The third master's face showed panic and uneasiness, he entered the room and sat on the couch.
"Third uncle..." Shen Rui stepped forward and didn't know how to comfort him. Even though the third uncle had a straightforward temper, he was still in his thirties and was not completely unsophisticated. He was just too dependent on his brother and sister-in-law.
The third master smiled bitterly and said: "I'm such a waste, not even as good as Brother Rui... Brother Rui has been working hard for three or four years. Once he found out that his elder was unwell, he chose not to end it; but I am empty-hearted." Big, it will only make my brother and sister-in-law worry about..."
Shen Rui said: "Third uncle, there is no need to blame yourself. Although my father and mother have always been worried about my third uncle's health, seeing that my third uncle has made great progress, I am sure she will be relieved even though I am worried..."
"Really?" The third master's voice sounded a little unsure.
"It's true." Shen Rui nodded.
If the third master had continued to live leisurely in the past few years, Shen Cang and his wife would not have worried about his health, but they would not have had the desire to let the third master start his own business; this early division of property would not have happened.
The third master stood up and said: "Although I have guessed that something is wrong these days, it is still hard to believe what happened before me... Brother Rui, the third uncle is a little confused, so I will go back first..."
Shen Rui personally sent him off. The third master's steps were a little messy, and his back looked sentimental.
Shen Rui went to the study room in the east chamber, sharpened his ink, and started writing big characters. He had always disliked changes, but the big changes that were about to come were inevitable. However, compared with Shen Cang's worry and the third master's fear, Shen Rui is not worried about the situation of Shangshu Mansion.
Although it is common sense for people in the officialdom to have a good time, the Shen family is not a small family with no foundation. All honor and disgrace are tied to Shen Cang.
With relatives like Shen Li and Shen Ying, as well as in-laws like Yang Zhen, Yang Tinghe, He Xueshi, and Mao Zhuangyuan, it is enough for the Shen family to still have a chance to breathe after Shen Cang's death. But if they want their former glory, it is Not for the time being. There is also Shen Zhou. Even if he can be transferred to Nanjing this year to offer wine to the Imperial Academy, he will have to wait for several years to get seniority if he wants to be transferred back to the capital...
In the old clan house, He Dongsheng came and went in a hurry.
Shen Zhu's face was heavy, but he did not immediately go to Shangshu's Mansion as He Dongsheng ordered. He sighed with some disbelief: "Uncle Cang is not yet sixty years old this year. Even if he is sick, he just needs to take leave. Or resign directly?"
Among the Liubu Hall officials, although there are ministers who are younger than Shen Cang, Shen Cang is considered the youngest among the Liubu Shangshu.
Grandma Zhi is the daughter of the He family, so she is closer to He Dongsheng. After hearing this, she said: "Since I'm worried, just go over there and take a look..."
Shen Ji shook his head and said: "How can you be so rude? Since I have to go to greet you tomorrow, I don't want to miss this day...
Grandma Ji couldn't help but feel embarrassed: "What about the second uncle? Aren't you still waiting for news?"
"It's not even half a day away." Shen Zhi frowned.
When he learned that Shen Cang had retired from office due to illness, Shen Jiu's state of mind changed. He had never thought about leaving Beijing before, but now he had this idea inexplicably.
The reason why He Dongsheng was so rude and gesticulating was because he thought Shen Cang would come down and Shen Ji would ask for him in the future. Although Shen Ji was serious about fame, he was also arrogant at heart. How could he bear this?
"It is easy to enjoy the shade with your back against a big tree" is a truth that everyone knows. Regardless of the distance between the Shen family members, the existence of the Shangshu Mansion is the confidence for each member of the Shen family to live in Beijing.
If you lose your confidence... Shen Ji has been in the capital for more than ten years, and he has seen the hardships of his colleagues who have no foundation. He works hard, and if he gets the credit, it belongs to his superiors; if he gets the blame, it is his own. At the least, he will be dismissed from office. , if it is serious, it will destroy your family and risk your life. The Qingyun Ladder is not easy to climb.
