The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Wei Guangde read a lot of books when he was in Jiujiang Mansion and had a general understanding of the records since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

Di newspapers in recent decades have also been collected and analyzed, so when Geng An said he wanted to sue King Hui, he had already roughly sketched out the position of King Hui in the mind of Emperor Jiajing.

Fellow.

As for talking about relatives, that's nonsense. There's no need to talk about relatives with the emperor.

But when he got home, Wei Guangde discovered one thing. He didn't seem to even understand what happened to his uncle in Nanjing City, and he found a lawsuit to fight.

That night, Wei Guangde called Geng An and learned more about the Henan officials in Beijing from him.

Wei Guangde only had errands from the Hanlin Academy and Taichang Temple. Although he could also write a letter of impeachment, it did not carry enough weight after all.

This understanding really made Wei Guangde's eyes light up.

Geng An is from Junzhou. Among the officials from Junzhou in Beijing, the highest-ranking one is Dang Yiping and Dang Shoheng. He is also the right deputy imperial envoy of the Metropolitan Procuratorate.

However, Wei Guangde asked him if he had complained to Dang Yiping in person, but the answer was no. Dang Yiping was sent out to inspect the disaster-stricken areas in Shanxi and Shaanxi during this period.

After the Shanshan disaster was caused by the Xinke Jinshi, the imperial court also paid attention to it.

The imperial envoy sent before was Zou Shouyu, the left minister of the Ministry of Revenue, but he died of illness soon after being too tired during the mission while inspecting the disaster area.

After hearing the report, the imperial court sent a censor to continue to monitor the local area, and at the same time set a posthumous title, posthumous title and reward for Zou Shouyu.

Dang Yiping was sent to Shanshan to supervise local disaster relief some time ago, but he has not returned yet.

To file a complaint for Geng An, we have to wait for Dang Yiping to come back. He is the right deputy governor of the capital, so it is appropriate to file a complaint.

In the next few days, Wei Guangde and the others searched out all the books that recorded Ganoderma lucidum from the vast sea of ​​books, classified them and copied them, preparing to present them to Emperor Jiajing.

The living Ming Dynasty version of the emperor opened his mouth, and the drama finally ended when the official ran away and broke his leg.

In the past few days, Wei Guangde also asked someone to inquire. The news came back in the same year when he was observing politics in the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Dang Yiping has been out for nearly three months and may return to Beijing to report on his work in the near future.

The reason why this is possible is because the selection of a new censor from the Metropolitan Procuratorate has not been completed. If Dang Yiping wants to return to Beijing, he must at least wait until the new censor comes to take over his job.

As for sending people to Junzhou to investigate King Hui's illegal activities, to be honest, Wei Guangde is not yet capable and has insufficient manpower around him.

Moreover, he did not dare to investigate a prince without authorization.

If he had a Metropolitan Procuratorate sign on his head, he could do this.

The records about Ganoderma lucidum have been copied, and Yin Tai sent Wei Guangde to send the compiled transcripts to Wu Shan, the Minister of Rites.

The Yamen of the Ministry of Rites is not far from the Hanlin Academy. It is a short walk away. Wei Guangde naturally accepted the order and went there. It was also a good idea to go out for some fresh air.

The environment in the Hanlin Academy is quiet, but it feels boring after staying there for a long time.

Wei Guangde wandered out of the Hanlin Academy with the booklet in hand, and took Zhang Ji to the Yamen of the Ministry of Rites.

The clerks at the Etiquette Department all knew Wei Guangde, and there was nothing they could do about it. That incident scared the people in the Etiquette Department to death.

When he arrived outside Wu Shangshu's office in Wushan, he asked the scribe to go in and report. Wei Guangde then entered the room to see the ceremony, and then presented the compiled album.

Wei Guangde didn't stay in the Rites Yamen for a long time.

Although it was strange, Wei Guangde still realized that Wu Shan didn't seem to like him very much, so he didn't stay any longer.

After leaving the Ministry of Etiquette, Wei Guangde was still thinking about where to hang out. It was still early before the next shift. After walking a few steps, he saw a man dressed as a chamberlain walking from a distance. He looked very familiar.

Wei Guangde thought about it carefully and remembered, isn't this Chen Ju?

I took him to Xiyuan last time, and later we arranged to have a drink with him.

Chen Ju seemed to have seen Wei Guangde a long time ago and walked straight over.

"Brother Chen."

Wei Guangde saw this posture and immediately cupped his fists.

After their last trip to Xiyuan, they took the time to meet up for a drink, and somehow they became like brothers during the dinner.

Of course, Wei Guangde was sober at that time, but he still wanted to curry favor with the chamberlains such as Gao Zhong and Chen Ju.

"Brother Wei, why don't you go to the Hanlin Academy and go to the Ministry of Rites to handle matters?"

They were outside the red wall of the courtyard of the Ministry of Rites, so Chen Ju naturally talked about the Ministry of Rites.

"The Hanlin Academy found a lot of records about Ganoderma lucidum in the past few days. I copied them and sent them to Wu Shangshu of the Ministry of Gifts."

