The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Stepping on the rubble of Fengtian Gate, the sound of "click, click" sounded.

The fire in the Forbidden City had been extinguished, and before the scene could be cleaned up, Emperor Jiajing led everyone into the square through the Youshun Gate, and then stepped on the ruins of Fengtian Gate into the square in front of Fengtian Hall.

The once tall and majestic Fengtian Temple was now in ruins, a mess, and devastated. Only a few remaining smoked black pillars were still standing, showing its former majesty.

Emperor Jiajing's face looked very ugly at the moment, as dark as the pillar.

Wei Guangde followed the crowd. He was surprised to be summoned by Emperor Jiajing before, but he felt relieved after thinking about it. There was a fire in the house. Could the master come back and take a look?

Xiyuan is not far from Miyagi Castle, just next door.

However, after meeting the emperor, he did not get the reward he expected.

Also, at this time, Emperor Jiajing has no intention of considering how to reward them. Let's figure out the losses first.

Wei Guangde was not released from the palace, but was asked to follow the emperor's team to inspect the fire scene.

Emperor Jiajing walked in front, followed by Wei Guangde and Chen Ju. At this time, the six ministers and nine ministers and other dignitaries from the court had already arrived. All the eunuchs in the palace had also gathered. There was no room for him and Chen Ju in front. .

Along the way, Wei Guangde also understood the impact of the fire.

This does not mean that if you have money, you can repair it immediately. It is completely different from the later generations. If you have money, you can directly find the construction team and go to the building materials market to start the construction.

The materials used to build the palace these days are not masonry and cement, but wood, golden nanmu.

The "history" of golden nanmu began in the Yuan Dynasty. Because its golden pattern was very consistent with the noble and elegant temperament of the royal family, it once became a special material for the royal family of the Yuan Dynasty.

By the Ming Dynasty, golden nanmu was widely used in the palace as a precious wood. The emperor of the Ming Dynasty applied this material to the manufacture of palaces, furniture, and coffins.

The output of golden nanmu is not small, and its value is not high, but what is precious is a special pattern of golden nanmu, that is, golden nanmu can be encountered but not sought.

The Ming Dynasty used golden nanmu. Ordinary wood was used to make palaces and other buildings, while wood with golden threads was used to make royal furniture.

Golden nanmu grows in the most remote and highest altitude areas of China - the dense forests in the mountains of western Sichuan. The climate there is cold and dry, the temperature difference between day and night is large, the air humidity is low, and the trees grow slowly.

During the Yongle period, large-scale planting began in Sichuan, Huguang, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and other places. Since these areas are rich in high-quality golden nanmu, many emperors in the Ming Dynasty would plant golden nanmu in their palaces, palaces, towers, temples and palaces. .

There is actually no shortage of wood sources, but the problem is that golden nanmu grows very slowly.

The growth cycle of nanmu is very long, and it takes at least 50 years to grow into wood. However, at this time, the golden threads have just begun to form, growing at a rate of 1-2% every year, and it will take at least 50 years to reach "full gold".

Even to build only three halls, it would take more than 50 years of wood. Naturally, such a large amount of materials cannot be collected in a short time.

Now that the three main halls are completely destroyed, regardless of whether the imperial court can get the money to rebuild them, the selection and preparation of materials alone cannot be completed in a short time, and it will take at least several years.

At this time, Wei Guangde already knew the whole story of the fire. It was lightning that struck Fengtian Hall and caused a fire, which then spread to Huagai Hall and Shenxin Hall at the back. The fire continued to burn along the corridor, igniting the second floor of the civil and military buildings, and then burned to Fengtian Gate and At the Meridian Gate, the left and right gates were also burned.

Fortunately, the wind was blowing from the north, and the strong wind pushed the fire to the south. If the wind had been blowing from the south, the fire would have burned directly to the harem.

Think about the situation in the harem, which is inhabited by the palace ladies and chamberlains who came forward. If the harem is really burned down, I really don’t know how much damage will be done and how many people will die.

But what Wei Guangde didn't know was that what Emperor Jiajing was thinking about at the moment was what revelation the fire gave him. Is this a warning from God or something?

The last time the three main halls were burned down, Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, issued a criminal edict. Now that the three main halls have been burned down again, what should I do?

It was not until it was getting late that everyone said goodbye to the emperor and left the Forbidden City to return to their residences. Wei Guangde also followed the crowd and walked out. He had not eaten lunch. It was dinner time now and he was hungry.

On the second day, Wei Guangde arrived at the Hanlin Academy on time for duty.

Before leaving the palace last night, Emperor Jiajing ordered all officials in Beijing of the fourth rank and above to go to Xiyuan to attend court this morning. Wei Guangde was of course not among them, so he could only go to his official room and sit and drink tea on time.

Wei Guangde was not very interested in what would happen in Xiyuan today. He just wanted to know whether he would be promoted or given something yellow and white as a reward.

