Chapter 185: The arrow is on the string, ready to be fired

It is very close from Yucheng County to Guide Fucheng (now Suiyang District, Shangqiu City), only forty li away.

Walking all the way, it was just enough for the sun to move from the east to the top of the head.

The carriage slowly drove into the city gate, and the discussion on the carriage was still continuing.

"...... It cannot be said that the court officials do not understand the ruler, but in these few years, new policies have emerged one after another, small changes in six months, big changes in three years. The court officials have not been separated from their hearts, which is already the result of mutual tolerance for the country."

Sima Zhi's words couldn't help but make Shen Li look at him more.

The hall officials in local prefectures and counties are really good at polishing people.

He just showed an appreciative attitude, and the person could use a look of pouring out everything to make a vote of allegiance.

Even the words "the Emperor is harsh" came out. If he didn't show his heart, he wouldn't be able to do it.

Facing this vanguard of measuring fields and supporter of the New Party, who personally said the Emperor was harsh, Shen Li couldn't help but be curious.

He looked at Sima Zhi, and didn't mention Sima Zhi's impoliteness, but instead asked without avoidance: "How is it harsh?"

Sima Zhi saw Shen Li's attitude, and the joy in his eyes flashed away.

He blurted out: "This has the suspicion of pointing at the imperial carriage, but since the gentleman asked, the student has no reason to cover it up."

This discussion, originally after getting off the carriage, no one would mention it again.

But after this "gentleman", it already had a different meaning.

Sima Zhi pondered for a moment and told slowly: "In these few years, after the Ministry of Personnel was under the jurisdiction of the Cabinet, the Emperor's punishment of court officials has become increasingly harsh."

"Hu Runing of the same subject as me, who was the magistrate of Quwo County, Shanxi, since taking office, the local area has been suffering from drought, so he banned the catching of frogs in the local area, hoping to summon the heavens."

"The local people were unwilling and caused some trouble."

"In the past, this kind of thing would at most become a joke among court officials, falling into the nickname of 'Toad Magistrate'."

"But after the Emperor learned of it, he directly issued an edict to the Ministry of Personnel to allow him to retire."

Saying it was allowing him to retire, it was actually dismissal with retirement treatment.

Even if Sima Zhi agreed with the general direction of the new policies now, he couldn't help but feel sad for the rabbit and the fox, and when mentioning it, he was not lacking in the state of pleading for him.

Shen Li heard this and couldn't help but sneer.

Hu Runing's hand of banning the catching of frogs to summon the heavens... is typical of reading the Four Books and Five Classics to death and wrapping himself in it.

The Four Books and Five Classics are used to educate the world, and using them for government is absurd.

Every year's Jinshi has a few such strange people, otherwise Sima Zhi wouldn't say that according to the past practice, he would be ridiculed as a Toad Magistrate.

Of course, in the past, everyone protected each other. Today you help me, tomorrow you help me, and for these trivial matters that do not involve the foundation, they often fell lightly.

But Shen Li watched from the Emperor's ascension to the second year of Wanli, and he knew the Emperor's character better than Sima Zhi.

Even if the court officials were a bit bad, the Emperor would still try to find a suitable position to see if he could use them, just like Wang Chonggu who collected wealth, Wu Zhonghang who sought fame by kneeling, and Li Chunfang who only calculated for his family.

But the Emperor hated fools like Hu Runing from the bottom of his heart, only treating them as mud that couldn't be supported on the wall.

At the beginning of his ascension, he still had to care about his virtuous name and couldn't blame them too harshly, but now that he was in personal governance, he naturally wouldn't hold back.

Shen Li coughed lightly: "The Emperor is also doing this to protect Hu Runing, so that his position will not get higher and higher, and the mistakes he makes will get bigger and bigger, and then it will be irreversible."

The ruler wants to protect the subject, and everything he does is right.

Shen Li was serious.

Sima Zhi looked at Shen Li with a strange expression. It is no wonder that the court says the Emperor's wisdom can refuse remonstrance, and there are always endless reasons.

It turns out they all came from these imperial teachers.

