prosperous age

Because of the joyous occasion of Emperor Wanli's wedding, many officials in the capital who were involved benefited from it.

Of course, most officials either get promoted from their regular rank or from their honorary rank, and only a very few lucky ones get promoted because there are vacancies above them.

In short, over the next month, the imperial decree of bestowal and the Ministry of Personnel were busy with preparations, and the officialdom in the capital was filled with joy and everyone was very happy.

Regardless of the circumstances, even if the official rank didn't increase, the casual rank and the merit rank would change, and there would also be gold, silver, and silk rewards from the palace.

This expense, nominally provided by the palace, was actually already included in the cost of the emperor's wedding, which explains why the wedding expenses exceeded the budget by a significant amount.

So, when Emperor Wanli got married, the palace didn't contribute a single penny; the entire cost was borne by the imperial court.

In addition to the cloth, Wei Guangde's reward also included ten gold coins.

Well, these things are only kept in the palace for reward purposes, and a lot of them are stored in the Changying Treasury of the Imperial Stud as gold reserves. They have not been circulated in the market at all.

This, of course, also shows how precious the reward was, something no one else had received.

In the past, the palace used to cast gold melon seeds or gold leaves as rewards, but now they have switched to gold and silver Da Ming Tong Bao coins.

That day, Wei Guangde was handling government affairs in the cabinet as usual when Lu Bu came in and said, "Master, Zhang Ke, the Vice Minister, has come and is requesting an audience outside."

"Let him in quickly."

Wei Guangde immediately said so, and then got up to go and greet them.

"Jinqing, what brings you here?"

Wei Guangde knew that Zhang Ke must have something to discuss with him, but he still exchanged a few pleasantries as usual.

"Something has happened at the Ministry of War. We need to talk to the cabinet first and see how best to handle it."

Zhang Ke was carrying a bundle. When he saw Wei Guangde, his face turned stern and serious, which didn't change even though Wei Guangde was very enthusiastic in greeting him.

Seeing this, Wei Guangde knew that this was probably a big deal. They couldn't possibly be giving him a gift with a long face, let alone a bundle.

Upon entering the room, Wei Guangde invited him to sit down. Lu Bu served him tea and then sent him out to watch over him.

"What happened at the Ministry of War?"

Seeing that Zhang Ke wasn't drinking tea, Wei Guangde simply asked directly.

"Two months ago, the Ministry of War issued a contract for 350,000 cotton-padded coats, which was to be allocated to the three towns of Liaodong, Yansui, and Ningxia."

Sixty thousand cotton-padded coats arrived in Yansui today. I'm thinking of going to take a look and, if possible, sending them over first.

Zhang Ke also bluntly stated, "Look, this is the cotton-padded clothing intended for the Ministry of War."

As they were talking, Zhang Ke picked up the bundle and placed it on the coffee table. Inside, he found two red cotton-padded coats.

Wei Guangde was very familiar with this kind of clothing. It was the standard uniform of the Ming army, which came in two types: cloth clothes for spring and summer and cotton clothes for winter.

Having been brought here, Wei Guangde guessed that there must be something wrong with the cotton-padded coat, so he reached out and picked one up.

Upon handling it, he frowned.

Light, thin, and somewhat brittle.

This is the feel of it. Wei Guangde knows this is not a down jacket. You can only say that this kind of cotton-padded coat is only slightly better than a single layer of clothing. It can't be considered a cotton-padded coat at all.

If we were to actually distribute these items to the soldiers to keep them warm, it would be a disaster.

With just a quick squeeze, Wei Guangde knew that although there was stuff inside, it lacked elasticity and was definitely not good cotton.

Moreover, the fabric itself looks problematic.

In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang also stipulated the materials used for military uniforms. Cotton-padded clothes had to be made of new cotton, and old cotton filling was strictly prohibited. The fabric had to be of the highest quality, and even medium-quality fabric was not acceptable.

Of course, times have changed. Now, even medium-grade fabric can be used, and the cotton is mostly a mixture of new and old cotton. But this piece in my hand is made of inferior fabric, and the cotton inside is probably problematic as well.

