Chapter 1620: Reconciliation and Compromise

Seeing that Mr. Zhang had fallen into a coma again, Eunuch Feng sighed helplessly, looked at him deeply again, then shook his head and walked out.

Zhao Hao escorted Eunuch Feng out. Seeing that he had something to say, he waved his hand and asked the secretary and guards to leave.

"How did it become like this?" Eunuch Feng put his hands in his sleeves, feeling so worried that he wanted to squat down.

"My father-in-law is under too much pressure." Zhao Hao sighed, "Now he is being criticized by thousands of people and is trapped both internally and externally. I am really worried that he can't hold on."

"What should we do if we can't hold on? The Empress Dowager can't do without him, the Emperor can't do without him, the court can't do without him, and our family can't do without him." Feng Bao said anxiously.

"My father-in-law's experience yesterday, my father-in-law already knows." Zhao Hao's eyes were filled with tears, and he used his hand as a knife to cut his neck and said, "As the Prime Minister, he was forced to kneel down before his subordinates and let them kill him. This kind of scene has never been seen in history books!"

"Alas..." Eunuch Feng finally squatted down in worry. Thinking of what his uncle said in his ear, he finally softened his heart and said, "Then tell me, what should we do?"

"I thought about it all night last night. Do you think this will work?" Zhao Hao also squatted beside him and began to plan in a low voice.

"Returning home for the funeral does not mean mourning, and stopping salary does not mean resignation." Eunuch Feng is indeed a cultured person, and he quickly extracted the main idea. After saying this, he frowned and said, "Isn't that what Xiong Dunpu meant?"

"Yes, returning home for the funeral does not mean mourning. It is just a long vacation for my father-in-law, so that he can return home to bury his father and fulfill his filial duty. But he does not have to be restricted to 27 months. If there is something wrong in the court, he can be recalled immediately." Zhao Hao nodded and said, "Suspension of salary is a mourning attitude. Not resigning prevents someone from taking advantage of the opportunity to seize power, so that he will not be inferior to others in the cabinet when he returns to Beijing in the future."

"That makes sense, but if that's the case, who will govern the country?" Feng Bao has been busy using one-on-one tactics against the emperor in recent years and has become afraid of state affairs.

"This is easy. Before father-in-law leaves Beijing, nominate a few young, obedient, loyal and honest people to work in the cabinet." Zhao Hao said, "Father-in-law should also spend more time to ensure that they follow the rules and regulations. If there is a major event, use an 800-mile express to ask father-in-law for instructions, or you can use a carrier pigeon, which is faster and will not delay things. If the matter is even more serious, it will be a good opportunity to recall him in advance!"

"Well, it's all right." Feng Bao nodded, feeling much more relaxed, and said, "I should be able to rest assured about state affairs now."

Then she worriedly said, "But what about the Queen Mother and the Emperor? Oh, you know. The Emperor and his mother have been too dependent on me these years. They can't leave me alone for even a moment."

After a pause, he continued, "The emperor is fine. He is still a child and has a playful nature. But his temper is like his grandfather's, and he cannot tolerate disobedience. Those ministers openly ignored his orders and repeatedly spoke rudely, so the emperor got into a fight with them."

Zhao Hao nodded. Feng Bao's words were very insightful. The main obstacle now was the Queen Mother. As long as the Queen Mother was turned around, the Emperor would not have much of a problem. After all, the Emperor had not yet taken power, and the Queen was the one who had the final say.

But he didn't believe that the Queen Mother would not panic if the temple was burned down? Zhang Xianggong had already bled heavily, what use was he to the Queen Mother? The strong and vigorous Zhang Xianggong was the Queen Mother's pillar, backbone and spiritual mentor. Such a smart woman, how could she not understand that draining the pond to catch fish, killing the chicken to get the eggs, and burning the forest to hunt were all undesirable?

"Let's not talk about the palace for now. Can the civil officials agree to this plan? Don't let anything else happen." Eunuch Feng said worriedly, "We actually know that they are making trouble this time. On the surface, they are against the seizure of love, but in fact, they are against Zhang Xianggong's new policy. As long as the performance evaluation law is not implemented, or the land survey continues, I'm afraid they will continue to make trouble."

"Yes, that's right." Zhao Hao nodded and said, "These two things are also my father-in-law's bottom line. He will stick to them to the end even if it costs him his life."

"Who said it wasn't true?" Eunuch Feng sighed, "We can only help him to the end."

"But these two things are not the same in the eyes of civil servants." Zhao Hao picked up two small stones from the ground and placed them in his palms. "The performance evaluation system has been implemented for five years. Although everyone complains, they have long been accustomed to it. It's okay to stick to it."

"Yes, it's been five years..." Eunuch Feng nodded.

"So the only problem left is to survey the land." Zhao Hao threw a stone and said, "How many years has this been going on?"

"It hasn't really started yet." Feng Bao said, "It was only a few years ago when Hai Gangfeng completed it in the ten prefectures of Yingtian, and the results were very good, so my uncle decided to promote it nationwide after the autumn harvest this year. If the old Lord Feng hadn't passed away, it would have already started nationwide."

"In other words, because my father-in-law is away for the time being, the people below don't want to start such a national policy?" Zhao Hao asked back.

"Of course. The land survey is a magic mirror. If it is really implemented with the performance evaluation system, no one can escape." Feng Bao said with a smile: "In fact, this time, it is precisely this kind of thing that is causing trouble."

