Chapter 130: Court Meeting (Part 1)
On the third and sixth days of April, the news in the palace was that "the holy bow is against the peace." Everyone knows that the Holy Emperor is in good health. The so-called Holy Emperor's disobedience is an excuse for the Holy Emperor not to go to court.
On the ninth day of April, today is the day to go to court.
Contrary to what most people imagine, the ancient Holy Emperor did not go to court every day. During the Zhu Ming Dynasty, except for a few people such as Zhu Yuanzhang and Chongzhen who were particularly diligent, the Holy Emperor went to court for nine days on the third, sixth, and ninth day of each month. Of course, Emperor Shenzong was more lazy than diligent.
Morning court is a very strenuous task. The ministers must gather outside the palace at three o'clock in the morning. After the court meeting is over, they will return to their respective government offices. For those who are farther away, it will be noon. In an era when transportation is all about walking on two legs. , too frequent morning meetings will greatly affect the efficiency of various departments in handling daily government affairs.
The early dynasty was not held in the Huangji Hall like in movies and TV dramas - the original name of the Huangji Hall was Fengtian Hall. It was built after the Nanjing Fengtian Hall in the 18th year of Yongle. It was renamed the Huangji Hall in the 41st year of Jiajing. It was renamed Taihe Hall (which is often called Jinluan Hall by the common people). Huangji Hall is the place where major celebrations and ceremonies are held, such as the new emperor's enthronement, the emperor's wedding, the appointment of a queen, and the general's expedition. In addition, during the three major festivals of Wanshou Festival, New Year's Day and Winter Solstice every year, the Holy Emperor would also receive congratulations from civil and military officials here and give banquets to princes and ministers.
The Fengtian Hall caught fire shortly after it was completed, so Chengzu (Zhu Di) had to listen to the officials' memorials in the wide courtyard in front of the hall. The Nine-Five Supreme Being and the highest-level elites of the empire held an open-air meeting. It was originally a last resort and expedient. Later, something happened, and the minister reported: Listening to politics in the open air, the wise and diligent heart of the Holy Emperor can reach directly to God, and he will definitely win the favor of God. of protection! It's no longer embarrassing now. The ancients attached great importance to the "reception between heaven and man", and this rhetoric was so perfect that it was irrefutable, so the practice of listening to politics in the open air was passed down. Therefore, the early dynasty also had another name: Yumen Tingzheng*.
Just after Yinshi (three o'clock in the morning), Liu Zhijin, the right servant of the Ministry of official affairs, checked the imperial palace tooth sign outside Duanmen, and entered the straight room (duanfang) waiting for the leak ("leaking" refers to the dripping of the copper kettle used to time the time, which by extension means waiting for the morning court). The door was a room for ministers and nobles waiting to tidy up and rest temporarily), he said hello to his colleagues who had arrived early, and then tried hard to identify the person he was looking for in the dim and flickering candlelight. Mr. Liu heard an unusual piece of news from Simi Xuepeng, who needed to verify it urgently. However, after looking for a long time, not only did they not find anyone, but they also made themselves feel a little awkward - the officials did not say anything, but they all knew in their hearts that the official department had already begun to take action on next year's big plan: the official department has begun to take action based on Ke Dao suggested that the interview order should be drafted and that before autumn, he would work closely with the censors and local inspectors to start preparations. The first stage of the plan would only be completed after the assessment and interview order is completed next year. Then it enters the second stage, court debate: officials from all walks of life criticize and impeach, and officials who have received negative reviews can also go to court to defend themselves. However, it must be approved by the Ministry of Personnel before Xu Yanguan can be impeached! The final third stage is when the Ministry of Personnel announces relevant personnel changes. To put it simply, the official department sets the questions, the local invigilates the exam, the official department judges the papers, and finally everyone praises or adds insult to injury based on the results! Meng Liangchen, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, is a bachelor, and he and other cabinet members are waiting for the court in Beiying (there are three rooms directly on the right side of the gate. Cabinet members with the title of bachelor are in Beiying, not in the same room as ordinary officials). This gang of Beijing Officials, they have long received requests from old disciples from all over the country, and they are all trying their best to find opportunities to establish friendship with Mr. Liu. Mr. Liu is short-sighted, and when he wants to find someone, he will naturally squint and stare at each one for a long time. Therefore, when Mr. Liu looks over, he thinks he is trying to give him some hint, and they all look at him expecting to communicate. Some of them even come over to talk to each other. Chatting for a few words... Liu Zhijin smiled bitterly to himself, said a few words, and simply sat down and closed his eyes to rest.
