Chapter 571 570 Cursing the God

Wei Guangde was worried when he left Prince Yu's Mansion.

To be honest, he didn't want to take over the impeachment of Dong Fen, the Minister of Rites, because it was a bit offensive.

Dong Fen had just taken office. Logically, at this time, he was the most trusted by Emperor Jiajing, and the possibility of impeachment success was very small.

But Prince Yu wanted to vent his anger, and he, as an official of the palace and a die-hard supporter of Prince Yu, could not refuse.

Fortunately, there was still time to buffer. At least before Li Fang found out the details, he could temporarily delay the matter.

In Wei Guangde's opinion, if Dong Fen did not accept the wealth of the Yan family, he could only report the matter based on rumors, which was also a relief for Prince Yu.

But if Dong Fen really accepted the things of the Yan family, given that Emperor Jiajing and the ministers in the court did not like the Yan family at this time, even if Emperor Jiajing would not dismiss him for this, he would not have an easy time in the court, and it was not impossible for him to be forced to retire voluntarily.

You must know that people's words are scary.

Wei Guangde sat in the carriage and calculated the gains and losses. It seemed that for him, except for offending Dong Fen after the impeachment failed, there seemed to be no other harm.

As for the impact of the impeachment failure on his reputation, in order to make Prince Yu happy, the reputation was not a big deal.

Wei Guangde returned to the Proofreading Hall to continue the Proofreading Ceremony. Shortly after noon, Lu Bu quietly entered the room and told him, "Lord Ouyang invited the master to drink."

"Ouyang? You mean Sizhi."

Sizhi is Ouyang Yijing's pen name. They are all from Pengze, Jiangxi, so they naturally move around a lot in the capital. You must know that he was able to be transferred from Xiaoshan County Magistrate to the capital to serve as the Criminal Department Secretary because Wei Guangde helped him.

"Yes, sir, I deserve to die. I can't even explain this little thing clearly."

Lu Bu hurriedly bowed his head to admit his mistake.

"It doesn't matter. Where are you going tonight?"

Wei Guangde asked casually.

"Goulan Hutong, West Courtyard."

Lu Bu smiled.

"West Courtyard, haha, OK, I get it."

Wei Guangde smiled. This West Courtyard is not the West Garden. Of course, these names have their own meanings.

However, the Ming Dynasty royal family did not care much about these things, so they let the people mess around.

In fact, the West Courtyard is also one of Prince Yu's favorite places.

But at this moment, Wei Guangde has no intention of proofreading books.

Although after thinking about it, he felt that impeaching Dong Fen was not a big deal. Which official would not be impeached? Unless you are a nobody and no one pays attention to you, no one will impeach you.

You must know that many censors not only impeach officials, but also clerks.

Ouyang Yijing.

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde couldn't help but think of Ouyang Yijing.

Since he was put into the Six Departments, he was very well behaved in the first two years. After all, he had just arrived and was not familiar with the capital.

The officialdom in the capital is complicated, and Ouyang Yijing is afraid of making mistakes, especially when Wei Guangde warned him that it was the time when Prince Yu, Xu Jie and the Yan Party were fighting fiercely.

Perhaps a random book in his eyes may hide the big boss behind it. With his relationship with Wei Guangde, Ouyang Yijing was also tacitly regarded as a member of Prince Yu's Mansion, so he should not cause trouble for Prince Yu's Mansion.

However, since the fall of Yan Song, Ouyang Yijing has also become active, especially last year, when he submitted two memorials in a month. The first one impeached Jin Yinghuai, the Shaoqing of Taichang, and reported his misdeeds when he was the Langzhong of the Military Selection Department, accepting bribes from Fu Yi, Wang Chonggu, and Sun Hongshi, and all of them were above the investigation.

The second memorial impeached Fu Yi, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing, Sun Hongshi, the councilor of Huguang, and Wang Chonggu, the governor of Ningxia, who bribed Jin Yinghuai for promotion.

After Emperor Jiajing approved it, the Ministry of Personnel conducted a thorough investigation and found that Jin Yinghuai seemed to have done something wrong when reinstating Fu Yi. Sun and Wang were promoted because of their outstanding achievements, and there was no hidden secret of private transfer. Therefore, Fu Yi was dismissed from his post, while the other three were not affected.

Although the impeachment was not successful, it was also the first shot fired by Ouyang Yijing in the court, and he gained some reputation in the six departments.

During that time, Wei Guangde was busy with proofreading and did not pay attention to this matter. Even though Ouyang Yijing had informed him of the intention of impeachment beforehand, he did not take it seriously.

In fact, Wei Guangde did not like the practice of the censors to report things on hearsay. He still felt that catching an adulterer in bed, catching a thief and seizing stolen goods, and filing a complaint without any evidence was ungentlemanly.

