The Prosperous Era of Longwan

In Forty-Nine City, shrouded in darkness, the streets are still bustling.

The so-called four-nine cities actually refer to the layout of the capital when Zhu Di moved the capital, that is, the four gates of the imperial city and the nine gates of the inner city.

However, during the Jiajing Dynasty, part of the outer city was expanded and seven new gates were built.

However, in the eyes of ordinary people, Beijing is still a fourth-nine city.

As we all know, ancient China has always had the tradition of "night ban".

Every evening, the city gates are closed and all the streets and markets are closed. People are not allowed to walk on the streets unless they have important business. Otherwise, they are called "night offenders" and will be punished.

But few people know that night markets actually began to form in some big cities very early in ancient times.

Night markets, as the name suggests, are markets that do business at night.

The earliest document that clearly records the night market is the "New Theory" written by the famous thinker Huan Tan during the Han Dynasty. He described it in "The Eleventh Day of Death": "Yiting Pavilion in Qi County, Fufeng... on the day of its folk gatherings, Yixiang and the night market..."

The "night market" here refers to the night market.

By the middle and late Tang Dynasty, the records of the night market were very clear.

For example, the poet Wang Jian once described in a poem: "Thousands of lights illuminate the blue clouds in the night market, and red-sleeved customers in high-rise buildings are crowded." "Shuimen is bustling with evening tea merchants, and Qiao City is full of winemakers all night long."

In the Tang Dynasty, residential areas and commercial areas were strictly separated. "Li", "Fang" (residential areas) and "shi" (markets and commercial areas) were surrounded by high walls, with inner gates and city gates, which were controlled by officials and city officials. manage.

Trading is not allowed in the "li" and "fang"; trading is allowed in the "market", but there is a strict opening and closing system.

The real opening and scale of the night market was in the Song Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty first abolished the city-market system and unified the city and city into one, such as some small supermarkets and small stores today, with goods sold in the front and home or production in the back.

In order to prosper the market, increase tax revenue, and encourage people to engage in commercial activities, the Song Dynasty government extended the night market hours to the third watch, and the morning market could be opened at the fifth watch.

The night market is over, the morning market is starting, there are "ghost markets" and even "flea markets", all of which provide convenient conditions for the development of night markets.

The subsequent Yuan Dynasty had a shorter period of time, coupled with the maritime ban and the country's national curfew, the curfew system was re-implemented, and the night market was greatly suppressed and almost disappeared.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the country was newly established and still followed the Yuan Dynasty, enforcing the night ban more strictly. However, by the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the world was stable and the night market was restored.

Although the night markets in the Ming Dynasty were not as grand as those in the Song Dynasty, the night markets in Jiangnan were still very prosperous.

Especially in Yangzhou, it is said that from the middle of the Tang Dynasty, with the relaxation of the night ban system, it took the lead in abolishing the night ban and became a "city that never sleeps".

People were still coming and going in the market, and in a large house in a certain city, several distinguished elders gathered in front of a table of wine and food, enjoying the wine and food while chatting.

"Mr. Pavilion, today the Ministry of Civil Affairs has decided to let the chief of the Criminal Department, Bu Xiang, Yu Shi Ma Mingmo and others go out. Yin Zhengfu insists on doing this and has grabbed some of their handles. He really can't stop them."

The person who spoke was surprisingly Yang Bo, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, who was informing him about the scene that happened in the Yamen of the Ministry of Personnel today.

Yin Shizhen really openly confronted Xu Jie. He killed all those who were obviously Xu Jie's disciples. He had a small and medium-sized handle in his hand. If he didn't deal with it, he would bring it to justice.

Putting it out can be regarded as redressing the mistake, and it is considered a punishment if it is neither big nor small.

Yang Bo was determined to withhold the official document, but he knew that if he could stop it for a while, he could never stop it for the next life.

If the officials did not approve it and Yin Shizhen directly submitted a memorial to the cabinet, what should we do?

When it was revealed, everyone's faces became even more ugly.

"Wei Yue, from now on you will approve all these directly without considering me."

Sitting across from him was Xu Jie, the chief minister of the dynasty. He had been in power for more than 20 years and had never seen any storms. He still looked calm and collected.

The guests at the table with them were naturally all dignitaries in the court, including cabinet minister Zhang Juzheng and Minister of War Huo Yi.

"They are confused on their own. If it were normal, they would have helped if they could. But now it is obvious that because of that incident, the palace already has a grudge against me."

Speaking of this, Xu Jie just shook his head.

"Then how does Mr. Ge plan to deal with it? If it continues like this, it is not an option."

Yang Bo said again.

"I don't know, but what can I do? Haha"

Xu Jie chuckled twice and then said: "In my life, I have no regrets in my heart. I have brought down the father and son of the Yan family, and after the death of the late emperor, I have been satisfied with correcting the chaos and eradicating the bad government."

Hearing what Xu Jie said, Zhang Juzheng and Huo Yi couldn't help but look at Xu Jie's old face.

They had already heard the meaning of Xu Jie's words, and Yang Bo frowned even more. He seemed to understand that Xu Jie meant to retreat bravely.

