Early the next morning, Gao Pragmatic got up early as usual, and then had breakfast while listening to the "black-top" servants report on the various news that came last night.
In addition to a large-scale "closed-door meeting of senior officials" in the Xin School, there are also many officials who move around in their own small circles, and the more important official interactions have been recorded on Heiding.
However, Heiding was not a factory guard after all, and he did not dare to insert spies into the palaces of high-ranking officials at will. Most of them could only rely on inducements to buy some information from the mouths of the servants of these officials.
Sometimes this information can be accurate to every word the officials said, because those servants may happen to be close servants; sometimes it can only let the black top know when official A visited official B and how long afterward he left. Because this servant may be just a disciple.
In short, there is a difference between shades and details.
However, Gao Pragmatic's "listening to the report" process was unexpectedly interrupted today. Although it was early at this time, the angel sent by the Superintendent of Ceremonies to deliver the message had already arrived at the gate of Shangshu Gao's mansion. In order to avoid "waiting too late", Gao Pragmatic had no choice but to end his breakfast in advance and ordered people to open the middle door to greet him—— The angel represents the emperor and cannot enter through the wrong door.
Gao Pragmatic himself waited in the nave for the angel to announce the decree after Gao Mo skillfully directed his men to put on the fixed outfit for receiving the decree.
The purpose is very simple. It is nothing more than the same as before, gentle and comforting, demanding and pragmatic, and taking care of things as soon as possible.
Gao Pingshi respectfully accepted the order, Gao Mo quietly rewarded him with ten taels of silver, and the angel came out and returned to the palace to resume his life. Then Gao Jingshi waved his hand and shook his head slightly. Gao Mo ordered the clerk in the mansion to draft a memorial.
This memorial naturally declined the emperor's request and insisted on staying in the palace. There are "model essays" for this type of memorials, and these clerks are all talents specially trained by Gao's private school. Although you don't have to think about getting admitted to Jinshi, it is still useful to imitate Gao's pragmatic tone and write simple memorials. Generally speaking, Gao Pragmatic only needs to take a draft and copy it (the memorial itself is not allowed to be ghostwritten in principle), with at most slight additions and deletions.
This memorial was answered very quickly. Of course, it had no meaning in itself. It just repeated the reasons why he did not want to come out and take action.
The reason why Gao Pragmatic did this was not only because he needed to continue to "show his attitude" in this way, but also because he was actually not in a hurry - he knew that the most anxious person at this moment was either Concubine Zheng or the emperor himself. It doesn’t matter if you end the shelf properly.
After all, if the emperor himself is anxious, the emperor is familiar with these fixed routines and will not be angry with him for this. It would be better if Concubine Zheng was anxious. His unhurried behavior would only make her more impatient and even lose her sense of proportion. But right now, she would never dare to anger him, so this time The incident will make her even more fearful in her heart.
Ordinary people may be afraid of the emperor's "only favorite" concubine, because fear can easily lead to deliberately attacking him. However, being pragmatic is not something to be afraid of - Zhu Yijun's "high pragmatism dependence" cannot be "cured" in the short term. His high pragmatism is the only life-saving medicine. You must take it whether you take it or not.
Only indispensable abilities can make you indispensable. Throughout the ages, there is no exception.
Generally speaking, after the emperor receives such a memorial, he will have time to make other reactions at least tomorrow, so Gao Pragmatic took this opportunity to listen to the unfinished report before, analyzed it in the room, and secretly Guess what the Heart School will do.
Then, he listened to other reports, which were about the movements within the Real School, especially on Xu Guo's side. He learned that Shen Li had met with Xu Guo yesterday, and several of their disciples were present.
However, this meeting was not in Xu Guo's mansion, but in a high-end teahouse. One of Xu Guo's disciples rented the single floor, and the two parties held a meeting there. It usually lasts for nearly an hour and a half, in the name of appreciating a piece of Zhao Mengfu's work.
This made Gao Pingshi couldn't help but shake his head. It seemed that Shen Li was also alienated from him because of the transfer.