Sima Zhi reluctantly agreed: "The gentleman is right, the Emperor has the virtue of heaven."

He pulled the corners of his mouth reluctantly and continued: "Besides this, after the Emperor's personal governance, he restarted the Great Court Meeting, changing the number of times from the two times set at the beginning of the country to one time, at the beginning of the first day."

The Great Court Meeting is different from the regular court. The latter is just a small-scale meeting that can be attended by hall officials of various ministries, while the former is a big meeting that includes most of the capital officials and is held in the Huangji Hall.

The system at the beginning of the country was twice a month, on the first and fifteenth, and its role was to allow capital officials to directly feel the Emperor's majesty and will.

"The gentleman knows that in all dynasties, the Great Court Meeting inevitably has officials who miss the court, and often losing one month's salary is enough."

Shen Li nodded.

He naturally knew that in the Great Court Meeting of the sixth year of Longqing, 173 people missed the court, and in the first year of Wanli, 274 people missed the court.

Where are so many people?

After the court was dismissed, Shen Li met court officials who came out of the brothel and looked at him awkwardly; met nobles who were drunk in the restaurant and carried back by servants; and also Hanlin who had just finished lecturing and discussed insights with Shen Li.

Sima Zhi's expression was quite disapproving, and at the same time, he was holding back a laugh: "But that time, the Emperor directly let the Hai Yushi and inner officials go to the residences of the missing officials to investigate the reason."

"Caught the group of missing court officials to the Huangji Hall."

"Some who were disheveled and drunk were fine, and there was a director who was connected with the hunting dog at home and couldn't be separated, and was carried to the Huangji Hall by the Directorate of Ceremonial with the dog."

"After the incident, it was announced by the Emperor in the residence report and the new report, and published to the world."

After speaking, he finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

If this is not harsh, then there is nothing harsher than this.

Sima Zhi felt it was funny, but standing from the perspective of a scholar, he also felt that the Emperor's move was too insulting.

Shen Li heard this, and his face couldn't help but show a strange expression.

Publishing this kind of thing to the world, the reputation of the court officials would be lost in one morning. Saying the Emperor is harsh is not an exaggeration.

However... on the other hand.

At the beginning of the Emperor's ascension, when he was fabricated by the Song Confucians for having an affair with his mother, he generously let Zheng Zongxue spread this joke in the laughter forest.

Then the matter of court officials sticking together, it seems there is no need to avoid it too much?

Shen Li was steady and didn't follow the laugh, just made up: "The Emperor didn't even take away the salary, just published it to warn the comers, which shows that punishing the past and guarding against the future is just to cure the disease and save the person, which is also a heart of benevolence."

Sima Zhi glanced at Shen Li.

He inexplicably remembered his immediate superior, Henan Provincial Administration Commissioner Deng Yizan.

It seems that every minister who came out of the Emperor's side has an indescribable recognition of the Emperor.

Even after this cruel act that ruined the reputation of the scholar-official circle, they still have to reluctantly cover up for the Emperor.

Sima Zhi shook his head and finally brought up the place where he most disapproved of the Emperor: "The gentleman is right, these things, even if the Emperor is harsh, no one can say a word of reason, just afraid that the Emperor will have times when he is not reasonable."

Shen Li was surprised, unbelievable: "The Emperor still has times when he is not reasonable?"

Sima Zhi choked.

What is this.

He was made uncomfortable by Shen Li's gaze, turned his face away, looked out of the carriage window, and explained: "In the eleventh month of the fourth year of Wanli, Huo Ji passed away in office."

"The Emperor couldn't act fairly as before, and almost set off a struggle between civil and military."

Huo Ji died in office? Shen Li was stunned.

It's not that he felt the death was unexpected. After all, in the fourth year of Wanli, Huo Ji was sixty-one years old.

It's just that Huo Ji repeatedly sang against the Emperor on the matter of the Beijing Camp.

He thought that after the Emperor's personal governance, he should be directly transferred, or even dismissed.

The Emperor is still benevolent!

Sima Zhi didn't know what Shen Li was thinking, lifted the carriage curtain again, and confirmed that there were no outsiders around.

