Chapter 832: The So-Called Friends (Part II)

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Time flies, and three months have passed in a blink of an eye. The short chūn days in Beijing have been replaced by a scorching heat.

Wenyuan Pavilion, in the secondary auxiliary duty room, white smoke flowed from the copper incense burner on the xiǎo machine, and the room was filled with a faint sandalwood incense that made people feel calm.

Sitting silently in front of the bookcase, he was writing a letter with a máo pen in his hand. Although the barrel of the pen is as thick and thin as an ordinary máo pen, it is dark and faintly shining. Looking down along the barrel of the pen, the place where the pen has not been soaked in ink is actually red and translucent, and it is not ordinary at first glance.

This pen has a lot of origins, but it is one of the four treasures of the study room that Yan Shifan gave him when he was transferred from the Hanlin Academy to the cabinet as Si Zhilang, and when he first met Yan Ge.

Now that a full twelve years have passed, the world has also changed, the father and son of the Yan family, who were dominant, have already been beaten by the wind and rain, and even Xu Jie, who defeated them, has gone into the wilderness and returned to his hometown in Songjiang.

Now, I, the xiǎoxiǎo Si Zhilang, has already ascended to the court to worship the prime minister, become the second assistant of the cabinet, sitting in the seat that I once looked up to, and wrote a letter to Xu Jie with the máo pen that Yan Shifan gave him:

'If you don't know anything about your teacher, you won't hear about it in the world; The teacher trusts the affairs of the family and the country to the unscrupulous, and the world does not hear about it. Under the wall of the self-listed mén, he was uprooted by the end of the light and the indiscriminate méng, and he also thought that he was immortal, and he thought day and night about the thoughts of the Lord and rewarded his confidant. Later, I realized that the personnel were uneven, and the world situation changed repeatedly, so that the teacher's business of economic prosperity was not fully relieved; The heart of the unfortunate picture has become an estrangement. Therefore, Tongzhou is goodbye, tears and can not be stopped, not for the sake of farewell, sighing for the beginning of the picture, and the contempt is not stretched. What is it! Although I am far away now, I will always remember the kindness in my heart, and I often pray for the Buddhas in the sky to increase the blessing and longevity of my teacher, and I wish my teacher to travel under the forest and enjoy the immortal blessing forever......

Regardless of what he thought in his heart, in the letter, Shen Mo expressed his feelings for Xu Jie in the most humble tone, and wrote down Xu Jie's request to himself in black and white, saying that he would definitely do it. The heart of his fist really moved the hard-hearted people.

After writing the last word, a wry smile broke into the corner of his silent mouth. If he could, he really didn't want to write this greeting letter as a routine thing, it was really a helpless move...... The bad consequences of Xu Jie's departure gradually appeared, although there was no handle to teach people, but when the dust fell, under the guidance of people with intentions, there would inevitably be public opinion against him, saying that he was the mastermind behind driving away Xu Ge Lao, in order to become the first assistant Yunyun as soon as possible.

Especially after Li Chūnfang published the speech of 'ready to abdicate at any time to make way for Xian', this statement has become more marketable, and many people will inevitably mumble...... Once Li Ge Lao makes Xian, isn't it Shen Ge who ascends the throne of Shoufu? According to the principle of who profits is the mastermind, it seems that in the process of Xu Gelao's resignation, his silence inevitably played a disgraceful role.

This kind of statement, after those Xu steps go, has become tomorrow's Huang huā Xu Dang minions spread widely, although no one dares to talk about it publicly, but no one knows about it, so that Shen Mo's situation is not as wonderful as people think. This approach is called 'countermeasures' in officialdom, and knowing that you want to move me, I will seize your problems and make a big fuss about them before you start, so as to be happy in the daylight. At this time, if you use the power in your hands to deal with me, it will inevitably cause public indignation. The parties involved often give up. Under normal circumstances, this kind of 'counter-counter-fighting' strategy will mostly be effective.

This trick seems to have worked, and at least in the three months since he returned to the cabinet in silence, there has been no move to exclude dissidents and cronies, but he has only buried his head in the mountains of official duties, without any consciousness of a victor.

