eldest son of Ming dynasty

Looking down from upstairs, most of the eaves and corners of the capital can be seen.

Bian Shangmei Huaigu said: "It's daytime now, and it will be beautiful when there are fireworks all over the sky at night."

It was also the first time for Zhu Houzhao to see the capital from this angle. The streets, alleys, people coming and going, the noise of the crowd can be heard, and even a few scholars can be seen reciting to the sky.

He pointed to the northwest direction. In a small three-story building, there was a man leaning on a railing with his arms outstretched.
"Even if I couldn't hear what was said clearly, I could tell that there was a happy event coming today."

Zhang Yonghui said: "That is not the blessing that the young master gave him."

"You guys, it's better not to talk about such tiresome flattery." The emperor said this but he didn't get angry because of it, but said, "Let's go down and have a look?"

Mei Huaigu looked a bit embarrassed, but those of them who are familiar with the emperor knew that since he raised this idea, it would be more difficult to press it down again.

The main reason is that it is more lively below, even ordinary people would want to come forward.

For many candidates, the imperial examination is, after all, a great joy in life, and in order to express the preferential treatment for these people, all dynasties and dynasties will allow various forms of celebration.

For example, the emperor will give a banquet in the Ministry of Rites to entertain all Jinshi.

After the banquet, the Ministry of Rites will lead the Xinke Scholars to the Imperial College to pay homage to the God of Confucius and perform the ceremony of releasing dishes.

After worshiping the Confucian Temple, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Industry set up a stele inscribed by Jinshi in Guozijian.

These are official reward activities, and the official is like this, and it is even more diverse when it comes to the folks.

Generally speaking, the imperial court is also happy to see these celebrations, which is also called having fun with the people.

Amidst waves of good news, the top three who received the most attention also gradually solved the mystery.

In the first year of Zhengde, Bingyin Ketan Hualang, who fell in Yan Wenqi, Pingyue Prefecture, Guangxi,
When Zhu Houzhao came down from upstairs, he also heard some voices of discussion,

Someone said: "I know Yan Mingfeng (Yan Wenqi), we have visited famous mountains together!"

"really?"

In addition to the noise of the crowd, there were already people parading on horseback in the street, and the person who came was Zhou Le, the new top scholar in Guiyang Prefecture.

Zhu Houzhao had already seen this medium-sized, slightly fat No. [-] scholar in the palace examination before, but now, he looks more energetic after relying on clothes.

In addition to such serious activities, the busiest people in the capital after the announcement of the rankings are matchmakers, who want to find out who is married and who is still unmarried.

If you catch someone who is not married, maybe you have to come to the list to catch a son-in-law.

The gongs and drums are beating, the voices are loud,
Looking at Zhu Houzhao, I felt envious in my heart, thinking in my heart: "In the next life, we will also be a literati, and be a champion!"

The spring breeze is proud of the horseshoe disease, and I can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day.

A champion at a young age, in the eyes of those around him, isn't his body shining!

It is even more beautiful than Tsinghua University and Peking University in the previous life.

Because now that he passed the exam, he was directly appointed as an official, and suddenly became a master official.

And this kind of joy, he, the emperor, never had the chance to experience it in his life.

To be honest, he has been lacking in the joy of changing his identity. Suddenly becoming a prince is such a huge change that it shocks everyone, and he has no intention to experience it. Becoming an emperor... It's not sudden, because in the Before that, because of his status as the only son, he already had a lot of power.

The more I think about it, the more uncomfortable I feel.

In the midst of wild thoughts,
A voice came from the third floor of Yuezhuang,
"Boss Mei?!"

Both Zhu Houzhao and Mei Huaigu turned around,

What I saw was a young man with a playful smile, dressed in a beige gown, wearing a square scarf, holding a paper fan, and a round face with red in the middle.

"...Young master, I met an old friend."

Zhu Houzhao said calmly, "Then let's go."

Mei Huaigu's face was stiff, and he didn't dare to reveal the emperor's identity.

"Brother Ding, long time no see, long time no see."

The round-faced young man came down from the building, grabbed Mei Huaigu's arm, and said with a sneer, "It's been a while, didn't we just meet a few days ago?"

Zhu Houzhao couldn't help laughing when he heard it, so he simply turned his back, leaned against the railing, and watched quietly.

"Oh... yes, Brother Ding and I just met a few days ago..."

The round-faced young man seemed to be somewhat clever, he asked suspiciously, "Brother Mei, what's wrong?"

