"This is a one-night stand with cypresses and flowers, and there is no dream in the empty hall. It is also the third watch. The imperial city welcomes the new year with drums, and the pine basin in the neighboring courtyard is bright. The pinned cup is in the twelfth lunar month, and the spring light comes into view. The song is only cut.
The rooster sings, and thousands of officials ring in silence."
This is a custom poem in the capital on New Year's Eve written by Qiu Yu, a native of Xuancheng. On New Year's Eve, he built a wooden platform with pine and cypress branches in his courtyard, lit it on fire, and burned it until dawn. This is called "簰素明".
On New Year's Eve in the forty-fourth year of Wanli's reign, outside the hanging flower door of Zhang Yuan's residence in Lige Old Hutong, west of the Imperial City of Beijing, a pine and cypress wood frame was burning warmly, and the fragrance of rosin was overflowing. This is a festive smell; roses
The colorful firelight reflects on the red paper gourds posted on the doors and windows. The bricks and wood are deep and the red light flashes. This is a festive color; the sound of firecrackers, the sound of saying goodbye to the New Year, the laughter, and all kinds of festive sounds fill the ears.
——
That night, Zhang Yuan's apartment was full of relatives and friends, and it was very lively.
A few days ago, Zhang Dai asked Zhang Yuan and his family to stay by the Paozi River to celebrate the New Year together. Zhang Yuan's brother-in-law, Shang Zhouzuo, also invited his sister-in-law and his family to celebrate the New Year together at Dongsi Archway. Zhang Yuan could not have both, so he discussed it with Shang Danran.
, decided to invite the brother-in-law’s family and uncle Zhang Yaofang’s family to celebrate the New Year together in Lige Old Hutong. Zhang Yuan’s residence in Lige Old Hutong can be regarded as a move to a new home. According to Shaoxing people’s custom, relatives and friends will stay together in the first year of the new home.
The New Year is auspicious and blessed, so on the afternoon of New Year's Eve, Zhang Yaofang, Zhang Dai and his son, one of Zhang Yaofang's concubines, Zhang Dai's wife Liu, his concubines Suzhi, Li Kouer, and four or five maids arrived at Zhang Yuan's residence first
, before they were seated, Shang Zhouzuo and his wife and sisters Jinglan and Jinghui also arrived. Qi Chengshun, Qi Biaojia and his son followed, and the four families celebrated the New Year together. One can imagine the excitement of Zhang Yuan’s small courtyard——
The female relatives in the inner courtyard chatted together, played chess, tasted tea, drank wine, tossed pots, recited poems about keeping the year old, and ate a kind of cake made of persimmons, lychees, round eyes, chestnuts, ripe dates, and donkey head meat.
, packed in a box, because donkeys are commonly known as ghosts. Eating donkey meat means "chewing ghosts". This is to pray for peace in the house. The maids and servants are busy pasting pictures of fortune, tiger heads, and harmony on the walls of the room. They put the lit lamps on the walls.
Under the bed, this is called "taking care of waste". Mu Zhenzhen doesn't know how to play chess or drink. She discussed childbirth and childcare with Suzhi, who also had a big belly, for a while, then got up and went to each room to take a look. She was worried about a fire.
, so I go on patrol from time to time...
In the main hall of the outer courtyard, Zhang Yuan was sitting around drinking with his clan uncle, clan brother, brother-in-law, and Qi Chengshun and his son. They were all from the same hometown and were in-laws, so naturally they were having a great time. Talking about the past events of New Year's Eve in their hometown, they had endless things to say...
Uncle Fu and Uncle Yao were changing peach charms and sticking to the door gods. Young male servants Wu Ling, Ming Yan, Baima, and Xue Tong were setting off firecrackers in front of the door, running and playing, and playing with stone balls. Baima and Xue Tong were particularly active, and they went there exclusively.
Run around cold streets and alleys. When you meet someone holding a mirror to listen to divination, you shout in Shaoxing or Jinling dialect, and run away after shouting, leaving the person listening to the mirror dumbfounded and confused. It is a northern custom to pray at the stove on New Year's Eve to ask for blessings.
Go out with a mirror in hand, and use the first words you hear from outsiders to predict good or bad luck. There is an article "Listening through the Mirror" in "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio", which is inspirational and funny...
At midnight, New Year's drums sounded at the Fengtian Gate in the imperial city, and then gorgeous fireworks rose over the imperial city. The forty-fifth year of Wanli arrived. At the age of Dingsi, Houjin Nurhachi called this year the destiny of heaven.
