Chapter 770 869 Gao Gong Fights Corruption

From Li Chunfang, Wei Guangde learned that Gao Gong often slandered other cabinet ministers in front of Emperor Longqing, and he understood Gao Gong's plan.

Although Li Chunfang only said that Gao Gong had reported them, it seems that he must have said a lot about him, but he didn't tell him the truth just to keep the appearance of being a worldly master who stayed out of the matter.

Li Chunfang was not honest either. He hoped that Chen Yiqin and his group would fight Gao Gong to the death in the cabinet, so that Gao Gong would not have the energy to covet his position as the prime minister.

Will Wei Guangde fall into Li Chunfang's calculations?

Of course not.

However, since he knew that Gao Gong had said bad things about them in front of the emperor, he naturally couldn't pretend that nothing happened and just let it go.

Moreover, the most critical thing is, how did Li Chunfang know this news?

Wei Guangde had two lines in the palace, Chen Ju and Feng Bao, one open and one hidden, and neither of them revealed this news to him.

Were they blocked, or were there other reasons?

But no matter what, Wei Guangde planned to pass the news to Chen Ju and Feng Bao. Li Chunfang quietly planted a nail in the palace, and he had to find out who was secretly contacting him.

Wei Guangde did not tell Chen Yiqin and Yin Shizhan about this matter. If they knew, they would have informed him long ago.

After handling government affairs for a day as if nothing had happened, Wei Guangde waited until the court was dismissed and left the imperial city. When he got on the sedan chair, he whispered to the long-servant beside him: "Go and contact Chen Gonggong in the palace. If you have time, invite him to my house for a chat."

"Yes, sir."

The long-servant received the order and did not walk far with the team after serving Wei Guangde to get on the sedan chair. After a few steps, he left the team and went to the direction of Donghua Gate of the imperial city.

Although Wei Guangde, Chen Ju and Feng Bao were usually in the palace, Wei Guangde's activities were only near the cabinet. He could not run to the palace without being summoned.

Chen Ju was moving around the Qianqing Palace and the Silijian, while Feng Bao spent most of his time with the prince. He only had one hour a day to handle the affairs of his own department. If there was something important, the eunuchs would naturally inform him in time to handle it.

So, although the three of them were not far away from each other, they could not meet each other on weekdays.

Let alone Feng Bao, he was already one of the eunuchs in charge of the Silijian during the reign of Emperor Jiajing, and his status was not low. Now Chen Ju's status in the palace is also relatively stable.

Although his status is not high, for some reasons, no one is willing to target him, so he also accepted some godsons.

In fact, in the palace, eunuchs with a little status would arrange a godson to guard the Donghua Gate, which is used to contact the outer court.

If there is news to be sent in from outside, they will go to Donghua Gate to find someone, and will never go to Chengtian Gate.

As for Xihua Gate, although it can also contact the outside, it is opposite to the gate of Xiyuan and surrounded by the inner court, so it is not easy for outsiders to run there.

That is why almost all the eunuchs on duty at Donghua Gate have the support of the eunuchs in the palace, otherwise they would have been deprived of their positions long ago.

Those who can be arranged here are often the godsons of the people behind them who are more trusted.

After Wei Guangde returned to the mansion, he directly told Zhang Ji who came to greet him: "Ask the kitchen to prepare a table of wine and food, and Eunuch Chen may come later."

"Yes, Master."

After receiving the order, Zhang Ji sent Wei Guangde to the backyard and turned to the kitchen to prepare wine and food.

In fact, Wei Guangde's dinner is also quite rich on weekdays, but there may be guests, so naturally he has to serve something better.

After changing into casual clothes, Wei Guangde went to the study to read and eat some snacks to fill his stomach.

Chen Ju knew that the news usually had to wait until the first watch, so there was at least another hour, and he would have eaten at home at this time.

Sure enough, not long after the first watch, there was movement outside.

Wei Guangde was not sure what time it was in the future, but he estimated it to be around eight o'clock in the evening.

A flower hall was already set with sumptuous food and wine, and Wei Guangde welcomed Chen Ju here, and the two sat down.

"What good wine did you get today? You sent someone to find me."

Chen Ju sat down, looked at the wine pot next to him, and asked happily.

"The Shandong Qiulubai just arrived, Brother Chen, please try it."

Wei Guangde replied with a smile, stretched out his hand to pick up the wine pot and filled the one in front of Chen Ju first, and then filled the wine glass in front of him.

Qiulubai is a strong liquor produced in Shandong during the Ming Dynasty. It is called Qiulubai because it is made with sorghum in autumn.

Don't think that sorghum liquor is of low grade. In fact, Qiulubai is also one of the court liquors of the Ming Dynasty.

The liquors that the emperors of the Ming Dynasty usually drank were actually mainly Lotus Core, Cold Pond Fragrance, Qiulubai, Bamboo Leaf Green, Golden Stem Dew, and Taixibai.

Of course, the wine that the emperor drinks must be carefully brewed, but the wine that Wei Guangde’s mansion has, in theory, will taste even more mellow.

