prosperous age

Tan Lun made his own judgment based on the clues provided by Wei Guangde.

In fact, this matter could be a big deal or a small one. If it is taken too seriously, the Ministry of War will be in trouble.

If Zheng He's documents were really found in the Hanlin Academy, there would still be room for recovery.

At the very least, the Censorate and the Six Ministries should not bring issues against the Ministry of War.

Everyone can imagine that this matter was definitely not a decision made by Liu Daxia alone, but an arrangement made by a group of people at that time.

The Hanlin Academy is not just an empty office of the imperial court; it still has great power.

With the Hanlin Academy taking the lead, the issue of the Ministry of War losing official documents can be minimized.

As for sneaking into the village and shooting, what a joke.

Tan Lun worked in the Ministry of War for several years, but he did not dare to say that the people in the ministry could be trusted.

Last night, the news that the Ministry of War was looking for documents was probably leaked out and could not be contained at all.

There is no other solution except to find the lost item as soon as possible.

It’s just that Liu Daxia hid the things without leaving any clues, leaving later generations helpless. Wasn’t he really not afraid of his house being raided and his grave being dug up?

Tan Lun was still waiting in the Hanlin Academy library for news about his men's search, when several scholars in the Hanlin Academy came over and wanted to reason with him.

Even if you, Tan Lun, are the Minister of War, you cannot break into the library of the Hanlin Academy.

If they had talked it over nicely, there would have been no problem, but coming here without warning and even closing the library was too much.

When Wang Xijue rushed back from the Ministry of Rites, what he saw was a coffee table placed on the open space in front of the library. Tan Lun was standing next to it, and there were several scholars from the Hanlin Academy around him, but they all looked unhappy.

There were some officials from the Hanlin Academy surrounding them, including the newly crowned top scholar and several imperial scholars. They were all in the crowd, whispering to each other, and no one knew what they were mumbling about.

Obviously, Tan Lun's uninvited arrival has affected the normal affairs of the Hanlin Academy, and almost everyone has come here.

Now seeing Wang Xijue coming, everyone had a look of joy on their faces, because the person in charge had arrived.

"Sir Tan, I wonder what you are doing here in my Imperial Academy with your small army?"

Wang Xijue stepped forward without any courtesy and asked directly.

"Sir Wang, Zili is here to retrieve something from my Ministry of War from the Imperial Academy."

Tan Lun took the initiative to bow and greet Wang Xijue.

Hearing Tan Lun's words, Wang Xijue frowned slightly and asked in confusion, "I wonder what did my Imperial Academy take from your Ministry of War? Why are you making such a big fuss?

If there is, just send someone with a note to get it. Why make such a big deal out of it?

If this gets out, how will the imperial court maintain its dignity?"

It was not uncommon for the various government offices in the Ming Dynasty to borrow documents and files from each other. All they had to do was write a note and then come back with the note if they had not been returned for a long time.

After all, written documents and archives are special and cannot be taken away casually. They must be signed, sealed, and registered with a promissory note to facilitate retrieval.

But Tan Lun didn't have that note. Maybe Liu Daxia had it, but he didn't hand it over to the Ministry of War.

However, Tan Lun did not look panicked at this moment. He just glanced at the dozen or so books on the coffee table. Just as he was about to speak, an official in a green robe came out from the library. He had no patch on his head and was obviously an observer.

He walked straight to Tan Lun holding two books and handed them to him with both hands.

Tan Lun took one of the books and flipped through it casually, then turned to the last page to check the cover.

After that, he handed the book to Wang Xijue and said, "Master Wang, please take a look and see if it is from my Ministry of War?"

Wang Xijue had actually noticed that the expressions of several scholars nearby were not good, and he knew that there must be something fishy going on.

However, they couldn't speak in front of the two chief officers.

Wang Xijue reached out to take the book, frowned when he saw the title on the cover, and then flipped through the contents, which actually recorded the customs of a place called Cisa.

After taking a closer look, Wang Xijue's heart tightened. From the records in the book, it turned out to be what the Western fleet saw and heard during the Yongle period.

Well, it seems that there is nothing wrong with the Hanlin Academy copying these documents. They are all documents of the imperial court, and there is nothing wrong with the Hanlin Academy including overseas customs.

However, when Wang Xijue turned to the last page, he found that the seal on it was not the seal of the Hanlin Academy Library, but the seal of the Arsenal of the Ministry of War.

"hiss"

Judging from the seal on the book in hand, it was not copied from the Hanlin Academy, but was brought back from the Ministry of War.

According to court rules, after the copied books were bound into volumes, they would be stamped with the seal of the government office to which they belonged, indicating the ownership of the books.

It is quite strange that there are books with the seal of the Ministry of War in the Hanlin Academy Library.

When Wei Guangde came across those books, he was not familiar with the officialdom, so he didn't even look at the back cover, otherwise he would have discovered something strange.

