Imperial City, at the beginning of Mao Period, Junhou Street.
The wide street was already crowded with cars and horses, and lanterns illuminated the road, extending straight to the red wall at the end.
Today's court meeting, all officials who are qualified to attend the court meeting need to arrive at the Wanmin Palace at the right time. Unless there are special circumstances, the star officer on duty will punish those who have not arrived or are late according to the roster, and they will be reprimanded in the least. Some salaries will be deducted, or more serious cases will include dismissal from office.
So even though it was only the beginning of the 19th century, Junhou Street was already full of officials from the previous dynasty.
The palace gate opened at the beginning of the morning, which was half an hour before the meeting. Those who came early could only wait outside the palace gate. The weather is pretty good now, but most people can't stand the feeling of waiting outside at this time of year in the cold winter months. Therefore, being an official is not always comfortable.
There are also places where you don’t have to wait in line for the door. Third-rank officials can enter through the small door in advance, and the search is not too excessive. Afterwards, they can sit in Ruanjiao and go to the tea room of Wanmin Palace to wait. The comfort level is much better than other officials.
The officials waiting outside could only gather together in twos and threes and chat while waiting for the door to open.
"Master Zhao, it's very early today."
"Haha, it's good morning, Mr. Zhang. Your face is red today, but is there a happy event?"
"It's not a happy event. It's just that my grandson called me grandpa as soon as he started talking yesterday. It's just a big relief for me, hahaha..."
"Hey, this is a great joy. Mr. Zhang is lucky to have someone follow him in the future!"
After chatting for a while, the two of them came over again. They both had some friendship and had the same job title. Neither of them were officials in charge. During the court meetings, most of them only wore ears but no mouths, so it was easy to chat together.
These people stood close to the front, and whenever an important official entered the side door, they would turn sideways and bow slightly to greet them.
"I'm afraid something is going to happen today." A man in black robes watched as he entered the side door of the palace gate and sighed thoughtfully.
"how you said that?"
"Master Zhao, don't tell me that you don't know that there is such a big commotion in Jingxi. Nowadays, there are countless people holding back their energy to argue with the person named Pang."
"The surname is Pang? Tsk tsk, does Mr. Wang not like Mr. Pang? The title is a bit inappropriate."
"Slip of the tongue, haha."
"But having said that, I'm afraid the wind is really going to pick up today. Didn't you notice that the adults came much earlier than usual today?"
The "sir" in this sentence is not a title between them, but refers to those senior officials who can enter the palace through the side door without waiting for the palace door to open. In the past, these senior officials would not come so early. They could sit in sedan chairs after entering, and the search was quick when they entered, so there was no need to come so early.
"That's right. Many people have gone in just now. It seems that we need to prepare in advance?"
"Okay, this is not something we can talk about. Is there anything that concerns us?"
"Yes, yes, what Mr. Zhao said is absolutely true..."
Generally speaking, the third rank is another hurdle in the official career. After the third rank, you have the opportunity to "participate in the affairs of the court." But below the third rank, even if you come to the court meeting, you will have to "report something", or some things need to stand up and explain before they are dismissed. "Inquire before leaving work." That's why these people laugh at themselves and say it has nothing to do with them.
But does it really matter?
Observing carefully, the faces of the people chatting in small groups outside the palace gate all had a dignified look on their faces that they had not seen in the past. It's just that everyone just tacitly agreed without saying anything.
At the beginning of the morning, the palace door opened, and the officials who had been waiting outside for a long time began to enter for inspection.
The main thing is to see if you have any magical weapons or items that can pose a threat, and to check your identity.
In fact, it is very fast. There are five checkpoints behind the door. It will not take more than ten breaths for each person. There is definitely enough time for everyone to pass through in an orderly manner and arrive at the Wanmin Palace on time.
After entering the palace gate, a straight road passes through the huge Yongsheng Square and further forward you can see two towers. A magnificent palace rises from the ground in the middle, which is the largest palace in the Jingjiu Palace - Wanmin Palace.
It is said that the name of Wanmin Palace comes from the fact that the money and food for the national treasury comes from the people, brick by brick, so it is named after Wanmin Palace so that the emperor and ministers who enter it will not forget their roots.
Generally, the court meeting will not be held in the Wanmin Palace but in the Chengde Hall on the left side of the Wanmin Palace. Only major court meetings or important celebrations will be chosen here.
There are two steps in front of the Wanmin Palace, with a relief cloud road in the middle. Civil and military officials are divided into left and right, waiting in front of the palace according to their titles. There is a star official on the top of the steps holding a whip. Only when the whip is sounded can one enter.
On the left are civil officials and on the right are military officials. In the old Jing Dynasty, the left was respected. Even with the same title, the status of civilians is now the same as that of the left and right, slightly higher.
The first civil servant is Ye Lansheng, the left prime minister who stands at the front of the team. He is a civil servant with a perfect level of cultivation in the God Gathering Realm.
The first person in the military position is Yang Yansi, the general of Zhuguo, who stands side by side with Ye Lansheng.
Civil and military court uniforms are also different. Civil servants wear dark green court uniforms with slightly different embroidery depending on their titles. The military position uses bright red as the background color, and the embroidery patterns are also distinguished.
Everyone stands green on the left and red on the right under the Wanmin Palace, which is quite interesting from a distance.
However, the dark color difference on the right side is also very eye-catching.
Pang Ban belongs to the military profession, with a third-grade rank, and his position is relatively far forward. He seems inconspicuous as he hugs the fluorene plate and lowers his eyebrows. However, he deliberately keeps a distance from him in front and back, leaving two spaces in front and back compared to others.
Arrive on time.
"Pa! Go to court..."
"Pa! Go to court..."
...
The star officer on duty stood on the top of the steps, waved his whip fiercely, and the sound of the whip exploded in the air. Then he shouted loudly. At the same time, the gate of the Wanmin Palace opened wide, and the court began to enter the palace.
After entering the palace gate, the smell of sandalwood inside made people feel relaxed. Everyone quickly found their place and stood, not daring to make any noise.
The whole hall is not magnificent. The overall tone is cold, and there are not even many decorations. Except for a few huge stone pillars carved with animals in the hall, the emptiness is the most direct sense here.
Directly in front is a three-story high platform, nine feet above the ground, with the only chair in the hall placed on the top.
All the civil and military officials stood there in silence, and the whole hall was filled with a serious atmosphere. The atmosphere reached its peak when the star officer on duty sang "Your Majesty has arrived!"
"See Your Majesty!"
Civil officials bowed deeply, and military officials knelt on one knee.
The emperor wore a bright yellow brocade robe and a crown on his head. With his hands behind his back, he quickly walked up to the high platform and sat down. He waved his hands and said warmly: "No courtesy. We haven't seen each other for many days. Do you have anything to say?"
The emperor was smiling and looked in good spirits. However, the white hair at the temples and wrinkles at the corners of the eyes made the veterans clearly feel that the emperor was getting older. Only the knife-like eyes remained, making people dare not look into them.
