I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 382: The Salted Fish of the Imperial History Bureau

On an afternoon in March of the third year of the Longqing reign, the sun was setting.

Cai Maochun, the Junior Minister of the Taichang Temple and Director of the Imperial College, stood in front of the Imperial Archives in a brand new official uniform, looking high-spirited.

At this time, he switched to being a disciple of his fellow countryman Li Zhi, and his career went smoothly and he rose to prominence!
He turned to look at the Confucian scholar in his thirties behind him, "Rudong? Do you know the origin of this Emperor Shicheng?"

The person behind him was named Xu Zhenming, with the courtesy name Rudong.

He was from Guixi, Jiangxi Province. He passed the imperial examination in his early twenties, and then took the imperial examination for more than ten years, but failed.

So he looked for teachers and friends everywhere, and was eager to learn.

Later, he worked as a staff member of a fellow villager, studying the classics and helping him handle government affairs. He stayed in the northwest for nearly ten years. In the second year of Longqing, he failed again.

The senior couldn't stand it anymore, so he recommended him to his classmate Cai Maochun.

Cai Maochun studied Xu Zhenming and found that he was not very good at writing classics, but he was very practical. He was very knowledgeable about local government affairs, especially water conservancy and agriculture in the northwest, as well as border military affairs.

Of course, the famous scholars were more eloquent, and they could talk in a flowery way, but Cai Maochun could still tell whether they could speak in detail and with substance.

Xu Zhenming is a capable official!
Found a treasure!

Cai Maochun was very happy.

He knew very well that Xiyuan liked to use such people. Not to mention others, Wang Guoguang, Liu Yingjie, Pang Shangpeng and others were good at managing finances and had a lot of information, so they were all used by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Cai Maochun knew that he had been working in a marginal government office. He had no problem handling documents, engaging in verbal battles, and doing propaganda and educational work, but his weakness was managing government affairs.

Now that I have met Xu Zhenming, it is a great thing for me. If I recommend him to the Crown Prince, the more capable he is, the more important he will be and the more successful he will be.

But no matter how successful Xu Zhenming became, he was still his benefactor, just like Li Zhi was his benefactor.

According to the rules of officialdom, a benefactor is as useful as a mentor, and betrayers have broken the rules and will be despised by people in officialdom.

Party followers, these are party followers!

For those who always want to make progress, they hope to have a benefactor above and followers below, who can pull them up and push them down, and they can move up quickly.

Cai Maochun brought Xu Zhenming into the Imperial College as an assistant teacher, treated him as his confidant, kept him by his side at all times, and taught and trained him carefully.

After hearing Cai Maochun's question, Xu Zhenming immediately replied, "Mr. Qiuhua, the Imperial History Bureau was originally named Shenyu Pavilion, also known as Biaozhangku.

On July 13, the 13th year of the Jiajing reign, the late Emperor Jiajing issued an edict to build the Shenyu Pavilion in the "Nan Nei" (the southeast corner outside the imperial palace) to store important archival materials such as ancestral gods and goddesses, precious instructions, and records.

The imperial edict required that the Shenyu Pavilion be built with bricks and stones, just like the Zhai Palace in the southern suburbs (the Zhai Palace of the Temple of Heaven).

Cai Maochun interrupted Xu Zhenming and asked, "Why did the late emperor specifically request that the Imperial History Museum be built with bricks and stones?"

"Sir, the palaces in the Forbidden City are mostly built of wood, which is easy to catch fire. The palaces in Nanjing are mostly built of bricks and stones, so fires are rare. The Imperial Archives contains many secret royal archives, which are very important and cannot be allowed to catch fire."

Cai Maochun nodded with satisfaction: "Well said. Rudong, you continue."

Xu Zhenming knew that Cai Maochun was testing him, and continued to answer.

"In the edict of the previous emperor, the layout of the Divine Palace was to be divided into two floors, the upper floor to store the emperor's portrait, and the lower floor to store the records.

On July 17, the 13th year of Jiajing's reign, the construction of Shenyu Pavilion began.

In July of the 15th year of Jiajing, the construction of the Shenyu Pavilion was completed. It is a single-story brick and stone building used to store records and other archives. The portraits of the previous emperors were arranged to be stored separately in the Jingshen Temple. The Shenyu Pavilion was renamed "Huangshicheng" by the previous emperor.

"well said!"

A man walked out from the Imperial Archives Gate.

He was wearing a black gauze hat and a half-new official uniform. He was in his forties and looked a little haggard and weathered.

"Brother Qiuhua, this brother knows everything about our Imperial History Bureau. Our Imperial History Bureau is the most important and simple government office in the world, but this brother knows all the historical allusions. He is truly knowledgeable and has a good memory."

Cai Maochun laughed proudly, "Brother Quanyi, you are too polite. This is Yuan Quanyi (Yuan Xian'an), the editor of the Imperial History Bureau. He was a Jinshi in the 41st year of Jiajing. His teacher was Yangzhaigong (Yan Ne). He is from the same school as me and we have worked together before."

Yuan Xian'an waved his hands repeatedly, "I dare not compare myself with Brother Qiuhua!"

They dare not be compared. In the past, both of them were salted fish for a thousand years, but now Cai Maochun has turned over a new leaf, while he was moved to the Imperial History Bureau and continues to be a salted fish with a promising future.

Xu Zhenming immediately bowed and said, "Junior Xu Zhenming Xu Rudong greets Senior Yuan."

