prosperous age

Wanli cut the palace maid's hair, which was a small matter.
But Empress Dowager Li soon found out about this matter, and the incident became more and more serious.

She didn't listen to Wanli's explanation at all and made him kneel in front of everyone for two or three hours.

But this is not the end. The more Empress Dowager Li thought about it, the angrier she became. As the king of a country, how could he do such a ridiculous thing? Not only did he let the palace maids sing dirty jokes, but he almost took someone's life. How could he be the king of a country?

"For the sake of the Ming Dynasty, I will depose you and appoint another wise ruler."

Although it was just words spoken in anger, it still frightened the little emperor, who could only kneel in the Cining Palace for a long time, hoping to get his mother's forgiveness.

"Someone, go to the cabinet and ask the Prime Minister to come over."

The young emperor thought that he had been so humble already and his mother should have calmed down. However, he did not expect that Empress Dowager Li had not calmed down at all and even sent eunuchs to invite Zhang Juzheng.

What does it mean to look for Zhang Juzheng?
Zhu Yijun knew immediately that this meant the cabinet was asked to draft an imperial edict. Did they really want to force him to abdicate?

Cabinet, the deputy assistant's duty room.

Wei Guangde finished drafting the last memorial of the day, put away his pen, and shouted to the outside of the door, "Lu Bu, come in and take the things away."

Wei Guangde stood up, walked out of the desk, and waved his arms a few times in the open space in front of the desk. He then lifted the hem of his official uniform and kicked out a few times in succession, as a way of exercising his arms and legs.

"master."

Lu Bu shouted as he entered the room, then went to pick up the memorials on the desk.

Wei Guangde also put down his official robe and walked outside to sit down at the coffee table.

He glanced at the sky outside, calculated that it was almost time for the Prime Minister to summon him, and then he went home after the office was dismissed.

Today he dealt with a memorial from the palace. Well, according to the palace's calculations, the wedding dresses and various wedding supplies prepared for Emperor Wanli's wedding would require 3869 taels of gold, more than 870 blue and red rubies, more than 24000 coral pearls, 10 taels of silver, and so on.

Many of these things will be used in the Empress's phoenix corona and bridal robe, but the cost of one hundred thousand taels of silver is too high.

The craftsmanship of Ming Dynasty craftsmen is excellent, but they cannot afford such high costs.

Needless to say, most of these 100,000 taels of silver would go into the pockets of some eunuchs.

Wei Guangde did not approve this memorial. He remembered that Myanmar returned a lot of gems, more than ten boxes or so.

Since there is no shortage of gems in the palace, why does the Ministry of Revenue need to purchase them in large quantities?

As for gold, it is only more than 20,000

Two silver coins are not much.

Not all of the thousands of taels of gold were to be made into headdresses for the empress and the imperial concubines. They could not afford so much. Many of them were also used to make more than a dozen other sets of jewelry for the three noble ladies so that they could change their outfits.

Wei Guangde had not drafted the memorial asking for money from the imperial court, so he planned to throw it to Zhang Juzheng later to see how he would react.

Wei Guangde made up his mind that gold could be given, and corals and pearls that were in short supply in the Palace could also be purchased, but not all of them could be purchased by the Ministry of Revenue.

Every year, the imperial court would purchase jewelry worth tens of thousands of taels of silver and send them to the palace, but there was no way they could use it all up.

"Meet Lord Wei."

Just then, the clerk on duty in the Prime Minister's office appeared at the door.

"Did the Prime Minister summon you? I'll be there right away."

Wei Guangde saw him and immediately spoke.

This was also a common practice. Wei Guangde didn't take it seriously and just laughed it off.

"Lord Wei, the Cining Palace just urgently summoned the Prime Minister to the palace. He left to ask me to tell you that you will preside over the cabinet meeting today."

The clerk did not leave after delivering the message as he had done before, but instead said this to Wei Guangde.

"Ci Ning Palace, um, I understand."

Wei Guangde nodded, then waved his hand to let him leave.

When Lu Bu came back with the memorial, Wei Guangde immediately ordered him to notify Zhang Siwei and Shen Shixing to come to him.

After everyone arrived, Wei Guangde smiled and said, "Just now, the Prime Minister sent a message that the palace has something to ask him to come over, so I will preside over today's regular meeting.

The two lords, please tell us if you have encountered any difficult memorials today, and let us discuss and see how to deal with them. "

After a few brief greetings, Wei Guangde went straight to the point.

After receiving the notification from Lu Bu just now, Zhang Siwei and Shen Shixing were still wondering why they were not going to the Prime Minister's duty room. Now they knew the reason.

Zhang Siwei and Shen Shixing quickly finished talking about the memorials they had seen today, and discussed some of the ones they were unsure about.

Wei Guangde first listened to their opinions, then quickly made a judgment in his mind and decided on the content of the draft.

After the two of them finished talking about their questions, Wei Guangde handed the memorial from the palace to Zhang Siwei and said with a wry smile, "You have finished talking about yours. I also have a very troublesome one here. I originally planned to see the Prime Minister's opinion, but I didn't expect it to be such an unfortunate coincidence."

