Chapter 165: Gou Hui Zhen Shi, a scholar in the grassland

It was common for officials, gentry and wealthy merchants in the Ming Dynasty to violate regulations in their mansions, and it was also a major crime that court officials used to accuse each other.

For example, among the many negative materials about Zhang Juzheng, there is the fabricated story by someone that "the blood and sweat of Jiangling has dried up, but a forbidden palace was built" - that's why it is said that unofficial history cannot be trusted. If Zhang Juzheng had built a palace in Jiangling, there would be no archaeological traces missing.

However, a minority of people are fake, and the majority are naturally real.

In Puzhou City, Shanxi Province, there were so many people entering the palace, including cabinet ministers, nine officials, and hall officials, that it was particularly common for the palace to violate the rules.

He said, since there are so many officials, their houses are connected to the clouds, and their towering buildings are high up and overlooking the world.

Some were built by officials themselves, while others were built illegally by their family members without the knowledge of the officials.

It is said that Zhang Siwei, the Minister of Rites who retired to mourn his father, was one of the latter who was deceived by his family and was completely unaware of the situation.

He had been an official in the court for twenty years. As soon as he returned to his hometown, he learned the truth and began to restrain his clansmen and rectify the family tradition.

The illegal noble families in front of the mansion were demolished by Zhang Siwei himself, leaving only a plain and simple gate.

Perhaps, people who are truly prestigious and powerful do not need those superficial decorations.

At least now, the guests passing through this simple and plain door are no less respectful than before, and may even be more respectful.

A group of Shanxi merchants followed the steward of Zhang's mansion tremblingly, and walked into the shabby gate of Zhang's mansion with their heads down.

Except for the simple gate.

The depth, courtyard and height of the Zhang Mansion were also renovated and repaired in accordance with the requirements of the Ming Dynasty laws.

This shows how strict Mr. Zhang was in his requirements for etiquette after he became the Minister of Rites.

The group walked through the halls and came to a deserted courtyard.

"The master is in mourning now. He has been living in a hut in another courtyard for the past six months, eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures. Please don't think it is shabby." The steward walking in front explained politely.

Several Shanxi merchants even said they dared not.

The courtyard is said to be deserted because it is overgrown with weeds.

In fact, the scenery is not bad.

Especially the small lake dug in the center has picturesque scenery and is particularly pleasing to the eye.

The group crossed the bridge and came to a thatched cottage on a small lake. The manager stopped and signaled the Shanxi merchants to go in directly.

The Shanxi merchants looked at each other and the simple thatched cottage with worried expressions. One of them gritted his teeth and took the lead.

Several people pushed the door open and walked in.

The thatched cottage was full of Zen spirit, simple and elegant, and filled with the scent of agarwood.

There is a spirit tablet in the center, below which are incense, a cushion, and a man half-kneeling on the cushion, chanting Buddhist scriptures.

The Shanxi merchants looked a little embarrassed and bowed one after another.

"The chief shopkeeper."

"Master Zhang."

"The chief shopkeeper."

Zhang Siwei seemed unaware and just clasped his hands together and muttered some scriptures.

The Shanxi merchants did not dare to disturb them and waited in agony.

After a while.

Zhang Siwei changed his posture, folded his hands, touched his forehead, and bowed towards the tablet.

After the greeting, he slowly stood up and looked directly at the few people: "Why don't you come to me first before doing business?"

"Now that something's happened, you think of me?"

"What did I, the big shopkeeper, do to make you disrespect me so much?"

The expressions of several Shanxi merchants changed.

One of them hurriedly explained: "Boss! It's not that I didn't want to come to you before, but you never asked about these businesses in the past, and I didn't understand it at the moment!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the man who had just entered the room first suddenly knelt down and cried, "Boss, I know I was wrong! I shouldn't have gone against the Chamber of Commerce's ban and sold the order privately!"

"For the sake of our twenty-seven years of friendship, please help me this time!"

The faces of several other Shanxi merchants suddenly changed and they were at a loss.

Zhang Siwei was silent for a moment and sighed.

Dissatisfied, he said, "I am a commoner now, so don't kneel down to me all the time. It is not in accordance with etiquette and will be laughed at by outsiders."

After saying that, he stretched out his hand and helped the man up.

He looked at the people in the room again and said solemnly, "You and I have known each other for many years. Since you have come to me for help, I will make things clear to you."

"Now the world is at the end of the world, the country is in great trouble, border troubles are frequent, famines are everywhere, demons and evil spirits appear frequently, and the people are in exile."

