Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1009 Part One Part Two
After the death of Emperor Zhengde, because he had no children, Emperor Jiajing ascended the throne as the heir by descent from the younger branch of the family.

Compared with Emperor Zhengde, Emperor Jiajing was a master at playing power games. Not long after he became emperor, he started a dispute over the great ceremony in the capital. He eventually won the dispute and purged the officials in the court, thus seizing control of power.

But Emperor Jiajing did not have an easy time afterwards. He experienced several inexplicable life-and-death dangers. He was almost burned to death or strangled to death. He was so scared that he didn't even dare to live in the palace. He quickly sent people to renovate the Leopard House left by Emperor Zhengde, changed its name and moved there. After that, he lived in seclusion and rarely saw people, claiming to practice Taoism.

Even though he was hiding from people, Emperor Jiajing understood the many problems of the Ming Dynasty. But he would not be as reckless as Emperor Zhengde, and would not take the risk of going to Jiangnan himself, so Emperor Jiajing sent his eunuchs to do this for him, thereby alleviating this problem by intervening in the political affairs of the South.

But eunuchs are eunuchs after all. Although they are loyal to the emperor, they are different from officials. Because of their physical defects and status, they are inherently resisted by the officialdom, and the reputation of eunuchs among the people is not very good. Therefore, during the Jiajing period, not only did the long-term Japanese invasion break out in the south, but there were also several major cases that made Jiajing very anxious. Because of these reasons, the finances even went wrong. Emperor Jiajing was also scolded by Hai Rui at the time, and thus became synonymous with a tyrant.

After Jiajing came Longqing, who intended to change the situation by opening up. Unfortunately, although his policy of opening up was very effective, it also affected the interests of the southern groups. In the end, Emperor Longqing died inexplicably and was accused of being debauched.

Not to mention the Wanli Emperor who came after him. He was first deceived by his ministers into abolishing the results of Zhang Juzheng's reforms. By the time he realized it, it was too late to reverse the situation. After a period of struggle, Emperor Wanli found that he was completely powerless. He was so disheartened that he just lay down, thus starting his decades-long career as a stay-at-home who did not attend court.

Although he did not attend the court, Wanli knew the situation in the court very well. He deliberately weakened the influence of the ministers in the court by means of negligence, including the cabinet. He deliberately did not add cabinet elders when the cabinet was short of people. For many years, the cabinet was supported by only one chief minister. Didn't Emperor Wanli understand this? Of course not. He did it on purpose. His purpose was to weaken the influence of the civil service group through this means. Not only the cabinet, but also the six ministries and other departments were the same. There was a large area of ​​​​shortage of officials in the court, which made it easier for him to make trouble.

The Wanli Emperor imitated the Jiajing Emperor and constantly sent eunuchs to various parts of the country when there was a shortage of officials, as his eyes and ears and as a tool to fight for local power from civil officials, including taxation, mineral revenue, etc. This practice continued until the death of the Wanli Emperor. Even though the Wanli Emperor agreed to recall the eunuchs from various places under pressure before his death, in fact, it was just a show. The eunuchs sent abroad were still the same, and they were used to fool the ministers.

Tianqi used Wei Zhongxian to strongly suppress the civil service group headed by the Donglin Party, and implemented a policy of strong repression in the southern region. Wei Zhongxian's knife was indeed easy to use. Under the instruction of Emperor Tianqi, the situation in the south, including the entire political state of the Ming Dynasty, was greatly improved. The civil service group was suppressed and suffered terribly. The eunuch party represented by Wei Zhongxian was actually the emperor party of Tianqi. With the rise of this force, Emperor Tianqi has gradually taken back the imperial power of the Ming Dynasty, including military power. Unfortunately, Emperor Tianqi did not escape the same fate as Emperor Zhengde, and ended his life in a very similar process. After Emperor Tianqi died, Emperor Chongzhen came to power. This emperor, who can be said to be the most arrogant and incompetent emperor since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, took the throne. In just a few years, he made the entire Ming Dynasty miserable and almost destroyed it.

Hong Chengchou was well-read in poetry and history. He was an extremely intelligent man and a very talented and capable minister.

Hong Chengchou was fully aware of the above situations, and he had noticed some clues from the outbreak of the Jiangnan case before. Although he met Zhu Shenzhui for the first time today, as a frontier official, Hong Chengchou already had some understanding of what kind of person this master was.

Zhu Shenzhu's great talent and strategy are not comparable to that of Emperor Chongzhen, and it is well known how Zhu Shenzhu ascended to the throne. Just like Zhu Di in the past, he entered the capital under the banner of clearing the court and pacifying the national crisis, and eventually took control of the world.

How could such a powerful emperor who also held military power be compared to other emperors? Moreover, Zhu Shenzhui had already started planning before he became emperor. He first adjusted the court through the imperial examination, then expanded foreign trade, established the Shandong Navy, launched the Liaodong Crossing Sea War, and cleaned up the Jiangnan officialdom including local gentry through the outbreak of the Jiangnan Case. These actions all had profound meanings.

Moreover, Hong Chengchou also knew that more than half a year ago, the Ming Dynasty had sent an envoy to Europe to prepare to establish diplomatic relations with the West and European countries. In this way, many of the emperor's intentions were simple and clear. Hong Chengchou saw this clearly. He understood in his heart that weakening Nanjing's influence and strengthening control over the south were inevitable results. After he, as the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang, went to Fujian and Zhejiang, he would assist the emperor in handling this matter as the Governor-General.

