Chapter 32 The fifth chapter analyzes the current affairs minister Shang's strategy of paying huge bribes for the purpose of promotion

For a whole afternoon, important officials from various yamen walked in and out of the cabinet like a revolving door.The fighting in the storage warehouse resulted in a murder case, which can be regarded as a major event that shocked the government and the public.As the saying goes, good things don't go out, but bad things spread thousands of miles.Less than two hours after the incident happened, rumors spread all over the capital.Nine out of ten Beijing officials have opinions on the discounted salary of pepper and sumac, but they are afraid of the power of the new chief assistant and dare not speak out.This time Zhang Dalang took the lead to make trouble, they couldn't wait for it.Be more cautious, holding the attitude of watching capsized ships from the Yellow Crane Tower——gloating.Those who are a little tricky will use the topic to fan the flames everywhere, lest the world will not be chaotic.What's more, those people who are used to spying on the direction of the wind and digging holes to produce maggots insist on sniffing out some "smell" from it.They naturally think of Qiu Deyong from Zhang Dalang, and from Qiu Deyong to Empress Dowager Li, so they think there is a lot to write here. "Zhang Dalang dared to be so arrogant, he must have obtained the sword above." They took it for granted that they came to such a conclusion.From this, it is even more guessed that Zhang Juzheng, the first assistant who has only been in office for more than a month, must have offended Queen Mother Li somewhere.Suddenly, the public opinion was extremely unfavorable to Zhang Juzheng.  Facing this messy situation, although Zhang Juzheng was in a heavy heart, he remained calm as usual.He is a very smart person, even if he doesn't listen to the arguments of the government office, he can roughly deduce the seriousness of the situation from the words and behaviors of the officials who came to meet with him.To grasp the bull's nose and not let others lead by the nose, he told himself in his heart.Therefore, when Tan Lun, Shangshu of the Ministry of War, walked into his room to have an audience with him, he immediately asked, "Zi Li, how many people under your subordinates participated in the disturbance?" .Tan Lun was a military prodigy who rose suddenly in the Jiajing Dynasty. He made great achievements in the various wars against the Japanese in the southeast and the captives in the northwest. Yu Dayou and Qi Jiguang under his command both became famous generals of the generation. In charge of the military, heroes cherish heroes, so they forged a deep friendship with Tan Lun.A year ago, Tan Lun was dismissed from the post of Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing and returned to the field. After Zhang Juzheng served as the chief assistant, he recommended him to come out again to take charge of the hall seal of the Ministry of War.Because he is an old friend, Zhang Juzheng's speech is not polite. Tan Lun has a burly figure and a purple face. At first glance, he looks like a person who has lived in the battlefield for a long time.Although nearly sixty years old, he still has a strong body and a sound like a bell.Faced with Zhang Juzheng's questioning, he held his official robe and sat down calmly, and replied: "In front of the storage warehouse, there were actually only seven people who fought with Zhang Dalang." ?”

Zhang Juzheng's eyes shot out two cold lights. He did not intend to give Tan Lun a bad rap, but because of his habit when talking about urgent issues.Although Tan Lun was silently pretentious, he still couldn't help being shocked. From this, he guessed why Zhang Juzheng was so anxious. After thinking for a while, he replied: "These are the leaders, but the soldiers who followed them are not Act according to the chief's wink, and follow along? However, please rest assured, uncle, we have already dealt with this matter, so you won't cause trouble again?" "May I ask Brother Zili how to deal with it."

"As soon as we heard that there was an armed fight, we immediately called all the generals of the yamen who went to the storage warehouse today to the Ministry of War, and checked them one by one. The food and fodder officer actually took off his official robe in public, and exposed his upper body. Let us see his sword wounds and arrow wounds, and count his military exploits in detail. It is said that how many ladles of blood were exchanged for his fifth-rank official Yes. Now that the new emperor is on the throne, not to mention a few more rewards, but even a pitiful few taels of salary, how can this not make people sad and chilling. If the country is at war again at this time , who will work hard with their heads up? These questions are indeed reasonable..." At this point, Tan Lun sighed, stroked his long beard, and looked extremely serious.Zhang Juzheng watched him quietly, suddenly felt a pang of sorrow in his heart, and said: "No one wants to do things that attract people's hearts. It's just that the country's finances have reached the point of desperation. It is really a last resort to discount the salary of pepper and sumac. " Tan Lun swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and answered carefully: "Brother Uncle's embarrassment, we understand it very well. The truth is like playing the piano to a cow."  "Then how do you deal with it?" Zhang Juzheng asked. 

