The Prosperous Era of Longwan

In March of the second year of Longqing, many things happened.

However, in Wei Guangde's view, the most important things were actually two things, one was the crown prince's canonization and the Wuchen Palace Examination.

Coming out of Zhongji Hall, Xu Jie held the yellow list in his hand. From this moment on, Jinke Jinshi was determined.

Although there is an outlier like Luo Wanhua, the other rankings are pretty much the same, and Wei Guangde can accept it.

However, for the Ministry of Etiquette, things were not over yet. Next, there would be a grand ceremony of passing on the name, a banquet of honor, a visit to the Confucius Temple for a dish ceremony, and official conferment activities.

However, there are rules and regulations. Wei Guangde also went through it before. He just asked about the preparations and felt relieved.

When I returned home that day, I saw several carriages parked on the street opposite the door as soon as I got off the carriage.

The Wei family is located in a not very wide alley. On the opposite wall is another official's residence, but the main door and side door do not open here.

What does it mean that these carriages are parked against the wall?

Which one?

Wei Guangde was suspicious, but he still stepped through the door.

As mentioned before, no matter who Wei Guangde is going to visit, he will send a message to his family in advance. In fact, this is also the rule for visiting during this period.

On TV, there are scenes of long queues of people lining up in front of some dignitaries' mansions, many of whom are bringing gifts. In fact, this is rarely seen in the capital.

There is only one possibility for this situation to happen, and that is that the owner of the house has been promoted, and someone will come to visit him a few days after receiving the decree. Because there are too many visitors, there will be a queue.

As for the Wei family, many people came when they were promoted a few times, but they were not as spectacular as the spectacular scenes in movies and TV shows where a whole street was filled with people. In other words, that was actually an exaggerated depiction.

"Zhang Ji, are there guests at home today?"

Wei Guangde had not taken a few steps into the gate when Zhang Ji came to greet him.

"Sir, the eldest son of Duke Dingguo has just arrived. After saying a few words, my wife asked me to come out and prepare the carriage."

Zhang Ji replied.

"Oh, let me go in and take a look."

The current Duke of Ding, Xu Yande, inherited the title of Duke of Ding in the eighth year of Jiajing. It has been more than 40 years. His health has been poor in the past few years. He did not attend the last two court meetings and even the imperial examination.

According to the news sent back by Xu Jianglan, he has been bedridden for the past month and is afraid that he doesn't have much time left.

Sure enough, when Wei Guangde entered, he saw Xu Jianglan's eyes were red, and standing next to him was Xu Wenbi, who was serving as a sinecure in the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion.

Wei Guangde was still wearing the official uniform of the second rank of the imperial court, but he was already at home. Naturally, he couldn't make any show. Instead, he took the initiative to bow his hands to Xu Wenbi and said, "Hello, cousin. I wonder how my uncle is doing? A few days ago, I heard from my wife that my uncle is sick. My nephew is busy with official duties and has never taken time to visit me. Please atone for your sins."

"Shan Loan, you are back."

Xu Wenbi also clasped his fists in return, but his voice was a little hoarse as he said: "The Ministry of Rites has a lot of affairs these days. You have to preside over the examinations, the palace examinations, and the canonization of the prince, so you are naturally very busy.

My father was afraid that time was running out, so he asked me to summon my relatives in Beijing. He wanted to see everyone again, so I came to bother him. "

The Duke of Ding and Duke of Wei come from the same family. Although the Duke of Ding has long since spread its branches and formed a huge family, the Duke of Wei has only this family in the capital.

Xu Yande wanted to see his relatives again, so the boys of the Xu family naturally informed everyone.

Although their lineage occupies the title of Duke of the country, in terms of seniority in the family, many people are considered their elders.

Even if he has a distinguished status, he does not dare to make any mistakes.

Although the Wei family was of the same generation as them, Xu Yande treated the Wei family with courtesy when he was doing well. At that time, Emperor Longqing had not yet ascended the throne.

Xu Wenbi is not a fool. Now Wei Guangde is different from the past. He is already a close minister of the emperor. There are rumors that he may join the cabinet in the past two years.

Although the influence of nobles and nobles is still huge, and they can face the saints and complain to the emperor, they have lost their original power.

And precisely because of the lack of power, they are even more reluctant to offend the Wei family.

This time when I came to the Wei Mansion, the eldest son of the Xu family came in person, which was a great honor.

Xu Wenbi, if nothing unexpected happens, will be the next Duke of Dingguo.

Knowing the purpose of his visit, Wei Guangde looked at Xu Jianglan with red eyes and just nodded.

The two children were left in the care of Mother Wei. After the carriage was hitched outside, they left the Wei Mansion and got on the carriage.

"My eldest brother said earlier that my uncle has already written a suicide note, I'm afraid..."

Xu Jianglan followed Wei Guangde from Nanjing to Jiujiang, and then from Jiujiang to Beijing. They were so far away that they could only communicate with their family members in Nanjing through letters.

