I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 913 What did Officer Shen say?

Yu Qiaolian and Dong Li arrived at the gate of the courtyard and saw two people standing in front of the door.

The person in front has short hair and is wearing the popular Wanli suit.

To put it simply, it is a lapel jacket from another world, a basic outfit for civil servants at or above the division level. It is the kind of clothing Zhu Yijun dreamed of wearing when he was a senior civil servant.

After the first year of the Wanli reign, the new dynasty adopted new policies and new trends, and the clothing style of the Ming Dynasty was surging and varied.

The imperial court abolished many clothing bans, such as merchants were not allowed to wear silk and satin.

Totally unrealistic.

Merchants are rich, but they are not allowed to wear silk and satin.

Good citizens can wear silk and satin, but they have no money.

Who should we sell those silks and satins to?
Rather than letting those merchants wear cotton and linen clothes on the outside and silk and satin on the inside and engage in formalism, it is better to abolish such regulations.

Zhu Yijun's decree stated that except for special clothing such as court robes, sacrificial robes, official robes, daily robes and bestowed robes, as well as a few unique colors, patterns and styles, all other clothing should not be touched.

As a result, clothing in the Ming Dynasty developed rapidly, and all kinds of "strange costumes" appeared one after another.

First of all, the previous “old clothes”.

After the Wanli period, traditional clothing such as men's straight robes and yisas and women's aoqun and xiapei became more colorful, with more intricate patterns and more gorgeous and majestic styles to match the grandeur of the Ming Dynasty after the Wanli period.

These old clothes are also called formal wear, which were worn by Ming Dynasty officials and civilians on major festivals and formal occasions such as New Year's Day, ancestor worship, weddings, major examinations, birthdays, etc.

People sometimes wear it on weekdays, but older people wear it more and young people wear it less.

Formal wear is beautiful, magnificent, dignified and elegant.

But it was too troublesome to put on, and it also required a headdress and a crown, which took at least half an hour to put on, and another half an hour to take off.

Young people like to wear fashionable "new clothes".

There are several types of new styles. One is the Shanghai style that originated in the Hujiang area.

Shanghai decoration is mainly commercial suits.

The men's one is called manager suit.

It has a lapel and lapels, three pockets, and the length is below the hip line. The colors are mainly black, navy blue and light blue, and wool is the best fabric.

Wear a light-colored shirt inside, and you can wear a scarf or tie around your neck. It is best to put a folded handkerchief in the pocket of your jacket.

It first became popular among managers of large commercial banks in Shanghai, so it was called manager's suit, also known as Shanghai suit.

To put it simply, it is a suit from another world.

But in this time and space it is called Shanghai dress, and when it spreads to the whole world it is still called Shanghai dress, it is not even qualified to be called Ming dress.

In the eyes of people all over the world, only those formal clothes that are gorgeous, solemn and elegant are worthy of being called Ming dresses.

The second type of new clothes is called work clothes.

It originated from factories and mines in Luanzhou and became popular in factories, mines, transportation, engineering enterprises, and agricultural reclamation and animal husbandry groups. School students and many young people in towns also like to wear it.

The characteristic is simplicity, imitating some features of the new military uniforms. The top is slightly waisted, close-fitting, with a small lapel, pockets, and fastened with wooden, horn or metal buttons.

The fabric is breathable in summer, warm in winter, and durable.

The colors vary, mostly light in summer and dark in winter.

A slightly more formal work outfit is the Zhongshan suit, where the small lapel becomes a stand-up collar, and the temperament immediately becomes more serious.

The third type is called standard clothing, which is mainly popular among officials.

Ordinary minor officials, now called civil servants, have no particular dress requirements and can wear old clothes, work clothes, Shanghai clothes, and the simpler casual clothes evolved from them.

However, officials of the seventh rank and above, that is, officials at the county and department level and above, must pay attention to their clothing.

The old official uniforms are too formal and are troublesome for everyone to wear in daily life.

Work clothes are too simple, Shanghai clothes are too trendy, and not solemn enough.

As a result, a type of clothing with a front opening, sleeves, length above or below the hip line, and slightly tightened collar, hips and cuffs quietly became popular.

Because this type of clothing is said to have originated from the Western Garden, the emperor personally designed and made it and bestowed it on scholars of the Advisory Bureau, so it is also called Zhizhuang or Zifu.

Financial services are divided into formal financial services and simplified financial services.

