Chapter 879 968 Feng Bao Intervenes

"Master, after investigation, it was found that Hu Zigao was extremely dishonest when he was the ambassador of the warehouse. In just one year, he bought a mansion in the inner city of the capital and hired a large number of servants and maids."

In the study of Wei Mansion in the capital, Wei Guangde sat behind the desk and read a book under the candlelight.

In front of the desk, Zhang Ji, the steward of Wei Mansion, was reporting more information he had collected about Hu Zigao.

"Drinking and having fun during the period of mourning? And taking a concubine?"

Wei Guangde was a little surprised, put down the book in his hand and asked.

"Yes, the local county magistrate impeached him and wanted to dismiss him, but later Gao Gong said that Zhang Siwei would handle it and transfer him to an idle position in the Ministry of Works in Nanjing."

Zhang Ji answered immediately.

"Let's not talk about the money earned by the Salt Administration Office. I didn't expect that the ambassador of the warehouse could make so much money. It's incredible."

Wei Guangde had never worked in the Ministry of Revenue, so he naturally didn't know that there were many yamen with rich oil and water in the various yamen of the Ming Dynasty.

However, since these official positions are of low rank, most of them are not well-known, so naturally few people know about them.

"Hehe, Master, you don't know this. Among the lucrative official positions, the Ninth Rank, the Warehouse Ambassador is the most powerful one.

You know that the ambassadors of the Banknote and Tax Customs are lucrative, but I heard that if you become the ambassador of the Treasury Warehouse, as long as you work for two or three years, you can replace the chamber pot at home with a silver chamber pot, which is more than the master of the Maritime Customs.

Don't look at those masters who are powerful in the local area, but in addition to their duties of defending the land and the people, it is also an important task to pay the local treasures to the court according to regulations.

Once these goods cannot be delivered in full and according to the quality, it is equivalent to disobeying the emperor's order. Can he still wear the black gauze hat on his head safely?

It is said that in order to ensure the smooth acceptance of the goods to be handed in, each state government must prepare a generous gift in advance to give to the Treasury Warehouse Ambassador when delivering the goods.

He said that if the delivered goods are qualified, then there is nothing wrong. If he is picky and wants to find the smell in the eggs, then you can't hand over the goods."

Zhang Ji Le smiled amiably.

"Haha, Zhang Ji, if the master had not been promoted by the late emperor, he would have been sent to guard Chongwenmen.

If I really became the ambassador of Chongwenmen Customs, would my family have to change to a silver chamber pot?"

Wei Guangde thought of the promising official positions he knew, and suddenly laughed.

"Don't mention it, Chongwenmen Customs is the emperor's treasury, and it's possible that the master would really be sent there at that time.

But the ambassador of the customs is still not as safe as the ambassador of the warehouse. If there is a leak there, it is equivalent to stealing the emperor's silver."

Zhang Ji was also happy when he heard it.

My master is tired of being a first-rank official and wants to be a ninth-rank official for a change.

"Hmph."

Wei Guangde just laughed twice, and suddenly put away his smile.

Before, he didn't care about Feng Bao's job for Hu Zigao, but now the situation is different.

Hu Zigao went to the Lianghuai Salt Transport Commissioner's Office. With his greedy nature, if he really got that position, the people in the prefectures covered by the Lianghuai Salt Transport would be in trouble.

Hu Zigao must have gotten enough benefits from the salt merchants, and these benefits would eventually be passed on to the people.

Wei Guangde was not an honest official, but he was definitely not a corrupt official.

He took out a piece of paper from the desk and spread it out, then picked up the pen and dipped it in ink and quickly wrote on the paper.

After putting the pen back on the pen holder, Wei Guangde picked up the paper and blew it gently for a while, and then handed it to Zhang Ji after the ink dried.

"Send this note to Eunuch Feng, go."

"Yes, sir."

Zhang Ji took the note and glanced at it casually, but turned back as soon as he turned around.

"Sir, it's not a good idea to refuse Eunuch Feng's request at this time."

Zhang Ji reminded in a low voice.

"I know you are worried about the Ministry of Personnel, but this matter cannot be delayed forever, otherwise Eunuch Feng will think I have accepted it."

Wei Guangde understood Zhang Ji's worries. Now is the time to build momentum for Zhu Heng. If he refuses Feng Bao at this time, it is hard to guarantee that this person will not ruin his good deeds in this matter.

But Wei Guangde has just made up his mind to ignore this matter. Although he will not stop Feng Bao from moving for him, he will stand by and see what methods he has.

Two days later, not long after Wei Guangde entered the cabinet that day, Lu Bu walked quickly from the door and whispered in his ear: "Master, I just received news that Minister Yang has submitted a petition for retirement today, and now it has reached Zhang Shoufu's hands."

"Finally, I can't bear it anymore."

Wei Guangde chuckled and shook his head.

During this period, although Yang Bo was still as strong as everyone was accustomed to, whether in the Ministry of Personnel or in the cabinet, rumors of his poor health had begun to spread in the court and the public.