Yes, he offended the emperor, and now Yu Zhuan and his group are targeting him everywhere. Xu Jie continues to sit in the position of chief minister, and life will not be easy.

Now, the emperor has not fallen out with him yet and is still looking good and cheerful. But what will happen after Yu Zhuan and the others cut out the Xu Jiemen?

Change of face?

Although Xu Jie is the chief assistant, it seems that Emperor Longqing is not willing to show his face and punish crimes, but if he is dismissed from office and rushed back to his hometown, it will be really humiliating.

For no reason, Yang Bo suddenly felt a feeling of joy in his heart.

Perhaps, after Xu Jie left the court, the turmoil could subside.

To be honest, if the court continues to toss like this, he doesn't know whether he will be labeled as Party Xu in the end.

After all, he chose to side with Xu Jie many times, ever since Yan Song was in power.

"Chief Assistant, why don't we test it out first?"

Although he had this intention, Yang Bo would not show it at all, but said in a low voice.

"Testing? How to test?"

Xu Jie raised his head, looked at Yang Bo with cloudy eyes, and said in surprise.

At the same time, Zhang Juzheng and Huo Yi also turned to look at Yang Bo.

Under the gaze of everyone, Yang Bo glanced around and said, "Let Yao Feng submit his resignation and memorial first."

Huo Yi actually felt a little uncomfortable when he heard that he was asked to resign. In his understanding, Zhang Juzheng should be the most suitable candidate to test the emperor's attitude towards Xu Jie.

However, Huo Yi never thought that if Xu Jie left the court, who among them would be able to stay in the cabinet.

Although Zhang Juzheng now occupies the last position in the cabinet, he is still a cabinet minister and is naturally closer to the emperor than the minister.

But everything he had was given by Yang Bo. Since Yang Bo proposed it, he naturally couldn't object.

After a brief surprise, Huo Yi nodded and said, "Then I will write some memorials overnight."

"Not urgent."

Unexpectedly, Yang Bo waved his hand.

Just when Huo Yi was suspicious, Yang Bo explained: "I met Lei Shangshu today and chatted with him for a few words. I knew that he had the idea of ​​​​begging for leave today."

Having said this, Yang Bo unconsciously looked up at the roof and said as if reminiscing: "Lei Li is worried that the capital is far away from Jiangxi and he cannot return to his hometown alive for fear of repeating the mistakes of Yuan Wei and Yuan Maozhong."

It was because Yuan Wei was ill that he asked to resign several times but was rejected by Emperor Jiajing. As a result, after seeing that there was no hope of recovery, Yuan Wei was allowed to return to his hometown, but he died on the way.

"Maozhong"

Xu Jie was also very emotional when he heard Yuan Wei's name. At that time, he and Yuan Wei were cooperating in managing the cabinet. It should be the most relaxing time for him in the years of presiding over the cabinet.

Yuan Wei is capable of doing things and does not fight for power. The two of them discuss matters and handle them.

"After Lei Shangshu begs for his leave, you can then submit your impeachment memorial and ask for your resignation."

Yang Bo was not a fool, so he asked Huo Yi, who had finally supported him, to submit his resignation directly. What if Emperor Longqing lost his mind and directly criticized him?

Let Lei Li submit the memorial first. Regardless of whether he approves it or not, at least if Huo Yi submits it at that time, the probability of Emperor Longqing directly retaining him will be greater.

Xu Jie and Zhang Juzheng both nodded knowingly, feeling that this seemed to be the most appropriate approach.

Two days later, Wei Guangde was on duty at the Ministry of Etiquette when he received a note from people sent by various major officials. It only had the name of the person on it.

Wei Guangde knew that these people were the concubines selected by the imperial examination in the second year of Longqing.

After a quick browse, Wei Guangde nodded with satisfaction.

During this imperial examination, the Hanlin Academy wanted to recruit thirty common people, including Xu Xianqing, Chen Yubi and others.

The people Wei Guangde wanted to protect, such as Wang Jiaping and Yu Shenxing, were among them. In addition, there were also two Jiangxi fellows, Li Weizhen and Fan Qian.

After the examination, Wei Guangde regretted not leaving one or two joints for the Jiujiang students, which led to the annihilation of the entire Jiujiang army.

For this imperial examination, Wei Guangde would naturally not make such a mistake again.

I looked through the palace examination results early and checked out the top two people. After learning about their knowledge and family background, I arranged to meet with them.

Li Weizhen and Fan Qian were Wei Guangde's final candidates to protect the common people.

Although I don’t know if they will have the opportunity to join the cabinet in the future, they must at least arrange some helpers for themselves.

You know, the Yan family was so crazy about selling officials in the capital, but they still helped the Jiangxi fellows whenever they could, and they didn't necessarily care whether they gave money or not.

Why?

It's not that I hope that with the help of fellow villagers, I can help speak in the court in the future.

If Wei Guangde had not taken refuge in Prince Yu's palace, but had chosen not to help each other, he might have secretly provided help when Yan Song fell and Yan Shifan was tried.

