Chapter 871 960 Miscellaneous

"Okay, send it after the people leave."

Wei Guangde didn't want to get involved in this matter, so he told Lu Bu.

Eunuch Feng Bao was dissatisfied with Lu Shusheng, and repeatedly summoned him to Huiji Gate to receive the imperial edict and kept urging him.

But when the people got there, they were all ordinary things. Lu Shusheng knew that he was being teased, but he had no way to deal with it.

These things could not be hidden from the cabinet people working in the imperial city.

But if you really want to be serious about this matter, you really can't find any fault with Feng Bao.

The palace has an explanation to the Ministry of Rites. In the past, for convenience, everyone either passed on messages or wrote notes to avoid ministers tossing back and forth for trivial matters, but these are not in line with the rules after all.

What's more, this matter was caused by Feng Bao.

Although Feng Bao couldn't intervene in the affairs of the court, he was in charge of the Silijian after all, and had the power to approve red papers. Wei Guangde, Zhang Juzheng and others were not willing to offend him easily.

To put it bluntly, Lu Shusheng's position in the hearts of Zhang and Wei is still not as high as Feng Bao, so they can only pretend not to know.

However, Lu Shusheng came to the cabinet today. Wei Guangde estimated that things might have gone wrong, and Lu Shangshu might have already intended to retire.

Lu Shusheng was upright and honest. He refused court appointments many times throughout his life and did not like to be an official. History records that "in the 64th year, his official position was less than a decade", and he was highly valued by scholars.

In addition, Lu Shusheng repeatedly declined the court's appointment. People inside and outside the court believed that he had a high moral character, and his reputation became higher.

It was also for this reason that Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng, who were suspicious of each other, accepted this person in charge of the Ministry of Rites because no one could bribe him.

Half a year ago, Lu Shusheng came to the cabinet to participate in the ministry meeting. Because the chair placed for him was a little tilted, the old guy stood there and stared at the chair.

It was not until Zhang Juzheng went over to straighten the chair that he sat down with his hands folded.

Well, that's how he didn't give face to Zhang Juzheng, the Prime Minister.

Of course, Wei Guangde couldn't save face in front of him, and everything was handled in a fair and impartial manner.

Wei Guangde wanted to promote the head of the Ministry of Rites before, a common thing, but he was rejected by Lu Shusheng and was lectured.

"Well, go to the Ministry of Agriculture and ask about the current situation of imperial wheat planting, and then send the official documents back."

Wei Guangde had no choice but to order.

After Lu Bu left, Wei Guangde began to deal with other official documents.

As for the things in the Prime Minister's duty room, Wei Guangde was too lazy to ask.

People who are too upright are not suitable for official careers.

Later generations said that Zhang Juzheng was a capable minister, but he was actually much more corrupt than Wei Guangde.

Wei Guangde accepted money and property only as courtesy visits and gifts. His main source of income was from the business. Whether he paid real money or not, he had shares in the business and could get dividends every year.

Of course, selling ginseng at a high price was also an important means for him to make money.

And what about Zhang Juzheng?

He used his housekeeper You Qi to travel around and collect money.

Of course, in addition to collecting money, there was another very important job, which was also done by You Qi, that is, to win over people.

To be honest, Zhang Juzheng was a man of conviction, and he should be disgusted with selling official positions.

But this does not mean that he had no emotions or selfishness, and promoted and arranged cadres, and did not attach importance to personal relationships in addition to ability and political achievements.

If you are not my man, even if you have great skills, you will go against me, so what use is there for you?

But who is loyal to me and through what channels, so You Qi came in handy.

Those who are willing to surrender to him, who cannot see the Prime Minister, will naturally try to curry favor with You Qi.

Through You Qi, Zhang Juzheng can quickly distinguish the other party's intentions and whether he can be used.

The iron camp is always changing. After so many years, many of the people that Xu Jie left for him are old and need fresh blood to replenish.

Zhang Juzheng had to work hard to appease Lu Shusheng temporarily.

After sending the people away, Zhang Juzheng calmed down.

As for Feng Bao, he naturally couldn't say hello.

Just like Wei Guangde thought, Zhang Juzheng needed Lu Shusheng's reputation, but valued Feng Bao more, so it was easy to make a choice.

In fact, Lu Shusheng had submitted three memorials to retire before, but they were all rejected.

Zhang Juzheng wanted to promote his own reforms, and Lu Shusheng's position in the Ministry of Rites was beneficial to him.

The reforms he wanted to make were all beneficial to the Ming Dynasty, which made it easy to get Lu Shusheng's support.

Through Lu Shusheng's reputation, it is easy to turn this support into reality.

Zhang Juzheng was not in the mood to work at this moment. He sat behind the desk and thought for a while, then he found the clerk and ordered: "Go to the six departments and ask Lu Shude, the left attendant of the Ministry of War, to come."

Lu Shude and Lu Shusheng are brothers, but they are more than ten years apart.