Although the He family is from the maternal clan and He Dongsheng is the cousin, they are from two different surnames. You cannot write the word "Shen" twice in one stroke. In an emergency, family members are more reassuring.
"Add 50% to the gifts from the Shangshu Mansion, and add 30% to the gifts from the Fifth House and the Zhuangyuan Mansion..." Shen Zhi had some calculations in his mind, and instead of being worried as before, he showed a bit of calmness and open-mindedness, and ordered his wife.
Grandma Ji was speechless, so she responded and went to buy some gifts...
Shen Cang's folder was given to He Dongsheng in front of the right minister. Even though He Dongsheng was unsure and suspected Shen Cang's intention, he still handed the folder to the cabinet honestly.
It is not uncommon for court officials to "retire" from time to time. Not to mention here in the capital, most of the officials who can achieve the position of minister are mature. Even in Nanjing, there is no hope of promotion and not one person wants to return to his hometown to retire. , two people.
However, according to the usual rules in the officialdom, for such officials to take the initiative to resign, the court would not allow it in order to show the emperor's benevolence and longevity. There are only two situations where he is allowed to resign, one is that his moral character is defective, or there is a major flaw in the capital inspection. The other is to leave some face to allow you to become an official; the other is for those who are too old to be driven or are too sick to work, so they are usually promoted to a higher level to show their glory.
Although this year is the year of "Beijing inspection" again, Shen Cang is cautious and diligent in his work, which obviously does not meet the first situation; as for the latter, his age is even worse. The only one left is that he is seriously ill. But he was still working as usual before handing over the discount. Who would have thought that he was terminally ill?
By coincidence, Liu Daxia, the Minister of War, was also in trouble due to illness.
The cabinet wrote the draft as usual and sent someone to deliver it to the Supervisor of Ceremonies.
It is not a trivial matter if it concerns the six ministers.
Even the Superintendent of Ceremonies paid a lot of attention to Liu Daxia and Shen Cang's revelations.
"Which pavilion elder is on duty today?" Xiao Jing, the eunuch and eunuch in charge of etiquette, asked as he looked at the two documents in front of him.
A young official next to him said: "If I go back to my father-in-law, Mr. Li Ge is on duty today..."
"That's not surprising..." Xiao Jing smiled slightly and adjusted the two folds in his hands.
Young internal officials observe the nose with the eyes, the mouth with the nose, and the mind with the mouth, but do not see.
Xiao Jing brought a few more documents, handed them to the young official and said: "Take it, go with the Za family to the imperial court. These things need to be reviewed by the emperor..."
"Nuo." The young internal official responded, took the folder with both hands, held it and followed Xiao Jing to Qianqing Palace.
In the Qianqing Palace, cigarettes are out.
Since the death of the Empress Dowager, Emperor Hongzhi has become more and more afraid of talking about life and death, and has placed more emphasis on Taoist alchemy. However, he has always governed the country with a benevolent heart, and has not thought about spending all his country's energy to seek immortality and medicine. However, there has never been an alchemy room in the Qianqing Palace. Stopped making alchemy.
When the young internal official brought the book, Emperor Hongzhi was distracted by a newly made elixir in the jade box in front of him. He was not a dim-witted person, and he also had no idea about the secret files of the imperial hospital where his ancestors suffered damage from taking elixirs. I have looked through it, but in the past six months, his physical strength has obviously been exhausted. If it were not for the support of pills, it is impossible to even look at the court normally.
Even if you are the emperor, you cannot avoid birth, old age, illness and death.
Thinking of the young prince who knew nothing about the world, Emperor Hongzhi felt sad. His life as a boy was too painful and heavy, and he did not want his son to suffer the slightest injustice, so he doted on his son so much. In addition to being his son, Brother Shou was also this person.
The future emperor of the country. However, Brother Shou, who is still in his teens, is still as childish and has a bit less cleverness.
As his health deteriorated, Emperor Hongzhi became more and more worried about his son.
"Am I wrong..." Emperor Hongzhi lowered his head and fell into deep thought.
It wasn't until an internal official came in to report that Emperor Hongzhi raised his head, put away the jade box in frustration, and said: "Pass...