I believe that as soon as this letter gets out, those Xu party members should be even more proud, thinking that they have grabbed their seven inches, right? Shen Mo sneered in his heart, he took the time to write this letter, and it would probably be delivered on the day Xu Jie returned to Songjiang. If nothing else, Xu Jie would definitely leak the contents of this letter 'accidentally' for those who are ready to fall into the well to see...... Shen Ge still recognizes him as a teacher.

But after so many brutal struggles, Shen Mo is no longer a trace of naivety, he will not be naïve to think that as long as his letter is revealed to the world, those rumors will disappear. As a matter of fact, those parasites of officialdom who only know how to flatter and exclude dissidents will not know what it means to stop in moderation, and once they are sure that this is really their own weakness, they will definitely chase after and fight hard, and they will never give up until they completely smear themselves and make a stink.

If the Ming Dynasty wants to reform, it must eliminate these rancid maggots. In Shen Mo's heart, they had already been sentenced to death. However, after all, he was also a member of the Xu Party, and when Xu Jie was still leaving, he solemnly entrusted those people to himself, and their 'countermeasures' were indeed effective...... This made Shen Mo have to estimate the impact and not be able to do it himself.

Moreover, even if he wanted to do it himself, it would not be so easy, because Xu Jie had already found a protector for his henchmen - that is, Zhao Zhenji, the newly entered the cabinet.

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After a series of interest exchanges, the next month after Xu Jie's departure from Beijing, the imperial court carried out a court push. As a result, Zhao Zhenji, the imperial historian of the left capital, and Gao Yi, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, two well-known old ministers, both entered the cabinet, increasing the number of cabinet scholars to six. Moreover, when these two people entered the cabinet, they did not resign from their original positions, but were still in charge of the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the Ministry of Rites respectively. The latter is not enough, it is not the year of Dabi, the Ministry of Rites really has nothing to do, but the former is different, as Xu Jie's 'Tuogu' old minister, it is really amazing.

Zhao Zhenji is Xu Jie's veritable trump card. He was born in the fourth year of Zhengde, only four years older than Xu Jiexiǎo, Jiajing was a jinshi and a little Hanlin in the fourteenth year of Jiajing, Zhang Juzheng was not yet ten years old at that time, and his mother was still a girl...... What's more, after more than 30 years of ups and downs in the Huan Sea, he Zhao Lao Master has already created a great reputation for being upright, honest and honest!

Zhao Zhenji is indeed a man. In the twenty-ninth year of Jiajing, when I attacked Beijing, Yan Song and Ding Rukui did not move, and the enemy was overwhelming. Jiajing asked Yu courtiers, but no one said a word for a long time. Zhao Zhenji resolutely opposed the peace negotiation, and asked for orders to go to the front line to work for the army. When Jiajing saw this, his mood was greatly lifted, and he was immediately promoted to an official and asked him to go to 'proclaim to the army' by order.

After the next court, Zhao Zhenji went to Yan Song's mansion as usual to pay homage and ask for a vote, but Yan Song avoided it. Zhao Zhenji couldn't, just caught Yan Song's godson Zhao Wenhua at the mouth of the mén, and scolded him with his head and face, Zhao Wenhua returned the mouth slightly, and was knocked to the ground by Zhao Zhenji, a black tiger, and walked away.

Of course, Yan Song was annoyed by this, and deliberately did not write the right to grant the right to supervise the war when the ticket was drafted, so that Zhao Zhenji could not move a single soldier to the front line. At that time, the vicinity of the capital was full of enemy cavalry, and Zhao Zhenji actually dared to ride out of the city and gallop into the military camp without taking a single pawn. Holding the festival to comfort the Zhuluqin Wang Army, all the troops were moved to cry, willing to kill the enemy and serve the country. After hearing about it, the Tartars relented a little and retreated slightly, and the name of Zhao Zhenji spread all over the world for a while.

However, in that era, it was not the time when you had the ability and could make meritorious contributions to stand on your feet, otherwise Hu Zongxian would not have paid bribes to the Yan family father and son with infamy...... I replied and retreated, and Yan Song immediately framed Zhao Zhenji. As a result, the old master Zhao, who was still Xiǎo Zhao at the time, was severely beaten with a court staff and relegated to Guangxi to become a pawn historian...... Shen He and Shen Xiucai once held this position.

