prosperous age

Chapter 165 Chapter 164
When Wei Guangde woke up, it was already the first day of the Lunar New Year.

After eating the glutinous rice balls sent by the guild hall, Wei Guangde was thinking about going out with his classmates to see how the New Year's Day in the north is going to be.

Going out, Wei Guangde took Zhang Ji and walked forward. When he arrived at the lobby, he saw many Jiujiang Juzi discussing which temple fair to go to later.

Wei Guangde naturally also joined in, but he definitely has no right to say which temple fair in Beijing is better, so naturally he can only watch them argue.

Not long after, the Beijing City God Temple fair was decided.

"Zhang Ji, call Li Santao, let's go to the Town God's Temple to have a look."

Some time ago, Li San wandered around Beijing in his free time, basically getting acquainted with the city of Beijing.

When Zhang Ji heard the young master's order, he immediately agreed and walked back.

There are many students in the guild hall, and they all choose not to read books today, but to go to the temple fair. There are more than 20 people in Wei Guangde's carriage, which is definitely not enough for them.

Fortunately, the waiter in the guild hall quickly went outside to find a few carriages, and the group set off in a mighty manner.

Along the way, Wei Guangde asked how Beijing celebrated the Spring Festival.

"Aoshan Lantern Festival, Lantern Festival is here, I will take you there to open your eyes."

Zhu Shilong laughed.

"The Aoshan Lantern Festival is really beautiful, and there are fireworks, which cannot be seen in other places."

Xia Kefan, who was also in the same car, also said, "Also, I don't know if Guangde likes to go to theatres. There are all kinds of plays here in Beijing, and they are also a good pastime."

"It's fine to watch a play, if you don't know how to get things."

Wei Guangde shook his head, "You can go and see the Lantern Festival."

In fact, there are many things to see in Beijing, but there is a song and dance performance of the Ming Dynasty that Wei Guangde loves to watch, and Wei Guangde will never go there before the exam.

Without him, I was afraid, afraid of bumping into the future examiner.

Wei Guangde doesn't believe that those officials don't enter brothels. Low-level officials have no money to enter brothels, and high-level officials are hard to say.

At this time, on the streets of Beijing city, the number of exam candidates wearing round collar student uniforms was increasing explosively. Wei Guangde looked at the many scholars outside the car and felt the severity of this exam.

When he arrived at the place, Wei Guangde was dumbfounded by the crowds of people.

Vendors gather at the temple fair, and there are all kinds of things people use every day.

A large group of people got out of the car and walked forward along the flow of people. Famous and special products from all over the country were lined up on both sides of the market, such as Su embroidery, Shu brocade, silk silk, ink and rice paper and other goods.

In some of the better shops, there are even displays such as the Yi Ding of Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the Yi mirror of Zhuo Han, calligraphy and painting of Tang and Song Dynasties, famous kiln porcelain, jewelry, ivory, jade, coral trees, etc., which are full of shelves and are full of beautiful things.

Wei Guangde didn't plan to buy anything in the capital. Although these products were eye-catching, he didn't plan to buy anything, just to join in the fun.

In the car, I heard Zhu Shilong talk about the Aoshan Lantern Festival. To be honest, Wei Guangde was more interested in that.

In later generations, Wei Guangde also saw the Lantern Festival, and more than once.

When it was the fifteenth day, Wei Guangde planned to go and have a look and compare the difference between the Lantern Festival of the Ming Dynasty and the later generations.

And to the north of them, in that majestic imperial city, the first court meeting in the 35th year of Jiajing has already begun.

The first day of the first lunar month is the Great Court Meeting. At this moment, the sound of early drums on the palace wall, the civil and military ministers who had already stood outside the left and right gates in order, waited to hear the drums and bells, and then entered from the left and right gates, crossed the Jinshui Bridge, and entered the palace. Fengtian Gate stands on the east and west sides under Dan Chi.

At Danchi, Yudao, Jinshui Bridge, both sides of the square outside Fengtianmen, Yemen, etc., there are 120 generals of the Han Dynasty, two from a thousand households, four from a hundred households, and five hundred school lieutenants guarding at noon. Inside and outside the gate, one is a guard, and the other is sounding whips and holding guards of honor.

Because it was the Zhengdan Grand Court Meeting, not only the civil and military officials in the capital gathered, but the imperial city guards were also lined up on both sides with brand-new guards of honor.

The big Han generals wore bright armors of various colors, while the Jinyiwei school captains all wore goose caps and bright blue cotton armors, with embroidered spring knives on their waists.

The Beijing officials above the fourth grade continued to move forward and entered the Fengtian Hall.

Inside the Fengtian Hall, under the throne, the guards in brocade clothes closest to the Emperor Jiajing were dressed in flying fish suits, waiting to be dispatched.

