Di Ming

Chapter 193 Beijing!

The hour of Zipai is finally approaching, and the new year of Wanli's seventeenth year is about to begin.

The village was filled with the sound of firecrackers, and fireworks soared into the sky, illuminating the dark, snowy night. Laughter could be faintly heard, filling the entire New Year's Eve with a festive atmosphere.

"Fireworks light up the sky, bidding farewell to the old year!"

With a shout, the various fireworks that the Zhu family had prepared in advance, such as the loudspeaker, the three-level wave, the ground rat, the fire, the flower, the sky rocket, the silver tree, and so on, were set off all at once.

There are dozens of people just responsible for setting off the fireworks.

Of course, to prevent fires, Ning Caiwei ordered the fireworks to be set off in an open space outside the courtyard.

The Zhu family was a wealthy household, and Ning Caiwei lavishly purchased three hundred taels of silver worth of fireworks, equivalent to more than ten years' total income for an average farming family. Ning Caiwei's extravagant spending was, of course, also intended to entertain the villagers.

Fireworks costing three hundred taels of silver, when set off, truly created a dazzling display of light, illuminating the snowy night like a starry sky.

The entire Qingqiao Beili area, illuminated by the Zhu family's fireworks, resembled a fairyland.

Many villagers gathered around the square in front of the Zhu family's house in Beili, watching the Zhu family's fireworks with great fascination.

The Zhu family is truly extravagant; the fireworks display is magnificent, filling the sky with dazzling light.

Zhu Yin and his guests, bundled in fox fur coats and braving the heavy snow, stood outside the courtyard watching the fireworks and sharing the joy with the villagers.

Cheers erupted, laughter filled the air, and the crackling of fireworks created an exceptionally noisy atmosphere.

Under the dazzling fireworks, the snow was like a painting, and the night sky was like a dream, beyond the power of words to describe.

The villagers who watched were all greatly amazed and had a feast for the eyes.

Many elderly farmers, who have toiled their entire lives, are seeing such a grand fireworks display for the first time in decades.

Shang Yang laughed and said, "Brother Zhihu is Zhu Lang of Jiangzuo, a child prodigy of the Ming Dynasty. In this situation, do you have any fine verses to leave behind?"

He was decades older than Zhu Yin, but that didn't stop him from calling Zhu Yin "Brother Zhihu".

Upon hearing Shang Yang's words, Han Shang and the others looked at Zhu Yin expectantly.

Zhu Yin thought for a moment, then laughed heartily, "I've got it!"

He then recited aloud:

A dream of blooming flowers and green snow in the deep night.
Ten thousand fiery trees illuminate the starry sky.

This was not intended to please the gods or the Jade Emperor.
Originally, it was a pandering to the common people and respecting small farmers.

Upon hearing this poem, Shang Yang and the others were momentarily stunned. The poem was plain and unremarkable, hardly a masterpiece to be passed down through generations.

Yet the poem's compassion and mercy for the common people commands our utmost respect.

So the Zhu family bought so many fireworks to entertain the villagers.

"Brother Zhihu is kind-hearted and compassionate," Shangyang couldn't help but say. "When he becomes an official and governs the people, he will truly be a blessing to the local populace."

Mao Wenlong laughed and said, "My home is in Hangzhou, and I really hope that Brother Zhihu can serve as an official in Hangzhou in the future. This is my personal wish."

Han Shang said regretfully, "It's a pity that Zhihu is from Jiangning and can't serve as an official in our Southern Zhili. The Southern Zhili accounts for 30% of the country's taxes. If Zhihu could serve as an official in the Southern Zhili in the future, he would be able to serve the country and the people even better. Alas, what a pity."

Han Shang is right. According to the system of avoiding officials from their place of origin, except for a few regions such as Yunnan and Guizhou, officials in most places cannot serve in their own province.

Zhu Yin shook his head and laughed, "That's not entirely true. Wang Shizhen was from Southern Zhili, and he was serving as a vice minister in Nanjing. So, if I were to pass the imperial examination, I might very well be able to serve in Southern Zhili as well."

Han Shang laughed and said, "You're a witty fellow, how can you compare them? It's true that Wang Shizhen is an official in Nanjing, but his position as Vice Minister of War is a Beijing official, not a post in Southern Zhili. Even his previous post as Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture was a Beijing official."

