I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 85 The Chosen One! The Great Ming Sword is about to be unsheathed
Around noon, the cabinet was on duty.

Zhang Juzheng looked gloomily at Chen Zan, the Left Censor-in-Chief, and Yan Qing, the Minister of the Supreme Court, who were passing the buck in the regular court.

"Why? How about I go to Puzhou, Shanxi, and investigate in person, and you guys review the daily memorials submitted to the cabinet?"

Zhang Juzheng was very dissatisfied with the performance of the two during regular court sessions.

Yan Qing quickly bowed and said, "It's my incompetence!"

Chen Zan straightened his chest and looked directly into Zhang Juzheng's sharp eyes.

"Your Excellency, it's not that the Censorate is afraid to investigate, and I'm not shirking responsibility. It's just that this matter involves cabinet ministers, and it's already caused a huge uproar among the people. I really don't know how to investigate. Please, Your Excellency, please give me some clear instructions!"

"If the two ministers cannot take charge of this matter, I hope you can promise to investigate it thoroughly and show no leniency. If so, I will investigate this matter thoroughly, even at the risk of my life!"

"If this is a case of much ado about nothing, I suggest the Minister take charge of this matter and order the Imperial Household Department to investigate. Otherwise, the Censorate will no longer have any credibility in the court!"

Chen Zan made it clear directly.

The Censorate has the responsibility to supervise all officials. If it wants to investigate, it must do it seriously. If it just goes through the motions, it will definitely be scolded by the people.

It is the duty of the factory guards to commit fraud, get scolded and do dirty work.

Chen Zan was very aware of the adverse effects that this matter might cause.

He did not want the Censorate to be tainted, did not want himself to be scolded by the people, or even have his ancestral graves dug up after retirement, so he asked Zhang Juzheng for clear instructions.

Zhang Juzheng frowned slightly.

It was because he had not yet figured out how to investigate that he wanted to investigate according to the usual procedures.

But unexpectedly, Chen Zan refused to accept it at all.

He also wanted to say it out loud: We must get to the bottom of this and show no leniency!

Because the Shanxi merchants represented by the Zhang and Wang families have controlled the trade of grain, cloth, ironware, etc. on the border between Mongolia and Ming. If they are allowed to develop, there will be endless troubles.

But considering the current overall situation.

If the collusion between officials and businessmen from Shanxi is truly exposed, the new policies will be hindered, factional disputes may break out in the court, and war may break out in the north.

There are pros and cons, and it's difficult to decide.

Zhang Juzheng looked at Lu Diaoyang.

Lu Diaoyang slowed down and said, "If the pros and cons are unpredictable, I suggest maintaining the status quo as much as possible."

Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard lightly and fell into deep thought.

As the prime minister of the country, every decision he made affected the destiny of the Ming Dynasty, so he had to think carefully.

Be cautious and then cautious.

At this moment, Chen Zan and Yan Qing also looked nervous.

Next, whether the northern part of the Ming Dynasty would be hit by a huge storm or just a slight ripple depends entirely on Zhang Juzheng's decision.

at this time.

A clerk shouted at the door, "Sir, the Hanlin Academy editor Shen Nian wants to see you regarding something important!"

"Go in!" said Zhang Juzheng.

Compared with Lu Diaoyang's moderation, Yan Qing's indecisiveness, and Chen Zan's stubbornness and self-protection, he prefers Shen Nian's straightforwardness and idealism.

Soon, Shen Nian walked in quickly.

"I am Shen Nian, your humble servant, and I pay my respects to Lord Zhang, Lord Lu, General Chen, and Minister Yan!" Shen Nian bowed very politely.

"Ziheng, let's put other things aside for now. How do you think we should deal with the impeachment of Yao Bin, the Censor of the Ministry of Personnel?" Zhang Juzheng asked.

He thought that Shen Nian's important matter must be related to the daily lectures or daily notes, so he put it aside for the time being.

"This is not the court, it's all subjective!" Zhang Juzheng added. He was looking forward to Shen Nian giving him a suggestion that would allow him to make a quick decision.

