Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 461: Centennial Anniversary

"Grand Master, do you want me to take charge of the Translation Bureau?" Li Tengfang flipped through the memorandum Xu Guangqi had handed him earlier and found that the item about establishing the Translation Bureau wasn't very high up. Even if he wanted to cite an example of a budget increase, it didn't have to be this one.

"I do have this intention." Xu Guangqi's smile had two different meanings. "I just don't know if you mind, Xiangzhou?"

"Since the Emperor has already agreed with the Ministry, I, the Assistant Minister, will naturally follow suit." Li Tengfang immediately understood that Xu Guangqi was trying to test his attitude towards Western learning. But Li Tengfang had no attitude towards Western learning. "However, I know nothing about Western languages."

"I'm just the general manager, responsible for managing the incoming and outgoing materials and personnel rosters," Xu Guangqi said. "There are dedicated people responsible for the details."

"Okay." Li Tengfang didn't say anything more.

"Thank you very much." Xu Guangqi finally felt relieved. If there was another Taoist scholar like Sun Ruyou who liked to talk about good and evil and the debate between Chinese and foreigners, he would have a headache.

"Does Grand Master have anything else to say?" Li Tengfang asked.

"Yes! The Ministry of Rites has a lot of things to do recently. But tomorrow's palace examination is the most important, and everything else can be put aside for now." Xu Guangqi guided Li Tengfang to a coffee table and sat next to him.

Li Tengfang asked in confusion, "Does this official even have a role in the palace examination?" Logically, all the arrangements for the examination should have been completed long ago. By now, the only thing left was the administrative process of "submitting a petition and receiving approval."

"It's already been arranged, but it's not impossible to make some minor adjustments." Xu Guangqi smiled and said, "I still really hope you can catch up."

"How can I catch up? What can I do?" If possible, Li Tengfang still hopes that he can participate in this event.

Xu Guangqi said, "According to precedent, the Minister of Rites should lead the candidates in and out of the Huangji Hall. I originally thought that the Emperor would appoint a new Minister of Rites after the palace examination, so I was prepared to do this myself. But since you are here, tomorrow we will follow the customary practice and you will wait for the candidates in front of the Daming Gate and lead them through this section of the journey."

"Okay!" Li Tengfang agreed without hesitation. His mind replayed the scene of the march from Daming Gate to Huangji Hall twenty-nine years ago. Back then, he'd walked in the middle of the procession, unable to even see the official leading the way. Now, with all the changes taking place, he'd become that official leading the way.

Xu Guangqi added, "There's also the examination hall supervisor. As usual, this job is handled by an official from the Ministry of Rites. When the time comes, you'll follow me. We'll supervise this together." The so-called supervisor was the official in charge of all matters outside the examination hall. He was responsible for everything from delivering exam papers, supplying materials, sealing exam papers, and transcribing them.

"Thank you, Grand Master, for your kindness." Li Tengfang bowed to Xu Guangqi.

"Xiangzhou, please stop being so polite. We are officials in the same hall, so we should help each other." Xu Guangqi waved his hand in thanks. Then he took out a glittering golden object from his arms.

Li Tengfang mistakenly thought Xu Guangqi wanted to give him a gift, so he quickly declined, saying, "Grand Master, this is unacceptable."

"What can't I do?" Xu Guangqi was stunned for a moment, but his hands didn't stop moving. With a light press, the cover of the pocket watch slipped out of its latch and dropped down. "This is a pocket watch given by the Emperor. With this, I can tell the time anytime, anywhere."

The gift from the Emperor could only be inherited and not transferred. Li Tengfang immediately realized that he had misunderstood. He felt a strong burning sensation on his face and his toes clenched tightly.

"How do you find out?" Li Tengfang pretended to be curious, but actually was hiding his embarrassment.

"Look at the dial and the hands." Xu Guangqi pointed at the dial and said:

"The short hand is also called the hour hand. For the hour hand, the entire dial represents half a day. Every half day, the short hand completes a full circle. There are twelve large scale marks on this dial, so every two large scale marks represent one hour, and one large scale mark represents half an hour, or one hour. An hour is further divided into four smaller scale marks, each smaller scale mark representing one quarter."

"The long hand is also called a quarter hand. For a quarter hand, the entire dial represents one hour. Every hour, the long hand completes one full circle. There are forty-eight graduations, regardless of size. Every twelve graduations represent one quarter."

"In the morning and afternoon, look at the sky; at the hour, look at the needle. By doing this, you can tell the time. For example, now it is 4:00 AM, and it is almost 5:00 AM."

"A silent clock?" Li Tengfang asked.

"You also know about the clock?" Xu Guangqi was a little surprised.

"In the 25th year of Wanli, I started teaching in the inner school and taught there for a total of six years." Li Tengfang smiled lightly.

"Oh!" Xu Guangqi suddenly realized. "Lixitai came to Beijing in the 28th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign!" Matteo Ricci's entry into Beijing was the chiming clock that had piqued the Wanli Emperor's interest.