Zhu Yin smiled as well. Officials from the Southern Zhili region were indeed ineligible to serve in the Southern Zhili government, except in the Nanjing government.

Although the Nanjing government officials were based in Southern Zhili, they were officially registered as officials from the capital.

Therefore, if he were to serve as an official in Southern Zhili in the future, he could only hold a position within the Nanjing-based imperial court system.

With the exception of a few official positions, most of the officials from Beijing who came to Nanjing were sent there to sit on the sidelines or to accumulate seniority. They were either people who had failed in their official careers or temporary visitors.

However, in Zhu Yin's view, the positions of the officials in Nanjing were by no means simple sinecures; it all depended on how you used them.

For Zhu Yin, these official positions, if used well, made it easier to gain power than in Beijing.

As Zhu Yin was pondering, the New Year's bells of Nanjing rang out, announcing the arrival of the seventeenth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign.

“Ding-ding-ding—”

May the whole world rejoice!

"congratulations!"

"Joy and rejoice together!"

People offer each other blessings, and even those who don't get along usually greet each other with smiles and auspicious words.

"I'm twelve years old!" Zhu Yin laughed. "I've finally grown another year older!"

He was actually only eleven years old, but Zhuang Tingjian reported him as being a year older.

The happiest one seemed to be Ning Qingchen, who shouted in a childish voice, "Finally, I'm three years old!"

The Zhu family mansion, with its more than five hundred people, was bustling with activity. The guards and servants all wore excited and expectant expressions.

The family is about to award prizes!

Soon, word came from the main hall that each team and group should go to the main hall to receive their reward.

Those in the know said that the head of the household and his wife were very generous and had already prepared silver beans, fine copper coins, milk candy, food, sachets, and other items.

Even the third-rank guards and servants could receive a considerable amount of New Year's money.

Back in the main hall, everyone was in high spirits. The maids brought out sealed packets of coins, silver beans, milk candy, as well as exquisite food boxes and gifts, which filled several long tables.

Guests including Shang Yang and Mao Wenlong sat smiling on the sidelines, watching the Zhu family's award ceremony.

Soon, the guards and maids came to the hall one by one, bowed and paid their respects to Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei, and their words of good fortune and happiness were heard endlessly.

"Rewards!" Ning Caiwei waved her hand, scattering large sums of money to start with some fun prizes.

"Grab it!" Everyone lowered their heads and scrambled to spend the money, laughing and making a ruckus.

These coins are not ordinary copper coins, but exquisitely crafted coins specially minted for the market.

Once the atmosphere was right, the emcee immediately unfolded a red paper and announced the New Year's rewards.

According to the rank of guards and servants, New Year's money was also divided into three grades.

The first-class recipients will receive three taels of silver beans, one hundred coins of Mountain Spirit Bagua coins, one pound of milk candy, two boxes of Wu Susheng pastries, one sachet of brocade, one Gu family purse, and one red lacquered lattice bucket.

The woman also gave him a dressing case, a pearl hairpin, and a hand warmer. The man also gave him a horse and a black horn belt.

The second class received two taels of silver beans, one hundred cash for longevity and health, half a catty of milk candy, a box of Wu Susheng pastries, a sachet, and a Gu family purse.

The woman also gave him a bronze mirror with a rhombus design. The man also gave him a tinderbox decorated with gold.

The third-class items include one tael of silver beans, one hundred coins for the "Qilin Bringing a Child" coin, half a catty of milk candy, one box of Wu Susheng pastries, one brocade sachet, and one Gu's purse.

The woman also gave him a box of purple mineral rouge. The man also gave him a set of writing implements.

So even the third-class reward is worth four taels of silver!
Those who received the reward were overjoyed and knelt down to offer New Year's greetings.

"Wishing my lord and wife a Happy New Year! May your descendants be noble and prosperous for generations to come!"

Happy New Year! May you reach even greater heights!

Everyone in the hall was overjoyed, and hundreds of people were in a peaceful atmosphere. The entire Zhu family was like a blazing fire, filled with a festive and prosperous atmosphere.

Lancha, Ding Hongying, and others are not included. They are not in the third rank, and their rewards will be calculated separately.

Lancha alone bestowed upon him fine horses, carved bows, gold and silver, brocade robes, and other gifts, worth hundreds of taels of silver.

