Chapter 20: Rumors, Different Mosses, Same Climb

In the sixth year of Longqing, on the sixth day of the sixth month, early in the morning.

……

Today is the sixth day of the first lunar month, which is not only the day for regular court sessions, but also the third day for persuading the emperor to ascend the throne.

As the Crown Prince's daily lecturer, Yu Youding naturally had to join in the fun and had to get up early.

It's just because I'm here to persuade the emperor to take the throne today, so I have to dress more formally than when I'm on duty in the yamen. I have to wear a Liang crown, a red silk skirt and a uniform, and I can't forget any accessories such as a leather belt and a sash.

After all the trouble, if I don’t get up earlier, I will miss the bowl of hot soup at the end of the alley.

Yu Youding has been drinking mutton soup at the mutton soup restaurant at the end of the alley since he passed the imperial examination and settled down in the capital. It has been exactly ten years now and it has always suited his taste.

For this purpose, he even wrote a whole page about this store in his writing, leaving it for future generations to think about.

He got this inspiration from a book called "Dongjing Menghualu" by Meng Yuanlao in the Song Dynasty.

At that time, the Northern Song Dynasty was defeated by the Jin people, and the prosperous capital of the Song Dynasty disappeared in an instant. While Meng Yuanlao was displaced, he often looked back at the capital city that satisfied the people.

Yu Youding has seen with his own eyes that the situation in the country has taken a sharp turn for the worse since the reign of Emperor Jiajing. The Japanese pirates, the Tatars, annexation, finance and taxation, armaments, and local affairs have all become a mess, and the country is on the verge of collapse.

If something goes wrong during my lifetime, instead of recalling the prosperity of the capital later, it is better to record it stroke by stroke now to preserve the joyful mood at that time.

Yu Youding held the three-feathered Liang crown in his arms and fiddled with it gently. He didn't know how many more years he would have to endure before he could change it to a five-feathered one and enter the realm of the master.

Although there is nothing wrong with the fifth rank, if one can enter one of the six ministries and serve as a nine minister, naturally the horizon will be much broader.

As I was thinking about this, I had already walked to the mutton soup restaurant at the end of the alley.

It was still early, not even daybreak, but someone else had arrived earlier than him.

When Yu Youding stepped into the threshold, Shen Shixing had already started drinking, and Wang Xijue was also beside him.

The three of them were Jinshi in the same imperial examination, Shen Shixing was the top scorer and Wang Xijue was the second place, so of course they had a close relationship.

Among them, Shen Shixing served as the Zuo Yude and the Attendant Reader of the Hanlin Academy, and was also on duty in the Hanlin Academy. In addition, he lived not far away, so he and Yu Youding usually went to work together.

But Wang Xijue was clearly an official in Nanzhili (Nanjing), so how come he was here too?

Yu Youding took the opportunity to sit down and asked curiously, "Yuan Yu is not on duty in Nanzhili, so why is he in the capital? Was he promoted?"

Yuan Yu is Wang Xijue's courtesy name.

As the top three in the list, these three people all have the qualifications to be cabinet ministers. Yu Youding’s current position as a daily lecturer is a kind of test.

Just like Shen Shixing, as the top scholar, served as the daily lecturer of the late emperor last year. Although the late emperor passed away half a year later, this did not prevent Shen Shixing from having the qualifications to enter the six ministries.

But Wang Xijue was unlucky because he offended Zhang Siwei and was moved to Nanzhili, far away from the central government.

There were two capitals in the Ming Dynasty, one in the south and one in the north, but there was a distinction between high and low. If an official was transferred from Nanzhili to the capital, it would be considered a promotion even if his official rank remained unchanged.

But Wang Xijue shook his head and denied Yu Youding's guess: "It was originally a business trip, but today I was arrested by the Ministry of Rites to make up the number of people because of persuading him to ascend the throne."

I have a clear understanding.

Officials were persuaded to take the throne one after another, and each place had to capture some people to go through the ceremony, so that they could recognize the new emperor.

"Bingzhong, Yuan Yu has come here from such a far distance, but you are the closest and the last to leave." Shen Shixing said with a smile.

Bingzhong is Yu Youding's courtesy name.

Among the three, Wang Xijue is the youngest, at thirty-six years old. He is the most straightforward and has a tough temper.

Shen Shixing was only one year older and was the top scorer in the same exam. He was lively and had great ambitions.

