Chapter 52 The twenty-fifth round of the funeral hall official's tricks to criticize the minister of current affairs
Early in the morning, as soon as Wang Xilie's big sedan chair was carried to the Ministry of Rites, Ji Yougong, the chief secretary, immediately stepped forward to report the news that Tong Liben had hanged himself. "Dead?" he asked.
"Dead." Ji Yougong replied.
"Where did you die?"
"At home."
"Oh, why are you looking for short-sightedness."
Wang Xilie muttered a word, and without further ado, walked towards his room with his hands behind his back.A few days ago, after Lu Tiaoyang entered the cabinet, although he still had the title of Minister of Rites in name, he went to work in the cabinet every day and didn't care much about the affairs here. Wang Xilie, the left servant, took full responsibility temporarily.This court official, who was not right and not going well, was in charge of affairs for a while, and "let the virtuous" for a while, I don't know how much Wang Xilie held his breath. He felt like shooting an arrow through the cracks in the stone-he couldn't draw the bow. When Emperor Longqing was seriously ill, Wang Xilie was sent by Gao Gong to Tianshou Mountain to oversee the repair of Emperor Longqing's mausoleum.According to the practice of this dynasty, this is a signal of promotion.At that time, Gao Yi had entered the cabinet, and he should not concurrently serve as Minister of Rites as usual.Wang Xilie, who has served as the second official of the Ministry of Rites for three years, thought that he would be promoted to Shangshu after returning from supervising the mausoleum.Unexpectedly, during the period when Gao Gong resigned and Gao Yi passed away, the position of Minister of Rites was given to Lu Tiaoyang, who was originally uncompetitive.Because Wang Xilie is a person on the high arch line, he didn't have a good impression of Zhang Juzheng, and this made him even more dissatisfied.That night, they sat in the Xunfeng Pavilion for a drink, and they deliberately contacted Wei Xuezeng to provoke trouble, and made up their minds to fight against Zhang Juzheng. These days he did not lack of activities, one is to contact a group of officials to gather gifts for Wu Qing Bo Li Wei, and encourage this old man who is eager for money to enter the palace and sue. This move can be said to have received immediate results Effect.Wang Xilie was ecstatic when the decree to waive the salary of pepper and sumac came to the household department.At the same time, he used his fellowship to send a letter to persuade Nanjing Huke to impeach Wang Guoguang by Gui Yuanqing Shangzhe, which was also sent to the palace.In the meantime, he went to Wang Song's house with Wei Xuezeng to comfort him, scolded Zhang Dalang for his brutality and unreasonableness, and aroused the anger of Wang Yan, Wang Song's son.The occurrence of these three events in a row did bring huge troubles to Zhang Juzheng. His purpose was to alienate the relationship between the monarch and his ministers, so that the Empress Dowager Li and the little emperor would doubt Zhang Juzheng, so as to achieve the purpose of expelling him from the cabinet.
