I'm really not the carpenter emperor

The chief assistant of the cabinet, Han Yu, sat quietly on the seat of the head of civil servants, teasing the emperor's expression coldly, trying to find the embarrassment from it.

After the little eunuch finished speaking for a long time, Zhu Youxiao didn't make any movement, and after a while, there was a faint snoring sound.

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, the palace was on fire, and the emperor of the Ming Dynasty fell asleep heartlessly...

"grandfather……"

Wei Zhongxian called softly.

Han Yu sat quietly on the seat, he didn't have Ye Xianggao's ability to draw inferences from one instance, but he looked down on the emperor even more in his heart.

Previously, even though Zhu Youxiao was cynical or dissolute, it can only be said that he was a rebellious young man who believed in himself.

But now, Ye Xianggao's whole family can kill as he pleases, and on a whim, he ordered the closure of Donglin Academy across the country and the arrest of countless students.

Han Yu clearly saw that the Emperor Tianqi was gradually becoming that ridiculous emperor Wu Zong.

Thinking of this, he sneered in his heart.

It seems that Ye Xianggao really had a high opinion of this emperor before. He doesn't have any imperial power skills, but he is just bad and not bad, just like a layman.

Accompanied by the sound of music, a light rain began to fall outside Maoqin Hall.

The corridors between the palace gates were washed by the fresh rain, and the water flowed into the underground trenches of the Forbidden City with black debris. Several groups of soldiers from the Imperial Army rushed back and forth with small buckets to extinguish the embers of the fire.

After the banquet in Maoqin Palace was completed, Zhu Youxiao, who was drunk, walked to the gate of Kunning Palace. The old eunuch Zhidian walked forward tremblingly, and said:

"The servants neglected their duties and shocked the holy car. The fire has been completely extinguished, and only a few abandoned houses were damaged."

At this time, Zhu Youxiao was already unconscious, and he hesitated and couldn't say a few words.

Wei Zhongxian rolled his eyes, put his hands on the emperor, motioned for the old man to come over, and said in a low voice:

"The East Palace is the former residence of the late emperor. How can it be covered with dust? You must take care of it carefully, so that everything goes well, and don't let the emperor violate the way of loyalty and filial piety."

The old eunuch shook his head and hurriedly agreed.

After the Zhidian supervisors retreated, Wei Zhongxian sent the emperor to the gate of Kunning Palace, and was about to leave, but Zhu Youxiao didn't know whether it was intentional or not, and murmured:

"Old things, but they will understand what they want."

Wei Zhongxian just turned around, and his body trembled when he heard this, but he didn't look back, pretending he didn't hear it.

He shook his hand to signal the female officer in charge, Xu Shi, to close the palace door tightly and leave.

……

Due to the burning of the palace, Zhu Youxiao issued an order the next day, and the appointment of Linchao, which was originally scheduled to resume in the second year of Tianqi, was delayed for another year.

The ministers of the various ministries sighed after hearing the news, saying that this apocalypse may be difficult to have an early dynasty...

For Zhu Youxiao, whether he is in the early court or not does not affect the control of the entire empire at all, and the remaining time is just right to do what he likes.

The three main halls were burnt down once in Wanli more than [-] years ago, and have been abandoned for more than [-] years, with dilapidated walls and overgrown weeds.

For a long time, the imperial court had been talking about rebuilding the three halls, but it was only because of the huge cost and the opposition from the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty that it stopped.

This time it was burned again, and it completely collapsed to the point of being unusable, but it really couldn't be done without repairs.

On this day, the cabinet signed the pledge room, where the ministers of various ministries were discussing the reconstruction of the three halls, and Zhu Youxiao was also present.

Just after saying a few words, Wei Zhongxian came uninvited.

Except for the eunuchs, the rest of the people didn't have a good impression of Wei Zhongxian, so naturally they wouldn't give him a good look. Zhao Nanxing snorted coldly and turned his head away.

"This old slave has seen the emperor—" Wei Zhongxian gave a big salute to the first emperor as soon as he entered the door.

Zhu Youxiao laughed and said:

"In more than a dozen days, it will be the Zhengdan Festival in the second year of Tianqi. Envoys from various countries in the vassal state will come to Beijing. As usual, a grand court ceremony will be held. I will leave this matter to the factory officials."

The cabinet minister Gu Bingqian hurriedly said: "Your Majesty is wise, the factory minister has the ability and means, this grand court ceremony will definitely make all the vassal countries more subservient to my Ming Dynasty."

"Your servant complies with the order. This time, the Three Great Halls and the East Palace are in trouble. In front of the feudal kingdom, your servant must not let the Ming Dynasty lose face."

Wei Zhongxian was overjoyed and pretended to be modest.

"Okay, I'm relieved to hear from the factory official." After Zhu Youxiao finished speaking, he watched Wei Zhongxian quietly, as if he was waiting for something.

