prosperous age

Chapter 274 Chapter 273 Credit
"Crackling."

The wood on the corridor burns fiercely in the flames, because the various parts of the wood are heated unevenly during burning, causing the wood to deform and make the sound of breaking the wood fibers, so there will be crackling sounds when burning.

Wei Guangde and others stood far away, watching the corridor gradually collapsed in the flames.

"Boom, boom, boom."

The Zuoshun Gate in the distance has completely collapsed, and now it is healed. If Wei Guangde wants to leave the Forbidden City, he can only go out through the Donghua Gate, and the original route has been blocked.

Behind Wei Guangde and the others, more than a dozen servants had already collapsed on the ground, panting like dogs.

When the fire was burning in the three main halls, the flames rising from the palace city could already be seen in Xiyuan, and the billowing black smoke shot straight into the sky, which also alarmed all the yamen outside the palace.

The streets around the imperial city were completely blocked at this time, and countless people in the capital stopped on the streets to watch.

Unlike ordinary people whose houses are on fire, these ordinary people will not rush in with their pots and pans to help put out the fire. After all, it is the palace.

Emperor Jiajing was meditating and practicing in Yongshou Palace, but the situation was too urgent. Although the servants outside the palace did not dare to make noise, they hid outside the gate and looked in, hoping to attract the attention of the palace.

It's just a pity that Huang Jin's attention was on the emperor at this time, and he didn't notice the scene outside the palace gate.

Soon, footsteps sounded outside the hall, and the two elders, Yan Song and Xu Jie, who had come to Xiyuan on duty before, almost stepped into Yongshou Palace.

The situation was urgent, and they didn't wait for the notification.

"The emperor is still inside, why didn't you inform me?"

Seeing the situation at the gate of the hall, Xu Jie said to the few servants standing there in a bad tone.

Yan Song in front waved his hand, signaling Xu Jie to be calm, and then said to the little servant: "Go in and report, don't waste time."

The sound outside naturally alarmed Emperor Jiajing and Huang Jin inside. Yan Song and Xu Jie went outside, so there must be something wrong.

"Go out and see what's going on."

Emperor Jiajing told Huang Jindao that he had put down the small hammer in his hand, and he no longer looked at the scriptures on the imperial book case.

Huang Jin got the order and walked quickly to the front of the hall, and what he saw was a few servants at a loss, while Yan Song and Xu Jie were staring at them at the steps.

"What happened?"

Huang Jin asked curiously.

"The palace is flooded."

A servant who might be Huang Jin's disciple said in a trembling voice.

"what?"

Hearing that the palace was flooded, Huang Jin couldn't help screaming.

Emperor Jiajing has been paying attention to this side, the servant's voice is not loud, he didn't hear it, but Huang Jin's exclamation stopped in his ears very clearly.

"What the hell happened?"

Emperor Jiajing's tone was already very bad, he hated to keep everything from him, just report it loudly.

It's just that he forgot that in the past when he was practicing meditation, no one was allowed to disturb him.

Anyone who dares to break his rules will be fined at the slightest, and even killed at the worst.

"Your Majesty is not well, the palace is flooded."

Huang Jin knew about Emperor Jiajing's temperament, so he hurriedly shouted inside.

Whether it is good news or bad news, it must be reported to Emperor Jiajing as soon as possible. This is the rule.

The emperor is not only the emperor of the people in the world, but also the master of these yin people. Everything must be known to the emperor as soon as possible.

"what?"

Emperor Jiajing, who was meditating quietly, couldn't help standing up.

The palace is on fire, which is no small matter.

At this time, Yan Song and Xu Jie just stood silently outside the hall without speaking, as long as the emperor knows, the rest is none of their business.

Hearing the report from outside that the palace was on fire, the two of them immediately came over from Xiyuan to watch the house. They felt strange not seeing anyone going out to spread the word along the way. They didn't know until they arrived. The emperor didn't know about it yet.

Then I heard footsteps in the hall, Emperor Jiajing had already walked to the door of the hall, reached out to push Huang Jin away and left the door.

Yan Song and Xu Jie in front of the steps saw the emperor coming out and hurriedly bowed to salute. Other eunuchs and servants also saluted to Emperor Jiajing, but at this time, Emperor Jiajing ignored them and walked out directly, looking towards the direction of the palace.

The palace wall of Yongshou Palace is not low, blocking most of the line of sight, but you can still see billowing black smoke floating in the air in the direction of the palace.

This fire is not small.

"Hurry up, Huang Jin, send someone there right away. Quickly, send another person to see where the water is leaking."

Huang Jin immediately arranged for a few servants to send messages everywhere, asking them to summon the palace servants and guards to fight the fire.

Not long after the servants left, the servants from the palace also arrived.

