Chapter 869 Become a powerful official
Jiang Qingzhi entered his duty room and ordered, "Old Hu, go to Yan Song across the street and tell him that the Ministry of Revenue has settled the matter and will assemble and set out soon. He should also start making arrangements."
"Yes." Hu Zongxian stood up, and Xu Wei said, "My Lord, since Yan Song has joined forces with Xu Jie, I'm afraid he will secretly obstruct us."
"I'm not afraid of him obstructing me."
Zhang Juzheng bowed to Jiang Qingzhi, indicating that he had overstepped the line by interrupting him, and then stared at Xu Wei, "Since Yan Song and Xu Jie have joined forces, it is clear that they want to compete with you. If he obstructs them now, you should be happy!"
Xu Wei looked at Zhang Juzheng with a smile.
Zhang Juzheng was also looking at him.
When their eyes met, there seemed to be flashes of lightning in the room.
Tsk!
Is this a perfect match?
Jiang Qingzhi felt a bit of a headache, but was also somewhat excited, wanting to see who would be the better of the two.
Xu Wei nodded, "I'd like to hear more details."
it has started!
Hu Zongxian was reluctant to leave, and stood by the door with a look of anticipation.
Outside the door were Sun Chonglou and Hua Yan, who were sharing chestnuts. Hua Yan whispered, "Are you going to fight?"
"No." Sun Chonglou threw a chestnut into his mouth.
“Who is better among them?”
"do not know."
Zhang Juzheng was smiling and graceful, which made people feel quite favorable.
Xu Wei was fat and white, and his appearance was much worse. Moreover, there was a kind of contemptuous air about him that made people dislike him when they saw him.
So Hua Yan said, "I think Mr. Xu is going to lose."
Zhang Juzheng said, "Of the three ministers in the Political Affairs Hall, Lord Bo's original target was Yan Song, so he sat on an equal footing with Yan Song during their first meeting. This was a hint."
"Then Yan Song joined forces with Xu Jie," Xu Wei counterattacked.
Jiang Qingzhi's tough stance was also one of the reasons why Yan Song accepted Xu Jie.
Jiang Qingzhi knew this, so he took out some medicinal cigarettes and smiled without showing any offense.
"I think your move is a good one," Zhang Juzheng said. "The new policy can only be implemented if you hold great power, and the Yan Party is a wall between you and the new policy. If your move is more modest, then you can lower your head..."
Zhang Juzheng glanced at Jiang Qingzhi, who nodded and indicated that he could speak casually.
Zhang Juzheng said: "When Lord Bo came to Beijing, he was alone and weak, and was not in the eyes of Yan Song and his son, so the two sides can still get along harmoniously. Your Majesty did not launch a new policy during the Northern Expedition, and Lord Bo was not the second Wang Anshi who held great power, so Yan Song and Lord Bo could still work together."
"Power." Jiang Qingzhi whispered.
"It's power." Zhang Juzheng smiled and said, "Whether it's harmony or conflicts, it's all about power. Lord Bo needs power to implement the new policy, and Yan Song and his son are unwilling to let go of power. This is an irreconcilable contradiction and will inevitably lead to conflict."
He looked at Xu Wei, "This is inevitable."
Zhang Juzheng continued: "In the eyes of the outside world and in the eyes of your majesty, the Yan Party is a staunch supporter of the new policy."
Xu Wei smiled, "Now that Lord Earl has taken office, his first priority is to seize power. Power is in the hands of the Yan Party. If Lord Earl does this without a legitimate reason, he will be suspected of not considering the overall situation. The Yan Party will take advantage of the situation to cause trouble, and those who oppose the new policy will take advantage of the situation to cause trouble... Lord Earl is in danger!"
Zhang Juzheng smiled. He did not expect Xu Wei to not argue. "What Lord Bo needs most at this moment is not the support of His Majesty, but... the obstruction and opposition of the Yan Party!"
"I have a legitimate reason!" Hu Zongxian nodded and went out with peace of mind.
