Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 128 Case Closed and Bestowal of a Name (First Update)
"Sun Wukong, because you caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace, I used my profound magic to suppress you under the Five Elements Mountain. Fortunately, the heavenly calamity has passed, and you have returned to Buddhism. I am pleased that you concealed your evil and promoted good, and that you made meritorious contributions in subduing demons and monsters on your journey. You have completed your mission perfectly, so I promote you to a higher position and grant you the title of Victorious Fighting Buddha."

"Returning directly to the Eastern Land, the Five Saints attained enlightenment..."

"What a magnificent Victorious Fighting Buddha!"

On a winter night in the Forbidden City, twelve candles burned brightly on the candlesticks in the Qianqing Palace. Zhu Houcong leaned against the couch, holding the first complete handwritten copy, whose ink fragrance had not yet dissipated. The imperial snacks on the table had long since gone cold, but he had not touched them.

He saw the second-to-last page, which was about the pilgrimage team receiving their titles and honors. He suddenly chuckled, startling the drowsy eunuch next to him. The eunuch quickly straightened up and glanced at His Majesty not far away out of the corner of his eye.

As far as I can remember, even when reviewing memorials, I've never stayed up this late, let alone for a historical novel. Does Your Majesty really like it that much?

Zhu Houcong truly loved it. He wasn't reading about Neo-Confucianism or the philosophy of mind, but rather about the principles of conduct and interpersonal relationships. As he stroked the passage about the Buddha's Fengshan ceremony, his eyes gleamed with an unusual light: "From the Great Sage Equaling Heaven to Sun Wukong, from Sun Wukong to the Victorious Fighting Buddha—this monkey has thoroughly grasped the way of advancement and retreat!"

Sun Wukong gradually learned the wisdom of life through hardships.

In the early stages, the Great Sage was reckless and impulsive, relying on force to subdue others;
For those in the mid-term, it's important to learn to leverage existing trends and mitigate risks.
In his later years, Wukong combined strength and gentleness, handling situations with ease.

Everyone is like this, and Zhu Houcong was no exception. When he first entered the capital, he humbly begged Empress Dowager Zhang and Yang Tinghe, and even went through a period of trying to please them. But he quickly matured and turned the tables on the Empress Dowager, and there was little opposition from the court and the public. The people cheered.

Zhu Houcong had expected to be very excited, but after completely placing the old man under house arrest, he became somewhat disheartened.

Compared to those truly formidable enemies, Empress Zhang was so foolish that she was almost harmless.

Let the case of the Princess's residence end with the downfall of the Zhang family!

When Zhang fell from power, the people rejoiced, and all sides fell silent; this was the end of the case.

But the undercurrents brewing behind the scenes have only just begun.

Zhu Houcong rose, and a eunuch hurriedly brought him ginseng tea. But the emperor paced around for a moment, then suddenly became excited: "If I were like this monkey, causing chaos and upheaval first, and then seeking the ultimate goal of immortality, how wonderful that would be... Ha!"

The eunuch stared blankly, not daring to respond.

Zhu Houcong answered his own question, ending with a meaningful sigh: "It's a pity that while the time spent causing havoc in the Heavenly Palace was so enjoyable, the journey to the West required enduring eighty-one tribulations and letting go of so many divine mounts. It shows that to achieve enlightenment in this world, one must ultimately be able to endure, tolerate, and pretend! Difficult! Difficult! Difficult!"

The eunuch could no longer understand what was being said, but he knew that His Majesty was in a good mood, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhu Houcong was not only in a good mood, but also felt extremely satisfied when he thought that he was the first person in the world to see the complete version and that the ending was of such high quality.

For someone who had been preparing for so long to complete the later chapters in just five days, it seems not only that they had a pre-existing plan in mind, but also that it was preordained by fate.

It is fitting that he, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was the first to appreciate such a work.

Combining the two cases involving the Imperial Academy and the Princess's residence, Zhu Houcong vaguely felt that this person might be his lucky charm.