"That's why I proposed half a year ago that our Shanxi merchants should form a group and integrate all the major chambers of commerce. This way, we can benefit the world and protect ourselves."

"Shopkeeper Wu just said that the Chamber of Commerce did not interfere in the affairs of the families in the past. That's fine."

"But I also want to say this, if you don't want to eat from the same pot, now that you are in trouble, there is no reason for me to help you anymore."

"Are you right, Shopkeeper Wu?"

Zhang Siwei was dressed in coarse linen clothes, with mourning clothes on his head and a Taoist robe to keep people away from the cold. His temperament alone made him seem very repulsive.

Coupled with the indifferent look and cold words, his attitude was clearly revealed.

Shopkeeper Wu looked panicked and quickly gave in: "Big Shopkeeper, that's not what I meant..."

Zhang Siwei raised his hand to interrupt him.

Then he shook his head and said, "You sneaked off to smuggle with the leader Bin Tuchang, and you broke your promise to me..."

"He led more than a thousand cavalrymen from his tribe a few years ago to rob the Western Regions and to trade with Liangzhou. How can you be worthy of the country by aiding the enemy like this?"

"If you ask me, it's a good thing that you were kidnapped by the White Lotus Sect. Otherwise, if the imperial court found out, it would be a disaster that would involve your entire clan."

"I can't help you with your troubles."

Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Wu knelt down hurriedly and begged for mercy.

Zhang Siwei turned a blind eye and looked at another person: "And Shopkeeper Cao, don't think that I have a prejudice against you because you bumped into me in the salt business. This little money is not as good as the friendship between us."

"I just can't understand. Now that the country is restarting the Sino-French Treaty, everything is waiting to be rebuilt. How can you have the heart to interfere and smuggle salt? Don't you have the people and the court in mind?"

"If no one had exposed you, you would have been able to conceal the truth. But now Yin Shidan has made an example of you, and the official documents have been sent to the government office. Do you really think my words can be more effective than Yin Shidan's?"

"I can't help you with your problem."

After that, Zhang Siwei looked around at everyone and sighed, "You are unwilling to help each other with the Chamber of Commerce, and you are dissatisfied with the fact that you are not making as much money as before. Why don't you tell me a word? At most, I can suffer a little loss in private and give you some profits."

"Why bother doing these businesses that betray the country?"

"Now that things have happened at the same time, isn't it fate?"

After saying that, he waved his hand and asked them to leave.

When they heard Zhang Siwei's words so harshly, they all became anxious and uneasy, and cold sweats broke out.

Then they began to beg for mercy and surrender.

Zhang Siwei remained indifferent.

The door opened again, and the steward stood at the door and held out his hand to invite someone in.

The expressions of the few people were different, some left with gritted teeth, some looked dejected, and some looked a little bitter, and then they turned around and left one after another.

The man who knelt down and surrendered at the beginning walked last, but did not leave immediately. Instead, he bowed deeply again and begged for mercy: "Boss, please help me. I know I was wrong this time. From now on, I will listen to the Chamber of Commerce... No, I will listen to you! If you say go east, I will never go west!"

After saying that, he kowtowed to the ground.

Zhang Siwei stared at the man for a long while.

When bloodstains appeared on the ground, Zhang Siwei reluctantly nodded and said, "Your family was kidnapped by the bandits from Laoqiu Mountain. I can barely pass on a few words, so let's give it a try."

After that, he gave a serious reminder: "The tea-horse business can be done peacefully in the mutual market because you have the court and the country behind you. If you do it privately, it will be against the law, and no one can stop you from doing it."

The man felt relieved and immediately swore and said he would never do it again.

Then he wiped the blood off his face with his sleeve and staggered away in embarrassment.

After everyone left one after another, the room fell into silence again.

The agarwood burned quietly. Zhang Siwei took off his Taoist robe and hung it on the back of a chair.

"Call the Third Master."

After giving instructions to the steward at the door, he stood by the window with his hands behind his back, gazing at the lake view.

Not long after.

There was a noise outside the house.

Zhang Sijiao pushed the door open and walked in.

He walked behind Zhang Siwei and called softly, "Brother."

Zhang Sijiao looked at his brother's back and felt that his brother's authority had become more and more powerful in the past six months.

On the contrary, it is more difficult to breathe than when I was in a high position before.

He often has an illusion.

After his father died, this elder brother became his new father.

Zhang Siwei said without turning his head: "After the chickens are killed, things should go more smoothly. Just go ahead and do it."

"But... since I've handed over the business to you, it's better not to let me handle it every time. After all, my energy is limited." Zhang Sijiao accepted the lesson honestly: "I will pay attention next time, big brother."