Two years——
On the first day of the new year, officials of the fourth rank and above in Beijing will participate in the Zhengdan Dynasty Ceremony held by the Ministry of Etiquette. Zhang Yuan was from the sixth rank, so he was originally not qualified to participate, but because he was an official in the East Palace, he also had to participate.
At the beginning, Zhang Yaofang and Zhang Dai returned to the bank of Paozi River with their family members and maidservants. Qi Chengshun, Qi Biaojia and his son also said goodbye and returned to the Ministry of War, while Shang Zhouzuo and his family stayed here——
Zhang Yuan and his brother-in-law Shang Zhouzuo entered the inner courtyard. Fu was weak and sick and could not stay up late. He had already gone to Shang Danran's room to rest. Wang Wei and Shang Jinglan were playing chess. Shang Danran and Xiao Jinghui looked on, and Zhou's mother held her in her arms.
Xiao Hongjian was also nearby. Xiao Jinghui teased Xiao Hongjian from time to time, pinched his cheeks, made faces, and teased him with the ends of his hair. The smiling child started laughing...
Seeing Shang Zhou Zuo and Zhang Yuan come in, Shang Danran and others stood up to wish Shang Zhou Zuo and Zhang Yuan a new year. Zhang Yuan returned the gift, said a few words of blessing, and asked Dan Ran: "Why is Hongjian not sleeping?"
Shang Danran said: "I have gone to bed early and am full. I just woke up." He hugged Xiao Hongjian and said softly: "Hongjian, wish your uncle a new year, and wish your father a new year." He held his son's two small hands together.
Together, they make a gesture of bowing.
The nine-month-old little Hongjian found it very funny. He nodded and waved his hands up and down. His cute smile made the whole room laugh.
Shang Zhouzuo was also a little sleepy, so he went to Zhang Yuan's study to take a nap. Zhang Yuan took Wang Wei, Jing Lan and Jing Hui sisters to set off fireworks outside the Chuihua Gate. There was a kind of firework called "ceiling spray" which was originated from inside.
The hands of an official and skillful craftsman are like a goddess scattering flowers when they are set off. Xiao Hui claps and laughs when he sees them——
Zhang Yuan stood by the pine and cypress fire, smelling the aroma of rosin, and said: "I told a joke. There was a businessman in Suzhou who was celebrating the New Year in Jinling. When he saw the fireworks on both sides of the Qinhuai River, he said to others, 'Even if there are lights in Suzhou at this time, there are no lights.
"Everywhere," people asked why. This person said, "The sky in Suzhou is blocked by fireworks at this time, and they can't go up because there is no space in the sky."
Sisters Wang Wei, Jing Lan and Jing Hui all smiled, their eyes shining like stars.
In the imperial city not far away, all kinds of gorgeous fireworks were going up and down. At this moment, the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty was so real.
…
At the beginning of the Chen Dynasty, Zhang Yuan and his brother-in-law Shang Zhouzuo entered the Chengtian Gate together. The Zhengdan Dynasty Meeting was held for the New Year Ceremony. According to the ancestral system, the emperor had to go to the Huangji Palace in person to accept the worship and congratulations of hundreds of officials and distant ministers from all over the world. However, Emperor Wanli had not been here for many years.
He did not attend the Zhengdan court meeting anymore, and this year was no exception. It was still hosted by officials from the Ministry of Rites and Honglu Temple. It was a formality with red tape. Zhang Yuan saw Qin Liangyu in official uniform and four envoys from North Korea were also in the queue, and
There is a New Year's greeting card presented to the official of the Supervisor of Ceremonies——
After the court meeting ended, all the officials came out of the Huangji Gate one after another. In addition to the Yulin Guards sergeant, there were two East Palace eunuchs waiting at the gate. They were Zhong Benhua and Han Benyong. They invited Qian Longxi on the order of the prince.
The seven lecturers from the East Palace, Guo Hui, Cheng Jiming, Xu Guangqi, Sun Chengzong, Zhang Yuan, and Ma Zhiqi, went to the Wenhua Hall. The Crown Prince Zhu Changluo wanted to receive the seven lecturers from the East Palace at the Wenhua Hall. Zhang Yuan and others came to the main hall of Wenhua.
, met with the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince said some New Year greetings and gave New Year gifts. Everyone thanked them and went out with thanks——
Zhang Yuan found an opportunity to ask Zhong Benhua: "When will my father-in-law return to his overseas residence?"
Zhong Benhua said: "On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the miscellaneous family will gather outside the palace."
"Okay, I'll come to pay my father-in-law a happy New Year in the afternoon on the fifth day of the lunar month."
Zhang Yuangong cupped his hands and quickly followed his senior brother Xu Guangqi out of the Wenhua Gate.
