Chapter 183 The arrow is on the string, ready to be fired

Yucheng County is very close to Guide Prefecture City (now Sui Yang District, Shangqiu City), only about 40 miles away.

Along the way, we have only let the sun move from the east to the top of our heads.

The carriage slowly drove into the city gate, and the conversation in the carriage continued.

"…It cannot be said that the court officials are not considerate of the emperor and father. It's just that in the past few years, new policies have been frequently introduced, with a small change every six months and a big change every three years. The fact that the court officials have not become disloyal is the result of tolerance for the country."

"After His Majesty took power, you could say he was drastic or eager for quick success, but in short, he was quite harsh on the court officials."

Sima Zhi's words made Shen Li look at him again.

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

If you show a little appreciation for him, he will then tell you everything and pledge his allegiance to you.

Since the emperor has already said such harsh words, how can I hide it and not be open with him?
Facing this vanguard of Du Tian and supporter of the New Party, who personally said that the emperor was harsh, Shen Li could not help but be curious.

He looked at Sima Zhi, and without mentioning Sima Zhi's impolite words, he asked without hesitation: "How harsh is it?"

When Sima Zhi saw Shen Li's attitude, a flash of joy appeared in his eyes.

He blurted out: "This statement may seem like an attack on the emperor, but since you asked, there is no reason for me to hide it."

Originally, no one would mention this conversation again after getting off the carriage.

But after the word "sir", it has a different meaning.

Sima Zhi pondered for a moment and then slowly said, "In the past few years, since the Ministry of Personnel was under the control of the Cabinet, Your Majesty has become increasingly harsh in punishing court officials."

"My classmate Hu Runing was the magistrate of Quwo County in Shanxi Province. Since he took office, there has been a severe drought, so he banned the catching of frogs in the area, hoping that it would appeal to God."

"The local people were unwilling and some troubles arose."

"In the past, such things would only make him a laughing stock among the court officials, earning him the nickname of a toad county magistrate."

"But when His Majesty learned of this, he directly issued an edict to the Ministry of Personnel, allowing him to retire."

It was said that he was allowed to retire, but in fact he was dismissed from his post while retaining his retirement benefits.

Even though Sima Zhi agreed with the general idea of ​​the new policy, he could not help but feel sad for the victim. Whenever he mentioned it, he even expressed his desire to seek justice for the victim.

Shen Li couldn't help but sneer when he heard this.

Hu Runing's attempt to appeal to heaven by banning the hunting of turtles is a typical example of rote learning of the Four Books and Five Classics, which has confused himself.

The Four Books and Five Classics are used to educate the world. It would be absurd to use them to govern the country.

There are always a few such strange people and stories among the Jinshi every year, otherwise Sima Zhi would not have said it. According to past practice, he would have been ridiculed as a toad county magistrate.

Of course, in the past, we all protected each other as colleagues, you help me today, you help me tomorrow, and we often took lightly such trivial matters that did not involve the fundamentals.

But Shen Li had witnessed the emperor's ascension to the throne and lived until the second year of the Wanli reign, so he knew the emperor better than Sima Zhi.

Even if the court officials had bad intentions, the emperor would still try to find a suitable position to see if he could use them, just like Wang Chonggu who was looking for wealth, Wu Zhongxing who was seeking fame, and Li Chunfang who was only concerned about his family.

But the emperor hated idiots like Hu Runing from the bottom of his heart and treated him as useless people.

When he first ascended the throne, he had to care about his reputation and could not be too harsh on others. But now that he is in power, he naturally will not hold back.

Shen Li coughed lightly and said, "Your Majesty, this is also to protect Hu Runing, so that he won't get promoted to a higher position and make bigger mistakes, which will be irreversible."

If a monarch wants to protect his subjects, whatever he does is right.

Shen Li was serious.

Sima Zhi glanced at Shen Li with a strange expression. No wonder everyone in the court said that the emperor was smart enough to reject advice and always had endless reasons.

It turns out that they all came from these imperial teachers.

