At dusk, Sanjin Guild Hall.
It was still the same quiet courtyard as before, and the Minister of Personnel and a group of old people were still squatting in the courtyard, slurping noodles.
The noodles are still the same noodles, knife-cut noodles, hand-rolled noodles, ramen, fried noodles... the vinegar is still the same vinegar, old vinegar, rice vinegar, Laba vinegar, fragrant vinegar, white vinegar... and the unchanging long braid of garlic.
The difference is that the official in charge of the temple has been replaced by Wang Guoguang from Yang Bo, and the people eating noodles with him have also been replaced by Liu Dongxing, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites, Chu Yu, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, and Zhang Yangmeng, the chief secretary of the Ministry of Personnel, from Huo Ji, Zhang Siwei, Wang Jiaping, and Han Ji.
They all wore blue robes and ribbons, and had been wearing plain clothes for three days in a row to pay tribute in Dashamao Hutong, and then came back to the guild hall to eat noodles.
There was no other sound in the yard except for the slurping and clattering sounds. The old people still adhered to the fine tradition of eating noodles in silence to avoid choking.
After a while, Wang Guoguang ate all the noodles and soup in the big bowl, burped loudly, and then took the towel handed by his son and wiped the sweat off his neck.
Don’t be fooled by Old Wang’s appearance. He is actually seventy-six years old, thirteen years older than the recently deceased Grand Tutor Zhang.
He still drank and ate healthily, and had sex with women like he did when he was young, especially married women. There are also men in their 80s who are fond of career advancement and bribery. There is no one like Lao Wang who is a womanizer and a bridegroom every night. Lao Wang said that this is the effect of drinking half a bottle of vinegar every day. Some people also said that this old man is good at sex, so he is still good at sex.
When Grand Tutor Zhang Wenzhong was alive, he often exchanged techniques with Wang Tianguan. Wang Tianguan was a stubborn person, so how could he let an old man who was ten years older than him outperform him? In order to surpass Wang Tianguan in that aspect, he started taking drugs and there was no turning back...
Thinking that no one would ever discuss the Dao with him again, Wang Tianguan could not help but say with regret: "Alas, tasteless, tasteless..."
Liu Dongxing rolled his eyes. "You've already added half a bottle of vinegar."
"He sounds like Grand Tutor Zhang." Wang Guoguang sighed, "I thought he was the third Duke Wen Zheng of the Ming Dynasty, so stable."
"Oh, yes..." Now all the old men nodded in agreement. "If it's not the posthumous title of 'Wenzheng', then we should give him 'Wenzhen'."
"At the very least, it would be fine to go for Yangming Gong's 'Wencheng'."
"Wen Zhong, it's indeed too low. What's wrong with your Ministry of Rites?"
"The highest the Ministry of Rites could give it to was Wen Zhong. Any higher would have to be approved by the Emperor." Liu Dongxing, the Minister of Rites, said innocently, "Who knew it would be approved intact?"
"Oh, this incident has caused..." The old people sighed again.
Civil officials of all dynasties valued posthumous titles even more than their own honors during their lifetime. The final word is that posthumous titles represent historical status! The court knew their psychology, so the conditions for granting posthumous titles have always been very harsh. The Han Dynasty stipulated that only those who were granted titles of nobility were eligible for posthumous titles; the Tang Dynasty stipulated that officials of the third rank or above were eligible for posthumous titles; and the Song Dynasty stipulated that only officials of the second rank or above were eligible for posthumous titles.
In this dynasty, although it is stipulated that if civil and military officials are not of high enough rank, but their servants have worked hard, or died in service, they can also be granted posthumous titles, which are determined by the emperor. But at the same time, it is also stipulated that:
"Whenever a civil or military minister deserves a posthumous title, the official's life record must be checked. Only when his integrity is seen as a benchmark by the government and the public, his meritorious deeds are related to the well-being of the country, and he is recognized by public opinion and has no flaws, can he be recommended for review. If his work is ordinary, he cannot be given a posthumous title even if his official rank is high."
