Yucheng County is very close to Guide Fucheng (now Suiyang District, Shangqiu City), only 40 miles away.
Along the way, I just let the sun move from the east to the top of my head.
The carriage slowly drove into the city gate, and the conversation in the carriage continued.
"...It cannot be said that the courtiers are not considerate of the emperor and father. However, in recent years, new policies have been issued frequently. A small change in June and a major change in three years. The courtiers are not deviant. They are already the result of tolerating each other for the sake of the country."
"After His Majesty took office, he took drastic measures or was eager for quick success. In short, he was quite harsh on the courtiers."
Sima Zhi's words made Shen Li take another look.
The officials in local prefectures and counties are really polished people.
If you show a slightly appreciative attitude, the other person will be able to tell the whole story and write a letter of surrender.
Even if the emperor's harsh words came out, how could he hide it and not have a heart-to-heart relationship with him?
Facing this former soldier of the Dutian Horse and a supporter of the New Party, Shen Li couldn't help but be curious about the fact that the emperor was harsh.
He looked at Sima Zhi and did not mention Sima Zhi's rude words. Instead, he asked without hesitation: "What kind of harsh law?"
Seeing Shen Li's attitude, Sima Zhi's eyes flashed with joy.
He blurted out: "This seems to be a criticism of Cheng Yu, but since the teacher asked, the student has no reason to be secretive."
No one would mention this discussion again after getting off the carriage.
But after the word "Mr.", it already had a different meaning.
Sima Zhi thought about it for a moment and said slowly: "In recent years, after the civil service department came under the control of the cabinet, Your Majesty has become increasingly harsh in punishing courtiers."
"My colleague Hu Runing was the magistrate of Quwo County in Shanxi Province at that time. Since he took office, the weather has been severe and droughty, so he has banned the hunting of frogs in the local area, hoping to inspire God."
"The local people were unwilling and caused some trouble."
"In the past, this kind of thing was nothing more than becoming a laughing stock among the courtiers and earning a reputation as a magistrate."
"But after His Majesty learned about it, he directly issued an edict to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to allow him to serve."
It is said that he was allowed to become an official, but in fact he was dismissed while retaining the benefits of becoming an official.
Even if Sima Zhi agrees with the general outline of the current New Deal, he would still feel sad, and when he mentions it, there is even more of an attitude of avenging his grievances.
When Shen Li heard this, he couldn't help but sneered.
Hu Runing relied on banning the capture of moles to inspire God... It was a typical example of reading the Four Books and Five Classics obstinately, and he got caught up in it.
The Four Books and Five Classics are used to educate the world and to govern, which is extremely absurd.
There are several such strange people among the Jinshi every year, otherwise Sima Zhi would not have said that according to past practice, he would be laughed at as the magistrate of Xia Toa County.
Of course, in the past, we all worked together to protect each other. Today you help me, you will help me tomorrow. We often ignored these trivial matters that did not involve the fundamentals.
However, Shen Li witnessed the emperor's behavior from the time he ascended the throne to the second year of Wanli with his own eyes, so he had a better understanding of the emperor's character than Sima Zhi.
Even if the courtiers have bad intentions, the emperor will still try to find a suitable position to see if it can be used, just like Wang Chonggu who seeks wealth, Wu Zhongxing who invites names from Fukuu, Li Chunfang who only cares for the family, and others.
But the emperor detested fools like Hu Runing from the bottom of his heart and regarded them as mud that could not hold up the wall.
When he first ascended the throne, he had to care about his reputation, so he shouldn't be too harsh on him. Now that he is in charge, he will naturally no longer hold back.
Shen Li coughed lightly: "Your Majesty is also doing this to protect Hu Runing, so that he will not get higher and higher and make bigger and bigger mistakes, which will be irreversible by then."
If the king wants to protect his subjects, whatever he does is right.
Shen Li is serious.
Sima Zhi glanced at Shen Li with a strange expression. No wonder the court said that the emperor was wise enough to refuse advice, and there were always endless reasons to explain.
