Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 338 I have nothing to talk about with this rebellious son! Men, drag him to the Japanese pirates' quarters!

"This..." Shen Shixing broke out in a cold sweat. "Your Excellency, have I grown so old that even my hearing has become so poor?"

Zhang Juzheng sighed and said, "This matter is absolutely true."

He was quite certain, but naturally he wouldn't mention why he was so certain.

After all, having spies in the palace is an open secret, something that can't be discussed openly.

Shen Shixing had a guess: "Could it be that Zhang Zhangwei is trying to avoid that Japanese woman?"

Zhang Juzheng shook his head: "Marrying a princess is a matter of great importance, and this kid must know that. The Japanese Empress is not arranging a marriage; she is merely taking him as her disciple. Why make such a fuss?"

Although Zhang Yunxiu was a bit unreliable, he wasn't so foolish as to do anything stupid.

Upon hearing this, Shen Shixing became somewhat puzzled.

"Then what exactly is it about?"

Marrying a princess might be considered an immense fortune for ordinary people, and although the status of a prince consort in the Ming Dynasty was not high, he was still considered to have a noble status.

However, for the Zhang family, Zhang Yunxiu becoming the imperial son-in-law was not a good thing, but rather a disaster.

This matter dates back to the Hongwu period. At the beginning of the founding of the country, Zhu Yuanzhang married his daughter to a noble family in order to win over the founding heroes.

However, she later felt that the powerful nobles were too strong, and marrying the princess to them would encourage the maternal relatives to seize power.

Then it was stipulated that princesses should choose husbands who were "only handsome commoners" and later it was further explicitly restricted that husbands "should not participate in the affairs of the Nine Ministers".

From then on, the sons-in-law of the emperor were almost never chosen from the families of meritorious officials, and their participation in court affairs was strictly prohibited.

However, Wu Jinghe, the imperial son-in-law during the Jiajing era, was imprisoned for ten years for "discussing state affairs," which shows the court's fear of the imperial son-in-law's status.

Now that Zhang Juzheng holds immense power and Zhang Yunxiu is in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Zhang family is incredibly powerful, even more so than Yan Song and his son in the past.

Given Zhang Yunxiu's special status, his sudden proposal to marry the princess suggests to outsiders that he has only two intentions.

Or perhaps Zhang Yunxiu grew tired of court affairs, completely abandoned his official career, and wanted to be carefree and live a leisurely life as a prince consort.

Otherwise, Zhang Yunxiu might have harbored ulterior motives and wanted to use the position of imperial son-in-law as a stepping stone to seize imperial power.

Neither of these plans is likely to lead to a good outcome.

Shen Shixing was somewhat tired. Before the New Year, there was a dispute between the Xishan and Jiangnan gentry, which had just been resolved perfectly, and now these other matters were coming one after another.

He sighed helplessly and said, "The court's future reforms will be sweeping and drastic, affecting everything. If this matter gets out, I'm afraid it will cause more disputes."

"Perhaps Your Majesty should offer some advice?"

From Zhang Juzheng's description, the emperor's attitude toward this request was ambiguous, seemingly implying that he was actually willing to grant it.

He gritted his teeth and said, "If all else fails, the Prefect should have a good talk with Zhang, the head guard. Perhaps he is just young and confused."

Driven to desperation by Shen Shixing, he even began to think that Zhang Yunxiu was a spendthrift who could get things done but also cause quite a bit of trouble.

“If he had listened to me, things wouldn’t have come to this,” Zhang Juzheng shook his head.

He was afraid that instead of "teaching a lesson," he would be the one being taught a lesson himself.

"As for His Majesty's side," Zhang Juzheng frowned deeply, "the Zhang family are ministers, and His Majesty is the ruler. If His Majesty intends to bestow a marriage, my going to advise him would be tantamount to disrespecting the imperial family."

But if His Majesty has no intention of bestowing a marriage, wouldn't going there be superfluous?

"This"

Shen Shixing also realized the difficulties involved.

Zhang Yunxiu helped them solve a big problem, but then brought them another big problem.

If he were an ordinary young master, or even one of Zhang Juzheng's other sons, it would be fine, but he just happened to be Zhang Yunxiu!
Xishan has now reached the point where it is too big to fail. All the expenses of the imperial court and the salaries of the officials need to be covered by Xishan.

Zhang Yunxiu brought this upon himself, and he's dragging the entire Ming Dynasty into turmoil!
Amidst his worries, Shen Shixing thought of another possibility and said in a low voice.