The latter also cooperated, squinting his eyes, pretending to be mysterious and authentic:

"Master, I have something else to say, I don't know if I should say it or not?"

"Talk! Is there anything inappropriate to say? Could it be that the factory officials also learned from those Donglin party members, and they have nothing to do in the memorial, just to make a fool of themselves?"

The two sang together, which made Han Yu and the others feel annoyed, but they didn't dare to say anything more. Suddenly, the atmosphere was a little awkward.

"No, no-"

"My whole life, I don't know anything, I just know how to share the worries of the emperor and serve the emperor well. The book is so profound, I don't know how to play it."

Wei Zhongxian shook his head and said:

"The old slave is not trying to add to the chaos, but the Zhengdan Festival is approaching. The three halls of Zhongji, Jianji, and Huangji in the Outer Dynasty suffered two fires. It has been almost 30 years and has not been rebuilt."

"That scene, no matter who saw it, felt that the Ming Dynasty seemed to be the setting sun, the twilight was gloomy, and people's hearts were scattered."

"This is still a servant girl. What will you think in your heart when you see the Four Kingdoms, local officials, scholars and common people who have come to Beijing?"

"The old slave feels that the three main halls are the facade of the Ming Dynasty. They are so damaged that they are no longer usable, and we can no longer delay repairing them."

"What's more, if you want to restore the dynasty, you have to repair the three halls, what do you guys think?"

Chapter 165 The Minister of Labor Factory Worry More

There seems to be some truth to this statement.

If the three main halls were not repaired, the emperor would always have an excuse not to return to court. The civil servants discussed for a while, and Cui Chengxiu came out first and said:

"Since it is necessary to rebuild the three main halls, it is better to rebuild the entire Forbidden City."

"The whole Forbidden City?" Han Yu glanced at him and snorted coldly:

"The silver consumption for the construction of the Zhongji Hall is more than 100 million taels. This is not counting the construction of the Ji Temple, the Huangji Second Hall, and the Forbidden City. Can the imperial court afford this money?"

When the words fell to the ground, everyone turned their attention to Zhao Bingzhong, Shangshu of the Ministry of Households, which made the latter's throat tighten and he had to stand up.

This Hubu Shangshu was born in a family of officials and belonged to the Zhejiang Party, but not the Donglin Party. His father, Zhao Xi, was an official to the right servant of the Ministry of Rites in the Wanli Dynasty.

Zhao Bingzhong was known as a child prodigy when he was young. He was a No. 26 Jinshi in the palace examination in the 1th year of Wanli, and he was awarded the Imperial Academy to compile and write. He is commonly known as the "No. [-] Scholar".

In the early days, Fang Congzhe, the chief assistant of the Zhejiang Party, became an official, Ye Xianggao was promoted, and the Donglin people were in charge of the court. Because of Zhu Youxiao's deliberate connivance, Wei Zhongxian cultivated cronies in the court.

Zhejiang Party, Qi Party, etc. all defected to the "Eunuch Party". Zhao Bingzhong was the minister of the Ministry of Rites at that time, met Wei Zhongxian privately, and presented famous landscape pictures, so he was recommended by the latter.

Everyone knows that the rebuilding of the Three Great Halls and the Forbidden City is a huge project, not to mention the huge cost, and it will not be completed within three to five years.

For Zhao Bingzhong, the current financial situation of the Ministry of Household Affairs, even though it has been supplemented by tariffs, is still beyond its means, and there is no money to support the start of construction.

The problem lies here.

He, Zhao Bingzhong, knew it, but wouldn't the emperor and the factory officials know about it?

Over the years, where did the huge amount of money obtained by Dongchang from confiscating Donglin Academy, selling the land, and confiscating the residences of Ye Xianggao, Wang Zhicai and others go?

Zhao Bingzhong kept a close eye on the treasury of the household department. Anyway, none of the money went into the national treasury. He was afraid that it would be divided into accounts, and all of it would be divided up by the emperor and the eunuchs.

Who knows how much royal private silver is in the domestic funds?

Moreover, Zhao Bingzhong also felt that when the three halls didn't run out of water, they caught fire on the night of the royal banquet, and the emperor was still drunk and unconscious.

Although this matter is not related at all, but in retrospect, I still feel a little strange. Could it be such a coincidence?

In short, the emperor's intention to support the factory officials and carry out a large project in Da Nei is already very clear.

Now that the emperor and the factory ministers have already decided, there is no need for me to worry about myself as the minister of the household department.

After thinking this through, he no longer had any worries, and said firmly:

"I think what the factory minister said is right. In ten days or so, it will be the Zhengdan Festival, and the Four Kingdoms will enter Beijing. Seeing such a Forbidden City will greatly reduce my prestige in the Celestial Dynasty."

"This is a matter of merit in the present and benefit in the future!"

This Zhao Bingzhong obviously wore a pair of trousers with Wei Zhongxian. The Minister of the Household Department said so, and everyone had nothing to discuss.

