Gao pragmatically mobilized his own bodyguards to escort Zhang Juzheng all the way back to his hometown. This incident was misunderstood by some officials in the court who did not know the truth as Gao Gong's order, which led to two types of discussions.
One group believed that Gao Gong was greedy for fame. He was clearly the main beneficiary of Zhang Juzheng's downfall, but he still asked his nephew to send servants and a motorcade to escort him all the way. Obviously, he wanted to gain a good reputation.
Others think that Gao Gong was thinking of his decades-long friendship with Zhang Juzheng, and no matter what the outcome of the two of them was, he would inevitably be cruel, but he still had good intentions.
However, this matter was actually Gao Pragmatic's own idea, and he did it without authorization. However, surprisingly, this time Gao Gong didn't say anything, so he acquiesced. After Guo Pu found out about it, he even praised Gao Pragmatically a few words, thinking that this was the behavior of a kind and gentleman who didn't need to care about what others said.
As for Gao Pragmatic's true purpose, only he himself knows it.
This reshuffle can be regarded as a fundamental change in the overall situation of the country after the new king came to the throne. Through this incident, Gao Gong established the absolute authority of the cabinet before Wanli came to power. Even because he had no real rivals in the high-level court, various reforms were carried out. The plan can finally be carried out according to his will.
In early August, the Ministry of Rites agreed on the titles of the two palaces. The next day, led by Cabinet Assistant Gao Gong and Second Assistant Guo Pu, the chief officials of the Six Ministries, Ducha Yuan, Dali Temple, Hanlin Academy and other yamen all came together to ask for the title of the two palaces and to make Empress Chen the Empress Dowager Rensheng. , Concubine Li was the Empress Dowager Cisheng. The young emperor Wanli criticized Hong and said that he would ask the two palaces for instructions.
The next day, all the distinguished officials in Beijing appointed Zhu Xizhong, the Duke of Chengguo, Xu Wenbi, the Duke of Dingguo, and Zhang Rong, the British Duke, as their superiors. They asked the emperor to approve the cabinet, the Ministry of Rites, etc. to discuss the honorific titles of the two palaces.
In the afternoon, the imperial edict was delivered to all the ministers, and it was also my intention. However, the two palaces were deeply mourning for my emperor's examination of the dragon. Now that the emperor's examination of the mountain and mausoleum has not been completed, both palaces feel uneasy. Although the request is yes, it cannot be granted at the moment.
On the next day, Meng Chong, the local eunuch who was guarding Changping and the engineer who promoted the mausoleum, went up to Shu. The location of the imperial mausoleum had been determined. In front of Dingtan Valley, the main mountain was steep and there was no energy at all, so it was not suitable. However, after repeated inspections, it turned out that the old site of Chaxian Mausoleum was located in Dayu Mountain. The mountains are majestic and the energy is natural. It is an excellent place. However, the Xianling Mausoleum was built by Emperor Shizong for the Emperor Xian, and it was vacant due to circumstances. This strategy is difficult to decide, so I dare to make a decision.
Meng Chong's memorial said that the location of Xiangdu was not good, but after investigation, it was found that the Xianling Mausoleum built for his biological father during the Jiajing ceremony was a good place. However, because Jiajing's biological father did not move the mausoleum in the end, this place was Although the Xuan Palace has been built, it has not been completely completed and is now empty. It is difficult to decide on this matter. Please ask the emperor for judgment.
Of course the emperor couldn't help but judge that the Xianling Mausoleum was originally built for Long Qing's grandfather, but now his grandson is allowed to "live" in it? It sounds a bit unreliable.
So they reported it to the two palaces. The two palaces didn't understand these matters anymore. These were all major matters related to etiquette. They didn't dare to make up their minds, so they pushed it back to the cabinet and the Ministry of Etiquette.
This time someone made a decision, Gao Gong stepped forward and made it clear that the site would be the site of the Xianling Mausoleum in Dayu Mountain!