Mei Huaigu glanced this way with a troubled expression.

Zhu Houzhao's face pulled, and he turned his head to the other side.

Mei Huaigu already understood the meaning of this movement, just don't look at me, I don't know you, you can figure it out yourself.

As for whether to leave, Zhu Houzhao also let him make up his own mind.

Anyway, you came out with the emperor. If you meet a friend, you will leave. Leave the emperor alone. If you can do it, you will leave.

Mei Huaigu felt bitter in his heart, but he still pretended nothing happened. In the confusion of his thoughts, he asked: "Brother Ding, why are you here today?"

"I'm here to tell you the good news. I won the top three this time, and I'm 206th!"

He said it so solemnly that it made people laugh.

Yue Zhuang has already gathered a lot of candidates, and one of 206 is basically at the bottom.It turned out to be the top three for this guy.

Not only Zhu Houzhao, but also other people beside him laughed.

Unexpectedly, this person surnamed Ding was quite dissatisfied, and said to the people around him: "What's so funny? Did you all pass the exam?! Really."

"Brother Ding, Brother Ding," Mei Huaigu mainly felt that the emperor was here, and it's not good for you to yell like this, "It's insulting to the gentlemen, it's insulting to the gentlemen..."

"Brother Mei, what happened today?"

Mei Kejia was praying that this guy would see something and leave.

Who would have thought that this round-faced young man was so foolish and wise, he suddenly walked over to Zhu Houzhao, "I saw you looking here just now. This is your friend too, isn't it? Brother Mei, you are out of touch now. Your friend is my friend. Let’s get to know each other.”

Mei Huaigu's eyes widened suddenly,
Even Zhang Yong and Xu Guan couldn't help leaning closer to the emperor.

How can this kind of weird person be approached easily?
"Eh..." The round-faced young man glanced at the strong man next to Zhu Houzhao. When he walked over, there was obvious movement from him, so he stopped and his expression froze, "I don't think you belong to Brother Mei. friend."

Then he turned around.

Zhang Yong was speechless for a while, where did this come from.

"I am." Zhu Houzhao responded with a smile, "And you are right, a friend of a friend is also a friend. My surname is Huang, and my name is Chuan. I am lucky to meet you, and I have met Xiongtai."

"I knew you must be!" The surname Ding turned around immediately, and the one with a playful smile came over, "Brother Mei, don't just stand there stupidly, let me introduce you quickly. Look at your friend, you are very handsome and full of dignity , it doesn’t look like something in the pool at first glance, why, why are you still reluctant to introduce me to recognize it?”

Zhu Houzhao gave Mei Huaigu a look, signaling to him that everything was business as usual and that he should not have a mournful face.

Mei Huaigu had no choice, but he also considered that there are many people here, "Brother Huang, Brother Ding, why don't you choose a room on the fourth floor, and then I will introduce you to you?"

"Okay." Zhu Houzhao agreed first, lest these people don't know whether to go or not.

The person surnamed Ding has no objection, but his mouth is broken.

I just said that it was called Mei Huaigu’s introduction, but I asked myself first, "Brother Huang, my surname is Ding, my name is Liquan, and my name is Shan. People from Xi’an Prefecture, Shaanxi Province, this fame, as I said just now, is honored by the emperor. Xiao Xiao won the top three and was given a Jinshi background. I don’t know where Brother Huang’s family lives?”

"I'm from Shuntian Mansion, and I'm also a top-ranked Jinshi." Zhu Houzhao was curious, and asked, "Brother Ding is from Xi'an Mansion, or a member of Bingyin Division. How did you know Brother Mei? It seems that you two should have no intersection. .”

"This..."

A group of people walked into the room,
Ding Liquan sat down and said with a smile: "Brother Mei and I met each other in Goulan. We became friends as soon as we met at that time. It's too late to meet. Brother Mei, don't you think so?"

Zhu Houzhao glanced sideways at Mei Huaigu,
Mei Huaigu wanted to die, "Brother Ding, brother Huang is a scholarly family, you are also a Jinshi of the new science, saying these things is really insulting to the gentleman!"

"Hey, sexual appetite." Zhu Houzhao raised his hand to stop him, "You can say what you can do, and don't do what you don't say. A man, what's the matter?"

"That's what I want!" Ding Liquan's eyes lit up, as if meeting a confidant, he actually got closer to Zhu Houzhao, which was equivalent to getting closer to the emperor, and said, "I am a man with some eyesight, look You can tell the general appearance of a person by appearance. I think Brother Huang must be a man of temperament!"