As for finding out later, he was too lazy to check and just thought it was copied back by the Hanlin Academy.

After all, there seems to be nothing wrong in including overseas customs and practices.

It was only after he heard Tan Lun say that the Ministry of War could not find any documents recording Zheng He's voyages that he remembered this matter, so he asked Tan Lun to come here to look for it.

If so, then it is best that the document is not lost.

If not, you can consider making a copy and keeping it in the Ministry of War.

Even if the Hanlin Academy cannot find all the books, you can go to the libraries of other government offices and maybe you can find them.

Wei Guangde really didn't believe that Liu Daxia destroyed these documents.

Wang Xijue put down the book in his hand, and immediately picked up the books on the coffee table. He looked at several books one after another and found that the backs of them were all stamped with the seal of the Wukusi.

Although I don't understand why the Ministry of War didn't bring a note to get the book, but when I think of the rumor I heard yesterday, that the Ministry of War didn't find any document and asked all officials to look for it, this makes sense.

However, Wang Xijue still didn’t understand why the books from the Ministry of War were placed so openly in the Hanlin Academy.

Just as he was about to ask, Wang Xijue saw two officials from the Ministry of War coming over with a few books in their hands, and they handed them to Tan Lun for him to check.

This time, Wang Xijue reached out and took one of the volumes, flipped directly to the back, and checked the seal on the cover, which was still the official seal of the Arsenal Department of the Ministry of War.

"Master Tan, what is going on?"

Wang Xijue asked.

Even if you have to take the blame, you should always find out the reason.

"This matter has nothing to do with you gentlemen. We moved here decades ago."

Tan Lun first reassured them, and then said: "It was the old clerk in the library who remembered this matter, saying that the Hanlin Academy borrowed some books and it seems that they have not returned them.

I didn’t know where I had put the IOU, so I couldn’t find it, so I came to check if the book was still there.”

At this point, Tan Lun shook the book in his hand and said with a smile, "I found it now."

Wang Xijue then asked, "Who borrowed it?"

"The old official has forgotten everything. As long as the book is found, the rest will not be pursued."

Tan Lun smiled.

Although he had some concerns before, after finding a few books, Tan Lun felt relieved and began to think about the aftermath.

Directly exposing what happened back then would be bad for the Ministry of War, the Hanlin Academy, and even the entire court, so it’s better to just find a random excuse to get away with it.

As for why he did not discuss it with the Hanlin Academy in a friendly manner, it was because he was not sure, and he could not casually disclose the theft of the Ministry of War's library. What was spread out was a rumor.

But if he said it, it would prove that the Ministry of War's documents were not kept properly, which was a mistake to some extent.

Your matter has nothing to do with him, but he was in the Ministry of War and it was also a mistake for him not to discover it early.

After all, this matter originated from the cabinet and the palace's plan to send the navy to the West to create a grand ceremony for the emperor's wedding.

If this had not happened, the Ministry of War would probably still be kept in the dark.

People kept coming out of the library, accepting one or two, three or five books as rewards. Soon, two thick piles of books were piled up on the small coffee table. It was estimated that there were at least fifty or sixty books.

Wang Xijue had looked through most of these books, all of which were documents recording the eunuch Sanbao's voyages to the West, and some even included maps.

There was so much information, all about the eunuch Sanbao. Even if Wang Xijue was a fool, he could guess that there must be something fishy going on.

However, if this matter becomes a big deal, it will be disadvantageous to the Hanlin Academy, so he now plans to keep things quiet.

"Master Tan, can we talk for a moment?"

Wang Xijue whispered to Tan Lun.

"it is good."

Tan Lun nodded, and walked to a deserted place with Wang Xijue. Wang Xijue then asked, "Why is it that the books of your Ministry of War are stored in the library of my Hanlin Academy?

Don’t use the excuse that someone from the Hanlin Academy went to the Ministry of War to borrow books. If this really happened, your Ministry of War would have taken the records to look for the books.”

"Master Wang, do you remember that during the Xuande and Chenghua periods, both Emperor Xuanzong and Emperor Xianzong were interested in restarting the voyages to the West?"

There was no one around, so Tan Lun spoke frankly.

Some news is only good for those who have the final say, as it can help to avert any disturbance.

Wang Xijue nodded when he heard this. Not only did he know that the trip did not take place in the end, he also heard people talk about the reasons.

Xuanzong had to suspend his expedition to the West because of wars that broke out in the north and the south.

The situation was more complicated during Emperor Xianzong's reign. I heard that the documents and sea charts were lost.

Thinking of this, Wang Xijue now understood what was going on. He guessed that most of the court officials had deliberately hidden these books in order to prevent the emperor from issuing an order to sail to the West.

He was also worried that the emperor would be unwilling to accept the result, and that hiding the books in the Ministry of War might be discovered by the Embroidered Uniform Guards, which would be a crime of deceiving the emperor. So he finally chose to move the books out of the Ministry of War and hide them in the Hanlin Academy.

