But it is said that winter is getting deeper, time has entered December, and the New Year is gradually approaching.
Emperor Daojun went to the Zichen Hall early that morning. The ministers had finished praying, and the civil and military ministers stood in two groups.
Emperor Daojun seemed to be in a good mood. Before the official on duty could sing the order, he said in person: "Everyone loves you. If you have anything to do, come and start the performance. If you have nothing to do, roll up the curtain and leave the court."
The civil and military ministers looked at each other, but no one said anything. At this time, the Grand Prime Minister, Zuo Xiang Wang Fu, stepped out of the office and said: "I'm going to tell you, Your Majesty is very happy!"
Emperor Daojun stroked his beard and said, "Wang Aiqing, where does your happiness come from?"
Wang Fuli said: "The officials are very happy that a tripod has been unearthed in Suzhou recently. It was a weapon used to control the country in the last three generations."
Emperor Daojun wondered: "Is this happening? What exactly is this tripod?"
Wang Fu said: "Reporting to the officials, it is said that this cauldron was forged by the gods using Nuwa's stone-refining fire. There were nine cauldrons in total, and they were passed down for three generations. Later, Zhou lost the world and the cauldron disappeared. Now it is a great auspicious sign in this world."
Emperor Daojun said happily: "I have heard for a long time that during the time of Yu, there was a god who made a nine tripod and handed it down to the world. I have never seen it in person. Wang Aiqing, where is the tripod now? You can send someone to transport it."
Wang Fu said: "Guan family, this tripod was discovered by Zhu Meng who was promoted by the Suzhou Fengfeng Bureau. It has been transported to Beijing and is now outside the palace."
Emperor Daojun said: "Well, Zhu Aiqing is indeed a loyal minister. He will bring it to the palace immediately. I want to share the reward with all the ministers."
Wang Fu received the order, and then asked the general who stood in the palace to command the warriors of the imperial army to carry a large cauldron into the palace.
Emperor Daojun came down from his throne to take a look. He saw a huge tripod, standing on three legs, with two ears spread out. It was decorated with gold and jade. The insect and fish seal scripts cast on it were profound, ancient and wonderful in grammar. As for Li Si's small seal script, no one in the court could recognize it.
Emperor Daojun was immediately overjoyed and immediately sent an edict: "Hurry up and enshrine the tripod in the Mingtang. Later, we will build a separate hall to place it. When we can get the remaining eight, we will perform a grand ceremony and congratulate the whole world."
All the ministers expressed their congratulations, saying that this was a sign of prosperity and that the dynasty would be prosperous.
Emperor Daojun said again: "Publish my decree, Zhu Aiqing has made great achievements in presenting the cauldron, and he will be granted the title of Military Envoy of Weiyuan Army!"
Later, the decree was sent to Yanfu Palace to hold a banquet to celebrate. Emperor Daojun took a leisurely chariot and sent people to invite Empress Zheng to ride on a dragon shoulder carriage. Four or five hundred ministers, ministers, and palace maidens stayed in front of the palace under the protection of the guards. After leaving the Xuanhe Gate of Houyuan, the monarch and his ministers slowly entered Yanfu Palace.
I saw countless pavilions and pavilions in the palace garden, all with carved beams and paintings, surrounded by long corridors, extremely luxurious and beautiful. Even though it was the depth of winter, in the garden, there were beasts and birds singing, and cold plum blossoms blooming.
When the Yanfu Palace was first built, Cai Jing ordered Tong Guan, Yang Jian, Jia Xiang, Lan Congxi, He Yi and others to serve as palace envoys. The pavilions and pavilions built were decorated with landscapes and plants. The attack required tens of thousands of laborers and craftsmen, and consumed countless amounts of money.
The celebration banquet was held in the Yanchun Pavilion. This Yanchun Pavilion is so majestic and rare in the world, it is twelve feet wide and one hundred and ten feet high. There are four stages around the pavilion. A pool dug in front of the pavilion is the sea, and the rocks in the sea are built into the mountain. The building is built on the mountain. There are two pavilions, Feihua and Hengdu, and a winding cloister bridge across the sea for people to enjoy.
