Sitting up again, Wanli stared blankly at the window pane not far away.
The sunshine outside today is good. It shines through the window panes inlaid with colored glass into the hall, making it as colorful as broken gold.
For a time, many past events emerged in Wanli's mind. He seemed to suddenly see a person, a middle-aged man with a slender figure, a crown-like face and a long beard, standing in front of him. This middle-aged man had a serious expression and a look on his face. His eyes were dark and bright, sharp and majestic, and seemed to be saying something to himself.
Isn't this person his master Zhang Juzheng?
Bits and pieces of memories from his youth came to mind. This man who was like a master and a father had an unparalleled status in Wanli's heart. He was also Wanli's idol when he was a boy.
For Zhang Juzheng, Wanli's feelings were very complicated, with respect and fear, love and hatred... These emotions were mixed together, and Wanli didn't know what it felt like.
When Zhang Juzheng was alive, Wanli was crushed by him, but he admired this master in his heart. When Zhang Juzheng died, Wanli gave this master the highest honor and buried him with the dignity of an emperor. At the same time, he secretly made up his mind that he must follow the instructions of his master and become the wisest person in the Ming Dynasty. monarch.
However, before Zhang Juzheng's body was cold, the officials who opposed Zhang Juzheng's new policy launched an overwhelming counterattack. Wanli suddenly discovered that his master, who had always been a perfect man, was not actually the person he imagined. Not only was he imperfect, but Zhang Juzheng was also arrogant and domineering. A powerful official with shortcomings in personal ethics. Seeing the conclusive charges listed in the letter from the ministers, Wanli's idol completely collapsed in an instant.
The collapse of his faith made the young Wanli furious. Regardless of his mother's dissuasion, he directly ordered Zhang Juzheng to be liquidated. Not only did he regain all the honors given to his master, he also suppressed Zhang Juzheng's alliance with the Central Government and ordered a strict investigation of Zhang Juzheng's crimes. family.
But Wanli never imagined that his decision would be the biggest mistake in his life. It was precisely because of his decision that it led to the tragedy and irreparable consequences that occurred later.
When Wanli learned this, everything was irreversible. He could only hold his nose and admit it, but there was a crack in his heart that could not be repaired.
After taking office, Wanli worked hard to manage the country according to Zhang Juzheng's teachings, aiming to become the wise king Zhang Juzheng had always expected to be. But a few years later, the diligent Wanli suddenly discovered that after losing his master, he had no ability to manage the country well. Those ministers who superficially praised themselves and called themselves Mingjun were not good people. .
These sanctimonious guys are secretly full of male thieves and female prostitutes. They use all means to hinder their control of the country and completely abolish the New Deal system that Master finally established back then.
Those groups of scholar-bureaucrats who had been suppressed by the master once again crawled out of the dark corners for profit like moths, lying on the body of the Ming Dynasty to suck blood. This was especially true for the officials in the court, who were full of nakedness behind their high-sounding In exchange of interests, on the contrary, in their eyes, he, the lofty Ninth Five-Year Planner, is just a mascot for display.
At this time, Wanli suddenly woke up. He finally understood what he had done wrong, and who was right, and who was really for the good of himself and the country.
Unfortunately, it was already too late. Although Wanli was smart, he did not have the imperial methods of his grandfather Jiajing. Even if he understood this in his heart, he could not change everything.
The frustrated Wanli tried to change his intentions, but he couldn't. Coupled with the dispute over the country's origins, his temperament changed drastically. The previously diligent emperor suddenly turned into a otaku who stayed in the harem.
In the long years that followed, Wanli used this silent action to fight against the civil servant group. Everything he did was for this reason. It is also because of this that up to now, Wanli will not trust anyone in the court. those officials.
There are currently vacancies in the cabinet and ministry officials, including only one person in the cabinet, Fang Congzhe. This is entirely Wanli's deliberate act.
He is not Jiajing, and he does not have the skills of Jiajing to fight one faction after another. He can only adopt this method. It is better to put someone in the position who can barely control it than to face a group.
Prevent your civil servants from colluding too much to form a stronger force to fight against the imperial power.
The same was true for the mining and tax supervisors who were sent to local areas before. The abolition of Zhang Juzheng's New Deal caused the court's tax revenue to plummet. When Wanli was unable to restore the New Deal, he could only use the only group of eunuchs available to do what he could.
However, these actions of his were criticized and scolded by the civil servants as "plundering and harming the people". But Wanli knew very well. Could it be that if he didn't send mine and tax supervisors to the local areas, these benefits could really be left to the people? Of course not! As a direct descendant of Zhang Juzheng, Wanli knew very well what the officials of the Ming Dynasty were thinking. The reason why they opposed Wanli's actions was because it affected their own interests. How could they truly serve the people?
Such things abound, Wanli knows it in his heart, but there is nothing he can do.
Being powerless, since he couldn't change anything, he could only lie down. This could be regarded as Wanli's only means of resistance.
Let’s just talk about the previous Battle of Sarhu. Before the war, Wanli actually didn’t want to use Yang Hao, but everyone in the court recommended Yang Hao as commander, and Yang Hao did have military exploits in the previous battle to aid Korea against Japan. In addition, Yang Hao was a staunch leader of the war, so Wanli finally reluctantly agreed to let him patrol Liaodong and became the commander-in-chief of this battle.
