Zheng Guotai is twenty-one years old this year. He looks very talented. He is wearing a sapphire blue Taoist robe and holding a gold-painted Japanese fan. He stands in the small garden in the front yard of Shangshu Mansion and looks at a few lotus plants in the small pond.
Today, Zheng Guotai came to Shangshu Gaofu. He knew that he had a heavy responsibility. He thought about what he wanted to say many times. However, he became nervous as soon as he entered Gaofu. He seemed to have forgotten many of the things he had prepared along the way. Eighty-eight.
Zheng Guotai's father, Zheng Chengxian, was favored by his daughter, Concubine Zheng, and received many favors. From his official position to the governor of the Five Prefectures, he was a first-class official. However, because Zheng Guotai only reached Double Ten last year, he had to be awarded a thousand households of Jinyiwei.
Zheng Guotai's Qianhu of Jinyiwei is slightly different from ordinary relatives who get official posts. His Qianhu is a real job, that is, there is no prefix "with salary" in front of the official position - adding "with salary" means that he only gets salary. , did not actually take office, Zheng Chengxian's governor-general was in this category.
In other words, Zheng Guotai is now a formal officer of Jinyiwei, and his fear of Gao Pragmatism is largely due to this.
Since Liu Shouyou's fall, Jinyiwei has never had a governor, and the two major towns in the north and south are now in the hands of Wang Zhizhen and Gao Wuben respectively. Wang Zhizhen is Gao Pragmatic's distant cousin, Gao Wuben is Gao Pragmatic's close cousin, and Zheng Guotai works under Wang Zhizhen.
Although Wang Zhizhen is the grandson of Wang Chonggu and the son of Wang Qian, he does not seem to have inherited much of the demeanor of a scholar. There is always a bit of gangsterism in his actions, and his imperial style is also quite unique. In Jinyiwei, he has both a harsh side and a side that works well with his subordinates.
Zheng Guotai, who had just taken office, was tamed by Wang Zhizhen's "combined kindness and power", and he did not dare to take a breath when facing Wang Zhizhen. And Wang Zhizhen himself is a person who is very good at using Gao Pragmatic's power, so much so that Jinyiwei North Town Fusi has a vague tendency to regard Gao Pragmatic as the big boss behind the scenes - of course, this is also due to the fact that the director of the East Factory is Chen Ju. One element.
The characteristic of concubine selection in the Ming Dynasty is that most of the natal family members are just ordinary people or petty officials in the capital. The same is true for the origin of Zheng Guotai's family. He suddenly entered the "upper class" from the son of a petty official. It can be said that he did not even establish the three views correctly.
Therefore, under Wang Zhizhen's deliberate indoctrination, Zheng Guotai had a clearer understanding of the pragmatic holy family and power than his sister Zheng Huanggui. This understanding may even be excessive, because Zheng Guotai believes that Gao Pragmatism is not only "one word can determine life or death" as Wang Zhizhen said, but even the honor and disgrace of Concubine Zheng is under Gao Pragmatism's control.
No one else would believe this, but Zheng Guotai believed it because Wang Zhizhen told him some "inside information."
Wang Zhizhen is a master of telling stories. The things he talked about with Zheng Guotai have indeed happened before, including the downfall of Feng Bao, Zhang Jing and other important officials in the palace, as well as Zhang Juzheng's dismissal and Ling Yunyi's suffering. Even the previous generation of Wei Duke Xu Pengju was forced to give way to his son Xu Bangrui and so on.
In Wang Zhizhen's words, not only were all these things led by Gao Jingshi, but they also had no room for resistance under Gao Jingshi's attack - this must be an exaggeration, if nothing else, at least Gao Jingshi and Feng Bao originally , Zhang Juzheng alliance's fighting style is completely on the thin line between life and death. If Zhang Juzheng hadn't been blocked outside the city gate that night, no one can say what the outcome would have been.
How did Zheng Guotai know this in the past? Wang Zhizhen said it so vividly that Zheng Guotai, a junior official in the officialdom, naturally believed it. Therefore, Gao Pangzhi was like an invincible god in his mind, and he could only look up to him.
And his mentality was reinforced again before he was "ordered to go on a mission" today.
