My father is Jiajing

"Master, Master, they are all gone."

After Xu Fu sent Xu Fan and others quietly away from the Xu Mansion, he came quietly to report.

Xu Jie sighed: "It's good that they all left. It will be peaceful and quiet when they all leave!"

Xu Jie sat on the throne and looked up at the ceiling in the study, and asked another soul-searching question: "Xu Fu, do you think I did something wrong? In order to preserve the Xu family, I betrayed the position I had adhered to for many years."

Xu Fu whispered, "Master, I don't understand the affairs of the court. But I know one thing: if a tree is moved, it will die; if a person is moved, he will live. The lives of hundreds of people in the Xu family are all dependent on your thoughts."

Xu Jie laughed and sighed, "Yes, I have no choice."

In the following days, Xu Jie began his sophisticated political operations.

Instead of his previous passive attitude, he personally took charge of the matter of reopening the Maritime Customs.

Moreover, in public, Xu Jie, on the one hand, cautiously expressed his support for the limited lifting of the maritime ban, and on the other hand, he personally wrote letters to secretly appease the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River, promising that their interests would not be greatly harmed.

At the same time, he strictly ordered Xu Fan and others to stop their shady businesses immediately after returning to Songjiang, and convert part of the illegal income into "donations" to the court to show their repentance.

After this operation, Gao Gong and Hai Rui were both confused.

Neither of them knew what was going on and thought it was a trick of the Xu family.

After Zhang Juzheng took office as the Minister of Punishments in Nanjing, Gao Gong once again summoned Hai Rui, Zhang Juzheng and others to discuss countermeasures.

Gao Gong and Hai Rui both looked at Zhang Juzheng. They thought that Zhang Juzheng had just arrived in Nanjing and must have some information or instructions that they were not aware of.

Zhang Juzheng felt a little uncomfortable when the two of them looked at him like this.

Zhang Juzheng asked, "What do you mean, Lord?"

Gao Gong looked Zhang Juzheng in the eye seriously and asked, "Does the prince have any other wishes?"

Zhang Juzheng also wanted Zhu Zaigui to give him an imperial decree, but from the time he was appointed as the Minister of the Ministry of Justice in Nanjing to the time he left Beijing and then returned to Nanjing, Zhu Zaigui really had not given him any imperial decree.

Zhang Juzheng said, "Sir, I have not received any instructions from the prince."

Gao Gong was a little bit incredulous. He asked again: "What about the Xu family's case? They are making a lot of moves now. If we don't take any action, we may miss the opportunity."

Gao Gong was still determined to bring down Xu Jie and demonstrate his strength!
Zhang Juzheng looked at Gao Gong's expression, and then looked at Hai Rui who was standing beside him with an extremely serious expression.

He couldn't help but ask Hai Rui, "Gangfeng, what do you mean?"

After all, Hai Rui is different from Gao Gong. Although Hai Rui hates evil, he has a broad perspective and will not make quick decisions just for the sake of momentary pleasure.

Hai Rui said, "The situation is unclear right now. Although the Xu family has many flaws, they are still alive and well. If we can't kill them with one strike, both us and the prince will be in a passive position."

"So, what I mean is to tighten up step by step, and gradually monitor all the stakeholders around the Xu family. When there is sufficient evidence and the prince has issued a clear order for a strict investigation, we can act with lightning speed and uproot the Xu family and all its stakeholders!"

Hai Rui's words made Zhang Juzheng fall into deep thought. He had already broken off with Xu Jie, and there would never be a chance for them to reconcile in the future.

Therefore, during his discussions and conversations with Gao Gong and Hai Rui, his desire to overthrow Xu Jie was no less urgent than Gao Gong's.

Even a few points heavier!

Therefore, Zhang Juzheng's mood was naturally more profound than Gao Gong's. However, due to his personality, Zhang Juzheng did not like to do things that he was not sure of success.

So he was more inclined to Hai Rui's judgment.

Zhang Juzheng said, "Gangfeng is right, I think so too. The prince sent me to the Nanjing Ministry of Justice, there must be a deep meaning. Although the Nanjing Ministry of Justice is not as good as the Ministry of Justice in the capital, it also manages the criminal cases in Jiangnan and even the six southern provinces. Now that we can confirm that the Xu family is guilty, then we only need to start with the upright criminal cases and tighten the reins bit by bit, and we can completely tie them up, leaving no possibility of resistance."

