The Prosperous Era of Longwan

It is said that Zhang Ke was the cause of the trouble, but that is not entirely true. Everything was still the legacy of Hu Zongxian, the former governor of Jiangnan.

When Hu Zongxian first suppressed the Japanese, in order to raise funds for the suppression, he increased taxes in nine provinces in the south of the Yangtze River, and sent more troops to many places to collect gold. For a time, gold and silver piled up in the Governor's Mansion.

After the two sea pirates Xu Hai and Wang Zhi were annihilated, the remaining sea pirates were broken into pieces and dispersed in small groups to loot everywhere. This made it difficult for the Ming army to assemble a large army for encirclement and suppression, so they could only fortify themselves along the coast.

The problem caused by this is that the Ming Dynasty needs elite soldiers and horses to garrison along the coast, otherwise it will not be to suppress the Japanese but to give up their lives.

Based on the plight of the Ming army's insufficient combat power, Hu Zongxian adopted Qi Jiguang's strategy and recruited troops on a large scale.

The soldiers in this battalion receive extremely low salaries, which can barely meet their basic living needs. Their income depends entirely on killing Japanese pirates and exchanging their heads for rewards.

Although this strategy effectively increased the combat power of the Ming army and achieved great results for a while, there was also the problem of unclear rewards and punishments. In particular, the large sum of money Hu Zongxian needed to send to the Yan family in the capital was either rewarded for taking credit, or military pay was deducted.

Correspondingly, in order to silence the generals, they also gained a lot of benefits from the governor's palace. When the imperial court sent the censor to verify, everyone spoke in unison and responded to the imperial inspection with a unified tone.

Therefore, Jiangnan officials have been impeaching Hu Zongxian for embezzling military pay all year round, but every time the court sent personnel to verify, there was no real evidence.

However, when Yan Song fell and Hu Zongxian was arrested and brought to Beijing, as the guerrilla camp general Wang Yingqi's rebellion was quickly quelled by Zhang Ke, Zhang Ke realized that in order to ensure the stability of the Zhejiang soldiers, he could not trace the direction of increasing taxes during the Hu Zongxian period, otherwise he would be afraid of It will cause a bigger disturbance.

As a result, Zhang Ke expressed to military generals across Zhejiang that he would no longer pursue corruption during the Hu Zongxian period, and stabilized military morale.

The effect was very effective, but because it was not on the stage, Zhang Ke naturally did not dare to report the matter, which led to today's disaster.

"Cen Yongbin?"

The person who advocated the investigation of this matter was Nanjing Huke, who was the chief minister and the official in charge of the matter. There was actually internal strife.

Wei Guangde did not remember this person, but for this official position, Wei Guangde felt that if he was not a Jinshi in thirty-five years, then there was a high probability that he would be a Jinshi in thirty-eight years.

After thinking about it, Wei Guangde called Zhang Ji, "You will send someone to Meng Xian's house to inform him later, and ask him to come to my house tomorrow evening to talk about it."

"Yes, sir."

Upon hearing that Wei Guangde invited Duan Mengxian to come home tomorrow, Zhang Ji immediately agreed.

"in addition."

Wei Guangde originally thought about calling Ouyang Yijing, but he thought that one was from Beijing and the other was in Nanjing, and he was afraid that he would not be able to speak, so he immediately rejected this idea in his heart.

Instead of asking Ouyang Yijing to be a lobbyist, it is better to contact Nanjing and ask the Duke of Wei to contact Cen Yongbin and persuade him to give up pursuing the matter.

With this idea in mind, Wei Guangde waved his hand and said, "Forget it, that's it. You go down and make arrangements."

After that, Wei Guangde did not write a letter immediately and send someone to Nanjing to deliver it. Instead, he planned to wait until he met Duan Mengxian tomorrow to inquire about Cen Yongbin's situation.

After all, if you know yourself and the enemy, you can fight a hundred battles with no danger.

After putting away the letter, Wei Guangde got up and left the study and went to the back house to play with the children.

Now that Wei Guangde's son is three years old and his wife's health has recovered, Wei Guangde wants to have two more children.

After all, there is no family planning these days. Whether it is among the people or the officialdom, the emphasis is on having more children and more happiness.

Wei Guangde's eldest brother Wei Wencai now has a son and a daughter, and Wei Guangde does not intend to lose to his eldest brother in this regard.

Wei Guangde has been an official for almost ten years. Although he is indispensable for his romantic affairs, he has not yet taken concubines. This is also because he is in the officialdom.

Later generations thought that in ancient times they could be unscrupulous in matters of wives and concubines. In fact, this was a big mistake.

Although many people among the people do not follow the rules of the "Da Ming Code", people in the officialdom need to be more careful.

To put it bluntly, if someone offends someone, they will ask the official to impeach him.

It is possible to take concubines as a maid, which is what officials often did in this era, but there is still no excuse when they are investigated.

Wei Guangde didn't want to tell the truth, not to mention that the relationship between the couple was good, so he could postpone the matter for a while and wait until King Yu came to power to commit the crime again. Even if someone impeached him for this, King Yu would just laugh it off, and that would be safe.

