Chapter 663 Chapter 662 Xu Jie Retires

On the evening of the second day, the two people left Xu Jie's mansion in a small sedan and followed the alleys before reaching the main road.

The sedan chairs came one behind the other, and soon they arrived outside the wall of the residence of Yang Bo, the Minister of Civil Affairs.

There, a small, inconspicuous door opened.

As the sedan curtain opened, those who stepped out were none other than the current Minister of Civil Affairs, Yang Bo, and Minister of War, Huo Yi.

The two of them quickly entered the mansion through the small door. After a while, Yang Bo's study was already brightly lit.

Countless servants stood around the study, all of them with upright expressions and firm eyes.

Although many people have wrinkles covering their cheeks and leaving traces of time, their eyes are still deep and sharp, as if they can see through everything.

Their muscles are still solid and powerful, and every tendon exudes perseverance and unyielding strength.

There is no doubt that these people are the soldiers of the border army who followed Yang Bo to fight with the captive cavalry on the battlefield of Xuanba. They were selected by Yang Bo because of their bravery in battle and were transferred to serve as personal soldiers under him.

After he left Xuanda and returned to the capital as an official, he also brought him back with him as a servant.

At this moment, they were distributed around the study to prevent anyone from prying into the study.

"Sir, I think Xu Ge is unreliable."

It was Huo Yi who spoke, but the relationship between him and Yang Bo at this time seemed to be no longer on the same level as they were in the court outside, but on a superior level.

"Sit down."

Yang Bo had been silent since he returned home, and it was only then that he finally spoke.

After Huo Yi sat down, Yang Bocai said leisurely: "When I asked you to submit your resignation that day, Xu Zisheng should have wanted to quit, but at that time he was not very determined, and maybe he still had a glimmer of hope.

But Chen Yiqin's subsequent begging for divorce and Zhang Qi's impeachment should have let him know that the situation was over. "

"Sir, I don't understand. Regarding the impeachment of Zhang Qi, didn't His Majesty directly demote him and send him away?"

Yes, Zhang Qi was demoted due to impeachment and released directly. This was a heavy punishment for Ke Dao. Huo Yi did not see anything worthy of Xu Jie's resignation.

"Have you forgotten what happened last year?"

Yang Bo shook his head and said: "Ke Dao officials are used to hearing about things, and they will not be punished, but mostly issued imperial orders.

But this time, His Majesty directly punished him. In fact, he was attracting the anger of the Kedao officials to Mr. Xu Ge.

Just like Gao Gong did at the beginning, the fight with Hu Yingjia eventually led to the entire department to attack him, impeachment proceedings were filed together, and he was finally forced to resign.

Xu Jie was still very cunning. Knowing that there was no hope anymore, he decisively cut off his arms.

It's better to resign yourself than to be impeached. "

"No wonder when we talk about that matter today, Mr. Xu Ge always talks about him."

Huo Yi was finally sure.

Being able to become the Minister of the Ministry of War, he is certainly not an idiot. He had actually felt it when he was in the sedan chair just now, but he still couldn't believe it.

Even if he hadn't been a minister, he wouldn't have felt like this, that he had great power.

Well, although he has been the minister for a short time, he has been fascinated by power. If he asked himself, he would definitely not compromise easily.

Really, he couldn't let go of the rights he had obtained.

Those who are on the lookout are clear, but those who are in the game are confused. Perhaps this is the case.

Although Yang Bo has been an important minister of the Ming Dynasty for a long time, he has always been independent of the main forces in the court and is independent, so he has always been able to look at the court situation with the mentality of a bystander.

Even now, he can still remain calm, because no matter how fierce the fight between the Shouxuan faction and the Yuzhu faction is, it seems that they have nothing to do with him.

This relationship is very subtle. Wei Guangde envies him and wants to learn from him.

Xu Jie naturally understood, but he could not let Zhang Juzheng, who was about to inherit his political legacy, follow suit because a big tree attracted the wind.

He has too many old relatives and friends, and he is already a very powerful force, enough to influence the court and cannot be hidden.

"Sir, what should we do from now on?"

Huo Yi asked hesitantly.

After Xu Jie leaves, the court will be dominated by Yu Zhuan's old party, and it will be difficult for Li Chunfang to control this group of people.

At that time, in the Ming Dynasty's cabinet, there may be a situation where the second assistant's words count.

"Don't be surprised when things change, that's what I keep telling you."

Yang Bo glanced at Huo Yi and said, "Do your job well and don't meddle indiscriminately.

As for that group of people, as long as it is beneficial to the court, you can support it, but if there is something wrong, point it out directly, argue with them openly, and don't play petty tricks. "

"Even if the palace wants it."

"We must fight for what the palace wants."

Regarding Huo Yi's hesitant words, Yang Bo's answer was straightforward.

But soon, Yang Bo seemed to realize something: "Perhaps, this is what Xu Jie wants Uncle Zhang to do. He must cooperate with them, but he cannot follow them in everything, but..."

"But what?"

Huo Yi asked strangely.

"It always feels like it won't be that simple."

