After the cabinet meeting adjourned, everyone left. Gao Pragmatic and Fang Congzhe walked quietly at the end. Judging from their demeanor, it was Gao Pragmatic who briefly explained a few words to his disciple.
When Fang Congzhe also bowed to say goodbye, Gao Pragmatic turned around and headed towards Qianqing Palace. When he arrived at Qianqing Gate, he summoned an unfamiliar official not far away and said, "Please, father-in-law, please pass the message on to me." With one word, I said that I am a noble and pragmatic minister and asked to see His Majesty."
This internal official worked in the Nanjing Imperial Palace, so he was not very familiar with Gao Jingjing, but Gao Jingjing's outfit was unique in the world, and there was no mistaking it: a red silk uniform with the style of a civil servant, and a tattoo on the front of the chest. Sitting on a python in embroidery, he wears an "eight-beam crown" on his head, which symbolizes the status of the Duke.
This internal official has been working in the Nanjing Imperial Palace all year round. Naturally, he has seen people wearing the first-grade red silk uniforms of civil servants, and he has also seen people wearing "eight-beam crowns". However, anyone who can wear these clothes and crowns together is a Ming Dynasty billionaire. Among the subjects, there was only one person who was highly pragmatic.
Why do you think? Because Nanjing also has a set of six departments, and they are often "retirement" idlers. Among them, first-class civil servants who are highly qualified but cannot stay in Beijing for some reason and are sent to Nanjing always appear every now and then, but they The crown on his head only has seven beams, not eight beams.
At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, during the Hongwu period, the Ministry of Rites submitted a draft of the official uniform system to Zhu Yuanzhang. After reading it, Zhu Yuanzhang said: "What you have drafted is very consistent with my wishes, but the Duke is the most honorable, and the imperial sacrificial crown is no different than that of the Duke. The ceremony has not been settled. Now the duke's crown should be eight beams, waiting for the left and right prime ministers, the left and right governors, the left and right censors and seven beams, all with cages, scarves and Diao Chan. I follow the proposal."
[Note: In addition to the "eight beams" being exclusive to the Duke of the country, this beam crown also has the regulations of "50 percent off the pen, four pillars, five sections of vanilla, and jade cicadas on the front and rear." Especially the jade cicada is also exclusive. .]
Because the previous princes, especially the princes in Nanjing such as the Duke of Wei, also wore the eight-beam crown, but as a military minister, he wore a red silk uniform in the shape of a military minister, which was different from Gao Pragmatic. In addition, even if Nowadays, the Duke of Wei has not found a robe for sitting on a python, but only a walking python. The difference is even more obvious.
All in all, there is no other official in the world who can wear the attire of Gao Jingshi, so this internal official will never make a mistake and admit the wrong person just because he is not familiar with Gao Jingshi.
Facing this most important minister of the Wanli Dynasty who was ranked below one person and outnumbered ten thousand people, he had just been granted the title of Duke of Jingguo as a civil servant. How dare he, a fringe eunuch of the Nanjing Imperial Palace, dare to neglect this great god? He quickly said: "Yes, yes, yes, I have informed you, please ask the Duke to wait in the side hall, I will go now."
Seeing Gao Jingshi smiling and nodding, the young eunuch hurriedly ran all the way to pass on the news that Duke Jingguo wanted to see the emperor. Gao Jingshi, surrounded by a group of other eunuchs, went to the side hall of Qianqing Gate to wait for a while, where he had his own palace people. Quickly serve tea, snacks, preserved fruits, etc.
Gao Pingshi was waiting in the side hall, thinking over and over in his mind every word he wanted to say when meeting Zhu Yijun, and even how to interpret every expression. He knew that today's emperor has already matured, and his decisions often contain profound meanings - just like the Confucius Temple incident generally.
As a minister, I must not only show respect for the emperor's orders, but also not appear too timid, losing the demeanor of a famous minister, and making the emperor feel that "pragmatism is just an ordinary ministerial job."
This is naturally difficult, and the "degree" in it is especially difficult to grasp. It will not work if you say it is not firm enough, and it will not work if you say it is too firm. In the final analysis, it is necessary to predict the emperor's psychology in advance.
Soon, an internal official came over in a hurry and respectfully guided Gao pragmatically to the imperial study room of Qianqing Palace. Along the way, the palace walls were towering, with carved beams and painted buildings, showing the royal style. In the past, Nanjing officials mentioned in memorials that the Nanjing Imperial Palace was in disrepair. The dilapidated condition is completely invisible. In this regard, Shen Yiguan has done a good job in repairing the Nanjing Imperial Palace.
Gao Pragmatic's face was calm, showing no signs of sadness or joy, but his steps became more steady, and he seemed extra cautious with every step he took.
In the imperial study room, since he did not have to fast tonight, Zhu Yijun was concentrating on reviewing the memorials. Seeing Gao Pragmatism coming, he put down the ink pen in his hand and raised his head, with a trace of inquiry in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, I have something important to say." Gao Wu bowed in a respectful and firm tone.