Emperor Daojun and his ministers went into the pavilion to have a banquet, congratulating each other on the joy of winning the tripod. The chief music officer Zhao Yu ordered to play the joy of happiness, and the four singing girls stretched their sleeves and danced in red and green colors like butterflies piercing flowers.
The banquet lasted for two or three hours, and then Emperor Daojun led his ministers to visit Gen Mountain. Looking from a distance, they saw the verdant green pavilions on Wansui Peak. The remaining snow on the mountain was half melted, and the spots were like silver flowers paving the ground. The palaces and pavilions The crystal silver pillars hanging upside down under the cornices are really beautiful.
The Emperor Daojun drove into the flower garden, stopped the chariot with the message, and then, drunk, pointed at a withered plum on the roadside and asked casually: "What is the name of this flower?"
A young eunuch beside him responded: "Guan family, this is Basho!"
Emperor Daojun was slightly stunned, thinking and speechless.
After looking at it for a while, he pointed to a dead cypress and asked, "What's the name of this tree?"
The accompanying young eunuch answered again: "The official family, this is Basho!"
Weizong frowned, feeling unhappy in his heart.
After turning around the garden, Huizong pointed to a bunch of dead trees and asked, "Who knows these flowers?"
None of the officials on the left and right could recognize it, so the young eunuch had no choice but to bite the bullet and say: "Official family, this flower is also a banana!"
After hearing this, Emperor Daojun became furious and shouted: "The dead flowers and trees are all different, why are they all bananas? Do you dare to bully me?"
The young eunuch was so frightened that he trembled all over and hurriedly knelt down under the chariot to plead guilty: "I deserve to be punished. I really don't know the names of flowers and trees. I often heard people say that the leaves of bananas are burnt, so I mistakenly thought they were bananas. I hope the official family Be merciful and spare the death penalty for this humble slave."
Emperor Daojun didn't even look at the young eunuch and shouted: "Send the supervisor to come!"
After a while, the garden supervisor came to the chariot and knelt down and kowtowed. The Emperor Daojun asked carefully about the dead flowers and dead trees he saw, and the supervisor explained everything carefully.
Emperor Daojun snorted coldly: "Why are these flowers and trees withered and dead?"
The garden supervisor replied: "To tell the official story, these flowers and trees were transplanted from Zhejiang and Guangxi. They were transported all the way across rivers and seas. They traveled thousands of miles and experienced many winds, suns, rains and snows. By the time it was transported to the capital, more than half of the water in the branches and leaves had been lost, so they withered and died soon after planting."
Emperor Daojun asked again: "From what you see, is there any way to make flowers and trees not withered, evergreen all year round, and fragrant all the time?"
"Go back to the official's house." The garden supervisor said: "If you want the flowers to be fragrant all year round and stay green, you must transplant them with native soil. That is to dig out the original soil balls of flowers and trees. However, this requires more effort and money."
After hearing this, Emperor Daojun smiled slightly and said: "I am rich all over the world. What can't I do? What can't be done? What's the waste of money and effort to measure this grass and tree? Tell me and listen."
The garden supervisor said: "In previous years, when flowers and trees were transported by water, in order to facilitate loading and transportation, most of the soil on the roots was shaken off, and a few or ten plants were shipped in bundles. This damaged the branches, leaves and roots, consumed the juice, and made them easy to die. According to the report, According to my experience, when transporting flowers and trees, you must dig out the soil from the roots of the flowers and trees without damaging their large roots. Gently move the soil disk with the soil into the basket or vat, and then spray the branches, leaves, and roots with water to moisten them. Do not let them dry. Dry them so that the flowers and trees will grow as if they were growing on the original nursery ground. After loading them onto the ship, draw wind-proof curtains around them and build a pergola. If this method is used to transport the flowers and trees to the capital, although I dare not package the plants or work, I dare to ensure that everything is done. One plant can live ninety-nine.”