At least, when the Yan family was ransacked, Cheng Shojie was still polite to Yan Song. Wei Guangde only thought that his reminder had an effect, but he didn't know that Emperor Jiajing also gave an oral instruction to Cheng Shojie through Jin Yiwei.

After all, Emperor Jiajing really knew most of the officials' impeachment of the Yan family. The remaining officials did not dare to impeach the officials even if they knew about it.

Those are all unspoken rules, and they expect to reach in and grab a handful when it's their turn.

What does this mean?

This shows that the greater the power of the township party in the court, the greater the benefits for everyone.

Yan Song ruined the reputation of Jiangxi officials, and the previous Jiangxi seniors did sometimes look ugly, which made other provincial officials feel grudged and often secretly suppressed Jiangxi officials.

Killing a Jiangxi official is equivalent to giving others a chance.

In the official department, Wei Guangde already felt this way.

Some people in Huguang, Zhejiang and other places are targeting Jiangxi officials, trying to replace them step by step.

Currently, the only position that Jiangxi officials have retained is the position of Minister of the Ministry of Industry. He is just a minister in name only and is really incompetent.

Stabilizing the basic base of Jiangxi officials is what he, Lei Li, Zhu Heng and others have to do.

It is basically an established fact that Lei Li will become an official and Zhu Heng will take over the post of Minister of the Ministry of Industry. What remains is for Wei Guangde to stabilize the roots of Jiangxi officials. He must ensure that Jiangxi officials continue to enter the court and add fresh blood.

On the second day, the Hanlin Academy submitted a list of the concubines. Emperor Longqing directly approved the list and ordered him to take charge of Zhan's affairs. Yin Shidan and Zhao Zhenji, the Minister of Rites and a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, were responsible for supervising and educating Xi.

Although Wei Guangde was a little surprised after hearing the news, he didn't say anything and was just stunned for a long time.

He really didn't expect that the task of teaching Shujishi would fall on him.

Shujishi, among the thirty people selected this time, there will definitely be cabinet ministers. Without this teaching job, it is actually equivalent to missing a group of helpers.

Fortunately, he had arranged for a few people to go in privately. He directly approached Zhu Dashou to handle the matter without informing Chen Yiqin and Yin Shizhen.

Later on the same day, Wei Guangde went out of the city to welcome Zhu Heng's return.

Zhu Heng had been out of Beijing to inspect the new river channel before. This was the first major river project since the Longqing Dynasty.

After the opening of the Xinhe River, water transportation was restored.

Now that Zhu Heng is back, it also means that it's time for Lei Li to beg for leave.

That night, Wei Guangde received a letter from Lei Mansion's servant at home. After opening it and reading it, Wei Guangde knew that Lei Li was going to beg for leave tomorrow.

Sure enough, the next day news came that the petition for rest had been sent to the cabinet, and Lei Li did not go to the Yamen and chose to rest at home.

Now that the weather is getting hotter, some unemployed nobles in the capital are leaving the capital in twos and threes to find a cool courtyard to escape the heat.

Officials are often envious of Xungui's behavior, but they are not jealous.

Lei Li's memorial came very quickly, and the cabinet handled special matters and sent them to the palace on the same day. News came in front of San Yamen that the emperor "disapproved" it.

Lei Li's first begging petition was rejected, but the matter had little impact on the court.

Officials had more or less heard about Lei Li's illness, and some people also knew that Lei Shangshu was determined to return to his hometown.

If the first memorial is rejected, then continue. The real test of the emperor is the third memorial to beg for rest.

Wei Guangde Sanya left the Ministry of Rites and drove directly to Chen Yiqin's house. He received a note from Chen Yiqin in the afternoon and came naturally.

"You want to beg for leave?"

Well, Wei Guangde met Chen Yiqin, and after a few words of greeting, he was shocked on the outside and tender on the inside by Chen Yiqin's words.

"To tell you the truth, I have been in poor health this past year. The imperial doctor said that it is best to rest and recuperate, otherwise it will be difficult to remove the root."

Chen Yiqin explained, "Since I am begging for leave, Your Majesty should be able to add more ministers to the cabinet, and you and Zhengfu will be summoned to the cabinet soon.

The imperial doctor also said that my disease should be improved after a year and a half of nursing. After that, as long as I don’t work too much, I won’t get sick. I will come back then. "

Wei Guangde shook his head and said, "At this time, I'm afraid His Majesty won't agree."

Wei Guangde did not think that Emperor Longqing would let Chen Yiqin go at this time because there was no one in the cabinet.

With Chen Yiqin gone, even if Wei Guangde and Yin Shizhen were to be replaced, they would only replace Zhang Juzheng at the bottom of the cabinet.

Chen Yiqin is considered the third person in the cabinet. If Xu Jie leaves, he can become the second assistant, and Li Chunfang will take over as the first assistant.

Chen Yiqin's position was too important, and Wei Guangde believed that Emperor Longqing would never allow him to leave at this time.

"I'll give it a try and then talk to His Majesty. If Your Majesty insists, I won't write it."

Chen Yiqin also understands the delicate personnel relations in the current cabinet, so he doesn't force it, he just talks casually. (End of chapter)