Outside the south gate of Qufu County, the 28-year-old Kong Yinzhi, the sixty-seventh generation grandson of Confucius, led a group of uncles and uncles of the Zhen generation and the monk generation to stand in formation to welcome him. The eldest son of the emperor, Zhu Youxiao, drove the car.
Since the founding of the Ming Empire, Duke Yansheng of the Confucius Mansion has been given a first-class civil official uniform, a lin robe and a jade belt.
But today, even though Kong Yinzhi has been regarded by most of the elders of the Confucius family as the next successor to Duke Yansheng, because Kong Shangxian, who lives in Beijing, has not yet died, Kong Yinzhi cannot wear the crown of Duke Yansheng. , but like other distinguished male descendants of the Confucius family, they wore the robes of the Imperial Academy or the robes of the Five Classics Doctors of the Imperial Academy.
The Ministry of Rites had already had low-level officials such as recorders come to visit. Kong Yinzhi roughly knew that the powerful figures in the team accompanying the eldest son that he should meet were not just Director Wang of the Ministry of Rites or the eunuch Cao Huachun.
Therefore, when Kong Yinzhi saw that Zheng Haizhu, who was wearing an official red robe, was indeed a woman, he bowed his head very simply, showing his piety.
The other party is no more than a sixth-grade woman with an imperial order. After all, she is considered a close official of the Zhu family and his son. She has not yet put on the hat of the new Yanshenggong, so she must not put on airs to take advantage of her.
Even when he saw the general Zhu Yipai, Kong Yinzhi was not surprised.
The Lu Mansion and the Confucius Mansion are adjacent to each other and have been married for many years. They often visit each other during various festivals. Kong Yinzhi recognized Zhu Yipai as his peer.
The male member of the Lu family who was most likely to become the next vassal king came with him in person, which showed that it was certain that General Zhu Youxiao would be crowned prince.
In this way, when the car entered the city and the three young heirs to the throne, throne and title gathered in front of the lintel of the Kong family with the words "Holy Palace" hanging on it, Kong Yinzhi's whole body was burning with vigorous blood pride. .
Thanks to the Saint Kong who lived in a long time ago, and thanks to God for giving him the luck of reincarnation, he can look down upon the crown prince and future prince of the Ming Dynasty.
After all, accepting the support and admiration of scholars all over the world is not as joyful as socializing with the top powers of the empire.
But at this moment, Kong Yinzhi heard the red-robed Zheng saying to Zhu Youxiao, who stopped and looked up at the word "Holy Palace": "Your Highness, this is the door plaque written by Mr. Yan Ge."
"Who is Mr. Yange?" Zhu Youxiao asked pointedly.
He was separated from Ming Shizong by three generations, and it was only last year that he started going to the Wenhua Hall to listen to the classics and state affairs. He was not familiar with Yan Song, the treacherous minister who had great power during the Jiajing period and was demoted from his official position and confiscated his family.
Zheng Haizhu said: "It is Mr. Yan Ge, whose name is tabooed as Yan Song, and his son, Yan Shifan, who is also known as Mr. Xiaoge. They controlled the treasury, were greedy for money, colluded with border officials, and killed loyal and good people. Fortunately, Lord Jiajing was wise and finally identified his treachery. Give him mercy."
After she said these few words, the surroundings became quiet for a moment.
But there was no lack of shocked looks from all directions.
Wang Song, the head of the Ministry of Rites, had a buzzing sound in his head.
This woman must have gone crazy!
She, hasn't she been around the imperial court and official circles for a long time, doesn't she know the right and wrong?
She came out this time to regain the face she had just lost by Dong Lin. How could she suddenly say this in such a high-sounding occasion?
Kong Yinzhi and the elders of the Kong Mansion never expected that the so-called female master, the eldest son of the emperor, would say this.
The word "Holy Mansion" was indeed inscribed by Yan Song, and Yan Song's granddaughter also married into the Confucius Mansion.
After Yan Song's fall, the Confucian government specifically discussed whether to change the plaque. After all, they felt that this move was a bit self-protective and would add insult to injury. They were afraid that they would be criticized by those weird-tempered thorns in the scholarly community, so they continued to do so. There is this hot potato-like plaque on the main entrance of Confucius Mansion.
From then on, no matter whether it was a normal day or a big ceremony, officials from the Ministry of Rites and local officials, or the great Confucian scholars in Yanzhou, all tacitly avoided this topic when they passed by Yan Song's handwriting.
As time goes by, emperors change, and many past events from the previous dynasty fade into the dust, this plaque does not seem to be so dazzling anymore.
Unexpectedly, the scholars ignored it. Today, a woman who is not even an eunuch took it out and arranged it in front of the eldest son of the emperor.
But he saw that the eldest son of the emperor was also a little confused. He looked sideways at his teacher and said, "So, Yan Ge is always a traitor?"
Zheng Haizhu said: "The ministers have a fault, but the calligraphy skills are outstanding. The people are guilty, but the words are innocent. This plaque is kept in Yanshenggong Mansion, which is to carry forward the teachings of Confucius and Mencius."
As soon as these words came out, the painting style suddenly changed. Why did it sound like he was praising the Confucius Mansion again?
Although Kong Yinzhi and others didn't know which of the words "carry forward" corresponded to the teachings of their ancestors, they immediately felt that the woman in front of them didn't seem to be here to disrupt the situation. She was probably just showing off. Then give her a high hat and shut her up.
