The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Time has quietly come to August of the thirty-sixth year of Jiajing. Wei Guangde has already learned from Gao Gong and Yin Shizhen that Prince Yu's Palace has decided to promote Jia Yingchun to compete for the position of Minister of the Ministry of Industry.

Nanjing's Minister of Household Affairs competed for the position of Minister of Industry, which may seem a bit demeaning, but in fact the status of the two capitals is very different.

Jia Yingchun passed the inspection of Prince Yu's Mansion. At this time, he also knew that Prince Yu's Mansion would fight for opportunities for him again, so he was naturally overjoyed.

In fact, the Nanjing Sixth Department is still quite profitable, but its power is much smaller, and it is suppressed by the Beijing Department in every aspect.

Just issuing salt certificates every year was enough for Jia Yingchun to live in luxury in the south of the Yangtze River until death. In fact, he really didn't care much about whether to go to the capital, but if he could go to the capital to become a minister, it would be considered an honorable return to his hometown.

Jia Yingchun is from Zhending County, Zhending Prefecture, North Zhili, so naturally he will not give up this opportunity.

Prince Yu's Mansion lacked the right to speak at the top of the court. In order to fight for this position, Gao Gong also obeyed Prince Yu's order and secretly entered Xu Jie's mansion to secretly meet with Xu Jie.

The purpose is self-evident, which is to persuade Xu Jie to provide help in the position of Minister of the Ministry of Industry.

Over the years, the Yan family has taken advantage of the opportunity to control the Ministry of Industry and has made a lot of money from construction projects, but the quality of the projects has been worrying.

Naturally, Prince Yu's Mansion has also taken a fancy to the Ministry of Industry, a key department. In fact, if the quality of the project is guaranteed, the money will not be lost. This is why Prince Yu was worried about money in the past two years. What do he want to do now? All they do is make money to fill their own internal treasury.

Regarding the request from Prince Yu's Mansion, Xu Jie didn't understand the situation at first, and he still couldn't believe it until he learned the truth of the matter.

Emperor Jiajing wanted to take Zhao Wenhua's position as Minister of Industry. This news was not circulated in the court. This was the first time he heard about it.

Naturally, Gao Gong would not reveal the source of the information, not to mention that Wei Guangde's information must have come from Ouchi, and he would not tell anyone if asked.

Xu Jie agreed hesitantly, but his experience in fighting in the court still came into play at this time.

"Qing Su, you and I both understand the role of the Ministry of Works, and Wei Zhong will also know that they have used the Ministry of Works to do these things over the years, and they will not give up the position of the Minister of Works easily, otherwise I’m afraid a lot of things will be exposed.”

After Xu Jie said this, he kept staring at Gao Gong, waiting for his response.

Gao Gong was reminded by Xu Jieyi and quickly reacted.

At first, they only considered that the minister of the Ministry of Industry would be taken down, and they would naturally fight for the vacant position.

But after hearing what Xu Jie said just now, Gao Gong understood the meaning of his words. The Yan family would not give up the position of Minister of the Ministry of Industry, but there seemed to be something behind his words.

"Mr. Xu Ge, if you have anything to say, please speak directly."

Gao Gong arched his hands towards Xu Jidao.

"If there is preparation over there, the outcome of the fight is hard to say. If there is no preparation, then the most likely person to take over the position of Minister of the Ministry of Works may be another minister in the Sixth Ministry who is transferred to the Ministry of Works."

Xu Jie looked at Gao Gong with a smile and said.

"Change?"

When I heard Xu Jie say that the Yan family might move the positions of other ministers in the six departments, but also keep the Ministry of Industry, I quickly calculated in my mind that the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Households, and the Ministry of War had little to do with the Yan family, and they were definitely not something the Yan family could move.

The Yan family actually controls the remaining three ministries, namely the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Punishment.