“The En family finds this matter absurd, but if we consider His Majesty’s perspective, is it only by marrying the princess that the Zhang family can put His Majesty’s mind at ease?”

There is some basis to his statement.

Compared to the Ming Dynasty court of the past two hundred years, the Ming Dynasty today is very different, and different periods have different ways of dealing with things.

Although Xishan was nominally a royal merchant, it was actually inseparable from Zhang Yunxiu's influence. If the emperor wanted to stabilize Xishan's development, he would definitely need to win over Zhang Yunxiu.

At this point, mere "classmate friendship" or "childhood friend" relationships were no longer enough to solve the problem. Only by strengthening ties with the founding nobles and using the strategy of winning them over could the situation in Xishan be stabilized.

Therefore, for the emperor, in a sense, winning over Zhang Yunxiu to become his son-in-law was actually a good option.

Shen Shixing added, "Perhaps Zhang Zhangwei is thinking the same thing."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Juzheng turned his head sharply, his body trembling slightly.

He then turned his head away and said with great certainty.

"Since ancient times, there has been a clear distinction between rulers and subjects. If he wants to achieve great things, he must not get involved with the royal family, otherwise there will be endless troubles!"

"But..." Shen Shixing still wanted to persuade him.

Zhang Juzheng gritted his teeth and said, "This matter must not be accomplished. That brat Zhang Shiyuan has ulterior motives, and I absolutely cannot agree to it!"

Nanjing.

On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, the Yingtian Governor's Office was already bustling with activity.

The bright red couplets and lanterns hanging high outside contrasted sharply with the occasional wailing and lamenting coming from inside the yamen.

Hai Rui, then serving as the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of Nanjing, slammed his gavel and glared angrily at the people below, shouting.

"You audacious Wang Jingmei, you once held the high-ranking position of Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices in Nanjing, yet you do not think of being loyal to the emperor and serving the country!"
He annexed land, wreaked havoc on people's livelihoods, indulged his servants, oppressed local people, disregarded the emperor's grace, and betrayed the people's expectations!
Your crimes are countless! Now that your crimes are crystal clear, you still dare to roar in court!

Wang Shimao was Wang Shizhen's younger brother. The entire Wang family had been confiscated, but the crimes committed by the Wang family in Jiangnan were not limited to Wang Shizhen alone.
The purpose of bringing Wang Shimao to Nanjing was twofold: firstly, to have him assist in the investigation and confiscation of various matters in Jiangnan; and secondly, to truly restore justice to the people of Jiangnan and resolve these cases.

But Wang Shimao was still unconvinced. He was disheveled, dressed in prison clothes, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Hai Ruxian! You are nothing but a country bumpkin from Qiongzhou. What right do you have to interrogate me? You are just a mere scholar who dares to sell your reputation for honesty!"

Hai Rui, with an air of neither servility nor arrogance, glanced coldly at the other party and spoke.

“You have long been stripped of your official position and all your titles and honors, and have been reduced to a commoner.”

Even if you don't cooperate today, all the ill-gotten gains from the Wang family will be added to the national treasury, and the confiscated land will be redistributed to the villagers.

Upon hearing this, Wang Shimao became agitated and glared angrily.

"Hai Ruxian! You are nothing but a stray dog ​​under Zhang Jiangling! You aid and abet evil, and countless people have lost everything in the futures market and families in the countryside because of the new policies, yet you have never spoken up for the people! What kind of honest official are you? What kind of upright minister are you!"

Hai Rui, however, ignored him completely, unwilling to waste words with him, and waved his hand at the yamen runner.

"Wang Jingmei is tired, drag him away!"

As Wang Shih-mao was being dragged away, he continued to laugh loudly.

"Hai Ruxian, you can't do anything to me. Do you dare to torture me? If you kill me, how will you explain it to the court? I will soon be able to cross over to Japan, where I can make a name for myself."

Hai Rui frowned deeply; he was clearly dissatisfied with the court's "leniency."

In a sense, however, sparing these people's lives was also a consideration for the overall situation in Jiangnan.

He waved his hand and spoke to the bailiffs on either side.

“Wang Jingmei is of noble status, let’s move him to prison.”

"Yes!" The constables were already dissatisfied, and their eyes were full of mockery when they looked at Wang Shimao.

Wang Shimao then launched into a tirade: "How dare Hai Ruxian be so harsh on scholars? Aren't you afraid of being scorned by the literati?"