Sima Zhi reluctantly agreed, "Sir, you are right. Your Majesty has the virtue of heaven."

He forced a smile and continued, "In addition, after His Majesty took power, he resumed the grand court meeting, changing the number of meetings from the two set at the beginning of the country to one on the first day of the new year."

The grand court meeting is different from the regular court meeting. The latter is only a small-scale meeting attended by officials from various departments, while the former includes most of the officials in the capital and is held in the Huangji Hall.

It was customary at the beginning of the country to hold it twice a month, on the first and fifteenth day of each month. Its purpose was to allow officials in the capital to directly feel the emperor's majesty and will.

"Sir, you know that in every dynasty, during the grand court meetings, some civil and military officials would inevitably fail to attend, and they would often be deprived of a month's salary."

Shen Li nodded.

He naturally knew that at the grand court meeting in the sixth year of Longqing, 173 people absented themselves from court, and at the grand court meeting in the first year of Wanli, 274 people absented themselves from court.

Where are all these people?
After court was dismissed, Shen Li encountered a court official who came out of a brothel and looked at him awkwardly; he also met a noble who drank heavily in a restaurant and was carried back by servants; there was also a Hanlin who had just finished a lecture and discussed his experience with Shen Li.

Sima Zhi looked quite disapproving, but at the same time he was trying not to laugh: "But that time, His Majesty directly ordered the censors and eunuchs to go to the mansion of the official who lost his job to investigate the reason."

"The court officials who had lost their seats were brought to the Huangji Palace."

"Some of them were dishevelled and drunk, but there was also a doctor who was inseparable from his family's hunting dog. The Imperial Household Department carried him to the Imperial Palace along with the dog."

"Afterwards, the emperor even published a notice in the imperial gazette and the new newspaper, which was circulated throughout the country."

After saying this, he finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.

If that's not harsh, nothing could be harsher.

Although Sima Zhi found it funny, from the perspective of a scholar, he also felt that the emperor's move was too humiliating.

When Shen Li heard this, a strange look appeared on his face.

If such a thing were to be published throughout the country, the reputation of the court officials would probably be ruined overnight. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the emperor was harsh.

But...then again.

When the emperor was framed by the Confucian scholars of the Song Dynasty for the story of his mother's death, he generously allowed Zheng Zongxue to spread the joke on Xiaolin.

Then it seems that there is no need to be too shy about the fact that the court officials stick together?

Shen Li was a serious person and did not laugh along. He just tried to make up for it by saying, "Your Majesty did not even take away my salary. He just published it to warn others. It shows that he wanted to punish the past and prevent future crimes. It was just for the sake of curing diseases and saving lives, and it was also out of benevolence."

Sima Zhi glanced at Shen Li.

For some reason he thought of his immediate superior, Deng Yizan, the governor of Henan Province.

It seems that every minister who comes out from the emperor's side has an indescribable identification with the emperor.

Even after such a brutal act that damaged the reputation of the literati, they still had to cover it up for the emperor.

Sima Zhi shook his head and finally pointed out the point that he disagreed with the emperor the most: "Sir, you are right. Even if your majesty is a little harsh on these matters, no one can say that it is not reasonable. I am just afraid that your majesty will not be right."

Shen Li was shocked and couldn't believe it: "Your Majesty is still unreasonable sometimes?"

Sima Zhi choked.

What is this word?

He felt a little uncomfortable with Shen Li's gaze, so he turned away, glanced out the window, and explained, "In November of the fourth year of the Wanli reign, Huo Ji passed away while in office."

"Your Majesty was not able to act fairly as he had in the past, and even nearly caused a dispute between the civil and military officials."

Huo Ji died in office? Shen Li was stunned.

It’s not that I think his death was unexpected. After all, in the fourth year of Wanli, Huo Ji was already 61 years old.

However, Huo Ji often contradicted the emperor on matters concerning the Beijing camp.

I thought that after the emperor took power, he would be directly transferred or even dismissed from office.