At this time, Zhu Youxiao thought for a while and said:

"The civil and military officials of the Manchu dynasty can raise the issue at such a time. I think it is the loyal and capable ministers who have brains and scheming."

"For such a large project, apart from the factory minister, I am afraid that there is no other candidate."

"Your Majesty is wise, but it's not because the slaves have any brains, they just dare to say things that ordinary people dare not say."

Wei Zhongxian quickly waved his hands, squinted his eyes and smiled, and flattered him again:

"Your Majesty is courageous. He is a holy lord who will never be seen in a thousand years and who will never appear in the world. Think about it, everyone. The three halls are the foundation of the ancestors and the symbol of the glorious celestial dynasty."

"Why have some feudal states stopped paying tribute in recent years? It's because the three halls haven't been repaired for a long time!"

"Your Majesty is extremely intelligent, Wen can recite poems and compose Fu, and Wu can set things right. If you have nothing to do, go hunting in Nanhaizi, and you can hit it in one shot."

"This old slave feels that it's not that His Majesty wants to build the three halls, but that the three halls have been waiting for you to repair..."

"The master of Zhongxing, it is reasonable to restore and inherit the foundation of the ancestors!"

Speaking of flattering skills, Old Wei said he was the second, but no one dared to be the number one in the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty.

This kind of kung fu of bragging in front of everyone without blushing, panting, and walking on the ground is not something ordinary people can have.

It has been more than a year since time travel, and all kinds of flattery are rarely heard. Today, when Wei Zhongxian exerted his strength, Zhu Youxiao was still praised dizzily.

Seeing that his face remained motionless, he smiled slightly and said:

"When I was a child, I made up my mind to be the master of Zhongxing, and I also thought that one day, I would repair the three damaged halls. That's why there is a book "Zhenguan Political Leaders" in the palace."

"However, I never thought that there could be so many connections between these ideas. After you said it today, I feel that these three halls must be repaired."

Wei Zhongxian cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty will definitely be able to repair the three main halls, which will live up to the entrustment of the heavens and the wishes of our ancestors."

"The old slave feels that this matter should be settled today!"

Hearing this, Han Yu frowned and said, "Such a large project is going to be decided today?"

"Otherwise, we've already made it clear, so there's no need to waste time discussing it again?" Wei Zhongxian looked over and said with a sneer:

"Since Your Majesty is forcing the bull's head and driving the ducks to the shelves, the old slave will not back down, so he goes up against the wind and rushes forward bravely, accepting this thankless job."

"However... the old slave is only an internal minister, at most he can be regarded as a factory minister. His Majesty still needs to find a capable minister in the outer court to supervise the work of the three palaces."

Zhu Youxiao had been waiting for this, and then asked:

"What about the factory minister's suggestion?"

Wei Zhongxian respectfully said:

"Your Majesty, this person should be one of the cabinet ministers, with a clean background, save some caring people to say that the servants have controlled the work of the Three Palaces."

Cui Chengxiu, who hadn't spoken for a while, suddenly said, "How about Wang Zaijin—"

After hearing this, discussions started again in the hall.

This Wang Zaijin was indeed a candidate that both the Donglin Party and the Eunuch Party could accept. He was born in Donglin and had a reputation of being upright, and he was not very close to Wei Zhongxian.

Of the two ministers on duty in Xinuange, Gu Bingqian was mostly just pretending to be soy sauce, and Wang Zaijin was the most respected by Emperor Tianqi.

Cui Chengxiu, the first minion of the eunuch party, finally spit out an ivory from the dog's mouth.

In the 48th year of Wanli, the imperial court appointed Wang Zaijin as the governor of Zhili, who was responsible for inspecting the silver and grain deposits in various warehouses in Gyeonggi, and even Jinyiwei was temporarily mobilized by him.

The governor of Zhili was abolished not long after, but Wang Zaijin entered the cabinet because of his meritorious service and participated in confidential affairs. A few months later, he and Gu Bingqian were the first batch of ministers in charge of the Xinuang Pavilion.

This kind of promotion speed is simply rare.

"Okay, His Majesty said yes, he can do it, and he can do it if he doesn't."

To the surprise of Han Yu and other Donglin Party members, Wei Zhongxian did not object and was very respectful.

"In addition to the work of the first three halls, there are indeed many things to be done inside and outside the court. How is it going with cleaning up the evil party and closing down Donglin Academy?"

When Zhu Youxiao asked this lightly, he aroused the hatred of the Donglin Party members in the Manchu Dynasty, and looked at Wei Zhongxian.

The latter has long been familiar with such eyes, a common look, thick-skinned, comparable to a city wall.

"My servant arrested Wang Wenyan and imprisoned him a few years ago. This guy was very loose-mouthed. Within a few days, he recruited Li Ruoxing, governor of Hexi, and bribed him with 5000 taels of silver."

"Li Ruoxing is on his way to Beijing..."