Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

After the court meeting, Wen Tiren returned home quite proudly.

At today's court meeting, he not only saw the opportunity to support the emperor, but also successfully promoted Liu Kongzhao, the sincere uncle, as the admiral of the Yangtze River.

This means that he is becoming more and more important in the emperor's mind, and even many officials in the court understand that he is already in the Sacred Heart.

As long as the emperor remembers him, and with his status as the Minister of Rites, as long as nothing unexpected happens, he will definitely join the cabinet within a few years.

How could Wen Tiren be dissatisfied!

In such a proud mood, Wen Tiren was sitting at home for a while, when he suddenly heard a disciple coming to report that Zhou Yanru, the young minister of Guanglu Temple, asked to see him.

This made him wonder why Zhou Yanru asked to see him.
"Why did he ask to see me?" 』

"I had nothing to do with him before. 』

"Could it be that you want to take refuge in me because you see that I am trusted by His Majesty?" 』

With this in mind, Wen Tiren did not hesitate and hurriedly welcomed Zhou Yanru into the house.

After all, Zhou Yanru's position as Shaoqing could be regarded as Shao Zhanshi in the past, and he was only one step away from becoming Zhanshi and Minister.

When he reached the position of Minister of Rites, Zhou Yanru, who was born in the Hanlin Academy, was qualified to become a cabinet bachelor.

Of course, Wen Tiren would not dare to neglect such a prime minister.

However, Zhou Yanru did not show the slightest reserve of Prime Minister Chu at this time. Seeing that there was no one else in Wen Tiren's house, he immediately softened his legs and bowed to Wen Tiren:
"Mr. Wen, save me!"

"Please Lord Wen break it down in front of the Holy One!"

Unexpectedly, Wen Tiren didn't know what Zhou Yanru had committed, so he didn't dare to agree easily. He couldn't help but comforted:

"Your Majesty will do it tomorrow, Zhou Shaoqing doesn't have to worry."

He then made some insinuations to find out what Zhou Yanru had done that made him want to beg him like this.

Zhou Yanru knelt down, hugging Wen Tiren's thigh and begging hard, not daring to tell him what he had committed.

But Wen Tiren was so shrewd that he would not agree to anything unless Zhou Yanru made things clear. He forcibly helped Zhou Yanru up and persuaded him to trust the emperor. With the wisdom of the current emperor, he will definitely deal with it impartially.

Zhou Yanru tried to compromise but failed to get the letter. Thinking that he had lost face in front of Wen Tiren, he secretly felt hatred in his heart. However, thinking about what might happen to him, he had to continue:
"A few days ago, some officials from Guanglu Temple said that His Majesty held banquets too frequently these days, and Guanglu Temple might not be able to make ends meet. So Zhou wrote a memorial to them and told His Majesty something."

"I didn't expect that Your Majesty had a misunderstanding and thought that Guanglu Temple was neglecting you. Mr. Wen is with Your Majesty and he wants to help me distinguish it!"

Talking about this matter, Zhou Yanru felt quite aggrieved. In his opinion, complaining to the emperor was evidence that Guanglu Temple was doing something good. If he didn't complain to the emperor, how could the emperor understand their hard work?
Unexpectedly, Guanglu Temple would be attacked because of this incident.

I saw the newspaper this morning and learned after going to court that the Jinyiwei had blocked the account books of Guanglu Temple. It all means that the emperor is dissatisfied with Guanglu Temple and is about to take cruel action.

Zhou Yanru couldn't help but be afraid when he thought about what happened to Ruan Dacheng and his in-law Feng Quan. Thinking that Wen Tiren was highly valued by the emperor, he hurriedly came to ask for help——

After all, no matter what, Guanglu Temple belongs to the Department of Rites. Wen Tiren, the Minister of Rites, could not just ignore him.

But Wen Tiren's face with the emperor was gained through his loyalty. It was impossible for him to defend Zhou Yanru to death when he made a big mistake. In that case, the emperor might think that he was a clique and no longer trust him.

So Wen Tiren planned to ask clearly what Zhou Yanru had committed, what the emperor's attitude was, and whether there was any chance of redemption.

After making insinuations and testing, Wen Tiren finally figured out how the emperor attacked Guanglu Temple. The matter of Jin Yiwei and the newspaper was revealed by Zhou Yanru.

Wen Tiren was secretly surprised when he thought about this. Because Jin Yiwei blocked the account books of Guanglu Temple, it meant that the emperor was quite dissatisfied with Guanglu Temple, and even had evidence that Guanglu Temple had violated the law.

As for the newspaper article, it represents that the emperor put Guanglu Temple in the sun. I no longer trust the entire Yamen of Guanglu Temple.

