Chapter 473 472 Building Blocks as Pillars Method

Chapter 473 472 Building Blocks as Pillars Method

“Let’s go and congratulate King Yu. After gambling on so many subjects, I finally won.”

Yin Shizhen greeted them to go out, saying Li also read: "Okay. These gambling houses should not be allowed to interfere with the talent promotion ceremony. "

Obviously, he does not support officials participating in gambling, especially betting on the number one scholar. This is the country's talent promotion ceremony, and it should be solemn and solemn. How can you be contaminated with the smell of copper?

Zhang Juzheng whispered to Wei Guangde behind him: "If I had known this, I would have gambled on it."

"Exactly, exactly."

Tang Ruji also answered in a low voice.

Obviously, none of them took Yin Shizhen's words to heart.

For officials like them, the future is bright.

But that, after all, is the future.

Now, if they don't have family support and no external sources of income, their lives will only be tight if they rely solely on their salary and rewards.

The new scholars happily participated in the honor banquet that followed. After that, the emperor bestowed robes and banknotes, and Xu Shixing thanked the scholars on behalf of the scholars. They also visited the temple of their ancestors and performed the dish-releasing ceremony. Every detail was carefully planned by the Etiquette Department. The arrangement is proceeding in an orderly manner.

Wei Guangde finally had the opportunity to visit the second auxiliary Xu Jie and the auxiliary minister Yuan Wei to test their tone.

In the past few days, although the imperial court was still running and was not interrupted due to the imperial examination, some government affairs were inevitably suppressed.

Although it was delayed for a few days, it did not affect anything. In fact, neither the Cabinet nor the Ministry of War had discussed the matter yet.

Relatively speaking, Yuan Wei's attitude is more cautious. Although he has been somewhat unfavorable to Mr. Yan Ge recently, after all, the emperor did not say anything personally, and everything was just rumored outside the court.

But when Wei Guangde came out of Xu Jie Mansion, Wei Guangde couldn't help but look back at Xu Mansion.

When discussing this matter with Xu Jie just now, although Xu Jie still behaved in a perfunctory manner, his attitude immediately changed after seeing the three thousand taels of silver donated by Wei Guangde.

Relatively speaking, Wei Guangde feels that Xu Jie seems to be more certain that Mr. Yan Ge will step down in the near future.

Thinking about the clues discovered by Prince Yu's Mansion before, Wei Guangde became even more convinced that Xu Jie had already started a series of actions, but they were very covert. It was not known whether Yan Song, Yan Shifan and the others were aware of it.

However, these have nothing to do with him. It seems that after the war in Jiangxi was temporarily put aside due to the imperial examination, it has not recently returned to the focus of government affairs, because the attention of Emperor Jiajing has been diverted to the reconstruction of Yongshou Palace.

When Emperor Jiajing summoned Yan Song and Xu Jie for questioning years ago, Emperor Jiajing finally handed over the reconstruction of Yongshou Palace to Xu Jie's supervision because of Yan Song's improper words.

What the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty could not imagine was that Xu Jie actually rebuilt Yongshou Palace in only three months.

Wei Guangde only accidentally heard about this when he visited Xu Jie this time. Thinking about Mr. Xu Ge's expression of joy when he said this.

Think about it. The Ming Dynasty was famous for its procrastination. Who would have thought that the reconstruction of Yongshou Palace would be so fast and efficient this time.

Things in Xiyuan were matters in the palace, and Wei Guangde naturally couldn't pry around. He didn't ask Chen Ju about the reason. After entering Prince Yu's Mansion the next day, he immediately went to Li Fang to ask.

Li Fang is a eunuch and has the inside information of King Yu in the palace, so he is naturally better informed.

“Are you talking about Yongshou Palace?”

Li Fang smiled and said, “I only found out about this a few days ago. Because it’s not a big deal, I didn’t do it. Talking to you.”

“Why was it completed so quickly? I heard that there was no delay in moving in.”

Wei Guangde asked in surprise.

“The fire in Yongshou Palace only burned down the wooden building. The foundation and so on were all intact. I heard that Mr. Xu Ge was supervising and the place was cleaned up in half a month.

Then. Wasn't the construction of the three main halls completed by then?

However, a lot of craftsmen and wood were recruited, and Xu Jie directly picked up the ready-made ones. All the people and things went into Xiyuan and participated in the reconstruction of Yongshou Palace.

They were all the craftsmen who built the three main halls. This is much less difficult than the previous project.”

Li Fang rambled on about what he knew, and Wei Guangde also opened his mouth in surprise.

Just thinking about it, rebuilding a palace seems troublesome, but after listening to Li Fang's detailed analysis, Wei Guangde also felt that it seemed that this was not a big deal.

When the three main halls were rebuilt, not only was the project huge, but the main reason was the selection of aniseed materials, which wasted a lot of time.

After selecting the timber and transporting it all the way from the south to the capital, reconstruction began. Most of the time was actually spent on selecting materials and transporting them.

Later, the Ministry of Industry had another controversy over the reconstruction of the three main halls. The main reason was that there was insufficient materials and it was impossible to restore the previous grandeur. There was no way but to scale down some of the construction.