Hai Rui sneered. If he were worried about public opinion in Shilin, he wouldn't be Hai Rui.

He then instructed the constables, "This man has long been stripped of his official rank and is no longer considered a citizen of our Great Ming. It is highly inappropriate to imprison him with other prisoners of our Great Ming."

A few days ago, they captured a group of Japanese pirates and imprisoned Wang Jingmei with them.

"As ordered!"

The yamen runners were beaming with joy. Those Japanese pirates were all vicious and cruel, and they were bored out of their minds in prison. If they saw this fair-skinned Wang Shimao, although he was a bit old, the Japanese pirates weren't picky eaters!
Wang Shimao's face froze instantly. He struggled desperately and roared.

"Hai Ruxian, you scoundrel! You beast!" "Hai Ruxian"

Before he could finish speaking, the constable slapped him across the face and said impatiently.

"Didn't you hear what the Magistrate said? Behave yourself!"

This slap silenced Wang Shimao, and he was dragged away like a dead dog.

Hai Rui's expression remained calm and composed. He shook his head slightly and returned to the main hall.

Before they even sat down, they heard a hearty laugh.

"Hahaha~ Hai Gangfeng, Hai Gangfeng~ I never thought you would be so frivolous. Wang Jingmei has been imprisoned by the Japanese pirates. There are guards on duty, so his life may not be in danger, but his harem is bound to be lost."

It's a pity that Wang Jingmei's good reputation, built up over half a lifetime, was about to be ruined in his old age.

Hai Rui glanced at Qi Jiguang in the corner, his face still serious.

"Lord Qi, you are overthinking it. I was just thinking of letting him get acquainted with the Japanese so that he could spread Confucian teachings to the court in the future."

These powerful aristocratic families have wreaked havoc in Jiangnan, harming countless people. This time, they've gotten off easy.

As he said this, Hai Rui gritted his teeth, and the anger in his eyes was impossible to hide.

As early as the Longqing era, when he was governing Jiangnan, he was fully aware of the crimes committed by the Jiangnan gentry.

Countless families were destroyed because of them, but for the sake of maintaining stability, they had no choice but to be given a way to survive.

Hai Rui wasn't so pedantic. He understood that sparing the lives of the Jiangnan gentry was to appease the rest of the Ming Dynasty's gentry and scholars, but should those innocent people be persecuted for nothing?

"This has always been the way of the world!"

Qi Jiguang shook his head and said.

"These scoundrels spout righteousness and morality, but in reality they are all scheming and despicable. They not only hoard goods for profit, but also plot to betray the country and collude with the enemy."

"You didn't see it! Their ships are drafted very deep, and the hold is filled with real gold and silver. Heaven knows how much of the people's wealth these people have plundered!"

Qi Jiguang was also filled with resentment! In order to train the Qi Family Army, he begged and pleaded with everyone for money, even at the cost of being labeled a corrupt official.

Turning around, they discovered that the homes of those civil officials and gentry who usually considered themselves to be of high moral character and even occasionally wore patched clothes were piled high with gold and silver!
If it weren't for his duties, Qi Jiguang would have loved to kill all those hypocritical noblemen on the spot.

He then chuckled and said.

"But things are different now. With Shi Yuan in charge of Xishan, the revival of our Great Ming Dynasty is just around the corner!"

Yin Zhengmao was also sitting to the side. He was dressed in plain clothes and had obviously just arrived at the yamen.

He smiled and stroked his beard as he spoke.

"This time, we also owe a great debt to Qi Shaobao. Otherwise, if those aristocratic families had fled overseas, who knows how much trouble it would have caused."

"Hey!" Qi Jiguang said with a smile. "We don't know what the trouble will bring, but we have plenty of money. The court says every year that the national treasury is empty, but now that we have the big fish of the Jiangnan gentry, we should no longer have to worry about money and food within five years!"

Hai Rui, still maintaining his rigid demeanor, shook his head and said...

"This matter still needs to be considered carefully. Jiangnan has been ravaged by powerful clans. If the court wants to become wealthy, Jiangnan must be taken seriously."

Qi Jiguang shook his head and said, "You scholars are not straightforward enough. You don't have so many tricks up your sleeves. If there is any suffering in Jiangnan, it is the great gentry families who suffer the most. Now, their homes are being confiscated, their clans are being exterminated, and some are being exiled."

This pristine white expanse is the perfect opportunity for you to give it your all.