The emperor is still benevolent!
Sima Zhi didn't know what Shen Li was thinking, so he lifted the car curtain again and confirmed that there was no one around.

He then continued, "It's exactly the same as what happened with Zhao Kongzhao. After Huo Ji passed away, the emperor once again failed to fill a position. The position of the assistant minister of the Ministry of War to assist in the military affairs of the Beijing Camp has been vacant for several years, and the position of the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Beijing Camp has also been vacant since then."

"Gu Huan, the governor of the Beijing camp, is a mere nobleman, but he not only has access to the imperial court and attends the regular court meetings, but he is also in charge of the Beijing camp and is equipped with an army of 100,000 men."

Sima Zhi's tone clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with the emperor on this matter.

Even if he made a decision that went against his ancestors to support the new policy, it was still principled.

How can a military official sit at the table to eat?
After hearing this, Shen Li rarely tried to make amends for the emperor.

He knew better than Sima Zhi what the emperor was doing. He was just making cautious moves and trying to get rid of the Ministry of War and take charge of the Beijing camp alone.

To be honest, Shen Li disagreed with the emperor's approach on this point.

Not to mention that the emperor shouldn't control the Beijing camp, but who is he guarding against by doing so?
Aren’t the officials in the Ministry of War the emperor’s subjects?
The emperor keeps saying that he wants his subjects to be of one mind, but isn't he setting a bad example of suspicion among his subjects?

Moreover, everyone had to accept the incident involving Zhao Kongzhao and Ma Ziqiang's proposal for Gu Huan to join the court for discussion.

After all, it was Wang Chonggu in the cabinet who issued orders to the Beijing camp through the Ministry of War. In any case, he was still stuck in the circle of controlling the military with civil power.

Now the positions of Assistant Minister of War in charge of military affairs of the Beijing Camp and Right Censor-in-Chief in charge of the Beijing Camp are both vacant. If a noble like Gu Huan is allowed to take over the Beijing Camp, it will probably lead to a disaster sooner or later.

Unfortunately, he was not by the emperor's side to remind him all the time.

Today, the emperor has made mistakes in civil and military affairs, and it is hard to say what has happened. He is surrounded by sycophants like Shen Shixing, Li Zaiting, and Wu Zhongxing.

Shen Li sighed inwardly and asked with concern, "It's a big commotion, right?"

If we are not careful enough, such changes in the civil and military structure may lead to factional strife and even shake the foundation of the country. There are precedents for this.

Sima Zhi's tone was not very good: "There is no shortage of knowledgeable people in the country. The Ministry of War, from Shangshu Shi Maohua to Langzhong Zhushi, as well as the Censorate and the Military Department, have repeatedly submitted memorials to point out the seriousness of the situation."

"Unfortunately, the emperor kept all of them and did not send them out."

"After that, there were constant quarrels. The Imperial Household Department withheld military pay, the Military Affairs Department impeached Gu Huan for being too old, and the Ministry of War dismissed Gu Huan's close associates, including the military officers, assistant officers, and assistant generals. It was a mess."

Shen Li showed a worried look and asked, "What happens next?"

Sima Zhi shook his head and relaxed his expression: "After that, it seems that they each took a step back. Your Majesty sent the Zhongshu Sheren Zheng Zongxue and Zhao Yongxian to the Beijing Camp and appointed them as military advisors, directly under the command of the emperor."

"In accordance with the cabinet's proposal, we selected recent top three Jinshi, Jujian, and Wu Jinshi to serve as the camp governors in the Beijing camp. Each camp has one general and one governor. Except for daily training, military discipline, command, and war, which are still the responsibility of the generals, the rest of the government affairs are reported to the staff officers and the cabinet by the camp governor."

Sima Zhi could only say that this result was unsatisfactory. Although Gu Huan was really allowed to sit at the table for dinner, the emperor did not forget to control the military with civil power.

Shen Li sighed silently. Although this move suppressed the hidden danger of conflict between civil and military officials, the emperor still left the Ministry of War aside in the end.