 "Put down their arrogance first." Tan Lun smiled wryly, and said with a helpless look, "Isn't that grain and fodder officer just showing off? Although our Tan was born as a Jinshi and a scholar, we have also experienced battles of all sizes. Dozens of times. In the battle against Wacha in Yulin Fort, because the horse was hit by an arrow, he fell to the ground, and his left thigh was pierced by the captive general. Fortunately, the guards came to the rescue in time, so they did not die on the battlefield. Therefore , let’s lift up our trousers in public to let them see our scars.” As he spoke, Tan Lun couldn’t help but lift up his trousers again, and stretched out his crotch to show Zhang Juzheng, only to see a teacup near the base of his thigh It was the first time for Zhang Juzheng to see the big scar with dark red light, and he couldn't help but said with emotion: "Youdao is a scholar who meets a soldier, and the reason is hard to explain. If Brother Zili didn't have this scar , I'm afraid I can't subdue this group of stubborn bulls."  "It's true, but these generals are straight-hearted, although it's not right to make trouble, but they are forgivable."  "Huh?"

Hearing that Tan Lun's tone was wrong, Zhang Juzheng was surprised. Tan Lun continued: "These military generals have always hated and feared civil officials. As the saying goes, one year to clear the magistrate, one hundred thousand snowflakes silver. It can be seen that if civil officials want to Greedy ink is a very wild way. Military officers are different, except for a very small number of Yuanshi military sects who can play tricks. Most generals have no money all year round, and they have no chance to be greedy. Even if they fight on the battlefield and win battles, the emperor rewards them , most of the heads were taken away by the civil officials who followed the army to supervise the battle, and the soldiers who really fought with a knife and a gun received pitifully little rewards. This is called civil officials eating meat, and military officials drinking soup. It’s nothing to a military officer, but it’s enough money to support his family. This time, the hematoxylin and pepper discounts will be treated equally by civil and military officials in the capital. Uncle and brother, it’s a little inappropriate for us to talk behind closed doors.” Tan Lun's words were full of meaning, both emotional and reasonable. Although Zhang Juzheng felt that the way was wrong, it was inconvenient to refute.While hesitating, the Secretary's office came to report that Wang Zhigao, Shangshu of the Ministry of punishment, had arrived.Zhang Juzheng ordered him to come in.  After a while, I saw a thin and elegant official who was over 50 years old picked up the curtain and walked into the duty room.This is Zhang Juzheng's hometown and in-laws, Wang Zhigao, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment.He is also a well-known minister and has served as the governor of the frontier in charge of the armed forces for many years.Later, he succeeded Tan Lun as Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing for a year. This time, Zhang Juzheng recommended him as Minister of the Ministry of Punishment because he "does not avoid relatives in internal promotion".

As soon as he came in, he saw Tan Lun sitting inside. The two were of the same age and had been friends for many years, so they kissed him first, and then talked with Zhang Juzheng.Said: "Shoufu and brother Zili still have something to talk about, how about I avoid it for now and come in later?" "Brother Ruo, please sit down," Zhang Juzheng pointed to the pineapple chair opposite Tan Lun, Said: "You also know about the storage warehouse. Brother Pu and Zi Li are discussing how to deal with the troublesome military officials. You have also been the commander-in-chief of the three armies for many years. Maybe you have a good suggestion."

