The party dispute started family affairs again, and he asked for a tribute and asked questions

Since Jingcha, Sun Yan, the secretary of the ministry, has a knot in his heart, and he has asked for resignation and returned to his hometown in July, and finally got his wish in July. In the same month, Zhao Yongxian, the left attendant of the Ministry of Rites, was promoted to the left attendant of the Ministry of Officials. Zhao Yongxian was once famous all over the world for his impeachment of Zhang Juzheng's amorous affairs, and he also became the target of competition among officials of the Ministry of Ministers for opposing the Three Kings and impeaching Wang Xijue, so Zhao Yongxian attracted the attention of the cabinet.

After the Huanghuai flood was reconsidered by the Ministry of Household in September, Yang Junmin, the secretary of the Ministry of Households, said to Wang Xijue: "Henan has been hit by floods again, and the Ministry of Household has allocated a sum of disaster silver before, but Henan has not only delayed the return every time, but also improperly spent the disaster relief silver, and the local government is not effective, and the disaster situation has become more and more serious. It is now ascertained that Kaifeng, Guide, Henan and Ruzhou belong to the south of the river. According to the serious precedents of the disaster, regardless of the positive exchange and the change of exchange, each stone is converted into five dollars of silver, and Taicang is levied, and then the military salary is given. The prefectures and counties of Zhangde, Weihui and Huaiqing are the north of the river. There is no serious disaster, and it is still possible to do it, and it is still the same as before, and it is located in Tianjin, Ji, Mi and other warehouses. The local storage is empty, and the household department is also stretched, and the household department intends to be able to ship it locally, and raise it in the storage, grain, and dirty silver. ”

Wang Xijue asked: "This year's various expenditures are quite large, and the household department is also extremely difficult, if it causes a deficit, it will be impeached by hundreds of officials." After the flood, the whole land is decaying, if it is not pacified in time, the famine is coming, is there any other way to raise silver taels? ”

Yang Junmin paused for a moment and said: "Even if I don't say this method, the elder of the pavilion also knows it, please dial the internal money." Nowadays, there are frequent wars inside and outside the Guan, and the various expenses reported this year plus the needs of the Huanghuai disaster are calculated day and night by the household department, which is really unbearable. ”

Wang Xijue couldn't help asking: "But when the disaster situation suddenly comes, the governor should coordinate and sit in the town, and the chief political secretary and the prosecutor should send various provinces to inspect, provide grain, and care for the people, investigate the victims' homes in the affected prefectures and counties, and give the warehouse grain relief." Henan has no rules from May to August, it is unfavorable to care for the people, and the report is delayed, how can this Zhao Shiqing He De re-enter the Beijing Division as a household servant? ”

Zhao Zhigao explained to Wang Xijue: "The transfer of Zhao Shiqing as the head of the household department has been decided in early May, Zhao Shiqing has not long arrived in Henan, and he is not familiar with everything although he is still doing his best despite the sudden disaster, and the officials of the other provinces are all corrupt and unscrupulous, and they can't complain about Zhao Shiqing, so it is better to enter Beijing to promote their strengths." ”

Wang Xijue was silent for the time being, pacing back and forth thoughtfully, Wang Xijue said: "After Zhao Shiqing entered Beijing, it was originally planned that Shen Sixiao, the governor of Shaanxi, would take over the post of governor of Henan, but this Shen Sixiao actually resigned in every possible way and did not listen to the dispatch of the imperial court, which was really bold and reckless. This Shen Sixiao wants to avoid sending his career to Henan to act like this, he is not ashamed, he will definitely be questioned in the future, a province disaster can not be without a person in charge, who do you think can take office? ”

Zhang Wei suddenly thought of someone, and immediately proposed: "It is better to ask Zhang Yiyuan to be appointed as the governor of Henan, Zhang Yiyuan is a Jinshi for 20 years of Wanli, known as the ambition to stabilize the people's livelihood, and his talents are excellent, so he can choose to go to Henan for training." Not only that, some officials in Henan also need to be impeached, dismissed from office, punished, and selected another candidate, so that Zhang Yiyuan will not be constrained. Wang Xijue agreed. Later, Zhang Yiyuan was appointed governor of Henan in October to preside over disaster relief.

