The Prosperous Era of Longwan

"Teacher, what do you think of Tu Zemin's memorial?"

Cabinet, in Xujie's duty room, Zhang Juzheng stood in front of the desk with his hands clasped and asked softly.

At this time, Xu Jie had already finished reading Tu Zemin's "Please open the ship shop". The memorial had been placed on the table, but he was bowing his head in deep thought.

Because Tu Zemin summarized the court's border policies before and after the outbreak of the Japanese Rebellion. Before tightening coastal defense to crack down on smuggling, although Japanese pirates appeared from time to time, their scale was small and almost negligible.

After the coastal defenses were tightened, Japanese pirates appeared almost overnight, which shows that the tightening of coastal defenses has a considerable impact on Japanese pirates.

The Xu family is located in Songjiang, and they know a lot about the situation of Japanese pirates.

The Xu family also has a large number of cotton fields, and even has its own weaving field. Although it is not clear where the fabrics are, they have heard about it.

Looking up at the eagerly awaiting students in front of him, Xu Jie sighed in his heart.

As the chief minister, sometimes you can't just do something if you think it's right, because he represents the civil servants all over the world.

What are the methods used by the civil servant group to suppress imperial power?

Among them, the ancestral system naturally ranks first. It is a big killer, and the emperor can't say anything if it is used.

Even the bold Emperor Jiajing couldn't stand up to the big hat of blatantly destroying the ancestral system. He could only make changes quietly and play around with the edges little by little.

"Governor Tu's memorial is very insightful."

Xu Jie finally spoke.

When Zhang Juzheng heard this, his face immediately lit up with joy, but then his expression quickly turned gloomy.

"It makes sense, but it doesn't work."

Xu Jie sighed and said, "According to what he said, imposing a sea ban is a blatant violation of the ancestral system. If our cabinet does not object, the civil servants will oppose us that day."

There is no need to discuss whether the sea ban is an ancestral system. Countless people looked up the imperial decrees after Hongwu and already had the answer.

Although some people have argued that times have changed and the government's decrees should also change.

Everyone knows the truth, but the ancestral system is the ancestral system, especially since Zhu Yuanzhang added words at the end of many political decrees that future generations cannot delete, making the preservation of the ancestral system a filial piety.

Violating the ancestral system is unfilial. The Ming Dynasty ruled the world with filial piety. Can an unfilial emperor govern the world well?

"Teacher, do you think you can give it a try?"

Even though he knew the result, Zhang Juzheng still asked reluctantly.

Xu Jie glanced at Zhang Juzheng and said, "I know what you are thinking, but there are some things that you cannot touch.

If you are just a minister of the six ministers, it is enough to say words of support, but when you enter the cabinet and become a cabinet minister, you still have to set an example. "

"Officials all over the world will oppose this suggestion. Doesn't Tu Zemin know that? Why does he still write this memorial?"

Zhang Juzheng said with some confusion, but his eyes were moving rapidly.

"I said it first, if you are the minister, you can say such things, but the ministers cannot.

Governor Tu should know the actual situation in Fujian, so he came to the conclusion that he is a good official who knows that serving as an official will benefit the country.

It's a pity that the sea ban can't be opened just by asking. "

Xu Jie said disapprovingly.

Tu Zemin was not the first to open a sea ban. A few years ago, Tan Lun also tested the court's move. Although he did not explicitly say to open the sea, he clearly stated the actual situation of the people in Fujian and blocked almost all methods to benefit the local area.

Finally, he said that the prosperity of Fujian during the Southern Song Dynasty was all due to the prosperity of Quanzhou Port, and the purpose is self-evident.

Going forward, many people also mentioned that the maritime ban should be relaxed or even lifted, but the North Korean talks failed without exception.

Therefore, Xu Jie did not think deeply and thought it was a normal situation. When he was about to ask Zhang Juzheng to vote to reject Tu Zemin's memorial, he heard Zhang Juzheng's words.

"Teacher, why don't you hold a cabinet meeting and let the cabinet ministers discuss this matter together."

Zhang Juzheng stared at Xu Jie unblinkingly when he spoke.

In Xu Jie's surprised eyes, Zhang Juzheng continued: "Teacher, he expressed his opposition to Tu Zemin's memorial from the very beginning. Didn't the teacher say that all officials in the world would oppose it?"

"You mean"

Xu Jie understood the meaning of Zhang Juzheng's words. Since it was a public decision to oppose the opening of the sea, and Gao Gong preferred to fight against him, he just made an honest plan to see if Gao Gong would jump in.

It's fine if he obeys, and he doesn't lose anything.

But if he insists on opposing himself and puts forward a memorial in support of Tu Zemin, he will be making enemies of all the officials in the world. As long as he does it properly and creates a situation where the whole court is overwhelmed, the little emperor Longqing may not be able to resist it and try to keep him down. .