Halfway through Yinshi, there was a burst of hurried footsteps outside the door, accompanied by a complaint of "It's over, it's over, isn't this bad luck..." The person Mr. Liu was looking for arrived - General Affairs Minister Shen Xuan (zi Jia Zai) Master Shen.
Hearing the sound, Liu Zhijin stood up and stepped forward to greet him, asking, "Brother Jiaze, what's wrong with you?"
Shen Xuan did not answer, but asked anxiously: "Brother Shen Du, have you brought any money? Let's borrow a hundred taels first!"
When Liu Zhijin heard this number, he looked at the empty-handed Shen Xuan and understood: Lord Shen has forgotten the Chao Hut at home!
When kneeling before the court to perform the recital, the ministers must hold a wat tablet. Whether they are starting the recital or answering questions from the Holy Emperor, they must cover their faces and look towards the wat tablet. They must not stare directly at the Holy Emperor. Look, that is completely disrespectful. (I often hear this description in commentaries. When a hero was summoned, the Holy Emperor said: "Raise your head." The hero said: "I don't dare, for fear of offending the Holy One." The Holy Emperor said again: "I'm sorry." You are not guilty! The hero then raised his head)! Ministers also often write down the key points of correct memorials on the Wat board, which serves as a reminder. When waiting for the court, there will be a censor to supervise, and any breach of etiquette before the king will be recorded. The last item of the court meeting is for the censor to go out and report the misconduct of the officials during the early dynasty. A mild reprimand, a heavier fine, or even a demotion are possible - not bringing a wat board is a very serious mistake, and the fine is absolutely unavoidable (similar to not bringing a notebook to the chairman's meeting, of course, much more serious in nature). Therefore, the internal prison also spawned a business: leasing wat boards. If any minister forgets to bring one with him, he can secretly go to the internal prison to "rent" one. The price is clearly stated, so no one can deceive you. In the morning of 100 taels, you must pay in cash or jewelry, and there is no bargaining involved. Of course, don't let the censor see it, otherwise you will be penalized for two things - the internal prison is a slave of the Holy Master and the censor cannot control it, but it is definitely his job to deal with you!
Originally, Master Shen, like other officials, was ready to go out as soon as midnight (one o'clock in the morning), but he happened to get ready a little early, so he leaned on his chair and fell asleep for a while... and then overslept! I was in a hurry to prepare my sedan chair and go out, but I even forgot to take the wat board. Why would I even think about carrying a few kilograms of silver? Therefore, there is no reason why Lord Shen should not be anxious.
Of course Mr. Liu, who is the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, would not carry something as heavy as two fifty-two ingots to meet Mr. Liu. However, Mrs. Liu sewed a hidden bag for him in the close-fitting part of his underwear, and put a piece of crystal clear in it. The valuable jade pendant can ward off evil spirits and can also be used for emergencies at critical moments. Liu Zhijin has a good relationship with Shenxuan - the Ministry of Civil Affairs is in charge of the promotion and removal of officials, and the General Affairs Department is in charge of internal and external memorials. There are many things that the two of them do to reconcile each other. Just as he was about to reach into his pocket and take it out for the inner prisoner to exchange for the wat board, he felt someone tapping behind him. He turned around and saw that it was Mao Qian, the minister of Honglu Temple, walking past behind him with no expression on his face as if nothing had happened. . Just as he was wondering, another person came to the door. He did not enter the room. He stood at the door and cast a cold glance into the room: the censor responsible for correcting hundreds of officials strolled over - Mao Qian, who had good eyesight, saw it. The figure outside the window happened to be asking for something, so he quietly reminded Mr. Liu. In addition to paying tribute to the barbarians and other matters, Honglu Temple also had very important tasks for the emperor. One of them was to work with the imperial censor to take charge of court rituals and inspect the officials.