After Zhao Yongxian was appointed as the left attendant of the Ministry of Officials, Gu Xiancheng of the Wenxuan Shilang fell in love with him. One day, Gu Xiancheng sincerely invited Zhao Yongxian to meet, and Gu Xiancheng praised Zhao Yongxian again and again: "Mr. Dingyu is upright and jealous, high-spirited, and is really a model for my generation. The Ministry of Officials is responsible for evaluating and selecting the world's good talents, and I also ask Mr. for more advice. ”

Zhao Yongxian replied: "Uncle Shi is serious, and all the gentlemen in the ministry have the ability to support the community, so why do you need to give advice." The same dynasty is just an official auxiliary saint and an people. In the Book of the Later Han Dynasty, it is said that the election of good talents is the foundation of government. The selection process needs to be impartial. Shu Xiang Zhuge Kongming also said in the article "Knowing People" that human nature is difficult to observe, and the appearance is different, and it is necessary to observe its aspirations, its changes, its knowledge, its bravery, its nature, its integrity, and its faith. With all due respect, now that the Jingcha External Investigation is gradually losing its strictness, it will become useless after a long time, and the Chaogang will be broken. ”

Gu Xiancheng sighed: "What Shao Situ said is extreme, only sigh that the national government is difficult to do now, the dispute between the cabinet is becoming more and more intense, and Da Situ has been jealous of Wang Xijue because of the merger of the three kings. ”

Zhao Yongxian didn't want to get involved in the dispute between the cabinet, and he also knew that Gu Xiancheng was trying his best to win over, and repeatedly hinted at himself, so he turned around and said: "Uncle, you can't speculate at will without evidence, the good and evil in the world start from the heart, and every move of the cabinet is related to the government and people's livelihood, and you can't just care about competing with each other." I have also seen and heard a lot about what the cabinet ministers did, although they were inappropriate, they still did not lose their duties, but the country was concerned about the emperor, and the ministries were the same. If it is to promote the great rule, I will advance with all the kings. Since then, not only officials of the ministry, but also people from various ministries and departments have invited Zhao Yongxian to see Zhao Yongxian, as if Zhao Yongxian has been regarded as a leader, Zhao Yongxian has also been aware of this, and he often has open conversations with officials in Beijing, and his words are also extremely cautious.

The cabinet is also worried about Zhao Yongxian's increasing support by Gu Xiancheng and others, and Zhang Wei first commented on this: "Zhao Rushi is a five-year jinshi in Longqing, and he has been a virtuous official so far, with a large collection of books at home, erudite and knowledgeable, and a famous person in the world. Before the strong temperament, negative and arrogant, in the past few years, he has been studying and becoming more and more calm. It is not surprising that many officials are vying for it. ”

Zhao Zhigao also had a very good impression of Zhao Yongxian, so he hoped that he could try his best to alleviate the contradictions in the cabinet, Zhao Zhigao stroked his beard and Hu also commented on this matter: "Zhao Yongxian has virtue and virtue, and there is nothing wrong with taking up the ministry, even if many officials in Beijing often associate with him, as long as Zhao Yongxian sticks to his duty, there will be no party formation, and he will also lead by example to supervise Beijing, which is also beneficial and harmless for the cabinet to work together, and I think the cabinet should support it." ”

