Chapter 60
The sky had been sunny for more than half a month. Spring had arrived, and tender green leaf buds were sprouting from the dead trees and flowers were revealing buds. But that afternoon, there was a sudden rainstorm and a cold wind.
In the Chongming Hall, many students took off their cotton coats for the sake of being casual.
Just after noon, Niu Dahai asked the eunuch to take out the stove and asked the imperial kitchen for two pots of ginger soup. The young eunuch was puzzled: "Master, it's still warm today. Your Highness and the young masters will be back from boxing warmly. Why do you still need to prepare ginger soup?"
"What do you know?" Niu Dahai didn't understand the weather, but he always followed the old saying, 'cover up in spring and keep warm in autumn.' He hadn't taken off his cotton coat yet, but the weather had been really hot these days, which made him a little irritated. Yesterday, he went to the Imperial Hospital to get some anti-inflammatory medicine, and heard several imperial doctors in the hospital say that a late spring cold was coming, so he kept it in mind.
Niu Dahai takes his job very seriously and is always prepared for any eventuality, as he is serving His Majesty.
At this time, he said to his little disciple, "Don't you think about it? It was cold in previous years, but why is it so hot this year, as if it is summer? When it is too hot, it will turn cold. Don't be afraid of trouble. We are serving His Highness. If we are afraid of trouble even when moving a stove, then are we afraid of trouble even when losing our heads?"
The young apprentice thought that the master was exaggerating. It was still sunny at this time. What is hot will turn into cold? That is called the opposite of extreme. The young apprentice was young, only fourteen years old. He also went to the diligent study in the morning to study and knew a few words and idioms.
He thought so in his heart and did not refute his master. He knew that his master treated him well, so he hurriedly responded to move the stove and ran errands to get ginger soup. But the strange thing was that when he went to the imperial kitchen to ask for ginger soup, the old imperial chefs did not feel surprised.
Just as we finished preparing everything, the sky became cloudy for a moment, followed by a strong wind.
The young disciple was shocked, and looked at his master as if he were a god. Niu Dahai was very pleased and said, "Hurry up and get an umbrella. If it rains, go to Luoxia Gate to pick someone up..."
As soon as he finished speaking, raindrops as big as beans began to fall down.
The weather changed so quickly that the students who were running back from physical education class in Chongming Hall were soaked even with umbrellas.
Wang Yuanyuan protected His Highness, and Xuanfu did not forget to call his little deskmate.
"Your Highness, Shunde will be in charge. You go back first." Wang Yuanyuan held the umbrella over little Duofu's head.
The rain was too heavy. When Duoyufu heard it, he immediately said, "Let's go back first. Banban, you should also hold an umbrella so you don't get wet."
"I know." Wang Yuanyuan said this without moving her hands at all, and first protected His Highness back to the main hall.
When we arrived at the Chongming Hall, the stove was lit and the ginger soup was ready.
"There's ginger soup." Xu Xuanfu was surprised and said to Wang Banban, "It's raining so hard right now that my clothes aren't wet. Don't let them run back to get their things. You guys are the ones who are wet. Hurry up and drink some."
Wang Yuanyuan agreed and served ginger soup to His Highness first.
Manyu Fu drank a bowl of hot water while blowing the steam. Wang Yuanyuan went to drink it and told Shunde and Shuncai to drink some, and to talk about other things after the rain stopped. After giving the instructions, Wang Yuanyuan found Niu Dahai and made a powerful gesture to him.
Niu Dahai smiled modestly, "Thank you for the compliment, Eunuch Wang. I am in charge of Chongming Palace, so I will naturally pay more attention to it."
"How do you know the situation has changed?" Wang Yuanyuan asked humbly.
Niu Dahai couldn't brag to Wang Yuanyuan and had to tell the truth. Wang Yuanyuan made a note that she would go to the Imperial Hospital more often when the seasons changed. She sincerely thought that Niu Gonggong was a good man, and the two of them became good friends again.
Inside the main hall, the eunuchs began to serve ginger soup to the young masters. If their outer clothes were wet from the shower, they would take them off and dry them on the stove. Since the young masters had the habit of taking a nap, there were spare clothes in the main house in the backyard.
It's very busy.
Manyu Fu touched his deskmate's hand. Yan Huaijin said, "Just now, Shunde uncle took good care of me, and I didn't get wet."
"Then you should drink ginger soup too."