I have a man named Ding who is over 40 years old and is an easy-going person.

At this time, Shen Shixing saw that Wang Xijue was unwilling to talk about promotion, so he changed the subject.

Yu Youding also woke up and took over the conversation with a sigh: "I have been busy lately and I have been a little sleepy."

After saying that, he called the shopkeeper and asked for a bowl of mutton soup.

Shen Shixing took a sip of soup and said, "Bingzhong is the peak of spring and autumn, and there is still a lot to do."

As a Jinshi who was ranked among the top three, he is now accumulating qualifications and has a bright future ahead of him, so he will naturally be busy.

Yu Youding knew what Shen Shixing meant, but felt helpless. Shen Shixing was ten years younger than him, was a top scholar, and had enough qualifications. His career path was smoother than his, but he came to make fun of him.

Fortunately, we are good friends and don’t take this little entertainment seriously.

He put the Liang Guan aside and said with emotion: "It's just that I have been busy with the Ministry of Finance recently, and I have to attend the daily lectures, so I am a little tired for a while."

After the death of the previous emperor and the transition to the new, the Sijing Bureau, as a nominal subsidiary of the Eastern Palace, rarely had any serious official business.

At this time, Wang Xijue suddenly interrupted and said, "Speaking of the daily lecture... Since Bingzhong is the daily lecturer, do you know whether this crown prince is really as the rumors say?"

Shen Shixing also looked over curiously.

Yu Youding was stunned: "Rumors? What rumors?"

Wang Xijue asked in confusion, "As a tutor, you don't even know this? As soon as I arrived in the capital yesterday, I heard people talking about the crown prince."

Seeing that Yu Youding was still confused, he could not help but explain, "It is said that the crown prince was very naughty before, and he played with hawks and birds in the palace."

"He looked like he couldn't be entrusted with a big responsibility, which made the two palaces and the prime minister angry at him for not fighting for it."

"Later, the late emperor appeared in my dream and I came to my senses in one day. Now I have not only changed my ways, but also worked hard to study and improve my moral character."

"It is said that the crown prince was studying in front of the coffin, as if with divine help. Someone in the palace even saw the shadow of the emperor beside the crown prince, helping him with his studies."

“Then the progress was really rapid.”

"Not only Concubine Li was impressed, but even the Minister Gao praised the Crown Prince yesterday, saying that he had been 'diligent in teaching and learning, and had made great progress in cultivating the virtues of the Holy Spirit; he had been solemn and respectful in court, and had a miraculous appearance,' which made him look at him with new eyes."

"Now street vendors use this as an example when teaching their children, saying things like 'Have you ever seen the Four Books and Five Classics in the middle of the night?' This has caused oil lamps to sell out."

"I'm not in the capital, so I don't know how true these rumors are."

Yu Youding's brows furrowed more and more as he listened to Wang Xijue's detailed account.

Shen Shixing on the side was calm and composed, drinking mutton soup without saying a word.

Seeing that Yu Youding didn't respond, Wang Xijue couldn't help but urge him again.

Yu Youding was helpless. After thinking for a while, he slowly said, "It wasn't so exaggerated before. At most, it was just some childish behavior with unstable mind. How could it be so exaggerated as playing Yin teasing birds?"

"As for the Prime Minister being angry at him for not fighting back and the late emperor appearing in his dreams, that is even more absurd."

"In recent days... there has indeed been some effort to make progress."

The waiter brought up a bowl of mutton soup, and Yu Youding immediately kept silent.

After the people left, Wang Xijue asked, "How have you been these past few days? Don't keep me in suspense."

Shen Shixing's eyes were wandering, but he pricked up his ears.

Yu Youding drank a mouthful of soup and felt a warm current flowing into his stomach, which made him feel very comfortable.

After thinking about it for a while, he slowly continued, "In recent days, the Crown Prince has indeed been out of character."

"I go to the two palaces every day to pay my respects, without any negligence. This can be called pure filial piety."

"I have made great progress in my studies. I can read and recite sentences and remember them all. I can even draw inferences from one example and summarize the principles of governing a country and cultivating virtues. I am really astonished by the speed of my progress."

"I am not qualified to give an order for the morning court, so I am not very clear about it. However, Mr. Gao said privately that the Crown Prince behaved in a proper manner and had the dignity of a royal family. I think it was true."