Huizong thought for a while and said: "This method is the best."
Zhu Meng was immediately issued an edict that from now on the flowers and trees should be transported by soil and water, and they should be replaced frequently at all times, regardless of cost or manpower, and no one should be allowed to wither.
After issuing the decree, Emperor Daojun was about to drive forward when a person emerged from the crowd of officials, it was Honglu Shaoqing Deng Su.
Deng Su came forward, lifted his clothes and knelt down, saying: "In the official family, I recently heard that Zhu Meng and others used the imperial tribute as a pretext. In private gardens and pavilions, in common people's homes, and even among tombs, there are flowers and trees. If the objects were strange, they would seal them with yellow paper or yellow handkerchiefs, indicating that they were royal objects. Officials and soldiers would go straight into their homes to force them to rob them, or they would dig up people's graves or ancestral graves. There was a commotion in the southeast. Some even demolished walls and houses in order to get something, leaving people in the southeast homeless and deprived of their livelihood.
Emperor Daojun's face darkened upon hearing this, he looked at Deng Su and said, "What do you mean?"
Deng Su said: "Officials, I think..."
Before he finished speaking, Wang Fu was heard saying from the side: "Deng Suzhen is so bold, he actually dares to falsely accuse Zhongliang!"
Emperor Daojun sneered: "Are you talking about me?"
Deng Su said hurriedly: "I don't dare, it's just that Zhu Meng used the name of Huashi to carry out..."
Emperor Daojun interrupted him and said to the sidelines: "Take this madman down, strip him of his court clothes, and imprison him in Tai Prison!"
The squads on both sides immediately came up and pulled Deng Su off, and then continued to visit the garden, but Emperor Daojun frowned and was in a very bad mood...
Let's talk about Suzhou. One of the things that people in Suzhou do every day is to talk about Zhu Meng's scandal in private.
Since Zhu Meng took charge of Yingfeng Bureau, he has been extravagant and lustful, and has three extremely cruel hobbies.
There was a popular game in the mansions of dignitaries of this dynasty, in which the beauties and maids were asked to strip naked and compete in naked sumo wrestling.
The owner watches from the side, and the winner is given a reward, either a silver ingot or silk, and sometimes even a gold ingot or gold and jade jewelry.
Sima Guang once strongly criticized this despicable game, and this corrupt trend was restrained.
However, this kind of game was often held in Zhu Meng's house, and Zhu Meng was fascinated by it. He often watched it with relish. Sometimes when a fire broke out, he would even call a good-looking woman into the room.
The second hobby is that there is a large bathing pool with an area of one and a half acres built in Zhu's mansion. He fills it with clean water every day in summer and warm water every day in winter. Dozens of his concubines go down to accompany him to bathe and play in the water. When the mood comes, they will Act in water.
The third hobby is that there are several tiger cages in Zhu's mansion, which contain eight giant insects. Any enemies caught will be put into the cages to be bitten by the giant insects. Disobedient concubines, maids, and slaves are also thrown into the tiger cages.
Zhu Meng liked to see the big insects tearing people apart piece by piece. When he saw people in the tiger cage making miserable screams of despair, and when he saw them being torn apart piece by piece by the big insects and rolling around in the cage in pain, he would go crazy with excitement and make cat-like meows. Voice.
On this day, a disobedient maid had just been executed in the tiger cage. Suddenly someone came from outside to report that an imperial edict had arrived in the capital.
Zhu Meng hurriedly went to receive the order. It turned out that the officials saw that he had done a good job in presenting the tripod and named him the military governor of the Weiyuan Army. They couldn't help but feel overjoyed.
He paid the eunuch who passed the order with money, and with a roll of his eyes, he asked someone to pass on the news. In less than half a day, everyone in Suzhou knew that he had been promoted to a higher rank again!
(End of chapter)
