Chapter 1118 1209 The one who takes the blame
Zhu Heng looks down on Pan Jixun and thinks he is incapable of solving the matter.
In fact, even in later generations, the sediment problem in the Yellow River will still remain unsolved unless rainfall in the middle and later sections of the Yellow River Basin decreases, preventing heavy rains and subsequent floods.
But there is no water, that is the scene in the late Ming Dynasty. The people had no food and clothing, and finally took risks.
“He can’t?”
Wei Guangde looked at Zhu Heng with interest and asked.
“He doesn’t have that ability.”
Zhu Heng still shook his head, “Actually, the Yellow River has always been the main responsibility of the Ministry of Industry. I have been troubled by floods in the Yellow River for so many years in the Ministry of Industry. , but there is still no way.
It can only be said that this is beyond human power. "
Immediately, Wei Guangde's eyes moved to Jiang Zhi, who was also an old water controller for many years.
However, his performance was not much better than Zhu Heng's, he just shook his head.
"As for the first assistant's proposal, do you think you will accept it or not?"
Wei Guangde asked calmly.
"It's just a waste of people and money. It may postpone the flood for a year or two, but it won't be sustainable in the end."
Zhu Heng said directly and expressed his attitude.
After Wei Guangde learned about Zhu Heng's attitude, he nodded silently.
“If you are good at lending, if you have any flaws today, you might as well go to Guanghe Tower with us to sit and listen to music. I heard that today the famous Jiangnan master Gu Dadian’s new work "The Story of the Green Shirt" will be on stage."
The matter of the Ministry of Industry was almost discussed. Just when Wei Guangde was leaving and preparing to meet with the cabinet, Jiang Zhi sent out an invitation.
"Guanghe Building, okay."
Wei Guangde did not refuse and agreed with a smile.
Guanghe Building, later known as Guanghe Theater, is outside the Qianmen of Beijing.
Guanghe Building was built in the late Ming Dynasty. It was once the earliest and most famous theater building in Beijing. Together with Huale Building, Guangde Building and First Stage, it was also known as the four major theaters in Beijing.
As early as the mid-Ming Dynasty, this place was a famous tea house, and later it gradually became a theater.
As for the Gu Dadian mentioned by Jiang Zhi, although he was not famous in later generations, he was a famous poet, dramatist, calligrapher and painter in the Ming Dynasty.
Gu Dadian, courtesy name Daoxing and alias Hengyu, was born in Wujiang, Suzhou Prefecture, South Zhili. He was the grandson of Gu Bing. He was a Jinshi in the second year of Longqing and is now an official in Chuzhou.
However, he seems to be an official just out of repayment for his family, and his hobbies are more opera, calligraphy and painting, and he likes to enjoy the mountains and rivers with his friends.
The play "The Story of the Green Shirt" is based on Ju Yi's "The Legend of the Pipa" and Ma Zhiyuan's "Jiangzhou Sima Tears of the Green Shirt" drama, which can be regarded as an adaptation by Gu Dadian.
Drama Score Bai Juyi visits Pei Xingnu, a female harem girl who is good at playing the pipa, and offers wine in a green shirt; later Bai Juyi was demoted to Jiangzhou for resisting the edict of Shu, and did not meet Xingnu when he visited Fuliang; The tea guest bought Xingnu and took him to Jiangzhou. Xingnu played the pipa by himself when the moon was cold and the wind was clear, so he reunited with Bai.
Because of his official status and aura as a Jinshi, his works have always been highly respected.
Wei Guangde came out of the Ministry of Industry and saw a servant of the government standing next to the sedan chair, so he went over immediately.
"Master."
The man hurriedly saluted Wei Guangde.
"Have you found it?"
Wei Guangde just nodded and asked casually.
"Sir, I have checked all the people who have come in and out of Zhang's Mansion in recent times, and no trace of Zhejiang officials has been found. However, there is one who entered Zhang's Mansion in the same year."
