The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Zhou Yan, whose courtesy name is Nanqiao and nickname is Yanshan, was born in Jishui County, Jiangxi Province.

In the second year of Jiajing's reign, he was awarded the title of magistrate and was awarded the title of county magistrate. He was promoted to the general magistrate of Suzhou and the doctor of Nanjing's official department. He was promoted to the left governor of Guangdong. During the Annan campaign and the pacification of the Li people's uprising in Yazhou, he was praised for his painting skills and was promoted to the right. The deputy capital censor and governor Yingtian.

Later, he was promoted to the right minister of the Ministry of War and the admiral of the military affairs of Guangdong and Guangxi. He was changed to the left minister of the Ministry of Punishment. He served as the censor of the right capital of Nanjing and the minister of the two ministries of official affairs and military affairs. In the 34th year of Jiajing, he was called the censor of the left capital and added the crown prince Shaobao.

He died in the official position in the 40th year of Jiajing's reign at the age of sixty-three. He was given the title of Taibao to the crown prince and was given the posthumous title Jian Su. Zhou Yan was a straight-forward man, honest and dedicated to public affairs, and he was respected by scholars.

Zhou Yan died in office and immediately vacated the official position of Zuo Du Yushi of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. This was a second-rank official position. It was the same as a minister, and its status was even higher than that of some ministers.

Although it has long been known in the official circles that Zhou Yan was ill, no one expected that he would die of illness before taking office. Emperor Jiajing was also a little surprised, because he had not yet decided who to replace Zhou Yan, otherwise he would not have delayed it until now and would have approved him long ago. Memorial to becoming an official.

The Metropolitan Procuratorate is an extraordinary department. It plays a powerful role in checking and balancing officials.

Although he had several candidates in mind, they were still in the deliberation stage. Now that the Zhou family had sent someone to report the funeral, Emperor Jiajing naturally could not delay it any longer.

There are no more people to drag, so what else can we drag?

"The cabinet has been informed that the posthumous title will be determined for Zhou Yushi. Well, there are also recommendations for successors."

Emperor Jiajing ordered Huang Jin beside him.

"According to the order."

Huang Jin agreed, and when Emperor Jiajing closed his eyes and meditated, he walked to the palace gate, waved to a eunuch and gave him a few instructions. Then the eunuch ran towards the gate of Yongshou Palace, and he returned to the palace and stood beside Emperor Jiajing. .

In Wenyuan Pavilion of the Forbidden City, Xu Jie stepped into Yan Song's room.

"Chief Assistant."

Xu Jie bowed his hands to Yan Song.

"Hua Ting is here, sit down."

Yan Song looked at Xu Jie with his yellow eyes and said.

"Master Chief Assistant, I'm here to ask when you will go to the Zhou Mansion to express condolences. I plan to go there soon."

Xu Jie sat under Yan Song and said to him.

"Today's memorial is almost done. Let's go there together later."

Zhou Yan served as the censor of Zuodu for seven years and worked with them for seven years.

In the past seven years, there have been ups and downs, and courtiers have been promoted, and some have resigned sadly. However, whenever he sees the ministers of the court resigning due to physical reasons, Yan Song can't help but think of himself, and this time he died in office. Thinking of his age, Yan Song couldn't explain how he felt.

Yan Song's body is not as healthy as it looks on the surface. After all, he is eighty years old, and his body functions are greatly reduced. That is to say, his family knows his own affairs and takes medicine to take care of himself, but to outsiders he looks pretty good.

Not wanting to become an official, Yan Song certainly didn't want to give up the power he had finally obtained, especially because Emperor Jiajing refused to let it go.

A few years ago, Yan Song had already planned to withdraw from the court, but was rejected by the emperor.

But now, he didn't dare to retreat even if he wanted to.

Without him, my son would have too many enemies.

All the political opponents who were really fighting against him have been killed by him, and most of the remaining ones were established by Yan Shifan. If he loses his power, I don't dare to think about the consequences.