To be honest, Wei Guangde himself didn't really believe that he could continue to be promoted because he was too young.

Normally, most Jinshi scholars of this age will be elected to the Hanlin Academy as Shujishi for three years, so that they will be in their twenties and can take up other positions.

But he happened to be a freak outside the rules. He was appointed an official by a concubine at the age of eighteen. Seeing that he had made great achievements again, I guess the court still had opinions on how to reward him.

It would also be good to receive some gold and silver rewards, and it is advisable to take a broad view of the scenery.

Wei Guangde could only comfort himself in his heart at the moment.

What Wei Guangde did yesterday had been spread outside the palace yesterday afternoon. He had saved the "Yongle Dadian". This was a real achievement. Before he sat down to take a sip of tea today, his colleagues in the Imperial Academy They all came over to sit around, and Wei Guangde took care of them with a smile on his face.

At almost noon, news finally came out from Xiyuan that Emperor Jiajing had issued the "Edict of Sin".

"I am the heir of the same surname. I was not a prince at first, but it was given by the emperor's decree and the blessings of my two relatives. It has been thirty-six years since I entered the imperial family. Yesterday, I suffered an unprecedented event. After internal changes, He Tian graciously forgives me and brings me back to life. This feeling is engraved in my heart. It is difficult to describe a thought. My body and life are love, but it is really dependent on the words of my servants. It is not the two ends of emptiness and silence. Heaven's heart is a mirror, and my heart is loyal. , Heaven is a clear lesson. Yesterday, due to the drought, I prayed at the altar of thunder and flood response. I was happy when the spiritual rain fell, and then there was the fierceness of thunder and fire. The three halls facing the three halls were ignited for a while, extending to the porch, and the pot was burned. Look up to the benevolence. Zhaolin is all my fault. I am writing this article to show my guilt to all my subjects. Please! Disasters and auspiciousness happen to each other, how can there not be inspiration? All those who are in power should be in a state of fear and respect. , there is no room for happiness and joy, and you must do your best to serve as a substitute. You must do your best to serve the people, uphold the heavenly precepts, use Zuo Erjun, and care for the living beings below, ensuring that they are safe and sound. Don’t abandon me in your efforts to be respectful. Therefore, this is The edict is issued and the envoy will know it."

Wei Guangde was also surprised when he heard the news. He thought Emperor Jiajing would find a way to evade the matter, so he never thought that he would issue an edict against himself.

I quickly went out with everyone to read the full text of "Edict on Sin", but it seemed that I didn't realize that I was wrong.

This is how Wei Guangde felt after reading "The Edict of Sin". He was a little suspected of shirking responsibility. This is what Emperor Jiajing should look like in his eyes.

Although Wei Guangde didn't have much contact with Emperor Jiajing, he still had a certain understanding of the current emperor based on his previous performance and market rumors.

The fire started because he felt that there was a drought and asked for rain, and it was accidentally caused. The responsibility was on him, and then it was gone.

Wei Guangde smacked his lips. Even though Emperor Jiajing issued the "Edict to Sin", he would probably continue to cultivate immortality in the future. He still said that although he admitted his mistake, he would never repent.

At this point, the fire in the three main halls has come to an end and is only recorded in the Ming Dynasty Records:

○Bingshen in April of the 36th year of Jiajing

The fire broke out at the doors of Fengtian and other halls. There was a loud thunder that day. At noon, the fire suddenly spread from Fengtian Hall and burned the canopy. I'm so afraid that tomorrow the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs will give me comfort and report that God loves me. I'm afraid of crossing the abyss, I don't know what to do, I'm so different, how can I excuse my resignation? I bow to him, but I feel that I am in favor of Yu.

The fire was over, but the reconstruction work was also put on the agenda of the court.

Although the imperial court has no money, it can't even have a place to go to court, right? It's not like you have to tighten your belt to do this project.

Naturally, the current Minister of Industry, Zhao Wenhua, would not object to this.

It is a fact recognized by everyone that the imperial court has no money, but things still have to be done. Anyway, it is just about selecting materials. It does not cost much money to select the materials first and prepare them.

An official document was sent from the Ministry of Industry in Beijing to Nanjing and they were asked to start preparations.

"Follow heaven to carry the emperor, and make the emperor"

Three days after the fire, when Wei Guangde was still on duty at the Hanlin Academy, an imperial edict came unexpectedly.

In the past, before issuing an order, someone would remind the person receiving the order to prepare the incense case and so on. This time it came a bit suddenly, and Wei Guangde had no one to give him the news before.

In the courtyard outside the duty room of the Hanlin Academy, Wei Guangde and other colleagues who came to join in the fun knelt down to welcome the imperial edict.

In fact, of course the colleagues coming together at this time were not just for this kneeling. It is not uncommon for them to receive orders in the Imperial Academy, but everyone wanted to know what kind of reward Wei Guangde could get this time, so they could enjoy a banquet in the autumn breeze.