Since entering Beijing, at first he just followed the wishes of his father Wei Guogong Xu Pengju and made good friends with Dingguo Duke's mansion, hoping to gradually repair the relationship between the two families.

But later on, Mrs. Dingguo's meticulous care for her made her feel the warmth of home. Old Dingguo was also very kind to her. She unconsciously regarded Dingguo's mansion as her natal family in the capital, and would go there every now and then. .

"It's okay. Birth, old age, illness and death will take their own course. The old man is blessed with profound blessings. It was a false alarm at that time."

He had no impression of the Ming Dynasty emperor, and Wei Guangde certainly didn't know Xu Yande at all.

However, from the last time he saw him at the court meeting, to the subsequent important court meetings where he did not show up, Wei Guangde also knew that his illness was probably serious.

The ancient medical technology is like this. Traditional Chinese medicine removes the roots, but the effect is slow. First aid is always inferior to Western medicine.

Even so, Western medicine did not appear at all in this era, not in the Ming Dynasty, but in fact it did not appear in the West.

Over there, we have just entered a civilized society from eating raw materials and drinking blood.

Along the way, I kept comforting Xu Jianglan while thinking about this matter.

Xu Wenbi should be able to seize the throne soon, but he doesn't know what other people are like. As long as he doesn't have a wild temper, it's fine, but he doesn't know what the other brothers in his family are like.

"I think my cousin behaves steadily, but I don't know what his brothers are like."

Wei Guangde asked seemingly casually.

At the beginning, he was not interested in Duke Dingguo's palace, so he did not know the situation of Xu Wenbi brothers in detail, but at this time, it would be impossible not to ask clearly.

Xu Jianglan glanced at him, and although her eye circles were red, her eyes were very smart, and she said as if she knew what he meant: "The other brothers are all concubines, and although they are a little neglectful, they will not cause much trouble. "

"Oh, haha. I'm just worrying too much."

Wei Guangde was actually thinking of Wei Guogong's situation, so he asked this question.

He knew that Xu Wenbi had brothers, but since he was the only direct descendant, it didn't matter.

When they arrived at Dingguo Palace, Xu Wenbi led the way to the backyard and visited Xu Yande on the sickbed.

In front of the door, I saw two waves of relatives who came to visit first. After being introduced by Xu Wenbi, they exchanged greetings with each other before entering the house.

The image of the old man now looks more haggard than what he saw at the court meeting before, with a haggard face and sunken eyes, almost like a different person.

After the ceremony, Mrs. Ding Guogong invited him to sit aside. After that, Xu Wenbi held Xu Jianglan's hand and talked a lot. Probably the biggest regret was that he never went to Nanjing to visit his brothers of the same generation, and he never paid homage to the tombs of his ancestors. In fact, guilty.

He also called Xu Wenbi and told him that if he had the opportunity, he must go to Nanjing to visit his uncle in Nanjing and take him to pay homage to the tomb of King Zhongshan.

Whether it is the Duke of Wei or the Duke of Ding, they all entrusted their ancestors to the Duke of Wei, Xu Dafu, King Wuning of Zhongshan.

Also, Xu Jianglan was asked to come to the house to sit in the house as usual, without saying anything about taking care of each other.

Wei Guangde knew very well that we were all relatives by marriage, so there were certain things that he didn't need to say.

After going out, Wei Guang pulled Xu Wenbi and asked, "Have you ever sent any news to the palace?"

"A few days ago, I handed over the note regarding sick leave for the palace exam. Wanzai sent the chamberlain and the imperial physician to check on it."

Xu Wenbi replied, looking very calm and capable at this moment.

"What did the doctor say?"

Wei Guangde asked again.

"As I said today, all I have to do is fulfill my father's wishes."

Xu Wenbi replied.

Wei Guangde knew what he meant, but after thinking about it he said, "Have you ever sent someone to invite Dr. Xu Changling to come to your house?"

"Mr. Xu came and said:"

Before Xu Wenbi finished speaking, his tone became choked.

Wei Guangde didn't say much when he saw this, he just reached out and patted him on the shoulder.

In fact, Wei Guangde still understood it wrong. Xu Wenbi was really sad at this time, partly because his father might be in danger, and partly because he wanted to play for a few more years.

The legitimate son of Duke Dingguo had naturally gotten married a long time ago, but his heart was not at peace either.

Naturally, he behaves calmly and capable in the mansion, but when he leaves the mansion, he does not look like an aristocratic young master. He eats, drinks and has fun like other young masters from noble families.

If his father died, he would have to seize the throne and go to the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion on time to do errands.

Many people think that after losing power, the nobles of the Ming Dynasty mostly ate at home and waited to die. In fact, this is wrong.

The nobles and nobles all have errands, but many of their powers have been emptied out, but the rules are still there.

For example, several princes all hold the title of governor in the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion, and they still have to light the knot on time every day.

It's just that the official business is usually finished in half an hour, and then he finds an excuse to leave the yamen, and continues to come to Dianmao the next day to process some official documents.