This afternoon, Princess Zheng summoned Zheng Guotai to the palace under the pretext of asking about her father's well-being. Not only did she ask him to visit Gao Pragmatic tonight, but she also ignored the loss of face and told her that the emperor had "coldly treated" her because of Gao Pragmatism. The events of the past few days were relayed to this only younger brother.
Although Concubine Zheng is a devil of supporting her younger brother, she still knows her brother very well. She knew that her younger brother was a typical bully and feared that he would take advantage of his position in the palace and not know how to restrain himself and offend Gao Pragmatic, so she had to tell the truth.
This made Zheng Guotai's fear of Gao pragmatic even more severe, so much so that he was so nervous that he felt nervous as soon as he entered Gao's house.
It was in this situation that Gao Pragmatic met Zheng Guotai - he handed over his hand from a distance. Zheng Guotai had already trotted forward, quickly walked forward, "knelt down with a bang", kowtowed his head, and said: "Zheng Guotai, a young man with a humble position in Jinyiweibei Town, Fusi Qianhu, has met the local official."
The emperor's relatives were so humble that even Gao Pragmatic was confused. He could only retract his raised hand in embarrassment, and used the opportunity to support Zheng Guotai. He helped Zheng Guotai up and said with a smile: "You and I are the same age, Zheng Brother, why are you doing this? Besides, this is my private residence, so there is no need to be so polite."
Theoretically speaking, from the comparison of the civil and military official positions of "Prince, Grand Master, Hubu Shangshu" and "Jinyiweibei Town Fusi Qianhu", Zheng Guotai's salute is not very exaggerated, but he is the emperor after all. My brother-in-law doesn't look at the monk's face or the Buddha's face, so this kowtow is a bit offensive.
Zheng Guotai was relieved when he heard Gao Pragmatic's gentle words, but suddenly he remembered Wang Zhizhen's words that deliberately hit him when he was pretending to be drunk, and he was secretly alert in his heart: Zheng Guotai, Zheng Guotai, the man in front of you is a guy who talks sweetly but hides a sword in his smile. No matter how polite you say, you can't take it seriously. Never take it seriously!
"Master Situ is really approachable, little one..."
"Hey, if Brother Zheng calls himself like this again, he will be so ashamed of himself." Although Gao Jingshi didn't know what Zheng Guotai was up to, he quickly stopped him.
"Uh, then... Cathay has overstepped its bounds." Zheng Guotai hesitated for a moment and said while carefully looking at Gao's pragmatic expression.
Gao Pragmatic smiled brightly: "Brother Zheng said something serious, we can just be friends as equals." Then before Zheng Guotai could say anything else, he already stretched out his hand and said, "It's almost autumn, the night is deep and cold, so let's go inside and talk. Bar."
"Oh, okay, okay." Zheng Guotai still looked a little nervous. After he finished speaking, he felt it was not polite enough, so he quickly added: "Situ please go first."
Gao Pragmatic, a person like him, could see at this moment that Zheng Guotai seemed to be afraid of him, so he stopped being too polite, nodded slightly, and walked in front of Shi Shiran. Zheng Guotai bowed his head and followed behind him. If anyone who didn't know about it saw him, they would treat Zheng Guotai as a highly pragmatic servant.
When the two of them entered the flower hall, Gao Pingshi ordered to sit down. Zheng Guotai showed the same attitude towards his immediate boss Wang Zhizhen, and carefully sat with half of his buttocks, his waist straight, as if he was ready to obey orders at any time.
Gao Pragmatic looked a little puzzled, and then vaguely guessed that Zheng Guotai might have been beaten by Wang Zhizhen. Although he thought it was a bit funny, after thinking about it, it was a good thing.
Gao Pingshi was a little solemn and asked seriously: "Brother Zheng came to visit late at night, what's the important matter?"
After all, he is "the best writer and handsome man in the world". Zheng Guotai had thought up a lot of rhetoric before, but when Gao Pragmatic turned a little straight-faced, he forgot all about it and blurted out: "Sister asked me to invite Situ to help Chang Xun." A helping hand!”
