Chapter 26 Chapter Twenty-Two
Li Chengliang stood alone on the porch with his hands scissored behind his back, looking far into the distance.
The air of spring is strong, although the snow is still floating, but it no longer has the power to freeze and kill, new green has begun to appear on the treetops and branches all over the garden, and there are a few birdsong from time to time, life recovers from hibernation In the corner of his far-sighted eyes, he inadvertently climbed up the shadow of green leaf buds, and heard the singing of birds in his ears, but there was no spring in his heart.
An unknown feeling of loss is quietly swallowing his heart. For a long time, he often feels lonely for no reason, even when he is surrounded by a large number of people, accompanied by several sons, and even While reviewing tens of thousands of troops...
He always feels that something is missing in his life—of course, he also understands in his heart that what is missing; the closest people who have been with him over the years are missing a few at once, and he is not used to it—sometimes , he couldn't help feeling a little bit of remorse mixed with his disappointment, feeling that he had punished the second lady and Xue'er too severely in his anger; , was immediately suppressed by him forcibly, and he told himself categorically that they deserved to die; the reason why they were unforgivable was not that they let Nurhachi escape privately, but that they betrayed him—he ordered his heart Don't leave anything about them anymore.
Therefore, even in the depths of his heart, he is tightly arming himself, preventing thoughts and regrets from crawling into his heart, and resisting the erosion of loneliness and loss; and in this way, the original speech is short and full of majesty. For him, there are even fewer words.
Looking ahead alone in a trance has become his most common expression. Often, a half-day is spent like this—of course, his mind is not completely devoid of thinking. His analysis, judgment, and thinking None of his abilities were affected by this spiritual loneliness; for example, in his handling of Nurhachi, he still showed superhuman scheming.
Of course, the thorough intelligence network brought him well-informed news. Nurhachi fled back to Jianzhou Zuowei and all the subsequent actions, he knew everything about it - including going to the governor of Liaodong to reason and starting to gather manpower, etc., the governor of Liaodong They also came to inform him about this matter. Of course, we should listen to his opinion and act according to his opinion on how to deal with it.
"It was indeed a manslaughter..."
Facing the special person sent by the governor Zhou Yong, he gave instructions lightly: "If you want the corpse, you can give it to him; add him a reward, it can be regarded as compensation - if you want Nikanwailan, you can't; if you give it to him, you can give it to him." Which Jurchen will be willing to work for the Ming Dynasty in the future?"
His words were very high-sounding: "Furthermore, when dealing with barbarians, you must master your sense of proportion—you can't refuse all the things you ask, so as not to force the dog to jump over the wall; but you can't agree to everything, so as not to be taken as a prey by them, and they will ask for more than they want!"
Such "key instructions" were of course convincing to those who asked for instructions. However, as soon as the special person sent by Zhou Yong stepped over the threshold, he immediately ordered Li Ruwu who was standing behind him: "Send someone to give Nikan Wai Lan sent a message—tell him about Nurhachi's actions these days in detail, and also relay to him what Governor Zhou sent to tell him; what to do next is all up to him He is a Jurchen, and he knows more about the Jurchens than the Han people, and he also knows better than the Han people how to deal with Nurhachi!"
There were only a few short words of confession, but he knew that this was enough—although, during these days, Nurhachi's various deeds had exceeded his original estimates, forcing him to look at Nurhachi with admiration, but Nikan He knew better than anyone else that Wai Lan had a bad stomach, and it was more than enough to use Nikan Wai Lan to deal with Nurhachi.
"Even if Nurhachi is as fierce as a tiger, he is still just a newborn calf. How can he be the opponent of a sinister and cunning old fox!"
Thinking of this, a cold smile appeared subconsciously at the corner of his mouth.
He believes that Nikan Wailan can deal with Nurhachi's - Nikan Wailan has as many bad ideas as a net, and Nurhachi is a tiger that can't fly even with wings - this matter is left to Nikan Wailan, yes You can definitely rest assured.