Shen Nian bowed slightly and said, "Lord, this is exactly what I came to report."

Suddenly, everyone looked at Shen Nian.

Officials of the Ming Dynasty have always kept their distance from matters that do not concern them and never say much.

When faced with such a difficult situation, others would try their best to avoid it, but it is very rare to see someone like Shen Nian who would step forward to deal with it.

"I think that if we investigate this matter, we can't just skim the surface and stop there. We must investigate it thoroughly!" Shen Nian said in a deep voice.

Zhang Juzheng was not surprised by Shen Nian's answer.

If he had encountered such a thing before he was thirty-five, his answer would definitely have been the same as Shen Nian's.

He was curious about Shen Nian's reason.

Shen Nian continued, "There are three reasons why this humble official said this."

“First, it’s for the people’s hearts.”

"It's no secret that Jin officials and merchants are colluding, manipulating border affairs, using public power for personal gain, and amassing wealth recklessly. The people of the capital are buzzing with discussion, almost all of which is about the tyranny of Jin officials and merchants, who abuse their power to profit and defraud others. If the court investigates this matter and simply arrests a few small-time offenders to fill the gap, it would be an act of deception and would incur widespread public resentment. Therefore, a thorough investigation is necessary, and an explanation that satisfies the people is necessary."

"Second, it's the current new policy."

"Those who default on land taxes and conceal their land and property are often officials and wealthy businessmen, with Shanxi merchants bearing the brunt of the consequences. If the imperial court can resolutely take action against the Zhang and Wang families and investigate their illegal and hegemonic activities, it will surely deter the entire nation and make it easier to implement new policies."

"Third, for the Ming Dynasty."

"Merchants from Jin, relying on geographical advantages, have traded with the Mongols. The Zhang and Wang clans are particularly representative. Their power is deeply entrenched. In recent years, with the blessing of privilege, they have become behemoths that are difficult for the imperial court to control. If they harbor second thoughts, I'm afraid... I'm afraid... our Ming dynasty will be in danger. Therefore, we must eliminate this hidden danger before it is too late. Either we seize their power or reduce their wealth. We can't have both."

Hear the third reason.

The expressions of Zhang Juzheng, Lu Diaoyang, Chen Zan and Yan Qing all became solemn.

To put it bluntly, what Shen Nian said was: We must not allow the Zhang and Wang clans to have the ability to change dynasties and "prosper even after the Ming Dynasty falls."

At present, the Zhang and Wang tribes have close relations with the Mongols due to trade and are located on the border.

If they really provided intelligence, money, food and ironware to the Mongols, it would very likely deal a fatal blow to the Ming Dynasty.

This is the scariest thing!

Shen Nian continued, "The real target of this investigation isn't Grand Secretary Zhang and Wang Butang, but the privileged individuals among the Jin officials and merchants who are colluding with each other to harm the interests of the court and the people. If Grand Secretary Zhang and Wang Butang are enemies of the court for their family's benefit, then the court can still function normally without them!"

"Of course, a thorough investigation could lead to border warfare, civil unrest within the court, and disrupt the normal implementation of the New Deal. However, a serious illness requires drastic measures. If we don't remove this cancer, once it becomes a major problem in the future, the Ming Dynasty may be in danger of collapse!"

……

The danger of overthrow is the greatest danger to the Ming Dynasty.

Hearing this, Left Censor-in-Chief Chen Zan looked at Zhang Juzheng.

"Sir, I'm waiting for your order to 'investigate thoroughly and show no leniency.' If we don't investigate thoroughly with this opportunity, we will regret it in the future!"

Chen Zan advocated a thorough investigation of the matter.

But the prerequisite is that he must obtain Zhang Juzheng's full support, otherwise he will not be able to shake those two mountains at all.

Zhang Juzheng frowned.

"It's easier said than done. Once we truly investigate, there are so many people involved that I'm afraid the investigation will still be interrupted, leaving the court in a difficult position!"