Sima Zhi did not know what Shen Li was thinking, lifted the carriage curtain again, and confirmed that there was no one around.

"The Governor of the Beijing Camp, Gu Huan, a mere noble, not only entered the hall, discussed matters in the regular court, but also actually controlled the Beijing Camp and matched one hundred thousand troops."

Sima Zhi's tone clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with the Emperor in this matter.

Even if he made a decision against his ancestors to support the new policies, he had principles.

How can a military official sit at the table and eat?

Shen Li heard this and didn't find excuses for the Emperor this time.

He knew better than Sima Zhi what the Emperor was doing, nothing more than step-by-step planning, wanting to bypass the Ministry of War and control the Beijing Camp alone.

To say a word from the bottom of his heart, Shen Li did not agree with the Emperor's approach on this point.

Not to mention that the Emperor shouldn't control the Beijing Camp, but doing so, who is he guarding against?

Are the ministers of the Ministry of War not the Emperor's subjects?

The Emperor keeps saying that the ruler and subjects should be of one heart. Isn't this opening the bad head of mutual suspicion between the top and bottom?

Moreover, Zhao Kongzhao's matter and Ma Ziqiang's request for Gu Huan to enter the court deliberation were all recognized by everyone pinching their noses.

After all, it was the Cabinet Wang Chonggu, through the Ministry of War, issuing orders to the Beijing Camp, which was still spinning in the circle of civil control over military.

Now that the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War assisting the Beijing Camp and the Right Hai Yushi-in-Chief inspecting the Beijing Camp are both vacant, letting a noble Gu Huan enter the hall and control the Beijing Camp will inevitably cause a major disaster sooner or later.

Unfortunately, he is not by the Emperor's side to alert the Emperor at all times.

Now that the Emperor has made mistakes in civil and military affairs, I am afraid that there are already sycophants like Shen Shixing, Li Zaiting, and Wu Zhonghang around him.

Shen Li sighed in his heart and asked with concern: "It was a big fuss, right?"

This kind of change in the civil and military pattern, if not careful, is the disaster of party struggle, and even shakes the foundation of the country. It is not that there has been no precedent.

Sima Zhi's tone was not very good: "Where does the country lack knowledgeable people? From the Minister of War Shi Maohua to the directors and secretaries, as well as the Censorate and the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of War, they repeatedly memorialized to point out the harm."

"Unfortunately, the Emperor kept it in the palace."

"After that, there was endless arguing. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices withheld military pay, the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of War impeached Gu Huan for being old, the Ministry of War dismissed Gu Huan's cronies in batches, and the generals, assistants, and assistants could be described as smoky."

Shen Li showed worry and asked: "What happened after?"

Sima Zhi shook his head and slowed down his expression: "Afterward, it seemed that each took a step back. The Emperor filled the Beijing Camp with the Zhongshu Sheren Zheng Zongxue and Zhao Yongxian, granting them the position of staff officers, directly under the jurisdiction of the Emperor."

"And followed the Cabinet's memorial, selecting the Jinshi, Jujian, and Wu Jinshi of recent years to fill the Beijing Camp as camp-sitting political administrators. Each camp is granted an official according to one general official and one political administrator. Except for daily training, military discipline, command, and war, which are still the responsibility of the general official, the rest of the government affairs are reported by the camp-sitting political administrator to the staff officer and the Cabinet."

For this result, Sima Zhi could only say it was barely satisfactory. Although he really let Gu Huan sit at the table and eat, the Emperor didn't forget to control the military with civil officials.

Shen Li sighed silently. Although this move pressed down the hidden danger of civil and military struggle, the Emperor finally pushed the Ministry of War aside.

No wonder the top and bottom are suspicious.

He looked up at the outside of the carriage and saw that he had driven into Guide Fucheng, so he lowered his voice and said softly: "Even so, with the Cabinet mediating in the middle, it wouldn't reach the point where court officials collude with the imperial clan and pass words to the feudal princes, right?"

The matter of the Emperor hurting the foundation, once let the feudal princes hear it, it is inevitable that there will be undercurrents.

