Gao Gong gave himself three consecutive days off. He neither went out to defend himself nor went out to see what was going on. Apart from staying at home and acting like he was "waiting for investigation," he did not say anything.
Gao Gong's disciples were also very quiet, as if they suddenly didn't recognize their master anymore, they were all busy with their own business, without any intention of rolling up their sleeves to discuss the matter.
Liu Fenyong and Cao Daye were in a state of anxiety. They felt that this situation was simply torture, as if they knew they were going to be beaten but didn't know where the other person would hit them. They were in a state of high tension. After only three days. , these two people actually lost a lot of weight, ushering in a new era of weight loss.
Liu Fenyong and Cao Daye were not the only ones who couldn't stand it any longer. The emperor couldn't stand it anymore either. He issued successive edicts to appease Gao Gong, asking Gao Gong to come out and take matters into his own hands. But there was a problem here. If the emperor asked Gao Gong to come out and take matters into his own hands, he had to come out and take matters into his own hands. , usually Liu and Cao need to be dealt with first, but according to convention, Gao Gong must first submit a self-defense statement, so that the emperor can choose to believe the ministers based on the self-defense statement, and then deal with Liu and Cao.
In other words, if Gao Gong could not go to Shu to defend himself and locked himself at home, the emperor would freeze. However, it is not appropriate to issue an edict to urge Gao Gong to defend himself. The reason has been mentioned before. Generally, only the emperor is extremely angry. If you are seriously dissatisfied with the minister, you will issue an edict to rebuke him and ask him to defend himself.
After all, it was Emperor Longqing. Since he couldn't stand it anymore and face was not important, he sent Chen Hong, Feng Bao and Meng Chong to the Gao University Scholars' Mansion one after another, and asked Gao Gong to go to court to defend himself - the nature of this was different, wasn't it? It is a decree, but a request.
On the fourth day, Gao Gong finally gave the emperor face and Shangshu defended himself.
"I have a cool virtue, misunderstood the heavy responsibilities, and failed to achieve anything in my duties. As a result, I have been blamed for others' mistakes. How dare I defend myself! But there are those who have great righteousness in Shangguan and famous integrity in Xiaguan. I dare not not understand what I mean.
The month before last, the Holy Eucharist was in disobedience. The minister and his colleague Zhang Juzheng were at court day and night, vacillating around each other until the Holy Eucharist was laid to rest. Then they returned home. The minister and the Minister of Punishment, Cao Jin, held a marriage ceremony at the Holy Eucharist. After that, the sun and moon can be pressed.
During the reading in the East Palace, even though the cabinet ministers had the responsibility of promoting the ministers, but they still accompanied them, the meeting ceremony was not recorded, and the Ministry of Rites did not issue an invitation, which was unprecedented. The ministers did not dare to attend without permission, and they felt uneasy. , so there is a five-day kowtow request, which adds to the things that were not in the old days, rather than subtracting from the things that were in the old days. This example is legible.
I am grateful for the payment. I have always been planning for the emperor with Zhang Juzheng. I strongly praise his achievements and show his determination to serve the country as a minister. Although he has been repeatedly praised by Wen Lun and given a lot of promotions, he and other ministers have spoken vigorously, but they dare not live in it. Now it is said that the minister's merit is due to his own merit. This is a lesson from the sage.
Since the emperor summoned his ministers to return to the cabinet and take charge of administrative affairs, I immediately worried that the excessive power would lead to danger. I resigned at the end of the year and was exempted from several invitations. In the spring of this day, the emperor resumed his speech, saying that the emperor sat quietly and did not dare to be rude, but now he said that the minister had exclusive power and refused to resign. This is also the insight of the sage. This is all about the great righteousness of Guan Guan, and I would like to state that this is the case.
The minister is ignorant, self-reliant, and capable of being clean. He comes to the door to pay selfless visits and does not let a single piece of paper enter. This move towards courting the Jin gentry is known to everyone in the world. The deputy envoy Dong Wencai has a high reputation, and he is recommended by the minister to participate in politics. Bureaucrats must carefully choose mature people, and the minister Lu Tiaoyang is an official of the emperor and dare not touch him.