"I know a lot about blessings." Yan Huaijin said, and then said, "I want to thank Shunde Gonggong."
"Then you should thank him." Xuan Xufu did not intervene.
The rain outside didn't stop, and there was even a strong wind, making a clanging and donging sound.
Xuanyunfu heard something wrong and stood up and went to the door to take a look. What was falling from the sky to the ground was not rain, but hail. This was bad.
"Luckily they are all back."
The eunuchs did not go out either.
As a result, a figure appeared outside the hall. It was Xu Lingguan holding an umbrella and carrying something. Xuan Fu quickly let him in when he saw him. Xu Lingguan was a Jinwu Guard and usually guarded the East Palace. He came here with a cloak.
"You said you--" Xuan Fu was originally blaming Xu Lingguan angrily, but when he saw that Xu Lingguan was half wet, the bag in his arms was dry, and the umbrella was torn, and there was blood on his forehead, he lost his temper immediately, "Come in quickly and pour him some ginger soup."
Xu Lingguan was relieved to see that his master was fine.
"There are medicines in the hall, go clean the wound." Many people are called Shuncai, who is meticulous and skillful.
The hail lasted for more than half an hour, getting heavier and heavier, and finally stopped. When the wind and rain stopped, the sky was gloomy and dark, and the steps outside the Chongming Hall were covered with hail the size of quail eggs.
Xuan Fu thought that his father must be very busy.
People outside don't know what to do. There are also crops. The weather was sunny and warm before, and I don't know if the crops have been planted. Now it's hailstorm, have the crops sprouted? What if they are damaged?
The sky was pitch black, and the students in the hall were a little frightened - for hail was rare, so they could not wait for it to stop, and hurriedly bowed and left the palace.
Liu Qiang: "It's actually hailing."
"Does it often snow over Sumakan?" Xuanyu Fu asked.
Liu Qiang shook his head. "I have seen this three times in my life. They were bigger than this. People and sheep were injured and the house suffered serious damage."
Xuanyu Fu looked even more worried. Yan Huaijin's face was also tense. He was weak and his words of comfort seemed weak. "Xuyu Fu."
"Um?"
"At this time of year, the people haven't planted crops yet, so the crops growing in the fields may be cabbages and sweet potatoes," Yan Huaijin said. His second sister was good at farming, so he also knew something about it.
Liu Qiang: "That's not a big deal. We can't control what God does."
In the next few days, the emperor's father was very busy, and my father was even busier. He was not in the palace more than ten days ago as he was on a business trip. Xuanyuefu went to the Zichen Palace for dinner, while his father the emperor was still reviewing memorials. When Eunuch Zhao saw him, he was quite happy, with a look of "help is coming". When he asked, he found out that it was already dark and his father had not eaten yet.
Xuan Fu then played tricks and had a meal with his father, but as they were eating, Zhong Yun said, "I wonder if Xiao Man has eaten."
"I miss Dad, too." Xuanyufu was much more straightforward.
Zhong Yun: I want to too.
The natural disaster had a small impact, with only a few prefectures and counties near Shengdu suffering. After various measures were taken by Emperor Ningwu, the disaster-stricken areas were registered. Some farmlands were planted with two crops a year, but the crops were still affected. As for the damage to houses, except for the serious areas, only two houses collapsed in the villages outside Shengdu. These were caused by poverty and the houses were built with straw.
"Father, do you want to give us money to build a house? I can donate some." Xuanyu Fu asked.
Emperor Ningwu: "Work in exchange for money. These two places are tenant villages."
"Tenant village? Are all the villagers tenant farmers?" Xuan Fu frowned and exclaimed. He knew that the land did not belong to the people but to the landlords. The people worked hard to rent the land from the landlords, and after deducting the grain tax, the rest was up to the landlords to divide.
The kind-hearted might give 50-50, 40-60, and the landlords 60. If the mean ones were more serious, these farmers might not even have enough to feed themselves after working hard all year round, and if a natural disaster happened, they would be forced to sell their children.
"My order to exchange work for money can also intimidate those wealthy families."
Many donations are just a drop in the bucket.
He understood why his father wanted to move the land.
If the land is encroached upon too seriously, the country will not be able to survive for long. The lower-class people will be exploited at every level, working hard every year but still not having enough food and clothing, and it will be easy for them to become bandits and rebel.