Without protection from the cold, soldiers in border towns would freeze to death from frostbite, which would force them to rebel and mutiny.

When Wei Guangde learned of this, he realized that this deal was probably not something an ordinary person would do, otherwise the Ministry of War wouldn't have acted this way.

Even top nobles like the Duke of China were dared to be confronted by the Ministry of War with this item.

But they didn't; instead, they went directly to the cabinet, which clearly indicates that the person in question has a very special identity.

"Earl of Wuqing".

Zhang Ke only uttered three words, and Wei Guangde's brows furrowed even deeper.

Indeed, other nobles are easy to deal with, but the Empress Dowager's father and the young emperor's maternal grandfather are a difficult matter to handle.

Although it is said that there are no fathers and sons in the imperial family and no kinship in the royal family, no one can threaten Zhu Yijun's throne at present, not even his brothers.

Otherwise, Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng would be contradicting themselves.

When Prince Yu and Prince Jing were vying for power, they supported Prince Yu because of his age.

Even if there is a foot ailment now, no one thinks that the emperor should be replaced because of it.

While appearance could be considered when selecting officials through the palace examination, not the emperor's; instead, lineage was the deciding factor.

Therefore, the palace is now a place of filial piety and brotherly love, and the young emperor treats his maternal grandfather and father-in-law very well.

The young emperor has recently approached him twice, wanting to bestow the title of Earl upon his father-in-law, Wang Wei, and the cabinet is still discussing the matter.

In fact, it was already customary to bestow titles upon the empress's father and his relatives, and the cabinet should not have refused. The main reason was that the young emperor also wanted to bestow titles upon his brother-in-law as well.

He didn't ask for a noble title, but only for the hereditary position of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but that was also inappropriate.

Even if a title were to be bestowed, according to the court's custom, the first position would be that of a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and then some pretext would be used to gradually promote him.

As for hereditary succession, that rule no longer exists.

As for the young emperor asking him directly why he was treated so harshly when imperial relatives like Xia Zhu were granted hereditary command of the Embroidered Uniform Guard during the Zhengde reign, he was the one being questioned.

Wei Guangde could only reply that it was a rule set by the Jiajing Emperor, and that all hereditary titles from the previous dynasty had been revoked by the Jiajing Emperor.

This matter is still stuck there, and now the Empress Dowager's family issue has come up again.

This is going to offend everyone from the emperor to the empress dowager, and a whole bunch of imperial relatives.

Wei Guangde squeezed his cotton-padded coat hard again, then stood up and said to Zhang Ke, "Take your bags, let's go to the Grand Secretary's place."

"it is good."

Zhang Ke also got up, picked up his bundle, and followed Wei Guangde out of the duty room.

At the door, Wei Guangde stopped and instructed Lu Bu, who was standing to the side, "Go and invite Grand Secretary Zhang and Grand Secretary Shen to the Grand Secretary's office for a talk."

This matter requires the cabinet to reach a consensus before they can launch a coordinated attack on the palace.

Wei Guangde was unsure how Empress Dowager Li would handle the matter, as it concerned her father, Marquis of Wuqing, Li Wei.

Soon, Wei Guangde led Zhang Ke to the outside of the Grand Secretary's office and said to the clerk at the door, "Go in and announce our arrival."

Wei Guangde didn't go in directly; that would have been too impolite.

Soon, the clerk came out, followed by Zhang Juzheng, and then they entered the Grand Secretary's office.

"Shan Dai, Jin Qing, has something happened to the Ministry of War?"

Zhang Juzheng had already seen what Wei Guangde and Zhang Ke were holding, but he pretended not to know and said nothing.

"Two months ago, the Ministry of War submitted a memorial to prepare cotton-padded clothes for the three towns of Liaodong, Yansui and Ningxia, which I approved. But today, Jinqing came to me with the first batch of cotton-padded clothes that had been put into storage."

