Chapter 032 The Undercurrent of the Capital (Part 2)
Originally, Gao pragmatic thought that Gao Gong was so eager to send a secret letter because something big had happened in the capital, or even a huge change had occurred, and he was already prepared for bad news. However, unexpectedly, on that day,
After Gao pragmatic opened the envelope, he only saw a very ordinary letter from home.
This letter was too ordinary. After reading the letter, Gao Pragmatic even wondered whether Gao Gong had used some black technology such as invisible ink. He took the letter and turned it over and over, even looking at it under the sun, but no matter
No matter how you look at it, it’s just such a letter from home.
Did he send the wrong letter? This is impossible. If Gao Gong was so careless in his work, the government affairs of the world would be in chaos immediately.
Black technology? That's even more nonsense. Even if black technology does appear in the Ming Dynasty in this era, nine times out of ten, it can only be made by his highly pragmatic hands.
Gao pragmatic thought to himself: So the third uncle's true intention can only be hidden in this ordinary letter from home? But, is he doing this because he is worried about leaking the secret, or because he wants to test me?
, or a combination of both?
He picked up the letter and read it carefully again. The letter was neither long nor short, and the words were plain and straightforward, similar to ordinary spoken language.
In the letter, Gao Gong briefly described what happened in the capital in the past six months, and his stance was relatively neutral, with no obvious tendency. Even regarding the confrontation between Gao Dang and Zhao Zhenji, he used a neutral tone that was almost like a bystander.
The explanation not only did not add insult to injury to Zhao Zhenji, but even expressed regret at the end.
In addition, Gao Gong also talked about some government affairs matters. Judging from the tone, he was just "informing", but most of them were related to Gao Pragmatic.
For example, the Southwest Capital was a little unstable. Zeng Shengwu, a protégé of Zhang Juzheng, was temporarily transferred to Sichuan as governor. When Zeng Shengwu passed through Guizhou, he met with Liu Wei as a high party ally, hoping that Liu Wei would be prepared and train his troops.
Horse, prepare to quell the chaos.
Another example is the case of the Huizhou people's Ding Silk Silk. The general conclusion is that someone has indeed tampered with the tax itself. However, due to its age, it is difficult to investigate. In addition, local customs have been established and it is difficult to change suddenly. Therefore, the court decided
The overall tax was reduced by half, and the remaining half was shared between She County and other counties according to the local tax payment ratio last year. At the same time, the Huizhou government was ordered to seriously rectify the tax law and try out the one-whip method.
For another example, Xuzhou, Pizhou and other places were once again flooded this year, causing water transportation to be interrupted, refugees everywhere, and local erosion. Gao Gongsui took advantage of the overwhelming momentum of defeating Zhao Zhenji and forced the cabinet to pass a resolution that 30% of the annual water transportation should be transported by sea.
Heading to the capital. However, due to the intermittency of the capital's shipping and the tight port, the imperial court decided to give a one-year buffer period to discuss and determine temporary stopping points for supplies and shelter from wind and waves along the way, and to allow Tianjin Guards to renovate and expand the original port.
Gao Pragmatic also gave Gao Gong some advice, regarding the Yongding River flood control and diversion. Gao Gong also told him in a letter some recent corresponding measures.
However, the two items that Gao pragmatic is most concerned about are placed last.
One is that Gao Gong told him that the tribute payment for Anda Khan has been basically settled, and the court angel has set off for Datong with the edict. After reaching Datong and Wang Chonggu, the governor of Xuanda, Anda Khan will hold an alliance in the near future.
According to the result of the discussion, Anda Khan will swear to accept the canonization of the Ming Dynasty in the presence of the dignitaries of the right-wing Mongolian ministries and the leaders of other tribes controlled by the right-wing Mongolia, and swear that the Mongolian right-wing will never invade the border from now on.
At the end of talking about this matter, Gao Gong simply said, "...The emperor is very pleased that such a tribute is about to come true. All ministers who have made meritorious deeds should be generously rewarded."
When Gao Pragmatic read it before, he only regarded this sentence as a "smooth remark" and ignored it. When he read it again, he suddenly understood: There are several layers of meaning here!
First of all, the emperor defined the tribute in advance as a success - those who had previously obstructed the tribute were "nailed to the pillar of shame" in advance; at the same time, those who had previously advocated the tribute should be counted as
With meritorious deeds, everyone can relax and no longer need to be frightened.
Secondly, the emperor wanted to reward the meritorious officials. In other words, before retiring, Li Chunfang could still get a reward for presiding over the tribute ceremony, and it was estimated that he would at least be able to earn a glorious career. Gao Gong himself would undoubtedly go to a higher level and take over the position of chief minister.
Auxiliary, maybe you can get a wave of promotions, such as the Jiazhu Kingdom, from the Crown Prince to the Crown Prince and Grand Master, or even to the Young Master, or even from the Grand Scholar of Jianji Palace to the Grand Bachelor of Zhongji Palace, etc.
Wait, it's all possible, the key depends on the emperor's mood.
In the end, Gao Jingshi himself may also get the reward, but it is best to return to the capital as soon as possible - after all, when the emperor does such a thing, it really makes a difference whether you are in the capital or not, and Gao Gong, as Gao Jingshi's third uncle
, it is not convenient for him to bring it up, and even his disciples should not mention it, otherwise it will be suspected of asking for credit. Gao Pragmatic can only appear in front of the emperor and let the emperor think of it: Oh, yes, this matter
The little Gaoqing family also worked hard, and they will be rewarded!
This one is about the reward for my success in answering the tribute, which is a good thing, but the other one may not be so good.
Gao Gong vaguely mentioned that once Li Chunfang vacated the throne, he, Zhang Juzheng, and Yin Shidan would be the only three people left in the cabinet. Yin Shidan had never dealt with him very well, but it didn't matter, because this person was not an old minister of Yudi.
He had no old friendship with the emperor, and he followed the inner court route to obtain the imperial edict and entered the cabinet. He was quite despised by the government and the public, and could not make any big waves.
The problem is that since Yin Shidan is of no great use, the importance of Zhang Juzheng has increased. Gao and Zhang had always joined forces to fight against the enemy under the checks and balances of the alliance of Li Chunfang and Zhao Zhenji. From the outside, they seemed to be one and the same, but
In fact, both of them knew in their hearts that Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong were already at odds with each other due to the Songjiang land withdrawal case. Once the Li-Zhao alliance disintegrated and the external pressure on the two of them disappeared, they would probably switch from allies to allies.
Passers-by may even be hostile.
Zhang Juzheng is different from other people in the previous cabinet. He is also a former minister of Yudi, and is only slightly worse than Gao Gong in terms of closeness; at the same time, he is a disciple of Xu Jie. In the Songjiang land withdrawal case, regardless of whether he collected money or confiscated it, anyway
In the end, he stepped forward to give Teacher Xu a hand. Now that Li Chunfang and Zhao Zhenji, the two troublemakers who took away half of Xu Jie's political legacy, are gone, the remaining Xu Party members can only turn to Zhang Juzheng if they want to take over. Finally, Zhang Juzheng's political ability is basically
They are not comparable to Li Chunfang, a good gentleman, and Zhao Zhenji, a lazy and pedantic person.
If Zhang Juzheng had no ability and ambition, how could he be valued by Gao Gong and relied on as his right-hand man? He even hoped that he would become the successor of his career and carry forward his reforms?
Gao pragmatically put down the letter, feeling both excited and emotional: The battle between Gao and Zhang was finally about to begin.