However, this old man was not depressed by this, and was still full of energy. After more than ten years, he was slowly promoted and promoted to the Ministry of Rites, which is only one step away from entering the cabinet. However, the ordeal did not seem to make him wear off his edges and corners, so that on the eve of entering the cabinet, he openly contradicted Yan Song, was dismissed from his post, and was dismissed again...... The only thing to be thankful for is that there was no beating this time.

In the new dynasty of Longqing, Zhao Zhenji, who went to the country in two years in ten years and green shirts, finally returned to the dynasty again. His xìng style did not become sleek with age, and even became a little biased because of his rough experience. Except for Xu Jie, he would never give shame to anyone...... Of course, he also has this capital now. Therefore, those who dare to point out the violations of discipline in various departments and departments are not afraid of offending. In fact, he has been an official for 40 years, it's not that he doesn't understand the unspoken rules of officialdom, but he is approaching his twilight years, and time is running out, Zhao Zhenji is very grateful to Emperor Jī Longqing and Xu Ge Lao, giving him this opportunity to fulfill his long-cherished wish and give full play to his talents, so he decided to let go of his hands and feet and take out the scholar's book to do a big job!

So from the first day of entering the cabinet, this old gentleman didn't take the rules of seniority seriously, what happened to your first assistant? It's just a nòng minister who came up by writing green words. What happened to the second assistant? When Lao Tzu was a jinshi, your father hadn't married your mother yet. There is also Chen Yiqin, who was the xiǎo fellow who kept calling me 'brother' back then......; Since he entered the cabinet, the original four brothers in the cabinet have not lived a comfortable life.

This old man Zhao doesn't know if he has reached menopause, or if he eats fried yào and can't digest it. In general, one of them is abnormal, keen to cause trouble, and has nothing to do all day long, from Li Chūnfang to Shen Mo to Chen Yiqin, as long as he doesn't like it, he will be scolded by him...... But the most tragic thing is Zhang Juzheng, who is coldly treated by Hengmei every day, and the psychological pressure is extremely great.

Why? Because Zhao Zhenji didn't like Zhang Juzheng very much, he thought that it was all because of this reckless behavior, and Xu Ge was unprincipled and protective, so that he lost fairness, and the hearts of the people were scattered, and the Xu Party would fall into such a field today. blame Zhang Juzheng for the main responsibility for Xu Dang's fall, you said that Lao Zhao can be annoyed if he is gone.

Zhao Zhenji is another xìng son who does not róu sand in his eyes, in the past, the two did not look at each other, at most he scolded Zhang Juzheng behind his back. It's good now, the two of them are in the same cabinet, day and night, Zhang Juzheng is angry with him...... Whenever a topic was discussed at a meeting, when Zhang Ju was about to speak, Lao Zhao always waved his hand at Xiǎo Zhang Zi: "This is not something that you xiǎo generations can understand. Zhang Juzheng couldn't say a word, he was sulking in his stomach.

Zhang Juzheng wanted to get along with this Xu Party veteran at first, but after letting him block it a few times, as long as Zhao Zhenji was there, he would not be silent. Who knows that there is also a way to play without speaking, the cabinet minister sat down and said, when it comes to scripture and history, Xuan Chan, Zhao Zhenji will explain some subtle words, and then ask Zhang Juzheng with a smile: "How is it, profound, right?" Those of you who only know Han and Liu Wen are too early to become scholars!

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Zhang Juzheng is so depressed, it's just boundless...... It is said that he is an extremely smart person, but because Shen Mo has relied on his prophetic foresight and has been showing weakness and weakness with him there, he has misjudged the situation, and fought a wrong war with the wrong opponent at the wrong time, and the result is naturally doomed. However, from the failure, he learned a lot of lessons, coupled with the teacher's face-to-face teaching before parting, Zhang Juzheng regained his self-confidence and decided to go out again to regain the lost ground.

He made a total of three axes, the first step was to help the emperor expel Xu Jie, a smooth transition; In the second step, during a face-to-face with the saint, he suggested to the emperor that in order to stabilize the overall situation of the post-Xu Jie era, he would return to power with Gao Gong, which was a move that was deeply in line with the emperor's heart, which made Longqing overjoyed.