Wei Guangde smiled and explained the reason why he came out.

"Well, what a coincidence, I came to the Rites Department to ask about this matter."

Chen Ju smiled.

"Oh, is the emperor really looking for Ganoderma lucidum?"

Wei Guangde had heard before that the emperor asked Wu Shan about Ganoderma lucidum, and Wu Shan said he would come back to look for information, which was why there was such a big fuss.

In fact, the movement was concentrated in yamen that played with words, such as the Ministry of Rites and the Hanlin Academy.

"Is the emperor going to open an altar to refine medicine again?"

Seeing Chen Ju nodding, Wei Guangde asked curiously.

"I need to make medicine. I have almost finished the elixir that I have been taking before, but the required medicinal materials have not been gathered yet. Master Liang said that some of them are difficult to find, but they can be replaced by Ganoderma lucidum. He also said that Ganoderma lucidum is the most powerful medicine in the world. Grass, long-term use is of great benefit to cultivation, so His Majesty asked Wu Shangshu, and he should be preparing to make a large purchase."

Chen Ju looked around before saying to Wei Guangde.

"Who is Master Liang?"

Wei Guangde asked curiously. He knew something about the alchemists around Emperor Jiajing, but there seemed to be no one named Liang.

"That's Liang Gaofu, Master Liang. He is an expert in refining medicine. Your Majesty likes the elixirs he refines very much. The purpose of purchasing Ganoderma lucidum this time is to use it in refining medicines for him."

Chen Ju introduced in a low voice.

"Then why haven't you heard this person's name before?"

Wei Guangde said a little strangely. Normally, the alchemists around Jiajing would have relatively high reputations.

"Master Liang only knows how to make medicine, but doesn't know how to practice. If it weren't for the shortage of elixirs in the palace, he wouldn't be summoned. Therefore, he doesn't have many opportunities to enter the palace alone. Most of them are summoned when His Majesty is refining medicine, so in It doesn’t have a good reputation outside.”

Chen Ju replied, "I'll go to Mr. Wu first and ask when I can hand over what your Majesty wants."

As he spoke, Chen Ju cupped his hands and said to Wei Guangde.

"Don't delay Brother Chen's errands."

Wei Guangde also returned the courtesy immediately, but then he thought about it. It is not easy to bump into Chen Ju on weekdays, so he also wanted to seize this opportunity to interact with him for a while. He smiled and said: "It's almost noon, brother, if you are not in a hurry, , why not go have a glass of wine later."

"I'm not in a hurry. I still don't have all the materials for refining the medicine. Now Your Majesty has left the matter to my godfather. It's really a headache."

Chen Ju said with a smile.

"It's because Eunuch Gao served the emperor with his heart that he gained the emperor's trust. Those medicinal materials are all taken by the emperor. Naturally, you have to trust someone to buy them."

Wei Guangde said with a smile.

"My godfather is loyal to His Majesty for sure, and his ability to do things is good enough to gain His Majesty's trust."

Chen Ju answered.

"Yes, yes."

Wei Guangde nodded flatteringly.

"Okay, I'll go in and take a look first."

Chen Ju raised his hands and said to Wei Guangde again.

"Brother Chen, go on your own. I have nothing to do, so I'll just wait here for a while."

Wei Guangde immediately answered.

The two of them separated. Chen Ju took a few steps to the door of the Rites Yamen, and then walked in.

"Master, shall we wait here?"

At this time, Zhang Ji came up from behind and asked softly.

"Are you the master or am I the master?"

Wei Guangde asked casually.

"Of course you are."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ji immediately stepped back and stood aside without saying a word.

Emperor Jiajing is a donkey-tempered person. If you follow him, he will comply with his wishes. If you go against him, he will become more rebellious.

He is the kind of person who is unwilling to follow instructions and do things. Just like the stubbornness shown by the donkey, not only can it not be led away or beaten away, but it will even take a few steps back.

These are judgments made by Wei Guangde after understanding past national policies.

It is said that in the Ming Dynasty, the cabinet governed the world, but it was only governance, and the final decision-making power was still in the hands of the emperor.

Therefore, Wei Guangde felt that it was important to have more contact with ministers like Chen Ju and understand Emperor Jiajing's character, habits, especially the mood during special periods.

When the emperor is in a good mood, big things become trivial, and vice versa.

Now Wei Guangde inexplicably has two more things in his hands. The final decision lies in the hands of Emperor Jiajing, and his attitude will determine the final result.

You must choose a good time to poke it, and get twice the result with half the effort, otherwise you may end up wasting the chicken and losing the rice, and you will end up in disgrace.

After waiting for about a stick of incense, Chen Ju walked out of the Rites Yamen and saw Wei Guangde still waiting there. He hurriedly walked over with a smile and said, "Brother Wei, please wait for a long time."

"What are you talking about, brother? You are on duty in the palace, and I am in the Hanlin Academy. We don't have many opportunities to meet you on weekdays. Since we met today, we naturally can't miss it."

