Gao Gong, even though he was unwilling to do so, he still hurried forward. salute.

"Don't call me Mr. Ge. I have become an official and now I am just a countryman."

When he met, he called out "Meet Lao Gao Ge", and Gao Gong hurriedly said clearly.

"How could it happen? I admire the integrity of the high-ranking boss Shao. Even if he is harmed by a traitor, he will eventually clear up the clouds and see the light of day."

Nafang answered hurriedly.

This was his purpose, so he naturally walked up to the pole and started talking.

"Master Shao, please sit down and talk."

Gao Gong had already sat on his main seat. He stretched out his hand to motion for Nao Fang to sit down as well. Then he kept silent and listened to the purpose of his visit.

If you are entrusted by a friend to deliver a letter or something else, it is said that when you come to the house, you will hand it over to the butler, and he will also entertain you warmly.

But no, then the purpose of his coming here is worthy of examination.

In any case, Gao Gong has been an official in the court for many years, so he still has the caution he should have. Although he seems to be a big boss and looks down on everyone, he is still very calm when things happen, and he does not take the initiative to talk to others. The other party comes first.

"Shao was entrusted by a friend to go to the capital. He passed by Xinzheng and learned that Gao Ge was at home, so he came to visit him."

After sitting down, Nafang spoke slowly.

"I wonder which friend it is?"

Hearing what he said, Gao Gong's heart moved, thinking that he was his old descendant, and his expression softened a little.

However, after Naofang named a few names, Gao Gong shook his head slightly. Only one of the names he had never heard of seemed to have been seen in official documents before.

By the time Nafang finished talking about these people, Gao Gong had completely lost interest.

What kind of stuff are they? The petty officials who were dismissed due to various crimes were only fifth grade at most, and they were not as discerning as him in the past.

Feeling like he was being entertained, Gao Gong was already a little angry in his heart.

However, when he thought about the generous gift the other party had given him, it was inconvenient for him to fall out. Since he had already met the guest, he naturally planned to see him off. Just when he was about to reach out and serve tea, he heard Sakkata say in his ear.

"My fellow villagers were oppressed by traitors when they were officials. They either resigned and went into seclusion, or were dismissed by subordinates of the imperial court. Today, they entrusted me to go to the capital to see if I can help them recover."

"Ha ha."

Gao Gong just stroked his beard slightly, smiled but said nothing.

Yes, Gao Gong didn't even bother to talk to him anymore. He was just a young boy who didn't know what the world was like. He probably thought that using money to pave the way would help these people recover. What a fool's errand.

Brokers, there are indeed many such people in the capital who are willing to spend money to break down the doors of civil servants and help the financial backers behind them regain their appointment as officials from the imperial court.

Pity.

Gao Gong secretly thought in his heart that he had no chance with him after all.

"I also heard that Mr. Gaoge is a man of great spirit, talent and decision-making. He should be a minister of the country. Unfortunately, God did not fulfill his wishes and he was jealous of the villain. Now that the traitor is gone, I wonder if Mr. Gaoge has any plans to return to the court?"

Nafang spoke again.

"Haha, I have retired to the official position. I am recuperating and recuperating in my hometown, entertaining my grandchildren, and my life is very comfortable. I don't think about the important affairs of the court.

With Li Gong and Chen Gong assisting Your Majesty, the government will be smooth. "

Gao Gong just chuckled and said casually.

He thought he had understood the purpose of the person in front of him, but it was just to help some fellow villagers recover, and wanted to go to the capital to camp. Knowing that he was impeached and resigned by the officials, he probably wanted to get some more money from him to spend on activities in the capital.

To drive a sheep is to drive, and to drive a group of sheep is also to drive.

"What if I say that I have a way to get the high minister to return to the cabinet and take over the power of chief minister?"

Naofang saw that Gao Gong's answer was very perfunctory, and he obviously didn't believe what he said.

To be honest, this is exactly what happened.

Helping those fellow villagers seek a revival, if he does not get Gao Gong's support, he will be blind and deaf when he enters the capital, and he does not know which direction the temple gate is.

With a large sum of money in his pocket, it would be extremely difficult to gain anything in that part of the capital.

Looking for Gao Gong is actually more about getting his help.

Of course, Nafang knew very well that to achieve his goal, it seemed more difficult to reinstate those fellow villagers than to reinstate Gao Gong. In any case, he already had a very deep impression in his heart, that is, Gao Gong was the confidant of the feudal lord. , Dejun administration.