Among the officials of the Ming Dynasty, there were friendships among classmates, fellow townsmen, relatives by marriage, teachers and students, and so on.

The relationship is complicated.

It can be said that you are in me and I am in you, and as the investigation goes on, we may have to avoid suspicion.

Zhang Juzheng was worried that if the investigation proved fruitless it would lead to civil unrest, and he would have to clean up the mess in the end.

"Mr. Chen, can you guarantee that none of your relatives, friends, or fellow townspeople are involved in this matter, and that you can continue investigating without any need to avoid suspicion?"

Chen Zan was suddenly speechless. He really couldn't guarantee it.

Zhang Juzheng looked at Yan Qing, the Minister of the Dali Temple, who immediately lowered his head.

What you need to know——

If nothing were to happen to Zhang Siwei, he would have been the next Prime Minister. Wang Chonggu even controlled the military and political power of several border towns along the Ming Dynasty's border.

The Zhang and Wang families also did a lot for the court.

Even if Zhang Juzheng personally investigated them, he would feel a lot of resistance and was unable to do it.

At this time, Shen Nian took a step forward.

"This matter is not suitable for the two elders to investigate personally, nor is it suitable for Chen Zongxian and Yan Siqing to investigate personally. I have a suitable candidate in mind."

"Who is it?" Zhang Juzheng asked.

"Hai Rui, the former governor of Yingtian, is currently unemployed at home!" Shen Nian said.

Shen Nian came to the cabinet today to recommend Hai Rui.

Only Hai Rui could disregard personal connections and thoroughly investigate this case, and he also had the ability to do so.

The day before yesterday, he received a letter from Hai Rui.

Surprised and delighted.

Hai Rui encouraged Shen Nian to remain true to himself and not be contaminated by the current corrupt social trends and become corrupt like some officials.

at the same time.

Hai Rui also expressed his reluctance to leave the officialdom.

The sentence "I was about to succeed but was forced to stop, what can I do! What can I do!" moved Shen Nian deeply.

Hai Qingtian still wanted to contribute to the court again.

I heard the word "Hai Rui".

Zhang Juzheng, Lu Diaoyang, Chen Zan, and Yan Qing all smiled bitterly.

In terms of ability, Hai Yanwang is indeed the best candidate.

If he were to investigate, even a rat that stole the emperor's food would be thrown into jail.

but--

In their eyes, Hai Rui was uncontrollable.

In addition to holding the coffin and making death-defying appeals and presenting the "Memorial on Public Security", Hai Rui actually did many crazy things.

For example: he asked the former Prime Minister Xu Jie to give up 400,000 acres of land; when he resigned and retired, he said: All the officials in the court are women.

When Hai Rui was the governor of Yingtian and inspected the local area.

Some officials were so frightened that they realized they could not escape punishment and resigned from their posts; some wealthy families were so frightened that they painted their red doors black overnight; some officials were so frightened that they quickly replaced their eight-man sedan chairs with four shoulder-carrying sedan chairs...

Hai Rui was extremely destructive and liked to use moral standards to deal with political affairs.

Zhang Juzheng's dictatorial and one-man rule was exactly the target Hai Rui liked to attack.

There was also Yin Zhengmao who had a corruption scandal in his early years, Lu Diaoyang, the cabinet assistant who resigned intermittently, and Feng Bao who was autocratic in the inner court. Hai Rui looked down upon them all.

Once Hai Rui was reinstated, as a "righteous minister" appointed by Emperor Jiajing, anyone he impeached would be severely punished.

Zhang Juzheng shook his head at Shen Nian.

"Hai Gangfeng likes to use moral standards to deal with political affairs, and is too harsh on others. He must not be reinstated!"

Zhang Juzheng didn't want to be overwhelmed by the new policy when Hai Rui suddenly threw out a memorial that was no less aggressive than the "Memorial on Public Security", which denounced him as worthless.

He disliked officials like Hai Rui.

