prosperous age

Chapter 177 Chapter 176
After Wei Guangde and other new scholars saluted Wang Yongbin, Wu Shan and the others, when they got up, they saw that the faces of the two adults were really not very good.

Thinking about it, Wei Guangde also understands that today, Xinke Scholars came to the yamen of the Ministry of Rites just after praising officials in the imperial street. Those who don't know will definitely think that they are going to sue or something.

For officials, the most fearful thing is this kind of group incident, which is difficult to deal with.

Moreover, it would be fine if it happened locally, but where is this place?

In the capital city, at the foot of the Son of Heaven, it is unknown whether the actions of their group of Jinshi have been reported to Xiyuan by Jin Yiwei.

After a while, I heard Wang Yongbin say: "You guys have just finished praising your officials. If you don't go back to rest and prepare for the honor banquet tomorrow, what are you doing at the Ministry of Rites?"

Wang Yongbin spoke very slowly and was slightly out of breath. He was obviously not in good health, and Wei Guangde could tell right away.

Looking at his old face, he knew what was going on, and hurriedly bowed again and said: "Returning to Uncle Da Zong, I went to rest in a roadside restaurant after I praised my officials. I heard Shanxi same year talk about the tragedy of the Shanxi earthquake in December last year. I don’t know if it’s true or not?”

When Wei Guangde mentioned the Shanshan earthquake, he noticed that not only Wang Yongbin, but even Wu Shan's eyes were twitching.

The reaction was a little big.

"What does this have to do with you?"

Wang Yongbin said in a bad tone.

"The lower officials heard that the Secretary of General Administration received a report from the local government saying that the earthquake caused heavy losses, and more than 800,000 people died before and after. However, because the imperial court had no money, it only took 150,000 taels of silver from the border military expenditure and sent it to Shanshan for disaster relief."

Wei Guangde didn't need to hide this matter, he said it directly.

At this time, Wei Guangde noticed that Wang Yongbin at the head of the hall suddenly closed his eyes, and there seemed to be crystal tears flashing in the corners of his eyes, and then he opened his eyes again and looked at him and said: "So what if it is, so what if it is not, this is the court's business. You are Xinke Scholars, you should enjoy your grace banquet.

If you want to take care of it, then wait until you are accepted as an official. "

"Da Zongbo, there are more than one million victims in Shanshan and Shaanxi. The imperial court allocated 150,000 taels of silver, which is not enough. I heard that more than [-] people died on the night of the earthquake, and then tens of thousands of people died in the midwinter. The officer shuddered when he heard about it."

Having said that, Wei Guangde turned around and glanced at the Jinshi behind him, then turned to Wang Yongbin, who was at the top, and said, "I have no intention of waiting here, but I beg Da Zongbo to reduce the expenses of the Rong En Banquet. A bowl of clear water and two steamed buns are enough. Uncle Da Zong please use the saved money to help the victims of the disaster in Shanshan and Shaanxi."

Having said this, Wei Guangde gave another deep bow.

After Wei Guangde saluted, the Jinshi who followed behind him also bowed and said in unison: "Please, Uncle Da Zong, help the victims."

After the words fell, Wu Shan on the right side of the upper head had already got up, "Is this what you are here for?"

After saying this, he turned his head and glanced at Wang Yongbin and Wang Shangshu on the left. At this moment, he saw two lines of tears on his old face. He was resting his hands on the armrest of the seat and wanted to get up. From Wang Shangshu.

Regarding their reaction, Wei Guangde was a little puzzled, but he didn't say much, just cupped his hands.

At this time Wang Yongbin had already stood up, and said in a slightly trembling voice: "I am here to take my father and fellow villagers to thank you."

Speaking of which, Wang Yongbin was about to bow his hands, but fortunately, Wu Shan, who was supporting him, held him firmly and did not make him bend down.

"Ok?"

At this time, Wei Guangde was surprised. Could it be that Wang Yongbin is from Shanxi or Shaanxi?

What Wang Yongbin spoke just now was the Mandarin-Mandarin of the Ming Dynasty, and he couldn't hear his hometown accent at all.

But the meaning in Wang Shangshu's words, it is obvious that he is also from Shanshan.

"It's true that the Shanshan earthquake caused heavy losses, and it's also true that the imperial court didn't have any extra money to help the disaster. It's just a feast of grace."

Just as Wu Shan next to him opened his mouth, Wei Guangde interrupted him with a bow and salute, "Master Wu, don't I wait for the cold window to study hard to enjoy the supreme glory of participating in the Honor Banquet?
The Rong En Banquet will be held as usual, but please lower the level of the dishes, and replace the delicious food and wine with fresh water steamed buns, so the etiquette system is simplified, and the frugal money is used for disaster relief. There is only so much we Jinshi can do for the disaster victims in Shanshan and Shanxi. "

"Uncle Da Zong, what do you see?"

After listening to Wei Guangde's words, Wu Shan understood what they meant. It seemed that hundreds of Jinshi had been gathered in such a short period of time, and this boy could still be popular among the new group of Jinshi.

