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The Rising Sun Chapter 457: Substituting the Heaven for the Sun (18)

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    "How many?" Hu Wanli asked in disbelief. There were fifty thousand eunuchs in the entire capital!  He knew that eunuchs played an important role in the court, and he also knew that imperial power, cabinet power, and eunuch power restricted each other. But he knew better that Jiajing had always been very strict with eunuchs. The eunuchs in Jiajing Dynasty were far less powerful than those in the earlier and later periods.  Under such circumstances, there were still 50,000 eunuchs in the capital, which naturally made him extremely surprised!  Although Zhang Di'an couldn't see Hu Wanli's expression, he could tell that the tone was a bit shocked. He couldn't help but shrink his neck, fearing that he would say the wrong thing. He had been in the palace since he was a child and had suffered in the palace for more than twenty years.  But he is still frustrated, and he naturally knows how rare the opportunity is now.  After pondering for a while, he said cautiously: "Back to Your Highness, there are indeed a lot of eunuchs in the capital. In addition to Si Li, Nai Guan, Yu Yong, Si She, Yu Ma, Shen Guan, Shang Shan, Shang Bao, Yin Shou, Zhidian, Shang  Twelve prisons including Yi, Duzhi, etc.; there are also four divisions including Xixin, Bells and Drums, Baochao, and Huntang; there are also four divisions: military warfare, silver work, clothes washing, scarves and hats, needlework, interior weaving and dyeing, wine vinegar noodles, and division  Yuan and other eight bureaus are collectively known as the Twenty-Four Yamen. In addition, there are the Neifu Supply Storehouse, the Secretary's Storehouse, the Inner Carrier Storehouse, the Guangying Storehouse, the Guanghui Storehouse, the Guangji Storehouse, the Stolen Penalty Storehouse, the Imperial Wine Room, and the Imperial Household.  Pharmacy, royal tea room, livestock room, carving room, drum room, sweets room, billiard room, armor factory, education department, vegetable and vegetable department, good animal husbandry department, forest and heng department, weaving and dyeing house, Anle Hall, etc. are also there.  "The eunuchs are in charge." Hu Wanli finally understood that the entire palace and all matters related to the palace were in charge of the eunuchs. No wonder there were so many eunuchs in the capital. He couldn't help but hear that this eunuch spoke clearly and clearly.  Feeling good in his heart, he pondered slightly.  He then said: "You are also smart, can you read?" Upon hearing this, Zhang Di'an was immediately overjoyed, and quickly said calmly: "Go back to your highness, I have been practicing calligraphy in the inner study hall for more than ten years."  Hu Wanli knows about the book hall.  It was a eunuch school specially opened by Zhu Di's son Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji in the palace to train eunuchs. It only accepted young eunuchs under the age of ten. Bingbi, the chief eunuch, served as the principal. The seniors were appointed by respected elders, who were bachelors from the Hanlin Academy.  Come to teach, the eunuchs who come out of the inner study hall are generally knowledgeable about ancient and modern times, well versed in writing, and can write well.  After pondering for a while, he said: "Go back and send us the details of these twenty-four yamen and various warehouses and offices." "I honor your order," Zhang Di'an said hurriedly, bowing.  At the west corner of Qianqing Gate, Tang Jinbao and a group of guards stopped at the intersection.  They were not allowed to enter the harem. When they saw Hu Wanli entering the harem, Tang Jinbao quickly asked the eunuch to call Su Yunlu over. As soon as they met, he said unceremoniously: "Eunuch Su, you are so bold. Since  You dare to seduce His Highness into the harem! Do you dare to guarantee that the harem is safe?" Su Yunlu couldn't help but be surprised when he heard this question.  There are thousands of eunuchs and maids in the harem. If someone is really harmful to King Yi.  That's a lot of trouble!  He quickly shouted at Qu: "Mr. Tang, even if our family is very brave, we don't dare to persuade His Highness. You don't know His Highness's character. How can we dare to persuade him?" "Humph!" Tang Jinbao snorted coldly.  , said: "Your Highness wants to go to the harem. It's because you, the eunuch in charge, have failed in your duty, and you don't make arrangements for His Highness to take walks every evening?" "That's right." Su Yunlu nodded repeatedly: "How should we persuade His Highness to go back now?  "With a roll of his eyes, he said: "Now that everything is not on track, Manager Tang and the other guards do not need to follow the rules of the palace" "There are no rules, so we must abide by them.  , This is the rule of Dongxing Port!" Tang Jinbao said in a deep voice: "Just say that someone came to visit" Entering the boundary of Xiliu Palace, there were suddenly more eunuchs and maids on the road, and they suddenly saw Hu.  Everyone in Wanli's toilet hurriedly faced the wall as if on conditioned reflex. The young and pretty palace ladies all felt their hearts pounding, King Yi had entered the harem!  Hu Wanli, who was sitting on the toilet, could only see the backs of the palace maids. Judging from the backs, there were many older palace maids with different colors of clothing.  