Yang Bo just shook his head. He still couldn't imagine how Xu Jie would arrange the follow-up, but he knew that Xu Jie was a man and would not give in easily.

His purpose was always to hope that his faction could control the situation of the court, which would inevitably lead to a fight between Zhang Juzheng and Yu Zhuan's gang, and to compete for the emperor's support.

Emperor Longqing in the palace.

However, no matter how he looked at it, Yang Bo did not think that Zhang Juzheng was a person who flattered Emperor Longqing, and doing so would be tantamount to ostracizing himself from the court.

On the second day, Xu Jie, the chief assistant of the Ming Dynasty cabinet, the young master and the prince's grand master, the minister of the Ministry of official affairs, and the bachelor of Jianji palace came to Shu again to beg for leave.

The memorial was sent to the Qianqing Palace that morning, but this time Emperor Longqing did not respond quickly and neither approved nor dismissed it.

In the afternoon, Wei Guangde hurriedly left the Rites Yamen and went to a nearby teahouse.

When Wei Guangde opened the door and entered the private room, he saw someone sitting quietly inside.

"Brother Chen, you can just tell me if you have something to do. Why bother leaving the palace in person?"

Wei Guangde said after closing the private door.

"You are here on an edict. Let's make a long story short. Mr. Xu Ge has asked to resign. Do you agree to His Majesty's wishes?"

Chen Ju asked.

When Wei Guangde came, he had already speculated that Emperor Longqing was a little unsure whether he should approve it at this time. After all, he felt that Xu Jie had not been pushed to a dead end.

Whether Xu Jie's resignation is sincere or false is worth examining.

“Where the others are”

"Everyone is going, and Your Majesty has to weigh it."

Chen Ju intercepted Wei Guangde's words and said.

"This time Xu Ge always used old age as an excuse to beg for retirement. It doesn't seem like he was going against his will. The main reason is that he knows the general situation and knows that it is useless to stay. If your Majesty does not want to punish him, you can let him leave."

"Will leaving now have any negative impact on the DPRK?"

This should be what Emperor Longqing was most concerned about. After all, Xu Jie had experienced the Jiajing Dynasty and was extremely proficient in handling government affairs.

Although he wished he had left earlier so as not to be an eyesore, Emperor Longqing had to consider whether the government would be delayed and cause trouble if Xu Jie left the capital.

In fact, this is also because of his consistent view of himself. If he is not a wise Lord of God, he needs the assistance of famous ministers.

Gao Gong, whom he felt most at ease with, was not here, and now that Xu Jie was leaving, he was inevitably worried about the government.

Wei Guangde chuckled and shook his head, "Don't worry. The cabinet has left Mr. Xu Ge, as well as Mr. Li Ge and Mr. Chen Ge. Uncle Zhang is also capable and will not have a great impact on the court situation."

Wei Guangde was full of confidence in this. Although Li Chunfang and Chen Yiqin were not famous in history for unknown reasons, Zhang Juzheng's name was real.

However, Wei Guangde knew that if he boasted that Zhang Juzheng had great talent at this time, and Chen Ju recorded his words, Emperor Longqing would definitely not dare to let Xu Jie go, because he would not be believed.

The more powerful the people below brag, the more the savvy superiors will not believe it.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Chen Ju said at this time.

In any case, Chen Ju also came from the inner study hall and served the emperor for a long time. In fact, he had seen a lot about handling government affairs.

To put it bluntly, the government affairs of the Ming Dynasty were just those. There were precedents for dealing with them, but there was no precedent for summoning the nine ministers to discuss them.

As later generations said, the Ming Dynasty at this time was like an old man entering his old age.

No one thinks about building on the past and reforming the past, because doing so is risky.

Even if you copy previous precedents, even if you find that the results are not good after the final implementation, you are not responsible. The most you can do is change it.

The Ming Dynasty had enough experience to try and make mistakes. In any case, it has been two hundred years since the founding of the dynasty, and the world has returned to its center.

As for why time-travelers dare not propose drastic reforms, haha. That is a fatal job.

How many of those who engaged in reform in history had a good ending?

Not to mention dressing up as an ordinary person, even if you dress up as an emperor, if you dare to carry out large-scale reforms and affect the interests of the powerful, you don't know how you will die.

If you think about the restoration of Yingzong in the last years of Jingtai, you will know that without the support of the powerful, there is no guarantee that a second "gate-stealing coup" will not occur.

Wei Guangde also hopes that there will be changes in the Ming Dynasty, but it can only be subtle. Changes can be made if they can. If the impact is so great that it threatens him, then let Zhang Juzheng go to the front.

I vaguely remember that Zhang Juzheng actually succeeded in reforming, but failed to maintain it in the end, and the results of the reform were in vain.

After Chen Ju left, Wei Guangde sat alone in the private room for a long time, then slowly got up, left the teahouse and returned to the Rites Yamen.

Later in the evening, the latest news came from Lubu. Emperor Longqing agreed to Xu Jie's begging for leave, and ordered Chiyi to send travelers to escort him back. He was given eight husbands per year and six liters of rice per month.

