The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Wei Guangde did not expect that the strange incident in Shanxi would actually speed up his time to join the cabinet.

That night, Wei Guangde saw the terms drawn up by Zhang Juzheng at Chen Yiqin's house.

Because Emperor Longqing did not say how many people would be added to the cabinet, and there are currently three cabinet ministers in the cabinet. According to the configuration of the first year of Longqing, there will be no less than two people entering this time, so the final list of nominations decided by the cabinet in the afternoon seems to be A bit long.

Of course, the person ranked first was not Wei Guangde or Yin Shizhen, but Gao Yi, the Minister of Rites. The second person was Yin Shizhen, followed by Wei Guangde and Zhao Zhenji.

These people were all from the Imperial Academy, and they were official in the Ministry of Rites or the Ministry of Personnel, or ministers, and they were all capable of supplementing the cabinet ministers.

Cabinet ministers are strictly divided according to their functions and powers. They are actually the emperor's secretaries. Although they hold high positions and have high authority, they do not need to be discussed in court.

Although they saw this list, Wei Guangde and Yin Shizhen were not reassured by it. Instead, they became even more nervous because they were just one step away.

What kind of era is this? Their honor and disgrace only depend on the emperor's thoughts.

He holds the Heavenly Constitution in his mouth and follows the law as he speaks, regardless of this.

Tomorrow, with Emperor Longqing's approval, everything will be settled.

Perhaps seeing that Wei Guangde and Yin Shizhen became more nervous after reading the copy of the statement, Chen Yiqin was cheerful and did not say anything to comfort them or say anything to reassure them.

Because Emperor Longqing has changed a lot now, they just felt in the palace today that the emperor wanted to recruit someone to join the cabinet, but Emperor Longqing did not make it clear at all what choice he would make.

It's just that the emperor's previous arrangements had made it clear that he wanted Yin Shizhen and Wei Guangde to join the cabinet, and he was just looking for opportunities.

After all, in the first year of Longqing, with Chen Yiqin and Zhang Juzheng entering the cabinet, there were already as many as six cabinet ministers. It was impossible for them to continue to join the cabinet under any circumstances, even though the Ming Dynasty's cabinet did not have a quota.

But who would have thought that just that year Gao Gong and Guo Pu had sadly retired, and this year Xu Jie took office, and the cabinet suddenly lost half its ministers.

When they walked out of the Chen Mansion, Wei Guangde and Yin Shizhen didn't speak, they just cupped their hands with each other. Then Wei Guangde got into the carriage and Yin Shizhen got into the sedan.

As the carriage moved forward, Wei Guangde couldn't help but think that if his wish came true tomorrow, he would never be able to ride in a carriage again.

In fact, when he was granted the title of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, his wife Xu Jianglan had already customized a sedan for Wei Guangde, but Wei Guangde never used it because he was not used to it.

However, even after joining the cabinet, he continued to travel by carriage, which seemed to make him somewhat out of tune with the others.

"It's time to change the sedan chair."

Wei Guangde murmured.

This carriage is not so much the carriage he used to go to Beijing from Jiujiang Prefecture, but the wood on the carriage has actually been replaced a long time ago, and it cannot be considered the original one at all.

However, they were tinkered with at first, and the unusable ones were constantly replaced, and then they were constantly changed as the official position increased.

If there was a frame number in ancient times, perhaps only the frame number had not changed, but the entire vehicle had been changed several times.

After inexplicably traveling here, Wei Guangde believed in fate.

It was this carriage that brought him to the capital and ushered in his rapid rise. In his opinion, this carriage seemed to bring him luck, not to mention that after so many years, he had some feelings for him.

"Forget it, I'll keep this car at home."

Wei Guangde made a decision in his heart.

Even if he takes a sedan instead of a carriage, it's not a big deal if there is an idle carriage at home.

After Wei Guangde returned home, he did not tell his family the news he got from Chen Yiqin.

If I told them, I might not be able to sleep well tonight.

The next day, Wei Guangde went to the Ministry of Etiquette to attend duty as usual, but the moment he stepped onto the carriage, his heart trembled.

Wei Guangde spent his days in charge of the house like a year. He didn't know whose name Emperor Longqing would draw at the end of the document.

At this time, in the Palace of Qianqing, Emperor Longqing also had cabinet documents in front of him.

Gao Yi, Wei Guangde, Yin Shizhen, Zhao Zhenji.

Emperor Longqing glanced at the four names one by one.

To add cabinet ministers, he actually made an impromptu decision yesterday because he was made angry by Li Chunfang and the others.

What is written in the documents left by Zhu Xixiao? Some people have compared him with Emperor Zhao and Song. They are just not sure whether he is Song Huizong or Song Qinzong. How do you ask him to face the world?

This matter has spread, what should we do next?

This is the biggest headache for Emperor Longqing right now. He cannot let it continue to spread among the people, otherwise he will lose all face as the emperor.

Both Gao Yi and Zhao Zhenji are good at writing articles. Unfortunately, he doesn't need someone who can write articles now.

