Daming Yinghua

Chapter 412: Take a look around and focus on you, a fellow countryman

More than a month later, the Zongren Mansion outside the left gate of Chang'an moved to the vicinity of Dali Temple.

The original official office of the Zongren Mansion was freed up and given to a brand new Yamen.

At the beginning of the morning, a sedan chair appeared on the north side of Qipan Street.

The servant following the sedan walked to the side of the sedan curtain and said flatteringly: "Master, I have been here to visit you in the past few days, and many sedans have been carried to the entrance of Liubu Yamen. Those who come down may not be red-robed officials. "

"Get off the sedan now. You go back to your home." A solemn command came from behind the curtain with a Fujian accent.

"Ah, yes, sir." The servant responded and directed the bearer to stop.

Hong Chengchou stepped out of the sedan chair with his official robes in hand, straightened his appearance, and walked northward.

This 29-year-old native of Quanzhou, Fujian Province, was a Jinshi in the 44th year of Wanli. He has been in officialdom for six years and has excelled in examinations. He has reached the rank of Yuan Wai Lang of the Ministry of Justice.

At this point, Beijing officials usually have to be sent to provincial-level administrative units to accumulate some political achievements, and then return to Beijing to continue their promotion.

Unexpectedly, the emperor suddenly summoned him. After asking some common questions about his performance over the years, he asked the staff to directly promote him to the position of Shaoqing.

Hong Chengchou was in front of the emperor that day and did not dare to ask on the spot. He thought to himself that his official reputation was good, and Bi Ziyan of Taipu Temple had just been promoted to the Ministry of Household Affairs. Could he be the Shaoqing of Taipu Temple?

That's a great event!

Unexpectedly, on the way out of the palace, Cao Huachun's confidant eunuch told him directly that this young minister was not that young minister.

This Shaoqing is the Shaoqing of the newly-established State Temple. Mrs. Zheng, the Minister of the State Temple, has been signed by the Ministry of Personnel.

Ah this...

Although Hong Chengchou was in the Ministry of Punishment, he was not so privy to information that he didn't know who Zheng Haizhu was, so he immediately felt that his eyes were darkened.

So, he became the first civil servant to serve as a subordinate to a woman since the Ming Dynasty?

It is not that there are no female officials in the Sixth Bureau of the Inner Court of the Ming Dynasty. The rank of the bureau-level officials is higher than that of the male imperial doctors, and they lead a bunch of small firemen.

However, the little fire people are eunuchs, and he, Hong Chengchou, is a dignified second-class Jinshi!

However, after six years in the official career, he was no longer a young boy. How could Hong Yuanwailang, who had just established his career, lose his composure in front of Cao Huachun's cronies.

Hong Chengchou endured the complicated feelings in his heart, and after leaving the Forbidden City, he returned to the mansion with a cold face and a sullen face, only to see a young man dressed as an Imperial College student sitting in the living room.

The youth reported that he was the eldest grandson of Dong Qichang. As a junior, he came to send Mrs. Zheng some local rituals from his hometown and a couplet written by Dong Qichang.

Hong Chengchou went to see the earthen instrument, which contained a box of dried tofu and an inkstone.

Let’s look at the couplets unfolded by the servants: white tofu, white tofu, a man of leisure and erudition, imitating Li Bai; black inkstone, black inkstone, for an official, the jingdang is black.

Dong Ting delivered the gifts and the words, then said goodbye and left.

Hong Chengchou stared at the gifts and couplets, thinking for a long time.

After that, there was no more news from Mrs. Zheng until today, when the State Council Yamen hung up a sign and awarded the seal.

In the morning sun, Hong Chengchou walked quickly with his sleeves on his back.

The first person to pass by was the Ministry of Rites.

Not long ago, the "same year" in Beijing also revealed to Hong Chengchou that after the Ministry of Rites controlled by Donglin was severely punished by Zheng over the ultimatum issue, Zhao Nanxing took a fancy to Hong Chengchou and wanted to move him to Zhejiang to succeed Qian Qian. Being an academic official is one aspect of accumulating qualifications. More importantly, it is to recruit a group of young scholars to serve as Donglin's reserve force.

Hong Chengchou was not Dong Lin, and he looked down on Zhao Nanxing and the others. Thinking of this, his title of "Shaoqing of the State Council" came out of thin air, but he came just in time.

When Hong Chengchou slowed down in front of the etiquette department, officials on duty passed by him one after another.

In this area, there are probably more green-robed civil servants of fifth to seventh rank than sparrows foraging for food on the roadside. The Ministry of Punishment has always been located in the Sanfa Department in the west of the city, so few imperial colleagues here know Hong Chengchou.

There were constant discussions with a curious tone ringing in my ears.

"The rare things of the Ming Dynasty are really better than the last. I thought it was a strange thing that the palace maid who was twenty years older than the emperor could become a noble concubine."

"Hey, Concubine Wan Gui is just an anecdote in the inner court. Now this is a joke in the court. The bosses of the cabinet don't know what they think."

