The first ray of sunshine in the morning penetrated the gap between the thick clouds and shone slantingly over the Chunhe Palace, giving this slightly serious building a light golden gauze, adding a bit of dreamlike splendor.
After a night of heavy rain, the Chunhe Palace looks unique and interesting. The air is filled with the fresh smell of soil and vegetation, as if nature has washed away the dust of the past and is full of vitality, which is exactly what it is called "Spring Harmony".
On both sides of the white stone road, green ancient trees drip with crystal clear water drops, like pearls scattered on the green. The breeze blows, the leaves sway lightly, and occasionally a few birdsong comes from the branches.
It's melodious and sweet, and seems to be praising the fresh world brought by this rain.
In the small pond next to the side hall of Chunhe Palace, the water drops on the lotus leaves shine with dazzling light, like gems inlaid in the sun. Looking northeast from Chunhe Palace, you can see Zhongshan Mountain where Xiaoling Tomb is located.
, at this moment, the mountains in the distance are gently shrouded in a layer of mist, looming, adding a bit of hazy fairyland-like charm.
Although it was early, a tall man wearing a scarlet silk python robe slowly walked into the picture. He was the chief minister of the current cabinet, Duke Jingguo, who was pragmatic and pragmatic. His steps were calm and firm, and his eyes were deep and calm.
Like water, it seems that all the noise in the outside world cannot shake his inner peace.
Gao Pragmatic's slow and calm pace by the pond seemed particularly fitting in this quiet environment, like the most eye-catching ink mark in an exquisite painting.
Just as he was walking through an exquisite pavilion, a servant of the Gao family in brown uniform appeared quietly at the edge of his sight. The servant bowed respectfully and handed over a tightly sealed letter.
Pass it into the hands of Gao pragmatism.
Gao pragmatic took the letter, his eyes did not show the slightest fluctuation, he just nodded slightly, and then continued to walk forward. He did not rush to open the envelope, but chose to stop for a moment in a relatively hidden location, and then slowly
Open the letter in your hand.
At this moment, the surrounding scenery seemed to be quietly witnessing this scene, and even the wind slowed down, unwilling to disturb this rare peace. After Gao Pragmatic read the content of the letter, his face still maintained a calm expression
, there was no sign of any emotional ups and downs. He folded the letter carefully, put it back into his sleeve, then turned and left, leaving behind a silhouette that gradually faded away and disappeared into the depths of the Spring Harmony Palace, which is full of historical charm.
Returning to the study in the side hall of Chunhe Palace, Gao Jingshi took out the letter just now, burned it with the still lit oil lamp, and carefully put the ashes into the gilt Panlong Incense Burner in the corner of the study.
Then Shi Shiran walked to the desk and ordered his servants to wash his pen and prepare ink for him.
After a while, the servant bowed and left, while Gao Pingshi held a delicate Hu pen, and after pondering for a while, he began to write on the rice paper. When he was a child, everything was a test, so he wrote best in Guange style.
He is so enchanting, but this time he did not use the pavilion style, but instead used running script. The writing style is euphemistic and subtle, elegant and graceful, and vaguely has the charm of the two kings.
"Liu Gong's palm seal table book:
I left Beijing in the second month, and I haven't visited him for a long time, so I am always thinking about him. I am writing today, not just for greetings, but because I actually have important matters to discuss with you. I hope Mr. Liu will take a closer look.
Recently, Tian Yi, who is guarding the inner city, intends to plan something with Yu and Mr. Liu. Tian Yi has been in Ning for many years, has a deep foundation, and is quite far-sighted. He is really a very good person. He intends to go further, and Yu is also willing to help.
I knew that Mr. Liu had always had the ambition to serve as the governor of the factory, but he missed out on the post of factory governor. It was a pity that I often lamented it. After Wang An passed away, the factory governor had been inactive for a long time. This was not a blessing to the imperial court. Although I was an outsider,
The ministers of the court can't help but worry about it, not to mention Mr. Liu. I am very happy to see this virtuous man. I am willing to help build a bridge between Mr. Liu and Tian Yi and work together to stabilize the inner court.
