The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Wei Guangde was worried after leaving Prince Yu's Mansion.

He was asked to impeach Dong Fen, the Minister of Rites. To be honest, he didn't want to take over the matter. It was really a bit offending.

Dong Fen had just taken office. Logically speaking, at this time, he was the most trusted by Emperor Jiajing, so the possibility of successful impeachment was slim.

But His Highness Prince Yu wanted to express this, and as an official of the royal palace and a die-hard supporter of His Highness Prince Yu, he couldn't refuse.

Fortunately, there was still time to buffer. At least until Li Fang found out the details, he could put off the matter for the time being.

In Wei Guangde's view, if Dong Fen did not collect the Yan family's belongings, then he would have no choice but to make a fuss after hearing about it, which was considered to be the remark made by His Highness King Yu.

But if Dong Fen really took possession of the Yan family's belongings, considering how unwelcome the Emperor Jiajing and the ministers were to the Yan family at this time, even if the Emperor Jiajing would not dismiss him from his post because of this, he would not have an easy time in the court. , it is not impossible to even be forced to take the initiative to become an official.

It should be noted that human words can be feared.

Wei Guangde was sitting on the carriage calculating the gains and losses. He felt that there seemed to be no other harm to him except that he would offend Dong Fen if the impeachment failed.

As for the impact of the failure of impeachment on his reputation, in order to make King Yu happy, damage to his reputation is nothing.

Wei Guangde returned to the school registration hall to continue the school registration ceremony. Shortly after noon, Lu Bu quietly entered the room and informed, "Master Ouyang invited me to drink."

"Ouyang? You mean Si Zhi."

Si Zhi is Ouyang Yijing's nickname. We are all from Pengze, Jiangxi, and naturally move around the capital a lot. It should be noted that the reason why he was transferred back to the capital from Xiaoshan County to serve as a criminal officer was because Wei Guangde helped him escape.

"Yes, sir. Damn it, you can't even explain such a trivial matter."

Lu Bu quickly lowered his head and admitted his mistake.

"It doesn't matter, where are you going tonight?"

Wei Guangde asked casually.

"Goulan Alley, West Courtyard."

Lu Bu smiled.

"West Courtyard, haha, okay, I understand."

Wei Guangde smiled, this West Garden is not the other West Garden, of course these names have meanings.

However, the royal family of the Ming Dynasty did not pay much attention to these things, so the people were left to mess around.

In fact, the West Courtyard is also one of King Yu's favorite places.

But at this moment, Wei Guangde had no intention of proofreading the books.

Although after careful consideration, I feel that impeaching Dong Fen is actually not a big deal. If an official is not impeached, no one will impeach him unless he is a little transparent and no one pays attention to him.

It should be noted that many censors not only impeach officials, but also officials.

Ouyang Yijing.

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde couldn't help but think of Ouyang Yijing.

Ever since he was admitted to the sixth subject, he had been very calm in the first two years. After all, he was new to the capital and was not familiar with the capital.

The officialdom in the capital was complex, and Ouyang Yijing was afraid of doing something wrong, especially since Wei Guangde had warned him that it was the time when King Yu, Xu Jie and Yan Dang were having a fierce secret war.

Perhaps it seemed to him a casual book, but there might be a big boss hiding behind it. With his relationship with Wei Guangde, Ouyang Yijing was also accepted as a member of Prince Yu's Palace by default, so don't cause trouble to Prince Yu's Palace.

However, since the fall of Yan Song, Ouyang Yijing has also become active. Especially last year, he published two memorials in a month. The first one impeached Taichang Shaoqing Jin Yinghuai and reported his misdeeds when he was the doctor of the martial arts department. , accepted bribes from Fu Yi, Wang Chonggu, and Sun Hongshi, and all of them were found guilty during the inspection.

The second memorial followed the trend and impeached Fu Yi, the minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs in Nanjing, Sun Hongshi, the political counselor in Huguang, and Wang Chonggu, the governor of Ningxia, who bribed Jin Yinghuai in order to get promoted.

After Emperor Jiajing approved the promotion, a thorough investigation by the Ministry of Civil Affairs found that there seemed to be something wrong with Jin Yinghuai when he restored Fu Yi, and that both Sun and Wang were promoted because of their outstanding achievements, and there was no hidden secret of giving or receiving privately. Fu Yi was dismissed from his official position, but the other three were not affected.

Although the impeachment was not considered a success, it could be regarded as Ouyang Yijing's first shot in the court, and he gained some reputation in the Sixth Section.

At that time, Wei Guangde was busy with his academic performance and did not pay attention to the matter. Even though Ouyang Yijing had informed him of the intention to impeach beforehand, he did not take it seriously.

In fact, Wei Guangde didn't like the censor's practice of informing officials about rumors. He still felt that it was unbecoming of a gentleman to catch an adulterer in bed, catch a thief and steal the stolen goods, and file a complaint without any evidence.

