In the sixteenth year of Wanli, for the Ming Dynasty, two important ministers were folded in a row.

One is Qi Jiguang, who is "not my intention to be a marquis, but I hope that Hai Boping will be peaceful", in the thirteenth year of Wanli, Qi Jiguang was impeached by Zhang Xigao in the name of "strong soldiers gathered, high merit covers the master", Qi Jiguang died of illness a few years after returning to his hometown.

Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayou is deeply loved by the people in Fujian, and the place where Lin Yanchao's hometown is studying has a Qi Gong Ancestral Hall to commemorate.

It's a pity that Lin Yanchao didn't have the opportunity to see the demeanor of this famous general after coming to Daming.

The other one is Hai Rui.

Jiajing, Longqing period, there were many famous ministers in the officialdom, the prime minister has Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, Zhang Siwei, etc., the civil minister has Yang Bo, Hai Rui, Xu Guangmo, etc., the military generals have Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayou and so on.

These people are all the choice of the moment, and there is no shortage of talents, and now there are few such officials in the court, and there are basically no more in the middle and late Wanli period.

At this moment, Lin Yanchao actually had the feeling that when he read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the famous ministers and good generals in the late Shu Han Dynasty would wither one after another.

After hearing that Hai Rui had died, Lin Yanchao immediately went to Haifu to pay respects.

Lin Yanchao didn't even wear an official uniform this time, just wore plain clothes, and came to Hai Rui Mansion to get on and off the sedan chair from afar.

Lin Yanchao took Chen Jichuan and Zhanming with incense and candles to Hai Rui's mansion.

Along the way, I saw an endless stream of visitors.

As soon as Lin Yanchao arrived at the mansion, the subordinates of Haifu recognized Lin Yanchao, Lin Yanchao stretched out his hand and said: "Don't make a noise, the headquarters just wants to worship Hai Qingtian alone." ”

When the subordinate heard this, he stopped talking and stepped aside.

With the crowd, Lin Yanchao personally went to Hai Rui's mourning hall to worship and worship, and there was not a single official he saw along the way, all of them were ordinary people wearing ordinary clothes.

Many people still help the old and the young, and the whole family comes to worship Hai Rui.

Everyone wept bitterly at Hai Jui's coffin.

After Lin Yanchao's memorial, he went to Mrs. Hai Rui in the back hall.

When Mrs. Hai Rui saw Lin Yanchao, she cried bitterly.

After crying, Mrs. Hai Rui immediately handed over a public account to Lin Yanchao and said: "This is written by her late husband before his death, he has supervised the study of righteousness in the past few years, and every expenditure of the money he has handled is here." ”

The first husband said that when he took office, he promised the people that he would spend every tael of silver on the people, and now he will do what he says. There was also a firewood sent by the Ministry of War, and the extra seven coins of silver, and the lord also ordered us to return it. ”

Lin Yanchao shook his head when he saw Mrs. Hai Rui handing it over, and said, "I heard that Lord Hai's funeral was jointly organized by several officials in the yamen, and the money is ...... Okay, I'll take it. ”

Lin Yanchao instructed Chen Jichuan to accept it, and then said to Mrs. Hai Rui: "Haigong, I have to help the museum back to Qiongzhou all the way, I don't know how much it costs on the way, I have some silver taels here, which should be enough for Lord Hai to help the coffin and return to the burial." ”

Mrs. Hai hurriedly excused herself: "How can this be done? Lin Butang has helped us a lot. ”

Lin Yanchao said: "This is my little heart, Hai Qingtian was recommended by me to come to Beijing as an official, and now I am dying of illness in office, if I don't let me do something, I will be at peace." ”

Mrs. Hai wept and said, "Lin Butang must not say that. This money was unwilling to be accepted by the master no matter what, although I am a woman, I don't have any ideas, but I also know to follow my late husband's will. ”

Lin Yanchao said: "That's okay, then I won't send the silver, let me hire a carriage for Hai Qingtian to return to my hometown, and I can do my best." ”

Lin Yanchao took a lot of time before Mrs. Hai Rui agreed.