Just as it was about to sound the morning drum, the censor at the door kept poking at the spot, making Shen Xuan sweat profusely. Liu Zhijin gritted his teeth and said, "Come with me." In a quiet place behind the straight room, there were several buckets in the corner. Adults often used them there when they were waiting for a meal - it would be disrespectful to fart in front of the saint. Which adult can't help but wet his pants in front of the Holy Emperor? This is a big deal! Seeing the two people going there one after another, the censor snorted and took a few steps away. Liu Zhijin looked back and saw that the censor had turned away. He lifted up the hem of his court uniform lined with thick cotton pads and asked Shen Xuan to help him hold it. He wrapped the two-foot-long and three-inch-wide wat board in his hand with his robe sleeves and lifted it up. The legs were moving back and forth and the knees were squeezing... There was a soft "click" sound, and the precious dental plate (it was made of ivory, but for the sake of lightness and to cut out a few more pieces to sell for money, the thickness was similar to copper coins) was broken into two pieces. "Take it, let's deal with it first." As he spoke, he handed half of it to Shenxuan.
"Friends of Zhehu, friends of Zhehu!" Shen Xuan murmured with emotion. The sleeves of the court robe are wide, and the hands hold the bottom of the wat board. The sleeves underneath are covered so that no one can see it unless you look carefully. Liu Zhijin was the first to initiate this move: during the Chongzhen period, Song Qianmin, editor of the Hanlin Academy, followed Master Liu's move and solved the urgent problem of Dong Lingju, the young minister of Honglu Temple*.
The two of them each kneaded half a piece of wat board and just turned back to the straight room when they heard the three-way drum sounding on the Meridian Gate Tower: the official and military flag school honor guards were entering the palace from the Que Gate, and the civil and military officials were about to line up at the left and right gates.
There are five Meridian Gates in total. In the middle is the Royal Road. That door is only for the exclusive use of the Holy Emperor and is not open at ordinary times. The left and right gates are for the generals on duty and the Suwei Banner School to enter and exit. The left and right gates on both sides are for civil and military officials to face. The passage of the Holy.
Wendong and Wuxi, all the civil servants and generals lined up in the order of entry: "The general enters first, then the court officials, then the princes and princes, then the five and six ministries, then Yingtianfu and miscellaneous officials in Beijing", waiting for the court on the gate tower. When the bell rang, people filed in and stopped at the south of Jinshui Bridge.
"Pah, pah, pah." Three crisp cracks of whips tore through the tranquility of the early morning. The team of hundreds of officials stepped onto the Jinshui Bridge and arrived at Huangjimen Danqi. The civil servants were in the left class and the military officers were in the right class. They established marquises facing each other on both sides of the royal road. There were several people standing on the outside of the team. They were the censors responsible for picketing. Anyone who coughed, spitted, was crowded or behaved improperly would be recorded - the last part of the court meeting was to participate in the music on the spot!
The throne, known as the "Golden Platform", is located in the middle of the Fengtian Portico. To the left and right of the steps is the band of the Bell and Drum Division, and at the foot of the steps stands a "big Han general" in full armor. To the left and right of the royal road and behind the civil and military officials are the emperor's own military captains, holding the scabbard in their left hand and standing majestically holding the handle of the sword in their right hand. Wear a escort.
Accompanied by the music of bells and drums, the Holy Emperor came to the imperial gate. After sitting down on the throne, there was another sound of whip, and the young minister of Honglu Temple "singed" (recited in a long voice in ancient rituals) to enter the class. The civil and military ministers on the left and right advanced into the royal road at the same time. At this time, the civil servants "went north to west" , the military attache "went north to east" and bowed once and kowtowed three times. In the pre-Qin period, the monarchs and the scholar-bureaucrats "sit and discuss the Tao". In the Song Dynasty, the ministers' chairs were removed*, but they still stood. By the time of Taizu's Ming Dynasty, the ministers could only kneel at the feet of the Holy Emperor. Ministers would put thick kneepads on their legs or sew thick cotton pads inside the court clothes. Therefore, the real court clothes would never be as crisp and fit as those in today's movies and TV dramas. On the contrary, they would be bulging and very bloated. .
After the ceremony, the morning ceremony officially began. The first was the official who came to Beijing to thank Mao Qian, the minister of Honglu Temple, and left the capital to resign. The list had been sent to the palace the day before. There was no one important enough to see. The Holy Emperor waved his hand, the eunuch passed the order, and all the officials walked five times and kowtowed three times outside the Meridian Gate, and then they resigned. .