Lu Shusheng was a Jinshi in the 20th year of Jiajing, and Lu Shude was a Jinshi in the 44th year of Jiajing.

Zhang Juzheng asked Lu Shude to come, naturally wanting to persuade Lu Shusheng to stay in the court through him.

Zhang Juzheng was also worried that Feng Bao would repeatedly trouble Lu Shusheng, making him unwilling to continue to stay in the officialdom, which would be a bit troublesome.

After Lu Shude came, Zhang Juzheng first asked about military affairs, especially the situation in Jizhen.

At the beginning of the year, Dong Huli, the chief of the Wuliangha Duoyan tribe, led his troops to invade the border and stationed at Xifengkou. They were repelled by Qi Jiguang, the general of Jizhen. This happened again near the end of the year, and now they are in confrontation again.

After discussing official business, Zhang Juzheng brought up the matter of Lu Shusheng.

"Master Chief Assistant, you should not persuade my brother. Instead, you should go to Feng Bao. My brother has been patient for a long time."

Understanding what Zhang Juzheng meant by calling him, Lu Shude immediately said, "I was about to file a memorial to impeach Feng Bao, but my brother stopped me.

In fact, my brother has always felt that this official position is not very interesting, and it is better to return to his hometown. "

Lu Shude didn't say too much about the content of the impeachment, because he could think of anything in such a memorial, including revenge, etc. But when it comes down to it, he couldn't get around the court's system. Lu Shusheng could only be angry, but he really lacked enough moral principles. .

However, the last part of his words convinced Zhang Juzheng that Lu Shusheng's departure seemed not just for show, but that he really had plans to resign again.

"Hiraizumi is a man of integrity and conscientious in his work. I admire him very much."

After Zhang Juzheng thought for a while, he decided to increase his chips, hoping to dissuade Lu Shusheng from leaving.

So he went on to say: "I don't know Yu Cheng, but the cabinet has long had the intention of adding more cabinet ministers, and there are really not many people who can compete with him now."

At this time, Zhang Juzheng was using naked interests to seduce Lu Shude, hoping that he would pass the news to Lu Shusheng's ears and make him give up the idea of ​​becoming an official.

The imperial court's appointment of Prime Minister Pingquan actually hinted that Lu Shusheng was qualified to join the cabinet, and the imperial court also intended to let him join the cabinet and exercise the power of prime minister.

Lu Shusheng's surname is Ji, and his name is Pingquan.

Although Zhang Juzheng had not discussed it with Wei Guangde and Lu Tiaoyang at this time, he didn't think there was anything wrong in saying so.

Lu Shusheng is indeed qualified to join the cabinet, but he just needs to be kicked out. That's another thing.

Now, Zhang Juzheng just wants Lu Shusheng to stay in the court and help him block some opposition and criticism from scholars when he starts reforms.

When Lu Shude heard this, his face changed slightly, but he soon returned to normal.

After Lu Shude said goodbye and left the check-in room, Zhang Juzheng walked back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back for a few times, thinking about whether Feng Bao wanted to send something to him to stop him from tormenting Lu Shusheng.

However, after careful consideration, Zhang Juzheng was still unwilling to offend Feng Bao because of him, so he could only do this first.

Nanjing City, the main hall of a mansion.

Xu Jue was here at this time, but he was lying on a Taishi chair with his back stretched out. A young girl behind him was squeezing his shoulders, while two young girls on the left and right were beating their legs, while the other was holding a fruit plate and feeding them diligently.

Xu Jue was enjoying this kind of life at this time. Isn't that how an official should be?

There was naturally a reason why Xu Jue suddenly appeared in Nanjing without doing his errands in Dongchang.

Because Empress Dowager Li's birthday was approaching, Feng Bao naturally wanted to prepare thoughtful gifts for the Empress Dowager.

After scouring the capital but not finding Shunxin's gift, Feng Bao sent Xu Jue to Nanjing to see if there were any treasures in the south of the Yangtze River that could be used as gifts to congratulate Empress Dowager Li on her birthday.

Of course, this was only in name. In fact, he came to Nanjing this time with the intention of making friends with people in Nanjing's officialdom and recruiting people for Eunuch Feng behind him.

By the way, if possible, it is also his job to get some money.

This time he took the 20,000 taels of silver that Feng Bao had brought from the palace to prepare a congratulatory gift for the Queen Mother.

Will the money be spent?

"Sir, there is someone from outside who claims to be Hu Zigao, the director of the Nanjing Ministry of Industry, and wants to see him."

While Xu Jue was enjoying the beauty's attentive service, a man outside the door came in to report.

"Hu Zigao? Director of the Ministry of Industry?"

Xu Jue just muttered it once and then shook his head.

The head of the Ministry of Industry, a sixth-grade official, was still too low in Xu Jue's eyes.

Xu Jue's position in front of Feng Bao was just like that of You Qi under Zhang Juzheng. He was both a moneymaker and a matchmaker. If he found someone useful and willing to join him, he would naturally return the favor to his master.

As for whether it can be used and how to use it, that is a matter for the master to consider.