However, Ouyang Yijing captured a minister in his first impeachment, so his efforts were not in vain. Whether it was his vision or luck, he was pretty good. He did not sue a lot like most censors, but the result was nothing. The results have no effect at all, and they offend many people for nothing.

In the officialdom, you seem to be just suing one person, but you don't know the huge power of being of the same age and from the same hometown after you stand up.

After all, Yushi and Guishizhong were only insignificant seventh-rank officials in the court, with great power but low status.

Wei Guangde suddenly had an idea at this time, that is, let Ouyang Yijing come forward to impeach Emperor Jiajing and test his attitude.

But asking Ouyang Yijing to impeach him, I don't know if it will make King Yu dissatisfied. After all, he even said that he would be punished personally.

It is better to wait until he meets with Si Zhi later. You must know that the target of this impeachment is the minister of the court, so he may not dare to take action.

In the eyes of Wei Guangde and others, even princes and county kings are not scary, but if the target is a minister, they have to think twice.

After leaving the yamen, Wei Guangde changed into casual clothes directly in the yamen and went out.

After all, it is inconvenient to wear official uniform when going to a place like the West Courtyard.

When the carriage arrived, Wei Guangde was led directly to a secluded courtyard.

Wei Guangde was still a little puzzled along the way. The cost of the West Hospital was not low. What was Ouyang Yijing doing?

Instead of opening a private room upstairs in the lobby outside, we actually reserved a courtyard inside.

The Ouyang family was not a wealthy family. In Pengze, it was only after he passed the imperial examination that his family became prosperous. Before that, they were barely wealthy. They opened a teahouse in the city and had several acres of thin farmland outside the city.

If it were in his hometown, he could build it as he pleased, but in the capital, in a gold-selling cave like Goulan Hutong, the cost of renting such a yard is not low.

Wei Guangde thought that Ouyang Yijing must have invited a lot of people for spending so much money, but when he walked into the courtyard, he found that it was deserted, with only a few 28-year-old girls serving him.

"Shandai, come on, sit down quickly."

Ouyang Yijing had already come out to greet Wei Guangde when he entered the yard. After meeting Wei Guangde at the door, he pulled him into the house.

After scanning the women in the room, they all looked pretty good. Wei Guangde couldn't help but wonder whether Ouyang Yijing was planning to take a concubine.

These days, if you are marrying a wife, you must have as many battles as possible. The bigger the scene, the better, to show how satisfied your family is with the marriage.

But taking a concubine is different. Although there is a ceremony, it is done behind closed doors at home, and usually no one is invited.

However, for those of them who are officials in the capital, taking concubines is not allowed by law, so they usually do it secretly behind someone's back.

It's like this, please invite a few close friends who know everything.

In the officialdom, how many people can be said to know the ins and outs? Except for a few who can barely pick out a few who have worked together for many years, they are fellow villagers. That is really an existence where everyone is prosperous and everyone suffers.

During the Ming Dynasty, township parties were actually very serious, and people from the same province clung to each other very strongly.

After the two sat down, Wei Guangde asked curiously: "Where are you singing today? Is it just the two of us or someone else?"

"Not many people were called, just a few of us from Jiujiang in the capital."

Ouyang Yijing replied.

Wei Guangde looked at him now. Ouyang Yijing was a man in his forties, and he seemed to be a bit old-hearted.

After the maid came to present the fragrant tea, Wei Guangde waved his hand and signaled the ladies in the room to go out first.

After they went out, Wei Guangde looked at Ouyang Yijing, cupped his hands and said: "Brother Si Zhi, you have taken a fancy to that girl here. I'm not telling you that you fell in love with her, so you paid the money, took the deed and took her home directly." , what kind of table should we set here?

If Jiaofangsi has difficulties, just tell me directly and I will ask them to help you handle the matter. No matter what, Jiaofangsi has to give me some thin noodles. "

When he said this, Wei Guangde was also thinking about Ouyang Yijing. It would be bad if the emperor's feet, the most virtuous place, were exposed.

The "Laws of the Ming Dynasty" clearly stipulates that any man who is over forty and has no heirs can take concubines.

He, Ouyang Yijing, was forty, but he also had children who did not meet this requirement at all.

Although concubinage is common practice in both official circles and among the people, everyone knows that taboos should be avoided.

As for other matters such as parents' consent and wife's consent, Ouyang Yijing had already observed his filial piety, not to mention his wife's.

Although the wife's attitude is very important when it comes to concubinage, in this era, they think more about their own men. As long as they think about it, they generally will not refuse, because their husbands are the ones they rely on.

This is true among the people, and even more so in the officialdom.

Officials have no worries about finding women.

Ouyang Yijing's wife and children all stayed in his hometown of Pengze and were not around at all.

However, Ouyang Yijing was stunned by Wei Guangde's words, and it took him a long time to ask: "What girl?"