Dare to love all comes from these imperial masters.
Sima Zhi reluctantly agreed: "Sir, you are right, your Majesty is as virtuous as heaven."
He reluctantly curled up his lips and continued: "In addition, after His Majesty took office, he restarted the Great Court Meeting and changed the number of meetings from the two designated at the beginning of the country to one, on the first day of the new year."
The Dachao meeting is different from the Changchao meeting. The latter is only a small-scale meeting attended by officials from various ministries. The former includes most of the Beijing officials and holds a meeting in the Huangji Palace.
It is customized at the beginning of the country, twice in total on the first and fifteenth day of each month. Its function is to allow officials in the capital to directly feel the majesty and will of the emperor.
"Sir, you know that in the great dynasties of the past dynasties, civil and military officials will inevitably lose their responsibilities, and they often only need to take one month's salary."
Shen Li nodded.
He naturally knew that at the Great Court Meeting in the sixth year of Longqing, 173 people lost their court, and at the Great Court Meeting in the first year of Wanli, 274 people lost their court.
Where are all these people?
After Shen Li dismissed the court, he met court officials who came out of the hook and looked at him awkwardly; he met nobles who were drunk in restaurants and were carried back by their servants; and there was also Hanlin who had just finished his lecture and talked with Shen Li about his experiences.
Sima Zhi had a look of disapproval on his face, and at the same time he was suppressing a smile: "But that time, His Majesty directly asked the censor and ministers to go to the mansion of the official who lost the dynasty to find out the reason."
"Caught a group of court officials who had lost their dynasty and brought them to the Huangji Palace."
"Some of them were disheveled and drunk. There was also a doctor who was inseparable from the family hound. He was carried to the Huangji Palace by the chief of ceremonies and the dog."
"Afterwards, the emperor announced it in Di Bao and Xin Bao, and published it all over the country."
After saying that, he finally couldn't help it and laughed out loud.
If this is not harsh, nothing could be more harsh.
Although Sima Zhi found it funny, from the perspective of a scholar, he also felt that the emperor's move was too humiliating.
When Shen Li heard this, he couldn't help but have a strange look on his face.
If this kind of thing is published all over the world, the reputation of the courtiers may be lost in one day. To say that the emperor is harsh is not an exaggeration.
But...then again.
When Song Ru fabricated the story about Hao Mu, the emperor magnanimously allowed Zheng Zongxue to spread the joke in Xiaolin.
So it seems that there is no need to be too shy about courtiers sticking together?
Shen Li was a cautious person and did not laugh along with him. He just added: "Your Majesty did not even take away his salary, but only published it to warn others. It can be seen that he did not punish past mistakes and was only for the purpose of treating diseases and saving people. He also has a benevolent heart."
Sima Zhi glanced at Shen Li.
Inexplicably, he thought of his immediate boss, Henan Chief Minister Deng Yizan.
It seems that every minister who comes from the emperor has an indescribable recognition of the emperor.
Even the cruel queen who ruined Shilin's reputation had to barely cover up for the emperor.
Sima Zhi shook his head, and finally brought up the point in his heart that he disagreed with the emperor the most: "Sir, you are right. Even if your Majesty is harsher on these matters, no one can say a word that is not right. When it’s time to take care of things.”
Shen Li was shocked and couldn't believe it: "Your Majesty, are you still unreasonable?"
Sima Zhi choked.
What is this word?
He was made a little uncomfortable by Shen Li's gaze, so he turned away, glanced out of the car window, and explained: "In November of the fourth year of Wanli, Huo Ji passed away after taking office."
"His Majesty failed to act impartially as before, and even almost started a civil and military dispute."
Huo Ji died in office? Shen Li was stunned.
It's not that his death was unexpected, after all, in the fourth year of Wanli, Huo Ji was also sixty-one years old.
It's just that Huo Ji often disagreed with the emperor on matters concerning the Beijing camp.
I thought that after the emperor took charge, he would be directly transferred or even dismissed from office.
The emperor is still benevolent!
