prosperous age

"You were not in the cabinet this morning, so I told Zhengfu about this matter."

Wei Guangde knew that this was the highlight, and it should be Chen Yiqin's response after discussing with Teng Xiang last night.

"When Gao Suqing returns to the court, His Majesty should still trust him in every possible way. In the near future, we must try our best to follow his wishes and not conflict with him.

But the most worrying thing is that someone in the cabinet will turn to him and join forces to deal with us."

Chen Yiqin's words made Wei Guangde frown. He had already guessed who this "he" was referring to.

Naturally, it is Zhang Juzheng. There are only two people who can sway in the cabinet, and the remaining one is the chief assistant Li Chunfang.

However, precisely because he is the chief minister of the cabinet, he cannot condescend to cooperate with Gao Gong, even if Gao Gong wins the Sacred Heart.

"Then just think of some way to prevent Zhang Shuda from joining forces with Gao Suqing."

Wei Guangde said without thinking, "Since the chief assistant is not worried, we don't have to worry about it anymore."

"Do you have a solution?"

When Chen Yiqin heard Wei Guangde's words, his heart moved, and he immediately asked.

"Huh? No, I was thinking about this problem last night, but I never thought of a good solution."

Wei Guangde replied very bachelorly that he only had this idea, but he really didn't think of a good way.

It is not so easy to prevent Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong from cooperating.

The two people had been friends for a long time, but they drifted apart because of their political disagreements. After that, too many things happened, so they stopped talking to each other at all.

But if you don't talk, you won't talk. I haven't heard of the two of them breaking up. They just maintain a superficial relationship.

"Both of them are not stupid. If you are too deliberate, it will be easy for them to see it."

Yin Shizhen shook his head and said.

Wei Guangde's idea is correct, but operability is difficult.

"Zhang Shuda broke up with Gao Suqing because he disagreed with him on his tough measures to rectify the administration of officials, right?"

Chen Yiqin did not echo Yin Shizhen's words, but recalled.

Wei Guangde nodded. He paid attention to both Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, so he naturally had a deep understanding of their political stances.

"Gao Suqing believes that only by using tough measures to rectify the administration of officials, just as he did during the time of Emperor Taizu, can the court be rejuvenated and great governance restored."

Wei Guangde replied.

"I take it for granted. Emperor Taizu was wise and powerful. No one can say anything bad about his old man. Perhaps only the descendants of those families would stop talking about it."

Yin Shizhen is still the same as before, saying whatever comes to his mind, but he also knows that some words are taboo and cannot be said casually.

"Corrupt officials can't be killed, but I understand what Zhang Shuda said, using the law of examination to restrain officials from doing things, instead of just living in debauchery, knowing nothing about government affairs, and using power for personal gain.

As long as he can get things done and does not impose excessive taxes on the local area, he is considered a good official. "

Chen Yiqin continued.

"Although it is insufficient, it has merits."

Yin Shizhen agreed with Chen Yiqin's views this time and also recognized Zhang Juzheng's strategy of governing the country.

"Haha, corrupt officials and honest officials are actually not easy to do."

Wei Guangde smiled and said, "Being a corrupt official requires great courage. It is not easy to do things without conscience, but it is even harder to be an upright official."

"Yes, it's hard to be a corrupt official, but it's even harder to be an upright official. Are we considered turbid?"

Chen Yiqin also felt this and asked.

"Haha, that's all I can say."

Yin Shizhen didn't say much this time, but just echoed, "But as for upright officials, I remember there was one. Isn't the one from the General Affairs Department an upright official? I heard that he was the county magistrate in that county. He was excellent in the civil service examination and was transferred to the capital. When I was at the Ministry of Household Affairs, all the people sent me gifts, and I even gave them umbrellas."

"Haha, I've heard of another version."

Just when Yin Shizhen was talking like this, Chen Yiqin suddenly interrupted.

"What version?"

Yin Shizhen asked curiously.

"There are many opinions about Hai Rui's character. Some say that he is honest and upright, and some say that he is just trying to gain fame. However, one thing is that he thinks the same as most officials in the Ministry of Household Affairs."

What Chen Yiqin said here successfully attracted the attention of Wei Guangde and Yin Shizhen. At this moment, the two people involuntarily leaned over to listen to Chen Yiqin's words.

Seeing that both of them were interested, Chen Yiqin didn't hold back and said directly: "I know what county Hai Rui served as an edict before he came to Beijing and was later promoted to the county magistrate.

The first thing he did when he took office as county magistrate was to cancel various so-called "routine" collections and unify the taxes of a county. After that, he cleared the land, made decisions for the farmers, and asked powerful families to return the occupied land and force them to do so. The children of farmers who had been forcibly bought into slavery were released, and the refugees were resettled to encourage land reclamation. It was stipulated that no taxes would be levied on newly reclaimed land within three years.

The things he did made the local gentry anxious, but Hai Rui didn't get into any trouble. He just acted according to the rules, unlike some people who were greedy and took advantage of others.

