The Prosperous Era of Longwan

After seeing the prosperity of the capital and having a meal of "ordinary people" at Wei Guangde's house, King Yu thought he had a certain understanding of the living standards of the common people.

However, after leaving the Wei family and returning to Prince Yu's Mansion, Prince Yu fell into deep worry from the moment he entered the house.

Of course he was not worried that Gao Gong would harm him. He was very satisfied with today's trip and he also ate well at the Wei family. However, when he entered the house, he felt a little guilty, wondering if he had been too indulgent today.

Another layer of worry is that what his father will think of him when word of what he did today reaches the palace.

As Wei Guangde said during the banquet, he only needs to be himself, and as long as he makes no mistakes, his position will be as stable as Mount Tai.

So what I have done today, will my father approve of it?

I don’t know, King Yu really doesn’t know. He can only sit down and think randomly when he is alone, because the image of Emperor Jiajing is very strange in his mind, so strange that he can’t remember what he looks like or what his temper is. It was also analyzed by Gao Gong and others.

Can't figure it out.

Inadvertently, King Yu suddenly felt a sense of regret. If he had not listened to Gao Gong and Wei Guangde today and had not gone out for this trip, there would be no worries.

Just staying in the palace, drinking and listening to music seems to be a good life, although it is indeed very nice outside, with all kinds of people on the road and a dazzling array of goods in the street shops.

Thinking of this, King Yu couldn't help but feel that the country under his father's governance was not bad.

Although Gao Gong and the others often criticized the emperor in front of him for delaying national affairs due to cultivating Taoism and appointing treacherous ministers to govern the country, which led to the spread of thieves and people's livelihood, but at this moment, King Yu suddenly felt that their opinions were too one-sided, and a little scabies was not worth it. All the fuss?

Even at this time, King Yu felt that his father's decision was right, and it seemed good to leave the government affairs to those civil servants.

There is also the former Emperor Hongzhi, who can be regarded as his great grandfather. At that time, he elected three cabinet ministers and governed the country very well.

King Yu felt that he should learn from him and choose a few better officials to help him manage government affairs, so that he could do what he likes with peace of mind.

Gao Gong counts as one, Chen Yiqin can also do it, and Yin Shizhen has to look at it again.

At this time, King Yu suddenly forgot his previous worries and began to think about who he should arrange to join the cabinet to help him manage the country.

As for the other people, King Yu was not familiar with them, but he also knew that he could not use all the subordinate officials of his own palace.

Gao Gong and Chen Yiqin were people he thought were pretty good, capable and loyal.

These two people should be enough, and the remaining position must be reserved for Xu Jie. In any case, Xu Jie has been very supportive of him over the years.

King Yu felt that since Xu Jie supported him, he should reciprocate the favor and give others some benefits.

Moreover, judging from his experience with Xu Jie, this person is still very capable. Maybe he may not be as good as Yan Song in some aspects, but the fact that he can serve as the second assistant for a long time also explains the problem.

For those who are mediocre, my father should not let them stay in high positions for a long time.

Thinking of this, King Yu suddenly felt better and relaxed. Then he thought of the jugglers he saw on the street today. Those children were really powerful and could perform various performances on such a high pole.

Thinking of this, I can't help but feel excited. It's very exciting. When can I find some people with special acrobatic skills to come to the palace to perform? I will get tired of listening to music and watching operas every day.

As for Wei Guangde, he entertained the future emperor at home today, and his mood has not calmed down yet, he is very excited.

At this moment, he was rubbing his hands and walking back and forth in the bedroom, watching Xu Jianglan and her maid on the side covering their mouths in joy.

After turning around for an unknown number of times, Wei Guangde finally stopped and sat on the edge of the bed.

"You go down first."

At this time, Xu Jianglan watched Wei Guangde finally sit down, no longer wandering around in front of his eyes, and said to the little maid behind him.

After the little maid went out and closed the door, she said, "Why do you think so highly of Prince Yu? I heard my brother say that His Highness Prince Yu is not favored by the emperor, and His Highness Prince Jing is more likely to inherit the great treasure."

Xu Jianglan's words were a bit presumptuous, but fortunately she was at home. I only heard her continue: "And I heard from my uncle and others that it is still unclear who will win between the two highnesses. The best way is not to say anything. If we don’t do it, we can wait until the emperor decides and we can just follow the order.”

"That's because he is a distinguished person who lives with the country, so he doesn't need to take sides or compete for the merits of the dragon."

Wei Guangde replied casually. At this time, Wei Guangde was thinking exactly what he said.

He knew very well that the uncle Xu Jianglan was talking about should be Xu Yande. He was already the Duke of Dingguo. What else could he do with some merit? How could he still expect to be awarded the title of King in his lifetime?

Even if the emperor wanted to give it, he wouldn't dare to ask for it.

