Chapter 275 274 Idle Job
Stepping on the rubble of Fengtianmen, the sound of "click, click" sounded.
The fire in the Forbidden City has been extinguished, and before the scene could be cleaned up, Emperor Jiajing led everyone into the square through the Youshun Gate, and then stepped on the ruins of Fengtian Gate into the square in front of Fengtian Hall.
The once tall and majestic Fengtian Temple is now in ruins, a mess, and devastated. Only a few remaining smoked black columns are still standing, showing its former majesty.
Emperor Jiajing's face looked very ugly at the moment, as dark as the pillar.
Wei Guangde followed the crowd. He was surprised to be summoned by Emperor Jiajing before, but he felt relieved after thinking about it. There was a fire in the house. Could the master come back and take a look?
Xiyuan is not far from Miyagi Castle, just next door.
However, after meeting the emperor, he did not get the reward he expected.
Also, at this time, Emperor Jiajing has no intention to consider how to reward them. Let's figure out the losses first.
Wei Guangde was not released from the palace, but asked to follow the emperor's team to inspect the fire scene.
Emperor Jiajing walked in front, followed by Wei Guangde and Chen Ju. At this time, the six ministers and nine ministers and other dignitaries from the court had already arrived. All the eunuchs in the palace had also gathered. There was no room for him and Chen Ju in front. .
After walking this way, Wei Guangde also understood the impact of the fire.
This does not mean that if you have money, you can repair it immediately. It is completely different from the later generations. If you have money, you can directly find the construction team, go to the building materials market and start the construction.
The materials used to build the palace these days are not masonry and cement, but wood, golden nanmu.
The "history" of golden nanmu began in the Yuan Dynasty. Because its golden pattern was very in line with the noble and elegant temperament of the royal family, it once became a special material for the royal family of the Yuan Dynasty.
By the Ming Dynasty, golden nanmu was widely used in the palace as a precious wood. The emperor of the Ming Dynasty applied this material to the manufacture of palaces, furniture, and coffins.
The output of golden nanmu is not small, and its value is not high, but what is precious is a special pattern of golden nanmu, that is, golden nanmu can be encountered but not sought.
The use of golden nanmu in the Ming Dynasty. Ordinary wood was used to make palaces and other buildings, while wood with golden threads was used to make royal furniture.
Golden nanmu grows in the dense forests in the mountains of western Sichuan, the most remote and highest altitude area in China. The climate there is cold and dry, the temperature difference between day and night is large, the air humidity is low, and the trees grow slowly.
During the Yongle period, large-scale planting began in Sichuan, Huguang, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and other places. Since these areas are rich in high-quality golden nanmu, many emperors in the Ming Dynasty would plant it in their palaces, palaces, towers, temples and Gold threads are planted in palaces and other places.
There is actually no shortage of wood sources, but the problem is that golden nanmu grows very slowly.
The growth cycle of nanmu is very long, it takes at least 50 years to grow into wood, but at this time the golden threads have just begun to form, growing at a rate of 1-2% every year, and it takes at least 50 years to reach "full size" gold".
Even if it is just to build the three main halls, it will take more than 50 years of wood. Naturally, such a large amount of materials cannot be collected in a short time.
Now that the three main halls have been destroyed, regardless of whether the court can get the money to rebuild them, the selection and preparation of materials alone cannot be completed in a short time, and it will take at least several years.
At this time, Wei Guangde already knew the whole story of the fire. It was the lightning that struck Fengtian Hall and caused the fire, which then spread to the Huagai Hall and Shenxin Hall at the back. The fire continued to burn along the corridor and ignited the second floor of the civil and military buildings. Then they burned the Fengtian Gate and the Meridian Gate, and also burned the left and right gates.
Fortunately, the wind was blowing from the north, and the strong wind pushed the fire to the south. If the wind had been blowing from the south, the fire would have burned directly to the harem.
Think about the situation in the harem, which is inhabited by palace maids and chamberlains. If the harem is really burned down, we really don’t know how much damage will be done and how many people will die.
But what Wei Guangde didn't know was that what Emperor Jiajing was thinking about at the moment was what revelation the fire gave him. Is this a warning from God or something else?
The last time the three main halls were burned down, Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, was the one who committed the crime. Now that the three main halls have been burned down again, what should I do?
It wasn't until it was getting late that everyone said goodbye to the emperor and left the Forbidden City to return to their residences. Wei Guangde also followed the crowd and walked out. He didn't eat lunch. It was dinner time again and he was hungry. .
On the second day, Wei Guangde arrived at the Hanlin Academy on time for duty.
Before leaving the palace last night, Emperor Jiajing ordered the officials in Beijing of the fourth rank and above to go to Xiyuan to attend court this morning. Wei Guangde was of course not among them, so he could only go to his public room on time to sit and drink. Tea.
Wei Guangde is not very interested in what will happen in Xiyuan today. He just wants to know whether he will be promoted or given yellow and white things as rewards.
To be honest, Wei Guangde himself didn't really believe that he could continue to be promoted because he was too young.
