As Li Zhi expected, before Ma Bin's signed report letter was sent to the Nanjing Times, the two major newspapers in the capital received one letter each with the same content.
On the surface, nothing happened, but secretly, both letters entered the palace through secret channels and arrived at Zhu Yijun's desk, with brief abbreviations attached.
After reading it, Zhu Yijun felt secretly annoyed. Han Bixian, who had committed suicide, was ranked fourth grade and was already a quasi-high official in the imperial court. His suicide shows that the forces behind the Xiaomiyun excavation case are not trivial. It is very likely that just like the "uncovering case" that caused Zhang Juzheng to faint, a high-ranking official like Zhang Xueyan was behind the scenes, and it is even more likely that a party has already formed.
In order to quickly advance the reform, Zhu Yijun used the Zhang Wenming case and the Jingma case to kill many people. A direct consequence of this was that the resolute opposition disappeared and hid in the dark.
But thousands of years of ideology and two hundred years of Ming Dynasty's accumulated habits are not so easy to liquidate - when the reform was carried out openly due to the blessing of imperial power, the opposing forces turned into underground wildfires.
If a politician goes to extremes, his opponents will also go to extremes. Zhu Yijun, who had been emperor for thirteen years, was now able to deeply understand this truth. But reflecting on what he had done in the past, he had no regrets: the emperor's authority had been challenged at that time, and the banner of reform could not be raised without killing a river of blood.
The Miyun excavation case was probably a plume of black smoke coming out of the underground cracks of this wildfire, and this letter of report was a test flame that reached the emperor's eyes. No one dared to say in court that the old Jiangling regime should be abolished, so the target was pointed at Zhang Siwei, who wanted to implement lenient policies, and the emperor behind him: Will you do another "big killing" in the thirteenth year of Wanli? If we continue to "sweep gangsters and eliminate evil", what is the use of the political signal sent by Zhang Siwei's activation of Xu Yuanchun?
Thinking of Zhang Siwei's little trick, a smile appeared on Zhu Yijun's lips. Zhang Siwei's move made him think twice about being an official: Of course, people can choose officials, so it is not abnormal for Xu Yuanchun to be a county magistrate; but Xu Yuanchun directly sent officials without waiting for election in the Ministry of Civil Affairs, which is a bit strong, and the official position in a border area is like The hair combination just dilutes this taste - just like Zhang Siwei himself, he is very slippery.
"It's really a little clever." Zhu Yijun looked at the abbreviation in his hand and frowned again. He threw down the piece of paper and walked around in a circle in the hall.
Standing in the corner of the palace, Wei Chao bowed, but the corner of his eye followed the emperor's footsteps. As the most favored eunuch around the emperor, he knew the emperor's habits. Whenever the emperor encountered a new challenge, he would walk around the palace several times - when the emperor stopped, there would often be thunder between the government and the public.
...
While the emperor was circling in the Yangxin Hall, the furious Zhang Siwei was also circling in Wang Chonggu's study. As the weather got warmer, his uncle's joint disease was mostly relieved. He was sitting in a chair, watching the red-faced Prime Minister venting his anger.
"Who is this bastard?" Zhang Siwei gritted his teeth, which was rare. Wang Chonggu looked at his nephew's ferocious face with interest. Zhang Siwei turned around a few more times and saw the ancient god Wang Chonggu sitting upright. He couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. He tried to calm his aura and sat down opposite Wang Chonggu.
Wang Chonggu shook his head and said: "It's really unexpected. It's definitely not Pan Sheng and his ilk - they won't use this trail."
Zhang Siwei was stunned again. When he saw the copy of the complaint letter given by the emperor, he immediately thought about the political struggle. Pan Sheng was the first to be suspected, but Wang Chonggu was the first to deny him and let his brain He also calmed down.
Yes, it is useless to expose political battles in newspapers. There must be impeachment to cooperate. Nowadays, the situation in the court is calm, and Pan Sheng and others have not expressed any intention of arm-wrestling because Zhang Siwei reached the top. He felt this very clearly in the political hall.
"Then what's the purpose of doing this?"
Wang Chonggu closed his eyes slightly and suddenly changed the subject and said: "I want to beg for bones." Zhang Siwei was startled and said: "Why did uncle say this? I am in the Political Affairs Hall and you are in the Privy Council. It just so happens-" After saying this He suddenly stopped talking.