Accepting Zhang Juzheng's words, Tan Lun also said: "Brother Ruo Ruo, you are known as a wise man. Shoufu is right. Now, you have to help me." It's an answer.It seemed to him that what the two of them said was polite.Even if it were true, he wouldn't offer any advice.First, he understood the seriousness of the incident of fighting in the storage warehouse. These military masters and warriors were challenging the authority of the new Chief Assistant.In Gao Gongshou, the incidents that occurred, such as the reduction of military personnel, were much more serious than the loss of salaries of pepper and sumac, and no official dared to jump out and make trouble.From this point of view alone, Zhang Juzheng will definitely punish the perpetrators severely; secondly, he is also very familiar with Tan Lun, an old Confucian commander who has always enjoyed the reputation of "love soldiers like sons".Most of the soldiers under him, except those who really violated the laws of the country and cannot be preserved, he always tried his best to protect them. With these two points, he knew that this suggestion should never be mentioned.  "Brother Zili said just now, everything is true." Seeing Wang Zhigao's refusal to make a sound, Zhang Juzheng went on to say, "Military ministers' powers and ranks are important affairs of the state. A problem that affects the whole body. For example, if things are more important than power, in the fourth year of Longqing, the servant suggested to the emperor to make reforms. Now that the servant is the chief assistant, he is more responsible for doing this well. These are the future In other words, the most important thing right now is to deal with the incident of fighting in the storage warehouse and severely punish the perpetrators. Brother Zili, what do you think?" Tan Lun frowned, and replied slowly: "We have already said that the seven A military official will no longer be a nuisance.""Why do you see it?"

 "We have appeased them." "Pacify?" Hearing these two words suddenly, Zhang Juzheng felt uneasy. Who gave it to you?"  Seeing that Zhang Juzheng's face turned cold, Tan Lun felt that it was no longer good to hide it, so he simply said: "Brother Uncle, don't worry, we didn't use a penny from the public house. The monthly salaries of these people are all We paid with our own savings." "Brother Zili, you are..." Zhang Juzheng wanted to say "the kindness of a woman", but he swallowed the words again, because he was afraid of hurting Tan Lun. self-esteem. Tan Lun listened to half of the story, and did not wait for a long time, so he had to continue: "Brother Uncle, the military officials are making trouble, and few of them are directed at you. Most of them are thinking about their own livelihood." Seeing Tan Lun blindly favoring his subordinates, Zhang Juzheng let out a long sigh, and said in a sympathetic and sarcastic way: "There are so many troops stationed in the capital, and there are thousands of military officials at least. Brother Zili, how much money do you have in personal savings? Can you take care of it?" ? " "Do as much as you can," Tan Lun clearly felt Zhang Juzheng's dissatisfaction.The two of them have worked together for many years and have never had any quarrels. This time, he still didn't want to quarrel, so he smoothed things over and said, "Of course, these military officials have caused such a big incident and interfered with the government orders of the chief minister. I am deeply disturbed." "This matter has nothing to do with you." Zhang Juzheng hastened to declare. 