Walking out of the duty room, Hu Zongxian smiled, "Old Xu, Old Xu, you have finally met your match."
Hu Zongxian couldn't help but feel in good mood when he thought that Jiang Qingzhi had such talented people as Xu Wei and Zhang Juzheng to assist him.
In the duty room, Xu Wei spoke up, "It is important to have a legitimate reason, but in my opinion, the most important thing is not the legitimate reason, but... the grievance!"
Zhang Juzheng's eyes narrowed, "Your Majesty!"
"public opinion!"
The two looked at each other.
Xu Wei said calmly, "Lord, you need a posture, a posture of being suppressed. After being suppressed, you can only choose a posture of forbearance. Let Your Majesty and the outside world see how Lord, for the sake of the overall situation, forbearance. "
"So, Lord Bo should do his best to avoid obstruction from the Yan Party."
"Yes, fear, and even try to avoid it. All this will make your majesty think that the Yan Party is the enemy of the new policy. Then, it will be a natural thing for the Earl to seize power. Why use any means?"
"The new policy requires an indomitable spirit. A forbearing attitude is good, but in my opinion, once you encounter obstacles, what you should do is to swing your sword!"
"Gods stand in the way and gods are killed; Buddhas stand in the way and Buddhas are killed?"
"That's right. If it weren't for this, it wouldn't be enough to shock the world."
"You are acting like a powerful official."
Zhang Juzheng narrowed his eyes and said calmly, "Shang Yang, Wang Anshi... who is not a powerful official? Since Lord Bo has taken over the role of the leader of the new policy, he should be aware of being a powerful official. Otherwise, the new policy will fail!"
Xu Wei suddenly laughed, "I feel the same way about this, but my uncle just doesn't want to."
Zhang Juzheng's eyes lit up slightly, "You mean..."
"I have suggested it." Xu Wei smiled at Jiang Qingzhi and said, "Your Excellency did not agree."
"Master!" Zhang Juzheng said, "I know that Master Bo has the wish to rebuild the Ming Dynasty, and the Mohist School also needs to develop. Both need to hold great power. Master Bo, are you worried that His Majesty will be suspicious? I have been observing His Majesty recently. His Majesty is extremely smart. When he handed over the power of the new policy to Master Bo, he tacitly agreed that Master Bo would become a powerful official. In addition..."
"Yan Song was also a powerful official. Lord Xia was also a powerful official back then!" Xu Wei took action.
Xia Yan was once a man of great influence, and even challenged Emperor Jiajing. Of course, his challenge to Emperor Jiajing eventually triggered a backlash, which resulted in his death. But this shows that powerful officials were not uncommon during the Jiajing Dynasty.
Yang Tinghe, Xia Yan, Yan Song. Xu Jie was a little bit behind. But then Gao Gong and others appeared on the stage, reenacting the scenes of powerful officials...
The power of the monarch and the power of the prime minister seem to complement each other, but in fact they are restraining, exploiting and suppressing each other.
The emperor granted great power to the prime minister and acted as the moderator to maintain balance of power.
This is a game called tightrope walking, and Emperor Jiajing walked it with ease.
But his descendants were not so good. And this incident left a huge hidden danger for the future... The emperor allowed the existence of powerful ministers!
Habit is second nature!
When Zhang Juzheng took over the power, he began his journey as regent in accordance with this custom.
He takes it for granted, and the outside world also takes it for granted.
——Since the Jiajing period, it has been a common practice for the prime minister to be in charge of government affairs. Why is it not the case today?
This game should continue!
Emperor Wanli couldn't play this game well, so he had to pretend to be the grandson.
After Zhang Juzheng left, Emperor Wanli turned the tables and immediately got rid of all the grievances.
——Search the house!
When the emperor's wrath fell, the officials not only did not defend Zhang Juzheng, but instead added insult to injury, reporting Zhang Juzheng's various "crimes" one after another.