"What do you think? Just think of what the Holy One wants. What do you think we should do about the woman the Holy One likes?"

"I'm sorry for that young minister. I heard that he was promoted by a member of the Ministry of Justice. His official career record is very impressive. Now, how are you doing? He has become a laughing stock after being ordered by a court official who was born as a businesswoman." "Didn't you resign in anger? ? Come on, mother, how much do you have to be addicted to officialdom to be able to endure this? "

Hong Chengchou followed calmly and saw them getting into the bureaus of Rites, Qintianjian, Hubu, Works and other bureaus respectively.

For a moment, he felt that the words of these colleagues were better than the women they despised?

The newly appointed fifth-rank Shaoqing finally arrived at the gate of the State Council Temple.

The temple chief, the chief secretary and the two government officials saw the white pheasant patch on Hong Chengchou's chest and realized that this was the deputy hall master. They hurriedly stepped forward to welcome Hong Shaoqing and lead Hong Shaoqing to check the room.

"Is the temple minister here?"

"Not yet."

"Then I won't go in first. I'll wait here for the temple minister."

Si Cheng and the chief secretary glanced at each other, feeling surprised in their hearts.

Previously, some good people from other departments came over to take a look at this rumored new yamen. The expressions on the faces were really unkind.

Seeing more and more officials watching the excitement from near and far, isn't Hong Shaoqing afraid of acting like a monkey and giving advice?

Hong Chengchou shook his sleeves and walked under the plaque of "State Affairs Temple".

After a moment, he realized that there was no one around him. He immediately lowered his face and turned his head to scold softly: "Do you still have any rules? What are you doing hiding behind the threshold? Why, working for my fourth-grade Yamen of Da Ming Dynasty is even more shameful than being a thief. Come out!"

Only then did the Si Cheng and the Chief Registrar realize how stupid they were. They hurriedly apologized, lifted up their official robes, walked down the steps, and stood behind Hong Chengchou.

Fortunately, soon, a figure in red robe appeared from the south.

Zheng Haizhu's steps are not slow, but there is no rush either.

When she encountered the oncoming appraising gaze, she still gave her hand to the owner of the gaze. After several embarrassing returns from the owners, more people in green robes and blue robes pretended to look away.

Zheng Haizhu walked to the gate of the State Council Temple and said in southern Fujian dialect to the person he had personally asked Zhu Changluo to come to: "Hong Shaoqing, from today on, you and I are not only fellow townsmen of Zhangquan, but also fellow bureau chiefs of the new government."

Hong Chengchou returned the courtesy seriously and stood behind and to the left of Zheng Haizhu.

Soon, someone from the Supervisor of Ceremonies came to announce the decree, and someone from the Ministry of Civil Affairs came to grant the seal. The temple minister and the young minister thanked and accepted the seal according to the Ming Dynasty etiquette, and then led the subordinate officials and clerks into the Yamen and officially started working. .

Hong Chengchou came to Zheng Haizhu's room and said straight to the point: "Hong has hung that couplet in his house."

Zheng Haizhu also said bluntly to him: "Hong Shaoqing, I did not become an official in the imperial examination. I am a person without a leader and nepotism of the same year. Therefore, I can only find helpers from my fellow villagers. At present, in the capital officials, there are six-rank civil servants from Zhangquan area. You are the only one who is in the prime of life and has an outstanding official reputation. But I am from Zhangzhou and I am not familiar with Quanzhou. To show my sincerity, of course I will send someone to Quanzhou to find out about your past when you were a boy and give you the right gift. "

Hong Chengchou narrowed his eyes.

When Dong Ting came to present Dong Qichang's calligraphy treasure that day, it turned out to be a couplet between himself and his former mentor Hong Qiyin. Hong Chengchou was already surprised by Zheng Haizhu's style and admired it.

At this moment, hearing her speak sincerely without showing off, the resentment in my heart about being an official below a woman dissipated even more.

Those who know the current affairs are heroes, and the same is true for officials.

In front of the emperor and in the pavilion, my female boss is obviously very comfortable.

Zhan, a fellow Fujianese with a good brain, should have more prospects than Zhan Zhao Nanxing, the old Dong Heng.

Hong Chengchou then handed over his hand and thanked him in southern Fujian: "It was recommended by the Minister of Duocheng Temple that Hong's chest was replaced so quickly."

Zheng Haizhu smiled.

That day he did not make a fuss about refusing to be promoted. Today he was able to stand at the yamen gate to greet Shangguan, which to some extent showed that Hong Chengchou had passed the threshold in his heart.

Zheng Haizhu then did not continue to have a deep conversation with this famous figure in Qing history and talk about the friendship with his fellow countrymen. Instead, he started to talk to him about the coastal defense of Minhai and Denglai, the captive relationship between Houjin and Mongolia, etc.

Finally, she said to Hong Chengchou: "According to the Holy Spirit's instructions, I will leave for Daning Town soon. During this period, I will leave all the affairs of the State Affairs Temple to you."