Others such as Zhang Yong, Xu Guan and others could no longer listen to it anymore.

This person is too talkative, that is, the emperor doesn't care.

As long as you still know the details, if you really want to know your identity, wouldn't you be scared to death?
Who hasn't been respectful in front of the emperor these years?
"And Brother Mei, I've already made inquiries. In the city that never sleeps in the capital, the Secretary of Jiaofang will open a new garden. I will be the host at that time. Let's go and taste the wine there. What a difference!"

Zhu Houzhao said: "I'm afraid it will cost Brother Ding."

"Hey, money is nothing, the important thing is friends. Brother Huang, you don't have to worry. To tell you the truth, my family has a little money. In addition, my father must be happy when I become a Jinshi this time. He is willing to give any amount of money. Then The reporter said, isn’t there Brother Mei, Brother Mei’s family is worth millions, so what’s a few glasses of flower wine?”

Mei Huaigu wanted to die in his heart, and he kept thinking of Ding Liquan in his heart. When you know the truth, you will want to die too!
"Brother Mei, you did say something, didn't you?"

"Huh? Yes... yes."

Zhu Houzhao drank a cup of tea, thought for a while and asked again: "Brother Ding, you are a Jinshi of the new department, you have learned literature and martial arts, and you are a product of the emperor's family. Don't you care, what position and official will the imperial court give you?"

Ding Liquan replied indifferently: "Then what is there to care about? Officials such as the top three Jinshi, the Taichang Temple doctor, the Zhongshu Sheren, etc., are outside the officials and county magistrates. That's probably the case. People like us put a The county magistrate is already good, if not, he will become a 'Shoubu Jinshi', as for the capital officials, even if they are only ninth-rank Beijing officials, unless there are people in the court, don't even think about it."

Zhu Houzhao frowned,
What Ding Liquan said was different from what he had imagined.

"What do you mean by Brother Ding? The local officials are not as good as the Beijing officials. Isn't that a thing of the past? After the current emperor ascended the throne, he appointed more senior officials with experience in local government affairs, but the Beijing officials often put it aside."

Ding Liquan became stern, and he didn't look like a hippie smile at all. He even glanced at Mei Huaigu, "Brother Mei, how did you meet Brother Huang? Why... Brother Huang seems to be completely ignorant of officialdom."

Zhu Houzhao grabbed the words, "Brother Ding doesn't know something. I'm still young. I used to only study in the study and never heard anything outside the window, so this time I'm asking Brother Ding to enlighten me."

"I can't talk about enlightenment." Ding Liquan said slowly: "Brother Huang just said that many local officials are appointed today. This is true. But most of them are governors, chief envoys, and inspectors. They are all second-rank Senior officials of the third and third ranks have the opportunity to perform in front of the emperor. If the performance is good, they can naturally be transferred from local officials to Beijing officials.

And this is only a few governors and three envoys who have been promoted and reused. What about the prefects?Except for those who were put down by the emperor, how many others were promoted?What about the county magistrate?Not to mention.

The territory of the Ming Dynasty was so large that the emperors of some prefectures might not even know their names, let alone prefects.The fifth rank outside the government is not as good as the seventh rank of the Beijing official. It has been a hundred years since the officialdom has prioritized the inside over the outside. How can it be changed overnight? "

"Among the capitals, the seventh-rank officials are also very small, so what's the point?"

"The capital officials are small, but the officials of all ministries are high-ranking officials. It is a matter of a few people to stay in the yamen, but it is a matter of a thousand miles to release them outside.

Moreover, as a magistrate or magistrate, it is difficult to have connections in Beijing, and without connections, it is difficult to be promoted, because the governor and the three envoys are all trusted ministers of the emperor's Jian faction.

Furthermore, the official affairs in Beijing are few and idle, and the local officials' government affairs are complicated, such as settling cases, money and food, corvee... If you don't do any of them well, you will easily lose your head.Brother Huang, leave you alone, do you want to be a Beijing official or a local official? "

After Ding Liquan finished speaking, the room was suddenly very quiet.

None of the people brought by the emperor dared to speak.

But in fact Zhu Houzhao was not angry. Anger is meaningless in front of this kind of thing, because this problem is not caused by any individual.

Moreover, he has memories of his previous life, and his understanding of officialdom has faded from immaturity.Just like Ding Liquan asked, what would you do for you?
So he smiled calmly, and asked: "Brother Ding can see it clearly, so in your opinion, how can the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty not value the inside over the outside?"

