Chapter 620 Chapter 619 Banquet
"It was fine in January. After I was discharged last month, I started to select beauties in the palace and asked people like Meng Chong to help with the arrangement. Eunuch Li tried to persuade her several times and was punished by His Majesty.
In addition, the emperor also likes gadgets, which were purchased by Teng Xiang and Meng Chong. The previous purchase of jewelry was also their idea, but there was not much money in the internal treasury, and he wanted to get some money from the court. . "
Chen Ju sighed and said.
He didn't think it before when he was in Prince Yu's Mansion, but now that Prince Yu has become emperor, he realizes that compared with Emperor Jiajing, Emperor Longqing's moral character is really not that bad.
"So, His Majesty became obsessed with beauty soon after entering the palace?"
Wei Guangde frowned at this moment. He did not expect that the change in status from Prince Yu to Emperor Longqing would also completely change his whole person, making him feel a little strange.
When I was King Yu, I was lustful, but I still knew what I should do, but now?
He couldn't help but think that Liang Dian, an old eunuch who went to Nanjing, really answered what he said, "Having an old man in the family is like having a treasure."
None of them noticed it, but they discovered it early and decisively exited the vortex.
Chen Ju lowered his head at this time, not knowing what he was thinking.
Regarding Wei Guangde's questions, it is better to remain silent.
"Where is the Queen? The Queen didn't say anything to the Emperor?"
Wei Guangde remembered that Princess Chen was a very knowledgeable and reasonable person. Faced with the emperor's current situation, she should not sit idly by and ignore it.
"My Majesty has tried to persuade me, but to no avail. Your Majesty has not been to Kunning Palace for a while."
Unexpectedly, Chen Ju said it very directly.
If His Majesty doesn't go to Kunning Palace and rest with the Queen, where else can he go?
Wei Guangde sat up straight and was really surprised at this time.
In fact, when she was in the palace earlier, Princess Chen had advised Emperor Longqing not to injure his body due to overindulgence. At that time, I didn't know if there was an emperor above me, but it seemed that he was more willing to listen to the advice.
Now that I have really turned over, I can’t listen to anyone else’s words.
"Are you here while His Majesty is processing the memorial?"
"Why do you ask?"
Facing Wei Guangde's continuous questioning, Chen Ju asked in surprise.
"First tell me how His Majesty approved the memorial."
It was impossible for Wei Guangde to tell Chen Ju that he wanted to know how much influence the outer court had on the emperor.
The previous Emperor Longqing listened to people like them very much. He didn't just blindly believe it, but he could think before making a decision.
Now that the emperor has obviously changed, Wei Guangde also needs to grasp the emperor's current status in time, so that he will know how to communicate next time he writes a memorial or talks about something.
"The emperor's review of memorials is not much different from that of the late emperor. If there is any, it is that except for memorials directed at old members of the palace, they generally choose to use the votes of the cabinet."
"What do you mean? Are you saying that most of His Majesty's review of the memorial still agrees with the cabinet's vote? It's just that the memorial involves Gao Gong and other members of the royal family, so he has his own opinions?"
"Yes, I'm afraid Gao Ge doesn't even know how many memorials were written to impeach him."
"Why is this so?"
"For the impeachment of the Sixth Section, if you want to create a certain momentum in the court, you will go to the Political Envoy Department. Otherwise, it will be sent directly to the Secretary of Ceremony and delivered to the hands of the emperor."
"I know this. I'm surprised why Ke Dao focused his fire on Gao Gong. Gao Gong didn't do anything to offend Ke Dao before."
When Wei Guangde said this, he also fell into memories. He wanted to know where the feud between Ke Dao and Gao Gong began, and why he had no memory at all.
"Tsk tsk. Shandai, have you forgotten what Yan Shifan said back then, 'It is said that the world's most talented people are only three of them, Lu Bing and Yang Bo'?"
Chen Ju smiled in surprise.
"Three talented men?"
Of course he had heard what Yan Shifan said about the three greatest talents in the world, namely himself, Lu Bing and Yang Bo. Now that they have gone, only Yang Bo is still in the court.
The Minister of Civil Affairs is his immediate superior.
"You mean between Yang Bo and Ke Dao?"
Wei Guangde seemed to remember that this was what happened. It was last year when Emperor Jiajing was in power. Ke Dao was similar to now for a while, catching Yang Bo and biting him, and constantly impeached him.
The cause of the incident was that after the Beijing inspection, Ke Dao discovered that many people had been demoted, but none of them were officials from Shanxi.
Naturally, they thought of Yang Bo, the official in charge of the Beijing inspection, who was from Shanxi.
"At that time, Hu Yingjia, who was a member of the civil service department, also participated in the impeachment of Yang Bo. You should also know what happened later."
After starting, Chen Ju stopped talking.
Of course Wei Guangde knew about this. The cabinet saw that the commotion was really serious, so Gao Gong came out to make peace.
