Chapter 338 337 Weng Pu's Opinion

Xu Jie promised not to mention candidates to participate in the competition for the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue. Naturally, he was betting that Emperor Jiajing would not continue to delegate power to Yan Song, and it was not entirely because of the huge disparity in power between himself and Yan Song.

However, now that Yan Song has raised his conditions, Xu Jie must also raise his own requirements in exchange. This can also make Yan Song feel more at ease. However, the incident happened suddenly and he really couldn't think of the right conditions for a while.

Wei Guangde, who was in Nanjing, naturally didn't know what was happening in the capital.

He has been very proud of himself in the past few days. Perhaps because of Xu Pengju's reputation, the first contribution to suppressing the rebellion was placed on his head in the memorial.

But think about it, when the Zhenwu camp rebels rushed out of the small school field, he was the one who persuaded them to go back. This gave Nanjing's senior officials a chance to breathe, and dispatched troops to surround the small school field and let Zhenwu The rebel soldiers of the battalion did not bring trouble to the entire city of Nanjing.

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde suddenly felt that his first victory in suppressing the rebellion seemed to be a matter of course.

The memorial came up, and Wei Guangde couldn't just leave at this moment. Even though the epidemic in Jiangbei had disappeared, and no new patients were found for many days, this terrible plague finally ended after two months of raging in southern Zhili. .

In the past few days, due to the successful re-control of Zhenwu Camp, the situation in Nanjing city has been stable, and officials have returned to their previous drunken and luxurious life. Wei Guangde is also in Nanjing, and there are constant banquets every day.

His entourage was also having fun playing on the Qinhuai River. Of course, this was only for those with money.

For students from poor families who rely on salary to support their families, the Qinhuai River is not a place they can go to at will.

Of course, since he followed Wei Guangde here, Wei Guangde would not treat them harshly. He went to the next floor of the largest brothel in the Qinhuai River and invited his entourage. Only officials with high grades could only be invited. For the lower-level officials, they could only Just find a restaurant outside the inn to eat and drink and that's it.

In the next few days, because he was the person who had the most dealings with the rebels, he also participated in the entire process of judging the case. During this period, he naturally had to meet with Weng Pu, the Minister of Punishment.

Weng Pu is much older now than he was a few years ago, and he no longer has the spirit of patrolling the border towns on horseback. Even though the comfortable life in Nanjing City provides for people, it cannot stop the ravages of time.

"I'm getting old. I plan to submit a memorial request to become an official at the end of the year."

When he met Weng Pu and asked him about his life in Nanjing, Weng Pu shook his head and said, "I have been away from home for so many years. It's time to go back and take a look while I can still move around."

"Time makes people grow old, and mountains and rivers remember children's travels."

Wei Guangde casually chanted, this is just Wei Guangde's feeling when he heard Weng Pu sigh that time is gone and the years are hard to come back.

"I have approved what you have discussed. It would be best to be kind like this. It is not easy for the soldiers. They all have families to support. And these days, alas."

Weng Pu did not continue to say anything else and brought the topic back to business.

The punishment for the leader of the Zhenwu camp rebels was devised by Wei Guangde after discussion with Li Sui and others, and was also agreed by He Shou, Xu Pengju and others. After all, they did not make a big deal out of the matter, and they did not intend to hold on to it. Don't let go, lest there be another trouble.

Those who died unexpectedly were naturally the leaders of the trouble, and the others who took the lead were assigned.

Although those who reported to Beijing were talking about Jibian, they actually only left southern Zhili and were in Jiangxi and other places. They were not sent to Jiubian or Yunnan and Guizhou, so the soldiers in the rebellion also recognized them. .

Everything in the city of Nanjing just calmed down. Military pay and compensation were paid out, and the soldiers had no reason to continue to cause trouble after receiving the benefits.

"I asked you to stay quietly in the capital, but I didn't expect you to be so unlucky. Every time something happens, the emperor will think of you, and trouble will inevitably happen when you go there. The matter at Zhenwuying was handled very well this time. Well, I guess you will be promoted again when you return to the capital."

Weng Pu looked at Wei Guangde and continued.

At the beginning, Weng Pu had told Wei Guangde that it would be best to live a quiet life in the capital in the past few years, hiding his edge. As for when to show his edge, that would be after the reserve position was decided.

Wei Guangde understood that because he and Yan Song were fellow villagers, Weng Pu was afraid that he would be too involved with Yan Song.

If King Jing comes to power, it will naturally be easier for him, but in Weng Pu's opinion, there is a high probability that King Yu will still be king.

In any case, King Yu occupies a long name. Even if he is only one month older than King Jing, he still has an inherent advantage in inheriting the throne.