At this point, Wei Guangde handed the cotton-padded coat in his hand to Zhang Juzheng and said with a wry smile, "Uncle, take a look. What exactly is this cotton-padded coat? It's simply insatiable."

Zhang Juzheng had already guessed that the military uniforms were probably of poor quality, otherwise the Ministry of War would not have put them out on the table.

The key point is that Wei Guangde could figure out that the person who committed the crime was of a special status, and Zhang Juzheng could guess the same thing.

He reached out and took the cotton-padded coat from Wei Guangde. Needless to say, he had the same expression as Wei Guangde at the time: astonishment, followed by anger.

He was also from a military family, so he naturally knew the standards for cotton-padded clothing.

Initially, the Ming army provided cotton-padded clothing by distributing bolts of cloth and weighing the cotton, which the soldiers would then take home for their families to make.

Later, some people saw the profits involved and persuaded the court to change the rules, allowing them to order and distribute the uniforms. As a result, the quality of the military uniforms began to decline.

Of course, even if it's not quite there, there's still a bottom line. But the cotton-padded coat in my hand not only broke through the bottom line, but also went straight to the lowest point.

If we go any further, we might have no choice but to distribute summer clothes as winter clothes.

"Who did it?"

Like Wei Guangde, Zhang Juzheng directly asked who was behind the scenes.

"Earl of Wuqing".

Wei Guangde replied helplessly.

"hiss"

Zhang Juzheng gasped, and before he could speak, he heard Zhang Siwei and Shen Shixing laughing and talking outside the door, getting closer and closer.

"I had someone invite you when I came over."

Seeing Zhang Juzheng looking towards the door, Wei Guangde explained.

Zhang Juzheng nodded. This was not a matter that the two of them could decide; the cabinet really needed to have a clear answer.

The Ministry of War was clearly not going to stand for it and complained to the Cabinet, which meant reporting it to the palace.

Don't think that just because Marquis Wuqing Li Wei has Empress Dowager Li as his backer, all the officials in the Ministry of War are afraid of him.

Li Wei had already put a knife to their necks, just one slash away from taking their lives.

If the Ministry of War were to accept and distribute such items, causing trouble, it's hard to say how many Ministry of War officials would lose their lives, but their future prospects would certainly be affected.

Moreover, the people in the Ministry of War were all civil officials, who were naturally at odds with the nobles.

However, we don't usually provoke them.

But things are different now. Out of respect for the Empress Dowager, the business was given to him, but this is not how we repay her.

This time, Li Wei took the order issued by the Ministry of War, so the Ministry of War didn't get much benefit. Instead, they used inferior goods and ruined their careers. This is too much.

Zhang Siwei and Shen Shixing entered, and soon they also had a brand new cotton-padded coat in their hands. However, the four cabinet ministers all looked grim at this moment.

What does the Ministry of War mean?

The stalemate couldn't continue; a solution had to be found. Wei Guangde had no choice but to speak up and break the tension.

“We’re not going to give Wu Qingbo any face. Instead of compensation, we’re returning the money directly. We’ll arrange for someone else to do it. We need to hurry. We need to make 350,000 cotton-padded coats and distribute them before winter.”

Zhang Ke began, “Before coming here, I met with Vice Minister Zeng. Originally, there were tens of thousands of cotton-padded coats in this batch belonging to the Beijing Garrison. If they were really distributed, who knows what kind of trouble it would cause.”

"Can't we send it back and have them redo it?"

Zhang Juzheng frowned and asked.

"Your Excellency, if any more trouble comes up, the soldiers in the three towns of Liaodong will have no cotton-padded clothes to wear this year."

Zhang Ke said, with a troubled yet slightly angry tone.

With plenty of time, even though we need a lot of clothes, we can ship them out before winter.

That won't work now. Two months have already been wasted, and there are less than four months left. We need to get people working overtime to finish it on time.

“This matter cannot be delayed, Uncle. You and I both come from military families, so you should know the lives of the soldiers below. We cannot delay.”

Wei Guangde immediately replied, "Let's take this cotton-padded coat to the Qianqing Palace and ask His Majesty for a decision."