"The three halls were ignited by the thunder."

Emperor Jiajing was stunned when he heard the news from the palace.

The sky thunder ignited the three main halls.

"Pull back to the palace."

Emperor Jiajing could no longer stay in Xiyuan, so he gave orders immediately.

Soon, the guard of honor for the emperor's trip was ready, and the group hurried to the palace in a soft sedan chair.

When Emperor Jiajing entered the palace through the Xihua Gate, the group of them could not leave soon, and the Youshun Gate had already been engulfed in flames.

Although they could still enter the harem through the Sishan Gate, it didn't matter anymore. What Emperor Jiajing wanted to see was the scene of the fire, and he had already seen it now.

Countless servants and guards were fighting the fire there, but it didn't seem to have much effect.

In front of the door of the corridor of the sixth department next to it, more than a dozen people from Shizhong and Zhongshushe gathered there and looked at the big fire in front of them in shock.

It didn't take long for him to know the general situation of the fire. Standing in front of the Hall of Martial Arts, Emperor Jiajing's face was livid.

The three main halls were completely burnt down. The fire burned through the Fengtian Gate along the corridor and arrived here. Fortunately, the corridor was not connected to the Meridian Gate, otherwise the fire would not have burned out of the Forbidden City.

"Boom, boom, boom."

There was the sound of a building collapsing in the distance. It was the sound of burning planks losing their support and hitting the ground heavily.

"Report to the emperor, the Zuo Shun gate has burned down."

A servant in the distance ran over to report, and just as he finished speaking, right in front of Emperor Jiajing's eyes, the entire Youshun Gate, which was already on the verge of falling, also collapsed, making a louder and heavier bang.

"It's broken, East Pavilion, and Wenyuan Pavilion."

At this moment, Xu Jie, who had been standing by the side, suddenly patted his thigh and exclaimed.

The fire burned along the corridor. Previously, they only considered that there was no corridor in the Meridian Gate, so it would be almost enough for the fire to burn here.

However, after hearing the news that Zuoshun Gate had been burnt down, Xu Jie thought that there were corridors inside and outside Zuoshun Gate, so that he could not die. Wenyuan Pavilion, which is full of royal collections.

Hearing the words Wenyuan Pavilion, Emperor Jiajing instantly became excited.

"Hurry up, send someone to Wenyuan Pavilion and transfer the books in the pavilion, quickly."

Excited, Emperor Jiajing unconsciously walked towards the Youshun Gate where the fire was ignited.

This frightened Huang Jin on one side, and quickly hugged Emperor Jiajing's leg with both hands, trying to prevent him from passing.

In front of the Hall of Martial Arts, apart from the imperial servants, the two cabinet ministers, the Sixth Division and the Zhongshushe people are still here, but they are helpless in the face of such a big fire.

We can only count on the firefighting guards and servants to work harder and bring the fire under control as soon as possible.

But at this time, everyone is not calm.

They all know that the only large-scale classic in the Ming Dynasty - "Yongle Dadian" is stored in Wenyuan Pavilion. If this fire burns out, will this book still exist?
Others may not know it yet, but Xu Jie and Yan Song are clear that the original books and documents for compiling "Yongle Dadian" have been burned by a fire in Wenyuan Pavilion in Nanjing. Once the pavilion is burned down, even if you want to copy another copy of "Yongle Dadian", it is impossible, and you don't know what to copy.

But look ahead.

Under the leadership of Yan Song, Xu Jie and the six subjects of Shizhong and Zhongshushe all knelt in front of Emperor Jiajing to block his way.

Emperor Jiajing would only do such a thing in a moment of excitement, and he calmed down when he was stopped, "Quickly, send more people over there, and we must grab the "Yongle Dadian"."

After saying such words, Emperor Jiajing himself felt that he lacked confidence.

At this moment, the fire may have reached the East Pavilion.

The office of the cabinet should be burned. Even if some memorials are destroyed, it doesn’t matter. There is still a record at the Secretary of General Administration, so just copy it over.

But there is nothing wrong with Wenyuan Pavilion.

Many of the books in Wenyuan Pavilion are ancient books collected from the people by the emperors of the past dynasties, and many books are even rare books, which will never be found after being burned.

"Save all the ancient and modern records."

Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang's purpose when he first built Wenyuan Pavilion was clearly written, but the ancient books painstakingly collected by successive emperors are now about to be burned.

Even Emperor Jiajing couldn't calm down anymore. The burning of Wenyuan Pavilion and the burning of the three main halls are equally important events, not the loss of a small hall.

The three main halls were burned down, which was more of a political significance, as it represented the supreme power of the emperor.

If it is burned down, it can be rebuilt. In fact, this is not the first time that the three main halls have been burned down.

