This time Feng Bao came to Zhang Juzheng's residence, and he was still accompanied by Xu Jue. However, Zhang Juzheng did not receive Feng Bao in the flower hall today. Instead, he talked to Feng Bao in the study alone. You Qi and Xu Jue stayed in the flower hall to chat.
Zhang Juzheng still looks the same as before. At least in terms of mental state, he seems to be no different from before.
But what kind of person is Feng Bao? His eyes are vicious. It can be seen at a glance that Zhang Juzheng's eyes are slightly sunken, and there is even a thin layer of powder on his face to cover up his unhealthy complexion.
Zhang Juzheng has always been a person who cares about appearance very much. It is not surprising that he would cover up like this. However, from such actions, it can be seen that he has been under a lot of pressure in recent days.
Of course, it was not small. He had already relied on the superb means of leveraging his own strength to push him to the front, force Chen Yiqin to leave, defeat Zhao Zhenji and Li Chunfang, and become the second assistant in the cabinet, just a stone's throw away from the position of first assistant.
But what happened next gradually exceeded his expectations, especially after the kid Gao Pragmatic, nicknamed Mr. Xiao Ge, returned to Beijing, and the situation gradually slipped to the edge of getting out of control.
First, Yin Shidan couldn't hold his temper and jumped out to confront Gao Gong. As a result, Chen Hong sold Yin Shidan inexplicably, causing Yin Shidan to be kicked out as soon as he entered the cabinet. As a result, Gao Gong and he were the only two people left in the cabinet. Having no one to take advantage of was of course a big problem, because it gave him no room to use all his methods.
However, although something was not going well at this time, he still had a way to deal with it. It was just to lie dormant and wait for changes. He would first pretend to be following Yuan Fu's lead in everything, and continue to disguise himself as Gao Gong's close friend and ally to protect his own position. For the second assistant position, Gao Gong was older than him anyway, and the emperor's body was not in good shape. In the end, whether it was Gao Gong or the emperor who couldn't handle it, it would be Zhang Taiyue's chance to make further progress.
However, what Zhang Juzheng never expected was that Guo Pu was actually willing to put aside his decades of fame and honor, obediently obey Gao Gong's call, and return to Beijing to accept the rebellion!
If Guo Pu is reinstated, he will definitely enter the cabinet. There is no need to say that. He passed the examination two subjects earlier than Gao Gong, and four subjects, twelve years earlier than Zhang Taiyue.
This official served two terms as Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. No matter how upright he was in the past and how much he insisted on "gentlemen grouping together but not partying", at least those two terms as Heavenly Officials could not have been in vain, and the examiners in many talent promotion ceremonies could not have been in vain. made. Decades of experience are here. The courtiers who have received his favor can line up from Yongding Gate to his hometown Anyang. It is impossible for him to pass through the court.
What's even worse is that Guo Pu was an assistant minister before he became official, which means that this time must be included in the seniority ranking of the cabinet. At that time, Guo Pu and Gao Gong entered the cabinet at the same time, and Guo Pu was admitted earlier than Gao Gong, so his ranking at that time was still ahead of Gao Gong.
Now Gao Gong is already the first assistant, and he is the one who recommended Guo Pu to be reinstated. Of course, Guo Pu's ranking is not higher than Gao Gong, but there is no problem in "surpassing" Zhang Taiyue: in terms of admission, dissolution, and admission. Ge, Guo Pu has won all aspects, ranking ahead of a junior like you, Zhang Taiyue, who in the world can question it?
Even Zhang Juzheng himself would never dare to express his grievances with his mouth, and even show his grace in front of others. He expressed his admiration and admiration for Duke Guo many times in public, and repeatedly emphasized that he could stand up to Duke Gao and others. I can learn a lot from doing some assisting work under Mr. Guo, which is really my blessing.
How pitiful God is, every time Zhang Juzheng said these words, although he was smiling and smiling, his heart was so full that he could almost bleed!
That is, Zhang Juzheng, under such circumstances, could still look so calm and composed when meeting Feng Bao, an ally who truly shared the same problem. If it had been anyone else, he would have burst into tears and started crying and cursing. .
Didn’t you see that Governor Feng Bao and Feng, who is also known for his forbearance, has been livid since he entered the gate of the Grand Scholar’s Mansion today? I'm afraid that when I was "castrated" back then, my face would only be as bad as this.
There is still a gap.
However, Feng Bao himself had no time to reflect on his self-cultivation and city government. He sat there, snorting for a long time, and suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice: "In just a few days, the situation has been very bad... Mr. Taiyue, how can I do it?" Do you have any good advice to teach me?"
Zhang Juzheng put his hands in his sleeves and said expressionlessly: "I have thought about it over and over again, and there is something wrong with this matter."
Feng Bao's eyes narrowed and he asked: "What's the problem?"
"It doesn't look like Gao Gongxuan's handiwork." Zhang Juzheng frowned and said calmly: "Duke, you and I both know what kind of person Gao Gong is. He is unreasonable and unforgiving. You see, when he was a newcomer The cabinet dared to resist my benefactor, Duke Hua Ting. The fault was that the situation turned out to be too tragic. If we continue to resist, it might even bring the emperor's reputation to a disadvantage. I don't think he will refuse to resign and ask for an official position."
Feng Bao nodded and asked, "So what?"
Zhang Juzheng was not in a hurry to explain, but continued his analysis: "Later, when the situation in the cabinet changed, Li Shilu and Zhao Dazhou joined forces and treated me as a minor official in the cabinet. With his bossy orders, I had to find ways to restore Gao Gong and use his power to get a chance to breathe. Gao Gong at this time has not changed much from when he first joined the cabinet..."
"Oh, is it so?"
"The Governor doesn't believe it?" Zhang Juzheng snorted and asked, "Does the Governor know that Gao Gong has been in charge of government affairs for only more than a year since he returned to power? How many officials have he dealt with under his command?"
Feng Bao didn't calculate this. He reviewed it generally and said uncertainly: "I'm afraid there are twenty or thirty people?"
"Twenty or thirty?" Zhang Juzheng sneered and said, "To be honest with the Governor, there are a total of one hundred and sixty-nine people. Just for major and important cases, there are an average of three cases a month." [Wufeng's note: This data is For detailed historical facts, please see Gao Gong's "Manuscript of Zhang Quan's Inscriptions". ]
Feng Bao's expression suddenly changed.
Seeing that Feng Bao was shocked by him, Zhang Juzheng pointed out the topic again: "So, Gao Gong's temper has not changed at all. Whatever he insists on doing, he will definitely do it and will never back down."
After Feng Bao heard this, he felt a chill on his neck for some reason. A cold air rose from the soles of his feet, passed through his back and went straight to his forehead and heart, making his whole body feel chilly.
Zhang Juzheng saw Feng Bao shrinking for a moment, fearing that he would lose his courage. He stretched out his index finger, tapped the armrest of the rosewood chair, and added in a serious tone: "But that's the problem."
Feng Bao was startled and asked: "Problem? Didn't you say that he has always been like this? Why is there another problem?"
Zhang Juzheng narrowed his eyes slightly and said: "He still does things without reaching his goal. There is no problem. The problem is that he is no better at doing things now than before. He always wants to get it done in one step. Didn't the Governor realize that he now knows how to work step by step? They have set up traps at all levels - Gao Gong is not a three-year-old child. The habits he has developed over the years cannot be reversed at once, so there must be someone among them doing everything possible to stabilize Gao Gong's pace and prevent him from letting go. He underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly."
Feng Bao was horrified, and all the hair on his body stood on end. He sat upright and even forgot to cover up his sharp voice: "Who is it?"