As for what Gao Gong said about Hu Yingjia at the time, that was naturally Hu Yingjia's biggest mistake. As officials, they were supposed to have a supervisory role when they were inspecting the capital, but they failed to do so, so this happened.
What else could Hu Yingjia say?
If Yang Bo really used the Beijing police to practice favoritism and cover up Shanxi officials, then their officials would naturally be to blame.
It can only be said that Hu Yingjia was a little complacent at this time and forgot that others could impeach this matter, but the official department could not interfere.
Because of Gao Gong's words, Ke Dao's impeachment of Yang Bo ended here. Gao Gong probably did not expect that he would be resented by the people of the Sixth Section for this.
"Moreover, the situation before the cabinet is widely rumored by both the government and the public. Gao Gong is arrogant and self-willed. He has no respect for Mr. Xu Gequan who recommended him to join the cabinet. Instead, he is in trouble everywhere. If he disobeys anything, he will fight with himself."
Before Chen Ju could say anything more, Wei Guangde had already waved his hand.
Of course he had heard people say those things in private, which was why many people in Prince Yu's palace were dissatisfied with Gao Gong.
"So, Mr. Xu Ge has gathered a large group of people who can't stand Gao Gong. They plan to directly bring down Gao Gong."
If Chen Ju can say this, he must know it and more people can see it.
Even those who have nothing to do with Gao Gong in Chao Zhong may jump out and step on Gao Gong at this time, hoping to attract the attention of Chief Assistant Xu Jie, and maybe they will have a chance to rise to prominence.
As for why it is only Ke Dao who is impeaching now and no one else is involved in this matter, it seems that he still cannot figure out Emperor Longqing's thoughts, so he still stands still.
But once anti-high-arching becomes the consensus between the government and the public and becomes politically correct, not many people will care about the emperor's feelings.
Hu Yingjia's action this time should be due to some secret agreement with Xu Jie, with Xu Jie pushing it behind the scenes.
Wei Guangde thought so.
However, as a junior, Gao Gong is so arrogant and arrogant. It is really intolerable to be so ignorant.
Chen Ju rarely came out of the palace, and he and Wei Guangde soon sat at the banquet and started drinking. When they were drunk, they were sent to the guest room to rest by the servants of the Wei family.
However, because Wei Guangde felt the pressure, he did not go back to the backyard to rest. Instead, he sat in the study alone and started thinking.
What I was thinking about was, of course, what would happen to the court after Gao Gong's fall?
He had this speculation during the day. Although he was not sure whether Xu Jie was involved in this matter, for now, Wei Guangde would rather believe that Xu and Hu had reached a deal.
If Gao Gong is really squeezed out and there are only five people left in the cabinet, Xu Jie and Zhang Juzheng must be in the same faction, and the other three are in their own faction.
Chen Yiqin must be facing the emperor. Li Chunfang is just a decoration. He is indecisive and only follows the rules. What about Guo Pu?
With Gao Gong here, Guo Pu can also join forces with Gao Gong to fight against Xu Jie.
If Gao Gong falls, Guo Pu will most likely have to hold his tail between his legs.
Well, with Chen Yiqin and Zhang Juzheng in the cabinet, I think my life should be pretty easy.
Wei Guangde could only think this way now. Obviously, in his heart, he didn't think Gao Gong could escape Xu Jie's plan.
In this battle, Gao Gong will undoubtedly lose.
According to what Chen Ju said, Emperor Shu Longqing in Nanjing did not reject the impeachment memorials, but kept them all in check without even bothering to take them back for people to read.
In this way, it feels a bit calming.
As for Gao Gong, Emperor Longqing naturally would not let him rest at home.
The next day, an edict was issued for Gao Gong to return to the cabinet as an official, and he expressed comfort and said nothing about the impeachment.
However, at this time, Emperor Jiajing's announcement was approaching, and officials in the DPRK and China were also attracted by the matter, and seemed to put aside the impeachment issue for the time being.
After the handover of the manuscripts was completed, everyone in the school record office went their separate ways and returned to their respective yamen.
Wei Guangde reported to the Ministry of Civil Affairs for the first time, and what greeted him immediately was Zhai.
Taichang Temple has already published six sections of literature and various yamen in Beijing. Hundreds of civil and military officials stayed at the yamen and fasted for three days. Slaughter inside and outside the capital was prohibited until the burial, and music was prohibited until the temple.
Three days later, he cried for two days in a row. Wei Guangde followed the crowd. This was just the beginning. After that, he, a third-grade civil servant, would have to go to Yongling.
All the officials in Beijing must be present before the event is launched. It is really a huge event, even far exceeding the scale of the imperial meeting.
We set off on the 11th and arrived at Yongling on the 17th. All the ceremonies were completed on the 22nd. It can be said that for most of March, the court was focused on the burial of Emperor Sejongsu.
The only people who followed to Yongling were civil servants of the fifth rank and above and military attachés of the fourth rank and above. Most of the officials stayed in the capital, at least to ensure the most basic operation of the court.