Yu Youding was not impressed by the intelligence of the crown prince. To be honest, who among those who passed the imperial examinations was not a child prodigy? The crown prince looked nothing like he did back then. What surprised him was the huge change between before and after. He was dumbfounded.

Such an event of enlightenment overnight made him unable to help but wonder whether it was really the so-called vision of the late emperor.

Shen Shixing held the bowl and did not move for a while.

Seeing Yu Youding finished speaking, Wang Xijue was a little surprised and said, "If you put it that way, isn't it really a new look?"

“No wonder the rumor is that it was the late emperor who appeared to enlighten the crown prince.”

Shen Shixing was silent for a moment, and finally couldn't hold back anymore.

He looked around and saw that there was no one nearby, so he leaned in and whispered, "Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"

"I heard that Mr. Gao is quite admired by the Crown Prince. After the lecture yesterday, the Crown Prince practiced calligraphy and specially gave me a copy of the calligraphy that reads 'Guardian of the government, confidant and loyal, loyal to me, loyal to my teacher'."

The implication is that Gao Yi might have intentionally hyped up the Crown Prince's reputation in order to demonstrate his effective education, both to support the cabinet and to strengthen his own influence in the cabinet.

Shen Shixing had heard some rumors that the cabinet had been very active recently, especially fighting fiercely with the Imperial Household Department.

Yu Youding shook his head without further explanation. He knew that if the court officials had not seen it with their own eyes, they would probably find it hard to believe the Crown Prince's current demeanor and grace.

Even though he saw the crown prince change his personality with his own eyes, he still hasn't come to his senses, let alone outsiders.

Wang Xijue suddenly said, "Rumo doesn't understand Elder Gao."

"Master Gao is the master of my brother Wang Dingjue. When I saw my brother yesterday, he told me about this matter."

"He said that Mr. Gao has been thinking about retiring these days."

"That copybook was written because the two palaces and the crown prince tried their best to keep him, and it almost made him cry."

Shen Shixing quickly apologized and seemed to be thinking about something.

Yu Youding interrupted at the right time and said, "We didn't have the chance to attend the morning court in the past, but today, isn't it just the right time for us to watch from afar?"

I don't want to continue this topic.

Wang Shen and the other two immediately understood and agreed, and let the matter go.

After some conversation, we finished our breakfast before we knew it.

The three of them went to the imperial city together.

Wang Xijue brought up another matter: "I heard yesterday that the cabinet was discussing a new method for evaluating officials. Is this true or false?"

The performance of officials nowadays is evaluated. Officials in Beijing are evaluated once every six years, while local officials are evaluated once every three years.

But often it is the case that if your superior says something good about you, it doesn’t matter if it’s not good; and if he says something bad about you, it doesn’t matter if it’s good.

Without specific assessment criteria, it has gradually become a formality.

What the cabinet discussed this time was this specific assessment standard.

Since the late emperor ascended the throne, calls for administrative reform have gradually become more and more popular.

People have repeatedly submitted petitions requesting the rectification of the administration of officials.

Whether it was the cabinet officials, the censors, or even the local officials, they all petitioned for this matter.

Among them are Zhao Zhenji's "Memorial on Three Issues, Nine Disadvantages and Three Forces", Zhang Juzheng's "Memorial on Six Issues", and even Wang Chonggu had petitioned for this matter.

After Gao Gong took charge of the Ministry of Personnel, the matter reached its peak.

In the past year alone, the government dealt with the issue of falsely reporting dates when taking up posts in other places and receiving empty salaries; impeached the incompetence of officials appointed by the Ministry of Clan Affairs and sent to Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong and Guangxi; rectified the "corruption and debauchery" of the three departments of Taifu Temple, Yuanma Temple, and Yanyunsi; ordered that official errands must return to Beijing within the prescribed time limit, and prosecuted dozens of people for overdue returns; stipulated that the term of office for promotion must be calculated after the person takes office, and used this as an excuse to prosecute dozens of people for false reporting.

Dozens of corruption cases, big and small, and long-standing malpractices have caused a huge uproar inside and outside the government.

However, all of these have always been done in the form of memorials submitted by the Ministry of Personnel and reviewed by the emperor.

There is also no specific guideline, so officials have no basis to follow.

The current court discussion is to prepare to implement new civilized laws to reform the administration of officials on the basis of the imperial inspections and major plans.

