Li Dongyang quickly walked out of the palace gate. As soon as he got into the sedan chair, he immediately lifted the curtain and called for the old man who had followed him for many years. He said, "Quick, go to the Ministry of Rites and invite Assistant Minister Wang Hua, Lord Wang, to my house to drink wine and compete in poetry."
Assistant Minister Wang Hua of the Ministry of Rites, the father of Wang Shouren of the Ministry of War, was the Zhuangyuan of Cheng Hua's Xin Chou year. He was the Eastern Palace Lecturer of the late Emperor Hongzhi when he was the Crown Prince. His reputation and status were not inferior to Wang Qiong's.
The Ministry of War was the most leisurely yamen among the six ministries when it was not at war. The Treasury was located in the west wing of the second courtyard. In the summer, it was suffocating to close the windows and suffocating to breathe. When the windows were opened, the sun was shining fiercely. Many soldiers and servants hid out of their rooms and sat in the corridor, waving palm-leaf fans and chatting.
A soldier wearing a shirtless undershirt was talking about the strange news that happened at the market today. He said, "I heard that Mr Yang of the Shenji Battalion is a descendant of the Yang Family, a loyal minister of the Northern Song Dynasty. If you want to talk about the Yang Family, then the women are more powerful than the men. The execution platform was as high as a horse and there was a rope ten feet in front of it. This Madame Yang jumped onto the platform in one big stride. She was lighter than a leopard cat.
Official Xu was furious and personally went up to the platform to supervise the execution. Hey! Madame Yang took out a painting. It was personally painted by the Former Emperor Hongzhi. She placed it on top of her husband's head. This was a gift from the late Emperor. No matter if you are a noble or a minister, if you are lucky enough to see it, you have to respectfully kowtow to it. Who would dare to chop it? Just like that, the four executioners were all dumbfounded. "
A soldier was interested and interrupted, "Hey, the other officials don't have the late Emperor's calligraphy to protect them. Madame Yang doesn't have the protection of them. Why didn't she chop them first?"
The shirtless man rolled his eyes and said, "What do you think? This was because they were worried about the loss of the Former Emperor's calligraphy treasures, not because they had issued an imperial edict to pardon Mr. Yang alone. Who would dare to favor one and discriminate against the other? How could the families of the other officials be willing to let it go? What would the world think? Wouldn't the Minister of the Ministry of Punishments be disgraced? "
After being rebuked, the soldier smiled awkwardly and didn't say anything. These people gathered around a small square table. On the table, there was a large teapot and six or seven tea bowls. The shirtless man was talking excitedly. He picked up a bowl and drank a few mouthfuls before realizing he had taken the wrong one. He couldn't help but apologize to the person beside him, "Oh, I'm sorry, Lord Wang. I took your tea bowl by mistake."
That Lord Wang was Wang Shouren, the head of the Treasury Department of the Ministry of War. He was in his thirties, with a white face and a small beard. He looked like a southerner. Although his eyes weren't very big, they were very lively. After hearing the shirtless man's apology, he waved his hand and laughed, "Drink it, what's the big deal?" He then lifted the teapot and poured another bowl for the man.
This head was also wearing a shirtless shirt. One couldn't tell that he was a scholar. This dear friend and the Seven Masters of the Great Ming, led by Li Mengyang, read poems, painted pictures, studied poetry and literature; they were very close to each other. But when they ran into peddlers, pawns, odd-job servants, they could chat congenially. These yamen runners were very familiar with him; they never regarded him as an official of a higher rank.
Wang Shouren lifted the teapot and filled it with tea. He smiled and looked at the crowd. He slowly said, "The Emperor is angry because the Feng Shui of the Emperor's mausoleum is not good. It will damage the fate of the country. I heard that the Emperor has decided to move the mausoleum. As a result, there will be more taxes. Today, although the three scholars in the court temporarily stopped this, with the damage to the Dragon Vein, I'm afraid there is no way to increase taxes. "
One of the yamen runners said, "That's right. Feng Shui is not something you can be careless about. The Dragon Vein is related to the fate of Ming Destiny. If it is really damaged, what will happen?"
Another yamen runner heard this and angrily interrupted, "What Feng Shui? The common people can't live anymore now, and you still want to think about what will happen a few hundred years later? My brother runs a small carriage company that travels between the capital and Tongzhou. It is also a hard life. The money we earn in a year is barely enough to live. With the increase in taxes, our income will decrease. Besides, with the increase in taxes, the profits will be limited. The number of traveling merchants who are willing to rent carriages will also decrease. My brother is still worried about how to live, not to mention the common people. "
A yamen runner waved his cattail leaf fan and asked, "I heard that Mr Yang hid the leak of the Emperor's mausoleum to let the common people have a way to live. Speaking of which, he is a good official who works for the country and the people. But Feng Shui can't be careless. Head Wang, what do you think? "
Wang Shouren thought for a while and said, "In my opinion, everything in the world exists for a reason. Feng Shui is an existence, and the common people are also an existence. Feng Shui has its own reason, and the common people have their own reason.
