Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2347 Visiting Nanjing (XIV) Paying Homage to Xiaoling Mausoleum

The next day, before dawn, the city of Nanjing was already bustling with people and music. The emperor's visit to the Xiaoling Mausoleum was not only a way for him to express his remembrance of Emperor Taizu as a descendant of later generations, but also an important demonstration of the Ming Dynasty's prosperity and military strength. Therefore, there would be no shortage of grand ceremonies.

After the spring rain two or three days ago, Nanjing has cleared up today, but the freshness of rain remains. In the morning breeze, on the streets of Nanjing, teams of soldiers wearing bright armor, holding spears and flags, lined up in neat squares, extending from the city gate to the Xiaoling Mausoleum.

These soldiers were not the imperial guards escorting the emperor southward, but professional ceremonial guards carefully selected from the various guards in Nanjing. They might not be very good at fighting, but at this moment, they all had shiny helmets and armor, held their heads high, and had firm eyes. At least they looked very good, which seemed to be enough to show the might and majesty of the Ming army.

Of course, there were also imperial guards, but only a team of more than 500 cavalrymen who led the way could be seen by ordinary people, and the rest took over the defense of the key cities and rivers in Nanjing. According to Gao Youshi, the imperial guards were field troops directly under the court, and their main job was to fight, so they were not needed for ceremonial guards.

As for the 500 cavalrymen who led the way, they were Gao Youshi's insurance measure. In other words, even if this ceremonial guard of tens of thousands suddenly took the wrong medicine collectively and all inexplicably rebelled, it would be useless. These 500 cavalrymen were enough to safely send the emperor back to Nanjing City and place him under the protection of the Imperial Guards.

As the sun slowly rose, Zhu Yijun, accompanied by Gao Youshi, set out from the palace to the Xiaoling Mausoleum. The emperor's carriage was pulled by sixteen horses, and the body of the carriage was carved with dragon patterns, magnificent and golden, symbolizing the supreme imperial power. In front of the carriage was a team of guards holding golden gourds and axes. They marched in unison and looked solemn, demonstrating the majesty of the royal family.

The people along the way knelt down on both sides of the road, shouting "Long live the emperor" with their voices shaking the sky. Zhu Yijun sat in the carriage, smiling and waving to the people on both sides. He knew that this was a great opportunity for him to show his civil and military skills and consolidate his imperial power.

The most important official in Wanli's reign, Gao Youshi, the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, the Grand Secretary of Zhongji Hall and the Minister of Finance, was also on the imperial carriage, standing on the emperor's left hand. This position meant he was the "most important official" among the civil officials. Standing on the emperor's right hand was Xu Hongji, the Duke of Wei, who represented the most important official among the military officials.

In fact, the Duke of Wei had never been considered the leader of the military officials after the Jingnan Campaign, but today was not an ordinary day, so the emperor appointed the Duke of Wei to this position.

This Duke of Wei was not the one that Gao Youshi had promoted in his early years (see the first volume of this book), but normally he also had to owe Gao Youshi his gratitude.

It was the end of the Longqing reign, Gao Gong had just returned to Beijing after his reinstatement, and it happened that there was a small problem with the succession of the Duke of Wei in Nanjing. The Duke of Wei at the time, Xu Pengju, wanted to depose the eldest son and establish the youngest son, so he played some tricks. For various reasons, Gao Youshi chose to have someone expose the matter, and Xu Pengju was eventually punished and died of illness due to fear and panic, and Xu Bangrui successfully inherited the title.

Xu Bangrui inherited the title of Duke of Wei on April 1549 (the 6th year of Longqing's reign). In the 2nd year of Wanli's reign, he was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Nanjing Central Military Governor's Office. According to convention, he was gradually promoted and became a meritorious official in charge of the garrison of Nanjing. However, he died of illness in the 17th year of Wanli's reign.

Then there was Xu Weizhi, son of Xu Bangrui (also known as Xu Jizhi), who inherited the title of Duke of Wei in September of the 17th year of the Wanli reign, and served as the garrison commander of Nanjing and concurrently the commander of the imperial court in January of the 19th year of the Wanli reign, which is commonly known as the Nanjing garrison meritorious official or "external garrison commander". Unfortunately, his health was not very good, and he died of illness in August of the 21st year of the Wanli reign, just four years later.