After these two axes, Zhang Juzheng stabilized his position, but he could not change his predicament at the bottom of the cabinet ranking and was soft-spoken. To this end, he launched a third blow, and only a month after Xu Jie's resignation, he put forward a "Chen Liushi Shu", and put forward to the emperor 'Provincial Discussion, Zhengang Discipline, Heavy Edict, Verification of Names, Solid Bangben, and Military Preparation' Six major suggestions! In short, it is to ask the emperor to strengthen his authority, unify his thoughts, and enforce prohibitions! It is necessary to straighten out the administration of officials, rectify finances, and strengthen national defense!

This is calling for the dictatorship of the emperor!

It is this last trick that distinguishes Zhang Juzheng from ordinary ministers who play nòng power. The reason why he called on the emperor to strengthen his authority and adopt dictatorship was not just for his own ...... Because everyone knows that the current emperor is a person who is not interested in governing the country at all, and has never let the cabinet do it, and he has categorically decided that it is impossible for him to dictate! Zhang Juzheng knows this.

Then it should be a cabinet dictatorship!

However, the first assistant of the cabinet and Chen Yiqin are both well-educated scholars, who say that they are invincible in the world, but they are powerless to do it...... During the Taiping period, it was quite competent to hold state affairs, but let them give Daming, a broken ship that was leaky and leaky, at the helm in the turbulent seas, I am afraid that even they themselves would not dare to say that it was that piece of material! So only those who are responsible and capable are left to take the helm of this country.

However, the first assistant of the cabinet and Chen Yiqin are both well-educated intellectuals, and they are quite competent in holding state affairs in peacetime, but let them give Daming, a broken ship that is leaky and leaky, at the helm in the turbulent seas, I am afraid that even they themselves dare not say that it is that piece of material! So only those who are responsible and capable are left to take the helm of this country.

There are not many such people, there are only him and Shen Mo in the cabinet, and the one in the opposition is Gao Suqing. At least for a few years, he has no idea of competing with these two, but with his understanding of these two people, no matter which one holds the power of the state, it is impossible to let the state affairs go on anymore, and there must be a drastic reform...... The only difference is that if it was a high-arched handle country, he would definitely go into battle shirtless and personally cào sword reform; And if you are silent, eighty percent will sit firmly on the Diaoyutai and direct others to do it.

Either way, it's better than the current tepid slow suicide.

However, his hand has caused a lot of unhappiness in Qingliu, what is the meaning of 'provincial discussion'? Want to do a word? What is the meaning of 'heavy edict', to take power and engage in dictatorship? Do you deserve it too? Not only did the officials dislike him, but many high-ranking officials and ministers also looked at him unpleasantly.

Zhao Zhenji is the one who is most unhappy with him, thinking that this move is 'anti-hierarchical politics', and once sarcastically ridiculed: 'This is good at meeting the king like this!' Even Xu Jie disagreed, thinking that he was 'cào cut'.

As a result, Zhang Ju was waiting and waiting, but he didn't see any reaction from the emperor, and he waited for the news that Zhao Zhenji had entered the cabinet.

With Zhao Zhenji being promoted to the cabinet, Zhang Juzheng even wanted to retreat to the second place. All day long, he was called by Old Master Zhao's 'Zhang Zi comes, Zhang Zi goes'...... If there happened to be no Si Zhilang or Sheren Fu on the side, Zhao Zhenji would say to Zhang Juzheng like a messenger: "Zhangzi, pour a cup of tea!" "Zhangzi, the paper is gone, go get some!"

The dignified Zhang Ge is a prodigy since he was a child, and he has been cared for by people who appreciate him along the way, and he has never been so humiliated in his life! But he really couldn't clash with this Xu Party veteran, so he pretended not to see it, and Zhao Zhenji sneered: "The young people nowadays are really uneducated!" "Next time, I'll still tell him the same.

Zhang Juzheng doubted that if Zhao Zhenji continued like this, would he die before he could get out of school...... He was to death. So he wrote again, urging the emperor to regain the high arch out of the mountain.