The Hanlin Academy caught a lot of them because of their outstanding literary talent. Otherwise, how could they pass the first-level exams or pass the imperial examinations?

Thinking that the first people to discover the inappropriateness of this matter were Wei Guangde and Yin Shizhen, they were the people he needed most.

Be able to find problems and also be able to solve them.

Without much hesitation, Emperor Longqing took up his pen and ticked the names of Wei Guangde and Yin Shizhen, and then added a small note next to them.

The two eunuchs serving Emperor Longqing were Teng Xiang and Chen Ju.

Although from a distance, Tengxiang is a bit old and may not be able to see clearly because of his old eyesight, but Chen Ju is still young, so he can clearly see clearly, which makes him feel sad.

When did he and Wei Guangde get to know each other? At that time, Wei Guangde had just finished taking the imperial examination and became a concubine and censor. Unexpectedly, it was only how many years ago?

In just over ten years, he jumped from a new scholar to the cabinet and became a cabinet minister. He was probably the fastest person to jump from a shujishi to a cabinet minister since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

But after all, he was a person who had received formal education from the eunuch school, and he had been exposed to secrets for a long time. After just a moment, Chen Ju shook his head gently.

Because he remembered that although Wei Guangde seemed to be promoted very quickly, there seemed to be someone faster than him in history, and that person was Mr. Zhang, a minister that Emperor Jiajing once relied on very much.

Zhang Cong's courtesy name was Bingyong and his nickname was Luo Feng. Later, to avoid imperial taboos, Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty gave him the name "Fujing" and his courtesy name was Maogong. He was a native of Yongjia County, Wenzhou Prefecture, Zhejiang Province.

An important minister in the mid-Ming Dynasty, he was also one of the most important figures in the "Great Ceremony" incident.

Zhang Cong was a Jinshi in the 16th year of Zhengde. Although he was a Jinshi in the Zhengde period, the emperor on the throne at this time had been replaced by Zhu Houcong, the Emperor of Jiajing.

It can be said that Mr. Zhang entered the official career by following Emperor Jiajing.

How long did it take for him to go from Jinshi to cabinet minister?

Seven years.

He became a Jinshi in May of the 16th year of Zhengde, and entered the cabinet in October of the 6th year of Jiajing.

It seemed that it was nearly twice as fast as Wei Guangde, but Mr. Zhang's entry into the cabinet so quickly was also due to the current situation. At that time, Emperor Jiajing had just ascended the throne and needed someone he could trust.

The "Emperor's Disciple" who was absorbed by him also took the lead for him in the "Great Ceremony" incident, so he naturally gained his complete trust.

But what Chen Ju doesn't know is that Mr. Zhang's almost rocket-like improvement speed is not the fastest in the Ming Dynasty.

Wei Zaode, the number one scholar in the 13th year of Chongzhen, was promoted faster than Zhang Cong. Only in the 16th year of Chongzhen, he had already moved to Dongge University, becoming the fastest person to enter the cabinet in the Ming Dynasty.

Like Mr. Zhang, he is still shaped by the times.

At that time, Emperor Chongzhen, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, had no rules at all. Whenever he found a so-called "talent", he would choose to quickly promote him and entrust him with important tasks, hoping to turn the tide.

And this process of discovery is not created through the layers of screening methods that have been established for hundreds of years in the Ming Dynasty. Perhaps it is just an article that impresses the emperor. A simple call on the right platform will lead to rapid success, which is so fast that no one dares to imagine it now. speed.

When the article was returned to Li Chunfang, Li Shoufang felt relaxed for no reason.

In the future, even if the major national affairs are not in line with Emperor Longqing's wishes, won't there be two more young and powerful cabinet ministers to help share the firepower?

"Chen Ju."

Emperor Longqing shouted.

"The slave is here."

Chen Ju hurriedly stepped forward and bowed.

"You go to the Supervisor of Ceremonies to promote this matter, and the cabinet will immediately draft a decree and issue it."

Emperor Longqing has made a decision. Although he still has a little regret in his heart, it still does not affect him from giving orders to the servants around him.

Yes, Emperor Longqing had some small regrets, that is, he did not see the name he wanted to see most in this document.

In fact, Emperor Longqing almost wanted to raise his voice yesterday, but when he thought of the turmoil last year, especially what he said on different occasions, Emperor Longqing chose to shut up for the time being.

The time was too short and he needed a buffer.

Although Xu Jie was secretly pushing the public opinion in the court at that time, Gao Gong ultimately offended too many people.

It's better to let Master Gao rest for a while, because at this time he saw Chen Yiqin.

Chen Yiqin used to be in good health, but after joining the cabinet, his health deteriorated.

After the others left the palace, Emperor Longqing lost interest in reading even one volume of memorials piled up on the imperial desk.

The important matters had already been decided when the three ministers were summoned, and the rest was not important.

"Teng Xiang, please send these memorials to the Director of Ceremonies for approval."

He didn't even bother to take a second look. Anyway, Li Chunfang and others were there to check the situation. Emperor Longqing didn't believe that a major mistake had just been made, and that there was a possibility that they would make another mistake so soon.

