prosperous age

"Ahem. Any news about the fleet heading to Southeast Asia?"

In the backyard of the Hangzhou Governor's Mansion, in the dead of night, a faint cough could be heard coming from the bedroom.

"My husband, you should rest well and stop thinking about military affairs."

In the bedroom, Yu Dayou lay on the large bed, his normally dark face now appearing pale in the candlelight.

Beside the bed, a young woman in plain clothes sat, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

Footsteps approached from afar, and a maidservant quickly entered carrying a bowl of medicine, whispering, "Madam, the master's medicine is ready."

"Come help me lift the old man up."

The young woman immediately gave the order.

This lady was none other than Chen, the wife of Yu Dayou. Yu Dayou had been fighting for the Ming Dynasty in the north and south for many years and had been impeached and reinstated repeatedly. It was only in the last ten years or so that things began to stabilize for him.

It was at this time that people around him began to plan his marriage, to help him get married and have children.

"Don't eat."

Just as the maid was about to come over, Yu Dayou shook his head, stopping his wife from helping him up.

"Go and see if Gao'er is asleep. If he's not, call him over."

Yu Dayou gave the instructions, somewhat weakly.

"Yes, sir."

The maidservant naturally dared not disobey Yu Dayou's orders.

She placed the medicine bowl on the coffee table, then lifted her skirt and quickly went out to find the young master.

"Husband, you still need to take this medicine."

At this moment, Madam Chen spoke up again, saying, "Gao'er is still so young, how can you bear to do this?"

However, Yu Dayou shook his head and remained silent.

The Yu family is a typical example of an older man marrying a younger woman. Yu Dayou was nearly sixty years old when he had his only son, Yu Zigao, which can be described as having a child late in life.

However, Yu Dayou did not spoil Yu Zigao. Every morning, Yu Dayou practiced martial arts to exercise and then read books. In addition to the Four Books and Five Classics, Yu Dayou's own military books were also Yu Zigao's textbooks, and he personally guided him.

It can be said that in the past few years, he has stayed in the Ming Dynasty and stopped traveling around. Apart from handling official business, he has devoted all his attention to his child, cultivating his martial arts and combat skills.

For someone like Yu Dayou, it's natural to know one's destiny.

On this very day, under this very moon, he had a vague feeling that his time was drawing near.

Just now, when I closed my eyes, images of him studying at a private school in his hometown in his early years, and then inheriting his post as a garrison commander, unconsciously surfaced in my mind.

In the twenty-first year of the Jiajing reign, he was summoned to the north for the first time to participate in the battle against the enemy cavalry in Datong.

After returning to the south after the war, he set foot on Shaolin Temple on Mount Song for the first time, competed with Shaolin monks, and defeated many Shaolin monks with a single stick.

Looking back, I realize how young and impetuous I was back then. Just because I overheard passersby praising Shaolin Kung Fu, I got the urge to challenge them.

After returning to Fujian, he began his journey of fighting for the Ming Dynasty in the south and north, from suppressing Japanese pirates in the southeast to quelling rebellions in the southwest, experiencing countless battles.

It's a pity that he always seemed to be abandoned by heaven, and his career was always unsuccessful.

It was precisely because of his military achievements that those civil officials were reluctant to give him up, which led to his repeated reinstatements over the years.

His career truly stabilized after he was captured and taken to the capital, where he met that young man. The young man rose rapidly through the ranks, and he himself ascended to prominence along with him.

Although I really don't want to use the phrase "chicken and dog," I have to admit that his career really did depend on this young man.

With him lobbying for him in the capital, the surrounding civil officials no longer dared to underestimate him or impeach him.

It's just a pity that I'm getting old.

If he had met such a benefactor earlier, perhaps the commander of the Eastern Expedition would not have been Qi Jiguang, but him.

Yu Dayou knew that Wei Guangde was actually quite hesitant about that position.

It's just that my body is too weak; I simply can't withstand the arduous journey and am no longer fit to fight.

To die in bed like this was a kind of luck, but Yu Dayou felt a little ashamed.

"Father, you called me."

At this moment, Yu Zigao had already stepped into the room, followed by his maid and page.

"Gao'er".

Yu Dayou weakly raised his hand and took his son's outstretched hand, their hands clasped tightly together.

Yu Zigao was only ten years old at the time. Although he didn't understand much, the scene tonight still made the child feel a little uneasy.

"Gao'er, from now on you must listen to your mother and study the books your father left behind carefully."

You are from a family of military merit, and according to regulations, you will inherit the title in the future.

"Just read the Five Classics and Four Books; the real focus should be on the military treatises and battle manuals I wrote for my father. That's the foundation of our family, cough cough."

After saying so much, the already weak Yu Dayou could no longer speak and began to cough repeatedly.

"Dad, you'll be alright. Take your medicine, and you'll get better."

Yu Zigao had overheard some conversations during this time and knew that his father was getting old and probably didn't have much time left.

Seeing this tonight, my fear has only intensified.

