On 26 June, Fang Congzhe, the first assistant of the cabinet, and Wu Daonan, the second assistant, together with He Zongyan, the right attendant of the Ministry of Rites, Qian Longxi, the young Zhan of the James' Mansion, Guo Shu, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, Li En, the eunuch of the celebrant and the eunuch of the East Palace, and Zhong Benhua, a total of eight people, discussed the date for the prince to give lectures and the candidates for the lecturer in the cabinet room. The previous prince had already presented himself to the emperor, and the emperor allowed the eldest grandson of the emperor to leave the cabinet with the prince, and the two elders and the adults also selected a few teachers for the eldest grandson when they discussed the selection of speakers for the prince. ”

Fang Congzhe nodded and said: "Very good, it is not too late for the emperor's eldest grandson to enlighten at this time, and it is thirteen years since the East Palace first came out of the pavilion to give a lecture. He also said: "The lecturer has always been selected by the Zhan Mansion and the Hanlin Academy to serve as a person with profound knowledge and noble conduct, and this time is of course no exception, four crown prince lecturers, three emperor grandson lecturers, Qian Shaozhan Shi and Guo Bachelor, the two of you are going to serve as lecturers, and you have to recommend five more people to come up." ”

Qian Longxi recommended Zuo Chunfang's left concubine Sun Chengzong, Right Chunfang's right concubine Cheng Jiming, Zuo Chunfang's Zuo Zanshan Xu Guangqi, and Guo Shu recommended Zhou Yanru, a waiter in the Hanlin Academy, and Zhang Yuan - Fang Congzhe heard the word "Zhang Yuan", his sword eyebrows frowned slightly, and said: "Zhang Yuan is only nineteen years old this year, and he has been in the Hanlin Academy for less than three months. ”

Previously, Wang An and Zhong Benhua had visited Guo Shu, who was in charge of the Hanlin Academy, and asked Guo Shu to recommend Zhang Yuan when he elected the emperor's eldest grandson, and said that this was the meaning of the prince, Guo Shu was a good man, so he naturally agreed, and Guo Shu did feel that Zhang Yuan had good character and knowledge, so he recommended Zhang Yuan and Zhou Yanru together. Of course, it is not appropriate to be the prince's speaker, and the qualifications are not enough, but it is appropriate to be a lecturer for the emperor's eldest grandson, the emperor's eldest grandson's surname is lively and active, and he is good at asking questions, and he must have an energetic and quick-witted word forest official to serve as the emperor's grandson's speaker, Zhou and Zhang are both born in the first class, and the two champions are the first to be the emperor's grandson, which is a good story, which is very beneficial to the emperor's grandson early to be canonized. ”

In recent years, the ministers of the foreign court have also asked for the canonization of Zhu Youxiao as the emperor's grandson several times, but the Wanli Emperor should not, as soon as the emperor's grandson is established, the prince's foundation will be completely stabilized - Wu Daonan said: "Zhou Shi is longer than the "Shangshu", Zhang Yuan is longer than the "Spring and Autumn Period", which is what the emperor's eldest grandson must learn. ”

Fang Congzhe thought to himself: "Zhang Yuan is the speaker of the emperor's eldest grandson, it is to prepare for the emperor's eldest grandson to ascend the throne and he can enter the cabinet smoothly, the crown prince is only thirty-five years old this year, Emperor Wanli's energy is acceptable, and it will be the turn of the emperor's eldest grandson to ascend the throne It may be twenty years later, not to mention that he is a lecturer in the East Palace, none of the four lecturers of the crown prince are now in the court, Jiao Hong is lecturing in Nanjing, Liu Yuening has died, Guo Zhengyu was imprisoned for the demon book case, although he was released, he was dismissed from office, and he ended up depressed, Dong Qichang is even more miserable, To this day, he is still recuperating in the prison of the Criminal Department, half dead. "Since Wu Daonan and the eunuchs of the East Palace insisted, he Congzhe would not be this wicked person, and would no longer oppose Zhang Yuan in person as the emperor's eldest grandson.

