Chapter 598 Chapter 597 Fourth Grade

The edict for Gao Gong and Guo Pu to join the cabinet was also a signal, representing the Emperor Jiajing's re-adjustment of the power in the court.

Gao Gong has become more and more eccentric since he left Prince Yu's Mansion and entered the court. Although he still remains humble and gentle in front of others, he has become more and more overbearing.

Although he entered the cabinet as a minister of the Dongge, everyone who knows him in the court knows that Gao Gong will never be willing to be a pawn in the cabinet at the mercy of others, and the fight between him and Xu Jie will be inevitable.

Provoking internal fights among ministers and the emperor mediating in a high position has become a common means for Emperor Jiajing to control the court, and it is also well known by the ministers.

Therefore, no one thought that the deeper purpose of Emperor Jiajing for this personnel adjustment was just to restore the court to its original state.

However, the positions of the Minister of Rites and the Minister of Personnel were vacant, which naturally attracted everyone's covetousness.

The assistant ministers of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel were eyeing this position, and Chen Yiqin was the most popular among them.

Of course, the reason why everyone supports Chen Yiqin's promotion is largely because of Prince Yu.

Although the cabinet ministers all hold the title of ministers of various ministries, they generally do not directly manage the ministries, but only to improve their ranks.

After all, if the cabinet ministers only hold the title of Grand Secretary, they can only be officials of the fifth rank, and they have to stand at the back when they go to court.

Such a fight between gods has nothing to do with Wei Guangde and others. Now they can only focus on the proofreading office, which saves them from a lot of right and wrong.

"Master, this is sent by Prince Yu's Mansion."

Wei Guangde was proofreading books, and Lu Bu came in from outside the door and handed him a letter from Prince Yu's Mansion.

Wei Guangde had to put down the copy of the ceremony temporarily, took out the note and quickly read it.

There were not many words, but it directly affected the political situation in the court.

"Bo Gai was transferred to the Ministry of Personnel, Gao Yi was promoted to the Ministry of Rites, and Zhao Bingran returned to the court to the Ministry of War."

After reading the content on the note, Wei Guangde just waved his hand and signaled Lu Bu to go down.

Prince Yu's Mansion, whether through the Imperial Household Department or some other means, knew in advance about the Emperor Jiajing's adjustment of court officials, and the adjustment method was also very unexpected.

Zhao Bingran, the governor of Xuanda, resigned and returned to the capital to serve as the Minister of War. The former Minister of War Yang Bo went to the Ministry of Personnel to serve as the Minister. As for Gao Yi's promotion from the assistant minister to the Minister of Rites, it was actually within Wei Guangde's guess.

In fact, Wei Guangde initially thought that the most likely successor to Gao Gong was one of Chen Yiqin and Gao Yi.

However, Yang Bo's transfer was somewhat beyond Wei Guangde's expectations. Could it be that Yang Bo still had a chance to enter the cabinet?

At this time, this thought flashed in Wei Guangde's mind.

Except for Liu Jin's one incident during the Zhengde Dynasty, there was almost no such thing as the Minister of War entering the cabinet in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. Instead, the Minister of Rites and the Minister of Personnel often became a springboard for ministers to enter the cabinet.

The sudden transfer of Yang Bo's position by Emperor Jiajing this time gave people a very strong feeling, that is, he intended to let Yang Bo enter the cabinet.

Putting aside other things, Yang Bo is indeed capable of entering the cabinet, but his past experience is completely incompatible with that of a cabinet minister. This is why no one would have thought that Yang Bo would have the opportunity to be transferred to the Minister of Personnel before the edict was issued.

Prince Yu's Mansion seemed to have accepted his fate and did not hastily recall Wei Guangde, Zhang Juzheng and others for consultation because of Chen Yiqin's major official adjustments.

Perhaps, after experiencing too much in the promotion of Gao Gong, Prince Yu also figured out a lot of things.

Anyway, when the court was dismissed, Wei Guangde did not receive any new news from Prince Yu's Mansion.

A few days later, as the note recorded, Yang Bo was changed to the Minister of Personnel, Gao Yi was promoted to the Minister of Rites, and the imperial edict of recall by Zhao Bingran, the governor of Xuanda, had been sent to Datong through six departments.

The transfer of court officials this time was not small. Wei Guangde originally thought that it would have nothing to do with him. Now, they were constantly whipped by the eunuchs in the inner court with small whips to speed up the copying of the copy of the Yongle Encyclopedia.

However, it seemed that Emperor Jiajing had not forgotten these unknown and hard-working officials.

That day, when Wei Guangde was still proofreading, Lu Bu trotted into the duty room again.

"Sir, Lord Li is here, and there is an imperial edict."

"Lord Li? Imperial edict? Whose good thing is this time?"

Wei Guangde looked up at Lu Bu and asked casually.

"Lord Li asked all the branch officials to go to the front hall to receive the edict."

Lu Bu said hurriedly.

"Ha."

Wei Guangde was a little excited for a moment, but he soon calmed down.

He had no illusions about his official position. He was promoted last year because of proofreading books. This time, perhaps it was the same as last time, a general decree to commend everyone, a kind of reward that could only be effective during the imperial examination.

