But in the final analysis, that will all happen in the future. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. To be pragmatic right now, you still have to follow your own plan step by step.
In his plan, there are at least three things that need to be done:
First of all, make sure that the high arch does not collapse. How long Emperor Longqing can live is not something that Gao Pragmatic can control. Although this emperor is probably a wise and foolish man whose political skills were underestimated by later generations of scholars, as a little bee in the harem, he is probably still in bad health, and this matter Son, trying to persuade him will probably have no effect.
Then we have to make the worst assumption. If Long Qing still dies at a certain point in history, it will be important to quickly close the relationship with the prince. But even if the prince succeeds to the throne, he will not have real power in the early stage, and it will be difficult for him to take charge of major events for at least the first ten years. Therefore, during this period of time, it is Concubine Li who actually represents the imperial power. It would be better if he can still be connected with Concubine Li.
The only problem is that it is difficult to contact Concubine Li directly. Gao Pragmatic relied on persuading Gao Gong to promote the "Prince's Playmate" incident, which created an opportunity to meet Concubine Li. It will depend on his own performance and Concubine Li's reaction will be considered again. In addition, there is a long-planned plan to win over Li Guifei's family, especially her biological father Li Wei.
Zhang Siwei was not originally considered in this plan, but when he met Li Wei at Zhang Siwei's home that day, Gao Pragmatic remembered that Zhang Siwei and Li Wei had a good relationship in history, which was an exploitable point. With this relationship, he It's a lot easier to contact Li Wei, at least it won't seem too abrupt. But the premise is obvious. For this greedy and incompetent guy, you must be able to come up with conditions that make him tempted, and it is best before Long Qing dies - if the prince ascends the throne and Li Guifei becomes Queen Mother Li, Li Wei The value here is definitely rising, and it will be even more expensive to win over.
As for Feng Bao, he has already had a secret meeting with Zhang Juzheng. Although Zhang Juzheng has not yet agreed to join forces with Feng Bao due to his own situation, Gao Pragmatic still knows nothing about it. Gao Pragmatic's current attitude towards Feng Bao is still based on the idea of "if you can win over, win over him first. If you can't win over, then find a way to get rid of him." The specifics will depend on whether your next "famous" plan can be implemented smoothly. If it goes well, you will have the opportunity to enter the palace and study with the prince every day, and wait for the opportunity when the time comes.
Feng Bao's advantages are nothing more than two points: he is Concubine Li's confidant, and he is the crown prince's companion. If he can handle the Crown Prince and Concubine Li, then Feng Bao is not a threat to him. To say that he will take her life and death may be a bit exaggerated, but there is indeed nothing to fear from him; but if he cannot handle the Crown Prince and Concubine Li, then Feng Bao will not be a threat to him. Feng Bao had to be careful and try to win him over if he could. If he couldn't win him over, he had to find ways to get rid of him.
Gao Jingshi, who always hopes that everything will be settled before taking action, has even made a backup plan: if Feng Bao proves to be a threat rather than a help, Gao Jingshi will do his best to persuade Gao Gong, and despite Li Guifei's dissatisfaction, he will also take advantage of Long Qing's return. When he was in power, he killed Feng Bao. If Gao Gong really wants to do this now, the chance of success is still very high.
After all, in addition to having the number one holy family member in the sky, he actually also has helpers in the inner court - Meng Chong, the eunuch in charge of the ceremony, was recommended by him, and this person didn't have much ability, and he was very important to Gao. Gong was both grateful and afraid. As long as Gao Gong made it clear that he wanted to kill Feng Bao, Meng Chong would not dare not work hard.
Besides, Feng Bao and he were not in the same line. He was actually a threat to him. Why not kill him? Anyway, with Gao Ge Lao here, no matter how powerful Feng Bao is, can he still be more powerful than Xu Jie? No one should be offended by Long Qingchao but Gao Huzi.
The above is just the preparation that must be done in the court.
The next thing to do is to nourish hope. Raising hope is not as good as raising fat. It is not enough to stay at home and study all day. It is not popular these days to stay in the mountains and old forests and act like a hermit. Generally speaking, for people of Gao pragmatic age and status, there are only two A better idea.
The first idea is to move around more. Of course, walking around does not mean strolling in the garden at home, nor does it mean going out to bully men and women over wine every day. This is not a pragmatic and capable person who takes the civil service route. Even if he subconsciously thinks that doing so is actually quite interesting, he is quite ready to do it, but for himself The "lofty ideals" of the people still have no choice but to reluctantly give up.
Moving around means to appear more often among the scholars in the capital, to establish good relations with the people in the scholars in the capital, and to make a name for oneself. It’s just a matter of pragmatism. Firstly, it takes a lot of time, energy and money. After all, you have to participate in various poetry gatherings, outings and other messy activities. Secondly, you have to cater to their preferences and communicate with them. Couplets, composing poems, appreciating calligraphy and paintings, appreciating literary treasures, discussing current affairs, talking about cultivating one's character, and maybe even be called to attend some lectures...
It’s not that Gao Pragmatic doesn’t know these things, or doesn’t agree with them, it’s just that he doesn’t have much interest, and it’s too much of a waste of time. Not to mention that the Gao family is a master of pragmatism. He does these things a lot, and he will probably have to do it when he gets home. Being taught a lesson by a high arch is like sitting on a crooked buttocks.
Then you can only consider the second idea. There is a word to describe the second idea: words and deeds. The extended meaning is to say some famous sayings that shock the world, or to do something that is praised by everyone as good.
Gao pragmatically decided to do both together, merging the talk and the action - just look at this wave of sexy operations prepared to enter the palace and become the prince's companion.
The last thing to do is to cultivate personal power. People with high personal power in the officialdom are pragmatic and don’t rush to cultivate them. They are basically in a state of “it’s good to have them, but don’t worry if you don’t have them”. For example, this time the matter of Liu Xian and his son, after Liu Xian's matter is settled, he should probably be regarded as a peripheral member of the "Gao Party", similar to Ma Fang and Zhao Ke - regardless of the fact that they are called Gao Party outside. Gong's direct lineage, but no matter how direct the military officials are, in the political atmosphere of the Ming Dynasty, they can only be peripheral elements. The real direct line must be Gao Gong's disciples. Others, even Gao Gong's classmates and colleagues, can generally only be said to be political allies.
However, Gao Pragmatic felt that Liu Xian seemed to have become a lot smarter after these years of officialdom, and he might be able to see the hidden meaning of his operation. If this is the case, then he should be able to guess his intentions towards Liu Wei. Considering his own status and future, Liu Xian should not refuse to let Liu Wei get close to him. In this case, he would have a team of military ministers in the court in the future.
For a person who aims to become a civil servant, having one more military commander close to him may not actually have a big impact on the overall situation, but for Gao Pragmatism, who is actually a commoner at the moment, it is still a starting point.