Wei Guangde smiled and said to Chen Ju.

The two of them quickly walked out of the government office area and went to the market, where they found a restaurant and asked for a private room.

After three rounds of wine and five tastes of food, we soon started chatting together.

Chen Ju mainly asked about Wei Guangde's situation in the Hanlin Academy and Taichang Temple. Knowing that he spent most of his time in the Hanlin Academy and that he only had a temporary position in Taichang Temple, he didn't say anything.

"In the yamen of Taichang Temple, you won't be able to learn anything from your humble position. It will only help you understand the internal management of the yamen better. It is good to read more books in the Hanlin Academy."

Wei Guangde thought of what happened to Chen Jin before, so he asked a lot, "Brother, who was it that originally arranged for Chen Jin and Zhuangyuan, and what official position was it?"

"You talk about him."

Chen Ju picked up a mouthful of vegetables with chopsticks and put it into his mouth. He chewed two mouthfuls and swallowed, and said slowly: "I heard that he was originally the Prime Minister of Taichang Temple, but after the drama, he became a Pingtiao and went to be the governor of the state. Recruiting officials is also unlucky."

"Brother, let me ask you something. Who did the imperial edict from Duke Wei of Nanjing last month?"

Wei Guangde asked, "Although Chen Ju is not the eunuch of Si Li Supervisor, Gao Zhong is."

That imperial edict must have passed through the hands of the Chief of Ceremonies, maybe even if Chen Ju heard it from his godfather.

Wei Guangde had checked in the past few days and did not see that Xu Pengju, Duke of Wei in Nanjing, had submitted a petition to be conferred, but the imperial edict came out again, which was very strange.

"Nanjing Wei Guogong's Mansion, oh, you are talking about the imperial edict to confer a second-grade wife. I don't know, but apart from that person, is there anyone else in the court who can do this?"

Chen Ju did not directly answer Wei Guangde's words, but he raised some points.

If Wei Guangde still doesn't understand such a direct question, he can buy a piece of tofu and kill him.

Damn it, Xiaoge Lao did it.

Wei Guangde was speechless for a while. Yan Shifan might be the most trustworthy person in ancient and modern times.

"I heard that the lady named in the imperial edict seems not to be the stepmother married by Duke Wei, but a concubine."

Wei Guangde whispered, also testing whether Yan Shifan had informed the palace about this move.

After Wei Guangde learned about his relationship with Nanjing Wei Guogong's government, he looked for the imperial edict and read it. Zheng's identity was not mentioned in the entire article, so Wei Guangde suspected that the person who organized the matter was operating behind the scenes.

To put it bluntly, this is the crime of deceiving the emperor.

However, Wei Guangde was disappointed that Chen Ju did not pick up the topic, but picked up the wine glass on the table.

Wei Guangde was very sensible and stopped talking about it. He picked up the wine glass on the table and walked away with Chen Ju.

After drinking up the wine in the glass, Wei Guangde picked up the jug and refilled it for Chen Ju, and then filled up his own quilt. Only then did he hear Chen Ju say: "I know that your Wei family, including your uncle, has always been subject to Duke Wei is taking care of it, but there are some things that you are not suitable to get involved with."

Wei Guangde understood that Chen Ju was not a fool. He knew the relationship between the Jiujiang Wei family, where the Wei family was located, and the Wei family. Obviously Chen Ju knew about the two young masters of the Xu family, but he did not know about his relationship with the Wei family. , that’s why I advised you like this.

I don't know what Chen Ju's expression will be when Jin Yiwei reports the news of his engagement to the Xu family.

However, by now, Wei Guangde has roughly understood something.

The people in the Bureau of Ceremony are not stupid, or they have their own channels to know a lot of things. At least they know what is hidden in this imperial edict.

It's just that the decree came according to the procedures, but they were unwilling to open it. In other words, they did not want to offend the powerful people of the day and the Duke of Wei who was far away in the south of the Yangtze River, so they pretended not to know.

Then, it is possible that Emperor Jiajing was kept in the dark.

Wei Guangde had a headache now. This matter was difficult to handle.

At least, it seems that it cannot be revealed in the short term, because it will offend Yan Shifan, and perhaps the Jiajing Emperor will feel that he has been cheated and accuse the Duke of Wei.

Regarding this matter, write a letter first for Xu Huai to take back when you get back.

Now Xu Bangning has not gone to the Imperial College, just in name, and it seems to have little impact on him.

As for the rumors they spread, that's all they can do for the time being.

Anyway, the most crucial factor in this matter is that Zheng was born as a concubine. This cannot be changed. As long as the matter is revealed in the future, her imperial concubine will be withdrawn. Naturally, Xu Bangning will not have the slightest chance to confirm the Duke of Wei's imperial concubine. No.

One thing was barely solved, and the rest was the case about King Hui that I just took over.

Wei Guangde planned to continue testing Chen Ju to see if he could get more useful information, especially from Emperor Jiajing. Is King Hui really as favored as the rumors outside?