However, Wu Shan didn't dare to agree to their request, but asked the real master of the Ministry of Rites.

"The imperial court has its own system, and you have good intentions, but you can't let them do whatever they want.

The Honor Banquet is not only your glory, but also the face of the imperial court, there is absolutely no possibility of downgrade. "

Wang Yongbin shook his head and answered Wei Guangde.

While they were talking, a man dressed as a petty official outside the door whispered something to a companion behind him, and then trotted out of the side door of the yamen of the Ministry of Rites.

A school lieutenant was leading a horse outside the door, and when he saw the man approaching, he handed over the rein in his hand and said a few words to him, and the man immediately got on the horse and beat the horse towards the north.

Just when Wang Yongbin used the court system to shirk the matter, the news that a large number of Jinshi had gathered in the Ministry of Rites spread rapidly among the various ministries of the court.

At this moment, there are still some Jinshi who have learned the news later are rushing to the yamen of the Ministry of Rites, and the number one scholar Zhu Dashou and Tanhua Lang Jinda have already arrived.

They were not stopped by the small officials outside, after all, they were the leaders of Jinshi Jinshi, so they took them to the main hall naturally.

The incident happened suddenly and there was no sign before. The officials of various ministries were very puzzled by the actions of Xinke Jinshi, and had no idea why they did such a thing.

Officials from the yamen of the six ministries and five monasteries got together to discuss it from time to time, but none of them could come up with an acceptable guess.

In fact, this was the case even in the yamen of the Ministry of Rites at this time. Apart from the Lord of the Department who was in the main hall at this time, the other officials were also discussing what happened outside.

At this time, outside the gate of Xiyuan, several horses approached the gate from far to near, and the knights reined in the horses one after another.

After everyone dismounted, the leader looked around but stopped in front of the door and did not go in. Even if the guard inside the door wanted to come out, he waved his hand to stop him.

This person is wearing a boa robe, standing there with a frown and a smile is very majestic.

But after standing for a while, an expression of impatience and anxiety appeared on his face, and he also began to keep looking at the way he came.

And the few people who came with him were already scattered around. They were either wearing flying fish suits or unicorn suits, obviously they were not ordinary people.

Not long after, a fast horse came from afar and arrived in front of him with the crisp sound of the horse's hooves stepping on the stone road.

Immediately, a man dressed as a yamen clerk saw the horse in front of him and got off his horse without waiting for the horse to stop completely, then knelt down in front of him.

"Meet Governor Lu."

"What's wrong with the Ministry of Rites? What are those Jinshi doing?"

There were not many people wearing python robes in the Jiajing Dynasty, and even rarer in the capital. He was naturally Lu Bing, the governor of the five armies of the imperial court, who was in charge of the Jinyi Guard.

After Beizhen Fusi heard that there were hundreds of Jinshi blocking the yamen of the Ministry of Rites, he had already set off. Although he didn't know what happened at this time, it would not be a trivial matter.

At this time, if he couldn't report to Xiyuan early, he, the commander of Jinyiwei, would be remiss.

Since its birth, Jinyiwei has been the military institution of the emperor's guards. The main functions of Jinyiwei include direct driving guards, patrolling and arresting.

It's just that the position of being a direct driving bodyguard has been forgotten for a long time. What everyone pays more attention to is the power of inspection and arrest of Jin Yiwei.

It is only responsible to the emperor, and anyone can be arrested internally, including relatives of the emperor, and conduct a closed trial.Collect military information and instigate enemy generals abroad.

An emergency in the capital was discovered by the Liberty Patrol Captain immediately and reported to the North Town Fusi, although the reason was not clear.

As soon as Lu Bing knew about it, he set off outside Xiyuan. As for the reason why someone went to inquire and report it here, this is why he was able to report matters to Emperor Jiajing many times before others.

At this time, he frowned and asked after hearing the report of the school lieutenant sitting in the yamen of the Ministry of Rites: "You mean, the Jinshi went to the Ministry of Rites because they wanted to hold a simple honor banquet and donate money to the victims of disasters in Shanshan and Shanxi? ?”

"Yes, my lord. Wei Guangde, the biography of the palace examination, said so in the main hall, but Mr. Wang said that this honor banquet is an ancestral system, and it is also the face of the court. It must not be simple."

The little official replied.

"Wang Yongbin is from Shaanxi, so he still insists on the ancestral system at this time."

After listening to the small school's report, Lu Bing showed a sarcastic smile on his face, but it only appeared for a moment and then disappeared.

"Now the Jinshi gathered by the Ministry of Rites has exceeded 200 people, and the number one scholar and Tanhua have also arrived."

The little official continued.

"I see."

Lu Bing said lightly, then turned his head to look at the gate of Xiyuan behind him, and chose to go in after a moment of hesitation.

At first, Lu Bing thought that something was wrong with the Ceremony of Chuanlu, and the Jinshi took the overall situation into consideration before attacking the Ministry of Rites after praising the officials in the imperial street, but he didn't expect that he was wrong.