The highest priority was the side report of the military situation: "The big ones announced the announcement, and the small ones had written notes. They were all announced in the early dynasty before anything was done, so Zhang Guowei showed his martial arts with great authority" - "Records of Xiaozong". Since Guan Shengyun was "recruited", another relatively large-scale bandit, Zhang Hu, has been blocked by Sun Jie in northern Sichuan. Although the war can be said to be fierce, the war situation is relatively stable. The Ministry of War reported several victories, but the Holy Emperor knew that they were all small victories that were better than nothing. Otherwise, there would be no need to wait until today's morning meeting, and the victory reports of four hundred and six hundred miles would have been directly entered into the palace. Thanks to Sun Jie, even though he doesn't have many soldiers, he can be assured of both bravery and loyalty. The Holy Emperor turned his head to explain to his attendants, and then turned around to remind himself that he would give the altar royal bar to let his beloved general know that the Holy Emperor had not forgotten him.
The next step is the core part of the morning court, "playing things". At this time, the minister who wants to go out to report something needs to cough first. This is called "cleaning" to remind the Holy Emperor that "I have something to report."
"cough".
"cough".
Two "pre-coughs" came out from the queue almost at the same time. Mao Qian, who had been concentrating all the time, immediately signaled, and Zhao Dongzhu, the censor of the right capital, was the first to go out to report*. The Holy Emperor frowned and thought to himself: "This barbarian is here again!"
This Zhao Aiqing has always been strongly opposed to "appeasing" the relevant departments. Last time, she tearfully recounted the tragic death of King Duan of the Tang Dynasty and insisted on "mobilizing elite troops and intensifying the attack"... The question is: where does the lightness of your words come from? Where can we get so much food and pay for our elite soldiers? ! From northern Shaanxi to Huguang, every place reported to me a "great victory" and "the thieves and wolves were rushing and the hogs were suddenly defeated", until the mausoleum in Zhongdu was endangered! Still not appeasing? If the fight continues, Huguang will definitely claim another "big victory"...and then my ancestral tomb will be dug up! To put it bluntly, this matter is really serious. Do you want me to thoroughly clean up the officialdom of Shaanxi, Henan, and Huguang provinces from top to bottom? The Holy Emperor sighed secretly: "Go ahead."
"Long live my emperor. I am complicit in Xiangyang's deputy general Guanbu committing lawless acts! He plundered official salt, massacred official troops, and captured more than 70 official ships in broad daylight. This is a great treason! I request your majesty to impose strict orders and punish them severely!" Ni Boshan, the young minister of Honglu Temple, took Zhao Dongzhu's memorial and read it loudly - Mr. Zhao is from Zhangzhou, Fujian Province, and the southern Fujian Mandarin is really confusing. In order to achieve the effect of "beautiful appearance", and maintain The seriousness of the early dynasty, when encountering this situation, Ni Boshan, who has "beautiful appearance" and "big voice", must read on his behalf.
really!
But before the Holy Emperor could say anything, "cough cough", a heavy coughing sound was heard - obviously, the General Secretary had something to say about this matter. Mao Qian glanced at the Lord and nodded slightly, then made a "please" sign.
"Long live my emperor. I have received a report from Jian Jingneng, the governor of Yunyang, and I have participated in the report of the governor of Jiangning, who is a yin and a salt lord who openly engages in private affairs." The application was reported loudly.
"Hmph, the thief shouts to catch the thief." Zhao Dongzhu, who was standing on the royal road, muttered in a low voice. The Holy Emperor understood, but he suppressed his anger and pretended not to hear it. The Metropolitan Procuratorate is responsible for correcting and impeaching hundreds of officials. Relying on the special status of the public prosecutor, it does not restrain itself much in front of the Holy Emperor. Moreover, the more this happens, the more deliberately and unscrupulously they do! If they were reprimanded by the Holy Emperor, they would definitely retaliate - if they could get a beating, that would be a dream, and it would be enough for them to brag about for the rest of their lives! At this time, the imperial staff was often just a gesture, making a few symbolic gestures; and each censor dressed himself like a bear, with more than one layer of thick cotton padding behind his buttocks!