Zhong Yun touched the child's head. Duofu was kind-hearted, which was a good thing. If he needed a thunderous force, he and Xiaoman would do it. "Let's eat."
A few days later, it was February 21st, the Spring Equinox.
According to custom, the emperor and empress were to preside over the spring ploughing ceremony on that day. In addition, there was a hail disaster more than ten days ago, so the ceremony was very grand. Father, who had not been seen for almost a month, finally came back. Xuanyuefu was heartbroken to see that his father had lost weight.
Zhong Yun touched Xiao Man's cheek and said, "You've lost a lot of weight."
"You said that yesterday." Xu Xiaoman said in a low voice. Seeing Duoduo's eyes were about to turn red, he quickly laughed and said, "Dad just has a small face, but he's not actually thin."
Many people don't believe in blessings.
Xu Xiaoman patted the boy's head and changed the subject: "Our prince should change his clothes quickly and let father see his crown."
At the beginning of February, the ceremony of enthroning Xuan Duofu as the crown prince was held. My father was away on a business trip and did not see it. The sky was cloudless and the sun was shining brightly during those days. People in Shengdu all said it was a good omen, a blessing from heaven and a blessing from the crown prince.
As a result, hailstorms hit in the middle of the month. Of course, Xuanfu would not take the initiative to take the blame, as natural disasters had nothing to do with him. If he were so powerful, he would definitely pray to God for good weather and good harvests every year.
"Dad, I'm going to change my clothes." Xuanyufu said while hugging his father's waist.
Xu Xiaoman touched the cub, held his head and gave him a big kiss, very loudly, "Go, go." It was almost a month since they hadn't seen each other, so it was normal for Duoduo to miss him and stick to him.
Xuanyuefu went to change his clothes.
Xu Xiaoman turned his head to look at Zhong Yun, held his wife's face and kissed her, coaxing her, "I coaxed you all night yesterday, so I will kiss you more."
"I know, I won't say anything more."
"Your Majesty is truly open-minded." Another big kiss.
The crown prince was sent to the Purple Palace. Xuanyunfu was changing his clothes when he heard his two fathers flirting outside. He happily ate a big mouthful of dog food. He was full of energy and felt like he could plow ten acres of land in a short while!
It’s really hard to get used to the fact that my dad is not around and I don’t have any dog food to eat.
After eating his fill of dog food and changing his clothes, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince came out in a wise and majestic manner.
Early in the morning of that day, the emperor and the prince left the palace in a carriage and headed straight for the imperial farm in the suburbs. Along the way, the common people gave way and knelt to pay their respects. The royal family and officials followed. When they arrived at the imperial farm, they began to burn incense and pray to God for good weather this year, and then began to plow the land.
Xuan Fu discovered that his emperor father's plowshares all had golden handles.
His too.
The officials of the imperial clan had to work after they were given the land. It was impossible for the emperor and his family to work hard while the officials and the imperial clan watched and applauded. They all had to work.
Xuanyuefu was dressed in formal attire. He first harnessed the small plowshare to a docile ox that was led by someone, and he just had to follow behind, holding the plowshare. His father's ox next to him was particularly big, and his father's plowshare was also very tall. Then his father pushed the plow for a while, and his father supported it from the side.
After eating a handful of dog food again, the little prince started plowing the land quickly.
The officials working in the fields nearby saw this scene. The emperor was actually letting a eunuch hold the plow. According to ancient rules, this was done by the queen.
Many Fus also noticed that several officials endured it when they saw their father holding the plow with a pouting expression on his face. It must be because his father was furious about the disaster in the court some time ago, and today is the spring ploughing ceremony. Whoever is unhappy will blame you and say that "it's all your fault that there is no good weather this year."
He was daydreaming while plowing the fields and didn't feel bored or tired.
By noon, the land was plowed. His Majesty did not mention it, but the land plowed by the officials of the royal family was too shallow, so they would have to plow again. Anyway, these civil officials cried out, raised their sleeves to wipe the sweat, and looked exhausted.
Then have your meal.
Today's meal was the same as that of ordinary people. They had a whole-grain rice cooked with whole grains, and the dishes were stir-fried cabbage and tofu, which were fried with lard and some lard residue. Xuanfu worked hard for the whole morning, and the meal was delicious.
Zhong Yun was in a good mood. Seeing how Xu Duofu was eating, he praised him, saying, "The prince also eats whole grains with relish. Good."