The minister, Zhang Siwei, had the same qualifications and expectations. He and Zhang Juzheng recommended him as the minister of the imperial court. He said that he was given six hundred gold for his literary talent and eight hundred for his literary talent. How can you see the results, and why did you not clearly state the evidence?
In the fourth year of Longqing's reign, Chen Lu reviewed the records and found that Lu Kaiyu's poems were inconsistent with the laws, so he planned to write Youci. In the following year, the Law Department planned to write Ke Jin, but he had nothing to do with me.
The minister's family was as poor as a commoner, and everyone could see it at that time. He had never been robbed, so how could he be justified in saying that he had robbed hundreds of thousands of gold?
These are all matters of honor, and I would like to state that this is the case. As for other accusations, the loyalty and falsehood of the ministers seeking the country, the respect and neglect of the deacons, the public and private use of the service, and the existence of private grievances are all made clear to the people, and the world will have its own public discussion. It is said that the minister has no capacity. But the minister is too weak to win over the powerful, and his hope is too small to convince others. Since he has been talked about by officials, it is reasonable for him to retire, but fortunately he will be dismissed."
This self-defense not only refuted all the previous impeachment points of Cao Daye one by one, but also finally came to the conclusion: "The minister is too small to win the important one, and the weak hope is not enough to convince others. After the official comments have been made, it is reasonable to retire." "I am grateful to be removed from office" is not only an attitude required by convention, but also a response to impeachment.
The emperor had been waiting for this self-defense for three days, so he responded very quickly. Gao Gong went to court in the morning, and at noon the emperor's consolation edict came down: "I know that you are loyal to the Qing Dynasty and the public prudence. Anyone who speaks falsely has been punished, so you can rest assured." He assists the government and relies on his relatives as a deputy. He does not agree to his resignation."
The emperor's statement that "those who speak lies have already been punished" is really not a joke, because before Gao Gong's self-defense was even announced, the emperor had already written down the punishment for Liu Fenyong and Cao Daye. As soon as he entered the General Administration Department, the emperor immediately wrote two handwritten edicts, asking the Chief of Ceremonies to use treasures to write documents and then issue them.
"Liu Fenyong made lies and was demoted to a foreign post."
"Cao Daye, this fellow, has been enslaved as an assistant minister and has been demoted and transferred to foreign posts. Someone should be dealt with severely!"
Feng Bao took these two handwritten edicts, feeling a little panicked, and rushed to the cabinet to discuss with Zhang Juzheng - after Gao Gong stayed behind closed doors, Guo Pu and Zhang Juzheng were now taking turns drafting the votes in the cabinet, and Zhang Juzheng happened to be writing the draft today.
When Zhang Juzheng received the emperor's edict, he showed no expression on his face, nor did he look like Feng Bao who was in constant panic. Instead, he comforted him and said: "Don't be anxious, Mr. Feng. The emperor's move is just what the title says." It’s just righteousness.”
Feng Bao breathed a sigh of relief, but still had a serious look on his face. He took a few steps hurriedly and said: "What is the meaning of the question? Mr. Zhang Ge, Liu Fenyong can just give it up. The emperor only blames him for talking nonsense, demoting him to a foreign post, etc." We can also make proper arrangements to prevent him from suffering too much. But what should Cao Daye do? Look at the tone of the emperor's edict, 'this guy' has come out! Not only is he demoted to foreign posts, but also made Yousi Yi From the serious point of view, who is Yousi? The official department! The official department is a high-arched yamen! The emperor did not say to what extent it will be reduced, why don't we just beat him to the end? This person is considered useless - if he were an ordinary person, he would be useless It’s useless, but he is your disciple!”
Zhang Juzheng smiled, waved his hand and said: "It's just a temporary setback, it doesn't matter. Besides, I have a word with him about the risks of doing this."
Feng Bao exhaled and said helplessly: "Even if he can think about the overall situation and doesn't complain about it, what will outsiders think when they see it?"
Zhang Juzheng pondered for a moment this time before saying: "The emperor's hand edict is just a hand edict after all. The formal edict is still drafted by the cabinet. It's enough to remove the emperor's impulsive words."