Gao Jingshi almost couldn't help but roll his eyes, adjusted his mood, and then said with a serious expression: "The third prince is only over a year old, is it possible that he has already been ordered to go out to study? Even if he is the prince's master, he can't teach him. What...does Brother Zheng want to ask the headquarters to teach him babbling?"
Zheng Guotai regretted his words as soon as he spoke them. Hearing what Gao Pragmatic said, he was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead. He quickly explained: "No, no, I... little... no, Cathay, for a moment, for a moment..."
Seeing that he was really panicked, Gao Pingshi couldn't help but sigh. He simply didn't bother to care about his performance and said directly: "What were the imperial concubine's original words?"
Zheng Guotai also knew that he was in trouble. He stretched out his hand to wipe the sweat on his forehead to calm down his nervous mood, and then replied: "Sister, as long as Gao... Gao Situ agrees, Chang Xun will honor his father in the future." Suitable for Situ."
Gao Pragmatic was startled at first, and then smiled: "The imperial concubine wants me to live on the fire?"
He really didn't mean to imitate Cao Cao by saying this, because he really didn't expect that Concubine Zheng's method of winning over him would be this.
Shangfu? I have no intention of abolishing the throne. Even if your son becomes emperor in the future with my support, I will not give myself such a fatal hat, okay?
There is a very interesting historical phenomenon in ancient China, that is, those powerful ministers who have the power to abolish or establish emperors like to have the emperor call themselves "Zhongfu" or "Shangfu". However, these two words were not originally linked to things like power ministers and the abolition of institutions.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, civil strife broke out during the reign of Duke Xi of Qi State, and both Prince Jiu and Prince Xiaobai were forced to go into exile. After Duke Xi of Qi passed away, the two of them competed to return and inherit the throne, starting a "race against time".
At that time, Guan Zhong was assisting Young Master Jiu. In order to ensure that Young Master Jiu succeeded to the throne, Guan Zhong led his men to intercept and kill Young Master Xiaobai. Guan Zhong shot Xiaobai with an arrow and thought Xiaobai was dead, so he slowed down his march. Unexpectedly, the arrow only hit Xiaobai's belt hook. Xiaobai acted out of desperation and pretended to be dead to avoid Guan Zhong's eyes. He quickly rushed back to Linzi ahead of the young master Jiu, and ascended the throne, named Duke Huan of Qi.
After Duke Huan of Qi ascended the throne, he wanted to appoint Bao Shuya, who had assisted him for many years, as prime minister. However, Bao Shuya firmly refused, saying that his talents were not enough to take on this important task, and instead recommended Guan Zhong to Duke Huan of Qi. At Bao Shuya's insistence, Duke Huan of Qi welcomed Guan Zhong back from Lu and worshiped him as prime minister. Entrusted with important tasks.
Duke Huan of Qi and Guan Zhong were united as kings and ministers, and worked together to create the hegemony of Qi. "Xunzi Zhongni" said: "Qi Huangong suddenly saw that Guan Zhongzhi was able to support the country... so he appointed him as his father." Yang Liang noted: "Zhongzhe is the name of Yiwu; father, he acts like his father. " Later, he was called Guan Zhong. This is the origin of the title "Zhongfu".
It should be said that Duke Huan of Qi respected Guan Zhong from the bottom of his heart and regarded him as his father, so he called him "Father Zhong", but the subsequent imitators were different.
After the death of King Zhuang Xiang of Qin State, Ying Zheng ascended the throne for the first time, and Prime Minister Lu Buwei took control of the government. Lu Buwei was arrogant and domineering, "following the example of Duke Huan of Qi and treating Guan Zhong as his father-in-law", causing Ying Zheng to call himself "father-in-law". At this time, Ying Zheng, whose position was unstable, had to swallow his anger to the powerful Lu Buwei, and fulfilled his wish, calling him "Father Zhong".
During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Director Wang supported Sima Rui to ascend the throne in Jianye. Although there was harmony between the emperor and his ministers on the surface, Director Wang, who had the merit of supporting the emperor, did not take the emperor seriously at all. At that time, the Langya Wang family, from which Wang Hai was born, was in power, and many courtiers were members of the Wang family. He asked the officials to write a letter to Emperor Sima Rui, asking Sima Rui to call him "Father Zhong". Historical records: "The government and the public were in love with him, and he was named 'Zhongfu'." Sima Rui had no choice but to follow.
