Rule over Ming Dynasty

Chapter 338: A good story about the monarch and his ministers, everything is safe and polite

"father!"

"grandfather!"

"Mr. Zhong... hurry up and call the doctor!"

……

Wan Ji and Wan Hongbi saw Wan An suddenly vomiting blood, and knew that his anger and heart attack had worsened his condition, causing the whole room to become a mess.

Although the Wan family now has successors, both the second generation Wan Ji and the third generation Wan Hongbi have entered the officialdom with the title of Jinshi, and Wan Hongbi is a promising Hanlin official, but Wan'an is the real reason for Wanfu's glory. Backbone.

Once Wan'an really collapses, although Wan'an cannot fall instantly, it will definitely not be as glorious as it is now, and it will even be liquidated by politicians.

Several servants waiting outside the room were frightened and scrambled when they heard the movement inside.

"Dad, you must hold on!" Wan Ji, a filial son who followed filial piety, cried and hugged Wan An and shouted.

Wan Hongbi's eyes were filled with tears, and his heart was full of hatred at this moment, knowing that the culprit was none other than the sanctimonious Minister of Justice, He Qiaoxin.

A seriously ill and dying patient suddenly vomits blood, which is a very difficult matter even for future medical conditions.

Wan Mansion was really in chaos tonight, and they ignored the officials who came with heavy gifts. After a while, they finally placed the dying Wan An on the bed.

But I don’t know why, but several famous doctors in the capital arrived late.

The wind was particularly strong tonight. A dead tree in the backyard of Wanfu seemed to be crumbling, and creaking sounds could be heard from the beams of the entire house.

Chirp!

Zhu Youtang, who was checking information in the East Nuan Pavilion of Qianqing Palace, sneezed loudly for no reason, rubbed his nose with his hand, and then looked thoughtfully toward the southwest.

He Qiaoxin's renegade on the national debt is quite surprising, but it cannot be considered unbelievable. After all, there are too many such sanctimonious hypocrites.

If these virtuous ministers really serve the world as they say, then dynasties will not change frequently. From the founding of Confucianism to this day, it will still be a society where people cannibalize people.

It's just that He Qiaoxin dared to jump out and hinder the issuance of national bonds. No matter what his purpose was, the Minister of Punishment would have to pay the price.

But vaguely, he still felt uneasy in his heart, always feeling that something bad had happened.

Early the next morning, the golden sunshine shone on the ancient city of Beijing, presenting a beautiful picture.

If there were no fights in this world, if there were not so many conspiracies in the court, if the politicians did not have so much greed, this world without industrial pollution would seem so beautiful.

It's just that this is an era destined to be fought over, and the capital city is inevitably filled with all kinds of conspiracies, and the spearhead is even directed at the aloof emperor.

"Lao Wange is vomiting blood!"

"You deserve it, that paper mache pavilion should have died a long time ago!"

"Haha... I'm afraid it won't die so easily after causing trouble for thousands of years!"

……

There is no airtight wall in the world. Word spread that Wan An was so angry that he vomited blood, but what he got in the ears of Qingliu and literati was all ridicule.

It is said that Wan'an was an out-and-out Ci minister and had not done anything outrageous. He could be regarded as a conscientious Ming official. They could not attack such a chief minister like this.

But in the eyes of some people, Wan'an's submissiveness to the emperor as the chief assistant was the biggest original sin and the biggest enemy of their civil servant group.

What's more, Wan'an is not only like Xianzong, but also like a yes-man to the current Emperor Hongzhi, so everyone has already regarded Wan'an as a thorn in their side.

Public opinion in the capital seemed to be under control, but they attacked the critically ill Wan An one after another. One official even lit firecrackers in front of the door to celebrate.

The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month is designated as the Little New Year. The house is cleaned on the 24th, the tofu is made on the 25th, the meat is cut on the 26th, the chicken is killed on the 27th, steamed buns are steamed on the 28th, the wine is made on the 29th, and dumplings are made on the New Year's Eve.

Today is the 28th of the Lunar New Year. There is a folk saying: "On the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, steam the noodles." The meaning of steamed buns is that the days in the coming year will be prosperous.

The Ming Palace followed the folk custom of steaming steamed buns, so they also steamed a large basket of steamed buns.

Zhu Youtang ate one symbolically, and distributed the rest of the buns to the cabinet and Liubu Hall officials as in previous years, as well as Wang Yue, the censor of Zuodu, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, who had a special status.

No matter how outside voices denounced Wan'an, Wan'an still received the emperor's favor, and Zhu Youtang still attached great importance to this dedicated old chief assistant.

"Thank you, Your Majesty Ron!"