As usual, the East Palace ministers had to go to the direct room of the cabinet to meet with ministers. Zhang Yuan also went there. Fang Congzhe and Wu Daonan were both there. When Fang Congzhe saw Zhang Yuan, he was so ashamed and resentful that he wanted to hand Zhang Yuan over in person.
He threw back the invitation, but he changed his mind and endured it. He was the chief minister and had to be tolerant. To throw the invitation now would not harm Zhang Yuan, but it would appear that he was venting his personal anger——
Fang Congzhe smiled lightly and said to Zhang Yuan: "Zhang Xiuzan has the style of Hai Rui Hai. He is upright and upright. He taught me a lesson for the incompetent dog. I have to thank Zhang Xiuzan for it. I heard that Zhang Xiuzan's son is also named Hong."
It turns out that the dog has the same name as the dog, what a coincidence."
Zhang Yuan thought to himself: "This old guy's words are thorny. In the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty, Hai Rui is a figure that people respect and stay away from. To put it mildly, he is a disgusting figure. Fang Congzhe praised me as Hai Rui. How dare I take it?" Respectfully.
Jingdao said: "The words of Mr. Ge are harsh. The lower official is young and has little knowledge. His words and deeds may be inappropriate, but he is loyal to the emperor and loves the people. There was a small misunderstanding with Mr. Ge the day before yesterday. Mr. Ge is magnanimous and will not blame the lower official.
The official is very grateful. As for the name of the youngest son of the official, which coincides with the name of the old master, it is really a coincidence. The official has decided to change the name of the child to avoid offending."
Fang Congzhe sneered in his heart, smiled on his face, and said: "How dare you ask your son to change his name? It's the right thing for my incompetent scoundrel to change his name." He smiled and stopped.
Zhang Yuan and the other officials walked out of Chengtian Gate and scattered. Except for the officials on duty, it was a holiday now and they would not officially take office until after the Lantern Festival.
Xu Guangqi and Zhang Yuan walked side by side. Xu Guangqi shook his head and sighed: "Jie Zi, you have completely offended Mr. Fang Ge now. It will be too difficult for you to implement the policy of managing the world and benefiting the people in the future."
Zhang Yuandao: "Even if this hadn't happened, I would have offended Mr. Fang Ge a long time ago, not least this time."
Xu Guangqi smiled bitterly, stopped, and looked back at the Forbidden City. The sun was rising. The snow on the eaves of the yellow tiles of Chengtian Gate looked majestic and graceful against the sunlight, as if the solemnity of the Ming Dynasty was still there. He thought to himself: "The monarch is inactive, and the decrees are ineffective.
Officials are busy with internal fighting and rarely care about the country. They engage in powerful mergers and acquisitions. There is a great disparity between the rich and the poor. They have luxurious clothes and food, and the poor are inevitably cold and discouraged..."
Xu Guangqi was thinking this when he heard Zhang Yuan say: "Senior Brother Xu, I would like to request to be sent to Korea as an envoy."
"Ah." Xu Guangqi was surprised and asked, "Why?"
Zhang Yuandao: "I want to take the opportunity to inspect the Liaodong border guards, inquire about the situation of the slave chiefs, and then try to restrain the Korean monarch from interacting with the slave chiefs."
Xu Guangqi pondered for a moment, nodded and said: "Meson is not a scholar who talks about nothing. He serves the country and the people, and he is not afraid of dangers. Brother Yu admires him. But will Mr. Wu Ge allow you to leave the capital? You are Mr. Wu Ge's best disciple, and the Beijing police will soon
To begin with, these are extraordinary times."
Zhang Yuandao: "I will explain to Mr. Wu Ge that Ding Si's investigation is just a temporary gain and loss, so don't take it too seriously."
After bidding farewell to Xu Guangqi, Zhang Yuan first went to visit Yang Lian, the room master, and talked about sending an envoy to North Korea. Yang Lian was firmly opposed at first, believing that the importance of the capital inspection far exceeded that of being an envoy to North Korea, and hoped that Zhang Yuan would stay to help him and
Among the people in Donglin, Zhang Yuandao said: "The students are now a thorn in Mr. Fangge's side. It would be better if the students left for a while." He thought to himself: "It is better to do some on-the-spot investigation if we stay in the capital to quarrel, and this time Donglin is inspecting the capital."
Defeated, Donglin's turning point lies with Zhu Changluo, so we can only wait."
Seeing that Zhang Yuan had made up his mind, Yang Lian had no choice but to give up.
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Write a New Year's Eve plot to commemorate the New Year's Eve that just passed.
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