"I remember the Li family presented two chiming clocks, one large and one small, as tribute. Craftsmen spent six months replicating the smaller one. Since they had several made, Xian Jian Tian Zhang Yin commissioned one to be placed in the main hall of the Imperial Household Department. On the day it was placed there, the department held a ceremony to thank the emperor for his grace and invited me to see it." Li Tengfang lost himself in a memory. "I have a deep impression of it."

"So there is such a past." Xu Guangqi nodded with emotion.

"The person is gone, and I don't know if the clock can still work." Li Tengfang fell into some kind of reminiscence.

"What a change the world has seen." Xu Guangqi felt the same way, but what he missed was not the eunuch Tian Yi, but Matteo Ricci who presented the bell.

Xu Guangqi's eyes swept over the clock. Feeling that it was almost time, he stood up. "Xiangzhou. I have to leave."

"Leave!" Li Tengfang also stood up. "Where are you going, Grand Master?"

"Enter the palace," Xu Guangqi said. "Today is the anniversary of Emperor Wuzong Yi's death, exactly one century ago. I must go to Fengxian Hall to accompany His Majesty in completing the memorial ceremony."

"Is it today?" Li Tengfang asked.

"Today," Xu Guangqi said, "At the beginning of this month, we offered sacrifices to Empress Xiaosu. Next month, it will be the anniversary of Empress Xiaoyi's death. In May, we will offer sacrifices to Emperor Taizu Gao, Emperor Renzong Zhao, Emperor Xiaozong Jing, and Emperor Muzong Zhuang. In June, we will offer sacrifices to Emperor Ruizong Xian and Empress Xiaozhuang Rui."

It's said that the most important affairs of state are sacrifices and military service. It can be said that ancestral worship and maintaining national identity were among the most important priorities of the Ming Dynasty. However, the Ming Dynasty had been established for 250 years, and with this longevity, the number of sages had increased. Even now, every month sees the death anniversary of one, or even several, of an ancestral figure.

Every anniversary of a death, the Ministry of Rites would go through the process of submitting a memorial, reporting for approval, and then performing a sacrificial ceremony. Sometimes, the emperor would personally perform the sacrifice, while other times, an official would be sent on his behalf. Regardless of whether the emperor remembered or was willing to attend, the Ministry of Rites would remind him. It couldn't be said that the Ministry of Rites wouldn't submit a memorial simply because the emperor was too lazy to attend.

To avoid mistakes, the first thing Xu Guangqi did after taking charge of the Ministry of Rites was to memorize the death dates of every sage. It can be said that as the Minister of Rites, he knew the death dates of the Zhu family's ancestors better than the descendants of the Zhu family.

"I also have to write down the death anniversaries of the ancestors." After listening to the long list Xu Guangqi listed, Li Tengfang also felt that he should write down this list in chronological order.

Xu Guangqi pointed to his desk. "There's a memorandum on my desk. You can copy it." Just in case, the cautious Grand Master Xu also made a special memorandum.

"Where is it?" Li Tengfang followed the instructions and looked at Xu Guangqi's desk, immediately feeling overwhelmed. He only now truly noticed that Xu Guangqi's desk was densely packed with various documents. "I'll help you find it." Just then, an official from the ancestral temple arrived at the hall door, obviously waiting for him, so Xu Guangqi changed his tone and said, "Forget it, you should look for it yourself. It's right on the desk anyway. There's no private business in the hall, so feel free to look for it. It doesn't matter if it's messy, it's not very organized anyway. I really have to go, I can't keep the emperor waiting for us."

"You should go quickly. The Emperor's situation is urgent." By now, Li Tengfang was basically certain that Grand Master Xu might really be thinking about him day and night. There were too many things going on in the Ministry of Rites.

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A quarter of an hour later, Xu Guangqi, Xiong Wencan, the doctor of the ancestral temple, and Yang Hongbei, the chief of the ancestral temple, were led by the eunuchs to the Fengxian Hall, which was located south of the East Six Palaces and west of the Renshou Palace.

The Fengxian Hall, modeled after the Taimiao (Ancestral Temple), served as the imperial family temple within the palace. It faces south and consists of two courtyards, front and back, surrounded by high walls. The front hall, the main hall, is nine bays wide and four bays deep, housing an altar for incense and offerings. The rear hall, the sleeping hall, is nine bays wide and two bays deep, housing the deceased emperor's and empress's clothing, staffs, and other life-like items. A hall connects the front and rear halls, forming an internal passage.

Xu Guangqi, Xiong Wencan, and Yang Hongbei waited outside Fengxian Hall for a long time, but the emperor still didn't come. Seeing that the auspicious time was approaching, Xu Guangqi finally couldn't hold it any longer. He looked at Du Jin, the eunuch who was accompanying the sacrifice, and asked, "Eunuch Du, why hasn't the emperor come yet?"

"Haha. Grand Master Xu, if you ask me, I don't know either," Du Jin said, seemingly too calmly, even smiling. "The Emperor may have suddenly decided not to come. When the auspicious time comes, we'll go into the temple and offer sacrifices on his behalf as usual."

