The rumble of dawn calls for the sun to turn, and the rumble of dusk calls for the moon to rise.
"Tang Shu" records: At dusk, the bells and drums sound eight hundred times and the doors are closed; at three o'clock at five o'clock, the drums start from within, the drums in the streets vibrate, the doors of the streets and markets are all opened, and the drums are three thousand laos, and they stop after distinguishing the color.
It can be seen from this that the morning dynasty in the Tang Dynasty started around five o'clock in the morning.
The emperor of the Tang Dynasty had to go to court every day, and of course there was also time for rest.
Officials at all levels have fixed rules for attending court:
The sixth- to ninth-grade civil and military officers in Beijing and the descendants of the previous emperors will attend court meetings on the first and fifteenth day of every month.
The civil servants of the first to fifth grades in the capital, the sects and the officials below the sixth grade in the second province of Zhongshu, the supervisory censor, Dr. Taichang, the left and right departments of the minister, and the wailang of the six ministries have to go to court every day except for holidays, so they are He is called Chang Shenguan.
The military attachés of the third rank and above in Beijing, that is, the generals of the Sixteenth Guards and the Great Generals, go to court once every three days, so they are called the Nine Cantonese Officers.
The fourth- and fifth-grade military attachés in Beijing and the officers and soldiers who rushed to Beijing to guard the emperor went to court once every five days, so they were called Liushen officials.
Students studying in the Imperial College and Hongwen Hall went to court once a quarter, and the princes who went to court to see the emperor went to court once a day.
Of course, going to court does not mean that officials will definitely see the emperor, but it just represents a ceremony.
Those with low official prices or low rankings queued outside the Tai Chi Hall to wait.
This group of people can only enter the palace if they are summoned by the emperor or if they have something to report.
If he was not punished, Yang Fan, as the Minister of Rites, would have to enter the Tai Chi Hall to attend court.
Today was supposed to be the first time he went to court, but now he was left out. Although he was thick-skinned, he was also a little warm.
As time passed and the sky became brighter, Yang Fan could clearly look at the Tai Chi Palace.
The stairs of Taiji Hall are paved with marble, surrounded by fences, and the pillars and railings are also made of marble.
The eaves and corners of the main hall are decorated and carved with gilded dragon heads, as well as various patterns of birds, animals, and landscapes.
The front eaves corridor is like a wooden stilted building. The roof of the hall is paved with waxed golden glazed tiles, and the top ridge is decorated with colorful dragon-patterned arch beads, making it sparkling.
However, what the whole style reflects is not luxury and elegance, but the vicissitudes and simplicity of history.
Time passed as Yang Fan looked east and west.
Since the length of time for going to court is not fixed, but is determined by the amount of court affairs, before the hour comes, the officials who go to court will gradually retreat.
However, Yang Fan and the others were summoned into the palace by the chamberlain.
The Tai Chi Hall is three deep and has colorful decorations on the walls. There are seats and screens inside, and there are incense burners and candlesticks on both sides.
Although it was already dark, the Tai Chi Hall was still brightly lit. The one-foot-tall red candle was blazing with flames, illuminating everything in the hall.
There is a bronze furnace cauldron in every corner of the hall. The special charcoal inside is burning vigorously, and the air is mixed with a faint fragrance. It is obvious that there is incense in the cauldron.
The hot air hit my face, instantly driving away the humid morning dew and winter chill, and I suddenly felt as warm as spring.
This is a world of difference compared to the whistling cold wind outside the palace.
From ancient times to the present, a small group of people in the world have always enjoyed the most advantageous conditions.
No wonder no matter which field they are in, one or two are sharpening their heads and climbing up.
It's a pity that the only people who can enter the Tai Chi Hall and sit in court are at least fourth-grade officials.
After entering the palace, there were seven or eight officials inside, almost all wearing purple official uniforms.
It was obvious that almost all the courtiers holding authority in the court were here.
Li Shimin was sitting on the dragon chair, wearing yellow court clothes, scanning the crowd with a pair of tiger eyes.
At this time, Li Shimin's face was as dark as water, and he was not angry or intimidated, and he could not see any joy, anger, sorrow or joy at all.
Because no one spoke, the hall seemed a little quiet, and even the sound of candles burning could be heard.
As Cheng Chumo and others were carried in by the imperial guards, the hall suddenly became lively.
They kept silent all night and resolutely implemented Yang Fan's tactics, humming feebly. This sound was unusually clear in the Tai Chi Hall.
Those who didn’t know thought he was terminally ill!
This scene directly made Li Shimin's eyes twitch, and even made Li Tai hate him so much that his teeth were almost worn out.