In addition, he also personally wrote imperial edicts. Since he was weak, he has achieved the highest rank. After serving as an official at home and abroad, he made a lot of achievements. He was promoted to Lun Pavilion by the late emperor's family members and promoted the great political affairs.

"After I heard that His Majesty's decree was issued, Mr. Li Ge and several other ministers came to the palace to ask for an audience. They should be trying to persuade His Majesty to withdraw his order."

When Lu Bu said this, his eyes were secretly staring at the expression on Wei Guangde's face, but he soon relaxed.

The expression on Wei Guangde's face remained the same as before, with no hint of happiness or anger, so it would be easier for him to go back.

After leaving the office, Wei Guangde returned home first, and later went out to Chen Yiqin's home to learn about the situation.

"It's all rules, and this is generally the case. Please think twice, your majesty. After all, Mr. Xu Ge has been in the cabinet for many years and is well versed in political systems. However, your majesty also said that Xu Ge is old and has reached old age, so he asked again and again, so he agreed to beg for leave. Therefore, Feasting on the tin and giving it a long life is like Yang Tinghe's story of "Youlongyun".

Chen Yiqin briefly explained the conversation they had with Emperor Longqing in the Palace of Qianqing. Of course, the emperor could not say that he had his way, but that he had to follow Xu Jie's reasons.

Moreover, although Emperor Longqing did not like Xu Jie, the gift he received was indeed very generous, even more generous than when Emperor Jiajing sent Yang Tinghe off to the capital.

At this time, Zhang Juzheng had just returned from Xu Jie's residence. There were many people who came to Xu Jie's residence today. Although they knew that he was leaving, many people still had many questions to ask.

These people came and went in a hurry, and Zhang Juzheng could only stay beside Xu Jie all the time. At this time, he was exhausted.

However, he did not rest after returning to the residence, but went straight to his study to take out an unfinished memorial and spread it on the desk.

Before, he had carefully studied the several suggestions drafted by Xu Jie, and most of them would not be moved, but he would not copy Xu Jie's article, but was considering adding his own things.

In fact, he and Xu Jie still had differences in governance, but he was very clever to hide it most of the time.

At least, he knew that the actual situation of the Ming Dynasty today was no longer the same as it was in the early Ming Dynasty. If he continued to govern the country according to the precedents of Xu Jie and others, the country would not only not improve, but would gradually perish.

Even if, as Gao Gong said, the rectification of the administration of officials can only slow down the speed of the fall, it cannot eradicate the accumulated problems, because after two hundred years of development, the Ming Dynasty has long been a different place.

Compared with the rectification of the administration of officials, Zhang Juzheng is more inclined to improve the ability of officials to handle their own work.

It should be noted that when Taizu was in the early Ming Dynasty, the suppression of corrupt officials was so severe, but officials still continued to do so, which shows how attractive yellow and white things are to people.

Instead of replacing corrupt officials one after another, it is better to acquiesce in their behavior within a certain range and improve their work ability.

Corrupt officials are not scary, as long as you do practical things.

What is scary is that people are both greedy and bad, sitting in office and eating for nothing, making money but not doing anything or doing bad things.

With the Censorate, Zhang Juzheng is not worried about officials doing bad things, but not doing anything will make the people wait for years, and they will only be discovered during the inspection.

With this thought, Zhang Juzheng picked up the pen and wrote quickly in a corner of the article.

"Check the name and the reality.

Nowadays, when we praise people's talents, we don't need to test them to do their work; when we assign them tasks, we don't need to test their achievements; when they fail to do things, we don't necessarily make clear their faults.

Scholars and officials put forward policies and proposals in a long series of articles, but when it comes to checking their own duties, they are confused.

This is what is called the inconsistency between name and reality.

In the future, we should test the end of people when we employ them, and we should ask for the right people when we appoint them.

Strictly implement the method of examination and assessment, and use and dismiss people to promote and demote them, and we should be sure to know who they are for, without being dazzled by reputation, not being biased by resources, not being swayed by praise and criticism, not mixing likes and dislikes, not generalizing their life from one thing, and not covering up their major principles with one mistake.

People have their own duties, and they have their own responsibilities."

This is actually very similar to the performance evaluation method promoted by Zhang Juzheng when he was in power, or he has begun to consider establishing a system to supervise the work efficiency of officials.

In the past, the Ministry of Personnel examined officials, mostly through "literary selection" and "performance evaluation", and did not pay much attention to their work ability.

Some people can complete a task in one day, while others need ten days or even more.

Moreover, many times, things are carried out without knowing the end, and become unfinished work.

Officials only think about writing a colorful article to become famous all day long, and they propose solutions one after another.

The next day, the Junior Tutor and the Prince's Tutor, Yang Bo, the Minister of Personnel, Huo Ji, the Minister of War, and Mao Kai, the Minister of Justice, each submitted a petition to retain the Grand Secretary Xu Jie.

This was Yang Bo's last move, to keep Xu Jie in the court. After all, he was not dismissed from office and had to leave Beijing within a limited time.