Chapter 490 Fire! Another fire in the palace!

It's another day off every five days.

Early.

The moment the city gate opened, Yuan Ge Lao of the Ming Dynasty ordered his family to drive the carriage out of the city and head straight towards Changping.

Although for various reasons, he and Li Chunfang had to agree with Gao Gong's method, and cooperate with Gao Gong to implement the new policy headed by the three of them, so as not to be replaced by new people who entered the cabinet later.

This is of course a means of self-protection for Yuan Wei and Li Chunfang.

If you don't bow to the Prime Minister now, will you be squeezed out by newcomers who come from nowhere in the future?

What's more crucial is that as the war against the Japanese pirates in the five southeastern provinces progresses, Hu Zongxian, the Minister of War, may join the cabinet at any time.

This has already secured a spot.

Who will it be next?
Hu Zongxian is someone who can be accomplished by anyone with a discerning eye. He is a man who gets things done.

With these people entering the cabinet, Lord Yuan might no longer be able to sit in the office and drink tea. He should either work honestly or resign and go home.

So when today was a day off, Yuan Wei rushed to Changping early in the morning.

Some things still need to be explained to Master Yan.

After all, it's a well-known fact.

That is, Yan Song was the first person to be granted the honor of Grand Tutor while still alive since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

My heart is in turmoil.

Yuan Wei finally arrived in Changping in a carriage driven by his family's coachman.

But when he arrived in Changping, Yuan Wei was not in a hurry. He stopped the carriage just outside the town, got off leisurely, and strolled along the street leading to the academy.

Changping is becoming more and more lively nowadays, and you can see strange faces on the streets all day long.

These are students or businessmen who have come from all over the world to see the grand occasion of Changping Academy.

A very niche knowledge point.

The system of recommending students to become officials has been implemented for two years, and students from Changping Academy have always been the most enthusiastic about this path to becoming an official.

after all.

Prince Yu is the principal of Changping Academy.

There are more and more outsiders.

Changping naturally developed numerous inns, restaurants and shops. At the same time, many people on the street began to leave farming and set up stalls to make money.

Yuan Wei, who was in a hurry to leave the city early in the morning, smelled the fragrance of food on the street and his taste buds were stimulated.

The purse is held in the hand.

then.

Lord Yuan now had more things like fried cakes and spicy soup.

Eat as you go.

By the time Yuan Wei used a piece of glutinous rice cake as a base and took out a towel from his sleeve to wipe his lips, he had already arrived at the entrance of the academy.

When the minister of the court arrived, the gatekeeper of the academy naturally brought Yuan Wei into the academy immediately and sent someone to report to the Grand Tutor.

Not long after.

Yuan Wei, who had already eaten his fill, appeared on a viewing platform halfway up the mountain from the academy.

It was also here that Yuan Wei finally met Yan Song, who had gone out early this morning and ran to the top of the mountain to watch the sunrise accompanied by his son Yan Shifan.

"Master."

Yuan Wei saluted politely and respectfully.

Yan Song looked in good spirits at the moment, with a rosy complexion and a hint of sweat on his forehead.

Looking at Yuan Wei who appeared in front of him, Yan Song smiled slightly and pointed to the bench at the edge of the observation deck.

Yuan Wei stepped forward immediately, but instead of sitting down, he took out a towel and wiped the bench clean, then stood aside.

"Recently, the court has been in turmoil. Today is a day off, so I am taking the liberty to come here. I hope the Grand Master can give me some pointers."

After saying this, he performed the disciple salute again.

Yan Song accepted the gift calmly.

Putting aside the hierarchy in officialdom, strictly speaking, there are many disciples of the School of Xin in and outside the court, and his seniority among them is not low.

For example, Nie Bao, who played mahjong with him all day, also worshipped him as a teacher. Not to mention, he was an equal to Wang Shouren at the beginning, and they exchanged letters and discussed classics.

Highly respected.

It can be used to describe Yan Song, who is now retired and living at home.

After sitting down, Yan Song looked at the sparsely populated area below the mountain.

"After leaving the government office yesterday, Donglou rushed back from the city and told me what happened in front of Xi'an Gate two days ago."

"Master Yuan came to visit today, I guess it's because of this matter?"

Although he is over eighty years old, Yan Song now looks energetic.

Yuan Wei could not help but secretly envy them, and then bowed like a student asking a teacher: "It is just as the Grand Tutor said. The emperor was furious and dismissed all the officials who knelt at the palace gate to make a complaint. But now, among the hundreds of officials back then, there are still more than a hundred people who go to the Xi'an Gate on time every day to kneel and make a complaint, just like going to the yamen to report for duty. The Wanshou Palace has not made any more decisions, as if they didn't see them. But these people are probably unwilling to give up easily, but if this goes on, if they keep kneeling, the dignity of the court will be bad. I really have no choice and don't know what to do."

Speaking of it.