Of course, the main reason why he had to hand over the matter of dealing with Nurhaci to Nikan Wailan instead of handling it himself was his lack of skills. You must concentrate all your energy and prepare early for contingencies. Of course, you don't think it is necessary to allocate your time and energy for an insignificant person like Nurhachi; after all, the changes in the court will have a major impact on him. Take the time to mentally focus on...
The cause of the change was planted as early as last year, and that was the death of chief assistant Zhang Juzheng.
Zhang Juzheng was the first politician with great achievements in this dynasty. His surname was Shuda and his name was Taiyue. After reading his articles, he was praised as a "national instrument"; and he was awarded a Jinshi at the young age of 23, and he embarked on an official career since then.
At the beginning of his official career, he taught the Imperial Academy to edit; different from ordinary new scholars who were good at writing "eight-legged essays", he paid special attention to the search for laws and regulations and the cause and effect of the rise and fall of the past dynasties, and also had unique insights. Therefore, although he was young Although he was junior, he was highly appreciated by the important ministers at that time, the first assistant Xu Jie and others.
A few years later, Xu Jie replaced the power minister Yan Song as the first assistant, and Zhang Juzheng's talent was given a chance to play; Xu Jie valued and trusted him, and many things were entrusted to him; when Emperor Sejong passed away, Xu Jie Jie drafted the will and discussed it with him.
After Emperor Mu Zong came to the throne, he changed Yuan to Longqing; in the first year of Longqing, Zhang Juzheng was selected into the cabinet, and his political life went to a higher level; Quality and talent, he will of course skyrocket when he encounters an opportunity to spread his wings.
Six years later, Emperor Muzong passed away, and the current Emperor Wanli ascended the throne as the Son of Heaven. Zhang Juzheng flew even higher.
It turned out that when Emperor Wanli came to the throne, he was only ten years old, and he was still a child; at that time, the chief assistant, Gao Gong, because the emperor was a child, and the empress dowagers of the two palaces were women, but he was "the elder of the three dynasties". Unavoidably, he became a little arrogant, which caused the displeasure of the little emperor and some courtiers; Zhang Juzheng seized this interest and opportunity, joined forces with the great eunuch Feng Bao who was next to the little emperor, expelled Gao Gong, and ascended the rank of chief assistant by himself. throne.
His ambition of "taking the world as his own responsibility" has been fully brought into play so far. Emperor Wanli and the queen mothers of the two palaces respected him, endowed him with supreme political power, and called him "Mr. Yuanfu Zhang Shaoshi" Instead of calling him by his first name.
"Mr. Zhang" has become the first person among civil servants since the founding of the dynasty; after combining his political ideals, talents and actual power, he has made great achievements; Emphasis on assessment, practice, and efficiency; in civil administration, it builds water conservancy, manages the Yellow River, rewards agriculture, and clears up the country's fields, changes to the "one whip" tax law, and lightly pays and taxes, so that the people can recuperate; A group of outstanding famous generals, such as Qi Jiguang, appointed him to defend Jizhou, where the capital is located, after he wiped out the Japanese pirates; Li Chengliang was appointed in Liaodong; The line is adjacent to Alda, which often invades the border. It has always been a land of constant battles, and the people have suffered unspeakably. In the previous dynasties, Emperor Yingzong was even captured in Tumubao during his personal conquests. However, Wang Chonggu gave up his idea of guarding the border In the war, the policy of appeasement was adopted, and Ida repaired and lived in harmony with each other. This practice of "changing national defense into diplomacy" was criticized by a group of courtiers who held the concept of "Chinese and traitors are not equal". Fortunately, "Mr. Zhang" Only with the support of his support, his proposition had to be implemented, and after a few years, the facts also proved that his proposition was correct.
And after a few years, it has also proved that the administration of "Mr. Zhang" is successful; he has reformed many long-standing political, economic and national deficiencies in the dynasty, and eliminated many ills; under his vigorous reforms, This dynasty began to get a new life quickly from the decadence and decline. All industries turned to the Soviet Union and flourished. The pinnacle since the founding of the country.
