Dao Chi followed Wang Qi to the teahouse. Although he was an elder in the clan, it was the first time he met Wang Qingjiang.
Wang Qingjiang was sizing up Dao Chi, and Dao Chi was also sizing up the leader of the Wang family's officialdom.
If the Wang clan in Anlu City is headed by their grandson Wang Zhen, then the leader of the Wang clan in the officialdom is Wang Qingjiang, the Minister of Justice.
He was a young scholar. He was promoted to the second-level Jinshi before he was even a weak official. He became the third-level minister in his early forties. It has been five years since he has been serving as Minister. If nothing unexpected happens, he will be promoted to Minister before he knows his destiny.
Among those who are sixty years old, he is still in his prime at the age of forty and has a promising future.
Wang Qingjiang has a standard Chinese character face, a short beard, and he is a very upright man. However, I don’t know if it is because he is a court official in the Ministry of Justice. His demeanor is different from Wang Qinghong’s elegance. He has a somewhat calm and powerful aura, and his eyes are bright. There is God.
Wang Qi originally had a free-spirited temperament, but as soon as she entered the private room, she behaved in a well-behaved manner. She seemed to be quite in awe of this second uncle.
Anyone else would probably be trembling under Wang Qingjiang's gaze. The Taoist idiot responded calmly and did not shrink back. Not to mention a third-grade minister, even a super-grade duke spoke to him in a gentle manner these days. Well, although there is a suspicion that he is pretending to be a tiger, but to be honest, he has nothing to ask for from the two clansmen of the Wang family, so he naturally treats them calmly.
In Wang Qingjiang's eyes, he was an extraordinary man and a teachable child.
After greeting Wang Qingjiang with courtesy, Dao Chi took the initiative to greet his clan brother Wang Xuan with courtesy.
When King Xing died, Wang Xuan went to Anlu as an envoy, and Dao Chi met him twice. Shun Niang's family letters also mentioned that this clan brother had taken good care of Shun Niang and his wife in Beijing in the past two years. Regardless of whether he obeyed Wang Zhen's instructions or not, this human sentiment was kept in his heart.
Wang Xuan looked at Dao Chi with a warm face and then at Wang Qi, feeling regretful in her heart.
So what if Wang Qi is the brother-in-law of the successor emperor, the princess' guest of honor cannot serve as an official, and can only be a wealthy idler; on the contrary, Dao Chi, a younger brother from a small clan, was born in a small family, and was selected as the attendant of the successor emperor, with a limitless future.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but complain a little to his cousin Wang Qinghong. What a good boy to do when he was born. He was obviously a cousin who had not yet graduated from the fifth service. Now he has become a member of the Wufu clan, and his status is much further away.
Even if Wang Qingjiang wanted to inquire about the successor emperor, it was not easy to ask him directly. He would have to exchange a few pleasantries and talk about family matters.
Wang Qingjiang couldn't help but be moved when he heard that the Taoist idiot was going to the Imperial Academy and that the Wang Ning family would also come to Beijing this autumn.
Of course, he would not know that these were all the arrangements made by Dao Chi, a half-year-old boy. He only thought that this nephew was really loved by the emperor as the news said. Not only did he move to Beijing from Long, but he also received the grace to move his family to another place. Beijing.
For him, the Wang family and the emperor were related by marriage, they had local feelings, and their nephew was valued by the emperor. This was the most important news. As for whether he could meet the successor emperor in advance, it wasn't that important.
After all, after more than 20 years in officialdom, I have learned that "too much is not enough". Nowadays, the bigwigs from the capital are gathering in Liangxiang. If the successor emperor does not see anyone else and only summons him, it will be like "a tree is showing off in the forest".
This street is the closest to Guanyi Street, and many bigwigs from Beijing are waiting for news from Guanyi in the teahouse and inn.
Wang Qi brought Dao Chi here, but he couldn't hide it from anyone. Even if no one knows their identities for a while, there is no guarantee that someone will come to join in the fun.