Feng Bao's face turned serious and asked: "How to change it?"
Zhang Juzheng said: "Cao Daye made arrogant remarks and demoted him to foreign posts."
Feng Bao frowned and hesitated: "If the emperor knew..."
"It doesn't matter, this is an edict prepared in accordance with the holy will. It is originally the responsibility of the cabinet. The focus of this edict is still to demote Cao Daye to a foreign post. I have not changed this decision. Even if the emperor knows about it, he will not do anything. "
Feng Bao reluctantly accepted this statement and said: "Since Mr. Zhang Ge has this responsibility and Feng can't say much, let's just do it like this." He paused, then frowned and said: "Gao Huzhi, this holy family member , why are you so steadfast?"
Zhang Juzheng's eyes twitched twice and he said in a deep voice: "There are always times when things change."
This sentence reminded Feng Bao. Feng Bao looked around a few times and lowered his voice and said: "The emperor has been in a bad mood these past few days, and his food intake has decreased."
Zhang Juzheng's eyes moved and he said: "This is the misfortune of the world... How is the emperor's condition?"
Feng Bao said with some annoyance: "The emperor has replaced a group of personal servants, and I can't grasp the specific situation. But you don't have to worry. I guess it's not only my people who have been replaced, but also the people deployed by Meng Chong, Chen Hong and others. , has also been replaced. Now everyone in Qianqing Palace is afraid that they all have a dark eye... I am trying to find ways to win over the people in Qianqing Palace, which will take some time."
Zhang Juzheng frowned and asked, "Don't you know the situation at all? Is it getting worse or is it getting better?"
Feng Bao sneered and said: "In such troubled times, how can the emperor's condition be alleviated? Besides, although the emperor has replaced a batch of internal servants in Qianqing Palace, he can't just replace those imperial doctors, right?"
Zhang Juzheng's eyes lit up: "Feng Gongyou...reached a consensus with a certain imperial physician?" He was originally going to say, "Feng Gongyou bribed a certain imperial physician?" But when the words came to his lips, he woke up and changed his explanation.
Feng Bao was not so cautious, and waved his hand: "The imperial doctors cannot be bribed. If they have problems with this kind of thing, it will be a crime against which the nine tribes cannot be protected. I thought of the solution based on the people around the imperial doctors - at least One thing is certain, the emperor's dosage of medicine has increased."
Zhang Juzheng was overjoyed, his face became more serious, and he nodded and said: "Kuolai Changjun, as ministers, we should recite prayers for the emperor day and night, but if the country is unfortunate and the emperor really has a contingency... we also need to be prepared."
Feng Bao's eyes flashed and he nodded: "I came today to discuss it with Mr. Ge in detail." He paused and said, "I have something to tell Mr. Ge: Dongchang has found out that Jinghua Soap The soap produced by the factory flows into Liaodong from Xuecheng through the command of Kaiping Zhongtunwei."
Zhang Juzheng was good at political maneuvering in official circles and did not know much about these business matters. He frowned and said, "So what?"
Feng Bao chuckled and said: "Mr. Ge, Jinghua Soap has huge profits, you know this, right?"
Of course Zhang Juzheng knew that he himself used the Guoshi soap produced by Jinghua Soap Factory.
Seeing him nodding, Feng Bao continued: "Although the specific profit of Jinghua Soap is unknown, it must be huge. And for such a hugely profitable product, that guy Gao Pragmatic was willing to hand over the entire distribution rights of Liaodong.
Xuecheng."
Zhang Juzheng vaguely understood what Feng Bao meant, and asked: "What is the origin of this Xuecheng?"
Feng Bao chuckled: "Old Haojiao Ge knows that this man is the direct younger brother of Xue Qian, Marquis of Yangwu."
Zhang Juzheng's eyes immediately lit up.
When Feng Bao saw it, his smile became even brighter, and he added: "The people in Dongchang followed the clues and found that he couldn't keep much of the money Xuecheng made from it. Most of it should have been transferred back to Marquis Yangwu of the capital.
Mansion."