"Yes, I will send the memorial to the ceremonial supervisor now."

Teng Xiang had a flattering smile on his face at this time, "Your Majesty, we have a new arrival today."

Wei Guangde was sitting behind the duty desk, with piles of papers in front of him, but he had no intention of working at all.

I believe that Yin Shizhen is in a similar state to him in the official office today.

Today, they have the opportunity to get involved in the ultimate goal of scholars, but of course no one can take it calmly.

I believe that in Wei Guangde's previous life, he was just a good-for-nothing character waiting to die. He relied on the house and money obtained from the demolition of his family and had no big ambitions.

Once I traveled to the Ming Dynasty, I just wanted to move to the county town, then to the prefecture, and then to the capital.

It was a completely unimaginable experience in my previous life. During this period, I also met the emperor and met people who could only be seen in history books.

After joining the cabinet today, do you have any other goals?

When he was studying, what the old master instilled in him was to cultivate oneself, manage one's family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world.

Once you join the cabinet, you should be able to rule the country and bring peace to the world.

Wei Guangde was a little confused.

Although the decree did not come, he did not think that anyone else in the court could surpass him and get such an opportunity to join the cabinet.

Unless Emperor Longqing only plans to recruit one person to the cabinet, then it will be up to Yin Shizhen to compete with him.

He tried to calm down, but Wei Guangde found that he was still in trouble.

There was something unusual about Wei Guangde today, and Lu Bu, as the clerk, naturally noticed it very early.

But he didn't dare to ask if the master didn't say anything.

But at this time, he was rushing into the yard with his long legs and rushed into Wei Guangde's room.

"Sir, there was a palace servant outside the door earlier and said it was a note from Eunuch Chen."

Lu Bu entered the room and went to the desk and handed over the letter in his hand.

"I know, get out."

His words seemed plain, but his hands were not slow. He had already received the letter that Lu Bu had denied, and quickly tore the seal open before Lu Bu could go out.

During the whole process, he didn't have time to check whether the letter was intact.

The note was pulled out and opened. There were only five words on it: "Grand Bachelor of Dongge".

Although I don't know what kind of bachelor Yin Shizhen is, I must be a bachelor of Dongge University. He didn't run away, otherwise Chen Ju would never send such a note.

The cabinet bachelors of the Ming Dynasty, also known as Diange bachelors, included Zhongjidian bachelors (formerly known as Huagaidian bachelors), Jianjidian bachelors (formerly Jinshendian bachelors), Wenhuadian bachelors, There are the Grand Bachelor of Wuyingdian, the Grand Bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion, and the Grand Bachelor of Dongge, which are divided into "Four Halls" and "Two Pavilions".

Although the Grand Bachelor of Dongge is the last Grand Bachelor, he is still a cabinet minister after all.

However, the surprise only lasted for a moment, and Wei Guangde suddenly felt a little unwilling.

Although I was very nervous before, not knowing whether I could really join the cabinet, but now that I have confirmed the news of joining the cabinet, I began to feel that Emperor Longqing's offer seemed a bit stingy.

You should know that last year, Chen Yiqin entered the cabinet as a bachelor of Wenyuange, and Zhang Juzheng was a bachelor of Dongge.

Now, Chen Yiqin is already the young master and the crown prince's Taibao, and a bachelor of Wuyingdian, while Zhang Juzheng is also a Shaobao and the crown prince's Taibao, and a bachelor of Wuyingdian.

Wei Guangde now hopes that he can be appointed as a bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion. In any case, he and Yin Shizhen are both former ministers of Qianchuan.

For some reason, Wei Guangde was suddenly worried, what if Yin Shizhen got the bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion?

If you join the cabinet yourself, you will be ranked last.

At this moment, Wei Guangde felt very complicated. Although he knew that this was not good, he just couldn't bear to think like this.

Asking but not getting, getting without hesitating, this may be his mood at this time.

It's not that Wei Guangde cares about the palace, but that he and Yin Shizhen joined the cabinet together, and the ranking of the palace directly determines their position in the cabinet.

In fact, when he saw the words "Dongge Grand Scholar", he already had the idea in his heart that Yin Shizhen should be Wenyuange Grand Scholar, otherwise the order of the cabinet would be a bit messy.

I didn't know how much time had passed while sighing, but Lu Bu's figure appeared outside the check-in door again, but this time he didn't rush into the room directly to report the latest news as usual, but stood in front of the door a little helpless.

"Come in and tell me why you are so panicked."

Wei Guangde said.

"Master, there are rumors outside that you and Mr. Yin of the Ministry of Civil Affairs are going to join the cabinet as prime ministers and assistants."

Although there was no prime minister in the Ming Dynasty, up to now, cabinet ministers have the power of prime minister even though they do not have the name of prime minister, so the outside world also calls cabinet ministers the prime minister.

"Oh, did you say what kind of bachelor Master Yin is?"

Wei Guangde asked pretending to be curious.

"Wenyuan Pavilion"