Chapter 770 869 Gao Gong's Anti-Corruption
From Li Chunfang's mouth, Wei Guangde learned that Gao Gong often slandered other cabinet ministers in front of Emperor Longqing, and he understood Gao Gong's plan.
Although Li Chunfang only told what Gao Gong had accused them of, she probably said a lot about him as well, just to maintain the appearance of being a worldly expert and stay out of the matter, she did not tell herself the truth.
Li Chunfang is also not honest and wishes that Chen Yiqin and his group would have a life-and-death fight with Gao Gong in the cabinet, so that Gao Gong would not have the energy to covet the position of his chief minister.
Will Wei Guangde fall into Li Chunfang’s scheme?
Of course not.
However, since they knew that Gao Gong had spoken ill of them in front of the emperor, they naturally could not pretend that nothing happened and just let it pass.
And, the most important thing is, how did Li Chunfang know this news?
Wei Guangde had Chen Ju and Feng Bao in the palace, both overt and covert, and neither of them disclosed this information to him.
Are they blocked, or is there another reason?
But no matter what, Wei Guangde planned to spread the news to Chen Ju and Feng Bao. Li Chunfang quietly planted a nail in the palace, and he had to find out who was secretly contacting him.
Wei Guangde did not mention this matter to Chen Yiqin and Yin Shizhen. If they had known about it, they would have informed him long ago.
After handling government affairs for a day as if nothing had happened, Wei Guangde did not leave the imperial city until the office was dismissed. When he got into the sedan chair, he whispered to the attendant beside him: "Go and contact Eunuch Chen in the palace. Invite him to my house if you have time "Say."
"Yes, sir."
The commander followed the order and did not follow the team far after serving Wei Guangde in the sedan chair. He left the team within a few steps. Went towards the Donghua Gate of the Imperial City.
Although Wei Guangde, Chen Ju, and Feng Bao were usually in the palace, Wei Guangde's activities were only near the cabinet, and it was impossible for him to go to the palace without being summoned.
While Chen Ju was walking around the Qianqing Palace with the Chief of Ceremonies, Feng Bao spent most of the time with the prince. He only had one hour a day to deal with the affairs of the eunuch. If there was a big matter, the eunuch would naturally be there in time. Inform the processing.
So, even though the distance between the three of them is not far, they would never touch each other on weekdays.
Feng Bao will not go into details. During the Jiajing Emperor's period, he was already one of the eunuchs Bingbi, the Supervisor of Ceremonies, and his status was not low. Now Chen Ju's status in the palace is relatively stable.
Although his status is not high, for some reasons, no one is willing to target him, so his subordinates also accepted some godsons.
In fact, in the palace, eunuchs with a little status would arrange for a godson to be on duty at Donghua Gate, which was used to contact the outer court.
If there is news from outside that needs to be sent in, they will go to Donghua Gate to find someone, but they will never go to Chengtian Gate.
As for the Xihua Gate, although you can also contact the outside world, it is facing the Xiyuan Gate and surrounded by inner court offices, so it is not easy for outsiders to run there.
For this reason, almost all the eunuchs on duty at Donghua Gate are supported by the great eunuchs in the palace, otherwise they would have been deprived of their positions long ago.
The people who can be arranged here are often the godsons whom the people behind them trust.
After Wei Guangde returned to the mansion, he directly ordered Zhang Ji who came up to greet him: "Ask the kitchen to prepare a table of wine and food. Eunuch Chen may come later."
"Yes, sir."
Zhang Ji got the order, and after sending Wei Guangde into the backyard, he turned around and went to the kitchen to arrange food and drinks.
Actually, Wei Guangde's dinner is relatively sumptuous on weekdays, but there may be guests, so naturally he has to order something better.
After changing into casual clothes, Wei Guangde went to the study to read and eat some snacks to cushion his stomach.
When Chen Ju knew that the news would arrive, he usually had to wait until the first watch, so there was still at least an hour, and usually by this time he would already be having dinner at home.
Sure enough, not long after the first watch, there was movement outside.
Wei Guangde is not sure what time this time is in later generations. He estimates that it is about eight o'clock in the evening.
A sumptuous meal and wine were already served in a flower hall. Wei Guangde welcomed Chen Ju here and the two of them sat down.
“I got some good wine today and sent someone to find me.”
Chen Ju sat down, looked at the wine bottle next to him, and asked happily.
"The Shandong Qiulubai has just been delivered, let Brother Chen have a taste."
Wei Guangde replied with a smile, stretched out his hand to lift the wine bottle and gave it to the one in front of Chen Ju first, and it was filled. Then he refilled the wine glass in front of him.
Qiulubai is a kind of strong liquor produced in Shandong in the Ming Dynasty. Because it is made with sorghum in autumn, it is called Qiulubai.
Don’t think that the quality of sorghum wine is low. In fact, Qiulubai was also one of the palace wines of the Ming Dynasty.
The wines that emperors of the Ming Dynasty usually drank were mainly lotus stamens, Han Tan Xiang, Qiu Lu Bai, Bamboo Leaf Green, Golden Stem Dew, and Taixi Bai.