Even now he has seen the backup plan prepared by Emperor Jiajing, Yuan Wei.

From Yuan Wei, he vaguely saw what he looked like back then.

If the emperor wants it, give it to him if he has it, and give it to him in every possible way.

The emperor's needs should be met as much as possible and every possible way should be met.

Today, the news of Zhou Yan's death inevitably made him feel sad.

Just when both of them were silent, footsteps sounded outside the door, and someone from Zhongshu House quickly walked outside Yan Song's duty room with a memorial in his hand.

"Report to the two pavilion elders, urgent report from Jiangxi."

A voice came from outside the door, breaking the silence in the room.

"Bring it in."

Yan Song said.

When Zhongshu entered the room, he asked again: "What's going on in Jiangxi?"

"There were rioters in Anyuan County and Longnan County of Ganzhou Prefecture in Jiangxi Province, and they gathered crowds to attack the county towns. Jiangxi Yushi Gu impeached Ganzhou Prefecture and the magistrates of the two counties for improper handling."

Na Zhongshu replied hurriedly.

"Rebellion again?"

Gathering a crowd to attack the county seat was no different than a rebellion. Xu Jie stood up, took the memorial from Zhongshu, turned it over, and after a quick glance, handed it to Yan Song with both hands.

Yan Song took the memorial in his hand but did not rush to read it. He knew the general content and it made no difference whether he read it or not.

"Last month, Chaoshan bandit Huang Qijian and thousands of other refugees in Guangdong robbed Haifeng, Jieshi, Guishan and other counties, broke into thousands of households in Jiazimen, and killed many officials from hundreds of households and governors and governors.

Chaozhou Prefecture, Ganzhou Prefecture, and Tingzhang Prefecture all have their roots in the rebel Zhang Lian. "

Yan Song suddenly said.

The four prefectures he just mentioned belong to the Chief Secretaries of Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi, which are the areas where the anti-thief Zhang Lian in Fujian is active.

"We can only let Governor Hu make arrangements as soon as possible to eliminate the rebels as soon as possible to bring peace to the world."

Of course Xu Jie understood. After learning that there was a rebellion in Fujian, the cabinet also reviewed the map. When he heard Yan Song's words, he knew how to vote.

"Well, come on."

Yan Song nodded and said to Xu Jie.

Xu Jie took the memorial from Yan Song and walked to the desk, where he drafted the votes. After he finished, he handed it to Yan Song with both hands for viewing.

This time, Yan Song didn't just take it in his hand without reading it like before. He opened the memorial and carefully looked at the draft drawn up by Xu Jie before closing it again, calling his clerk, and ordered: "Put it in the pile." The memorial will be sent directly to the palace in a while."

Xu Jie stood aside with his hands clasped behind his back, waiting for the matters here to be settled, and looking at the sky, it was still early. When this time passed, he didn't know how many officials in the Zhou Mansion were offering condolences, so he was ready to leave first and go back to his home. Check the room to see how many official duties there are that haven't had time to deal with.

At this time, a eunuch walked in quickly from the gate of Wenyuan Pavilion.

At the end of Shen Shi, the sun was about to set below the horizon, leaving only a ray of sunset lighting up the sky.

Yan Song and Xu Jie's sedans had arrived not far from Zhou Yan's residence, but there were many cars parked on the street at this time, and the road was already somewhat congested.

But after all, it was the chief assistant and the second assistant who were driving. After the entourage carried out the Ge Laofu sign, a path was finally cleared in the crowded street.

Zhou Yan's mansion is not magnificent, and the street in front of it is narrow. It is difficult to imagine that this is the residence of a second-rank official of the current dynasty.

Yan Song and Xu stepped down from the sedan chair and stood in front of the gate for a moment before being invited in by Zhou Yan's family.