Gao Gong listened to Zhang Juzheng's words and then looked at Hai Rui.

Although Zhang Juzheng said this, Gao Gong couldn't help but subconsciously think that this was what Zhu Zaigui meant, but Zhang Juzheng was not convenient to say it clearly.

Therefore, since it was Zhu Zaigui's intention, even if Gao Gong was anxious to overthrow Xu Jie at this moment, he had to learn to be patient and not act too hastily, lest people think that he was a person who was keen on party struggles and cruel and ruthless.

Gao Gong said: "Since Taiyue and Gangfeng both think so, let's do it."

Just as Gao Gong was about to end the conversation, Zhang Juzheng suddenly said, "Sir, I have one more thing to say."

Gao Gong stopped what he was doing and looked at Zhang Juzheng again, "Taiyue, please speak."

Zhang Juzheng said with a serious face: "The Xu family's problems are complicated because Jiangnan itself is complicated. The complexity of Jiangnan's problems is nothing more than the distribution of land wealth. Therefore, I think we should focus on measuring the land in Jiangnan. As long as we find out the land situation in Jiangnan and reorganize it into a fish scale book, then no matter what we do next, it will be easy!"

After Gao Gong and Hai Rui heard what Zhang Juzheng said, their eyes were all focused on Zhang Juzheng's face.

Measuring the land?

This is digging up the roots of the entire Jiangnan family, which is much more difficult than toppling Xu Jie!

So Gao Gong couldn't help but hesitate for a moment.

At this moment, a light appeared in Hai Rui's eyes. He felt a natural affinity for Zhang Juzheng's suggestion.

In Hai Rui's mind, the biggest problem facing the Ming Dynasty today is that due to excessive land annexation, the common people have almost no place to live.

If we can measure the land and find out what the land situation in the world is like, then the court in the future will naturally be able to separate and solve problems based on these new land conditions.

Hai Rui immediately said, "I think this is feasible, and the governor's office can do it on your behalf."

Gao Gong looked at Hai Rui and then at Zhang Juzheng. Although he felt a little conflicted, he quickly suppressed it.

Gao Gong said, "Okay, I accept this matter. You two can call Yan Maoqing and let him take the lead. The Ministry of Justice and Yingtian Governor's Office will be responsible for the specific implementation."

With just one sentence, Gao Gong pulled in Yan Maoqing, who was lying down and had been shot.

After all, in Gao Gong's eyes, Yan Maoqing was arranged by Zhu Zaigui to come to Nanjing to serve as their human shield.

It was not easy to involve him in the previous events, but the matter of land measurement itself was related to the Ministry of Households, so it was appropriate to involve Yan Maoqing at this time. He had no way to escape even if he wanted to!
At this moment, the iron triangle finally reached a consensus again, and their next performance will surely shock the Ming Dynasty!
On the capital's side, Xu Jie had already knelt and admitted defeat.

Zhu Zaigui naturally had to return the favor and give some face.

After all, what Zhu Zaigui wanted to do was not just to reopen the Maritime Customs Offices in Fujian and Zhejiang.

Zhu Zaigui wanted to open more Maritime Customs Offices and also set up a high-level administrative office to be fully responsible for the administrative affairs of each Maritime Customs Office, laying the foundation for the future "customs" system.

Therefore, after Xu Jie turned to support the Maritime Customs, Zhu Zaigui also tacitly cooperated with this drama.

A colleague also sent a clear document for Xu Jie to see, asking the East Factory to stop its secret investigation into the Xu family. The missing Xu An was "accidentally" found in the suburbs of Beijing. Although he could no longer speak, his life was not in danger.

When Xu Jie saw Xu An again, his heart was bleeding. He believed that his current passive situation was all caused by that damn eunuch Chen Hong.

If Chen Hong had not confused his eyes and disrupted his judgment, how could things have come to this?
But Chen Hong is more wronged than Dou E at this moment!
It was clearly something done by the Jinyiwei, so why was it blamed on him?
And now he is tied to Emperor Jiajing, staying in the Wanshou Palace in the Western Garden all the time, unable to leave for a moment.

As a result, all the affairs of the East Factory are now handled by Li Fang.

Several more days passed.

The discussion about opening the sea in the court was becoming more and more heated. Xu Jie, the chief minister of the cabinet, who was originally thought to be a passive resistance, was now gradually changing from an opponent to a moderate reformer.

