The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Wei Guangde, Lao Kan, and Zhu Shilong went to see the yard together.

To be honest, it is indeed small, but the location advantage is also great. It is really close to Hanlin Academy, only a ten-minute walk away.

Perhaps it was for this reason that I learned from Yaren that the owner of the courtyard refused to let go even after he had paid 1,500 taels of silver.

Regarding such a high price, Lao Kan, Zhu Shilong and others didn't say much, but let Wei Guangde decide whether to buy it.

It was already afternoon when they returned to the Jiujiang Guild Hall, and Zhang Ke and Xia Kefan also returned from the Rites Yamen.

The two of them were surprised when they returned to the club and saw no one else. When they saw them coming back and asked about them, they found out that they had followed Wei Guangde to look at houses in the inner city.

"House prices in the inner city are not cheap."

Xia Kefan has been in the capital for a long time, so he naturally knows that housing prices in the inner city are several times higher than those in the outer city.

In fact, he had also considered buying a house in the outer city at first, but the cheapest house cost dozens of taels of silver, and it was also very remote, making travel inconvenient, and his own financial conditions did not allow it, so he gave up.

Well, now Xia Kefan can't even afford a house in the capital, but this does not affect his envy of Wei Guangde's financial resources.

"Fifteen hundred taels, no counter-offer, but the house is really well-renovated."

Zhu Shilong said from behind.

The Zhu family is rich, but they don’t have the financial resources to buy a house in Beijing.

Of course, the family should be able to scrape together the money if needed, but the family's businesses will definitely be greatly affected.

"By the way, when you got the note, where did you go to watch the government?"

Lao Kan sat down and asked, today these two are going to the Ministry of Rites to get a note, and he is also very concerned about the whereabouts of these two fellow villagers.

"I'm the same as you. The Ministry of Punishment monitors government affairs. I'll probably be released in half a year."

Xia Kefan shook his head and said, but then he became energetic, looked at Wei Guangde and Lao Kan and chuckled: "Guess where Qing Jin is going?"

Jinqing is Zhang Jinqing, also known as Zhang Ke.

Hearing what Xia Kefan said, Wei Guangde and Lao Kan both blinked and stared, and Zhu Shilong and others also became interested.

"It's not like the cabinet really watches politics."

Then Lao Kan joked, "Student Guanzheng, hehe. But Jin Qing's calligraphy is really good. If he works harder, he may become a great calligrapher."

Zhang Ke's handwriting is the best among this group of people, but his rankings in the general examination and palace examination are a little low, otherwise he is really one of the strong contenders for the Hanlin Academy's Shujishi.

It's just a pity that the Hanlin Academy is not recruiting people this year, and Wei Guangde doesn't know what kind of bad luck it was that made Emperor Jiajing look at him with admiration and sent him to that place.

"Qing Jin, tell me, where are you going to watch the government?"

Zhu Shilong interjected and asked.

Outside, Wei Guangde, Lao Kan, Zhang Ke and others also wanted to pay homage to the Jinshi master, so naturally they couldn't pretend in front of their fellow villagers.

"It's a bit unexpected. I'm going to the Chinese Book Department."

Zhang Ke didn't beat around the bush and directly told where he was going.

"Zhongshu Ke? I'm a good boy, and I'm from Zhongshu Sheren?"

Zhu Shilong screamed when he heard this.

"Have you really joined the cabinet?"

Lao Kan was also surprised. He didn't expect that he casually said that he would enter the cabinet to observe the government. It seemed that Zhang Ke actually went there.

In the Ming Dynasty, the scholars were divided into those in the Zhongshu Keshe, those in the east room of Zhiwenhua Hall, those in the west room of Zhiwuying Hall, those in the imperial edict room of the cabinet, and those in the imperial edict room of the cabinet. 5 types, all from the seventh grade.