After entering the hall, the ministers still stood on the left and right sides of the hall, waiting for the arrival of Emperor Jiajing.

With the sound of "Playing the Song of Sheng'an", Emperor Jiajing slowly walked into the Fengtian Hall, stepped onto the stage and sat on the throne.

The officials of the Ministry of Rituals followed the procedure of the Zhengdan Grand Court Meeting step by step. After singing "Hundred Officials' Congratulations", the ministers of civil and military affairs all bowed three times and kowtowed to Emperor Jiajing. At this time, the musicians also began to play "Zou Long live music towards the son of heaven".

Emperor Jiajing sat on the throne, looking down at his ministers, maybe at this moment, he still felt very bored.

This kind of event is held every year. He has gone from anticipation to excitement at the beginning, and now it feels normal. Even, perhaps in his heart, it is more meaningful to sit here than to go back to Xiyuan to pray.

In the next few days, Wei Guangde and many of his disciples had no intention of reading, the market was too lively.

As time came to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, after dinner early in the afternoon, everyone boarded the carriage and rushed to the Meridian Gate to watch the Aoshan Lantern Festival.

Since the Lantern Festival in the seventh year of Yongle, this grand lantern festival has been opened with a high profile - "Listen to the subjects going to the Meridian Gate to watch Aoshan Mountain for three days". .

When the fireworks are set off, there is even the beautiful music of the bell and drum division, and the ladies in the palace dance lightly. It is simply a wonderful audio-visual enjoyment, which can be called the "Spring Festival Gala" of the Ming Dynasty.

In the capital at this time, Wei Guangde would never miss such an audio-visual feast.

Well, the ancient song and dance performances, from the costumes to the dancing postures of the dancers, are a kind of strong attraction to Wei Guangde, which is completely different from what he has seen in later generations.

I used to look at Jiangxi, now I look at Beijing, and compare each other to see which is the best.

In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di created the Aoshan Lantern Festival, which cost tens of thousands of taels each time. Now, during the Jiajing period, the cost of a lantern festival has skyrocketed to tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Although he was obsessed with fasting and praying, it is said that Emperor Jiajing still liked watching lanterns and setting off fireworks. Therefore, during the Jiajing Dynasty, the number of fires in the palace far exceeded that of the past.

The emperor likes it, no matter whether it is the inner prison or the outer court, it is natural to pay special attention to it, usually starting from December of the previous year to prepare, stacking various uniquely designed "exotic flowers" and "artillery guns" layer by layer, Usually thirteen stories are piled up several feet high, which looks grand and magnificent.

As the sky darkened, Wei Guangde and the others also arrived nearby, got out of the carriage, and followed the crowded crowd to the Meridian Gate. At this time, the place was already brightly lit and extremely lively.

Countless people crowded here, looking at all kinds of lanterns on Aoshan Mountain, the continuous fireworks and the sound of drums, and many palace maidens dancing to the music on the palace wall and Aoshan Mountain.

Here, it will be open to the subjects for three consecutive days, how could ordinary people come here on weekdays.

However, apart from looking at the lights and fireworks, the group of disciples actually turned their attention more to the city tower illuminated by the lights at this time, Chengtianmen, which will be Tiananmen in future generations.

Wei Guangde looked around, constantly searching for the memories of future generations in his mind.

The family background is relatively good, and Wei Guangde also likes to travel around, so he has been to Beijing.

It's just that at this moment, the only memory he can find is this city gate building.

Although Tiananmen Square at that time was obviously different from what it is now after years of baptism, but the shadow of that time can still be found, and even Wei Guangde felt that it seemed that what later generations saw was more dazzling.

Perhaps due to proper maintenance and preservation, Tiananmen Square at that time seems to be regularly undergoing maintenance and overhaul, so it will always look like new.

And the current Chengtianmen, although there are people taking care of it, but in Wei Guangde's view, it seems that just like the Ming Empire, no matter how glorious it was, there will still be a twilight day after all, reflected in this building, that is the mottled trace .

When we returned to the Jiujiang Guild Hall, it was already very late, and the store in the hall still arranged for people to prepare supper and hot water for them, and the charcoal basin was also burning vigorously.

When Wei Guangde came here, it was the first time he saw something close to the future generations.

In the past, Wei Guangde was active in Jiangxi, but he himself had never been to Jiangxi, so he naturally couldn't find any sense of later generations.

But today when I saw the Aoshan Lantern Festival, I saw Tiananmen, no, it should be said that it is Chengtianmen, which bears the destiny of heaven and is ordered by heaven. Now it is not a symbol of the people, but a symbol of the emperor, the symbol of the emperor.

The present and the future are connected for the first time in Wei Guangde's world.