If the destruction of an inch of soil will affect the fate of the country, then won't the tens of thousands of common people not be able to live affect the fate of the country even more? Master Zhu said: Get rid of human desires, and keep the Heaven's justice. Isn't it human desires to place the rise and fall of fortune and misfortune on Feng Shui? To disregard the life and death of the common people for the sake of human desires is against the Heaven's justice. Comparing the two, to give up the small and take the big, naturally the life and death of the common people is the justice. "
Everyone listened and nodded. A yamen runner laughed and said, "Head Wang has read a lot, and what you say is very convincing. In the end, you are a scholar who has studied for seven days. We can't compare to you."
The yamen runners heard this and roared with laughter. It turned out that Wang Shouren loved to learn since he was young. When he was young, he believed in understanding the Dao. He once invited Taoist priests to his home to ask for advice. But those Taoist priests didn't know any knowledge. Other than reciting a few lines of scriptures that couldn't be explained, they couldn't say anything else, let alone learn anything.
His father's Taoism was one of the Nine Schools, one of the Three Schools. He was a true master of philosophy. But the Taoist priests of today, although they worshiped his father as their ancestor, most of them studied under Zhang Daoling of the Han Dynasty's Five Pecks of Rice Sect. Their Taoism was completely different from his father's.
Wang Shouren learned nothing. Later, he followed the Great Scholar Lou Liang on a study tour and began to believe in Zhu Xi's understanding of things and understanding the reason. He once studied for seven days and seven nights in front of a bamboo stick in his home. In the end, he didn't understand the reason, but instead he caught a cold and fell ill. This became an interesting story in the capital and everyone knew about it. Therefore, everyone laughed when they heard this joke. Wang Shouren was a bold and unrestrained person who didn't follow the rules of etiquette. Moreover, he had been made fun of many times, but when he heard this, he laughed along without the slightest displeasure.
One of the yamen runners waited for the laughter to die down before saying, "So Head Wang agrees with Sir Yang Ling. I heard that the three Grand Scholars of the Cabinet are also protecting him. If Head Wang had encountered such a situation, what would you have done?"
"Me?" Wang Shouren was startled and couldn't help thinking, "The Emperor, the people, Fengshui, the state …" These things spun in his mind like a horse lantern. After a long time, Wang Shouren's puzzled eyes gradually became firm. Although the yamen runners who were quietly waiting for the answer did not hear the rebellious words from his mouth, they clearly saw his answer. For a moment, the laughter on their faces disappeared and their expressions became solemn.
* * *
Yan Song had heard the news of Yang Ling's imprisonment and execution from his colleagues. He was deeply grateful to Yang Ling, but he was very utilitarian. Many important officials in the court could not intervene in the Fengshui case of the Emperor's mausoleum. He was just a nobody. Even if he submitted a memorial, he couldn't save Yang Ling and even implicated his own future. He wouldn't do something that only wanted to be a scholar. Therefore, when he heard that Yang Ling had been executed, although he was extremely sad, he wisely didn't even go to the execution ground.
But when the news that Han Youniang had used the Former Emperor's calligraphy to stop the execution and that the Emperor had detained Yang Ling for a retrial spread, Yan Song's mind became active again. Some time ago, Yang Ling resisted the imperial edict to save his wife. Hongzhi delayed taking Yang Ling into custody. Yan Song had the intention of exonerating Yang Ling. Therefore, he hurriedly wrote an article for Yang Ling to build momentum.
This time, the Emperor suspended the execution for a retrial and issued an imperial edict to inspect the mausoleum. Could it be that there was a deeper meaning behind it? Yan Song received the imperial edict and immediately shut himself in his room. He carefully pondered the reason behind it. He frowned and sat in front of the table. His eyes were fixed and he pondered for a long time. His wife, Ouyang Clan, who had just been brought to the capital, saw that her husband had come back early today. Once he entered the house, he sat upright and did not speak. She hurriedly brewed a cup of tea and asked softly, "Husband, did something difficult happen today?"
Yan Song respected his wife very much. When he saw his wife had brewed tea, he hurriedly took it with both hands. He forced a smile and said, "Oh, nothing. Today, the Emperor issued an imperial edict to survey the Tailing Mausoleum. He sent three imperial envoys. I am also one of the three that the Emperor appointed. I am just curious. I am a new official and did not have any special performance in the court examinations. There are many talents in the Hanlin Academy. Why did the Emperor appoint me?"
