prosperous age

"Lu Bu, have Eunuch Chen and the people from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Justice set off yet?"

The next morning, around 9:00 AM, Wei Guangde suddenly asked Lu Bu outside the door.

"They left the capital at the beginning of the Si hour and headed south. They should be more than ten miles away from the capital now."

Lu Bu stood at the door and answered loudly.

The day before yesterday, the palace decided that Chen Ju would lead his men south to meet Hai Rui in Jingzhou. After they went to the Liao King's Mansion to settle accounts, a eunuch from the capital would naturally carry the imperial edict south to Nanjing.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Justice quickly discussed and decided on the candidates to accompany the emperor.

However, anyone with a discerning eye knows that the main factor in this investigation is Hai Rui's attitude.

His judgment led to the court's final decision.

They weren't really happy to just go along as a bystander.

However, this has nothing to do with Wei Guangde. Anyway, someone from both departments will definitely go. As for how Zeng Shengwu and the others choose, Wei Guangde doesn't care.

"Have any memorials been sent in from the Ministry of Revenue?"

Wei Guangde asked again, casually putting aside the memorial he had just drafted.

"No, it should have already been sent to the palace."

Lu Bu became cautious this time, and he didn't know why the Ministry of Revenue's memorial hadn't arrived yet.

He had already spoken to the Chancellor, so any memorials from the Ministry of Revenue would be sent directly to him.

"I've already made arrangements, and they'll definitely bring it in right away as soon as it arrives."

However, Lu Bu added a sentence to avoid leaving a bad impression on Wei Guangde.

The most important thing for people like them is to be loyal to their masters and to carry out the tasks assigned by their masters diligently.

If something goes wrong, it means the person lacks ability, and such a person won't last long.

Lu Bu didn't want to leave Wei Guangde. He, Second Master Lu, was now quite a figure in the capital, thanks to his job as Wei Guangde's clerk.

As a result, his eldest brother in the army also benefited and was promoted to the rank of centurion.

You should know that his family was a low-ranking military household; once he joined the army, he would only be a lowly soldier.

It turns out that at home, his older brother had more influence than him.

But over the past few years, everyone in the family listens to him, and even the eldest brother has become his younger brother.

Wei Guangde was waiting for the Ministry of Revenue's memorial, but the memorial he was so eager for had already fallen into Zhang Hong's hands.

Yesterday's note was not stamped with Zhang Hong's seal, but rather with the seals of eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonial, although it was approved by the emperor.

At that moment, he was holding the memorial from the Ministry of Revenue and was having some trouble.

In fact, he had anticipated that something would go wrong with the Aoshan Lantern Festival, but Zhang Jing had gone too far.

Although the final total expenditure has not yet been settled, the expenditures that have already been released so far have already exceeded double those of previous years.

Such a large expenditure, just for holding a lantern festival, is really too wasteful.

Zhang Hong was not the kind of greedy eunuch; he was an honest and kind person.

Similar to Wei Guangde, although they also received silver, it was all within the rules.

He didn't have Zhang Juzheng's courage to break the rules and chose to go with the flow, but he didn't lose his clear vision.

Zhang Hong was very disappointed in his former godson.

However, Zhang Jing had already established himself in the palace, so even if he wanted to take action against Zhang Jing, he would have to consider the Emperor's attitude.

This is the benefit of eunuchs having status in front of the emperor; even the chief minister has to think twice before dealing with them.

It's no wonder that eunuchs tried every means to curry favor with the emperor, hoping to catch his eye.

"Godfather, should this memorial be sent directly to the cabinet, or..."

Zhang Jing withheld the memorial, but the eunuchs in the Directorate of Ceremonial dared not cover it up so easily. After all, it was a memorial submitted by the Ministry of Revenue, and the chief eunuch would not dare to accept it unless it was handed over to the Grand Secretariat.

"If this is handed over to the cabinet, it might cause a stir."

Zhang Hong frowned and said.

“Godfather, if we don’t hand over the past, the trouble will only get worse, and it will even point directly at you.”