"It doesn't matter why, the subordinates are causing trouble because the officials are not strict in discipline. We have already thought about it. We will write a self-impeachment note tonight and send it to the emperor tomorrow." It looks like acting, but Zhang Juzheng still feels that this old friend is angry.I didn't want to explain too much, so I took advantage of the situation and said: "You don't need to use the book of self-impeachment, but the seven military officials must listen and wait to be dealt with."  "Then, what about Zhang Dalang who took the lead in making trouble? We heard that he Hide in Beizhen Fusi, and never come out."  Tan Lun's voice rose sharply, and Wang Zhigao, who had been silent all this time, gestured for him to calm down.Looking at Tan Lun's flushed face, Zhang Juzheng burst out laughing, and said to Wang Zhigao, "Brother Gao Ruo, look, brother Zili seems to have come here on purpose to quarrel with me today. Look at him, he looks like a Autumn on the battlefield." A joke, the atmosphere in the room suddenly eased, Tan Lun turned his anger into a smile, and laughed at himself:  "We used Zhang Dalang as a shield because we were thinking of you as the chief assistant. You should shoot the first bird."  "Brother Zili, don't worry, Zhang Dalang will definitely be brought to justice and brought to justice." Zhang Juzheng suppressed his smile and said decisively, "The prince broke the law and the common people are guilty of the same crime, not to mention he is a Zhang Dalang. Servant Knowing your brother Zili's thoughts, he thinks that Zhang Dalang has Eunuch Qiu behind him, and Eunuch Qiu has Empress Dowager Li behind him. Therefore, you can rest assured that this servant will be merciful when dealing with it. No matter how difficult things are, this servant will never show favoritism Indulging sinners because of love. Today, I would like to sue Ruolai for this reason. Once Zhang Dalang is arrested and brought to justice, he will be tried in three courts and convicted by Ju Qiao. The Ministry of Criminal Affairs should immediately launch an investigation on the fighting in the storage warehouse. It is a matter involving the Ministry of War. Wang Zili Brother, please cooperate." Although Tan Lun was a little angry, seeing that Zhang Juzheng had made up his mind, he couldn't say anything, so he nodded in agreement.Wang Zhigao already vaguely felt that Zhang Juzheng was going to use this sudden incident to make a big fuss, in order to establish the authority of the chief assistant.He admits that his in-law is a strong man, once he is determined to do something, he will never change his original intention and give up halfway.He thought for a while, and expressed his worries: "It is the rule of the ages to follow orders. The Ministry of Criminal Justice protects the law and eliminates adultery. This is the proper meaning of the question. In the case of Zhang Dalang, the Ministry of Criminal Justice will definitely do its best." Well done. But the fight in the storage warehouse was originally caused by the loss of salary of pepper and sumac. If the monthly salary of officials cannot be guaranteed, even if Zhang Dalang is disposed of, there may be new disasters.""Speak to Brother Ruo That's right," Zhang Juzheng replied with a long sigh of relief, "I have had serious discussions with Wang Guoguang, and he said that it's only these two months with all kinds of difficulties." Two months?" Zhang Juzheng nodded heavily, and Tan Lun looked at the pimples on Zhang Juzheng's brows, knowing the pressure he was under, and the pent-up anger in his heart disappeared unconsciously.At this time, a thought flashed through his mind, and before he could think it over, he said it outright: "Uncle, three months ago, Gao Gong gave Yin Zhengmao an extra 200,000 taels of silver for military expenses, can I ask you to come back later?" Solve the urgent need.""Do you think you have to come back?"

"Maybe you have a try." Zhang Juzheng was pondering before answering, the book office opened the curtain again, and saw Wang Zhuan, the imperial censor of Xuncheng rushing in, bowed deeply to the three, and said: "Master Chief Assistant, Zhang Dalang I was caught." The sky was dark, so Feng Bao returned from Da Nei to his private house in Houjing'er Hutong, east of Chongwenmen.This house was bought by his admiral Dongchang in the second year, and it has been fifteen years since then, during which time he forcibly bought all the neighbors and expanded it three times, and now it is grand and magnificent.There are carved beams and painted buildings, scattered pavilions, and being in them, it really feels like heaven and earth. The first thing Feng Bao did every day when he came back was to lie on the embroidered couch and have two little maids beat his legs and feet for him to relieve his fatigue before eating.Today's dinner is a bowl of red date porridge with two small yellow and orange buns. The side dish is a plate of Liubiju pickled cucumber and a plate of bad tongue.Feng Bao felt that it was a special enjoyment to eat these home-cooked meals after getting used to delicacies such as phoenix marrow and dragon liver.After a short rest after dinner, Feng Bao had just finished drinking a small pot of Emei Green Snow in the back flower hall, when Xu Jue opened the door and came in, saying respectfully, "Master, Hu Zigao, please see me." "Hu Zigao, which Hu Zigao?"

