Chapter five hundred and fiftieth eight: The Ministry of Rites of Gallop
Going to court in winter is the most difficult.
Not only is the weather cold, but the daybreaks are also late. The elders have to step out of their houses and go to Jinshui Bridge under the moonlight every day.
In recent days, perhaps because the Winter Solstice is approaching, Mr. Zongxian's requirements for court rituals have become more and more stringent.
On a cold day, the cold wind howled, accompanied by the scoldings of Yushi Jiuyi, and occasionally the sound of whips.
The sky was still dark, and the palace lanterns on both sides of the Jinshui Bridge had not yet extinguished. However, under the watchful eye of Mr. Zongxian, the elders did not dare to be late for a moment. There was still a stick of incense before the palace gate opened, so they arrived early
They stood in line.
The elders folded their sleeves, waiting for the time to go to court, while chatting about the various events that had happened in the capital during this period.
Of course, there are also many fishers in troubled waters who are already looking forward to the arrival of the New Year.
The winter solstice is coming soon, can the Chinese New Year be far behind?
There are those who fish, and there are those who do business.
In the seemingly neat queue, the further back it gets, the noisier it becomes, and the further forward it becomes, the more dead silence it becomes.
For ministers of the third rank and above who have a keen sense of politics, it is not difficult to learn the contents of Prince Xiang's intercepted memorial.
What they were most worried about had happened!
Although King Xiang's memorial was not handed over in the end, a series of consequences would inevitably unfold in this morning meeting.
and……
As the sky lightened up, the eyes of countless ministers, whether visible or secret, all fell on Yu Qian at the front.
This is located in Shaobao, and it has been seven days since I returned to Beijing!
However, except for an audience in the palace on the second day after returning to Beijing, he stayed at home for the other few days. This time was the first time he attended the court meeting after returning to Beijing.
Again, although Yu Qian's trip was ostensibly to investigate the Luotong case, as he traveled back and forth in the border towns, many traces could not be hidden.
For this matter, there has been an undercurrent in Beijing, but it all depends on what Yu Qian got!
At the same time, another person who attracted attention was Yu Shiyue from the cabinet.
For some reason, Yu Cifu has calmed down his temper recently, and no longer quarreled with Mr. Zhu Ge on many cabinet affairs.
Although there are still disputes over some government affairs, they are not as serious as before.
Even, in a certain cabinet meeting, he actually agreed with Mr. Zhu Ge's opinion for the first time.
There was a lot of discussion about this in the court.
Some people think that this is Yu Cifu bowing his head in disguise, acknowledging Zhuge Lao's special status in the cabinet.
But more people are praising Yu Cifu for his broad mind and tolerance.
In contrast, the voices of dissatisfaction with Zhu Jian that had been prevalent in the court some time ago have also weakened, and are now mixed with a hint of accusation. It is felt that although Zhu Jian did not receive the reward he deserved, after all, he
He is a newly promoted cabinet minister, so it is inappropriate to treat Yu Shiyue, who joined the cabinet earlier than him, in this way.
The direction of public opinion in the court sometimes changes very quickly.
However, for the big shots in the imperial court, public opinion has long been unable to affect them.
The reason why they paid attention to Yu Shiyue was because this Yu Cifu had written a memorial two days ago. The content was very simple, recommending Yu Shan, the Minister of the Ministry of War, to be transferred to the position of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
If this is nothing.
So, when we read it together with the memorial written by Yu Qian at the same time, recommending Xiang Wenyao, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, to be transferred to the Minister of the Ministry of War, we have to make people think deeply.
In short, the current situation in the DPRK is about to come...
Although it was not yet dawn, the faint morning light had already shone through, the loud bells rang, and the heavy palace door was slowly pushed open.
On the Jinshui Bridge, the high-pitched voice of the ritual officer sounded.
"Enter!"
In the Wenhua Hall, the earth dragon warmed the whole hall, and the elders finally no longer had to shiver in the cold wind. After entering the hall, they knelt down and bowed down with thoughtful etiquette.
"Long live my emperor, long live me."
"Plain body."
Today, the emperor is wearing a bright red gold-woven robe with dragon patterns over the shoulders, and a black winged crown. He is sitting on the throne with a smile on his face, and he looks in a good mood.
As for the reason, the bosses already know it.
Just the day before yesterday, Concubine Guo in the palace went into labor and successfully gave birth to a prince. Although he was not a legitimate child of the palace, after all, His Majesty was not the only one with the eldest son, so he was naturally very happy.
It is said that on the day the second son of the emperor was born, the emperor visited the Changchun Palace in person and gave the second son the name Jianshu, which means timely rain that moistens all things. At the same time, the biological mother of the second son of the emperor, Guo Concubine, was named the virtuous concubine among the four concubines.
As for rewards for the palace officials, even the cabinet and ministers from outside the dynasty, they all have their own rewards. It is just a small matter, so there is no need to mention it.
At the beginning of the court meeting, the cabinet came out first and presented several matters that were difficult to deal with, but most of them were local. Some of them had some power involvement with the Ministry of Education in Beijing, but they were not major matters.
The elders of each department, mainly the minister and the lieutenant, each came out to say a few words, and the decision was quickly finalized.
Afterwards, the court hall was quiet for a moment. It seemed that in the next moment, Eunuch Cheng Jing, who was standing on the imperial steps, was about to say the classic words, "If you have something to do, go to court, if nothing happens, leave the court," someone walked out of the court class.
Li Xian, Minister of Rites!
He held a memorial in his hand, walked slowly to the hall, raised the memorial high, and said.
"Your Majesty, the Winter Solstice Festival is approaching. The Ministry of Rites has agreed on the etiquette of the Winter Solstice Festival. Your Majesty is requested to take a look at it."
After the words fell, many old men with keen sense of smell cheered up in an instant.
Therefore, the memorial was sent to the imperial court by the eunuch who was serving him. The emperor did not hesitate and opened it and read it carefully.
At the same time, Li Xian also spoke.
"Your Majesty, the Winter Solstice, Zhengdan, and Wanshou Festival are the time for the great court gatherings, which are also important ceremonies of the country. This year, the Supreme Emperor returns to the court and resides in the South Palace. Therefore, the Ministry of Rites has discussed that the rituals of this year's great court gatherings will be slightly different from last year."
"According to the protocol, after your Majesty offers sacrifices to heaven, he should lead his ministers into the Nangong Palace to pay homage to the Supreme Emperor, and then he and the Supreme Emperor will worship at the ancestral temple. After the ceremony is completed, the Supreme Emperor will return to the Nangong Palace, and Your Majesty will ascend to the court in the Fengtian Hall and receive congratulations from all officials.
.”
Li Xian said these words clearly, his eyes always fixed on the wat board in front of him, and his tone did not waver at all.
However, this did not affect the storm that his words caused in the court.
There was a low voice of discussion in the hall, and then it gradually became noisy.
Although the elders had long thought that the morning court before the Winter Solstice would not be peaceful, they did not expect that this storm would actually arise from the usually stable Ministry of Rites.
After digesting the sounds that echoed in the hall, some of the elders' eyes fell on Li Xian who was standing in the middle, and some of them vaguely fell on Hu Hu, the great uncle who seemed to be about to fall asleep again.
But no matter what, the meanings revealed in their eyes are almost the same.