Thinking of this, Xu Jie squeezed out a smile on his old face. The skin was completely wrinkled and looked a bit oozing.

"Go and invite Zishi and the others to come over."

Thinking of it, Xu Jie also decisively used Zhang Juzheng's strategy to see if he could catch a big fish.

I have been waiting for the opportunity before, but the opportunity never came.

If you can't wait, create an opportunity yourself.

Soon, several cabinet ministers were summoned to Xu Jie's duty room.

Xu Jie was not in a hurry to say anything, but first let everyone read the memorial by Tu Zemin in his hand, and then said: "Governor Tu has made outstanding achievements since he became the governor of Fujian. I have nothing to say about this memorial he wrote. I deeply agree.

It just involves the ancestral system of sea ban, and I don’t dare to violate it at all, so I plan to reject his proposal directly.

I invite you to come here just to let you know about this matter. After all, the things mentioned in the memorial are meaningful and seem to be very feasible. I am not good at it, and the results are unknown if I continue to implement it. In the end, the key is that it is difficult to violate the ancestral system. . "

From the beginning, Xu Jie made his attitude clear. He somewhat agreed with Tu Zemin's suggestion. It was difficult to judge the result, but because of the ancestral system, he wanted to oppose it clearly.

"What Mr. Chief Assistant said is wrong."

Before the second assistant Li Chunfang could answer, Gao Gong jumped out, stood up in the middle of the room, looked around at everyone, and began to refute Xu Jie's remarks.

Everything was as Chen Yiqin expected. Xu Jie was subject to the ancestral system. As the chief minister, even if he approved in his heart, he did not dare to publicly support it, but directly rejected it. As expected, Gao Gong directly expressed his support.

However, Chen Yiqin looked at the leader with his eyelids drooping, and Xu Jie, who was in the presence of the old god, always felt that something was wrong.

After Gao Gong finished speaking, Zhang Juzheng also spoke to express his support for his teacher and refuted Gao Gong's remarks.

This is also the fundamental purpose of Xu Jie's introduction of Zhang Juzheng into the cabinet.

You can't ask Gao Gong to go out and refute him personally every time.

With Zhang Juzheng helping him pick up the moves, he can deal with them more calmly later.

From the corner of his eye, he inadvertently glanced at Li Chunfang. As the second assistant, he had not said a word until now. The speaker in the room had changed from Zhang Juzheng to Guo Pu. He naturally stood on Gao Gong's side and refuted Zhang Juzheng's words.

Chen Yiqin finally understood what was wrong.

Logically speaking, or it is the cabinet's long-standing practice, the chief minister should not be the first to express his position on such a matter.

The order should be that the four assistant ministers expressed their stance first, then the second assistant Li Chunfang, and finally the first assistant made the final decision.

But this time, Xu Jie made his plans clear from the beginning, seemingly determined that Gao Gong would oppose it, or that he would block Gao Gong's other options.

"broken."

In an instant, Chen Yiqin understood.

He had known about this for a long time and had made many deductions in his mind, but they were all based on normal circumstances.

However, what he thought more about than Gao Gong was the reaction of the government and the opposition.

Until now, perhaps because of the sudden incident, Gao Gong probably hadn't thought too much, so he just followed his own judgment and believed that Tu Zemin's suggestion was reasonable. With Xu Jie's objection, he made a rash statement.

Although this was what Chen Yiqin wanted to see, he also saw another thing that they had not thought of before, which was the reaction of the government and the opposition.

If it was just a normal argument, it would be fine, but if Xu Jie used this to fan the flames and criticize Gao Gong.

At this time Guo Pu had finished expressing his position, and it was his turn to speak next.

How should I express my position and support Gao Gong or Xu Jie?

Of course Chen Yiqin knew what he should say, but if Xu Jie really used this matter as a trap and was out of their control, would he still want to jump in?

After all, he still lacked political experience. He only thought it was a normal court dispute, but forgot that it could be exploited.

Chen Yiqin stood up, lowered his head and thought for a moment before saying: "Mr. Xu Ge also said before that Governor Tu's suggestion makes sense, at least it is in line with the actual situation in Fujian.

Although I have to object due to the ancestral system, I think Su Qing's statement has some truth. We can definitely try it in the new dynasty and new atmosphere.

I support the memorial written by Governor Tu, and Fujian can try out the policy of opening up the sea. "

In any case, it was impossible for him to side with Xu Jie and oppose Gao Gong, but he just included Xu Jie in his words.

Regardless of whether you really approve or pretend, Xu Jie must say that he truly approves, and he must spread this word to the outside world to let the government and the public know that the chief minister of the cabinet actually supports it from the bottom of his heart.

Gao Gong's support for Tu Zemin was interpreted as supporting Fujian's attempt to open the sea.

