Chapter 613 612 Earthquake

Chapter 613 612 Earthquake

"Noon."

King Yu set a time, and Chen Yiqin's errands were finished, so he had to leave.

"Yifu, don't worry yet."

Just when Chen Yiqin was about to leave, Prince Yu stopped him and said, "Do you know the progress of my father's Yongling Mausoleum?"

Speaking of Emperor Jiajing's mausoleum, the site had actually been selected and started construction very early. However, due to the financial difficulties of the imperial court, funding was intermittent, so the progress of the project was extremely slow.

In fact, all the ministers in the DPRK knew this, and Chen Yiqin certainly heard about it.

"The progress of the Yongling project is not optimistic, but now the Ministry of Industry should speed up the project so that it will not be delayed."

Chen Yiqin could only answer vaguely.

"You first go to the cabinet and tell all the ministers that the Yongling Tomb built by Emperor Daxing has been built for a long time. He has ordered a senior official from each of the two departments of Rites and Gong to meet with the internal officials to come there to respectfully inspect and discuss the modifications."

Of course King Yu knew the situation, but he still asked. The purpose was naturally to let the court know that the construction of the mausoleum must be accelerated without delay.

After all, the coffin of Emperor Jiajing cannot be kept in the palace for a long time and must be buried as soon as possible.

Wei Guangde, who was on the side, thought for a while before saying: "If His Highness directly instructs the officials of the Second Department of Ceremony and Work to take charge, it will avoid the subordinates passing the buck and making it difficult for the senior minister."

Having King Yu directly appoint him would save him a lot of trouble. At the very least, the person being appointed would be afraid of being delayed.

"Is there anyone available for Good Loan?"

After hearing what Wei Guangde said, King Yu thought he wanted to recommend someone to him.

In fact, Wei Guangde had nothing worth recommending. The people he wanted to recommend had low official positions and could not afford such a big job.

However, he still thought for a while before saying: "Pan Sheng, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Xu Gang, the right minister of the Ministry of Industry, both say that the old ministers are cautious and will not make mistakes."

After thinking about it for a while, he continued: "Qintian Supervisor Deputy Yang Hui will also go. After all, they specialize in this."

Wei Guangde didn't know Yang Hui before. After going to Qintian Prison today, I saw that he was very safe in his words and actions. He was also the only person who raised objections to the choice of being ugly.

When Yongling is completed, King Yu will definitely reward them for their merits.

Not to mention Pan Sheng and Xu Gang, Yang Hui should also be praised.

"Okay, that's it. Please Yifu, please go to the cabinet and ask them to place a note."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Chen Yiqin naturally would not object to King Yu's order and agreed before saying goodbye and leaving.

"Shandai, are the two people you recommended trustworthy?"

After Chen Yiqin left, King Yu asked aloud.

Wei Guangde understood that King Yu had misunderstood, and hurriedly explained: "Your Highness, I am not familiar with them. I just heard that they are very calm in their work and will definitely complete your Highness's instructions.

But that Yang Hui deserves praise."

So Wei Guangde told King Yu what he thought after seeing the enthronement ceremony and what he saw and heard in the Qintian Prison. He also expressed his thoughts on how to deal with the matter.

"Shan Loan means just forget it and don't check it?"

King Yu asked strangely. There was no anger in his words, only curiosity.

"Your Majesty, you don't need to worry about the young people."

Wei Guangde just said.

Those who can pull off these shameful tricks, that is, those few, will be bailed out or not when the time comes.

Guaranteed, he would not be happy in his heart, but if he didn't guarantee it, those same years who didn't know the inside story didn't know what they would say.

Forget it, just pretend you didn't notice it and let them go.

During this period, the affairs of the palace were complicated, but with Huang Jin in charge, everything was handled in an orderly manner without any mistakes.

The originally scheduled time was to hold the enthronement ceremony of King Yu at an auspicious time on December 26th, so on the 25th, Wei Guangde and Li Fang began to inspect various places, including Zhongji Hall, Huangji Hall and Chengtian Gate. Waiting for the layout of the place to ensure that nothing goes wrong, then go back and resume your life.

At night, Wei Guangde was lying on the bed, with his wife Xu Jianglan beside him.

Xu Jianglan is pregnant, and Wei Guangde will certainly not make any mistakes. Now that time is sensitive, he is not in the mood to go to the next door room.

I don't know what day it was, but Wei Guangde, who was sleeping soundly in bed, suddenly felt his big bed shaking, and said casually: "Don't shake, I have a lot of work tomorrow, so I need to rest well."

Following King Yu these days, Wei Guangde didn't do much, but he still felt very tired, and he didn't know if his waist was bad.

But thinking about it, it shouldn't be the case. Just looking at King Yu every day and thinking that he will soon be the emperor is still a bit stressful.

"Master, madam, get up quickly, the ground is shaking."

The maid next door rushed over in her coat and woke up Wei Guangde and Xu Jianglan in front of the bed.