This also made other bureaucrats in the court who opposed opening the sea feel deeply betrayed.

They all believed that Xu Jie was betraying their interests and their position.

What's more, some people even started to curse Xu Jie for becoming an old dog like Yan Song, who had no backbone and no responsibility, and only knew how to obey orders!

Xu Jie had no reaction at all to this.

And at this moment he finally understood the difficulties Yan Song was facing.

At the beginning, he thought that Yan Song relied on flattering Emperor Jiajing and trying to figure out the emperor's intentions to remain in the position of Prime Minister for more than a decade.

Now it seems that the reason why Yan Song was able to come to power was entirely because Emperor Jiajing was playing him, and in the end, not only did he bring Yan Song to the point of disgrace, but he also brought his family to the point of destruction.

Although he was now being raised by the court in the Qincheng Manor in Changping, who could understand the pain and sadness? Xu Jie thought of Yan Song now. At this moment, he seemed to see himself going to Qincheng to accompany Yan Song.

This moment is so familiar, and I can't help myself!

Moreover, it was all the root of the trouble that was planted by his son.
Whether it is bitter or poisonous, you must swallow it.
In mid-May, at a small high-level meeting in Wenhua Hall.

Xu Jie formally submitted a memorial requesting the opening of the Maritime Customs Office, systematically elaborating on his proposal for a limited opening of the maritime ban.

Xu Jie's memorial, as always, was elegantly written and well-reasoned. It took into account both national interests and practical feasibility, winning the approval of Zhu Zaigui and the approval of a number of people with no relevant interests.

And there is another party who has a close relationship with the ocean interests and they watched Xu Jie coldly, as if they were approving Xu Jie's betrayal with their eyes!
"This performance by Lord Xu deeply touched my heart."

Zhu Zaigui looked at Xu Jie with admiration, and that look was very similar to the way Emperor Jiajing looked at Yan Song when he was in a very good mood.

Xu Jie lowered his head and said, "These are all my sincere words. Although the Maritime Customs Office is small, it is of great importance. I dare not slack off in the slightest."

Zhu Zaigui nodded with satisfaction and said, "Lord Xu has put in a lot of effort. The issue of maritime ban must keep pace with the times. If we just follow the previous thinking and reopen the Fujian and Zhejiang Maritime Customs, it will seem that the court is too stingy."

"So I think that since we want to make it clear that the Maritime Customs Office plays a key role in the future court, we should not be as stingy as before. How about this, add a few more offices."

After saying this, Zhu Zaigui added a few place names on Xu Jie's memorial with a red pen.

They are: Tianjin, Shanghai, Wuchang and other places.

Tianjin is easy to understand, as it is today's Tianjin Wei. Shanghai is also easy to understand, as it is today's Shanghai County of Songjiang Prefecture. It is only a stone's throw away from Xu Jie's hometown of Huating. It is hard not to wonder whether Xu Jie had received some benefits and promises in advance, which made him betray the aristocratic family in the south of the Yangtze River.

But the place of Wuchang is unexpected.

First of all, Wuchang is an inland town and has nothing to do with the sea.

But why is there Wuchang?

Just when everyone was confused, Zhu Zaigui also explained.

Zhu Zaigui said: "Although Wuchang is located inland, it is on the bank of the Yangtze River, which connects to the sea, and can accommodate trade ships. Opening a Maritime Customs Office here is also a new attempt. Moreover, the responsibilities of the Maritime Customs Office are too single, which is not conducive to its subsequent development."

"Therefore, I have decided that from now on, the Maritime Customs Office will be listed separately from the Ministry of Revenue and will be under the jurisdiction of the newly established Customs Office. The specific taxation rules will be agreed upon by the cabinet and handed over to the Ministry of Revenue for implementation. This will form a dual management system to avoid excessive power, abuse of power for personal gain, and infringement of the interests of the court."

After Xu Jie heard Zhu Zaigui's words, he immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise!"

This sudden change also shocked Li Chunfang.

He looked at Xu Jie now and felt that Xu Jie was stealing the lines!

If Xu Jie wins the emperor's favor again, won't he have to wait until an eternity to ascend to the throne?

So at this moment, Li Chunfang's sense of crisis about Xu Jie rose to a new level!
However, Zhu Zaigui did not care about the competition and petty intrigues among his ministers.