Following the announcement, Xiao Jing bowed and led the young eunuch into the inner hall.
"Slave Xiao Jing has met the emperor..." Although we see each other every day, Xiao Jing still bows and bows.
Emperor Hongzhi didn't take it seriously and said: "You old man, are you trying to show off your legs to me? You're still not equal."
The eunuch who is the Chief of Ceremonies is the head of the twenty-four eunuchs; all eunuchs who can be in charge of the Chief of Ceremonies are the emperor's confidants, and Xiao Jing is no exception.
The monarch and his ministers have been getting along for most of their lives, and they are as close as family members. However, Xiao Jing has always been careful to know his limits and never goes beyond the limit of favor.
Although Emperor Hongzhi admired the strong, he always unconsciously relied on the tough-tempered Empress Dowager and the Empress. However, due to his timid temper, he sometimes felt uneasy. However, he was much more comfortable in front of internal officials.
Although he was worried about his health and the prince's education, Emperor Hongzhi was not willing to neglect state affairs.
"What's the big event today?" Emperor Hongzhi asked seriously.
Xiao Jing bowed and bowed.
Autumn floods in Nanchang prefecture submerged the fertile fields, and the Nanchang prefect wrote a petition asking for exemption from taxes next year; there was a lot of silt in the Shanxi section of the Yellow River, causing constant flooding, and the Ministry of Industry submitted a petition asking for dredging of the river; in Chuxiong, Yunnan, someone saw the wonder of the three-star moon; Changping County
There is a bandit tiger roaring in the mountains and forests, causing trouble to the local area, and using the banner of "backer king".
Emperor Hongzhi frowned after hearing this.
The Ming Dynasty had a vast territory and abundant resources. At the same time, there were constant local natural disasters.
Emperor Hongzhi attached great importance to people's livelihood, so he decided on the two issues of autumn floods and dredging rivers. Seeing that his cabinet ministers had drafted the proposal and handled it properly, he nodded.
As for whether a landscape like the "Three Stars Ling Yue" is "auspicious" or a "sign" of disaster, it has always been "the public is justified and the mother-in-law is justified". Emperor Hongzhi did not want the government and the public to start a debate over this disappearing matter. Let's see.
After a few glances, he put it aside.
Regardless of the scale, rebellion is a big deal.
Emperor Hongzhi felt heavy when he picked up the Changping County book, but when he read the content, he couldn't laugh or cry: "With only five bandits, how can we dominate the mountains and become kings of the mountains and forests?"
Xiao Jing couldn't say anything, so he just said: "Changping is the capital city, so how can there be such a small thing?"
Emperor Hongzhi looked at the list of invitations at the back, but it was a long list, with many familiar names on it, and he frowned.
Because Emperor Hongzhi treated his ministers generously, today's Jinyiwei is far less prosperous than during the Chenghua period. Those noble children who were looking forward to promotion and fortune in Jinyiwei have all failed. What was the rank of many people when they entered? More than ten years later,
What grade is it still?
After finally achieving "war exploits", naturally everyone wants a share of the pie.
This list almost lists all the noble sons and daughters of the Jinyi Guards. Even those who guard the East Palace are not left behind. Those are the prince's guards, who often stay in the East Palace. When did they go to Changping to suppress bandits? This is really blinding.
Telling lies.
The cabinet had no intention of confronting the nobles over trivial matters, and drafted a reply to the request; there were too many people involved, and even if it was just a promotion, it was not a trivial matter for so many people, so the Chief of Ceremonies sent it to the imperial court.
Although Emperor Hongzhi felt something was inappropriate, his brows gradually relaxed.
The factory guard is the sword in the emperor's hand. Even if it is not used for the time being, it must not chill the hearts of the ministers. This small favor should be given to them.
When Xiao Jing reported the last two things, Emperor Hongzhi's face turned ugly again. He looked at the two documents, frowned and said: "It's also because of illness. Shen Cang doesn't like power, so he resigned from the post of minister; but Liu Daxia did. I am only willing to hand over the seal of the Ministry of War and ask for leave to cure the disease..."