Wang Xijue's face was solemn: "Elder Zhao Ge, Gu Xiancheng can be said to be extremely deep in the city, and the saint cannot escape fame and fortune, not to mention Zhao Yongxian, if time comes, he will inevitably be used without knowing it, and he has a gap with me." If we sit idly by, sooner or later we will obstruct the cabinet's actions everywhere, there are many state and government affairs, there are still accumulated defects in the administration of officials, wars at the border gates are frequent, floods in the Central Plains and Huanghuai are floods, and party disputes are brewing in the DPRK and China. can first make it clear to Zhao Yongxian, and never take care of Xiancheng and others. lest the court fall into unnecessary disputes again. ”

Zhang Wei asked: "This is very good, but the air of impeachment is still there, and once Zhao Yongxian is involved, it is inevitable that he will think that the cabinet instigated it." Wang Xijue replied after thinking: "I am also worried, before the imperial history Wu Zhiyan mentioned to me that Zhao Yongxian's daughter was born in March, she promised to marry the Wu family, but then suddenly withdrew from the marriage and remarried the Jiang family. The Wu family still remembers it in their hearts, and Wu Zhiyan is my fellow villager and asks me to help. Impeachment of Zhao Yongxian on wealth and expulsion of sons-in-law. I have declined. ”

Zhao Zhigao was puzzled: "This is just a trivial matter at home, how can you discuss it in the court?" What does Wu Zhiyan mean? And I have heard about this matter, and there are many doubts, and they insist on their own words, so it is better to settle the matter and calm the people. Zhang Wei felt that the general of the DPRK and the lieutenant general had another dispute: "Zhao Ge is kind to others, but too many people also have hidden evil intentions, and they will be harmful for a long time." But any impeachment must be defended, and it only needs a little push, and the supporters will have trouble in order to avoid Zhao Yongxian

The controversy led to a controversy and a dispute between the cabinet and the ministry. If it cannot be controlled in time, the emperor will be suspicious of Zhao Yongxian's formation of a party and dismiss the official. There will be chaos in the DPRK and China again. ”

Zhao Zhigao also had feelings: "As the head of the pavilion, the elder should prepare as soon as possible, and he can also tell Wu Zhiyan not to make trouble." Wang Xijue replied: "Although I hate the officials of Jingcha acting too much, but this matter is over, even if the strengthening of the cabinet power must not cause infighting in the court because of this, I will tell Wu Zhiyan again." ”

Later, Wu Zhiyan and his son Wu Zhen impeached Zhao Yongxian without authorization, and abandoned the law. The Ming Dynasty is the most important to pursue the etiquette law, state affairs, family affairs, clothing, words and deeds are all in accordance with etiquette, if there is a violation of the will be criticized, by the thousands of people, the family will also be implicated. Therefore, whether it is an official in the court or a cloth cloth, if the etiquette and law are lost, the reputation is damaged, and it is easy to live rather than die. And if the officials in the court are wronged, they will plead and beg for resignation.

Zhao Yongxian also pleaded and begged for a divorce, stating that many years after the two families signed a marriage contract, they were humiliated by Wu Zhiyan and only withdrew from the marriage. In the twentieth year of Wanli, the Wu family proposed again, and the Zhao daughter had already married and had two sons, and Wu Zhen also got married. A number of officials also accused Wu Zhiyan of making a big fuss. And Wu Zhiyan is also a protégé of Luo Wanhua, a scholar of the Ministry of Rites, and Luo Wanhua also resigned in order to avoid suspicion.

Luo Wanhua was respected and relied on by Wang Xijue, and when he heard that Luo Wanhua avoided suspicion and resigned, Wang Xijue immediately wrote: "Use the virtuous lightly, and the Yan will be slow, and they will all be lost." Now that Zhao Nu is married, it is difficult to ask the first alliance. There is no reason to return to her ex-husband. Wu Nan is unmarried, and there is no law of false accusation. If you want to compromise your heart, you should listen to the use of virtuous people to lead to diseases, and allow them to be cured. And the crooked loan, so as not to descend, all of them are peaceful. Later, there was a decree to dismiss Zhao Yongxian, and the officials were surprised.

