The Prosperous Era of Longwan

"Your Excellency, I have no objection to the loan, and the cabinet can support it."

Chen Yiqin spoke to Li Chunfang.

"Uncle, Zhengfu, do you still have different opinions?"

Li Chunfang nodded after listening to Chen Yiqin's words. Although she already had concerns in her heart, she still took care of Zhang Juzheng and Yin Shizhen, so she asked one more question.

"No."

Zhang Juzheng’s answer is simple and clear.

Yin Shizhen just hesitated for a moment and then said: "Master Chief Assistant, I was just a little wavering before. Since Shandai thinks so, I think it is feasible."

As Governor Liu said, Guangdong and Fujian's Zhangquan military affairs were only temporarily expedient. Today is different from the past, so it can be dismissed. ’

"Well, Governor Liu's memorial has been settled in this way. The remaining part is for the Ministry of War to respond to Governor Jingying's Rongzheng, Zhenyuan Marquis Gu Huan and others. The three battalions are not satisfied with the number of officers and soldiers, considering that the number of troops established by the ancestors is only one-half. It was proposed that the original quotas of each guard station should be mixed with officers and soldiers to make up for the clearing and deeds. If the shortage was insufficient, the quota of deserters recruited in previous years would be used to make up for it.

If this plan is followed, the Beijing camp will be filled with another 100,000 troops.

Nowadays, the household department is not in surplus, and military pay is the bulk of the expenditure. If the capital camp is further expanded, where will the imperial court have the money to pay for it?

You might as well discuss it and see what should be done with this memorial. "

After Li Chunfang ended the first topic, she immediately brought up the second topic for discussion.

No matter what others think, Wei Guangde knows the inside story of this matter. It is the method thought up by the group of nobles who control the Beijing camp.

Because in order to retain the troops trained by Qi Jiguang, people would naturally have to be "paid enough" and their interests would be harmed.

In addition to the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of War, the military salary of these tens of thousands of people can be divided into profit points, and it is already difficult for the generals in the Beijing camp to deduct it.

This is military pay for tens of thousands of people, tens of thousands of taels of silver a month, which is a lot of money for those generals.

Xun Gui looked down upon him, but these side branches’ eyes were red.

Moreover, this amount of money is also a lot of money for some nobles whose families are in decline.

So, regardless of their factions, they got together to discuss, and after a few banquets, they came up with the idea that the Beijing camp was always under capacity, wasn't it?

Since the amount is not enough, it is the right thing for them to ask for the full amount.

As for whether it is really full in the end, that is another matter, but as long as the roster is reported to the Ministry of War, the Ministry of War will have to pay the Beijing camp.

As a result, a memorial requesting to replenish the number of soldiers in the Beijing camp came out.

For the Ministry of War, money expenditure is nothing but money. As long as the name is sufficient, they don't care.

If they have more soldiers, they will get one more piece of silver. Naturally, even if the military salary allocated by the Ministry of Household Affairs every year is insufficient, they will not object to this matter.

Wei Guangde knew that in the end, these 100,000 people might be able to make up for 20,000 to 30,000 even if they had a conscience, but he couldn't expose this.

Maybe everyone here knows it, but they are just pretending to be confused.

So amid worries about the imperial government's finances, the memorial was successfully approved and was sent to the Qianqing Palace to wait for the emperor's inspection.

Wei Guangde just glanced at Zhang Juzheng and knew that he was a sensible person, so he invited everyone to discuss it. When the Ministry of Household Affairs knew that there was a commotion, they could use the name of the Cabinet to suppress the Ministry of Household Affairs.

"Okay, I have gathered everyone here today, and there is one last thing to do."

Having said this, Li Chunfang picked up a note from her desk and handed it to Chen Yiqin next to her, saying: "The note your Majesty just handed me, let's discuss it first and see if we should inform the Ministry of Rites."

It was only when the note reached Wei Guangde that he realized what was going on. Emperor Longqing actually planned to temporarily skip the celebration banquet on the grounds that he was prone to disasters and failed to register the annual grain harvest.

The Qingcheng Banquet is a banquet held by ancient emperors to celebrate their success when they completed sacrifices and enshrinement ceremonies.