It should be noted that the Zhongshu Department is not called a department. To be precise, it should be called the Middle Study Room. However, because it is located outside the Meridian Gate and is associated with the official offices, everyone is used to not calling it the Middle Study Room, but the Middle Study Room. It's called Zhongshu Ke.

The Zhongshu Department has a quota of 20 people, and there is no distinction between big and small. Generally, one person with seniority will make the seal, called "Yinjun", and become the de facto leader of the Zhongshu Department. Their job is to write imperial edicts, make imperial edicts, and make banknotes. Books, iron coupons and other things.

"I will also practice my calligraphy in the future. If I get a Jinshi in the future, I might as well be a colleague of the Jinqing."

Zhu Shilong joked.

Wei Guangde also didn't expect that Zhang Ke would go there. Those who dealt with him all the year round were the Cabinet and the Sixth Section. It was a very important yamen. Most of the documents handed over by the Cabinet were written by the Chinese Script Section.

This is a place where you can often see high-ranking officials from the imperial court. If you behave a little better, your future will be promising.

Although Zhang Ke is new here and can't even be considered a member of the Zhongshu Department, he is just a member of the Zhongshu Department, he will be able to transfer to the Department of Science in the future, making it a good place for officials in the capital.

Wei Guangde didn't expect that a good calligraphy could be so powerful. He directly let Zhang Ke enter this yamen. He could only feel envious in his heart.

Well, he was envious of others who had promulgated official positions, which could take as long as two years or as short as half a year, but he had to stay in the Hanlin Academy for three years before leaving, and then he would be sent abroad. It is still uncertain whether the local people will appoint him as an academic official or he will be appointed to the Hanlin Academy for review.

Wei Guangde's envy was dispelled in the evening. When Lao Kan and others started to play cards, Zhang Ke rarely participated and only said that he was going out for something.

Wei Guangde saw Zhang Ke and his entourage going out with a bulging package at the door of the house.

Everything fell into his eyes, Wei Guangde just blinked, and then shook his head slightly.

If it weren't for Chuan Lu's identity, I'm afraid Wei Guangde himself would be like Zhang Ke.

I just don’t know whose family he went through?

In fact, it is easy to guess that in the capital, the only people Zhang Ke can travel around are Jiangxi fellows. He may not be able to enter the mansions of adults in other provinces.

After watching Zhang Ke leave the small courtyard, Wei Guangde went to Lao Kan's side. There was already a war inside.

Just when Wei Guangde was preparing to go to the Hanlin Academy when the time came, a piece of news instantly petrified him.

On Dingsi in April of the 35th year of the Jiajing reign, a decree came from Xiyuan: Wu Shan, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, was promoted to be the minister of the Ministry of Rites and a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, Mao Zan, the right minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was promoted to the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Yuan Wei, a minister of the Hanlin Academy, was promoted to the minister of rites. The ministers on the right each serve as former officials.

At the same time, the decree came out that Yan Na should be promoted to the Hanlin Academy as an attendant, and Li Chunfang should be promoted to the Hanlin Academy as a bachelor.

Regarding the promotion of Yan Na and Li Chunfang, Wei Guangde belatedly discovered a little trick for promotion in the Hanlin Academy.

Well, there is something clear in the decree, "Youzhong of Youchunfang allowed Dong Fen to write Xuanwen and Na and others to serve as editors. I specially ordered the assistant ministers to say: Today, big and small officials are killing countless people for their personal affairs. Your Majesty. One or two ears among thousands of people.

Na and Chunfang were each promoted to bachelor's degree, and those who served in Zhongxuanchang. Of course, many people who write supplementary articles in the official poetry community give up their duties. They often focus on metaphysical writing for the sake of advancement. "

These two people were favored by Emperor Jiajing because they were "one or two among thousands of people who serve", so they got this promotion. As for how they served, they wrote Xuanwen.

The two Hanlin writers wrote Xuanwen and were rewarded by the emperor. As for what this Xuanwen was, it was naturally Taoist Qingci.