A few days ago, Wei Xueceng revealed to him that after Lu Tiaoyang entered the cabinet, the Ministry of Officials recommended three people to replace him, the first one being Wang Xilie; Lu Shusheng, who has retired for 18 years, is the leader of the Qingliu among scholars, which is the reason for the recommendation of the Ministry of Officials; the third is Wan Shihe, the current Zuo Shilang of the Nanjing Ministry of Rites.Compared with the latter two, Wang Xilie felt that he was superior, which made his already lonely mood excited again.But he knew that the emperor was young, and Zhang Juzheng was the decisive one, so he didn't expect much.A group of his friends and subordinates persuaded him to hold back for the time being, and to get his job right before making another plan.It made sense for him to think about it. A man can bend and stretch, and he must bow his head when it is time to bow his head.The night before yesterday, he took a small sedan chair and brought valuable gifts to sneak to Zhang Xueshi's mansion in Shamao Hutong to pay his respects.Originally, he wanted to put aside his past grievances and make up again, hoping to get the position of big boss that he had coveted for a long time.Unexpectedly, Zhang Juzheng refused to see him, and asked the housekeeper You Qi to throw out a sentence: "If you are talking about official business, go to the cabinet chamber tomorrow; if you are talking about private matters, the chief assistant has nothing personal to say." He also raised his head and turned around to leave, leaving him a dignified ceremonial assistant in the sedan chair hall.At that time, he was so angry that his limbs were cold, his facial features shifted, and he yelled: "Go back to the sedan chair!" Since the door was closed, Wang Xilie tried his last luck and vowed to fight Zhang Juzheng to the death.Because he knew that this time the Jingcha brought him nothing more than two fates, the slightest was relegation, and the worst was loss of membership.Judging from the handling of Gao Gong, the latter is more likely.Now that the matter has reached this point, it can be understood even if it cannot be figured out.In the past two days, he seemed to have taken mad drugs, moving around tirelessly. He really should not be underestimated. Among the ministers in the capital, there are really few who can stir up trouble like him. But he said that he had just entered the duty room with his front foot, and Ji Yougong followed him in with his back foot.He was originally Wang Xilie's confidant, so he was assigned to the position of secretary, responsible for the coordination among the various departments of the Yamen, and he was also responsible for all matters that should be uploaded and issued.Because of this relationship, his etiquette when meeting the hall officials is more casual. "What else do you need?" Wang Xilie sat down and asked.
"Yes," Ji Yougong stood in front of the case and asked for instructions, "There are two things. One is that Mount Tai reminded Yang Yongcheng that he came to Beijing yesterday. Before checking with the Ministry of Accounts, I would like to seek the opinion of the head of the Ministry." Is there any problem with the accounts? "
"There is no major problem, but there is an expense, about 5,000 taels of silver is hung on the account, and it cannot be written off for a while.""What is it for?"
"In April of this year, Empress Dowager Li sent Eunuch Qiu of the Palace of Compassionate Ning to Mount Tai to pray for the late emperor's relief from disasters, and the gift money was spent.""Ah, is there such a thing?"
"Yang Yongcheng said so."
Wang Xilie felt that there was something going on here, and immediately ordered: "Go and tell Yang Yongcheng to come here to see me this afternoon.""Yes." The country’s special envoy was already at the Southern Posthouse yesterday, and the accompanying officials sent people to ask for instructions on when to come to Beijing to face the saint.” However, after Emperor Wanli ascended the throne, some kings or masters from nearby foreign regions sent special envoys to congratulate him .Prior to this, Fan Wang from Annan, Xiliang and other places had successively entered Beijing, and they were sent away after a few days.I heard that the special envoys from Siam, Laos and other countries are also on their way and are on their way to Beijing.This North Korean country looks up to our celestial dynasty, and has been friendly for generations, and the good-neighborly relationship has been further improved.Every time the special envoy of the country came to Beijing, the emperor had to meet twice and present many gifts.This time I come to the Hajj to congratulate, and I can't neglect it.As a rule, when foreign envoys arrive in Beijing, the Ministry of Rites must send a commissioner to accompany them, and they will live in the Huitong Hall, which is dedicated to receiving foreign envoys.Eat the big banquet at Honglu Temple bestowed by the emperor, then visit famous places, buy gifts, and all expenses will be allocated by the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Accounts.This time is no exception.Wang Xilie weighed the matter up and felt that the "drama" here was more than Yang Yongcheng's, so he asked excitedly: "How many special envoys have come and what have they brought?"
“There is only one special envoy, but there are more than 20 followers. There are two large carts of gifts, including horsetail silk, mother-of-pearl mother-of-pearl, old wild ginseng, etc., all of which are special products of North Korea. I heard that there is also a cat.” "Cat? What cat?"
“The small one just listened to what the official said, and I’ve never seen it before. This cat doesn’t have a good name, so it’s just called Elvis Presley.”“Elvis Presley? Why is it called the king?”