Zhang Siwei took the memorial handed over by Wei Guangde and took a look at it. His eyes immediately widened as he had seen the numbers on it.

Thousands of taels of gold were a huge number in the eyes of ordinary people, but to them, it was just like 30,000 taels of silver. It was just that the number of corals and pearls at the back was too shocking.

Tens of thousands.
Don’t think it’s too much. In fact, they also know that a set of clothing and headdress may cost hundreds of pearls.

These pearls are generally not very big and are used as decorations on clothes.

But there is a problem. There is not much of this stuff. Even if all the pearls on the market in Beijing were bought up, I am afraid there would not be so many.

Of course, it would definitely be enough if we just take out the stocks from the homes of the nobles and powerful officials and make up for it.

"This is too much. Doesn't the palace have any stock?"

After reading it, Zhang Siwei muttered something and handed it to Shen Shixing.

Soon, both of them fell silent after reading it.

"Tell me what you think."

Wei Guangde asked, his eyes falling on Shen Shixing.

Zhang Siwei would never take the initiative to speak, as he felt that he was superior to Shen Shixing as he had joined the cabinet first.

When discussing opinions, one must always start with the person of lower status.

"I still suggest that the palace check the inventory first, and then the Ministry of Revenue can purchase the remaining amount."

Shen Shixing was also honest, and this was the order before, so he met Wei Guangde's gaze and spoke.

After listening to Shen Shixing's opinion, Wei Guangde looked at Zhang Siwei, waiting for his opinion.

Just as Wei Guangde expected, it was actually very simple, everyone had the same idea.

If there is any in the palace, use it. If it is not enough, go to the Ministry of Revenue to purchase more.

The Ministry of Revenue was already stretched to its limits in order to prepare for the various supplies for the emperor's wedding, and now the emperor, empress, and imperial concubines' clothing and headdresses were being transferred to the outer court. The court representatives certainly could not agree to this without any bottom line.

However, this matter could not be raised by him alone, but had to be submitted in the form of a unified suggestion from the cabinet. Let the inner court count the inventory first, and then send the insufficient part to the outer court for the Ministry of Revenue to purchase.

At least, as for the gems, Wei Guangde felt that there was no need to waste money. A lot of gems had been recovered from Myanmar, which was more than enough.

As for the pearls, Wei Guangde said to Zhang Siwei, "Ziwei, go down and tell Minister Zhang to arrange for someone to get a feel for the major businesses in the capital, and first settle the pearls, register them, and don't allow them to be traded anymore."

Now Wei Guangde was afraid that the palace and other places would not be able to gather the more than 20,000 pearls, so he ordered the pearls from various jewelry stores first.

"it is good."

Zhang Siwei naturally knew what Wei Guangde meant and immediately nodded in agreement.

Next, they talked about the arrangements made by several government offices for the wedding, without knowing that the person they were worrying about was being forced to abdicate by his mother, the queen.

Later generations said that because of this incident, Emperor Wanli issued an edict of repentance and admitted his mistakes, which earned him the forgiveness of Empress Dowager Li. However, this is pure nonsense.

Maybe this was true, and Empress Dowager Li did punish the young emperor very severely, but it was impossible to replace the emperor.

Writing a confession of guilt for such a small matter shows that you don't take it seriously.

In ancient times, whenever there was a natural disaster or unrest, any monarch with normal thinking would almost always issue a symbolic "edict of repentance".

To express my bad moral character, God has punished me. Now I know I was wrong, and I beg God to forgive you, his "son".

Judging from history, the number of "edicts of repentance" issued in the Ming Dynasty was the highest in all dynasties.

According to statistics, during the 276-year Ming Dynasty, there were 16 emperors, 11 of whom issued self-criticism edicts, a staggering 27 times, an average of once every ten years.

You know, the emperors of the feudal dynasties all claimed that their power was granted by God, so every "edict of repentance" was actually weakening their own sacredness, and they would not do so unless it was absolutely necessary.

The emperor is also a political figure. Every move he makes is a political move, and the goals he wants to achieve are often political goals. Based on the particularity of the "Edict of Confession of Sins", its creation is often closely related to the fate of the country.

According to historical records, the Ming Taizu issued the edict of repentance 5 times, the Ming Jianwen emperor issued the edict once, the Ming Xuanzong issued the edict once, the Ming Yingzong issued the edict twice, the Ming Daizong issued the edict 1 times, the Ming Xianzong issued the edict once, the Ming Xiaozong issued the edict once, the Ming Wuzong issued the edict once, the Ming Shizong issued the edict twice, the Ming Shenzong issued the edict twice, and the Ming Sizong issued the edict 1 times.

It just so happened that the two emperors at the beginning and the end of the Ming Dynasty committed the most, especially Emperor Chongzhen. The destiny of the Ming Dynasty might have been consumed by his repeated "self-blame".

Since it involves the destiny of the country, it cannot be treated lightly.

When Zhang Juzheng entered the Ciqing Palace, he would naturally do his best to dissuade Empress Dowager Li.

