Drums rumbled, and on the Jinshui Bridge in front of Wende Gate, two imperial elephants were led out by the chamberlain. In front of the Wende Gate entrance, the trunks of the elephants were rolled up to form a bridge.
After passing the Elephant Trunk Bridge and entering Wende Gate, the scenery suddenly opened up. The magnificent building complex that appeared in front of the civil and military officials was the main hall of the Zhou Dynasty Palace, Chongzheng Hall.
The Zichen Hall where the emperor regarded the emperor was also part of the Chongzheng Hall. It was the front hall of the Chongzheng Hall and was located to the north of the Chongzheng Hall.
The Zichen Palace is vast and is said to be able to accommodate tens of thousands of people. The court meetings of the Great Zhou Dynasty were held here.
At this moment, thousands of civil and military officials were gathering in front of the Zichen Palace. Seeing the two Longtuge Grand Masters in front of the palace, everyone bowed their heads to show respect.
Han Zhang and Wen Yanchang stood in front of the Zichen Palace from east to west. They stayed in the Zhi Palace last night and only walked a few steps to get there. Naturally, they arrived earlier than everyone else.
Seeing that all the ministers had arrived, Han Zhang and Wen Yanchang led the courtiers of fourth grade and above to line up and slowly entered the Zichen Palace.
As for officials below the fourth rank, they can only salute in front of the palace and then stand in silence to wait for the decree.
For these low-level court officials, going to court means getting up at three o'clock in the morning, rushing to Xuande Gate at five o'clock, and then going to the square in front of Zichen Palace at six o'clock to stand guard for the emperor for an hour.
During this period, apart from staring at the majestic Zichen Palace in a daze, nothing happened.
Of course, the treatment of Hanlin officials is much better than that of ordinary courtiers. Ordinary courtiers can only enter the palace with four grades, while Hanlin officials only need five grades to be ranked in the imperial class.
The imperial court valued Hanlin, especially bachelors.
As a lecturer, Wei Chen is equal to the third-rank courtiers in the first ceremony. When attending court, he can be ranked at the bottom of the third-rank courtiers, so he doesn't have to worry about basking in the sun outside.
After entering the Zichen Hall, the courtiers stood in order in the hall, waiting for the emperor to appear.
Half a quarter of an hour later, the sound of the whip sounded, and Emperor Zhao Zhen and Queen Cao entered the front hall from the back door and walked to the throne.
Following the two of them step by step was Zhao Zongquan, who had just been canonized as the prince.
The courtiers bowed their heads as usual, waiting for the emperor to take his seat. When they heard Zhao Zhen's heavy and difficult footsteps echoing in the palace, the courtiers couldn't help but sigh secretly.
Zhao Zongquan helped Zhao Zhen sit on the throne, then turned around and sat down on the right side of Zhao Zhen. Queen Cao also sat down on the left side of Zhao Zhen.
At this time, palace music was played in the palace, chimes and jade chimes were clear and melodious, and the officials paid homage to the emperor, queen, and the new prince amidst the praises of the officials of Honglu Temple.
"Holy greetings, Holy Ann!"
"Greetings to the Queen!"
"Greetings to the Crown Prince!"
After three bows and nine kowtows, the ministers in the palace stood up slowly. However, when they raised their heads and looked at the throne high above them, they couldn't help but feel horrified.
Zhao Zhen, who was sitting on the throne, had gray hair, a withered face, and was so thin that he was almost skin and bones. The Yunlong red and gold gauze robe looked particularly wide when he was wearing it. He was only in his fifties, but he looked older than sixty. Han Zhang, who is many years old, is even older.
Seeing Zhao Zhen's frail appearance, all the ministers in the palace shook their heads and sighed secretly, with a vague premonition in their hearts that this might be the last time that the official would preside over the court meeting in person...
As if to confirm the speculations of the courtiers, not long after the court meeting began, Zhao Zhen suddenly frowned and coughed violently while he was talking, causing panic in the Zichen Palace.
After a long while, Zhao Zhen regained his composure, but was unable to preside over the court meeting anymore, so he was helped back to the palace by the chamberlain.
Although Zhao Zhen returned to the palace early, the significance of his appearance at the court meeting was very important, which was enough to calm the hearts of the people in the court and allow the prince Zhao Zongquan to take over the government affairs steadily.
After Zhao Zhen left, Zhao Zongquan still sat on the right side of the throne, while Queen Cao stood up and sat on the screen behind the throne.
This is what was stated in the previous edict: the prince is responsible for the affairs of the general public, oversees the army and oversees the country, and the queen holds the power of seal and listens to the government.
The edict of passing the throne and the emperor's jade seal are both there. Zhao Zhen has just come forward to confirm it in person. There are also two Longtuge bachelors, Han Zhang and Wen Yanchang. No one dares to object. The transfer of power has been completed very well. smoothly.