However, since Li Chunfang had come to the proofreading office, Wei Guangde naturally could not let him wait.

He simply packed up the books and got up and went out of the duty room to the front.

The same procedure as last time to receive the decree, but the foreman was missing Yan Ne, and only Li Chunfang was left standing in front of everyone.

The eunuch read out the decree of Emperor Jiajing in a unique tone, and soon, Wei Guangde's face was full of joy.

Emperor Jiajing really has been paying attention to the situation here, knowing that he has been working hard to complete the tasks he assigned.

At this time, most of the officials who received the decree had the same expression on their faces, because this time was different from the last time, many proofreading officials only received merits, this time it was a real promotion, although most of them were only half a level, but it was also a promotion.

Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng were undoubtedly the big winners in this promotion. Zhang Juzheng was promoted to Shaoqing of Taichang Temple and was promoted from a fourth-grade official position to a full fourth-grade official position. At the same time, the rank of the Hanlin Academy was also upgraded, and a sixth-grade minister was promoted to a junior minister. A fifth-grade lecturer.

And Wei Guangde was promoted from Zuo Chunfang Zuo Shuzi to Zhan Shifu Shao Zhanshi, from a fifth-rank official to a fourth-rank official. At the same time, he was also promoted to a bachelor's degree scholar in the Imperial Academy, once again keeping pace with Zhang Juzheng.

Although, without the establishment of a prince, Zhan Shifu is a helpless government office, with only a few people in front of the door.

However, Wei Guangde was promoted again.

Previously, Zhang Juzheng was from the fourth rank, but he was only from the fifth rank. In this order arrangement, he could only stand on the right side of Zhang Juzheng.

Although this adjustment of official positions does not allow him to exchange positions with Zhang Juzheng, they are still on the same starting line in terms of rank.

After receiving the order, Wei Guangde noticed the envious looks around him. Even Li Chunfang had a hint of envy when she looked at him and Zhang Juzheng.

Do your errands seriously and try your best to embrace King Yu's thighs.

Wei Guangde was just cheering himself up in his heart at this time.

The reason why Zhang Juzheng was promoted was because he discovered that Wei Guangde had restrained himself during this period and was reclusive and serious about editing. Therefore, he also followed Wei Guangde's example and concentrated on editing the "Yongle Dadian". Emperor Jiajing must have known about it.

You know, among the ten branch officials, Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng have the best admission scores.

Wei Guangde's promotion is a happy thing, but the court seems to be having bad luck recently.

While Wei Guangde was still hosting a banquet at his residence overnight to invite colleagues from the capital to have a drink, news came from Guangdong that Li Yayuan, a mountain man, had gathered a crowd to capture Heyuan and Heping counties in Huizhou. The bandits had begun to send troops to surrounding counties and coerced the people around them.

It seems that he is another Raoping thief Zhang Lian. It is reported that Li Yayuan has gathered more than 30,000 miners and tens of thousands of vassal forces, which is almost close to the power of the so-called Feilong Kingdom in its heyday.

Wei Guangde only found out from his colleagues the day after the memorial was sent to the capital. He was not familiar with Zhang Lian and had never heard of Li Yayuan who appeared.

Although he claimed to have an army of 100,000 men, Wei Guangde believed that if the court knew about it, his demise would not be far away.

Wei Guangde didn't believe that a little Li Yayuan could really make a difference.

However, he is still very interested in who the new Minister of War, Zhao Bingran, will choose as his general.

You should know that the Ministry of War selects generals and the generals select soldiers.

If you win, everyone is happy; if you lose, everyone will be unlucky.

"Is the news confirmed?"

Wei Guangde asked Ouyang Yijing, "Did I hear Duan Mengxian say that the Ministry of Household Affairs is dissatisfied with your gesticulation and wants to transfer you out of the household department."

After Ouyang Yijing was promoted to the household department, he became a little arrogant and began to boss around the notes and documents of the Ministry of Household Affairs. When Duan Mengxian heard the news, the Ministry of Household Affairs proposed to the cabinet that since Ouyang Yijing liked to take care of things, the imperial court now had the most and most powerful people. The troublesome thing is the military affairs, so it is better to transfer Ouyang Yijing to the military department.

Well, the six subjects are not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel. Although they have to issue appointment documents, the decision-making power lies in the hands of Emperor Jiajing.

For Ouyang Yijing, the Ministry of Household Affairs could only mention it in the Ministry of Household Report and the Cabinet Draft, hoping that Emperor Jiajing could move Ouyang Yijing to a different position, such as swapping Ouyang Yijing with the Military Department.

"Actually, I really don't care whether I stay in the household department or go to the military department."

Ouyang Yijing stroked his beard and said: "Actually, it is easier to impeach soldiers and generals. As long as you look at the past records of those people, I can decide whether to impeach."

"You are really addicted to impeachment. Please note that impeachment is a double-edged sword that hurts both others and yourself."

Wei Guangde still reminded: "Even if you succeed in impeachment, do you know who is behind him?"

