Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 957 Good News
As the saying goes, good things happen again and again.

After the completion of pinyin, after more than ten years, "History of the Former Ming Dynasty" has finally been completed.

The historians headed by the editor-in-chief Zhao Shu consulted a large amount of materials and completed the compilation of this two-hundred-year-old Ming history at a total cost of more than 200 million.

Naturally, it used classical Chinese as always, and the total number of words exceeded ten million, reaching 800 million words.

If this is nothing more than a few hundred megabytes of memory in later generations, but today, it is half a room full of books.

Transcribed by hand, they are all in the orthodox pavilion style.

Looking at the books one after another, Zhu Yixi was filled with emotion:
It is really difficult to compile a book in ancient times.

The aged former chief minister of the cabinet, Duke of Bing Zhao Shu, stood hunched aside, his face full of relief.

Originally, his temples were gray, but now his beard and hair are all white. The compilation of books for many years has almost caused him a lot of physical damage.

But the spiritual joy made him happy.

"Your Majesty, "History of the Former Ming Dynasty" consists of 360 volumes, including 24 volumes of the Chronicle, 78 volumes of Chronicles, 240 seven volumes of Biographies, and [-] volumes of Tables.

It records the history of 1368 years from the first year of Taizu Hongwu (AD 19) to the 1646th year of Sizong Chongzhen (AD 270). "

Zhao Shu stroked his beard and said vigorously: "The ministers uphold the holy will, follow the true way, seek truth and be pragmatic, seek truth from unofficial history, and go to various prefectures and counties to check the township annals, notes, and inscriptions to exchange information. Confirmed."

"Isolated cases are not adopted, word of mouth is not accepted—"

To put it bluntly, the biggest difference between this pre-Ming history book and other history books is the adoption of unofficial folk history.

Including but not limited to notes, legends, inscriptions, private history, etc., and then confirm it, seek the truth and eliminate the false.

Don't get me wrong, these unofficial histories are basically just biographies, and the parts about the court and emperor are naturally recorded truthfully.

For example, Jianwen was incorporated into the orthodox imperial temple.

But at the same time, he also denounced his behavior of arbitrarily cutting down the vassal and disregarding the virtue of relatives.

Also, it is true that Concubine Wan Gui of Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty fell into a dragon's womb in the early stage. After all, as long as she can give birth, no one else is allowed to be the crown prince.

After all, she was 17 years older than Ming Xianzong, who was already 35 years old when he became the throne, and her eldest son, the emperor, died. As she grew older, she had to give up persecution.

The harem heirs immediately filled up.

But firstly, the time was short, the second son of the emperor was born in Chenghua five years, and Xiaozong was born in Chenghua six years.

Has this kind of thing rarely happened in the past dynasties?

Second, to a certain extent, this is also the tacit consent of Emperor Xianzong.

Therefore, the folk rumors that Concubine Wan Gui persecuted Xiaozong and tortured the heirs of concubines and concubines are not true.

After all, Concubine Wan Gui is in love with Xianzong, and she can't have children, so how can she make Xianzong extinct?

At the same time, don't underestimate Emperor Xianzong's wrist.

He can pamper a woman, but it is impossible to pamper him so much that he has no offspring.

When Emperor Xianzong succeeded to the throne, the empress whipped Concubine Wan Gui and was abolished.

But he caught the honest Wang as the empress, and did not let Concubine Wan Gui be the empress, and let her be the imperial concubine for the rest of her life.

Obviously, from this point we can see its ability to see things clearly.

As for the unofficial rumors that the ancestors were born to Korean women, not Empress Ma, they were even more refuted.

As the saying goes, the one who knows you best is your enemy.

Even Jianwen at the beginning did not directly deny his status as a legitimate son, and Zhu Di's status as a legitimate son cannot be false.

What's more, the fifth son of the emperor, Zhu Wei, was granted the title of King of Wu in the third year of Hongwu, and was changed to King of Zhou in 11 years. He is Zhu Di's younger brother, which can also prove his identity.

If it weren't for the youngest son, Lao Zhu would have granted him his previous title?
If it wasn't for his own brother, would Zhu Biao agree?

Similar rumors have been refuted one by one, which can be described as a great joy.

"kindness!"

The emperor flipped through it casually, feeling that it was really difficult to read the full text.

"Let Yousi copy several copies, one in Nanjing and one in Fengyang."

"By the way, give it to King Qin and King Qi as well, so that they can learn a lot."

"Yes!" All the ministers nodded.

"Mr. Zhao has worked hard."

Looking at his slightly haggard face, Zhu Yixi couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "Now that you're done, you can go home and cultivate yourself!"

"Come on, give Mr. Zhao medicinal food, and take a few handles of Jade Ruyi—"

"Yes!"

After all, Zhao Shu is old and not as stubborn as before. He nodded and said: "The old minister is ashamed."

