() Ordinary people are not allowed to ride in sedan chairs in the Forbidden City. At least these people don't have this right now, so they can only walk to Dongchang, which is located north of Donghua Gate.
Occasionally I met some eunuchs and maids on the road. When I saw Wang Chengen passing by, I hurriedly stepped aside and saluted.
Wang Chengen usually ignored him and walked over directly. These eunuchs and maids were also used to it, but they were curious about Zhong Jinwei, who was wearing commoner among the group, so they inevitably talked behind his back.
The Forbidden City was too big, and it was a bit boring for the group to walk in silence, so Zhong Jinwei chatted with Wang Chengen.
Although Zhong Jinwei didn't know that in the Forbidden City, according to the rules, eunuchs, maids, or others were not allowed to whisper to each other, but the atmosphere in the late Ming Dynasty had been corrupted, which could be seen from the clothes, words and deeds of officials in the Huangji Palace in the early dynasties, so Wang Chengen asked Zhong Jinwei to find
He chatted and didn't take it seriously.
"Eunuch Wang, now you are the Duke of Dongchangchang, so majestic!" Zhong Jinwei was influenced by later movies and TV series, and was particularly impressed by the coaxing behavior of Dongchangchang Bull, so he couldn't help but pick up this topic.
"Uncle Zhongxing, what a joke, our family lives with their tails between their legs, how can we be so prestigious!" Wang Chengen said with a wry smile.
Having said this, Zhong Jinwei remembered that as soon as Emperor Chongzhen ascended the throne, he removed both Dongchang and Jinyiwei. However, that was not right. Wang Chengen was still in charge of Dongchang.
Unable to figure it out, Zhong Jinwei asked Wang Chengen directly: "Eunuch Wang, haven't Dongchang and Jinyiwei been removed by His Majesty?"
Isn't this obvious? However, Wang Chengen also knew what Zhong Jinwei wanted to know. He explained: "The Holy Father did not remove the factory guards, but only ordered that no one can leave the forbidden door unless there is an edict. Therefore, we can hardly be seen outside.
There are traces of it.”
Oh, it turns out that's the case. Zhong Jinwei finally figured it out. At this time, he also thought of later generations. There was such a view on the Internet: Emperor Chongzhen removed Dongchang and Jinyiwei, causing the civil servants to lose supervision, and accelerated the Ming Dynasty.
The fall of a dynasty.
Zhong Jinwei felt that it was reasonable. In the early stage, Emperor Chongzhen fully trusted the civil servants and obeyed their advice. Later, when he was not rewarded and found out that he had been deceived, he became angry, which led to the change of Emperor Chongzhen's character into suspicious. It was because of his lack of confidence.
Verification of third-party information sources.
Thinking of this, Zhong Jinwei said to Wang Chengen: "My lord, when I see the emperor later, I will propose to him that you reopen Dongchang and Jinyiwei."
Wang Chengen knew the importance of Zhong Jinwei in the heart of Emperor Chongzhen at this time. As long as he said it, he would definitely play it accurately. He was overjoyed at that moment, stopped, turned to Zhong Jinwei, raised his hands, and said: "So, thank you Uncle Zhongxing."
Already."
As long as the factory guard is allowed to see the light of day again, he, the factory boss, will have power, otherwise he will just be a fierce dog trapped in the Forbidden City.
"You're welcome, I'm doing this for the sake of the emperor and the Ming Dynasty. I think you are indispensable!" Zhong Jinwei explained.
They walked and chatted all the way, and before they knew it, they were approaching Donghua Gate. At this time, An Guiyi, who was over there, saw them passing by from a distance, and hurriedly came to greet them.
An Guiyi first met with Wang Chengen and called him his godfather. Then he greeted Zhong Jinwei and congratulated Zhong Jinwei again on being blessed with a holy family and being given a house. Then he followed them to Dongchang.
After exiting Donghua Gate and crossing the moat, turn north. On the left is a straight house by the river. The house is not high, but it is straight. It runs parallel to the east wall of the Forbidden City along the moat.
On the right side of the road are various government-run workshops and government offices at all levels.
It was almost noon, and the winter sun did not make people feel hot. On the contrary, the sun did not give any warmth to the people walking in the cold wind that blew from time to time. There were very few pedestrians on the road as usual.
Without much effort, we arrived at the gate of Dongchang.
There was a horizontal plaque with red letters on a black background hanging above the door of the Dongchang, which read "Dongji Shichang" in big letters. The few fans at the door saw their factory boss approaching from a distance, so they stood up straight Then, when the group of people arrived at the door, they loudly announced: "The factory manager is here!"
Zhong Jinwei actually had contact with Fanzi once before, but Zhong Jinwei was in a coma at that time, so he didn't know.
At this time, Zhong Jinwei carefully looked at the Dongchang fans who had been rumored for a long time, like wolves and tigers, and committed all kinds of evil. He saw that these fans were all wearing pointed hats, white leather boots, brown clothes, and a Xiao Sui has a two-inch bamboo sign hanging around his waist. He looks very capable and capable, not as vulgar as in movies and TV shows.
Wang Chengen stopped at the door, then turned around and said to Archie: "The Yamen is an important place where women are not allowed to enter. Please wait here first."
Archi was originally quite afraid of Dongchang, so he naturally had no objection after hearing that he didn't need to go in.
