Under the joint pressure of fellow officials and merchants and Qin Dewei, the young Hu Zongxian had to quickly accept the job of supervising the censor and inspecting the coastal defense of Zhang, Quan, Ning, Shao and other places.
The four words "Zhang, Quan, Ning, and Shao" were drawn up by Qin Dewei himself. Just saying "Fujian and Zhejiang" was too broad, and he was afraid that Hu Zongxian would not find the key point, so he changed "Fujian and Zhejiang" to these four words.
Zhangzhou Prefecture, Quanzhou Prefecture, Ningbo Prefecture, Shaoxing Prefecture, I understand them all.
This time, Hu Zongxian only stayed in the capital for about ten days from beginning to end. It seemed like there was no such thing as a monthly payment, so he was driven to embark on his official career again, heading to the sea thousands of miles away.
When sending Hu Zongxian on his way, Qin Dewei emphasized again: "When you go on patrol, remember not to talk but to investigate and record. It is strictly forbidden to alert others! If necessary, you can temporarily go along with it."
Hu Zongxian only replied: "You mean harmony with light and dust? I am good at this!"
From now on, for Qin Dewei, there will be no major events in the 18th year of Jiajing.
Emperor Jiajing did not go to court for a month, and the ministers thought that the emperor was resting and recuperating.
Emperor Jiajing did not go to court for two months, and the ministers were happy to have some time at ease.
Emperor Jiajing did not go to court for three months, and the ministers missed Emperor Long Yan a little.
When Emperor Jiajing did not go to court for half a year, the ministers began to panic.
The eighteenth year of Jiajing passed like this. When the nineteenth year of Jiajing came, the ministers seemed to have gradually become accustomed to the official life of not going to court.
It's not like we've never seen this before when an emperor refuses to go to court. The emperor's grandfather, Emperor Chenghua, also hid in the palace for more than ten years. Maybe it was passed down from generation to generation.
Compared to Emperor Chenghua, who had no ministers at all, there are still a few ministers who come to Zhiwuyi Hall to serve around him, so that the inside and outside are not isolated, and the monarch and his ministers are not completely disconnected.
As soon as the spring of the 19th year of Jiajing began, something big or small happened in the court. The imperial censor Xie Yu went to court to impeach the scholar Yan Song for corruption and accepting bribes.
But Emperor Jiajing only approved "I understand" and then ignored it, with no intention of pursuing it.
There was a small discussion in the government and the public, wondering who was behind this Xie Yushi?
Some people say that this is a certain chief minister beating Mr. Yan Ge, some say that this is a certain central hall squeezing Mr. Yan Ge, some say... there is no third kind.
There has been peace and quiet in the world recently. Qin Dewei was sitting in Wenyuan Pavilion with his eyes closed and thinking about national affairs. Suddenly Fang You, a member of the middle school room, hurried in and woke up Qin Zhongtang.
Qin Dewei frowned and said, "What's the matter?"
"Just now, I went to Xiyuan Yinghe Gate to deliver the memorial, and met Mr. Yan Ge!" Fang You reported: "Then I was scolded by Mr. Yan Ge, and Mr. Yan Ge also said, please don't do this in the middle hall.
It’s a little trick that doesn’t work on the stage!”
What kind of trick? Qin Dewei was a little confused. He hadn't done anything recently, he just sat and watched Xia Yan and Yan Song fight openly and secretly.
Qin Dewei then thought, could Yan Song be talking about being impeached for corruption and accepting bribes?
How can I put it now? The officialdom of the Ming Dynasty no longer had the simple and vigorous atmosphere of decades ago, and the unhealthy trend of giving gifts has become irreversibly popular.
However, the order of magnitude has not been exaggerated to the extent that it will be decades later. From a historical perspective, the early Jiajing period can be regarded as a stage that connects the past and the future...
There is no other way, the dynasty periodic law is here. Who can escape from this way of heaven in ancient and modern times?