I heard that his health was not in good shape now, and I heard Xu Jianglan say several times that he might not be able to live well for a few years, and by then the title of Duke Dingguo would be passed on to Xu Wenbi.

Wei Guangde had met this Xu Wenbi several times, but except for the first time at Dingguo Gongfu, the rest of them had bumped into each other in restaurants and brothels.

At that time, Wei Guangde accompanied his colleagues to listen to music and compose poems, but he was not doing anything dirty. As for Mr. Xu, he seemed to be similar to him, and he was with a group of noble sons from the capital.

Through Xu Wenbi, Wei Guangde got to know all the young second generation nobles in the capital.

Wei Guangde's impression of Xu Wenbi is that he loves to play, but he seems to know the importance, and he is very cautious. He will make trouble when he should make trouble, and be quiet when he should be quiet. He knows how to measure things.

Among those second-generation people, I feel that Xu Wenbi is still a bit of a figure.

This is Wei Guangde's understanding of the current and next generation of Duke Dingguo. If you are a relative of such a family, at least you won't have to worry about encountering bad luck like the Red Mansion.

"Actually, there is no need for you to fight. If you keep going step by step, with your ability and the help of your uncle and the others, you will be able to reach a high position sooner or later."

Xu Jianglan said on the side.

"You women don't understand what happens in the court."

Wei Guangde shook his head. If he really had a relationship with the nobles, it was unlikely that his official position would be promoted very high.

Wei Guangde now consciously draws a clear line with Ding Guogong's family, because he is worried that other colleagues will classify him as a member of the Wuxun family.

Even though the civil and military ministers in the court were very polite when meeting each other, the civil service group was always on guard against the Wu Xun family, which is why the Beijing camp was firmly controlled by the Ministry of War.

For example, although Zhu Xizhong said that he was commanding the army in the Beijing camp, in fact, without a note from the Ministry of War, his soldiers could not command at all, and they could not even leave the military camp.

The Ministry of War has officials stationed in each battalion of the Beijing camp, and they are the actual commanders of each battalion.

"I don't understand. You just want to please King Yu. In the future, after King Yu ascends the throne, he will see if he can promote you to a bigger official and let you join the cabinet. From now on, when others see you, they will first call you 'Wei Ge Lao' ,hehe"

As he spoke, Xu Jianglan's mouth burst into laughter like a silver bell.

“None of our officials who passed the imperial examination and entered the government have their ultimate goal of becoming a cabinet minister. What’s more, if your family is just on the road to becoming a cabinet minister, they will naturally have to redouble their efforts to successfully join the cabinet.

To wake up and hold the power of the world, to be drunk and lie in the lap of a beautiful woman, this is our lifelong pursuit. "

Wei Guangde said casually.

"You still want to get drunk and lie on the lap of a beautiful woman, who will you sleep with? Don't think I don't know. You guys, a bunch of Hanlin people, ran to that place when they had nothing to do. When you came back, you said you were dragged there by your colleagues. Hum, don't think I don't know. In fact, you are the one who is clamoring the loudest."

At this time, Xu Jianglan had already stood up and walked to Wei Guangde. She said with an evil look on her face, while saying that she clenched her jade hands into small fists and shook them in front of Wei Guangde's eyes.

Xu Jianglan was born in the palace of the Duke of Wei. She was not only good at playing music, chess, calligraphy and painting, she also learned some boxing and leg embroidery, perhaps to strengthen her body and to have more self-defense and life-saving abilities. In short, when Xu Jianglan saw Wei Guangde getting up to box in the morning, he even Wei Guangde "discussed" with each other.

Of course, Wei Guangde's boxing skills were not fancy, but he didn't dare to attack wantonly, so he was beaten by Xu Jianglan in a few blows and ran away, which made her very arrogant at home for a while.

However, Wei Guangde didn't intend to spoil her today. He reached out and grabbed one of Xu Jianglan's arms and held her in his arms. Then he turned over and pressed her under him. He said with a frivolous smile: "Who will I sleep with? I'll sleep with you tonight." .”

In the days that followed, Wei Guangde lived a leisurely life.

He had already written Yu Dayou's reply and gave it to the servant to take back to Datong.

If you want to request an order to build a chariot camp, you must first win a real victory in Datong to show the superiority of chariots against the Mongolian cavalry. Otherwise, given the current financial situation of the imperial court, it will definitely be unable to support it, and the Ministry of War will definitely You won’t spend money building a wheelbarrow without seeing the results.

In fact, the officials of the Ming Dynasty did not lack outstanding foresight. If they were different from readers, it was also affected by the times.

For example, after seeing the Franco machine guns and bird guns introduced from the West, officials saw the effects in actual combat. When compared with the firearms originally equipped by the Ming army, it was easy to see the advantages.