Feng Bao does not remember.Xu Jue cautiously reminded: "It's the one who donated 30,000 taels of silver to buy Buddhist beads for the master."  "Ah, it's him." Feng Bao suddenly remembered the trouble caused by the string of "Buddhist beads", and almost stumbled him, and asked angrily, "Isn't he in Nanjing, why did he come to Beijing?"  "The Nanjing Ministry of Industry has a business trip. He asked to come, mainly to pay respects to the master.""What kind of official is he?" "Nanjing Ministry of Industry, the sixth grade."  "Sixth grade official is a little older, it's all right if you meet him or not?"  Feng Bao leaned his head on the back of the chair after finishing speaking, closed his eyes and regained his composure.Xu Jue was left there, neither in nor out.He is well aware of his master's temper. He usually lives in secluded places and rarely sees people. There is also an unwritten rule that only those who come to visit the foreign court officials who come to visit him are only those who are of the third grade or above. He came to look for him with his palm prints, but he could only be seen in the outer flower hall, and he couldn't even enter the main room.Knowing this rule, Xu Jueming pleaded for Hu Zigao with a salivating face. The main reason was that Hu Zigao had given Feng Bao a generous gift of 30,000 taels of silver. Paul met and got together, and Xu Jue decided to help with this. "Master." Xu Jue called again softly.  "What's the matter?" Feng Bao opened his eyes slightly and looked at Xu Jue. The tricky butler still bowed and stood where he was, and said cautiously: "I would venture to suggest that this Hu Zigao, the master should condescend to see him for a while." See, because...""Because of what?" "After all, he donated 30,000 taels of silver, which is not a small sum even in today's capital." Listen to the drums, listen to the sound, and listen to the sound.Xu Jue, who was well versed in his master's temperament, immediately followed the words and said, "Master, Hu Zigao has something else to ask you.""Ah?"  "He brought a bank note." As soon as he heard this sentence, Feng Bao left his head from the backrest, sat up straight, and asked, "What's the matter with him?"  "Where to move, did he tell you?"  "The little one didn't ask him."  "What about others?"  "Where are you sitting in the outer flower hall?" "Then see you." After speaking, Feng Bao followed Xu Jue and left the backyard to meet Hu Zigao in the flower hall outside the front yard.  But this Hu Zigao has been complacent about having such a big backer since he got on the line with Xu Jue four months ago, especially after Feng Bao became the supervisor of the supervisor, he is even more fortunate that this "cold stove" was fired in time .This time he found a business opportunity to come to Beijing, the purpose is to visit this powerful Grand Duke.At this moment, he had been sitting in the outer flower hall for almost half an hour, but Feng Bao hadn't been seen, and his heart was as anxious as a cat's claws.Although Xu Jue promised to let Feng Bao meet him, he still had doubts. He had heard about Feng Bao's attitude of dismissing visitors.I'm a little sixth-rank official, what if someone refuses to see me if I don't want to read my "old love"?Just as he was thinking wildly, he heard slight footsteps coming from the door. He straightened his neck to look, and saw Xu Jue leading a rich and handsome old man who was over half a hundred years old. Needless to say, this must be Feng Bao. Without waiting for an introduction, Hu Zigao knelt down with a plop, and sang loudly: "The humble Hu Zigao kowtows to Mr. Feng." According to the rules, the internal and external courts are strictly guarded.Officials ordered by the outer court, no matter how low their rank is, will never kowtow when they see the huge feet of the inner court.This involves not only the dignity of the court, but also the ethics of scholars.However, once the rules and regulations collapse and the official style is not correct, there will always be some shameless people who flatter the powerful giants.Therefore, kowtowing and kneeling is only a common thing.Seeing Hu Zigao knelt down, Feng Bao was shocked, it was the first time for him to accept a kowtow from the imperial court official.Therefore, a smile appeared on the expressionless white and fat face.He didn't rush Hu Zigao to get up, but Gu Zigao sat down, looked at Hu Zigao and said: "Master Hu, there is a saying that a man has gold under his knees. If you salute us like this, you won't be afraid that people will laugh at you?" At the beginning, he looked at Feng Bao eagerly, and replied confidently: "Old man, who would dare to laugh when my son kowtows to me?""Ah? Why are you making such a comparison?"  "In terms of age, my husband is just like my parents, but he has a humble job and poor blessings, so he can't be worthy of a father like my husband." Hu Zigao's shameless flattery made even Xu Jue, who was standing by, feel a little bit more. Mushy.Unexpectedly, Feng Bao was very upset when he heard this, and his eyebrows trembled with laughter. He ordered Hu Zigao to be given a seat to watch tea, and asked, "What is Mr. Hu's business in Beijing this time?" With a look of trepidation, he replied: "The shipyard under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry of Nanjing, regarding the verification and implementation of this year's ship price, I sent a humble officer to come here to ask for a letter. This is a trivial matter, mainly because I want to come to Beijing to see Mr. Feng." "We are a bad old man, what is there to see."  