Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 498 Civil and Military Assembly
"Xu Butang, you need to take a look at this."

In the main hall of the Ministry of Rites, Right Vice Minister Li Tengfang approached the Minister of State Xu Guangqi with two official documents. Not long ago, a clerk from the Secretariat had delivered the final batch of documents for the day.

Looking up, Xu Guangqi felt a wave of extreme fatigue washing over him. From morning till now, Xu Guangqi had been like a spinning top being whipped constantly, with hardly a moment of rest. "Which yamen?" Xu Guangqi opened his mouth and wanted to yawn, but he was still mature and composed, gritting his teeth to suppress the instinctive contraction of his muscles. "Which yamen did you send it from?"

"The Cabinet. These are all drafted imperial edicts." Li Tengfang's mental state wasn't much better. He too looked downcast. Yesterday, the imperial examinations were announced. Today, the Ministry of Rites hosted a banquet. Tomorrow, they'd preside over a ceremony where newly minted Jinshi scholars presented their thanks to the Emperor. For the Ministry of Rites, the imperial examination-related activities wouldn't conclude until the day after tomorrow, when the Jinshi scholars would pay their respects at the Confucius Temple and have their names inscribed and their tablets erected. The sheer volume of details and intensity of the work forced Li Tengfang, a lifelong poet, to rapidly grow in stamina.

"Imperial edict?" Xu Guangqi perked up a little. "What's the matter?"

"The first is the funeral of Shang Jingying, the former eunuch who held the Imperial Stables." Li Tengfang handed over the first official letter. "He passed away on the 16th of this month at his home. The Emperor has instructed the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works to arrange a funeral for Shang Jingying, following the established practice of the eunuchs Chen Ju and Tian Yi. I just did a quick check, and they all grant nine altars."

The so-called "Nine Altars" ceremony involves offering sacrifices at the Temple of Heaven, the Temple of Earth, the Altar of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Altar of the Rising Sun, the Altar of the Setting Moon, the Altar of Tai Sui, the Altar of the God of Agriculture, the Altar of the God of Silkworms, and the Altar of Grain and Grain. This ceremony is held with high standards, reserved for high-ranking officials or those who have received special honors. For example, if Fang Congzhe were to suddenly pass away, he would most likely be offered a Nine Altars ceremony.

However, nine altars wasn't the highest level of sacrifice, as additional sacrifices could be made above the ninth. For example, after the death of Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng, nine altars plus seven were granted, granting him the status of a duke. By the end of the Wanli reign, the highest level of sacrifice was sixteen altars plus four, for a total of twenty. This privilege was bestowed upon Li Wei, Duke of Anguo. Li Wei's great-grandson, Li Guorui, was now a living dead.

"Okay." Xu Guangqi took the official letter, glanced at it quickly, and then affixed the Ministry of Rites' seal on the back. Since there was already a precedent, and the Ministry of Rites had no objections, he could simply send it to the ancestral temple priests for processing.

As for any other feelings, Xu Guangqi felt none. Shang Jingying's reputation within the inner court was immense, but his fame and influence outside the palace were limited, and Xu Guangqi barely knew him. This was because, while Shang Jingying's Imperial Horse Administration was important and highly valued by the emperor, it didn't require constant interaction with a wide variety of people outside the palace, unlike the Imperial Household Department and the Eastern and Western Depots. With limited interactions, it was difficult to form a concrete impression.

An opposite example is Chen Ju. The reason why eunuch Chen was remembered by people both inside and outside the country and was judged to be "honest and upright" was that he "used his seal to control the factory" and was in charge of both the Silijian and the Dongchang at the same time. He never abused this terrifying power and only abided by the "laws of ancestors and the teachings of sages." In the two cases of the evil book, Chen Ju not only never implicated anyone, but also mostly saved them. He was completely different from the previous eunuchs of the Dongchang who were extremely tough.

"Where's the other one?" Xu Guangqi closed the document and put it in the box for the priest.

“This one is related to the previous one.”

clang!
The bell for the end of the court session rang from afar, interrupting what Li Tengfang was saying.

After the bells faded, Li Tengfang continued. "The Emperor wishes to expand the graves of Chen Ju, Tian Yi, and Shang Jingying, turning them into a cemetery. It will be used specifically to bury and honor those loyal, brave, and righteous eunuchs. The Emperor has requested the Ministry of Rites produce a set of regulations. Please review them for yourself." As he spoke, Li Tengfang placed the documents in front of Xu Guangqi.

"What the emperor means is that in the future, when a virtuous eunuch dies, the court will pay for his burial and sacrifice, and will also arrange for special personnel to guard and sweep the memorial to continue the incense?" Xu Guangqi looked down and immediately understood that the latter clause was a successor to the former.