In fact, this matter is really unfair. It was not his idea to transfer Shen Li to another position. The emperor really felt that Shen Li was not suitable to stay in this position. At this moment, the Minister of Household Affairs must take new measures to significantly increase the court's annual income without provoking large-scale unrest. In the emperor's opinion, only Gao Pragmatism was able to handle this matter.
But there is no point in reasoning about this kind of thing, because in Shen Li's view, such a transfer is like a slap in the face - the emperor's move is equivalent to clearly telling the world: You are not as useful as Gao Pragmatic.
Who can bear this? Even if it is a fact, not everyone can accept it calmly, not to mention that Shen Li is already one of the seven ministers of the imperial court, and his status is very close to that of the elder. It would be hard for anyone to suddenly be hit in the head like this by the emperor.
However, as the saying goes, "Thunder, rain, and dew are all due to the emperor's kindness." Officials like Shen Li could not blame the emperor for this, and they did not even dare to show any "resentment." Therefore, Gao Pragmatic had to accept it on his behalf - who asked you to be the party involved? Why are you better than me?
Oh, no, it should be why do you make the emperor think you are better than me?
At this point, it is obvious that the "resentment" in Shen Li's heart cannot be easily resolved with a few words. Solving this problem requires a suitable opportunity, but at this time, the opportunity has obviously not yet appeared, and Gao Pragmatic can only let it go.
As for whether Xu Guo's strength will greatly increase after receiving Shen Li's support, breaking the previous "strong and weak" pattern within the Practical School, Gao Pragmatic is not very worried.
Regardless of Xu Guo or Shen Li, both of them were born in the Yichou Department of Jiajing in the 44th year of Jiajing. This year was the subject with the most concentrated students from Gao Gong (the examiner this year was Gao Gong). Among them, the same year Most of them are now the mainstay of the real school.
However, precisely because of this, most of them are now under the banner of Gao Jingshi and recognize Gao Jingshi as Gao Gong's number one heir. At the same time, the highly pragmatic holy family members, power and age advantages prevent them from easily choosing to defect to others.
Needless to say, holy family and power, age advantage is even more a trump card - Xu Guo is eight years older than Shen Shixing, and he is already sixty-one years old this year (virtual age), but what about Gao Pragmatism? This year I am only twenty-five years old. And judging from the emperor's attitude of placing so much emphasis on him, and considering the timeline that the war to destroy the Yuan Dynasty is expected to be launched in three to four years, once things go well, Gao Pragmatic may even join the cabinet before he is thirty!
The future of Mr. Ge, who is less than 30 years old, is really speechless. Because in theory, as long as nothing happens to him, it means that he will have a career of at least forty years as prime minister (that is, based on his insistence on retiring at the age of seventy).
This...this career as a prime minister is as long as it is hereditary. Who can compare with it?
In the next forty years or so, let alone these big guys from the Yi Chou Department, even their children and nephews will be completely "taken care of" by Gao Jingjing. Maybe even their grandchildren will be able to enjoy Gao Jingjing's services. Cultivation.
People who have no long-term worries must have immediate worries. The advantage of being highly pragmatic is obvious. Who can not be tempted? What's more, if you follow him, your children and grandchildren will be taken care of, but what if you betray him? I'm afraid this "care" will make people miserable, right?
Therefore, generally speaking, officials within the pragmatic school who have already stood on the side of high pragmatism are unlikely to change their families easily. In situations like Xu Guo and Shen Li, they are more likely to be forced to have no choice - face is indeed too important for civil servants. Some.
After thinking about Shen Li's matter clearly, it was almost time for lunch, but an accident happened - the disciple came to report: the angel is coming again.
Gao Pragmatic was a little surprised and thought to himself: Is the Supervisor of Ceremonies so efficient today?
This kind of imperial edict in which the emperor comforts his ministers and urges them to take matters into their own hands does not need to go through the cabinet and the six departments. It can be issued directly. Therefore, the speed of the action only depends on two parts: First, the emperor's own oral edict comes in time. , Secondly, the Chief of Ceremonies drafted edicts quickly and dispatched people quickly. (This type of edict does not need to be drafted in a written document. Sometimes the ceremonial supervisor directly writes the original words of the emperor's oral edict into the imperial edict. Of course, in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the ceremonial supervisor usually still polishes it slightly.)