Feng Bao giggled as he spoke, for some reason, he actually liked the young sixth-rank official in front of him a little bit.Hu Zigao saw the wind and turned the rudder. At this time, he suddenly put on a straight face and said: "My old man, I dare to give you an opinion in a humble position." Feng Bao was startled, and asked: "What's your opinion?" "The humble official is just an incompetent junior. My old father-in-law calls Mr. Hu all the time, which really makes the humble official feel ashamed and ashamed. If the old father-in-law calls like this again, the humble official will have to touch his head to death."  Hu Zigao said, more and more Pretend to be terrified.Feng Bao saw it very well, and said to Xu Jue who was sitting beside him: "Look at your short tongue, you didn't tell us the details when you came back from Nanjing last time, Hu Da——ah no, Hu, Hu Zigao is Such a spiritual person." Feng Bao's admiration was exchanged for Xu Jue's jealousy, and he leaned back and said, "Yeah, I don't know, but the two lips of Mr. Hu are actually soaked in honey. Hu Zigao didn’t feel embarrassed at Xu Jue’s sarcasm, and said excitedly, “I envy Mr. Xu very much. Being able to follow Eunuch Feng all day long is really a blessing in eight lifetimes.” After taking over the quarrel, Xu Jue simply joked: "I heard Mr. Hu said so, you want to be the godson of our master. "If this is really possible, a humble job is hard to come by." Hu Zigao responded quickly, and after finishing speaking, he stared at Feng Bao with a pair of blue eye circles that were overly wine-colored.  Joking is all joking, seeing Hu Zigao being serious, Feng Bao calmed down. Although he still had a smile on his face, his words did not seem to be affectionate: "Hu Zigao, what else do you want to do with us?" Hearing this tone, Hu Zigao knew that there was no way to recognize his "godfather". He quickly picked up a rosewood brocade box from the coffee table in front of him, handed it to Feng Bao respectfully, and said, "I come to meet Feng Bao in a lowly position." My old man, it’s not enough to show you some kindness. I hope you will..." "What are you doing?" Feng Bao interrupted Hu Zigao, frowning and said, "It's a favor to come and see, what more do you want? Bo Yi?" "The humble official knows that my husband is self-disciplined, honest and self-disciplined. But my husband is a senior, so how can I be rude when I am humbled to see you?" Feng Bao's face changed, and Hu Zigao couldn't help feeling frightened. The tongue is not so flexible.Fortunately, Xu Jue stepped forward to take the brocade box in his hand at this time, opened it and saw that it was a silver ticket.  "Yo, it's ten thousand taels!" Xu Jue screamed on purpose, he was actually giving Feng Bao a letter, Feng Bao heard it, and only said lightly: "I'm not going to be an example." He made an arch and said, "Thank you, old man, for cultivating." Feng Bao signaled Hu Zigao to sit back, and asked, "What do you need us to do, you might as well talk straight." "I, ah, humble, Humble position wants to..."  Hu Zigao stammered and couldn't make a sentence. Seeing his embarrassment, Feng Bao pursed his lips and smiled, and said sarcastically: "You people who come from Jinshi, you can't get rid of that word, sour! Ba Xinbagan wants to get it." But I can’t put my mouth on it.” Xu Jue also took the opportunity to laugh: “Yes, if you don’t talk about business, your body is full of mouths, and when you talk about business, your mouth will become a gourd. "Hearing the ridicule of the two, Hu Zigao blushed to the roots of his ears.As soon as he gritted his teeth, he uttered the words from the bottom of his heart: "Encouraged by my old father, the humble official just said it straight. I want to be promoted and move my seat.""Okay, what kind of official will you be promoted to, have you thought about it?"  "Think about it, I heard that the four-year term of Yan Yuanqing, the envoy of the Huaihuai Salt Transport, has expired, if he will take over..." Seeing that Feng Baowei closed his eyes, Hu Zigao stopped talking, and after a while, Feng Baocai opened his eyes. At the same time, he said slowly: "The Lianghuai salt transport envoy is the most fat vacant in the court, and he is still a fourth-rank government office. You Hu Zigao really dare to think about it!" "It's not that you dare to think about it, but the Lianghuai salt transport envoy is the seat , it must be the father-in-law's own person to sit on.""Huh?"  "As long as I sit in this seat, I will do everything according to my husband's orders."Feng Bao said "hmm" and did not give a clear answer.At this time, another family member came in and said, "My lord, Eunuch Qiu, please see me." "Ah, he is here, take him into the living room." Got it, you go back first."