Tian Yi has already promised that if he is recommended by Mr. Liu, he will give his full help when Mr. Liu is promoted to factory supervisor in the future. I will also fully support Mr. Liu to ensure success. No matter whether Dan is right or the cabinet is discussing, he will do everything.
Words that are beneficial to Liu Gong.
In addition, the imperial court intends to encourage the Royal Horse Supervisor to set up a pasture in the Loop, which will be used to raise horses and expand trade, both for public and private purposes. If Liu Gong also has this intention, Yu Dexin will take care of it.
The letter was incomplete, but Duke Liu of the Yin Dynasty replied to the letter.
Please be safe in Taiwan.
Highly pragmatic handwriting"
From the perspective of future generations, Gao Pingshi's letter seems a bit too humble. After all, in the past, when Liu Ping visited him, he would not just nod and bow, but at least always have a smile on his face. How could he be worthy of his words?
"Liu Gong", write "Tai Jian", write "Tai An"?
In fact, it is not the case. Chinese people have always been "excessive modesty", and letter etiquette is a typical example of this kind of excessive modesty. Since Confucian culture emphasizes the importance of "propriety" and "benevolence", "those who are polite are respectful to others", so in correspondence
Reflected vividly.
The ancients believed that when writing letters, one should fully respect the other party and avoid direct and forceful expressions to avoid causing discomfort or offense to the recipient. Therefore, when writing letters, a large number of polite words and honorifics are often used to express respect and politeness.
Words such as "guifu" and "gaojian", as well as the words "Taijian" and "Jingqi" at the beginning and the words "respect" and "worship" at the end, all reflect the respect for humility in Chinese culture.
In addition, the humility in ancient Chinese letter etiquette is also reflected in the derogation of self-evaluation and high praise of others. People often call themselves "foolish brother", "my humble", etc. in their letters to show that they have low status and limited knowledge.
shallow.
If we want to take official interactions as an example, colleagues in the Tang Dynasty often call themselves "servants" and "servants" in letters, while colleagues in the Ming Dynasty often call themselves "students" and "lag behind in learning"... This all has a historical background.
, social reasons.
During the Tang Dynasty, although the imperial examination system appeared, it was not perfect. The aristocratic families could still stir up the final wave of clan politics. Therefore, the great disparity in status was emphasized in society. On the other hand, when a person needs to be self-effacing,
Naturally, he devalued himself from this status, so he called himself "servant" or "servant".
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! The Ming Dynasty was different. The officialdom of the Ming Dynasty was already dominated by academic leaders, so if everyone wanted to be self-effacing, they had no choice but to depreciate themselves in the field of study. Not only did colleagues call themselves
Students, there are even teachers who write letters to their students and call themselves students - of course the "student" here does not mean "I am your student", after all, the identity of teacher and student is there.
This kind of self-proclaiming actually emphasizes that one is always a "student", that is, one insists on never-ending learning and is always learning with humility. As for those who claim to be "laggards", the same is true - you are a senior in learning.
, is the object of study for me as a late student.
Since you are self-deprecating, you should be extra respectful to the recipient of the letter. For example, you will use words such as "virtuous brother" and "respected teacher" to show that he has a high status and profound knowledge.
Speaking of which, Gao Pragmatic's letter to Liu Ping is not that exaggerated. After all, Gao Pragmatic and Huang Mengyu were peers at that time, and Liu Ping, as Huang Mengyu's nephew, had always regarded himself as a junior to Gao Pragmatic in his early years.
Gao pragmatically sealed the letter, called a servant, and gave some instructions. The servant naturally went out of the palace to find Feige of Jinghua Trading Company to pass the letter without mentioning it.
