ebookland Chapter 507 Refuge
Chapter 507 Refuge
Now that the emperor had said so, no matter how tactless the people in the hall were, they would not continue the topic. The emperor was still grateful to his teacher, and besides, Zhang Juzheng had only been dead for four days and had not yet been buried.
Upon hearing this, Min Xi breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the subtle influence he and Yun Ji had on Wanli over the years had changed Wanli's attitude towards Zhang Juzheng.
The relationship between Wanli and Zhang Juzheng now cannot be said to be very harmonious, but at least he will no longer be silent and hate Zhang Juzheng as he did in history. He can still maintain basic rationality in looking at Zhang Juzheng.
This is enough. He will not start settling accounts with Zhang Juzheng before his body is cold.
Min Xi looked at Yun Ji, and the two of them looked at each other tacitly and nodded slightly.
Wanli stood up and said, "Okay, let's stop here today. I'm tired, so I'll adjourn the court!" Then he stood up and left.
All the officials in the hall also left one after another. Min Xi and Yun Ji were close to the door, but they did not leave immediately. Instead, they waited until everyone else left before they walked out of the hall.
"Seventh brother, do you think His Majesty will continue to settle accounts with Lord Zhang in the future?" Min Xi asked in a low voice after the two men landed behind the crowd.
Yun Ji shook his head: "I don't know, at least for the time being there will be no reckoning. But the court is not stable yet, everything is still unknown."
Min Xi couldn't help but sigh, "If you walk by the river often, you will get your feet wet. How many of the civil and military officials in this court can stand up to investigation? Not to mention Zhang Ge Lao, who has been in charge of the government for many years, and countless people have rushed to curry favor with him. Even if he can resist the temptation, the people around him can't. As long as there is an investigation, he will be exiled and his property will be confiscated. His former political enemies will definitely add insult to injury and won't give him a chance to turn things around."
"I've also heard that the Zhang family lives an extremely extravagant life, which is definitely not something that can be supported by the salary of the minister and the reward from Your Majesty. It really cannot stand up to scrutiny." Yun Ji also sighed.
"Lord Zhang devoted his entire life to the Ming Dynasty. Although he had some moral shortcomings, I don't want to see his property being confiscated after his death, and his entire family being exiled and sent to the Jiaofangsi. This will chill the hearts of all reformers, and will also affect the reform and even the direction of history. No matter what, we have to find a way to prevent the Zhang family from being confiscated." Min Xi knew that this matter should only be suppressed temporarily and would be brought up again in the future.
"Your Majesty is not a person who insists on doing things his own way. You should be able to dissuade him."
"I hope our Majesty is someone who can listen to advice." Even if the Zhang family will eventually be investigated, Min Xi hopes to be able to advise Wanli and minimize the losses of the Zhang family.
Because of Zhang Juzheng's matter, Min Xi's enthusiasm for work increased a lot. He, who originally didn't like socializing, also took the initiative to interact with his colleagues, inviting them to have tea and drinks at Yunxiang Restaurant, mainly to find out the attitudes and news of the censors of the Censorate towards Zhang Juzheng's matter.
The news that Min Xi heard from his colleagues made him feel not very optimistic, because the Zhang family had too many loopholes. As long as the emperor agreed to an investigation, the family would be doomed.
At the same time, rumors began to spread on the streets of the capital, talking about how amazing the wealth of the Zhang family was, how extravagant their life was, how domineering the people in the Zhang family were, etc. It was obvious that Zhang Juzheng's political enemies had begun to use public opinion to attack the Zhang family.
Min Xi had a hunch that things would not be so easy to deal with. The emperor did not agree to investigate the Zhang family now, but if public opinion got out of hand, he would eventually have to agree to the investigation, and there would be nowhere to escape.
Min Xi and Yun Ji discussed: "It seems that it is unlikely that the Zhang family will get out of this unscathed. Brother Qi, do you have any good ideas?"
Yun Ji said: "We can only cut off our tail to survive and minimize the losses."
Min Xi looked at him: "You mean, let them confess voluntarily?"
"Yes, it depends on whether the Zhang family is willing to give up. If they can retreat bravely at this critical moment, it may be a solution. But if they are asked to give up all their fame, wealth and fortune, they may not be willing to do so."
Min Xi frowned, "So far, the government is not stable, and Lord Pan's position as Prime Minister has not been determined. In the past few days, some people have spared no effort to impeach him. This shows that things have not been settled yet, and the danger still exists. I have to go to Zhang's house and talk to Madam Gao and the eldest son."
"I'll go with you. I know the second and third sons of Lord Zhang." Yun Ji said.
Min Xi did not refuse: "Okay."
Min Xi and Yun Ji chose an afternoon, skipped work, and went to visit Zhang's house. The Zhang family was in mourning, and Zhang Juzheng's sons who had passed the imperial examination and were serving as officials were also at home in mourning. So there was no possibility of not meeting anyone.
Zhang Juzheng's funeral was not over yet, and there were still guests at home. In addition, the Zhang family had many people and many relatives and friends, so the house was very lively. Min Xi and Yun Ji were not high-ranking officials, so their arrival did not attract much attention.
Min Xi had met Mrs. Gao several times. He handed over his business card and asked to meet Mrs. Gao. Although Mrs. Gao was surprised, she still received them.
"What brings you two here today?"
Min Xi bowed to Madam Gao and said, "I am here today because I have something important to discuss. It concerns the safety of your family. Please ask Madam to let the eldest son come to discuss it together."
Mrs. Gao was shocked when she heard this: "Is our family in danger? Someone, go and call the eldest, second, and third masters."
Zhang Juzheng had six sons, all of whom were very promising. The first three passed the imperial examinations and became Jinshi, with the third being the top scorer. The eldest son, Zhang Jingxiu, was the director of the Ministry of Rites. The second son, Zhang Sixiu, and the third son, Zhang Maoxiu, both worked in the Hanlin Academy. They were colleagues of Yun Ji and knew each other.
This is probably one of the reasons why Zhang Juzheng's political enemies were afraid of the Zhang family. If the Zhang family was allowed to develop, they would always live under the shadow of Zhang Juzheng.
When the three Zhang brothers heard that they were going to meet the guests, they went to the backyard, took off their mourning clothes, and then went to meet the guests.
Zhang Sixiu was very familiar with Yun Ji. Not only were they colleagues, they were also of the same year. Naturally, their relationship was closer than that of other colleagues in the Hanlin Academy. When he saw Yun Ji and Min Xi, he was very surprised: "Brother Minglang, why is it you?"