There are also household department langzhong Yang Yingsu and Zheng Cai repeatedly asked Zhao Yongxian to be severely punished according to the law. For example, Yang Yingsu played: "Zhao Yongxian abandoned etiquette and ignored it, taught his daughter to betray her husband, and the ministers abolished the law to oppose the economy and the Tao. This trend is advocated, the repentant take the virtuous as the mouth, and the prisoners take today as the case, the geometry is not as good as China, and the human beings are also in the beasts. Zheng Cai agreed.

Li Shida, the imperial history of the left capital of the Inspectorate, was deeply unhappy, and brought Gao Panlong and others to visit Gu Xiancheng and ask to defend Zhao Yongxian. Gu Xiancheng refused: "I think this matter is a little abnormal, I am afraid that there is a cabinet manipulation behind it, you must not act rashly, you should think about it in the long run." ”

Li Shida said: "Shao Situ has been humiliated by such a private matter, how to face the world after returning to his hometown? How can our students sit idly by, and as a courtier, we should distinguish between right and wrong. Later, Li Shida and Li Zhen, the right attendant of the household department, made a statement for Zhao Yongxian, and Li Shida said: "With the law, with the virtuous song and the straight." With love, with the virtuous narrow-minded and the Yan is cunning. With the virtuous is not a gentleman, and the Yan is the ear of the villain. ”

Li Zhen Shangshu: "Those who are in Wu Town, as soon as they prick up their ears, and the ministers are expelled from the court, what a scene." Later, Li Shida defended Zhao * Nanxing again, which made Emperor Wanli displeased. coincided with Yang Yingsu and Zheng Cai once again reprimanding Li Shida and Li Zhen, Yang Yingsu played: "Scholars are not the materials for governing the world, Confucianism is not a tool for Kuang Shi, bad customs in the township party, and bad discipline in the imperial court. ”

Zheng Cai played: "Shida has been shameless for a long time, but he can go to work and return to his hometown." Shida was the first to recommend Tsukasa Zai, and the emperor used others for two purposes, and he made it clear that he would not perform his duties, and this one could go; Shida Bao promoted the ministers, and the emperor denounced them as the people, showing them humiliation, and these two can go; The imperial court set up the general constitution as the judge, and the Shida lawlessness was corrected by the Lang Bureau, and these three can go. Li Shida was humiliated by the two people, angry and begging, after being appeased several times, he still resigned ten times, and in October, the will came to dismiss Li Shida from the post of Inspectorate Zuodu Yushi.

In October, Japanese envoys Konishi Ruan and Zong Yizhi accompanied Shen Weijing to Beijing, where they were received by the Cabinet in conjunction with the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War. Shen Weijing served as the interpreter, and was supervised by the general secretary of the Consulate who was fluent in Japanese. Pavilion seat, Wang Xijue raised his hand to signal that the table could be read. After worshipping Xiaoxi Ru'an and Zong Yizhi, they knelt down and lowered their tables, and after Shen Weijing recited, the cabinet and the officials of the second department of the rites and soldiers were speechless to respond, each drinking tea, and there was silence all around, and the atmosphere was solemn, only the sound of the tea tasting entrance and the chirping of birds outside the house several times. Shen Weijing didn't know what to mean and didn't dare to make a sound, and Zong Yizhi and Xiaoxi Ruan also felt uneasy. After a long time, Luo Wanhua, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, took the lead in asking: "According to what is said in the table, I originally came to ask for canonization of tribute, even if North Korea obstructs it, why can't I enter the Ming Dynasty by sea?" ”

Konishi Ruan replied: "The sea route is dangerous, the waves are fast and changeable, and our ships are not suitable for long-distance sailing, and it is difficult to ensure that they are comprehensive, so it is most convenient to go to North Korea by land through Tsushima Island." Luo Wanhua asked again: "What nonsense, if the Japanese ships cannot sail far, how can the Japanese invade my southeast coast for more than ten years?" ”