“I heard that every night, the cage in which Elvis Presley was locked was moved into the house. When I got up the next morning, I saw that there were dead rats lying around the cage.”“ What's going on?" Wang Xilie was astonished.
"This is the power of Elvis Presley," Ji Yougong exaggerated as if he had seen it, "it doesn't need to go out of the cage to catch anything, as long as it squats anywhere, the nearby mice will Take the initiative to run to the cage, and die when you see it." "This is the great world, full of wonders." Wang Xilie sighed, "This gift is delivered to the little emperor, and he should not jump for joy." "Yes, the North Korean special envoy will handle things." Ji Yougong echoed. Wang Xilie blushed with excitement, and said: "You go and tell the official that the North Korean special envoy will come to Beijing today. You should make a detailed list and go to the Ministry of Households for the reception fee." Ji Yougong scratched his head, and said worriedly: "I heard that the Ministry of Household Affairs has no money, and it's an empty plan." "Your task is to make a good report and ask for money from the household department."
"Yes, I'll do it for the small one."
Ji Yougong turned around and was about to go out when Wang Xilie called him back again and said, "Prepare a sedan chair for me and go to Tong Liben's residence."
In the middle of the morning, the city of Beijing, which is crisp and clear in autumn, is bustling and bustling as before.Wang Xilie came to Tong Liben's house in a mighty manner in a sedan chair for eight people, and led a group of officials from the Ministry of Rites, each in official sedan chairs, like a demonstration.Immediately, the Yangwei Hutong where Tong Liben lived was filled with official sedan chairs of various colors, attracting many neighbors to stop and watch. Tong Liben's concubine, Gui'er, had already lost her voice from crying, and now she was lying on the bed unable to get up.Sitting on the wooden armchair, Tong Congshe yelled "hungry" foolishly, not understanding what happened to his father's death.Inside and outside, only Cangtou Old Zheng was busy alone.Even Wang Xilie and a group of officials rushed in the door, neither the filial son returned the gift, nor the slightest cry.This situation is actually more miserable than a well-behaved funeral.Although these officials are all Tong Liben's colleagues for many years, none of them have ever been to his house. At first glance, the poor scene, the walls are desolate, the windows are connected by cobwebs, and there is no decent furniture inside and out. Incredibly.After listening to Lao Zheng's tears and snot about Tong Liben's death, everyone was even more sad.Wang Xilie immediately suggested that everyone contribute money to help Tong Liben's funeral, and took the lead in donating twenty taels of silver.The officials don't care about the amount, you can get more than a dozen taels, and he can even scrape together a hundred taels of silver.Wang Xilie also instructed several officials in the Ritual System Department of the Ministry of Rites to say: "You are the subordinates of Mr. Tong. There is no one in the Tong family. You will handle the funeral. I think we should set up a mourning hall first so that those who come to pay homage will be able to attend." You still have to spend money to invite a few weeping women to come. I heard that crying is very particular. You must invite some who can cry. It is good to cry until the sky is dark and tearing the liver and lungs. , and ensure that the crying continues at twelve o'clock a day. In addition, invite a group of drummers, and when someone comes to pay homage, they will play mourning and music. Tong Liben has been in the Ministry of Rites for a few days, so the funeral should be held as grandly as possible. To comfort his soul in heaven." After thinking for a while, Wang Xilie added: "The most important thing right now is to write an obituary as his son and inform all the government officials in Beijing. To write Tong Liben's suffering In order to win the sympathy of more officials, they all come to donate some silver, and get some alimony for the orphans and widows left behind by Tong Liben, so that they will not die of cold and starvation. These things must be done well.” After Wang Xilie finished speaking, he was ready Picking up the sedan chair and going back to the yamen, he suddenly saw Cangtou Old Zheng help the half-dead Guier out, knelt down in front of Wang Xilie, and said angrily: "My lord, I have something for you."
"What?" Wang Xilie leaned over to watch.