Such a person's familiarity with the officialdom of the capital is by no means comparable to that of fellow villagers.

Considering the relationship between Gao Gong and Emperor Longqing, as long as someone could repeat the name Gao Gong in the emperor's ears, it would be more effective than throwing away thousands or tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Nafang only understood that the people around the emperor and the eunuchs were all greedy for money, and they would definitely get things done by throwing money at them.

But there are thousands of eunuchs in the palace, and it is indeed extremely difficult to find eunuchs who can truly serve the emperor.

He felt that Hua Yinzi could get to know those eunuchs with names, but it would also take time and opportunity.

But if you get help from Gao Gong and go to the capital with his letters or tokens, everything will go smoothly.

He didn't believe that Gao Gong had offended the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty. Could it be that there weren't many people who got along well with each other? For example, the eunuchs of Yuzhuan should also have a close relationship with Gao Gong.

Well, everything was just Nafang's imagination. He thought that Gao Gong should have a lot of connections in the capital.

As for the situation where the whole court was in disarray, it was simply because his opponent was Xu Jie, the chief assistant who was more powerful than him.

If you try it with someone else, I'm afraid it will be the other person who goes down in despair. "Haha, you want to help me return to the cabinet, so that you can help you bring those fellow villagers back to the court and under my wings?"

Gao Gong looked at Naofang jokingly, feeling that this man was really brave, he actually dared to come to the door just because of such a thought.

Because Gao Gong left the court in embarrassment, after returning to Xinzheng, everyone thought that his official career was over, so naturally no one raised the matter again, although they were still respectful to him.

He thought so too, so he never planned to retaliate.

Hearing Nafang's words today made him moved, but the spark was quickly extinguished.

The power of the cabinet is undoubtedly the most tempting, and he is different from Xu Jie.

Xu Jie was really tired of the intrigues and fights for power in the officialdom.

He had already mastered that kind of power, so when Nao asked him to resurrect, there was no wave in his heart at all.

But Gao Gong is not the case. He was kicked out of the court. He is still attached to the power of the cabinet. He also wants to regain control of the government, rebuild the officialdom according to his own ideas, and bring peace to the world.

In the middle and late Jiajing period, the government gradually decayed: "In the middle period of the Ming Dynasty, border defenses fell and funds were scarce. Few ministers who were in charge at that time could pay attention to this."

Gao Gong also clearly realized: "Today's current affairs, internally, the officials are not in charge, and externally, there is instability in all sides." He has been paying attention to the current shortcomings, and gradually formed his own correction plan.

In the 45th year of Jiajing's reign, Gao Gong completed an article "Reversing Decline in Customs and Worshiping Saints and Regulating Shu" before entering the cabinet, summarizing the eight major evils in the world that he had experienced and observed over the past twenty years: bad laws, illegal goods, Harshness, jealousy, recommendation of committee members, party rivalry, pretentiousness, and idle talk. He also proposed a reform plan to address the eight evils, saying: "There is no pardon for frivolity, there is no pardon for greed, loyalty is respected, fairness in rewards, strict curriculum, public housing, "Trial merits and crimes, verify facts", referred to as "Eight Evils Elimination".

This memorial was not submitted to Emperor Jiajing, but it was circulated among the cabinet ministers and became the policy agenda for the cabinet to implement reforms during the Longqing period.

In the last years of Jiajing, the officialdom was corrupt. Official selection was mostly based on qualifications rather than actual ability. Fraudulent practices were common in the official assessment process. Corruption was common and there was no communication between the top and bottom.

The biggest difference between Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng at the beginning was that although they both knew that officialdom needed to be rectified, they had different priorities.

Gao Gong believed that the supervision of the selection of officials should be strengthened. Only by selecting good officials can the world's reputation be restored.

Zhang Juzheng felt that he was idealistic and difficult to realize. In this case, it would be better to issue targeted policies to alleviate the suffering of the people.

In particular, Zhang Juzheng could not agree with Gao Gong's solution to talent problems, even though they were in charge of the Imperial College at that time.

Gao Gong believed that "Jinshi and elected officials must be selected and eliminated, and miscellaneous people and relegated aunts should not be used."

The simultaneous use of Jinshi, tribute, and official positions can basically alleviate Zhang Juzheng's worry about the shortage of talents.