However, the Director of Ceremonies is actually an extremely busy inner court yamen, and his work efficiency has always been poor. There is only one exception - special matters will be handled only when the emperor has clearly stated them.
In any case, Gao Pragmatic had no choice but to set up a full set of outfits in the mansion again to receive the order.
This time's decree is not much different from today's first decree in terms of meaning, but the wording has become much more refined and sincere.
For example, "... I have so much hope for you, how can you bear it? It is better to take action immediately and not to make any further comments to fulfill my wishes." It can be said that he was moved emotionally by the imperial edict.
The eunuch who delivered the order was also changed - Chen Ju came directly in person.
After Chen Ju announced the decree, he pulled Gao Yongshi aside and advised Gao Yongshi not to delay any longer. He said to Gao Pingshi: "Situ, the emperor seems to have made up his mind today. He didn't even read the documents and drafts submitted by the cabinet. He waited wholeheartedly in Xinuang Pavilion just to read your reply. In addition... Yesterday evening, the Emperor, Xingyi Kun Palace, drove the maids and chamberlains out of the palace for two sticks of incense to have a secret discussion with Concubine Zheng."
Since it was a secret discussion, Chen Ju naturally didn't know what was said, but Gao Pragmatic could roughly guess most of what Chen Ju said about the emperor's state today.
However, Gao Pragmatic pondered for a moment, but still shook his head and said: "Even so, I can't go out immediately. Linggang, I won't hide it from you. This matter... even to this point, it is not my responsibility to take care of the matter." timing."
Chen Ju felt a little worried when he heard this, and frowned deeply: "Situ is the person who knows the emperor best in the world. Since Situ thinks it's okay, it must be okay for the emperor to be here, but... Concubine Zheng is now blessed by her. , If you feel resentful about this, I'm afraid it will be detrimental to Situ."
Gao pragmatic shook his head calmly: "She can be where she is today, and it is definitely not just because of 'jealousy at the beginning, unwilling to let others with her furrowed eyebrows; slanderous job, charming but charming to deceive the master'. Although I have not met her, but I know that he must have extraordinary abilities, at least he can know how to advance and retreat, and he can avoid the sharp edges. Otherwise, he cannot consolidate his holy grace."
Chen Ju was thoughtful, pondered for a moment, and said: "Situ knows people, it is true. However, if the emperor asks about it later..."
Gao pragmatic smiled slightly: "It doesn't matter, if the emperor asks, you can tell me that I am worried that some people will be more courageous when Wang Taicang comes to Beijing this time, and they will always spy on my movements. It would be like telling others the truth, and I really don't dare to go out easily. , waiting for the situation to be calm, naturally he will not sit back and watch the ministry's backlog and the government's affairs be embarrassed."
"This..." Chen Ju glanced at Gao Jingshi with embarrassment. Seeing Gao Jingshi's resolute expression, he reluctantly agreed: "Okay, our family will just return to life like this first. But Situ had better be prepared. Our family thought I’m afraid the Emperor will not give up until he achieves his goal this time.”
Gao pragmatic smiled and did not answer directly. He just nodded slightly and said, "Thank you, Linggang."
After Chen Ju left, Gao pragmatically had lunch, walked in the backyard for a while and then went to take a nap. He was woken up before he was deeply asleep. After asking, he found out that another imperial edict had arrived.
Gao Pingshi was shocked and thought to himself: The emperor is so impatient. Is it possible that there are some details of this matter that I have not calculated, but that the emperor attaches great importance to? Or maybe the emperor is more sensitive to the issue of the crown prince than I expected? Or maybe he hates Zhu Changluo more than I expected?
According to the Ming Dynasty's system and habits, establishing a crown prince cannot threaten him, and even Zhu Changluo, the eldest son of the emperor, is only a few years old, let alone a threat. He should not be too sensitive about this. This can be ruled out.
Dislike Zhu Changluo? It's possible, but Zhu Changluo is his son after all. Although he is physically weak, he is not extremely ugly or born with a disability. Normally, it shouldn't be that strong. Zhu Changluo's real problem was that his biological mother was not favored by the emperor.