Zong Yizhi replied: "My lord, first of all, those are Japanese ronin pirates, which have nothing to do with the will of the country, the country clears up every year, and the pirates drift across the ocean to the Ming Dynasty has already been half buried in the belly of the fish, and the survivors then gather overseas refugees to make a living by plundering, only because they are from Japan have this misunderstanding." ”

Wang Xijue asked tentatively: "It is convenient to ship from Tsushima Island to North Korea, so it should be said that there should be sufficient military rations, so why should you withdraw from the army?" Isn't it that the North Korean navy often blocks waterways? Zong Yizhi replied: "No, with all due respect, it is difficult for the North Korean naval army to hinder water transportation." However, the road from Busan to Hanyang was often blocked, the transportation was inconvenient, and the Korean rebels were moving around, and there were many losses, so that the military rations of each army were insufficient and it was difficult to support them. ”

Wang Xijue saw that Zong Yizhi was on the set, so he immediately asked: "So as long as the military food is sufficient, you can no longer have any worries, so I used the pretext of asking for surrender to confuse the public, occupy the three provinces of North Korea, and take advantage of the negotiation with the Ming Dynasty to sweep away the hidden dangers, recuperate and attack me again!" Honestly, I will spare your life. ”

Konishi Ruan hurriedly explained: "My lord, this is really a misunderstanding, the lack of military food is just this fact, the military sent to North Korea was originally to retaliate against North Korea for obstructing the tribute, and His Royal Highness the sovereign Taige of our country always thinks that he can discuss with the Ming Dynasty, as long as he can get canonization and tribute, my country should immediately withdraw the army." ”

Zhao Zhigao also asked sharply: "Even if you can't pay tribute, you should retire from the army, North Korea is a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty is a brother and brother, what is the difference between you offending my siblings and bullying me?" The wolf's ambition to kneel down and beg for tribute again is really incomprehensible. ”

Zhang Wei asked again: "Since the Tang and Song dynasties, it has been more than 300 years since the Wa Kingdom came to the next dynasty. I have also heard that the Wa Kingdom has been mired in civil strife throughout the country since the Hongzhi period, and the feudal towns have been divided and conquered each other, and the turmoil did not end until ten years ago, when the army was strong. Toyotomi Taira Hideyoshi, the Japanese chieftain, is also a man who is a man of ambition and is imprisoned by the Wa King. Is such a character willing to beg for tribute to the Ming Dynasty? ”

Zong Yizhi replied: "North Korea and Daming are brothers and sisters, and we can't regret it, so we only sent troops to vent our anger when we were angry." His Majesty the Emperor of Japan is by no means confined, but Japan has its own national conditions, His Majesty the Emperor is worshiped by all the people, and the state government is determined by the Taiko. His Royal Highness Taige is sincerely begging for tribute, and I hope that the Ming Emperor will allow it. ”

Wang Xijue still couldn't relieve his doubts, and asked again: "You just said that the lord of the Japanese kingdom always thinks about discussing with the Ming Dynasty, why didn't Zu Chengxun remember it when he first arrived in Pyongyang?" Song Yingchang and Li Rusong didn't read it when they came? On the contrary, it was a series of battles, and it was not until I was trapped in Hanyang that I remembered it? ”

Zong Yizhi replied: "When they landed in Korea, the first team had been trying to contact the Korean ministers to convey the intention of withdrawing their troops as soon as they were given tributary channels, and at the same time, they also hoped to convey Japan's tributary sincerity to the Ming Dynasty through Korea. Unexpectedly, the DPRK obstructed in every possible way and misinterpreted its sincerity, so the war continued and the DPRK was defeated all the way. The Ming army suddenly arrived in Pyongyang, and we had no idea about it, so we could only barely meet the battle. Later, the army of the Ming Kingdom marched and talked with each other, and wanted to convey the will of our country, but it was a trap. After that, how dare you negotiate easily, the Ming army is very urgent, and this is why the war continues. It was not until the two armies were resting and recuperating that they could take the opportunity to mention it. ”