In the past, when he did this, his subordinates would naturally understand what he meant and immediately retreat to drive away the people. However, this time, he was a little hesitant and seemed to want to say something else.

Xu Jue's eyes widened, he looked at his men and said, "Why, it's a bit hot to accept money from others?"

"Hehe, I can't hide anything from you adults."

That person was also Xu Jue's confidant, otherwise he would not have brought him to Nanjing to see the colorful world of Jiangnan, so he confessed immediately.

"Do you know this person?"

When he heard that Hu Zigao actually gave his subordinate five taels of silver, Xu Jue immediately became serious.

He is not an ordinary person who can give so much money casually.

Generally in the capital, a tip of one or two taels is a lot for a disciple.

One shot is five taels, which shows that the shot is generous.

It doesn't matter if you are a junior official, as long as you are willing to spend money, you will be promoted to this official position.

"Sir, this Hu Zigao has a record in the guard before. When he came to Nanjing this time, I went back to the guard to check the background of the officials here."

Na Fanzi said with a smile.

"Talk about it."

Xu Jue became a little interested when he heard that he knew this person, mainly because he was interested in his net worth.

"yes."

So Na Fanzi told Xu Jue what he knew. Hu Zigao was a Jinshi in the 32nd year of Jiajing. Because of his luck, he was appointed as the ambassador of the Ministry of Households as soon as he entered the official career.

At first glance, the title "Ambassador" sounds very high-end and classy, ​​but at a second glance, someone who manages a warehouse can also be called an official?

It is really an official, not only an official, but also an official who has to be careful with the governor and governor whenever they are angry.

This starts with its properties. You must first know what it does.

Although the rank of the warehouse ambassador was only the ninth rank, it was a huge and lucrative job. All the expenses of the country were checked and received by him, the transport warehouse ambassador. Therefore, in order to ensure that the goods delivered by various places were qualified, they would prepare a generous gift in advance to give to the warehouse ambassador.

In addition to the general things, one of the important tasks of these goods was to manage the tributes presented to the emperor by the officials in charge of various places.

Generally speaking, all the expenses of the country, such as silver goods from Yong'an and Nanyi states, amber, gemstones and ivory from Yunnan Dadian states, Lingling incense from Yongzhou, agarwood and Huoxiang from Guangzhou Prefecture, malachite from Wenliu, Eheng and other states, cinnabar from Chenxi Prefecture, and white powder from Nanzhou.

Realgar from Yanzhou, large and small jute white paper from Yizhou, case paper from Xuanqu and other states, 100-day oil thin white paper from Puzhou, rabbit skin from Henan Prefecture, raccoon skin from Jinfen and other states.

Bamboo tubes from Yuezhou. Candles from Jingzhou, felt from Zhengzhou, glue from Dengzhou, mats from Guozhou, hemp from Fuzhou, gold, jade, pearls, shellfish, delicacies and toys from all directions, all had to be inspected and stored by this ambassador of the Ministry of Revenue.

Not only could he earn money, but he could also make a lot of friends and save a lot of money for future promotion.

Such a lucrative job fell into Hu Zigao's hands, and he naturally became rich very quickly. Later, he was promoted to the judge of the Salt Transport Department, which was another lucrative job.

But there are unexpected events. Just when Hu Zigao was enjoying a smooth career, he did not expect his mother to die of illness, and he was forced to resign and return to his hometown to mourn for three years.

After three years, when he was about to return to Beijing to resume his post, the county magistrate in his hometown reported him, saying that he violated the law and did not observe filial piety when observing the mourning period.

It turned out that when he was at home, he was proud of his official background in Beijing, and did not take the county magistrate seriously at all. He also criticized the county magistrate in front of his clansmen. This time, the other party seized the opportunity and reported him.

In the Ming Dynasty, which ruled the world with filial piety, Hu Zigao received the corresponding punishment.

Although he finally found someone to solve the matter at a high price, his official position became the head of the Ministry of Works in Nanjing. He went from a lucrative job to a poor government office where even rats had to leave their things. This made him feel uneasy, not to mention that he was an official in Nanjing.

Most of the officials who came here were just muddling through their days with no future, but Hu Zigao was not such a person. He wanted to make a comeback because he had money.

Knowing that Xu Jue, a popular man in front of Feng Bao, came to Jiangnan to purchase gifts, Hu Zigao naturally took it to heart. This was an opportunity worth investing money.

Who is Feng Bao? He is the companion of the current emperor, a popular man in front of the two queen dowagers, and an old acquaintance of the current first and second assistants, all of whom are from the old people of Yu Ji.

Is this thigh thick?

Definitely.

Knowing that Hu Zigao had been the ambassador of the Ministry of Revenue and the judge of the Salt Transport Department for two years, Xu Jue was immediately overjoyed.

"Let him in."

Xu Jue thought for a while and planned to meet this man. This man had worked in the Salt Transport Office. He was also very greedy for the benefits. It seemed that it was worth it for Eunuch Feng to take action once.