The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Fujian and Guangdong have been in chaos due to the Japanese invasion, but the documents sent by the Ministry of Rites and the Zongren Mansion to the princes in various places have begun to receive responses.

Although most of the princes in various places are very greedy, after the emperor in the capital speaks, he will more or less obediently send gold, silver, wealth and silk, but it depends on how far he is and how close he is.

In fact, during the Jiajing Dynasty, the imperial court's finances had been very tight. In the 20th year of Jiajing's reign, the Imperial Ancestral Temple in the capital was burned down by fire and when they were preparing to rebuild it, facing the financial difficulties of the imperial court, the ministers decided to donate their salaries.

It's just that Emperor Jiajing felt that asking ministers to donate money to build the Ancestral Temple was really shameless, so he only accepted donations from the old Zhu family, that is, he asked princes from various princes to donate. After all, it was a place to worship ancestors, and it was really not easy for outsiders to contribute money. .

The Ancestral Temple, also known as the emperor's "ancestral temple" and the country's "big temple", was the place where ancient emperors worshiped distant and recent ancestors. Sometimes it was also a place where the country offered sacrifices and prayed when it faced major decisions.

The Imperial Ancestral Temple contains the thrones of the emperors of this dynasty. From the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China to the succession of the current emperors, it can be regarded as the "recorded history" of a dynasty.

The Imperial Ancestral Temple was called "Shishi" in the Xia Dynasty, "Chongwu" in the Yin and Shang Dynasties, "Mingtang" in the Zhou Dynasty, and "Ancestral Temple" in the Qin and Han Dynasties.

Therefore, Emperor Jiajing's decision at that time was taken for granted by both civil and military officials and members of the royal family, so the intention to donate was still very strong at that time.

However, this donation is for the re-recording of "Yongle Dadian", so it depends on the situation.

Although Emperor Jiajing lives in Xiyuan, he has sent people to guard the feedback received from various places in the Zongren Mansion, and will deliver it to him in Xiyuan as soon as possible after receiving it.

"Hmm."

Looking at the first batch of documents submitted by the royal family to the Ministry of Rites, Emperor Jiajing just snorted.

Basically, princes and princes from all over the country seem to have agreed on a unified approach, that is, the princes donate one hundred taels of gold and two or three thousand taels of silver, while the princes donate one thousand taels of silver.

"The donations are very unified, as if they have been connected for a long time."

After humming, Emperor Jiajing said quietly.

"Your Majesty, judging from the time it takes to return the official document after writing it, it should be too late."

Huang Jin on the side replied hurriedly. He knew that the emperor was a little unhappy and felt that the donation was too little.

After all, Jiajing Emperor Zhu Houcong ascended the throne as Prince Xing. He knew how much wealth the original Prince Xing's mansion had, and it was only passed down to one generation.

Zhu Youtang was the fourth son of Zhu Jianshen, Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty, half-brother of Zhu Youtang, Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty, and uncle of Zhu Houzhao, the Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty. He was granted the title of King Xing on July 11, the 23rd year of Chenghua, and came to Fanhu in September of the seventh year of Hongzhi. In Luzhou, Guang'an, he died in the 14th year of Zhengde. Emperor Zhengde first gave him the posthumous title of "Xian", that is, "King Xingxian".

After Zhu Houcong, Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty, came to the throne, he was revered as "Emperor Xingxian" and posthumously named: Zhi Tian Shou Dao Hong De Yuan Ren Kuan Mu Chun Sheng respectful thrifty Jing Wen Emperor, the temple name Ruizong.

Huang Jin said good things to the princes at this time, of course not because he accepted their benefits, but simply because he didn't want Emperor Jiajing to be angry and affect his health.

Others didn't know that, as a person close to Emperor Jiajing, he had a general understanding of the emperor's physical condition.

He could feel that Emperor Jiajing's physical condition had begun to decline since he fainted last time. He was no longer what he was before. Even Concubine Shang, who had been favored in the past two years, had not been summoned to the palace for a long time.

Seeing that Emperor Jiajing did not answer, Huang Jin hurriedly pointed to the back and said: "Your Majesty, look at the reply from King Xuanqi of Shu, offering two hundred taels of gold and five thousand taels of silver to help the workers, and also guarding the Duke of Yunnan Guizhou Mu Chao. Bi et al. mined 400 taels of gold and 10,000 taels of silver, and..."

"Okay, okay, I saw it."

Emperor Jiajing said angrily at this time, "Xuanqi is the title of King of Shu that he inherited last year, right?"

"Your Majesty has a good memory. It was indeed last year."

Huang Jin knew that Emperor Jiajing understood why the King of Shu had donated so much, because during the process of seizing the title last year, Emperor Jiajing happily issued an order for him to seize the title, and even his mother and concubine were granted the title of Crown Princess.

As for the reason, it is naturally that King Xuanqi of Shu inherited the title as his eldest son, not his legitimate son.

In addition, when Zhu Xuanqi was managing the Prince of Shu as the crown prince, from the 39th to the 40th year of Jiajing, he continuously presented gold, silver, Sichuan fans, Luo clothes and other items to the emperor, which was quite favorable by Emperor Jiajing.