Shi Xing, the secretary of the Ministry of War, asked: "Since you have asked for surrender, someone should have told you that no more war should be fought before the reply, and it is reported that on June 29, the Japanese army captured Jinju in Korea, slaughtered tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, and captured Jeolla Province, what is the explanation?" ”

Konishi Ruan replied: "The Jinju incident was the first attack launched by the DPRK against us, and the Japanese only entered Jinju, and the Koreans never listened to the command of the Ming army, acted on their own, and hated Japan very much, and would never report the truth. And we didn't go to war with the Ming army, please be aware of it! After that, Xiaoxi Ru'an and Zong Yizhi only kowtowed and asked for guilt under Shen Weijing's instructions.

In private discussions, Zhang Wei and Zhao Zhigao both believed that although there were still doubts about Japan's request for surrender, it should be credible. Luo Wanhua, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, proposed: "Although it is ridiculous to write in the table that you want to be a concubine, the Wa Kingdom also understands etiquette, and you can play the emperor to canonize it, but this Wa King is only a puppet, and the Wa chieftain Taira Hideyoshi is in charge of state affairs, and his subjects have no objections to the military and the people, so it can be seen that the hearts of the Wa people are all in Hideyoshi." There has never been such a relationship between monarchs and ministers throughout the ages, but it has been unharmed for a hundred years, and presumably this Heihideyoshi must have some scruples and dare not replace him. Who is this canonization for, but it is difficult for the Ming Dynasty. If it is canonized, it is better to ask the emperor to canonize Hirahideyoshi as the king of the Japanese, abolish the old and establish the new, and conform to the will of the Japanese people. For Hideyoshi Hirai, it was also a matter of pushing the boat. ”

Shi Xing, the secretary of the Ministry of War, immediately asked the first assistant to decide: "If the canonization of the Japanese state is allowed, the army should be dismissed, how will this matter be decided?" Wang Xijue replied: "I still have doubts about this, but I can't ask for a while, in recent years, the state has been difficult, so I will temporarily withdraw the army to recuperate." Before the end of the seal, Liu Wei and Wu Weizhong led their troops to stay behind and choke the main road in case there was a change, Song Yingchang and Li Rusong took care of Korean affairs, and the rest withdrew to Liaodong. Shi Xing agreed.

So Wang Xijue ordered Konishi Ruan and Zong Yizhi: "The emperor has decreed that after the Japanese kingdom is feuded, it will quickly withdraw from Korea and Tsushima Island, and after the canonization, it is necessary to keep oneself in peace, without tributary trade, and then reconcile with Korea and not invade again." I will ask for canonization. The matter of retiring from the army will be explained to you by the secretary of the military department. After that, Wang Xijue led the cabinet and the Ministry of Rites to leave.

Later Zong Yizhi asked Shi Xing why he was not allowed to pay tribute? Shi Xing asked Shen Weijing to translate and said: "The Ming Dynasty is rich in the four seas, and all countries come to the court, and there is no shortage of this country." The war is about to end, but the hostility is difficult to dispel, and North Korea is deeply suffering, how can the Ming ignore its feelings. If they want to pay tribute, they must first reconcile with Korea, and then wait for the next day to ask for tribute. ”

Zong Yizhi was anxious: "Lord Shangshu, this canonization of tribute is a dream of Japan, and His Royal Highness Taige is also looking forward to this. Please ask Lord Shangshu to plead to the emperor again. Shi Xing replied coldly: "The holy will has been decided, and it cannot be changed." The Japanese chieftain held him accountable and said that this was the meaning of the Celestial Empire and could not be talked about anymore. After going back, immediately withdraw from North Korea and wait to be sealed, otherwise it will be exterminated! Zong Yizhi didn't say anything more, and withdrew with Shen Weijing with Xiaoxi Ru'an, waiting for the edict to prepare to leave Beijing.