prosperous age

Chapter 871 960 Miscellaneous Things

"Okay, you can send them there after they leave."

Wei Guangde didn't want to get involved in this matter, so he ordered Lu Bu.

Eunuch Feng Bao was dissatisfied with Lu Shusheng and repeatedly summoned him to Huiji Gate to receive the imperial edict and kept urging him.

But when they got there, everything was normal. Lu Shusheng confessed that he was being teased, but there was nothing he could do about it.

These matters cannot be hidden from the cabinet members who work in the imperial city.

But if we really want to take this matter seriously, we really can’t find Feng Bao’s fault.

The palace has instructions to the Ministry of Rites. In the past, for convenience, everyone would either pass messages or write notes to avoid ministers going back and forth over trivial matters, but these are not considered in compliance with the rules after all.

What's more, it was Feng Bao who did this.

Although Feng Bao couldn't get involved in matters in the court, he was in charge of the Supervisor of Ceremonies and had the power to criticize people. Wei Guangde, Zhang Juzheng and others were not willing to offend easily.

To put it bluntly, Lu Shusheng's status in the hearts of Zhang and Wei was still inferior to that of Feng Bao, so they could only pretend not to know.

But today Lu Shusheng came to the cabinet. Wei Guangde estimated that things were going to get serious, and Lu Shangshu might have wanted to retire.

Lu Shusheng was an upright and upright person. He resigned from the court many times throughout his life and did not like being an official. It is said in history that "in the sixty-fourth year of his ascension, his official position was not as good as one", which was deeply valued by scholars.

In addition, Lu Shusheng repeatedly declined appointments from the imperial court. People inside and outside the imperial court believed that his integrity was very high, and his reputation became higher and higher.

It was also for this reason that Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng were suspicious of each other, so they both accepted this person in charge of the Ministry of Rites, because no one could bribe him.

Six months ago, Lu Shusheng came to the cabinet to attend a ministry meeting. Because the chair placed for him was a little slanted, the old boy kept standing there staring at the chair.

It wasn't until Zhang Juzheng went over to straighten the chair that he sat down.

Well, that’s why Zhang Juzheng, the first assistant, is not given any face.

Of course, Wei Guangde couldn't talk about face in front of him, everything was business.

Wei Guangde wanted to promote the head of the Ministry of Etiquette, but for such a common thing, he was rejected in front of Lu Shusheng and was lectured on.

"In this case, you go to the Si Nong Department to have a look and ask about the current situation of royal wheat cultivation, and then you can send the official documents over when you come back."

Wei Guangde had no choice but to give instructions.

After Lu Bu left, Wei Guangde began to deal with other official documents.

As for the first assistant's room duty, Wei Guangde didn't bother to ask.

People who are too upright are not suitable for official careers.

Later generations said that Zhang Juzheng was a capable minister, but he was actually much more corrupt than Wei Guangde as a capable minister.

Wei Guangde's acceptance of property was only courtesy visits and gifts. His main source of income was from the trading company. Regardless of whether he spent real money or not, he had shares in the trading company and received dividends every year.

Of course, selling ginseng at high prices is also an important means for him to make a fortune.

And what about Zhang Juzheng?

He traveled around and amassed money through his family's housekeeper, You Qi.

Of course, in addition to making money, there is another very important task, which is also done through You Qi, and that is to recruit people.

To be honest, Zhang Juzheng is a man of faith, and he himself should be disgusted with selling his official position.

But this does not mean that he has no emotions and desires, no selfishness, promotes and arranges cadres, and does not pay attention to personal relationships in addition to their ability and political achievements.

People who are not mine, even if they have great abilities, will still fight against me. What use do you have?

But who expresses loyalty to himself and through what means, so You Qi comes in handy.

Those who are willing to take refuge in him will naturally find ways to curry favor with You Qi if they cannot see the Chief Assistant.

Through You Qi, Zhang Juzheng can quickly tell the other party's intentions and whether it is usable.

After all these years, many of the people Xu Jie left behind for him have grown old and need fresh blood to replenish them.

On Zhang Juzheng's side, he finally calmed down Lu Shusheng temporarily after exhausting his boss' efforts.

After sending the people away, Zhang Juzheng also calmed down.

Naturally, it was not easy for him to say hello to Feng Bao.

Just as Wei Guangde thought, Zhang Juzheng needed Lu Shusheng's reputation, but valued Feng Bao more, so it was easy to make a choice.

In fact, Lu Shusheng had submitted three official memorials before, but they were all rejected.

Zhang Juzheng wanted to promote his own reforms, and Lu Shusheng's position in the Ministry of Rites was beneficial to him.

The reforms he wanted to make were all beneficial to the Ming Dynasty, which could easily be supported by Lu Shusheng.

Through Lu Shusheng's reputation, it was easy to translate this support into reality.

Zhang Juzheng was not in the mood to work at the moment. He sat behind the desk and thought for a while, then called for the clerk and ordered: "Go to the Sixth Section and ask Lu Shude from the Ministry of War to come to the matter."

Lu Shude and Lu Shusheng are brothers, but they are only more than ten years apart.