Since it was a banquet arranged by the emperor, the standards were naturally not low.

In fact, in ancient times, the dietary relationship between the monarch and his ministers was a relationship between superiors and subordinates, so there were many rituals, most of which were manifested in the monarch giving food rewards to ministers on major festivals or from time to time in normal times.

There are two ways to reward, one is to give a banquet, where the king and his ministers eat and drink together, which can better reflect the king's broad mind and the pride of having fun with his ministers. This move is very conducive to uniting the ministers and easing the conflicts between the monarch and his ministers. .

The other is to simply give food. The king will reward his ministers with food during festivals or on days that are important to his ministers, such as when the minister is sick, due to exams, or when he has completed exams. This also demonstrates the king's compassion for his ministers. Love and loving heart.

The banquets are divided into three categories: large banquets, medium banquets, and regular banquets. The dishes for the banquets are provided by Guanglu Temple according to grade, and are co-organized by the Shangshan Supervisor.

Banquets on Zhengdan, Winter Solstice, Longevity Festival, and suburban sacrifice celebrations are considered big banquets.

The Empress Dowager's birthday, the Empress's Lingdan, and the East Palace Qianqiu Festival are among the middle banquets.

Banquets held during the Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, Double Ninth Festival and other festivals, sacrificial banquets such as the banquet given to concubines after the Queen's silkworm ceremony, the feasts given to concubines after the silkworm ceremony, the feasts given to the imperial concubine, the sheji feasts, etc., as well as the small banquets given to some officials, etc. are regular banquets.

The criteria for classifying banquet levels are the use of rituals and music and the amount of wine. The higher the banquet level, the richer the number of dishes.

The banquet is the highest level banquet. It was a great honor for officials to be entertained by the emperor.

However, going to an emperor's banquet is not like an ordinary family banquet. You can eat freely, the atmosphere is relaxed, and the guests and hosts are happy.

The imperial banquet has many restrictions and is more like performing a ritual. The emperor is the protagonist, and the officials watch the emperor's performance as an audience and cooperate with each other.

Of course, in addition to the big banquet, the medium banquet, and the regular banquet, there are also some special banquets, such as the Jinshi Honor Banquet, the Jiaxing Taixue Banquet, and the emperor's travel banquets in various places.

The Jinshi Enrong Banquet is the banquet that scholars all over the world want to attend. It represents that the scholars' achievements in ten years of hard study have been recognized by the king.

The ancient people's title on the Golden List was a kind of affirmation of their faith. From then on, they could practice the teachings of the sages, cultivate themselves, manage their families, govern their country, and bring peace to the world.

Although the Jinshi Enrong Banquet was not attended by the emperor himself, compared with the banquet attended by the emperor himself, it brought a stronger sense of honor and the experience of being respected and appreciated to the Jinshi himself.

The Jiaxing Taixue Banquet is a banquet given by the Emperor Jiaxing Taixue. It is a ceremony for inspecting the academy established during the Hongwu period.

First, the emperor offered sacrifices to his ancestors to show his respect for his ancestors. Next, he lectured officials and taught scriptures to His Majesty. Finally, the academic officials and students knelt down to listen to the instructions. During the Hongwu period, no music was used to worship ancestors, but during the Chenghua period, animal music was added.

The banquet was held on the second day after the emperor returned to the palace after visiting the imperial college. On this day, "the Imperial College offered wine and led all the officials and students to express their gratitude... On that day, the emperor went to Fengtianmen and gave a banquet. Military officers and governors and above, civil servants above the third rank, The Hanlin Academy bachelors and the descendants of the three families of Jijiu, Siye, and academic officials, and their banquets."

The banquet is one of the most special banquets. This kind of banquet is combined with enjoying the scenery, and the monarch and his ministers travel together.

The king put down his usual arrogant attitude and spent time with his ministers expressing their love for the landscape and chatting about everyday things. It was not as rigid and harsh as the usual banquets.

The original intention of the king giving banquets to his ministers was also to let the hard-working ministers relax and relax.

The Qingcheng Banquet that Emperor Longqing planned to temporarily avoid this time was a type of grand banquet. It was held every year in the court, and the standard was also the highest.

