Different from the previous time when he pretended to be low-key on the way back to his hometown, this time Gao pragmatically escorted Gao Gong's coffin back to his hometown. Notwithstanding the fanfare along the way, when he met local officials and gentry who came to visit him, he greeted them all with a smile, even if they were called. He also accepted it calmly.
It's not that Gao Gong has become pragmatic, but the situation of returning to his hometown this time is different from the last time. Now that Gao Gong has passed away, he has also resigned. He is not afraid of being impeached. If you have the ability, you say I am because of my cheap dad. That's why he is so highly praised.
This is really a light thing without an official.
Moreover, the visits of officials and gentry along the way also had another effect for him, which was to prevent some people from misjudgment and thinking that since Gao Gong was gone, they could do whatever they wanted. , does not mean Gao Dang is dead.
Before Gao Pangshi left Beijing, according to the edicts of the two empresses and the emperor, the cabinet had been adjusted. In fact, everyone moved forward, with one exception.
Guo Pu was promoted from the second assistant position to the second assistant position, that is, Lu Tiao Yanggang, the great scholar of Zhongji Palace, was promoted to the second assistant position. He resigned due to illness and returned to his hometown. Shen Shixing, the Grand Scholar of Yuange Palace, was promoted to the Grand Bachelor of Wuyingdian Palace.
Four of the six formal bachelor's seats in the cabinet are currently occupied, and two are still vacant. The third-ranked Wuyingdian bachelor and the sixth-ranked Dongge bachelor are vacant.
Lu Tiaoyang's entry into the cabinet before was a bit of a compromise, because he was also a disciple of Xin Xue. After the fall of Zhang Juzheng, the Xinxue ministers in the imperial court were relatively nervous. Although it was true that Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong had been close before, he was still a disciple of Xu Jie. When Gao Gong was in power, the Xinxue disciples could barely manage Talking to Zhang Juzheng with his nose pressed.
When Zhang Juzheng fell, these people were panicked, so for the sake of overall stability, Gao Gong recommended Lu Tiaoyang to join the cabinet to fill a position. Although Lu Tiaoyang was a disciple of Cheng Wende, a leader of the Xinxue Yongkang sect, he was at least relatively honest and upright. Historically, when Zhang Juzheng was in power, he withstood pressure and did not let Zhang Juzheng's eldest son Zhang Jingxiu obtain the Jinshi. He still had character.
However, Lu Tiaoyang had already submitted his resignation several times before. This time when Gao Gong passed away, he didn't know what he was thinking about, but he was very determined to resign. After discussing with Guo Pu, Zhu Yijun asked for permission again. The Queen Mother of the two palaces finally approved it.
Zhang Siwei entered the pavilion in the third year of Wanli. In fact, after Lu Tiaoyang entered the pavilion, Gao Gong intentionally recommended Zhang Siwei to the pavilion. However, Zhang Siwei's health had been in and out of health in those few years. By the second year of Wanli, It was not until the second half of the year that things were good, so it was not until the third year of Wanli that he was finally promoted to the Minister of Rites, and the Grand Scholar of Jiadong Pavilion entered the cabinet.
Zhang Siwei is of course a die-hard Gao Dang and a core member, and Ma Ziqiang is almost the same. Ma Ziqiang is from Shaanxi, and his family is also a big businessman. The three families of Zhang Siwei, Wang Chonggu, and Ma Ziqiang basically control at least half of the northern salt industry. If he is not in the same camp as Zhang Siwei, it would be unreasonable both emotionally and logically, so he is also A high party.
In addition, Ma Ziqiang's youngest son Ma Zhen and Gao Jingshi also had a close relationship. They had known each other when Mu Zong selected the prince to accompany him to study. Later, after I accepted the tribute, Gao Jingshi expanded the trade network of the Beijing caravan and began to go to During the development of Shaanxi and Gansu, the Ma family, as a local leader, also contributed a lot. Ma Zhen even rushed back to Shaanxi personally to help. Therefore, Ma Ziqiang was not only a high-ranking party member, but even in the Wanli era, he could be regarded as a core member.
It's just that Ma Ziqiang is not the same age as Gao Gong. He is sixty-five this year, and judging from his usual physical condition, he is actually not as good as Gao Gong. Historically, he also died in the sixth year of Wanli. It's just that Gao Pragmatic can't remember the month. .
Before Gao Pangshi left Beijing, he discussed Ma Ziqiang's physical condition with Guo Pu, and gave some suggestions on what Gao Dang should do if Ma Ziqiang also died.
What is a little troublesome now is Shen Shixing. Shen Shixing was also a student of Xinxue, but Gao Gong still recommended him to the cabinet in March this year. There were two reasons. First, Lu Tiaoyang was in poor health at the time and had to go to the doctor every now and then to ask for leave. The disciples of Xinxue were all worried about Lu Tiaoyang. He was going to die at any time. In fact, although this man was sick, historically he still lived for two years after he became an official, so he hoped that a young minister from the Heart School could join the cabinet.
Second, when Zhu Yijun was the crown prince, Shen Shixing "took the knowledge of the Prince's Jingyan". He was the nominal deputy of Gao Gong and Zhu Xizhong, and was actually the person in charge of the Prince's Jingyan. In a sense, he was Zhu Yijun's teacher. Now the student has been the emperor for six or seven years. As a teacher, he has had enough qualifications and it is indeed time for him to join the cabinet.
In this way, among the four ministers in the Ming Dynasty's cabinet, there are now three people from the practical school, who can all be regarded as high-ranking party bosses, and one Shen Shixing from the heart school can be regarded as Fengwei.
However, although Shen Shixing is a disciple of Xinxue, it is difficult to simply regard him as an opponent of the Gao Party, because he himself is a relatively moderate person, and his political stance is not particularly clear and firm. According to Gao's pragmatic views, From a point of view, he is a bit like "Xu Jie with a little less viciousness".
Of course, although Shen Shixing lacked a bit of Xu Jie's ruthlessness, it cannot be said that he was a complete bureaucrat. He also had his own political philosophy, which was that the court should be united.
He has never said this to anyone else. The reason Gao Pragmatic knows this is entirely because he knows Shen Shixing's performance in history. Being all-round and versatile is the impression Shen Shixing has left on future generations in history, but in fact, that It was what he had to do in order to ensure the unity of the imperial court.
In the post-Zhang Juzheng era in history, the two factions who defended Zhang and those who defeated Zhang fought fiercely. Few people considered major government affairs from the perspective of right or wrong, but from the standpoints of both sides.
Shen Shixing was assisted by Zhang Siwei, who succeeded Ding You when he returned to his hometown and then died of a sudden illness. He struggled between the two factions for seven or eight years. He only took a stand in the last one or two years when there was really no other way. As a result, he was Forced to become an official. Therefore, Gao Pragmatic feels that Shen Shixing actually has a big picture view, but his authority and personality prevent him from being a strong supporter.
Since you can't be strong as a support player, you don't have to worry about being a group support player.
Therefore, even though Gao Gong has passed away and Gao Pragmatic has left the Central Committee, he is not worried at all that Gao Dang's opponents can instigate Shen Shixing to become enemies of Gao Dang. Gao Dang's reformists are still completely in control of the court. Focus on the overall situation.
What's more, to say the least, even if Gao Dang collapses in the cabinet, Gao Pragmatic will not be very worried. Because in addition to the two palaces and the emperor, as well as Huang Mengyu and Chen Ju, Gao Jinggong had already made other arrangements at the beginning of the fifth year of Wanli, leaving behind him.