Although it was not a bad thing, it was not a small matter for Jinshi to besiege the Ministry of Rites, and he still had to report to Emperor Jiajing. As for the leader Wei Guangde, he could only ask for more blessings.

Not long after, Lu Bing led several people into Xiyuan.

At this time, in the main hall of the Ministry of Rites, Zhu Dashou, Jin Da and Wei Guangde had already argued with Wang Yongbin and Wu Shan.

One side thinks that the imperial court should reduce unnecessary expenses because of insufficient national resources. The imperial court's ceremony is a system and should be implemented, but the process can be simplified to save expenditure as much as possible.

The other party insists that the ceremony is a system of the imperial court and should be handled according to the system, and there is no possibility of simplification.

Soon after Tao Dalin heard the news and came to join the debate, the Ministry of Rites gradually became a bit exhausted.

Wang Yongbin is old and in poor health, so he is naturally not good at arguing, and the three servants including Wu Shan are also difficult to parry when facing Jinke Siyuan standing on the moral high ground.

During the debate, Wei Guangde has already realized one very important thing, that is whether to abide by the ancestral system or to keep pace with the times and carry out reforms in accordance with the current situation.

In Wei Guangde's impression, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, it seemed that the reformists did not have much advantage in the imperial court. The reason was that the conservative forces were extremely strong. They actually used the big hat of ancestral system to suppress the reformers for their own self-interest.

Perhaps, from this incident, we can find an opportunity to leverage the ancestral system.

At this time, in the Yongshou Palace in Xiyuan, Emperor Jiajing took a hot towel from the eunuch's tray to wipe his face after the ceremony, and then asked: "You mean that Wei Guangde ran to the Ministry of Rites with a kind of Jinshi and asked for a lower level?" The grade of the Rong En Banquet, the saved money will be transported to the disaster-stricken areas in Shanshan and Shanxi?"

"Exactly."

Lu Bing stood below and replied truthfully, "Your Majesty, Jinshi are still asking questions and going to the Ministry of Rites. The first-ranked scholar and Tanhua of the Imperial Palace Examination have already arrived at the Ministry of Rites, and the second place should be coming soon."

However, Emperor Jiajing, who was sitting in his seat, chose to close his eyes and meditate for a long time, only speaking when Lu Bing was a little panicked.

Lu Bing is an old man who has followed Emperor Jiajing for many years, and he knows his temper very well.

When encountering something he doesn't like, the more he gets angry on the spot, the less serious the consequences are, while silence often has serious consequences.

Lu Bing didn't know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing at the moment, so he said it was a good thing. Wang Yongbin and Wu Shan from the Ministry of Rites strongly opposed it, saying it was a bad thing, but he felt that the Jinshi didn't seem to have done anything wrong.

If there is anything wrong with this matter, it is that they should not all go to the yamen of the Ministry of Rites, but send a few representatives to the Ministry of Rites to negotiate.

However, Lu Bing also understood the reason why these Jinshi did this, the time was too urgent.

Now, the Fine Food Department under the Ministry of Etiquette might not be able to start purchasing the ingredients needed for the Rong En Banquet tomorrow, and it must be too late to join the Jinshi joint letter.

Emperor Jiajing opened his eyes to look at Lu Bing, then looked at Huang Jin beside him, and then said, "What do you mean by that? Is it that I embezzled the court's money to repair the temple or something?"

When Jiajing spoke, his tone was very gentle, and there was no anger at all, but the meaning revealed in the words made Lu Bing and Huang Jin shudder in their hearts.

Neither of them dared to speak, this was the emperor's backlash, whoever touched it would die, and the hall fell into silence.

"Cough cough."

At this moment, the eunuch coughed from outside the hall, and Huang Jin panicked for no reason.

This is a secret signal between him and the outsiders. Usually, if there is something to tell him and it is not convenient to enter the hall to report, he will often send the signal like this, and he will also take time to go out to see the situation.

"Who is coughing, Huang Jin, tell him to come in and ask what's the matter. You, the director of the East Factory, don't even know about it. You're a bit negligent of your duty."

Jiajing was well aware of the affairs of his servants, but he didn't want to care about them in the past.

Right now he was in a state of irritability, what kind of peace did they have in mind for the Yijia Jinshi he selected.

Huang Jin hesitated slightly before bowing, "Yes."

Then he took a few steps to the entrance of the hall, but he didn't dare to go out, but beckoned to a little eunuch outside for him to come in.

The little eunuch walked to the door, handed out the envelope in his hand and said, "Old Ancestor, a message from Dongchang."

Huang Jin took the envelope and turned to look at the hall. Emperor Jiajing just waved his hand casually.

"You go down first."

Huang Jin called the little eunuch away, and then returned to Emperor Jiajing with the envelope in both hands.

"Open it and see what your Dongchang said."

Before Huang Jin could deliver the information, Emperor Jiajing spoke.

"Yes."

Huang Jin had no choice but to open the envelope and take out the document from inside. After a quick glance, his fair old face twitched.
(End of this chapter)