"It's not really..." Ding Liquan stopped talking suddenly, rolled his eyes, and then laughed, "Brother Huang, why are we talking about these unhappy things today. It's not you who puts the inside out over the outside." I can solve it. Let's talk about the Goulan..."

Zhu Houzhao glanced at Mei Huaigu.

Mei Huaigu understood, "You can't say half of what you say. Besides, Huang...Brother Huang is not ashamed to ask, why don't you say anything."

Ding Liquan thought there was nothing wrong with it at first, but then he felt that it was wrong. What do you mean by not being ashamed to ask?Who is next?
"It's not difficult to talk about this matter. Even the imperial court and the Ministry of officials have to remember the magistrates, prefectures, and counties in the world."

Zhu Houzhao said: "However, this has not changed the situation that Beijing officials have less leisure time and local officials have more responsibilities."

"Too much and little to do is not a big deal for officials who want to do things. The key is that there are too many things to do, so naturally very few are willing. I still remember that the imperial court held a training course for provincial officials before, but I don't know why. There will be no training courses for prefects and county magistrates."

Zhu Houzhao understood what Ding Liquan meant. He actually meant that the previous turn was not thorough enough.

Now the governor and chief envoy are indeed very sought-after positions.

But it is almost impossible for ordinary people to become a chief envoy from a county magistrate!

In this way, it's better to stay in the capital for a while, to a certain extent, and then go down to be a chief envoy.

This way is faster than coming from the bottom.

Zhu Houzhao was thoughtful, probably thinking about it.

With this point, it is not a loss to leave the palace today.

From an operational point of view, it is not difficult. The emperor has more or less appointed his own people in various provinces, and he can issue a decree when he returns home, asking them to recommend candidates with better capabilities for magistrates in the province.

"Brother Ding,"

"If the imperial court gave you a county magistrate, would you be indifferent to difficulties?"

"Of course not!" Ding Liquan was serious.

"So will you embezzle?"

"I'm not short of money, why bother with corruption?"

"What if someone sends you an oiran?"

Ding Liquan chuckled, "I can spend money to buy an oiran myself. Hahaha."

Zhu Houzhao couldn't help laughing. This guy...is not as dull as he appears on the surface, but rather clever.

It's just that the personality is a bit out of the ordinary and playful. Such a person is not suitable for the imperial examination. It is probably because of his cleverness that he was able to pass the top three exams.

"Then if someone falsely accuses you that the oiran you bought yourself was actually given by someone else?"

"Eh..." Ding Liquan was a little bit at a loss for an answer, "Brother Huang, I don't think I will be a high-ranking official in this life, so I shouldn't have so many tests, right? And they all come for my weakness."

"Tut,"

Mei Huaigu's heart trembled for him, "You can answer whatever you ask."

"Then what can I answer? I'll talk about it when the time comes. I'll find a way to curry favor with this person, and if I'm more upright, the rest will be covered up by soldiers."

Zhu Houzhao wrote down the person's name.

He didn't see anything else, he just thought that this person had a bit of spirituality and was also fun.

On the way back to the palace,
He told Zhang Yong, "Allocate him to Shandong, and find a missing child from the county magistrate for him."

Zhu Houzhao wanted to see how he was doing.

"Yes. Your Majesty, this person is acting frivolously and without manners today..."

"Those who do not know are not guilty."

On the other side, Mei Huaigu went back to Yuezhuang to find Ding Liquan.

The door swung open,
Ding Liquan smiled and said: "Ah, here we come. Come on, Brother Mei, don't make such a bad face, the chopsticks are ready for you."

"You know I'm coming back?" Mei Huaigu was a little surprised.

"I know. You didn't say what you said today. If you don't come to me and talk about it, can you sleep well?"

Ding Liquan himself ate happily.

"Then do you know that brother Huang's identity is unusual?"

"I know! If I'm not wrong, he should be the son of an important official in the court, right? Looking at the people around him, I guess he is not an ordinary important official, maybe he is the son of the elder Xie Ge."

He was referring to Xie Pi who was in the attendant's room.

Xie Pi is also very young.

And growing up in a family of officials, he also has a sense of nobility.

Mainly because of the identity of the emperor, Ding Liquan really didn't dare to think about it.

"You know it's unusual, but you still talk nonsense?!"

"When did I talk nonsense?"

"Hook bar!"

"Why can't you just go shopping in Goulan? You shop more than I do!"