Specifically, it means what is qualified, what is unqualified, and how to get promoted.

This is the focus of the new policy.

Shen Shixing was the most senior official and the most well-informed. He nodded and said, "The cabinet has already leaked the news. The court discussed this matter on the fourth day of the first lunar month and discussed it all day yesterday."

Wang Xijue asked curiously, "Why is there no result? Is there any resistance?"

Yu Youding interrupted, "It would be strange if there was no resistance. In the past, monks who didn't ring the bells also received incense. Now the abbot requires monks to ring the bells and monitors the incense money. The monks all say that if this is the case, they might as well return to secular life."

Shen Shixing suddenly added: "It's fine if the monks are making a fuss, the Buddha is also unwilling, and Ananda and Kasyapa are learning to recite the sutras crookedly."

Wang Xijue was stunned for a moment, then he realized that this meant that the two palaces were reluctant to express their opinions, and the Imperial Household Department was trying to figure out the emperor's intentions and interfere in the court discussion.

He was also a shrewd man. After thinking about it, he understood why the two palaces were unwilling to express their opinions - it was because they had offended people.

The late emperor just passed away and we are already offending all the officials. What if chaos arises?
If the monks get together and cause a big commotion, the abbot can just resign without any hesitation. What will happen to the three Buddhas? The future Buddha is only ten years old.

After realizing this, Wang Xijue felt even more puzzled.

If he can see it, there's no reason why the cabinet can't see it.

Wang Xijue pondered, "Why doesn't the cabinet think about it more thoroughly before reporting to the two palaces?"

As the old and the new come together, it is better to be still than to move. Why not wait any longer?

Once the political situation stabilizes, the implementation of new laws will be smoother.

Yu Youding sighed: "Who knows? We haven't reached that level yet, so we can't see the situation at that level."

Wang Xijue shook his head and said, "It's good this way. The sooner the civil service is rectified, the Ming Dynasty will have a chance to breathe."

Shen Shixing nodded without saying a word.

He sighed in his heart and recalled what his master Lu Diaoyang had said to him yesterday.

Zhang Ge Lao discussed the matter with the Prime Minister, saying that although the performance evaluation system for examining all officials could rectify the administration, it would damage the emperor's virtue and would inevitably "concentrate power in the cabinet." As the crown prince grew older, he might not agree.

This convinced the prime minister and he promoted this matter in the court.

Shen Shixing did not agree with such drastic actions, and even felt that the performance evaluation system was too harsh. One must know that human hearts are like water, and cannot be stopped by the harshness of the legalists.

This matter clearly needs to be done slowly and steadily. Only by taking small steps can a great achievement be achieved. Acting drastically is like taking strong medicine, the backlash is huge and it is terrifying to think about.

only……

His master Lu Diaoyang just shook his head and said that only because there are people who are taking drastic actions now, there is room for them, the younger generations, to take their time.

Shen Shixing has been thinking about it until now, and his emotions are becoming more and more mixed.

"Hurry up, Ru Mo, or you'll miss the opportunity to persuade him to come in." Yu Youding called him.

Shen Shixing responded and quickly followed.

But I couldn't help but wonder in my heart, whether the younger generation, Crown Prince Zhu Yijun, falls within the scope of what my teacher said?
　Note 1: In the th year of Hongwu, it was stipulated that for all major sacrifices, celebrations, New Year's Day, Winter Solstice, Holy Days, as well as the issuance of imperial edicts, the reading of imperial edicts, the submission of memorials, and the transmission of regulations, the use of Liangguan, red silk clothes, white gauze inner singlet, blue collar, red silk skirt, blue edge, red silk knee-covering, large belt of red and white silk, leather belt, pendant ribbon, white socks and black shoes. - "Ming History·Records·Volume ·Vehicle Clothing"

　　Note 2: Fifth rank, three beams, leather belt with silver, brocade with ornamental flowers, jade pendant, ribbon with yellow, green, red and purple woven into a carved brocade, tied with a green silk net, two silver-plated gilded ribbon rings. - "Da Ming Hui Dian"

　　Note 3: There are many historical materials on Gao Gong's reform of the civil service system and the rectification of corruption. I will not list them all here. Those who are interested can go and read them by themselves. However, it is not wrong to say that Gao Gong was the initiator and pioneer of the new policy. Initially, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng came together because they shared the same ideals - of course, their methods were not very sophisticated.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)