In addition, the Emperor suppressed the imperial clan at the beginning, and even a batch of Commandery Princes died. It is impossible for the imperial clan to have no resentment toward the Emperor.

Such a major event that leaves endless troubles, even if court officials have two hearts and want to push the waves, the New Party is powerful, and the several assistant ministers of the Cabinet are all facing the Emperor, so it should be strangled in the cradle as soon as possible.

How could it be easily made into a big deal on the surface, and it is now rampant?

Sima Zhi heard this question from Shen Li and didn't know where to answer for a while.

He pondered for a moment: "The Hai Yushi-in-Chief Shouli Ge Gong passed away."

Shen Li froze.

"The Cabinet Nanyu Gao Gong, last year in the winter month, had a stroke."

Shen Li restrained his expression and looked a bit serious.

"The Cabinet Yu Suo Lu Gong, since the first month of this year, his body has been weak and he can no longer get out of bed."

Shen Li sat upright, his body leaning forward subconsciously.

"Jianchuan Wang Gong, who only manages military affairs and not government affairs, in recent years, because of the increasing number of people in Bansheng, he is strong and shameless, and has some differences with the Emperor in the use of people. After that, Wang Gong, except for planning the overall situation of the Nine Borders and Japanese pirates, no longer intervened in government affairs."

Shen Li heard this and finally understood why the court situation was so turbulent this year, and even the Emperor's lack of heir could not be suppressed and was discussed in the court deliberation.

The Cabinet that has held the great government for seven years since the sixth year of Longqing is naturally enough to suppress everything when it is stable.

But once it withers one after another, the momentum is naturally not as good as before.

Sima Zhi finally sighed and made a summary: "The government affairs now are almost all handled by the Emperor and the Senior Zhang Gelao."

Although he had some criticisms of the Emperor's actions—especially the point of sending Jinshi to local areas.

But generally speaking, he agreed.

Now the central situation is subtle, and he couldn't help but worry a little.

Shen Li heard this, and naturally had many questions.

He pondered for a moment and suddenly asked: "Jingfu said, the Emperor and Zhang Gelao Wang had differences in the use of people in Xuanda..."

"Is it that the Governor of Xuanda Tan Gong also passed away?"

Sima Zhi heard this, realized he hadn't been comprehensive, and nodded: "Tan Gong had phlegm disease for many years, and it broke out in the fifth year of Wanli, and he has passed away."

The fifth year of Wanli, it was only fifty-eight years old, which can be called young.

Such handsome ministers who command one side are often not long-lived.

Shen Li frowned.

He had no friendship with Tan Lun.

However, the increasing number of people in Bansheng... this is not a good sign.

At the beginning, Zhao Quan of the White Lotus Sect, relying on Bansheng, almost assisted Altan Khan to claim the emperor and build the system.

Xuanda does not have a governor with means, for fear that the Gengxu Incident will repeat itself!

Shen Li said heavily: "How is the situation of the Tatar left and right wings?"

This is a blind spot for Sima Zhi. He only cares about internal affairs and has not paid attention to border affairs.

He could only vaguely say: "Not very clear, only know that Bansheng on Altan Khan's side is making a lot of noise, gathering a lot of people, and Tumen Khan gathered eighty thousand Mongols the year before last, held the Khuriltai conference, implemented the code, elected the six major executives, and didn't pay too much attention to others."

Shen Li heard this, and his heart was even more worried.

Seeing that Sima Zhi didn't know much, Shen Li pondered for a moment and changed the topic: "Then who is the Governor of Xuanda now?"

Sima Zhi blurted out: "Former Dali Temple Minister Chen Dong, Chen Gong."

"I heard that Wang Gong originally wanted to enable Zhang Siwei, but the Emperor directly pointed out Chen Gong."

Shen Li heard this, pondered for a moment, and nodded as if relieved.

No wonder the Emperor and Wang Chonggu had differences.

The Emperor's hatred for Zhang Siwei is almost known to everyone. When the Veritable Records of Shizong and Muzong were completed, there was no place for Zhang Siwei, the deputy chief compiler, in the list of merits and names of the imperial court, and even he, Shen Li, was not missed.