Therefore, after Wang Qingjiang met his two nephews, he did not stay as a guest. He just made an appointment with the Taoist Chi to follow Wang Qi to the residence of the Vice Minister after the emperor comes to Beijing tomorrow.
Dao Chi didn't want to trouble others, but at this time he kept a distance from the minister's house, and he didn't know what to say when he fell into the eyes of others. After all, in the eyes of the world, apart from family members, it is the clan members who are the closest to them.
After coming out of the teahouse, Wang Qi followed Dao Chi back to the inn. The rooms in the inn were all booked early, so Wang Qi stayed in Dao Chi's room, planning to squeeze the two brothers into one room.
Before dinner, Lu Bing woke up and came over. He was very happy to see Wang Qi.
The three of them had dinner together, and thinking about going to Beijing tomorrow, they went to Guanyi again.
Even though the posthouse was full of people and there were several guards outside, it was solemn and silent inside and outside.
The three of them couldn't help but slow down. They handed over their Wangfu waist badges and checked their identities before entering the hotel.
As soon as they entered the hotel, they saw Gao Kang coming out of the main courtyard. When he saw the three people, he said happily: "Your Highness was sending your servant to summon the three young masters, and by chance the three young masters arrived."
Wang Qi said: "Is there something wrong, Your Highness?"
Gao Kang hesitated and said: "Just now, an official from the Ministry of Rites came to deliver a 'ceremonial certificate'."
"Huh?" The Taoist idiot was surprised: "When His Highness first arrived at the post, didn't an official from the Ministry of Rites present a 'ceremonial form'?"
When a subsequent emperor enters the palace, there must be a set of procedures. This is the content of the "ceremony form", which is drawn up by the officials of the Ministry of Rites and the cabinet bachelor. Whatever gate you pass through, what palace you enter to change clothes, etc., must follow the "etiquette form" Content is carried out.
Although Dao Chi was no longer with the prince after entering the hotel, he still knew about it.
The few people in front of him were all close to the prince, so Gao Kang whispered: "It seems that His Highness is not satisfied. Lord Yuan will come forward to negotiate with the officials of the Ministry of Rites. The content of the 'ceremonial certificate' this afternoon is not enough. This time it is... New 'ceremony'."
When Dao Chi heard this, he couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Even if the crown prince wants to be stubborn, there will be variables if he does not ascend the throne at this time.
While he was talking, everyone had already arrived in front of the prince's courtyard. There are guard handles in front of the door. When you get here, you don't need to check the palace badge. Only the prince is summoned to enter.
Gao Kang bowed and said, "You three young masters, please wait a moment while I allow my servants to come in and report."
The three of them were speechless.
Gao Kang went into the courtyard to report, but the young man turned around and invited the three people in.
In the prince's room, in addition to the prince, three important members of the royal family were present, namely Yuan Zonggao, the chief official of the royal palace, Si Zheng, Lu Song, the master of ceremonies of the royal palace, and Zhang Zuo, the chief official of the royal palace, Cheng Fengzheng.
Compared with these three important ministers of the palace, Wang Qi and the other three seemed to have little weight.
However, Dao Chi and Lu Bing were still in trouble, but Wang Qi was the future brother-in-law of the prince, and could be regarded as half the owner of the palace, so the three of them stood up to meet each other.
Wang Qi was a little embarrassed. Even if he would marry into the palace, these three are important ministers of the palace. They also followed the prince to the capital, so they would definitely be ranked as ministers. He was also very polite and did not dare to show any disrespect.
The prince's face was a little gloomy, but when he saw Wang Qi's restraint, he smiled and said: "Qi Lang, you have only been out for a month, why are you so polite? There is no one else, who will pick on your behavior."
Although the prince is still as gentle as ever, Wang Qi thought that he was about to be ranked ninth, and he still responded with respect: "The etiquette cannot be discarded. After all, it is not as good as being outside in the palace, with so many pairs of eyes watching, it is hard to get out." It’s wrong, it’s a joke.”