However, Ouyang Yijing's first impeachment brought down a minister, which was not in vain. Whether it was his vision or luck, he was still good. He did not file a lot of complaints like most censors, but in the end, he did not achieve anything, and offended many people for nothing.

In the officialdom, you seem to be only suing one person, but you must not know the huge power of your peers and fellow townsmen after you get up.

After all, the censors and the secretaries are only insignificant seventh-rank officials in the court, with great power but low position.

Wei Guangde suddenly had an idea at this time, that is, to let Ouyang Yijing come forward to impeach and test the attitude of Emperor Jiajing.

However, if Ouyang Yijing impeached, I don't know if it would make Prince Yu dissatisfied, after all, he said that he would personally take action.

It's better to wait until later to meet with Si Zhi. You know, the target of this impeachment is the current Shangshu, and he may not dare to do it.

In the eyes of Wei Guangde and others, even if it is a prince or a county king, it is not terrible, but if the target is Shangshu, then you have to think twice.

After the court was dismissed, Wei Guangde changed into casual clothes in the government office and went out.

It was inconvenient to wear official uniform to a place like the West Courtyard.

When the carriage arrived, Wei Guangde was led directly to a secluded courtyard.

Wei Guangde was still a little puzzled along the way. The cost of the West Hospital was not low. What was Ouyang Yijing doing?

Instead of opening a private room upstairs in the lobby outside, we actually reserved a courtyard inside.

The Ouyang family was not a wealthy family. In Pengze, it was only after he passed the imperial examination that his family became prosperous. Before that, they were barely wealthy. They opened a teahouse in the city and had several acres of thin farmland outside the city.

If it were in his hometown, he could build it as he pleased, but in the capital, in a gold-selling cave like Goulan Hutong, the cost of renting such a yard is not low.

Wei Guangde thought that Ouyang Yijing must have invited a lot of people for spending so much money, but when he walked into the courtyard, he found that it was deserted, with only a few 28-year-old girls serving him.

"Shandai, come on, sit down quickly."

Ouyang Yijing had already come out to greet Wei Guangde when he entered the yard. After meeting Wei Guangde at the door, he pulled him into the house.

After scanning the women in the room, they all looked pretty good. Wei Guangde couldn't help but wonder whether Ouyang Yijing was planning to take a concubine.

These days, if you are marrying a wife, you must have as many battles as possible. The bigger the scene, the better, to show how satisfied your family is with the marriage.

But taking a concubine is different. Although there is a ceremony, it is done behind closed doors at home, and usually no one is invited.

However, for those of them who are officials in the capital, taking concubines is not allowed by law, so they usually do it secretly and behind someone's back.

It's like this, please invite a few close friends who know everything.

In the officialdom, how many people can be said to know the ins and outs? Except for a few who can barely pick out a few who have worked together for many years, they are fellow villagers. That is really an existence where everyone is prosperous and everyone suffers.

During the Ming Dynasty, township parties were actually very serious, and people from the same province clung to each other very strongly.

After the two sat down, Wei Guangde asked curiously: "Where are you singing today? Is it just the two of us or someone else?"

"Not many people were called, just a few of us from Jiujiang in the capital."

Ouyang Yijing replied.

Wei Guangde looked at him now. Ouyang Yijing was a man in his forties, and he seemed to be a bit old-hearted.

After the maid came to present the fragrant tea, Wei Guangde waved his hand and signaled the ladies in the room to go out first.

After they went out, Wei Guangde looked at Ouyang Yijing, cupped his hands and said, "Brother Si Zhi, you have taken a fancy to that girl here. I'm not telling you that you fell in love with her, so you paid, took the deed and took her home directly." , what kind of table should we set here?

If Jiaofangsi has difficulties, just tell me directly and I will ask them to help you handle the matter. No matter what, Jiaofangsi has to give me some thin noodles. "

When he said this, Wei Guangde was also thinking about Ouyang Yijing. It would be bad if the emperor's feet, the most virtuous place, were exposed.

The "Laws of the Ming Dynasty" clearly stipulates that any man who is over forty and has no heirs can take concubines.

He, Ouyang Yijing, was forty years old, but he also had children who did not meet this requirement at all.

Although concubinage is common practice in both official circles and among the people, everyone knows that taboos should be avoided.

As for other matters such as parents' consent and wife's consent, Ouyang Yijing had already observed his filial piety, not to mention his wife's.

Although the wife's attitude is very important when it comes to concubinage, in this era, they think more about their own men. As long as they think about it, they generally will not refuse, because their husbands are the ones they rely on.

This is true among the people, and even more so in the officialdom.

Officials have no worries about finding women.

Ouyang Yijing's wife and children all stayed in his hometown of Pengze and were not around at all.

However, Ouyang Yijing was stunned by Wei Guangde's words, and it took him a long time to ask: "What girl?"