After Wan'an thanked him for the gift, he asked the housekeeper to wrap the steamed bun with yellow furoshiki, and then kowtowed to the steamed bun respectfully three times.

In the eyes of others, it was just a steamed bun reward, but he knew that the emperor had no grudge and was still very kind to his chief assistant.

At this moment, how he wished he could live a long life and assist Emperor Hongzhi for another ten years.

Guo Yong came to present the steamed buns in person, and then conveyed Zhu Youtang's oral instructions: "Your Majesty's oral instructions! Mr. Wange has been loyal to his duties and has shared a lot of worries for me. Today's national debt is not going well, and it is not Mr. Ge's fault. I hope you can take care of your health. Seriously. I don’t need to attend the New Year’s Day gathering. I will rest my body until the Lantern Festival. I must recuperate and come back. I appreciate this!”

In this matter, Wan'an cannot actually say that he is not at fault.

This time, He Qiaoxin was recommended by Wan'an, and Wan'an personally lobbied He Qiaoxin. As a result, there has been such a big mistake, and Wan'an cannot escape the blame.

However, Emperor Hongzhi not only did not punish Wan'an, but also rewarded him with steamed buns as in previous years, and even arranged a holiday for Wan'an to recuperate. This was a great act of kindness.

When Wan Yi heard this oral instruction, he also felt the emperor's love and care for his father.

Given Dad's character, even if he is seriously ill, he will definitely still force himself to go to the palace to attend the annual New Year's Day gathering, but he may be in bad health again by then.

Now that the emperor has ordered him to recuperate, it will undoubtedly help his father recover.

He saw his father's loyalty to the emperor, and also saw the emperor's care for his father. It was really possible for this pair of monarch and minister to write a good story.

"Old minister, I would like to thank Your Majesty for your kindness. Long live my emperor, long live, long live!" Wan An deeply felt the emperor's love and care, but at this moment, he felt even more sad and grateful in his heart.Even though the emperor had forgiven himself, he himself could not forgive himself. The price of this mistake was really too high, and it even made it impossible to implement the overall plan.

Guo Yong knew that the emperor attached great importance to Wan An's health, and seriously warned Wan An to rest at home, and then returned to the palace to recover.

It was indeed a sunny day on the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, and the only cloud over the capital was slowly dissipating.

After Wan Yi sent Guo Yong away, his hanging heart was completely relieved, and he looked very happy and said: "Dad, His Majesty did not blame you this time, and also allowed you to rest in peace and recuperate. You can feel at ease now!"

"I have betrayed the Holy Grace!" Wan An lay down on the recliner again, his face covered with age spots showed no trace of joy, and he murmured very sadly.

His family background was very ordinary, and he worked very hard to study since he was a child. He was also a passionate scholar in his youth, and he wanted to serve the imperial court.

However, after gaining fame and entering the officialdom, he gradually saw clearly the true face of the Ming Dynasty's officialdom. The official career was full of all kinds of injustices, and ordinary people needed extraordinary means to get high.

Although his superior methods may not be that glorious, and he did take the route of Concubine Wan Gui, he has not completely forgotten his original intention.

Since entering the cabinet, he has also been conscientiously assisting the emperor. He has been working hard to assist the emperor in governing the country, and he has also worked hard for the prosperity of the country.

Although Xianzong was eventually frustrated by the civil service group, he finally chose to give up the struggle and allowed people like Wang Yue and Wang Zhi who wanted to do things to be squeezed out of the court.

Even if he is unwilling to do so, what can he do in the face of the already entrenched civil servant group, even Xianzong has chosen to compromise?

God favored the Ming Dynasty after all. Although Xianzong's reform ultimately failed, the Ming Dynasty ushered in a rare Mingjun Hongzhi in a century.

In more than three years, Hongzhi showed amazing talent for governing the country, which made the entire Ming Dynasty prosperous.

It's just that I made a big mistake this time. I mistrusted He Qiaoxin, a villain who broke his word, which ultimately led to the bankruptcy of the national debt promotion plan that was related to the rise and fall of the Ming Dynasty.

Although the emperor did not blame himself, he did not intend to forgive himself for his stupidity, and felt that he was ashamed of the emperor and the people of the world.

Wan An seemed to see black and white impermanence calling him, but his body felt heavier than ever before, and he realized that he would only enter the coffin with regrets.

"Dad, then you must take good care of your health, so that you can repay your kindness!" Wan Yi encouraged him seriously, fearing that his father would get into trouble.

cough cough...

When Wan An was about to speak, his throat suddenly felt itchy, and then he couldn't help but cough rapidly, but at the end he coughed up blood.