"Oh? Mr. Feng, please continue." Zhang Juzheng said calmly.
"But the money was not sent directly to Yangwuhou's Mansion, but to a foreign residence in Yangwuhou's Mansion - that place is owned by Xue Yuan, the eldest son of Yangwuhou." Feng Bao chuckled and added.
He said: "This Xue Yuan is quite close to many distinguished disciples in the capital, but that is not the key. The key is that he seems to have a very good relationship with Gao Pragmatic, and there are quite a few contacts between the two of them."
Zhang Juzheng frowned, thought for a moment, and asked, "Is there any more?"
"Yes." Feng Bao said in a deep voice: "Dongchang continued to investigate and found that Gao Pragmatic was not only closely related to Xue Yuan, but also the children of nobles in the capital, and even the children of many civil servants' families, were connected with him. I suspect...
…This was not Gao Pragmatic’s own intention, I’m afraid it was Gao Gong’s instigation.”
Zhang Juzheng didn't speak for a while, and then he pondered for a moment and then said: "I think something is wrong. Mr. Feng, I understand what you mean. You are saying that the Gao family used the profits from Jinghua Soap to win over the nobles in the capital and even some civil servants. But in my opinion,
Knowing Gao Ge Lao, he probably wouldn't bother to do this, so it's not necessarily Gao Ge Lao who instigated this matter, it's more likely that Gao Pragmatic did it himself."
Feng Bao frowned and said: "Gao Pragmatic did it himself? Even so, but it makes no difference. When there is a chance to pursue the case, the two uncles and nephews of the Gao family will always be grasshoppers on the same rope."
Zhang Juzheng understood what he meant, and Feng Bao's implication was that as long as there was a chance to pursue this matter, he would blame it on Gao Gong. After all, Gao was pragmatic at his age, and it was only him who could talk about such a big matter.
How many people in the world are willing to believe this idea without Gao Gong's permission?
He nodded inwardly and felt that this was a solution. But there were two issues to be solved in this matter. The first was how deeply the nobles in the capital and the civil servants were involved in this matter. If he and Feng Bao were involved,
How strong will be the backlash of these people when pursuing this matter? Secondly, how extensive is the involvement of this matter. If it is too involved, it will be very troublesome to pursue it. Even if he and Feng Bao join forces and find the right person,
opportunity, but it is impossible to win over the nobles in the capital and a large number of civil servants in one fell swoop - that would be a more serious problem than the death of the emperor, and it might lead to big trouble.
You must know that even if the emperor dies, as long as the prince is well, he can directly succeed to the throne. As long as the capital is not in chaos, this is a very appropriate thing.
But no one would dare to try to catch all the nobles and nobles in the capital. Who knows how much trouble it would cause - in theory, all the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses in the capital camp are placed under the names of these nobles, even if in fact
The shortage is serious, but there are at least a dozen or two hundred thousand people. If so many Qiuba get into trouble, no one will be able to stop it.
In addition, some civil servants are also implicated, and the consequences are even more unpredictable.
Thinking of this, Zhang Juzheng had to seek stability and asked: "Who are actually involved and how deep are they involved? Mr. Feng, please find out more clearly... Mr. Feng also knows that although those honorable men are usually
It doesn’t have much serious use, but after all, they are separated from the country, and if they all cry and seize the palace together, they will be in trouble."
Feng Bao was also nervous after hearing this. Of course he knew how powerful it was for the nobles to cry and seize the palace together. A top civil servant like Zhang Juzheng might not care too much about the power of the nobles, but he was an eunuch, so that was for sure.
I don’t dare to confront the nobles. After all, the nobles are the hands, feet and arms of the emperor, and the eunuchs are just domestic slaves. How can they be compared?
Cut off your arms for a domestic slave? Even a fool would not choose this.
Although Feng Bao refused to believe that Gao Pragmatic could bribe all the nobles in Beijing, the danger of such a thing was indeed too great. Zhang Juzheng's worries were not unreasonable. He had no choice but to nod his head and said: "What Mr. Ge said is true. I'll go and let him know."
The lads below will work harder to understand the matter thoroughly before making any further calculations."