Of course, business was also delayed a lot.
After Emperor Sejongsu was buried, the court completed a major event and could finally get back on track.
During this time, Wei Guangde also began to learn the operating mode of the Ministry of Personnel. For low-level officials, most of them were selected by the people below based on inspections, and the final submission was handed over to him. For officials of the fifth and sixth grades, most of them were selected by the chief officials of the Ministry of Personnel. A decision can be made after discussion.
Compared to the previous errands in the school registration office, life is undoubtedly much easier now.
After having more contact with Yang Bo and seeing many official documents from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Wei Guangde gradually agreed with the initial words of the gang of officials. Yang Bo did favor Shanxi officials.
But this is all in the past. Now that Yang Bo has paid more attention to things, he will naturally not cause such a big incident as last year.
Wei Guangde just watched these actions with cold eyes and made a mental note.
After the turmoil of the past two years, Wei Guangde will no longer want to muddle along like before. He will keep a separate note of the clues he finds so that he can take them out at any time in the future.
Of course, the premise is that he and Yang Bo fall out.
In a blink of an eye, it was April, the day when Emperor Longqing was giving lectures.
The emperor had previously issued an edict on the banquet, saying: "I only have the tools for the emperor to cultivate Qi Zhiping in the history of the classics, but I must explain it clearly. There is no doubt that the common people will recommend it and it will be effective. It is the holy law of my ancestors."
Yu Jingyan, Ming Erxi Zhongjie knows the scriptures and banquets, Chunfang Pu Gong lives diligently and knows the scriptures and banquets together, Zhao Zhenji, the left minister of the Ministry of official affairs and a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, is in charge of Zhanshifu, and the right minister of the Ministry of official affairs is also a scholar of the Hanlin Academy. Wei Guangde, a bachelor, Pan Sheng, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites and a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, and Yin Shidan, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites and a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy.
Regarding the first sutra feast of the Longqing Dynasty, although it was held again after many years, the symbolic meaning was actually greater than the practical significance. It was just to convey to the world the image of an emperor who was knowledgeable and inquisitive.
But something unexpected happened to Wei Guangde. After the Jingyan Festival, Emperor Longqing gave a banquet to Huijimen, and at the banquet he gave the officials such as the Tongzhi of the Jingyan Banquet, the Minister of the Jingyan Banquet, and the Deacon of Jinzhuozhanshu. Another wonderful scene happened before my eyes.
During the banquet, Gao Gong asked Xu Jie face to face: "Recently, I often can't sleep at night. I stand up with my sword in my hand. I think of what you have done, Duke Xu, in the past few months since your Majesty ascended the throne, and I feel very upset.
When the late emperor was in power, Xu Gong planned to write countless poems to express his favor and flattery to the late emperor.
As soon as the late emperor came to Yan, the Duke immediately changed his attitude and drafted a "posthumous edict" to slander his affairs.
I remember, weren’t you supportive of those things?
Now, Gong Youguang has concluded his words and is bound to expel the subordinates of Yu Di's old ministers. It's really a shame you can do these things! "
Hearing that Gao Gong actually said such words at the imperial banquet made Li Chunfang, Chen Yiqin and others next to him look ugly.
As usual, fights in the cabinet will only take place in the cabinet. Even if they make small moves, they will never be mentioned in public.
Wei Guangde also frowned and looked at Gao Gong, who was talking eloquently over there. He didn't know if he was drunk or something, but he actually brought up the events of the Zhaijiao.
Being criticized so sharply, Xu Jie pondered for a long time, and then slowly replied: "It is a big mistake for Gao Gong to speak like this.
The father said that I have a wide range of opinions, but there are many people with mixed opinions. How can I be so easy to control? How can I instigate them to attack you?
If it is that easy, I can make good friends, can't you?
As for the posthumous edict, I am not betraying the late Emperor. I am actually considering the late Emperor's posthumous reputation and showing my kindness to the world in the late Emperor's name. This is out of good intentions.
Duke Gao accused me of writing poems for the late emperor to please him. This was indeed my fault.
But don't you remember that when you were still working in the Ministry of Rites, the late emperor once asked me with a secret letter: "Gaogong Shangshu, I hope to help with the commissioning matter, do you want to approve him?" ’
This letter is still in my hand. "
Indeed, Gao Gong was actually a master of Qing Ci, and was rewarded by Emperor Jiajing many times.
Wei Guangde listened to the conversation between the two pavilion elders and could only sigh in his heart. Gao Gong must have been forced into a dead end by Xu Jie, so he was so unwise and said "expelling Yu Di's old ministers" in public. .
Come to think of it, the impeachment of Section 6 is still going on, but it has not been made public by the court.
Thinking of this, Wei Guangde felt a sudden change in his heart. He now doubted whether Ouyang Yijing had also filed an impeachment petition without informing him in advance.
This old boy has a criminal record, although he was forced by the situation.