Gao Gong made the decision so quickly, not because of anything else, but because he felt that the Xianling Mausoleum was empty and it could be done with a little repair. That would be great. Why repeat the construction? There would be no place to spend the money. What? If you have money to build the imperial mausoleum, you might as well use the money to build border defenses!
So Gao Gong sent Zhu Heng, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, to inspect it in person. Before leaving, he summoned Zhu Heng for an interview.
Zhu Heng came and went very quickly this time. When he came back, he boasted that the place in Xianling was so great. Not only was the feng shui extremely good, but the Xuan Palace, which had been almost repaired, was even more magical. "The Xuan Palace is filled with purple light and a harmonious atmosphere." Steaming, the entrance hall is clean, just like a greenhouse”!
Zhu Yijun was naturally overjoyed when he heard this, and quickly reported back to the two palaces. After hearing this, the two palaces were very happy that they would have to "live" there in the future, so the matter was settled.
Zhu Yijun immediately decreed that it should be designated as the Zhaoling Mausoleum, and the coffin of Empress Xiaoyi Li should be moved first. This was the first princess of Longqing. She died very early, and the empress was posthumously named. On September 19, the coffin of Long Qing, who should now be called Emperor Mu Zong, was also buried in the mausoleum.
Then it was time for the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Works to allocate funds and mobilize people to repair the mausoleum. However, something unexpected happened at this time. Gao was very pragmatic and asked for people to contribute money to repair the mausoleum.
This made everyone confused. Long Qing is not your father, so why would you pay for someone to build his tomb?
Not to mention that the people below could not understand the situation, even the two palaces and the young emperor were confused. Even Zhu Yijun came up with the idea that pragmatism is actually my brother?
This thought was unbelievable, and he recalled that his father valued Gao pragmatically in the past. It was by no means an ordinary value. Before his death, he promised that he would accompany him until he took office. Moreover, he had had a separate conversation before, saying Gao pragmatism is what he left to himself as an assistant minister in the future!
However, this association did not last long, because Gao Pragmatic quickly explained the reason.
The first is that the late emperor was very kind to him. Not only was he given a special appointment, but he was also granted the exclusive right to make soap. His wealth today is due to many things. Now that the late emperor is doing well, it is natural for him to contribute some money. .
The second is that he experimented with a special kind of building material, and built with it, which was extremely strong, so he specially dedicated it as part of his repayment to the late emperor for his kindness.
Oh, so that’s what happened, that makes sense. The only question is how amazing that building material is.
Many people don't believe in the magic that can't be seen with their own eyes, so Gao Pragmatic decided to let people see it and ask for permission.
On September 23rd, while the autumn tiger was still there and the weather was still relatively hot, Gao Pragmatic's performance began.
At the foot of the Long Live Mountain, dozens of Gao family servants acted as construction workers and began construction near the edge of the palace city. The building they want to build today is not difficult, it is just an ordinary warehouse.
Those who were invited to visit the construction that day were from the two palaces and the emperor, to the cabinet and ministers of various ministries, as well as a group of officials of science and education.
Following Gao Pragmatic's order, the servants of the Gao family lifted the curtain on the building materials, revealing the true appearance inside.
As soon as he opened it, Zhu Heng, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, was surprised and asked, "Gao Guanzheng, are these iron rods also building materials?"
Gao pragmatically had no intention of introducing reinforced concrete to him, but just smiled and asked him to read on.
In fact, the so-called reinforced concrete building of Gao Pragmatic is still very crude. Those so-called steel bars were actually just thin wrought iron rods as thick as a thumb, and his concrete was far from up to standard in later generations. It could only be regarded as some simple aggregates added to Portland cement. As for compressive strength, acid and corrosion resistance, expansion coefficient, etc., no one knows at all, and they cannot be measured at all.
But in any case, this primitive reinforced concrete building is definitely much stronger and more durable than the buildings of the Ming Dynasty at this time.
However, Gao Pragmatic is a person who never refuses to work for nothing. Of course, when he jumped out to intervene in the mausoleum work, it was not just for the two reasons he mentioned on the surface. Naturally, he had other agendas.