At this time, it was natural that Ouyang Bijin, then Minister of Industry, secretly reported to Emperor Jiajing that everything must be decided by the emperor.

When Emperor Jiajing heard the news, he hesitated for many days before finally nodding and agreeing.

There was not enough material to build the main hall, but the Ministry of Industry had sufficient preparations for building ordinary palaces. The three main halls were not used, but were all used in the Yongshou Palace.

Someone has the information, and naturally the construction speed is very fast.

“If I had known this, I might as well have presented myself and recommended myself to do this.”

After listening to Li Fang's explanation, Wei Guangde couldn't help but exclaimed.

"Who says it's not the case? This is not a ready-made achievement, it was all picked up by Xu Ge Laobai."

Li Fang also echoed.

"Mr. Yan Ge is so old and confused. He actually forgot about the three halls project, as well as the craftsmen and materials there."

Wei Guangde had to sigh that older people are always still the same. There is no way to compare with Lao Dang Yizhuang, this is the proof.

It's hard to say that at that time Xu Jie was secretly happy in his heart, but he was also worried that Yan Song would think about the three major halls and come out to grab the credit.

Wei Guangde and others would definitely not know this information unless they inquired specifically, but the cabinet knew about it. Although he was a little curious, Yan Shifan never thought that he had taken advantage of Xu Jie in vain.

How did he know that Yan Shifan was thinking about perfecting his plan at that time, and his heart was not focused on rebuilding Yongshou Palace and pleasing Emperor Jiajing.

Separating from Li Fang, Wei Guangde walked back still thinking about it.

Now that Xu Jie's performance has caught the attention of Emperor Jiajing, he may really not care about Yan Song anymore. Anyway, he has someone who can do things and is obedient.

The news that the Yongshou Palace in Xiyuan was completed in just three months soon spread throughout the government and the public. Officials in the capital were all surprised when they heard about it.

It’s too fast.

Xiyuan, Yongshou Palace. Emperor Jiajing was also inspecting the rebuilt Yongshou Palace at this time. Compared with the palace he lived in before, the current Yongshou Palace was completely brand new. Naturally, Emperor Jiajing nodded repeatedly and was very happy.

“Good, very good, very good.”

Seeing that everything was kept as it was, Emperor Jiajing felt no restraint at all, and his joy was beyond description in words.

Looking around, I unconsciously looked up at the roof beams. They used to be a single piece of wood, but now, although they are carved and painted, you can vaguely see that they are slightly different from before.

"The craftsmen are here."

Emperor Jiajing came to see Yongshou Palace. Not only did Xu Jie rush from the cabinet, but also Lei Li, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, came here to rebuild the palace. All relevant officials and craftsmen were summoned to prepare for the emperor's inquiries.

The question of Emperor Jiajing made Huang Jin, a eunuch admiral, unable to answer, but it was not difficult for Xu Jie.

"Your Majesty, Xu Gao, the leader of the craftsmen, is here."

As he spoke, Xu Jie waved his hand and asked a craftsman in a gray robe behind him to come forward and answer.

Chinese dynasties have always valued Taoism over weapons. Craftsmen were at the end of their profession, and craftsmen were at the lowest level. When the gray-robed craftsman stepped forward to answer, he was trembling all over. He didn’t know whether he was excited or frightened.

However, Emperor Jiajing was in a very good mood at the moment. He raised his finger and pointed at the beams and asked, "That place seems different from before. Why?"

"Your Majesty, the palace uses beams and columns. It’s hard to find, so Xiaomin built and spliced ​​it together using building blocks as pillars.”

The craftsman knelt in front of Emperor Jiajing. He didn't dare to raise his head, so he prostrated on the ground and replied.

"Building blocks as pillars?"

Emperor Jiajing muttered softly, "Tell me in detail."

Obviously, Emperor Jiajing was intrigued by the craftsman's answer, so Continue to ask.

“This.”

Xu Gao was a little embarrassed. He didn't know whether he should tell the emperor. It wasn't that he was worried about the quality of the palace he built. In fact, he had full confidence in his skills and the houses he built.

The reason why he is worried is actually because of himself. You can tell by his gray robe that he is not an official, but just a craftsman from the Ministry of Industry. Although everyone calls him a master craftsman, After all, he is a craftsman.

In front of the emperor, do you have the right to speak for yourself?

"If your Majesty asks, just say it."

Perhaps seeing Xu Gao's dilemma, Xu Jie spoke from behind him.

"Exactly, answer your Majesty's questions well."

Lei Li also said after that.

“The so-called building blocks as pillars method, based on some actual situations, I, Xiaomin, use middle-grade materials to make up for the shortage of high-grade materials. In fact, it is to use small pieces of wood to mortise and tenon, and to When they are spliced ​​together in such a way, the appearance looks seamless.”

When it comes to technology, Xu Gao really doesn’t touch it, after all, his family has been carpenters for generations.

Xu Gao was originally from a craftsman family in Yangzhou. His family’s unique skills are mainly in the so-called "big wood work" in carpentry, which is the design and construction of wooden buildings.