Sima Zhi didn't know what Shen Li was thinking, so he opened the car curtain again and checked that no one was around.
He then continued: "It is exactly the same as what happened with Zhao Kongzhao - after Huo Ji passed away, the emperor once again had no replacement officials. The post of minister of the Ministry of War and assistant to the military administration of the capital camp was vacant for several years. He also inspected the imperial censor of the right capital of the capital camp since then. This vacancy."
"The Governor of the Beijing Camp, Gu Huan District, a noble man, not only entered the palace and went to the Chang Dynasty to discuss affairs, but also actually took charge of the Beijing Camp, with an army of 100,000."
Sima Zhi's tone clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with the emperor on this matter.
Even if he made a decision that went against his ancestors and supported the New Deal, it was still principled.
How can Wu Chen serve on the table?
After hearing this, Shen Li rarely made excuses for the emperor this time.
He himself knew better than Sima Zhi what the emperor was doing. He was just trying to take charge of the capital camp without the Ministry of War.
Speaking from the bottom of his heart, Shen Li did not agree with the emperor's approach on this point.
Not to mention that the emperor should not control the capital, but by doing this, who are he guarding against?
Aren’t the ministers of the Ministry of War the emperor’s ministers?
The emperor kept saying that he and his ministers should be united. Isn't this a bad start for others to mistrust him?
Moreover, everyone recognized Zhao Kongzhao's incident and Ma Ziqiang's request for Gu Huan to join the court discussion.
After all, it was Wang Chonggu of the cabinet who issued orders to the Beijing camp through the Ministry of War. After all, he was still operating in the circle of using civil society to control military affairs.
Now that the Minister of War is assisting in the military affairs of the capital, and the royal censors in the right capital of the capital are both empty, allowing Gu Huan, a noble man, to enter the palace and take control of the capital, it may cause serious trouble sooner or later.
It's a pity that he is not by the emperor's side and is always alert to the emperor.
Nowadays, the emperor is making mistakes in civil and military affairs. It is unexplainable that he is surrounded by sycophants like Shen Shixing, Li Zaiting and Wuzhongxing.
Shen Li sighed in his heart and said with concern on his face: "Isn't it a big deal?"
This kind of change in the civil and military structure, if not paid attention to, can lead to the disaster of party strife and even shake the foundation of the country. It is not without lessons from past mistakes.
Sima Zhi's tone was not very good: "There is no shortage of insightful people in the country. From the Ministry of War to Shangshu Shi Maohua, to the doctor in charge, as well as the Metropolitan Inspectorate, the Military Department has repeatedly pointed out the outstanding issues."
"It's a pity that the emperor didn't make any progress."
"After that, quarrels began. Taipu Temple withheld military pay, the military department impeached Gu Huan's boss during the incident, and the military department dismissed Gu Huan's cronies in batches, such as Shen, You, Zuo and other generals. It can be described as a mess."
Shen Li looked worried and asked: "What happens next?"
Sima Zhi shook his head and softened his expression: "After that, each of them seemed to have taken a step back. Your Majesty sent Zheng Zongxue and Zhao Yongxian from Zhongshushe into the capital camp, and they were appointed as staff officers, and they were directly under the emperor's jurisdiction."
"In accordance with the instructions of the cabinet, the top three Jinshi, Jujian, and Wu Jinshi in recent years were selected and sent to the capital camp as camp commanders. Each camp was assigned one general and one commander. In addition to daily drills, military discipline, commander-in-chief, war, etc., there are still In addition to the responsibility of the generals, all other government affairs are reported to the staff officer and the cabinet by the camp secretary."
For this result, Sima Zhi could only say that it was unsatisfactory. Although Gu Huan was really allowed to eat at the table, the emperor did not forget to use civility to control military force.
Shen Li sighed silently. Although this move suppressed the hidden danger of civil and military conflict, the emperor still left the Ministry of War aside after all.
No wonder everyone is suspicious.
