The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Not only Guo Qian, the Minister of War, was affected by the Shanxi disaster, but Chi Fengxiang, the minister, was also impeached for the same reason as Guo Qian, for being cowardly and incompetent.

After Guo Qian begged for his illness and was allowed to return home, Chi Fengxiang also asked for his dismissal.

However, Emperor Longqing considered his character, not to mention Emperor Jiajing's trust in him in his later years, so he decreed a three-level salary reduction and was transferred to the governor of Jiangxi.

The Ming Dynasty seems to have always been like this. When nothing happens, everyone is happy. After something happens, there are often a series of impeachments. Not only the person who is responsible for the leadership is impeached, but many people are easily implicated.

Censor Lingru, Wu Shilai and others began to impeach Ren Shiping, the right minister of the Ministry of War, and Liu Bingren, the censor of Xunyang Youqiandu, Yan Shiping and Bingren decided to be dismissed and guard Taihe Mountain, and the chief minister was Rat. Afraid of misfortune, he recommended the eunuch Li Fang to secretly marry him and break the minister's integrity.

In fact, Wei Guangde had long been accustomed to the bottomless impeachment of Ke Dao officials and did not take it seriously. However, when Lu Bu reminded him that the name of the minister Li Fang appeared in the memorial, Wei Guangde discovered the clues.

Why would someone involve Li Fang in this matter at this time?

The battle was defeated on the front line, so it probably had nothing to do with the eunuchs in the palace.

But the current situation is that due to the defeat of Jiangxi, the original team of the Ministry of War, from the Minister to the Minister, has been almost wiped out. It seems that someone wants to make a fuss about this matter and pull Li Fang down because he recommended some of them. Said they were secretly colluding.

Wei Guangde read the memorial twice carefully, but said nothing. He just glanced at Lu Bu and said calmly: 'I know, you can go down first. ’

Li Fang was an old man next to the emperor, and Wei Guangde was also familiar with him.

But after searching my brain, Wei Guangde really didn't know what his relationship was with Ren Shiping and Liu Bingren, because he had never heard him mention it.

However, Wei Guangde still smelled something unusual.

It just involves the inner palace, so naturally he won't say a word in front of Lu Bu.

Now the eunuchs around Emperor Longqing, in addition to Li Fang and Feng Bao, the original eunuchs in the palace also included Teng Xiang, Meng Chong, and Chen Hong, all of whom were favored by Emperor Longqing. After Huang Jin left the palace, most of his rights were Temporarily handed over to Li Fang.

The environment in the palace is actually similar to that of the imperial court. On the surface, the eunuchs are harmonious, but secretly they are playing tricks on each other, eager to take their place.

Wei Guangde heard Chen Ju mention several times that Li Fang had to remonstrate with him many times because Teng Xiang and Meng Chong competed with each other to show off their strange skills to please the emperor, and also induced Emperor Longqing to have beauties in the palace to drink at night. As a result, they were reprimanded by Emperor Longqing.

Because of this, the queen was ignored by the emperor, let alone a eunuch.

Wei Guangde also felt that Li Fang was meddlesome at first, and she was just serving others, so why would she say anything to make her master unhappy.

But now it seems that it has reached a very serious level. Not only is Emperor Longqing unable to control his life, but also the eunuchs in the palace seem to have seen an opportunity, an opportunity to step on Li Fang and ascend to the throne.

Rubbing his eyebrows, Wei Guangde felt agitated for no reason.

Emperor Longqing had been suppressed for too long, and once he was liberated, he felt a little elated.

Regarding the situation in the palace, Wei Guangde suddenly felt that maybe Gao Gong could stay in the court and talk a little about this person, as for the others.

No matter whether it is Chen Yiqin, Yin Shizhen or himself, I am afraid that he will not have this face.

At noon, Wei Guangde asked Lu Bu to summon someone from the mansion and ask him to go back and tell Zhang Ji and arrange for someone to contact Chen Ju.

In the past, he thought that with Li Fang and Chen Ju in the palace, he would be relieved, but he didn't expect that Li Fang might be a little worried about the current situation.

The key point is that Wei Guangde thought about it for a long time and couldn't figure out who was trying to make things difficult for him. Was it someone from the palace who contacted the court or someone in the court was trying to take action.

We can only call Chen Ju to ask about the situation in the palace and see if he can think of something for Li Fang.

Wei Guangde felt that Li Fang was someone he could have a close friendship with. After all, he was already very familiar with him, and he was also loyal and upright, not treacherous.

During the Jiajing Dynasty, there might not have been so many things in the inner palace. After all, Emperor Jiajing only favored Huang Jin at that time, and others had almost no chance to shake Huang Jin's status.

With Huang Jin sitting in the palace, even if the people below fight, they will be controlled within a certain range.

But the Long Qing Dynasty had just begun, and someone who Wei Guangde thought was Huang Jin's successor was already planning to move him away.

You can imagine what chaos the harem will be like in the future.