This brings us to today's Duke of Wei: Xu Hongji. He is the son of Xu Weizhi. In July of the 23rd year of the Wanli reign, he inherited the title of Duke of Wei and served as the Assistant Secretary of the Rear Army Commandery - note, not the Nanjing Garrison Honorary Official. Because he was just an adult when he inherited the title, he was too young, so he has not yet achieved the title of Nanjing Garrison Honorary Official.

According to the original history, he began to assist in the defense of Nanjing and lead the rear government in the 35th year of Wanli, and in April of the 37th year of Wanli, he also served as the admiral of Caojiang. It was not until the first year of Tianqi that he resigned due to illness, and was appointed as the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince. In the 14th year of Chongzhen, he defended Nanjing again and was appointed as the Grand Tutor. He died later and was posthumously named Zhuangwu.

Although this Duke of Wei seemed to be doing well, no one would probably feel anything when I say this, so it is better to say this: he was the father of Xu Wenjue, the Duke of Wei who later opened the gates of Nanjing and surrendered to the Qing Dynasty...

Although in original history the Ming Dynasty was destroyed due to complications caused by too many internal screw-ups, the entire Jiangbei region was lost before the fall of Nanjing, and Shi Kefa even died for his country, it would not seem to make much sense to scold Xu Wenjue, the Duke of Wei, who did not have much real power.

However, Gao Youshi still despised this man. The Ming Dynasty supported your Xu family to be the local emperors in Nanjing for more than 200 years. When Nanjing fell, you, as the leader of the Xu family, should have been determined to repay the emperor's kindness with your death, even if you could not come up with any means to save the family from danger. But this is the result? It's better to raise a dog than to raise you. A dog is more ambitious than you.

Because of this relationship, although Xu Hongji in the original history did not seem to have any major problems, Gao Youshi had a prejudice and felt that since this man taught his son in this way, he must not be much better than him. He was just born at the right time and did not encounter the test of life and death.

Let's get back to the story. The emperor's carriage slowly drove into the Xiaoling Mausoleum, which was already solemn and dignified. At the entrance of the mausoleum, there was a huge stone archway with two big characters "Xiaoling" engraved on it, which were vigorous and powerful. Behind the archway was a long sacred road, with stone men and stone animals lined up on both sides, in various shapes and lifelike.

When they arrived here, the emperor stopped and got off the carriage with the help of Gao Youshi and Xu Hongji, and entered in order with the ministers accompanying him. The corresponding cumbersome etiquette will not be mentioned here.

After the emperor and his ministers were seated, the ceremony officially began. Yu Shenxing, the Minister of Rites, once again served as the master of ceremonies, reading out the ritual procedures aloud. Although he was old, his voice was loud and clear at this moment, because the sound was taken into consideration when the imperial mausoleum was built, and every word echoed over the square.

First, there was music and dance, and the various corresponding pieces of music resounded through the air. The musicians played with great vigor, showing the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty.

Later, Zhu Yijun, under the guidance of Gao Guoshi and Xu Hongji, slowly walked towards the altar. Holding the sacrificial text in his hand, he faced the mausoleum of Taizu and silently recited in his heart... probably words of respect and gratitude to Taizu. When he formally read the sacrificial text, the whole audience was silent, and only his voice could be heard echoing over the square.

"I was able to inherit the throne despite my coldness. Since I ascended the throne, I have worked diligently day and night, fearing that the wisdom of my ancestors would be damaged and the people would have a hard time making a living. Today, I personally come to the Xiaoling Mausoleum with a pious heart to pay respect to the spirit of my great Ming Taizu Gaohuangdi.

Emperor Taizu created the country and laid the foundation for the future. His achievements were unparalleled and his virtues were known to the world. I have inherited Taizu's teachings and have ruled the country for thirty years. I have worked hard day and night, and have achieved great success in both civil and military affairs. "

"I heard that the country was stabilized by culture, and the sea was opened for trade, so all nations came to pay tribute and the products were abundant; agriculture and sericulture were encouraged, so the people were happy and the crops were abundant; industry and commerce were supported, so all industries flourished and the treasury was full; the post roads were reformed, so all roads were smooth and information was communicated. These are all the benevolence of Emperor Taizu, and they are also the rewards of my hard work and respect."

"I also heard that the country was stabilized by military power, so Annan was recovered and the southern border returned to the territory; Mongolia was pacified in the north, and the grassland was peaceful; the Japanese pirates were severely defeated, and there was no more war on the sea; the Western Regions were recovered, and the barbarians dared not to look directly at them; Korea was accepted, and the Celestial Empire was glorious! These are all the inheritance of Taizu's unparalleled military achievements, and they are also my reward for carrying on the past and opening up the future."