He raised his head and looked outside the carriage, and when he saw that it had entered the city of Guide Mansion, he lowered his voice and said softly: "Even so, with the cabinet mediating in the middle, there will be no trouble for the courtiers to join forces with the clan and submit the document to the vassal king. That’s enough to say, right?”
Once the feudal king hears about the fact that the emperor has damaged his foundation, there will inevitably be undercurrents.
In addition, when the emperor suppressed the clan and many county kings died, it was impossible to say that the clan had no resentment towards the emperor.
Even if some courtiers had second thoughts about such a major event that would cause endless disasters and insisted on adding fuel to the flames, the new party was powerful and several ministers in the cabinet were all facing the emperor, so it should be nipped in the bud as soon as possible.
How could it be so easy to cause such a big incident to become so public that it is now causing an uproar?
After hearing Shen Li's question, Sima Zhi didn't know where to start from.
He thought for a moment and said, "The imperial censor is guarding the ceremony and Duke Ge is here."
Shen Li was startled.
"Gaogong Nanyu of the Cabinet, last winter, he was struck by prickly heat."
Shen Li calmed down and looked a little serious.
"Lv Gong, the cabinet minister, has been weak since the first month of this year and can no longer get out of bed."
Shen Li sat upright and leaned forward subconsciously.
"Prince Jianchuan was originally only in charge of military matters and not government affairs. In recent years, due to the increasing population of Bansheng and the tough rogues, he had some differences with His Majesty in the employment of personnel. Since then, the prince has not only planned the overall situation of the Nine Borders and Japanese pirates. , and will never interfere in political affairs again.”
After hearing this, Shen Li finally understood why the court situation was so turbulent this year. Even the issue of the emperor's lack of heirs could not be suppressed and was brought to the court for discussion.
From the sixth year of Longqing to the present, the cabinet, which has been in charge of political affairs for seven years, is naturally enough to overwhelm everything when it is stable.
But once it dies one after another, the momentum will naturally be less than before.
Sima Zhi finally sighed and concluded: "Today's government affairs are almost all handled by His Majesty and Yuan Fu."
Although there were some criticisms about the emperor's actions - especially the issue of sending Jinshi to local places.
But generally speaking, I agree.
Now that the central situation is delicate, he can't help but feel a little worried.
After hearing this, Shen Li naturally had many questions.
He pondered for a moment and suddenly asked: "Jingfu said that your Majesty and Mr. Wangge have some differences in the employment of Xuanda University..."
"Did Mr. Tan Gong, the Governor of Xuanda, pass away?"
Hearing this, Sima Zhi realized that he was not comprehensive and nodded: "Tan Gong suffered from phlegm for many years, and it broke out once in the fifth year of Wanli. He has passed away."
In the fifth year of Wanli, he was only fifty-eight years old, which can be said to be a young age.
This kind of commander-in-chief usually does not live long.
Shen Li frowned.
He has no friendship with Tan Lun.
However, the Bansheng population is increasing... This is not a good sign.
At that time, Zhao Quan of the White Lotus Sect almost assisted Anda Khan in establishing himself as emperor by virtue of his promotion.
Xuanda does not have a capable governor, so it is afraid that the Gengxu Rebellion will happen again!
Shen Li said solemnly: "What's the situation with the left and right wings of the Tatars?"
This actually brings up Sima Zhi's blind spot. He only cared about internal affairs and paid no attention to side affairs.
He could only vaguely say: "I don't know very well. I just know that Bansheng was making a big fuss on Anda Khan's side and a lot of people gathered. Tuman Khan summoned 80,000 Mongolians the year before last and held a Khuritai Conference to promote the code of law. , electing the six major powers, and not paying much attention to the others.”
When Shen Li heard this, he felt even more worried.
Seeing that Sima Zhi was not very clear, Shen Li pondered for a moment and changed the topic: "Who is the current Governor of Xuanda?"
Sima Zhi blurted out: "Chen Dong, former minister of Dali Temple, Mr. Chen."
"I heard that the prince wanted to use Zhang Siwei, but the emperor directly forced Mr. Chen."
Hearing this, Shen Li thought for a moment and nodded with relief.