When the two of them entered, Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng happened to come out after expressing their condolences. When they saw the two pavilion elders approaching, they naturally hurriedly bowed their hands and saluted.

It was just a few brief greetings, and then Xu Jie asked Zhang Juzheng to wait for him outside. He would have something to say to him later, but Yan Song just glanced at Wei Guangde without saying anything, and then the two of them walked into the hastily built mourning hall. Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng said goodbye to the people of the Zhou Mansion and left the Zhou Mansion on their own.

"If you want to wait for your teacher, I won't accompany you."

Wei Guangde smiled and said to Zhang Juzheng that he had met with the two elders before, and Xu Jie asked Zhang Juzheng to wait for him outside. He had something to say.

At this time, Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng said goodbye and walked along the street in front of their door, looking for their carriage.

At this time, the road was already congested. Not only cars and sedans, but also the officials' coachmen, sedan bearers and entourages were standing haphazardly, making it difficult for Wei Guangde to get up quickly. Although they tried their best to avoid Wei Guangde when they saw him approaching, it was still narrow and inconvenient.

Wei Guangde didn't go far when he was overtaken by a well-dressed servant coming from behind.

"Mr. Yan Ge, did you want to tell me something?"

It looked like the man was indeed wearing the style of the Yan Mansion, but when he met Yan Song before, he didn't say anything and just glanced at himself before leaving.

Although he was suspicious, Wei Guangde agreed.

"I'll go talk to my coachman and then I'll follow you."

Wei Guangde said to the man, and then they moved forward, found the carriage and the coachman Li San, and spoke to him before heading back.

After waiting outside the Zhou Mansion for another two-quarters of an hour, Wei Guangde saw Yan Song and Xu Jie walking out of the Zhou Mansion one after another. Yan Song's sedan chair was on the left side of the Zhou Mansion gate, and Xu Jie's was on the right. After the two people said goodbye, Yan Song Walk to the sedan.

After Wei Guangde saluted, he thought that Yan Song would just say a few words to him and then let him go. Unexpectedly, Yan Song said: "Get in the sedan, it will be said inside."

Although Wei Guangde was surprised, he did not refuse. He just told the Yan family member next to him to inform his coachman and followed Yan Song into the sedan.

Yan Song's sedan was eight-carrying. Perhaps in order to show the majesty of the chief minister, the sedan was made larger than usual. Wei Guangde followed him up and it didn't seem crowded.

After getting on the sedan, Wei Guangde was a little cautious and didn't know what to say, when he heard Yan Song say: "Shandai, you haven't been to my house for a while."

"Rong Bing, Mr. Ge, it's true."

Before Wei Guangde could finish his words, he was interrupted by Yan Song: "Needless to say, everyone knows in their hearts that you may be surprised that I asked you to come here this time, right?"

Wei Guangde didn't know how to answer the question. Indeed, he didn't know what to say now. After all, he belonged to different camps.

"Zhou Yan is gone, and Wu Shan's resignation is a foregone conclusion. It depends on when Your Majesty will allow him to return to his hometown for retirement. When I take up my official position and return to my hometown, I am afraid that Ren Fu, the official minister, will also come to an end, and only Lei Li will be left in the court. I don’t know how many more years I can stay in the Ministry of Industry?”

Yan Song suddenly began to talk a lot, counting the people among the seven ministers.

A few years ago, when Yan Song was at the height of his power, nearly half of the Six Ministries and the Metropolitan Procuratorate were from Jiangxi, and most of the rest were promoted by Yan Song. It was really like the early Ming Dynasty.

And now?

Yan Song had been an official for many years, but he still didn't realize that his power was dissipating little by little.

It may be the law of heaven to prosper and then decline, or whether it will prosper and prosper.

"I asked you to come here. I just want to talk to you and nag you a few words. You are Jiujiang."

"People from Pengze."

Wei Guangde hurriedly added.