Yuan Wei's face was full of worry.

He wasn't lying.

Ever since all the officials knelt down to protest at Xi'an Gate that day, the emperor acted as if he had planned it in advance. The former Minister of Rites Yan Ne was demoted to a commoner and expelled from Beijing to his hometown immediately. The remaining officials were also all dismissed from their posts.

Most of the officials quickly went home to pack their bags, handed over their jobs in various ministries and government offices, and left the capital with their families.

However, there are always some stubborn people who are unwilling to give up and leave the capital.

So these people communicated with each other at once, and left their homes on time every day, and knelt straight on the ground in front of Xi'an Gate. When it was time to get off work in the evening, they packed up and went home, waiting to go to Xi'an Gate again the next day.

As for the palace.

It's natural to know about this kind of thing at the first time.

But no one paid attention to the situation outside Xi'an Gate anymore.

As usual, the Imperial Household Department sent out eunuchs with tea, fruits, and cakes, and also held umbrellas for the officials to block the direct sunlight.

The two sides reached a tacit stalemate.

The court also began to offer suggestions for the new policy in accordance with the emperor's will and the imperial edicts drafted by the cabinet.

In fact, the so-called new policy is inseparable from the issues that everyone knows.

It's nothing more than a few matters such as administration of officials, armaments, taxation, royal family and selection of talents.

Yan Song climbed the mountain and felt refreshed. He raised his head slightly and looked at Yuan Wei: "What about today?"

Yuan Wei was stunned: "Today? What the Grand Master asked is..."

Then he shut up.

Yan Song smiled and said, "The court is closed today. Can they go to the Xi'an Gate to continue kneeling and making remonstrations?"

Yuan Wei shook his head: "I left the city early today, but after leaving home, I didn't seem to see them go to Xi'an Gate again today."

Yan Song sighed and said, "Even though he was dismissed from office, he still retains his official temperament."

I don't know what this means. Yan Song has already turned his head to look at his son on the other side: "Send someone into the city to tell the people of the Military Department that Xi'an Gate is a place that cannot be blocked by common people."

Yan Shifan nodded respectfully and was about to turn around and go down the mountain to arrange for people to enter the city, but was stopped by the old man again.

Yan Song rolled his eyes at Yan Shifan and said, "You haven't finished talking yet."

Yan Shifan nodded immediately: "Father, please give me your instructions."

Yan Song did not regard Yuan Wei as an outsider, and directly instructed Yan Shifan: "Tell Shuntian Prefecture again whether this Xi'anmen Street is under their jurisdiction. If they still recognize it, then send people to the intersection of Xi'anmen Street and set up a fence."

"Do you want the Military Affairs Department and Shuntian Prefecture to send people to stop these people from kneeling in front of the Xi'an Gate to protest?"

Yan Shifan asked.

"fool!"

But what greeted him was the old man's word "stupid".

Yan Shifan's face suddenly turned slightly red.

Yan Song shook his head and said, "The court has not issued any prohibition, forbidding the people to walk on Xi'anmen Street. Tell Shuntian Prefecture to send people from the household registration office to prepare account books at the fence set up at the street entrance. Everyone who enters the street will be charged one penny, so that the people who clean the street will not suffer losses."

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Hear what the old man said.

Both Yan Shifan and Yuan Wei who were present were stunned.

If Yuan Wei hadn't been here, Yan Shifan would have had to give the old man a thumbs up.

Enough damage!

Just like the old man is playing cards now, his tactics are extremely insidious.

This is not for collecting money, it is clearly for humiliating people.

It is not worth a penny, but those demoted officials who still have to kneel in front of Xi'an Gate to make their petition would be extremely embarrassed if they had to pay this penny before they could do so.

Yan Shifan drew inferences from one example and asked, "If these people kneel down and make a petition in another place, should we also ask the Military Affairs Department and Shuntian Prefecture to do the same?"

Yan Song said calmly: "The cleaners get up early and stay up late, which is very hard work. When people gather, the ground will be messy. We should not make the cleaners suffer more."

This means agreeing with Yan Shifan's words that he could draw inferences about other cases.

Yuan Wei also felt as if he had seen a god.

The matter that had troubled me for several days was solved by Yan Song with just a casual method!

"Grand Master, you are wise! I admire you!"

As he spoke, Yuan Wei bowed again respectfully.

Yan Song waved his hand and looked at Yuan Wei: "Tell me, the emperor doesn't care about this matter. Even if you are in charge of this matter in the cabinet, you won't be so anxious to run to Changping to find me. Is there something else that can make you run to me, an old man who has left the court?"

Yuan Wei showed a trace of embarrassment on his face, bowed his head and nodded, saying: "Grand Master, you have a keen eye. I can't hide my thoughts from you."

Yan Song did not comment on Yuan Wei's flattery.

I heard a lot of such flattery when I was the Prime Minister, and now everything is just the same as before.