Of course, the personal prestige of "Mr. Zhang" also reached its peak with his success in governance; the empress dowagers of the two palaces depended more and more on him, and entrusted him with all the important tasks of assisting the little emperor in governing the country, and continued to reward him , and encouraged him with the little emperor's "teacher protection" period; the Wanli emperor respected and revered him, not only "obedient to his words", but also full of "fear" in his heart-afraid of "Mr. Zhang" I was always admonishing him personally, and I was even more afraid that one day "Mr. Zhang" would be displeased, and he would walk away, leaving the country's affairs alone-so, Emperor Wanli was afraid that he would speak, and he was afraid that he would not speak!
This kind of contradictory psychology has also been confirmed. In the autumn of the fifth year of Wanli, "Mr. Zhang" Ding's father was worried. Therefore, Emperor Wanli issued an edict to "Duoqing", asking "Mr. Zhang" to continue to work in the court and not return to his hometown to observe his filial piety - this time "Duoqing" caused some discussions at the time, but, anyway , the importance of "Mr. Zhang" is beyond dispute.
Since the "sacred will" is the case, of course it is inconvenient for people all over the country to have any opinions - of course, this kind of "no objection" is only superficial, and there are many people who are dissatisfied in their hearts...
In fact, since he entered the cabinet, served as chief assistant, and carried out reforms, he has lost count of how many people who lost their vested interests because of his reforms secretly opposed him, resented him, and cursed him. There is nothing he can do about it because of the real political power of the Communist Party of China - about this, why doesn't the "Mr. Zhang" with outstanding capabilities in all parties know it well?He once said clearly: "In the past few years, there have been many grievances in the world. Those adulterers and vicious parties, some openly squeezed out, some secretly instigated, and there was not a single day when they were not planning on me!"
However, what really dealt a fatal blow to "Mr. Zhang" was not these people who secretly opposed him, nor was it the turbulent power struggle in the court, but: disease.
In June of last year, "Mr. Zhang" fell ill. At first it was just a small abdominal problem. Unexpectedly, his condition worsened within a few days, and he died unexpectedly. The always energetic "Mr. Zhang" "It's only fifty-eight years old...
Although there are people in the country who are shocked, grieved, and applauded, none of them can change the fact that "Mr. Zhang" has passed away, and the little emperor has grown up; "Mr. Zhang" served as the chief assistant for ten years. When he died in 1999, Emperor Wanli was just twenty years old, and it was time for him to be "in charge" instead of "teacher protection"-it was natural for the government to change.
After "Mr. Zhang" as the first assistant, Zhang Siwei was originally a talent promoted by "Mr. Zhang", but after entering the cabinet, he often did not do things as "Mr. Zhang" wanted, so he was not very popular with "Mr. Zhang". He likes it, he also has self-knowledge, he can only follow "Mr. Zhang" more carefully, and try to increase his official status.It wasn't until "Mr. Zhang" let go that he had his own chance.However, the political change did not start with the change of the chief assistant—even, there was almost no sign of the "change" in the government at first, and the first one began to appear in December last year, half a year after the death of "Mr. Zhang". The sign is the expulsion of the great eunuch Feng Bao.
Feng Bao has always been the closest eunuch of Emperor Wanli, and also the eunuch with the highest position and power in the palace.Ever since Emperor Wanli was young, Feng Bao was ordered to serve and take care of him. eunuch.
And Zhang Juzheng also understood the importance of making friends with Feng Bao as early as the beginning of his official career, so he worked hard on Feng Bao, and the two became inseparable, and they have cooperated in many things since then There is no gap, the palace and the court communicate with each other and work together, and the implementation of political affairs is much more convenient; Zhang Juzheng is relieved of worries because of Feng Bao's citation in the palace, and Feng Bao also has a lot of power in the court because of his friendship with the chief assistant. large, and obtained more practical benefits.
However, he never expected that after the death of "Mr. Zhang", Emperor Wanli would be the first to take him under the knife.
First, Feng Bao's subordinates—the other two eunuchs in the palace— came forward to make a report. After some investigation, Emperor Wanli officially issued an edict announcing that Feng Bao had committed the twelve deadly crimes of deceiving the king and the country, and selling officials and nobles. He should have been sentenced to death. , but the aunt thought of little merit, the emperor's kindness was great, she was dealt with leniently, and sent to Nanjing to live idle, but all the wealth obtained illegally for many years was confiscated!
