The Rise of Ning Mansion in Red Mansions

Chapter 5 The Flower Visitor

Qingxu Temple in the western suburbs, a spacious quiet room in the back hall,

The palace ladies in rich attire were arranged neatly on both sides of a nanmu desk, holding their breath and concentrating, not daring to take a breath for fear of disturbing Emperor Taikang who was at the desk reviewing memorials.

I saw that his brows were furrowed, his beautiful Emei frowned almost into the character "Chuan", and there was a sickly rosiness on his thin cheeks.

This person is the nominal controller of the Wei Empire, the "sun" in the Wei Dynasty where the sun and moon hang.

Emperor Taikang, who was wearing single clothes, his left hand holding the red lacquer imperial pen trembling slightly, sat there for a long time without writing a word.
Red ink dripped on the white rice paper, creating streaks of red clouds.

Deep down in his heart, he didn't know what he was planning, and his thin face turned white and red.

About a year after Emperor Taikang ascended the throne, Bo Yun's treacherous government affairs made him very anxious. He lost all his temper and treated people with neither salt nor salt.

So much so that, among the busy people in the market, it was rumored that he was naturally cold, heartless, mean and ungrateful.

After Emperor Taikang learned about it, he felt extremely aggrieved and wished he could go out and defend himself with those people.

You must know that the throne of the Wei Dynasty was not something he actively fought for, but was forced upon him by Emperor Hongxi.

As everyone knows, Emperor Hongxi and the late empress were a young couple. They were deeply in love and loved each other so much that they made the second prince (the eldest son) the crown prince and the third prince the prince of Qin.

At first, the queen suppressed them, and the two occasionally fought, but generally they got by.

But the good times did not last long. After the queen passed away seven years ago, the two direct princes fought each other. For the sake of the supreme position in the world, they killed each other regardless of human relations.

Just at the beginning of last year, the emperor's third son died, and the second emperor's son was deposed and placed under house arrest in the Tenth Prince's Mansion.

Emperor Hongxi was so heartbroken that he suffered a stroke and was bedridden for three months, unable to govern. The throne fell into the hands of the unprepared fourth prince, Xu Dezu.

The curtain was drawn on this more than thirty-year battle for the right to inherit the throne.

When he first ascended to Dabao, Emperor Taikang really thought that he was overjoyed from heaven.

But not long after he was overjoyed, he discovered that the national treasury was empty, corrupt officials were rampant in the local area, and the ministers of honor were unable to lose their tails.

There was a severe drought in the land of Qin and Shaanxi, and refugees were everywhere. However, the imperial court had no troops to mobilize and no money to use.

At this time, Wala took advantage of his unsteady footing and sent troops to the north, forcing Emperor Taikang to send Princess Xingguo, who had just grown hair, to marry him in order to alleviate the national calamity.

It was the first time for a princess of the Wei Dynasty to get married, and it was a joke to everyone in the world.

The Tatars and Jurchens in the Northeast kept making trouble, breaking through the natural barriers of the Great Wall and heading south to the grass valley every year.

With such internal and external troubles, what the Emperor entrusted to him was not some beautiful scenery, but the ancestral foundation riddled with holes.

In order to allow the Supreme Emperor to recover from his illness and live well in his old age, Emperor Taikang spent the remaining five hundred thousand taels of silver in the treasury.
On the east side of the palace, a magnificent palace was rebuilt, called "Shoukang Palace".

It is he who bears the infamy, but it is the Supreme Emperor who enjoys it.

Emperor Taikang recognized all this.

However, in order to eliminate the long-standing shortcomings and revive the Wei Dynasty, the one who caused the most troubles and constraints for him was actually his father.

What a huge irony.

The day before yesterday, Emperor Taikang heard that Dr. Zhou who was serving him said that the Supreme Emperor had a ruddy complexion, could speak, and could also be helped by Liu Zhaoyi to walk.

It is not because the condition is getting better, but because the light is coming back, and it is a sign that life is about to come to an end.

Emperor Taikang heard this and discussed it secretly with his imperial master Gu Bingjun.

The next day, I went to the royal Taoist temple - Qingxu Temple to fast for seven days to pray for the Supreme Emperor and show my filial piety to the people of the world.