The servant whispered in Wei Guangde's ear.
"Well, I got it, let's check again."
Wei Guangde just said lightly, then got into the sedan and went back to the cabinet.
When he came out, he arranged for someone to go back and investigate the matter, wondering if Pan Jixun was looking for someone to make a comeback.
Although there is no clear news, it at least seems possible.
Back at the cabinet, Wei Guangde did not immediately go to Zhang Juzheng to explain the Ministry of Industry's attitude, but planned to delay the discussion for a day or two.
When the office was dismissed, Wei Guangde went back to his house and changed into casual clothes. After speaking to his wife, he took a sedan chair to Guanghe Building.
In the private room in front, I had dinner with Zhu Heng and others, and then went to the theater in the back to listen to the play.
Although Wei Guangde is not very interested in Ming Dynasty opera, he has no choice but to blend in and live in harmony.
"Besides, Mr. Liu is just a guest, a businessman, teach me how to stay with him."
On the stage, Jiao'er performed hard, and Wei Guangde and others chatted while drinking tea.
“As expected of a Jinshi arranger, both the lyrics and the music are good.”
Jiang Zhi, who loves to listen to opera, immediately laughed.
"Jinshi, hehe"
Next to him, Shu Hua laughed.
"Why are you laughing?"
Jiang Zhi looked at Shu Hua and asked happily.
"Recently, there is a chapter-by-chapter novel called "The Legend of the Plum in the Golden Ping" that has been circulated in the market. It is said that the author is a Jinshi."
Shu Hua explained with a smile.
“I heard someone say that the book doesn’t have an author’s name, right?”
Cai Guozhen asked from the side.
"Have you all seen it?"
Hearing this familiar name, Wei Guangde couldn't help but become interested and asked.
"Looking through it at will, I can only say... Alas, it's hard to evaluate."
Shu Hua replied, "It's just a legend outside, and it was written for officials, but I feel it should be A senior, what I see throughout this article is."
Zhu Heng frowned and asked. He was the oldest among the group, so he was very curious about Shu Hua's words. He smiled and asked, "Why do you say that?"
"Hey, I'm reading that book. It feels like Ximen Qing looks like that 'Qing'er'."
Shu Hua lowered his voice and replied in a low voice.
"Qing'er? Hiss."
Zhu Heng has been in power for many years, so naturally he suddenly remembered who it was and couldn't help but take a breath.
"Look at that last name again, Ximen, Ximen."
Shu Hua continued.
Wei Guangde nodded, he understood what Shu Hua meant.
The west gate faces the east tower, and Yan Shifan's nickname is "Qing'er", and he is the godson of Grand Master Cai Jing. The allusion is very strong.
In fact, during the Ming Dynasty, "The Legend of the Plum in the Golden Lotus" was widely circulated, but the author's name was not left in this book.
As for the later reports that the author was Lan Ling Xiao Xiaosheng, it was also because the earliest version of the engraving was preceded by a preface signed by "Xin Xinzi". The first sentence said, "It is said that Lan Ling Xiao Xiaosheng wrote "Jin Ping Mei" "Biography", indicating that the author of the book is "Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng".
"Lanling" is the county commander, and "Xiaoxiaosheng" is the author.
So the last sentence of the preface is "I said: Xiaoxiaosheng is the one who wrote this biography, so there is something wrong."
So, later generations identified the author of this book, and he became Lan Ling smiled and laughed.
A few people chatted for a while, and Wei Guangde sent a message to Shu Hua privately, "After reading it, send it to my house. I will also see how the book is written."
Wei Guangde has seen the so-called movie in later generations, but has not read the book, so he is also somewhat interested.
"Easy to say, I'll just ask someone to make a copy and send it over."
Shu Hua said with a smile. There was no copyright awareness in the Ming Dynasty. For a long time in China, most authors wrote books. Although they had copyrights, most of their income was the money they gave to booksellers for the first time, and there was no money later.