Only then did Wei Guangde realize that the shaking just now turned out to be an earthquake.

What a coincidence. King Yu will ascend the throne tomorrow, and there will be an earthquake tonight. Who knows what kind of trouble will be caused in the court.

When a room full of people came out, Chen's mother had already rushed over with her clothes on, but she was in a hurry and looked disheveled.

But this is the backyard. Except for Wei Guangde and Wei Dacheng, there are no other men in the yard.

"Help me take out the official uniforms. I want to go to the palace and have a look."

Wei Guangde has calmed down and knows that after this incident, tomorrow's enthronement ceremony may change a little, and he has to be by King Yu's side.

Although the palace is strictly forbidden and officials are not allowed to enter or exit at night, but the current situation is special, even if they can't get in, they can just wait outside.

After Wei Guangde got dressed, the people in the front yard had already been informed by the people in the front yard that the carriages were ready, and everyone in the front yard had already gotten up when the earthquake started.

Tonight, it is destined that no household in the capital will be able to have a good rest.

Wei Guangde got on the carriage and hurried to the palace, where many sedans and carriages had already stopped.

"Find a place to park. I'll get off here."

Wei Guangde only gave an order and jumped out of the car after the driver stopped the carriage.

In the palace gate, Xu Jie and Gao Gong of the Cabinet had already arrived first, as well as Gao Yi, the Minister of Rites, and Yang Bo, the Minister of Personnel. They were also blocked here and could not enter the palace.

Although there was an earthquake, Wei Guangde did not see any collapsed houses along the way, indicating that the magnitude of the earthquake was not high or the destructiveness was not strong. However, the earthquake was felt very strongly. It may be what experts call a "shallow earthquake."

Moreover, as far as Wei Guangde saw along the road, many night patrol soldiers were already patrolling the streets. There were officers and soldiers from the Beijing camp and officers from various government offices. There should be no chaos.

The capital is still very stable.

Wei Guangde went over to greet some adults, and they were not surprised to see him coming.

In the past few days, King Yu has been with Wei Guangde most of the time, and they have become accustomed to it.

If it weren't for the rules in the palace, Prince Yu would probably let him stay overnight just like Prince Yu's Mansion did.

"I still think the enthronement ceremony should be postponed."

After Wei Guangde straightened up, he heard Yang Bo say there.

"The auspicious day has been chosen and it is not appropriate to change it."

As the Minister of Rites, Gao Yi naturally disagreed with Yang Bo's words.

The two of them were arguing, but Xu Jie and Gao Gong didn't say anything.

After a while, Li Chunfang also rushed to the palace gate and stood beside Xu Jie and Gao Gong, remaining silent about the debate there.

In the end, King Yu still has to make a decision on this matter, and their opinions can only be used as a reference.

In this case, it is better to wait for King Yu to express his position.

The chamberlain had already gone in to report the situation at the palace gate. After all, it was unreasonable to be blocked outside the palace gate with several important officials gathered together.

King Yu's order came out: Everyone is allowed to join the cabinet for discussion.

As a result, the palace door opened, and the officials gathered here followed Xu Jie and Li Chunfang directly to Wenyuan Pavilion.

The last person who came here was a minister of the Sixth Ministry and a third-rank official. Wei Guangde, a fourth-rank official, could only rank behind everyone.

After entering Wenyuan Pavilion, the debate continued. Even Chen Yiqin seemed to be shaken, thinking that the enthronement ceremony should be slowed down.

The idea of ​​telepathy between heaven and man was deeply rooted in the Ming Dynasty. An earthquake occurred just before King Yu ascended the throne, which had an impact on King Yu to some extent.

However, for most of the ministers present, most of the people from the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue and other yamen were watching the show without saying a word, because their bosses did not speak.

On the contrary, the officials of the Ministry of Civil Affairs stood on his side one after another because of Shangshu Yang Bo's proposition.

As a result, the faction of the Minister of Rites gradually became isolated and isolated. Unexpectedly, Chen Yiqin fell silent after saying two sentences.

"Since most people's opinion is to postpone it."

Seeing this, Xu Jie knew that the majority of people supported postponing the enthronement ceremony. As for the more people who did not express their opinions, they were just grassroots and had no opinions of their own, so they did not consider it.

In fact, this also shows that Yang Bo is indeed very influential in the court, far more than Gaoyi, the Minister of Rites.

"No."

Just when Xu Jie also chose to occupy the most powerful side, that is, to support Yang Bo, Gao Gong suddenly spoke first.

"The enthronement etiquette should be based on auspicious days and auspicious times. It has been decided and cannot be changed."

Gao Gong's sudden speech surprised many officials. You must know that many of their attitudes were determined after seeing Chen Yiqin give in. Unexpectedly, Gao Gong, who had a greater influence on King Yu, actually objected.

Wei Guangde knew clearly in his heart that Gao Gong's move was not necessarily aimed at Chen Yiqin, but he was afraid that it was more aimed at Xu Jie.