Probably because the best wine is produced in very small quantities, so the emperor’s taste cannot be spoiled.

“The jade dew condenses into clouds in the sky, and the silver trough weeps for autumn red. The new style of the Xue family is lotus color, so it’s good to put the clear cup beside the green tube.”

Chen Ju muttered a sentence, stretched out his hand to pick up the wine glass, and then raised his neck to drink it all.

“Hiss”

After the wine went down, Chen Ju couldn’t help but take a breath of cold air.

“Haha, Brother Chen drank too fast, this wine is very strong, eat the food quickly.”

Wei Guangde saw this and laughed hurriedly.

“It’s three points stronger than what I drank in the palace.”

Chen Ju took a chopstick and put the dish into his mouth, and then smiled after eating it.

"Don't dare to give your Majesty the strongest wine, as it will make you drunk easily."

Wei Guangde just smiled.

"But we still like to drink strong alcohol, haha."

Chen Ju just smiled.

It's strange to say that many of the big eunuchs in the palace now like to drink strong wine. The higher the grade, the stronger the taste. The stronger the wine, the better.

"I still have two jars here. Brother can just take them back."

Wei Guangde smiled and gave Chen Juman another drink while talking.

"By the way, we are all family members, and I won't beat around the bush. What do you want from me today?"

Chen Ju did not reach for the wine glass this time, but looked at him and asked.

"I heard."

Wei Guangde told Chen Ju in detail the news he heard from Li Chunfang. He also stared at Chen Ju's expression as he spoke, and saw that he was also surprised after hearing this.

You know, when you reach this position, you are very careful about your words and deeds. Generally, you will not express your attitude towards certain people in front of the emperor. Even if you are very dissatisfied with someone, you will not say something too unpleasant, just for fear of being criticized. The listener thinks that he is narrow-minded and intolerant.

When Chen Ju heard what Wei Guangde said, if it were anyone else, he would definitely think it was nonsense.

But the two of them were very familiar with each other, so they naturally knew that Wei Guangde was not a bluffing person.

After Wei Guangde finished speaking, Chen Ju said: "After all, my time in the imperial court is limited. Everyone takes turns to serve in the imperial court, so I don't know whether Gao Xinzheng really said these things.

But normally, if it were true, I would also know it from others. "

"Could it be that he said it after he retreated? In the palace."

Wei Guangde hesitated and said.

He couldn't do this without saying these things first. He knew that Chen Ju was a good drinker. If he said it too late, he would be drunk and talk nonsense.

"Screen back left and right, haha."

Chen Ju just smiled and then said: "I have recorded this matter and will go back to inquire about it. However, you said that the Chief Assistant should also have someone in Qianqing Palace. In fact, you should have thought of this a long time ago.

When Yan Song returned to his hometown, many people were purged from the palace.

I don’t know who got involved with Lord Chief Assistant, but I guess it’s either Teng Xiang or Meng Chong. "

When he said this, Chen Ju seemed to have just remembered it, and continued: "By the way, there is news that you may not know yet. I only heard about it in the past two days."

"What's going on?"

Wei Guangde asked in surprise.

"Teng Xiang's health is probably in danger. He is almost seventy and seems to have been taking medicine recently.

The day before yesterday, I saw him serving His Majesty. His hands and feet were shaking violently, so I sent someone to watch him and found out. "

Chen Ju said in a low voice.

"oh"

Wei Guangde was slightly shocked. He had not heard the news in the outer court. He thought that Tengxiang had blocked the news very tightly because he was afraid that someone would plot it at the last moment.

However, Wei Guangde was not interested in Teng Xiang's family background. Instead, he was interested in the position he left behind.

Who will succeed him as the palm eunuch?

Today's Tengxiang is just like Huang Jin during the Jiajing Dynasty. He is extremely favored by Emperor Longqing, so he has great power in the inner court.

Li Fang served Emperor Longqing for more than 20 years, sharing weal and woe, but his skills were inferior to Teng Xiang's flattery, which shows that his methods are also extremely clever.

It can only be said that there is no simple person who can emerge from the inner court.

"Then you have to pay attention to who does the palm prints."

Wei Guangde just whispered.

"Actually, it's just those few that I'm optimistic about Meng Chong."

Chen Ju whispered: "I heard that Meng Chong and Teng Xiang had an offensive and defensive alliance at the beginning, and Teng Xiang recommended Meng Chong when he came down. This is also the reason why Chen Hong was anxious and wanted to help Gao Gong."

"Where's Feng Bao?"

Wei Guangde asked directly.

"Feng Bao is betting on the prince, not today."

Chen Ju replied in a low voice, "What he wants is ten or twenty years from now, so he and Tengxiang Meng Chong have a good relationship. We each get what we need and take care of each other.

That was when the palace besieged Chen Hong, and he was the one who benefited the most. "

"Feng Bao is a smart man. He knows that the chess move is one step away, so he simply avoids it."

Wei Guangde said.

"If Teng Xiang is on the line with Mr. Chief Assistant, then Meng Chong will most likely be too."

At this time, Chen Ju suddenly said.