"?" Many people with lucky cheeks and still had rice in their mouths were confused. Was his father replaced by someone else?
Then I saw my father picking up some food for my father and said happily, "Duoduo's food smells delicious. You should eat more too. You've been tired all morning."
Father: "Good, good, good, Nine Thousand Year Old, please eat more. You have worked the fields with me all morning."
Many blessings: ...
One of them buried his head and continued to eat. The dog food was almost finished.
His Majesty and the Crown Prince ate very delicious and clean meals. The other royal family officials and officials dared not complain. Even though their throats were dry from choking, they had to swallow the grains even if they felt they were scratching their throats.
Prince Li ate well and cleanly, and even asked for another bowl of rice.
The emperor also praised Zhongqiong.
The fifth uncle was flattered. Only Xuanyu Fu knew that the reason his father was so happy and in a good mood from last night to today was purely because his father had returned from his "business trip". Even if the emperor stepped on cow dung, he would still praise the cow dung for its goodness in nourishing the soil.
The spring ploughing ceremony is over.
As if it was God's will or something, it started to drizzle the next day. It rained for two days, and it was so cold that we had to wear cotton clothes. But on the third day, the sky cleared up. The rain nourished the land, making it perfect for farming.
The people are very resilient at heart and were not defeated by a small natural disaster. God bless them. It must be that the emperor and the prince's prayers moved the heavens.
At the end of February, the late spring cold gradually subsided and the imperial examination began, lasting a total of three days.
During the two-day holiday in the palace, Xuanyu Fu and friends including Liu Qiang and Yan Jinjin made an appointment to play in the palace. My father said we should not go out for the time being, as the Yu Yang salt policy case that started in November last year seemed to be finally coming to an end.
Ji Huai'en didn't come to school for eight days last week. He asked for leave and stayed at home. The Ji Mansion was closed to visitors and he didn't go out much. Not to mention the rumors in the court, there were all kinds of rumors, such as Ji Min was dead, or Ji Min found the dead Ke An and brought new evidence back to Beijing.
It was also said that Ke An was not dead, but Ji Min was dead.
No one knows who died.
Not to mention the court, even in their class, people around Zhou Quan were asking about it privately. Zhou Quan got annoyed by the questions and got angry. His father didn't participate in the salt administration case, so how could he know? The student who was bullied whispered, "If you don't want to ask, then don't ask. We are just curious."
"I just heard that Lord Ji was protecting Yu Yang, but I don't know if it's true or not."
"I heard that he brought the evidence hidden by Lord Ke..."
Zhou Quan got up in annoyance and went to find His Highness, and then everyone shut up.
On this day, Duoduofu brought his friends to Hanliang Hall. As the weather got hotter, they had a teppanyaki buffet on the second-floor deck of the hall. There were more people today, so they divided the table into three. Zhou Quan, Wang Yuansun, Li Ze, Zhong Ziming, Zhong Ziqin and others all came.
After eating some barbecue, we felt warm in the sun.
Someone brought up the Salt Administration Case again. Zhou Quan had been very sensitive about it recently. If His Highness had not been here, he would have almost left. But when he saw that it was Zhong Ziqin who asked, Zhou Quan looked puzzled. Not to mention Zhou Quan, even Xuan Fu at the next table looked over.
"Zhong Ziqin, why are you so concerned about this?" It was really strange. Duo Fu became curious.
Li Ang and Zhong Ziming both looked at Zhong Ziqin.
Zhong Ziqin scratched his head, not knowing what to say, and stammered. Duoyunfu's gaze was sharp and inquiring. Zhong Ziqin was frightened and quickly shook off his words and said, "My fifth grandfather got a job and was highly valued by the emperor. My father also wants to take on some work..."
This is not a pleasant thing to say, and Zhong Ziqin said it vaguely.
In a nutshell: The salt administration case was about to be concluded, and Zhong Ziqin's father was muttering at home whether he could get a share of the credit, such as doing some clean-up work afterwards.
Many blessings: ...
In front of his classmates, he did not teach his nephew a lesson. As an uncle, he gave the child face. Zhong Ziqin also felt that he seemed too "filial" after saying it, which tarnished his father's reputation in the outside world. After that, he only ate meat and did not mention these things.
No one laughed at Zhong Ziqin.
"Actually, we still don't know what the truth is." Zhou Quan sighed.
Li Ze said: "I don't know whether the two adults are alive or dead, alas."