As for why he showed such attentiveness, it may not necessarily be that King Zhu Xuanqi of Shu was really close to him, but it should be because of his mother and concubine.

Zhu Xuanqi's father, King Zhu Chengyao of Shu, died in the 37th year of Jiajing reign. However, as the eldest son of a concubine, he was under ten years old at this time. According to the Ming system, he needed to be ten years old to ascend to the nobility, so it was delayed until the 40th year of Jiajing reign.

Obviously, he was worried about changes during this period, which is why Zhu Xuanqi was so diligent and continued to donate money to gain the favor of Emperor Jiajing.

What scheming such a young child can have will naturally be guided by the people around him.

Although he knew it, Emperor Jiajing still felt much better after Huang Jin's words.

"What's the news from the cabinet?"

Although Emperor Jiajing's question had no beginning or end, Huang Jin knew that he was asking about the chief school officer.

Since the Ministry of Rites and the Prince's Palace, the cabinet has begun to discuss who will serve as the chief official of the re-recording ceremony. Officials from the Hanlin Academy and the Ministry of Rites are naturally the most active, and many people in the Hanlin Academy who are good at regular script also hope to participate.

When officials participate in copying, they can also receive retouching fees in addition to their salary. It is a good choice for Qingliu officials with less income. They can also take a look at the recently circulated "Yongle Dadian", which is a great blessing. What's more, there are opportunities for exams and promotions.

"In addition to Qu Jingchun, who was appointed by the emperor, Gao Gong, Li Chunfang, Yan Na and others also want to take up the post. I heard that the eunuch who came back said that Mr. Xu Ge also intends to let Zhang Juzheng, a lecturer in Prince Yu's palace, come to the palace for proofreading."

Huang Jin replied.

"Prince Yu's Mansion is also interested?"

Emperor Jiajing just asked lightly.

Hearing this, Huang Jin's heart skipped a beat, knowing that he had talked too much, and he really shouldn't say that he was an official in Prince Yu's palace.

"There has been no discussion in the royal palace about the report. There should be no such intentions. It is just Mr. Xu Ge and Mr. Gao's own thoughts. After all, Zhang Juzheng is Mr. Xu Ge's proud disciple."

Huang Jin replied.

"Has Chen Yiqin come back?"

Emperor Jiajing suddenly spoke and asked about the officials in Prince Yu's palace.

"No, Chen Yiqin is still in Dingyou."

Huang Jin replied hurriedly.

"The Yin people were upright by nature, more courageous and less resourceful."

He shook his head as he spoke, obviously not optimistic about this person. As for the others, there is definitely no hope for the position of chief school officer.

However, with this evaluation, Emperor Jiajing certainly did not think that Prince Yu's Palace was also involved, but he soon thought of several other people in the Palace.

"Are there any candidates for school recruitment and branch office officers? Who are the candidates?"

Emperor Jiajing asked again calmly.

"They are mainly people from the Hanlin Academy. The preliminary candidates include Ding Shimei, Xu Shixing, Lu Min, Wang Xilie, Zhang Siwei and others. Others are still under discussion. I think the list will be sent soon."

Huang Jin thought for a while before answering, and then seemed to think of something, and then said: "In addition, the cabinet seems to be still in contact with the Confucian scholar Cheng Daonan and others, and wants to find more people who are good at regular script to participate in copying. It is planned to recruit a total of three hundred people." people."

"Did Wei Guangde and Tang Ruji have any connections?"

Suddenly, Emperor Jiajing interrupted again and asked.

"No. After Wei Guangde and Tang Ruji left Prince Yu's Mansion, they just went home to read and didn't run around much."

Huang Jin replied.

However, his answer made Emperor Jiajing look over with dissatisfaction and said: "I believe you when you say that Tang Ruji went home to read. Wei Guangde is not like this. He often drinks with his colleagues in the same year and the Hanlin Academy. He was just having fun, and even went to the Jiaosi Square with the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Are you telling me that now he leaves the office and goes directly home to read?"

Huang Jin blushed. These were from the former factory guard, but they couldn't be fake. After thinking for a while, he said: "Your Majesty, Wei Guangde hasn't gone out to have fun and have fun lately. Whenever he goes to San Yamen, he goes directly home.

By the way, it seems that his wife is pregnant, and now he is the last one to enter Prince Yu's Mansion every day. "

I don’t know if the last sentence is considered a snitch against Wei Guangde, but based on his understanding of Emperor Jiajing, it shouldn’t be a big deal.

When Zhu Yuanzhang was in power, there were more than ten government-run brothels less than 20 miles away from the banks of the Qinhuai River. This also made both sides of the Qinhuai River the busiest place in Nanjing at night, where the richest people gathered.

The income from these government-run brothels goes to the national treasury, and the women in them are all guilty. Unless they are redeemed at a high price, they will never get ahead.

This was also Zhu Yuanzhang's punishment for officials who committed crimes. His original intention was to make them restrain themselves, but he greatly underestimated the greed of officials.

