The Prosperous Era of Longwan

The history of the Ming Dynasty has been turbulent since the Jiajing Dynasty entered the Longqing Dynasty.

In the first year of Longqing, it was originally a time when the government was in good hands and everything was waiting for improvement. However, after the funeral ceremony of Emperor Jiajing was handled, a dispute broke out immediately between the chief minister and his subordinates. Xu Jie and Gao Gong fought fiercely, and finally Gao Gong resigned And end.

In the second year of Longqing, Xu Jie, the winner of the political struggle, chose to leave the government because Emperor Longqing was not happy with him, and the political situation of the Ming Dynasty entered a stable period.

In the third year of Longqing, everything was fine at first, and the government even showed signs of prosperity, but the emperor suddenly had the idea of ​​recalling Gao Gong.

At the same time, Gao Gong's old enemy Xu Jie's family also suffered sudden changes, and the Xu Jie case finally broke out.

The Xu Jie case refers to a land donation case in the Jiangnan area related to Xu Jie that occurred during the Longqing period.

In the third year of Longqing's reign, Hai Rui, as the censor of Youqiandu, inspected the ten mansions of Yingtian. He inspected the Wusong River and allowed farmers to report the illegal behavior of township officials. He ordered township officials to return the land they had usurped, and at the same time earnestly redressed grievances."

In fact, Hai Rui characterized the case as a land dispute and was suspected of minimizing a major issue.

Regarding the Xu Jie case, there are many historical records, but the "History of the Ming Dynasty" is relatively brief, "(Hai Rui) Su Ji merged with the big families, destroyed the strong and powerful, and helped the poor and the weak. Those who had poor people's land entering the wealthy family, led the way to take it back. Xu After leaving the rank, I lived in the prime minister's house. I asked if his family had any loans. The orders were issued fiercely, and the supervisor followed them with fear."

There is no direct record of Hai Rui's trial of the case in "Records of the Ming Dynasty". However, in order to impeach Hai Rui, Dai Fengxiang, who was in charge of the official affairs at that time, mentioned the trial process and results of the case in his memorial, "The ban on tenants cannot be completed." The poor people cannot pay their rents and have to move to the bottom of the country.”

And Hai Rui did put forward the suggestion to "quit more than half of the production", so when Wan Sitong compiled "History of the Ming Dynasty", he probably understood the Xu Jie case as an ordinary land dispute.

In the end, Xu Jie's two sons and several nephews and a family of more than ten were sentenced to serve in the army to guard the border. In fact, they were sentenced according to the crime of surrender. However, what was different from what most people in later generations thought was that Xu Jiazi was actually sent to prison. It was not Hai Rui, but someone else.

As for who would carry out such a heavy move, in fact, there were only a handful of civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty who could do it, so it is easy to guess.

However, as Hai Rui was the initiator of the Xu Jie case, and with the name Qingtian on his head, many people subconsciously thought that the case was handled by Hai Rui, because at this time, it seemed that he was the only one in the Ming Dynasty who could not be afraid of the powerful and be impartial. To enforce the law, the children of the former chief minister's family were sentenced to exile in the army.

At this time, in Gao Mansion in Xinzheng, Gao Gong was hosting a banquet in honor of the hero Shao Fang.

Chen Hong said a lot of good things about Gao Gong in the palace, which made Emperor Longqing think of reintroducing Gao Gong to the cabinet to help him handle government affairs. After the news spread, many people were offended.

Chen Hong was now in dire straits in the inner court and his life was very uncomfortable. At the same time, some people in the inner court and the outer court also began to target Xian Fang and planned to kill him.

Although Ning Fang made friends with many officials in the capital with Gao Gong's name during this period, these people would not come out to support him at this time. After all, Gao Gong's order to return to the capital has not been issued yet. Who knows if it will happen? Something will happen.

It's already good to be able to pass the news to him.

Knowing that his situation was probably not going to be good, he cruelly abandoned his connections in the capital and secretly left the capital.

It can be seen from the message Chen Hong gave him that Emperor Longqing had already wanted to recall Gao Gong, but he was still waiting.

Of course, Naofang couldn't guess what exactly he was waiting for.

But this time when he left the capital, he did not return to Danyang, but went directly to Xinzheng.

This time when Nakata ascended the throne again, his treatment was completely different from the previous time.

Gao Gong not only arranged for his family to open the middle door to welcome him, but also went to the second door to welcome him. He also held a banquet in the most luxurious flower hall in the mansion to entertain Xia Fang, who had come from afar. .

"Young Master Shao is young and promising. I really missed him when we first met him."

Gao Gong raised his glass and clinked it with Xing Fang, then said, "This glass of wine is my apology to Mr. Shao."

After that, Gao Gong picked up the wine glass and drank it in one gulp.

He is just a countryman, who dares to support himself in front of Gao Gong, but also drinks the wine in a hurry.

