RPAGF Chapter 853 Thousands of Lights
Chapter 853 Thousands of Lights
Concubine Shu and the Minister of Rites impeached Cheng Mingwei for "being a hen who crows at dawn and interferes in government affairs". In the court, conservative ministers echoed and demanded that she be severely punished. Zhu Yijun rejected all objections and threw the impeachment memorial to the ground: "What Cheng Siji said was all for the sake of the country. If this is also a crime, then how many civil and military officials in the court are innocent?" After this incident, Cheng Mingwei knew that she was in danger. She began to secretly collect evidence of Concubine Shu's collusion with relatives and plotting against the law, and at the same time persuaded Zhu Yijun to strengthen his control over the East Factory and the Jinyiwei. At this time, she accidentally discovered that the notebook recording the life experience of the empress dowager was inextricably linked to Concubine Shu. It turned out that Concubine Shu was a survivor of the palace fight that year. Her biological mother was the empress dowager's personal maid, who was killed because she knew the empress dowager's secret. Concubine Shu endured humiliation for many years just to reveal the truth one day and overthrow the empress dowager. Cheng Mingwei was caught in a dilemma: if she told the emperor about this, it would cause a stir in the palace; but if she concealed it, once Concubine Shu gained power, the consequences would be disastrous. On a rainy night, Concubine Shu sent someone to deliver a secret letter, threatening that if she did not cooperate, she would be accused of tampering with the classics. Cheng Mingwei looked at the handwriting on the letter and sneered - she had long expected that Concubine Shu would be desperate. She put the secret letter away and asked to see Zhu Yijun overnight. "Your Majesty, there are some things I have to say." Cheng Mingwei revealed the conspiracy of Concubine Shu and presented the notebook at the same time. "Although the Queen Mother's life experience is hidden, she has assisted Your Majesty wholeheartedly over the years and has done nothing wrong. Concubine Shu is trying to overthrow the court for her own selfish desires, and her heart is worthy of death." Zhu Yijun's face was as gloomy as water. He clenched the memorial in his hand, and his knuckles turned white: "I didn't know that there was such a poisonous snake hiding around me." He looked at Cheng Mingwei, with gratitude and a trace of imperceptible emotions in his eyes, "If it weren't for you, I would have almost made a big mistake." Three days later, Concubine Shu and her followers were caught in one fell swoop. After the Queen Mother learned the truth, she took the initiative to retire to the Cining Palace and no longer asked about the government. And Cheng Mingwei, because of her meritorious service in protecting the emperor, was exceptionally named Shang Gong, becoming the first female official in the history of the Ming Dynasty to participate in government affairs. As her power grew, Cheng Mingwei's road to reform became more and more difficult. She promoted the reform of the imperial examination system, allowing women to take the exam; rectified the administration of officials and severely punished corruption; and set up a women's school to train a group of knowledgeable women. These measures were strongly opposed by the conservatives, and some people even secretly assassinated her. Zhu Yijun always stood behind her. One day, he held a banquet in the imperial garden, with only the two of them. "Thank you for your hard work over the years." The emperor poured wine for her with a gentle look, "If it weren't for you, my new policy would be difficult to implement." Cheng Mingwei bowed her head: "Your Majesty has the world in mind, and I am just doing my best." Zhu Yijun suddenly held her hand: "Mingwei, do you know what I mean? If I can marry you as the queen..." Cheng Mingwei hurriedly pulled back her hand, knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I am just a female official, how dare I dream. Moreover, I am willing to continue to assist Your Majesty with this official position to achieve the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty." Zhu Yijun sighed, his eyes full of regret. But he respected Cheng Mingwei's choice, and the two were still monarchs and ministers, and confidants. With their joint efforts, the Ming Dynasty ushered in a brief revival, known in history as the "Wanli New Deal". Many years later, Cheng Mingwei wrote a book to record her ideas on governing the country and her reform experience. On the title page of the book, she wrote this sentence: "Women are not inferior to men. As long as they care about the world, where is not the court?" And her story has also been widely circulated among the people, inspiring countless women to bravely pursue their ideals. Whenever it was late at night, Cheng Mingwei stood on the palace wall, looking at the lights of thousands of homes in the capital, and always thought of the early morning when she first arrived. Fate brought her to this era, not to let her be a bystander, but to make her a person who changed history. And she did it.
Lin Xiaoman was awakened by the cold. When she opened her eyes, she saw a few rays of morning light leaking through the leaky thatched roof. The straw mat under her was hard and damp, and she was covered with a thin quilt with patches on top of patches. She sat up suddenly, but her head hit the low beam with a "bang", and the pain made her tears burst out. "Xiaoman, you are finally awake!" A thin woman opened the door curtain and rushed in, holding her arm tightly with her calloused hands, "You have been unconscious for three days, but I was scared to death!" Lin Xiaoman looked at the haggard and gray-haired woman in front of her, and memories came like a tide. She was originally a modern agricultural technician. When she went to the countryside to guide planting, she encountered a landslide. When she opened her eyes again, she became the daughter of the Lin family in Qingshui Village of the Great Zhou Dynasty. The original owner's father died early, and her mother Zhang raised her and her younger brother Lin Xiaobao alone. The family was poor and owed a debt of five taels of silver to the village rich man Wang. Now it is time to pay it back. "Mom, I'm fine." Lin Xiaoman patted Zhang's hand in a soothing manner, but she was thinking about how to change the current situation. She looked around and saw that the house was bare, with a few shriveled sweet potatoes piled in the corner, which was the only food for the whole family. Just as she was thinking, there was a noise outside the door. "Lin Zhang, it is only natural to pay back debts!" A man with a pointed face and monkey cheeks came in with a few strong men. He was Wang Er, the housekeeper of the rich man Wang. "If you don't pay back the money today, I will sell your daughter to a brothel in the city!" Zhang fell to her knees and cried, begging, "Housekeeper Wang, please give us some more time. We really can't afford the money!" Seeing this, Lin Xiaoman quickly helped her mother up and looked at Wang Er with a firm look in her eyes, "Housekeeper Wang, give me half a month, and I will definitely pay back the money." Wang Er looked her up and down, and sneered, "You? A little girl, what can you pay back?" Lin Xiaoman said calmly, "I have my own way. If you can't pay it back in half a month, I will let you deal with it." Wang Er thought about it, and since their family couldn't run away anyway, he left with his men. After the others left, Lin Xiaoman began to wander around the village. She found that the land in Qingshui Village was barren, and the villagers only knew how to grow coarse grains, with extremely low yields. But there is a piece of wasteland behind the village. Although the soil quality is poor, there is a stream flowing through it. As long as it is well cultivated, good crops will be grown. Lin Xiaoman and her younger brother Xiaobao started to reclaim the wasteland right away. She used modern planting knowledge to deep plow the land, dug ditches, and diverted stream water for irrigation. Zhang looked at her daughter busying around, feeling distressed and worried: "Xiaoman, can anything be grown on this wasteland?" Lin Xiaoman smiled and said, "Mom, you just wait and see." She exchanged some wild rabbit manure from the hunters in the village and made it into farmyard manure, and used wood ash to improve the soil. Under her careful care, the wasteland soon became soft and fertile. Then, she took out the wild rice seeds collected from the mountain and began to try to grow rice. Half a month passed quickly, and Wang Er came with people again. "