The candidate ignored Zhao Dongzhu and continued to report loudly: "I received the report from the Huguang Chief Envoy Li Linyang and the Inspector Teng Shiheng, and reported that the Southern Zhili feudal dynasty was undercover, and the illegal salt lords were carrying private goods and engaging in favoritism. Fraud."
"Hmph! Working together in a conspiracy." There is no such word in Minnan dialect, so Zhao Dongzhu whispered another mandarin sentence.
Shen Xuan looked at the board in his hand and knew what he was going to say by heart: "I accept the memorial from Kou Shiyi, governor of Huguang, and participate in the salt politics of the two Huaihe Rivers to collude with the salt lords for personal gains and malpractice. I accept the deputy general of Xiangyang, Guan Shengyun, to participate in the collusion of the Huainan Water Camp." The salt lord openly engaged in private affairs. I took over the governor of Jiangning, Qian Qianfu, who was not strictly responsible for his subordinates. I took over the post of Zong Qiuxi, the chief envoy of Nanzhili, and Lang Muyun, the envoy of the inspector. I took over the name of the registered general of Huainan Shuiying. Li Wei defended himself, and the illegal traveler Gou Sheng pretended to be an official and a soldier, and now he has been executed!" Shen Xuan ignored Zhao Dongzhu at all and said loudly to himself.
Zhao Dongzhu was speechless.
If it were just the participation of Huguang officials, I could barely explain it, but not one of the people involved was left behind, and they all recognized it themselves, so what else could there be to say!
*In the Qing Dynasty, the political reform of the Imperial Gate was held in the middle of the Qianqing Gate Hall. This could prevent ministers from losing their etiquette in front of the emperor due to rain or snow staining their clothes.
* Later, Dong Lingju retired and returned to his hometown. He learned that Li Zicheng had captured Beijing and Song Qianmin was desperate, so he took him and his family to live together.
A few years later, on a Mid-Autumn Festival night, Dong Lingju invited Song Qianmin's family to drink wine and admire the moon. During the dinner, Dong Lingju made a request: he wanted to sell Song Qianmin's temporary house to him.
Song Qianmin, who has a good heart, knows what her friend wants: solve this problem while the two of them are still alive, so as to avoid entanglement between their descendants who have no friendship after their death. So, he asked Dong Lingju with a smile: "How much will it cost?"
Dong Lingju stretched out a finger.
"Twelve?"
Dong Lingju shook his head.
"100 taels?"
Dong Lingju also shook his head.
"Could it be 1,000 taels?"
Dong Lingju laughed loudly, "One article!"
What is a brother? An eternal story!
By the way, Dong Lingju is from Feng County, Jiangsu Province, where this story takes place.
*The first thing Zhao Kuangyin did after Chen Qiao mutinied against Huangpao and joined the army was to "release his military power over a glass of wine." At the same time, in order to show his respect for the important ministers of the later Zhou Dynasty, he continued to let Fan Zhi, Wang Pu and Wei Renpu serve as prime ministers. Before the Song Dynasty, the power of the prime minister was very great. Now that the threat of generals has been eliminated, the next person who brings a sense of oppression to the imperial power must be the power of the prime minister. In the second year of Qiande's reign, Lao Zhao said to Fan Zhi in the court hall: "My eyes are dim, so I can read the documents by myself." Fan Zhi "wanted to be restored to his post, and has secretly ordered the envoy to remove him from his seat." Fan Zhi lost his seat, and the others were naturally not fools, so they all wrote letters requesting to withdraw their seats. Soon, several people asked to retire and go home, and Lao Zhao gave them generous gifts...
*Don’t be deceived by movies and TV shows. Three bows and nine kowtows are a great gift that the Manchus made. The highest ritual in the Ming Dynasty was five bows and three kowtows. This was done when offering sacrifices to heaven and when ministers met the saints. The specific form is: standing with hands raised. The first step is to bow down, bow down (to bow down), and rise (to stand up). So four times. Step 2: Bow down, bow down, kowtow three times, rise and level your body.
*Lubu: A silk flag with written text. Most of them are used to report victory, but some are also used to write articles to criticize adversity. The military envoys held the cloth high and galloped, running and shouting to spread the news of victory and boost the morale of the people.
*Honglu Temple is in charge of morning rituals. When many people have something to do at the same time, the order is based on official rank, and those of the same rank are in order of age.