No wonder the emperor and Wang Chonggu had differences.
It is almost universally known that the emperor disliked Zhang Siwei. After the records of Emperor Shizong and Emperor Mu Zong were compiled, even Shen Li was not missing from the imperial list of meritorious officials, but Zhang Siwei did not have a place as vice president.
With his uncle Wang Chonggu caught in the middle, it might be difficult for him to handle it.
But to be fair, Chen Dong is indeed a better candidate than Zhang Siwei.
The latter's businessman's heart was too serious, and he was probably resentful of the emperor because of his father's affairs.
Don't be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of the worst.
Chen Dong is impeccable.
When they came forward regarding the Southern Zhili incident, they could be said to be the earliest members of the emperor's team.
Even he is ruthless. During the salt class, Chen Dong was not good at riding a horse. In order to rush for time, he asked someone who was good at riding to tie him up and ride with him.
Regardless of stance or character, it is always the best choice.
Speaking of which, he and Chen Dong were both Jinshi in the same subject. Although Chen Dong was in the first class and started at a higher level, they were from the same background.
Unexpectedly, Chen Dong was already a feudal official.
Shen Li put these unnecessary thoughts behind him and continued to ask with concern: "Since many ministers in the cabinet are old, doesn't Your Majesty have no replacement ministers?"
Sima Zhi shook his head: "Of course it will be supplemented."
"In the fourth year of Wanli's reign, Ma Ziqiang was promoted to serve in the cabinet, and he was still the official of the Hall of Rites."
"But he fell ill even earlier than Gao, and the two cabinet ministers, Lu, have been bedridden frequently since the year before last. Even the affairs of the rites department were left to Zuo Shilang and other ministers."
Shen Li couldn't help but shake his head, he was really indifferent.
Sima Zhi continued: "Since this year, Your Majesty intends to replace Wen Chun, a member of the staff, to serve in the cabinet."
"But Chen Yan, who took over as the censor of the capital, did not have enough prestige. The thirteen censors, the censors of the capital, and others took matters into their own hands and began to pick up opportunities to impeach cabinet ministers and court officials in order to seek promotions, which made the capital procuratorate a mess."
"Wen Chun did not join the cabinet, but took over the post of Capital Censor."
"At the beginning of the year, Shen Shixing was ordered to go to the cabinet to handle affairs, and Wang Xijue came to Beijing to take over the position of left minister of the Ministry of Personnel."
"It also happened that Wang Xijue's daughter, Tan Yangzi, ascended to the throne during the day, and the whole family held a grand ceremony. Wang Xijue delayed his departure for several months. During this period, Shen Shixing was in charge of official affairs. Even if he joined the cabinet, he would have no time to share in political affairs."
Shen Li frowned.
No wonder the struggle between North Korea and China has reached this point.
The king of the cabinet, Chonggu, did not care about political affairs. Gao, Lu, and Ma were old and sick and could not take up their duties. The successor Shen Shixing had to take charge of the official department for Zhang Juzheng.
And among the nine ministers.
Ge Shouli, who had always been prestigious in the Metropolitan Procuratorate, passed away. Chen Dong, the Minister of Dali Temple, sent Xuanda, Zhang Han, and Chen Qian to the outside world for their incompetence. The Ministry of War was suspicious of the emperor because of the affairs in Beijing.
If it were in the past, this kind of transition period would not be considered a big deal.
Promoting new people and filling in vacancies will only take a year or two of running-in.
However, it has been seven years since the New Deal, and the emperor and the cabinet have made drastic changes, offending many people.
Officials who are dissatisfied with the examination law.
The squire who is afraid of clearing his father's land.
The local government office that resisted the inspection of Dingkou.
Resentful of the clan whose clan property was confiscated.
A new Jinshi who has suffered a lot after being transferred to the local area for several years.
These people must have spotted the loopholes in the transition of the old and new cabinets and made a big fuss out of the emperor's heirlessness.
Shen Li lowered his head and glanced at himself.
