prosperous age

Yin Shidan was a native of Shandong. He was a Jinshi in the 26th year of Jiajing. He was a Jinshi in the same discipline as Zhang Juzheng, Li Chunfang and Wang Chonggu. Before joining the cabinet, he was an old colleague with Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng.

He is a straightforward and stubborn person, and he doesn't like to beat around the bush and make his words difficult to listen to.

If he knew that it was Gao Gong who sent people to impeach him, maybe he would be complacent and complacent.

Because Gao Gong was in the cabinet and his domineering attitude in the court was obvious to all, not only he knew about it, but Zhang Juzheng also knew about it, and all the six ministers in the court had heard about it.

As for the matter of the Jiaolai Canal, the cabinet did not come up with a conclusion through consultation, but Gao Gong dared to send a note to the Ministry of Works to prepare for the start of construction.

You know, this is actually an errand of the Ministry of Industry, and he has already exceeded his authority.

What's more, the people sent by the Ministry of Works to re-examine have not returned, and they have not reported to the court for approval, so why should construction begin?

However, Zhu Heng didn't want to cause trouble, so he sent someone to do something perfunctory, which was to calculate the number of civilians who needed to be recruited from surrounding counties and coordinate the construction equipment that needed to be used.

However, these are only on paper from the Ministry of Industry. If it is finally confirmed that construction will start, these documents will be issued soon, allowing various places to prepare urgently.

Through this incident, Zhang Juzheng also learned deeply about Gao Gong's methods. Gao Gong is not an ordinary domineering person, and he has the tendency to prosper those who follow me and those who go against me to die.

Thinking back to the experiences of Chen Yiqin and Li Chunfang, he couldn't help but feel afraid.

Most outsiders thought that Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng had a secret alliance, but only the parties involved knew the inside story.

Because of Xu Jie's incident, there is still an unbreakable knot between Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, unless Gao Gong can really let Xu Jie go.

However, because Zhang Juzheng was very afraid of Gao Gong, when he was with Gao Gong, he had to be conciliatory and try his best to agree with him, which caused misunderstandings to the outside world.

As for Yin Shizhen, after thinking that it was Zhang Siwei who contacted Han Ji and others to criticize him, he felt humiliated and naturally wanted to regain his place.

Zhang Siwei would ask his fellow villagers to impeach him. Didn't Yin Shizhen have such an official in charge of science and education?

Moreover, Yin Shizhen also knew that Gao Gong was planning to promote Zhang Siwei.

Think about Yang Bo, who originally formed an alliance with Xu Jie. Now Gao Gong was able to put aside his prejudices and let him come back to take charge of the Ministry of War. Zhang Siwei played an even greater role than Zhang Juzheng.

The reason why Zhang Juzheng got involved in recalling Yang Bo was because after Huo Yi left, he deeply felt his own lack of strength and urgently needed help.

A veteran like Yang Bo is naturally the best candidate, as both his qualifications and prestige meet his needs.

Why did Yang Bo leave?

Not only was he worried about being retaliated by Gao Gong, but the most important reason was that he was discouraged.

There is no official who does not want to join the cabinet. Even if he is not a member of the Imperial Academy, he has always regarded joining the cabinet as his career goal.

After Gao Gong, Xu Jie and others left, Emperor Longqing chose to supplement Wei Guangde and Yin Shizhen but did not choose him to join the cabinet, making Yang Bo despair about joining the cabinet.

Emperor Longqing was not Jiajing and dared to break the rules.

Under such an emperor, he knew that he had no hope of fulfilling his wish.

But this time it was slightly different. Yang Bo knew Zhang Juzheng's plan, which was to secretly plan with him to deal with Gao Gong, and the conditions offered by Zhang Juzheng were indeed tempting.

Chen Yiqin, Li Chunfang became official, Wei Guangde and Ding You. Yin Shizhen, the only three people left in the cabinet, was also squeezed out by Gao Gong, and he didn't know when he would be expelled.

The cabinet is short of people. For a veteran minister like him with sufficient prestige and qualifications, the hope of joining the cabinet is much higher than that of the previous two years.

Therefore, Yang Bo chose to accept the order and he wanted to come back.

When Yin Shizhen considered dealing with Zhang Siwei, he naturally thought of Yang Bo. He knew that he must seize the time to destroy Zhang Siwei first, otherwise his situation would be worrying.

So, he summoned the Shandong Yanguan in Beijing that night. Needless to say, he knew what he was doing. Naturally, he asked them to contact their close colleagues through their respective relationships in the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the Sixth Section to deal with the right minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Zhang Siwei got angry.

So on the next day, the censor Gao Yongchun took the lead in impeaching Zhang Siwei, and then more impeachment memorials flew to the Qianqing Palace.

Although Zhang Siwei was not allowed to submit his resignation directly due to the outpouring of firepower from the KTD officials, he was indeed disgraced and had no choice but to go home and write a memorial and explanation.

By this time, no matter how dull the officials were, they could still feel the smell of gunpowder in the court.

