Chapter 239 238 Audience

"Gurgle"

The sound of the carriage wheels rolling on the ground sounded, and Wei Guangde sat quietly in the carriage.

This time he was going to Xiyuan, and Emperor Jiajing wanted to summon him.

Wei Guangde knew very well that after this summons, he might have a chance to move up in his official position.

But he was not very sure, after all, he had just been appointed not long ago, and there was still a question of qualifications in the officialdom.

It was okay to be promoted if you had the ability and merit, but you also had to have certain qualifications and could not be promoted suddenly.

Of course, if these were not too excessive, the general ministers would not strongly oppose them.

The carriage drove through the prosperous streets of the outer city of the capital, entered the inner city from Chongwenmen, turned west on Chang'an Street, passed Chengtianmen, and turned after reaching the Baochaosi, and continued along an alley.

In fact, after the carriage entered Chang'an Street, the prosperous streets of the capital had been left behind by them. Both sides of the street were either government offices or the imperial city. There was no hustle and bustle, only solemnity.

Wei Guangde was very familiar with this place, having just passed through the gate of the Hanlin Academy.

After the carriage turned from the alley next to the Baochaosi, a sense of tranquility came over him.

The windows of the carriage were not sealed tightly, and Wei Guangde could still see the beautiful scenery outside through the windows.

Inside the red walls was the legendary Xiyuan, which was also a famous existence in later generations.

The young eunuch who delivered the imperial edict was about the same age as Wei Guangde. After chatting, Wei Guangde learned that his name was Chen Ju, who was nineteen years old this year, two years older than him, and had been in the palace for ten years.

Those who could be sent out to deliver the imperial edict must have a backstage in the palace.

In the past, Wei Guangde watched historical dramas, and the civil service group talked about the relationship between master and apprentice, while the eunuchs seemed to be the godfather and godson.

Wei Guangde was very curious, whose godson was this Chen Ju, Huang Jin or someone else?

The two chatted casually along the way, and Wei Guangde also knew that after he was selected into the palace, he was assigned to serve in the Silijian under the name of Gao Zhong, the eunuch holding the pen in the Silijian.

Silijian, this is a popular position in the palace. I can only say that this brother is very lucky.

In order to facilitate the inner court to manage eunuchs and palace affairs, many yamen were set up in the palace in the early Ming Dynasty, commonly known as the "Twelve Bureaus".

The Twelve Bureaus include Silijian, Neiguanjian, Yuyongjian, Sishejian, Yumajian, Shengongjian, Shangshenjian, Shangbaojian, Yinshoujian, Zhidianjian, Shangyijian, Duzhijian, etc., each with a seal eunuch in charge.

The internal settings of the Twelve Bureaus are actually similar to the various yamen in the court. There are eunuch titles such as superintendent, seal holder, pen holder, and Suitang. The superintendent eunuch is in charge of supervising all etiquette, criminal names, and managing errands and hearings in the imperial city.

For people outside the palace, it seems that all eunuchs in the palace are eunuchs, but in fact, eunuchs refer to those with grades. The Twelve Bureaus are eunuch yamen. In fact, only eunuchs working in these yamen are eunuchs.

The Silijian had three main powers. The first was to approve memorials and pass on imperial edicts, which was the most important power of the Silijian.

The second was to manage the affairs related to eunuchs. The Silijian was not only the "first office" among the eunuch institutions, but also actually managed and commanded other eunuch institutions. In fact, many eunuchs who held the seal of the Silijian also held the power of the superintendent. The superintendent here was not the superintendent of the East Factory, but the superintendent of the "Twelve Supervisors".

The third was to take into account other important official positions. At that time, some other important official positions in the eunuch system, such as the superintendent of the East Factory and the garrison of Nanjing, were either held by the Silijian or were assigned by the Silijian. This was also an important aspect of the power of the Silijian.

It can be said that the Silijian was the most important power department of the palace both internally and externally. The internal minister was the seal holder of the Silijian because he had the power to "approve red".

Wei Guangde chatted with Chen Ju for a long time and found that this man was quite honest and honest, which was completely different from his impression that eunuchs should be sarcastic, vicious and cunning.

During the time he was chatting with him, Wei Guangde had a clear understanding of his godfather Gao Zhong's past experience.

Gao Zhong had also been glorious before. Although he is still the eunuch in charge of the imperial eunuch's writing, he was the eunuch in charge of the seal before.

In Chen Ju's chat, he seemed to be very proud of his godfather's past history.

Gao Zhong entered the palace during the Zhengde Dynasty, but he became famous during the Jiajing Dynasty.

After Emperor Jiajing ascended the throne in Beijing, Gao Zhong was selected to be a close attendant to Emperor Jiajing, and thus began to rise rapidly.

In the second year of Jiajing, he was given a crown and a hat, and in the third year he was transferred to the right supervisor of the Imperial Horse Supervisor. In the sixth year of Jiajing, he was promoted to the eunuch of the Imperial Horse Supervisor and was given a dragon robe. This shows that Emperor Jiajing trusted him and directly handed over the Imperial Horse Supervisor, the armed force of the palace, to him.