As for why Weng Pu treated him like this, Wei Guangde certainly knew that there was no one above Weng Pu and there was no way to advance in the capital, so sooner or later he would be sent to Nanjing to complete his level improvement and then wait to become an official. .

Naturally, Weng Pu would not wait so willingly. He was at the end of his life, but there were still clan members to take care of.

Wei Guangde showed a certain sense of responsibility in the Battle of Baoan Prefecture and took action decisively when he saw a fighter plane. In Weng Pu's view, this man has abilities and with the help of the Holy Family, there is a high probability that he will be in a high position in the future.

Help him now, and he will support his juniors in the future. It is a perfect deal.

But after all, he was young and easy to be impulsive. In addition, Weng Pu had already foreseen that as Emperor Jiajing got older, the overt and covert fights between the two kings for the throne would only increase but never decrease.

The battle for the reserve position is most dangerous and unpredictable. If you are not careful, you will lose everything.

Weng Pu hoped that Wei Guangde could stay in the Hanlin Academy and not participate in it. He did not want to take the merit of his support. If he had the ability, anyone who came to power would be reused.

Even now, Weng Pu still talked to Wei Guangde about the dispute between the two kings in the capital.

"You see, I am like this, and the one in Xiyuan will not be much better. If you think what I said at the beginning is right, it is better to find a way to send him out to avoid that place of right and wrong.

Sent out, although you may never return to the court, but whether it is a promotion in rank or real power, it is not comparable to the court.

If you stay in the capital, you will be involved sooner or later. If you stand on the right side, it's okay, but if you stand on the wrong side, it will be difficult to turn back."

Weng Pu still spoke to Wei Guangde earnestly. He was really worried that Wei Guangde would be involved in King Jing's side because of Yan Song, and finally ruin his future.

In fact, Weng Pu has prepared several young men like Wei Guangde, but at present, Wei Guangde seems to be the best among them in terms of official luck and personal ability.

Three years of Qing Zhifu earns 100,000 silver coins. It is naturally the best to get money to be sent out, not to mention that Beijing officials will be promoted to a higher level when they are sent out.

This time, Wei Guangde played a huge role in the Nanjing Zhenwuying mutiny. After returning to the court, he should be rewarded. It is normal to be promoted to the sixth rank. However, if he seeks to be transferred to a middle-level prefecture, it is not difficult to be a prefect, and his rank can be promoted to the fifth rank.

With this idea, Weng Pu thought that persuading Wei Guangde to actively seek to be transferred to a foreign post after returning to the capital was the best choice. In fact, he agreed with Zhang Ke and others that Wei Guangde was a practical talent and had little chance of entering the cabinet, but there was a place for him in the six ministries.

That is why the cabinet ministers of the Jiajing Dynasty did not follow the ordinary path. Most of them came from the grassroots and few came from the Hanlin Academy. Even Xu Jie was demoted to the local area and went around a long way before he successfully returned to the court.

In Weng Pu's view, Wei Guangde went to the local area to make some achievements, plus the contributions he had made to the court before, then he would seek to return to the court. If he could not enter the cabinet, he could take root in the six ministries. More importantly, he could avoid the climax of the dispute over the throne.

Wei Guangde understood what Weng Pu meant, but he had already taken the initiative to get involved, but not many people knew about it.

Wei Guangde was hesitating whether to tell Weng Pu about this.

Although Weng Pu did not say it explicitly, Wei Guangde guessed that he was worried that he had boarded the boat of King Jing, otherwise, under normal circumstances, Weng Pu would not have said so if he knew that he supported Prince Yu.

In fact, most officials at this time supported Prince Yu in their hearts, but most of them did not say it, just hiding in their hearts and watching from the sidelines, trying to protect themselves.

Except for the genius Yan Shifan, perhaps no one dared to guess what Emperor Jiajing was thinking.

Officials like Weng Pu, although they supported Prince Yu in their hearts, would never speak for Prince Yu in the court and go against Yan Song. Even if they could only wait for retirement, they would not choose to go against the powerful people of the dynasty.

When Ming Dynasty officials retired, they had two choices. One was to retire, and they could enjoy the benefits given to retired officials by the court, and they would have posthumous titles after death. The other was to be dismissed from office, or even deprived of official status, that is, they would have no fame and become ordinary people.

Weng Pu did not want to lose his own benefits for the sake of his own principles, and to offend the powerful. Such things should be done by others.

Wei Guangde pondered for a moment, and still said: "Sir Weng, I actually have a good relationship with Sir Gao Gong."

