The Prosperous Era of Longwan

After Wei Guangde and other new scholars saluted Wang Yongbin, Wu Shan and others, he stood up and saw that the faces of the two adults were really not good.

Thinking about it, Wei Guangde also understood that today, as soon as the new Jinshi came to the Yamen of the Ministry of Rites to praise their officials, those who didn't know would definitely think that they were going to file a complaint or something.

For officials, the biggest fear is this kind of mass incident, which is difficult to handle.

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

In the capital, at the feet of the emperor, it is unknown whether the actions of the Jinshi group have been reported to Xiyuan by the Jinyi Guards.

After a while, I heard Wang Yongbin say: "A bunch of you Jinshi have just finished boasting about their official positions. If you don't go back to rest and prepare for the honor banquet tomorrow, what are you doing here 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 immediately.

Looking at his old face, he knew what he was saying, and he quickly bowed and said: "Replying to Uncle Zong, I was resting in a roadside restaurant after being humbled and praised my official position. I heard the same year in Shanxi talking about the tragic situation of the Shanxi-Shaanxi earthquake in December last year. I wonder if it’s true?”

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

The reaction was a bit overwhelming.

"What does this matter have to do with you?"

Wang Yongbin's tone was unkind.

"The official heard that the General Affairs Department received a local report 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 out 150,000 taels of silver from border military expenditures to send to Shanxi and Shaanxi 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. 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 a matter for the imperial court. You are the new Jinshi, so you should enjoy your honor banquet.

If you want to take control of it, wait until you are sentenced. "

"Uncle Zong, the number of people affected by the disaster in Shanxi and Shaanxi was over one million. The imperial court allocated 150,000 taels of silver, which was enough. I heard that more than 500,000 people lost their lives in the earthquake that night, and then hundreds of thousands more died in the middle of winter. The subsequent hunger and plague , the lower official shuddered when he heard it."

Having said this, Wei Guangde turned around and glanced at the Jinshi behind him before turning to Wang Yongbin who was leading him and said: "I have no other purpose here. I just ask the eldest uncle to reduce the expenses for Ron'en Banquet. A bowl of water and two steamed buns are enough. Please use the saved money to help the victims of the disaster in Shanxi and Shaanxi."

Having said this, Wei Guangde bowed deeply again.

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

After the words fell, Wu Shan, who was on the right above him, had already stood up, "Is this why you are here?"

After saying this, he turned to look at Wang Yongbin and Wang Shangshu on the left. At this time, he saw two lines of tears on his old face. He was trying to get up with his hands on the armrests of his seat. Wu Shan quickly walked over to help him. From Wang Shangshu.

Wei Guangde was a little puzzled by their reaction, but he didn't say much and just held their hands in arms.

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

As he said this, Wang Yongbin was about to bow his hands, but fortunately, Wu Shan, who was supporting him, held him firmly and prevented him from bending down.

"Um?"

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

Just now, Wang Yongbin spoke in standard Mandarin-Mandarin of the Ming Dynasty, and there was no trace of his hometown accent.

But the meaning of Wang Shangshu's words is that he is also from Shanshan.

"It's true that the Shanshan earthquake caused heavy losses, and it's also true that the court didn't have any extra money for disaster relief. It was just a feast of honor."

Wu Shan next to him had just opened his mouth when he was interrupted by Wei Guangde who bowed and saluted, "Master Wu, isn't it that I am studying hard in Han Chuang just to enjoy the supreme honor of participating in the Honor Banquet?

The Ron'en Banquet will be held as usual, but please lower the level of the dishes, and replace the fine wine and delicacies with plain steamed buns. Therefore, the etiquette will be simple, and the frugal money will be used for disaster relief. There is only so much that Jinshi and I can do for the victims of Shanxi and Shaanxi. "

"Uncle Zong, do you see?"

After listening to Wei Guangde's words, Wu Shan understood what they meant. It seemed that hundreds of Jinshis had gathered in such a short period of time. This boy had quite the appeal among this group of new Jinshis.

However, Wu Shan did not 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 we cannot let you do whatever you want.

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

Wang Yongbin shook his head and answered Wei Guangde.

While they were talking, a man dressed as a clerk outside the door whispered a few words to a companion behind him, and then trotted out of the side door of the Rites Yamen.

A school captain outside the door was holding a horse. When he saw the man approaching, he handed him the reins and said a few words to him. The man then got on his horse and rode 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 to various departments in the court.

At this moment, some Jinshi who still knew the news were rushing to the Yamen of the Ministry of Rites. Zhuangyuan Gong Zhu Dashou and Tanhua Lang Jinda had already arrived.

They were not stopped by the officials outside. After all, they were the leaders of Jinke Jinshi, so they were naturally led to the main hall.

The incident happened suddenly, with no warning at all before. Officials from various ministries were very puzzled by the behavior of the new Jinshi, and had no idea why they did such a thing.

Officials from the six bureaus and five temples gathered together to discuss the matter from time to time, but no one 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. In addition to the ministers who were in the main hall at this time, other ministers and officials were also outside discussing what had happened.

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

As 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 them.

This man was wearing a python robe, and he looked very majestic when he stood there.

But after standing for a while, an impatient and anxious expression appeared on his face, and he began to keep looking towards the path he came from.

The few people who came with him were already scattered around. They were either wearing Feiyu suits or Qilin suits. They were obviously not ordinary people.

Not long after, a fast horse came from afar, arriving in front of him with the crisp sound of its hooves on the stone road.