Yuan Xian'an bowed and asked, "You're welcome. What subject did you study, brother Xu, and where is your current position?" Cai Maochun replied, "Rudong passed the imperial examination in his early years, but unfortunately he had a rough time in the imperial examination. A good friend of mine who was his mentor recommended him to me.

I am currently working as an assistant teacher at the Imperial Academy, and will be waiting for the big exam next year."

Yuan Xian'an was so envious that his nose was about to bubble. As long as he could get into that circle in Xiyuan, promotion would be as easy as drinking water.

The assistant professor of the Imperial College is at least of the seventh rank.

I have endured for so long, and I am only at the sixth rank. It's really frustrating to compare myself with others!
Although Yuan Xian'an was envious, he did not dare to neglect the two and said loudly: "Today, Shangguan Cai Shaoqing and Assistant Professor Xu have come to visit our Imperial History Bureau. Everyone in the Imperial History Bureau feels deeply honored."

Cai Maochun smiled and said, "Old Yuan, don't flatter me. Although the Imperial History Bureau is under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Department, you are very special and belong to a separate financial unit, directly funded by the Ministry of Revenue.

Don’t mention me, even our Li Qingzheng can’t do anything.”

Cai Maochun pointed out this implicitly, and Yuan Xian'an smiled bitterly and sighed twice: "This is fate. Forget it, let's not talk about those depressing things. Come, Brother Qiuhua, Brother Rudong, follow me, I will show you around."

Yuan Xian'an forced himself to stay awake and led the two of them into the inner gate, and went straight to the main hall.

"The Imperial History Palace is composed of the main hall, the east side hall, the west side hall, the imperial stele pavilion, the palace gate and other buildings, and is surrounded by a city wall.

You all know Chengmen. Your badge was checked when you came in just now. On the left and right sides are the east and west side halls. We are now facing the main hall.

The main hall of the Imperial Archives follows the old stone chamber system, with a brick and stone structure, built on a stone platform four feet three inches high, which is equivalent to how many meters in the new system.

Xu Zhenming replied softly: "One point four hundred and two meters."

Yuan Xian'an looked at him in surprise, and then continued, "It is surrounded by white marble railings, with a width of nine rooms, about 151 feet long, 72 feet wide, and 51 feet high."

After saying this, he paused and looked at Xu Zhenming together with Cai Maochun.

"Forty-nine point four meters long, twenty-three point six meters wide, and nineteen point two meters high."

Yuan Xian'an couldn't help but praise: "Brother Rudong is proficient in mathematics and has a bright future, more promising than any of us."

"Senior is so complimentary."

"The main hall of the Imperial Archives is a yellow glazed tiled hip roof, an arched vaulted building without beams. It mainly houses the imperial family's jade books, the Emperor's Records, Sacred Teachings, and seals. They are all stored in a golden box."

Yuan Xian'an pointed to the iron gate and said, "There are 120 golden boxes in the main hall, and ancient books such as the Yongle Encyclopedia are stored. Each of these golden boxes is about four feet long, two feet wide, and three and a half feet high. They are made of nanmu or camphor wood, and the outside is covered with gilded copper to prevent insects and mildew.

The east and west side halls are now used to store copies of the cabinet's edicts and memorials by order of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. The originals are in the Xiyuan's Jiage Library. Brother Qiuhua, what you are looking for is in the west side hall, please follow me."

Yuan Xian'an took Cai Maochun and Xu Zhenming on a tour of the main hall and then took them to the west side hall, where there was another room used as an office for the editors of the Imperial History Bureau and other staff members.

Just then, a man came out and was surprised to see Cai Maochun.

"How come Cai Shaoqing has time to come to our Imperial History House?"

"Brother Tianzhou, I, the Taichang Temple, have been ordered by Xiyuan to hold a summary meeting on the land survey in the nine frontiers. We need to look through some imperial edicts and memorials."

Cai Maochun knew this person, he was Zhou Bingzhou.

At the end of the first year of the Longqing reign, Wei Yunlai, an assistant professor at the Imperial College, hanged himself because of the severe discount in salary paid by the Ministry of Revenue, the huge foreign debt, and the impoverished family situation.

His good friend Yuan Xian'an, the chief clerk of the Honglu Temple, together with several other good friends Zhou Bingzhou, the censor of the Censorate, Li Zhibin, the director of the Ministry of Rites, and five others, stood up for him and collected money for his funeral. They held bowls and flags and begged at Chaoyang Gate, which caused a sensation.

Although they were praised as the Five Righteous Men of Chaoyang Gate by word of mouth among officials in Beijing, Gao Gong was jealous of them. He used some tricks to move all five of them to the Imperial Archives, and used the special status of this office to retaliate against them.

The other two of the Five Righteous Men could not bear it and resigned and returned home. Now only Yuan Xian'an, Li Zhibin and Zhou Bingzhou are left, still struggling to hold on.

The real purpose of Cai Maochun's visit to the Imperial Archives this time was to find Zhou Bingzhou, the most courageous of the three and also their eldest brother.

Li Zhibin also came out after hearing the news. Cai Maochun narrowed his eyes slightly. All three heroes of Chaoyang are here today.

Good thing!

Cai Maochun found an opportunity and asked Yuan Xian'an and Li Zhibin to take Xu Zhenming to copy the cabinet edicts and memorials required in the catalog. He stayed behind to whisper with Zhou Bingzhou.

Half an hour later, Xu Zhenming and the other two came back. Cai Maochun bowed and said goodbye to Zhou Bingzhou and the other two, then left leisurely.

Looking at Cai Maochun's high-spirited back, Zhou Bingzhou clenched his fists.

I don’t want to be a salted fish anymore!

(End of this chapter)