As far as Qin Dewei knows, at this stage, Xia Yan, the first assistant, actually earns more than the traitor Yan Song, and Xia first assistant lives a more luxurious life than Yan Song.
Therefore, in Qin Dewei's eyes, Yan Song is now being impeached for corruption and bribery. If you say he is unjust, he is unjust; if you say he is not unjust, he is not unjust. It all depends on how the standards are set.
But what does this have to do with Qin Dewei? It’s not Qin Dewei who instigated others to do it!
Fang You reminded: "Zhongtang must be on guard. Mr. Yan Ge may have deliberately poured water on you to make others think that Zhongtang is careless and cannot be an official!"
Qin Zhongtang slapped the table and said, "I won't take the blame!"
The next day, the imperial censor Chen Chunshangshu impeached Qin Dewei for the four major crimes of being late, leaving early, absenteeism, and violating etiquette, and accused Qin Dewei of harming the country by placing his body!
Then Qin Dewei hurriedly apologized to Qin Dewei, and Emperor Jiajing commented on Qin Dewei's apology letter: "If nothing happens, you will be fined half a year's salary."
This caused the courtiers to discuss it again. Unexpectedly, two important ministers were impeached in succession at the beginning of spring.
But people familiar with the officialdom have discovered that Chen Yushi, who impeached Bachelor Qin, was not the same year as Bachelor Qin. I heard that Chen Yushi and Bachelor Qin were very close. Could it be that he directed and acted on his own?
So the smart man suddenly realized that Xueshie Qin might be Mr. Yan Ge!
Therefore, there may be a third theory about the impeachment of Mr. Yan Ge, which is that Mr. Yan Ge planned to increase his efforts to make money, so he directed and acted the impeachment in order to test whether the emperor could tolerate him accepting bribes!
This is really unpopular. Among today's academicians, the only one who receives few gifts is the only one who does not pay attention to maintenance.
Although Academician Qin is not a good person, he has always been recognized as a strong person in terms of "incorruption".
Yan Song, who was in the Wuyi Palace, heard this latest popular rumor and was almost so heartbroken that he didn't even finish writing his Qing Ci for today.
In fact, this kind of intrigue is the daily routine of the ministers of the inner court. It is in the past, just get used to it. If you can't get used to it, you will have retired and returned home long ago.
As for government affairs, how should they be run? The plan for the year begins with spring. The most troublesome thing this spring is the Ministry of Household Affairs. Expenditures for Xiyuan have increased sharply...
Wang Yiqi, the Secretary of the Ministry of Hubu, felt that the errands of the Ministry of Hubu had become more and more difficult in recent years.
Wang Yiqi thought about it and decided that he could only confide his troubles to Qin Dewei, so he disguised himself and came to the Qin Mansion at night.
Since Qin Dewei entered the cabinet, he has rarely met Master Wang in public in order to avoid suspicion.
But if someone sends a message, Uncle Wang is worried, so he can only take the initiative to go to the Qin Mansion quietly tonight.
As we all know, Wugong Hutong has three gates. Uncle Wang's sedan entered through the middle gate as usual.
Then after getting off the sedan, I heard that Qin Dewei was inside the easternmost gate.
So Uncle Wang had no choice but to go to the east through the inner passage.
This cheap nephew is really inconsiderate sometimes. When someone comes to see him, why should they first guess which door he is in?
Qin Dewei was currently talking to Mrs. Gu, a pregnant woman. When he heard that his uncle had condescended to visit, he had no choice but to go see the guests first.
Meeting guests in the east study here, Qin Dewei saluted and asked: "Uncle Master came here overnight, what advice do you have?"
Wang Yiqi complained unbearably: "In the past few years, we built two palaces for the Queen Mother, and last year we built two mausoleums in the north and south, which were all very costly. This year, we have to build a lot of construction in Xiyuan, and only the Great Gaoxuan Hall will be built.
I don’t know how much money it costs...”