Two flowers bloomed, one on each side. At the same time, at the Jinghua Trading Company branch in Nanjing, Gao Qijiu occupied the magpie's nest and temporarily requisitioned Gao Qi's mortgage room.
At this time, he was sitting behind a large mahogany desk, frowning, and looking sharply at the mountains of account books and documents on the table. These documents recorded almost every transaction of more than ten taels of silver in the renovation project of the Nanjing Imperial Palace.
And now he needs to find out the hidden illegal activities among these complicated numbers and words.
Of course, it is impossible for him to review these things alone, and there is no need - Jinghua Craftsman School has graduated so many financial personnel over the years, and in such an important place as Nanjing, he is afraid that he will not be able to find professional accountants trained by himself.
?
"Gao Tie!" Gao Qi's voice was calm and firm. He looked up at the accountant standing opposite the desk and ordered Gao Tie: "Check these accounts again, especially the purchase records of cement and wood.
No transaction can be missed, no trace can be missed."
"Yes, the eldest young master." Gao Jue replied respectfully, with a hint of nervousness in his eyes. Although he didn't know what the eldest young master wanted to investigate specifically, or what the eldest young master's ultimate goal was, he knew this.
This task is absolutely no small matter, and any small oversight may lead to serious consequences.
After all, the eldest young master left the palace in the middle of the night to take care of this matter under the order of the eldest master of the family. Think about it, even if he couldn't wait for dawn, a clan relative with the status of the eldest young master would take charge personally. The eldest master of the master obviously wanted to take action.
Genuine.
Who is the eldest boss of the boss? The chief minister of the dynasty! Lord Yingguo! For something that he can attach so much importance to, wouldn't it be more urgent than Mount Taishan to put it on the head of a high-ranking, middle-class servant like me?
Time was running out, and several teams of temporarily arranged spies came to report the situation to Gao Qi within a short time. Until night fell, the lights in the trading company were brightly lit, and Gao Qi had received twenty-seven reports of various kinds that day.
Gao Qi, a close confidant brought by Gao Qi from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, quietly walked into the signing room. He was a burly middle-aged man, with traces of time on his face, and an imperceptible sharpness in his eyes.
"Zhang Xing, I have followed your instructions and went to several craftsman villages to inquire." Gao Xie's voice was low, with a shrewd light shining in his eyes.
Here are two words that need a brief explanation. The "Zhang Xing" mentioned by Gao Qi refers to Gao Qi, but "Zhang Xing" is not a certain position of Gao Qi, but a term created by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to benchmark Dongchang.
The specific reference is Dongchang's "Handing Thousands of Households".
The "Thousand Households of Punishment" has great real power and is generally regarded as the second-in-command of Dongchang, second only to the "Imperial Envoy, Supervisor and Eunuch of Dongchang". Since the Ministry of Internal Affairs is in charge of internal security and intelligence, Beijing internal affairs often regard him as Dongchang.
Generally speaking, in the end, the Ministry of Internal Affairs itself was too lazy to worry about it, and simply compared it with Dongchang.
When Gao Mo got old and gradually entered a state of semi-retirement, the affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs began to be handed over to Gao Qi, the intelligence secretary of the Secretariat. Therefore, the subordinates of the Ministry of Internal Affairs called him "Zhang Xing" - even though Gao Qi actually did not
No matter the punishment.
The second word to be explained is "living and sitting craftsman". The Nanjing Ministry of Industry, like the Beijing Ministry of Industry, is responsible for many public projects, building maintenance, material supply and other related matters of the imperial court. When implementing specific engineering projects, the two Beijing
The Ministry of Industry of China has a specialized construction team. This team has different names and organizational forms in different historical periods, but the most typical establishment is the "Employment and Repair Department" and the team of craftsmen under the craftsmanship system.
.