"Well, so you will always have the mark of Jiangxi on your body. They all say that we Jiangxi people love to stick together. They don't, but they are just incompetent. If they can't get on the stage, they can only be miserable at the bottom."

The sedan swayed gently, Wei Guangde also swayed slightly, and Yan Song's voice kept coming to his ears.

"Before Xia Gongjin and I came up, due to the deliberate suppression by Jiao Fang and Liu Jin, it was difficult for me, a Jiangxi scholar, to ascend to a high position in the court. It was not until Xia Gongjin ascended to the throne of chief minister that things changed.

I also know that many people in Jiangxi say that I killed Xia Gongjin, but how do they know the secret and how do I have the ability to kill him, and he has already returned to his hometown as an official. In fact, it was Lu Bing and Lu Wenfu who killed him. "

Xia Yan's death, in the eyes of many people in Jiangxi, was the fault of Yan Song. However, judging from Yan Song's words, he just sent the person to the countryside and then stopped. Later, it was Lu Bing who told Emperor Jiajing What words caused Xia Yan to be beheaded.

However, for Wei Guangde, these are not really big things. After all, the person has been dead for more than ten years, so there is no point in pursuing it.

"I'm telling you this, and I don't know if you feel it or not. Many people in the DPRK are deliberately targeting us Jiangxi people. After we old people resign, how much good fortune can the rest of you have, but you have to rely on By myself."

Wei Guangde nodded slightly when he heard this, somewhat understanding what Yan Song meant.

Regardless of whether it is true or false, Yan Song's words do reveal the fact that Jiangxi officials are somewhat marginalized in today's courts.

Regional discrimination seems to exist in later generations, such as Henan.

Thinking about it, in the early Ming Dynasty, many high-ranking officials in the DPRK were from Jiangxi. As for the reason, in addition to their own abilities, perhaps the mutual recommendation among officials was also an important reason.

After all, the imperial power of the first few generations of emperors was relatively stable, and there was no loss of power.

"It's a good thing that you have entered Prince Yu's palace. At least you can protect other Jiangxi people from wind and rain, and you can also have a chance to be recommended. I don't know how long I can stay here. The Jinshi who have won the imperial examinations in the past few years and you We are familiar with each other, so you might as well choose for me."

Wei Guangde didn't even know how to get off Yan Song's sedan. He only felt a buzzing in his head, and his mind was still in a state of confusion when he sat on his carriage.

After Wei Guangde got home, he went directly into his study and began to slowly sort out the information he got from Yan Song today.

The countdown to Yan Song's resignation seemed to have begun, and he himself had already expected it.

Want to get closer to King Yu through yourself?

It was too late, Wei Guangde knew it, and Yan Song also knew it.

Then was it because of the future of Jiangxi scholars that he said those words to himself?

Wei Guangde felt that it might be half of the reason. What was more fearful was the hope that someone would help him when his Yan family was liquidated.

In any case, Wei Guangde's status in Prince Yu's palace is not low, and he is still a person who is valued by Prince Yu.

Yan Song offered him an olive branch in the sedan chair, asking him to draw up a list of trusted people who he could help promote during his final time as chief assistant.

Unknowingly, rice paper had been laid out on the table in front of Wei Guangde. He looked at the pens on the pen mountain. After thinking for a while, he picked up the pen and started writing. The first name was Lao Kan, who is now the head of the Criminal Department.

At noon the next day, Xiyuan sent Emperor Jiajing's imperial edict to the cabinet. Zhou Yan presented the crown prince with the posthumous title Jian Su as his Taibao.

Along with this posthumous edict, the appointment of the Zuodu Censor was also issued. Pan En, a native of Shanghai County, Songjiang Prefecture, South Zhili, was appointed as the Zuodu Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate.

Rumors also spread that the first assistant Yan Song and the second assistant Xu Jie had both recommended people for the recommendation of Zuodu Yushi. In the end, Emperor Jiajing chose Xu Jie's recommendation.