Based on his qualifications, if he returns to the court at this moment, the position of a Sixth-level Minister will definitely be indispensable - this is also the reason why Sima Zhi, a colleague of the fifth rank, is respectful in front of him, Zuo Zhongyun, the sixth rank.
But no matter what, even if he recovers his health now, he cannot return to the court.
His mother had only died three months ago, so he had to remain filial piety at least until the ninth year of Wanli before he could return to the court and take care of the emperor's worries.
Thinking of this, Shen Li glanced at Sima Zhi.
Just looking at this guy's behavior already made him feel that the situation in the local area was tense.
Now when this guy talks about the situation between North Korea and China, it makes him feel uneasy.
Hey, Shen Li sighed.
I only hope that the Holy Lord can withstand the backlash of this round of Du Tian.
He originally planned to enter the city, restrain his family, and then return quickly.
But after listening to Sima Zhi explain the situation of the court along the way, Shen Li inevitably had a more enthusiastic and positive attitude towards Sima Zhi's request.
After arriving at Guidefu.
Shen Li declined Sima Zhi's invitation to take a break for half a day.
Instead, he worked non-stop and began to control the situation in Guide Mansion for Sima Zhi.
On that day, Shen Li, as a local powerful person and an elder of the clan, scolded and restrained the subordinate officials of the government.
Afterwards, he met with the younger members of the Shen family one by one and ordered everyone to follow the official orders of the court officials and follow the instructions.
The next day, scholars from the county school and government school were invited to come. Relying on their reputation and reputation, they established a society called Wenya Society by virtue of their status as scholars in the Imperial Academy.
It aims to educate customs and work together to do good, especially criticizing the evil deeds of a group of people who blew up embankments and resisted the government.
Three days later, a special dinner was held to gather the prominent people in Guide Mansion into the government office.
Shen Li, acting as the head of the family and a central official, explained the difficulties of the court, saying that when it comes to obeying government orders, the Shen family must set an example, show affection to everyone in the family, and use coercion and inducement.
Sima Zhi, who was originally planning to have a good time with Zuo Zhongyun, followed Shen Li all his life, treating himself as a student, and often acted like a teacher, Zuo Zhongyun gave instructions.
After private bribery by several families, unimportant lunatics rushed into Sima Zhi's family, and several clumsy gatherings of people were smashed.
Farming in Guide Mansion is finally about to begin.
…
Next is the home court of Fuya, and Shen Li can't help much.
Because Xiao Qi had to go back to hold the third Yu Festival, Shen Li said goodbye to Sima Zhi in advance that night.
Shen Li told Sima Zhi that he could go to Yucheng County to find him at any time, and that he would take good care of the yellow book and be careful not to catch fire.
Naturally, Sima Zhi would not give any gold or silver treasures as a thank you, but instead wrote an article himself, praising Shen Li's high moral character and sense of family and country.
I also collected the Di Bao, Xin Bao, Donglin Journal, Gewu Daily and other newspapers in recent years and put them all into Shen Li's carriage to express my gratitude.
The next morning, Shen Li packed up early the next morning to avoid disturbing her too much, preparing to leave without saying goodbye.
However, as Shen Li was about to leave in his car, he suddenly heard shouts from inside the mansion.
"Sir, stay!"
Shen Li kept getting into the carriage, buttocks facing outward, and then backed out helplessly.
I saw Sima Zhi quickly chasing after him.
Holding the latest Dibao in his hand: "Just now the Chief Secretary handed over another Dibao!"
Shen Li turned around and smiled: "Next time I come to Shen's Mansion, I'll take it with me. Why is it so fussy?"
He took it casually.
Just one look and I was stunned.
The date of the Dibao was one month ago, which was the Dibao in August this year.
The first line comes into view - Bingzi, Zhang Juzheng, a great scholar, lost his father, invited him to become an official, and returned home with his coffin in his arms.
Shen Li raised his head and looked at Sima Zhi.
The latter met Shen Li's gaze and said with some hesitation: "Sir, can this field be saved?"
Chapter completed!