Yuan Wei continued, "In fact, the emperor has issued an order to ask all the ministers to make suggestions for the new policy. You also know that in the past, new policies and reforms have always been more complicated than old ones, so they need to be handled with great care. Although I and others have also received the order to recommend new members to the cabinet, the specific methods of implementing the new policy still need the advice of the Grand Tutor."

Yan Shifan stood aside, silently watching Yuan Wei who was consulting.

Yan Song hummed, and after a moment's silence, he asked, "Does Gao Suqing have any big plans? Is he forcing you and Li Zishi to work for him?"

At this point, Yuan Wei's heart really trembled.

obviously.

The old Grand Tutor who had already retired at home must have seen through Gao Gong's intentions long ago.

He no longer hid his intention and nodded: "What the Prime Minister wants... Although I and Zishi think it is a bit extreme, it is also for the new policy of the country."

Yuan Wei's explanation was obviously for himself, not for Gao Gong.

Yan Song didn't care about these and changed the subject to talk about other things.

"A letter came from the south a few days ago, and the memorial should be submitted to the court in the next two days. It said that the Governor-General of Zhejiang Province, Zhao Zhenji, has been working in Jiangsu and Zhejiang recently, and has done a good job in clearing the land."

When Yuan Wei heard this, he was stunned at first. He was obviously younger than Yan Song, but his thinking was completely behind his. But after hearing the whole sentence, he immediately understood.

Yuan Wei immediately agreed with a smile, "This Zhao Mengjing is indeed a capable minister, and I have heard a lot about him. He was recommended by you to replace Hu Ruzhen in charge of Zhejiang and Zhili. It has been a few years. Now the court needs people for the new policy, so he should be allowed to contribute more."

Yan Song nodded, and then he said, "New policies have always been difficult. Since ancient times, the implementation of various laws has had both advantages and disadvantages. This time, the court's new policy must be comprehensive, but one person's strength will eventually be exhausted. At that time, all matters related to the new policy will certainly be divided among several people in the cabinet. Fan Zhong has been in the court for many years and has been in the cabinet for many years. He is familiar with the court and the outside world. During the new policy, he should also take on the task of selecting talents and supervising officials in the court to share the worries of the emperor and the court."

at last.

After hearing these words, Yuan Wei breathed a sigh of relief.

Old Master Yan has pointed out a path for himself.

This path naturally did not allow him to take charge of the Ministry of Personnel, nor did it allow him to compete with Gao Gong for the job of appointing court officials.

Instead, he was asked to start with the court's talent selection method and supervision of officials and take on this responsibility.

This makes sense when you think about it.

After all, Yan Shifan is now the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice and is in charge of the affairs of the Ministry of Justice. Ouyang Bijin, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, is also a relative of the Yan family. Not to mention the Dali Temple, which is still on the side of the Yan family.

This means that he would use the manpower of the three judicial departments of the Yan family in the court as his own support in the cabinet.

So Yuan Wei immediately tried to probe carefully: "Now that Yan Ne has been demoted to a commoner, the position of Minister of Rites has become vacant. This time the emperor has ordered us to recommend someone to fill the vacancy. Can you ask Zhao Mengjing to summon him back to Beijing to take up the post of Minister of Rites..."

He wanted Zhao Zhenji to return to Beijing to take over as Minister of Rites and then seek to join the cabinet.

Yan Song didn't say anything else, but stood up, grabbed Yuan Wei, and walked down the mountain with Yan Shifan.

"You are in the cabinet, serving as a minister of state. When I was still in the court, I was very confident in you. I still feel the same way now."

Yuan Wei understood what he meant and supported the old master as they walked down the mountain.

That night.

Yuan Gelao of the Ming Dynasty returned to Beijing with a cart full of Changping's local specialties, feeling satisfied.

The night is vast.

Only the Wucheng Bingmasi and Shuntianfu's men patrolled the city in teams to guard against villains and scoundrels.

Until the end of the Chou hour.

It is the time when everything is quiet and everything in the world is the most sleepy and quiet, and it is also the time when people sleep the deepest.

suddenly.

The night wind became hotter.

The dark night sky was gradually dyed orange and yellow, and countless twinkling stars were floating in the air.

Boom!
It was the sound of wood being burned, baked, cracked and collapsed by the fire.

Most of the West City was in a state of panic, witnessing with their own eyes the huge column of fire rising into the sky from within the high walls of the West Garden. The orange-yellow flames illuminated half of the Imperial City, and fireworks continued to rise.

A huge roar continued to sound.

gradually.

People's shouts began to be heard, crossing the palace wall and drifting outside the palace.

fire!
There was a fire in the Western Garden where the emperor lived!

…………

Monthly PassMonthly Pass
　I asked the editor to change the title and synopsis today, and they will probably be changed soon. If you see the title is different, don't be nervous, everything will remain the same.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)