After Gao Gong made his speech, Guo Pu also expressed his support for Gao Gong. Only Li Chunfang sat there without saying a word.

"Shandai, what do you think?"

At this time, Gao Gong suddenly asked Wei Guangde, who was sitting at the back, for his opinion.

"The auspicious day and time cannot be changed. The enthronement ceremony must be carried out according to the etiquette."

Although Wei Guangde didn't like Gao Gong from the bottom of his heart, he had to stand up and support Gao Gong at this time. "We can temporarily suspend the visit of hundreds of officials and move it to a later day."

Wei Guangde added that the meaning of his words was that the emperor's enthronement should be carried out according to the specifications of the Great Court Meeting, but since the earthquake had just occurred, it was simplified and only officials of fifth rank or above in Beijing were allowed to participate, and the others were forgotten. Just do your errands in the yamen.

As for the due court meeting, it will be postponed for one day.

After Wei Guangde said the next words, he was actually beating a drum in his heart.

He was a bit redundant, but he still said it, which no one had mentioned before.

I am not saying this now to show off myself, but to see if anyone among the officials in the DPRK is close to me.

Since he became an official, there has been no one above him, so he has to do everything by himself.

The fundamental reason why I can survive until now is because my thighs hold me firmly.

Although King Yu did not give him a promotion or salary increase during this period, his trust in him was obvious to all. Wei Guangde wanted to know if any of these court officials were willing to get close to him. He had also reached the point where his own strength had reached the level of the organization. It's time.

When Xu Jie heard Wei Guangde's proposal, his eyes were obviously stunned for a moment, and he quickly guessed his intention.

After all, there were not many people who guessed Wei Guangde's intention. Most people still insisted on their previous attitude.

Only Gao Gong and Guo Pu unexpectedly expressed their support, but their support was not what Wei Guangde wanted. Wei Guangde could only sigh in his heart. It seemed that his low official position could not win the attention of others after all.

Chen Yiqin and Zhu Heng were the only minister-level officials who expressed support. After Yang Bo hesitated for a while, he still insisted on his previous opinion.

Most people's attitudes have been revealed, and it's time for Xu Jie to come out and make a decision.

Gao Gong had already taken the conversation away from him before. This time Gao Gong had expressed his stance and naturally he would not interrupt again.

"Then submit both suggestions and see what His Highness chooses."

At Xu Jie's place, everything that Gao Yi had insisted on before was naturally given up. Instead, he chose to postpone the time and choose an auspicious day. The enthronement ceremony of Wei Guangde remained unchanged, and the two plans of postponing the imperial meeting were submitted for one day, which was considered to have saved the lives of Prince Yu's family. face.

At the very least, Wei Guangde's proposal was supported by the people in Prince Yu's palace present. It would seem a bit disrespectful to the new emperor to reject it directly.

Next, Li Chunfang, the second assistant, quickly wrote a statement about the previous discussion and sent it to King Yu.

Time is urgent, but there is no time to delay.

There are two opinions, one is the opinion of most of the ministers in the court, and the other is the opinion of the people in Prince Yu's palace. Which one will Prince Yu choose in the end?

To Xu Jie, this seemed unimportant, but in fact it was of great reference value to him, because he could know from it King Yu's governing style, whether he cared about the overall situation, followed the court's consensus, or was nepotistic and trusted his old ministers.

Not long after, Chen Hong, the chief eunuch of the Bureau of Ceremony, arrived at Wenyuan Pavilion in person, and he also brought the order from King Yu.

"It is appropriate for the enthronement ceremony to be auspicious on the 26th. The official visit will be temporarily exempted and will be moved to a later day."

From Chen Hong's words, Xu Jie learned about King Yu's choice, although this was not what he wanted to see.

King Yu finally chose the opinions of the people in Prince Yu's palace, and the enthronement ceremony was held as usual half a day later.

"Your Highness has already made a choice. You all should perform your duties."

After Chen Hong left, Xu Jie regained control of the overall situation and spoke.

After tonight's events, many people are tired and want to leave the palace and go back to their respective yamen to rest for a while. They will come to attend the enthronement ceremony later.

Everyone said goodbye to several pavilion elders and left here.

When Wei Guangde went out, he unconsciously glanced at Xu Jie out of the corner of his eye and found that he was staring at him with a complicated look, and occasionally glanced at Gao Gong next to him.

Xu Jie was actually a little frustrated at this time. What he wanted when he let Zhang Juzheng enter Prince Yu's Mansion was Wei Guangde's status.

Unfortunately, it seems that Zhang Juzheng was still a little behind in front of King Yu, and he was a little later than Wei Guangde.

King Yu’s current character is really hard to deal with.

It is necessary to divide the people in the palace, otherwise he, the chief assistant, will be reduced to a decoration.

He was secretly happy when Chen Yiqin and Gao Gong had different opinions before, but it seemed that Wei Guangde was the second Gao Gong among the people in Prince Yu's house.

Of course Wei Guangde couldn't guess what Xu Jie was thinking. He was worrying about where he should go.