In order to verify the news, some people naturally began to pay attention to the imperial doctors who had treated him in the Imperial Hospital.

The news could not be hidden from the officials anyway.

Through the lobbying during this period, the group that recommended Zhu Heng had already been formed, but there were still more officials who supported Ge Shouli on the side of the Qingliu.

Wei Guangde had no way to deal with this, because he was a Qingliu.

However, Wei Guangde had done everything he could now, at least to ensure that Zhu Heng's name would be among the candidates for the Minister of Personnel sent to the palace for selection.

Wei Guangde actually understood Zhu Heng's intentions. He had no chance of entering the cabinet, and being the Minister of Personnel was the limit of his career.

Although the six bureaus of the Ming Dynasty were not subordinate to each other and were all equal yamen, they were still classified in importance due to the different affairs they were in charge of. Among them, the official bureau became the de facto head of the six bureaus due to its particularity.

For the ruling class, no matter how it is disguised, the essence of its rule is "rule by man."

After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the six ministries, especially the staff, to only obey the emperor's orders, indicating that the emperor would directly have the right to select and employ people.

Controlling personnel power is equivalent to controlling the entire country.

Among the six ministries, the Ministry of Husbandry is mainly in charge of the country's land and household registration; the Ministry of Rites is mainly in charge of the imperial examination system, etiquette and schools; the Ministry of War is in charge of the country's military and the teaching and selection of military attaches; and the Ministry of Punishment is mainly in charge of the country's justice and criminal issues; and The Ministry of Industry is mainly responsible for engineering affairs nationwide.

It can be seen that the focus of the other five departments are all things or things, and only the Ministry of Personnel manages people, and it is the official hat.

Although it is said that the stability of the country depends on finance, and the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue seems to have a high and powerful position, but even if the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue is in charge of the world's financial power, in theory, he must be evaluated by the Ministry of Officials.

It is also for this reason that the Ministry of Personnel has become the de facto chicken head of the six departments, and is the target of all ministers who are not destined to join the cabinet.

Because the Ministry of Personnel was too high-ranking and powerful, it was a default practice in the Ming Dynasty that officials in the Ministry of Personnel were rarely promoted directly, but had to be transferred to other departments first.

For example, candidates for the position of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel are generally not directly promoted by the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, but are promoted and transferred by the other five ministers of military affairs, household affairs, rituals, punishment, and work.

The candidates for the ministers of the Ministry of Personnel are generally not promoted directly by the ministers of the Ministry of Personnel, but are promoted and transferred by the ministers of the other five ministries of military affairs, household affairs, rites, punishment and work.

Therefore, if the emperor wants to promote a doctor of the Ministry of Personnel to be a minister of the Ministry of Personnel, or wants to promote a minister of the Ministry of Personnel to be a minister of the Ministry of Personnel, he is generally not promoted directly. He must first be transferred to the other five departments to be promoted to a minister. The ministers and ministers will be transferred back to the official department after a period of transition.

In order to respect the status of the official department as the head of the six departments, similar situations have always been very common.

Before Wei Guangde entered the cabinet, he and Yin Shizhen switched back and forth between the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel. This is the reason.

This is also the main reason why Wei Guangde is not worried that Zhang Juzheng will push Zhang Siwei to succeed Yang Bo, as long as he is stuck during this period and does not let Zhang Siwei move to the Ministry of Rites.

Not long after, the clerk on duty of the first assistant came over to invite him. Wei Guangde knew that Zhang Juzheng wanted to test his attitude, or that the cabinet wanted to see if they could reach a consensus.

After the clerk informed him, he put down his official duties and got up to go to the first assistant to check the room.

After he and Lu Tiaoyang took turns to read Yang Bo's memorial, they heard Zhang Juzheng say: "Shandai, He Qing, there was a rumor a few days ago that Wei Yue was ill, but I didn't expect it to be true."

Wei Guangde immediately looked regretful and sighed: "Yes, that day I reminded Mr. Yang to take care of himself because I heard rumors from outside.

At this time, it was the time for the imperial court to employ people. It was really disappointing that Yang Shangshu should beg for leave due to health reasons. "

"yes."

Lu Tiaoyang also echoed perfunctorily.

Everyone actually knows what's going on, but sitting together they can still only talk nonsense.

Who would believe that Zhang Juzheng did not know anything beforehand?

As for Wei Guangde, it is even more impossible not to know. Two days ago, Zhang Juzheng proposed that Zhang Siwei, the minister of the Ministry of Personnel, be transferred to the Ministry of Rites, but Wei Guangde found an excuse to refuse.

I have nothing to do recently, what should I do to the assistant minister?

Moreover, Wei Guangde and Zhu Heng had already started making arrangements, and Lu Tiaoyang was not blind, so he could naturally see it.

To say that the first ones to discover the situation were Wei and Zhu.

To say that Wei Guangde is not very fond of Yang Bo and Zhang Siwei is mainly due to the performance of later generations of Shanxi merchants in history. They can be called models of traitors. Naturally, Wei Guangde looks down on them and even wants to get rid of them.