Qing Ci, also known as "Qing Ci", "Green Su", or Green Chapter, is a Taoist word that pays tribute to heaven during the Eid al-Fitr Festival. It requires neat form and gorgeous words.

Qingci, as a means for people to pray for blessings, has two functions: one is to pray to God to change the bad celestial phenomena, and the other function is to pray to God to bless oneself in peace and happiness.

For Emperor Jiajing, who was superstitious about Taoism, a good Qingci would naturally please him.

In this emperor's view, once Qing Ci was written, perhaps some god would favor him as the emperor and use means to help him obtain the Taoism he dreamed of and the way to immortality.

In the heart of Emperor Jiajing, he was naturally a very loyal minister to those who helped him practice.

At this time, the people who hindered his cultivation were speculators who wanted to bet on the new emperor's way to gain a future. They wished he would die early so that the prince they bet on could ascend the throne.

At this time, Emperor Jiajing was already forty-nine and almost fifty years old. He had achieved nothing in his more than twenty years of monastic life, with no hope of success in sight.

At this time, he had no doubts about Taoist cultivation of immortality or Taoism. He also believed that Taoism was natural and could not be forced, but he still felt anxious.

This anxiety is naturally due to his growing age.

Emperor Jiajing was not confused. How long could emperors in history live?

Long live?

He doesn't have much time left, he must seize the last moment to gain that glimmer of life.

For this reason, as he reached the end of his life, he punished the ministers who advised him to practice more severely.

From not taking things seriously when he was young, to now he wants to kill all these people who have bad intentions.

It was just a whim decision to select Wei Guangde as a proponent. But a few days later, when Jin Yiwei sent someone to post a message for Wei Guangde, Emperor Jiajing had other ideas. He wanted to know what the current ministers and ministers were thinking. His thoughts also include his two sons.

Since Wei Guangde didn't catch any big fish, he decided to try more fire.

Wei Guangde naturally didn't know this. He was sending a new guest out at this time.

Back in the house, Wei Guangde sighed, trouble finally came to the door.

What he just sent away was the official record of Prince Jing's Mansion, a ninth-grade official, but the trouble was that he represented Prince Jing.

When Wei Guangde was in Jiangxi, he knew that King Yu and King Jing coexisted in the capital. Although he did not hear that they fought with each other, he thought that these would happen in private and would never be brought to the table.

Now Prince Jing's Mansion sent a gift and invited Wei Guangde to visit the Prince's Mansion when he had time. Wei Guangde didn't want to wade into this muddy water, but he still had a flattered expression on his face to thank King Jing for his attention.

Looking at the name card on the table, Wei Guangde shook his head. He was really not a competent actor.

He casually picked up the book "Supreme Yellow Urn Dazhai Li Cheng Ritual" lying on the table and continued reading. Ever since he knew that Emperor Jiajing liked to promote Hanlin who could write Qing Ci, Wei Guangde became more active.

Nonsense, who doesn't want to be a high official? Wei Guangde also wants to soar to the sky with Qingci.

With a few days of free vacation, Wei Guangde went to bookstores outside to look for teaching materials on writing Qingci, but he couldn't find them. Finally, he saw some Taoist books in a Taoist temple with relevant records.

These books are not cheap. Wei Guangde has not yet decided whether to buy them or not, so he first spends hundreds of taels of money on books to study how Qing Ci is written.

The book he is reading now, "The Inauguration Ceremony of the Supreme Huanglu Dazhai", according to the words of the Taoist Immortal, was compiled by Jiang Shuyu of the previous dynasty.

The whole book is divided into twenty-four sections, and there are many details under each section, detailing various fasting rituals and striving to magnify the ancient Lingbao fasting method. The textual research on ancient methods and the analysis of their origins are rare among all fasting rituals and can be called Huanglu Zhai. The complete book of Dharma is very comprehensive.