Lu Shusheng was a Jinshi in the 20th year of Jiajing, and Lu Shude was a Jinshi in the 44th year of Jiajing.

Zhang Juzheng came to Lu Shude, naturally hoping to persuade Lu Shusheng to stay in the court through him.

Zhang Juzheng was also worried that Feng Bao would repeatedly trouble Lu Shusheng and make him unwilling to stay in officialdom, which would cause some trouble.

After Lu Shude came over, Zhang Juzheng first asked about the military affairs, especially the situation in Jizhen.

At the beginning of the year, Dong Hu, the chief of the Hadoyan tribe in Wuliang, led his troops to invade the border and stationed at Xifengkou. They were repulsed by Qi Jiguang, the commander-in-chief of Jizhen. They came back near the end of the year, and now there is another confrontation.

After talking about official matters, Zhang Juzheng brought up the matter of Lu Shusheng.

"Master Chief Assistant, you should not persuade my brother. Instead, you should go to Feng Bao. My brother has been patient for a long time."

Understanding what Zhang Juzheng meant by calling him, Lu Shude immediately said, "I was about to file a memorial to impeach Feng Bao, but my brother stopped me.

In fact, my brother has always felt that this official position is not very interesting, and it is better to return to his hometown. "

Lu Shude didn't say too much about the content of the impeachment, because he could think of anything in such a memorial, including revenge, etc. But when it came to it, he couldn't get around the court's system. Lu Shusheng could only be angry, but he really lacked enough moral principles. .

However, the last part of his words convinced Zhang Juzheng that Lu Shusheng's departure seemed not just for show, but that he really had plans to resign again.

"Hiraizumi is a man of integrity and conscientious in his work. I admire him very much."

After Zhang Juzheng thought for a while, he decided to increase his chips, hoping to dissuade Lu Shusheng from leaving.

Then he continued: "I don't know Yu Cheng, but the cabinet has long had the intention of adding cabinet ministers, and the minister is Pingquan. Nowadays, there are really not many people who can compete with him."

At this time, Zhang Juzheng was using naked interests to seduce Lu Shude, hoping that he would pass the news to Lu Shusheng's ears and make him give up the idea of ​​becoming an official.

The imperial court's appointment of Prime Minister Pingquan actually hinted that Lu Shusheng was qualified to join the cabinet, and the imperial court also intended to let him join the cabinet and exercise the power of prime minister.

Lu Shusheng's surname is Ji, and his name is Pingquan. Although Zhang Juzheng had not discussed it with Wei Guangde and Lu Tiaoyang at this time, he didn't think there was anything wrong in saying so.

Lu Shusheng is indeed qualified to join the cabinet, but he just needs to be kicked out. That's another thing.

Now, Zhang Juzheng just wants Lu Shusheng to stay in the court and help him block some opposition and criticism from scholars when he starts reforms.

When Lu Shude heard this, his face changed slightly, but he soon returned to normal.

After Lu Shude said goodbye and left the check-in room, Zhang Juzheng walked back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back for a few times, thinking about whether Feng Bao wanted to send something to him to stop him from tormenting Lu Shusheng.

However, after careful consideration, Zhang Juzheng was still unwilling to offend Feng Bao because of him, so he could only do this first.

Nanjing City, the main hall of a mansion.

Xu Jue was here at this time, but he was lying on a Taishi chair with his back stretched out. A young girl behind him was squeezing his shoulders, while two young girls on the left and right were beating their legs, while the other was holding a fruit plate and feeding them diligently.

Xu Jue was enjoying this kind of life at this time. Isn't that how an official should be?

There was naturally a reason why Xu Jue suddenly appeared in Nanjing without doing his errands in Dongchang.

Because Empress Dowager Li's birthday was approaching, Feng Bao naturally wanted to prepare thoughtful gifts for the Empress Dowager.

After scouring the capital but not finding Shunxin's gift, Feng Bao sent Xu Jue to Nanjing to see if there were any treasures in the south of the Yangtze River that could be used as gifts to congratulate Empress Dowager Li on her birthday.

Of course, this was only in name. In fact, he came to Nanjing this time with the intention of making friends with people in Nanjing's official circles and recruiting people for Eunuch Feng behind him.

By the way, if possible, it is also his job to get some money.

This time he took the 20,000 taels of silver that Feng Bao had brought from the palace to prepare a congratulatory gift for the Queen Mother.

Will the money be spent?

"Sir, there is someone from outside who claims to be Hu Zigao, the director of the Nanjing Ministry of Industry, and wants to see him."

While Xu Jue was enjoying the beauty's attentive service, a man outside the door came in to report.

"Hu Zigao? Director of the Ministry of Industry?"

Xu Jue just muttered it once, then shook his head.

The head of the Ministry of Industry, a sixth-grade official, was still too low in Xu Jue's eyes.

Xu Jue's position in front of Feng Bao was just like that of You Qi under Zhang Juzheng. He was both a money-maker and a matchmaker. If he found someone useful and willing to join him, he would naturally return the favor to his master.

As for whether it can be used and how to use it, that is a matter for the master to consider.

