The elders were all surprised. Emperor Wanli had been at home for so many years and suddenly he was going to court. They looked at Ji Xiang and realized that all the things could be resolved smoothly this time because of Ji Xiang.
"Wudang is good. With such talent, the next generation will be formidable. The predecessors are already old!"
The elders were not stingy with their praises. When the emperor said that he wanted to be rewarded, they immediately asked: "Wudang Taoist has made great contributions to rescuing the emperor, so of course he will be rewarded. I wonder what your majesty wants to reward him?"
"Help Wudang build palaces and temples, or give him a title, or give him gold and silver as a gift?"
Emperor Wanli also returned to normal at this time, at least on the surface. He said to the three elders:
"I want to give him a name and an official position. What do you think, three pavilion elders?"
I originally thought that the emperor's reward was just a polite word, and at most he would be given a house or something. But now Emperor Wanli actually wanted to give him a title and an official status.
Ji Xiang was thinking about resigning. He had just criticized Zhu Changluo again, and of course he did not dare to agree:
"Xiao Dao's magic power is low, and he likes to practice quietly and hard, so he may not be qualified for an official position. This time he is fighting Lord Fire, Xiao Dao feels that his magic power is insufficient. He should return to Wudang to practice with concentration, and come back down the mountain in a hundred years... I beg your Majesty to grant your permission."
Emperor Wanli understood what Ji Xiang meant, but he was not ready to approve Ji Xiang's resignation yet...at least until Lao Zhang came to Beijing:
"That won't work. You saved me. If I don't reward you, who will save me in the future? Even if you feel that your magic power is low and you need to go back to the mountain to practice, you won't be able to escape in these two days. Longde Hall needs someone. If you want to leave for the sacrificial activities, wait until Master Zhang comes to Beijing before talking about this matter."
Emperor Wanli made a joke here: "You can take the reward I can give you with peace of mind. You not only saved me, but also saved the Ming Dynasty. How can I not reward you! What do the elders think?"
The three pavilion elders looked at each other, and the chief assistant Zhao Zhigao asked: "I wonder what kind of official you are?"
Emperor Wanli thought for a while and said: "How about adding a Siye to the Imperial College? This official position is not big, but it is not small either. It is just a title. It has no conflict with you."
The three elders suddenly laughed awkwardly: "How can your majesty's words about conferring official posts conflict with ours?"
"They are all old people, and their future generations are formidable. I am from the fourth rank of Imperial College Secretary. Since I am not in charge of matters, it is just a name, so that's okay."
"What I'm saying is that the officials shouldn't take issue with this."
The elders of the three pavilions all said in unison: "Listen to His Majesty's arrangements!"
Emperor Wanli Longyan was delighted. He thought that the three old men in front of him would still listen to him as long as they didn't talk about the prince's affairs, so he said to Ji Xiang:
"You go with me, don't shirk anymore. Do you want to disobey me? If you don't go to court, I will send you to prison. Just go with me."
Ji Xiang felt helpless. He also thought that Zhang Zhenzhen would come to Beijing in two days, thinking that he would have nothing to do by then. Emperor Wanli also said that it would be in these two days. It was obvious that he was worried before Lao Zhang came.
.........
Before the morning court, the ministers got up at midnight, and after getting ready, went to the Meridian Gate to assemble. At three o'clock in the morning, which was exactly the fifth watch, the ministers were already waiting outside the Meridian Gate.
It's almost dawn now, and it's more than half past the fifth watch. The ministers routinely brag outside the Meridian Gate. Once the fifth watch is over, they go back to their homes to find their mothers. The emperor doesn't go to court anyway.
"People from Beizhen Fusi entered the palace before. Does anyone know what happened?"
"I don't understand. Last night I heard that people from Nan Zhenfu also went in. Who knows."
"How do you feel this morning? There are some people missing?"
"Your Majesty has been away from court for a long time. Some people have forgotten the rules."
However, just when they were bragging vigorously, the Meridian Gate opened.