These dandies are so good at pretending, and that stick-stick Yang Fan is even more evil.
After Yang Fan and others saluted, Li Shimin snorted and turned to face the ministers in front of him.
"My dear friends, what happened is as mentioned just now. How do you think it should be handled?" Li Shimin's tone was steady, with a hint of anger in his voice.
A group of princes, relatives, and meritorious deeds actually fought over jealous women. What did the people of Chang'an City think?
It's obvious that the image of the imperial court has been tarnished. What kind of behavior is this?
But what makes Li Shimin even more angry is that things are not as simple as they seem.
Although on the surface it looked like a fight caused by a woman.
However, after Li Junxian's investigation, the fuse may have been caused by the incident of Gu Bingcheng, the chief guest of the Ministry of Etiquette.
If Gu Bingcheng hadn't wanted to frame Yang Fan, and if Yang Fan hadn't counterattacked and captured Gu Bingcheng, the following series of things wouldn't have happened.
What Li Shimin didn't expect was that because of his wolfish way of cultivating heirs, Wei King Li Tai's power had become so huge without him knowing it.
During the court meeting just now, the prince's gang and the King of Wei's gang were attacking each other. The courtiers were quarreling like a bazaar, and they were completely embarrassed.
It was obvious that an extremely huge force had gathered behind both of them, which Li Shimin did not want to see.
Because in the long run, no matter who ascends the throne of God, they will be restrained by the forces behind them in the future.
As an emperor who puts royal interests first, how could Li Shimin allow this phenomenon to happen?
However, this kind of thing cannot be discussed openly on the table. This is also what makes Li Shimin angry.
If they are all punished, it feels like they are making a fuss. If they are not punished, what should I do if everyone follows suit in the future?
Now we can only use the topic as an excuse!
After all, there was a public brawl in a public place in Chang'an City. This incident had a great impact and they needed to be beaten.
There was silence in the hall. The ministers looked at me and I felt a little embarrassed.
Especially Cheng Yaojin and the others, who had just finished dinner and washed up last night, were told by Li Shimin that his son had a conflict with King Li Tai of Wei, and asked them to go to the palace today to receive people.
It was a bit embarrassing to be named, criticized and punished by Li Shijie when his kid got into trouble. For a while, no one knew what to say.
They didn't want to say it, but some people wanted to take this opportunity to cause trouble.
Changsun Wuji stood up and asked: "Your Majesty, in my opinion, the state has national laws and the family has family rules, so they must be punished severely according to the laws of the Tang Dynasty to set an example for others."
As the head of civil servants, Changsun Wuji was the first to stand up and express his attitude.
At first glance, these words sound impartial, but they contain a hidden secret.
Everyone present is an old fox, and there is no one who doesn’t know the truth behind it.
Punished according to law?
If an ordinary person gathers a crowd to fight and disrupt the peace of the imperial capital, according to the "Tang Law", he will be punished with a cane in public and then be sent to the army.
Everyone couldn't help but look at Li Shimin.
After listening, Li Shimin just smiled coldly.
If this punishment was really given, wouldn't it mean that his son, King Li Tai of Wei, would also be exiled from the army?
It's a good idea to punish your own son, not to mention where is the royal dignity?
If Yang Fan and others were only severely punished, how would the people of the world view him as an emperor.
Li Shimin didn't believe that someone as smart as Changsun Wuji wouldn't be able to tell. He just wanted them to come up with a reason and was just trying to show off.
Since Changsun Wuji knew that he could not really punish Yang Fan and the others, he still pretended not to know. He just wanted to suppress Wei Wang Li Tai for the crown prince Li Chengqian.
However, Li Shimin couldn't even think of it. Although Changsun Wuji wanted to suppress King Wei, he also knew that it was impossible. The reason why he said this was just to disgust Yang Fan.
After all, his son Changsun Chong had a huge humiliation in Piaoxiang Tower last time.
If Li Shimin punishes him, Changsun Wuji will make a profit. Even if he doesn't, he will have nothing to lose.
After a moment of silence, Cheng Yaojin stood up first, glanced sideways at Changsheng Wuji, and said angrily: "As a young man, when there is a dispute, you should use your fists to speak. If the young people of the Tang Dynasty were as delicate as literati, They are so weak that they are not even as good as a young lady. Wouldn't it insult the majesty of the Tang Dynasty? How can they protect the territory of the Tang Dynasty in the future? Now that your majesty has punished them, in my opinion, this matter will just be revealed."
Seeing that this old man Cheng Yaojin actually compared himself to a woman, Changsun Wuji was furious.
However, I also knew that trying to reason with this old guy was like playing the piano to an ox, so I had no choice but to snort and ignore him.