Wang Chengen then told An Guiyi: "You stay here with Miss Aqi."
"Yes, godfather."
Seeing that Archie was left outside, Zhong Jinwei was a little hesitant. Wang Chengen could see that he cared about Archie, so he said, "Uncle Zhongxing, let's go in and get to know each other before we come out. It won't take much time."
When Zhong Jinwei saw what Wang Chengen said, he no longer had any objections and followed him inside.
Going around the screen wall, there is a large courtyard. In front of it is an archway with the four characters "Liu Fang for a hundred generations". After passing the courtyard, there is the meeting hall. On the screen wall on the right side of the hall, there is a story about a pancreas-style porridge table engraved on it. The door leads to the small pavilion next to it, which houses the statue of Yue Fei and Yue Wumu. On the left side of the hall is an ancestral hall, which enshrines the memorial tablets of past Dongchang factory officials.
Zhong Jinwei just took a glance at these surroundings, because the hall was full of people, attracting his attention. These people basically wore round hats, soap boots, brown shirts and straight bodies.
As Wang Chengen walked in, these people stood up straight and said hello to Wang Chengen.
Zhong Jinwei followed Wang Chengen and walked in. It seemed that those people were also saying hello to him. However, Zhong Jinwei didn't have any proud thoughts, because some of these people exuded a strong aura, and some exuded lust. The cold atmosphere, in a word, means the people here are not easy to mess with.
There is a Taishi chair at the top of the hall, and a few steps further down there are two chairs on each side. However, the chair on the left is further away from the Taishi chair in the middle than the chair on the right.
Wang Chengen walked to the chair in the middle and did not sit down. He just turned around and asked someone to bring another chair and place it next to him. Then he asked Zhong Jinwei to sit down before he sat down.
When these people from the East Factory saw that the factory owner valued this commoner so much, they were all curious. Even the factory owner's son, if there was one, would not have been brought here to sit side by side. However, these people have been trained for a long time. Yes, I was guessing in my heart, but I didn’t show it on the surface. When I saw Wang Chengen sitting down, I came over to greet him again, and then two people sat down on the chairs in front. The others lined up on both sides until they reached the front of the hall. The meeting hall suddenly fell silent.
Wang Chengen slowly glanced at everyone in the hall, and then said slowly with a sharp voice: "I think many people are wondering, why did our family bring a commoner into the Dongchang Yamen?"
No one in the hall spoke, they were quietly waiting for Wang Chengen's next words.
"This is the newly appointed Zhongxing Bo today. Everyone has come to see Zhongxing Bo."
When everyone heard this, they realized that even though he was not a commoner, a mere earl did not seem to be worthy of the attention of the factory boss. There were many dukes and marquises in the capital, so there must be some insider information.
Now that the factory boss had given the order, everyone, including the two people sitting in front, stood up and saluted Zhong Jinwei.
Zhong Jinwei also stood up, followed their example and clasped his fists in return, before sitting down again.
After the ceremony, everyone in Dongchang looked solemnly as Wang Chengen continued to reveal the mystery.
"The Holy One values Uncle Zhongxing very much, and Uncle Zhongxing also promised to speak for us in front of the Holy One, so that our Dongchang can see the light of day again."
The meeting hall, which had been quiet before, suddenly became noisy. No wonder they, in the past, they were so majestic, and all the civil and military officials would behave with their tails between their legs when they saw them, but in the past two years, they have become
They have been huddled in the Dongchang Yamen, receiving only their salary and not working, and sunbathing in the yard every day, which made them, a group of once extremely arrogant men, wilted.
Now when they heard what the factory owner said, this so-called Zhongxing Bo's energy should make the Holy Emperor agree to release them again, they couldn't help but get excited.
When Wang Chengen saw that they were no longer presentable, he coughed lightly, and the hall immediately became quiet. However, the faces of these people were no longer serious as before, and their excitement was palpable.
"No matter whether His Majesty agrees in the end, our Dongchang must remember the friendship between Uncle Zhongxing, do you hear me?"
"Yes!" The voice was particularly neat and loud.
"Now the Holy Father has asked our family to send two people from Dongchang to protect Uncle Zhongxing when he goes out to do things. There is no room for any mistakes. Is there anyone who can recommend me?"
This is a good opportunity to make friends with Mr. Zhong Xing. If you can seize it, don't let it go.
The official positions of these people in the hall are to be responsible for the punishment of thousands of households and the management of hundreds of households, as well as the foreman, foreman, and room clerk. They are not people who go out to wield swords and guns, but naturally they have their own cronies, who have made recommendations one after another.
Finally, Wang Chengen selected two people, one was the sergeant (also called the stall head), and the other was the guard. The sergeant was smart and his name was Gu Baichuan, and the guard who was good at fighting was named Wang Peng.
Wang Chengen asked the two of them to go down again and change into casual clothes before coming back. Then he turned around and asked Zhong Jinwei: "Uncle Zhongxing, can you ride a horse?"
Zhong Jinwei was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I haven't ridden one before."
It is more than half way around the Forbidden City from Dingfu Street, so there is no way to do it without transportation. When Wang Chengen heard that Zhong Jinwei said he couldn't ride a horse, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. If he didn't ride a horse, he would be dead. There are no cars here, what should he do?