Therefore, this dynasty was even more stingy in giving posthumous titles. There were many second-rank ministers who were not given posthumous titles. According to the posthumous title law of this dynasty, only officials who came from the Hanlin Academy could be given the posthumous title of "Wen". The only ones who were given the posthumous title of "Wenzheng" were Li Dongyang and Xie Qian, the Grand Secretaries of the Hongzhi Dynasty!
Moreover, Li Dongyang was mocked in a doggerel poem by his contemporaries because of his dark history of falsifying Liu Jin's words:
"Wen Zheng has always been posthumously named King Fan, but now it is difficult for him to be called Wen Zheng. When a strong wind blows down a phoenix tree, there will always be people who will judge its merits and demerits."
But Li Dongyang didn't care, he knew that thousands of years later, people would only remember him as Li Wenzheng, but not many people would remember his dark history. So when Yang Yiqing revealed on his deathbed that he would become the first "Wenzhenggong" of the Ming Dynasty, the dying Li Dongyang actually got up and kowtowed to Yang Yiqing.
The importance of "Wenzheng" can be seen from this. No wonder the highest ideal of civil officials is to be "granted the title of Taifu during life and posthumously named Wenzheng after death".
The one level lower than Wenzheng is Wenzhen. In fact, Wenzhen was the highest posthumous title in the Tang Dynasty. For example, Wei Zheng, Song Jing, Zhang Shuo and other wise ministers were all given the posthumous title of "Wenzhen".
In the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Tang system was still followed. However, in order to avoid the taboo of Song Renzong, "Wenzhen" was changed to "Wenzheng". Several people who were posthumously named Wenzhen, such as Li Fang and Wang Dan, were also changed to Wenzhenggong.
In this dynasty, there is no need to avoid the taboos of the previous dynasties. However, because Sima Guang said, "Wenzheng is the most beautiful posthumous title, nothing can be better", so Wenzhen can only be ranked second.
Even so, there is only one person in this dynasty who deserves this posthumous title, Yang Shiqi.
In fact, when Xu Jie died in the 11th year of Wanli, the court wanted to give him the posthumous title of Wenzhen, but it was ruined by Zhao Hao.
What a joke! Lord Xu has long been a typical reactionary in Jiangnan. Giving him the posthumous title of Wenzhen is a sign of rebellion?
According to Zhao Hao's opinion, he should either not give him a posthumous title, or give him the title of Duke Wengong. But it was not his turn to make the decision at that time. Zhang Juzheng felt guilty towards his teacher, and also considered that he would inevitably be criticized after a hundred years, so he decided to be more magnanimous. So he gave Xu Jie the title of "Wenduan".
According to the posthumous titles stipulated in the dynasty's customs, after Zheng and Zhen, they are Cheng, Zhong, Duan, Ding, Jian; Yi, Su, Yi, Xian, Zhuang; Jing, Yu, Jie, Yi, Jing, Mu; Zhao, Ke, Gong, Xiang, Qing; Xiu, Kang, Jie, Min, Da; Tong, Jie, An, Lie, He.
So the third one is Wencheng, and only Liu Bowen and Wang Shouren were given the posthumous title.
The fourth is Wen Zhong, and currently only Yang Tinghe and Zhang Cong have obtained it.
Xu Jie must be secretly happy in his grave to have received the fifth posthumous title.
Before his death, Zhang Juzheng gave instructions to the emperor, cabinet ministers, and even the six ministers, and made many arrangements for personnel and state affairs, but the only thing he did not consider was his own affairs after his death, including his posthumous title.
First, he was confident. He was a living Grand Master, which was higher than the level of "Grand Tutor during life". So shouldn't "Posthumous title of Wen Zheng" be set in stone and natural?
Second, pride does not allow him to ask questions. A real man stands between heaven and earth, and his merits and demerits should be judged by others for thousands of years! Is there anyone who thinks that his achievements are not as good as those of Yang Yiqing and Xie Qian?
However, his good students only gave him the name Wen Zhong...
If Grand Tutor Zhang knew about this in his afterlife, I'm afraid even the coffin lid wouldn't be able to hold it down.
~~
"Not only the posthumous title, but his son was also a bit too poor. He only had the title of Shangbao Sicheng, which doesn't reflect the great contribution of the Grand Tutor at all." Section Chief Zhang Yangmeng said sarcastically.
