In April of the thirteenth year of Wanli, the capital spent its time in the atmosphere of commemorating Prince Zhongxing. Since the emperor published the article "In Memory of the Old Master" in the newspaper, everyone with respectability in the government and the public has followed suit and written articles to commemorate him.
The discussion caused by Zhang Juzheng's extraordinary honor was quickly submerged by this trend, and his image became taller and taller, and many articles even mythologized him - the court officials have already reported, please invite the prince of Zhongxing County to the Muzong Temple and accompany him.
Kong Sheng.
Nowadays, the Zhang family has risen to the top and entered the ranks of honorable ministers. In addition to Zhang Jingxiu, the second-class prince, there is also the sixth brother Zhang Yunxiu who was awarded the title of earl because he honored Princess Shouyang.
At this time, except for those surnamed Zhu, the Ming Dynasty has such illustrious families that can be counted on the palm of a hand. Such wealth is like burning oil, if you don't learn to walk on thin ice, it will overturn in the palm of your hand.
The second-class prince Zhang Jingxiu was in a fog, and he became more and more cautious under fear. After all, as a new rich, the background of the Zhang family is much worse than that of the old brands such as Ding Guogong and Ying Gong. Fortunately, the biggest instability factor in the family
Zhang Maoxiu has become much more honest.
On that day, Feng Bao committed suicide in front of Zhang Juzheng's bed to atone for his sins. The body was quickly swept up by the Wei Dynasty with a reed and taken away. Zhang Maoxiu, who was standing outside the door, felt that his small deeds were insignificant compared to his second brother Zhang Jingxiu.
-In fact, Zhang Jingxiu, who was in the room at the time, was almost scared to death.
The side effect of this incident was that Zhang Maoxiu had too much to think about, and he always felt that his second brother's slightly dull expression concealed many secrets. After all, as the actual eldest son, Zhang Jingxiu spent the longest time with Zhang Juzheng.
With the death of Zhang Juzheng and the change of status of the Zhang family, Zhang Maoxiu will encounter a tacit ceiling in the officialdom - neither the Zhengshitang nor the Ministry of Personnel will allow the Xun family to enter the private domain of civil servants, and Zhang Maoxiu will stop at the fourth rank.
It was obvious, so his temper also restrained along with his ambition.
.......
During the Dragon Boat Festival of the 13th year of Wanli, Zhang Siwei had been acting as Prime Minister for a month. The capital and the world were calm, and people had gradually accepted Zhang Juzheng's departure. After all, the earth can continue to rotate without anyone.
After Zhang Siwei won the posthumous title of Zhang Juzheng, he showed his high political quality in the second step. Xu Yuanchun, the grandson of Xu Jie, was awarded the title of Shaanxi Provincial Envoy, Xi'an Prefecture Huazhou County Magistrate: The taste of this
It was very difficult to hold, but Zhang Siwei mastered it so well that Zhu Yijun couldn't help but take a high look at him.
Xu Jie died in the twelfth year of Wanli, that is, last year. The emperor and Zhang Juzheng did not treat him lightly because he obstructed the reform in his early years. Xu Jie was awarded the posthumous title of Grand Master and was given the posthumous title of Wenzhen.
"Ying is the leader of the family, when the day is suitable for arrogance and elimination, he will use his vigor and self-restraint to overthrow his influence. He will bring order to the chaos and reverse his bad government, and he will be named the famous prime minister." He was fully praised for his actions in defeating Yan Song and bringing order to the chaos, and the coffin was sealed and he was designated as "the famous minister".
Mutually".
But Xu Jie is Xu Jie, and the Xu family is the Xu family. Xu Jie's death did not relieve the "imprisonment" of Xu Mansion: the emperor let go of the Xu Mansion, which was tempting the people to revolt, because it was in front of Zhang Ju.
The biggest concession on the throne.
Xu Yuanchun thought that his destiny in this life was to live in the fields, so although he had the honor of being a civil servant, he did not participate in the official selection of officials. Unexpectedly, he was sitting at home, and officials came from the sky. After receiving the appointment document from the official department, his head was full of pain.
It's dizzy.
His father, Xu Fan, was also a little confused. It was a pity that the old man returned to the west. Xu Fan was punished by Gao Gong. After he was sent to the army and returned, his level dropped a lot. For a while, he didn't understand what the court meant. As for discussing with Xu Kun and Xu Ying -
—It’s better not to ask them.
Seeing that Xu Yuanchun was still confused, Xu Fan hesitated and said: "This is always a good thing, right?"
Xu Yuanchun let out a long breath and said: "If it's not a good thing, who would want to be an official? But we live at home guarding the fields and pay taxes on time, and no one can do anything to us. If we enter the officialdom, we will be unpredictable.
.”
Xu Fan and his son deliberated for a long time but came up with nothing, so they gritted their teeth and wrote a letter to someone to go to Nanjing to ask for an audience with Li Zhi. Anyway, Xu Yuanchun could take office according to the date after receiving the appointment, and there was still plenty of time.
Li Zhi, the editor-in-chief of Nanjing Daily today, is extraordinary—it is rumored that he was a commoner prime minister. In the intellectual circles of the Ming Dynasty, the cultural circle carried the banner of "anti-Confucianism and restoration of true Confucianism." Compared with other masters of Xinxue,
Achievements have been so far behind that they can't even touch their shadows.
There are also rumors among the people that Li Zhi has been exchanging letters with the current emperor for several years. Feng Bangning, the proprietor of the Nanjing Daily News, was recently awarded a knighthood for his literary and educational achievements. No matter who between the two brothers has a say, they are more authoritative than Mr. Xu, the boss of Nanjing.
high.