"By the way, has Yueyang found out anything?" Zhao Hao asked in a low voice.

Feng Bao shook his head slowly and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Everyone who was on the boat that day, including the Jinyiwei who protected the old Lord, was arrested and tortured. Many of them were skinned, but no one confessed."

"That's right. If you confess, your entire family will be exterminated." Zhao Hao stared at the stone in his hand and said, "So we should be more cautious about this matter, otherwise there will be more trouble."

"Then do you have a way to take care of both ends?"

"We must resolutely carry out the land survey, but we just need to extend the battle line a little bit, for example, to complete it within three to five years." Zhao Hao sighed and said, "Let's get through this hurdle first..."

"This is the only way." Feng Bao nodded. Although trying to smooth things over was not a good idea, it was the only solution that both parties could accept at the moment.

The two discussed for a long time, and Feng Bao left Dashamao Hutong around noon.

~~

After Zhao Hao sent him away, he returned to the bedroom and continued to take care of his father-in-law.

But Zhang Juzheng woke up again and asked him softly why he had been gone for so long.

While Zhao Hao was wiping him, he replied, "My father-in-law told Eunuch Feng that he wanted to go home. Eunuch Feng couldn't bear it, so he discussed with me whether we could think of a win-win solution that would help my father-in-law get out of this situation without affecting his control over the reform."

As he said this, he reported to his father-in-law the method he had discussed with Feng Bao truthfully.

Zhang Juzheng listened quietly. When he heard Zhao Hao talk about 'returning home for the funeral without mourning, and stopping salary without resigning' and 'selecting puppets to join the cabinet and remotely controlling by carrier pigeons', his eyes lit up. This way he really wouldn't have to worry about losing power.

"But can those people agree?" Zhang Juzheng asked weakly. To be honest, he was shocked by the officials' unanimous plea for the five beasts.

Is it really just because he didn't want to bring disgrace upon the civilized world? Then why didn't anyone plead for Liu Tai when he was to be beaten with a stick in the court last year? Zhang Juzheng had to give himself a way out and spare the beast from the beating.

So in Zhang Xianggong's view, this year this group of people rushed forward, just like Xiang Zhuang dancing with a sword to attack Pei Gong. Asking for mercy for the five people was just a cover, the real purpose was to oppose his seizure of love and to oppose the land survey!

He knew very well that the officials would be very uncomfortable with the land measurement. But since no one dared to oppose it, he would just assume that no one opposed it. He would do it for the benefit of the country, regardless of life or death!

But now everyone is almost at loggerheads, can the officials accept such an arrangement?

"It shouldn't be a big problem. First of all, my father-in-law's illness is not entirely a bad thing. At least public opinion no longer overwhelmingly believes that my father-in-law is the mastermind of this incident. I heard that many officials went to the palace gate today to petition the emperor and the queen mother." Zhao Hao replied softly:

"If my father-in-law could extend the deadline for land survey, I believe they would compromise."

"..." Zhang Juzheng was silent for a long time. Zhao Hao thought he had fallen asleep again, then he heard Zhang Xianggong say faintly: "Three years..."

"Okay, then I'll ask my father and Shen Zhuangyuan to spread the word. I hope they won't be so ignorant again." Zhao Hao nodded and breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew that Prime Minister Zhang would agree to extend the deadline for surveying the land to three years.

Because in another time and space, this major event related to the national economy and people's livelihood has caused huge resistance since it was proposed in the fifth year of Wanli. In the whole love-stealing incident, the officials and the ruling party were actually wrestling over this matter.

The land survey was originally scheduled to begin in October of the fifth year of the Wanli reign, but it was not carried out until the sixth year of the Wanli reign, after Zhang Juzheng returned to Beijing for burial. Moreover, the time limit was extended to three years.

Zhang Juzheng also specifically instructed the provincial governors in charge of this matter, "The land survey is a rare event in a century. It is best to complete it while I am in office. However, if it is done hastily, it will inevitably become a mere formality. To make a long-term plan for the people, we must carefully examine it in detail and not rush it. This matter should only be considered whether it is appropriate, not whether it will be slow or not."

On the one hand, he indicated that he wanted the matter to be accomplished while he was in office, and on the other hand, he asked the person in charge to pay attention to the method and not to be impatient. In fact, he was worried that a big incident might arise.

By the ninth year of the Wanli reign, the three-year deadline was about to expire, and as usual, the Imperial Censorate could conduct a thorough investigation and impeach people by name; but Zhang Juzheng still ordered the provinces to handle the matter with caution, and for the first time, ordered the six departments to postpone the impeachment.

Is Mr. Zhang slapping himself in the face? Has he lost confidence in surveying the land?

No, the regent with all the power in the world paid so much attention to the working method, which showed that he hoped to complete this 100-year plan during his reign. He would rather break the rules than to push too hard and cause the subordinates to "scramble the work", making the land survey a mere formality and losing its meaning.

Mencius said, "A benevolent government must begin with the measurement of land boundaries." This means that before the land is measured, the people's burden is not fair, which is the greatest injustice. Zhang Xianggong wanted to reduce the burden on ordinary people and let the big landlords assume their obligations to the country, so as to resolve the crisis of the empire.

It should be so. It should be so.

However, Mr. Zhang's efforts still failed...

It is simply unrealistic to rely on officials who are themselves landlords to carry out land surveys.

ps. Post first and revise later...

(End of this chapter)