The local gentry had no choice but to spend money to help him manage it."

"Ha ha."

"Ha ha."

Hearing this, Wei Guangde and Yin Shizhen naturally knew what this management meant. However, the funny thing is that others' management is to promote their own people, while the management mentioned by Chen Yiqin is to help the enemy's promotion. The purpose is self-evident, which is to bring down the enemy. Take Hai Rui away.

"This happened more than once. Later, he was sent to some county in Zhejiang to be the magistrate. The local gentry also became confused when they knew Hai Rui's name.

I had no choice but to follow the example of the previous county gentry.

But at least Zhejiang was rich, and they didn't bother to send Hai Rui to another place to harm others. They directly transferred the money and sent Hai Rui to the Ministry of Household Affairs. You know, Hai Rui was just an official, he could not Not a Jinshi”

When Chen Yiqin said this, Yin Shizhen and Wei Guangde were already laughing.

"Haha, I've never heard anyone say this. Documents say that he had outstanding political achievements in Chun'an and other counties and managed the affairs very well. That's why he was recognized by the Ministry of Household Affairs and promoted. I don't know if he was promoted by the gentry. "

Wei Guangde spoke.

"It's true that Hai Rui promoted people. Generally speaking, it's good to be a county magistrate. If you can get into the Ministry of Household Affairs, it can't be true, right?"

However, Yin Shizhen suddenly asked.

"I heard it from Wang Ting. He didn't ask where he knew it. Bo Jun just smiled, haha."

Chen Yiqin said.

"The news from the Metropolitan Procuratorate may be true. It's impossible to catch something when there's no wind."

Wei Guangde heard that Chen Yiqin said these words from Wang Ting, the censor of Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Although he thought it was comical, it always seemed to be very logical.

If you can't grasp the handle and can't get him down, you can only find a way to get him up.

Once he enters the capital, he won't harm the local area, because the capital officials have been separated from the local area and he can't get involved.

"However, Hai Rui is indeed outstanding in his local area. He clears land, builds water conservancy projects, and vindicates unjust and false cases. He is very popular among the people. It is also true that the people sent Wanmin umbrellas and plaques. The Metropolitan Procuratorate has sent people to investigate secretly."

Chen Yiqin put away his previous smile and said seriously, but the light in his eyes always felt very playful. "Clear the land? Build water conservancy projects?"

When Yin Shizhen heard Chen Yiqin's words, he suddenly became thoughtful.

"What did Zhengfu think of?"

Seeing Yin Shizhen's expression, Chen Yiqin asked.

"I saw a memorial from Nanjing yesterday, saying that the dams of many river sections such as the Wusong River and the Baimao River have collapsed, which is very dangerous, and it is urgent for the court to send people to repair it."

Yin Shizhen said casually.

"Nanjing, Yingtian, hiss"

Wei Guangde just said something casually, but in an instant he thought of someone. However, it only took a moment for Wei Guangde to shake his head first.

"Shandai, what's wrong?"

Yin Shizhen looked at Wei Guangde's movements and said curiously.

"Nothing, I suddenly thought of an idea, but it seems..."

Wei Guangde was a little hesitant when he said this. He didn't know whether he should say it out because he felt that this matter was unreliable. However, in his impression, he seemed to have seen similar records, but they were very vague.

"Just say whatever comes to mind, it's just small talk."

Chen Yiqin smiled.

Wei Guangde looked at Chen Yiqin, then at Yin Shizhen, and then said, "Brother Zhengfu just now thought of Hai Rui because he heard about the construction of water conservancy projects?"

"Well, didn't Yifu say that? Hai Rui knew about building water conservancy projects when he was the county magistrate, so I immediately thought of the official document reported by Yingtian Mansion."

Yin Shizhen replied, "But now Hai Rui is the General Secretary of General Affairs and Zuo Tongzheng. If he is to be transferred to other places, he must at least be the governor of Yingtian."

"Hai Rui is honest and upright?"

Wei Guangde looked at Chen Yiqin again and said.

"That's what the prince told me. As for what other people say about seeking fame and reputation, let's talk about our actions and not our hearts."

Chen Yiqin replied that the prince he was talking about was Wang Ting, the censor of Zuodu.

However, when talking about this, Chen Yiqin seemed to understand Wei Guangde's thoughts, and continued hesitantly: "Do you mean to transfer Hai Rui to Nanjing to be the governor of Yingtian to control floods in the south of the Yangtze River?
This is feasible. Later, you can ask people to summon him to the cabinet and ask him what his thoughts are on river management.

If it is feasible, it can be considered. "

Yin Shizhen said suspiciously: "But does this have anything to do with integrity?"

After speaking, Yin Shizhen looked at Wei Guangde.

"I remember that in the first year of Longqing, Mr. Xu Ge's younger brother, Xu Zhi, who was the right minister of the Ministry of Justice in Nanjing, once impeached his brother. Among them was the annexation of land through donation and other methods. In my impression, it is said that Mr. Xu Ge's hometown The fields amount to ten thousand hectares.”