Gui'er took out a piece of paper from her bosom, and Wang Xilie took it. It turned out to be Tong Liben's desperate poem.Wang Xilie chanted it once, and immediately felt like a treasure, and let the officials present circulate it.Everyone watched and whispered for a while.Seeing everyone's dissatisfaction, Wang Xilie took the opportunity to shake the piece of paper and said: "Look, this is the third person who died since the pepper sumac was cut off. The first is Wang Song, the ambassador of the storage warehouse, and the second It's Zhang Dalang, and Master Tong Liben is the third one. Whose fault is this, whose fault is it?" The room was completely silent, and everyone knew who Wang Xilie was pointing at, but no one dared to take the blame.At this time, Guier, who had been kneeling on the ground, began to cry again. Wang Xilie hurriedly helped her to a chair and sat down, and asked with concern: "Mrs. Tong, when Master Tong died, nothing but this deadly poem , but there is still a last word." Guier shook his head dully.Cangtou Old Zheng replied in a low voice: "Master Department, when our master died, he hung those two small bags of pepper sumac around his neck." "Look, this is the last words," Wang Xilie Agitated and filled with righteous indignation, he said, "Master Tong will return the pepper sumac to the Ministry of Households in his will. We can't make people die, Wang Decai!" "The little one is here."
A short and fat man in his forties stood out from the crowd.This person is an old official who has worked under the Ministry of Rites for many years.Wang Xilie stared at him and said: "You should return the two bags of pepper sumac that Mr. Tong has to you to the household department." "This..."
Wang Dianli knew that this was a troublesome matter, and was afraid of getting burned.Wang Xilie saw through his mind and sneered: "Are you afraid of being responsible? Show them Master Tong's deadly poem, and tell them that Wang Xilie sent it to you. What are you afraid of?" "Little one Follow orders."
Wang Dianli took a step back, at this time someone interjected in a low voice: "I heard that Hao Yibiao, the boss of Qicaixia, posted a notice this morning to buy a large amount of pepper sumac." "Wang Xilie reprimanded angrily, "We would rather throw it in the dung cellar than sell it to him." "
"Master Butang is right, no matter what, you can't let the stench of copper infect Shilin." Someone echoed loudly, "If you have the guts, please return this pepper sumac to the Ministry of Households!" "Yes, go back and avenge Master Tong!"
The emotions of all the officials were finally aroused, and the Tong's hut was already boiling. The next day, almost all the government officials in Beijing received the following obituary:
uncles of all ages:
My father, Tong Liben, head of the Sixth Rank of the Department of Rituals and Rituals, received a salary of two catties of pepper and two catties of sumac that could not be turned into cash. He had no means of living and no way to ask for loans. He had no choice but to hang himself on the beam last night with hatred.Woohoo, six grades of black yarn, the whole family is like a beggar; twenty years of officialdom, the end is three feet of white silk.Isn't it sad, isn't it sad! unfilial son
Tong Cong Society
Tong Congji weeps
This obituary was drafted by the officials, revised by the official secretary, and finally sent to Wang Xilie for his own approval and copying, and then delivered to various yamen in the capital.Although the obituary is short, it is quite sensational.Many officials were moved with compassion after reading it, and they were all invited to Tong Liben's house to pay homage.According to the hanging ceremony in the capital, every official who goes there will be sent a curtain.If they couldn't fit in the mourning hall, they were placed in the yard; if they couldn't fit in the yard, they were placed outside the gate. Eventually, the entire alley was filled with banners and banners.There was an endless stream of people who came to pay their respects.The dozen or so weeping women who were invited to mourn the funeral worked very hard. As soon as people came, they would howl tearfully. In addition, the drummers also performed their duties, blowing and beating to make them look imposing, especially the suona , sometimes sobbing and sometimes shrieking, making so much noise that there is no peace for several streets. This morning, among the people who sacrificed the hanging, two conspicuous figures came, one was Wei Xuezeng, the left servant of the Ministry of Officials, and the other was Liu Yiru, the right servant of the Ministry of Punishment, Zhang Juzheng's in-law.Both of them are third-rank officials, so far, they are the highest rank among the officials who came to pay homage.As soon as they saw their sedan chairs carried into the alley, Wang Dianli, who was directing the funeral at the scene, hurriedly asked the drummers to play mourning music. Amidst the sound of suona, more than a dozen weeping women screamed and played together. Sorrow:
Ouch——
My Master Tong, my Master Tong,
Why are you so cruel,
Leave the fool, leave the poor wife
Stepping on the Naihe Bridge,
Going to Yincao to meet Yama,
People all over the street are saying,
This is the fault of pepper sumac...