Zhu Yijun nodded slightly, beckoned to Chen Ju beside him and said: "Grant the throne to the Duke of Jingguo." Then he motioned to Gao Yingshi to continue. Gao Yingshi returned the gesture, thanked him and sat down.
"Your Majesty, I have been favored to be promoted to a noble rank, and I have also been allowed by Your Majesty to temporarily stay in Chunhe Palace and accompany you. This is a great honor for me. However, I think about it, although the Nanjing Imperial Palace has not been used for two hundred years, Chunhe Palace After all, the palace should be the palace of the Crown Prince. If I live here, I would be overstepping my bounds. Please take it back. Besides, although I don’t have a residence in Nanjing, there are business buildings where I can stay temporarily, so I don’t have to worry about having no place to live. ." Gao Pragmatic spoke sincerely and looked directly at the emperor, showing a frank look.
After hearing this, Zhu Yijun raised his brows slightly, as if he was a little surprised by Gao Pragmatic's concerns. He pondered for a moment, and then slowly spoke: "Duke Jingguo, I understand your concerns. However, although Chunhe Palace is the residence of the crown prince, But Nanjing is no better than Beijing, and the crown prince did not come with me...
Of course, what you are worried about is also true, but I have also considered your concerns. Although this palace is the East Palace, its west side hall has always been used for lectures and rest by the prince. It seems to me that there is nothing wrong with living in the main palace of Chunhe Palace and in the west side palace."
Instead of living in the main palace, live in the West Side Hall? Well, it seems that the emperor has really considered it seriously. The reason why the West Side Hall is suitable for Gao Jingjing is because he does have the title of Crown Prince and Grand Master, and the teacher is called "Xi Xi" "The prince's teacher lives in the west side hall of the prince's palace, which sounds like it is completely appropriate both emotionally and rationally.
[Note: Although Gao Jingshi's current official position is mainly "Grand Scholar of Zhongji Palace", his official full title should actually be "Taifu, Crown Prince and Grand Master, Grand Bachelor of Zhongji Palace and Minister of Household Affairs, Duke of Jingguo Gao Jingshi". ]
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Since Shen Yiguan had not explained clearly about the West Side Hall before, Gao pragmatic suddenly felt a little passive after hearing the emperor's words. He lowered his head slightly, thought for a moment, and then again He raised his head, with a hint of determination in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, although this is the case, I believe that as a minister, I should still abide by my duty and not overstep it in the slightest. The status of Chunhe Palace is noble. If I have time to take a break from lectures, I can still feel at ease. However,
If you stay here for many days, it will definitely arouse a lot of criticism from the outside world, and it will also have an impact on His Majesty's reputation."
When Zhu Yijun heard this, a hint of appreciation flashed in his eyes. He knew that Gao Pragmatic was thinking about himself as the emperor, and did not want this matter to bring him any trouble. He sighed softly, and then said: "Jingguo Gong, your
I know Zhongxin. However, I have some considerations in letting you live in Chunhe Palace.
As Yuan Fu and Prime Minister, you have everything to deal with every day. I made this arrangement because I hope you can have a quiet place to rest. You don’t have to run around in and out of the palace every day, wasting a lot of time in vain. This way you can
Help me better."
After hearing this, Gao Pingshi felt warm in his heart. He knew that the emperor was caring about him. But he also knew that it was probably true that the emperor cared about him, but it was not necessarily just about him.
Today, I have a unique identity. On one side, I am the head of civil servants, and on the other side, I am at the top of the nobility. In the capital, I have already attracted the Jingnan nobles to my side. Only in Nanjing, the cooperation between the founding nobles and myself has always been maintained.
There is an inseparable relationship - cooperation is necessary, but we are determined to only talk about economics and never talk about politics.
Regarding this point, Gao Pragmatic has always known the reason: the nobles of the Jingnan family are the real power base after Zhu Di ascended the throne, while the nobles of the founding family are more subtle. Their theoretical status has always been very high, but they can often only be found in the Nanjing system.
He was rarely allowed to hold national positions due to his internal activities, and there was always a feeling that he was not truly trusted by the emperor.
In this delicate situation, Nanjing nobles are usually very cautious, and of course they have the courage to make money, and they are very bold. However, at the political level, they are as timid as mice, and they will avoid anything that involves actual power.
Acting like you don't want to be approached by strangers means that we won't get involved in these things.
Because of this, Jinghua obviously has a lot of business dealings with Nanjing Xungui, but it is a fool's errand to expect Nanjing Xungui to sever ties with the Jiangnan plutocrats and Jiangnan officialdom and actually side with the Practical School. People don't accept this at all.
, it’s a completely non-stick pan, I get all the benefits and don’t dirty my hands with the bad things.
This time when the Holy Emperor went south, Gao Pragmatic always suspected that Zhu Yijun intended to rectify Nanjing's officialdom, because when he first planned the Zen ceremony, none of the courtiers, including himself and Shen Yiguan, arranged for the Emperor to go directly to Nanjing. It was the Emperor who took the initiative to take advantage of the opportunity.
He came to Nanjing to pay homage to Xiaoling Mausoleum for the Zen Ceremony.