So it was agreed that the crown prince would have four speakers, namely Qian Longxi, Guo Shu, Cheng Jiming and Xu Guangqi - the three officials of the emperor's eldest grandson, namely Sun Chengzong, Zhou Yanru and Zhang Yuan - the crown prince and the emperor's grandson out of the pavilion will give lectures scheduled to begin in early July, and then the lectures will be read for two days and one day, and the Ministry of Rites, the celebrant supervisor, Honglu Temple, and Guanglu Temple will prepare the relevant etiquette and utensils for the lecture in the East Palace.

The celebrant submitted the list of seven East Palace speakers, and Emperor Wanli quickly approved it, and Zhang Yuan became the youngest East Palace speaker in the Ming Dynasty.

…… Before noon on 29 June, Zhang Yuan, Wen Zhenmeng, Zhang Dai, Ni Yuanlu, Hong Chengchou, Ruan Dacheng, Shang Zhouzuo, Qi Chengjiao, Qi Biaojia and his son, as well as a group of Zhang Lianfang's friends in Beijing, all went to the Datongqiao Wharf outside Chongwenmen to see off Zhang Lianfang, Huang Zunsu, Xu Guanji, Xia Qichang, and Sun Jike. Sun Jike was awarded the magistrate of Zhen'an County, Shangzhou, Xi'an Prefecture, and these five people left Beijing to take up their posts, while Hong Chengchou was left in the Criminal Department to continue to observe the government, which is very likely to serve in the Criminal Department, Ruan Dacheng was awarded the pedestrian department, although he was an eight-grade official, but he was more promising than Huang Zunsu and Zhang Lianfang, who were sixth-grade and seventh-grade magistrates, so that six of the ten members of the Han Society of Shi Brown stayed in Beijing, and four of them were let go, and Huang Zunsu and Xia Qichang served in one in Yangzhou and one in Jiangxi, which was considered a good place, and Xu Guanji and Sun Jike were a little depressed, the poor land in Shaanxi Province made them choose, Zhang Yuan comforted: "Brother Xu and Brother Sun can finally put what they have learned in life into practice, and the poor and bitter land on the border is feasible to benefit the government and benefit the people——"

Zhang Dai interjected on the side: "Two virtuous brothers, don't forget to plant sweet potatoes, corn and potatoes." ”

Everyone laughed, and these days they often gather to give lectures, and Zhang Yuan talked about the glacier the most, and fighting drought and disaster relief, building water conservancy, and planting sweet potatoes, corn, and potatoes have simply become Zhang Yuan's mantra.

Xu Guanji and Sun Jike both smiled: "Don't dare to forget, don't dare to forget." ”

Zhang Yuan smiled and said: "Sweet potatoes, potatoes and corn are the life-saving rations of the year of the famine, the people do not like to plant in ordinary years, because it is unprofitable, the two virtuous brothers are not in a hurry to promote after they take office, they can first try to plant in the mountainous wasteland, and then encourage the people to plant in the barren land, step by step, gradually expand the planting, and I heard that there are a lot of tobacco grown in Shaanxi, tobacco is not very beneficial, although it cannot be banned, but it must be restricted." ”

Zhang Yuan's prestige in the Han Society can no one question it, Xu Guanji and Sun Jike don't think that Zhang Yuan said that these are acting on behalf of the people, so they nodded and said: "Brother Jie Zi is right, since the two of us have arrived in that place, we must make some achievements and prepare for famine and disaster relief first." ”

Zhang Yuan said: "My colleagues from the Han Society, although the sky is different from each other in the future, don't cut off the news, it is good to have frequent correspondence." ”

Under the shade of the willows on the side of the Chase Bridge, Zhang Lianfang and his group of gimmicks friends indulged in laughter and laughter for a long farewell.