Behind him, a large number of historians watched eagerly, envious in their hearts.

How could the emperor treat one more favorably than another, he looked back and said: "Everyone has worked hard."

The emperor's thanks moved the group of bookish historians so much that they wanted to grab the ground with their heads, and death would be worth it.

"I will not forget you all, and the court will not forget you either."

After leaving these words, Zhu Yixi walked away.

At this time, the historians were all beaming, chattering about the impact of the publication of the history books.

For scholars like them, it is worthwhile to follow this "History of the Former Ming Dynasty" to stay in history.

Gu Yanwu felt the same way.

All the bones in my body seemed to be lighter by two or three.

The sense of mission and honor is really exciting.

He walked quickly, preparing to go home and take a shower to completely shake off the weight.

"Brother Gu, why don't we go to the Zhuangyuan Building together?"

"Yeah, the music there is pretty good. It's the first class in the capital. We haven't been there many times over the years."

A few close friends grabbed him and extended an invitation.

Regarding this, Gu Yanwu smiled wryly and said, "Please forgive me."

"My mind is full of books, how can I eat and drink?"

"Someday, another day, I have to go back and wash off the muddy mind, so I can drink too?"

These words were recognized by everyone.

Compiling a history book is not only an honor, but also a political task.

If there is a slight difference, or if the position is a bit off, and the emperor looks down on him, then something big will happen.

The mental stress is great.

Fortunately, the work is finished, why don't you go back and take a good rest?

As soon as the words came to this point, everyone felt exhausted and wanted to go home and sleep as soon as possible.

Gu Yanwu was not short of money, and after he became a historian, the imperial court naturally distributed his salary.

The new salary of the Shaowu Dynasty was generous, which naturally allowed him to have no worries about food and clothing.

Therefore, he rented a small courtyard in the second entrance, where his family and students lived, and it was quite enjoyable.

As soon as I got home in the carriage, I saw a familiar figure:

"Huang Zongxi?"

"Hahaha, brother Gu, don't come here without any problems!"

Huang Zongxi was wearing a long robe and a square scarf, like an old Confucian scholar, with a bookish look on his face, but he was poor, adding a bit of official color.

"I haven't seen you in a few years. I'm afraid Brother Huang is going to be promoted again?"

Gu Yanwu looked at him with high spirits, but couldn't help laughing.

"This time I returned to Beijing to report on my work, but I have gained a lot."

Huang Zongxi took his arm and walked towards the courtyard: "I am older, and I have been tossing around in the local area and Beijing for more than ten years, and this is my wish."

I saw his lips curled up, his beard puffed up, and almost poked his nostrils: "Mr. Taipusi."

Although Gu Yanwu was far away from the imperial court, he was still a scholar after all, and he was very clear about the official position of the imperial court.

Taipu Siqing, from the third rank.

Known as Xiao Jiuqing.

Now the servant is the second rank, and the minister is the second rank. If he climbs up, he will be the eight servants.

No matter which one it is, for scholars, it can be said that it has directly entered the center of power.

In the previous dynasty, Xiao Jiuqing's power was too small, and it had always been a place for the elderly to fish, but in today's Shaowu dynasty, it was a stepping stone.

It was even circulated in the officialdom: the local government was too tired, so they took a break in Xiaojiuqing's tenure and got acquainted with the officialdom by the way.

In fact, he continued to sharpen his will.

Today, [-]% of the eight servants are Xiao Jiuqing, which can be said to have a bright future.

Huang Zongxi was naturally very proud.

"Xiao Jiuqing, that's a good position."

Gu Yanwu sighed: "It's not in vain for you to travel for several years."

"Officials!" Huang Zongxi sighed.

"Wait, when you go to the Western Regions, didn't you say you will stay for six years?"

"It's been six years." Huang Zongxi rolled his eyes: "I was 46 in the past, and now I'm 55."

"It's not just six years? That's ten years!"

Speaking of this, Huang Zongxi said helplessly: "In the past few years, Annan has fought in the South and the North, and I can't escape the officials, but I can be promoted."

"A certain served as the chief envoy of southern Xinjiang, so he was able to come to Beijing..."

Hearing his words, Gu Yanwu suddenly realized.

It turned out that in Anxi, due to the differences in the regions, cultures, and even races between northern and southern borders, Anxi chose to divide and conquer.

In other words, it is called one province, but actually it is two provinces.

Northern officials serve in the south, and southern officials serve in the north, intermingling with each other, so as to maintain the rule of Ming Dynasty.

There is no way, compared with the Mongols and Yarkands, there are too few Han people, and they have to be controlled by size.

It is also true that it is unusual for Anxi Province to have two chief envoys handle civil affairs.

Of course, according to the inspector, Xuezheng, etc., they are all one.