"I know that today's achievements are all due to the blessing of our ancestors, the assistance of our ministers, and the support of the people. Therefore, today, on Qingming Festival, I will lead all officials to pay homage to the Xiaoling Mausoleum, commemorate the merits of Emperor Taizu, inform the heroic spirits of our ancestors, demonstrate the national prestige of the Ming Dynasty, and encourage future generations.

I hope my descendants will not forget the hardships of their ancestors in starting their own businesses; I hope my officials will not forget the original intention of studying and practicing martial arts; I hope my people will not forget the righteousness of the great Chinese nation! I think of this with all my heart, and my words and my heart are all here. "

After reading the sacrificial text, Zhu Yijun burned it in the brazier on the altar, symbolizing that his words were passed on to the spirit of Emperor Taizu in heaven. Afterwards, he knelt down again, and all the civil and military officials and soldiers in the audience knelt down. The scene was solemn and moving. Then, there were ceremonies such as offering sacrifices, burning incense, and toasting. Each step was carried out strictly in accordance with the etiquette, all of which reflected the great political implications of this ceremony of visiting the Xiaoling Mausoleum. Unlike the Confucius Temple incident, after the end of this ceremony, Zhu Yijun did not "cause more trouble", but accompanied by Gao Youshi and Xu Hongji, he slowly left the Xiaoling Mausoleum in accordance with etiquette.

As a saintly emperor who had been hyped up by the Jinghua propaganda agency as the Wanli Restoration, he certainly knew the importance of this matter. This ceremony was not only a worship of Emperor Taizu, but also a political propaganda for himself. In this case, why would he make trouble in this matter? A smooth and successful completion was what he hoped for.

With the emperor's departure, Xiaoling Mausoleum regained its tranquility. However, this grand ceremony of worship will definitely be recorded in history as a glorious testimony to the Wanli Restoration.

For Gao Yousi, the end of this ceremony also meant that he had successfully completed his mission in the south, and now he would start to deal with the problems in the Nanjing officialdom.

After returning to Nanjing from the Xiaoling Mausoleum, Gao Youshi did not return to Chunhe Palace, but went directly to Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate. Now, except for a few officials who stayed in the capital, most of the officials of the six ministries in Beijing followed the emperor to Nanjing, which meant that the various ministries in Nanjing had to vacate some office space.

Don't think this is a trivial matter, there are many tricks involved.

  The first problem is that the original ministries were designed and built according to the principle of one person for each position, and each official position corresponded to its signing room. Now a group of court officials have come to Beijing, and there may even be some doctors and principals. So now that the signing rooms are needed, who should give way to whom?

For example, now that Yu Shenxing, the Minister of Rites, has come to Nanjing, Zheng Luo, the Minister of Rites in Nanjing, has to give up his signing room to Yu Shenxing. But there are actually some problems here. For example, Zheng Luo was a Jinshi in the 35th year of Jiajing, and his seniority is very old, while Yu Shenxing was a Jinshi in the 2nd year of Longqing. Although his seniority in the court at that time was already very old, he was still far inferior to Zheng Luo.

According to the customs of the Ming Dynasty, seniority was very important for officials in the same dynasty, especially when it came to arranging seats. However, the question of who should give way to whom between Yu Shenxing and Zheng Luo was not just a question of seniority, but also a matter of their identities.

Zheng Luo was considered a member of the Practical Learning School, but he was not a direct descendant of Gao Gong, nor even of Guo Pu or Zhang Siwei. He was always considered a relatively marginalized figure in the Practical Learning School, but at the same time he held a high official position. After Gao Youshi put down the rebellion in the northwest, he was responsible for expanding the border to Qinghai, that is, pursuing the remnants of the Mongolian rebellion, and he had served as a general.

However, due to his old age, he had little chance of promotion, so he was sent to Nanjing to retire as the Minister of Rites soon after returning to the court. Now his body is not strong enough. Gao Youshi vaguely remembered that Zheng Luo in the original history should have died of illness two years ago. In this life, maybe Jinghua Medicine did a good job, Zheng Luo actually lived two more years.

Unlike Zheng Luo, Yu Shenxing was a neutral person, that is, a traditional Neo-Confucianist. He had never joined the School of Mind or the School of Practical Learning during his years as an official, but he had good relations with both sides. At the same time, because he was the Grand Master (Henan Provincial Supervisor) during the provincial examination of Gao Guoshi, he also had an extraordinary status in the court, and everyone who met him had to give him some face.