Wei Guangde looked around and then said: "You arranged to drink here, didn't you want to take a concubine?"

"Hey, no, Shandai, you misunderstood."

Ouyang Yijing called Qu Dao.

"Misunderstanding?"

Wei Guangde was also puzzled. If he was taking a concubine, he should come out when the guests came. It was not the new daughter-in-law that the media was marrying, so what should be avoided.

"I invited you here because I want you to help me with the details."

Ouyang Yijing whispered.

"For details? Do you want to become an official?"

Wei Guangde breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

Hearing what Ouyang Yijing said, Wei Guangde felt relieved.

Although it was common for officials in the Ming Dynasty to take concubines, the rules should not be broken. It was not like what later generations thought, and they would not just buy it and take it home if they liked it.

At the very least, if you take a concubine, you must ask the concubine to serve tea to the eldest wife. Ouyang Yijing's wife is not around, and if the news gets out, if you give him a book based on this, he will definitely be dismissed from office and go home.

When Yan Shifan was in glory, all the wives he married followed this procedure, and they did not dare to break this rule.

As opposed to being morally deficient, if you just want to make progress, that's a different matter.

Wei Guangde didn't realize that there was anything wrong with wanting to climb up as an official these days. As long as he met the conditions for promotion, he should give gifts and treat guests.

"Not a running official."

Different from what Wei Guangde thought, Ouyang Yijing said bluntly.

Wei Guangde blinked when he heard this, quickly analyzed it in his mind, and came to a conclusion.

"You don't want to impeach anyone, do you? Mr. Xu Ge, Mr. Li Ge, or Mr. Yan Ge?"

Wei Guangde asked tentatively, but there was a bit of joking in his tone.

In his opinion, Ouyang Yijing must be impeaching a big shot because he is so mysterious.

Thinking about it, there are not many people who can be so cautiously treated by people like them.

It was just a joke to target the first and second assistants of the dynasty from the beginning. Not to mention him, I didn't dare to provoke these people.

"Hey, bullshit."

Ouyang Yijing laughed and cursed.

At this time, a maid outside announced: "Master, Master Duan and Master Zhang are here."

"Invite them in quickly."

While talking, Ouyang Yijing stood up to greet him. Wei Guangde, who was sitting on the side, also stood up, but he still kept saying, "Master Duan, Master Zhang, oh, them."

Based on the surname, Wei Guangde already knew who the visitor was. They were all from Jiujiang Prefecture, and he was really familiar with them.

Soon, Ouyang Yijing and Wei Guangde welcomed Duan Mengxian and Zhang Dao in.

"Xingquan is still reluctant to take off his new official uniform even here."

Wei Guangde joked.

"Haha, I'm a new Jinshi, I'll definitely want it."

Ouyang Yijing answered happily.

"I told him about him on the way here, but he wasn't watching the government, and there were no casual clothes in the yamen."

Duan Mengxian helped explain.

"Are you, the head of the Criminal Department, comfortable in front of you?"

Wei Guangde asked about Duan Mengxian's current situation. In the 41st year of Jiajing, Wei Guangde didn't help at that time because he was busy dealing with Yan Song at that time, so Duan Mengxian was assigned to the Ministry of Punishment to observe politics after the palace examination.

In the second half of the year, after the major event had been decided, Wei Guangde broke up with the Ministry of Personnel and did not let him go out to be a county magistrate. Instead, he stayed in the Ministry of Punishment and became the head of a house.

As for Zhang Dao, this time Wei Guangde made some arrangements in advance and directly arranged for the person to be admitted to the Metropolitan Procuratorate. He should be the censor in the second half of the year.

As for which one he is assigned to, Wei Guangde doesn't care, it depends on his own destiny.

In fact, it's not bad. Although Lao Kan and Zhang Ke took the initiative to go to other places and gradually became famous, Wei Guangde was not alone in the capital. They just gathered a table of mahjong.

Ouyang Yijing asked the maid to bring tea and snacks, and asked them to go down and wait. They would talk about it later. Eating and drinking had to be in the evening.

There were only four of them in the room. When Ouyang Yijing saw that everyone was here, he continued what he had said before.

"Speaking of which, this time I asked you to help me with the details. I heard before that Yang Yusun, the young minister of Taipu Temple, and Fan Weipi, the head of the Ministry of War, accepted the benefits of the Yan family and helped lobby officials in Beijing to rescue Yan Shifan. I So I sent someone to investigate and found out that Dong Fen was the Minister of Rites."

As Ouyang Yijing spoke eloquently, Wei Guangde looked at Ouyang Yijing with a complex expression.

If he hadn't mentioned this matter to King Yu today, Wei Guangde would have doubted whether he had planted a nail next to King Yu.

What a coincidence.

"Listen to what you mean, are you going to impeach Dong Fen, Yang Yusun and Fan Weipi?"

Wei Guangde asked directly.