Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2304: Fengshan (I)

The spring breeze was just beginning to warm up, but the streets of the capital still had the lingering chill of winter. However, the atmosphere in the Forbidden City was warm and tense. Warm because the news that the Western Expedition Army had almost completely conquered the Western Regions had been confirmed by the court reports; tense because everyone was guessing that the next big move by the court might be the Fengshan ceremony.

Gao Youshi, the most important official of the Wanli Dynasty who served as the Prime Minister and the Land Officer, was sitting in the duty room of Wenyuan Pavilion at this moment. The desk in front of him was piled with various documents and maps. As he kept flipping through them, his brows were sometimes furrowed and sometimes relaxed, and he was fully focused on the preparations for the Fengshan Ceremony.

"My Lord, this is the draft of the Fengshan ritual that the Ministry of Rites has revised based on your request. Please have a look." Fang Congzhe, the newly appointed Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, respectfully presented a thick document.

Fang Congzhe was Gao Youshi's disciple, or to be more precise, one of Gao Youshi's three most respected disciples. Not long ago, he was promoted from a Bachelor of the Hanlin Academy to the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

Ye Xianggao, who was as famous as him, was recently transferred to a new position, becoming the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel; Li Tingji was also not far behind, becoming the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. In other words, Gao Youshi's "three direct disciples" have now all become high-ranking officials. This shows the power and influence of the Prime Minister in the court.

Of course, as Jinshi of the 11th year of the Wanli reign, and having successfully passed the selection of the imperial academy to become the "reserve ministers" of the Shujishi, it was not particularly fast for these three to become assistant ministers in 18 years. At least compared to their teacher, this speed was even a bit ugly.

However, that is not the case. After all, although the Shujishi are "reserve prime ministers", how high is the percentage of Shujishi who can actually become assistant ministers? In fact, it is very low. Most people are either sent to other places and serve as local officials for their entire lives, or fail in the struggles in the court. There are even some people who are not blessed and die early for various reasons.

Having a big tree like Gao Youshi to rely on does not mean that their careers will be faster than others, because Gao Youshi has always been a person who cares a lot about his appearance. He will not promote his disciples for no reason, but let them gain enough qualifications and cultivate their mindset.

Dugu Nine Swords may be invincible in the world, but not everyone has the talent to practice it. However, the Nine Yang Divine Art only requires hard work and concentration to become a top master with a solid foundation.

So, what is the meaning of Gao Youshi, the teacher of the class leader? The meaning is that as long as they don't make big mistakes, their future is "what is destined to happen", and it is only a matter of time before they get promoted.

It was these three disciples of Gao Yuanfu who came to report to Gao Youshi today on the preparations for the Fengshan ceremony.

Gao Youshi took the draft of Fengshan rituals presented by Fang Congzhe, quickly scanned the table of contents, and then flipped through the details. He knew very well that the Fengshan ritual was complicated and solemn, and any negligence of a detail could affect the sacredness of the entire ceremony.

"Has the etiquette process been strictly reviewed? How are the preparations for the emperor's trip to the south?" Gao Youshi asked. As a former general and prime minister, once he got serious, his voice was particularly steady and penetrating.

Fang Congzhe quickly replied, "Yes, Prime Minister. The Ministry of Rites and colleagues from the Imperial Academy have discussed several times to ensure that every ritual is in line with the classics and does not violate the ancient system. The land and water ceremonials for the emperor's journey south have also been carefully prepared in accordance with the ancient system to ensure that it is solemn and majestic."

"Very good." Gao Youshi nodded, and then asked: "Have the arrangements for the accompanying personnel been properly made? When Your Majesty and I go south to offer sacrifices to the gods, how can the court administration keep running?"

Ye Xianggao stepped forward and reported confidently: "En Xiang, the list of accompanying personnel has been drawn up, and the duties and positions of each official have been clearly assigned, so there should be no mistakes.

As for the administration of the imperial court, we have formulated a detailed plan to stay behind to ensure that the daily affairs of the imperial court can operate normally and will not be affected by the Fengshan ceremony while Your Majesty and you are away in the south.

Of course, important matters will only be kept in the capital, and the originals will be sent to Your Majesty and the Prime Minister at an expedited 600-li journey. Given that the distance from the capital to the south is from near to far, these important memorials may be sent to Your Majesty and the Prime Minister several days to ten days later than usual."

This was the case in an era without instant communication, especially since the process of "keeping archives in the capital" could not be omitted. Therefore, Ye Xianggao's prediction was reasonable and Gao Youshi could understand it.

The prime minister of the time pondered for a moment and then said, "How is the progress of the repair work on the Grand Canal? This is very important for the emperor to perform the Fengshan ceremony and visit Nanjing to pay homage to the Xiaoling Mausoleum."