Are you kidding? It is said that the throne of Emperor Wanli was decided by Emperor Longqing. Let's not talk about whether Empress Dowager Li has the right to do so. If she really wants to do it, I'm afraid that the outside court may not buy it.

Perhaps, their purpose was to take the opportunity to warn and educate the emperor.

After all, the emperor is going to get married soon. After the wedding, he will be an adult and can gradually take over the affairs of state.

As for issuing a self-criticism edict, Zhang Juzheng would not agree with it at all. The Ming Dynasty had not yet fallen, so there was no point in issuing one.

Emperor Wanli issued two edicts of repentance during his reign. The first was in the 26th year of Wanli, because the three newly renovated halls were burned down.

After the great fire in the 41st year of the Jiajing reign, it was not until the beginning of the Wanli reign that wood was finally gathered to rebuild the three main halls. Just over ten years later, it was burned down again. The issuance of the edict of repentance was in line with people's ideology at that time.

As for the second time, it was naturally the defeat in Liaodong.

In fact, Emperor Wanli did not think it was his own problem at first. Victory and defeat are common in the military, and if he lost, he just had to fight back.

However, all the officials put the blame on Emperor Wanli's negligence, which caused an uproar in the court. In the end, Emperor Wanli had no choice but to issue another self-criticism edict.

However, history has changed a little. Liaodong may not be able to create a huge wave at the end of the Wanli period, but the fire in the 26th year of Wanli was probably unavoidable.

When Zhang Juzheng returned to the cabinet, the three cabinet ministers had already left the palace and returned.

He could only tidy up the room and then leave the imperial city.

What happened today really scared the little emperor and Zhang Juzheng.

For this reason, before leaving the palace, he asked someone to tell Feng Bao that he could visit his house when he was free in the evening.

No matter how powerful the Queen Mother is, she is not powerful enough to establish a new monarch.

He didn't dare to say it in front of Empress Dowager Li, and could only talk to Feng Bao in private. If he encountered a similar situation, he would have to help him to resolve it. But such a thing must not happen again.

Wei Guangde returned to the mansion and was actually waiting for news.

Although Zhang Juzheng was invited to the Cining Palace, Wei Guangde was also very curious about what had happened in the palace.

He also asked someone to tell Chen Ju to help investigate the matter.

Now Chen Ju had made a name for himself in the palace. He no longer stayed by the emperor's side as a eunuch attendant on the emperor, and he also lost his job in the Imperial Household Department. Feng Bao sent him to the Imperial Household Department to be the eunuch in charge of the seal.

Although the Shangbaojian was ranked in the middle, Chen Ju was still one of the senior eunuchs in the palace.

Of course, Feng Bao had no good intentions in making this arrangement; he had selfish motives behind it.

Chen Ju and Wei Guangde had a close relationship, and Feng Bao didn't want him to be around the emperor.

It is not appropriate to send him into exile. After all, Chen Ju's godfather had good relationships in the palace and everyone still remembers his kindness.

Even Teng Xiang and Meng Chong, who were domineering during the Longqing period, were nice to Chen Ju.

Therefore, the best way is to arrange a good job for Chen Ju and give him a promotion.

Previously, Chen Ju had served as the Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Household Department, in charge of the emperor's personal records, ceremonial guards, etc., so his only possible promotion was to the Eunuch in Charge of the Seal.

It just so happened that a eunuch from the Shangbao Supervisor had retired from the palace, vacating a position. Feng Bao asked the two Empress Dowagers for a title and had Chen Ju transferred to the Shangbao Supervisor.

The Shangbaojian was in charge of imperial seals, imperial decrees, generals' seals, etc., and was also an important place.

Chen Ju had been with the young emperor for quite some time, worked diligently, and was recognized by the two Empress Dowagers, so he successfully became one of the youngest eunuchs in charge of the Ming Dynasty's inner court.

At this time, Chen Ju was only 41 years old, one year older than Wei Guangde.

It seemed that the news in the palace could not be blocked. Even what happened in the Cining Palace was clearly known by Chen Ju by the evening.

He wrote a note and arranged for his confidant to deliver it to Wei Guangde.

Although the note was vague about the conversation between the emperor, the empress dowager and Zhang Juzheng in the hall at that time, this is what happened.

Through the few words overheard, one can roughly guess the whole process of the incident.

After reading it, Wei Guangde just frowned slightly, feeling that Empress Dowager Li was a little too strong.

Of course, he had never noticed the little emperor's drunken behavior before, and he realized that Zhu Yijun actually had this habit.

Wei Guangde thought for a moment, and finally felt that Empress Dowager Li's worry that the young emperor would become a tyrannical ruler was unnecessary.

In any case, Zhu Yijun was carefully cultivated by civil officials. Although his personality may be stronger than before due to the influence of Wei Guangde, he is not as cold-blooded and ruthless as his grandfather, Emperor Jiajing, who would beat and kill ministers at will. Instead, he is relatively gentle.

This is also the result of Confucian education.

I'll have to ask Chen Ju to find out later whether Your Majesty has really become an alcoholic and is addicted to alcohol.

Wei Guangde thought to himself. (End of this chapter)