The toilet soon arrived in front of the Yude Palace. Hu Wanli, who was waiting, got off the toilet. The palace door opened wide from the inside. Two female officials led two teams of palace maids in red coats and green skirts and lined up neatly on both sides.  He knelt down and said, "I'm waiting to see His Highness King Yi!" Su Yunlu trotted over and saw that Hu Wanli had already entered the Yude Palace. He hurriedly followed him in, leaned forward and said with a bow: "Your Highness, today  It's muggy, but it's cooler in the yard" "Then sit in the yard," Hu Wanli said.  Upon hearing this, several eunuchs quickly moved tables and chairs from the room, and were busy serving tea and fruits. However, Hu Wanli waved his folding fan, walked slowly and looked at the two groups of maids.  The palace maids did not dare to raise their heads, they all lowered their heads and turned sideways. The weather was already hot, and coupled with the nervousness, sweat broke out from the tips of their noses.  The situation of King Yi Zhu Houye is nothing in the haremSecretly, almost all the palace maids knew that this Jiangxi vassal king was only in his early forties. At the beginning of the Jing Dynasty, all his family members were killed in the battle of Nancheng. All the palace maids were eagerly looking forward to the opportunity to get close to Yi.  king?  Everyone knows that this is a rare opportunity to leap onto a branch and become a phoenix!  Now that King Yi is right in front of them, how can they not be nervous?  Hu Wanli walked around the two groups of palace maids. When he saw that the tables and chairs had been set up, he sat down directly and said: "Everyone is flat, ten people in a group, go around in a circle." After hearing this, Su Yunlu couldn't help but  She was a little nervous. It was obvious that King Yi wanted to choose palace maidens. Wuying Hall naturally chose palace maidens. Although there were not many, there were more than a dozen. They were all selected by him, and based on the appearance and figure of several concubines in the palace.  They were selected from thousands of people, but King Yi has not touched them these days. Today, Baba came to pick them out in person. Has King Yi¡¯s taste changed?  Still don¡¯t want to think of your former concubine?  A group of ten maids walked up to them lightly. They were all young and beautiful. The palace maids were old and average-looking. The female officials did not dare to push them up to waste time. Hu Wanli looked carefully and saw that they were all only fifteen or sixteen years old.  Between the ages of seventeen and eighteen, they were all on the thin side. He couldn't help but wonder, could it be that the palace maids of the Ming Dynasty had already begun to pay attention to their skinny bodies?  Is it because she pursues thinness as beauty, or is her treatment in the palace too poor? Those who stay in the palace usually have lower status.  After pondering for a while, he glanced at Zhang Di'an and asked: "How many times have the maids been elected to the palace? Why are they all so thin?" "Go back to your highness." Zhang Di'an replied in an orderly manner: "It's like a palace maid entering the palace.  There are also younger ones between the ages of ten and thirteen, and as for those who are on the thin side" He looked up at the maids and then said, "Grandpa is obsessed with Taoism, and there are alchemists who offer elixirs.  , using the Virgin Moon Letter to make elixirs can prove immortality. Grain is a common thing. In order to keep clean, the palace maid eats very little every day, eats more fruits and drinks dew" Hearing this, Hu Wanli.  I couldn't help but think of the "Red Pill Case", one of the three major mysteries of the Ming Dynasty. Jiajing was probably murdered by more than a dozen palace ladies in the past two years, but he was lucky enough to escape!  Now that Jiajing is fleeing to the west, it is naturally impossible for this kind of thing to happen again.  But this incident aroused his vigilance. These maids and eunuchs in the palace were in danger!  After pondering for a while, he said: "I am not superstitious about Taoism, nor do I practice elixirs. All the maids in the palace will resume their diet. At the age of thirteen or fourteen, it is the time when the body is growing. How can I bear such torture?" At this point.  He couldn't help but have the thought that he could use this matter to criticize Jiajing.  If such outrageous things were published in Jinling Newspaper, it would definitely cause a sensation in the government and the public!  After a slight pause, he continued: "There are thousands of maids in the harem. I don't need so many. I will abolish half of them first and recruit those who are for medicinal purposes. Those who are willing to leave the palace will be given money to escort them home. However, the current situation in the capital  It is not safe to travel far away. People from the capital and the suburbs can leave the palace tomorrow.  All the palace maids were stunned and did not react for a long time. Since entering the palace, many of them never thought that they would be able to leave the palace alive, let alone those at such a young age!  