Wei Guangde looked around and then said: "You arranged to drink here, didn't you want to take a concubine?"

"Hey, no, Shandai, you misunderstood."

Ouyang Yijing called Qu Dao.

"Misunderstanding?"

Wei Guangde was also puzzled. If he wanted to take a concubine, he should come out when the guests came. He was not the new wife of the media, so what should he avoid.

"I invite you here because I want you to help me with the details."

Ouyang Yijing whispered.

"For details? Do you want to become an official?"

Wei Guangde breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

Hearing what Ouyang Yijing said, Wei Guangde felt relieved.

Although it was common for officials in the Ming Dynasty to take concubines, the rules should not be broken. It was not like what later generations thought, and they would not just buy it and take it home if they liked it.

At the very least, if you take a concubine, you must ask the concubine to serve tea to the eldest wife. Ouyang Yijing's wife is not around. If the news gets out, if you give him a copy of this, he will definitely be dismissed from office and go home.

When Yan Shifan was in the spotlight, all the wives he married followed this procedure, and they did not dare to break this rule.

As opposed to being morally deficient, if you just want to make progress, that's a different matter.

Wei Guangde didn't realize that there was anything wrong with wanting to climb up as an official these days. As long as he met the conditions for promotion, he should give gifts and treat guests.

"Not a running official."

Different from what Wei Guangde thought, Ouyang Yijing said bluntly.

Wei Guangde blinked when he heard this, quickly analyzed it in his mind, and came to a conclusion.

"You don't want to impeach anyone, do you? Mr. Xu Ge, Mr. Li Ge, or Mr. Yan Ge?"

Wei Guangde asked tentatively, but there was a bit of joking in his tone.

In his opinion, Ouyang Yijing must be impeaching a big shot because he is so mysterious.

Thinking about it, there are not many people who can be so cautiously treated by people like them.

It was just a joke to target the first and second assistants of the dynasty from the beginning. Not to mention him, I didn't dare to provoke these people.

"Hey, bullshit."

Ouyang Yijing laughed and cursed.

At this time, a maid outside announced: "Master, Master Duan and Master Zhang have arrived."

"Invite them in quickly."

While talking, Ouyang Yijing stood up to greet him. Wei Guangde, who was sitting on the side, also stood up, but he was still muttering, "Master Duan, Master Zhang, oh, them."

Based on the surname, Wei Guangde already knew who the visitor was. They were all from Jiujiang Prefecture, and he was really familiar with them.

Soon, Ouyang Yijing and Wei Guangde welcomed Duan Mengxian and Zhang Dao in.

"Xingquan is still reluctant to take off his new official uniform even here."

Wei Guangde joked.

"Haha, I'm a new Jinshi, I'll definitely want it."

Ouyang Yijing answered happily.

"I told him about him on the way here, but he wasn't watching the government, and there were no casual clothes in the yamen."

Duan Mengxian explained helpfully.

"Are you, the head of the Criminal Department, comfortable in front of you?"

Wei Guangde asked about Duan Mengxian's current situation. In the 41st year of Jiajing, Wei Guangde didn't help at that time because he was busy dealing with Yan Song at that time, so Duan Mengxian was assigned to the Ministry of Punishment to observe politics after the palace examination.

In the second half of the year, after the major event had been decided, Wei Guangde broke up with the Ministry of Personnel and did not let him go out to be a county magistrate. Instead, he stayed in the Ministry of Punishment and became the head of a house.

As for Zhang Dao, this time Wei Guangde made some arrangements in advance and directly arranged for the person to be admitted to the Metropolitan Procuratorate. He should be the censor in the second half of the year.

As for which one he is assigned to, Wei Guangde doesn't care, it depends on his own destiny.

In fact, it's not bad. Although Lao Kan and Zhang Ke took the initiative to go to other places and gradually became famous, Wei Guangde was not alone in the capital. They just gathered a table of mahjong.

Ouyang Yijing asked the maid to bring tea and snacks, and asked them to go down and wait. They would talk about it later. Eating and drinking had to be in the evening.

There were only four of them in the room. When Ouyang Yijing saw that everyone was here, he continued what he had said before.

"Speaking of which, this time I asked you to help me with the details. I heard before that Yang Yusun, the young minister of Taipu Temple, and Fan Weipi, the director of the Ministry of War, accepted the benefits of the Yan family and helped lobby officials in Beijing to rescue Yan Shifan. I So I sent someone to investigate and found out that Dong Fen was the Minister of Rites."

As Ouyang Yijing spoke eloquently, Wei Guangde looked at Ouyang Yijing with a complicated expression.

If he hadn't mentioned this matter to King Yu today, Wei Guangde would have doubted whether he had planted a nail next to King Yu.

What a coincidence.

"Listen to what you mean, are you going to impeach Dong Fen, Yang Yusun and Fan Weipi?"

Wei Guangde asked directly.