In the past, Wei Guangde actually felt that he was living in a dream, just like playing a game, but he couldn't die and restart.

But today, after seeing that tower, Wei Guangde seems to feel that he is really a person of this era. He has been closely connected with this era and is no longer a tourist player.

Zhang Ji waited for him to burn his feet, then went to bed, turned off the lights before leaving.

Wei Guangde was lying on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He remembered what would happen in the future. The last emperor of the Ming Dynasty was Chongzhen. He chose to hang himself because he had no face to see his ancestors.

Then, after that, the Manchu Qing Dynasty entered the customs and unified. Kangxi, very famous, was touted as the eternal sage, fought against Russia, and sent it to many places after winning the war. After that, Qianlong also gave away a large piece of land after winning the opponent. .

Win or lose?

After that is the dark history, the Opium War, the burning of the Old Summer Palace
Wei Guangde has been to the Old Summer Palace and seen the ruins. Here and there are braids, all of which are the sweat and wisdom of the ancient people.

Comparing the last years of the Qing Dynasty in his impression with the Ming Dynasty he sees now, Wei Guangde felt that if the Ming Dynasty had dealt with the Opium War, the result might have been very different.

Although the Ming army is still weak in combat power, if they don't brag about it, the Weisuo army really has no face to compare with the soldiers of the Qing Dynasty.

Although I have never been in the Qing Dynasty, I can roughly estimate what my later generations saw.

However, there is still one advantage of the Han people being emperors, that is, they are willing to learn, which is much better than the Tungus people in this regard.

When he arrived in Wuhu from Zhongxi Town two months ago, Wei Guangde saw the most advanced artillery of the Ming Dynasty in this era - the Folang Machine Cannon, which was equipped for Jiujiang Guard.

During the battle between the Ming army and the Western barbarians, they discovered and learned that this machine gun is easy to use and powerful, so they immediately learned to imitate it and used it in large quantities.

Jiujiang Wei received not many Folang cannons, only two, which are said to be small Folang cannons, which are convenient for field battles. They are all transformed from general cannons made in the past.

Allotment of newly built small Frang machine, this is intended to turn Jiujiangwei into a rapid response force in the south of the Yangtze River, ready to be thrown into the battlefield at any time.

There are also bird guns, the Western firearms discovered during the Japanese suppression, and imitated immediately when they thought it was good.

To continue the life of the Ming Dynasty, it is necessary to solve the current natural disasters.

If there is no way to solve natural disasters, it can only solve the problem of money and food. Only by solving these two points can the Ming Dynasty survive the most difficult period.

It seems that there is only Haimao.
Wei Guangde thought a lot, but in the end he didn't know what to think of, and fell asleep unconsciously.

After the fifteenth day, the imperial court started to operate again, and the official affairs that had been squeezed out before began to be handled in an orderly manner.

During the vacation, only very urgent military affairs will be dealt with urgently.

The work of Wei Guangde and others to protect their names in the examination also started at this time.

"Wait two days and go."

As for the exam, I don't know how many students in Beijing are crowded in the Ministry of Rites to register at the moment, and this is definitely not a good time to go.

A few days later, following the news from the servants, the number of students registered at the Ministry of Rites decreased by more than half, and the students from Jiujiang Mansion went together.

The general examination is the central examination in the ancient Chinese imperial examination system. Because the examination is held in spring, it is also called the spring examination or the spring examination.

The general examination is presided over by the Ministry of Rites, and the examination is held in the Gongyuan in the southeast of the inner city of the capital. The two chief examiners of the general examination are called presidents. They are university scholars with Jinshi backgrounds, and officials below the ministerial level and above, and the officials are appointed by the emperor at the request of the emperor. .

On the sixth day of February, Emperor Jiajing approved the memorial for the Ministry of Rites Examination in Xiyuan, and appointed Lu Ben, a cabinet scholar, and Zhan Shiyintai, a young minister of Zhan Shifu, to be the chief executives to take the examination.

The general examination will start on February [-] as usual, and then there will be an examination on the [-]th and [-]th. Each session will last for three days, a total of nine days. It is the same as the rules of the township examination. The examination must be in the examination room for three days and two nights. You can go home and rest for one night, and continue the entrance exam the next day.

However, at this time, Wei Guangde looked gloomy and gloomy.

What the hell, going to the Gongyuan Examination in such a cold day, isn't that killing people?
Although the examination etiquette department will prepare a brazier for the candidates, but this thing is also a time bomb, who knows if someone will accidentally start a fire.

Forget it, it's all for this sake, Wei Guangde can only bear it, and can only prepare more clothes to keep out the cold.

Afterwards, Wei Guangde couldn't help but shudder when he thought of the inspections he would have to go through when entering the examination room.
(End of this chapter)