prosperous age

The banquet at the Wei residence was, of course, an extremely grand affair.

The flower hall was surrounded by candles, and several crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, illuminating the entire room.

These lighting fixtures alone are quite valuable, especially those crystal chandeliers, which are extremely rare.

In fact, there were many lighting fixtures in ancient China, including both freestanding and hanging lamps, but there were no lamps with a Baroque style in ancient China.

Traditional Chinese lamps are mainly made of bronze, ceramic, or iron, and are decorated with elaborate patterns.

However, with increased exchanges with overseas countries, the styles of Western palace lamps also spread to China through the mouths of foreigners and missionaries.

Therefore, Wei Guangde asked the missionary Matteo Ricci to design this hanging chandelier with a large number of cut crystal pendants refracting candlelight.

With the design drawings in hand, the natural next step was to find skilled craftsmen from the Ministry of Works to produce it.

It took almost half a year of hard work to finally complete ten sets of these chandeliers a few days ago.

Today, six sets of these decorations are displayed in the flower hall.

There are four more groups, naturally located in the main house in the backyard.

Wei Guangde had many concubines in his household, but he didn't dare to prepare one for every courtyard, as it was simply too difficult to make them.

According to Zhang Ji's estimate, a single set of chandeliers cost over three hundred taels of silver.

This is the actual product, without any exaggeration.

If it were put on the market, it would probably sell for at least five or six hundred taels of silver.

Moreover, installing this chandelier is troublesome; it requires two people to carefully remove it using a specially made support rod, light the candles, and then hang it up again.

If you're not careful, you might damage those hanging crystal pieces.

However, the lighting effect was indeed good; a few chandeliers illuminated the entire room, leaving his friends, who were seeing such a thing for the first time, completely astonished.

Well, this is the first time Wei Guangde has taken the lamp out since it was made.

This thing is absolutely unique in the Ming Dynasty today.

"This thing is still being made at my residence by the craftsmen that Brother Shunqing found."

The items themselves weren't expensive; the cost of one lamp was a little over three hundred taels of silver, but they were difficult to make.

The crystal needs to be cut and then carefully assembled, which takes quite a bit of time.

Wei Guangde said with a chuckle.

"This light is so bright, it looks nice too."

Seeing the hunt, Lao Kan was delighted and immediately asked a question.

"Crystals refract candlelight, scattering the light throughout the room."

So even though there were only so many candles, the lighting effect was much better than before.

Wei Guangde laughed and said, "I heard it from Matteo Ricci, so I asked him to design it and then found someone to make it."

If Ren Zhi likes it, he can ask Mr. Li for the blueprints, and then ask Brother Shunqing to find some craftsmen for him.”

Lao Kan was wealthy, so he could certainly afford it.

In fact, none of the people Wei Guangde invited today are poor.

Even if he was poor in his early years, he has long since escaped poverty now that he is an official.

After Wei Guangde said that, everyone in the room started to consider it.

Even Jiang Zhi was surprised that the crystal craftsman Wei Guangde had asked him to make such an exquisite lamp.

Wei Guangde pointed out the inconveniences of using it, but they were completely unaware of them.

After all, it's not like they're the ones doing it; the servants will do it.

They just want to enjoy themselves, so of course they don't care.

It's just a matter of spending some money, no big deal.

Once we have this, hosting a dinner party will be much more impressive.

"You took three months to make just one of these?"

Zhang Xueyan suddenly asked.

He had completely integrated himself into Wei Guangde's circle. Although he wasn't from Jiangxi, he had truly become a part of it.

"Cutting and polishing a large number of crystals is very time-consuming, and there is also the assembly process."

It took several craftsmen almost half a month to assemble just one lamp.

Don't be fooled by those hanging crystal pieces; they're not just for decoration or to look nice. They're there to refract light at that angle.

Even the slightest deviation will significantly reduce the effectiveness.

Wei Guangde spoke eloquently.

Tonight, I invited them to a banquet, one purpose of which is naturally to discuss the reform of the imperial examination system and see if it is worthwhile to promote.

Secondly, it's for showing off. If you have good things at home and don't show them off, it's like wearing fine clothes in the dark, and that's not Grand Secretary Wei's style.

"Lord Jiang, I'll send someone to wait at the yamen gate tomorrow. You absolutely must arrange a few craftsmen for me."

Zhang Ke raised his wine glass and began speaking to Jiang Zhi.

"Lord Jiang, I also need to ask you for help."

Wei Shiliang also raised his wine glass in a toast, saying that the best craftsmen were all in the Ministry of Works, and that they had to be crystal craftsmen. Such talents were truly rare and scarce.

Actually, there are quite a few skilled people in this field in other places, but they are people from the palace, and they can't be persuaded to join them.

Jiang Zhi opened his mouth slightly and looked at the other people at the table, who were all holding up their wine glasses to toast him.

After mentally estimating, he felt he should be able to raise enough money, so he nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go to the yamen first thing tomorrow morning to take care of it."

I was wondering why the people I asked for the loan last time hadn't returned to the government office to report for so long; it turns out they were all kept at the government residence.