From the day they entered the palace, they were taught that they could either fly up a branch and become a phoenix and become famous, or they could suffer in the palace for the rest of their lives. When old and beautiful, they would have to work hard in the Huanyi Bureau, Needlework Bureau, Scarf and Hat Bureau and other places with simple meals.  Pray to Buddha and chant sutras, and pray not to enter the palace again in the next life!  The maids were in a daze, and the eunuchs behind Hu Wanli were also in a daze. Half of the maids were eliminated. Who will do the hard work in the palace?  Who else could it be?  Of course only eunuchs!  Zhang Di'an immediately knelt down and kowtowed: "His Royal Highness manages the daily necessities of food, clothing, bathing, rituals, meals, palace daily necessities such as chariots, umbrellas, fans, lamps, etc., as well as the management of numerous clothing, robes, and socks.  Even sewing is inseparable from the palace maid" Hu Wanli glanced at him and said calmly: "Only cutting half of it will not affect the normal operation of the palace." Su Yunlu knew the nature of this master.  The calmer the tone of his speech, the more likely it is that he will have an attack. He immediately said to the maids: "You still haven't thanked me!" All the maids woke up from a dream, and they all squatted down and said: "I'm waiting to thank Your Highness for your kindness!" After this  After a lot of fussing, Hu Wanli lost interest in picking people, stood up and said: "Go back to the palace." "Your Highness." A palace maid said boldly: "I would like to stay in the palace." Hu Wanli stopped and looked  At a glance, she realized that this palace maid was the most beautiful one among the ten people. It was no wonder that she had such confidence. What was especially rare was that she was so smart and knew how to seize opportunities. After a little pondering, he said, "What's your name?"  The palace maid raised her face and glanced at Hu Wanli quickly. She quickly lowered her eyes and said softly: "My maid, Guan Furong."  "Go back to the palace." The abolition of palace maids was the result of his enthusiasm, butThe more he thought about it, the benefits of abolishing palace maids were many. He was an official in Fujian and Nanjing, and he knew that the local people hated the selection of palace maids. Every day there was a rumor that there was a draft for palace maidens, and the local people were busy marrying girls.'  "La Lang Pei" is a strange phenomenon caused by the selection of maids in the palace.  ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????  However, palace ladies are always indispensable. He couldn't help but think of the Qing Dynasty's draft of palace ladies, which were limited to the Eight Banners and did not disturb the people!  Can he limit the selection of ladies-in-waiting to officials?  At least not now!  Returning to the Wuwuying Hall, Hu Wanli went to the backyard to take a bath, changed into casual clothes, and then returned to the study room in the Jingsi Hall. Just as he was preparing to practice calligraphy, a young eunuch bowed outside the door and reported: "Your Highness, Wu Zishun is outside.  Please see me." Hu Wanli couldn't help but be slightly startled. Why did Wu Zishun come back not long after he left?  Is there something important again or important news?  He immediately ordered: "Bring him in directly." Soon, Wu Zi walked in quickly. After saluting, he said with a smile: "Your Highness, one of Wang Fugui's divisions has landed in Tianjin." "He is not slow in his movements." Hu  Wan Li glanced at him and said, "Is this the reason?" "Your Highness." Wu Zishun said in a deep voice: "My subordinates found several officials in the Jinyiwei Prison, supervising the censor Yang Jue and Zhong Zhou.  Yi and Liu Kui, a member of the Ministry of Industry, were imprisoned during the incident. Hu Rulin, Nie Jing, Yushi Li Chengyun and other Yang Jue were imprisoned. Several officials went to Shu to plead for mercy, but were beaten to death or imprisoned one after another. The following three  It was because of the negligence in the Nine Temple Disaster." After a brief pause, he continued: "However, this Yang Jue was a Jinshi in the eighth year of Jiajing" Yang Jue!  As a Jinshi in the same subject, Hu Wanli naturally knew that this person was a genius. Because his family was poor, he did not study until he was twenty years old, and he became a Jinshi when he was more than thirty years old. He was the same as Ke Qitan. How could he not know?  Yang Jue was convicted and sent to prison for writing a remonstrance. Zhou Tianyou, the chief minister, and Pu Hong, the imperial censor, interceded for him and were executed with a stick.  Hu Wanli was very aware of the fact that Zhou Yi and Liu Kui, a member of the Ministry of Industry, were both imprisoned for interceding for mercy. He had neglected this matter during these days in Beijing!  After hesitating for a while, he said: "Release a few of them, write a detailed account of Yang Jue and the Jiu Temple Disaster, and forward it to the Jinling Newspaper for publication, and then. Also forward the matter of Jiajing using the menstrual blood of palace maids to make elixirs.  Report to Jinling. You can ask eunuch Zhang Di'an about the details of this matter. At the same time, I will order the dismissal of more than half of the palace maids, and each of them will be given fifty taels of silver to return home. I will also reform the palace maid system. Report this to Jinling.  