This is the work of the Ministry of Works. Li Tingji immediately responded: "Don't worry, Prime Minister. The Ministry of Works and the Beijing Production and Construction Corps have been fully committed to promoting the renovation of the Grand Canal to ensure the smooth and safe navigation of the waterway. All necessary repairs and reinforcements are proceeding as planned, and expansion and dredging work is also progressing smoothly. As long as the previously confirmed plan for the Holy Carriage to depart at the beginning of next year remains unchanged, the Ministry of Works can ensure that the waterway will be unobstructed when the Holy Carriage goes south."

The "smooth flow" that Li Tingji mentioned was only a question of traffic conditions. In fact, there was also the issue of safety if the traffic was to be smooth, but he did not mention it. He did not mention it because although safety was obviously related to smooth flow, it did not fall within the jurisdiction of his Ministry of Industry.

In theory, this was the job of the Ministry of War. Gao Youshi had great influence in the Ministry of War, and both the previous and current ministers of the Ministry of War were promoted by him, but after all, he did not have any students at the level of assistant ministers to be placed in the Ministry of War, so no one took over at this time.

But it doesn't matter. The previous plan was also Gao Youshi's work. He naturally knew that the emperor would be escorted by the royal guards when he went south. And because most of the journey would be along the Grand Canal, he also arranged for warships to escort him.

The escort issue was originally a bit troublesome, because the court had almost given up on the inland navy. Although a strong maritime navy was built during the Korean War,... the ships were too large to enter the canal.

Gao Youshi's two-ocean fleet also had this problem. As for entering the Yangtze River, that was no problem. After all, the so-called giant ships of that era would be nothing if placed in the future. The middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River were wide enough and the water depth was no problem at all, so there was no need to worry about the fleet not being able to enter.

However, that was the Yangtze River, not the canal. Not to mention battleships and cruisers, even the armed transport ships of the Beijing model could not enter the canal - after all, the canal was dug by humans 800 years ago, and it was neither wide nor deep enough.

In this case, it is theoretically possible to build a canal fleet temporarily, but it goes against the original intention of saving money. Therefore, after Gao Youshi discussed with the emperor, the two stingy people decided: why bother building a canal fleet? Just hire the inland river fleet of Beijing to play a guest role and save the money.

Of course, it is said that the two emperors and ministers are stingy, but in fact, Yang Guang's previous experience is too scary. They dare not do any "water palace dragon boat incident", but only think that "Gong Yu's merits are not greater". For this face-saving project, Gao Youshi suffered a lot. He dared not charge a high price, and ordered the inland fleet to be renovated. Renovation is not cheap, including reinforcement and painting of all ships, and sailors on board must buy uniform change of clothes. Not only must the safety of the ships be ensured, but they must also look like a new fleet. In short, the majesty of the court and the emperor must not be lost... Then Gao Yuanfu's wallet will be embarrassed.

Gao Youshi turned his gaze to the window, and the ever-changing clouds in the distance seemed to reflect the plan in his mind. He knew that Fengshan was not only a ceremony, but also an opportunity to show the power of the country and the emperor.

"Public opinion guidance must also keep up." Gao Youshi continued, "Find more writers to write articles praising the emperor's achievements and publish them in various newspapers in Beijing to build momentum for the Fengshan ceremony. At the same time, the court newspapers must also convey the completely different significance of this Fengshan ceremony from that of previous dynasties, so that the scholars and the people of all provinces can feel the emperor's great grace."

"Don't worry, Prime Minister. I have already contacted more than a dozen world-renowned sages. Their articles will be published before and after the Fengshan ceremony. At the same time, the imperial court newspaper will also publish the Ministry of Rites' announcement to convey the extraordinary significance of this Fengshan ceremony to all parts of the country."

Fang Congzhe said, and then glanced at Ye Xianggao, and added: "The Junior Prime Minister is also responsible for the drafting and release of the announcement in the Ministry of Personnel. I believe that this matter can be guaranteed to be safe."

Gao Fusi then looked at Ye Xianggao, who bowed but said nothing, seemingly agreeing.

"Does the Ministry of Works have enough money? Did my previous methods achieve the expected results?" Gao Youshi turned his eyes and asked Li Tingji.

"Minister En has made every possible effort. After learning about the court's policy, the wealthy and powerful along the canal donated money to help. In the end, the amount of money received even exceeded expectations." Li Tingji smiled and said, "The Ministry of Works has also made a detailed budget, including personnel, materials, building repairs and other expenses. They have tried their best to be thrifty and avoid excessive consumption and give people a reason to criticize. The relevant documents have been forwarded to the Ministry of Revenue. Minister En can review them carefully when he goes to the Ministry of Revenue."

Gao Fusi nodded, feeling a little relieved. He knew that all this required his careful planning and careful arrangements to ensure the complete success of the Fengshan activity.