On one side is Zheng Luo, who has a long career but not much time left and has no real power; on the other side is Yu Shenxing, who has a high status and real power in the Ministry of Rites. If the two of them really want to compete for the temporary ownership of the Nanjing Minister of Rites' signature room, it will obviously be a very troublesome matter.

Fortunately, because Zheng Luo was really old and almost at the end of his life, he never went to the signing room or anything like that, and he almost always stayed at home to recuperate. This made the "office change crisis" of the Nanjing Ministry of Rites disappear without a trace.

The above is just an example of the Ministry of Rites. Which other ministries and yamen do not have the same problems? It's just that some are easy to solve and some are difficult to solve. Under the same official position, if the Nanjing person has less qualifications than the Beijing person, this is the best situation. Once the Nanjing person has more qualifications than the Beijing person, some open and secret struggles are almost inevitable.

Normally, such things would not be brought to the public, after all, everyone wants to pretend to be an upright person who does not seek fame. However, people live by their reputation, and trees live by their skin. In fact, this fame in officialdom cannot be avoided.

"If I don't put on this cassock, how will the world know that I have severed my earthly ties and my golden sea has dried up?"

Fortunately, these troubles did not bother Gao Youshi, they were just undercurrents in Nanjing. For him, the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue would not dare to compete with him for signing the mortgage, and he usually did not go there, only living in Chunhe Palace and working in Wenyuan Pavilion. This is what is called transcendence.

The situation of Nanjing Metropolitan Censorate was much better than other ministries and yamen, because although Nanjing also had Metropolitan Censorate, it did not have a Left Censor-in-Chief, but only a Right Censor-in-Chief, a Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief, and a Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief. Therefore, when the current Beijing Left Censor-in-Chief Xiao Daheng came here, he was truly a superior, and no one could compete with him. Under his personal leadership, other officials of Beijing Metropolitan Censorate also followed suit and were very strong, completely forcing Nanjing Metropolitan Censorate to give in.

Because they had received the notice in advance, Xiao Daheng led the high officials of the two capital inspection offices to greet Gao Youshi at the gate of the government office. When he saw Gao Youshi coming, he immediately led the crowd forward and greeted him from a distance with a long bow: "This subordinate led the high officials of the two capital inspection offices to greet the Yuanfu Lord."

  "Master Yuanfu", what kind of strange name is this?

"The Chief Censor does not need to be polite. Just address him by his title when doing official business. The same goes for all of you." Gao Youshi waved his hand, asking the officials to excuse themselves from the formalities, and then said, "The Emperor is very concerned about this investigation, so we need the assistance of the Censorate."

Xiao Daheng hurriedly said: "Prince, you are too kind. I will do my best to help you." It seems that Xiao Daheng is indeed a good official. As soon as he heard Gao Youshi's words, he understood the meaning - to assist.

Leaders often speak like this, either the first or the last. The first to speak is called setting the tone, the last to speak is called making a decision. The prime minister set the tone that the task of the Censorate is to "assist as much as possible", so Xiao Daheng's answer cleverly emphasized "to assist the prime minister". Assist, of course, is to assist, a subordinate and cooperative work attitude.

Gao Youshi nodded and said, "That's great. Chief Justice, please gather the officials immediately and contact the East Factory and the Imperial Guard. Remember, all those involved in the case, regardless of their official positions, will be strictly investigated. If you have any information, please send it to me."

"I understand." Xiao Daheng bowed and replied.

Gao Youshi added, "In addition, this cabinet has discussed with the emperor and Chen Zhangyin. Due to the absence of the governor of the East Factory, Chen Zhangyin has entrusted the factory guards to the internal guard Tian Yi to be in charge of this investigation."

"Yes." Xiao Daheng responded again, but his heart moved.

Investigating the Nanjing Imperial Palace renovation case, but letting the Nanjing garrison eunuchs be in charge of the specific operations, does that mean that only the nobles and civil officials are investigated, while the inner court is excluded in advance? Haha, this targeting is indeed a bit too obvious...

  Gao Youshi was very satisfied with Xiao Daheng's attitude of "no matter what the order is, I will just obey it." He glanced at the senior officials of the Censorate in the North and South Kyoto, nodded, said goodbye briefly, and turned to leave.
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PS: The main text of this chapter is 4800+ words, which can be regarded as a supplement to the previous chapter.