"Master Wang, I have suffered so much for you. You are such a coward. After a banquet, I struck your royal stick. Now the city is even more troubled. Master Wang, what should I do now?" A Qingliu from Hanlin came to Wang Qiong visited him at his house and said bitterly.
Wang Qiong lay on the couch and said feebly, "Jingyang be careful, if someone listens to your words and makes slanderous remarks, you and I will die without a burial place."
The Hanlin named Jingyang glanced outside guiltily and lowered his voice and said, "Sir, a big shot from Qufu has arrived in the capital and wants to see the emperor."
When Wang Qiong heard this, he was startled. Then he looked at him and said, "Your Majesty has ascended the throne and granted amnesty to the world, but he has not decreed any favors. Could it be that he is here...?" Who is a big shot in Qufu? Wang Joan knew who was coming without even thinking.
"Sir, this is an opportunity. With your reputation among scholars in the world, if you can make suggestions, even Your Majesty would not dare to offend it. It is a holy place in the hearts of scholars." Jingyang said proudly.
Qufu is considered a big shot, and it can only belong to the Confucius Mansion. It is the ancestral home of the saint Confucius. No matter how the dynasties change, the Confucius Mansion, like the Zhang Mansion in the south, coexists with the world. After repairing the Confucius Mansion twice and spending money and effort, people still have a bad face. Who can tell that the late emperor was a person who advocated Confucianism.
The late emperor had some dislike for Taoism because of Emperor Chenghua, so no one from the Zhang family was granted the title in this generation. The late emperor only granted the title of Duke Yansheng of the Kong family.
This is basically an unwritten rule. When the emperor of the Ming Dynasty ascends the throne, he will definitely seal the Confucius Mansion. However, after Zhu Houzhao took the throne for so many days, he seemed to have forgotten this. So the big shots in Qufu couldn't sit still and felt that the Tian family was neglecting them. Holy shit, I’m going to Beijing.
In fact, this is not Zhu Houzhao's fault, but that he did not think of this incident at all. The ministers deliberately reminded him, but this seemed to be a sign of flattery. His Majesty did not mention it, but they did. Could it be that you, Duke Yansheng, did not mention it? , you can still be greater than the emperor. The favor given to you is for the sake of your ancestor, Saint Kong, and is not an ancestral system. Whoever stipulates that I ascend the throne must grant you the favor.
Wang Qiong was a little moved. This time he stole the chicken but lost the rice and gained a bad reputation. What did he do wrong? He just wanted to protect the face of your royal family. Which emperor has ever done such chaos as you? What kind of royal manufacturing bureau? , and you still summoned so many craftsmen into the palace. Even if the late emperor left you a lot of money, you were not so messy. This is the behavior of a foolish king, and the Ming Dynasty is over.
"Jingyang, who are you going to contact? I will write a letter to contact my friends in Nanjing and submit a joint letter to make your Majesty realize his mistake and what it will bring to the Ming Dynasty."
A Hanlin named Jingyang took Wang Qiong's handwriting with him, got on the carriage behind the gate, and headed towards the post of the Ministry of Rites, where the big shot was waiting for His Majesty's summons.
Generally speaking, except for envoys from other countries, they are not allowed to live there, except for the one from Qufu, because he is the eldest son of a big shot. This time, he also came to ask for favors and met a few people in the capital. Minister, please inquire about some trends in the court.
Among all the great families in the world, theirs is the only one that is closely related to the imperial court. During the founding of the country, Emperor Hongwu was so surly and surly. Faced with the descendants of saints who had surrendered to the Yuan Dynasty, he shouted to fight and kill. In the end, scholars quit, what qualifications do you have to be like this? After treating the saint, he seriously looked down on Zhu Yuanzhang and was unwilling to even take part in the imperial examination.
Under the persuasion of everyone and the coercion of scholars all over the world, Zhu Yuanzhang had no choice but to compromise, and finally made the title of Yansheng hereditary. He just stood up and said a word, and the scholars all went back to take the imperial examination obediently.
To put it bluntly, they just think that Zhu Yuanzhang is not worthy of being emperor. Look at the founding emperors of the past dynasties. He was not from a wealthy family. Not to mention Liu Bang, he was a pavilion chief and ruled hundreds of households. He was not a white body, but all emperors The worst founding emperor in the world.
He is even more noble than Zhu Yuanzhang, not to mention Li Yuan and Zhao Kuangyin. Even for eighteen generations, Zhu Yuanzhang is not comparable. This is what Emperor Hongwu was criticized by Confucianists. Throughout his life, The founding king of the country turned into a beggar emperor, which made me laugh.
Hu Weiyong was the first and last prime minister of the Ming Dynasty. He was a chess piece created by Confucian officials. However, he failed to rebel in the end and died first. Only then did the Confucians understand that the world was settled and now wanted to rebel. It was no longer possible for him. After Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Yunwen came to power, and the Confucianists seized the opportunity and wanted to make another big event. However, another Yan king, Zhu Di, who was even more violent than Zhu Yuanzhang, came out and erected a banner directly outside the door of the palace. Holding a banner, Jingnan seized the throne of his nephew as emperor.
What the Confucians did not expect was that the Yongle Emperor was not easy to fool, and the great talent Jie Jin, whom they praised to heaven, was directly sent to the imperial prison by Zhu Di. After being imprisoned for many years, he was killed in the imperial prison. They were greatly disappointed, but they did not dare to take any action, otherwise they would directly follow in Xie Jin's footsteps.
It was not until Emperor Yongle's reign that the general ministers headed by Confucianism finally gained the upper hand. Until Yingzong came to power, he was deceived and lame. Hundreds of thousands of troops were killed by tens of thousands of people, and even he was arrested.