"Finally, we must not neglect the task of managing the vassal states." Gao Youshi reminded: "Notify the envoys of the vassal states and let them know about this important event of the court. At the same time, you also need to arrange for them to participate in some ceremonies to promote the prestige of the Ming Dynasty and the foreign vassal states."

"My Lord, this matter has been mostly done." Fang Congzhe responded, "All the envoys in Beijing have been informed, and they all feel honored, but..."

"Just what?" Gao Fusi frowned slightly.

"The only thing missing is the Japanese envoy. I wonder if the Prime Minister has any other arrangements?" Fang Congzhe asked carefully.

"Oh, the Japanese envoy..." Gao Youshi pondered, "The Japanese civil war just ended a few days ago, and the court is still in the process of reorganization. However, the Fengshan Ceremony is extraordinary, I will ask Japan to send an envoy as soon as possible, so as not to delay the important matter."

Gao Fusi took a deep breath. He knew that the next few days would be extremely busy. But he also firmly believed that as long as everything was properly prepared, this Fengshan ceremony would become a glorious chapter in the history of the Ming Dynasty.

As time went on, Gao started to work on the specific preparations. He called together officials from various ministries and held meetings again and again to discuss every aspect of the Fengshan ceremony. He personally reviewed the list of offerings and strictly checked the quality and source of each item. He also paid special attention to the writing of the sacrificial text, requiring the scholars of the Hanlin Academy to revise it repeatedly until the text was both solemn and poetic.

Ah? You ask why he didn't write it himself? What a joke, he, the Prime Minister, did all the work of the Imperial Academy, wouldn't the scholars of the Imperial Academy be so anxious? Such an opportunity to leave a name in history, everyone is vying to show off.

In terms of safety, Gao Youshi spared no effort. He personally sent important servants to represent him and inspected the post stations along the way to the south one by one. He checked the three generations of the post station staff and required them to have a clean family background. He even asked the post stations to conduct simulation exercises for various possible risks.

In addition, he also mobilized a large number of armed servants in Beijing, stationed ten people at each post station as temporary guards, and required all guards to be familiar with the route and schedule of Fengshan to ensure that they could respond quickly in any situation.

One thing that must be pointed out here is that although this was a "large-scale mobilization of armed servants," since there were only ten people stationed at each post station, the court, especially the Jinyiwei, did not mention it much in their reports to the emperor, but only gave a brief report.

  Zhu Yijun did not have any doubts about this - nonsense, the imperial guards accompanying the emperor were not silver wax-headed guns, how could a mere ten people in a post station turn the world upside down? Zhu Yijun thought that this was simply a military supervisor sent by Gao Youshi to the post stations in various places, or simply a security instructor to supervise and guide the post stations in various places to do a good job in security. To be honest, this was also Gao Youshi spending his own money to do work for him, the emperor. He was thick-skinned if he didn't thank him, so how could he question it?

Gao Youshi also made great efforts in guiding public opinion. In addition to the continuous publication of eulogies by scholars and writers arranged by the Ministry of Rites, he, as the top scholar in the imperial examination and the chief minister of the time, also personally wrote two articles to publicize the significance of Fengshan, which were disseminated through several giants of the Beijing newspaper industry.

At the same time, he also encouraged retired officials, folk literati and gentry from all over the country to compose poems and essays praising the emperor and Fengshan, so as to enhance the people's understanding and support for Fengshan.

Of course, Gao Youshi's actions could not be considered selfless. After all, if you want to praise the emperor, you must praise the various achievements of the emperor since he inherited the throne, and which of the various achievements of the emperor is not related to Gao Yuanfu? Therefore, to a large extent, praising the emperor is to boast about Gao Yuanfu, which will not only add glory to the emperor, but also continue to improve Gao Yuanfu's prestige and popularity in the court and the country.

In terms of diplomacy, Gao Youshi did not relax. In addition to the note from the Ministry of Rites, he also personally sent his family servants as his personal envoys to the envoys of various countries, detailed the relevant situation of Fengshan, and invited envoys from various countries to participate in some ceremonies. He hoped to show the national strength and cultural charm of the Ming Dynasty and enhance relations with various vassal states in this way. He also hoped that all countries would realize that Gao Youshi was undoubtedly the leader of the Ming Dynasty court.

This is not because he wants to show off, but all the vassal states of the Ming Dynasty know where the Wanli Restoration came from, so as long as they believe that Gao Youshi will undoubtedly continue to be in power in the Ming court, they will persuade the country not to have any evil ideas against the Ming Dynasty, the suzerain state, otherwise... the end will definitely be the common description in Chinese history books such as "head hanging in the northern palace".

As the date of Fengshan approached, Gao Youshi's preparations became more and more detailed. He had to deal with a large number of documents almost every day and communicate with officials from various departments to ensure that every link could proceed smoothly.

  Finally, one day, he received a reply from Japan.
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