…… On the first day of the seventh month, Zhang Yuan bathed and changed clothes in the morning, rushed to the Hanlin Academy at the beginning of the hour, and entered the noon gate together with Guo Shu, a bachelor, and Zhou Yanru, a waiter, and saw the four lecturers of the James Mansion in the Huiji Gate: Qian Longxi, Shao Zhan, Sun Chengzong, Zuo Shu, Cheng Jiming, and Xu Guangqi, Xu Guangqi, Xu Guangqi, smiled at Zhang Yuan, signaled with his eyes, and did not talk, and the seven lecturers followed Fang Congzhe and Wu Daonan to the Wenhua Palace, and the East Palace was

Zhang Yuan walked behind Sun Chengzong, looking at the vigorous back of the old man in his fifties, his heart was full of respect, he had seen Sun Chengzong a few times before, but he had not talked, a few days ago he learned that Sun Chengzong and he and Zhou Yanru together as the emperor's eldest grandson's speaker, Zhang Yuan was very happy, to be able to get along with Sun Chengzong more, asking for advice is something he can't ask for, although Sun Chengzong is a scholar, but in the early years as a staff member of the Datong governor's house, he traveled under the sword, visited the border city and the lonely fort, married heroes, and made friends with the old soldiers, so he is familiar with the situation and knows the side affairs, This is the experience and experience that Zhang Yuan does not have, and must learn with an open mind - enter from the Wenhua Gate, walk through a Yongdao, come to a large hall on the top of the Yellow Glazed Tile Mountain, the main hall is five rooms wide, three rooms deep, open twelve rhombic flower maulder doors, the east and west side halls are the Benren Hall and the Jiyi Palace, the apse is the main worship hall, the halls are connected by corridors, out of the back door of the Wenhua Palace, only more than 100 steps away from the gate of Ciqing Palace.

This is not the first time that the crown prince has come out of the cabinet to give lectures, so the specifications are not very grand, but because it is the first time for the emperor's eldest grandson to study, so the Ministry of Rites and Honglu Temple have also prepared the corresponding etiquette praise, seven lecturers in the side hall to change into a big red robe, the speaker regardless of the grade, all wear a big red robe, of course, this big red robe is only worn when entering the lecture - Honglu Temple Qing presided over the ceremony, after singing, by the East Palace eunuch Zhong Benhua led Sun Chengzong, Zhou Yanru, Zhang Yuan three people to the apse of the main hall, the crown prince lectured in the Wenhua Palace, the emperor eldest Sun lectured in the main hall.

The celebrant prepared two sets of four books of scriptures and histories, one set on the emperor's eldest grandson's side, and another set in front of the official case, the emperor's eldest grandson Zhu Youxiao wore a round hat and a green coat, and there was a young chamberlain to accompany the reading, Zhang Yuan recognized this young chamberlain, it was Eunuch Zhong's sixteen-year-old godson Gao Qiqian this year, Zhang Yuan nodded secretly, and said in his heart: "Yes, it is best to let Xiao Gao be the companion of the emperor's eldest grandson, and Gonggong Zhong has begun to go on the road." ”

Because the emperor's eldest grandson was not canonized, the speakers did not have to make a big salute, just bowed, but the emperor's eldest grandson wanted to bow to the three speakers, Sun Chengzong hurriedly asked Eunuch Zhong to help the emperor and grandson up, and those who entered and listened to the lecture sat down, and put a lecture in front of him - Sun Chengzong asked Zhu Youxiao: "What book did Your Highness read before?" ”

Zhu Youxiao's mouth moved, he couldn't answer, he turned his head to look at Zhong Benhua, Zhong Benhua was about to answer on behalf of Zhu Youxiao, Sun Chengzong waved his hand and said, "Let His Royal Highness the Emperor Sun answer by himself." ”

Zhu Youxiao sat there upright, so nervous that he kept swallowing his saliva, his face turned red, and he held back a sentence for a while: "The thousand-character text read 'Jingxing Weixian'." ”

Ordinary children are enlightened, first read the "Three Character Classic", then the "Hundred Family Names", then the "Thousand Character Text", and then learn the four books, even if the children of the eunuchs with mediocre qualifications should have finished reading the "Thousand Character Text" before the age of ten, and prodigies like Qi Biaojia and Zhang Dai have read all the four books and five classics at the age of ten, Zhu Youxiao is twelve years old this year, and the "Thousand Character Text" has not been read, which makes the eunuch Zhong who is standing on the side feel very embarrassed.

(To be continued)