"Master Chief Assistant can still maintain his position, haha, we won't talk about this anymore."

Wei Guangde smiled and said, "Come on, let's drink."

"What has Mr. Gao Ge been busy with recently?"

The next day, Wei Guangde asked Lu Bu in the duty room of the cabinet.

As Wei Guangde's housekeeper, in addition to handling housekeeping affairs, he also has the responsibility of seeking information from the cabinet.

"I heard that recently, all the impeachment memorials have been sent to Zhongshu for distribution to him."

Lu Bu thought about it before replying, "Other than that, he is no different from other pavilion elders."

"He's going to handle the impeachment memorial?"

Wei Guangde frowned and immediately understood the purpose of his doing so.

In the cabinet, Gao Gong has always talked about rectifying the administration of officials, and his understanding is very deep.

On the eve of Gao Gong's entry into the cabinet, when he was the Minister of Rites, he also wrote "Reversing Declined Habits to Reverend Saints and Regulate Essays", which was later widely circulated as "Abolition of Eight Abnormalities".

This book was put forward by Gao Gong's personal observation and careful consideration of the bad government that gradually formed in the late Jiajing period.

By reading this book, you can roughly understand his analysis of the political environment at that time. The root cause of the current difficult situation lies in "bad habits". These "old habits" were analyzed in detail and listed as "eight disadvantages".

One is "breaking the law", that is, misinterpreting the law and arbitrarily punishing people;

The second is "being corrupt", that is, selling official positions and accepting bribes;

The third is "being mean", that is, being cold and harsh, and making things difficult for the people;

The fourth is "being jealous", that is, competing for credit and blaming others, and ostracizing each other;

The fifth is "passing the buck", that is, shifting the blame and blaming others, and not distinguishing between merits and crimes;

The sixth is "factionalism", that is, forming cliques and factions, and fighting against dissidents;

The seventh is "being complacent", that is, following the old ways and shirking responsibilities;

The eighth is "spam", that is, making a lot of arguments and confusing right and wrong.

It has to be said that even Wei Guangde, a later generation, would applaud after reading it, because Gao Gong's analysis of the Ming Dynasty's officialdom is very accurate, and it is not outdated even in later generations.

Since the middle of the Jiajing period, the officialdom has been dominated by the trend of seeking fame and profit, and officials have been corrupt and bribed in pursuit of fame and fortune and official career. Yan Song's administration made the official style even worse, "competing for positions became a custom, bribery was rampant".

They sold official positions openly, "no matter how big or small the official position was, there was a fixed price", "all civil and military officials were promoted, regardless of whether it was possible or not, but the amount of money was weighed and given."

Officials at all levels got their positions because of bribes, and got bribes because of their positions, "abandoning a hundred to seek a thousand, and a thousand to seek ten thousand".

In Gao Gong's eyes, if the malpractices of corruption, bribery, and selling official positions were not completely eliminated, the country would not be governed and the government would decline.

Wei Guangde did not oppose the rectification of the administration of officials. Although he did not want to get involved in this thankless job, it did not mean that he would let it grow.

Corrupt officials were actually hated by all dynasties.

However, Wei Guangde was mainly on guard against Gao Gong using this as an excuse to exclude dissidents, so he told Lu Bu: "Go to the Secretariat and check later, and write down the people who have been dealt with recently, and why."

Being in the confidential cabinet, the information was naturally very complete.

After all, whether it was the impeachment by the censors or the investigation by the Ministry of Personnel, they would be reported, and naturally the cabinet would keep records.

At almost noon, Wei Guangde had already received a list from Lu Bu, which detailed the officials dealt with by Gao Gong recently.

Wei Guangde took a rough look at it, but he could not see any clear direction, that is, it seemed that it was not an action taken to strike against certain forces.

Zheng Dajing, the chief official of the Ministry of Personnel, impeached Xiao Jimei, the magistrate of Hui'an County, for stealing false reputations for a long time, and recently sent a thousand gold coins under the wheels of the chariot, asking for his arrest and punishment.

In the end, Gao Gong and Emperor Longqing both approved "yes", and I think the person has been arrested and imprisoned now.

There was also the Zhili Provincial Inspector Yang Jiaxiang who impeached the eight people including Li Tianyou, the general commander of the grain transport, for corruption and dereliction of duty, and the Ministry of Personnel investigated Sun Dalin, a doctor of the Shanxi Division of the Ministry of Justice, for accepting bribes of nearly 3,000 taels of silver and many corruptions. According to the corruption case, Sun Dalin was dismissed from his post and became a civilian.

Since Gao Gong did not see any action, Wei Guangde naturally had nothing to say. At least it was a good thing that Gao Gong rectified the official atmosphere.

Among the seven or eight people dealt with by Gao Gong, all involved bribes. Corruption must be perverting the law, and perverting the law is for corruption.

Wei Guangde had no objection to punishing corruption and eliminating vulgarity with severe punishments, but he was still shocked to see that Gao Gong handled so many cases in such a short time after returning to the court. The anti-corruption efforts were unique in the Ming Dynasty.