Hearing this, Ouyang Clan could not help pursing her lips into a smile. She angrily said, "You, when you were not an official, you wanted to be an official. Now that you are an official, you want to be promoted. Now that the Emperor has put you in an important position, your imagination is running wild."
Yan Song hurriedly shook his head and said, "Wife, you do not know. Heaven's might is hard to predict. If you cannot understand the Emperor's will, when the Emperor wants you to go left, you insist on going right. How can you have a chance?"
Hearing her husband's serious words, Ouyang Clan could not help but frown and think. She said in a low voice, "Husband, today, Yang Han Clan saved your husband at the execution ground. I heard that it was because of a painting that the Former Emperor bestowed upon you. Could it be that the Emperor also heard that you are friends with Mr Yang, so he handed this matter to you? Does he want you to absolve him?"
Yan Song stamped his feet and said, "Your husband just cannot guess whether His Majesty's intention is this or not. That's why I am very distressed. If His Majesty wants me to help Mr Yang, but the person who passed the edict did not give me the slightest hint. After passing the edict, he returned to the palace. I have pondered over the edict many times, but I still cannot guess the meaning behind it. If His Majesty wants to absolve him, he should at least give me some hint."
Ouyang Clan said, "Your concubine does not understand the affairs of the state, so I think from a logical point of view. Say that a son of a high-ranking official angered a person and found a crime to punish that person with a wooden plank. That person took a letter from the filial son's father to establish friendship. This official sent the wooden plank and then ordered people to reinvestigate his case. Is he trying to absolve him, or is he still going to punish him?"
Yan Song's eyes brightened, but soon after he shook his head and said with a smile, "This analogy is not appropriate. His Majesty's painting cannot be compared to the letter. The Former Emperor is very benevolent, he has bestowed gifts to many officials, and not just Mr Yang alone … Ah! That's not right, it is indeed different … "
Yan Song suddenly remembered what Assistant Minister Cheng Wenyi had said. That painting was a painting of strong pine cliffs. On the painting, there was an inscription written by the late Emperor himself: Dense pine trees thousands of feet high. Although there are many ways to use them, they are still the pillars of a building. This was clearly the Former Emperor's trust in Mr Yang, as if he had entrusted his son to him. He had placed high hopes on Mr Yang.
Yan Song grasped Ouyang Clan's hand and said excitedly, "My husband is slow-witted. Thanks to my virtuous wife's reminder, I now understand His Majesty's intention. It's just that … among the three imperial envoys, one is the head of the Ministry of War, the other is the current imperial court's Duke Cheng. Their official positions and positions are far above mine. Whether it is for public or private affairs, I should help Mr Yang. But I am afraid that a single log cannot support the situation."
Ouyang Clan giggled and said, "My good husband, if His Majesty intended to exonerate Mr Yang, why would he choose you to take charge of this matter? Perhaps that State Duke and the head of the Ministry of War have already received His Majesty's secret order. You and Mr Yang are old acquaintances, not many people in the imperial court know about it.
But His Majesty has the Imperial Bodyguard, Dongchang, and the West Factory. I heard that those spies are everywhere and very powerful. How could His Majesty not know about it? Choosing you is only to shut the mouths of those ministers. This time, I think you only need to pretend to be deaf and mute, to play the role of Golden Buddha, and it will be in line with His Majesty's intention. "
"Golden Buddha …" Yan Song also felt that what his wife said was very reasonable. But he suddenly remembered that His Majesty used him only because he and Yang Ling were old acquaintances, and not because His Majesty favored him. He couldn't help but feel a little lost. That kind of joy of guessing His Majesty's intention, immediately faded a lot …
※ ※ ※
Outside the Meridian Gate, the imperial envoys were already lined up neatly. Wang Shouren and Yan Song were not familiar with each other. When they saw each other, they chatted for a while and then stood there waiting for Duke Cheng and Zhu Gang, each with their own thoughts.
"In today's situation, the Emperor's mausoleum will move and the taxes will increase. The common people will suffer and the country will not be at peace. In the past, Fang Xiaoru did not regret killing ten clans for the sake of the orthodoxy. Now, for the sake of the country, why should our Wang family regret this?" His father Wang Hua's words rang in his ears again. When Wang Shouren thought of that plan, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
Ever since he was young, he loved soldiers and worshiped martial arts. But he had never gone to the battlefield to kill the enemy. And what he was going to do today was tantamount to taking chestnuts out of the fire. He had to take a huge risk. If he failed, the whole family of Li Dongyang and Wang Hua, who planned this, might be executed. Even with Wang Shouren's composure, thinking about this matter, he couldn't help but feel nervous.
