Pan Sheng's resignation cannot be regarded as surrender for the time being, because normally, even if a cabinet minister is impeached, his first reaction is to resign on his own initiative to show his innocence.
It can even be said that "even" should not be used here, but "whatever" should be used, because the higher the status of a civil servant, the more timely he should resign when he is impeached to make his position clear.
Generally speaking, the emperor would definitely not approve it at such a moment, and would usually use "gentle words to persuade them to stay". Some highly favored ministers were even persuaded to stay by the emperor's gentle words and decrees after being impeached. To blame the impeachers is just like Gao Gong was treated like this many times back then.
However, Pan Sheng's status in Zhu Yijun's mind was obviously not that high. What he received was simply "gentle words to persuade him to stay," without explaining the reasons or blaming the impeacher.
Although Pan Sheng was known for his ability to do things in his face, he still wanted to lose face after all. Obviously, he could not regard the emperor's reaction as a sincere attempt to persuade him to stay, so he had no choice but to shut himself up at home and thank guests behind closed doors.
This is also a routine operation. Even Gao Pragmatic did it last time. It means that I am now "suspended and reflecting". You can investigate as you want. I no longer have the ability to interfere and will never obstruct justice.
So the emperor had no choice but to follow the "routine operations" and ordered him to "look at things from the outside."
Usually at this point, if the outside world does not continue to pursue him fiercely, then he can return to the cabinet duty, which means that the crisis has basically been passed safely.
However, since Gao Pingshi had taken action, he would certainly not let him pass so easily - this was not a game of house, so just leave it at that.
So on the day the emperor ordered Pan Sheng to "come out and take a look at the matter," another impeachment was filed with the General Affairs Department.
This time, the person impeached by Shangshu was slightly older than Xiao Liangyu and Wang Tingyu. He was Li Hongdao, who was a Jinshi in the fifth year of Wanli and was the censor of Guizhou Province at the time.
Why could Li Hongdao, the censor of Guizhou Province, impeach Pan Sheng? Because according to the Ming system, the so-called "dao" who supervises the censor has concurrent supervision in addition to the chief secretary of the province. For example, the Censor of Guizhou Road Supervision, according to the "Da Ming Hui Dian" records, his responsibilities are to "take charge of the Chief Secretary, the Supervision Department and the Capital Command Department of Guizhou, and assist in the management of the Ministry of Personnel and the supervisory affairs of the three prefectures directly under the jurisdiction of Suzhou, Hejian, and Shunde." ." (Note: The other departments also have different "co-management". This system is to prevent a certain department or a certain place from facing only one Sword of Damocles. Because it is not good if there are too many people to supervise "Taken".)
Li Hongdao impeached Pan Sheng precisely because he assisted in the management of Suzhou Prefecture. The reason for his impeachment was that it was discovered that Pan Sheng's nephew had recently obtained a number of sea ships for free and docked at a private port in Suzhou. (Note: The jurisdiction of Suzhou at this time was different from that of later generations. To put it simply, it was larger and had a river mouth port.)
Li Hongdao believed that there must be a problem, so he impeached Pan Sheng for seeking personal gain by using his status and power.
The supervisory censors of the Ming Dynasty have always had many privileges. This has been mentioned many times before. For example, this is a typical "hearsay incident" - Li Hongdao did not provide any conclusive evidence, he just heard that the Pan family had too many A group of sea ships can justifiably impeach a dignified minister.
However, in fact, it is not that Li Hongdao cannot produce evidence. If necessary, Gao Pragmatic is fully capable of providing him with more detailed data, and can even help him obtain confessions from some intermediaries involved in the matter, and even let these People rebel and come forward to testify.
This crime is not fatal to the middlemen. Gao Pragmatic can spend money to "persuade" them, and they will definitely be happy to be convinced by Gao Pragmatic.
It's just not necessary.
The result that Gao pragmatism wants to cause is just to confirm Pan Sheng's scandal, instead of bringing out the entire Xinxue school for a decisive battle now, so it would be better to keep it vague now. Anyway, for the emperor, he only needs to know that Pan Sheng is not clean. That's all. How unclean it is is not the point.
Some people say that "it is rare to be confused." This kind of thought is very suitable here, because the emperor also knows that some things cannot be truly investigated to the end, otherwise if it is too widely implicated, everyone will not look good at that time, and that is for himself. Looking for trouble.
Whenever a regime is established for a long time, this situation is basically unavoidable, so everyone from top to bottom will usually try to avoid expansion. The emperor himself will also play dumb, because turmoil in the court is obviously not a good thing for the emperor.
Once Li Hongdao was impeached, Pan Sheng was of course unable to "come out and take a look at the matter." Not only was he unable to come out, but he had to continue writing his self-defense and resignation at home.
But this time was different from the last time. The emperor did not continue to "gentle words to persuade him to stay", but only issued a few words of comfort. At the same time, he asked the cabinet to write a letter to the Metropolitan Procuratorate, asking the Metropolitan Procuratorate to find out the problem and clear Mr. Pan Ge's innocence. .