However, Wei Guangde also knew that what happened to the eight major Shanxi merchants had not happened yet. If he took action against Shanxi merchants now, some of his disciples would be unnamed, and the trouble would only be caused by his ignorance, so he could only bear it.

However, it is still possible to try to control the representatives of Shanxi merchants in the court.

He didn't recruit Yang Bo. He had already become successful. He already had a reputation before Wei Guangde entered the official career, and he has always been a high-ranking existence since then.

Zhang Juzheng gave Wei Guangde an expressionless look, and then said seriously: "I've called you two here this time to discuss whether there are candidates to be recommended to the cabinet after Yang Shangshu takes office."

"The Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is the humerus of the imperial court. It is best for the imperial court to decide on the candidate."

Wei Guangde said: "Brother, I think it's better to send Yang Shangshu's memorial to the palace as soon as possible and let His Majesty and the Queen Mothers of the two palaces decide.

After all, although Mr. Yang begged for a divorce, the palace has not approved him. "

Wei Guangde actually had a vague feeling that Zhang Juzheng had no good intentions, perhaps just to trick him into saying something to recommend Zhu Heng, and then spread it to the palace.

"Haha, you see I'm confused. Such a big thing should really be delivered first."

Zhang Juzheng chuckled at this moment.

In the next two days, the palace rejected Yang Bo's petition for leave, and Yang Bo also asked for resignation one after another. Now he really couldn't bear it.

After Wei Guangde rejected Zhang Siwei's move to the Ministry of Rites, Yang Bo knew that the only way for Zhang Siwei was to join the cabinet.

Wei Guangde obviously does not want him to serve as Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. He will not agree to it now and will not do so in the future.

And he was able to take up the post because of his seniority.

With the third memorial approved, the palace's intention was attached, and the cabinet convened officials to discuss the candidate for the Minister of Personnel. This secret struggle was finally coming to an end.

In the inner city of the capital, Feng Bao's outer residence.

Feng Bao handed a note to Xu Jue, "Give it to Prime Minister Zhang, and tell him that as long as this matter is done, he will decide the candidate for the Tianguan."

"Yes, I'll do it now."

Xu Jue took the note flatteringly and walked out of the house quickly.

Two days ago, Wei Guangde refused to promote Hu Zigao, which made Feng Bao angry in the mansion, and Xu Jue also frowned for this.

After all, he had accepted the tribute from others, so he had to get the job done anyway. He was still waiting for Hu Zigao to give him silver every year in the future.

As for Feng Bao, he felt that he was rejected by Wei Guangde.

To him, as the prime minister, only Zhang Juzheng in the outer court was qualified to sit on an equal footing with him.

It was only because of the past that Feng Bao wanted to let Wei Guangde handle this good thing. When Hu Zigao came to the capital in the future, he would also send a generous gift to Wei Guangde.

After all, he was a member of the inner court, and someone had to take care of him in the outer court.

Unexpectedly, Wei Guangde refused. He dared to refuse his kindness.

Fortunately, he soon learned the news that Yang Bo had retired, and Wei Guangde's intention to push Zhu Heng to the throne was also obvious. Feng Bao certainly would not let Wei Guangde achieve his wish.

Choosing Zhang Juzheng to cooperate became Feng Bao's choice.

It felt good that this was not bad. With Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde restraining each other, the Zajia family had the best of both worlds.

No matter who wanted to do things in the palace, they had to curry favor with me, otherwise he would know how powerful the Zajia family was.

Watching Xu Jue leave, Feng Bao sat on the Taishi chair and thought leisurely.

Soon, the note was handed to You Qi. Knowing that it was something Feng Bao asked his master to do, You Qi certainly took it seriously.

Although he looked down on eunuchs, he still had to curry favor with them. Even if it was his own master, he was unwilling to offend Eunuch Feng easily.

The previous time, because his own master did not follow Feng Bao's wishes to hammer Gao Gong to death, he held a joint trial, which made the relationship between the two sides alienated.

Before handing the note to Zhang Juzheng, You Qi had sent people to inquire about the person mentioned in the note, and he also knew about Hu Zigao.

After finding out the situation, You Qi went straight into Zhang Juzheng's study.

When he came out, it was already half an hour later.

When he came out, You Qi's smile never stopped.

The salt transport envoy of the Ming Dynasty was under the management of the Ministry of Households, and was mainly responsible for the production and transportation of salt.

From the third-rank official position, the rank is not low, but because it is not a Beijing official, in the eyes of the six ministries and nine ministers, it is actually just that.

If you really want to face this position, it is also for the salt in his hands.

The smile on You Qi's face is naturally for this reason.

The Zhang family is not engaged in business, but they have friends in the business, so they naturally have demand.

Huai salt is a very popular commodity in this era. It is not only of high quality but also of low price, and it can almost influence the salt price in Ming Dynasty.

However, my master must not be looking at Huai salt, but something else.

After the news of Yang Bo's retirement spread in the past few days, as Zhu Heng expected, he and Ge Shouli became the hot candidates for the Minister of Personnel. (End of this chapter)