This is a job unless you don't want a title. After all, this is in the capital, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate, which is feared by everyone, is nearby. The censors there take turns to go to the major yamen for inspections.

If you don't want to stop eating, just hug and eat at home and wait to die, then just wait to be impeached.

Once or twice will not affect the title, but if there are too many impeachments, the emperor will have an opinion, and it is not impossible to demote the title.

Their titles were won by their ancestors. If they were lost or demoted in their hands, how could they see their ancestors?

Therefore, honorable officials should actually be like civil servants. They should get up early and go to the Yamen to have a meal, and then count their own time, find an excuse to leave the Yamen and go home to catch up on sleep, or go in groups to find places to have fun.

It's just that Xu Wenbi is now an honorary guard and still holds the rank of red-helmeted general. It doesn't matter if he drinks wine and makes money with other princes on weekdays. However, he will definitely not be able to do this after inheriting the title of Duke.

Undoubtedly, this is to put a layer of shackles on him.

He was the only legitimate son, and he couldn't lose his title, so he really didn't want to seize the title so quickly, but he sincerely hoped that his father would live a long life.

Wei Guangde also saw that Xu Wenbi was completely different at home and outside.

He also knew what these young masters were doing and envied them, but he couldn't do it.

After Emperor Longqing ascended the throne, he stopped doing these things because he was afraid of being caught.

As for what has been done before, I have never seen an amnesty for the new emperor's enthronement or crown prince's canonization. It is just that officials who drank some wine and made money are within the scope of the amnesty. As long as they are not done during the funeral ceremony, they are pardonable.

It was already very late when I returned home, but there was a lantern from the Wei family on the carriage, with his official title on it, so naturally no school lieutenant on night watch dared to block the way.

The night ban only targets ordinary people.

Early the next morning, there was a knock on the door of Wei Mansion, and Duke Dingguo’s Mansion sent someone to announce the funeral.

The Wei Mansion had already prepared. Wei Guangde sent someone to send a note to the Ministry of Rites, and went to the Duke Dingguo's Mansion first, asking his wife to go there later.

The Duke's Mansion had already prepared for the funeral in private. When Wei Guangde arrived, white sails were hung all over the house.

After Wei Guangde went to worship as a junior, he stayed here for the time being and had some leisure time. That is to say, Xu Wenbi and his brothers took turns to keep vigil.

Not long after, the palace also received a memorial from the Xu family and sent people to pay homage.

"Eunuch Chen."

The visitor was of high status. He was the eunuch Bingbi, the eunuch of Chen Hongsi, and also served as the director of Dongchang. Wei Guangde had to be careful when he encountered him.

I don’t know if it’s the influence of watching TV or novels, but I always feel that Chen Hong is not a good person.

For such people, don't provoke them if you can.

"Master Wei is here too. Oh, by the way, you are related by marriage to Duke Dingguo."

Chen Hong also smiled and said, "I will go to worship first and finish the emperor's errands first."

"Eunuch Chen, please."

Zhu Xixiao came on behalf of Duke Chengguo. After meeting Wei Guangde and saying a few words, he was led into the mourning hall to worship.

According to him, his brother Zhu Xizhong, Duke of Chengguo, would come over later.

The British Duke Zhang Rong came directly, presumably because he had nothing to do. Later, other noble families and people from the palaces of the ministers and ministers came to express their condolences one after another.

Wei Guangde was like the steward of the Dingguo Palace. Visitors would go over to talk to them, say a few words, and then introduce them.

In the afternoon, Gao Yi, the Minister of Rites, came over. After paying his condolences, he came out and said to Wei Guangde: "Tomorrow morning, the ministry will discuss the posthumous title for the old Duke. You have to go back to the ministry. There is no need to worry about other things. Anyway, I have the following People act according to the rules.

You are here, representing both you and the Ministry of Rites. "

"Thank you for your understanding."

Wei Guangde cupped his hands and said.

In the following days, Wei Guangde, both a junior and a representative of the Ministry of Rites, participated in the funeral ceremony of Duke Dingguo. During this period, he had more contact with dignitaries in Beijing.

At the last court meeting to discuss the opening of the sea, the Xungui Group sat on the sidelines and did not take sides at all.

But Wei Guangde felt that although the nobles had their power taken away, they still had many people.

It seems good to stand up and join in at critical moments.

Therefore, during this period of time, he also intended to interact with the princes, marquises and uncles, which would naturally be taboo in normal times.

But it's different now, it's reasonable to contact them.

He was busy until Xu Yande was buried in the Ma'anshan ancestral tomb outside Fuchengmen, and then he returned to his original state. However, the connection with the nobles had been established, so his work was not in vain.

When Wei Guangde returns home, the next thing he will face is the group of disciples.

The deputy chief examiner of the general examination, he selected Jinshi, no, there should be quite a few Gongsheng students.

But to be honest, Wei Guangde was not yet thirty years old at this time, and many of the students he ordered were older than him, so it always felt a bit awkward to meet them.

Looking at the posts from Zhao Zhigao, Hu Laigong and others in his hand, Wei Guangde's mouth twitched.