But there is also a problem with this one. Since the emperor was eager to visit the Empress Dowager Cisheng in the palace, at least she was definitely not ugly, so why was he so disgusted afterwards?
After thinking about it for a long time, Gao Pragmatic suddenly had an idea. I'm afraid there is only one explanation for this incident: after the emperor's visit that day, he developed a self-denial mentality. This kind of mentality means that he feels that he can't control his emotions and does something that goes against the normal moral values. There is no moral problem in the emperor's visit to the palace maid. The problem is that he suddenly did this in his mother's harem. His self-control is very poor.
This incident happened in the ninth year of Wanli, when Gao Pangshi was not in the capital. Now that I recall carefully and calculate the timing of several events, I discovered the problem.
what is the problem? Less than a month after this happened, the imperial court ordered the selection of the ninth concubine. In the following year, in March of the 10th year of Wanli, Zhu Yijun personally went to the Huangji Palace to select the ninth concubine. The Zheng family was named Shuconcubine. Ranked second among the nine concubines.
Gao pragmatic thought again, before he met Wang Gongfei (who was just a palace maid at the time), Zhu Yijun only had one concubine and one concubine, namely the queen and concubine Zhao. Needless to say, the queen's style is not much to say. Although she is virtuous, she is a bit too virtuous. She seems to be afraid that people in the world will say that she is a nymphomaniac, and she is not willing to be intimate with Zhu Yijun. As for Concubine Zhao... women are obviously not always so "convenient".
At that time, Zhu Yijun's age was obviously the moment when his desires were at their peak, and he had already "enjoyed meat"... This is easy to explain.
But Gao Pragmatic thinks this is understandable, but Zhu Yijun himself may not be able to accept it. After all, the education he received was actually the most orthodox Confucian education. This kind of sudden loss of control and behavior may make him fall into deep self-doubt and self-denial, and then lead to extreme disgust for Wang Gongfei - it's all your fault, it's your fault. I am so!
Gao Pragmatic certainly did not blame Concubine Wang Gong for this matter, but as a unique and detached bystander, he could understand Zhu Yijun's mentality. It can only be said that this matter is actually a tragedy. In the final analysis, there is something wrong with the education Zhu Yijun received. The education he received made the debate between good and evil too clear, while ignoring the essence of human nature and even the internal factors of the body.
Everyone has emotions and desires, and it is actually normal for young people to be "lustful". This is not only due to psychological reasons, but also to physiological factors. The reason why ordinary people can exercise restraint is because ordinary people know that they are subject to various restrictions in this society. However, the emperor... no one can restrict him, at least among the harem ladies, he has no restrictions.
However, the emperor was upset because of the education he received, so he was angry with Concubine Wang Gong, and then with Concubine Wang Gong, he was angry with Zhu Changluo. Therefore, the emperor simply ordered the selection of the ninth concubine soon after. This move was actually to prevent such "scandals" from happening in the future - in fact, Zhu Yijun did not have any similar incidents again in his life.
No wonder he disliked Zhu Changluo all his life, and his physical condition suddenly deteriorated shortly after the death of Empress Wang. Before her death, he ordered the court to prepare to canonize Concubine Zheng as empress. The root of all this was the ninth year of Wanli. Down.
The time he "lost control" in the ninth year of Wanli not only made him nervous about being "charmed", but he probably also felt some unspeakable guilt towards the Queen.
Gao Jingshi let out a sigh of relief and said to himself: I finally figured this out. No wonder in history, he even started a country-based dispute in order not to make Zhu Changluo the crown prince, which then led to decades of cold war with the entire civil service group. Year……
Gao pragmatically accepted the order again with great energy, but unexpectedly, two people came to deliver the order this time: Huang Mengyu and Chen Ju came together.
You can't say hello at this time. You should be pragmatic and accept orders honestly. Huang Mengyu stood at the main seat, with Chen Ju beside him.
Huang Zhangyin opened the imperial edict and was stunned after taking one look. He quickly looked at Chen Ju, who was also stunned next to him, made eye contact with each other, took a deep breath, and then finally said: "Gao Pragmatic, if you continue If you refuse, I will invite you myself, and I will come tonight!"
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