Especially looking at the title "Guanglu Temple Requests to Stop Hosting the Qionghua Banquet" in the "Beijing News", Wen Tiren understood that if the emperor did not intend to thoroughly investigate Guanglu Temple, otherwise he would not publish such a title:
"Ceasing the Qionghua Banquet will draw criticism from the entire Shilin!" 』

"Furthermore, the white grain collected by Guanglu Temple has long been criticized by the people. 』

"With so much food, we can't even hold a banquet. What do the people of the world think?" 』

The expropriation of white grain has caused a lot of criticism among the people, and many people think it is a harsh government.

Now this article indicates the amount of white grain collected by Guanglu Temple every year, and also points out the cost of each banquet. It even listed the materials that Guanglu Temple drew every year from the Shanglin Garden Supervisor and the inner court treasury.

Even Wen Tiren looked at it and felt that it was unreasonable for Guanglu Temple to start crying for poverty after hosting a few banquets——

They have so much food and supplies that they can't hold several banquets.

Therefore, he looked at Zhou Yanru and said with some embarrassment:

"Zhou Shaoqing, I won't ask about the cost of the banquet."

"As for the free grains, are we harvesting so much every year?"

“Where are the balances saved from previous years?”

Zhou Yanru felt cold in his heart after hearing this. What does "the cost of the banquet is irrelevant"? Doesn't this already mean that they have skimped on the banquet?

But I thought about the jokes in Beijing about "Guanglu Temple Tea Soup" and the meals they provided at these banquets. He really didn't have the confidence to say: These banquets were very expensive and Guanglu Temple couldn't afford it.

Therefore, Zhou Yanru could only mutter:

"Guanglu Temple collects more than 68,980 shi of white grain from the five prefectures of Su Song and Changjiahu every year. It distributes more than 43,720 shi of rice to the inner and outer yamen every year."

"In the fifth year of Wanli, because there were more than 360,000 stones of surplus rice, Kechen Liu Lutiao had been thinking about it for a long time and decided to change it. After discussion, the imperial court decided to change the yearly fortune."

"Now there are more than 108,630 stones in the temple. In addition to the more than 68,980 stones newly collected this year, the actual rice in each warehouse totals more than 177,610 stones. "

"Crying about poverty in memorials is just a common practice."

After hearing these words, Wen Tiren was so angry that he didn't know what to say. He pointed at Zhou Yanru's nose and said:
"One hundred and seventy thousand shi of food, why are you still crying about poverty?"

"People who don't know the inside story will think that the Holy Emperor is so extravagant and lustful that he has used up all the food stored in Guanglu Temple in just a few months."

"What on earth are you thinking, to frame the Holy One!"

At this moment, he fully understood why the emperor was so cruel to Guanglu Temple and pushed Guanglu Temple to the opposite side of the people of the world——

In fact, if the emperor does not do this, the label of being extravagant and greedy and running out of money and food will fall on the emperor's head.

As long as the emperor still wants reputation, he has to make excuses.

That's why the newspaper article listed the data so clearly and clearly listed the cost of each banquet.

At this moment, Zhou Yanru also understood where he had gone wrong. In fact, it was their crying poverty that made the emperor take the blame!
This made him so anxious that he knelt down again and asked Wen Tiren for an idea.

In his heart, Wen Tiren did not want to be involved in this matter. But Zhou Yanru took the initiative to seek refuge with him, and he did not hesitate to put down his face and kneel down. If he ignored him, it would be too heartless, and there might be no officials who would seek refuge with him in the future. So after thinking about it, he asked Zhou Yanru:
"Is there any fraud in Guanglu Temple?"

"Have you embezzled money or food since you took office?"

Zhou Yanru hesitated and said hesitantly:

"There should be some fraud."

"Which government office in the imperial court can say that there are no cases of malpractice?"

"As for money and food, although I made a little profit, it was just a routine."

"Your Majesty can't ask me to blame just because of this!"

Speaking of this, Zhou Yanru felt aggrieved. Because he felt that he had done nothing wrong and everything he did was in accordance with routine.

Unexpectedly, the emperor's reaction was so great that he wanted to conduct a thorough investigation of the entire Guanglu Temple.

Once a problem is discovered, he, Zuo Shaoqing, who is temporarily acting as the temple administrator, must bear the responsibility——

It can be said that at this time, he was not at all happy to take charge of the temple affairs. Instead, he felt that the death of Fei Zhaoyuan, the former minister of Guanglu Temple, was untimely and left him such a mess.

But no matter what, before the new minister of Guanglu Temple, Fan Jingwen, took office, he was the chief official of Guanglu Temple. No matter what problems are found, he must take responsibility.

Even the responsibility that should have been borne by Fei Zhaoyuan should be borne by Fei Zhaoyuan because the deceased was the most important.

It can be said that he, Zuo Shaoqing, is in trouble now.

Wen Tiren also knew about this, so he didn't want to get involved. The emperor had already asked Jin Yiwei to take action and even asked the newspapers to report it. It was impossible for Guanglu Temple to be let off lightly despite the thunder and the rain.