Anyway, this whole mess was caused by that brat Zhang Jing. If the outer court wants to target someone, it will target him. It's none of our business. In the end, it's the Emperor who makes the decision.

The eunuch hurriedly reminded him.

"Who affixed the imperial seal to the Emperor's seal yesterday?"

Zhang Hong asked again.

"We haven't found out the truth yet. It must be because Zhang Jing had a good relationship with some scribe that he stamped the seal without permission."

The eunuch hurriedly said.

"Don't worry about this memorial. I'll take it to the cabinet myself in a bit."

Zhang Hong spoke first.

"Okay, I'll go down now."

Left with no other option, the eunuch had to leave the duty room.

Zhang Hong is currently the Grand Eunuch and concurrently the Chief Eunuch, holding the Imperial Seal and the Emperor's Seal, which can be considered the Emperor's Jade Seal and are used to issue decrees, edicts, and rewards.

Zhang Hong was responsible for the safekeeping of the most important seals.

However, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs had more than just these few seals. In fact, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs possessed more than ten seals, all representing the emperor.

Later generations only know that the Directorate of Ceremonial was the power institution of the Ming Dynasty, forming an internal and external supervisory body with the Grand Secretariat, but in fact, the Directorate of Ceremonial did not originally play such a role.

During the early Ming Dynasty, in the Hongwu era, according to the Ming Huidian, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs was only "in charge of court etiquette and investigating eunuchs who violated etiquette laws," and its responsibilities were limited to the etiquette affairs within the palace.

At this time, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs had a low status and only a few staff members, far less than the Directorates of Imperial Seals and Imperial Treasures.

During the Yongle era, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs added the position of "Grand Eunuch in Charge of Seals," responsible for managing palace documents and seals, and also began to get involved in book copying.

At that time, the imperial court needed to copy a large number of Confucian classics and palace archives, but the officials of the Hanlin Academy in the outer court could not be summoned at any time. The eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, who were on duty in the palace all year round, gradually took on this task.

So, during the Xuande era, Emperor Xuanzong established the "Inner Study Hall" in the inner court, selecting intelligent eunuchs around ten years old to enroll, where they were taught reading and writing by officials from the Hanlin Academy.

This move completely changed the personnel composition of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and a group of eunuchs with cultural literacy gradually emerged.

During the Xuande era, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs officially established the "Jingchangku" (Scripture Printing and Proofreading Storehouse), which was specifically responsible for the printing, proofreading, and collection of books. It was staffed with full-time engravers, printers, bookbinders, and other craftsmen, with the number of craftsmen reaching as many as a thousand at its peak.

At this time, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs had already established a considerable scale of publishing, with the printed books mainly consisting of Confucian classics, such as the Four Books and Five Classics, which were used for court education and as rewards for officials.

These books were printed with high quality and on fine paper, and were later known as "Jingchang editions".

Unlike books printed by the Imperial Academy and the Ministry of Rites, the official publications of the Imperial Archives used larger fonts, wider line spacing, and clearer printing, making them more suitable for reading by elders in the palace and for viewing from a distance, thus forming a unique publishing style. At this time, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs had become the largest publishing institution in the Ming Dynasty, far exceeding the scale of private bookstores.

At the same time, the establishment of the Inner Academy continuously cultivated literate talents for the inner court, ensuring a sufficient talent pool for the inner court.

It was from this time that the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs gradually established a rule: those who were not from the Inner Study Hall were not allowed to enter the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs.

Just like in the previous dynasty, no one who was not a member of the Hanlin Academy could enter the Grand Secretariat. Although this rule was not absolute, for example, during the Tianqi era, Wei Zhongxian was not from the Inner Academy, but he still became the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and was only one step away from becoming the Grand Eunuch of the Inner Court.

Because a large number of outstanding talents gathered in the Directorate of Ceremonial, it gradually became an important government office relied upon by the emperor, and the power to approve imperial edicts was transferred to the Directorate of Ceremonial.