A very comprehensive book, with dozens of volumes, and the price is not cheap. This set of books alone is worth hundreds of dollars.

Qingci is actually used in fasting ceremonies. It is necessary to communicate with the gods and let the gods read the article. Naturally, gorgeous words are a must.

Then, Wei Guangde was a little dumbfounded after reading the part about Qing Ci. He found that it seemed a bit difficult to piece together the things that were used to cope with the imperial examinations and come up with an eye-catching Qing Ci.

Writing Qing Ci seems to require a lot of imagination and then piling up rhetoric, which is different from his original idea of ​​setting a center and then extending it, and finally using vocabulary to add and modify it.

Although it is very difficult, Wei Guangde still plans to study the writing skills of Qingci during the period when he is a concubine in the Hanlin Academy. Maybe he can write a work that the emperor is satisfied with, and he can become a prosperous person, at least he will lose his concubine one day earlier. A custard hat, put on a real official hat.

Although the book says that writing Qing Ci is simple but not flashy, practical but not cluttered, and the writing is simple and simple, focusing on confrontation and allusion, Wei Guangde held the opposite view after reading several circulated Qing Ci.

Qing Ci, at least the Qing Ci that Emperor Jiajing liked, was flattering and bragging, saying that Emperor Jiajing was a good emperor and deserved long live.

Wei Guangde didn't know it before in Jiangxi, but he didn't hear until he arrived in the capital that his fellow chief minister also had an "elegant nickname" in the capital called "Prime Minister Qingci".

Well, in fact, Yan Song is not the only one who deserves to be the prime minister of Qingci. There are many others. Xu Jie is also a good hand at writing Qingci. It is said that he could not write Qingci before, but now he is very good at it.

Therefore, at this time, Wei Guangde didn't think there was anything wrong with the Taoist "Supreme Yellow Barrel Dazhai Licheng Ceremony". Xu Jie must have discovered the hobby of Emperor Jiajing and learned it after he sharpened his spear in battle.

Xu Jie followed the same example, and he followed the same method, it was the same.

But no matter what, when the day came, Wei Guangde could only put down his books, pack his bags and go to the Hanlin Academy to report.

Wei Guangde got up early in the morning and put on the seventh-grade official uniform he made by himself, because only the number one scholar can be given the uniform by the imperial court. The other new scholars starting from the second place can only find a tailor shop to customize their official uniforms and go to the Yamen to observe the government.

Although Shujishi is not an official position, Jinshi has seven attributes.

Wei Guangde still walked out of the Jiujiang Guild Hall. In that courtyard, Wei Guangde was still instructing Zhang Ji and Yahang to talk to the landlord over there, hoping to save some money.

Although Wei Guangde could afford one thousand five hundred taels, he didn't have much money after buying the yard.

After becoming a tribute scholar and a Jinshi, he received gifts worth several hundred taels of silver. During this period of time, he gave them away during visits, and paid several hundred taels of money back. In addition, he spent a lot of money on books.

So far, the situation in the yard is still not optimistic, and the landlord refuses to let go.

After buying a house, Wei Guangde only had a few hundred taels of silver left.

Yes, although the price of the yard was much higher than that of other houses, Wei Guangde really took a fancy to it.

As Zhu Shilong said before, the house was well built and had the flavor of a later Chinese villa. Wei Guangde felt that the living experience should be very good.

In these days, for houses in the capital, the land price is not expensive, and the labor is not expensive. What is expensive is the materials and the layout of the yard.

Zhang Ji couldn't see anything about the rockery pool, and Wei Guangde couldn't see anything, but Lao Kan could see it. The Taihu stone was not valuable in the place where it was produced, but it was different when it was transported to the capital.

The masonry, wood, and workmanship used to build the house are not materials that can be used in ordinary residential buildings. The carved beams and paintings are also of extraordinary workmanship. The entire set of furniture in the house is also of extraordinary workmanship. Five hundred and five hundred taels of silver is really not a rip-off.