Zhu Yuanzhang came from a poor background, so he always exerted high pressure on officials' work style and discipline. It was stipulated that government-run brothels were only open to the public, and no court officials were allowed to enter.

Since the development of the Jianwen, Yongle, and Hongxi dynasties, the prostitution of official groups in the Ming Dynasty has almost reached the point of giving the emperor a headache. The official brothels run by Jiaofangsi are doing a booming business, and many private brothels are also taking advantage of the loose policies and the lack of laws. Loopholes that blame the public are popping up in large numbers.

During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong and Zhu Zhanji of the Ming Dynasty, the prostitution industry in the Ming Dynasty spread all over the country, and was particularly prosperous in Nanjing, Suzhou and Hangzhou. Even in remote and poor states and counties, brothels could be seen everywhere.

During the Xuande period, the Ming Dynasty was in its prime, with no political turmoil internally and no strong enemies raging externally. Therefore, most of the officials' energy had nowhere to display, so they all spent it on romance. It was also at this time that something happened. Something very excessive.

The three censors of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Yan Ai, Fang Ding, and He Gui, did not attend the morning court the next day because they were having too much fun in the brothel and got carried away.

The censors of the Metropolitan Procuratorate are responsible for supervising all officials. Even their style is so bad. You can imagine how unbridled the other officials are about prostitution.

Ming Xuanzong was also furious because of this. This incident undoubtedly sounded the alarm for him. After careful consideration, he decided to eliminate this hidden danger.

It was also because of this that the first "anti-pornography operation" was launched directly by the emperor in Chinese history.

The purpose of Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty was very clear, which was to clean up the court and clean up the promiscuity in the officialdom. At the same time, he also formulated a law. In addition to the sixty rods for officials who engaged in prostitution, they also added the clause of dismissal and never hiring.

Among the people, he also told the literati all over the world that if they engaged in prostitution, they would be stripped of their academic titles and prohibited from participating in the imperial examinations.

Ming Xuanzong's anti-pornography efforts were the largest in the entire Ming Dynasty history, and even the largest in the entire feudal history.

Of course, the effect was indeed very good. Soon thereafter, almost all brothels across the country were wiped out. The scenery on both sides of the Qinhuai River was no longer beautiful, and the official atmosphere took on a new look.

Of course, behind the appearance, it is actually just making this industry more hidden and harder to detect, but the social atmosphere has indeed improved as a result.

However, after the death of Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty, officials' lust for wine and sex, which had been suppressed for many years, and the folk custom of romance, which had been suppressed for many years, began to revive and even intensify.

Wei Guangde, who was under surveillance by the factory guards, and his colleagues had been recorded for having sex with prostitutes, but Emperor Jiajing did not impose any punishment for it. There were too many to list.

In a word, the law does not punish the public, so the emperor, who is the most powerful person in the world, cannot investigate and deal with it. Even the censors are involved, and the factory guards under him will not be very clean.

When both the censor and factory guards are involved, it becomes difficult to investigate and handle the matter.

Fortunately, at least Wei Guangde is a prostitute and has not visited prostitutes or slept in brothels.

"Oh, is that so?"

Emperor Jiajing just chuckled and shook his head, then changed the topic and said: "I remember it was said in the general catalog of the grand ceremony that Emperor Wen ordered the Confucian ministers to collect the books of the Secret Pavilion into rhymes for inspection, and there were more than 3,000 editors. .”

Huang Jin naturally knew that his prince was competing with his ancestors, but Prince Yu's palace seemed to have changed the story.

But repairing books and re-recording are two different things. Repairing books is more of a choice. You need to search for good works worthy of preservation and inclusion in the vast sea of ​​books. Re-recording is just copying them once, so naturally they cannot be confused.

"Your Majesty."

Huang Jin just opened his mouth when Emperor Jiajing waved his hand and interrupted: "It goes without saying, just do as they say. It doesn't matter if there are more people or less people, but your eyesight is not bad, so be more attentive to those who copied them." The assessment of people is the key point.”

"Yes, Your Majesty."

With the emperor saying this, Huang Jin could only accept the order immediately.

After speaking, Emperor Jiajing was deep in thought. Naturally, he had heard about the officials of Prince Yu's Palace, but at this stage, he had no intention of letting people from Prince Yu's Palace take over. He knew his own physical condition and would not be so quick.

In order to be more comfortable in his last days, he chose to promote those who flattered him, because these people were the most obedient.

Because this time it is about copying rather than revising books, people like the president, chief editor, and chief reader are naturally not needed. All that is left is to assign the copying work and the most important proofreading.

Except for Qu Jingchun, since Gao Gong wants it, let him join in. Anyway, it is impossible to give him a chance to be promoted in the short term.

As for Zhang Juzheng, since Xu Jie thought about it, he would fulfill his wish and let Zhang Juzheng serve as the school administrator. The only problem was that other people in Prince Yu's palace should also be involved. After all, there was no place for them in Emperor Jiajing's plan for the time being.