They were not stingy with such practical equipment. They invested a large amount of money and manufactured equipment in large quantities for the Ming army in various places, even under financial constraints.

They are not complacent, but a group of people who are good at learning.

Of course, when the money is allocated, what do those involved in the production do? They also know that after all, they can also profit from it, but this is not the main reason why they allocate the money. It is because this thing can indeed improve the Ming army. Combat strength.

You know, where the money is, it can be used to make other things without using it to make guns and cannons. It can still be washed away layer by layer. In fact, their interests will not be damaged.

It couldn't be easier for officials like them to make excuses for spending money.

The contact between Wei Guangde and Chen Ju has been restored, but the number of contacts has become less, and most of them use notes to convey information.

Wei Guangde also knew that Lu Bing's case was completely understood.

A major change occurred within the East Factory. Several servants who took action were poisoned overnight, and the clues were completely interrupted.

The resumes of several people in the palace were also very ordinary, and it was impossible to tell the origin of Li. Following this incident, there was another purge in the Dongchang, and Chen Ju actually managed to get a moderate brand name in the Dongchang.

Wei Guangde wanted to take a look at Chen Ju wearing a pointed hat, white leather boots, brown clothes and a small ribbon, but he also knew that the brand Chen Ju mentioned in Dongchang was probably just for his convenience. He was working in front of the imperial court and was only given the job when it was convenient for him to do things according to the emperor's will. It was unlikely that he would actually be transferred to Dongchang to be the executioner.

He is not qualified to be the admiral of Dongchang, but his godfather Gao Zhong is.

But now that Huang Jin is the governor-general's eunuch, the ceremonial supervisor, and the admiral of Dongchang, he no longer has this trust.

Without the approval of Emperor Jiajing, no one could change Huang Jin's position.

Naturally, Gao Zhong didn't dare to argue with Huang Jin. He just had to be his own chief of etiquette and Bingbi.

The autumn weather in Beijing was crisp and clear in August, and the imperial court also ushered in a busy month.

The reason for the busyness is certainly not the sudden increase in the number of official documents submitted from various places, nor is it the border towns are fighting with the Mongolian Tatars again, or the coastal areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang are being plundered by Japanese pirates, but it is the Longevity Festival.

As Emperor Jiajing issued an edict to bring in two hundred thousand taels of Taicang silver, the entire court became busy.

Emperor Jiajing's birthday is coming soon, and those officials in the court will naturally not criticize the emperor for asking for money from the Ministry of Revenue at this time.

In the following days, the memorial ceremony for Confucius, the great scholar, was ordered to perform the ceremony, the British Duke Zhang Rong was ordered to worship Tai Sheji, and the Chengguo Duke Zhu Xizhong was ordered to worship Emperor Sheji. One after another imperial edicts were issued from Xiyuan.

In the past few days, what everyone in the Hanlin Academy is most concerned about, or what the officials in the capital's major yamen are most concerned about now, is whether Emperor Jiajing will drive to the Fengtian Palace on the Wanshou Festival.

In Wei Guangde's memory, it seems that he has never seen Emperor Jiajing in the Fengtian Palace several times. Moreover, the construction of the three main halls is still continuing and has not been completed. The wood purchased from the south is still being transported to the capital in a steady stream. The Ministry of Works only completed the reconstruction of the inner and outer palace gates.

However, just because the Fengtian Temple has not been built, it does not mean that you cannot perform rituals.

In fact, the huge square outside the Fengtian Palace has been cleared. Although worship ceremonies cannot be held in the palace, it can be held outside the palace. This is how the palace examination and subsequent ceremonies at the beginning of the year were conducted. Emperor Jiajing also arrived at the scene.

Their discussion soon ended. Following the edict issued by Xiyuan, on the Wanshou Holy Day, Zhu Xizhong, the Duke of Chengguo, was ordered to worship heaven on behalf of the Xuanji Palace. He would not go to the Imperial Palace, and all the officials in court attire would go to the main gate to bow five times and kowtow three times. After the ceremony, everyone still went up to express their congratulations, and gave them money without a banquet. The king of North Korea, Li Long, sent his accompanying ministers Cao Shenpan Liu Qian and others, Shen Ning and other Weiyi leaders, Gelu Ge and others to come to congratulate them and pay tribute to horses and Fang Fang. Such as the banquet.

After Emperor Jiajing's decree was issued, the court quickly started operating in accordance with the decree. It seemed that August had passed so smoothly. However, when an urgent memorial from the Xuanfu was delivered to the capital, the relaxed atmosphere in the court suddenly became tense. stand up.

The main force of the Anda Division appears outside the Xuan Mansion. There are suspected signs of intrusion. Please mobilize troops from Ji Town and other places to assist in defense.

After the Anda tribe entered the Kou Xuan Mansion in a large scale in the 35th year of Jiajing, it seemed to be making a comeback again.