No wonder people are suspicious of each other.

He looked outside the carriage and saw that it had already entered the city of Guide Prefecture, so he lowered his voice and said softly, "Even so, with the cabinet mediating, it won't get to the point where the court officials collude with the royal family and pass on messages to the vassal kings, right?"

Once the princes heard that the emperor had damaged his foundation, undercurrents would inevitably arise.

In addition, the emperor had suppressed the royal family in the past, and even a large number of princes died. It is impossible to say that the royal family had no resentment towards the emperor.

This kind of event, which would cause endless harm, could have been nipped in the bud as soon as possible, even if some court officials had second thoughts and wanted to add fuel to the flames. However, the New Party was powerful, and several ministers in the cabinet were all on the side of the emperor, so it should have been nipped in the bud as soon as possible.

How could it be so easily exposed and become such a hot topic now?
After hearing Shen Li's question, Sima Zhi didn't know how to answer for a moment.

He thought for a moment and said, "The Chief Censor of Rites, Mr. Ge, has passed away."

Shen Li was stunned.

"The cabinet's Nanyu Gaogong was struck by prickly heat last winter."

Shen Li restrained his expression and looked a little serious.

"Emperor Lu of the Cabinet has been weak since the first month of this year and can no longer get out of bed."

Shen Li sat upright, leaning forward subconsciously. "Prince Jianchuan was originally only in charge of military affairs, not government affairs. In recent years, because of the increasing population of Bansheng and their tough and rogue behavior, there were some disagreements with Your Majesty on the use of personnel. After that, the prince, apart from planning the overall situation of the Nine Frontiers and the Japanese pirates, no longer intervened in government affairs."

After listening to this, Shen Li finally understood why the political situation was so turbulent this year. Even the issue of the emperor having no heir could not be suppressed and was brought up for discussion in the court.

The cabinet, which has been in control of government for seven years since the sixth year of Longqing, is naturally able to suppress everything when things are stable.

But once they gradually die out, their influence will naturally be less than before.

Sima Zhi finally sighed and concluded: "Nowadays, most of the government affairs are handled by Your Majesty and the Prime Minister."

Although there were some complaints about the emperor's actions, especially the fact that the Jinshi were sent to local areas.

But in general, I still agree.

The central situation is delicate now, and he can't help but feel a little worried.

After hearing this, Shen Li naturally had a lot of questions.

He pondered for a moment, and suddenly asked: "Jingfu said that your majesty and Lord Wang have some disagreements on the use of personnel in Xuan University..."

"Is it that the governor of Xuanda, Mr. Tan, has also passed away?"

Sima Zhi heard this and realized that he had not been comprehensive. He nodded and said, "Mr. Tan had suffered from phlegm disease for many years. In the fifth year of Wanli, he suddenly had an attack and passed away."

In the fifth year of the Wanli reign, he was only 58 years old, which was considered a prime age.

This kind of general who commands a region usually does not live long.

Shen Li frowned.

He has no relationship with Tan Lun.

However, Bansheng's population is growing...this is not a good sign.

At that time, Zhao Quan of the White Lotus Sect almost assisted Altan Khan in becoming emperor and establishing the system with the help of Bansheng.

Xuanda does not have a capable governor, and we are afraid that the Gengxu Incident will happen again!
Shen Li asked solemnly: "What is the situation on the left and right wings of Tatar?"

This actually touched upon Sima Zhi's blind spot. He was only concerned with domestic affairs and paid no attention to border affairs.

He could only vaguely answer, "I'm not sure. I only know that Altan Khan's Bansheng was very chaotic and attracted a lot of people. Tuman Khan summoned 80,000 Mongols two years ago and convened the kurultai to promote the code and elect six ruling officials. I haven't paid much attention to other things."

Shen Li became even more worried when he heard this.

Seeing that Sima Zhi was not very clear, Shen Li pondered for a moment and changed the subject: "Who is the current governor of Xuanda?"

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

"I heard that the prince originally wanted to use Zhang Siwei, but the emperor directly forced Chen Gong to do it."