In fact, Long Qing had already had this intention, but as soon as he realized it, as soon as Xu Jie went, he summoned his rival back, which was not a clear slap in the face of Xu Gelao...... Long Qing is a kind-hearted person, and he feels that Xu Jie is walking happily, thinking that he has seen the wrong person. So not only did the bad feeling for him disappear, but he also felt a little sorry, not only met all the old man's requirements, but also began to take care of his feelings.

Originally, Longqing planned to use this team to survive this year first, but Mr. Zhang's persuasion was very successful, so he began to waver, so he sent someone to ask Shen Mo for advice.

In the past few months, Shen Mo has completed the most necessary personnel arrangements, and when Gao Gong returns will have little impact on his group's interests. However, the impact on the country is enormous...... For Lao Zhao's fierceness, he really couldn't resist it. In April this year, Shen Mo had already ordered Wang Chonggu, Ma Fang, and others to strictly defend the border, and judging from his troops, morale, and training level on the front line of Xuanda, even if he could not keep him out of the country, he could still make him throw himself into the hinterland and not dare to go deep into the interior.

Therefore, silence is to show the enemy's weakness, to paralyze the enemy, and to create a good opportunity for the next sortie to attack. did not order the rest of the military town's troops to be dispatched, let alone transfer Qi Jiguang's troops who were training in Jizhen. This was originally a conclusion reached after careful deliberation by the Ministry of War...... However, when Zhao Zhenji learned about this, he was furious and asked him to immediately impose martial law in the capital and mobilize soldiers and horses from all towns to enter the king of Jingqin!

Shen Mo patiently explained to him that even if the Méng ancients bypassed the defense line, it didn't matter if Bī was close to the capital. Because of the high walls of Beijing, with the current strength, it is enough to complete the defense. As long as the towns are ordered to hold on to the mén households, so that we do not have a chance to take advantage of them, the enemy will not take advantage of them, and they can only withdraw their troops on their own.

But Zhao Zhenji thinks that he is a scholar talking about the army and the way to lose the country. was unable to refute what Shen Mo said, so he said: "Before you broke nǎi, the old man fought with the Tartars!" He also said to Li Chūnfang: "The major affairs of the country of soldiers, the place of death and life, must not be ignored!" How can Jiāo make a decision for Huangkou Shaft? He insisted on doing what he wanted.

Although Shen Mo is full of economy and mouth, he is also helpless against this old Zhao Ge who has changed greatly since he entered the pavilion, the people of Guy have walked more bridges than he has crossed, he has eaten more salt than he eats, and he has his own stubborn opinions on everything, and he will never be persuaded by him.

Zhang Juzheng on the side couldn't stand it anymore, so he quarreled with Zhao Zhenji on the spot...... Shoufu Li Chūn Fang was at a loss and couldn't control the situation of the meeting. Everyone was gossiping, and it was easy to decide to vote by a show of hands, but the result was silent Zhang was on the side of Gao Yi, Li Chūn Fang Zhao Zhenji and Chen Yiqin on the side, because Li Chūn Fang was the first assistant, and he made a decision when it was a draw. To be on the safe side, the Cabinet finally issued a martial law decree.

In the end, I didn't even see the shadow of my answer, and after the defense of the capital for a month, the strictness was lifted, and hundreds of thousands of taels of silver were paid in vain.

This incident completely disappointed Shen Mo...... It's hard to imagine that the most powerful country in the world is managed by such a group of waste. A border battle of xiǎoxiǎo made a lot of trouble, and there is still a face to say what the heavenly kingdom is? Historically, only when the ruler is like a tiger can the country be vigorous. If the ruler is like a sheep, the country is equivalent to being in the midst of wolves, and what can you do if you shout 'justice is above' a thousand times?

Based on this background, Shen Mo also agreed with Gao Gong's immediate return, so he nodded silently to the emperor's envoy.

Seeing that even Xu Ge's two students didn't care, Na Longqing naturally had no scruples, so he immediately sent someone to pass on the decree and quickly return to Beijing with Gao Gong.

Partition -

Thank you for your concern, I'm so moved, my head doesn't hurt anymore, maybe my xìng grid is not suitable for this kind of fight. Today's chapter is 6,000 words, and then tomorrow the day after tomorrow will be the day after tomorrow, and it may be a change in three days, because I have to go on a business trip temporarily, forgive me.