"How can this be possible?" Up to this point, the Emperor had always been diligent. Xu Guangqi had never encountered a situation where a substitute sacrifice was required, let alone a situation where an official was not sent to perform the sacrifice.

"What's wrong with that? It's a matter of time. You'll get used to it after a few times." Du Jin was an old man from the Wanli Dynasty. He had seen so many situations like this that he was almost immune to them.

"Oh. Okay." Xu Guangqi could only sigh and accept it. He couldn't go to the Qianqing Palace to capture the emperor and bring him to the Wu Temple to burn incense.

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After the sacrifice, Xu Guangqi and his entourage, accompanied by Du Jin and other eunuchs, left the Fengxian Hall. But as soon as he exited Chengsu Gate, Xu Guangqi paused. He turned to the two accompanying ancestral temple officials and said, "Doctor Xiong, Director Yang, you can go back first."

"Yes." The two looked at each other and answered in unison.

"Grand Master Xu," Du Jin asked hurriedly, "What are you going to do?"

"Since the emperor didn't come to preside over the ceremony, I have to go to the Qianqing Palace to pay my respects," said Xu Guangqi.

"Let's just say goodbye. It's not a big deal." Du Jin advised, "I advise you to go back to the government office and rest. Even if you want to make an appeal, you should be more tactful and just submit a memorial. Why go straight to the Qianqing Palace?"

"I'm really just here to ask about your well-being. I don't have any plans for anything else." Xu Guangqi smiled and waved his hand. "Besides, the palace examination is tomorrow, so I might as well talk to the emperor and discuss this with the Imperial Household Department."

"If that's the case, then go ahead." Du Jin bowed and said to Xiong and Yang, "Come with me."

Xu Guangqi returned the greeting with a bow and turned to leave.

Chengsu Gate, the entrance to Fengxian Hall, is almost directly opposite Jingyun Gate. Beyond Jingyun Gate lies the square in front of the Qianqing Palace, which leads to the Outer Court Central Road and the Inner Court Central Road. For this reason, Jingyun Gate and its opposite, Longzong Gate, are also known as the Forbidden Gates.

Since it was a forbidden gate, it was guarded. Although Xu Guangqi was a favored minister of the outer court, he could not rely solely on his reputation to pass through Jingyun Gate. Wang An's reputation could, however.

"Grand Master Xu, are you going to the Palace of Heavenly Purity?" The eunuch guarding the gate clearly knew Xu Guangqi. Without waiting for him to approach, he took the initiative to greet him.

"Yes." Xu Guangqi bowed and said, "Please inform the eunuch on my behalf."

"Then please wait here for a moment." The eunuch turned his head to look at a eunuch who was accompanying him.

The eunuch immediately understood and turned around to report.

There was some distance between Jingyun Gate and Qianqing Gate, but not too far, and the eunuch arrived quickly. Given his status, it was impossible for him to go directly to the Qianqing Palace to ask for the emperor's instructions, as that would be against the rules. He could only go to the Qianqing Gate's outer room to find Shi Fuming, the Qianqing Palace's general manager.

However, the chief steward of the Qianqing Palace was not there at the moment. There was only a eunuch on duty sitting on a chair by the window.

"Where do you work, and what do you want to do?" The man sitting there was Fang Yi, one of Shi Fuming's adopted sons and the Imperial Censor of the Qianqing Palace. It seemed he didn't even have a chest patch indicating his rank, so Shi Fang Yi didn't stand up.

The eunuch didn't kneel down to greet Shi Fangyi, merely hunching over in a basic gesture of subservience. "I'm serving at Jingyun Gate. Xu from the Ministry of Rites has emerged from Fengxian Hall, wishing to see His Majesty. Could you please inform Eunuch Shi?"

"Xu Butang? What does he always want to do?" Shi Fangyi frowned.

"I don't know. He never told me." The eunuch shook his head.

Shi Fangyi hesitated for a moment, then stood up. "Then you wait here. I'll go ask."

"Yes."

Shi Fangyi ran quickly into the courtyard of the Qianqing Palace. After entering, he did not go to the South Study, but ran towards the Rijing Gate in the opposite direction.

The Rijing Gate is the only gate from the Qianqing Palace to the East Six Palaces. After passing through the Rijing Gate, and then through the Jinguang Left Gate and the Xianhe Left Gate, you will reach the Jingren Gate, the entrance to the Jingren Palace.

Shi Fangyi arrived at the gate of Jingren without any hindrance, but was stopped by his senior brother Shi Fangda.

Shi Fangda pulled Shi Fangyi to the wall away from the door and said in a low voice, "Didn't I tell you to stay outside? Why are you coming in?"

"Xu Butang requests to see you. He is waiting at Jingyun Gate."

"We can't see each other anymore. You should go back quickly and let him go back." Shi Fangyi shook his head.

"Did something really happen?" Shi Fangyi's pupils shrank.

"There is no mercy from heaven." Shi Fangda's sigh seemed to be accompanied by a woman's extremely sorrowful cry.

(End of this chapter)