Ding Hongying also bestowed upon him fine horses, precious swords, jewels, jewelry, and headdresses, all worth several hundred taels of silver. However, upon hearing of the gifts, Lan Cha knelt down and declined them.

“My esteemed master, my beloved Ezhen,” Lancha knelt down and said, “I am Ezhen’s loyal dog. I need no reward, I only wish to stay by your side.”

Zhu Yin said, "My Lancha, this reward is merely a token of my appreciation. If you don't want the reward, what else do you want?"

After speaking, she smiled and glanced at Galo, who was now indistinguishable from a Han woman.

Ning Caiwei smiled slightly.

Lancha looked very troubled, but in the end he shook his head and said, "This servant doesn't want anything. Your trust is the greatest reward for this servant."

Upon hearing this, Galo, dressed as a Han woman, immediately showed a look of disappointment.

“Lancha, my brother,” Zhu Yin patted his shoulder and said in Jurchen, “You are a warrior among the Jurchens, why don’t you dare confess your feelings to the woman you love? If you are so cowardly, Lord Cuohazhan will be disappointed. You like Galo, don’t you?”

Galo looked at Lancha with a tense expression and bright eyes, hoping that he would be brave enough to speak up.

Lancha, just say it! This is a great opportunity. Ezhen and Gege will definitely agree. Mother Foduo, please bless us!

Lancha's burly and powerful body trembled slightly. This man, who possessed superhuman strength and could defeat a hundred men, actually blushed at this moment.

But he could not suppress his joy, and finally said in a trembling voice, "Replying to Ezhen, Galo is indeed the woman I love. But Galo is the princess's maid, and I dare not..."

"Haha!" Zhu Yin laughed. "Lancha, Gege and I have known about your feelings for Galo for a long time. We're all smart enough to see it."

“But I want you to say it yourself. Only if you dare to say it yourself will you be qualified to marry Galo.”

Lancha didn't hesitate any longer. He immediately kowtowed deeply and said, "This servant wishes to marry Galo!"

"Alright, alright, get up." Zhu Yin chuckled as he helped his trusted general to his feet. "Your princess will be taken care of."

Ning Caiwei, of course, had long since learned Jurchen language, and with a smile, asked Galo in Jurchen, "Sister Galo, would you be willing to marry Lancha?"

Fifteen-year-old Galo said with tears in his eyes, "I am willing, but I will leave it to Gege and Ezhen to decide."

Ning Caiwei nodded: "Alright! Then I will make the decision to marry you to Lancha! However, you are only fifteen, so we can only get engaged first and get married at the end of the year."

"Yes, Xie Gege!" Galo knelt down and bowed. "May Mother Foduo bless you!"

At this moment, she felt immense joy and a great weight lifted from her shoulders.

Lancha, with a joyful expression, knelt down beside Galo and kowtowed to Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei.

Ning Caiwei immediately announced that Lancha and Galo should enter into a marriage agreement and get married on October 18th of this year.

No one expected to witness such a joyous occasion; it was a good omen.

Shang Yang was already tipsy. Looking at the Jurchen newlyweds, he couldn't help but think of his widowed confidante.

Now that he's become Zhihu's advisor, and thanks to Zhihu's generous financial support, he receives a salary of over a hundred taels of silver every year, which is enough for him to marry her.

Although I am already fifty years old, I am not necessarily without offspring. Perhaps I can still have children and take care of them.

Without the cub, even if he married her, he wouldn't be able to support her, let alone have children.

Like Shang Yang, Han Shang and others also had their own ideas.

Now that I have a stable income, of course I want to get married and have children to continue the family line.

Thinking of this, Shang Yang, Han Shang, and the others were intoxicated by the atmosphere rather than by the wine, and they looked forward to the new year even more.

……

New Year's Day, the seventeenth year of the Wanli reign.

While the common people celebrated the New Year by paying respects to their ancestors, Zhu Yin knew the true feelings of the court officials far away in Beijing.

Because this year, the emperor will refuse to hold a New Year's Day court ceremony.

How grand was the New Year's Day court ceremony?
However, starting from the seventeenth year of the Wanli reign, Emperor Baijin never participated in the New Year's Day court ceremony again, setting a precedent in Ming history.

Until his death, he never attended the New Year's Day court ceremony again for decades.

