Chapter 320 319 Discussion

When Wei Guangde came out of the Censorate, his face was already gloomy and he even had a little regret.

At first, Gao Gong said he would take him to Prince Yu's Mansion, but after seeing Prince Yu's Mansion's attitude towards Gao Gong, he gave up the idea and quietly told Gao Gong that he would not go to the mansion for the time being. It seemed more beneficial to work for the mansion outside.

Of course, he would not be stupid enough to tell the real reason, as that would affect his relationship with Gao Gong and Prince Yu's Mansion.

But he really couldn't go to Prince Yu's Mansion, because he would be completely covered by Gao Gong, which would not be good for his future.

As for the errand he received today, well, there are still more than two months before the Chinese New Year, but he is being sent to the south for official business. What's the big deal?

The key is not just one errand, but two.

The case in Suzhou is easy to try. The evidence and confession of the entire crime process are complete. It depends on how it will be judged in the end.

In fact, for the leader, it is definitely a death sentence, and there is absolutely no way to survive. At that time, it will be submitted to the Ministry of Justice for review before execution. If it is a prison sentence, it will be some accomplices and their families, which can be sentenced locally.

Wei Guangde doesn't think that there will be people who abuse their power for personal gain in such a big case, and he has never heard of any criminal who has a strong relationship.

Now in the capital, starting from the bandit leader Zhou Er, the details of the assets of more than 20 major criminals have actually spread.

Wei Guangde is actually more troubled by the second task Zhou Yan gave him, because in his opinion, Wang Zhi really doesn't need to be killed.

Although he is indeed guilty of heinous crimes, even lingchi is not too much.

But the court should consider the peace of the sea border. If letting go of a cheap life can exchange for long-term peace and stability along the coast, it is indeed worth it.

When considering the issue of Wang Zhi, Wei Guangde did not think about the issue of opening the sea, but purely thought from the perspective of interests.

Ordinary people will judge from good and evil, while officials are more concerned about interests.

If he really surrenders to the court, let him gather his old subordinates and fight the pirates with the pirates, not only can the court save a lot of military expenses for suppressing the Japanese pirates, but the Japanese pirates are also familiar with each other, making it easier to suppress them, and the cost is only a few official positions.

Hu Zongxian's initial plan actually made sense, but the operation went wrong, and he ended up in this situation. He must not be able to get rid of the blame for not keeping his faith.

The civil servants of the Ming Dynasty now are still very careful about their feathers. No one wants to be trampled on by future generations and commented on how bad their character is.

It's time, fate, and luck. Perhaps Hu Zongxian is destined not to leave a good reputation.

Wei Guangde went home directly after leaving the Censorate. On the way, he asked Zhang Ji to contact his friends and have a dinner at home in the evening.

The decree has not been issued yet. Zhou Yan's meeting with me today is just to inform me in advance so that I can be prepared.

I estimated in my heart that I would definitely return from this trip to the south of the Yangtze River next year, and I might not be able to reach the capital in February next year.

Xu Jianglan, of course, could only stay in Beijing. It was very tiring to travel back and forth. If she went alone, she might be able to go faster.

In the current Ming Dynasty, because the emperor was absent from work for a long time, the phenomenon of lateness and early departure in various government offices was actually very common. Officials did not take it seriously. Many people had left the government office at the beginning of the afternoon, and no one cared.

Wei Guangde used to be quite conscientious, which might be why Emperor Jiajing valued him.

After all, at a time when all the ministers in the court were not very disciplined, there was still such an employee who went to get off work on time, and the emperor should still be very pleased.

There were not many people at the banquet in the evening. They were all people that Wei Guangde felt he could trust. They were all people he knew in Jiangxi before, and there were only Lao Kan and Zhang Ke.

Recently, Zhang Ke started to move again, wanting to seek a new position outside.

Wei Guangde knew what Zhang Ke was after. He said he was being sent out, but in fact, he was just a little bored after staying in the capital for too long. He envied Wei Guangde's position as an imperial censor. In fact, he also wanted to enter the Metropolitan Procuratorate, so that he would have the opportunity to go out of the capital to inspect the provincial government. After all, the imperial censors of various provinces were rotated regularly.

When the imperial censors went to the local areas, they would naturally have a lot of money.

Wei Guangde asked them to come over for no other reason, just to let them think about why this mission would fall on his head.

You know, Wei Guangde went to the Metropolitan Procuratorate two or three times a month, and he shouldn't have thought of himself anyway.

But the meeting with Zhou Yan in the afternoon made him know that this matter seemed to be set in stone and irreversible.

In fact, it was a good thing to have an errand, but Wei Guangde was a little guilty.

People outside didn't know, but he knew very well that he had offended the chief minister Yan Song. Could this trip to Suzhou and Hangzhou be a trap set by Yan Song or Yan Shifan for him?

There were all Hu Zongxian's territories.