To deal with his maternal grandfather, the emperor would be more suitable.

As long as he stands on this side, the Empress Dowager won't be able to say much.

In comparison, the imperial family has no private affairs.

As for how much money Li Wei lost this time, nobody cares. If you can't control your own hands, you should be chopped off.

“Alright, let’s go. Ziwei and Rumo will stay in the cabinet to handle government affairs. They might have to make a trip to Cining Palace.”

Zhang Juzheng began to speak.

Zhang Ke leaned forward slightly, indicating whether he wanted to join them.

Zhang Juzheng remained silent, waiting for Wei Guangde's reply.

Wei Guangde thought it best not to let the Ministry of War's people linger in front of the imperial family, so he gently shook his head and said, "Minister Jin, you should return to the Ministry of War and contact other merchants as soon as possible to arrange for the production of military uniforms."

"We might have to go to the Ministry of Revenue; there might not be enough cotton cloth or cotton."

Zhang Ke smiled wryly.

In fact, they had all guessed that Li Wei had probably already sold off the materials provided by the Ministry of War to make money, and then used the money to buy some scrap cloth and cotton to make up the difference.

That's really too greedy.

Inside the Qianqing Palace, Wei Guangde's cotton-padded coat, which he dared not squeeze or exert force on, had already been torn open by the Wanli Emperor.

It was just tearing; bare hands, without any effort, the fabric ripped open, revealing the tattered cotton underneath.

"My grandfather handed over the cloth and cotton provided by the imperial court to the Ministry of War?"

The young emperor was trembling with anger. The court had calculated a higher wage for the Earl of Wuqing than before, and there were no kickbacks. This was the reason for the dissatisfaction within the Ministry of War. So when this happened, no one was willing to help cover it up; they were hoping to make a big fuss.

Wu Qingbo's cotton-padded coat successfully angered the young emperor.

Having just taken on actual political affairs, the first thorny issue he encountered was actually caused by his own maternal grandfather, which explains his anger.

The so-called "fluff" includes reed flowers, dried thatch, or willow fluff, which are common in daily life, and are thin and not easy to preserve.

"Do people still use wadding to keep warm?"

Unexpectedly, the young emperor suddenly asked about the people's situation regarding keeping warm.

"It should be relatively rare, as most people still use cotton."

Wei Guangde replied.

He wasn't really sure, but he knew that when he was a child in Bengshan Fortress, some people in the fortress and the surrounding area collected these things to keep warm in winter, but not many.

Cotton was introduced to China during the Song Dynasty, but it was not widely used at the time. It was only in the early Ming Dynasty, under the strong promotion of Zhu Yuanzhang, that it developed and became a winter-keeping material for Chinese people.

During the Song Dynasty, wealthy people used goose or duck feathers to fill their winter clothes and bedding, and also used fur to keep warm, just like modern people wear down jackets, fur coats, and cover themselves with down quilts in winter.

The poor, on the other hand, could only rely on things like willow catkins and reed flowers to keep warm, which was far inferior to what they had.

Zhang Juzheng echoed the sentiment, conveying a similar idea to Wei Guangde.

"People still use cotton to keep warm, but it's less common nowadays."

"Go to Cining Palace to see the Empress Dowager."

Hearing Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde say this, the young emperor finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the immediate matter still needed to be dealt with. He had been taught by Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde that although he was the emperor, he could not truly rule arbitrarily. At the very least, it would not be too late to wait another ten years.

Now, we should first talk to the Empress Dowager and listen to her opinion before proceeding.

On the way, Zhu Yijun finally thought of asking the Ministry of War's attitude, so Wei Guangde conveyed the Ministry of War's message.

"Master Zhang, what's your opinion?"

Hearing that the Ministry of War had no intention of pursuing the matter, Zhu Yijun secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

As for how much money his grandfather has to pay in compensation this time, he doesn't care.

Deserve it.

Zhang Ke and Zeng Shengwu were both clever; they knew it was impossible to punish Li Wei, so they made him pay. (End of Chapter)