No emperor had ever done this before.

The money-worshipping emperor did it.

The grand court ceremony on New Year's Day was abolished, let alone the annual ceremony of personally tilling the fields.

For the emperor who holds the reins of power, this is a grave dereliction of duty.

Decades of dereliction of duty, no matter the reason, cannot be forgiven.

Zhu Yin couldn't help but worry about Hai Rui. If the emperor refused to accept New Year's Day greetings, Hai Rui would surely remonstrate relentlessly, eventually becoming enraged.

My father is getting old; I hope he doesn't die from anger caused by a tyrannical ruler.

As for his mentor Shen Yiguan, Zhu Yin wasn't worried. Shen was a slippery fellow, not an upright official. Even if he was disappointed in Emperor Baijin, he wouldn't be angered to death.

He wasn't worried about his uncle-in-law, Tian Yi. Although Tian Yi was loyal to the emperor, he didn't have the upright character of Hai Rui, so he wouldn't be angry.

During the first three days of the Lunar New Year, Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei had only one thing to do: receive and give New Year's greetings.

Zhu Yin also needed to write letters to Ding Huogen, who was guarding Daishan, and Xu Wei, who was guarding Jingzhou (Luzon), to receive important intelligence from the Records Office and to arrange new intelligence tasks.

Ning Caiwei went into the city with gifts to pay New Year's visits to various noble ladies, her face beaming with smiles. She also had to squeeze in time to arrange the first quarter's business plan and write a letter to Cen Xiubing in Guangxi to increase milk supply.

The young couple were both extremely busy.

Look at how many years have passed, there's not a moment of relaxation in it.
On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Ning Caiwei will also welcome the God of Wealth.

On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Ning Caiwei set up an incense table in the courtyard early in the morning. She invited a portrait of the God of Wealth from the City God Temple, prepared a pig's head, fruits, carp, and fine wine, tied them with red ribbons, and shared the offerings after the prayer and sacrifice.

On the fifth day of the lunar new year, it was finally time for Zhu Yin and I to set off north.

Zhu Yin naturally went to participate in the imperial examination, while Ning Caiwei went to places along the Grand Canal, such as Xuzhou and Yanzhou, to acquire mountainous land with coal mines.

Ning Qingchen was taken along as well. Only the head housekeeper Jin Yunniang and the head secretary Gu Hongxiu remained at the Zhu family residence and factory.

Early on the fifth day of the lunar new year, Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei, along with their respective guards and staff, left Nanjing. After crossing the river at the water post station, they switched to land travel, meandering northward along the official north-south road.

Because the canal has not yet thawed, the only way to travel at this time is by land.

Accompanying him were dozens of mounted guards, as well as advisors such as Shang Yang and Han Shang, retainers and disciples such as Mao Wenlong, and servants who attended to his daily needs.

The entire procession numbered over a hundred people, dressed in fine clothes and riding spirited horses, their presence imposing and impressive.

Even thieves would have to give way if they encountered them.

Ning Caiwei and Ning Qingchen rode in a carriage, and even Xiao Hei was in the carriage, but Zhu Yin insisted on riding a horse, intending to hone his character and defy the frost.

He would even occasionally gallop wildly on his horse, cracking his whip and whipping it, stirring up snowflakes like silver.

The group braved the snow, advancing at a rate of 100 li per day. They passed Yangzhou on the sixth day, Gaoyou on the seventh, and Huai'an on the eighth…

Upon arriving in Xuzhou, Ning Caiwei and the others parted ways with Zhu Yin. Zhu Yin continued north, while the Ning sisters stayed in Xuzhou, agreeing to meet again in Beijing in April.

Zhu Yin focused solely on traveling along the official road, stopping for meals at post stations and never stopping in cities along the way.

As we traveled along, the ice and snow gradually melted, and spring gradually awakened in the north.

On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, we passed through Sangyuan Post Station and Lianwo Post Station, and spent the night at Xinqiao Post Station.

I passed through Zhangjiawan on the 25th day of the first lunar month.

On the 28th day of the first lunar month, amidst the cold winds of the north, the crowd finally saw a massive city standing beneath the majestic Taihang Mountains.

Beijing!

P.S.: Finally arrived in Beijing. What will the results of the imperial examinations be?

(End of this chapter)