After all, ever since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Liu Che listened to Dong Zhongshu's slander, abolished all schools of thought, and only respected Confucianism, the land of China has begun to vigorously implement the basic national policy of "ruling the world with filial piety". Although Emperor Taikang suffered from cowardice, in order to rule, he got With the support of the Confucian scholars in the world, naturally they will not go against the people of the world on this matter!
"Your Majesty, Sir Gu wants to see you."

"Yes, the top ten test papers of the Jinke Palace Examination have been sealed. After the emperor has inspected and determined the rankings, the Ministry of Rites can post the imperial list for the world's scholars to look up to."

In the quiet room, a high-pitched voice suddenly sounded. Emperor Taikang was stunned for a moment, and looked up. It turned out to be his eldest companion, Xia Shouzhong.

This man was in his thirties, with a fair face and a beardless face, of medium build, and a pair of deep eyes with a hint of flattery and a hint of fear.

Xia Shouzhong didn't want to disturb Emperor Taikang, but Gu Bingjun had been waiting outside the palace for more than half an hour. The imperial list was about to be posted, and everyone in the world was looking forward to it, so they couldn't delay.

He had to bite the bullet and come forward to report.

"Well, announce him to come in!"

Gu Bingjun is over forty-five years old, with a slender figure and a short beard three inches below his chin. He looks like a national scholar.

He was born in Yangzhou. He was supported by Yangzhou salt merchants since he was a child and studied at Donglin Academy.
He and Jia Jing were both Jinshi in the same ranking, and entered the Hanlin Academy. After another three years, he was promoted to bachelor's degree, but was assigned to teach the fourth son of the emperor to study.

There was little progress in the next ten years or so. Unexpectedly, once the fourth son of the emperor ascended the throne, Gu Bingjun became the confidant of Emperor Taikang's latent residence.

He was directly promoted to Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Rites, and was ordered by the emperor to preside over Jinke Chunwei. He became the mentor of this generation of scholars and the guide in their official career. He really has a bright future, and he will definitely have a place in the future cabinet.

Although Gu Bingjun had been waiting outside the hall for some time, there was no strange color on his face, and there was still a spring breeze-like smile on his lips.

Naturally, he followed Xia Shouzhong and saluted Emperor Taikang behind the desk. He was neither humble nor overbearing, quite a scholar.

"My humble minister, Gu Bingjun, comes to see Your Majesty, long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

Emperor Taikang raised his head, glanced at Gu Bingjun on the ground, nodded slowly, and thought to himself, "If those old ministers are as respectful as him,"

"How great would it be if we were not arrogant and arrogant, and we did not form cliques for selfish interests?"

Immediately, thinking of the dirty things done behind the scenes by his noble and old ministers, Emperor Taikang smiled suddenly and cursed: The slave is bullying the master!
These people relied on the gifts of Taizu and Taizong, and the favor of the Supreme Emperor. They were lawless and ignored their own authority.

If they all really want to be as respectful and docile as Gu Bingjun, why would I bother to think of ways to deal with them!
snort!
"Get up!"

After gathering his mood, Emperor Taikang waved his hand and asked Gu Bingjun to stand up.

Immediately, he took the top test paper, the middle test paper, and the bottom test paper and read them.

Emperor Taikang nodded sometimes, sometimes shook his head, then said "Huh", looked at Gu Bingjun, and said:
"If you only care about the country's life and death, why should you avoid it because of misfortunes and blessings?"

"This sentence is good, and the article is also good,"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Seeing Emperor Taikang looking over, Gu Bingjun felt relieved and explained without waiting for further questioning:

"This is Lin Ruhai's test paper."

"His ancestors have been granted the title of marquis, and the title can only be passed down through three generations."

"However, the Supreme Emperor was grateful for his ancestor's merits and gave him an extra generation. When he came to Lin Ruhai, he had to be educated and married Jia Min, the legitimate daughter of Rong Guogong..."

"Master Gu, do you want Lin Ruhai to explore the flowers?"

After Gu Bingjun finished speaking, Emperor Taikang asked tentatively.

"Your Majesty, all strong fortresses are defeated from within..."

After pondering for a moment, Emperor Taikang nodded, "Xia Shouzhong! According to the decree, Lin Ruhai is ranked third, and the rest will be arranged by Master Gu and will be handled according to the old system..."

(End of this chapter)