The colors of formal uniforms are black and navy blue, which look solemn and serious. The styles are simple and elegant, and the fabrics are generally wool or cotton and wool blends.

The so-called cotton-wool blend is a mixture of kapok, cotton, wool, rabbit hair and other fiber components, which are blended in a certain proportion. In addition to the conventional characteristics such as breathability and warmth, the key is lightness, smoothness and straightness.

expensive!
Zippers must also be used for formal services.

Yes, the newly emerged zippers, made of copper, stainless steel or cow and sheep horn hard rubber.

Pair it with a white shirt, black straight pants, and a pair of new handmade leather shoes, and you'll look so cool.

Hai Rui was the first to wear it and he loved to wear it the most.

First, it was bestowed by the emperor, so there was no need to spend money to make additional clothes.

Secondly, it is suitable for various occasions.

Just an hour ago, he was still inspecting work and mingling with workers, farmers, students, businessmen and the general public.

In the last hour, he could call together the governor, provincial governor and other provincial officials for a meeting. He would sit among a group of people in red and green robes, but his dignity would not be reduced.

Other advisors and grand secretaries soon discovered the benefits of this garment and began to wear it.

He wears it when he is in office, attending meetings, and inspecting work.

Other officials were also jealous and found that this kind of clothing was not listed as "granted clothing", so they all learned to wear it, thinking that after putting it on, they would become scholars of the Advisory Bureau.

Soon a tacit understanding was formed that only officials of the seventh rank and above could wear formal uniforms.

Only the official uniforms of officials of the fifth rank, that is, officials at the prefecture and city level and above, can be equipped with zippers.

Secondly, the higher the official rank, the darker the color.

As for the minor officials and civil servants below the seventh rank, they also want to wear it. Who doesn't have a heart that hopes for advancement?

So the simple clothing appeared, with lighter colors, ordinary fabrics, and slightly different styles, such as slightly larger lapels, straight pockets instead of slanted pockets, and flaps.
Rank is everywhere! Dong Li could tell at a glance that the man was wearing a formal suit, navy blue, with a zipper instead of buttons in the front.

Considering that he is in his forties, he should be an official of the fifth rank or above.

Dong Li made full preparations before going to Beijing. He specifically sought out a senior Huangmei Opera fan and the chief historian of the Anqing County Administrative Office to ask for his advice and learn the rules of officialdom. Identifying an official by his clothes was an important one.

There are too many officials, big and small, in the capital, more than the turtles in the Yongding River.

If you can't see the details at a glance, you won't even know you've offended someone.

Dong Li stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Shangguan, I am sorry for not welcoming you from afar. Please forgive me."

The visitor smiled slightly and bowed politely to Dong Li and Yu Qiaolian. His temperament was upright and his eyes swept across Yu Qiaolian's bright face without any evil in them.

"I am Shen Yiguan, honored to be the director of the Spiritual Civilization Construction Committee."

Yu Qiaolian was confused and only thought that the official at the door should be a high-ranking official, but she had no idea how high his rank was.

But Dong Li understands.

The Committee for the Construction of Spiritual Civilization was an institution that ran parallel to the Central Steering Committee for Examinations. Its director, Mr. Zhang, was promoted to a scholar in the Advisory Bureau in the fifth year of the Wanli reign.

The chief historian of the committee, another official term is the secretary general. In short, he is the steward of the entire committee, and his rank is at least fifth rank.

A high-ranking official! The highest-ranking official Dong Li had met since he came to Beijing.

Yang Jinshui doesn't count, he is a eunuch in the Shaofu Supervisory Department, and most people would not classify him as an official in the imperial court.

"Mr. Shen, I am very sorry for your visit. I didn't know."

Before Dong Li could finish his words in panic, Shen Yikuan pointed at the gate with his right hand.

"Oh!" Dong Li slapped his forehead, "It's really damnable. I have never seen the world and I was confused for a moment. Please forgive me, sir.

"Shen Changshi, please."

Shen Yikuan walked into the yard, looked around, nodded to everyone with a smile, and politely bowed to Yu Qiaolian. He walked in front and was led by Manager Dong into the main hall of the north house.

Dong Li, who had returned to normal at this time, had an idea in his mind. He thought that Zhang Siwei might have smelled something, so he sent his confidant to condescend to come to this small alley to find his troupe.

After arriving in Beijing, Dong Li took letters from his fellow villagers and visited many Anhui officials in Beijing.