Zhang Siwei nodded: "Don't blame me for pushing you to do things. Siduan and your nephews are all staying in the capital. There are not many people I can trust now. There is really no room for you to continue your romantic nights."

Zhang Sijiao pursed his lips and said seriously, "I'm afraid I'm too slow to get started and have delayed my brother's work."

Zhang Siwei turned around, walked to the chair and sat down: "Oh, by the way, let Manager Chen's family go back."

He had almost forgotten about it.

After seeing his brother agreed, Zhang Siwei asked about the business: "What's the latest news in the capital?"

Zhang Sijiao did not dare to neglect and quickly told the story of the capital: "A few days ago, Qi Jiguang left Beijing and returned to Jizhen. He left with Bai Yunzhong, the left deputy general of the Shenji Battalion of the Beijing Camp, who was on duty in Liaodong."

"Minister Shi said that before he left, the emperor pulled him aside and taught him archery and swordsmanship."

"Then the emperor discussed the matter of Duoyanwei again with his uncle and Minister Shi, and Qi Jiguang issued a military order in front of the cabinet and the Ministry of War."

"When Qi Jiguang left, the emperor personally saw him off and watched him take away the 200,000 taels of reward before returning to the Western Garden."

Zhang Siwei listened quietly.

After a while, he sighed: "We met for the first time, but he treated us with such courtesy. Is it because he is a famous general? Or is it because he is an old subordinate of Tan Lun?"

After saying this, he looked sad: "Actually... I still don't understand how the emperor distinguishes who is close and who is distant."

"To be honest, am I not also a famous official? Am I not also a close confidant of Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng? Why do you reject me so much?"

Zhang Sijiao saw this and consoled him, "Maybe he is jealous of his brother. From the stories I read, the emperors who think highly of themselves like to be jealous of famous officials. Last time I read a story about a dog emperor who was jealous of Yue Fei."

Although Zhang Siwei is used to deceiving others, he has never deceived himself.

"Let's not talk about this." He laughed dumbly and let the matter go. "I'm afraid Qi Jiguang will take action against the Duoyan Guards when he returns."

Zhang Sijiao hesitated for a moment and asked, "Brother, do you want to..."

Zhang Siwei did not respond, but instead rejected the question meaningfully: "I have my own plans."

He knew what his brother was worried about.

After all, that was Qi Jiguang.

A person's name, the shadow of a tree.

When Qi Jiguang was fighting in the southeast, even Zhang Siwei, who was not interested in military affairs, often heard of his reputation.

That was a famous general of the time who lost more than ten men in a great battle!

More than ten people, what does that mean! ?

It is not reflected in how strong the troops' combat effectiveness is compared to the Japanese pirates - after all, the Japanese pirates are just scattered soldiers with no organization, so it is not surprising that they are crushed.

Rather, a major war is often a good time to settle accounts.

These generals and governors would capture tens of thousands of people at any time, and their own casualties would be thousands. Why? Wasn't it just to settle accounts?
The fact that Qi Jiguang suffered more than ten casualties in each battle meant that he neither drew a salary without doing any work nor cheated on pensions!
The meaning behind this is much more intuitive and terrifying than combat power.

What a military appearance that would be.

When his uncle was preparing to use this kind of person to attack Duoyan Wei, it was inevitable that a small character like Duoyan Wei would be wiped out.

If you don't think it through and do something, you might not only fail to achieve your goal, but also get caught.

So my brother's worries are normal.

But at the same time, Zhang Siwei didn't want to explain - just like when they were outside the Honglu Temple, Wang Chonggu was too lazy to explain the military bottleneck to him. At this time, Zhang Siwei was too lazy to explain too much to his brother.

A trace of worry flashed across Zhang Sijiao's eyes, but he had no choice but to suppress it.

He continued to talk about what happened in the capital: "In addition to this incident, after the examination, Wang Shizhen announced that he would hold a literary gathering."

"We invite all scholars who have not left the capital to participate."

Zhang Siwei was a scholar after all, so he immediately became interested and asked curiously, "What literary gathering?"

Literary gatherings also have themes, and everyone can consider whether to participate based on their interests.

I am mainly asking on behalf of my younger brother and son in Beijing.

If it is beneficial, I must write a letter and let my younger brother and son participate.

At a literary gathering where a literary leader shows up or makes his name known, it can be of great help to the literati.

Zhang Sijiao shook his head: "The topic has not been decided yet, only the time is set before or after the announcement of the results."