The West pays royalties based on the number of publications, which has never happened in ancient China. This situation lasted until the 1980s.
During this period, most people who wrote books actually had to pay out of their own pockets to publish their books.
For example, the "Compendium of Materia Medica" written by Li Shizhen, who was very famous in later generations. If he had not been appreciated for treating diseases of important people, it would be difficult for this book to be published.
In addition to the books that are sold in large quantities by booksellers, private manuscripts are also very popular.
Shu Hua immediately wanted to give Wei Guangde a whole manuscript, and Wei Guangde could only smile and nod to express his gratitude.
Yes, although "Jin Ping Mei" has been circulated, it was not published by a bookseller, so there is no stereotyped book, it is all hand-copied.
If it were really a bookseller who published the book, the author would naturally not be able to conceal his identity.
The stereotypes that have been circulated since then can basically be considered as infringing works and are not authorized by the author.
During the chat, the performance on the stage continued, "Once the power is in hand, the order will be carried out. The three armies, large and small, obey my orders."
This is a play on the Anshi Rebellion, Chang'an It was a chaotic plot, and everyone naturally knew about that period of history, and they all listened to the show with smiles.
However, Wei Guangde couldn't help being surprised when he heard Duan Shui'er.
"Once the power is in hand, the order will be carried out."
He automatically filtered out the scenes of marching and fighting later, and instead recited the previous paragraph in a low voice. Somehow, he thought of today thing.
After Wei Guangde came through, although he did not set any ambitious plans or ambitions for a lifetime of wealth, at first he just wanted to provide food and clothing.
Back then, Wei Guangde’s biggest wish was to go to Jiujiang Chaoguan in Jiujiang City to work as a civil servant and eat royal food because of his fear of traveling through time.
Of course, living in the city is also his goal.
Unknowingly, I have reached this day, maybe the time traveler is blessed by God.
It should be said that with him as a time traveler, the Wanli Ming Dynasty has changed a lot. It is no longer the case when Zhang Juzheng was in power that he only looked at the inside and tried his best to solve the very serious problems of internal decay.
Using the foundation of Ming Dynasty, Wei Guangde has been working hard to promote Ming Dynasty to look overseas and put it into practice.
Yes, although the Ming Dynasty was in trouble internally, the threat of death was still there. The Ming Dynasty had a good foundation. Even though Spain and Portugal began the Age of Discovery, in terms of overall national strength, the Ming Dynasty was still the well-deserved hegemon of the world.
Of course, there is no comprehensive national strength in this era.
However, Wei Guangde suddenly discovered that he seemed to have become selfish in his actions and actions since then. He did not consider the interests of the country or the nation, but considered himself and the small circle centered around him.
“Once you have the power in your hands, you will carry out your orders. That’s really good.”
Wei Guangde suddenly laughed at himself.
Perhaps, he has been blinded by power and can no longer see anything else.
And the things he thought he did for the country and the nation seemed to be created because he wanted to promote the talents around him.
Thinking of what he and Zhu Heng had done before, he made up his mind to reject Zhang Juzheng's proposal to let Pan Jixun control the water.
Yes, just try.
The Ministry of Industry led by Zhu Heng and Jiang Zhi has no way to control the Yellow River and can only choose to deal with it conservatively, that is, if it is blocked, clean it out, and if it breaks down, repair it.
"Pan Jixun Pan Jixun."
Soon, Wei Guangde finally figured out that since the Ministry of Industry was powerless, why not let Pan Jixun, who was idle at home, give it a try. Maybe after keeping a low profile for so many years, he would really have something. Other methods are also unknown.
But thinking about Zhu Heng's attitude towards Pan Jixun, Wei Guangde thought about it and knew that he couldn't talk about this directly and had to be tactful.
So, he approached Zhu Heng and whispered: "Brother Shinan."
"Yes."
Zhu Heng glanced at him and looked at the stage again.