The three main halls were struck by lightning and caused a fire three months after they were completed and opened. At that time, Cheng Zu Zhu Di not only immediately sent people to sacrifice to the ancestors, but was also forced to issue the "Edict of Guilt", "Heaven's commandment, I am very frightened, don't Be in peace."

The three main halls that were rebuilt afterwards, that is, the ones that are burning now, are completely smaller than the original three main halls.

It's not that there is no money. During the Yongle period, the Ming court's finances were still very rich. The reason why the repairs were small was because of the selection of materials.

The best materials had been used before and burned, and the remaining wood had to be built to a slightly smaller size.

Wenyuan Pavilion, on the other hand, represents cultural inheritance, the inheritance of Han culture.

"Expel the barbarians, restore China, establish guidelines and discipline, and relieve the people of Sri Lanka."

In the 27th year of Zhengzheng, Zhu Yuanzhang was preparing for the Northern Expedition to attack the capital of the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, he issued this slogan in "Zhu Yuanzhang's Essay on the Northern Expedition of the Yuan Dynasty".

Yuben Huaiyou commoner, because of the great chaos in the world, was pushed by the people. Those who belong to me will be safe in China forever, and those who carry me will flee outside the Great Wall.Cover our Chinese people, God will order our Chinese people to live in peace, how can the barbarians and Di Di be ruled!I was afraid that the middle land would be polluted for a long time and the people would be disturbed, so I led the heroes to do their best to clear it up, aiming to drive out the barbarians, eliminate the riots, and make the people have their own place.

The establishment of the Ming Dynasty not only completely destroyed the brutal rule of the Yuan Dynasty, but also abolished the racial hierarchy and oppressive policies formulated by the Mongols, restored the inheritance of the Han people, and re-enacted a set of regulations and systems with reference to historical materials.

The work of collecting books from all over the world has continued until now, but seeing that all his hard work was about to be turned into ashes, Emperor Jiajing was terrified at this time.

There is also the "Yongle Dadian", which is an isolated copy, how will he face his ancestors in the future?

Emperor Jiajing lowered his head dejectedly, not daring to continue looking at the raging fire in the distance.

Huang Jin on the side hurriedly ordered the little servants to dispatch people, and if they couldn't get through the door, they detoured to the Taimiao, Chengtianmen and Donghuamen to enter, and the servants went around the harem to Wenyuan Pavilion.

Treat a dead horse as a living horse doctor.

And not far from them, on the side separated by the raging fire, Wei Guangde was still joking with Chen Ju in a low voice.

"If the old ones don't go, the new ones won't come. God sees that the palace where the emperor lives is old. This is to let a new one be built."

"That would have to be paid out by the imperial court. Alas, the days ahead will be sad, thanks to the fact that we broke the corridor, otherwise Wenyuan Pavilion should be burned by now."

"That's right, tell your godfather, Eunuch Gao later, that our achievements cannot be stolen by others."

"That's for sure, just because of the credit of keeping "Yongle Dadian", I should also be in the rank."

The two were chatting and joking there, and they didn't take the fire seriously at all. What they care about now is whether they can be rewarded for their work afterwards.

Not long after, a large group of servants rushed out from Baoshan Gate in the north, carrying pots and pans in their hands, apparently to put out the fire. The leading eunuch Wei Guangde didn't know him, but Chen Ju did.

Seeing someone approaching, he immediately greeted him with a smile on his face.

When the two of them stood there for a few words, the eunuch ordered his servants to run back to report the news.

He had already seen that Chen Ju's words were not false.

The fire is still burning in front of me, but it can no longer be stored when it burns here, because they dug up the corridor before that, which prevented the fire from burning to the East Pavilion and Wenyuan Pavilion.

The eunuch didn't know how important Wenyuan Pavilion was, in his opinion, it was just a place to store books?

But godfather Huang Jin attaches great importance to it, so he should also attach great importance to it.

This credit is tempting, but there is no way, Chen Ju, the servant, is still standing behind Gao Zhong Gonggong, ordinary people would not dare to make mistakes, and ran to grab this credit.

Of course he can't either.

"Is Wenyuan Pavilion okay?"

Emperor Jiajing received a report from his servants, saying that the corridor of Zuoshunmen had been dug up by Chen Ju and Wei Guangde, which prevented the possibility of the fire spreading to the East Pavilion and Wenyuan Pavilion, with a face full of disbelief.

He was already ready to go to the Taimiao to plead guilty, but he didn't expect that the Wenyuan Pavilion would be safe after the turn of events.

Hearing the internal servant's description of the situation there, knowing that they had made preparations before the fire spread, the fortunate Emperor Jiajing immediately ordered: "Wei Guangde and Chen Ju will see you."

(End of this chapter)