Lao Kan and Zhang Ke were both from the same hometown as Wei Guangde. They usually went to Yan's house together in the past, so they had more or less noticed that Wei Guangde and the Yan family were gradually alienating each other, but everyone was tactful and did not ask too much.

During the dinner, Zhang Ke's eyes naturally revealed envy when he heard that Wei Guangde might have taken another job to go south to handle the affairs of Suzhou Prefecture.

The facts of the Suzhou incident were clear and the evidence was conclusive. In the eyes of the two people at the dinner, it was a merit picked up for nothing. As for the subsequent trip to Hangzhou, it was just to supervise the execution and kill a Japanese pirate leader, which was also a free point.

Wei Guangde expressed his doubts, that is, why did these good things fall on him, but not others?

To Lao Kan and Zhang Ke, they thought it was Wei Guangde who was showing off nakedly in front of them at first, but later they discovered that Wei Guangde seemed to be speaking very seriously, and in the past, Wei Guangde was not a high-profile person who liked to show off. Just started thinking about this.

"As you know, I had a good rapport with Master Gao Gonggao before, so I moved around more. Gao Gong represents Prince Yu's Mansion. I don't know if it's because of this, so I started there with Mr. Yan Ge."

Wei Guangde didn't finish his words and stopped mid-sentence. He knew that Lao Kan and Zhang Ke should understand what he meant.

"I've felt it the last two times I've been there."

Lao Kan nodded in approval.

As for Zhang Ke, he didn't speak and just nodded slightly.

They also knew that Gao Gong had been to Wei Guangde's house several times, but they felt that this was a personal relationship and should not affect the relationship between fellow villagers. Wei Guangde could not find a reason to explain why he was estranged from the Yan family. At this time, he could only I can use this rhetoric.

"Hu Butang and Mr. Yan Ge."

Zhang Ke suddenly spoke a few words, and everyone frowned as soon as he finished speaking.

Hu Zongxian's success is inseparable from Zhao Wenhua and Yan Song. This is something everyone in the court knows.

You know, before Hu Zongxian took over the important task of suppressing Japanese pirates in Jiangnan, he was just a Zhejiang Dao patrol censor. He had the same position as Wei Guangde, but his rank was not as high as Wei Guangde.

"Probably not."

Lao Kan considered it carefully and answered: "At least it's not the case in Suzhou. After all, it belongs to Nanzhili. The father-in-law who is good at lending is still a garrison in Nanjing. His influence in Nanzhili is deeply rooted, but he went to Hangzhou to supervise and kill Wang Zhili. Be careful not to be fooled by Hu Zongxian and cause Li Daitao to freeze. "

To be honest, some of Hu Zongxian's bad deeds in suppressing Japanese invaders in Jiangnan were actually widely circulated in the Ming Dynasty. Many officials in Beijing heard about it, so most people didn't think highly of Hu Zongxian.

However, Hu Zongxian now has a special position and is responsible for suppressing Japanese invaders. As long as he does not do anything outrageous and involves cases such as rebellion, even the censor, who is commonly known as the "mad dog", is unwilling to participate in him. Because there is no easy way out.

Before the work of suppressing the Japanese was completed, and while Mr. Yan Ge was still in office, Hu Zongxian's position was secure.

Nowadays, the coastal counties in the south of the Yangtze River are run like iron barrels by Hu Zongxian, and the Japanese pirates are not like they were able to come and go freely and plunder at will.

Of course, the DPRK and China also have different views on this. Many people do not think that this is Hu Zongxian's achievement, but that the coastal prefectures and counties have perfected and summarized a set of methods to resist Japanese pirates because they have been harassed by Japanese pirates all year round. They say this It is Hu Zongxian's achievement, which is to put gold on his face.

All Hu Zongxian can do is to promptly send reinforcements to rescue when the Japanese pirates attack the prefecture and county. This is his own job, and naturally cannot be regarded as merit. Before the Japanese pirates are completely wiped out, what Hu Zongxian does is actually of limited effect.

Lao Kan's words naturally played into Wei Guangde's hands. What he had been worried about was the trip to Hangzhou.

He doesn't know Wang Zhi, and Hu Zongxian has a record of protecting Wang Zhi. If the time comes to find someone else to take the stabbing on behalf of the king, Wei Guangde, as the prison officer, will be in big trouble. At least he will have it on his resume. Being recorded will definitely have an impact on his future career advancement.

This was also the reason why Wei Guangde had his suspicious eyes on the Yan family and his son from the beginning. In fact, he and the Yan family had really parted ways and were drifting apart, so it was not surprising that the Yan family would do something to him.

"Actually, as long as Shandai is careful when doing things and doesn't leave any clues to be caught, although I don't dare to say that he will definitely become a general or prime minister in the future, his position in the Six Departments and Nine Ministers will still be secure."

At this time, Zhang Ke suddenly interrupted.