Of course, the main reason why Xu Jianglan did not dare to take concubines and did not accept maids was that Xu Jianglan never mentioned this matter. Her mother's family was too powerful, which was sometimes a trouble.

On the second day, Wei Guangde returned to the mansion early after leaving the office to wait for Duan Mengxian's arrival.

Not long after, Duan Mengxian arrived as promised. Wei Guangde invited him in and sat at the banquet. Duan Mengxian was a little strange because he was the only one invited to the banquet today.

"Shandai, why did you call me here today?"

After a few glasses of wine, Duan Mengxian asked.

"Is there a person named Cen Yongbin in the same department of yours who is currently in Nanjing's household department?"

They were all on their own, and Wei Guangde didn't hide anything and asked straight to the point.

"Cen Yongbin, yes, what's wrong?"

Duan Mengxian asked strangely. He had been in Qian'an as magistrate before and had only arrived in Nanjing two years ago. He didn't know what Wei Guangde meant by asking him.

"That's it"

Therefore, Wei Guangde briefly told Duan Mengxian about Zhang Ke, and also told him that Cen Yongbin was going to pursue the matter now.

"hiss"

Although Duan Mengxian was a little surprised, he frowned.

Wei Guangde knew at a glance that something was wrong. This Cen Yongbin might not be easy to deal with.

Duan Mengxian glanced at Wei Guangde and said: "Shandai, this Cen Yongbin is a relatively upright person. I'm afraid it won't be easy to handle Zhang Ke's matter."

"Oh, that means you have no chance of persuading him."

Wei Guangde nodded slightly. The most fearful thing among Ke Dao officials is to meet such a straightforward person, who accepts death and often does not know how to adapt. He only knows how to act according to the court's laws.

It seems fair, but in fact, it is often too rigid and often leads to bad things.

Of course, when such a person serves as a spokesperson for the Ministry of Science and Technology, it can only be said that the people in the Ministry of Civil Affairs are also discerning, know people well and are good at assigning tasks. This is because such people naturally cannot handle discipline inspection work, and their supervision and deterrence effects are huge.

Of course, it would be very sad for the people they target.

"His palace examination results and my performance are similar, and we had many contacts in the capital. I will edit a letter for him to explain this matter to Zhang Keguan."

Having said this, Duan Mengxian thought for a while before continuing: "In addition, I will contact some people in the same year and ask them to write to the customers as well, hoping it will be effective.

However, for Shandai, you'd better find some connections in Nanjing and put pressure on him from various sources. Maybe you can get him to stop and let go of the impeachment of Zhang Ke. "

Wei Guangde nodded after hearing this. Duan Mengxian was not sure, so he would definitely have to approach Nanjing Wei Guogong Mansion to see if the matter could be suppressed.

But to be honest, with the current influence of the Duke of Wei in Nanjing, it is still difficult to get a Ke Dao to back down. We can only look at the relationship between the Duke of Wei and the Six Ministries in Nanjing.

Although the Kedao Yanguan is powerful, after all, the official position is low, and promotion depends on the attitude of the people they supervise.

If Cen Yongbin is a smart person and wants to go further in the officialdom, he still has to learn to bow his head when he should.

Otherwise, it would be unwise to offend your boss just to stick to your own ideals.

The matter with Zhang Ke was over, and the two of them drank happily.

Wei Guangde didn't drink openly when he had something on his mind before. Now that the matter has been settled, he naturally doesn't have to restrain himself.

During the dinner, Duan Mengxian talked about the things he saw and heard from the head of the Criminal Department, especially the cases that he reviewed.

"By the way, Shandai, you have been busy with the enrollment ceremony recently. I'm afraid you don't know much about the affairs in the DPRK."

Duan Mengxian was mainly talking before, and Wei Guangde was just listening. Occasionally he spoke, and it was mostly related to the school records office, especially now that branch officials like them are under huge pressure.

"Is there anything else interesting happening in the court?"

Wei Guangde asked cheerfully.

Prince Yu's Mansion will definitely inform him of important events in the court as soon as possible.

If I didn't tell him, it would be a trivial matter.

"Let's just talk about what happened to Cheng Shoujie last time. Didn't he report the Yan family's wealth? The court agreed with Xu Jie and made Cheng Shoujie responsible for recovering the stolen goods."

"Yeah, I know about this. It's been a while. Is it still happening again?"

Wei Guangde said suspiciously.

"Of course, you don't know. Because of this matter, after the edict was issued, the head of the Ministry of Household Affairs, Hai Ruihai Ruxian, wrote three memorials about the matter, saying that if the matter cannot be resolved in time, he is afraid that it will not be resolved if it is delayed. Of."

Having said this, Duan Mengxian raised his wine glass to Wei Guangde.

Wei Guangde understood and raised his glass to touch it with him. Then the two of them drank the wine and heard Duan Mengxian continue: "The same goes for Hai Rui. The cabinet rejected it one after another, and he continued to report it, even if the doctor and member of the household department Wai Lang and other superiors came to him and ignored him.

What's more, after the minister and Gao Shangshu both talked to him, he still insisted on presenting the memorial, so fiercely. "

"For such a person, he would be grateful if he could become a doctor in the household department in his lifetime."