If they didn't want to increase taxes, they had to not move the mausoleum. If they didn't want to move the mausoleum, they had to prove that the Golden Well had never been tampered with. Li Dongyang had no choice but to invite his close friend Wang Hua. In the name of the righteousness of the country, he made a dangerous plan with him: crossing the sea by deception!
The soil sample of the Golden Well existed in the Ministry of Rites. And Wang Hua was the highest official in the Ministry of Rites, second only to Wang Qiong. Although the soil of the Golden Well was strictly guarded, with Wang Hua's status, there was at least a seventy percent chance of changing the soil sample.
The most difficult person was Wang Shouren. He was the son of Wang Hua, and at the same time, he was not a pedantic scholar who believed in Fengshui. Li Dongyang predicted that if Wang Hua came forward, he would definitely be able to persuade him to conspire with this matter. But the difficulty lay in the fact that there were three imperial envoys in the mausoleum, and not just one Wang Shouren. If they wanted to cover the sky with one hand and change the soil sample that was retrieved from the Tai Mausoleum, it would be extremely difficult.
Li Dongyang and Wang Hua discussed that they wanted Wang Shouren to act according to the situation. He was to carry a bag of soil with him, and after retrieving the soil sample from the Golden Well of the Emperor's mausoleum, he would find an opportunity to change the soil sample. Then, he would inform his trusted family members in the mansion who were following them in secret. The family members would quickly rush ahead of them to report to Li Dongyang and Wang Hua. Once the two of them heard that Wang Shouren had succeeded, they would immediately go to the Ministry of Rites. Li Dongyang would hold off Wang Qiong, and Wang Hua would be responsible for changing the soil sample. When the imperial envoys went on a journey, they would be accompanied by a guard of honor, and it was already extremely difficult to avoid the eyes and ears of others. Moreover, the location of the Emperor's mausoleum was not far, and they could go back and forth on the same day, so the time might not be that easy.
Therefore, Wang Shouren's task was not only dangerous, but also extremely difficult. But what was the situation inside the Emperor's mausoleum, even such erudite scholars as Li Dongyang and Wang Hua were not very clear. At that time, there was no Emperor's mausoleum to visit, and there was no map of the mausoleum to study. Li Dongyang was able to come up with this idea on the spur of the moment, and he really could not make a more detailed plan.
Thinking of this, Wang Shouren could not help but sigh. Duke Cheng was a loyal and fierce family. Since the Hongwu Dynasty until now, three Marquises had died and were conferred the title of King, and they were extremely favored by the Emperor. Although this generation's Duke Cheng, Zhu Gang, was old, he was not muddle-headed. He was a shrewd old man, and Wang Shouren dared not guarantee that he could play tricks on him. Not only was the old Marquis not willing to go easy on him, the hope of success was extremely slim. Even this Hanlin in front of him, who was as thin as a bamboo pole, did not seem to be a simple character, judging from his words and actions.
Thinking of this, Wang Shouren could not help but turn his head to look at Yan Song. Unexpectedly, Yan Song was also secretly looking at him. As their eyes met, they immediately drifted away guiltily, each with their own ulterior motives, each with their own calculations.
At this moment, an eight-person sedan chair came to the Meridian Gate, creaking, creaking. Behind it were eight bodyguards. As the sedan chair landed on the ground, the housekeeper lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and helped a white-haired old man out. He was dressed in an official robe and had a jade belt around his waist. When he walked, he swayed three times with each step and trembled. Wang Shouren could not help but be shocked at the sight of him.
During the Spring Festival this year, he had gone with his father to visit this Old Duke. At that time, Old Duke Zhu's fourteenth great-great-grandson had set off firecrackers in the attic. The old man was so angry that he picked up a feather duster and chased after his great-great-grandson around the courtyard. That great-great-grandson really walked as if he was flying. How did he become so old in just half a year?
Surprised and suspicious, Wang Shouren hurried forward to greet him. He bowed deeply and said, "Shouren greets Old Duke Zhu. Has Old Duke always been well?"
"What?" The Old Duke's voice was like thunder, and his voice was loud enough. "Don't be like the buzzing of a mosquito. I can't hear you! Alas, I'm getting old. I'm almost eighty this year. My eyes are blurry and my ears are deaf. I can't see or hear … Eh? Whose family are you from? "
"This old man doesn't even recognize me?" Wang Shouren looked at Duke Cheng in astonishment. He saw a cunning light flash in the old man's eyes. When he looked carefully again, he saw that the old man was still staring blankly at him with a pair of old, muddy eyes.
Seeing this, Wang Shouren was overjoyed. It's settled! Wang Shouren's face had just revealed a happy expression when he suddenly caught a glimpse of Yan Song looking at them from the corner of his eye. Wang Shouren hurriedly collected his thoughts and bowed again in tacit understanding. He also raised his voice and said, "Shouren salutes the Old Master. How have you been?"
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