"Your Excellency, among all the officials in this court, few are more upright and honest than Hai Gangfeng; and few are better than Hai Gangfeng in punishing corruption and eliminating evil. Your Excellency is so apprehensive just hearing the name Hai Gangfeng, let alone those corrupt officials from Jin who are enriching themselves!"

"At present, the only person who can expose the collusion between Jin officials and merchants and solve it is Hai Gangfeng. New policies require new strategies. I implore the Lord to put aside your prejudice and appoint Hai Gangfeng!" Shen Nian said seriously.

Shen Nian always speaks and acts based on the facts rather than the people. When he disagrees with Zhang Juzheng, he will not obey him.

This is exactly what Zhang Juzheng admires about Shen Nian.

"Your Excellency, I second the motion!" Chen Zan suddenly said.

If Hai Rui were to be reinstated, he would surely be appointed to the Censorate. Chen Zan hoped that the Censorate would have such an upright and honest old minister.

"I second the proposal!" Lü Diaoyang, who had been silent the entire time, also spoke up. "Hai Gangfeng is the most suitable person for this matter. Once this matter is over, if he causes chaos in the court, we can assign him to another position with no more responsibilities."

Zhang Juzheng smiled helplessly.

It seems that Hai Rui is the only one available at the moment, and it seems more appropriate to let Hai Rui take charge of the investigation than for him to investigate it personally.

He said slowly, "We can give it a try. I will report to His Majesty later."

……

It was almost dusk and the weather was hot.

Inside Zhang Siwei's mansion.

He was lying on a deck chair in the house, flipping through a book.

A young woman fanned him, and two young women in lightly dressed massaged his shoulders and legs.

Zhang Siwei was in a very relaxed mood at this moment.

He had already written a letter to his family explaining everything, including what to say and what not to say, what to destroy and what to forge, and someone in the family would take care of it.

He didn't think the impeachment was a big deal.

Even if Zhang Juzheng went to investigate personally, he would not be found to be responsible.

Because the New Deal and the cabinet cannot do without him.

He was certain that within two days at most, the young emperor would issue a decree ordering him to return to the cabinet to work.

As for the impeachment, after a few months of investigation, it is likely that the big things will be reduced to small things, and the small things will be nothing.

There is a high probability that Yao Bin, the Censor of the Ministry of Personnel, will be sent out of town. Under his secret manipulation, the former will never have the opportunity to return to Beijing to serve as an official.

Just then, the Zhang family's housekeeper walked in quickly.

"Master, there's new news from the cabinet. Prime Minister Zhang plans to reinstate Hai Rui as Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate (Fourth Rank), to inspect the Shanxi Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office and collaborate with the Dali Temple and the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate the impeachment of Yao Bin, the Imperial Censor of the Ministry of Personnel."

"What? Hai Rui, how could it be him?"

Pfft!
When Zhang Siwei heard the name Hai Rui, he leaned off the chair and sat down on the ground.

Lean slightly.

Zhang Siwei paused, then stood up and said to the middle-aged housekeeper with a gloomy expression, "Hurry up and send another message home, saying that Hai Rui, the King of Hell, is passing away!"

He only needed to say that Hai Rui was going, and his family would know to take it seriously.

This is Hai Rui's influence.

……

At this moment, in the Sixth Department’s duty room.

When Yao Bin learned that Hai Rui was about to be reinstated and would serve as the chief judge of this investigation, he jumped up excitedly.

"I... I, Yao Bin... What have I done to deserve this? I... What have I done to deserve this? How could I be able to work on a case with the famous Hai Gangfeng?" Yao Bin muttered to himself, unable to contain his excitement.

……

Early the next morning.

The young Wanli issued a handwritten edict ordering Zhang Siwei to resume his original position and return to the cabinet to work.

It would take Hai Rui at least two months to travel from Qiongzhou to the capital, and then after further investigation, it would take at least half a year.

The imperial court naturally could not allow Zhang Siwei to stay at home forever.

In addition, although Hai Rui had not arrived, the Censorate, the Dali Temple and the Embroidered Uniform Guard had already begun to send relevant personnel to investigate the matter.

(End of this chapter)