Yin Zhengmao sighed and said, "This time we still need to plan carefully."

He was so exhausted from being the governor of Yingtian that he couldn't even rest until the end of the year. Fortunately, the greatest danger had passed.

Yin Zhengmao slowly said, "I heard that the 'promotion conference' held in Xishan a few days ago had a good effect. It seems that the Prime Minister intends to promote it to Jiangnan. I wonder when he will take action."

Hai Rui nodded in agreement, saying, "The Xishan sales promotion event benefits the people and is indeed a good policy."

Just as the group was discussing, only a quarter of an hour later, a constable rushed in to report.

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency, Wang Jingmei is causing trouble in prison again."

Hai Rui squinted and asked, "What is he after?"

The constable reported, "This man says he is willing to confess, but only asks to be transferred to a different cell."

Hai Rui, Qi Jiguang, and Yin Zhengmao looked at each other, their expressions strange.

Qi Jiguang was the first to lose his composure, clapping his hands and laughing as he spoke.

"Our Hai Qingtian is really skilled; he made this stubborn old man submit in just a quarter of an hour."

Hai Rui said calmly, "Give him paper and pen, and have him write down everything about the Wang family's assets. He also needs to describe in detail the situations of the Xu, Dong, Wang, and An families."

"We'll release him when he's written it all down clearly."

The seventh day of the first lunar month is "Human Festival". According to the customs of the Ming Dynasty, people eat "Seven Treasures Soup" and wear "Human Birth" to pray for a prosperous family.

All the children in the Zhang family, from the eldest brother Zhang Jingxiu to the fourth brother Zhang Jianxiu, were basically married and had children of their own.

However, Zhang Yunxiu was only fifteen years old, not yet of marriageable age.

However, it is clear that Zhang Yunxiu's marriage is of paramount importance to the Zhang family.

Madam Zhao, the matriarch of the Zhang family, had been searching for suitable candidates for Zhang Yunxiu for a long time. She was overwhelmed by the information on eligible women from various families, from officials in the capital to nobles.

However, the two people most crucial to this matter seemed somewhat distracted today.

"Mother." Zhang Juzheng bowed slightly, his brows furrowed deeply. "I have official duties to attend to, so I will take my leave now."

"Uncle? Uncle?"

Zhao kept calling out to Zhang Juzheng, but the latter seemed to be wary of something and hurriedly fled.

She looked puzzled and then turned to Zhang Yunxiu.

"Grandson, your father is too busy to think straight. Now that you have made a name for yourself, your marriage must not be taken lightly. Come and see the youngest daughter of Minister Zeng. I heard she is beautiful, virtuous and kind."

Grandmother Zhao came from afar from her hometown. Lately, besides arranging the Zhang family's New Year celebrations, she has been looking for a wife for Zhang Yunxiu.

Zhang Yunxiu obediently cupped his hands and said, "Grandmother, I am still young, so this marriage can be put on hold for now."

He couldn't very well tell Lady Zhao directly that he had already taken a liking to Princess Yongning, could he?

Who knows how much trouble that will cause?

Zhao frowned and said, "Marriage is a serious matter and should not be taken lightly!"

She then spoke gently.

"Come, come, this Li family is not bad either, although their background is a bit inferior."

But before she could finish speaking, Zhang Yunxiu clutched his stomach and said...

"Oh dear! Grandmother, your grandson is suddenly in unbearable abdominal pain and can't take it anymore. I need to go to the outhouse first."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Yunxiu clutched his stomach, bent over, and fled in panic.

Zhao was furious and repeatedly pounded the floor with her cane.

"This father and son are utterly absurd!"

Having finally managed to hide in the backyard, Zhang Yunzheng was thinking of going back to his room to have some peace and quiet when he ran into his fourth brother, Zhang Jianxiu, who had come to intercept him.

Zhang Jianxiu, with his agile movements, blocked Zhang Yunxiu's path and chuckled as he spoke.

"Boy! I knew you were faking it! How dare you even lie to your grandmother."

At that moment, Zhang Juzheng had just come out of the courtyard after walking around, and he was startled when he heard these words from afar.

Then, seeing Zhang Jianxiu dancing around in the distance, I couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.

But Zhang Jianxiu revealed a lewd expression on his face and said with a smile.

"Tell me, brother, are you really interested in that Japanese woman?"

Then Zhang Juzheng turned his gaze to Zhang Yunxiu.

(End of this chapter)