Wei Guangde said lightly.

"This is true. At the time, Qi Kang, the imperial censor, Gao Suqing's disciples even impeached Mr. Xu Ge because of this."

Yin Shizhen nodded. This matter caused a lot of fuss at first, especially in the inverted arch incident, which also played a decisive role.

"Clear the land and donate it"

Chen Yiqin already somewhat understood the meaning of Wei Guangde's words, but he suddenly thought of Wei Guangde's previous shaking of his head, so he asked in confusion: "Then why did you shake your head again before? If you hadn't asked, I'm afraid you wouldn't have said anything about it."

"I'm not sure what kind of person Hai Rui is. I've only heard that he is upright and honest, and is known as 'Hai Qingtian' among the people."

Wei Guangde said.

Yin Shizhen also nodded and added: "It is said that he is not afraid of the powerful, and he is nicknamed 'Haibizhu'."

At this time, the most famous brand name "Haigangfeng" in later generations had not yet appeared.

Hai Rui's nickname is Ruxian and his nickname is Gangfeng. Hai Rui has not taken this name yet, so naturally there is no name "Haigang Peak".

Come to think of it, Hai Rui calls himself "Gangfeng" because he still chooses to stick to his heart despite pressure from many parties, and he just doesn't remind himself of it all the time.

The ancients had a relatively free way of choosing their nicknames, usually based on their own interests, ideals, ambitions or living environment and other factors.

The number can be your own alias, restaurant number, room number, etc., or it can be an elegant or honorable title given by others.

For example, Li Bai called himself "Qinglian Jushi", Du Fu called himself "Shaoling Yelao", and Su Shi called himself "Dongpo Jushi" when he was farming in Dongpo.

Of course, the names of ancient people can also be given by others, which are usually some honorary or elegant titles.

Zhuge Liang was revered as "Wolong", and Pang Tong was given the nickname "Feng Chu". "Poetry Immortal", "Poetry Sage", "Poetry Ghost", "Poetry Demon" and "Poetry Buddha" were certainly not chosen by themselves. It's all given to them by others.

Wei Guangde just glanced at Yin Shizhen and continued: "When Hai Rui was imprisoned, there were rumors that he was going to be beheaded, but everyone still protected him. Hai Rui owed Mr. Xu Ge a favor."

In Wei Guangde's impression, there seemed to be talk of a vicious fight between Hai Rui and Xu Jie, but in the Ming Dynasty, based on what Wei Guangde knew about the relationship between the two, logically speaking, such a bad fight should not have happened.

When Hai Rui complained to Emperor Jiajing and was imprisoned, Xu Jie always tried to protect him. Although it was not a life-saving grace, Hai Rui had to remember this sentiment.

As long as he has favors, Wei Guangde doesn't think Hai Rui will deliberately target Xu Jie because of Xu Jie's family wealth.

However, I have to say that Xujie’s fields amount to tens of thousands of hectares, which is indeed a bit excessive.

You must know that the fields recorded in his name are not subject to tax. Every year, Songjiang Mansion alone does not know how much tax is allocated to the common people of Shengdou.

In the name of Hai Rui, if it were someone else, he might be able to do something about it, but when the other person was Xu Jie, he felt it was hard to say.

Chen Yiqin also fully understood Wei Guangde's considerations and why he felt that this matter might not be possible.

"We can ask Hai Rui to go to Yingtian under the pretext of letting him control the flood. As for whether he wants to take action against Xu Jie?"

Chen Yiqin just said this and shut up. He had completely figured out what Wei Guangde was thinking.

If Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong were not allowed to fight in the court, they would lead the war to the south of the Yangtze River and burn Xu Jie on fire.

As long as Hai Rui sticks to his true intentions, he will definitely take action against the gentry in Southern Zhili, and Mr. Xu Ge should be his first target.

In a fight, Zhang Juzheng would definitely stand on his teacher's side, and with his high-spirited character, he would never let go of this golden opportunity to take revenge on Xu Jie who was out in the field.

According to what Xu Zhi said at the time, if the Xu family's misdeeds caused harm to the local area, Hai Rui would definitely kill him.

"Would this make me feel sorry for Mr. Xu Ge?"

Yin Shizhen also figured out Wei Guangde's intention at this moment. Although he also felt that the possibility of Hai Rui fighting Xu Jie was relatively small, considering that the kindness between the two was still there, it was indeed possible.

However, when Xu Jie was in court, he was always polite with them and had no disputes.

At this time, Yin Shizhen felt a little embarrassed to design someone else.

"It's just a casual move. Hai Rui doesn't deliberately target Mr. Xu Ge, so it's natural that he can't do anything wrong to him.

But if Hai Rui also feels that Xu Ge's hometown is a little too much, he can directly let Zhang Shuda and Gao Suqing fight in the cabinet. "

Chen Yiqin opened his mouth and made the final decision.