A person like him who mastered the art of making large trees did very well in Yangzhou, a place where wealthy businessmen gathered. The reason why he was called to the capital was because of his superb skills.

In the 36th year of Jiajing's reign, the three core palaces of the Forbidden City, Fengtian, Huagai, and Jinshen, as well as some other ancillary buildings, were all burned down in a fire caused by a major lightning strike. Naturally, as the facade of the imperial court, A comprehensive restoration is needed, but this nationally acclaimed project faces many practical difficulties.

In order to rebuild the three main halls as soon as possible, the imperial court and the Ministry of Industry ordered all the skilled craftsmen from all over the world to gather in the capital to provide suggestions for the reconstruction of the three main halls of the imperial city.

It was under such circumstances that Xu Gao came to the capital from Yangzhou.

In fact, the wooden building itself is not difficult to build, but the reconstruction of the three main halls has to face a very difficult problem, that is, there is insufficient large wood, and it is impossible to restore the grandeur of the past.

As a last resort, Xu Gao used his housekeeping skills to save as much material as possible for the roof beams, while using smaller wood for the columns, using building blocks as columns.

This time, he completed the design and construction of the new three major halls in front of all the skilled craftsmen in the world, which earned him a lot of face and earned him the title of "Master Craftsman" in front of officials from the Ministry of Industry.

In front of officials from the Ministry of Industry, even high-ranking ones such as Lei Li, he must be called Master Xu.

He thought that after the construction of the three main halls was completed, he could leave Beijing and return to Yangzhou. Unexpectedly, he was sent to the cabinet by the Ministry of Industry, and accepted the task of rebuilding Yongshou Palace as soon as possible in front of Mr. Xu Ge.

We can do projects like the three main halls, and rebuilding the Yongshou Palace is naturally a piece of cake.

After understanding the scale of Yongshou Palace, he already knew that the reconstruction could probably be completed using only the remaining wood from the three main halls. Even if there was a difference, it would not be much. The Ministry of Industry should be able to easily solve the problem of materials in the capital, and it does not have to be taken from deep mountains. It has become an aniseed for the year.

Master Xu, naturally the Yongshou Palace was rebuilt very quickly and was successfully completed in just over two months.

Officials from the Ministry of Industry have inspected it, but they did not expect to come today. Even the emperor came in person.

After that, Emperor Jiajing called Xu Gao to his side. While wandering around the Yongshou Palace, he asked Xu Gao how he built the Yongshou Palace. Xu Jie, Lei Li and Huang Jin could only follow. After Xu Gao.

At this time, they also saw that Xu Gao had caught the eye of Emperor Jiajing by virtue of this skill.

There was no way, who could tell Emperor Jiajing to be so obsessed with the art of Xuanhuang, and he was also particularly enamored of Taoism. From time to time, he would issue orders to build Taoist temples and pavilions. Naturally, he needed professionals like Xu Gao.

It’s hard to estimate how many palaces and Taoist temples were built during the reign of Emperor Jiajing. However, after the Ming Dynasty moved its capital to Beijing, Emperor Jiajing’s projects were probably only fewer than those built by Emperor Yongle in Beijing. , other emperors are far behind.

The Great Gaoxuan Hall, the Great Guangming Hall, etc. were built in Xiyuan. On the basis of the Temple of Heaven and the Temple of Earth built by Emperor Yongle, the Temple of the Sun and the Altar of the Moon were built, as well as the outer city wall of Beijing. These were passed down to later generations. The projects were all built in the Jiajing Dynasty.

As for the buildings built outside the capital, such as Yuanyou Palace and Huaying Mountain, there are countless others. It was also directly understood that the Yan family, the first minister of the dynasty, was determined not to let go of the manual department easily. It was really too rich. .

Hearing that Xu Jie always called Xu Gao "Master Craftsman", Emperor Jiajing naturally used this title and said with a smile: "Master Craftsman is very skilled, so just stay in the capital to share my worries."< br>

After saying that, without waiting for the reaction of Xu Jie, Xu Gao and others, Emperor Jiajing said to Xu Jie: "The decree has been drawn up, the Wanshou Palace is completed, and the Duke Zhu Xizhong, Gu Huan, the consort, Xie Zhaobo Fang Chengyu, and the bachelor Xu Jie will report to the south separately. Taimiao Ersheji in the northern suburbs."< br>
"According to the decree."

Emperor Jiajing has made such arrangements countless times. Naturally, Xu Jie will not make irresponsible remarks on this issue, but just let the Ministry of Rites arrange it. thing.

Rebuilding the Yongshou Palace is actually nothing, but the emperor received such an attitude. Naturally, Lei Li, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, could not continue to stand behind and had to come out to express gratitude.

"Lei Aiqing is alive."

Emperor Jiajing was in a good mood at the moment. Seeing Lei Li and thinking of the three halls he had already seen, he was very satisfied with this minister.

Then I came up with the idea of ​​​​giving him a favor. This time, of course, it was not because of the Yongshou Palace project, but also for the three main halls. I might as well reward them all.

With this thought in mind, Emperor Jiajing continued to speak: "I am serving all the ministers and assistant ministers at work, Xu Jie, a minor teacher and a minister."

(End of this chapter)