But I didn't expect that Yang Hao was a useless person on paper. The battle in Liaodong caused heavy losses to the Ming Dynasty, and almost all the elites of the Ming Dynasty in Liaodong were lost. When he heard the news of the defeat in Liaodong, Wanli was so shocked that he couldn't even speak. Watching the report in the harem, Wanli's hands were shaking, and he couldn't help crying.
The majestic Celestial Dynasty and the mighty Ming Dynasty actually humiliated the country by losing its master. It is not an exaggeration to say that Yang Hao was the chief culprit and his body was torn into thousands of pieces.
According to Wanli's hatred for Yang Hao, it would be a minor offense to chop off Yang Hao's head after he was escorted to the capital, and it would not be an exaggeration to directly kill the three members of his clan. However, in the ensuing confrontation, those civil servant groups refused to deal with Yang Hao for their own benefit. Even if Wanli wanted to kill Yang Hao, it would be difficult for him to do so.
After all, Yang Hao went to Liaodong on the recommendation of the civil service group, and there were shadows of various factions behind him. Once Yang Hao is convicted and executed, what will the people who recommended Yang Hao say? Are these officials jointly and severally liable? Maybe be dismissed from office together? Or even beheading?
The power of the Ming Emperor was not unlimited. In many cases, the Ming Emperor was unable to make direct decisions on certain matters. In addition, after the defeat of Liaodong, Wanli's condition worsened, and the quarrel over Yang Hao's treatment could only be put aside for the time being without any results. To this day, Yang Hao is still in prison, awaiting guilt, and has never been convicted. .
Although Yang Hao cannot be dealt with immediately, the mess in Liaodong still needs to be dealt with.
After much deliberation, Wanli decided to forcefully appoint Xiong Tingbi to Liaodong. Xiong Tingbi did not disappoint Wanli's expectations. After Xiong Tingbi went to Liaodong alone to clean up the mess after the Battle of Saarhu last year, the situation in Liaodong has gradually stabilized. Come down, according to Xiong Tingbi's memorial to Wanli, the situation in Liaodong is changing for the better. He has contained Nurhachi's power, steadily encroached on it step by step, and recovered a lot of lost ground from the enemy. As long as this continues, With the Ming Dynasty being far more powerful than Hou Jin, it won't take long for them to launch a counterattack, which will bring shame to the Battle of Saarhu.
Wanli had absolute trust in Xiong Tingbi and knew that he was an extremely talented person. In exchange for dealing with Yang Hao, the civil servant group was suppressed and Xiong Tingbi was sent to Liaodong. This was the result of the final game between Wanli and the civil servant group.
But now that Xiong Tingbi had just stabilized his position in Liaodong, trouble arose again in the court. Many people wrote to Wanli requesting to send more governors to Liaodong, so as to prevent Xiong Tingbi's family from becoming dominant in Liaodong and causing an imbalance in civil and military affairs.
This sounds like a good idea, but Wanli knows very well in his heart that this is nothing more than another political balance trick intended by the civil service group.
Wanli did not want to hold back Xiong Tingbi in Liaodong because of this small move by the civil service group. In order to completely reassure Xiong Tingbi, Wanli privately sent a eunuch to give Xiong Tingbi a message, asking him to do a good job in Liaodong with peace of mind. He, the emperor, would help the court. Hold on.
This is also the reason why Wanli has never agreed to the request of Chief Assistant Fang Congzhe to send additional governors to Liaodong. Even Wanli pretended to be deaf and found reasons to delay the increase in cabinet members and vacancies in various ministries.
He didn't do this regardless of the government's affairs. On the contrary, Wanli did this to do things better, because he knew very well that once these officials were replenished, especially the arrival of cabinet ministers and ministers in charge, the power of the civil service group would be in the government. The palace will be further strengthened, and his right to speak as the emperor will be correspondingly smaller. But now that he is in poor health, the situation in Liaodong has not been completely reversed. For the sake of Ming Dynasty, he will never allow him to take even half a step wrong in this situation. , giving the opponent half a chance.
"Master, is it right or wrong for me to do this?" Wanli murmured to himself, as if Zhang Juzheng was standing in front of him as he was when he was a boy, teaching himself and telling himself how to become a wise king.
Unfortunately, Zhang Juzheng has passed away, and it was his disciple who personally destroyed the foundation stone laid by his master for the Ming Dynasty and overthrew the New Deal system he had worked so hard to establish.
The young Wanli didn't understand, and when he realized it, it was already too late. He also tried hard and wanted to reverse everything, but at this time, there was no longer a trustworthy and capable person like Zhang Juzheng around him.
Two lines of tears quietly slipped from the corners of Wanli's eyes. He was wrong, he was wrong! It was too late to wake up. Over the years, he had understood everything in his heart, but he was unable to change it. Endless sadness surged into his heart.
How Wanli wishes he could turn back time and return to the moment when his master was still there. If that were the case, he would never make the same mistakes again and make the country what it is now.
And now Wanli, who is suffering from illness, feels that he may not die soon. The only thing he hopes for now is that he can live for two more years, until the moment when Xiong Tingbi counterattacks in Liaodong and completely wipes out Jiannu. By then, He could also close his eyes and see his master again.