Zhu Heng also felt that something was wrong, so he sent someone to quietly pass a note to Yin Shizhen's house, telling him to be calm and not to act impulsively.

Of course, he knew that although he was a minister, his relationship with Yin Shizhen was only average, so the effect of persuasion should not be great, so he wrote to Wei Guangde in Jiangxi and asked him to write a letter to Yin Shizhen as soon as possible to calm his emotions.

Although the distant water cannot quench the near thirst, there is nothing that can be done now.

Yin Shizhen's counterattack fell on Zhang Siwei, which Gao Gong did not expect. Only later did he realize that he had arranged for his disciple Han Ji to take the lead in impeaching Yin Shizhen, making him mistakenly believe that Shanxi people were attacking him.

However, Gao Gong was not secretly happy because of this. Zhang Siwei was the person he liked, and now that he was forced to go home and write a defense statement, he was naturally unhappy.

So he sent a message to Han Ji and others and continued to attack Yin Shizhen.

The impeachment storm that started again has begun to get out of control. A large number of memorials were written to impeach Yin Shizhen, and even Wei Guangde, who was at home with Ding You, was also brought along.

I don't know if it was a blind act or if I got the news, but the impeachment was directed at Yin Shizhen's entry into the cabinet.

Although the cabinet ministers were appointed by Emperor Longqing, they were indeed affected by many factors, among which the eunuchs around the emperor were naturally among them.

The outside world only thought that it was because Chen Yiqin recommended Wei and Yin that they were allowed to join the cabinet smoothly. In fact, before the emperor considered adding more cabinet ministers, Wei Guangde and Yin Shizhen each used some secretly. A small gesture was to give money to the eunuchs around the emperor so that they could speak well of him in front of the emperor.

Wei Guangde moved around Teng Xiang and Meng Chong, but Feng Bao didn't care, because at that time Feng Bao was focused on the prince Zhu Yijun.

The person Yin Shizhen chose was not a bribe to Teng Xiang who was impeached by the censor, but a gift to Chen Hong.

The reason why Chen Hong was chosen instead of Teng Xiang and Meng Chong was because Chen Hong saw through Teng Xiang and Meng Chong's methods at that time, so he began to imitate him, which happened to be when his holy family was in full swing.

Regarding these matters, when the imperial censor impeached Yin Shizhen and Chen Hong for the first time, Chen Hong secretly informed Gao Gong and asked him to calm down the matter as soon as possible.

It doesn't matter if you impeach Yin Shizhen, but you can't involve him in it.

Now that Teng Xiang is dead, there is no evidence to prove his death, so the impeachment storm launched again points the finger at Yin Shizhen and Teng Xiang, directly denounced Yin Shizhen as a lackey of the eunuch party.

I don’t know what means these censors used to dig out the connection between Wei Guangde and Teng Xiang.

But after all, it was just hearsay, and their main target was Yin Shizhen, not Wei Guangde, so the firepower was mainly concentrated on Yin Shizhen.

There was chaos in the court, and Emperor Longqing naturally felt it in the palace. Looking at so many impeachment memorials every day, even a fool would know that it was not simple. However, the number of people in the cabinet is already small, and he does not want to throw away the master Yin Shizhen at will.

So, that day, he summoned Gao Gong and Yin Shizhen to talk to each other in the Qianqing Palace.

Needless to say, he wanted to be a peacemaker and make it clear to his most respected master, Gao Gong, that he had no intention of replacing Yin Shizhen.

The current situation of the three pillars of the cabinet is actually what Emperor Longqing is most happy to see. It is a pity that Wei Guangde is missing from the assistant ministers. Otherwise, with the alliance of Wei Guangde and Yin Shizhen, they would be able to suppress Gao Gong in the cabinet.

The cabinet under such circumstances is the cabinet that can reassure him.

But seeing that Yin Shizhen was alone, he couldn't bear it anymore, so in front of Gao Gong, Emperor Longqing directly recalled his experience in Prince Yu's Mansion, letting Gao Gong understand that he, the emperor, was nostalgic for his old feelings, and he could not touch Yin Shizhen.

In front of Yin Shizhen, he also reminded him not to act recklessly.

These things only happened in a short period of half a month. Zhu Heng's letter had not yet been sent to Jiujiang. Emperor Longqing seemed to have settled the fight between the two ministers in the cabinet.

The emperor's methods actually impressed Zhang Juzheng, Zhu Heng, Gao Yi and other important officials in the court. He let his men fight, and the emperor finally came out to mediate. This method was slippery.

The next day happened to coincide with the day of bowing.

The so-called meeting and bowing, that is, meeting and bowing, refers to the first and fifteenth day of each month, when each department has to go to the cabinet to meet with cabinet ministers. The purpose is to allow the administrative ministers and ministers to communicate with each other and deepen their understanding, so as to facilitate the work of both parties. .

According to convention, the three ministers of the cabinet naturally sit in the main hall of Wenyuan Pavilion, with the high arch in the middle, Zhang Juzheng on the left, and Yin Shizhen on the lower right.