If you dare to argue with your boss, you can't say that such a person is not good at all. It can only be said that he is lacking in ideas and does not care about his own future at all.

"No matter how he works as an official, he can only reach the level of doctor, which is the highest level. Perhaps it is because he has no desires and desires, but is free and fearless."

Duan Mengxian smiled.

"If you don't offend your boss, why can't you get promoted? Even if you are ranked in the top three, you still have the opportunity to be promoted to the rank of minister and rank in the court class."

Wei Guangde smiled and said that he had drank several times more wine at this moment, and Wei Guangde did not pay attention to who Duan Mengxian was talking about.

If you are awake, you will naturally have different reactions.

But at this moment, he was just speaking and acting according to his common sense.

"He can't do it."

Duan Mengxian was similar to him at the moment, just shaking his head and saying he couldn't do it.

"I can't do it. You should give me a reason. Even if you offend someone this time, I don't think Gao Shangshu is a small-minded person. I wouldn't put small shoes on him or prevent him from being promoted."

Wei Guangde said casually, "Also, no matter what, he is the same year as you. It is not the way for him to be an official. As the same year, you should persuade him as much as possible."

Wei Guangde had no impression of Hai Rui Hai Ruxian, and he was in charge of the same person as Duan Mengxian, so Wei Guangde thought he was the same year as Duan Mengxian.

"He is not the same year as me, and he is not even a Jinshi."

Duan Mengxian looked at Wei Guangde and explained with a smile.

"Not Jinshi, Gongsheng? Juren?"

Wei Guangde took two bites of food and regained his energy a little. After hearing Duan Mengxian's words, he immediately asked.

"To return a tribute student, it must be a promotion."

Duan Mengxian shook his head and smiled, with a hint of disdain in his eyes.

It's no wonder that this man offended Shangguan so much, and there seemed to be a hint of gloating in Duan Mengxian's words.

These days, scholars are divided into three, six or nine grades. Jinshi really looks down on the juren, even if they are the same as Jinshi, they are still Jinshi.

"If you can be the head of the household department, you are considered capable. Otherwise, you should hold a local official position such as county magistrate. It is rare to be a county magistrate."

Wei Guangde nodded. In fact, he looked down on Juren. Even if his knowledge was poor, he was still a Jinshi.

"This Hai Rui probably knows that there is no hope of promotion. Even if he flatters his superiors, there is not much room for promotion. Naturally, he just breaks the pot."

"Wait a minute, you said the person in charge is called Hai Rui? Hai Gangfeng?"

This time Wei Guangde noticed the name of the person Duan Mengxian said, Hai Rui. He was a decent person, a representative of uprightness who hated evil as much as hatred, a model of loyal ministers, a ruthless person who dared to carry a coffin and scold Emperor Jiajing.

In Wei Guangde's impression, Hai Rui had never read any books. The words "Jia Jing Jiajing, every house was clean" were said to have come from Hai Rui's mouth, which made the emperor almost angry to death.

"Hai Gangfeng? I don't know. I only know that his name is Hai Rui, and his courtesy name is Ruxian. He is from Qiongzhou. He used to be a magistrate there. Later, he became a county magistrate for some reason. When he was a magistrate, he was different from others. It's true. He has a clean mind, so he was favored by the Ministry of Personnel and rated as high, so he was transferred to the Ministry of Household Affairs in the capital."

"oh oh."

Wei Guangde could only nod at this moment.

There should not be another Hai Rui in the Ming Dynasty, but I didn't expect that this person would be in the capital.

Hai Rui's name is still respected by future generations.

Speaking of honest officials, he is undoubtedly the first thing people think of.

Although some people admit that he is honest, they deny his character based on his ability to do things and his commitment to family responsibilities. But no matter what, Hai Rui's name will last forever.

"Are you familiar with him? I would like to meet him if I have the chance."

Wei Guangde became curious and wanted to see the famous Haigang Peak.

"I'm not familiar with him, but Shandai wants to get to know him. I'll ask someone later. I think it will take some time."

Duan Mengxian said.

In fact, it is easy to understand. The gap between Jinshi and Juren is a little wide. They are not from the same family, so they naturally have less contact. Duan Mengxian will definitely have to go through countless twists and turns to get in touch with him.

After the banquet was over, Wei Guangde sent Duan Mengxian away and went directly back to the study. He wrote a letter to Xu Bangrui, the young prince of Wei Guogong's Mansion in Nanjing, asking him to help with the matter. At the same time, there was also a letter asking his father-in-law Xu Peng to help, but he did not send it directly. Instead, they went to the Duke of Wei's mansion and handed them over to Xu Bangrui, who would decide according to the situation.

If he wanted to use higher-level connections, he had to come forward, but Wei Guogong Xu Pengju had to come forward. However, considering that Cen Yongbin was just a member of the household department, Wei Guangde thought that as long as he could invite the Nanjing City Officials and the household doctor to come forward.

After the letter was written, Wei Guangde immediately called Zhang Ji and arranged for a courier to be sent to Nanjing early tomorrow morning.