Now that the Minister of the Ministry of Industry has been taken down, the Ministry of Personnel will never be moved. Tianguan has the power to appoint and remove officials of the fourth and first grades in the country. The adjustment that the Yan family may choose is to replace the position of the Minister of the Ministry of Industry with the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment. In fact, this is Ping Tiao is also the most likely to be recognized by Emperor Jiajing.

"It could also be other ministries, I can't say, but as of now, it is unlikely that the Emperor will nod at the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Ministry of War."

Among the six departments, members of the Yan family occupy three seats. This should be Emperor Jiajing's greatest decentralization statement. It is impossible to say that Emperor Jiajing does not know the relationship between those three people and the Yan family.

However, he still agreed to their appointment and dismissal, which also showed that he gave Yan Song enough delegation of power to keep the government running.

Therefore, in Xu Jie's view, it is not important to win the position of minister. What is important is that this matter can tell the emperor's attitude towards the Yan family.

In fact, if something like this happens, the emperor will communicate with their cabinet in advance and discuss personnel transfers. When he mentions the candidates, it doesn't matter if the emperor nods or not.

It's a good thing that people who are not his Xu Jie can still show his selfless side, not to mention that Xu Jie doesn't want to stand on the opposite side of the Yan family at this stage.

After enduring for so long, he would not make any move until he saw the emperor's attitude change.

The next day, Xu Jie went to the cabinet to handle errands. He was worried about the impeachment memorial sent by Governor Xuanda in his hand.

The governor announced the military affairs of Shanxi. Yang Bo, the right minister of the Ministry of War, impeached Wu Bin, the deputy military envoy of Huailong. He was sent to the north of Hebei Province to serve as the senator Ren Xizu.

Xu Jiechou was worried that Wu Bin and Ren Xizu seemed to be recommended by Yan Shifan. They probably spent a lot of money to buy the officials, but they were not in their posts until August. They were strong in the post-Autumn period when the grassland soldiers and horses were strong. This is naturally not possible when operating on a large scale.

Xu Jie didn't plan to write anything in this memorial, so he simply took the memorial to Yan Song's apartment next door.

"Elder Ge was summoned to Xiyuan by the Emperor early in the morning."

Yan Song was not seen, only Yan Shifan was in the room. From the scribe's mouth, Xu Jie knew that Yan Song had been called away by Emperor Jiajing, so he had to go into the room to talk to Yan Shifan about it.

Xiyuan, in Yongshou Palace.

"Wei Zhong, I have already issued an edict to the Ministry of Industry to rebuild the Xianyang Gate Tower. Yesterday I went to see it. All the wood and stone materials for the gate tower are ready. Why? What is the Ministry of Industry doing? What is Zhao Wenhua doing?"

Emperor Jiajing asked in a serious tone.

After practicing, Emperor Jiajing always reminded himself to control his emotions, knowing that a bad mood would also affect his practice.

For the past two months, he had been suppressing the dissatisfaction in his heart. He only sent word of mouth to urge the Ministry of Works. He did not want to pass by the Zhengyang Gate Tower yesterday and it would still be the same. He sent someone to inquire and found out that although the Ministry of Works finally complied with the order, the materials had been delayed and had not been prepared.

Yan Song heard that Emperor Jiajing's tone was unkind, but as his godson he still had to keep it, at least until a new candidate was ready to take over.

However, Yan Song also heard at this time that Emperor Jiajing was quite dissatisfied with Zhao Wenhua. Maybe he could get away with it this time, but he still had to prepare backup plans to be safe.

"The official affairs of this department are complicated. Now that the wood and stone materials for the gate tower have been prepared and collected, it is best to appoint one person each from the minister and the supervisor to take charge of it."

Yan Song thought about it and then said: "Wen Hua's illness due to the summer weather last year and the southern expedition does not seem to be able to be cured in ten months. If the two ministers are both deficient and there is no one to manage the ministry, please ask the emperor to appoint a minister to assist him."