When Liu Ke paid tribute to the three cabinet ministers during the ceremony, when it was Han Ji's turn, Yin Shizhen suddenly said to him: "I heard that you have some opinions about me. If it comes from your heart, of course it doesn't matter. Just be careful not to let the villain Be a gunman and finally put yourself in."

If at first Yin Shizhen thought that Han Ji was bewitched by Zhang Siwei and became his enemy, and that he arranged for the censor to impeach Zhang Siwei's father, Zhang Yunling, for taking bribes with the help of his son's official position, but as things developed now, he naturally knew what was really going on. Who did he take action against?

But there are some things that naturally cannot be put on the table.

After Emperor Longqing's mediation, the matter seemed to be over, but the parties involved already had resentments in their hearts.

Therefore, seeing Han Ji and others ordered by Gao Gong today, Yin Shizhen's resentment burst out uncontrollably, and he started mocking in front of Gao Gong.

In fact, the last sentence was also Yin Shizhen's true words, that is, he remembered people like Han Ji and Zhao Yinglong.

He couldn't move Gao Gong, so why couldn't he find an opportunity to embarrass Han Ji and others?

As soon as Yin Shizhen finished speaking, the hall, where some people were still whispering, fell silent, and everyone looked at Yin Shizhen.

Everyone can't understand the secret here. It's just a fight between gods and gods, and the kid suffers in the end.

As the person involved, Han Ji heard Yin Shizhen's words. He didn't know whether he understood the mystery in Yin Shizhen's words or something. He was suddenly suppressed and his face turned red, but he didn't know how to answer the words.

In this situation, it feels like nothing is appropriate to say.

What did he say when he attacked Yin Shizhen?

It doesn't matter if it is written in the memorial, but if it is said outright in this place.

Yes, these officials attacked Yin Shizhen for taking the path of eunuchs, and then they successfully entered the cabinet and became cabinet bachelors.

And those who become cabinet bachelors through eunuch relationships are actually not worthy of sitting in this position.

If he repeats his point of view in this place, it seems to be a scientific style, but don't forget how the high arch behind him came back.

In other words, the point of view against Yin Shizhen cannot be applied here, at least it cannot be said in the presence of Gao Gong.

There are some things that people just don’t say, but that doesn’t mean they don’t understand.

During the silence, Gao Gong glanced at Yin Shizhen fiercely and said, "Zhengfu, look at what you said.

The rules set by Taizu for the purpose of rectifying the imperial court's rules and regulations.

If there are no articles of impeachment against you, you can just be honest and ignore them.

It is really inappropriate for you to say these things at this time and place in front of your colleagues. "

Yin Shizhen was actually unhappy in his heart. He had indeed left the relationship with the eunuchs and allowed them to speak well in front of Emperor Longqing, but Gao Gong was able to come back in this way.

You are shameless, you dare to use such a reason to impeach him, and now you are saying that you are not decent, you immediately became furious.

Yin Shizhen was a big man from Shandong and had a straightforward personality. He was already resentful when he saw Han Ji, and Gao Gong, the instigator, was there to ridicule him. He could no longer suppress his anger.

"boom".

Suddenly, Yin Shizhen stood up from his seat so fast that the heavy chair shook and moved backwards.

At this time, Yin Shizhen stretched out his left hand and pointed at Gao Gong and said angrily: "You Gao Gong, first you drove away Chen Gong, then you drove away Li Gong, and now you have driven me away from the fourth dimension. How long can you sit here forever?"

Calling someone by name was considered quite rude behavior by the ancients.

To be honest, Yin Shizhen was a little unseemly at this time.

Just when the officials in the hall were dumbfounded and watched the two cabinet bachelors in the court about to start arguing, the tall and powerful Yin Shizhen had already walked quickly past Han Ji and walked towards Gao Gong.

Zhang Juzheng, who was silent at first, realized something was wrong. He stood up and walked over quickly, trying to stop Yin Shizhen, but he finally stopped. Yin Shizhen had already rushed in front of Gao Gong.

Yin Shizhen was much younger than Gao Gong, less than fifty years old. When he was in the prime of life, he stretched out his left hand and turned to Gao Gong.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Gao Gong hurriedly hid to the side. Although he was not caught by Yin Shizhen, the brim of his hat did not escape and was grabbed by Yin Shizhen and fell to the ground.

Before it was over, Yin Shizhen's right hand had already raised its fist and hit the high-arched door after dodging the grabbing hand.

In the eyes of everyone in the Sixth Section, Yin Shizhen started to attack Gao Gong, which shocked everyone immediately.

When Gao Gong saw Yin Shizhen swinging his fist, he subconsciously raised his hand to block it, and a fist hit him firmly on the arm, almost knocking him down on the spot.

Zhang Juzheng, who was behind him, saw that the situation was not good and hurriedly stretched out his arms to hug Yin Shizhen, shouting: "Come here quickly and help stop people."

Although Zhang Juzheng was a soldier, he was not as strong as Yin Shizhen. He was worried that he would not be able to stop him, so he called for help.

Then everyone gathered around and separated Gao Gong and Yin Shizhen. Naturally, this meeting could not go on.