After Gao Gong put down the wine glass, he picked up the wine jug in front of the maid and filled it up for Gao Gong himself, and then his own wine glass.

This time in the capital, Mao Fang opened his eyes and knew what the so-called "big shots" in front of him were like.

Not to mention that the only people he made friends with in Danyang in the past were local officials of the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grades. Even local officials of the third and fourth grades had to behave honestly when they arrived in the capital, even if they faced six yamen. The minor officials of the fifth and sixth grades here must also be treated with care.

There is no way around it. Without them, many changes will happen to the things you have to do, but you have to take good care of them.

Although he heard many things from those people, he also saw it with his own eyes several times.

There is no doubt that he felt that he made the right move by accidentally coming to Xinzheng. With the favor of Gao Gong in the future, his life will only be more comfortable. At least in Danyang, he can not be afraid of anything. people.

"The Prime Minister has been over-praised. In fact, welcoming the Prime Minister back to the court is what everyone expects. Shao has a limited role in it, and the Prime Minister doesn't know it."

Afterwards, Naofang went to the capital and used Gao Gong's post to meet with the officials in the capital. They expressed their respect for him in a embellished way, which made Gao Gong feel very happy.

But this time, Gao Gong also sent his family members who had followed him for many years to the capital, and he knew exactly what happened to the group of people in the capital.

With money clearing the way, those officials naturally flocked to Xingfang. After all, it was difficult to live in the capital, and Xingfang, the boy who gave away money, was naturally popular.

But when it comes time for them to support us, many people still hesitate.

The most important thing is that after Nao Fang started to act for him, there were many tails around him that could not be seen or smelled.

It took a lot of effort to get rid of these tails, and spent a lot of money to get in touch with Chen Hong and meet him.

So no matter what, Gao Gong also knew that this trip was not easy, and he had to remember this favor.

There were people in the Gaofu Mansion in Xinzheng exchanging cups and drinking wine, while Xu Jie from Huating was also in a good mood at this time. He ate three large bowls every day and drank a little wine every night, living a happy life.

As the governor of Yingtian, Hai Rui also started to implement his own whipping method step by step.

When he came out of the capital, he saw the memorial about Jiangxi's whipping method published in the Di newspaper, and he became interested.

Like later generations, the Di Bao of this era was actually a sign of the changing direction of the court. Officials would not ignore any information in the Di Bao as long as they were still motivated to make progress.

After all, he came from the Ministry of Husbandry, and he supported this method from the bottom of his heart, so he wrote a memorial on the way, asking for the implementation of a whip method in the ten mansions of Yingtian.

But now, even if his memorial was approved and sent back, the imperial court allowed him to do so, so according to past experience, the government orders were issued from the governor's office as if they were familiar with the road.

The news about Jiangxi's practice of whipping and Yingtian's plan to implement the whipping technique were known to Xu Jie at home, but he did not realize that a rope had been silently put around his neck.

He has sent capable men to the capital to deliver letters and spread rumors, and now he is just waiting for the results.

The letter was naturally addressed to Zhang Juzheng, and what was stated in the letter was exactly what he should do. This also required Zhang Juzheng's cooperation with the court.

Since you can't stop Gao Gong from returning to the court, just be prepared to deal with it.

When Zhang Juzheng received the teacher's letter and learned about the teacher's response measures, he did nothing but sent people to pay attention to the rumors in the streets of the capital.

The teacher had already sent someone to spread the news, so he couldn't interfere, lest he get involved.

But he still needs to know the effect of rumors.

On this day, Wei Guangde Sanya returned to his residence. As soon as he got off the sedan, he saw a small sedan chasing him from behind, and stopped behind his own sedan.

After standing still, Wei Guangde did not move, but looked there.

The sedan curtain was opened, and the person who came out of the sedan was very familiar to him. It was Ouyang Yijing, his serious fellow Pengze fellow.

"Brother Si Zhi."

Of course Wei Guangde couldn't go back directly to his house at this moment, but walked over to hold his fists.

"Shandai, do you know? Gao Gong returns to the court."

As soon as Ouyang Yijing opened his mouth, Wei Guangde waved his hand to tell him to be careful. After all, he was still on the street and had not entered the house.

"Brother Sizhi, there is a banquet at my younger brother's house today, let's go together."

After Wei Guangde finished speaking, he greeted Ouyang Yijing to enter the door. The so-called banquet was just casual talk, but if guests came, it would be natural to set up a banquet to entertain them.

In the Wei Mansion's study, Ouyang Yijing came in and said impatiently: "Shan Dai, tell the truth. Is Gao Gong really going to be recalled by His Majesty?"

"Has His Majesty issued a decree?"

Wei Guangde frowned and asked.

"Hey, don't hide it from me. Now it has spread throughout the streets and alleys. When the news came out in the court, I was still doubtful. I couldn't explain it clearly here. But now you have to tell me the truth. In the end, It’s true or false.”