Compared with Li Zhi, Xu Fan's current status is not even as good as that of an ordinary white lady, because Li Zhi doesn't want to see his family at all. When Xu Fan was so crazy in the past, Li Zhi was still an imperial examination tutor - Yunni was different for thirty years, until
Let Xu Fan on the road lament the impermanence of the world.
When he arrived at the Nanjing Daily Trading Company, which occupies a huge area, Xu Fan handed his name at the door and waited for someone to report. After waiting for a meal, he was invited in.
When I entered the door of the newspaper office, I saw that the people inside were like clockwork. Everyone was staring attentively and walking in the wind. Workers with ink on their bodies walked side by side with scholars wearing square scarves. He
I actually saw several women walking in and out of some rooms with manuscripts in their hands.
Xu Fan was frightened and secretly praised the unique atmosphere here. When he arrived at the door of the editor's office after asking, he heard someone inside talking loudly: "Confucius's moral values are naturally enough to protect future generations."
Xu Fan was startled and stopped involuntarily. Hearing the voice, he continued: "However, for thousands of years, Chinese people have regarded Confucius's right and wrong as right and wrong, so they have no ears for right and wrong!" [Note 1]
After Xu Fan heard this sentence, although he often saw such words in "Nanjing Daily", he still stuck out half of his tongue when he heard the impassioned voice in it, which was like a speech.
At this time, someone behind him said: "Who are you looking for?" Xu Fan turned around and saw a energetic old man standing behind him, who looked very familiar.
Xu Fan blurted out: "But Mr. Nanming?" Then he bowed and saluted: "Old Xu Fan, I have met the old gentleman, and I said goodbye-" He raised his head and counted several years.
When Wang Daokun heard that the gray-haired squire in front of him was Xu Fan, he hurriedly replied: "It turns out that Mr. Yangzhai, in the forty-fifth year of Jiajing, the two of us met when I returned to Beijing to pay homage to Mr. Xu - your
My memory is so good. Now I forget to write when I pick up my pen, and forget about people when I turn my face away. Don’t be surprised if I look up to my bed."
The two exchanged a few words, and Wang Daokun said: "This is not the place for conversation. Are you here to see Li Zhi?"
Xu Fan nodded in agreement, and Wang Daokun said with a smile: "He is writing a manuscript and cursing people. If you are not in a hurry, come and sit with me first." After saying that, he led Xu Fan to his room next to him. A servant came in and poured some wine.
Tea.
Xu Fan asked curiously: "When did Mr. Nanming arrive in Nanjing? Why are you here?" He looked around.
Wang Daokun said with a smile: "In the past, when Zhang Wenming was assassinated, I was also arrested by the Jin Yiwei. After I came out, I resolutely resigned, and fortunately the emperor allowed it. In the past two years, I devoted myself to poetry at home, singing poems and wine, but I was summoned by Li Zhi through Qi Jiguang.
Come here and help him."
Xu Fan sighed after hearing this. Wang Daokun asked about Xu Jie's death and apologized for not going to express his condolences in person. After chatting for a while, he asked: "Did Yang Zhaigong have any dealings with Li Zhi? What kind of person is he?"
Keep your eyes on the top of your head, don't let him get angry for a while."
Xu Fan sighed and said: "Because the imperial court suddenly appointed a dog as an official, the family was a little scared, so I thought I would come to the 'Buyi Qingxiang' to ask for an idea. The door that can get in is the legacy of my late father." Seeing Wang Daokun showing doubts.
, he further explained:
"My late father once rehabilitated Yang Sheng'an, and his son Yang Youren has never stopped contacting the Han family. Previously, a letter was sent to Mr. Zhuowu, so the old man came over shamelessly." Wang Daokun suddenly understood.
Yin smiled and said: "The rumors in the market are not trustworthy. There is no such thing as a 'plain minister'! Although the emperor and Li Zhuowu exchanged letters, they all discussed the learning of the sages, but Li Zhuowu strictly abided by his duty and did not dare to talk nonsense."
After hearing this, Xu Fan looked a little embarrassed and said: "The farmers in the Han family have not only cut off contact with the officialdom over the past few years, but now they can't even understand the current situation - it can be regarded as urgent treatment."
Wang Daokun stroked his beard and said with a smile: "How old is I Xu Chang Yang Zhai? Are you willing to listen to me talk about the truth behind this?"
Xu Fan originally had this intention. Hearing this, he said happily: "Mr. Nanming, please speak. I would be very grateful."
Wang Daokun said with a smile: "This must be Zhang Ziwei's handiwork. Therefore, when Prince Zhongxing was appointed Prime Minister, in order to break two hundred years of accumulated habits, he overcorrected and acted harshly, which made the officialdom suffer for a long time!"
After Xu Fan heard this sentence, he had thought it all through and thanked him: "That's exactly what I said. Thank you, old gentleman!"
Wang Daokun twisted his beard and smiled and said: "That being the case, Yuanchun's nephew, the county official, can do it. It doesn't matter. If you don't want to do it, you can just pick up the books at home and take the Jinshi exam. This time, as long as you get on the list,
With the emperor’s temper, the ranking given cannot be worse.”
After finishing speaking, he sighed: "Not to mention Yang Zhai, I have only left officialdom for a few years, and there are more and more things that I don't understand. In the past ten years, although there have been no wars in the country, there have been great changes.
What’s more, it feels like a change that has never happened in a thousand years. That’s true!”