However, Hong Chengchou still had a question, that is, why did Zhu Shenzhui set up the Governor's Office of Fujian and Zhejiang in Fuzhou instead of Hangzhou? Logically speaking, Hangzhou is more suitable for the establishment of the Governor's Office. You know, there is heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below. Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang and the most prosperous area in Jiangnan. If Zhejiang wants to better break away from the influence of Nanjing, wouldn't it be more appropriate to set up the Governor's Office in Hangzhou? But why was it set up in Fuzhou?
Thinking of this, a thought suddenly flashed through Hong Chengchou's mind, making him suddenly wake up. He subconsciously stood up and paced back and forth in the room, looking extremely solemn. "Could it be because of... Zheng Zhilong?"

Hong Chengchou whispered. He was not unfamiliar with Zheng Zhilong. As a fellow Fujianese, Zheng Zhilong was very famous in Fujian. He was even more famous when he traveled around the world. The Zheng family's warships almost controlled the entire South China Sea region, making him a well-deserved maritime overlord.

Later, although Zheng Zhilong was recruited and transformed from a pirate into an official of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court treated Zheng Zhilong very favorably. Not only did he allow him to retain the navy and army that originally belonged to the Zheng Group, but he also gave him a considerable military rank, military position, and even a title.

It can be said that Zheng Zhilong is now an important figure in the Ming military. In terms of his military rank, there are only a few people who can compare with him. Apart from Zheng Zhilong, these five people are Wang Jinwu, Zhou Anmin, Hei Yunlong, Wu Xiang, and Qin Liangyu.

Two of these five people are not only Zhu Shenzhui's team, but also royal relatives. As for Hei Yunlong, he had joined Zhu Shenzhui early on and could be regarded as the emperor's trusted general. Although Qin Liangyu was famous, she was just a woman after all, and this identity was given to her more for political reasons.

Wu Xiang was an exception. He was a representative of the Liao army, and now Wu Xiang was serving in the capital and was in charge of the newly established General Council. From this point of view, it was a preferential treatment for the emperor to appease the Liao army and promote Wu Xiang in name only. In addition, Wu Sangui and Zu Dashou still controlled the Liao army, and Wu Xiang was also half a hostage in the capital. This was a tacit understanding between the emperor and the Liao army, and it was also an agreement reached by both parties.

On the contrary, Zheng Zhilong is completely different from the others. First, Zheng Zhilong's background is different. Second, Zheng Zhilong has military power. Third, he is powerful at sea. From these aspects, Zheng Zhilong is the most difficult to control among these people. Although the court gave him enough treatment and status, Zheng Zhilong is still like a local emperor in Fujian and is not completely controlled by the court.

Moreover, as the Governor-General of Huguang, Hong Chengchou had previously cooperated with the Jinyiwei department to infiltrate Fujian. Although he was not clear about the exact deployment of the Jinyiwei in Fujian at the beginning, Hong Chengchou suddenly realized from today's events that Zhu Shenzhui asked him to be the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang in order to prepare to take action against Zheng Zhilong.

Although Zhu Shenzui had not told him this directly, Hong Chengchou felt that he should not be wrong. Besides, Zheng Zhilong's brother, Zheng Hongkui, who controlled the Shandong Navy, was not in the Ming Dynasty now. He had gone to Europe as a deputy envoy to the West. In addition, regarding Xiong Wencan's previous report on the affairs of Xiaoliuqiu, the court had issued an order for Zheng Zhilong to deal with the Dutch occupying Xiaoliuqiu as soon as possible. However, a year later, Zheng Zhilong was simply hypocritical, with much ado about nothing. As a result, Xiaoliuqiu is still in the hands of the Dutch. Judging from these circumstances, Hong Chengchou's judgment was more firm.

"Zheng Zhilong..." As he muttered this name, Hong Chengchou's eyes gradually lit up. If Zhu Shenzhu asked him to go to Fujian and Zhejiang to serve as the governor not only because of Nanjing, but also because of Zheng Zhilong, this would be completely different. Being able to hand over such an important task to him, doesn't it mean that the emperor trusts him? And recognizes his ability?

Hong Chengchou was an ambitious man. As a civil official, being the Prime Minister and even leaving his name in history was the highest honor. Moreover, Hong Chengchou always believed that his ability was second to none in the Ming Dynasty. If he had not been in the local area instead of the capital in his early years, how could he be just a governor with his talent?
Entering the cabinet and becoming the chief minister, Hong Chengchou had absolute confidence in becoming a person who was second only to the emperor, and he had been working towards this goal over the years. During the Huguang period, he was able to manage the entire Huguang in an orderly manner, and to such an extent, wasn't it just to let the emperor see his talent?
Although the emperor did not let him stay in Beijing, but sent him to Fujian and Zhejiang, it was not because the emperor did not value him. On the contrary, the emperor valued him very much and was even more impressed by his ability. He believed that only Hong Chengchou could handle the affairs of Fujian and Zhejiang, so he entrusted him with an important task. Isn't this an opportunity for me?

Thinking of this, Hong Chengchou's heart surged, and he couldn't help laughing. Opportunities and risks coexist, and the greater the risk, the greater the reward. It is true that Zheng Zhilong is powerful, and it is also true that his power in Fujian is intertwined, but Hong Chengchou is not like others. Hong Chengchou is quite confident that Zheng Zhilong is not his opponent at all. When he arrives in Fujian, he must meet this "sea overlord" and let him know who has the final say in the Ming Dynasty, so as to use this as a stepping stone to achieve his career goals.

(End of this chapter)