Wei Guangde finally did not intend to hide it from Weng Pu. In fact, he had contacts with Gao Gong, and officials in the capital who were slightly well-informed knew about it. He was just short of publicly writing the three words "Yu Wang Party" on his face.

Of course, these things were gradually exposed after Weng Pu went south, and it was normal for Weng Pu not to know.

"Hmm"

Weng Pu was slightly surprised when he heard Wei Guangde's words, but then he was silent.

After a long time, Weng Pu sighed, "You didn't take what I said to you in Yanqing Prefecture seriously."

When Wei Guangde returned to the capital from Bao'an Prefecture, he met Weng Pu in Yanqing. Weng Pu had talked to him alone, because he was worried that a new Jinshi like him would not be able to help but jump out to support Prince Yu, and finally ruin his future.

When he heard Wei Guangde's words today, he thought that although Wei Guangde seemed to be submissive at the time, he obviously didn't listen, and finally jumped into the quagmire.

"In fact, before the tour, I had contact with Mr. Gao."

Wei Guangde understood the meaning of Weng Pu's words and hurriedly explained.

"Is that so."

Weng Pu nodded slightly. New Jinshi are the most like this. They don't understand the officialdom, and they do things with their so-called passion and do what they think is right.

At that time, Wei Guangde was still in the Hanlin Academy, and it was not surprising that he used the relationship of the Hanlin Academy to communicate with Gao Gong, because Gao Gong was still a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy.

"If that's the case, then just ignore what I said before and do your best to assist Prince Yu."

"Yes, thank you for your guidance, Mr.."

Wei Guangde said hurriedly, but after he finished speaking, he suddenly changed his mind.

Weng Pu has been away from the capital for more than two or three years. Although he is still in the officialdom now, he is already an outsider to the court of Beijing. Perhaps at this time, he can still look at everything in Beijing calmly.

We have talked about this today. Shouldn't I ask him what he thinks about the current dispute between the two kings in Beijing?

When you are in the situation, many times you think that your calm thinking is actually subjective and biased. Only people who have no interests can analyze objectively and see the essence of the problem.

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde suddenly clasped his fists and said to Weng Pu: "Sir, what do you think of the current situation in Beijing? As you said, the two kings are brothers and sisters on the surface, but the fighting in private is already very fierce.

In the court, because of Mr. Yan Ge, the officials of King Jing's family were able to obtain better positions, and they also suppressed the people of Prince Yu's family. Even Mr. Gao, who seemed to be promoted, could only be sent Go and teach at the Imperial College.

I wonder if there is a good way to balance the power of the two kings? "

Hearing Wei Guangde's question, Weng Pu stared at him for a while before gently shaking his head.

"Actually, these are just appearances. The greater the support that person gets, the more disadvantageous it is to him. If the whole court is full of his supporters, then you should be secretly enjoying yourself."

Weng Pu did not answer Wei Guangde's question about whether he had a good method, but said something seemingly irrelevant.

Seeing the confusion in Wei Guangde's eyes, Weng Pu continued: "Now the world still belongs to the emperor."

Hearing this, Wei Guangde's eyes lit up, "Sir, what do you mean, play hard to get? If you want to make it perish, make it crazy first?"

"no."

Weng Pu said categorically, "Old Yan Ge will not allow him to do this."

Hearing Weng Pu say that it was not what he understood, Wei Guangde frowned slightly and thought carefully again.

"The current situation is actually a good thing for you. King Yu is suppressed everywhere, which is also a training for him. I don't think it is necessarily bad.

That year, Prince Yu's palace regulations and annual gifts were withheld by the Ministry of Household Affairs. We all know this. Do you think the emperor doesn't know about it?

It's ridiculous that Yan Shifan is known as a genius, but he still shows off his talent afterwards, and the prince wants to give him money, haha."

Wei Guangde now understood the meaning of Weng Pu's words. Just keep the current situation. Prince Yu's Mansion is suppressed by Prince Jing's Mansion in every aspect. Just stay in the capital and wait for the situation to change.

"Of the four forces in the capital, the most difficult to control and the one most likely to fall to King Yu is Qingliu.

In addition to this, the remaining ones are Prince Yu's Mansion and Prince Jing's Mansion. Their spokespersons in the court are Mr. Xu Ge and Mr. Yan Ge. However, there is another force that does not seem to be strong, but it can be fought for. "

Weng Pu then said: "Lu Bing, if you can, find someone to contact you. If you can get goodwill, then the candidate in the emperor's heart will be revealed."

Hearing Weng Pu's unexpected mention of Lu Bing, Wei Guangde was slightly stunned.

"Based on Lu Bing's relationship with the emperor, he may know more than anyone else."

Weng Pu just glanced at Wei Guangde and stopped talking.