"You walk upright and sit upright, what should I be afraid of?"

Ouyang Yijing said disdainfully.

"That's not what you said."

Wei Guangde just shook his head and then said with a smile: "Being harmonious makes you rich. This is what the Department of Household Affairs should say. It seems that you are indeed not suitable to stay in the Department of Household Affairs."

"By the way, I heard that Zhao Shangshu visited Yang Shangshu yesterday. Maybe the court will set the tone regarding Li Yayuan in Guangdong."

Ouyang Yijing suddenly changed the topic and said to Wei Guangde.

"But what rumors did you hear?"

Wei Guangde wondered.

"I heard from people in the military department that Zhao Bingran wanted to send Qi Jiguang or Yu Dayou to quell Li Yayuan's rebellion, and he went to Yang Shangshu for advice."

Ouyang Yijing explained.

"Will you be arranging errands for Yu Dayou so soon?"

Wei Guangde frowned, but didn't say anything.

The imperial court also has many military generals in Jiangnan, but most of them have their own duties. When temporarily dispatching large armies and recruiting generals, you must be cautious and ensure that all the achievements are achieved in one battle.

There was a banquet to entertain fellow villagers today, but after everyone else left, Ouyang Yijing made an excuse to stay until the end and chatted with Wei Guangde in the garden.

"I estimate that this matter will probably fall on Yu Dayou."

Ouyang Yijing said again.

"It's only been two months since he was dismissed. I'm afraid he won't be reinstated so soon."

Wei Guangde shook his head and said, "Do you have anything to say?"

Wei Guangde looked at Ouyang Yijing, waiting for his answer. It seemed that Ouyang Yijing wanted to cause trouble tonight.

"It's still what I said last time. If Yu Dayou is sent to suppress Li Yayuan, I will impeach the Guangxi military commander, defer to Marquis Wu Jijue, and ask him to give up his position to Yu Dayou.

Shandai, do you think this is a good idea? "

Ouyang Yijing said in a low voice.

"Hey, did Wu Jijue offend you?"

Wei Guangde asked hesitantly. He didn't understand why Ouyang Yijing seemed to be in love with him.

"This is all for official business of the court, there is no personal relationship."

Ouyang Yijing pretended to be bright and said.

However, at this moment, Wei Guangde believed that there must be something going on between Ouyang and Wu Jijue, so he made him hate this person.

"Wait a minute, if the Ministry of War really invites Yu Dayou to be reinstated, then you can impeach the respectful prince when the war is about to begin."

Wei Guangde could only say.

Originally, he wanted Yu Dayou to stay in his hometown for at least half a year and let him have a good rest, but he didn't expect that Ouyang Yijing would take a liking to him.

The chief military officer of Guangxi is back to the starting point. Yu Dayou is really a veritable officialdom elevator. After tossing back and forth, it is difficult to get promoted even half a step.

After discussing the matter with Wei Guangde, Ouyang Yijing chatted for a while and then stood up to leave.

From the beginning to the end, Wei Guangde didn't bother to ask what the grudge between Ouyang Yijing and Wu Jijue was about. As long as he didn't take the initiative to mention it, he wouldn't ask.

Within two days, there was indeed news. The Ministry of War reported that Yu Dayou should be enabled to bear the seal of general, and mobilized 100,000 officers and soldiers from Wu Guifang, the governor of Guangxi, and Wu Baipeng, the governor of southern Jiangxi, to encircle and suppress Li Yayuan's tribe to avoid further trouble and to eliminate the bandits as soon as possible.

When Wei Guangde heard the news, he just smiled lightly and let him go.

Military affairs are not something that he, a young young master, can interfere with.

The memorial was sent to Xiyuan in the afternoon, and Emperor Jiajing approved it the next day. Obviously, he did not want the rebellion in Jiangnan to rise again.

Zhang Lian and his group of rebels almost broke into Zhejiang. If the Japanese-suppressing army had not gathered there, most of Zhejiang would have been destroyed.

What kind of place is Zhejiang? It's the same as South Zhili, but it's the money bag of the Ming Dynasty and the richest place in the world.

"Hua Hua Hua"

The sky is pouring with rain. The past two years are different from the previous years. There has been no rain all year round in the north. But before the weather changed in the past two years, the heavy rain either stopped falling or continued to rain for several days. The low-lying areas around the capital had turned into puddles.

The court's previous attention was still on Li Yayuan's rebel bandit in the south of the Yangtze River. Under the heavy rain in the past two days, officials began to worry about the water conditions in various places again.

Wei Guangde knew that the two people he was most worried about at this time were Zhu Heng and Pan Jixun.

Zhu Heng previously advocated opening a new river, but now the excavation of new river channels is in full swing. How can the project continue with this heavy rain?

And if this weather is the same along the Yellow River, another flood is probably about to break out.

Pan Jixun's mentality at this time is similar to Zhu Heng's. Now they wish that no rain fell, just like in previous years. Drought can kill people, but too much water can also kill people.

The family held umbrellas, and Wei Guangde walked out of the house and got into the carriage.

Soon, the carriage started slowly and headed towards the school recording hall.