Qin Dewei asked again: "Is Taicang not enough?"
Wang Yiqi replied: "With savings, we may be able to support it this year, but if this continues, losses, especially losses in silver, will be a matter of time!"
Qin Dewei said nothing, thinking about something.
Wang Yiqi continued to complain: "His Majesty, Xiyuan Xuanxiu, is too extravagant. He uses gold powder to write green poems, and also uses ambergris during fasting and ritual ceremonies. All these require the Ministry of Household Affairs to purchase them, which is too expensive."
Qin Dewei sighed: "Just lose money. When you start losing money, you will know how to change it."
Wang Yiqi originally wanted to ask the resourceful Qin Dewei for advice, but unexpectedly he heard such a sentence. He subconsciously asked: "Are you serious?"
Qin Dewei said angrily: "Otherwise, what can we do? Since you and I can't stop the emperor, we can only suffer Taicang first. Otherwise, how could the emperor be determined to open up money? You should complain to the emperor when you should, but you should When you spend money, spend money first.”
Isn't it just a fiscal deficit and a national treasury deficit? It's not like I haven't seen a keyboard warrior on the Internet!
After seeing Uncle Wang off, Qin Dewei returned to the inner courtyard. He had just said a few words to Mrs. Gu when suddenly someone came to report that an old Taoist priest was walking around.
Apart from Tao Zhongwen Tao Zhenren, who else can be the old Taoist priest who can enter the Qin Mansion?
So Qin Dewei had to leave Madam Gu temporarily and came to the East Study again to meet with Tao Zhenren.
When Tao Zhenren came to Qin Dewei, he had indeed encountered something and came to consult.
"Do you still remember Guo Xun, Marquis of Wuding?" Tao Zhenren asked first.
Of course Qin Dewei remembered that he was the number one military minister in the early Jiajing Dynasty, the one who had been left idle for no reason in the past two years.
When Tao Zhenren mentioned the name Guo Xun, Qin Dewei asked, "What happened to him? Did he recommend the alchemist Duan Chao to your majesty?"
Tao Zhenren: "..."
You haven't said anything yet, so why do you, Qin Dewei, know about it again?
Qin Dewei smiled and said nothing. In front of others, he often knew the cause and effect, but had to pretend not to know, so as not to shock the world.
Only when talking to Tao Laodao, sometimes you can let yourself go a little bit and reveal the magic of predicting the future.
No matter how much Qin Dewei knew, Tao Laodao still said it again: "It is true, Guo Xun recommended the alchemist Duan Chaoyong to His Majesty!
Moreover, Guo Xun presented more than a hundred pieces of silverware, saying that these were immortal artifacts refined by Duan Dynasty using magic! He also said that if immortal artifacts are used to hold food and drink for fasting and ritual ceremonies, they can lead to immortality!"
Qin Dewei listened indifferently, "What then?"
Tao Zhenren said a little unhappy: "Then your Majesty actually believed it! He believed that Duan Chaoyong had this magical power! He wanted to summon Duan Chaoyong!"
Tao Laodao mainly felt that his status was threatened, and Duan Chaoyong was not one of his own. When he and Duan Chaoyong competed for the opportunity to accompany him on the southern tour, they had already fallen out.
Qin Dewei didn't take it seriously, "I said that your Majesty is very suspicious and has an impatient temper.
Therefore, it is necessary to use soft alchemy, mainly those that cannot be verified. This is the long-term solution. Never use alchemy that is too hard, too direct, and easy to be verified!
It is definitely not a long-term solution for Guo Xun and Duan Chao to use it like this. What are you worried about, Tao Xianchang? I think you are confused because you care, and the authorities are confused, right?"
Tao Laodao said helplessly: "Don't underestimate Duan Chaoyong. He is also a very capable alchemist. It is not impossible for him to be appreciated by His Majesty."