In this way, even if the emperor was determined to investigate, he would find out that it was just that the Hanlin Academy borrowed books from the Ministry of War. It is estimated that they even made a note, but it was not entered into the registration book.

By doing this, if something goes wrong, there will be an explanation. It can be said that the official below made a mistake and forgot to register, but it does not constitute deceiving the emperor.

After figuring this out, Wang Xijue immediately asked, "How many volumes are there in total? Are they all in my Hanlin Academy library?"

"There are 137 volumes in total, and half of them have been found now."

Tan Lun replied in a low voice, "It should be here. If they are scattered, it will be difficult to explain when the time comes.

The reason should be that the Hanlin Academy wanted to copy overseas customs and practices, so they borrowed all the books. "

Don't speak in secret in front of people who are wise. We are all wise people, and they have to help hide the sins committed by our ancestors.

"Do you want me to ask the people from the Imperial Academy to go in and help look for it?"

Wang Xijue already knew the tricks of going to the West. The ministers had opposed it before because the matter was dominated by the palace, and all the benefits went to the emperor. The court only paid money and got nothing.

This voyage to the West is different. It is led by the imperial court and all the benefits go to the Ministry of Revenue. The court officials should not have any objection.

Well, yesterday Ma Ziqiang came back and convened a meeting of officials from the Ministry of Rites to make the matter clear.

Naturally, Wang Xijue had no reason to object, but he just felt that his thoughts were somewhat subverted.

He thought that the reason for the opposition was that the tribute trade was a loss, and that was why the ministers united to oppose this matter, but he didn't know there were so many twists and turns.

However, Wang Xijue did not think much about it at the time, and he would never have thought that the officials at the time would secretly transport the information out and hide it in other government offices in order to oppose it.

For the Ministry of Rites, the activities of voyages to the West had little impact on them. The most important thing was that their duty was to be responsible for various ceremonial activities in the court.

Naturally, the more grand the emperor's wedding ceremony is, the better. The Ministry of Revenue will pay for it anyway, so the Ministry of Rites will not be asked to pay for it.

On the contrary, receiving more foreign guests can also reflect the importance of the Ministry of Rites. Only when more money passes through its hands will the management below have more motivation.

As a superior, Wang Xijue would not do anything as long as it was not excessive.

How is it possible to want the horse to run and not eat grass?

"No, I brought a lot of people with me, it should be enough."

Tan Lun said in a low voice.

"If that's the case, then let's do it this way. This is what we'll tell the public."

Wang Xijue whispered to Tan Lun.

Upon hearing this, Tan Lun smiled and nodded. He didn't want to make a big deal out of it. That would be bad, as it would be embarrassing for them, the civil servants.

"I see that many people in the hospital are still opposed to it. Maybe they need the help of adults to talk to them."

Tan Lun said in a low voice.

Opposition, of course, means opposition to the voyage to the West. Wang Xijue could guess this, and he nodded slightly.

Only a few officials knew that people could make money by going to the West. For example, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Personnel had little to do with this matter, so even if the officials in charge knew about it, they were too lazy to tell the authorities.

After all, it has little to do with their government offices, only the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel, which are closely related, will have the superiors talk to the people below to keep them informed, so as to prevent the people below from pretending to obey but actually not doing their job.

However, the news will spread quietly sooner or later, and I think everyone will support this matter by then.

After all, a full treasury is good for everyone. Salaries are one thing, but other places will also have to ask the Ministry of Revenue for money.

For example, when the Hanlin Academy edited books, the writing materials and labor were paid for by the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War. However, all other expenses of the yamen still had to be paid for by the Ministry of Revenue.

After the two of them agreed, Wang Xijue came back and gathered a few scholars to talk to them.

As they were talking, they kept glancing at the books on the coffee table.

Finally, several scholars came forward and called all the officials away, telling them to go back to their jobs and not to stay around.

Although some people were still not convinced, since the scholars had come forward, they naturally did not dare to disobey.

The others left, but Wang Xijue stayed. He also wanted to see whether the hundreds of books were all in his Hanlin Academy.

Soon, sixty or seventy volumes of books were placed on the coffee table, and only about half of the library had been searched.

Wang Xijue followed Tan Lun in to take a look and knew that most of them were here.

"It will take a while to find them all, so I'll go back to the Ministry of Rites first."

Wang Xijue did not want to accompany him, so Tan Lun smiled and bowed as a farewell.

When Wang Xijue came out, he saw more than twenty officials from the Ministry of War coming over.

Since there was a harvest here, Tan Lun naturally transferred all the people over to help.

Shaking his head, Wang Xijue went straight back to the Ministry of Rites.

In the cabinet, Wei Guangde also received the news, but he just smiled and went about his business. (End of this chapter)