When Yan Song left Yongshou Palace, Emperor Jiajing just looked up at Yan Song's back casually, then closed his eyes and continued practicing.

When Yan Song returned to the cabinet and saw Yan Shifan, he briefly told Yan Shifan that it was Emperor Jiajing who was in Xiyuan. Yan Shifan suddenly felt bad.

Naturally, Xu Jie next door didn't know that just recently, Emperor Jiajing finally couldn't bear it anymore and planned to rectify the six departments.

In the past, Emperor Jiajing would summon the cabinet ministers to discuss important personnel appointments and dismissals such as the Six Ministers, but this time it seemed that he had some considerations in mind before summoning Yan Song alone.

The next day, a memorial from the Ministry of Industry was sent to the Supervisor of Ceremonies and to the Yongshou Palace.

The Ministry of Works asked Lei Li, the left minister of the Ministry of Works, and Yuan Heng, the eunuch, to manage the construction of the Zhengyang Gate Tower. At the same time, he also asked a member of the Minister of Construction to be selected in the memorial, and ordered the Ministry of Officials to recommend him.

The meaning of Yan Song was exactly the same as yesterday. Emperor Jiajing remained silent for a long time after listening to the people below reading the memorial.

Naturally, Wei Guangde didn't know what happened on the first day, but when the Ministry of Works submitted a letter requesting a minister and a supervisor each to take charge of the Zhengyang Gate Tower project, he also found out about it through the rapid spread of know-it-alls. .

The know-it-all is naturally a clerk in a department. If there is any slight disturbance in the department, it will quickly spread to all the offices in Beijing.

Wei Guangde's throat was almost smoldering because of Zhao Wenhua's incident, but he still hasn't heard anything from him.

Although Prince Yu's Mansion did not ask anything, Wei Guangde also knew that passing on this news was not a trivial matter and could not be done carelessly.

The news that spread today finally made Wei Guangde feel that the wind was starting to blow.

In the afternoon, Wu Peng, the Minister of Civil Affairs, received a note from the palace, asking him to select a candidate to serve as Minister of Works.

Last night, he had received the message from Yan Shifan, so he was naturally prepared.

In fact, the message sent by Yan Shifan yesterday included recommended candidates, namely Zuo Tongzheng Lu Xun, the director-general in charge of general administration, and Yan Shifan himself.

Yan Shifan himself held the title of Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Industry, but he did not work in the Ministry of Industry in name, but assisted his father in handling cabinet affairs. However, through Zhao Wenhua, he had already controlled the actual power of the Ministry of Industry.

As for General Affairs Secretary Zuo Tongzheng Lu Xun is naturally from the Yan family. Letting him leave the General Affairs Department and join the Ministry of Industry at this time can be regarded as a reward for his hard work over the years.

It doesn't matter who the emperor chooses, what matters is that they prepare.

Once Zhao Wenhua loses power, they can still control the Yamen of the Ministry of Industry.

On the third day, Wu Peng, the Minister of Civil Affairs, sent the list of candidates to Xiyuan. In the evening, news came out that Emperor Jiajing had appointed Lu Xun as the left minister of the Ministry of Works.

Of course, Wei Guangde knew more details.

Regarding the selection of the Minister of Works, Emperor Jiajing did not object to Yan Shifan's appointment. However, Yan Shifan was currently serving as the Left Minister of the Ministry of Industry in charge of Shangbao, so he chose Lu Xun after weighing the situation.

Although Yan Shifan was greedy for money, he was also famous for his talent. He was not only a crooked talent, he was quite familiar with the classics and history, and he was also a master of treasure appraisal. It is not an exaggeration to say that he was talented, but most later generations only talked about him. "Ghost".

At least Emperor Jiajing was satisfied with Yan Shifan's talent, so he put him in charge of Shangbao Supervisor. Naturally, he didn't want him to be distracted from his work.

After giving the little chamberlain a few taels of silver, the little chamberlain left happily. Wei Guangde got on the carriage that had been prepared and was going out.