Liu Qiang shouted, "Eat meat, eat meat," and picked up a lot of meat for Wang Yuansun. Wang Yuansun looked cold, so Liu Qiang quietly took the meat back from Wang Yuansun's plate and put it on his own plate.
He whispered, "Eat it if you want."
Manyu Fu: Niu Pi Liu Jiaojiao, you stood up.
Wang Yuansun didn't say anything and continued to have a cold face. But after a while, when they started grilling the meat, Liu Qiang was so engrossed in eating that he picked up a piece of beef with his chopsticks and handed it to Wang Yuansun. This time, Wang Yuansun ate it without saying anything.
Many blessings: ...
This frozen black sesame glutinous rice ball is really naughty.
Obviously, he still likes to be friends with Liu Qiang. Fortunately, Liu Qiang is carefree and broad-minded. If it were him, he would have given Wang Yuan and Sun Bangbang two punches.
Yan Huaijin picked up some meat for Xuanyu Fu. Xuanyu Fu thanked his classmate with a smile, then ate it in one gulp, saying that he really liked the meat that his classmate grilled for him.
See? This is the correct way to treat good friends.
There has to be a give and take. So Duoyufu grilled a piece of crispy pork belly for his little classmate, saying, "Wrap it with vegetable leaves and eat it, don't burn it."
Yan Huaijin obeyed and wrapped it up and ate it.
This group of kids were eating barbecue and having fun in Hanliang Palace, while the situation in Xuanzheng Palace in Zuo Palace had changed. It was rumored outside that Lord Ji Minji, whose whereabouts were unknown and whose life or death was unknown, had returned to Beijing. He was fat and had a big belly before the New Year, but now he had lost a lot of weight and was standing in front of Xuanzheng Palace.
Also escorting Lord Ji back to the capital were spies from the Eastern Depot. Seven of them were killed during the investigation, all of them were masters of the Eastern Depot. The captain of the Jinwu Guard, Huai Min, was seriously injured and had a broken arm.
When the emperor is angry, millions of people will die.
The four great families in Jiangnan Road are Yuan, Du, Qi and Dong. Among them, Yuan was the first to secretly train water bandits, and the three families later joined in, so that the eighteen water forts in Jiangnan Road are all the lairs of the four great families.
Anyone who disobeyed or had a trade dispute with the four major clans or was dissatisfied with the four major clans would be killed by the pirates. This could range from small things like merchants paying tolls and insurance money to murdering court officials...
Ke An is dead.
When Lord Feng heard the news that Ji Min had returned, he wanted to go to Xuan Zheng Hall, perhaps to mediate. However, he did not expect that people from the Eastern Depot would break in and arrest him shortly afterwards. He had no chance to resist and was subdued by them.
"Who dares! You eunuchs dare to touch me. I want to see the emperor." Lord Feng cursed the East Factory and was unwilling to be captured.
The two men from the Eastern Depot suppressed the man, which explained the emperor's oral order.
It was said that he was in collusion with the four clans in Jiangnan.
"I refuse to accept this. It was Xu Xiaoman from the East Factory who framed me. I want to see His Majesty. I want to see His Majesty."
"You will be convinced someday." Lin Zheng smiled coldly. Seven of his brothers from the East Factory had died. He wanted to skin the person who passed the message. "Take him away. Let's have a good talk with Lord Feng."
With lightning speed, the East Factory arrested all of Feng Ge Lao's followers. In addition to the cabinet, many officials from the six ministries were also suspected, totaling more than 30 people.
Now everyone was terrified and sweating profusely.
"Your Excellency the Prime Minister, please take a look at this matter..." Some people were afraid. What exactly happened? Was it a false accusation by the East Factory that people were arrested randomly, or was it true?
Some people have been dissatisfied with the East Factory for a long time. Seeing that the East Factory was so bold as to arrest so many officials, they were filled with righteous indignation and wanted to report them to the emperor along with other people, even at the cost of their lives.
Prime Minister Lin, a veteran of three dynasties, sat in the prime minister's position and stood up. He did not stand up the first time, so he sat there and looked at those who came to him to plead for mercy, some of them were really pleading for mercy or wanted to use him to cause trouble.
"Your Majesty is wise and powerful. The East Factory must have evidence to arrest people."
"What if they were tortured into confessing?", "Yes, there were rumors that Lord Tian was tortured into confessing..."