Zhou Yanru, the person who temporarily took charge of the affairs of Guanglu Temple, must bear the responsibility.

So he comforted Zhou Yanru, and while thinking about what he could gain from this matter, he said to Zhou Yanru:

"I will defend you in front of His Majesty, but you must also show your attitude."

"What is a convention? A convention is the old system, the old rituals and music. It is completely inconsistent with His Majesty's remade rituals and music."

"So don't mention this term again in the future."

"We must implement new rituals and music according to the new system established by His Majesty."

As he spoke, Wen Tiren remembered a sentence and pointed Zhou Yanru:
"When Ruan Dacheng was arrested, it was written in the newspaper that 'Chongzhen will not stop in the future.' Do you understand what it means now?"

"Not to mention what happened before, the accounts after the first year of Chongzhen must be clear."

"How much wealth you have and how much food you have received since taking office this year must be declared."

"And we will order all the officials of Guanglu Temple to declare their family assets."

Zhou Yanru was shocked when he heard this. Because this approach puts him on the opposite side of many officials.

The emperor mentioned the matter of official property declaration last year, and it was mentioned again in the newspapers when dealing with Ruan Dacheng. But except for Yang Jingchen, Lu Tunan and other courtiers who were attached to the emperor, not many officials responded at all. Not to mention asking all officials in the yamen to implement this system.

He dared to say that as long as he dared to do this, he would become a thorn in the eyes of many officials. They will hate themselves and hate the matter of property declaration——

What he wants to do is to fight against corrupt officials all over the world.

And based on the current situation of the Ming Dynasty, this kind of officials accounted for at least 89%, not to say 10%.

Therefore, Zhou Yanru hesitated and said to Wen Tiren:
"Mr. Wen, do you really want to do this?"

"Isn't Mr. Wen afraid?"

Wen Tiren waved his hand and said:
"Wen is so loyal, what can he be afraid of?"

"Even if Zhou Shaoqing doesn't want to, I will propose this matter to Your Majesty when the time is right——"

“Promote property declaration in all yamen of the Ministry of Rites!”

He sounded grand, but he didn't say when the time was right.

Zhou Yanru secretly complained, but he had to admit that if he took the initiative to declare his property and hand over his illegal income, it would indeed be possible to gain the emperor's forgiveness and keep his current position.

After all, he had heard that Wang Tiqian and Wei Zhongxian had such a deep relationship because they handed over their family property and were retained by the emperor. He is still the chief eunuch of the ceremonial department and the number one eunuch in the inner court.

Although Wen Tiren's method was a bit of a trick, it was indeed a way out.

So Zhou Yanru could only thank Wen Tiren and ask again and again not to forget to help him distinguish in front of the emperor.

Wen Tiren agreed readily, but after sending Zhou Yanru away, he did not write at all, and had no intention of Shangshu defending Zhou Yanru——

Before the emperor vented his anger, it was impossible for him to take the initiative to bump into him.

At this time, many scholars and people in the capital were talking about Guanglu Temple because of the article "Guanglu Temple Requests to Stop Hosting the Qionghua Banquet".

They really didn't expect that such a wealthy yamen as Guanglu Temple would complain because of several banquets. Some even read the banquet dishes published in the newspaper, which was eye-opening:

"On the Empress Dowager's Christmas Day and the Empress's Lingdan Festival: Shang Zhuo drinks four kinds of wine, four colors of dishes, one snack, one bowl of longevity noodles, and three minutes of wine. Zhonghe Zhuotong, two bowls of longevity noodles, and six minutes of wine. "

"The palace test of wine and rice: each Zhuo has five pieces of tea, five pieces of fruit, five kinds of wine, one piece of snacks, two pieces of soup, one point of rice, four colors of vegetables, and five minutes of wine. Each Jinshi has two steamed buns and one bowl of soup. ”

"Jingyan banquet with wine and rice: four pieces of fine tea, one piece of rice, five pieces of fruit, five pieces of wine, one piece of snacks, one piece of preserved vegetables, three pieces of soup, four colors of vegetables, one point of rice, and six minutes of wine …”

"The emperor and ministers don't have much good food!"

"I see that the birthday banquet given by the Queen Mother and the Empress is not as sumptuous as some old ladies!"

"How come Guanglu Temple only held a few banquets and then started crying to the Holy One about poverty?"

"With more than 100,000 dan of grain, can't we hold a few banquets?"

There was a lot of discussion about the data listed in the article.

In the imagination of many people, the emperor used golden hoes for farming, and the dishes at the banquet must be dragon liver and phoenix marrow.

Unexpectedly, it was completely different from what they imagined. The Queen Mother and the Empress only celebrated their birthdays by eating birthday noodles.

To participate in the imperial examination, Jinshi only had two steamed buns and a bowl of soup.

It can be said that this menu broke the imagination of many people and made them realize that the emperor's banquet was not so mysterious and was not much different from the banquets of ordinary people. (End of chapter)