Of course, what the emperor drank must have been carefully brewed wine, but what was brought into Wei Guangde's house would naturally taste more mellow.
Probably because the production of the best wine is very small, we dare not make the emperor's mouth cunning.
"The jade dew condenses in the sky, and the silver trough is empty and weeps for the autumn red. The Xue family's new lotus color makes it easy for the Qingzun to sit next to the blue tube."
Chen Ju muttered something in his mouth and stretched out his hand. He picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.
"Hiss"
After drinking, Chen Ju couldn't help but gasp.
"Haha, Brother Chen drank too fast. This wine is very strong. Hurry up and eat the food."
Seeing this, Wei Guangde hurriedly laughed.
“It’s three points stronger than what I drank in the palace.”
Chen Ju took a chopstick and put the dish into his mouth, and then smiled after eating it.
"Don't dare to give your Majesty the strongest wine, as it can easily get you drunk."
Wei Guangde just smiled.
“But we still like to drink strong liquor, haha.”
Chen Ju just smiled.
It's strange to say that many of the big eunuchs in the palace now like to drink strong wine. The higher the grade, the stronger the taste. The stronger the wine, the better.
"I still have two jars here. Brother, just take them home."
Wei Guangde smiled and gave Chen Juman another drink while talking.
"By the way, we are all family members, and I will not beat around the bush. What do you want from me today?"
Chen Ju did not reach for the wine glass this time, but looked at him asked.
"I heard."
Wei Guangde told Chen Ju in detail the news he heard from Li Chunfang. He also stared at Chen Ju's expression as he spoke, seeing that he was also surprised after hearing this.
You must know that when you reach this position, you are very careful about your words and deeds. Generally, you will not express your attitude towards certain people in front of the emperor. Even if you are very dissatisfied with someone, you will not say anything too inappropriate. If you listen, you are worried that the listener will think you are narrow-minded and intolerant.
When Chen Ju heard what Wei Guangde said, if it were anyone else, he would have thought it was nonsense.
But the two of them are very familiar with each other, so they naturally know that Wei Guangde is not a person who talks nonsense.
After Wei Guangde finished speaking, Chen Ju said: "After all, my time in the imperial court is limited. Everyone takes turns to serve in the imperial court, so I don't know whether Gao Xinzheng really said these words.
But normally , If it is true, I will know it from others."
"Could it be said after Ping stepped back?"
Wei Guangde said hesitantly.
It would be impossible if he didn't say these things first. He knew that Chen Ju was a good drinker. If he said it too late, he would be drunk and talk nonsense.
"Back off, haha."
Chen Ju just smiled, and then said: "I have written this down, and I will go back and ask about it, but you said that the Chief Assistant should also have someone in the Qianqing Palace. This is actually You should have thought of it a long time ago.
When Yan Song returned to his hometown, many people were cleared out in the palace. I don’t know how to get involved with Mr. Chief Assistant, but I guess it’s either Teng Xiang or Meng Chong.”
When Chen Ju said this, he seemed to have just remembered it. He continued: "By the way, there is news that you may not know yet. I only heard about it in the past two days."
"What's going on?"
Wei Guangde asked in surprise.
"Teng Xiang's health is probably in danger. He is almost seventy and seems to have been taking medicine recently.
I saw him serving His Majesty the day before yesterday. His hands and feet were shaking so much. The police noticed it."
Chen Ju said in a low voice.
"Oh"
Wei Guangde was slightly shocked. He had not heard the news in the outer court. He thought that Tengxiang had blocked the news very strictly because he was afraid of being plotted at the last moment.
However, Wei Guangde was not interested in Teng Xiang's family background. Instead, he was interested in the position he left behind.
Who will replace him as the eunuch of the palm print?
The current Tengxiang is just like Huang Jin during the Jiajing Dynasty. He was extremely favored in front of Emperor Longqing, so he had great power in the inner court.
Li Fang served Emperor Longqing for more than 20 years, sharing weal and woe, but his skills were inferior to Teng Xiang's flattery, which shows that his methods are also extremely clever.
It can only be said that there is no simple person who can emerge from the inner court.
"Then you have to pay attention to who does the palm prints."
Wei Guangde just whispered.
“Actually, it’s just those few that I am optimistic about Meng Chong.”
Chen Ju whispered: "I heard that Meng Chong and Teng Xiang had an offensive and defensive alliance at the beginning, and Teng Xiang recommended Meng Chong when he went down. This is why Chen Hong was anxious and wanted to help Gao Gong."
< br>"Where is Feng Bao?"
Wei Guangde asked directly.
"Feng Bao bets on the prince, not today."
Chen Ju replied in a low voice, "What he wants is ten or twenty years from now, so he and Tengxiang Meng Chong The relationship is good, everyone takes care of each other's needs
That was when the palace besieged Chen Hong, and he was the one who benefited the most. "
"Feng Bao is a smart man and knows that the move is one step away, so he simply avoids it. "
Wei Guangde said.
"If Teng Xiang is on the line with the Chief Assistant, then Meng Chong will most likely be too. "
At this time, Chen Ju suddenly said.