Crying women all have slippery mouths, and they are all masters at composing words according to the occasion.In addition, when I got home from crying, I cried when my mouth was deflated, and when I cried, there were tears.Hearing their miserable cries, some of the hangers who came here were not emotional. However, Wei Xuezeng and Liu Yiru entered the mourning hall one after another amidst the sound of mourning and music. After the worship, someone had already removed two sets of hanging curtains that were crowded in the mourning hall, and temporarily replaced their hanging curtains.As usual, elegiac couplets were written on the elegiac scrolls, and everyone crowded forward to read them. Liu Yiru wrote:
The world is gentle and of the same flesh and blood
The tears of the world move the business
Wei Xuezeng wrote:〖HT5F〗〖GK2!〗
Going to the underworld is no longer reported, and the life and death of the country are out of control
Selling pepper but not selling it, not to mention the decline of official posts
In these two elegiac couplets, Liu Yiru is purely mourning, his heart is heavy, and his affection is deep.Wei Xuezeng is not the case. Between the lines, there are grievances played out in excuses.Liu Yiru has always been a cautious person, so he happened to meet the famous "Wei Dapao" in the capital here, and he knew that he was specifically against his in-laws, so he knew that if he stayed any longer, he would cause trouble.He hurriedly put the ten taels of silver he brought with him into the hands of Wang Dianli, who was in charge of the funeral, and went out the door. Just as he was about to board the sedan chair, a loud voice came from behind: "Master Liu, please take a step!" He knew it was Wei Xuezeng's voice.Liu Yiru had no choice but to put down the raised car curtain and turn around.
came, Wei Xuezeng was already standing opposite.
During these times, although Wei Xuezeng was not as crazy as Wang Xilie, jumping up and down, he was never idle.One is to inform Wang Xilie about the matter of Jingcha, and the other is to welcome all those who come to pay a visit to him in the Ministry of Officials without hesitation.This person is different from Wang Xilie, he does not engage in conspiracy, but the "Yangmou" never stops for a day.After Wang Song's death, based on his natural hatred for the eunuch's servants, he went to Wang Song's house again and again to condolences. It was under his influence that Wang Yan took the risk to avenge his father.Today, I came to mourn Tong Liben. I didn't expect to meet Liu Yiru, so I wanted to pass my grievances to Zhang Juzheng through him, so I stopped him. "Ah, Lord Wei,"
Liu Yiru bent over and bowed.After shouting, there was nothing to say, just standing there laughing. "Master Liu, as soon as the mourning is over, you have to withdraw quickly, because you are afraid that we Wei Cannon will eat you?" Wei Xuezeng choked when he opened his mouth. Liu Yiru still smiled dryly, and said irrelevantly: "Tong Liben is really pitiful, so I'm a little bit polite, so I came to have a laying ceremony."