Wang Chonggu, the uncle, caught in the middle, is also difficult to handle.

But in all fairness, Chen Dong's candidate is indeed better than Zhang Siwei.

The latter's merchant heart is too heavy, fly-like, and because of his father's affairs, he may also have resentment toward the Emperor.

Better safe than sorry.

Chen Dong is impeccable.

At the beginning, he stood up in Southern Zhili, which can be called the Emperor's earliest foundation.

Even his temperament is not lacking in ruthlessness. At the beginning, when investigating salt tax, Chen Dong was not good at horse riding, so in order to catch up, he let the skilled driver tie him up and ride together.

Regardless of stance or temperament, it is the top choice.

Speaking of which, he and Chen Dong are also Jinshi of the same subject. Although Chen Dong is the first rank and the starting point is higher, it is considered the same origin.

Didn't expect that Chen Dong was already a high official of the border.

Shen Li threw these extra thoughts behind his head and continued to care: "Since the Cabinet ministers are mostly old, didn't the Emperor fill the Cabinet ministers?"

Sima Zhi shook his head: "Of course filled."

"In the fourth year of Wanli, Ma Ziqiang was filled into the Cabinet to handle affairs, still as the hall official of the Ministry of Rites."

"But he was sicker than the two Grand Secretaries Gao and Lu, and since the year before last, he has been lying in bed frequently, and even the Ministry of Rites affairs were handed over to the Left Vice Minister Zhu Dawei."

Shen Li couldn't help shaking his head, it was really a lack of successors.

Sima Zhi continued: "Since this year, the Emperor has intended to fill the Ministry of Personnel Wen Chun into the Cabinet to handle affairs."

"But the successor Hai Yushi-in-Chief Chen Kai has insufficient prestige, and the thirteen-way censors and assistant censors have acted on their own, starting to take the opportunity to impeach Cabinet ministers and hall officials, seeking the ladder of promotion, making the Censorate smoky."

"Wen Chun did not enter the Cabinet, but took over the position of Hai Yushi-in-Chief."

"Wen Chun did not enter the Cabinet but instead took over the position of Hai Yushi-in-Chief."

"At the beginning of the year, Shen Shixing was ordered to enter the Cabinet to handle affairs, and Wang Xijue came to the capital to take over the position of Senior Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."

"It also happened that Wang Xijue's daughter, Tanyangzi, ascended to heaven in broad daylight, and the whole family held a grand sacrifice. Wang Xijue delayed for several months before setting off. Shen Shixing handled the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel during this period, and even after entering the Cabinet, he had no time to share the burden of state affairs."

Shen Li frowned.

No wonder the infighting in the court had reached this point.

Wang Chonggu of the Cabinet ignored state affairs; Gao, Lu, and Ma were old and sickly and could not handle affairs; and the successor, Shen Shixing, was tied up handling the Ministry of Personnel for Zhang Juzheng.

And among the Nine Ministers.

Ge Shouli, who had long held prestige in the Censorate, passed away; Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Chen Dong was sent to Xuan-Da; Zhang Han and Chen Kai were incompetent; and the Ministry of War was suspicious of the Emperor due to the Beijing Garrison affair.

If it were in the past, this kind of transition period would not count as a major event.

Promoting new people and filling vacancies would just be a matter of a year or two of adjustment.

Unfortunately, it has been seven years since the New Policies, and the Emperor and the Cabinet have acted with great vigor, not knowing how many people they have offended.

Officials dissatisfied with the Evaluation Law.

Gentry fearing the land survey.

Local yamen resisting the verification of household registration.

Royal clansmen resentful that their clan property was confiscated.

New jinshi who had been sent to local posts for several years and had suffered enough.

These people would inevitably seize the opportunity of the Cabinet's transition between old and new and make a big fuss using the Emperor's lack of an heir.

Shen Li looked down at himself.

With his qualifications, if he returned to court now, a position as a Vice Minister of the Six Ministries would be inevitable—this is also the reason why Sima Zhi, a fifth-rank Vice Prefect, was so respectful before him, a sixth-rank Left Junior Supervisor.