Kong Yinzhi hurriedly took over the conversation, twirled a line of Confucian Chinese regardless of whether he was able to master it, and said loudly: "Hundreds of workers live in a house to accomplish their work, a gentleman learns his way, and the master of Wenhua Palace is indeed better than Confucius." Meng Jingyi has studied it very deeply, very deeply.”
Zhu Youxiao looked at Zheng Haizhu and saw that she was slightly leaning towards Kong Yinzhi. She had no intention of continuing the topic, so he also moved forward.
When he crossed the threshold of the Confucius Mansion, the young prince's feeling of disgust when he entered the city turned into the excitement of watching a good show.
Cao Banban said that Master Zheng wanted to show the Confucius family something, and Zhu Youxiao felt that he must be holding back a big move later. Master Zheng didn't tell him, probably because it wasn't time yet. He believed in Master Zheng's arrangements.
Wang Song, the head of the Ministry of Etiquette, glanced at Cao Huachun, who had a fake smile on his face, and Zhu Yipai, the general who seemed to have heard nothing. With the sense of smell cultivated in the officialdom, he felt that something was not right.
But soon when he came to the second door of the Confucius Mansion, the man surnamed Zheng stepped back a little more knowingly. He raised his sleeves and stood solemnly, listening to Kong Yinzhi telling Zhu Youxiao about the time when he was the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the Bachelor of Wenyuange. The origin story of Li Dongyang’s design of the courtyard of the Confucius Mansion.
Wang Song crossed Zheng Haizhu with a heart in his hand, went to the other side of Zhu Youxiao, and explained hand in hand with Kong Yinzhi, as if the wise general had occupied the military strategic point, and the foreign enemies who were fooling around could not attack.
Lu Xiangsheng walked to Zheng Haizhu's side.
After a quarrel under the pine trees in Lu Mansion, Lu Xiangsheng was convinced that Zheng Haizhu was not deeply discordant, so he came to ask him the next day if there were any good stories left by scribes from past dynasties in Mount Tai.
But at this moment, Lu Xiangsheng realized that what Zheng Haizhu wanted to do to the Confucius family was not just to make a few satirical remarks about the descendants of Confucius.
However, she did not reveal any part of her plan to herself.
Lu Xiangsheng's eyes turned to the "Sage's Gate" plaque written by Li Dongyang, and he asked in a low voice: "Madam, you won't make random mistakes. What are your plans?"
"We're going to attack the city. You'll know as you read on."
Lu Xiangsheng choked, thought for a moment, and then asked: "Do your Highness and Eunuch Cao know?"
Zheng Haizhu asked softly: "What do you think?"
"Sister, Kong Mansion is not an ordinary duke's mansion."
"Yes, that's why I chose it."
After Zheng Haizhu finished speaking, he quickly followed the large group of people in front and arrived at the Chongguang Gate behind the second gate of Confucius Mansion.
Chongguang Gate is a purple-lacquered gate given to the Confucius Mansion by Emperor Jiajing. The remaining rules are that it can only be opened when the emperor comes to the Confucius Mansion or holds a ceremony to commemorate Confucius.
Only the eldest son of the emperor came this time. The door was still closed, and the left and right door panels were decorated with colorful door god patterns on a white background.
Kong Yinzhi and Wang Song from the Ministry of Rites were about to guide Zhu Youxiao to bypass Chongguang Gate from the east, when they heard the unlucky female voice ringing again.
"Your Highness, please come closer and take a look at the door god."
Just like when he was looking at the warship model in the Wenhua Hall, Zhu Youxiao came over and asked curiously: "Master Zheng, is this door god like a door plaque? What's the allusion to it?"
"There is no allusion, but there is thickness," Zheng Haizhu pointed at the door god and said, "Your Highness, please look at the door god of the Confucius Mansion. It is interesting. It seems that the old one has not been torn off, but the new one has been pasted on top of the old one."
"Oh," Zhu Youxiao took a closer look and muttered, "it's not that thick either."
Kong Yinzhi hurriedly stepped forward and explained: "Your Highness, this custom started in the Confucius Mansion around the time when the late emperor came into power. Indeed, it was only about thirty years ago."
"Thirty years?" Zheng Haizhu stared at Kong Yinzhi and asked, "How many gates are there in the Confucius Mansion and the Confucius Temple?"
Kong Yinzhi was stunned for a moment. He didn't know what kind of medicine this woman wanted to sell in her gourd, and he really didn't know the number of doors as well as the servants in charge. He was speechless for a moment.
Behind Kong Yinzhi, a man in his forties with thin cheeks and a somewhat sinister look came up and said coldly: "Master Zheng, why do you ask this?"
Zheng Haizhu was just at the gate of the city. He was particularly attracted by the hawk-eagle temperament of the other members of the Kong family. He also remembered the identity of the other party. He was the eldest son of a certain branch of the Kong family. Kong Yinzhi’s cousin was named Kong Shangyi.
Zheng Haizhu then smiled humbly: "Gentlemen, I have this question, but after seeing the door god in person today, I am a little curious. Even if there are more than thirty door gods stacked in one place, they are not the same. It’s not thick, so it’s not worth a thousand pieces of gold. Even if the Confucius Temple has about a hundred rooms and produces 300 pictures every year, how can it cost hundreds of acres of Kobe land?”
Kong Shangyi, who was more experienced than Kong Yinzhi, felt a thud in his heart when he heard the last question.
Sure enough, this woman is not a good person.