Upon hearing this, Shen Li thought for a moment, then nodded with relief.

No wonder the emperor and Wang Chonggu had a disagreement.

It was almost common knowledge that the emperor hated Zhang Siwei. When the Veritable Records of Emperors Shizong and Muzong were compiled, even Shen Li was included in the list of meritorious officials recommended by the court, but there was no place for Zhang Siwei, the vice president.

Uncle Wang Chonggu is caught in the middle and it must be difficult for him to handle the situation.

But to be fair, Chen Dong is indeed a better candidate than Zhang Siwei.

The latter was too much of a businessman, and was greedy for money. Because of his father's affairs, he probably also had some resentment towards the emperor.

Don't be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of the eventuality.

Chen Dong, however, is impeccable.

They were the first group of people who stepped forward during the Nanzhili incident and could be considered the emperor's earliest team.

He was even a cruel person. When checking the salt tax, Chen Dong was not good at riding a horse, so in order to save time, he asked a good rider to tie him up and ride with him.

Regardless of stance or character, it is the best choice.

In fact, he and Chen Dong were both successful candidates in the same imperial examination. Although Chen Dong was ranked first and had a higher starting point, they still had the same background.

Unexpectedly, Chen Dong has become a provincial governor.

Shen Li put this unnecessary thought aside and continued to ask with concern: "Since most of the ministers in the cabinet are old, didn't Your Majesty appoint a replacement minister?"

Sima Zhi shook his head: "Of course I was appointed as a replacement."

"In the fourth year of the Wanli reign, Ma Ziqiang was appointed to serve in the cabinet and was still a senior official in the Ministry of Rites."

"But he fell ill earlier than the two ministers Gao and Lu. He has been bedridden since the year before last, and even the affairs of the Ministry of Rites were handed over to the left vice minister Zhu Dashou to handle."

Shen Li couldn't help but shake his head. It was really a period of transition.

Sima Zhi continued, "This year, your majesty intends to replace Wen Chun from the Ministry of Personnel to serve in the cabinet."

"But Chen Yu, who took over as the Chief Censor, did not have enough prestige. The thirteen censors and assistant chief censors acted on their own and began to take the opportunity to impeach cabinet ministers and court officials in order to seek promotion, making the Censorate a mess."

"Wen Chun did not join the cabinet, but took over the post of Chief Censor."

"At the beginning of the year, Shen Shixing was ordered to work in the cabinet, and Wang Xijue came to Beijing to take over the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."

"It also happened that Wang Xijue's daughter Tan Yangzi ascended to heaven in broad daylight, and the whole family held a grand memorial ceremony. Wang Xijue delayed his departure for several months. During this time, Shen Shixing was in charge of the Ministry of Personnel. Even if he entered the cabinet, he would not have the time to share in government affairs."

Shen Li frowned.

No wonder the struggle in the court has reached this point.

Wang Chonggu, the cabinet minister, was not in charge of government affairs. Gao, Lu and Ma were old and sick and unable to work. Shen Shixing, the successor, was busy taking over the Ministry of Personnel from Zhang Juzheng.

And among the Nine Ministers.

Ge Shouli, a prestigious figure in the Censorate, passed away. Chen Dong, the Minister of the Supreme Court, was exiled to Xuanda. Zhang Han and Chen Yu were incompetent. The Ministry of War was suspicious of the emperor over the affairs of the Beijing camp.

In the past, this transition period would not be a big deal.

It only takes one or two years to promote new people and fill vacancies.

However, the New Deal has been in place for seven years, and the emperor and the cabinet have made drastic changes, offending countless people.

Officials who are dissatisfied with the performance evaluation system.

The gentry who were afraid of surveying the land.

The local government office that resists checking the population.

The royal family was resentful of having their clan property confiscated.

A newly-minted Jinshi who had been demoted to the local area for several years and suffered a lot.

These people will certainly take advantage of the transition from old to new cabinet members and make a big fuss about the emperor having no heir.