"The Wei family will retain three people. As for you gentlemen, I can only assign two; otherwise, we won't have enough experienced men."

"Okay, as long as there are people, it's fine."

"No problem, no problem."

The others all happily agreed.

"By the way, if you ask Mr. Li for the design drawings, you can ask him to modify them according to your own ideas."

The way these crystals are hung varies depending on the style.

Don't let them take advantage of you for nothing; give them twenty taels of silver as a thank you.

If there are any changes, add some more.

Wei Guangde had seen the design drawings of the lighting fixtures and immediately divided them into three layers.

The top is where the candles are placed, the middle is the main body, which is the hanging frame, where crystal slices are placed for reflection, and finally the pretty crystal pendants at the bottom.

Yes, it involved a lot of mathematical models and calculations to select the location for hanging the crystal pendant, which was quite complicated.

However, once you are familiar with the features, even if you modify the design, the calculation will be quick.

Wei Guangde commissioned Matteo Ricci to design a large lamp with eight candles and directly paid him fifty taels of silver as a design fee.

The fruits of labor should certainly be respected, regardless of whether the people are Ming or foreign.

Although Matteo Ricci served in the Ming Dynasty court, he was still an Italian and did not request to be registered in the Ming Dynasty.

He should be considered the first Westerner to hold an official position in the Ming Dynasty.

They can only be described as Westerners, not foreigners.

In the early Ming Dynasty, many scholars from surrounding vassal states came to the Ming court to take the imperial examinations. In particular, people from vassal states with close ties to the Ming Dynasty, such as Korea and Annam, had passed the examinations and served as officials in the Ming Dynasty.

Having gained experience in the Ming Dynasty and then returned home, it was easy for them to become pillars of the court, wielding great power. However, this was in the early Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty had only just recovered, so the students' studies were limited, which is why these people from foreign territories were able to pass the civil service exams.

In the later stages, fewer people came to the Ming Dynasty to take the exam.

Because whether in the south or the north, the competition for the imperial examinations had already begun to intensify.

These people from the outer regions could never possibly defeat the local students.

They were so pleased that, at Jiang Zhi's suggestion, they even removed one set of chandeliers so that they could admire them up close.

"Shan Dai, what about last year's Aoshan Lantern Festival? Do you have any plans for now?"

After carefully admiring the artwork, Jiang Zhi suddenly asked a question.

Emperor Wanli was actually very happy at the last Aoshan Lantern Festival. If it weren't for the huge financial overspending that was later exposed, which led him to tacitly initiate an anti-corruption campaign and ultimately uncover Zhang Jing's involvement, it would have been a perfect event.

Of course, Emperor Wanli was actually quite satisfied.

Because all the fines and confiscated items went into the treasury, when he finally did the math, he found that he not only didn't spend a single penny, but also made more than 100,000 taels of silver.

Of course, that was mostly the result of Zhang Jing and his subordinates handing over all the money they had embezzled over the years.

It should be said that Emperor Wanli was actually quite satisfied.

However, Wei Guangde said that this year's lantern festival should be organized by the imperial court, and on a larger scale, and even extended to several major cities such as Nanjing and Songjiang Prefecture.

People have worked hard all year and deserve to relax during the holidays.

"This matter was naturally arranged by the Ministry of Rites, with the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works contributing their efforts, as well as the major chambers of commerce in the capital, so that they could actively participate."

Wei Guangde said with a smile.

The imperial court isn't in a hurry about this.

As November approached, the task was assigned to the Ministry of Rites, who were put in charge of the overall coordination.

Afterwards, the Ministry of Works would naturally have someone make them, while the Ministry of Revenue would pay for them.

As for the lamps that the Chamber of Commerce would place on the main streets of the capital, they would naturally be allowed to make them themselves; the Ministry of Rites would simply need to arrange the locations for them.

Moreover, the lanterns made by the imperial court and placed outside Chengtian Gate would be named after these merchant guilds, and the money would eventually be collected by the Ministry of Revenue to offset the expenses required for their preparation.

This is how we mobilize the private sector to organize lantern festivals, providing them with a platform to advertise and promote their own chambers of commerce.

Of course, they will also be given some space next to the lantern mountain so that they can sell their own products and make a profit.

Chinese people have a long-standing tradition of spending lavishly during the Lunar New Year after a year of hard work.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be regular temple fairs. In later generations, these have become common markets, but in ancient times, they were only held during festivals and holidays. They were very attractive to the people of the capital, who would then make a lot of purchases.

Wei Guangde's plan was to further expand the Aoshan Lantern Festival into a grand temple fair in the capital, in which officials and commoners could participate.

Everyone had a great time, and the imperial court didn't spend much money; it seemed like a win-win situation.

Wei Guangde estimated the time and planned to instruct Zhang Ji later to contact the chambers of commerce with whom he had good relations and ask them to make preparations in advance.

Especially regarding artisans, we need to prepare well.

It would be troublesome if we couldn't gather enough people when things came to a head.

"By the way, there's something else I wanted to discuss with you all at this banquet today, and I'd like to hear your opinions."