Of course, "cleansing your mind" is a polite word, and you can't just take it at face value. What the emperor actually meant was to ask the Metropolitan Procuratorate to "investigate clearly" the matter.
At this time, some people became anxious.
Pan Sheng was not the one who was anxious, because Pan Sheng had actually prepared for the worst and was already thinking about how to return to his hometown.
The anxious person is Shen Shixing.
Using the power of Zhejiang maritime merchants to force Pan Sheng to give up his talents to Wang Xijue was a clever move that he came up with after having a serious talk with Zhang Cheng and thinking for a long time. This move not only perfectly used the "Great Shift of the World" to transfer the pressure brought by the maritime merchants to Pan Sheng, but also solved his dilemma of lack of helpers in the cabinet. It was simply the best of both worlds.
Shen Shixing and Pan Sheng generally held the same or similar views on the possible reactions of the Practical School. They both believed that the Practical School would not be completely angered this time, because Zhang Siwei had just been worried about it, and the Practical School would definitely have to face such a big change. Complete internal adjustments first and then unify them externally.
Shen Shixing believes that before the internal adjustment is completed, the Real School should be cautious in facing any changes in the government situation at this time, especially changes that do not directly cause harm to them, and should temporarily turn a blind eye to avoid blind actions that lead to unexpected bad results.
However, since Pan Sheng's calculation was wrong, Shen Shixing's calculation was also wrong, and Gao pragmatically chose to fight back directly without giving any face.
But Shen Shixing has no time to think carefully about why Gao Pragmatic is like this. He only knows that he must not let Pan Sheng collapse unexpectedly before recommending Wang Xijue to succeed him!
Although he himself is the chief minister, and the chief minister himself can directly recommend cabinet ministers, even if Pan Sheng falls, he can also come forward to recommend Wang Xijue himself.
But in fact, there was a big difference whether Wang Xijue was recommended to the cabinet by Pan Sheng or Shen Shixing.
If Pan Sheng recommends someone, nothing will happen at all, because Pan Sheng is a neutral faction, and no matter who he recommends - unless it is his own protégé - it will not cause a backlash from the government and the opposition.
But if Shen Shixing recommends Wang Xijue himself, he may be accused of "nepotism" or even "secret planting of party members."
This statement is not fatal as long as the emperor does not take it seriously, but it will also affect Shen Yuanfu's prestige.
Like Gao Pragmatic, Shen Shixing is extremely reluctant to see his reputation damaged.
So when it came to this step, Shen Shixing was much more anxious than Pan Sheng himself, and he quietly sent his housekeeper to pay a private visit to Pan Sheng's residence that day.
What the steward of the Shen Mansion brought to Pan Sheng was Shen Shixing's reminder to him not to sit still and wait for death, let alone to hope that the Real School would save him any face this time.
Shen Shixing emphasized that since the opponent is still launching a fierce counterattack at such a moment, the most likely reason is that the main militant faction within the Real School has gained a clear upper hand. If you still hope that the opponent will let you go, it is simply a daydream.
Shen Shixing proposed that Pan Sheng had better quickly mobilize his power in the court to defend himself - if it is not easy to defend, at least he should muddy the water, such as causing another major event to divert the court's attention.
At this point, Pan Sheng also hesitated.
Although Shen Shixing did not name him, Pan Sheng certainly knew that the "main militant faction" mentioned by Shen Shixing must be headed by Gao Pragmatism. Because Xu State has always been a harmonious and moderate school, and there is currently no third peak within the pragmatic school. Since it is not Xu State, it is of course highly pragmatic.
However, to this day, Gao Pragmatic has no intention of talking to himself. Instead, he continues to promote the impeachment case in an orderly manner. It is obvious that he does not intend to negotiate.
What can be expected is that Gao Pragmatic must have some backup plans, because until now, those who have come forward to impeach him, Pan Sheng, are still Yan Guan, and no senior person within the Practical School has followed up to impeach him.
Gao Pragmatic definitely has the ability to get senior figures within the Practical School to come forward to criticize him. The reason why he hasn't done so yet is because the time has not yet come.
Pan Sheng is almost certain that if he suppresses the impeachment of Li Hongdao by any means, Gao Pragmatic will continue to launch further attacks, and most of the people dispatched will not be ordinary supervisory censors, but will most likely be high-ranking officials of the imperial court. .
If things develop to that point, Pan Sheng is really involved in this party dispute, and unfortunately stands at the center of the storm. If he wants to escape unscathed by then, it will be almost a dream.
One misstep will lead to eternal hatred!
Pan Sheng sighed with emotion: How could it be like this? I just sold the last two years of my official career to the Xinxue school, and this was not what I wanted to do. Seeking truth, seeking truth, I have never offended you before, can't you be so noble and let me live a glorious career?