"Maybe there will be more favors in the future." Wang Guoguang frowned slightly. No matter what, Zhang Juzheng had been kind to him and was his old friend for many years. Moreover, as a capable person in Wanli's new policy, he still admired Zhang Juzheng very much.
Although I always like to take drugs and cheat, it is not fair to win...
"Suspending court for eight days is unprecedented, isn't it?" he tried to make excuses for Grand Tutor Zhang.
"The emperor is just lazy." Zhang Yangmeng sneered, "Over the years, the emperor has been ill for a month or two and has not attended court. How can he be so sick at such a young age? It's purely laziness!"
"Taehyung, be careful with your words!" Chu Yu, who was born with a stern face, snorted unhappily, "Isn't Feng Pan's lesson enough?!"
"Yes, don't just go with the wind..." Zhang Yangmeng lowered his head and accepted the instruction.
"Alas, it's a pity for Ziwei. Otherwise... he should have taken over the position of Prime Minister." Wang Guoguang, Liu Dongxing and others sighed, lit a cigarette and remembered Xiaowei.
The jealous party has always been known for its softness, low profile and pragmatism. They use business to support officials, use officials to promote business, and have a strong sense of fellow countrymen, so they work together to conquer the world.
There is also the basic base of the Northwest. If the Governor-General of Xuanda and the Governor-General of the Three Borders want to work safely, they have to follow the ways of these old people. The three branches of the Jealous Party are well developed, so their foundation is particularly solid, and whoever is in power has to cooperate with them.
Of course, the jealous party also pays attention to maintaining good relations with the rulers. When Yan Ge Lao, Xu Ge Lao, Gao Ge Lao and Zhang Taishi were in power, they were all loyal supporters of the Prime Minister. They hedged their bets time and time again, and were able to survive in the fierce court battles time and time again. They have always been a powerful force that cannot be ignored in the Ming Dynasty.
For example, during the inter-war period between Emperors Longqing and Wanli, when Gao Gong and Zhang Gong were fighting fiercely, Han Ji became Gao Gong's number one henchman, and the jealous party also generally supported Gao Gong. However, under the instruction of Yang Bo, Wang Guoguang stood on Zhang Juzheng's side and revealed the inside story of Han Ji and Gao Gong's plan to Zhang Juzheng. Zhang Juzheng was able to seize the opportunity and use Feng Bao to deal a fatal blow to Gao Gong.
In order to gain credit afterwards and also to contain the growing Jiangnan Gang, Zhang Juzheng gave the crucial post of Minister of Personnel to Wang Guoguang instead of Zhao Jin.
Although Han Ji and other losers who chose the wrong side were eliminated, the jealous party was largely saved. The losers don't need to be too sad, because the bigwigs who chose the right side will take care of them. For example, Han Ji's son Han Yu passed the imperial examination two years ago. If it weren't for Zhao Hao, he would have become the prime minister in the future...
Over the past fifteen years, the Jealous Party has served Prime Minister Zhang faithfully and has made great contributions. It has grown stronger again and is even stronger than before.
The only drawback was that Zhang Siwei, the second-generation leader jointly designated by Yang Bo and Wang Chonggu, had to resign because of the leak of cabinet secrets during his correspondence with his uncle Wang Chonggu, the then governor of Xuanda, when he was facilitating Altan's tribute.
Gao Gong quickly reinstated Xiao Wei and prepared to send him to the cabinet. However, he was blocked by his rival Yin Shidan. Yin Shidan's students impeached Zhang Siwei's father for colluding with officials and businessmen, monopolizing salt permits, destroying Kaizhong, and endangering border defense.
The Zhang family was the richest in Shanxi, so naturally they were full of shit. How could they withstand an investigation? In order to prevent the matter from getting out of hand, he had no choice but to resign again in exchange for a safe retreat.
Later, Yang Bo had to be reinstated at the age of 70 to advocate for Gao Gong and fight for him to have another chance. However, as soon as the imperial decree of reinstatement was issued, it was revealed that Zhang Siwei bribed Gao Gong with 800 gold coins in order to be reinstated.
Xiao Wei had just left Shanxi and had to return home for the third time. This young man, who was not very strong-willed, had a mental breakdown for several years since then, and refused to come no matter how the court summoned him.