The ministers in the palace only had a brief commotion when Zhao Zhen returned to the palace. They quickly calmed down and accepted the new leader of the Great Zhou Dynasty. The court meeting continued in an orderly manner according to the procedures.
The first thing Zhao Zongquan did after taking charge of the country was to deal with the beginning and end of King Yan's rebellion.
Although the main culprit, King Yan, was dead, the heinous crime of treason was so heinous that the relatives of the nine clans were also implicated. Considering that he was a member of the clan named Zhao, he was dealt with lightly. Only the sons and brothers of King Yan were executed, and the other relatives were demoted to common people.
The accomplice Rong Fei committed suicide, and the rest Rong Xian, Li Yan, Chang Yuan, Wu Mou, Liu Zhongxian (white-faced scribe) and others all showed their heads to the public, and implicated the nine tribes to serve as a warning.
In addition, King Yong, Xu Mu and a group of civil and military officials who died at the hands of the rebels were all given mourning honors and generous gifts to their relatives.
All the above matters were initiated by Han Zhang, a bachelor of Longtuge, and Wen Yanchang, the foreman.
When Zhao Zongquan first came into power, he did not dare to be monopolistic. Whenever something was undecided, he first consulted the ministers, then consulted the ministers and assistants, and finally consulted Empress Cao who was listening behind the curtain behind the screen. Only in this way could a decision be made.
In the middle of the court meeting, Zhao Zongquan's cautious and prudent demeanor won the favor of many courtiers such as Chief Minister Han Zhang.
On the contrary, Empress Cao, who was listening to the government behind the curtain, seemed a little out of control. She hated King Yan for almost killing her and her husband. She felt that just executing King Yan's sons was not enough to satisfy her hatred, and she would not give up until the nine clans of King Yan were razed.
Although Queen Cao finally gave up the idea after being dissuaded by all the officials, Queen Cao's performance still made Han Zhang quite dissatisfied.
Han Zhang calmly glanced at the invisible figure of the woman behind the screen, and thought to himself: "A woman is still a woman after all. She is narrow-minded and short-sighted. She is not suitable to hold power. In the future, she will still have to bear the heavy burden of the world." It falls on the prince’s shoulders.”
After dealing with the rebellious gangsters and pacifying the loyal ministers who died in vain, it is now time for everyone to enjoy the part of rewarding the meritorious officials.
Among them, the one that attracted the most attention from the courtiers was undoubtedly the reward given to Wei Chen, the official who had contributed the most to quelling the chaos.
Regarding Wei Chen's reward, there was no need for Zhao Zongquan to discuss it with the ministers and Empress Cao. Zhao Zhen had already issued a special edict for this purpose.
Zhao Zongquan raised his chin slightly, and a chamberlain immediately walked out not far from him, holding an imperial edict and reading loudly:
"The Emperor, who has been entrusted by heaven, has issued an edict: Loyalty to the emperor, patriotism, and the sincerity of his ministers. It is the code of the imperial court to increase rank and show favor. Therefore, your act of loyalty and filial piety must be praised without hesitation."
Wei Chen, a scholar who served as a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy, was ordered by the court to serve in front of the emperor. When the rebels were rampant and the country was in danger, although the scholar was weak in literature, he was still unafraid in the face of danger. He was wise and courageous, saved the country from fire and water, and protected the saints in danger. A model for all officials in the world!
The bandit holds the code and advises the future?
I am graciously bestowed with a plaque on the [Central Pillar]. I am also granted the title of Young Master Zhan Shi of Zhan Shifu. I am also granted the title of Doctor of Silver Qingguanglu. I am also bestowed with a bullfight uniform, a reward of one thousand taels of gold, ten thousand taels of silver, and a thousand pieces of tribute silk!
】
Virtue lies in people, both parents are relatives, so the court pursued Xi Zhi's favor and arrested him. His father Wei Mingzhao, Yunwen Yunwu, his mother Song, Zhenjing Shuyi, Qingyan was the son, and his calligraphy was very fragrant. I am deeply sorry for you, but I don’t want to bow to you. It is appropriate to praise and compile it to highlight your latent virtues.
This is a special gift to Wei Chen's father, Wei Mingzhao, who is a doctor of Yinqing Guanglu, and Wei Chen's mother, the Song family, is a Taishu native (third grade). She is well-known in Jiuyuan and has numerous descendants.
If you send me love from outside, you will definitely get the virtuous people from inside. The beauty of the king and the honor of his wife must be the same as the dignity of his wife.
Tongjia rewarded his wife, Sheng, for being a Shuren (third rank), and concubine Sheng for being a Shuren (fourth rank). The golden writing paper was perfect, and the purple imperial edict was far away.
Awesome! "