In the Ming Dynasty, ceremonies were held every year on four important festivals, including the Zhengdan Festival and the Winter Solstice. After the ceremony, the emperor returned to the palace, the civil and military ministers celebrated with ceremonies, and the emperor gave a celebration banquet.

Since it is the most solemn banquet in the Ming Dynasty, there are many rules.

According to the notes on the celebration banquet of the Ming Dynasty Ministry of Etiquette, "After the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven, the emperor returned to the Huangji Hall to ascend his throne. The Jiaofang Si set up a music hall outside the music hall. After all the officials saluted, the Jiaofang Si played music.

Play the song "Longevity". The emperor drank wine, and the officials took their seats and performed the dance of "pacifying the world". The emperor ordered: Officials pour wine.

The second piece is the song "Looking Up to Heaven to Rest". The inner officials poured wine to the imperial table, the emperor drank, and all the officials drank. The soup was introduced outside the palace, and the soup music was played in the hall. All officials stood up. The inner officials brought the soup to the throne, and the soup music was played. The emperor raised his muscles, and all the officials stood up. Lift the chopsticks and the meal is ready. The internal officials withdrew the soup. The music played "Huang Tong and the Old Man Singing with Belly Bellows" and they danced.

Play the song "Thanks to the Great Virtue" three times. After drinking wine, they performed the dance "Soothing the Barbarians". The emperor ordered: Officials fill the bowls.

Four pieces of music "Celebrating the Hong Jubilee" were played. Drink wine and soup and perform the dance of "Chashu Mixing".

Five pieces of music "The Emperor's Favor". Drink wine and perform the dance "Present Auspiciousness". The emperor ordered: Officials drink dry.

Six pieces of music from "Folk Music". Drink wine and soup and perform the dance of "Praise to the Holy Joy".

Seven plays of the song "Xing Zuolong". Drink wine and soup and perform the dance "Come to the Four Barbarians".

Eight pieces of music from "The Picture of the Eternal Emperor". Drink wine and soup, and perform the dance "Representing the Righteousness of All Nations".

Nine pieces of music "Congratulations on Peace". Drink wine and soup as before. The imperial officials withdrew the former prince, and played the music of guiding the meal soup and welcoming the meal soup inside and outside the palace. Each official stood up and brought the meal soup to the imperial desk. Each official returned to his position, and the Jiaofang Secretary played the meal meal music again, and the meal was completed.

The internal officials removed the soup and meal, performed the dance "Destiny is Virtuous", and then performed the barbarian team dance "Victory with the Tassel Whip", delivered a speech, dismissed the case, and the banquet was completed. Music was played, four bows were made, the emperor returned to the palace, all officials retired, and the ceremony was completed. "

This is the whole process of the Chengcheng Banquet, also known as the "Celebrating Chengcheng Ceremony", because the whole process is not actually a banquet, but more like a ceremony completed by the emperor and the officials.

Since it was such an important ceremony, Wei Guangde's first thought was not to agree, but to oppose it.

Even though he knew that sacrificing sacrifices to heaven and earth had no significance in solving the famine and lack of food that Emperor Longqing said had occurred in recent years, but since it had been designated as a ritual of the imperial court, it could not be touched lightly.

Even Emperor Jiajing, who did not care about the court, arranged for dignitaries to perform the suburban sacrificial ceremony, but the celebration banquet was also indispensable. At most, he would not go, but the officials still had to follow the etiquette and follow the etiquette.

When it comes to the Longqing Dynasty, how can we say that we can avoid it?

The word "temporary" in "temporary exemption" is actually just a modification of Emperor Longqing. It actually means that he does not want to continue to play this ritual.

Perhaps it was because the ceremony was too cumbersome and protracted.

Wei Guangde was thinking silently in his heart, holding this imperial note from Emperor Longqing in his hand, and still thinking about what to say to express what he meant, when he heard Li Chunfang's words.

"Since the note is still in Shandai's hands, Shandai will give you your opinion first."

Wei Guangde raised his head and glanced at Li Chunfang, then looked around at the other people, and then said: "Your Majesty's wishes are not feasible, and the ministers will not agree to this matter.