At that time, most of the memorials handled by the Ming Dynasty's cabinet were reviewed by eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonial, and only a small number of memorials deemed important were reviewed by the emperor himself.

It is said that, faced with the enormous number of memorials submitted daily, the emperor would only review a few each day.

This is also why the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs wielded immense power. The emperor was lazy and unwilling to read many memorials, so power naturally fell into the hands of the eunuchs.

Of course, when encountering an emperor with a strong desire for power, such as the Jiajing Emperor, he would read many more documents every day, especially important memorials, which he would read without missing a single one.

After all, the power to decide on memorials was a symbol of imperial power.

The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs had the power to approve memorials and publish books, so at this time in the Ming Dynasty, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs possessed more than ten seals of various kinds.

Apart from the imperial seal representing the emperor, these ordinary seals were kept in the Directorate of Ceremonial and could be used at any time.

Because the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs was in charge of all ceremonies, criminal matters, and the management of officials and servants within the Imperial City, and also held the power of approving imperial edicts, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs became the most important government office in the inner court.

As for the Ming Dynasty seals, there were already as many as twenty-four at this time.

Except for a few seals such as the Emperor's Seal of Heaven, which were kept by the Imperial Seal Bureau, most of the seals that were used in daily life, especially the Seal of Guangyun, the Seal of Qinwen, and the Seal of Memorials and Historical Records, were kept in the Directorate of Ceremonial.

These seals were mainly used by the Directorate of Ceremonial to publish books. As the most powerful government office in the inner court, the Directorate of Ceremonial sometimes had to bow down.

The number of imperial seals has been increasing, from the six seals of the Qin Dynasty to the eight seals of the Tang Dynasty, and then to the nine seals of the Northern Song Dynasty and the eleven seals of the Southern Song Dynasty. Their functions have also become more specialized.

By the Ming Dynasty, there were already twenty-four treasures, each with its own purpose.

It is worth mentioning that the so-called "Imperial Seal of the State" was not actually among the emperor's treasures; its symbolic significance outweighed its practical significance.

The Imperial Seal of the State was not used for issuing imperial edicts, which is why, to this day, the Imperial Seal of the State is only known to be engraved with the eight characters "Received the Mandate of Heaven, May the Dynasty Live Long and Prosper," but no actual seal has ever been discovered.

With so many imperial seals, it's understandable that there might be occasional oversights.

However, Zhang Hong knew he couldn't continue like this.

So he quickly summoned the eunuchs of the Imperial Seal Bureau and said, "Eunuch Chen is away on official business. The Imperial Seal Bureau is under your jurisdiction, so you must not make any mistakes."

Some time ago, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs received the seals from you, and they must all be retrieved and properly stored.

Everything must be done according to regulations. Whenever the imperial seal is used, a formal permit must be issued before it can be obtained; it must never be taken out privately.

From the end of last year to the Lantern Festival this year, the eunuchs in the inner court also had to celebrate the festival. As a result, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs had accumulated a lot of documents that required the use of seals such as the Imperial Seal of Fengtian, the Imperial Seal of Qinqin, the Imperial Seal of Guangyun, and the Imperial Seal of the Emperor. Therefore, a large number of seals were left in the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs and were not retrieved in time.

These seals were used for suburban sacrifices and rituals to Heaven and Earth around the New Year, as well as for official documents of the imperial family and for imperial rewards.

These activities take place at the beginning of each year, and the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs issues documents for them. Therefore, the seals of the Imperial Seal Office are temporarily stored in the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs for use.

In truth, these aren't particularly important seals, as long as they aren't special seals like the Imperial Edict Seal, the Imperial Decree Seal, or the Emperor's Trust Seal.

The Imperial Seal and the Imperial Edict Seal are easy to understand, but the Imperial Seal is used by the emperor to mobilize troops, and this is the most important seal. Even the Imperial Seal Office dares not use it lightly.

Even this kind of seal is rarely taken out, perhaps only once a year.