Normally, most Jinshi scholars of this age will be elected to the Hanlin Academy as Shujishi for three years, so that they will be almost 20 years old and can take up other positions.
But he happened to be a freak outside the rules. He was appointed an official by a concubine at the age of eighteen. Seeing that he had made great achievements again, I guess the court still had opinions on how to reward him.
It would also be good to receive some gold and silver rewards. It is advisable to take a broad view of the scenery.
Wei Guangde could only comfort himself in his heart at the moment.
What Wei Guangde did yesterday has been spread outside the palace yesterday afternoon. He saved the "Yongle Dadian". This is a real achievement. I didn't sit down and take a sip of tea today. Colleagues from the Imperial Academy came over to sit around one after another, and Wei Guangde responded with a smile on his face.
At almost noon, news finally came out from Xiyuan that Emperor Jiajing had issued the "Edict of Sin".
"I am the heir of the same surname. I was not a prince at first, but it was given by the emperor's decree and the blessings of my two relatives. It has been thirty-six years since I entered the imperial family. Yesterday, I suffered an unprecedented event. After internal changes, God will forgive me and bring me back to life. This feeling is engraved in my heart. It is difficult to describe it. My body and life are all about love, but it is true. A word from ministers, but it is not the two ends of emptiness. Heaven's heart is a mirror, my heart is loyal, and the heaven is clear. Yesterday, due to the drought, I prayed on the altar of thunder and flood, and I was happy that the rain of spirits fell, and there was thunder and fire. The fire burns brightly in the three halls towards the front, and extends to the porch, where the pot is burning. I am responsible for all of them. I am here to express my gratitude to all my subjects. Disasters and auspiciousness happen to each other. Is there no inspiration? Those who are in power should be in a state of fear. If there is no room for happiness and joy, we must do our best to serve others. We should exhaust the thoughts of the people, inherit the heavenly precepts, and serve as Lord Zuo'er. I am here to care for the living beings and order them to be safe and respectful. Therefore, I would like to give this edict and let the envoy know about it."
Wei Guangde was also surprised when he heard the news. He thought Emperor Jiajing would think so. There is no way to evade this matter, so I never thought that he would sin against himself.
I quickly went out with everyone to read the full text of "Edict of Sin", but it seemed that I didn't realize that I was wrong.
This is how Wei Guangde felt after reading "The Edict of Sin". He was a bit shirking responsibility. This is what Emperor Jiajing should look like in his eyes.
Although Wei Guangde did not have much contact with Emperor Jiajing, he still had a certain understanding of the current emperor based on his previous performance and market rumors.
The fire started because he felt that there was a drought and asked for rain, and it was accidentally caused. The responsibility was on him, and then it was gone.
Wei Guangde smacked his lips. Although Emperor Jiajing issued the "Edict of Sin", he probably would continue to cultivate immortality in the future. He still said that although I admit my mistake, I will never repent.
At this point, the fire in the three main halls has come to an end, and is only recorded in the Ming Dynasty records:
○Bingshen in April of the 36th year of Jiajing
The day when the door disaster occurred in Fengtian and other halls There was a loud thunder, and at noon, the fire suddenly spread from Fengtian Hall to burning Huagai, Jinshen and the Second Hall of Civil and Military Affairs. On the second floor, the left and right sides of the Meridian Gate and the left and right corridors outside the Meridian Gate were all destroyed until the moment when the lights were turned off. Tomorrow, the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs comforted me and reported, "God loves me. I am afraid of crossing the abyss. I don't know what to do. How can I express my great differences?" Resigning from the post of son-in-law, the closest relative, must only accept Ren and show his condolences to the ministers. It is my fault to be loyal and sincere. However, he is the one who blames me. He only feels that he is attached to Yu and is obedient to his ears. The fire was over, but the reconstruction work was also put on the agenda of the court.
Although the imperial court has no money, it can't even have a place to go to court, right? It's not like you have to tighten your belt to do this project.
Of course, the current Minister of Industry, Zhao Wenhua, will not object to this.
It is a fact recognized by everyone that the imperial court has no money, but things still have to be done. Anyway, it is just about selecting materials. It does not cost much money to select the materials first and prepare them.
Just send an official document from the Ministry of Industry in Beijing to Nanjing and let them start preparations.
"Heaven carries the emperor and makes the sun come true"
Three days after the fire, when Wei Guangde was still on duty at the Hanlin Academy, an imperial edict came unexpectedly.
In the past, before issuing an order, someone would remind the recipient of the order to prepare the incense case and so on. This time it came a bit suddenly, and Wei Guangde had no one to give him the news before.
In the courtyard outside the duty room of the Hanlin Academy, Wei Guangde and other colleagues who came to join in the fun knelt down to welcome the imperial edict.
Actually, colleagues coming together at this time are certainly not here to kneel down. It is not uncommon to receive orders in the Hanlin Academy, but everyone wants to know what reward Wei Guangde can get this time. A banquet.