In the past, when he did this, his subordinates would naturally understand the meaning and immediately retreat to drive away the people. However, this time, he was a little hesitant and seemed to want to say something else.

Xu Jue's eyes widened, he looked at his men and said, "Why, it's a bit hot to accept money from others?"

"Hey, I can't hide anything from you adults."

That person was also Xu Jue's confidant, otherwise he would not have brought him to Nanjing to see the colorful world of Jiangnan, so he confessed immediately.

"Do you know this person?"

When he heard that Hu Zigao actually gave his subordinate five taels of silver, Xu Jue immediately became serious.

He is not an ordinary person who can give so much money casually.

Generally in the capital, a tip of one or two taels is a lot for a disciple.

One shot is five taels, which shows that the shot is generous.

It doesn't matter if you are a junior official, as long as you are willing to spend money, you will be promoted to this official position.

"Sir, this Hu Zigao has a record in the guard before. When he came to Nanjing this time, I went back to the guard to check the background of the officials here."

Na Fanzi said with a smile.

"Talk about it."

Xu Jue became a little interested when he heard that he knew this person, mainly because he was interested in his net worth.

"Yes."

So Na Fanzi told Xu Jue what he knew. Hu Zigao was a Jinshi in the 32nd year of Jiajing. Because of his luck, he was appointed as the ambassador of the Ministry of Households as soon as he entered the official career.

At first glance, the title "Ambassador" sounds very high-end and classy, ​​but at a second glance, someone who manages a warehouse can also be called an official?

It is really an official, not only an official, but also an official who has to be careful with the governor and governor whenever they are angry.

This starts with its properties. You must first know what it does.

Although the official rank of Warehouse Ambassador is only ninth rank, it is a huge disadvantage. All the expenses incurred by the country are inspected and put into the treasury by him, the Warehouse Ambassador. Therefore, in order for the goods to be paid to be qualified, various places will prepare them in advance. Prepare a generous gift for this Fucang Ambassador.

In addition to ordinary things, these goods also have a very important job, which is to handle the tributes paid to the emperor by the officials in charge in various places.

All national expenses include silver goods from Nanyi and other states in Yong'an, amber, jade and ivory from Dadian and other states in Yunnan, Lingling incense from Yongzhou, agarwood and huoxiang from Guangzhou Prefecture, stone green from Wenliu, Eheng and other states, and stone green from Chenxi Prefecture. The cinnabar of Nanzhou and the white powder of Nanzhou.

Realgar paper from Yanzhou, large and small jute white paper from Yizhou, case paper from Xuanqu and other states, thin white paper with hundred-day oil from Puzhou, rabbit skin from Henan Prefecture, and raccoon skin from Jinfen and other states.

Bamboo pipes from Yuezhou. Candles from Jingzhou, felts from Zhengzhou, glue from Dengzhou, mats from Guozhou, hemp from Yanzhou, gold, jade, pearls, shells, and delicacies from all directions must be inspected and sent to the treasury by the ambassador of the Household Department.

Not only can you earn money, but you can also make a lot of connections, and you can also build a solid family fortune for future promotions.

Such a lucrative job fell into the hands of Hu Zigao, and he naturally became rich very quickly. Later, he was promoted to a judge in the Salt Transportation Department. This was another extremely lucrative job.

However, something unexpected happened. Just when Hu Zigao's official career was prosperous and the wind was blowing, he did not expect that his mother died of illness and he was forced to resign and return to his hometown of Dingyou for three years.

After three years of hard work, when he was about to return to Beijing to resume his duties, the county magistrate in his hometown wrote a book to him, saying that he had violated the law and failed to observe filial piety.

It turned out that when he was at home, he relied on his background as a capital official and did not take the county magistrate seriously at all. He even scolded the county magistrate in front of his clan members. This time, the other party seized the opportunity and read a book.

In this Ming Dynasty, which ruled the world with filial piety, Hu Zigao was punished accordingly.

Although he finally paid a large sum of money to find someone to solve the matter, his official position changed to the director of the Ministry of Industry in Nanjing, and he changed from a fat clerk to a Qingshui Yamen who would leave something when the rats came, which made him sit down. I can't live anymore, let alone be an official in Nanjing.

Most of the people who came here to be officials were dawdling with little future, but Hu Zigao was not that kind of person. He still wanted to make a comeback because he had money.

Knowing that Xu Jue, a popular figure in front of Feng Bao, came to Jiangnan to buy gifts, Hu Zigao naturally became interested. This was an opportunity worth investing money.

Who is Feng Bao? He is the emperor's first companion, a popular person in front of the two empress dowagers, and is an old acquaintance of the first and second ministers of the dynasty. They are all from Yu Zhuan's old family.

Are these thighs thick?

Absolutely rough.

Xu Jue was immediately overjoyed when he learned that Hu Zigao had served as ambassador to the Ministry of Household Affairs and had served as a judge of the Salt Transportation Department for two years.

"Let him in."

Xu Jue thought about it for a while and planned to meet this person. He had done this in Yanyun Yamen. He was also very greedy for the benefits. It seemed that it was worth asking Eunuch Feng to take action.

(End of this chapter)