Lin Yanchao immediately left Haifu and walked out of the hall, but saw that the people outside the mansion were gathering more and more, all wearing white clothes and hats.

Seeing that the merchants went on strike and did not do business, and hundreds of people came to pay tribute to the scene of blocking the Haifu before and after, Lin Yanchao said to Chen Jichuan with emotion: "Although the emperor did not send ministers to worship in person, nor did he set up an altar in the Taimiao, but no official can compare with such a mourning." Since then, there is no more Zhang Taiyue in the Ming Dynasty, and there is no more Haigang Peak. ”

After speaking, Lin Yanchao left Haifu and went to Shenfu.

He handed Hai Rui's suicide note to Shen Shixing.

Shen Shixing took Hai Rui's suicide note and read it, and then sighed: "Hai Gangfeng is an official, and many officials are hypocritical, but in fact, they just can't do it. But of course, it can't be done, and it shouldn't be said that people are not. ”

Lin Yanchao said: "Teacher, what should I do after Haigang Peak?" ”

Shen Shixing said: "Although Your Majesty doesn't like Haigang Peak, you can be stingy with praise during your lifetime, but you can give it if you can give it after you die, which is also in line with people's expectations." ”

Lin Yanchao also said: "The students also think that Haigangfeng should of course be praised, but not everyone in the officials will follow suit, otherwise it will attract imitation." Otherwise, from now on, I don't know how much more in the court, the family has a surplus of money, and the outside is a delicate state, wanting to merge fame and fortune, and they all attack it. ”

Shen Shixing said happily: "That's right, in your opinion? ”

Lin Yanchao said: "The students thought that many officials and the people thought that Haigangfeng's status today was because of the word incorruptible, but the students thought that this move was inappropriate, and they should promote Haigangfeng's merits and be the backbone of officials." ”

"When Hai Gangfeng was in office, he dredged the Wusong River and made it flow to the sea."

Shen Shixing nodded and said: "This is what he did in Nanjing, the old man remembers that you used the method of work for relief to govern the Yellow River in Germany, which is the peak of the sea of law." ”

Lin Yanchao said: "It is exactly like this, this move benefits the people and workers, and more importantly, the imperial court has not been effective in governing Wusongjiang for nearly a hundred years, and Hai Gangfeng has been in office for only a few months to get rid of the accumulated shortcomings, which is a great contribution to the people and the community." ”

Shen Shixing nodded and said: "Don't show his virtue but show his merit, this merit is learned!" ”

"There is also Hai Rui in Nanjing's tenure to crack down on Haoqiang, suppress the merger of large households, when Xu Wenzhen went home, embezzled more than 100,000 acres of land, Hai Gangfeng did not remember Xu Wenzhen's kindness to him to save his life and led the investigation, but his public heart can still be written."

Hearing Lin Yanchao's words, Shen Shixing's face sank.

Lin Yanchao glanced at Shen Shixing's face.

After Yu Shen Xingzhi, there is such a sentence in the book "Gushan Pen Dust" that the wealth of Huating is more than divided, and the wealth of Wumen is greater than that of Jiangling, and it is not exhaustive.

Huating is Xu Jie, Fenyi is Yan Song, and the wealth of Xu Jie, in the last sentence, Xu Jie's wealth is not lost to Yan Song.

Wumen is Shen Shixing, Jiangling is Zhang Juzheng, and the wealth of Shen Shixing in the next sentence is even higher than Zhang Juzheng.

Then there is 'not all you take', which means Xu Jie, and Shen Shixing's wealth is not all through 'taking', but through management.

How does Xu Jie operate? That is, to donate land, and his name said that there were 150,000 mu of land is the most conservative estimate, and the most statement is as much as 400,000 mu.

The land under Xu Jie, as the prime minister, is not only tax-free, but also can be extended to relatives, at that time, many people changed their surnames to Xu in order to seek tax exemption, and there were thousands of people in Xu Jie's household registration book.

In Jiangnan, the land of imperial court taxes, only one Xu jie caused such a large deficit in the imperial court's finances, and the local magistrates had to pass on this tax to the common people in order to maintain fiscal revenue.