Ouyang Yijing ignored Wei Guangde's rhetorical question and asked directly.

"Whether Gao Gong comes back or not, does it have that much to do with you?"

Wei Guangde asked in confusion.

"I said Shandai, have you really forgotten or something? You don't know that when I defeated Gao Gong, I was the one who took the lead in impeachment.

Now there are rumors outside that Gao Gong will take revenge on me and other people who impeached him when he returns to the court. Do you think it has much to do with me? "

Ouyang Yijing said bluntly.

"Is it rumored outside? Gao Gong returns to court to take revenge on you?"

Wei Guangde was a little surprised. He really didn't know about this, so he asked in confusion: "Who did you listen to?"

"In the past two days, you have become familiar with Gao Gong, so you naturally know what kind of person he is.

Even if you say you don't know, I still know that he is a headstrong person who will retaliate for his anger. "

Ouyang Yijing said anxiously.

"Don't be anxious, don't be anxious, hasn't His Majesty not issued the order to summon people yet?

Sit down first, have a sip of tea, and slowly talk about what is going on. "

Wei Guangde asked Ouyang Yijing to sit down. As soon as he entered the study, he heard him say that the two of them were still standing at the door of the study.

After sitting down and serving tea, Wei Guangde ordered his servants to find Zhang Ji and ask questions.

Not long after, Zhang Ji came to the study, and Wei Guangde asked about the rumors in the capital in the past two days.

"Master, there is indeed such a thing. There are rumors that have appeared in the past two or three days. It is said that Gao Gong is narrow-minded and will take revenge on those Xu Jie's gang members who impeached him when he returns to the court. Even if Xu Jie runs back to Huating, it will not matter. I will let him go."

Zhang Ji heard the master ask about the rumors in the market and answered quickly.

In fact, the master will not ask about this matter today. He will report it during dinner. After all, in addition to taking care of the affairs in the house, he is also keeping an eye on things outside the house.

Zhang Ji is no longer a member of a small family in Bengshan Castle. He has been in the capital for more than ten years, following Wei Guangde in and out of various mansions, and he has been trained to be able to stand alone.

When Wei Guangde heard this, he ignored Ouyang Yijing's anxious expression and just lowered his head to think.

The rumors that have appeared in the past two or three days have spread rapidly and become known to everyone in the capital. Who would believe that there is no promoter behind it?

But what is his purpose?

Why create such rumors?

There is no smoke without fire, and there must be a connection between them.

"Shandai, tell me, is this Gao Gong really coming back?"

His thoughts were interrupted, Wei Guangde raised his head and glanced at Ouyang Yijing, then nodded, "His Majesty did ask for the opinions of the cabinet ministers a few months ago."

"Then you have no objection? Now that the government is running smoothly, there is no need to recall Gao Gong."

When Ouyang Yijing heard that the emperor really had this intention, he immediately became anxious.

"Put yourself in your shoes, do you think we could object?"

Wei Guangde said with a wry smile, and then waved his hand to let Zhang Ji go down.

He was not told to keep the secret strictly. After all, although the news spread, it was all gossip after all. No real court official had ever said anything about it. It was all the lower officials who were spreading it.

There is no official news, and the servants in the mansions of various officials are also very secretive about it. Maybe they don't know, maybe they know but dare not say it.

Zhang Ji is such a person. He knows what can be said outside and what cannot be said.

After Zhang Ji went out, Wei Guangde said: "There is some truth to this rumor. With Gao Gong's character, he really will not easily let go of those who impeached him."

By this time, Wei Guangde felt that he vaguely understood the reason why Emperor Longqing delayed the matter for so long, instead of issuing the decree immediately after consulting his cabinet ministers.

Those who were agitating for the impeachment of Gao Gong, whether it was because of Xu Jie's secret support or for other reasons, at least they were bolder people who dared to speak out, especially those who dared to attack ministers who were deeply trusted by the emperor. .

These people, whether black or white, are all people the court needs.

Thinking of this, Emperor Longqing's thoughts were ready to come out.

"Brother Si Zhi, have you ever thought about moving somewhere else?"

The implication of Wei Guangde's words was obvious. After leaving the capital first, he arranged for a local official to continue his work, to avoid the limelight and see how Gao Gong would fare after returning to the court.

No matter what, he would protect the Jiangxi fellows, as long as they were not guilty of collaborating with the enemy and treason.

"If you stay in the officialdom, you won't be able to escape sooner or later, as long as Gao Gong has bad intentions."

Ouyang Yijing is indeed clear-eyed.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Wei Guangde asked in confusion.

"After His Majesty's decree, I will resign and return to my hometown. Please be kind and take care of me when the time comes."

Ouyang Yijing opened his mouth, and when Wei Guangde opened his mouth, he continued: "If nothing happens, I will be treated kindly in the future."