Publish it, hurry up!" Hear this.  Wu Zishun smiled bitterly and said: "Your Highness, Yang Jue is unwilling to be released from prison. He said that the soldiers in Dongxing Port had their heads shaved. He said that His Highness re-employed unfaithful and unfilial people in Dongxing Port and was ashamed to serve His Highness." "This man only entered school in his twenties.  Unexpectedly, he is so pedantic!" Hu Wanli pondered for a moment and said, "Bring them here and I will see them." "Your Highness, Yang Jue" "Don't worry, he doesn't recognize me."  He said nonchalantly, Yang Jue and he were quite different in age. When they were observing politics in the capital, they didn¡¯t have much contact. They only had a few banquets, and those were occasions where there were many people. After more than ten years, the impression has already been made.  Fuzzy, he wasn't worried at all.  Wu Zishun withdrew, and Hu Wanli picked up his pen again. The weather looked like it was going to rain, but it didn't rain for a long time, and it was extremely hot. Within half an hour, he broke out in sweat again, and examined the effect.  He pushed open the back window, lit the fire and burned it. Then he left the study and looked up to see Guan Furong standing pretty outside the corridor with tea.  Seeing him coming out, Guan Furong hurriedly stepped forward and said: "Your Highness" Hu Wanli glanced at her. Since Su Yunlu allowed her to come and wait on him, he must have checked everything.  After pondering, he said: "I have a lot of rules here. Since I am waiting around, I must abide by the rules in everything." "I understand, Eunuch Su has deliberately told me this." Guan Furong squatted slightly as she spoke.  Hu Wanli directly poured a cup of tea on the tea tray and sipped the tea: "How old are you?" "Back to Your Highness, I am eighteen years old." "Do you have any sisters you like in the palace? Call a few over so that you can have some company.  " Hu Wanli said when he saw the little eunuch who was close to him coming quickly. When he expected that Yang Jue and others had arrived, he put down his tea cup and said, "Go to bed tonight and get ready."  Furong's face flushed immediately, and she hurriedly knelt down and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness." The little eunuch came to report, and sure enough, it was Yang Jue and the others who had arrived. He immediately walked towards Wuying Hall, and after sitting down, he ordered:  "Let them come in." Yang Jue, Zhou Yi, Liu Kui, Hu Rulin, Nie Jing, and Li Chengyun filed in. They glanced at Hu Wanli who was sitting on the seat, and then hurriedly came forward to pay their respects: "The guilty officerYang Jue and others met with His Royal Highness King Yi.  " The light inside the palace is much darker than outside. When several people came in from the outside, they couldn't clearly see Hu Wanli. Moreover, according to etiquette, it was impossible for the officials to stare at him. It was considered brave to dare to take a few glances.  Hu Wanli was not worried at all that Yang Jue would recognize him. He glanced at a few people and said in a deep voice: "I heard that some of you are unwilling to be released from prison. What's the reason?  " Dare to go up and remonstrate, Yang Jue's courage is naturally not small, he immediately said in a deep voice: "His Royal Highness is called Qing Junzi, but he is actually usurping the throne. How can he rebel against the sinner who has received the favor of the country?  " "You are really courageous.  Hu Wanli stared at him and said, "So what if we usurp the throne?"  As a descendant of the Zhu family, I cannot just watch Jiajing ruin the eternal legacy created by our ancestors!  Emperor Wen also usurped the throne!  But it created the prosperous age of Yongle for the Ming Dynasty!  " Yang Jue pushed back unceremoniously, "His Highness is just relying on the power of Dongxing Port pirates, how can he be compared with Emperor Wen!  " Hu Wanli glanced at him and said teasingly: "According to your statement, the majestic capital of the Ming Dynasty was captured by a group of pirates?  Then Jiajing should give up the throne!  " "Your Highness!  "Liu Kui said in a deep voice: "There is a traitor in the court. If your Highness wants to calm down, you must abide by the ancestral precepts and raise the soldiers of the guard, King Ding Qin!"  "A hundred years ago, the soldiers of our Ming Guard were the most powerful soldiers in the world."  Hu Wanli glanced at him and said slowly: "Today's guardsmen are already vulnerable. How can we rely on their diligence to protect Wang Jingnan?"  " "Then we can't rely on unfaithful and unfilial external forces like Dongxing Port.  "Liu Kui said angrily: "Your Highness appoints unfaithful and unfilial people. How can the officials, gentry and people all over the world trust Your Highness?  "How can the people of Dongxing Hong Kong be unfaithful and unfilial?"  " "They cut their hair, and their body and skin are affected by their parents"  " "How can we not convince the officials, gentry and people of the world with such unfaithful and unfilial people?  " Hu Wanli said with a sigh, and said mockingly: "Then I ask you, are eunuchs considered unfaithful and unfilial people?  With 50,000 eunuchs in the capital, does Jiajing really use unfaithful and unfilial people?  "(To be continued)
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