Due to his excellent means of governing the people and his background as a Jinshi, he was favored by the Ministry of Officials and directly entered Beijing as an official.

"I don't regret it now."

Huang Zongxi sat down with Gu Yanwu.

He said with a complicated expression: "Now, I can finally see Zheng Sen's back."

Gu Yanwu smiled.

After suffering so much, Huang Zongxi returned to Beijing.

However, he discovered that as early as two months ago, Zheng Sen had already served as the Minister of the Ministry of War.

When Huang Zongxi learned about it, he almost lost his temper.

But there was no way, Zheng Sen's honorable background, coupled with the fact that he was favored by the emperor, was able to go to the Ryukyu Islands as an envoy, thus adding a Ryukyu Mansion to Daming.

Such meritorious deeds have made his heritage even stronger.

The magistrate, guarding the way, according to the inspector, and the minister of the military department, step by step, move forward steadily.

"By the way, I heard that Duke Jin is about to take Bukhara?"

"It should be true." Huang Zongxi nodded: "When I left Anxi, Duke Jin started mobilizing troops. His feats are unparalleled, and Bukhara is not worth mentioning."

After all, the two talked to each other about the past years, and the more they chatted, the more lively they became.

"The "History of the Former Ming Dynasty" has been completed." Gu Yanwu said solemnly: "It is expected that the cabinet will not make things difficult. After several years of hard work, I am not much different from you."

"Is Brother Gu an official?" Huang Zongxi was surprised at first, and then asked impatiently: "With the qualifications of a historian, you can catch up with me in a few years."

"I can not make it."

Gu Yanwu shook his head and smiled wryly: "Now I am used to teaching and educating people, telling about the learning of sages, discussing the lessons of the subjugation of the Ming Dynasty, and I don't want to step into the officialdom anymore."

Obviously, such a leisurely life now has cooled his mind about being an official.

Huang Zongxi wanted to persuade him again, but Gu Yanwu said directly: "Even if someone is willing, but at this age, I'm afraid I won't be able to do it for a few years."

Sixty to become an official, this is the official rule.

But the unspoken rule is that officials below the fourth rank are required to retire when they are around 50 years old.

At such an age, the ability to learn is weak. When the observation of politics is over, I'm afraid it won't just belch.

Even in the general examination, candidates over the age of forty, unless the essays are excellent and the scores are high, otherwise they will be dismissed directly.

Although it is slightly cruel, it is a good thing for the officialdom.

And becoming an official is like nothing to the officials of the Eight Departments and the elders of the cabinet.

Under normal circumstances, the emperor must be retained, and they can still work for a few years.

The thing about courtiers is that the new is not as good as the old, and trust is not easy to cultivate.

When it was dark, a carriage stopped outside the gate of the house.

Afterwards, Wang Fuzhi's scarred face came into their eyes.

The 45-year-old Wang Fuzhi is full of energy. When he saw Huang and Gu, he even laughed:
"Brother Gu, I heard that "History of the Former Ming Dynasty" has been compiled? You can relieve yourself of one worry."

Gu Yanwu said directly: "That's right, you are very well informed."

Then, he said again: "Brother Huang, Wang Ernong is now serving as Zuo Shaoqing of Dali Temple, but he is only one step behind you."

The Shaoqing of Dali Temple is the fourth rank.

Moreover, Dali Temple, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate are listed as three divisions, and their importance is far greater than that of Taipu Temple.

There is a scar on his face that saved his father, the truth is too important.

At this moment, Huang Zongxi was full of spring water with envy.

Cooperating with him on this trip to Anxi for ten years is almost equivalent to not running away.

"Dali Temple has a lot of cases that can't be finished. I'm going to come over and have a look." One of Wang's husbands sat down on his buttocks and said, "I didn't expect Brother Huang to come back. It's a blessing."

"Fortunately, I ran there, otherwise I would be left behind by that one of you." Huang Zongxi had mixed feelings.

"It's good to come back. It will be the best for us brothers to have fun together."

Wang Fuzhi said happily.

At this time, Yuquan Villa.

The courier who traveled thousands of miles finally delivered the good news from the northwest.

"The Bukhara Khanate, it's over."

As soon as Zhu Yi spread out the paper and read it, he laughed.

Although he didn't know which country in Central Asia would belong to the future of Bukharana, he understood that it was the crossroads of Asia.

To the north is Kazakhstan, to the east is Anxi, to the south is the Persian and Mughal dynasties, and to the west is the Black Sea.

If the Liao Kingdom is nailed down, it will be extremely convenient in the future no matter where it sends troops.

"The decree is to be given to Li Dingguo and Hanshanzi, and Jin Jia will be transformed into Chuzhou Bo..."

After the three or four earls were sealed off, the emperor thought for a moment, and then said: "Feng Jia Daihua became the Prime Minister of the Liao Kingdom and guarded the river."

(End of this chapter)