Episode 6
Gao Hanwen, editor of the Hanlin Academy, was a disciple of Yan Shifan. His talent and knowledge allowed him to occupy a place in the court.However, his influence was not limited to the imperial court. His decisions and actions had a profound impact on the lives of people in Zhejiang.
Zhejiang's policy of converting rice from rice to mulberry has led to serious disasters and people are living in dire straits.Faced with this severe situation, Gao Hanwen put forward a proposal to solve the dilemma by using both reform and relief, aiming to resolve the contradiction between the disaster situation and reform policies.This suggestion was appreciated by Yan Shifan and his party, and he was appointed as the prefect of Hangzhou, responsible for implementing this policy.
However, the implementation of the policy was not smooth.After Zheng Michang, the governor of Zhejiang, took over, the power of the strict party spread throughout Zhejiang, and the implementation of policies was seriously hindered.The imperial court was unable to provide enough food for disaster relief, so Xu Jie, Gao Gong and others could only ask for help from Hu Zongxian of Jiangsu through official documents.
Hu Zongxian had high hopes for Gao Hanwen.On his way to Jiangsu to borrow grain, he specially greeted Gao Hanwen, the new prefect of Hangzhou, at the inn, and explained to him in detail the disaster situation in Zhejiang and the reality that powerful powers took the opportunity to annex land.He hoped that Gao Hanwen could curb the powerful behavior and make decisions for the people.
Hu Zongxian himself borrowed food for Zhejiang despite his illness and provided support for Gao Hanwen.After learning about the critical situation in Zhejiang, Gao Hanwen felt deeply responsible.He and Hu Zongxian worked together to deal with the disaster in Zhejiang and the pressure of the strict party.
At the same time, King Yu, Xu Jie, Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng and others were also discussing countermeasures.They decided to send two good officials to serve as magistrates of Chun'an and Jiande counties respectively to compete with the strict party.Tan Lun recommended Hai Rui, who was then the magistrate of Nanping County, Fujian Province, to be the magistrate of Chun'an County.In order for Hai Rui to accept the appointment, Zhang Juzheng even wrote an article himself, asking him to be filial and loyal in Tan Lun's name.
After hearing about the suffering of the people in Zhejiang, Hai Rui decided to put aside his personal filial piety and generously went to Zhejiang to take up his post.He persuaded the strong-minded Haimu Xie and embarked on the road to Zhejiang with deep concern for the people of Zhejiang.