His reputation as a high-ranking official in Wei was widely circulated in the Hanlin Academy. He had a lot of money and ginseng, and those who were short of cash or lacked ginseng at home would come to Wei Guangde for help. He also agreed to come to anyone who came. .

Contrary to what he originally thought, this imperial edict not only upgraded Wei Guangde's rank, but also rewarded him with twenty taels of silver.

It's just that the promoted official gave Wei Guangde a bit of a toothache. Zuo Sizhilang of Zuo Chunfang of Zhan Shifu was promoted from the sixth rank official position by half a rank.

Speaking of Zhan Shifu, it was considered a fat official before the Hongzhi Dynasty. It was the yamen that assisted and educated the prince.

In the early years of Hongwu, a large main hall was built to store ancient and modern books, and famous Confucian scholars from all over were summoned to teach the princes and princes.

Soon, the prince lived in Wenhua Hall, and the Confucian scholars took turns to attend him, and talented people were selected to accompany him. At that time, in addition to the prince's young master, young master, young treasurer, and guests, the officials in the East Palace also included Zhan Shi and Tongzhi. Official positions such as Zhanshi Yuanshi, Deputy Zhanshi, Yude, Zanshan Doctor and other official positions are all held by the old ministers.

In the 15th year of Hongwu's reign, the officials of Chunfang on the left and right were renamed, with Shuzi, Yude, Zhongyun, Zanshan, and Sizhilang respectively, and each with a bachelor.

It was not until the 22nd year of Hongwu that the Zhanshi Yuan was established to control the departments such as Zuochunfang, Youchunfang, and Economic Affairs Bureau, and manage the political affairs of the government, bureaus, and bureaus.

At this point, the Zhanshi Mansion was formed, mainly engaged in internal affairs services for the prince or the emperor, including official positions such as Zhanshi and Shao Zhanshi.

As for the job that Wei Guangde got, the position of Zuo Chunfang Zuo Si Zhilang was an extraordinary official position. He was in charge of the impeachment and correction of the prince's East Palace together with You Si Nao Lang and Zuo and You Qingjiro.

Wei Guangde did not expect that after changing his official position, he would start a discipline inspection work like his father. Wei Meng was appointed as the governor of Qianhu.

However, starting from the Hongzhi Dynasty, in order to educate the crown prince Zhu Houzhao, Emperor Hongzhi chose bachelors from the cabinet and the Hanlin Academy for education, instead of being educated by Zhan Shifu.

Now in the Jiajing Dynasty, the two princes granted by Emperor Jiajing are gone. Naturally, the Zhanshi Mansion has become a decoration, a step for promotion to Hanlin officials, and there is no chance of becoming a minister of the emperor.

Well, this time the reward, in addition to changing Wei Guangde's rank from a seventh-rank official to a sixth-rank official, and giving him twenty taels of silver, was still the kind of idle job with nothing to do.

After kneeling down to thank him for receiving the order, Wei Guangde pretended to be very happy and sent the order messenger away. Wei Guangde and his colleagues had another day of fun before returning home.

Although he was a little drunk after drinking some wine, he couldn't just sleep like this. He still had something important to do, which was to write a note of gratitude and send it to the General Affairs Department tomorrow morning.

This is a common practice. When the emperor gives a reward, the minister must express his gratitude.

That night, when Wei Guangde returned home, he was notified by the concierge that Chen Ju was already sitting in the lobby of his home drinking tea and waiting for him.

Wei Guangde received a reward yesterday, and Chen Ju probably received a reward as well, but I don't know what benefits he received.

"Brother Chen, this is"

Wei Guangde saw Chen Ju when he entered the door. He used to be dressed as a chamberlain, but today he saw Chen Ju's clothes had changed. He was serving as a eunuch.

Wei Guangde couldn't distinguish the clothes of these low-level eunuchs clearly, and he didn't know what kind of official Chen Ju was now and what level he was.

"Haha, thanks to my brother, I have been appointed as the Chief Supervisor and Chief of the Honor Guard."

Seeing Wei Guangde come in, Chen Ju stood up with a smile and bowed his hands to Wei Guangde, imitating the etiquette of meeting a scholar.

"Brother, what level is this?"

Wei Guangde asked curiously. He had been promoted by half a level. I wonder how Chen Ju should be promoted this time?

Eighth grade or seventh grade?

"The chief inspector serves the emperor, the same as my brother, from the sixth rank."

Hearing what Chen Ju said, Wei Guangde's eyes widened instantly and he looked at Chen Ju in disbelief.

There are people in this palace who are easy to get things done. Is Gao Zhong so capable?

"Don't stare at me. I used to do errands for His Majesty, but it was all hard work before. This time I jumped a lot because of all the hard work, hehe."

Speaking of this, Chen Ju couldn't hide his smile, he finally got ahead.

"No, it's just that the eldest brother has suddenly become the same as me, which is quite a bit."

"Hey, brother, you don't know that His Majesty has worked hard for your official position. It's because you are too young."