Naturally, Prince Yu's Mansion also knew about what happened in Xiyuan these days, surrounding the Ministry of Industry.

This afternoon Gao Gong sent someone to invite him to a banquet in the evening. It was probably a way of communicating with each other.

It was still the elegant room of the restaurant. Soon Wei Guangde learned the information collected by Prince Yu's Mansion. This time Emperor Jiajing did not summon Xu Jie, but only summoned Yan Song the day before the incident.

Wei Guangde already knew these things from Chen Ju before.

Wei Guangde's judgment is that Emperor Jiajing seems to have not yet decided whether to reduce the power of the Yan family.

Emperor Jiajing had already felt that it was becoming more and more difficult to maintain the government, mainly due to money.

Yan Song's financial management is actually a trick of moving here and there, demolishing the east wall to repair the west wall. It can fool him for a while, but it cannot be sustained for a long time. One day it will collapse.

What to do then?

What he needs now is to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, and to find new financial resources for the court. Although the previous sea trade was okay, the scale was limited after all.

Emperor Jiajing didn't like the large-scale development of maritime trade, and he always felt it was wrong to sell a large number of products produced in the Ming Dynasty to foreign countries. This would not allow his people to enjoy these products.

Therefore, in his heart he still felt that the ancestral system was right.

"We thought before that we might nominate Minister of Industry after we win Zhao Wenhua. At that time, as long as Mr. Xu Ge can nominate Jia Yingchun, the rest will be our business. Now it seems that we have miscalculated.

The emperor probably hasn't made a decision yet, so we'd better not get involved and just wait for Mr. Xu Ge's nomination. "

The candidate must be recommended by the elders or officials. It is unlikely that Emperor Jiajing already has someone in mind.

"Guangde means"

Gao Gong looked at Wei Guangde in confusion and said.

Wei Guangde could only smile bitterly and said lightly: "Mr. Yan Ge is ready."

Hearing this, Gao Gong, Li Fang and others in the room fell silent.

"Let it be, there's always a chance of what we should do or not do before the dust settles."

Wei Guangde looked at the expressions on everyone's faces and thought that after two or three months of planning and waiting for such a result, everyone would definitely feel uncomfortable, so he had to enlighten him, "At least Zhao Wenhua should be finished."

The next day Wei Guangde entered the Hanlin Academy for duty. Not long after, Lu Bu walked in quickly and whispered in Wei Guangde's ear: "I just heard the news. Zhao Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry asked the minister of the Ministry of Industry to temporarily take over the seal of the ministry, so as not to Delaying important affairs of the court."

Wei Guangde put down the book in his hand, sighed, and nodded slightly to show that he understood.

Lu Bu has become a disciple of Wei Guangde. It is not the subordinate relationship before, but has become a master-servant relationship.

How Emperor Jiajing will criticize Zhao Wenhua's memorial is very important and will completely determine his fate.

But at this time, neither Wei Guangde nor Prince Yu's Mansion could do anything but wait for the result. Even senior officials such as Yan Song and Xu Jie could not influence it.

When I was on duty in the afternoon, someone from Gao Gong sent a message that cabinet ministers Yan Song and Xu Jie were summoned to Xiyuan.

At this time, in the Yongshou Palace, Yan Song and Xu Jie stood solemnly before their highnesses. Emperor Jiajing sat on the throne with a memorial on the imperial desk in front of him.

"It is my intention to rebuild the Zhengyangmen Gate Tower. It is really too dilapidated. Look at what Zhao Wenhua did. He pushed back and blocked everything."

Emperor Jiajing looked at his two cabinet ministers, and his tone suddenly changed from plain to high-pitched: "Nowadays, great work is booming, and Sikong is his own job. Since Zhao Wenhua is sick, he has been ordered to return home and is hungry, so he recommends those who are diligent and worthy of Sikong's post. .”