His reputation as a high-ranking official in Wei was widely circulated in the Hanlin Academy. He had a lot of money and ginseng, and those who were short of cash or lacked ginseng at home would come to Wei Guangde for help. He also agreed to come to anyone who came. .
Contrary to what was originally thought, this imperial edict not only upgraded Wei Guangde's rank, but also rewarded him with twenty taels of silver.
It was just the official promotion that gave Wei Guangde a bit of a toothache. Zuo Si Zhilang, Zuo Chunfang of Zhanshi Mansion, was promoted from the sixth rank official position by half a rank.
As for Zhan Shifu, it was considered a fat official before the Hongzhi Dynasty. It was the yamen that assisted and educated the prince.
In the early years of Hongwu, a large main hall was built to store ancient and modern books, and famous Confucian scholars from all over were summoned to instruct the princes and princes.
Soon, the prince lived in Wenhua Hall, and the Confucian scholars took turns to attend him, and talented people were selected to accompany him. At that time, in addition to the prince's young master, young master, young treasurer, and guests, the officials in the East Palace also included Zhan Shi and Tongzhi. Official positions such as Zhanshi Yuanshi, Deputy Zhanshi, Yude, Zanshan Doctor and other official positions are all held by the old ministers.
In the 15th year of Hongwu's reign, the officials of Chunfang on the left and right were renamed, and each had a concubine, Yude, Zhongyun, Zanshan, and Sizhilang, and each had a bachelor.
In the 22nd year of Hongwu, Zhanshiyuan was established to control the departments such as Zuochunfang, Youchunfang, and Economic Affairs Bureau, and to control the political affairs of the government, bureaus, and bureaus.
At this point, the Zhan Shi Mansion was formed, mainly engaged in internal affairs services for the prince or the emperor, including official positions such as Zhan Shi and Shao Zhan Shi.
As for the job that Wei Guangde got, the position of Zuo Chunfang Zuo Sizhiro was a non-permanent official position. He and Zuo Sizhiro and Zuo and You Qingjiro were in charge of the impeachment and correction of the prince's East Palace.
Wei Guangde did not expect that after changing his official position, he would start a discipline inspection work like his father. Wei Meng was appointed as the governor of Qianhu.
Only from the beginning of the Hongzhi Dynasty, in order to educate the crown prince Zhu Houzhao, Emperor Hongzhi chose bachelors from the cabinet and the Hanlin Academy for education, instead of being educated by Zhan Shifu.
Now in the Jiajing Dynasty, the two princes granted by Emperor Jiajing are gone. Naturally, the Zhanshi Mansion has become a decoration, a step for promotion to Hanlin officials, and there is no chance of becoming a minister of the emperor.
Well, this time the reward, in addition to changing Wei Guangde from a seventh-grade official to a sixth-grade official, and giving him twenty taels of silver, is still the kind of idle job with nothing to do.
After kneeling down to thank him for receiving the order, Wei Guangde pretended to be very happy and sent the order messenger away. Wei Guangde and his colleagues had another day of fun before returning home.
Although he was a little drunk after drinking some wine, he couldn't just sleep like this. He still had something important to do, which was to write a note of gratitude and send it to the General Affairs Department tomorrow morning.
This is a custom. When the emperor gives a reward, the minister must express his gratitude.
That night, when Wei Guangde returned home, he was notified by the concierge that Chen Ju was already sitting in the lobby of his home drinking tea and waiting for him.
Wei Guangde received a reward yesterday, and Chen Ju probably received a reward as well, but I don’t know what benefits he received.
"Brother Chen, this is"
Wei Guangde saw Chen Ju when he entered the door. He used to be dressed as a chamberlain, but today he saw Chen Ju's clothes had changed. He was serving as a eunuch.
Wei Guangde couldn't tell the difference between the clothes of these low-level eunuchs, and he didn't know what kind of official Chen Ju was now and what his rank was.
"Haha, thanks to my brother, I have already entered the position of Chief Supervisor and Chief of Ceremony."
Seeing Wei Guangde come in, Chen Ju stood up with a smile and faced Wei Guangde, imitating It is the etiquette when scholars meet each other to bow their hands with each other.
“Brother, what level is this?”
Wei Guangde asked curiously. He had been promoted by half a level. I wonder how Chen Ju should be promoted this time?
Eighth or seventh grade?
"The Chief Supervisor Fengyu is the same as my brother, from the sixth rank."
Hearing what Chen Ju said, Wei Guangde's eyes widened instantly and he looked at Chen Ju in disbelief.
There are people in this palace who are easy to get things done. Is Gao Zhong so capable?
"Don't stare at me. I used to do errands for His Majesty. It's just hard work before. This time I jumped a lot of levels because of all the hard work. Haha."
At this point, Chen Ju is The smile that couldn't be concealed was finally revealed.
“No, it’s just that my eldest brother suddenly jumped to the same level as me, which is really a bit.”
“Hey, brother, you don’t know that His Majesty has done a lot for your official position. It’s so troublesome. It’s all because you are too young.”
(End of this chapter)