Regarding the specific issue of official appointment, Gao Gong adhered to the principle of proceeding from reality and determined that "everyone has his own strengths, and when things are done according to their strengths, people can display their abilities and things can be based on performance."

There are other ideas for selecting and employing people, most of which are not good for official families.

These aristocratic children who relied on family power to serve as officials occupied official resources, and many of them were mediocre or dandy incompetent people. Gao Gong believed that "if you have talent and don't use it, it's the same as having no talent; if you don't use talent, it's the same as not using it."

Moreover, Gao Gong adheres to the concept of "seeking political power in his/her position": "The country employs people in order to improve their governance, not just to earn a salary." Therefore, he strives to maximize the value of each official and does not stick to his position.

However, all this was wiped out when he was jointly impeached by officials from the Manchu Dynasty.

It is absolutely impossible to say that Gao Gong is willing.

Therefore, although he looked at Xing Fang with a joking look, the keen Shao Fang still saw a turning point in Gao Gong's eyes, which showed a trace of unwillingness.

This may be due to the keen sense of a martial arts master.

For people like them, the so-called martial arts training is not just about practicing skills, but also about developing a kind of muscle memory.

In a two-player battle, one relies on staring at the opponent with one pair of eyes, predicting their fighting style from their movements, and then choosing targeted moves to counterattack.

Thinking, that doesn't exist, it's just a feeling, a subconscious action.

Therefore, it is essential for martial arts masters to have a pair of observant eyes.

"Mr. Gao Ge, Shao knows that whatever he says now is actually just talk on paper.

But Shao had already made clear plans and made sufficient preparations for this trip to the capital.

Shao disagrees with what the Prime Minister said before. If those fellows below are really incompetent, the Prime Minister will not use them when he regains control of the cabinet in the future.

I came here to visit because I heard them say that Gao Ge was a man of great ability and knowledge, but unfortunately he was plotted by the traitors in the court and had to retire and return home.

Corrupt officials are rampant in today's world, and the people are living in dire straits. It is now in need of senior officials to take charge of the court, eradicate bad governance, bring out the old and bring forth the new, and restore a bright future to the world. "

After Nafang finished speaking, he stopped talking. Instead, his eyes looked at him seemingly casually, but in fact, Nafang was very nervous at this time.

Because he knew that Xu Jie had already suffered a setback. If Gao Gong had no intention of coming back today, then the commission he had accepted would be completely over.

Although just going to the capital to find someone to take care of it may have some effect, it will definitely not be big and everyone will not be satisfied.

But now the sword is taking a different approach and supporting a cabinet minister in the Ming Dynasty. Although the hope is slim, once it succeeds, the benefits can be maximized.

At that time, he, Shao Daxia, will not only get wind and rain, but also rain.

With the connections with the cabinet ministers and the support of those officials who used it to revive the family, I am afraid that my family is the first family in Danyang.

"Clear plan, adequate preparation, haha."

Gao Gong looked at Nafang like he was an idiot, "How do you want to do it? How much money do you want from me?"

"You don't need a penny from the high minister, I came here just because I admire your talent.

In someone's opinion, helping the prime minister regain control of the court is a great thing that benefits the country and the people, and it is a chivalrous act on our part. "

Nafang bluntly said that he would do it without Gao Gong giving out money.

Gao Gong was a little excited at this time. Although he still didn't fully believe what Xing Fang said, what if he could get it done if he had Zao Mo Zao?
The desire that he had barely suppressed for a long time broke out again. He still wanted to realize his ideal and return to the place where he should have been.

"After Shao arrives in the capital, he will first get in touch with fellow villagers in Beijing, travel around the government and the public, establish extensive connections, and then select officials who support the prime minister.
However, if this matter is to be accomplished, the biggest problem is that while obtaining the support of officials from the DPRK and China, someone must be able to mention the name of the high minister in front of His Majesty."

Although Masakata's plan was a bit taken for granted, from the beginning he did not intend to accomplish it all at once, but to proceed slowly.

First win over some people, gain widespread support, and then have people around the emperor repeatedly mention his name so that the emperor intends to re-activate it. Those officials who have previously been attracted by the court can play a decisive role in this public opinion war.

After listening to Nafang's ideas, Gao Gong thought deep down that it was very feasible and had a high chance of success.

"Do you want me to give you a list and a token so that you can contact the capital?"

Gao Gong asked pretending to be casual.

He has thought about this matter clearly. He will not lose anything if he fails, but if he succeeds, he will not lose anything.