Wan Ji and Wan Hongbi looked at the blood stains on the white handkerchiefs, and their hearts suddenly felt like a knife.

Although they have brought Wan'an back from hell, the situation is still not optimistic. The symptoms of hemoptysis continue and are getting worse.

Wan An wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and a flash of hatred flashed in his eyes: "Yi'er, our Wan family is not allowed to interact with anyone named He again in the future, and we must completely draw a clear line with him!"

"Yes!" Wan Yi originally blamed He Qiaoxin for the incident, but immediately agreed.

Wan An turned to look at his grandson Wan Hongbi, with a hint of guilt in his eyes: "Hongbi, your future will be very difficult, and there is almost no possibility of joining the cabinet to become the prime minister. Grandpa has harmed your career, and you feel resentful in your heart. Grandpa?"

"Grandpa, my grandson has always been grateful to grandpa. I just hope that grandpa can survive this!" Wan Hongbi shook his head like a rattle and cried with great expectation.

Wan An sighed softly, and patted the back of Wan Hongbi's hand with his skinny hand: "You are a good young man from Fuguo, but you are my grandson, Wan An, and this road is destined to be more difficult than ordinary people. Grandpa, in fact I most hope that you can resign and return home to avoid disaster, but with your temperament, you must be unwilling to do so, so grandpa hopes that you can take the initiative to apply for an official position outside!"

"Dad, Hongbi is a Hanlin official, how can he leave the Hanlin Academy?" Wan Yi immediately protested when he heard that Wan An had made such an arrangement.

Wan'an knew that his son lacked political wisdom, and said with a slight sarcasm on his face: "Hanlin officials were indeed very prosperous in the past, but our emperor is a pragmatic emperor. I am afraid that future cabinet ministers may not be selected from the Ci ministers!"

"Dad, once the emperor...!" Wan Yi had his own judgment and decided to speak his mind.

"Shut up!" Wan An's expression suddenly changed, and then he coughed again.

I don’t know whether he had already coughed up the blood or the cough was not strong enough. After a rapid dry cough, there was no blood on the white handkerchief.

"Dad, now that we have closed the door, we have to speak our own language!" Wan Yi has realized that the current Emperor Hongzhi may die unexpectedly, so he insists on his point of view.

Wan An knew that his son was an outspoken person, and he warned in a serious tone: "I hope that after I leave, my Wan family will be loyal to Emperor Hongzhi, and they will protect Emperor Hongzhi even if they are broken into pieces! Hongzhi's loss, Wan's family's loss!"

He naturally knew that Emperor Hongzhi's reforms had offended the interests of too many people, and the Wan family's heavy bet was accompanied by great risks.

But after so many years of fighting, he had long downplayed the honor and disgrace of his family. Instead, he saw the hope of China's revitalization in Emperor Hongzhi.

Now I am afraid that it will be difficult for him to continue to support himself, so he hopes that his descendants will all bet on Emperor Hongzhi instead of missing the opportunity to revitalize China for the sake of a wealthy family.

"Grandpa, please remember this, grandson!" Wan Hongbi felt his grandfather's will and expressed his stance solemnly.

Wan Yi turned his head and saw his son's statement, his eyes looked very complicated.

He actually knew that Emperor Hongzhi was the wisest emperor today, but he was worried that Hongzhi would die early because of his excessive talents, so he was reluctant to put all his chips on Emperor Hongzhi.

But seeing his father and son expressing their opinions like this, he could only reluctantly agree, hoping that Emperor Hongzhi could really remove all obstacles.

Wan An was already tired, so he motioned for the two of them to come closer, and then made the last arrangement, which was regarded as the last gift to Emperor Hongzhi.

On the night of New Year’s 29th, a heavy snow danced wildly in the night.

The matter of national debt has been stopped by the Ministry of Revenue. Tomorrow is the last day of the New Year, so it is a foregone conclusion that the matter of national debt will be blocked in the third year of Hongzhi.

This result is a carnival for the powerful people and a victory for them.

In fact, some of them also know the destiny of the emperor, that is, the more the emperor wants to do things, the more he needs to rely on their wealth.

Wan'an barely held up his old body, looked up at the falling snow outside the window, and then wrote: "The late emperor collapsed in the middle of his prosperity. Today, the Holy Emperor inherits the ambition of the late emperor and wants to create prosperity in China. However, it is difficult for the old minister to serve you with his broken body. Now I have to fulfill the mission entrusted by His Majesty, and it’s hard to sleep every time I think about it..."

The book is finished, the pen is written, and the breath is gone.

On the evening of December 29, the third year of Hongzhi's reign, Wan An, the chief minister of the cabinet, died of illness at the age of 72.

(End of this chapter)