For example, Cheng Dawei, a rare businessman who entered the government and formulated the Ming Dynasty abacus standard, was the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue and concurrently in charge of the Audit Department; Wu Chengqi, an old subordinate of Hu Zongxian, was the right assistant minister of the Ministry of War and concurrently in charge of the Reclamation and Animal Husbandry Department; Hu Guiqi, the eldest son of Hu Zongxian, was the chief official of the Privy Council of the Military Government; Wu Zhaodong, the doctor of the Ministry of Rites and the Department of Religion.
While chatting with them, I heard that the best glass ball in the court today is Lord Zhang Siwei.

Not only does it have a nine-hole heart, it also has a pair of super-ears.

After sitting down, Shen Yiquan went straight to the point.

"We, Mr. Zhang from the Civilization Construction Committee, will resolutely implement the Emperor's will on the outline of the new stage of the Ming Dynasty's new civilization construction. We will start from small things and vigorously support the development of local operas, so that they can become an important tool to enrich the leisure life of the people of the Ming Dynasty."

He kept talking on and on, and not only was Yu Qiaolian confused, but even Dong Li was also bewildered.

After all, I am still a layman. I thought I understood the things in the officialdom, but in fact I am still far from it!

The two tried hard to find the meaning that they could fully understand from every word that Shen Yi Guan said.

"The first task of the Civilization Construction Committee is to work with the Taichang Temple and the Ministry of Rites to reorganize the Ming Dynasty Literature and Art Federation and the Opera Association."

Zhu Yijun positioned the Spiritual Civilization Construction Committee as assisting in the formulation of relevant policies and coordinating deliberative bodies among various institutions.

That is to say, relevant strategic policy drafts were compiled, submitted to the Advisory Council for review and approval, and then promulgated by Zhu Yijun in the form of an imperial edict, or approved by the emperor and issued to the cabinet in the form of a cabinet order or a ministry order.

It has no executive power of its own and relies entirely on getting several relevant departments to sit down and discuss and urge them to implement it.

It is extremely difficult and depends entirely on the skills of the chief officer.

When Zhang Siwei first took up the post of director of the Spiritual and Cultural Construction Committee, he was not even a court official and had no real power at all.

Relying on his means and strategies, he managed to get several departments and relevant local government offices to accomplish several major tasks and achieved remarkable results.

Only then did he pass Zhu Yijun's test.

Thus spiritual culture turned into spiritual civilization, starting with the officials of the imperial court and then the scholars of the Council of State Affairs, progressing step by step.

Now he is a scholar of the Advisory Council, his words carry weight and people listen to him.

"Director Zhang means that the Opera Association is controlled by certain people and only represents the opinions of a minority of people, not the opinions of the general public."

Wang Shizhen is going to take over as the director of the Committee for Spiritual Civilization Construction. No matter where this trend comes from, Zhang Siwei must stop this "wrong trend".

The Opera Association was the opportunity for him to take action.

Wang Shizhen controlled the Opera Association by using his fame and the Opera Research Institute which he first established.

Most of the members were people close to him and closely related to Kunqu Opera. Only later did some Hui Opera screenwriters and actors join in.

There are almost no people who perform other types of drama.

This gave Zhang Siwei an excellent excuse.

"Director Zhang personally presided over an enlarged meeting of the Opera Association and invited local opera troupes in Beijing.

You dare to come to Beijing to show your local style. You embody the temperament of the new era of Wanli, the courage to explore and the unconventional. You are outstanding representatives of local opera and grassroots literary and art workers of the Ming Dynasty.

Director Zhang has entrusted me to invite the Qingmeixi Opera Troupe's owner, Yu, and manager, Dong, to come to the Damingmen East Hall, Hengshan Hall, at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow to attend the expanded meeting of the Opera Association on time."

After Shen Yikuan finished speaking, he waved his hand, and the clerk who followed him immediately came into the room and presented two invitations with both hands.

"Here is the invitation. Please bring your photo along with this invitation to the Great Hall."

After a few pleasantries, Shen Yikuan stood up and said goodbye.

After seeing Shen Yikuan and the other person off, they returned to the main hall of the north room and sat down. Yu Qiaolian and Dong Li's heads were still buzzing.

What did that senior official Shen say just now?
It seems like a meeting.

What meeting?

Yu Qiaolian and Dong Li looked at each other in confusion for a while before picking up the invitation letter on the table.

The meeting is at Damingmen East Hall at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning.

(End of this chapter)