At that time, as soon as Hai Rui arrived in Nanjing, the common people complained about Xu Jie's paperwork piled up.

Hai Rui found the evidence, but was removed from power by the official who was bought by Xu Jie. At that time, people said that Hai Rui deserved it, because the official did not understand the current affairs, it was simply said that he didn't know how to be an official, and even Zhang Juzheng defended his teacher Xu Jie, saying that the three-foot method would not work Wu Zhong for a long time, and then helped Xu Jie to help him resign Hai Rui.

But Hai Rui used his own dismissal as a price, and finally ordered Xu Jie's two sons to go to prison, and in the fifth year of Longqing alone, the Xu family took the initiative to return 40,000 mu of land as official land.

Therefore, the people of Nanjing hung the portrait of Hai Rui in every house.

Hai Rui is a fourth-grade official, and he can bring down a former high-ranking official like Xu Jie, which is really worth mentioning more than his sparse public security.

Lin Yanchao said: "Students think that the land of Wusong in the south of the Yangtze River is easy to accumulate wealth, which is not comparable to Jiangxi Huguang. Of course, Haigangfeng's law can no longer be done, but its clean practice is worth promoting, the students did not criticize Xu Wenzhengong, Haigangfeng's policy is no longer in line with reality, if according to his approach, the students will buy those fields in Baoding and become officials. ”

Listening to Lin Yanchao's last sentence, Shen Shixing's face soothed and said: "If this matter is widely publicized, I am afraid that there will be another dispute in the court." ”

Lin Yanchao himself said this also meant to persuade Shen Shixing, even if Shen Shixing did not accept it, or even was unhappy, he had to mention the following euphemistically.

Lin Yanchao immediately said: "The student understands that Haigangfeng's attack on Haoqiang in Nanjing is not a word. ”

Shen Shixing nodded.

"Teacher, what about the lack of security?"

Shen Shixing frowned and said, "This can't be publicized. ”

Lin Yanchao thought to himself, this can't be said, that can't be said, then it's a chicken chop.

Lin Yanchao said: "The student understands, and the student still comes back and says that Haigangfeng is incorruptible." ”

Shen Shixing said: "No, Hai Gangfeng is supervising the matter of Yixue in Beijing, and he can also highlight it. ”

Lin Yanchao said: "Yes, the student knows. ”

After a pause, Shen Shixing stayed in Lin Yanchao to have dinner in the house, and during the banquet, the eldest son and second son Shen Yongmao, Shen Yongjia, and son-in-law Li Hong were accompanied, and later Zhu Guozuo and Gu Xiancheng several protégés also came to the house to meet and eat together.

During the banquet, Shen Shixing suddenly mentioned Qiao Xuan at this time.

But when he saw Shen Shixing, he said: "When Cao Mengde was young, he was a chivalrous man and did not cultivate conduct, but when Cao Mengde visited Qiao Xuan, Qiao Xuan said to Cao Cao, the world will be chaotic, and those who are not able to govern the world cannot help, and those who can calm the world are in the king." ”

Shen Yongmao said: "In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the system of inspection was implemented, and Qiao Xuanguan was a first-class official, and Cao Mengde was able to get his words, which can be said to be a rise from then on." ”

After listening to Shen Yongmao's words, everyone nodded, and Lin Yanchao raised his glass and smiled bitterly.

Shen Shixing smiled and said: "Yes, Qiao Xuan is Cao Cao's Bole, Qiao Xuan once said to Cao Cao, if in the future, after I die, you pass by my tomb and don't take a bucket of wine and three chickens to worship, then after taking three steps, if you have a stomachache, then don't blame me." Later, Cao Cao really took wine and chickens to worship Qiao Xuan. ”

Speaking of this, Shen Shixing said with emotion: "After Qiao Xuan's death, there are still Cao Cao and three chickens with a bucket of wine, I don't know if the old man's tomb money can have wine or chickens after his death?" ”

Speaking of which, Zhu Guozuo and Gu Xiancheng's faces changed.

And Lin Yanchao swallowed a sip of wine.