The late Emperor Hongzhi once again recreated the prosperous age of Confucianism. This is how the touted prosperous age of Hongzhi came about.
Now that the eldest son has arrived in the capital, some restless people are beginning to want to cause trouble. With this person's reputation, they are enough to cause a huge wave among the scholars.
As the saying goes, God is watching and people are doing it. On the imperial case of Zhu Houzhao, who was not the emperor, there was a memorial from Fan Ting of Dongchang.
Zhu Houzhao opened it and took a look, shook his head and sighed: "This eldest son, you have come at the right time. These people are really careless and restless. They are all restless. If you don't do it, you will die. Since you are looking for death, then... Go to hell, you can only figure it out in the prison!"
"Your Majesty, do you want to take someone?" Fan Ting asked tentatively as he bowed and waited for His Majesty's order.
Zhu Houzhao asked, "How to take it? They don't admit it. Do you want me to convict you of it on unfounded charges?"
It's unreasonable, that's something only a foolish emperor can do. Zhu Houzhao's words made Fan Ting kneel down and apologize; "Your Majesty, forgive me. I just want to share your worries for Your Majesty."
"Get up!" Zhu Houzhao said calmly.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
After Zhu Houzhao walked twice with his hands behind his back, he felt really strange and difficult to understand. He really couldn't understand how these ancients could impeach the monarch, make the emperor hate them, and win the reputation of a direct minister. That's all. Is it important?
"The human heart." Zhu Houzhao sighed again.
The emperor is troubled, and then Liu Jin, who is Zhu Houzhao's most loyal loser, is unhappy. These damn sour scholars dare to take advantage of His Majesty. Damn it, let's see if we don't find an opportunity to kill you and vent the anger on the Emperor.
Zhu Houzhao thought about it and ordered Fan Ting: "Don't alert them, monitor their every move, see which ministers are involved, let them make trouble, the bigger the trouble, the better. This time, I want to play with them." , since they want me to be a coward and tyrant, I will help them."
Fan Ting accepted the order and left.
Liu Jin said politely, "Your Majesty, I am also willing to share your worries."
"Just take care of the business tax affairs for me. I don't need you this time, lest things get into trouble and I have to wipe your ass." Zhu Houzhao said casually.
Liu Jin's eyes were moist, and she thought to herself, Your Majesty still feels sorry for me, Liu Jin.
"Your Majesty, how can I be so virtuous and capable as to make the Emperor care so much? I can't repay the Emperor even if I am so heartbroken." Liu Jin's nose was filled with tears.
Zhu Houzhao was puzzled. He finally came to his senses and pretended to be solemn and said: "Okay, I will not treat you badly if you work hard for me. If you work hard, how can I not protect you? This time the matter is not simple. The bad thing is that scholars all over the world are attacking you, and you can't afford it, so let Fan Ting do it, he is more suitable than you."
Giving both kindness and power is the way of a superior, Liu Jin naturally understands, but to hear the emperor's explanation personally, he feels that this life is worth it, even if His Majesty wants him to die, he is still willing.
Gongyuan.
"Lock the papers." Xu Qiong gave an order, and all the papers that had been reviewed were locked.
This is the last step. We just have to wait for the results to be released tomorrow. After staying up all night to review the results, it is finally completed. Everyone is relieved.
Around the Gongyuan, the inner and outer three floors were surrounded by soldiers and soldiers. No one in the Gongyuan was allowed to leave or leave until the list was released.
As for the results opening tomorrow, Xu Qiong has nothing to do with him. He doesn't care about this. He is the examiner. He is not only responsible for the scholars in the world, but also for His Majesty. He will enter the palace early in the morning to report the results of this selection. As a result, there will also be a list of people who will try out the gold medal.
Hongzhi eighteen years, August 12th.
The crackling and the sound of firecrackers sounded on Gongyuan Street.
Everyone in the capital is eagerly waiting to see who will be in high school this time and who will get to ride the royal horse.
Candidates, businessmen, traffickers and footmen, Taoist monks, praying for blessings, chanting sutras, all in all it was a joyous and crowded place, with heads everywhere as far as the eye could see.
"Brother Zizhang, do you think I can pass the exam? If I do, my father promises to let me do what I want to do and won't stop me anymore. I'm a little worried." Tan Zongzheng stared at Gongyuan closely. The door faced him.
Liu Zizhang comforted him and said: "Just be normal and do your best."
Having said that, he is not much worse than Tan Zongzheng, even more nervous than him, and even has a little expectation. In this subject, God is simply helping him, and even the top three on the gold list have some expect.
Next to him, there was a fair-faced scholar, who looked elegant and elegant, wearing a turban and a Confucian shirt. Hearing this, he smiled and agreed, "This friend has a good attitude. I also feel that I am very lucky if he succeeds. If he fails, he will take the exam again next year. It is too much." It is not good to care about gains and losses. I am Yan Song, who is also a candidate of this subject. I am honored to meet you."
Liu Zizhang raised his hand to him.
"Liu Zizhang, nice to meet you."
The two got to know each other briefly.
Tan Zongzheng was staring closely at the gate of Gongyuan without talking to Yan Song. After a while, the sound of firecrackers came from the front, and the middle door of Gongyuan gradually opened wide.
The noisy street suddenly became quiet, and the only sound that could be heard was the heavy breathing of the candidates.
From inside, two clerks walked out, holding two signs high, and said loudly: "This is the year of Yichou, the month of Geng and Yin, the day of Jiazi, and Enke~ put~ the list."