"I'm not eating anymore. It's my fate."

This time, however, Yu Dayou resolutely rejected his son's words.

"From now on, you will be the only male in the family, and you will have to support this family, cough cough."
Take good care of your mother
In the capital, at the Wei Grand Secretary's meeting, cough cough.

Everyone in the room felt a chill run down their spines upon seeing this.

Even when Yu Dayou was seriously ill a few days ago, he never instructed his family like he was making his final arrangements.

Outside, a north wind blew, making the chill even stronger, as if it were destined to be a bleak night.

At this moment, Madam Chen carefully retreated to the doorway and instructed the page, "Wake everyone up immediately, and also, quickly fetch the doctor, hurry."

The Chen family wasn't worried about their safety, just as Yu Dayou had said before, the Yu family's backer was in the capital.

Although this place is far from the capital, the Wei family has connections in Zhejiang and a large business in Hangzhou. The family has frequent interactions with them and has received a lot of help from them.

Based on this alone, there shouldn't be any major concerns for the family in the short term.

However, if Yu Dayou really passes away, how long can this ancestral connection last?

Especially since his son is still young, it will be at least another ten or eight years before he inherits the position, and what will things be like then?

"lady."

Now, perhaps having finished explaining things to his son, Yu Zigao lay by the bedside, holding his father's hand and weeping softly.

When Chen returned to the bedside, he looked at her weakly and said, "I opened the drawer in my cabinet, and there were three letters inside, cough cough..."
One letter is for the imperial court, and the other you should send a servant to the Wei residence in the capital. *cough cough*
"Keep this last letter. Send it to the capital when your son comes of age and is old enough to inherit the title, cough cough."

Clearly, Yu Dayou had made arrangements long ago. After all, he was over seventy and at the age of knowing one's destiny, so he had to consider his son's future.

In officialdom, it's common for people to become distant and forgotten once they leave.

He left behind a handwritten letter, which he would then send to the capital. As long as Wei Guangde was still in office, he would not be able to ignore it.

Over the years, Yu Dayou's achievements have elevated his family's hereditary military rank from centurion to commander, meaning his son would at least become a deputy commander of the guard, a fourth-rank military officer in the imperial court. He had considered having his son abandon military pursuits for a civil service career, but like himself, it seemed the Yu family lacked the talent for the imperial examinations.

My son can understand the Four Books and Five Classics, but his academic performance is only average.

Even in Fujian, cultural progress has been rapid in recent years, driven by economic and trade development.

In fact, apart from the decline of the imperial examination system in the early Ming Dynasty, the coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty experienced a significant surge in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty.

Not only did Zhejiang surpass Jiangxi in the imperial examinations, but Fujian also emerged as a rising star, with its imperial examination results continuously improving.

This is also why Wei Guangde often felt somewhat powerless in the court; in fact, the examinations truly depended on real ability.

What's past is past.

If you can't pass, you really can't pass.

As for cheating, a candidate who has passed the provincial examination can naturally manipulate the system when taking the exam in a local area.

But the imperial examination was different; it required real ability to fight your way through thousands of competitors.

As for the subsequent palace examination and even his future official career, Wei Guangde could interfere.

However, if one fails the imperial examination and cannot produce outstanding individuals, all of this is in vain.

As the sun rose from the sea and shone on the walls of Hangzhou, the city gates opened, and a swift horse galloped out of the north gate, speeding northward.

On this still chilly day, Yu Dayou, who had fought for the Ming Dynasty in numerous battles over the decades, finally came to the end of his legendary life.

Officials from the three departments of Zhejiang arrived at the Yu residence early to offer their condolences, and countless white banners had already been erected inside and outside the residence.

In fact, Yu Dayou's health has been poor for the past two years, especially in the last six months. He has been bedridden and can only handle military affairs from his bedside. His family had already made preparations for this.

Around noon, the official courier finally dispatched, carrying Yu Dayou's final memorial and the Hangzhou government's obituary to the capital.

This was also the system in the Ming Dynasty. Regardless of whether an official died while in office, the matter had to be reported to the Ministry of Rites for posthumous honors and rewards.

Wei Guangde went out early in the morning to go to work at the cabinet, so he naturally didn't know what had happened in Hangzhou. The military general he had relied on in his early years had passed away.

However, not long after he entered the cabinet office to carry out his duties, Zhang Xueyan from the Ministry of Revenue rushed to his office in a hurry and brought out a note from the palace.

"The Grand Secretary has really arrived. This morning, the palace sent a note saying that the Ministry of Revenue should immediately allocate 300,000 taels of silver to the inner court."

While passing the note, Zhang Xueyan was still observing Wei Guangde's reaction.

"Three hundred thousand taels?"

After a slight surprise, Wei Guangde glanced at the slip of paper in his hand and stamped it with the seal of "Treasure of the Emperor".

Wei Guangde naturally knew that this matter was approved by the Wanli Emperor before the inner court sent a document to the Ministry of Revenue requesting silver.

The process itself is fine, but whether it's followed is another matter entirely.