Qin Dewei still didn't take it seriously: "The so-called wise man is just a smart alchemist who dares to claim that he can refine gold and silver. How can the emperor not be suspicious? With his adventurous temperament, sooner or later he will overturn."
Tao Zhenren remembered something again and asked: "Your Majesty occasionally consults me on state affairs recently. What do you think should be done?"
Qin Dewei immediately said: "I still say the same thing, you must never want to interfere in government affairs, remember, never touch the powerful!
Just serve His Majesty Xuan Xiu honestly, interfering in politics is a taboo! In the end, His Majesty will definitely be suspicious of you!"
Afraid that Tao Laodao would not believe him, Qin Dewei gave another example, "If you think you are close to His Majesty, how can you be as close as the other princes in the palace?
But do you think that in the Jiajing Dynasty, how much the power of the great officials was reduced compared with the previous dynasty? Deep down in His Majesty’s heart, he is very taboo about people around him taking power, and he thinks that he will be deceived by doing so!"
Tao Laodao said goodbye while pondering Scholar Qin's "golden words".
Before Qin Dewei could return to Mrs. Gu, someone else came to visit, it was Zhan Rong, the young minister of Taichang Temple.
When the Qin Mansion expanded eastward on a large scale for the first time, it acquired the Zhan Rong Mansion next door and then converted it into the main building, which is where the gate of Qin Mansion Middle Road is now.
At that time, in order to get the place of Zhan's house, Qin Dewei also coaxed and deceived, and even promised to send Zhan Rong to be the governor. So Zhan Rong came to visit today, just to ask for the official position.
Qin Dewei responded and said, "Didn't this help Master Zhan to promote you to the rank of Young Minister of Taichang Temple?"
Zhan Rong was a little angry: "But you promised the governor back then!"
Qin Dewei said distressedly: "It's only been three years, why bother?"
Zhan Rong responded: "Three years and three years, how many three years can there be in life?"
Qin Dewei said quickly: "Master Zhan, you are serious. You are in the prime of spring and autumn, and you have a long time to come. There are still many opportunities!"
Faced with the people who came to collect official debts, Qin Dewei tried his best to send them away.
Qin Zhongtang's daily life is so simple and unpretentious. He often has to give advice to others, and often has to do or not do things for others.
The next day, I suddenly received a report from Tongzhou that the Japanese mission had arrived in Tongzhou along the canal!
Qin Dewei sighed with emotion, the first serious job assigned by the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs has finally come!
Some people may be surprised that when Qin Dewei travels back and forth between the two capitals, the one-way journey often takes several months.
And the Japanese mission traveled from Ningbo to Hangzhou last year, then went up the canal from Hangzhou, and has only arrived in the capital now. Why does the journey take so long for more than half a year?
There were two main reasons. First, traveling and doing some business along the way caused the mission to have to stop wherever they went.
Second, the priority of welcoming and sending off the envoys was too low among the government affairs along the way. The Ming government saw no diplomacy, only barbarian vassals.
For example, when local governments allocate ships, messengers, and missions, they often have to wait for a long time, so the journey is naturally slowed down.
Due to various reasons, the Japanese mission did not arrive in the capital until today.
Immediately, Qin Dewei came to the Japanese Pavilion of the Assistant Yiwu Yamen, and a member of his staff asked for instructions: "Should the Japanese be placed in the South Pavilion or the North Pavilion of Huitong?"
Qin Dewei replied without hesitation: "It can be placed in the North Pavilion! The South Pavilion is close to the ministries, so the Japanese cannot be approached!"
The rest of the staff reported the arrangements one by one: "After the Japanese mission arrives, as usual, they will first request the emperor to receive them and give them a banquet. The emperor will decide whether or not to do so.
Before that, I would also like to ask Qin Zhongtang to come forward on behalf of the imperial court to appease the envoys, so as to declare the will of the Celestial Empire to encourage the barbarians to change."
"Okay, let me see you first!" Qin Dewei nodded in agreement.