Seeing that everyone was having a good time drinking, Wei Guangde then spoke.

"What's the matter?"

Zhang Ke asked.

Facing the puzzled looks of the crowd, he took out a memorial from his sleeve and said, "This was sent by the Ministry of Rites today. Please take a look and see if it is appropriate."

Wei Guangde handed the memorial to Zhang Ke, who was closest to him, and it would then be passed on.

The situation in the central government has been calm lately, but there's some concern on the South Seas.

However, the memorial issued by the Ministry of Rites was certainly not about the troublesome matters in Southeast Asia.

So, at first, everyone was indifferent.

However, everyone who read the memorial pondered it with a serious expression after passing it down.

"The imperial examinations only test the Jinshi degree; this has been a practice established for over a hundred years. If it were to be restored..."

After reading the memorial, Jiang Zhi only said one sentence, then frowned and remained silent.

The imperial examination system in the Ming Dynasty now only retains the Jinshi examination from the early imperial examinations, while abolishing the other examinations.

Since everyone here has fought their way up through the imperial examination system, they are naturally quite familiar with its changes.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, the regular examinations included the Jinshi examination, the Nine Classics examination, the Five Classics examination, the Kaiyuan Rites examination, the Three Histories examination, the Three Rites examination, the Three Commentaries examination, the Scholar examination, the Legal examination, the Character examination, and the Mathematical examination.

Wang Anshi's reforms abolished all other examinations and focused solely on the Jinshi examination for selecting officials. The examinations were changed to test understanding of the classics, policy essays, and theoretical discussions. Poetry and prose were temporarily abolished. This reform is arguably the closest to the current imperial examination system of the Ming Dynasty.

Meanwhile, a separate law school was established to select judicial talent, while the civil service examination was still held occasionally.

In other words, the Song Dynasty changed the imperial examination system during Wang Anshi's reforms, reducing it to three categories: Jinshi, Mingfa, and Zhike. Among them, Zhike was no longer a regular examination, but was only held occasionally.

During the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Law and the Imperial Examination were abolished, and only the Jinshi Examination was used to select officials.

Now, the Ministry of Rites has proposed adding two new subjects, namely "Mingfa" (明法) and "Mingsuan" (明算), to the provincial examinations and the imperial examinations to select lower-ranking officials. This change is quite significant.

Some civil servants might even feel that this is a step backward.

Wei Guangde didn't say anything, but just observed their reactions.

Wei Shiliang was no longer in the Ministry of Justice, but he already knew that the Mingfa Department was indeed necessary. Whether in the Three Judicial Offices or the local Provincial Surveillance Commission, or as assistant officials, officials familiar with the law were definitely essential in assisting county magistrates in adjudicating cases.

Previously, these matters were often handled by the advisor.

As for Zhang Xueyan, he naturally considered the Ming Suan Ke (明算科).

The imperial court's treasurer was usually selected from among the successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations. Although these candidates were ranked lower in the examinations, their mathematical skills were naturally not very good.

Although the imperial examinations also tested mathematics, it was very superficial, and most people didn't even do it. As long as one wrote a good essay, one could pass.

Therefore, some warehouse managers didn't actually manage the money and grain; it was all done by their subordinate clerks.

All they could do was look at the account books, and their minds were probably preoccupied with how to embezzle and deduct money and grain.

"How could the Ministry of Rites have thought of this? Just because the schools have produced many mathematical talents?"

Zhang Xueyan asked suspiciously.

Wei Guangde shook his head; he was also surprised when he saw the memorial from the Ministry of Rites today.

"He was actually selecting clerks."

Lao Kan spoke up, "After they're selected, they'll be appointed as officials by the imperial court. What will happen to the other clerks?"

Those who were lowly clerks had no other way out except to work in the government office.

If the quota is filled through selection, some officials' families will inevitably lose their livelihood.

"Restore the status of honest and law-abiding citizens?"

Zhang Xueyan suddenly said.

During the Ming Dynasty, clerks were mainly recruited through various means, including corporal service, fines, and reporting. Under Zhu Yuanzhang's governance strategy of "using the lowly to oppress the good," they were systematically relegated to the status of lowly, barred from taking the imperial examinations, hereditary service, and of low social standing.

The system of separating officials from lower-level officials was established during the Song and Yuan dynasties. In the early Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang completely blocked the channels for officials to advance through the civil service examination and promotion in order to prevent factionalism.

The imperial court regarded them as "commoners serving as officials" and did not pay them a salary, only a meager wage and food allowance. They relied on corrupt practices to survive, so the court deliberately suppressed their status to "use the lowly to oppress the good."

This approach allows them to assume real power in grassroots affairs while simultaneously anchoring them in a lowly position outside the "four classes" through law, thus shifting the conflict between officials and the people and preventing them from becoming a political threat.

Wei Guangde's previous strategy of punishing corrupt officials to win over the people was actually a continuation of this approach, shifting the blame for the conflict between officials and the people.

To change the bureaucratic system is to shake the very foundation of the regime, so it must be done with extreme caution. (End of Chapter)