In the eleventh year of Jiajing, the eunuchs of the Internal Official Supervisor were changed to the supervisors, because Emperor Jiajing was a successor to the side branch, and he did not dare to enjoy himself at first. It was not until the throne was consolidated that he began to build the palace, and Gao Zhong was the person in charge.

During the construction process, Gao Zhong also did a good job and was praised by Emperor Jiajing from time to time.

In the early Jiajing period, Emperor Jiajing abolished the practice of granting titles to officials, but at this time he began to reward those who had made contributions to him, and Gao Zhong was rewarded continuously.

Gao Zhong was the eunuch of the Internal Affairs Bureau. Because of the construction of palaces and other projects, he had granted titles to his brothers, nephews and other relatives four times. He became the eunuch with the most rewards in the more than 20 years of Emperor Jiajing's career, surpassing Huang Jin and others.

At this time, he was again reused by Emperor Jiajing, and was appointed as the commander of the 12th Regiment Camp, and was also in charge of the seal of the Imperial Horse Supervisor and the commander of the Warriors' Four Guard Camp.

The three key departments of the Ming Dynasty palace, Silijian, Dongchang, and Yumajian, were all handed over to Gao Zhong by Emperor Jiajing, and they were at their peak.

However, everything was gone after the Gengwu Incident in the 29th year of Jiajing.

Strictly speaking, the performance of the Beijing Army at that time was indeed very different from that of the Zhengde Dynasty 30 years ago, but the key to the problem was not in the hands of the person in charge of the army, but because Emperor Jiajing changed the selection rules left by Emperor Zhengde, which caused the combat effectiveness of the Beijing Army to decline again and decline rapidly.

However, someone had to take the blame in the end, and Gao Zhong took the blame and stepped down from the position of the eunuch in charge of the Yumajian to the position of the eunuch in charge of the Silijian.

There were three eunuchs in the Silijian at that time, and Gao Zhong served as the chief eunuch, which can be said to be the first eunuch in charge of the eunuch.

Of course, he was not the one who had the final say in the Imperial Household Department, because Huang Jin was above him. He was the eunuch holding the seal. All approvals had to be approved by the eunuch holding the seal. The duty of the eunuchs holding the pen was to sign the memorials according to the emperor's wishes.

From holding the seal to holding the pen, Gao Zhong had fallen a big fall, from the boss of the Imperial Horse Department to the second in the Imperial Household Department.

Wei Guangde was thinking of Gao Zhong and the eunuch Chen Ju in front of him.

It turned out that when watching costume dramas, it seemed that foreign officials in the court had to make friends with a few eunuchs, so that sometimes they could help to pass on information and let him know the emperor's attitude towards some people and some things.

Chen Ju was an honest man, and it was estimated that his master should be about the same.

Gao Zhong, after Emperor Jiajing ascended the throne, had always been trusted.

As for the fall, it can only be said that it was fate. Even now, it seems that Emperor Jiajing still treats him well.

The eunuch holding the pen, in fact, when Wei Guangde watched the Ming Dynasty drama, he roughly understood what it was like.

When Emperor Jiajing sat on the throne, Huang Jin or other eunuchs would read the memorials. The emperor would strike the chime to indicate his approval or rejection, and if he didn't strike, it would be kept in the court. The eunuchs who held the pen would write red on the memorials. Finally, Huang Jin would stamp the memorials with his seal. Those that should be sent back would be sent back, and those that should be kept in the court would be kept in the court.

People around the emperor.

Wei Guangde quickly reviewed it in his mind. It was worth investing in. Let's give it a try.

As they were about to reach the gate of Xiyuan Palace, Wei Guangde took out a piece of paper and a silver ingot of five taels from his bosom, quietly handed it to Chen Ju, and whispered: "I came out in a hurry, this little silver is for you to have some tea, and I will prepare a generous gift for you later. Please pass this ticket to Eunuch Gao. I heard that my memorial was sent by Eunuch Gao the other day, and I am really grateful."

This was just Wei Guangde's casual remark. Chen Ju was too honest. Wei Guangde judged that this was not a person who would intercept. He didn't know any eunuchs now. Even if he saw Gao Zhong, he didn't know him, so he would pass it to him to see if he could communicate with him.

One thousand taels, for Wei Guangde, was not much.

Although Chen Ju was honest, the common problem of eunuchs was that they couldn't stand silver.

Five taels, for a eunuch of rank, it was naturally nothing, but for a small eunuch like him, it was not a small amount.

He took the silver ingot and bill handed over by Wei Guangde with great surprise and put them in his arms, "Please rest assured, Lord Wei, I will definitely pass it on to my godfather."

In fact, who submitted his memorial, does it matter?

It all depends on the emperor's attitude.

Wei Guangde already knew the night before that Liu Dazhang's dismissal was a foregone conclusion, and the position of the general of Xuanfu was taken away, but he was not convicted for it.