"That should be what it means." Li Tengfang nodded.

"Isn't this turning an exception into the norm?" Xu Guangqi instinctively wanted to object. Once an exception becomes the norm, a standing budget must be in place. Who would pay for it, and where would it come from?
"There probably isn't such a precedent in our dynasty," said Li Tengfang.

"What about the Li Ke? Doesn't the Li Ke have any dissenting opinions?" Xu Guangqi asked.

According to administrative procedures, decrees involving the Ministry of Rites must be passed through the Cabinet and the Ministry of Rites first, but the Cabinet sent this one to the Ministry of Rites today, which means that the Cabinet did not raise any objections to the Emperor and directly "submitted the decree to the Ministry."

"The Rites Department did send an attached document, but it wasn't a dissent," Li Tengfang said, returning to his seat and picking up the accompanying document. "They only discussed 'virtuous and unvirtuous' matters."

Xu Guangqi took the note and read it. The first sentence was: "Building a temple to commemorate the loyalty and righteousness forever is indeed a good story. However, it is difficult to know whether a person is virtuous or not."
What nonsense! Xu Guangqi rolled his eyes at the appendix in his heart.

"What did Minister Xu say?" Li Tengfang also felt that Li Ke was talking nonsense, so he didn't take it.

"Let's prepare for both scenarios," Xu Guangqi said. "Since the Cabinet has drafted the document in compliance with the order, and the Ministry of Rites has no objection, then our ministry has no reason not to implement it. If there are no old precedents, then we can draft completely new regulations. However, turning exceptions into regular ones requires special funding. Who will pay for this and where will it come from needs to be clearly stated. The Ministry of Rites does not make the decision on its own. Please write a reply letter to this effect and submit it tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll go write it right away." Li Tengfang was about to turn around when he saw Xu Guangqi standing up. "Is Xu Butang leaving now?"

"Yes. I have other important things to do." Xu Guangqi walked away without looking back. "Thank you for your help, please stay a little longer." Xu Guangqi walked faster and faster, as if someone was chasing him from behind.

"It's not hard." Li Tengfang looked at Xu Guangqi's back as he walked away with resentment and let out a long sigh.

--------

Almost two quarters of an hour later, Xu Guangqi, the Minister of Rites, having changed out of his official uniform, walked to Dashiyongfang, a restaurant near Xuanwumen Street. Across from the restaurant stood a grand mansion. This was the residence of Li Chengliang, the Earl of Ningyuan.

In the 43rd year of the Wanli reign, Li Chengliang passed away at the age of 90. Logically, the title of Earl of Ningyuan should have been inherited by Li Chengliang's eldest grandson, Li Shizhong, the eldest son of the late Earl of Ningyuan, Li Rusong. However, the following year, on the first day of the first lunar month of the 44th year of the Wanli reign, Nurhaci, the wild boar king whom Li Chengliang had fostered, established the Great Jin Dynasty and proclaimed himself "the wise Khan who nurtured all nations." Two years later, he openly rebelled against the Ming. Thus, the lineage of the Li family title ceased.

"Sir, would you like to dine alone, or sit for a while and wait for friends and relatives?" Before Xu Guangqi even entered the restaurant, the waiter came to greet him.

"Has anyone opened a private room?" Xu Guangqi asked indifferently.

"Oh!" The servant immediately understood and asked with a smile, "Are you Mr. Yuan's guest?"

"Yes," Xu Guangqi nodded, "where is he?"

"His father is at Xuanmingju. I'll show you the way right away." The servant bowed and gestured for invitation.

Xu Guangqi walked through the bustling lobby of diners and drunkards and followed the servant up to the second floor. After going upstairs and walking a little further inside, he arrived at Xuanmingju, located at the end of the corridor.

"Here it is." The servant did not immediately help Xu Guangqi open the door of the private room. Instead, he stood by the door with a hunched back and put on a very flattering smile.

Xu Guangqi, of course, knew what he meant. He shook his head and smiled slightly, then pulled out a piece of silver weighing almost three qian from his bosom and handed it over. "Here you go." This was the silver he had specially prepared to open the private room. Now that the room was already open, he no longer needed it. "This..." The servant was startled. He just wanted to ask for a few copper coins as a lucky draw, even if he couldn't get any, it didn't matter. Unexpectedly, the master was so generous. With just a casual pull, he took out a piece of silver that was enough for several days' wages. "Master, you are blessed with good fortune and wealth!" Coming back to his senses, the servant hurriedly bowed.

"Go ahead." Without waiting for the servant to do it for him, Xu Guangqi pushed the door open and walked in.

Xuanming Curie, the Emperor's appointed guardian of Korea and current Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Yuan Keli, sat by the window, holding a cup of stale tea as he watched Xu Guangqi approach. To his right, there was a small stove boiling water, a large teapot, and five empty teacups.