And since the expulsion of Feng Bao, the imperial court has suddenly increased the number of vicious criticisms against the late "Mr. Zhang". It is spreading down and down, and there are many people who even go directly to the book to participate in the performance...
Li Chengliang carefully thought about these past events, thinking over and over again, and unconsciously muttered in his mouth: "I am old, I have served as an assistant for ten years, and I am dead now, so I don't care about it." , so as to always..."
He clearly remembered these few words, which were Zhu Zhu's criticism written by Emperor Wanli to participate in the crime of "Mr. Zhang" not long ago; He was forgiven for these crimes simply because he was dead!
"It's gone now, the aunt's loan will not be investigated, and it will always be..."
Li Chengliang recited these few words silently again, and felt a slight chill in his heart; a person who was originally the most important person in the emperor's mind and made the most contribution to the country, turned into a heinous person half a year after his sudden death. , or is it because he is dead that he is not being held accountable for his crimes!
What's more, the Zhu's approval of "don't investigate the loan" was issued more than a month ago. After more than a month, who knows whether Emperor Wanli's mind has changed from "not to investigate" to "investigate"?
The eunuchs he has spent a lot of money on and befriended have been conveying to him the emperor's thoughts since a few months ago: "Long Live Lord is very upset when he thinks of 'Mr. , my life can be lived extravagantly and extravagantly; try to save yourself in the palace, but not yourself!"
"Someone made a small report to Long Live Lord, saying that Qi Shuai had sent someone to send a very heavy and precious gift to 'Mr. Zhang' at night..."
"When Lord Long Live paid his respects to the Queen Mother, he scolded 'Mr. Zhang', saying that he is a villain and evil. He used to be respectful in front of the Queen Mother, but when he turned around, he changed his face, arrogant and domineering, and dominated the state affairs!"
The news came intermittently, and in Li Chengliang's ears, he certainly "knows" that all these are bad omens, and the government will definitely change soon——Zhang Juzheng is dead, and even if Emperor Wanli does not overturn his The old account will also take out his anger on the people he promoted!
And I am also the person promoted by "Mr. Zhang"!
Feng Bao's fate is an example right in front of him, and he would shudder without even thinking about it.
"Being a minister—it's like this!"
He didn't dare to say these few words, he just thought about them with a lot of emotion in his heart, a kind of "precarious" feeling of insecurity and fear quietly filled his heart.
In fact, why didn't he know the real reason why "Mr. Zhang" was convicted after his death; after ten years of assisting the government, he was expected to be the "teacher protector" of Emperor Wanli, and he himself regarded himself as "teacher protector". It was too high and too strict, which made Emperor Wanli afraid of him since he was a child; and in terms of government affairs, "Mr. Zhang" was attacked as "controlling the state affairs" was not without purpose. He is super capable, but he dismisses and demotes anyone who disagrees with him. "Mr. Zhang" handles all matters big and small, and all the power in the country is in his hands-this was when the little emperor was young. Once the little emperor grows up, how can there be room for the existence of the "regent"?
"Long live, I'm twenty-one years old this year!" Li Chengliang couldn't help but let out a long breath, with mixed feelings in his heart: "'Mr. Zhang' neglected this..."
Having been an official for many years, he certainly understands that no matter how many opposition voices from political opponents, it is far less important than the emperor's personal attitude; adding icing on the cake and overthrowing the wall are all human instincts, especially in the vortex of power struggle, the ugliness of human nature The surface is doubled.
Also because he deeply realized this point, his worries deepened—since he is a member of "Mr. Zhang", it is really uncertain whether he can keep his current position in this changing situation!
The only thing that can "step up efforts" is to keep in touch with the capital more closely, so as to understand the joys, sorrows, sorrows and joys in Emperor Wanli's heart...
"The death of 'Mr. Zhang' has had such a great impact that I am afraid it has never been seen before in my dynasty..."
He was thinking anxiously, facing a fierce power struggle that was about to take place in the imperial court, besides carefully watching and adapting, he could only let anxiety and uneasiness devour his heart like spring silkworms, and be more even. I don't have any mind to think about the way to deal with Nurhachi.
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