"How many of the current Beijing officials are not pitiful? If you don't take pepper and sumac as salary, will Tong Liben die?" Wei Xuezeng said, looking up at the high blue sky, heaved a long sigh, and then said: " There have been only a few times in the past hundred years of the Kingdom's dynasty to exchange salaries in kind. I never thought that my generation would be rewarded. When the late emperor was around, he would rather reduce the head jewelry of the concubines in the harem than owe money to the officials of the foreign court. Salary silver. Now that the voice and appearance of the Daxing emperor are still there, and Gao Ge left Beijing sadly, it is understandable that your in-law, Mr. Jiang Ling, assisted the young master in carrying out the New Deal, but what is puzzling is that this New Deal that attracted the attention of hundreds of officials and people , It started with the loss of sumu pepper salary. Master Liu, what do you think of this matter?" Liu Yiru is from Yiling County, Jingzhou Prefecture, and Zhang Juzheng is both a fellow villager and a Jinshi on the same list, so the two have a close relationship As in-laws, Zhang Juzheng's only precious daughter, Zhang Ruolan, married Liu Yiru's eldest son, Liu Kanzhi.Liu Yiru has always been well-known as an official and self-confident.Zhang Juzheng has been in the cabinet for several years. He never clings to him or pays him back. He just honestly does his own job, so he is well received by his colleagues in Beijing.It was precisely because of this that Wei Xuezeng dared to speak aggressively in front of Liu Yiru. After hearing Wei Xuezeng's words about clamping guns and sticks, Liu Yiru felt quite uncomfortable.But it’s impossible not to answer the question, so I had to perfunctoryly say: “I heard that the national treasury is empty, and the pepper and sumac are discounted, so I have to do it.” : "Shoufu was a last resort, and Master Tong lost his life!" Liu Yiru didn't say a word, he has always been silent about right and wrong.Wei Xuezeng didn't expect him to express his opinion, so he changed the subject and said: "Master Liu, let's not talk about pepper sumac with you. There are some rumors outside, which are not good for you." " Ah, what are the rumors?" Liu Yiru asked.
“In today’s Ministry of Punishment, the official Wang Zhigao, the second official and you, Mr. Liu, are all the children and in-laws of the first assistant Zhang Jiangling. Therefore, some people say that the Ministry of Punishment has become the private possession of the first assistant.”Wei Dapao” Cannon" made Liu Yiru blushed, his lips moved a few times, and he said: "Mr. Gao Ge's in-law, Mr. Cao, is also in the Ministry of Punishment. How can we say that this is Zhang Jiangling's private possession." "Mr. Cao It is true that he is still in the Ministry of Criminal Justice, but this time in Beijing, he is probably one of the first people to be purged, just like me, Wei Dapao." As soon as Wei Xuezeng finished speaking, Liu Yiru immediately replied: "Don't worry, Mr. Wei, I am afraid that Liu It was earlier than you guys." "Huh?"
Liu Yiru's answer somewhat surprised Wei Xuezeng.Before the theory was over, another official sedan chair dropped down from the entrance of the alley, and a half-old official wearing a five-rank official uniform of Wenqi Baiyu stepped out of it.Wei Xuezeng recognized at a glance that this was Mr. Li, an official of the capital censor's yamen.Master Li also recognized the two third-rank ministers in front of him, and hurriedly bowed his hands in salute. Wei Xuezeng clasped his fists and asked: "Master Li is also here to sacrifice the hanging?"Master Li respectfully replied: "Mr. Ge appointed a lowly official to come to sacrifice.""Is it Mr. Shi Ge, the capital censor?" Wei Xuezeng ask.
"Exactly."
After Mr. Li answered, he ordered the officials to send the banner in his hand into the mourning hall, only to hear the mourning and music playing together, and the weeping woman howled again.Wei Xuezeng and Liu Yiru couldn't help being curious, and they went back to the mourning hall to watch together.I saw that the most conspicuous place in the middle of the mourning hall was already hanging high the elegiac scroll sent by Zuodu Yushi Ge Shouli, and a pair of elegiac couplets were written on it:
Appointed as an upright official, skinny and disfigured
Chest relic, hematoxylin pepper bag double
This couplet is written coldly, with deep meaning, and we can’t simply explain it with sympathy, pity and criticism of current affairs. Elder Ge, don't have a lapel." After finishing speaking, no one responded, and when he turned around, he didn't know when Liu Yiru had left.