Prime Minister Lin looked at him with a sharp gaze, and the official dared not say anything more.
"You can go if you want. The water is muddied. Is it that the East Factory arrested people randomly, or is it that the emperor has evidence and Feng Ying deserves it? Now is the time for the imperial examination." Prime Minister Lin stood up with the help of the chair handle. "I have to go to the examination room. Excuse me."
The people who stayed behind were indignant at first, thinking that Prime Minister Lin was actually afraid and that most of his words were speaking for the East Depot. Then they thought about the imperial examination - the East Depot had arrested more than 30 officials, but the emperor was not afraid at all. In this big world, is there anyone the emperor has to use?
These officials weighed the matter over and although they were extremely angry, they did not act rashly. In the evening, imperial edicts came down one after another, all of which had reasons and evidence to explain why the East Factory arrested people.
Some of those who were well-informed were so frightened that they broke out in a cold sweat, but fortunately they did not act impulsively.
"Several families in Jiangnan Road were actually all kidnapped. Why haven't we heard any news from them?"
"You think His Majesty will wait for Ji Min to bring back evidence before making a decision? I heard that Jiangnan Road was already in chaos, and Ji Min was detained by pirates. After he was rescued, the Lindong Navy arrived—"
"The emperor has sent troops?"
"Of course. General Li's troops will go by water. The four major clans have been raising eighteen camps for so many years, but when it comes to the real navy, how can they compare?"
"I'm afraid that Jiangnan Road has been completely taken care of."
"Searching the house?"
"I'm afraid it's a light punishment, and I'll have to execute him..."
The voices were getting lower and lower, almost inaudible. As for why there was no news before, but now the news was everywhere like snowflakes, it was naturally because the conclusion had been drawn and there was no fear of the news leaking out. The officials who were close to Feng Ge Lao's party or had received some favors were now terrified, fearing that the fire would burn them.
Prime Minister Lin sighed: Your Majesty’s thunderous methods are great.
Even he was a little surprised.
On the second day, there were rumors about the Salt Administration Case among the people. It turned out that most of the rumors were true. No one knew who spread the news, but the people applauded anyway.
"It's really gratifying.", "I heard from the merchants that Jiangnan Road is very rich. Those big clans are so bold that they even raise pirates.", "They are like local emperors. If anyone disobeys, the merchants passing by will take your goods at best, or even your life at worst."
"I heard earlier that if unfamiliar merchants want to do business, they have to pay a visit to the port, right?"
"According to the rules of the Eighteen Villages, you have to pay money to ensure safety."
"I heard that the East Factory played a great role in suppressing the pirates and investigating the case, and many people died."
"I don't know. Anyway, it's easy to imagine that those local tyrants have been entrenched for many years and have deep roots. It's not easy to defeat them..."
"The East Factory loves to fight against corrupt officials. Nowadays, all the people in the East Factory prison are officials."
"Anyway, the East Factory has nothing to do with us ordinary people."
Everyone in the teahouse burst into laughter. They were nothing but ordinary people. Some people had said before that the East Factory was the treacherous minister. Now they realized that they didn't know whether the East Factory was bad or not. It had nothing to do with them. The East Factory would not arrest ordinary people, and even if they did, they would have linked them to the cases of officials.
"The East Factory is pretty good. Look at how the gentlemen on the street have become more confident recently."
"Hahahahahaha, if you haven't done anything wrong, what's there to be afraid of?"
"Those who don't take the lives of our people seriously should be arrested."
People were talking about government affairs, but no one cared to suppress them - officials nowadays are worried about their own safety, so they don't have the time to care about these things. Therefore, people spoke freely and the news spread far and wide.
On the third day, the joint examination ended and the results were announced, which was the start of the palace examination.
After the holiday, Ji Huai'en came to school. His eyes were red and swollen with dark circles. I guess Ji Huai'en cried for a long time after his father went back.
Crying with joy.
There seemed to be fewer people in the class—there were quite a lot.
Everyone knew the truth, but no one asked why these eleven students didn't come to class.
Xuanyu Fu: At the beginning, there were nearly fifty people in the class, but now there are fewer and fewer people. I wonder how many people will be left in the class after graduation?
——Wait, is there a graduation ceremony at Chongming Hall?
Especially lifelong education.