Shen Li looked down at himself.

With his qualifications, if he returned to the court at this moment, he would definitely be given a position as the Vice Minister of one of the six ministries - this was also the reason why Sima Zhi, a fifth-rank Tongzhi, was so respectful in front of him, a sixth-rank Zuo Zhongyun.

But unfortunately, even if he recovers now, he can't return to the court.

His mother had only been dead for three months, so he had to observe mourning until at least the ninth year of the Wanli reign before he could return to the court and share the emperor's worries.

Thinking of this, Shen Li glanced at Sima Zhi.

Just by looking at this guy's actions, he already felt that the local situation was tense.

Now, when this guy talked about the situation in the court, he simply felt uneasy.

Alas, Shen Li sighed.

I just hope that the Saint King can withstand the backlash of this round of Dutian.

He had originally planned to just discipline his family members after entering the city and then leave and return quickly.

But after listening to Sima Zhi's explanation of the court situation along the way, Shen Li inevitably became more enthusiastic and positive about Sima Zhi's request.

After arriving at Guide Prefecture.

Shen Li politely declined Sima Zhi's invitation to welcome him and take a half-day rest.

Instead, he immediately began to control the situation in Guide Prefecture for Sima Zhi.

On that day, Shen Li, in his capacity as a local tyrant and clan elder, severely reprimanded and disciplined the clerks in the government office.

Afterwards, he met with the younger generations of the Shen family one by one, ordering them to follow the orders of the court officials.

The next day, he invited scholars from the county school and the prefectural school, and relying on his reputation as an elder and a Hanlin scholar of the current dynasty, he formed a society called Wenya Society.

It aimed to educate people and encourage them to do good, and especially criticized the evil deeds of blowing up dams and resisting government offices.

Three days later, a special dinner was held, and all the important people in Guide Prefecture were gathered at the government office.

Shen Li, as the head of a noble family and a senior official at the central government, explained the court's difficulties. He always said that the Shen family must set an example in obeying government orders, and he explained the situation to the noble families, using both coercion and inducement.

Sima Zhi, who had originally planned to have a good fight with Zuo Zhongyun, followed Shen Li closely, regarded himself as a student, and always called him teacher and was instructed by Zuo Zhongyun.

Apart from the private bribery of a few families, the insignificant madman who attacked Sima Zhi's family, and a few clumsy gangs of people smashing and looting, it also ignored the incident.

The land measurement in Guide Prefecture is finally about to begin.

……

Next is the government office’s home court, and Shen Li can’t help much.

Because Xiaoqi had to go back to attend the third Yu sacrifice, Shen Li said goodbye to Sima Zhi in advance that night.

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

Sima Zhi naturally would not give any gold, silver or treasures as a thank you, but instead wrote an article himself, praising Shen Li's noble character and patriotism.

He also collected newspapers from recent years such as the Dibao, Xinbao, Donglin Journal, and Gewu Daily, and put them all in Shen Li's carriage as a token of his gratitude.

The next morning, in order to avoid disturbing too much, Shen Li packed up early and prepared to leave without saying goodbye.

However, when Shen Li was about to leave in the carriage, he suddenly heard shouting from inside the mansion.

"Sir, stay!"

Shen Li maintained the posture of getting into the carriage with his butt facing outwards, and then he backed out helplessly.

Sima Zhi was seen chasing after him quickly.

Holding the latest imperial bulletin in his hand, he said, "Just now the Chief Secretary handed me another imperial bulletin!"

Shen Li turned around and smiled: "Next time you come to the Shen Mansion, just bring them along. Why are you in such a rush?"

He took it casually.

Just one look and I was stunned.

The date of the official gazette is one month ago, which is August of this year.

The first line catches our eyes - In Bingzi year, Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng’s father died, so he requested to retire and returned home carrying the coffin.

Shen Li looked up at Sima Zhi.

The latter met Shen Li's gaze and asked hesitantly, "Sir, can this field still be cultivated?"

(End of this chapter)