"According to regulations, the Ministry of Revenue should submit a memorial."

It's easy to guess that this is due to the overspending on the Aoshan Lantern Festival organized by the inner court.

As I said before, the overspending should be discussed with the inner court.

Based on the 100,000 taels already advanced, the previous dynasty would have to pay 400,000 taels for just one Lantern Festival at Aoshan. The key point is that this might not even be the end of the matter, so naturally, it cannot be agreed to lightly.

"You should argue back first. Once the memorial reaches the cabinet, I'll go to the palace to settle this score with His Majesty."

Wei Guangde spoke up.

"Alright, then I'll go back and prepare my memorial."

This is actually quite normal. The reason they came to the cabinet at this time was twofold: firstly, it was too fast, as the imperial decree was issued ten days earlier than expected; secondly, the total income and expenditure of the Aoshan Lantern Festival had not yet been calculated, yet they were already rushing to the Ministry of Revenue for money, indicating that the expenses would likely exceed the budget.

Zhang Xueyan would not underestimate the nature of those people in the palace. Once this door was opened, things would get out of hand, and who knows how many problems would arise, which would eventually be presented to the emperor for the Ministry of Revenue to fill.

Zhang Jing would definitely dare to report a figure of 300,000 taels of silver when the account was for 100,000 taels.

If Wei Guangde hadn't been informed sooner, who knows what would have happened next.

By the afternoon, news that the palace had requested another 300,000 taels of silver from the Ministry of Revenue had spread throughout the official circles of the capital.

The censors who hadn't yet had a chance to impeach Zhang Juzheng were now as excited as sharks smelling blood.

Impeaching eunuchs—they seem to be quite good at that.

Unless the emperor is particularly protective of his own, criticizing eunuchs is a very worthwhile way to boost one's reputation.

Before the cabinet meeting ended, several cabinet ministers gathered together to chat. Yu Youding spoke up, saying, "There are rumors circulating outside that the palace has ordered the Ministry of Revenue to transfer 300,000 taels of silver into the imperial treasury to make up for the shortfall in the Aoshan Lantern Festival. I wonder if any of you have heard about this?"

Xu Guo immediately said, "I have also heard about this matter, but I don't know if the Ministry of Revenue has submitted its memorial yet."

In my opinion, this is absolutely unacceptable.

As early as the Longqing era, the previous dynasty only managed 100,000 taels of silver, and any overspending was borne by the imperial treasury.

The lantern display was indeed well done, but the expense was too great. The imperial court absolutely cannot afford to take on this responsibility; it would break the established rules.

Wang Jiaping nodded in agreement, “The rules cannot be broken. Since it has always been 100,000 taels, then we can only give 100,000 taels.”

Once the Ministry of Revenue submits its memorial, we must argue our case forcefully and absolutely refuse to agree to this matter.

"Your Excellency, has the Ministry of Revenue informed you?"

After the three expressed their opinions, Shen Shixing looked at Wei Guangde and asked in a low voice.

"Minister Zhang told me at the time that once the Ministry of Revenue's memorial arrives tomorrow, no matter who has it, they will know how to draft it."

Wei Guangde nodded slightly and said, "The palace's lavish celebrations are the palace's business; the court cannot bear the excess."

However, I have also heard that His Majesty is very satisfied with this Aoshan Lantern Festival. If you want to talk about extravagance, you should not mention it in front of His Majesty.

Regarding the overspending, the inner court did not inform the imperial court beforehand, so we were unaware of it.

If the imperial court is forced to cover this shortfall, then the Ministry of Revenue will have to audit the expenditures.

According to regulations, the Ministry of Revenue and the Palace would split the identified discrepancies equally.

After Wei Guangde finished speaking, he glanced at the others.

To refuse directly would be simple, but in the eyes of the Wanli Emperor, it was a problem for him, the Grand Secretary.

In fact, similar things had happened many times before. Despite repeated wrangling and constantly lowering the emperor's expectations, the court still had to give in the end.

However, it certainly wouldn't be the money the palace initially wanted.

Wei Guangde spoke to silence Xu Guo, preventing him from criticizing the extravagance of the lantern festival in front of the emperor, who had already expressed his approval.

Furthermore, as the chief minister, he cannot speak in absolutes; he must always leave himself room for maneuver in everything he does.

If Wei Guangde were here today and also firmly refused, the news would spread tonight and it would become that Wei Guangde was leading the opposition to this matter and resolutely refusing to give the palace a single tael of silver.

As a result, the palace naturally became dissatisfied with him.

However, after the Ministry of Revenue ultimately provided the palace with a subsidy, he would lose prestige in the eyes of the officials outside the palace.

It's fair to say that if he doesn't speak more tactfully today, he'll end up pleasing neither side.

If everything is done according to the rules, these troubles can be avoided and everyone will accept it.

Even the emperor has to follow the rules.

This was a precedent established over the Ming Dynasty for two hundred years, and no one could violate it, not even the emperor. (End of Chapter)