Since it is an attempt, forget it if it succeeds, and take it back if it fails, and continue the policy of sea ban.

So, Gao Gong's support for Fujian's maritime expansion was actually the view of most people in the cabinet. It was only because of the ancestral system that he had to do so.

Chen Yiqin's words made Xu Jie's eyelids twitch slightly, and then continued to droop as if nothing happened.

No matter what Chen Yiqin's plan is, as long as he insists on violating the ancestral system and firmly opposes it, the officials in the government and the public will not have any objections to him.

Even if Tu Zemin's memorial is correct, he is not wrong.

The last person to express his position was the second assistant Li Chunfang. After saying a lot of scene words, he did not have a clear attitude. However, he still knew one thing, that is, the ancestral system was immutable, so in the end he sided with Xu Jie.

As a good old man in the cabinet, after the previous banquet, Li Chunfang deliberately mediated for the sake of harmony in the cabinet and persuaded Gao Gong to apologize to Xu Jie.

Gao Gong knew that what he said was inappropriate at that time, so he obeyed, but Xu Jie was noncommittal.

The choice this time was of course not between Xu Jie and Gao Gong, but purely for the stability of the court.

This great flag made by our ancestors cannot be toppled.

"Zi Shi thinks so too, so I will vote against this proposal."

The cabinet ministers of the Ming Dynasty were ranked in seniority according to the time they entered the cabinet. The first and second assistants undoubtedly had far more say than other ministers.

In a three-on-three situation, the choice of the first and second assistants is crucial, and their attitudes almost determine the attitude of the cabinet.

However, Gao Gong's stubbornness showed up again at this time, insisting that their supportive opinions should be included in the draft.

Why, because he knew that Emperor Longqing might not support Xu Jie's opinions after seeing his and Chen Yiqin's statements.

Because, his attitude can sometimes really influence the emperor's decision.

After the cabinet meeting, the memorial was sent to the Supervisor of Ceremonies, and the news quickly spread outside the palace.

Wei Guangde heard the news from the cabinet as soon as he was on duty at the Ministry of Personnel, and knew that as Chen Yiqin said, it was split into two opinions.

In fact, it is not difficult to understand. Either is right or wrong. Wei Guangde immediately took out the note he had prepared long ago and called his servant.

The note was put in the letter, sealed, and handed to the man's hand and said: "Go to the palace immediately and ask them to give this letter to Eunuch Chen for your majesty."

"Yes, sir."

The servant replied respectfully, put the envelope in his arms, turned around and left quickly.

Everything that needs to be done has been done. Now it depends on what Emperor Longqing will choose. I just hope that his attitude towards this matter will not change too much like him.

Wei Guangde watched the people leave and thought silently in his heart.

After sitting quietly for a while, Wei Guangde picked up the official documents on the desk and began to review them. They were promotion documents for some small officials reported by the local government. Only with the approval of the Ministry of Personnel can the appointment documents be issued and the people can take up their posts.

In the short time since he joined the Ministry of Civil Affairs, his family has received several congratulatory gifts to celebrate his promotion, and he has also signed several documents.

Forbidden City, inner garden.

"Peck it, peck it quickly."

At this time, a group of people in eunuch costumes gathered around a middle-aged man wearing a black gauze winged crown, a coiled-collared wide-sleeved robe, and a belt made of gold, jade, amber, etc. around his waist.

He is, of course, the current Emperor of Longqing, Zhu Zaijing.

For emperors, they would not wear heavy crown uniforms to show off except on important occasions, and they would not even wear them like this except for important ceremonies and court meetings.

In the harem, they will only choose some loose clothing of the season, which is comfortable and convenient.

Let's just say that the regular clothes he is wearing now should have been a robe with a coiled collar and narrow sleeves. This was the style set by our ancestor Zhu Yuanzhang during his time.

Narrow sleeves are naturally convenient for work, and this style has been passed down to the Zhengde Dynasty.

However, when Emperor Jiajing came to see him, he had no interest in the emperor's unique coiled-neck and narrow-sleeved robes. He preferred to wear loose Taoist robes with wide sleeves, and his movements were indescribably otherworldly.

So in order to please the emperor, the eunuchs of the Shangyi Supervisor modified the handed down robe with a coiled collar and narrow sleeves. The body and sleeves of the robe were enlarged to be closer to the style of a Taoist robe.

Emperor Jiajing liked this change very much. Although he still chose to wear Taoist robes most of the time, he spent more time wearing the emperor's regular clothes.

This style was also favored by Emperor Longqing during the Longqing Dynasty, and he was required to follow this style for regular clothes and no longer use narrow sleeve designs.

At this moment, surrounded by a group of them, there were two fighting cocks that were already scarred. Under the stimulation of medicinal wine, they viciously attacked each other with their beaks and claws until one side fell and the winner was determined.