The court is in chaos, the harem is also in chaos

Tsk tsk tsk, it seems that the current situation is really far worse than that of the late emperor.

Wei Guangde thought in his heart and waited until the office was dismissed before leaving the official department and going home.

After arriving home, I changed my clothes and teased my son Wei Dacheng for a while, but Chen Jucai arrived late.

The banquet that had been prepared was placed on the table, and the two of them drank for a while, then stepped back and started talking about business.

"Some time ago, I heard that Brother Chen became the eunuch of the court. I wanted to contact you at that time and come to my place for a drink to celebrate. However, there were too many things going on in the court at that time, and you knew it, so it was delayed."

Wei Guangde said immediately.

"Haha, it's just a name change, it's not worth celebrating."

Chen Ju had long been arranged by his godfather Gao Zhong to serve Emperor Jiajing and became a chamberlain, but he did not have much status.

Later, he was promoted to eunuch because of some merit, but his grade was not high.

Of course, the rank of eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty was never high, and having rank was considered a certain status.

And now, although he is just a low-ranking attendant in the Supervisor of Ceremonies, he is finally a member of the Supervisor of Ceremonies with a well-established staff. As long as he can get through, it will not be too difficult to become a Bingbi in the future.

As for the palm seal and admiral, well, this is something that even godfather Gao Zhong has not been able to do.

Gao Zhong's most glorious moment was when he was holding the palm of the Royal Horse Supervisor. Although the status of the Royal Horse Supervisor's palm was high, his actual power was not as good as that of the Chief of Ceremonies Bingbi.

This right is the power that a eunuch can exercise internally and externally.

The Chief Supervisor of Ceremonies is known as the "First Department". He is in charge of all etiquette, punishments, management, errands, and duties in Lihuang City. Naturally, his influence is undeniable.

He can be promoted to the Supervisor of Ceremonies, and in fact, he has barely squeezed into the core of power in the inner court.

"Haha. The eldest brother is invited here this time. One is to celebrate, and the other is that the younger brother is a little confused. What is the situation in the palace now?"

Wei Guangde smiled. Of course he knew the status of the Supervisor of Ceremonies. Chen Ju was pretending to be calm in front of him at the moment, but he was probably already overjoyed in his heart.

"In the palace, nothing has changed in the palace, it's still the same."

Chen Ju opened his mouth and replied.

"I mean, is there something wrong with Li Fang and Eunuch Li?"

Wei Guangde simply asked directly.

"Eunuch Li."

Chen Ju was hesitant now. He looked down at the wine glass for a while before looking up at Wei Guangde and said, "Shandai, I know that you and Eunuch Li were old acquaintances when they were in the palace, and the relationship is not bad, but right now... Given the situation, it’s better not to interact with Eunuch Li as much as possible.”

"Why?"

Seeing Chen Ju's expression, Wei Guangde was shocked. It was obvious that Li Fang's position in front of Emperor Longqing had been shaken.

"Eunuch Li is too upright. He will be reprimanded for admonishing His Majesty in two or three days."

Having said this, Chen Ju reached out to pick up the wine glass on the table and drank it all in one gulp, then put down the wine glass. When he was about to reach for the wine pot, Wei Guangde had already picked up the wine pot and filled it up for him.

"Everything in the palace is about serving the master. If someone like him is scolded by the emperor every now and then, even the friendship of many years will be gone."

Chen Ju looked at Wei Guangde and lowered his voice and said, "I quietly mentioned it to Eunuch Li before, but he said... Well, he seems to have lost his mind in studying."

He didn't say what he said to Li Fang, but Wei Guangde also knew from the back and forth that it must be something like a loyal emperor's advice. He should have learned this when he was in the inner study hall, so Chen Ju would say that he was stupid in studying. .

"According to what you said, Eunuch Li is no longer favored, so why are Teng Xiang and Meng Chong so favored?"

Wei Guangde continued to ask.

Although Wei Guangde didn't think there was anything wrong with luring the emperor to live in ease and enjoyment, based on his current stance, Teng Xiang and Meng Chong were definitely his enemies.

He didn't want Emperor Longqing's harem to be a mess, so it was best to keep it simple.

If Emperor Longqing could trust Huang Jin as much as Emperor Jiajing did, he would have fewer problems in the future.

Therefore, before Li Fang confirmed that he had fallen out of favor, Wei Guangde thought it was better to find out the details and bring down Teng Xiang and Meng Chong if there was a chance.

This is the environment that is most beneficial to you.

"Now they play with the emperor every day, and they are also there every time the emperor criticizes me."

When dealing with government affairs, not just any eunuch can serve.

In the past, when Gao Zhong took the memorial to the palace for Emperor Jiajing's review, he and Chen Ju could only follow the palace with the memorial in his arms, otherwise he could only wait outside the door.

Now that he has become a concubine, he is qualified to stand aside.

"Are they also ceremonial eunuchs?"