Unfortunately, this young man is too young. He is studying at the Imperial Academy, and it is uncertain whether he will pass the imperial examination next year. Meanwhile, the court is in dire need of capable people, and time waits for no one.

"You have presented me with such a fine work and made such a great contribution, so I must reward you openly this time!"

"Haiyue! Hai Shisanlang! Haven't you even given him a courtesy name yet?"

"Ha! How about I bestow upon you a courtesy name?"

……

"Wenfu!"

Haiyue stared speechlessly at Lu Bing, who had reappeared before her.

I've already released all my drafts, why are you still coming?

Lu Bing, however, had a broad smile on his face, and even more so, an excitement that seemed to say, "Thirteen Lang, you still don't have a courtesy name, do you?"

Haiyue gave him a strange look: "Yes! I haven't come of age yet..."

In ancient times, men underwent a coming-of-age ceremony at the age of twenty, marking their formal entry into society. Taking a courtesy name was also a change in status. However, many students from scholarly families had a courtesy name by the age of fourteen or fifteen, usually given by their fathers and teachers.

However, Haiyue has never had a formal teacher, and his father, Haihao, is somewhat unconventional within the Hai clan, so he has not yet adopted a courtesy name and is addressed by his family order of birth.

Lu Bing had prepared a surprise ceremony, but when the moment arrived, he stopped being mysterious: "You have rendered meritorious service in protecting the Princess's residence this time, and you have acted with propriety. His Majesty has observed your demeanor and believes that you will surely become a pillar of our Great Ming Dynasty in the future. He has decided to personally bestow upon you a courtesy name!"

"His Majesty bestowed a title?"

Haiyue was somewhat surprised.

This is an incredible honor.

A name is a person's most direct symbol. Throughout history, a name was a manifestation of imperial favor, which was to be given a name change or a courtesy name by the emperor.

To take a recent example, Zhang Cong, the current Grand Secretary, submitted a memorial three months later, stating that his name violated the emperor's taboo and requesting to change it.

Zhu Houcong and Zhang Cong, if we're talking about taboos, there are indeed some, but generally, there's no need to deliberately avoid using individual characters in Li Shimin's name. Otherwise, how many characters would have to be avoided in Li Shimin's name?
Moreover, Zhang Cong served as an important minister in the Jiajing reign for nearly ten years. Why did he only think of the taboo now? Where was he before?
To put it bluntly, this is the Grand Secretary trying to curry favor with the Emperor and hoping to receive imperial favor.

Emperor Jiajing readily agreed, bestowing upon him the name Fujing, the courtesy name Maogong, and personally inscribing four large characters for him.

If this matter doesn't change next year, Zhang Cong will be renamed Zhang Fujing.
Now Haiyue is also enjoying this treatment. "Thirteenth Brother, His Majesty has personally bestowed this gift upon us. Come with me to the palace to receive your reward!"

Lu Bing vaguely sensed that it wasn't just because of "Journey to the West" or the Princess's Mansion case; His Majesty might have considered things much more deeply. But whatever the reason, he was genuinely happy for his friend.

Haiyue hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but ask, "May I ask what courtesy name Your Majesty has given me?"

Lu Bing felt there was no need to hide it, and said with a smile, "His Majesty bestowed upon me the name—Mingwei!"

"Mingwei?"

Haiyue was startled again.

A blend of East and West, it's a bit difficult to pull off!

Lu Bing, of course, didn't know what the problem was: "His Majesty wrote two courtesy names, one is 'Runming' and the other is 'Mingwei'!"

Choosing a courtesy name requires skill and must be consistent with the meaning of the given name. Therefore, Zhu Houcong gave Haiyue the first courtesy name "Runming".

The character “润” echoes the image of “海” (sea), meaning “to nourish all things.” The Book of Changes (Book of Changes) states, “润之以风雨” (to nourish with wind and rain), emphasizing the power of nourishment. This character embodies the vastness and inclusiveness of the ocean and also implies the virtue of nurturing and cultivating.