Think about it, Liu Dazhang had committed a crime in Liaodong that year, involving foreign smuggling, and it was also because Altan Khan made too much noise that the court could not find manpower for a while, so he sent him, a convicted person, to Xuanfu.

Now that he found it unbearable, it is normal to give up.

As for how much money Liu Dazhang spent for the job of the general, and how much money he spent to settle Wei Guangde's complaint memorial, this is not what Wei Guangde should consider.

But this man is also very powerful, and he was able to get away with dismissal.

Soon, the carriage stopped outside the gate of the Western Garden. Wei Guangde followed Chen Ju and got off the carriage. According to the procedure, they showed the palace card before they were allowed to enter the Western Garden.

Not far from the gate of the Western Garden is the Xihua Gate of the Imperial City. In the past, Emperor Jiajing would go directly through the Xihua Gate when entering and leaving the palace.

Wei Guangde and his companions could not do that, so they could only go in from Chang'an Street.

When Wei Guangde entered the Western Garden, he was instantly fascinated by the beautiful scenery here.

When he arrived in the capital, Wei Guangde had heard a long time ago that the construction of the Western Garden cost Emperor Jiajing a lot of money, and the interior was also beautifully built with silver.

Walking into the Western Garden today, I finally know how the money was spent.

The buildings in the Western Garden are all carefully designed and built, and even the exotic flowers and plants planted on both sides of the palace road are expensive.

Here, Wei Guangde actually saw a few white cranes playing in the garden. He continued to move forward and soon arrived at the edge of Taiye Lake, bypassing Wansui Mountain and moving forward.

Unlike what Wei Guangde thought, Emperor Jiajing did not summon him to the Yongshou Palace where he lived, but to the Ziguang Pavilion beside the Taiye Lake.

"Your Majesty, I, Wei Guangde, greet you. Long live the emperor."

After entering the palace, Wei Guangde looked at his nose and his heart, and he paid his respects to Emperor Jiajing on the throne. As for whether he knelt in the wrong direction or there was no one on the throne, that was a funny scene.

Wei Guangde took a peek before entering the door, and saw a Taoist priest sitting on the throne.

Yes, it was a Taoist priest.

Unlike what Wei Guangde had seen before at the ceremony of the imperial examination, the Jiajing Emperor was not wearing a dragon robe, but a Taoist priest's outfit.

What does a Taoist priest look like?

You can refer to the stills of the Hong Kong movie Uncle Jiu's Ghost.

At this time, the Jiajing Emperor was wearing an apricot-yellow Taoist robe. Wei Guangde could tell that it was a Taoist robe instead of a dragon robe because it was embroidered with the Bagua pattern.

A somewhat rare look.

Wei Guangde thought to himself that the only difference from Uncle Jiu's outfit was that the Jiajing Emperor was not wearing a black Tai Chi Pure Yang scarf, but a hat made of green gauze more than one foot high, with Tai Chi patterns embroidered on it.

Wei Guangde's mind was reminded of the scene in the TV series "The Ming Dynasty" that he had watched that year. It seemed that several people had a wreath on their heads. I don't know if it represents this thing.

Wei Guangde actually heard someone say that the hat on Jiajing's head should be a scented leaf crown.

Don't underestimate this fragrant leaf crown, ordinary people can't get it.

As far as Wei Guangde knows, only two people have got the fragrant leaf crown, one is the former Prime Minister Xia Yan, but he didn't cherish it, and he didn't know where he lost it, and then he was chopped off.

Another person who got the fragrant leaf crown is the current Prime Minister Yan Song. According to Wei Guangde's colleagues, this fragrant leaf crown was not made by others, but by the emperor himself.

From design to manufacturing, it was all done by Emperor Jiajing, which shows the value of this green hat.

However, what happened next was not what Wei Guangde could have imagined.

After performing the kneeling ceremony, he knelt down and pricked up his ears waiting for a sentence "My dear minister, stand up" from above, and then he could stand up naturally.

However, even if his ears were pricked up, he didn't hear any human voice.

At this time, Wei Guangde was highly focused. Although he was not a martial arts master who could see six directions and hear eight directions, at this moment, even if a needle dropped in the palace, he might be able to hear the sound.

The Purple Light Pavilion was terribly quiet, without any sound.

Wei Guangde didn't dare to stand up, as he was now facing the emperor.

As the saying goes, being with the emperor is like being with a tiger. Staying with the emperor for a long time is definitely beneficial, but the risks are also great. If you are not careful and offend the emperor, you will be in trouble.

I don't know how long he knelt. Wei Guangde felt his feet were a little numb, but the pain in his feet was still a small matter. Now he was feeling uneasy.

Wei Guangde couldn't figure out what Emperor Jiajing was going to do. He didn't offend him, did he?

Everyone else has left, right?

Is he being punished by leaving himself here alone?

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde became even more panicked, and unconsciously began to raise his head slightly again. He didn't dare to look left and right, but just slightly, a little bit, raised his head, and tried his best to roll his eyes up.

He saw that Emperor Jiajing was still sitting there.

Unlike before entering the door, Emperor Jiajing was leaning on the throne at this time, staring at him with a playful look on his face.