The prince was thoughtful and said to Yuan Bengao and others: "It's rare for those officials to come from the capital. As soon as they ask for a meeting, they meet each other and save their words. It's just that they have been alone in the vassal territory for a long time and are not familiar with the officials in the capital. There is no need to keep secrets." See you. You are summoning me on behalf of me, so we can meet together."
Yuan Zonggao and others hurriedly bowed in agreement and went out to summon the officials who came to see him.
There were only a few small ones left in the room, and the atmosphere was much more relaxed.
The prince ordered the three of them to sit down, and then asked Wang Qi with a faint smile: "Do the people in the capital pay too much attention to etiquette? If there are any mistakes in etiquette, will it also become a laughing stock?"
Hearing this, Wang Qi shook his head and said: "Your Highness is overly concerned. Your Highness's etiquette rules are from elementary school, how can there be any difference? Besides, Your Highness is the 95th Honorable One, and officials and the people only have respect for His Highness. Who dares to take the risk of disapproval and talk about it? Emperor?"
Dao Chi smiled, picked up the folded book at hand, handed it to Wang Qi and said, "Qi Lang, take a look?"
Wang Qi took it and saw Dao Chi and Lu Bing looking over, so he started to read: "Take a break at Zhengyang Gate, enter from Donghua Gate and enter Wenhua Hall to wait..."
This is the "ceremony form". In addition to arranging the procedures for entering the palace, the second step is the "Persuasion Form" written by the civil and military ministers. This is also a routine procedure. The minister of civil and military affairs implores the successor emperor to ascend the throne. The first two times the emperor had to humbly decline and asked the ministers of civil and military affairs to choose another virtuous emperor, but the third time he could accept the throne "reluctantly". After the second step is completed, the emperor will report to the queen mother. The Queen Mother issued the decree, and then "selected a day to ascend the throne."
Wang Qi read it again, and when he saw the prince's face darkening, he asked doubtfully: "Your Highness, what's wrong?"
Although the process is a bit cumbersome, etiquette can sometimes be a hassle.
The prince looked at Dao Chi and Lu Bing, and Lu Bing also had a look of confusion on his face. Dao Chi and the Crown Prince have seen many rituals in the past few days, and of course they know that this "ceremony" is inappropriate. This is a "ceremonial statement" drawn up in accordance with the procedure for the crown prince's accession to the throne.
Following this procedure, the Crown Prince would admit that he was the son of Emperor Hongzhi and the younger brother of Emperor Zhengde.
In the eyes of the ministers, this procedure was certainly good, but this was not what the prince wanted.
However, before entering Beijing, I started talking about etiquette issues, which was a bit painful.
After all, the crown prince is only the successor emperor, not the emperor yet.
Seeing the idiotic look on his face, the prince knew that he saw something wrong and said, "Erlang, please tell me."
Dao Chi thought for a while and said: "The posthumous edict orders His Highness to succeed the emperor, not the Crown Prince. When His Highness enters the palace tomorrow, he should enter through the Daming Gate, the main entrance of the Forbidden City, not the Donghua Gate where the Crown Prince enters the palace."
When Wang Qi heard this, he became furious and said: "The Ministry of Rites and the Cabinet dared to make such mistakes. Could it be that those old men relied on their seniority to bully His Highness's youth?"
Lu Bing also said indignantly: "They dare to bully His Highness, they are so brave!"
These two people were so angry because they only thought that the powerful people in the capital were giving the Crown Prince "power".
However, the prince knew that if he ascended the throne in accordance with this "ceremony", the Empress Dowager might drop the curtain and the cabinet ministers would continue to be in charge of the government. After all, he has not reached his fifteenth birthday and has not yet gotten married. In the eyes of the world, he is not yet an adult.
If he loses the initiative, it will not be easy to regain the imperial power. I am afraid that he will only be a puppet emperor.
In the afternoon, he returned the first "ceremonial letter" with the intention of testing it, but Yang Tinghe obviously regarded him as an ignorant child. The second "ceremonial letter" was only explained in more detail than the first time. That's all, as if he was afraid he wouldn't understand.
It is already dusk now. There is no point in fighting for the "ceremony" at this time. Delaying tomorrow's schedule is not a good thing...