After scaring himself, Xuan Fu planned to wait until the matter calmed down before testing his father's attitude. If he learned it from his previous life, he would throw a tantrum! Otherwise, it would be better to act like a spoiled child with his father and let him plead for mercy.
He doesn't want to study for his whole life, that's too horrible.
March 5th, court meeting.
Emperor Ningwu combined kindness and severity by simply issuing orders. Some officials were promoted, while others were verbally reprimanded and their salaries were reduced. No one in the entire court dared to argue. Even those who were demoted or had their salaries reduced would kneel down respectfully to accept the order and express gratitude.
The ministers were waiting for the emperor's decision. The more they inquired these days, the more they understood that the emperor had the evidence in his hands, and he would not settle the case until the evidence was irrefutable. How could they plead for their former "friend" who was in prison at this time?
I pray to the Buddha in my heart and feel lucky that I am not involved in it.
Where there is punishment, there is naturally reward.
The Li family's former third-rank military commander was promoted to the second rank. Ji Min was transferred from the Ministry of Rites to the Ministry of Revenue and became the third-rank left assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue. After Ke An died, his wife was posthumously named the third-rank Shu Ren Furen. With a rank, she received monthly allowances of silver, rice, silk, etc., and was granted grace to allow Ke's sons to study in Chongming Palace.
Nie Wen was promoted to the fourth rank.
Zhou Ruwei did not participate in any of this case. He seemed to have been transferred to the Ministry of Personnel, but compared with the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Personnel was the hottest government office.
More than 30 officials, both big and small, were arrested. Some government offices were half vacant, especially the Ministry of Personnel. Feng Ying, the Minister of State, was arrested. Some people were secretly angry. Even if the imperial examination was used to select talents, would those who passed the examination be able to be officials? Could they handle government affairs?
What no one expected was that when the emperor arranged the assignments and filled the positions, it was as if he had anticipated this. He actually filled the positions of the practical officials in the yamen very quickly, and the remaining positions of minor officials were filled slowly later.
There are also local officials in Jiangnan Province. These are vacant positions and will have to be adjusted later.
…
The Hanlin Academy is almost empty. Previously, there were more than ten people in the Hanlin Academy, all of whom were reading books and writing articles, and moved wherever they were needed. Now, they have all been given official jobs and are working in various government offices.
Some people laughed and said: It turns out that Hanlin was making room for the newcomer.
There have been great changes in the imperial court, and some rumors have been heard outside. While waiting for their results, this year's candidates gathered in the inn to chat about the salt administration case, and their words were all about how blessed you all are.
"Although candidates for the imperial examination could be candidates for the imperial examination in the past, the recommending officials were in power. Without money and connections, we would fail. We tried so hard to get a chance to take the imperial examination, but now there is no need to do so. The emperor is in need of people."
"The East Factory caught him well."
"It is also possible that the East Factory is using this to eliminate dissidents."
Anyway, scholars still have some complaints about eunuchs. The two sides had a brief argument. Some people felt that they were also relying on the East Factory's help this time, and they didn't know what kind of official position they could get. Some people righteously said that it was only the East Factory's help, and that it was because the emperor was wise and powerful that he disdained to be in the same team with the eunuchs.
On the day the results came out, another imperial decree came down, this time it was an additional favor, and it resounded throughout Dasheng.
"What does the imperial edict say?"
"During the salt administration case, Xu Xiaoman from the East Factory made great contributions by confiscating the assets of the four major criminal families to fill the national treasury. Lord Xu said that the emperor was recruiting people to fill the court and select pillars of talent, so he asked the emperor to build an official school... The emperor approved the request, and considering Xu Xiaoman's contributions, he selected ten prefectures and counties as official schools and named them Manfu Official School..."
The candidates who said they would not join the eunuch party were all stunned at this moment.
"But is it true?"
"Of course it's true."
"Brother Wei, this is a great joyous event. If a government school is established, there will be more people like you and me from poor families who can study, and the path to study will no longer be as difficult as climbing a ladder to success."
"There is actually an official school. Lord Xu is very blessed."
"You and I are both scholars, so we should be able to distinguish right from wrong. How can we generalize? Lord Xu is very understanding and I admire him."
"admire!"
All the candidates bowed sincerely to the posted imperial edict.
The author has something to say:
His Highness Duozi came to Zichen Palace with a pillow in his arms. He hadn’t seen his father for twenty-six days. Today, he wanted to sleep with his father.
Zhong Yun: Look at me and say it again.
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