After all, these people need to make progress, and if they want to make progress, they must do something.

Naturally, Zhu Zaigui was happy to see their actions and was happy to judge them.

Therefore, Li Chunfang's current competition with Xu Jie is also an act tacitly approved by Zhu Zaigui.

Zhu Zaigui said: "In this case, let's leave it at that. The Ministry of Personnel should remember to make a thorough assessment and see how the new government office in charge of the Maritime Customs should be set up in terms of grades and internal functional departments."

When Zhao Wenhua heard Zhu Zaigui's order, he immediately stepped out and bowed, "I obey your order!"

This was then explained at a high-level meeting at Wenhua Palace.

Xu Jie walked out of Wenhua Hall alone. He knew that his crisis was temporarily over, but the political game would never end.

He gained the safety of his family by supporting Kaihai, but it also planted a new hidden danger - the Jiangnan gentry group would not easily forgive his "betrayal".

After returning to the mansion, Xu Jie sat alone in the study and took out a secret letter he had just received.

The letter was sent from his hometown in Songjiang, reporting the progress of destroying evidence and transferring property. Looking at those shocking figures, Xu Jie couldn't help but smile bitterly - the wealth accumulated by the Xu family through smuggling over the years was far beyond his imagination.

"Master, Mr. Guo is here."

Xu Fu reported outside the door.

Xu Jie quickly burned the secret letter and straightened his clothes: "Please."

Guo Pu hurried in, his face solemn, "Prime Minister, something terrible has happened! I just received news that the gentry in Suzhou and Songjiang are planning to write a joint letter to oppose the opening of the sea. The leader is the Dong family of Huating, and their words are fierce, accusing you of betrayal."

Xu Jie's expression remained unchanged, but his heart was filled with turmoil. The Dong and Xu families had been intermarried for generations and were one of the core forces of the Jiangnan gentry.

Their rebellion meant that Xu Jie would face challenges from his roots in his hometown.

"I see."

Xu Jie said calmly, "Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Guo. I will take care of this matter myself."

When Guo Pu looked at Xu Jie now, he was actually very confused.

He also wanted to find Li Chunfang to stand on his side, but Li Chunfang looked down on him at all.

He also wanted to show goodwill to Hu Zongxian and Zhao Zhenji, but these two people seemed to want to keep their distance from him.

As a result, although Guo Pu entered the cabinet, he was as miserable as a lonely man.

Therefore, he could only grit his teeth and cling to Xu Jie's thigh again, and advance and retreat together with Xu Jie for a while to see how the situation turns out. If it really doesn't work out, he would learn from Yan Ne and resign and go home, which would be a wise move.

After seeing Guo Pu off, Xu Jie stood in front of the window again, looking at the willow branches swaying in the yard, but he did not feel a trace of warmth, but a biting chill rising in his heart.

Now, with the threat from Prince Yu in front and the opposition from the gentry behind, he seemed to be in a chess game with no winner.

"Dad, I'm back."

Xu Fan stood at the door without knowing when. "I heard that the Dong family took the lead in opposing us?"

Xu Jie was not surprised to see Xu Fan when he turned around. He knew that his son had no self-control and would not stay obediently in his hometown of Songjiang forever.

Xu Jie nodded: "It's expected. If we choose the imperial court, we will definitely offend the local people."

"What should we do now? We can't please either side."

Xu Fan was worried.

Xu Jie's eyes flashed with determination: "Since you have chosen Prince Yu, you can only go all the way. Pass on my words, prepare a detailed evidence of the Dong family's involvement in smuggling, and send it anonymously to the Censorate."

Xu Fan gasped: "Father! This... this will ruin the Dong family!"

“Politics is so cruel.”

Xu Jie said in a cold voice, "Either they die, or the Xu family will perish. Since Dong Qichang is ignorant of current affairs, don't blame me for being ruthless."

At this moment, Xu Jie seemed to have returned to his youth, when he would do anything to achieve his goals. In order to preserve the Xu family, he had already sacrificed his political stance; now, he had to sacrifice his former allies.

Outside the window, the willow branches are growing taller and taller.

Xu Jie's heart was growing colder and colder. He didn't want to do this, but now he had no choice!

He must present a token of his allegiance to make Prince Yu feel that he is still useful.

Otherwise, this little loyalty alone cannot bring back the Xu family's safety.

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Five thousand words, isn’t that cool?!

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