But unfortunately, even if he had recovered his health now, he could not return to court.

His mother had only passed away three months ago, and he must observe mourning until the ninth year of Wanli before he could return to court to share the Emperor's worries.

Thinking of this, Shen Li glanced at Sima Zhi.

Just looking at how this fellow acted already made him feel that the situation in the local area was tense.

Now that this fellow spoke of the situation in the court, it simply made him feel uneasy.

Alas, Shen Li sighed.

He only hoped that the sage monarch could withstand this round of backlash from the land survey.

He had originally planned to just restrain his own family after entering the city and then leave quickly.

But after hearing Sima Zhi recount the court situation along the way, Shen Li couldn't help but have a more enthusiastic and proactive attitude toward Sima Zhi's request.

Upon arriving at Guide Prefecture.

Shen Li politely declined Sima Zhi's invitation to a welcoming banquet and a half-day of rest.

Instead, he went straight ahead without stopping to start controlling the situation in Guide Prefecture for Sima Zhi.

That day, Shen Li, in his capacity as a local prominent figure and elder within the clan, sternly reprimanded and restrained the yamen runners of the prefecture yamen.

Subsequently, he met with the younger generation of the Shen family one by one, ordering everyone to follow the court's political decrees, and so on.

The next day, he invited the scholars from the county and prefecture schools, relying on his status as a respected elder and a Hanlin academician of the current court, and used his status in the scholarly community to form a society—called the Wenya Society.

It aimed to educate customs and promote goodness together, and especially criticized the evil acts of destroying embankments and resisting the prefecture yamen.

Three days later, he held a special evening banquet, gathering the prominent people of Guide Prefecture city into the prefecture yamen.

Shen Li, in the posture of the head of a prominent family and a high official of the central government, explained the court's difficulties, saying that in complying with political decrees, the Shen family would inevitably set an example, and persuaded the prominent figures with reason, coercion, and inducement.

Sima Zhi, who had originally prepared to have a good fight with this Left Junior Supervisor, ended up following Shen Li, considering himself a student, frequently saying "Master this" and "Left Junior Supervisor that."

Skipping over a few families' private bribery, a few insignificant madmen clashing with Sima Zhi's family, and a few clumsy attempts at gathering crowds to smash things.

The land survey in Guide Prefecture was finally about to begin.

What followed was the prefecture yamen's home court, and Shen Li could not help much.

Because he had to go back to hold the third Yu sacrifice during the mourning period, Shen Li bid farewell to Sima Zhi in advance that evening.

Shen Li gave Sima Zhi some instructions, such as that he could go to Yucheng County to find him at any time, and to take good care of the Yellow Registers and be careful of fire, and so on.

Sima Zhi naturally would not give any gold or silver treasures as thanks, but personally wrote an essay praising Shen Li's noble character and patriotic feelings.

He also collected newspapers from recent years, such as the Di Bao, Xin Bao, Donglin Academic Journal, and Gewu Daily, and put them all into Shen Li's carriage as a token of gratitude.

Early the next morning, to avoid being too much of a bother, Shen Li packed up early, intending to leave without saying goodbye.

However, just as Shen Li was about to board the carriage, he suddenly heard shouting in the prefecture.

"Master, stay your steps!"

Shen Li maintained the posture of climbing into the carriage, his backside facing out, and had to helplessly back out.

He saw Sima Zhi chasing after him with quick steps.

Holding the latest Di Bao in his hand: "The Provincial Administration Commission just delivered another Di Bao!"

Shen Li turned around and laughed: "Next time you come to the Shen mansion, just bring it along; why be in such a rush."

He took it casually.

At just one glance, he froze.

The date on the Di Bao was a month ago, that is, the Di Bao of the eighth month of this year.

The first line caught his eye—Bingzi, Zhang Gelao Zhang Juzheng's father passed away, he submitted a memorial requesting retirement to escort the coffin back to his hometown.

Shen Li looked up at Sima Zhi.

The latter met Shen Li's gaze and said with some hesitation: "Master, can this land still be surveyed?"

(End of chapter)