Visiting the Xiaoling Mausoleum itself naturally has great political significance, but if you go to Nanjing just for a show, you have to spend a huge amount of money to renovate the Xiaoling Mausoleum and repair the palace... This seems like
A bit too much. Therefore, Gao Pragmatic has always suspected that Zhu Yijun wanted to take the opportunity to deal with the Nanjing officialdom. The question now is, what exactly did the emperor want to deal with?
If the emperor simply believed that Nanjing was the stronghold of the Xin School and wanted to suppress it so that the Practical School could better govern the country, that would be perfect. But what if the emperor's idea was not that simple?
However, to see through the emperor's true intentions, it is obviously not enough to rely on the current situation. No matter how pragmatic Gao understands the emperor, he must observe again to see what else the emperor does next.
Gao pragmatic bowed again, with a hint of gratitude in his tone: "Your Majesty cares so much about me, I am very grateful to you. But I still think that my residence is not a big deal, your Majesty's reputation and the stability of the court are the most important. I sincerely ask your Majesty to think twice."
Zhu Yijun looked at Gao Pragmatic, with a flash of complicated emotions in his eyes. He knew that Gao Pragmatic was sticking to his position, but at the same time, he was really thinking about himself.
He was silent for a moment, and then said slowly: "Jing Guo Gong, I understand your loyalty and concerns. Well, Chunhe Palace is big enough. I will move Shen Guanyin into the west wing of Chunhe Palace to be with you. Living next to each other. In this way, the two cabinet ministers can enjoy the courtesy, which will ensure your rest and will not cause criticism from the outside world."
After hearing this, Gao Pragmatic didn't know what it was like. Although Shen Guanguan was suppressed by him, judging from his performance today, he was convinced of the advantages of "fighting" at home in Nanjing, and obviously did not intend to be blamed for the Confucius Temple incident. Just give up fighting against the Practical School.
Under such circumstances, although the two of them are not life-or-death enemies, they probably don't have much room for change in terms of political stance. Now they actually have to live in the west wing of Chunhe Palace. Even though Chunhe Palace is indeed big enough, The West Side Hall is indeed not small, but this situation is really dumbfounding.
But no matter what, Gao Jingshi also knew that this was the emperor making a concession, and he couldn't refuse to give in. It would be too unreasonable. So Gao Jingshi had no choice but to salute again, deliberately speaking as if he was relieved. He said in a tone of voice: "Your Majesty is wise, I accept the decree and thank you for your kindness."
Afterwards, the two discussed some state affairs, mainly the arrangements for the next visit to Xiaoling, and then Gao Pragmatic resigned.
He knew in his heart that the game that was about to take place in Nanjing had just begun. Although everything was still shrouded in deep fog, clues would soon emerge, and what he had to do was to observe carefully and be careful. Arrangements must not be made at will until the truth is revealed.
After walking out of Qianqing Palace, Gao Pingshi looked up at the night. He felt that the moon was covered by light clouds in the sky, and the spring breeze was suddenly warm and then cold. He was a little lost in thought, and suddenly his eyes lit up. When he took a closer look, he heard a thunder. Exploded out of thin air.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Is it going to rain?" he murmured, feeling quite uneasy. This was not because he believed in any sign, but because he was worried about the Xiaoling Qingming Festival in a few days. ——If it rains, there will be even more trouble.
What he didn't expect was that as soon as he said this to himself, a voice beside him laughed and said: "If what our family knows is true, Mr. Jingguo must have come to Nanjing for the first time. No wonder he has some concerns about the climate in the south of the Yangtze River." I don’t know. The weather in Jiangnan is already changeable at this time of year. In recent years, it has become even more unpredictable. It often becomes sunny and rainy at times.
Many times, the sun is still shining brightly in the morning, and then there is a sudden heavy rain at night. But if it comes tomorrow morning, it may be a clear sky and clouds are hard to find... In short, Jiangnan is very changeable."
Gao pragmatic looked back and saw that it was the Nanjing garrison eunuch named Tian Mingming. This man looked to be a few years older than Chen Ju. His temples were all white. If not seventy, he should be in his sixties. He was looking at him with a smile.
Own.
Gao pragmatic always felt that what he said just now seemed to have something to say, and he couldn't help but smile: "No matter how changeable the climate is, it is still the Jiangnan of the Ming Dynasty. I love it when it is sunny; I also love when it rains."
A flash of light flashed in Tian Yi's eyes, and he seemed to ponder for a moment, then nodded and said: "The Duke is really good-tempered." Seeing Gao Pragmatic, he just smiled and did not answer, and added: "I just don't know that the local snakes in Nanjing have seen the weather change.
How will you react..."
Gao pragmatic raised his eyebrows slightly and was about to ask a question, but the Nanjing garrison eunuch suddenly raised his hands and said: "I have something important to report to the emperor, so I won't disturb the Duke for now. I will wait until I have time in the future."
Go to Chunhe Palace to apologize."
Gao Pingshi suppressed the words that came to his lips, and could only smile slightly and said: "The internal defense is more important, please do it yourself." After saying that, he nodded towards Tian Yi, turned around and left.
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