"Master Chief Assistant can still maintain his position, haha, let's not talk about this."
Wei Guangde smiled and said, "Come on, have a drink."
"What has Mr. Gao Ge been busy with recently?" "
The next day, Wei Guangde asked Lu Bu in the duty room of the cabinet.
As Wei Guangde's housekeeper, in addition to handling housekeeping affairs, he also has the responsibility of inquiring about information in the cabinet.
"I heard that recently, Gaoge Lao asked Zhongshu to distribute impeachment memorials to him for handling."
Lu Bu thought about it before replying, "Other than that, he is no different from other cabinet lao."< br>
“He wants to deal with the impeachment memorial?”
Wei Guangde frowned and immediately understood the purpose of his doing so.
In the cabinet, Gao Gong has always talked about rectifying the administration of officials, and his understanding is very deep.
On the eve of Gao Gong's entry into the cabinet, when he was the Minister of Rites, he also wrote "Reversing Declined Habits to Reverend Saints and Regulate Essays", which was later widely circulated as "Abolition of Eight Abnormalities".
This book was put forward by Gao Gong’s personal observation and careful consideration of the bad government that gradually formed in the late Jiajing period.
Looking at this book, you can roughly understand his analysis of the political environment at that time. The root cause of the current difficult situation lies in "bad habits". These "old habits" were analyzed in detail and listed as "eight disadvantages".
The first is "bad law", which means misinterpreting the law and arbitrarily applying the severity;
The second is "black goods", which means selling one's official position, taking bribes, and taking bribes;
The third is "mean", which means being cold and harsh, making things difficult for the people;
The fourth is "jealousy", which means fighting for credit and blame, ostracizing each other;
The fifth is "passing the buck", which is pushing aside The responsibility has been delegated, There is no distinction between merit and crime;
The sixth is "party comparison", that is, forming cliques, and those who agree with the party and rejecting those who are different;
The seventh is "coincidence", which means following the rules and taking responsibility, and obeying the story;
The eighth is "floating talk", which means confusing discussions and confusing right and wrong.
I have to say that even Wei Guangde, a later generation, would applaud after reading it, because Gao Gong's analysis of the Ming Dynasty's officialdom was very accurate and would not be outdated even in later generations.
Since the middle period of the Jiajing period, a culture of fame-seeking and profit-seeking has prevailed in the officialdom. In order to pursue fame, fortune and a prosperous official career, officials engaged in corruption and bribery. Yan Song came to power, which further worsened the official style. "Competition has become a custom, and bribery has become a common practice."
They openly sell their officials. "Officials, big or small, all have their own prices." You get an official position because of bribes, and you get bribes because of your official position. "If you give up a hundred, you can ask for a thousand; if you give up a thousand, you can ask for a thousand."
In Gao Gong's eyes, if corruption, bribery, and official selling are not completely eliminated, the country will not be governed and the government will decline.
Wei Guangde is not opposed to rectifying officialdom. Although he does not want to get involved in this thankless job, it does not mean that he will allow it to flourish.
Corrupt officials are hated by all dynasties and generations.
However, what Wei Guangde was mainly on guard against was Gao Gong's use of this trip to eliminate dissidents, so he told Lu Bu: "Go to Zhongshu to check in a while and write down those people who have been dealt with recently. It’s all because of something.”
Being in a confidential position in the cabinet, the information is naturally very complete.
After all, whether it is the impeachment of officials from the Ministry of Education or the investigation and punishment by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, reports will be reported, and naturally the cabinet will leave records.
At almost noon, Wei Guangde had already obtained a list from Lu Bu, recording in detail the officials Gao Gong had dealt with recently.
Wei Guangde took a quick look at it, but he couldn't see any clear direction. In other words, it didn't seem to be an action taken to combat certain forces.
In the case of the officials and officials, Zheng Dajing impeached Xiao Jimei, the magistrate of Hui'an County. He had stolen a false reputation for a long time, and recently he sent a large sum of money to the chariot hub. Please arrest and punish him.
In the end, Emperor Gao Gong and Emperor Longqing both approved "yes", and I think the person has now been arrested and imprisoned.
In addition, Yang Jiaxiang, the censor of Zhili, impeached Li Tianyou, the commander-in-chief of the Water Transport Bureau, and other eight people for corruption. The Ministry of Personnel investigated and investigated Sun Dalin, a doctor in the Shanxi Division of the Ministry of Criminal Affairs, for accepting bribes of nearly 3,000 taels. There were many traces of the stolen goods. According to the corruption regulations , Sun Dalin resigned from his post to serve the people, etc.
Since Gao Gong couldn't see any action, Wei Guangde couldn't say anything. At least it was a good thing for Gao Gong to clean up the officialdom.
Of the seven or eight people Gao Gong dealt with, all were involved in bribes. To take bribes, one must bend the law, and to bend the law is to take bribes.
Wei Guangde had no objection to punishing corruption and bribery with severe punishments and eradicating filthy customs. However, seeing Gao Gong handle so many cases in such a short period of time after returning to the court, he still secretly said that the anti-corruption intensity was the only one in the Ming Dynasty. have.
(End of this chapter)