Being a general or becoming a prime minister is actually just another way of saying that the ministers of the Ming Dynasty meant being in the cabinet. After all, the Ming Dynasty did not have official positions such as prime minister or prime minister, and the cabinet actually assumed such positions.

Seeing the confused looks in Lao Kan's and others' eyes, Zhang Ke felt a little resentful that iron could not become steel.

"Have you read the resumes of all the ministers? Can you tell me, apart from Uncle Wu Dazong, who has not had the experience of leading troops in combat?

What Shandai lacks now is actually taking over the civil affairs power of a place. However, this is what the Liubu Hall officials have to do, and cabinet ministers may not all have the experience of running a local place. "

The first words were naturally referring to Wu Shan, and the second words were naturally referring to Yan Song.

Wu Shan and Yan Song had similar experiences. They both followed the standard process for Hanlin officials to enter the cabinet. That is, after becoming a Jinshi, they were elected to the Hanlin, and then directly moved to the Ministry of Rites, and finally impacted the cabinet.

But now, Yan Song has successfully completed this journey, while Wu Shan is still halfway there. It is still unclear whether he can finally reach the end of the cabinet.

Although Wu Shan and Yan Song are both from Jiangxi, it is well known that the two have a bad relationship.

As for the other six ministers, Wu Peng, the minister of the Ministry of official affairs, was the prime minister in Hecao. He supervised the troops and successfully suppressed the rebellion of the Henan division. Jia Yingchun, the minister of the Ministry of household affairs, and Zheng Xiaoze, the minister of the Ministry of punishment, both had the experience of serving as ministers of the Ministry of war. During their tenure, they were either governors. Those who build border walls, or prepare to fight against Japanese invaders, are considered to be those who know how to fight.

In addition, Ouyang Bijin, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, suppressed local rebellions when he was governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. Zhou Yan, censor of Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, also participated in the Jiajing Dynasty's campaign against Annan and the subsequent pacification of Yazhou when he was the envoy of Zuobu in Guangdong. The people revolted.

As for Yang Bo, the last Minister of the Ministry of War, it goes without saying that he is probably the only civil servant who knows how to use soldiers best. Otherwise, how could he have taken over the defense of Xuanda and Jizhen successively, and then quickly been promoted to the position of Minister of the Ministry of War? .

"Your intention is to let Shandai go south. Maybe it's that person's intention? To prepare for future overseas expansion and accumulate experience?"

What Zhang Ke means is that the boss of the Sixth Ministry and the Metropolitan Procuratorate seems to have some military experience and has made achievements on the battlefield, and Wei Guangde exactly meets this condition.

By mistake, he followed Weng Pu in a battle with the Mongolian Tatars in Xuanfu, which was a great victory. His military resume was filled up. If he added to the local governance, in Zhang Ke's eyes, a second A good official position is at your fingertips.

Wei Guangde is still very young now and has plenty of time to make up for this shortcoming.

As for Wei Guangde following Yan Song and Wu Shan's footsteps, from the Hanlin Academy to the Ministry of Rites and then to the Cabinet, Zhang Ke is not optimistic.

But after Zhang Ke reminded Lao Kan, what he thought about was where Wei Guangde would be sent.

Jiangxi can be crossed out first. The Ming Dynasty did not allow officials to serve as officials in their hometown.

If it is true as Zhang Ke guessed that Emperor Jiajing wanted to train Wei Guangde and prepare for him to be sent to other places in the future, then South Zhili and Zhejiang are both possible.

However, South Zhili was soon crossed out by Lao Kan, because Wei Guangde's father-in-law was Wei Guogong Xu Pengju, and the possibility of going to South Zhili to serve was relatively small, so the remaining one might be Zhejiang.

"You said that when you were in the Xuanfu, and after you returned to the court, you boasted that you were confident of defeating Anda Khan?"

A few years later, some of Lao Kan's memories became blurry, and most of these words were said at banquets. Now he has become a little unsure.

"That's what he said at first, and he told us privately that it was just bragging, haha."

Zhang Ke answered, "I have an impression of this."

When Wei Guangde heard Lao Kan mentioning old things, he had a bad feeling in his heart.

"I doubt it's the one who plans to use you as a substitute, right?"

Lao Kan said very uncertainly.

"Speak clearly, what kind of substitute?"

Zhang Ke hurriedly interjected.

"In addition to the previous plan to kill Xu Hai and deceive Wang Zhi, Hu Butang's main achievement in the past two years has been to improve coastal defense. He said that he protected the coastal people from Japanese pirates, but he did not do much to exterminate other Japanese pirates."

"impossible."

Before Lao Kan could finish speaking, Zhang Ke shook his head and said, "The possibility of Shandai going to Zhangzhou Prefecture in Nanzhili is high, but the possibility of going to Zhejiang is very slim."

"Why is it impossible? He beat me in Xuanfu."