"I gave him a tip, but he still dared to ask you for money." Yuan Keli didn't stand up either.

"He didn't ask for it. I gave it to him on my own initiative." Xu Guangqi sat down opposite Yuan Keli.

"You're quite kind." Yuan Keli put down the teacup in his hand, took the teapot and opened it. "Want some strong tea?"

"I'll do it myself." Xu Guangqi held out his hand. "When did Li Qing come?"

Yuan Keli ignored Xu Guangqi's advice and insisted on brewing him a cup of very strong tea. "It wasn't long, maybe about a quarter of an hour." The Tongzhengshisi was the nearest government office, and officials often didn't come to submit their petitions until the end of the court period. So Yuan Keli had changed out of his official uniform early and came over as soon as the court period was over.

"Haha," Xu Guangqi chuckled, "Li Qing seems very unhappy."

"I got this awful job for no apparent reason. I can't be happy about it." Yuan Keli put down the kettle and pushed the strong tea towards Xu Guangqi. His eyes followed the movement of the teacup, sliding all the way to Xu Guangqi's face. "You recommended me to your superiors, right?"

"Yes." Xu Guangqi met Yuan Keli's gaze calmly, stretched out a finger and hooked the cup of tea in front of him. "I don't think there is anyone more suitable than you."

"Why don't you go yourself?" Yuan Keli turned his head and looked away. "'I have learned that there are established rules for poets to be sent as envoys to this country. I now recommend myself and am willing to take on this task.' Didn't you write this yourself?"

"It's not that I don't want to go, but I can't go." Xu Guangqi did not explain the reason in detail. He knew that Yuan Keli could think of it himself.

"That's right." Yuan Keli figured it out quickly. "But you should at least give me a heads-up, right? It's really scary that you're not prepared at all."

"I can't say." Xu Guangqi shook his head.

"You don't trust me?" Yuan Keli said rather resentfully.

"Of course I trust you, but my superiors have warned me, and I can't disobey. If you agree so calmly today, then my superiors won't trust me anymore," Xu Guangqi sighed. "Just bear with it for a while."

"Okay." Yuan Keli reached out to take the cup of tea in front of Xu Guangqi. "I'll change it for you."

"No need. Now that the bitter tea is at my lips, there's no point in pushing it back." Xu Guangqi blew away the mist, took a sip, and recited, "Throughout history, sages have all been lonely; only drinkers leave their names behind."

"Li Bai was drinking wine." Yuan Keli gave Xu Guangqi a teasing look.

"I am just a lonely 'sage', and you are the one who drinks the bitter wine." Xu Guangqi said with a smile.

"So, I have to thank you for your help?" Yuan Keli also smiled.

"No need." Xu Guangqi restrained his smile. "Just don't let me be lonely in my later years."

"No, didn't the higher-ups assign me two powerful generals?" Yuan Keli glanced out the window at the Li residence, only to see his own soldier, Cui Jingrong, and his deputy, Shen Yourong, arriving together. "They're here. Let's greet them. Don't let that guy extort another tip."

"Okay." Xu Guangqi also looked out the window, but by then, Cui Jingrong and Shen Yourong had already entered the restaurant. He only saw the Li family's mansion.

Shortly after Cui and Shen arrived at the restaurant, the sedan chair carrying Prime Minister Fang Congzhe also arrived at the restaurant's door. Prime Minister Fang, still wearing his official uniform, donned only a cloak and was led by a servant to the four men.

After the door was closed, everyone greeted each other in order. The servant could never have imagined that he would welcome five high-ranking officials in a row today.

After greeting them, Fang Congzhe did not sit down, but said directly: "Sorry for waiting for you all, let's go now."

"Where is Mr. Ye Ci Fu?" Shen Yourong asked in a low voice.

"Jinqing has gone back." Fang Congzhe said.

"Why? Didn't we agree on this long ago?" Shen Yourong was stunned.

"I don't know either," Fang Congzhe said with a subtle expression. "You should ask him yourself."

In reality, Ye Xianggao's absence stemmed from a frustrating realization: the emperor seemingly had no intention of including him in this morning's secret meeting; he was merely benefiting from Shen Yourong's influence. If Shen Yourong had stayed elsewhere, rather than at his residence, he likely would not have received the secret invitation, and would have been left in the dark like Shi Jixie, Shen, Liu Yirong, and Han Yu.

Ye Xianggao felt that he was no longer needed, so he felt sad and lost, and went back to drink alone.

"Okay." Shen Yourong nodded, bent down and picked up a scroll brought from the Ministry of War, followed the four civil servants out of the restaurant and walked towards the Li family.

(End of this chapter)