"After much thought about today's matter, I feel that it seems that we should follow Zhang Shoufu's wishes and let the people recommended by him manage the Yellow River."
Wei Guangde whispered.
“Why?”
Pan Jixun didn’t squint, he just asked in a low voice.
"The Yellow River incident is what it is. Sooner or later something will go wrong. Instead of holding the Ministry of Work accountable when the time comes, it would be better to transfer the first person responsible from Jiang Zhi to Pan Jixun.
If If Pan Jixun can really manage the Yellow River, it would be best to let him be the minister of the Ministry of Works and lead the river work.
If the flood control fails, the main responsibility lies with him. Although the Ministry of Works cannot shirk the responsibility, it is much smaller after all.
With Zhang Shoufu standing in front of me, I can help with the situation. "
Wei Guangde directly stated his intention to let Pan Jixun take the blame. Zhu Heng then glanced sideways at him, and then turned back to continue watching the performance on the stage.
Although it looks like he is watching a show, In fact, he is also calculating the benefits and losses of this matter in his heart.
As the minister of the Ministry of Industry, he should naturally try to deal with the river problem, but the problem of the Yellow River, judging from his years of experience in the Ministry of Industry, is really beyond human control.
It can't be cured.
Thinking about Pan Jixun again, the conflict between him and Pan Jixun back then was actually about whether to dredge the river or dig the river.
When the Xu Huang River flooded, he advocated digging a new river to bypass the most dangerous sections of the Yellow River.
Pan Jixun advocated dredging, although in the end it seemed that he was right.
Canal Xinhe has been running for a long time now, and shipping has remained smooth.
"It's blocked and then loosened, and it's blocked again and again. How long will it take?"
Zhu Heng lamented in his heart.
Although the Yellow River is the birthplace of Chinese civilization, it is also the biggest headache for all dynasties.
"I'm afraid that if I let him come back, Shunqing won't be able to suppress him."
Shunqing, of course, refers to Jiang Zhi, that's his word.
"With me, I will put him in the position of governor of the river. At the worst, I will let him hold the title of minister. If that doesn't work, just go to Nanjing."
Wei Guangde said casually.
Anyway, the Ming Dynasty had already prepared a set of teams, including Shangshu, both in Beijing and Nanjing. However, the scope of jurisdiction was much smaller, but the grade and treatment were the same.
Even if Pan Jixun has made great contributions, so what, I will give you a matching official position. Are you still not convinced?
“I have no objection.”
Finally, Zhu Heng nodded and agreed to let Pan Jixun return and take charge of river affairs.
The next day, Wei Guangde went into the cabinet to handle official business for a long time. In the afternoon, he left the office and went to the first assistant to check the room, and directly told Zhang Juzheng the results of his discussion with Zhu Heng.
"In this case, what title should be given to him?"
Zhang Juzheng saw that Wei Guangde and the Ministry of Industry had no objection, so he immediately said, "Before, he seemed to be the right capital of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. The censor and the right minister of the Ministry of Industry took charge of the river crossing work. "
Zhang Juzheng was talking about the fifth year of Longqing. At that time, Pan Jixun was in charge of a river crossing project, but something went wrong shortly after it was completed, so he was impeached and was impeached. Dismissed from office.
"Let's do it this way."
What Wei Guangde means is that the official will be reinstated.
“What do you think about adding an admiral to oversee military affairs?”
Zhang Juzheng suggested.
Giving Pan Jixun admiral to supervise military affairs, of course, is not to transfer him to military affairs, but to facilitate the mobilization of surrounding guards to protect the river works. At critical times, the guards can also contribute to the construction of the river works.
Wei Guangde just thought about it for a moment before nodding and agreed, "Then I will serve as the right censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the right minister of the Ministry of Industry, Prime Minister Hecao, and the admiral of military affairs."
"Great kindness."
Zhang Juzheng clapped his hands and smiled.