Immediately, a man dressed as a yamen official saw the man in front of him and dismounted without waiting for the horse to stop completely, and 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 they were even rarer in the capital. He was naturally Lu Bing, the governor of the Imperial Palace of the Fifth Army and in charge of the royal guards.

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

At this time, if he could not rush to Xiyuan to report in advance, he, the commander of the Imperial Guard, would be derelict in his duty.

Since its birth, the Jinyiwei has been the military organization of the emperor's bodyguards. The main functions of the Jinyiwei include directing the guards and conducting patrols and arrests.

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

Responsible only to the emperor, he could arrest anyone internally, including relatives of the emperor, and conduct private interrogations. Conduct external operations to collect military information and instigate rebellion against enemy generals.

When an emergency broke out in the capital, the Lieutenant of the Free Patrol immediately discovered it and reported it to Beizhen Fusi, although he couldn't figure out the reason.

Lu Bing set out to the outside of Xiyuan as soon as he knew about it. As for the reason, someone naturally went to find out and reported it here. This is also the reason why he was able to report matters to Emperor Jiajing before others many times.

At this time, after listening to the report of the captain who was sitting in the yamen of the Ministry of Rites, he frowned and asked: "You mean, the Jinshi went to the Ministry of Rites because they wanted to hold a banquet of honor and donate money to the victims of the disaster in Shanxi and Shaanxi. ?”

"Yes, sir, that's what the imperial examiner Wei Guangde said in the main hall, but Lord Wang said that this honor banquet is an ancestral institution and is also the face of the imperial court, so it cannot be easily handled."

The clerk replied.

"Wang Yongbin must be from Shaanxi, and he still insists on the ancestral system at this time."

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

"Now there are more than 200 Jinshi gathered in the Ministry of Rites, and the number one scholar and the third most successful scholar have also arrived."

The clerk continued.

"I see."

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

At first, Lu Bing thought something was wrong with the Chuanlu ceremony. The Jinshi took the overall situation into consideration and praised their officials in the imperial street before attacking the Ministry of Rites. Unexpectedly, he was wrong.

Although it is not a bad thing, it is not a small thing that the Jinshi besieged the Ministry of Rites, and they still had to report it to Emperor Jiajing. As for the leader, Wei Guangde, he could only hope 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, Jinda and Wei Guangde were already arguing with Wang Yongbin and Wu Shan.

One side believes that the court's state needs are insufficient and unnecessary expenditures should be streamlined. The court's rituals are systems and should be implemented, but the procedures can be simplified to save expenditures as much as possible.

The other side insists that the ceremony is a system of the imperial court and should be carried out in accordance with the system. There is no possibility of improvising with simplicity.

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

Wang Yongbin was old and in poor health, so he was not good at arguing. The three ministers, including Wu Shan, were also unable to resist the frequent attacks on Jinke Siyuan who stood on the moral high ground.

Wei Guangde has realized something very important during the debate, that is, should we abide by the ancestral system or should we keep pace with the times and carry out reforms in compliance with the current situation.

In Wei Guangde's impression, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the reformists did not seem to have much advantage in the court. The reason was that the conservative forces were extremely powerful. In fact, they used the big hat of ancestral system to suppress the reformists for their own personal gain.

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

At this time, in the Yongshou Palace in Xiyuan, Emperor Jiajing, who had just had a wedding ceremony, took a hot towel from the eunuch's tray and wiped his face, and then asked: "Are you saying that Wei Guangde brought a kind of Jinshi to the Ministry of Etiquette and asked for a lower rank?" At the level of the Rongan Banquet, the money saved can be used to transport disaster-stricken areas in Shanxi and Shaanxi?"

"Exactly."

Lu Bing stood below and answered truthfully, "Your Majesty, the Jinshi are still asking questions and are going to the Ministry of Rites. Now the number one scholar and top pick in the first grade of the Kedian Examination have already arrived at the Ministry of Rites, and the second place should be here soon."

However, Emperor Jiajing in his seat chose to close his eyes and meditate. It took a long time before Lu Bing spoke in a panic.

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

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

Lu Bing didn't know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing at the moment. 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 did not do anything wrong.

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

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

Now, the Department of Fine Food under the Ministry of Etiquette may have already started purchasing the ingredients needed for tomorrow's Rong'en Banquet, and it will definitely be too late to contact the Jinshi to jointly submit a letter.

Emperor Jiajing opened his eyes and looked at Lu Bing, then at Huang Jin beside him, and then said: "What do you think they mean? Do they mean that I misappropriated the court's money to repair the temple or something?"

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

Neither of them dared to speak. This was the emperor's rebellion. Whoever touched him would die. The palace fell into silence.

"Ahem."

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

This was a secret signal between him and people outside. Usually when he had something to tell him and it was inconvenient to go into the palace to report it, he would often send a signal like this, and he would also take the time to go out and check on the situation.

"Who's coughing? Huang Jin, tell him to come in and ask what's going on. You, the director of the East Factory, don't even know about this. It's a bit derelict in your duty."

Jiajing knew everything about his minions, but he just didn't want to take care of it in the past.

At this moment, he was in a troubling mood. What kind of peace of mind did they have in the first-level Jinshi he ordered?

Huang Jin hesitated slightly and bowed, "Yes."

Then he reached the entrance of the palace in a few steps. He did not dare to go out, but waved to a young eunuch outside to signal him to come in.

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

Huang Jin took the envelope and turned to look at the palace. 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 says."

Without waiting for Huang Jin to present the information, Emperor Jiajing spoke.

"yes."

Huang Jin had no choice but to open the envelope and take out the documents from inside, quickly browsed through it, and his fair old face twitched.