The "Emperor, Repair and Cleaning Department" is an agency under the Ministry of Industry of both Beijing and Beijing. It is responsible for the construction and maintenance of royal palaces, temples and other important public facilities. There are multiple levels of officials and technical workers under the "Emperor and Repair Department"
, including various professional and technical personnel such as architects, carpenters, masons, and bricklayers, who participate in specific engineering projects according to their respective professional skills.
As we all know, the Ming Dynasty implemented a household registration management system called the "carpenter registration system", in which professional and technical personnel engaged in handicrafts and construction industries were registered. These people were called "carpenter households".
The craftsmen of the Ministry of Industry are divided into "shift craftsmen" and "resident craftsmen". Shift craftsmen go to Beijing or other places to serve regularly, while resident craftsmen are permanently stationed in the capital or other designated places. Usually, if there is a project arranged by the Ministry of Works, the craftsmen will
After receiving the order, households will be dispatched to where needed to participate in project construction, forming a temporary or long-term construction team.
These craftsmen played a vital role in the construction projects led by the imperial court and were the main force for the Ministry of Industry to implement large-scale engineering projects. The "several villages of resident craftsmen" mentioned by Gao Gao were the resident craftsmen of the Nanjing Ministry of Industry
There are several villages where they live together - of course, it may be more than a few villages. He just stated it casually and may not be accurate.
"What did you find?" Gao Qi raised his head, his eyes burning brightly.
"The craftsmen had a hard life, so we just spent some money, and the craftsmen talked about everything. They were all talking privately, saying that a lot of the wood and cement used for this renovation were indeed defective."
As he spoke, Gao Qiao came closer and whispered: "Moreover, I also heard from a few of the brave craftsmen that the king, the head of the camp and repair department, suddenly became rich recently, and he bought something by the Mochou Lake.
I built a big house as a separate courtyard."
"Chief Wang of the Camp and Maintenance Department of the Ministry of Industry in Nanjing..." Gao Qi's eyes flashed with a sneer, and he snorted: "Is it Wang Lingyu? He is just Wang Xijue's grandnephew, and he is still a commoner. Although Wang Ge's hometown is rich,
, but they won’t give him much money. As for his own salary, haha, can he afford a big house in Mochou Lake with that little money? It seems that the water in Nanjing is indeed very deep.”
"Young Master, should we..." Gao Qiao stretched out his fingers and squeezed hard, making a grabbing gesture.
"Inappropriate." Gao Qi waved his hand and said: "After all, he is a member of the Wang family, and he is also an official of the imperial court. How can we be allowed to arrest and interrogate him privately? We need to get conclusive evidence first. You go contact a few brave people.
The craftsmen, I mean those who complained about the materials used in this renovation, told them that if they could provide some physical evidence, I would give them adequate compensation and transfer them to the Ministry of Works in Beijing.
"
Gao Qiao agreed and left quietly.
The next morning, Gao Qi had a few pieces of wood and a small half bag of cement on his desk. He carefully examined the evidence and found that the wood was sparse and the cement was, as Tian Yi said, ordinary cement, not what the report said.
Jinghua's new waterproof cement. Gao Qi sneered and nodded.
"Okay, Gao Qi, you did a good job. Now, we need to compile this evidence into a report." Gao Qi's eyes were cold and stern: "Once this report is handed over to my uncle, it will be a weapon to intimidate Nanjing officialdom.
sword."
Under the command of Gao Qi, a detailed report was quickly completed. The report not only listed all officials and nobles suspected of corruption and perversion of the law, but also attached specimens and descriptions of physical evidence.
"Young Master, once this report is delivered to the hands of the boss, there will probably be a bloody storm in the Nanjing officialdom." Gao Jue looked at the report and couldn't help but sigh.
Gao Qi sneered, and Shi Shiran said: "A bloody storm? If there is a bloody storm, it will be caused by these bastards in Nanjing." A trace of disdain flashed in his eyes, and he added: "What's more, will this bloody storm really come?
, it also depends on what my uncle wants."
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