"You!" Mei Huaigu was so angry at him, but the truth was told, "Forget it. When did you find out?"

"He said that he has been studying in the study, when he didn't hear anything outside the window."

"What's the matter with this? No problem."

Ding Liquan was helpless, the chopsticks in his hand shook three times, the corners of his mouth curled up, a little dandy, "Which person who doesn't listen to things outside the window, would know so clearly that the emperor has recently appointed more senior officials with experience in local government affairs?"

Oh yo?

Mei Huaigu looked at him quite unexpectedly, "Schools should be admired for three days."

"Besides, I also told him that I want to find a backer in the capital." Ding Liquan chuckled, "That's what I told him. The people below want to rely on the top, and the people above need to use the bottom. This time first Let me mention it cryptically, and I can talk about it further when I see you next time."

Sounds like this guy is all set.

He thought about it for a while, and nodded, "Well, that's it. But it's up to you, Brother Mei."

"There's no next time, the son of Ge's hometown doesn't just meet him just by saying it."

"Oh..." Ding Liquan was stunned for a moment, "It doesn't matter, let's go to the new garden in the city that never sleeps first."

"You really have a big heart,"

"Be an official. You can't be an official with a small heart, or if anything happens, you will be scared to death...

...Hey, do you think we should call him too?Mr. Ge's son wants to visit the garden too, right? "

"Eat your meal!"

……

In the next few days, after some ceremonial procedures were completed, Xinke Jinshi began to confer officials.

Somewhat different from the previous practice, the No. [-] Scholar, No. [-], and Tanhua are still admitted to the Imperial Academy.
But since the beginning of the second-class jinshi, the top-ranked ones were not appointed as the heads of various ministries, but were elected as county magistrates and county magistrates, and most of them were county magistrates.

Of course, before formally taking office, there will be about six months to observe politics. Some inspect the Rites Department, and some observe the Administration and Household Department. This is an old rule for Jinshi to learn.

As for why the top three are still the same, Zhu Houzhao is also selling some face to the veterans of the court. It is the practice for those people to go to the Imperial Academy.

The emperor and the cabinet and Liang Chu, the official minister, made relatively careful arrangements for the whereabouts of these people.

Zhu Houzhao also discussed with Liang Chu that a special secret special assessment should be conducted within the Ministry of Officials, which would be a three-year period to specifically assess their political performance.

As for Zhang Cong, a second-class Jinshi, his destination was determined to be in a good place, Shanyang County, Huai'an Prefecture!
If there is no major event in the court, Zhu Houzhao puts his mind on these places. No matter how much he thinks about employing people, he is willing to spend more time. It was also reminded by Ding Liquan that he ordered Liang Chu to appoint the prefects and prefects who have performed better in recent years. Candidates were chosen.

There are records of these official examinations, and it is not difficult to call them out, but he does not fully believe what these people say.

"Jin Gui, draw up a decree."

"Yes."

"The first decree was sent directly from the attendant's office to the governor's office in Sichuan, ordering Fei Hong to describe in detail the government measures and personal Temperament. Remind him that the angle of understanding should be comprehensive. It depends not only on the views of his superiors, but also on the evaluations of his subordinates and common people. It is best to use specific examples to reflect their ability and determination Virtue and the way of governing. Afterwards, the results will be sent to my royal review in the form of a confidential document."

While the emperor was speaking, Jin Gui had already finished writing it. It was not the original words, but a complete article. A secretary must have this ability.

Zhu Houzhao nodded after reading it, "Well, use seals."

Then came the second, third, fourth, and fifth letters, which were sent to Liu Jian in Shandong, Wang Jia in Fujian, He Jian in Yingtianfu, and Peng Ze in Henan.Three names are mentioned in it.

If the number is small, I am afraid that if the person is verified to be a fake, if the number is too large, the workload will be heavy, and there will be random and sloppy situations.So three is fine.

As for the county magistrate level, officials at the level of the governor and chief envoy are probably still needed.

When this work is over,
Lin Han, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, came to the palace again.He still has the emperor's wedding on his mind.

"Your Majesty, this time we are marrying a daughter from a foreign race... I have searched through the history books for etiquette, checked some old rules, and drew up a strategy. Please read it, Your Majesty."

Zhu Houzhao took it over without looking at it, and put it aside, "This is Daming, please do as the Romans do, and unite with the two imperial concubines. No matter what status they were in the past, they will be my imperial concubines from now on."

A 13-year-old girl doesn't know how to sleep yet.