The three-way drum sounded, it was still dark, everything had recovered, but the first thing to come out was the heavenly soldiers and generals of Fusi, Beizhen. Among them was a man surrounded by a black cloth, so that no one could see his appearance.
The ministers moved out of the way, and the soldiers and generals of the North Town Fusi Department left. However, the door did not close, but opened wider. After a rumbling sound, an elder of the cabinet strode out in person.
After attracting everyone's attention, Mr. Ge announced that the emperor would not miss work today.
There was first a strange silence in front of the Meridian Gate, and then there was a shocking din and noise.
Emperor Wanli was about to go to court. This was a big deal. Someone immediately delivered the news to the imperial city and the inner city!
Is this the end of being a homebody for so many years?
The ministers all whispered and had no idea what happened in the Forbidden City last night. After all, only the three cabinet elders could live in the Forbidden City, and they still lived in Wenyuan Pavilion in the outer palace.
"His Majesty has not been to Japan for nine years. During these years, we have always left the cabinet directly..."
"You can't say this today. It's a good thing to go to court. It means that your Majesty wants to confirm the crown prince's affairs and regain his strength."
"Quickly, stop talking and go in quickly, the elders are impatient!"
The ministers found that some acquaintances were missing and no one came over for two hours. They thought that these people were in trouble. The emperor suddenly went to court today and these people did not come. I asked you not to clock in as usual and wait for accountability later.
Many ministers believed that Emperor Wanli's abnormal behavior was a sign that Emperor Wanli had woken up and decided not to be a homebody anymore, but to stand up and work hard. Based on the emperor's reign in the past ten years, everyone believed that, Emperor Wanli was still a very good leader.
After all, Emperor Wanli was easy to talk to, but he always shut himself up if he couldn't scold the civil servants.
The Meridian Gate is the main entrance to the Forbidden City. The middle is the royal passage, which is not open at ordinary times. The left and right gates are used for the entry and exit of the generals on duty and the guards holding flags. There is also a gate on the left and right, called the left gate. , Ye Yemen, this is the door for all officials to enter the court.
There is a Five-Feng Tower on the Meridian Gate, where the "Morning Bell" and "Chao Drum" of the Forbidden City are placed. The eunuchs of the Bell and Drum Department have the right to ring the bells and drums. At this time, when hundreds of officials enter the Forbidden City, the morning bells are sounded. The sound shook the sky.
"Wait a minute, those are the censors! I haven't seen them in many years!"
"Pay attention to your image! Don't cough or spit...or else they will write it down!"
"Lower your head, walk quickly, walk quickly..."
Hundreds of officials entered the palace from the Meridian Gate and walked all the way to Fengtian Gate. The officials lined up in front of Fengtian Gate and did not enter the three main halls behind Fengtian Gate. Then they went to court to listen to the government at the Royal Gate. Simply put, the emperor would ask people to move Chairs sit by the door.
But now, before the officials arrived in front of Fengtian Gate, they saw a large amount of white smoke coming out of the Forbidden City.
Emperor Wanli has already asked people to move a chair. This thing is called a throne. He wants to share with his dear civil and military officials the story of how he was chased with a fire and burned on his butt just last night.
Someone came from Honglu Temple and sang "Enter the class". The civil and military classes on the left and right marched into the royal road side by side. At this time, the civil servants walked north to west and the military officers walked north to east. They bowed once and kowtowed three times, which was called "big class".
The Duke, the Prince Consort, and the Bo became the Qi Ban of the Xun Dynasty, and they were in front of the military attache squad but a little away.
The officials of Honglu Temple went out first to report to the emperor the number of officials who came to the capital to express gratitude and left the capital to resign, and then reported from the border. However, in the past, these things were kept in the cabinet, and there has been nothing recently, so they directly Entering the third link, which is "playing things".
But Emperor Wanli's appearance today was really weird. For a moment, the officials had not seen Emperor Wanli for a long time, and they didn't know what to say.
"Is there no one to do anything... Then I have something to say. Everyone, I almost didn't see you..."