To be honest, during the Jiajing Dynasty, Wei Guangde really didn't pay attention to these two people. They really had no status in the inner palace.

"Teng Xiang is the godson of Eunuch Huang. He was promoted by Eunuch Huang when he left the palace. Meng Chong was originally the cook of the imperial prison. The emperor ate the food he made and was transferred to his side."

Chen Ju seemed to have a little respect for Teng Xiang. After all, he was Huang Jin's godson. Huang Jin was also kind to him, especially after Gao Zhong's death. However, he obviously didn't have a good attitude towards Meng Chong and said directly He is a cook by training.

"How are they doing? Are there any problems?"

Wei Guangde asked again.

"Shandai, I advise you not to stand up for Eunuch Li. Even if you can find a way to drive them away, there is no guarantee that a second or third person will not pop up.

Eunuch Li's fall from favor was not caused by others, but because he himself was too straightforward in his words and deeds. As long as he did not advise the emperor as frequently as he does now, and with more than 20 years of service in Prince Yu's Mansion, his position would be unbeatable.

But if he continues like this, to put it bluntly, even the King of Heaven and I will not be able to protect him. "

Chen Ju whispered to Wei Guangde and persuaded him not to take a trip into this muddy water.

After listening to Chen Ju's words, Wei Guangde nodded and completely gave up his previous thoughts.

Indeed, Chen Ju was right. Even if he helped him get rid of those flattering eunuchs this time, there would still be thousands of people in the palace.

Following the lessons learned by Teng Xiang and Meng Chong, people in later generations would only rush to flatter him one after another and change their ways to please Emperor Longqing.

When the time comes, Li Fang will still be in trouble.

If Li Fang wants to stabilize his position, he still has to rely on himself, control his emotions, and stop giving advice at every turn.

Immediately, Wei Guangde knew what to do.

I'm afraid it would be inappropriate to call Li Fang to his home like Chen Ju. I'd better talk to Chen Yiqin tomorrow and ask him to send a message to Li Fang to remind him when he meets the emperor.

He still had to figure this out for himself, otherwise not only would it not be able to help him, but it would also make the matter worse.

"Come, drink."

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde reached out to pick up the wine glass and handed it to Chen Ju, saying, "Today I congratulate Brother Chen for his promotion. In the future, he will be able to hold pens, hold palm prints, and even supervise eunuchs, haha."

"Okay, I'll lend you my brother's blessing."

Chen Ju knew that it was inappropriate to continue the previous topic, so he continued with a smile on his face.

If the scholars of the Ming Dynasty pursued the cabinet as their lifelong pursuit, the eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty's palace pursued their lifelong pursuit of becoming eunuchs who were responsible for the rituals and seals. As for admirals, that was something that only eunuchs who had served the emperor since childhood dared to think about. .

Without the emperor's complete trust, it is absolutely impossible for a person without means to achieve that step.

Chen Ju is very self-aware. He thinks that he will be very successful if he can do the palm seal of the Supervisor of Ceremonies. If he continues to rise, he does not have much confidence.

Then, Chen Ju told him about the situation of Feng Bao and other eunuchs in Prince Yu's palace in the palace, giving Wei Guangde a general impression.

Feng Bao seemed to have been influenced by Teng Xiang and Meng Chong, and began to donate his own rare treasures to Emperor Longqing, but it seemed that the focus was still on his younger brother, and he also used his old identity as Yu Zhuan for a long time. The position of Eunuch Bingbi, the Supervisor of Ceremonies, was restored.

If Li Fang goes down, will Feng Bao come to power?

Wei Guangde always thought that Feng Bao would end up hanging out with Zhang Juzheng, so although he maintained a good relationship with Feng Bao, he had no plans to have a close relationship.

The fundamental reason was that he was actually betting on Li Fang.

But now the situation seemed to have changed, and Li Fang was a little unreliable, so he had to make other plans.

As for those people who came out of Prince Yu's Mansion, no matter who they were, when they chose to bet on the eunuchs around the emperor, their first choice would definitely be Li Fang, and they would definitely not be Feng Bao who was sent to Prince Yu's Mansion halfway.

That is to say, Wei Guangde was different. After discovering that Li Fang was unreliable, and knowing that Feng Bao and Zhang Juzheng almost controlled the inner and outer courts of the Ming Dynasty, and even to the extent that they could bully the young emperor, he thought that there was actually this option.

Wei Guangde would naturally not tell Chen Yiqin about betting on Feng Bao instead. The most important thing at the moment was to inform Chen Yiqin of the situation and let him find a way to convince Li Fang that consolidating his position was the top priority.

In fact, Wei Guangde was also wondering whether Chen Yiqin knew about Li Fang's situation in the palace and whether he had persuaded her before.

But it doesn't matter. I'll have a banquet at Chen Yiqin's house tomorrow and just ask him in person.

Early the next morning, when Wei Guangde went out to the Yamen, he told Zhang Ji and asked him to send a notice to the Chen family.