"Yes, I will arrange for someone to take away the seal immediately, but only within the Directorate of Ceremonial."

The eunuch from the Imperial Seal Office said somewhat awkwardly.

Although he was a fourth-rank eunuch, he couldn't stand up straight in front of the fifth-rank Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Other directorates and departments only had three or four eunuchs, but the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs had as many as seven or eight eunuchs who held the position of Secretary, in addition to several attendant eunuchs. Above them were the Seal Keeper and the Director, who were the highest-ranking people in the palace.

"I will speak to the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs. We cannot break the rules just because we are busy with other matters."

"The use of the imperial seal requires an imperial decree, and only after obtaining the seal can one receive it. This is a rule of the palace, and one cannot disregard it simply because one is busy."

Zhang Hong also intended to rectify the palace, as some rules had been broken in the past two years. If this continued, people would have to blame him.

At noon, Zhang Hong finished dealing with the affairs of the Directorate of Ceremonial and then took the memorial from the Ministry of Revenue to the Grand Secretariat.

When Zhang Hong arrived in person, Wei Guangde guessed why and naturally gave him a warm welcome.

The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs wielded too much power, making it difficult for the Grand Secretary to challenge it. This is why many people say that Zhang Juzheng broke the rules.

During his collaboration with Feng Bao, Feng Bao's power was actually above Zhang Juzheng's, and Zhang often chose to back down when conflicts arose between the outer court and the inner court.

However, if the outer court does not approve, even if the inner court issues an official approval, it will be useless, since the document still needs to pass through the Six Ministries and the Grand Secretariat before it can take effect.

The complementary relationship, under Zhang Juzheng's leadership, turned into a one-sided peace agreement between him and Feng Bao.

Of course, this is also why Wei Guangde was unwilling to have too much contact with Feng Bao; Feng Bao was too ambitious, and close contact would only bring him a bad reputation.

"When the palace issued the document to the Ministry of Revenue yesterday, it was out of necessity; the palace's organization of the Aoshan Lantern Festival has incurred enormous costs."

Soon, in the duty room, Zhang Hong began to complain to Wei Guangde.

He was indeed unaware of Zhang Jing's misdeeds at first, but seeing that it might cause a fierce controversy between the inner and outer courts, he had no choice but to come over, hoping to gain Wei Guangde's support first.

Just like Zhang Juzheng and Feng Baoshi did before, they first persuaded the Grand Secretary, and then the Grand Secretary quelled the anger of the court and the public.

Don't think that the officials' impeachment of Zhang Jing and Zhang Hong has nothing to do with each other; in fact, it's a case of one thing affecting the whole situation.

Attacking Zhang Jing would affect the interests of all the eunuchs in the inner court.

Unless they are determined to take down Zhang Jing and have already drawn a clear line between themselves and him.

However, not long after Emperor Wanli assumed personal rule, Zhang Hong, considering the overall situation, still felt that the best outcome would be for the inner and outer courts to work together.

"Minister, the Aoshan Lantern Festival has exceeded its budget by at least 300,000 taels of silver this time. What are the inner court's plans?"

Wei Guangde had already obtained the memorial, quickly glanced through it, and then asked a question.

"I hope the Grand Secretary can get the Ministry of Revenue to provide this money this time, and I guarantee that this will not happen again."

Zhang Hong assured him.

“This is 300,000 taels of silver. The court’s year-end inventory two years ago showed a surplus of only 400,000 taels. Last year there was still a huge deficit. Where would we get the silver to cover it?”

Wei Guangde immediately said, "Moreover, the Ministry of Revenue has already transferred 100,000 taels to the inner court before the new year as usual to prepare for the lantern festival."

Dial again, that would be against the rules.

"Does the Grand Secretary really intend to let His Majesty cause a court turmoil in the first year of his personal rule?"

Zhang Hong frowned and reminded him.

Although Emperor Wanli began to rule in his own right after his marriage, he truly took power last year, which was indeed his first year of personal rule.

If this causes a disturbance, the emperor will certainly lose face. (End of Chapter)