The celebration banquet is a grand ceremony in the suburbs. It is used to honor the emperor and to benefit the workers. Although the country has been forced to suffer disasters, it is also the first of the Yi chapter since the emperor ascended the throne. It is not very complicated and can not be done. This is called Que Dian. , but it is still given to hold it in order to watch from the crowd. "

Wei Guangde quickly expressed what he meant, and then handed the note in his hand to Yin Shizhen, who was in charge.

Following Wei Guangde's speech, Yin Shizhen also expressed similar opinions to him, followed by Zhang Juzheng.

Finally, Chen Yiqin and Li Chunfang decided to send a reply to Emperor Longqing after discussion, stating that the cabinet opposed his opinion and suggested that the celebration banquet be continued next spring.

When he walked out of Li Chunfang's check-in room, Wei Guangde was still joking with Yin Shizhen: "If King Qingcheng knew that His Majesty had the idea of ​​stopping the Qingcheng Banquet, would he tremble and think that His Majesty was going to reduce the vassal status?"

"Don't talk about cutting the vassalage, but I guess I will be worried about it for a while."

Yin Shizhen answered with a smile and said: "I wonder if this generation of Qingcheng King Zhu Shenzhong will send us a heavy gift when the news reaches the Jin Dynasty."

In the Ming Dynasty, all the titles of kings were taken from the names of their fiefdoms, but the only exception was King Qingcheng.

It is said that Zhu Jixuan was born on December 24, the 17th year of Hongwu. His biological father, Taizu's third son, King Zhu Jixuan of Jin, reported to Taizu to ask for the title. Taizu's party held a banquet, and the eunuch reported that Queen Longyan was very happy, so he dedicated the palace to the palace. He was given a title by name, so Jixuan was the only one among the many princes who did not use the name of the place.

Wei Guangde and Yin Shizhen left chatting and laughing, but their words fell into the ears of Zhang Juzheng and Chen Yiqin behind them, and they smiled unconsciously.

"By the way, I heard from my servants last night that Yingtian Mansion has started to practice a whipping method."

When Wei Guangde and Yin Shizhen were about to separate, Wei Guangde suddenly lowered his voice and spoke to him.

His room was very close to Yin Shizhen's house, which was different from Zhang Juzheng's, and there was no one around at this time, so he naturally didn't worry about being heard by others like before.

"I have searched before and found out that many of the fields in Mr. Xu Ge's mansion were donated. When the news spreads over there, it will probably cause an uproar.

I estimate that His Majesty will soon issue an order to recall Gao Suqing, and we should meet him by then. "

Yin Shizhen laughed softly.

"When Gao Suqing returned to the cabinet, he found out that the first thing he had to do was whether to deal with his old enemy Xu Jie. I guess his expression would be very exciting, haha."

Wei Guangde also chuckled.

"Considering the rumors that are getting increasingly fierce in the capital, I don't think he will take action against Mr. Xu Ge at this time, but he will not let him go easily. He should support Hai Rui in enforcing the law impartially and eliminate Xiao Xiaocai."

Yin Shizhen said.

"Yesterday, my uncle and I talked about the rumors in the capital, and it seemed that his words and deeds were not his fault."

Wei Guangde expressed his doubts again.

"Even if Uncle Zhang didn't send people to spread it, it must be Xu Cunzhai's method. It's clear who will benefit from it.

Didn't Gao Gong arrange for the Danyang Shao hero to come to Beijing to lobby?

By the way, recently I also received a rumor from Huating, saying that this person originally went to Huating, trying to persuade Mr. Xu Ge to return to the court, but was rejected, so he went to Xinzheng.

Mr. Xu Ge knew that Gao Gong was going to return to the court, and it was said that he did not think about food and tea. "

Yin Shizhen whispered in Wei Guangde's ear again.

"I probably regret it."

Wei Guangde opened his mouth slightly and spoke after a long while.

"Do you regret not killing Nao Fang beforehand?"

Yin Shizhen asked doubtfully.

"right."

Wei Guangde answered firmly this time.

It was impossible for Xu Jie to return to the court because he had hated the emperor, but he would never want Gao Gong to return.