Zhang Siwei pondered for a moment and said slowly, "Write a letter for me and ask Siduan and the others to prepare and see if they can win a prize."

Zhang Sijiao agreed.

He continued, "Besides this, the debate between Li Zhi and the Donglin Journal has become increasingly intense. I heard that Master Xue has personally intervened."

"Even Qian Dehong, Wang Ji and other disciples of Yangming, the three masters and seven witnesses, have appeared in the capital one after another."

At the end, he added: "It is said that the Kong family is also on the way to Beijing."

Zhang Siwei frowned: "What is the court's reaction?"

Zhang Sijiao recalled the information from the capital for a moment before he said, "The court is also in chaos."

"The disciples of Wang's school have recently submitted petitions to have Wang Shouren enshrined in the Confucius Temple. Zhang Juzheng, the cabinet minister, strongly opposes this, and the two sides are arguing fiercely."

"There is also the newly appointed Tongzhengshi Ni Guangjian, who has been repeatedly impeached for abusing public resources to satisfy his own desires. Ni Guangjian had no choice but to submit a petition, requesting that the Dibao and Xinbao be set up in a separate hall and no longer be under the jurisdiction of the Tongzhengsi. There is still no result."

He paused and concluded, "I'm afraid a dispute between the schools of thought is about to break out... I wonder if the emperor thinks the world isn't in chaos enough."

Zhang Siwei was silent for a moment, as if he was mumbling to himself, or as if he was asking Zhang Sijiao: "What kind of person do you think the emperor is?"

Zhang Sijiao didn't know whether he should answer or not after hearing this, so he hesitated and said, "Uh... it's a faint..."

He had just said half of this sentence, thought about it, and shook his head and said, "Brother, I don't know."

Zhang Siwei didn't expect his brother, who had never seen the emperor, to be able to answer any questions.

He said to himself: "The emperor will be thirteen in six months."

"Although the emperor is precocious and everyone inside and outside the court dares not look down on him, his age cannot be changed after all."

"He has the most common personality trait among people of his age - self-righteousness."

"The emperor supports the new policy and reforms the salt law, and now even sparked a dispute between schools of thought."

"It's just that he is self-righteous and wants to change the world into what he wants."

"As for whether it can be done?"

"If it works, it's his. If it doesn't, then it's just a game that everyone is playing with him."

"How can a ten-year-old emperor rule the world..."

"Oh, this is what Gao Gong is most worried about. I really don't know what I said wrong."

After Zhang Siwei finished speaking, he laughed, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Zhang Sijiao seemed to understand, but not quite. After a while, he asked, "Brother, what you mean is... that the emperor has a prejudice against Wang Xue?"

Zhang Siwei shook his head and said nothing.

Wangxue? Confucianism is more like it!
You really don't know your place.

But he didn't want to explain it too thoroughly, so he waved his hand and said, "That's it for now. I'm going to meditate."

"Please pay more attention to the Chamber of Commerce. I will give 60% of my share to my uncle, Minister Shi, and Censor Huo."

"The palace should try to send as many people as possible, including craftsmen, doctors, and eunuchs."

Although he had some unpleasantness with Wang Chonggu and others before leaving Beijing, Zhang Siwei now takes the initiative to maintain these relationships.

Zhang Siwei gave one final instruction, thus ending his conversation with his brother.

Zhang Sijiao hesitated for a moment and asked, "Where is Wang Jiaping?"

Zhang Siwei shook his head: "He is a decent person. He is one and two. He doesn't need to maintain anything too much. A little affection is enough."

Zhang Sijiao then accepted the instruction respectfully, bowed and prepared to leave.

At this moment.

There was a sudden knock on the door of the house.

The two of them looked out the door at the same time.

Zhang Sijiao, who was about to leave, walked to the door, opened it and walked out.

He said something to someone outside the house.

Zhang Siwei heard that it was the butler's voice.

That is the matter of the capital or the version.

Sure enough, after a while, Zhang Sijiao pushed the door open and walked out.

He walked up to Zhang Siwei and whispered, "Brother, the emperor has issued an order to select a concubine!"

Zhang Siwei looked up in surprise.

　Today, I was watching videos and came across one in which a viewer was looking for the up-host who had cancelled his account. I was quite moved by it, and then I went to take a look at the last book I had discontinued.

　　Some people also asked me in the comment section how I was feeling and if I was still coughing up blood or anything like that, and I didn’t know what to say and if I was feeling better.

　　Thank you to all my readers.

　　I've been busy lately and haven't been feeling very well. I had a rare good sleep last night.

　　Thank you for your tolerance regarding the update. Thank you all.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)