Wang Chonggu laughed softly and sighed: "Do you understand?"
Zhang Siwei remained silent. Wang Chonggu first comforted him and said: "As a politician, you dare not be upright and only do treacherous things. No matter how many fingerprints are stamped on that letter, you have fallen behind. Not only can you not shake your position, but it has exposed your status." Telltale."
"Now that this person has thrown dirty water, it is an opportunity. Wang Quan, there was some confusion with Mongolia before, but now it would be good to add a layer of armor with an unscathed slander. I will retreat again, your The status is as stable as Mount Tai.”
Zhang Siwei was silent for a while, then Fang said hoarsely: "My uncle is old, and I feel like I have lost an arm."
Wang Chonggu laughed when he heard this and said: "If I don't leave Lianzhan, we may lose more than one deputy privy envoy."
Zhang Siwei was dissatisfied and said: "When the Chu Party was strong, everyone in the court looked up to Prince Zhongxing. Then he would no longer be taboo?"
Wang Chonggu listened and asked with a smile: "Do you have Zhang Jiangling's holy family?" Zhang Siwei was dumbfounded.
Wang Chonggu continued: "The emperor and the prince of Zhongxing County are unusual among the monarchs and ministers! Duke Wen has the determination to be independent and has the authority to control himself. He is not only free of killing and humiliation, but also full of mourning and glory. They are far ahead of the previous generation. Their holy family dynasty has not been seen in two hundred years!"
"How can you and I achieve this?"
Zhang Siwei didn't answer. Wang Chonggu rolled his eyes and said: "My leg disease is getting worse and worse now. In winter and spring, it is like gangrene attached to the bones. I can't sleep. I stay up early and run out of oil quickly."
"I heard that the four seasons in Yunnan are like spring, neither wet nor dry. If I can return from illness, I plan to retire in Kunming, and maybe I can live a few more years. There is a huge difference between winter and summer in Puzhou, and the cold and temperature are different between day and night. If I go back, will I be able to live for a few more years? suffering."
Zhang Siwei had a strange look on his face when he heard this, stared at Wang Chonggu and said: "The border of Yunnan has been a place of exile since ancient times - does your uncle have any plans in the southwest?"
Wang Chonggu hurriedly waved his hands and said: "No! I don't want to go out. I just want to become an official and recuperate from illness. And now that soaps and perfumes have been booming for many years, Kunming is no longer as prosperous as it used to be."
After saying that, he sighed and said: "Whenever the weather is cold or the cold and heat are uneven, my legs will swell like elephant legs. I only think about death, so there is no ambition!"
Zhang Siwei saw that his uncle really didn't plan to return to Puzhou, so he scratched his head and said: "My uncle's ancestral hall is also in Shanxi..."
Wang Chonggu said with a smile: "I have children and grandchildren to offer sacrifices to. I am in Kunming, just eating and waiting to die. If you are interested, you can open a private lecture forum or do some learning to relieve your boredom. Yunnan was remote before, but now Burma and Annan have been peaceful. Yunnan is no longer a frontier land."
After Zhang Siwei heard this, he understood what Wang Chonggu wanted. He raised his head and looked at his uncle with admiration.
Wang Chonggu smiled and said: "Literature and education are not flourishing in this place, and the Han people still live together with the natives. If they can set up an academy, it will be of benefit to generations. There is also a Tea Horse Salt Road there, and our family makes tea horse salt." If the business is done well - the immediate benefits are not small."
When Zhang Siwei heard this, he could only write the word "submit" from the bottom of his heart. He thought to himself: "My uncle has been through seven towns, and his achievements have been in the frontiers. His understanding of 'border benefits' is unparalleled."
...
Wang Chonggu's retirement will not solve Zhang Siwei's immediate problems. The Acting Prime Minister must find the poisonous snake hidden in the dark and deal a devastating blow.
All he knows now is that the enemy has Ma Bin, the key figure in the Miyun excavation case, in his hands. Besides using the excavation case to smear him, what other cards can the opponent continue to play? When Zhang Siwei came out of Wang Chonggu's house, he only hoped that the other party would continue to attack.
Since the Internal Intelligence Agency had not found Ma Bin's whereabouts, the emperor, who had insufficient information, had nothing to do with these two letters. It was indeed untimely to build a prison again, and now he could only stop with silence.