Let’s talk about “Shangfu” again. Zheng Xuan said: "Shangfu, Lu Wangye, is honored as Yan." Lu Wang, Lu Shang, and Jiang Shang are actually the same person, Jiang Ziya, the Grand Duke of Jiang who "contributed to the protection of the Zhou Dynasty for eight hundred years", and is the ancestor of Duke Huan of Qi.
Lu Zi said: Shang is the name, that is, Lu Shang; father: the honorific title is the same as his father, and Lu Shang is the father-in-law of King Wu, so he is called Shang Fu. The "father" here is also a respectful title for elders and important ministers. To put it bluntly, "Shangfu" is the honorific title given to Jiang Ziya by King Wu of Zhou Dynasty. Jiang Ziya was not only a great hero in defeating Zhou and founding the Zhou Dynasty, but he was also the father-in-law of King Wu, so King Wu called him "Shangfu". Since ancient times, no one thought that this title had any problems for Jiang Ziya.
But there were many imitators later, and problems began to arise.
For example, Dong Zhuo: "Three Kingdoms·Wei Zhi·Dong Zhuo Biography": "Zhuo arrived in Xijing and became the Grand Master, named Shangfu."
For example, Li Fuguo's "New Book of Tang Dynasty·Eunuchs' Passes·Li Fuguo" says: "The emperor wanted to kill him, but he was afraid of holding the troops because he respected him as his father."
For example, Guo Ziyi: "New Book of Tang Dynasty: Biography of Guo Ziyi": "Dezong succeeded to the throne, returned the imperial edict to the court, took charge of the tombs, served as the envoy of the mountain mausoleum, and was given the title 'Shangfu'."
These powerful ministers who made the emperor bow to themselves and put their own authority above the emperor's authority almost all ended in disgrace:
Lu Buwei was poisoned to death by poisonous wine given by Ying Zheng; although Director Wang died a good death and was extremely honored after his death, he secretly helped his brother Wang Dun to cause trouble in the government and controlled the government for many years, so his reputation was not good; not to mention Dong Zhuo, who was deposed. Li held the Han Emperor hostage, leading to chaos in the world, and was eventually killed by Lu Bu, who executed the three clans. Although Li Fuguo supported the establishment of Emperor Daizong of the Tang Dynasty, he overstepped the imperial power and was eventually assassinated by people sent by Daizong. He was even given the posthumous title Chou.
Among these people, the only one with a better reputation and better results is Guo Ziyi. Guo Ziyi indeed made great achievements in recreating the Tang Dynasty. It can be said that his achievements are no less than those of Jiang Shang and Guan Zhong. Therefore, he could still afford it when the emperor called him "Shangfu".
But the most important thing is that Guo Ziyi is not greedy for power and is humble and low-key. He never fought for power and was always loyal to the court. So it can end well in the end.
Among the group of "Zhongfu" and "Shangfu", apart from the person who coined these two terms, only Guo Ziyi died a good death. Gao Pragmatic naturally did not have much favorable impressions of these two terms.
Those who claim to be the emperor's "Zhongfu" and "Shangfu" not only want to tell the world that they have the abilities of Jiang Shang and Guan Zhong, but also want the emperor to regard them as their fathers. What is the nature of this? This is a naked challenge to imperial power.
Gao Pragmatic has not thought about changing the dynasty so far. He just wants to transform the Ming Dynasty, protect the inheritance of Han culture from going astray, and not become conservative and self-contained due to the invasion of wild boar skins, resulting in being bullied for hundreds of years in the future.
In this case, why should this "Shangfu" live up to his reputation? What's more, the name is quite ominous.
Gao pragmatic glanced at Zheng Guotai, who was a little startled by the question, and said calmly: "The matter of the country's foundation has its own ancestral laws and its own fair people. As a minister, I just fulfill my responsibilities. Brother Zheng, if there is nothing else... …”
"Wait a minute!" Zheng Guotai was so anxious that he couldn't care less about his fear and quickly stretched out his hand to stop him.
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