It's a pity that lamenting is of no use. He really can't change what Gao pragmatically does.
Pan Sheng thought about it and felt that Shen Shixing's suggestion also contained selfish motives: Now that he is starting to fight back and even muddy the water, will Shen Shixing end up personally?
If he ends up in person, it will prove that he has completely betrayed the principle of neutrality this time and sided with the Heart School. Such a high-pragmatic blow will only come more violently and thoroughly.
At that time, Shen Shixing is behind the whole Xinxue school. Even if he can't defeat Gao Pragmatism, at least he can protect himself. But what does he, Pan Sheng, mean in front of the pragmatism school? It's not much different from a lonely man. Once Shen Shixing is in trouble, he can turn around and sell him as cannon fodder. Who will he cry to when the time comes?
And if Shen Shixing himself doesn't end up, that would be even more nonsense. With Pan Sheng and his few capable disciples, are they worthy of fighting against Gao Pragmatic, the "direct heir" of the Practical School?
Mr. Pan Ge thought maliciously: Maybe Shen Shixing did this just to cast a stone to ask for directions, and I, Mr. Pan, was just that stone. His purpose was probably to see how much wealth Gao Pragmatic had in control of the Practical School and how large an impeachment case he could launch.
Why?
You Shen Shixing wants to know yourself and the enemy, and you want to weigh someone high and pragmatic, so you use me as a weight?
Gao pragmatism relies on the influence of the third generation of chief ministers and the emperor's holy family, so he doesn't take me, Pan, seriously. Whose influence does your Shen Shixing have?
Yes, you have become the first assistant, but can your first assistant be compared with Gao Gong's situation back then? Gao Gong can exclude people with different political views from his cabinet, can you Shen Shixing do the same? I have been harmed like this by you. Instead of considering buying a horse bone for thousands of dollars, you quickly saved me before talking about anything else. Instead, you expect me to be a weight for you and weigh the pragmatic weights?
With your courage, I don’t look like you’re someone who can achieve great things. At most, you have some tinkering skills!
Pan Ge lost his temper in the study and felt much better, but the problem was not solved at all.
He found that he was now in a dilemma, like a rat in a bellows, suffering from both sides.
I wanted to go all out and try my best, so I simply listened to Shen Shixing's suggestion and went to see how powerful Gao Pragmatic could be. But when he thought about the fact that the students and former officials of the Real School were all over the world, and the power of Jinghua Group was even more pervasive, he couldn't muster the courage.
I really want to admit my weakness to Gao Pragmatic, hoping that Gao Pragmatic is a "reasonable" person after all. As long as he makes his situation a little more miserable, he might have inherited half of his teacher Guo Pu's kindness, that is. Give yourself a break. But when I think about this, the Zhejiang Merchants Alliance is going to dig out the roots of Gao pragmatism and fight Gao pragmatism in the shopping mall...
Pan Ge always cares about himself and others, but also feels that being pragmatic may not be so generous, and he does not count millions of transactions.
It’s difficult!
In just two or three days, Mr. Pan Ge, who had always been known for being strong and healthy, turned 70% of his hair gray. It seems that if he continues to struggle with this matter, he will be driven to death sooner or later.
However, what Pan Sheng did not expect was that he hesitated for two days after receiving Shen Shixing's warning, which finally made Shen Shixing lose his composure.
On September 14th, Shen Shixing came to Shu as the first assistant, saying that since Xu Xuemo was promoted to Minister of Rites, the vacant post of Left Minister of the Ministry of Criminal Affairs could not be left vacant, so he recommended Song Zhihan, who was the Right Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs at that time, to be promoted.
Song Zhihan was the backbone of the Gao Party. Shen Shixing certainly did not do this to give Gao Pragmatic a favor, but he made another point: Since Song Zhihan was promoted from the Right Minister of the Ministry of Personnel to the Left Minister of the Ministry of Justice (Note: Ming Dynasty, Left Minister Respect the right.), then the right minister of the Ministry of official affairs should also make up for it.
Shen Shixing recommended Zhao Zhigao, the right minister of the Nanjing Ministry of Civil Affairs, to succeed him.
Zhao Zhigao, a native of Lanxi, Zhejiang (belonging to Jinhua Mansion), was a Jinshi in the second year of Longqing. Although he is not young, his seniority is not high, and he is also a "rising star" of the Xin School.
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Thanks to book friend "Glowing Tiger" for your monthly ticket support, thank you!
PS: The E key, which had been ineffective for a long time, is still not broken, but today the Z key is suddenly completely broken, so that tonight I have to bring up the soft keyboard of the input method, and press Z whenever I need to. Use the mouse to click on the soft keyboard, and the writing is terrible.
However, I ordered a new keyboard shipped in the same city, and it said it would arrive tomorrow. I hope I wasn’t fooled... Speaking of which, I’m a really good typist, and even mechanical keyboards can only be used for one year.