The character “Ming” aligns with the divine pearl qualities of “Yue”. The “Nine Chapters” of the Chu Ci contains the line “Being adorned with the bright moon and wearing precious pearls”, which implies being as bright as the moon and as dazzling as a pearl, symbolizing wisdom and nobility. It also matches the name of the Ming Dynasty.

In terms of phonetics and the Five Elements, the tone is harmonious with the oblique and level tones, making it easy to pronounce. In terms of the Five Elements, "Run" belongs to water, which complements the water element of the surname "Hai". "Ming" belongs to fire, and fire generates earth, which helps the earth element of "Yue", which corresponds to the mutual generation principle in the Book of Changes.

Therefore, this courtesy name, which is both elegant and virtuous, and also implies the expectation of becoming an important minister of the Ming Dynasty, makes it a perfect match for Haiyue.

Even though Lu Bingwen lacked literary talent, he still felt it was quite appropriate.

But after His Majesty finished writing "Runming", he thought for a moment and then wrote "Mingwei".

The meaning of this character is even more straightforward: to nurture a pearl with the vastness of the sea and to cultivate virtue to achieve majesty. It is the so-called inner sage and outer king. It is not bad in terms of the five elements, but in the end, it is not as good as Runming.

But upon further reflection on the two characters "Mingwei" and considering the current controversy in the court regarding the Annam issue, the meaning behind this single character is likely quite profound.

'If you really can't find a suitable name, Weiming would be fine too! Uh, those two characters are indeed a bit too grand, not quite appropriate…'

Just as Haiyue was letting her mind wander, Lu Bing pulled his arm: "Come on! Quickly bathe and change your clothes, then come with me to receive His Majesty's personal gift, Brother Mingwei! Hahaha!"

……

Yongfang, west of the inner city.

Gui Mansion Study.

Gui'e, wrapped in a heavy fox fur coat, leaned against the couch, reviewing memorials. The medicine on his desk had long since gone cold, and the brown liquid reflected his withered face.

The cold wind outside was blocked by the doors and windows, but even a slight chill caused him to cough violently.

"Slow down! Slow down!"

The youngest son, Gui Zai, was serving him at this moment. He quickly and gently patted his back to help him catch his breath, and couldn't help but say, "Father, you didn't sleep a wink last night. You should go to bed early tonight!"

As he spoke, he looked at his father's casual clothes, made of satin that had been newly cut last year, now hanging empty on the old man's thin body, and his heart ached.

Gui'e waved her hand, saying nothing more, and focused all her energy on the memorials from the cabinet. But as she wrote, she suddenly bent over and groaned, "Is there any medicine left?"

Gui Zai shook his head: "The medicine that Imperial Physician Li prepared ran out the day before yesterday. Now that he has been murdered, I'm afraid..."

"understood!"

Gui'e's eyes dimmed. After a moment of forbearance, she forced herself to cheer up and even broke free from her son's support.

Gui Zai seemed to see an old pine tree that was about to wither, which, even with its branches broken, still stubbornly held up the sky. He felt both admiration and fear.

Even without medical knowledge, one would know the outcome of someone Gui'e's age continuing to push herself like this...

Just as she was in a daze, the steward's hurried footsteps approached. After he came up to her and whispered something, Gui'e's expression immediately changed: "Mingwei... Mingwei... His Majesty seems to have made up his mind!"

Meeting her son Guizai's puzzled gaze, Gui'e did not forget Guo Xun's previous slander: "Your classmate from the Imperial Academy has been bestowed the courtesy name Mingwei by His Majesty. After tonight, this boy will probably become famous in the capital!"

Gui Zai was stunned: "Hai Shisanlang? My classmate? When did I enter the Imperial Academy?"

Gui'e said calmly, "Of course you're in. You've recovered from your illness at home. Go to the Imperial Academy tomorrow to report for your studies!"

Gui Zai hesitated, but ultimately didn't dare to ask further: "Yes!"

Not only the residence of the Second Grand Secretary, but also this courtesy name spread throughout the capital's high-ranking officials in an instant.

A stone stirred up a thousand waves.

(End of this chapter)