"I'm not afraid of having my property confiscated or my clan exterminated, and you two don't need to pretend." Jiang Qingzhi said calmly.
The two of them were confronting each other at first, but later on they turned into implicit admonitions to Jiang Qingzhi.
——Either become a powerful official, or be inferior to others.
There is no third way.
If you are inferior to others, the new policy will fail.
Once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. Uncle, go for it!
Let’s do something big!
Bring down the Yan Party.
Jiang Qingzhi took a puff of herbal medicine cigarette, "Power is just a tool. If you get this wrong, you will be infamous forever!"
Jiang Qingzhi got up and went out.
That space is left for two think tanks.
"My Lord's intention..." Zhang Juzheng narrowed his eyes and thought.
Xu Wei had followed Jiang Qingzhi for a long time and knew his character better. He smiled bitterly and said, "My uncle always says to be cautious when alone."
"My Lord, are you worried about being enslaved by power?" Zhang Juzheng's words startled Xu Wei, who thought that this man was indeed a strong enemy. He nodded, "Power is sweet, how many people can ignore it?"
Jiang Qingzhi was smoking outside the duty room, leaning against the wall, watching people coming and going.
He dared to bet that when Zhang Juzheng first held power, he had no intention of undermining Emperor Wanli. Once he had power, he could not help himself to the sweetness of power, and thus embarked on the path of regent.
This path is glorious enough, but it will bring disaster to future generations.
Before he had children, Jiang Qingzhi didn't care about this. But as a father, he has to plan for his children.
Jiang Qingzhi took a puff of the medicinal cigarette and suddenly laughed at himself, "Is this my beloved son?"
But at this moment, what he thought of was the protection and care that the Taoist had given him.
Guawazi!
Along with this affectionate name comes the Taoist's many tolerances.
Since coming to Beijing, Jiang Qingzhi has done many things that seem unorthodox to the world, and has intentionally or unintentionally touched upon the imperial authority.
He was testing the Taoist's bottom line.
Then decide your future behavior based on the Taoist's bottom line.
But the Taoist priest seemed like a smiling Maitreya Buddha. No matter how he tried, he still gave the familiar answer: idiot!
It's like an old father who dotes on his children without any limits.
Mr. Jiang is not a good person. If this little South American warlord had been soft-hearted, he would have died in the forests of South America long ago.
Decisiveness in killing is a necessary quality.
When facing the Taoist priest, Jiang Qingzhi seemed to have forgotten all his decisiveness in killing.
Some just relax.
"A powerful official?" Jiang Qingzhi saw Hu Zongxian coming out from Yan Song's side.
"My Lord." Hu Zongxian came over and whispered, "Yan Song and his gang are here, and Zhao Wenhua and the others are quite hostile. Yan Song promised to cooperate, but I don't think Zhao Wenhua and the others will stop. My Lord, what Xu Wei and Zhang Juzheng said, I think... is very true!"
Be a powerful official!
Jiang Qingzhi shook off the cigarette ash and did not reply.
The people sent by the Ministry of Revenue to various places will set off in the next few days.
What follows?
The tide rises and falls.
what are you going to do?
Jiang Qingzhi closed his eyes.
Waved his hand.
……
Yongshou Palace.
The charcoal fire burned silently, and the room was very warm. Emperor Jiajing held a teacup in one hand and read a Taoist book in the other.
"His Majesty."
Yan San is here.
"How is it?" asked the Taoist.
"Chang Wei Bo went to Zhilu and did not cause any trouble."
"Once you have power, you can issue orders." Emperor Jiajing looked up. "The land investigation is the best opportunity to insert your hand into the six ministries and suppress Yan Song. Didn't he see it?"
The emperor's voice was gentle, but it contained an inexplicable pressure. Yan San lowered his head and did not dare to speak.
"He saw it." Emperor Jiajing smiled, "but he refused to do it."
Huang Jin lowered his head. The pressure he had been feeling since yesterday suddenly and inexplicably disappeared.
"Guawazi!"
(End of this chapter)
