On the next day, the 19th day of the twelfth lunar month, Yun officially resumed going to court and held a large court meeting.
Going to court in winter is very painful. Leaving the carriage or sedan to wait for the court in the small square in front of the palace, many people will be shivering with cold. High-level officials have no choice but to come, and mid-level officials have to come to the court meeting.
, low-level officials often report illness.
But this time it was different. Yun had not been in the capital for more than seven months, so the court meeting on the first day of every month would naturally not be held. Many people came to the court with the intention of meeting the emperor.
Of course, they had another purpose in coming to court, which was to hear the long-awaited imperial edict.
"According to the imperial edict of Emperor Tianyun, the civil military attachés, the Ministry of War, the Taipusi Temple, the Xingtaipu Temple, and the five-army governor's office were all changed to civilian military attachés, and their official uniforms were the same as those of military attachés. Since the seventh day of the establishment of the industry,
Starting from the 16th day of the first lunar month of the year, officials with the above positions must change their official uniforms into military attaché uniforms. This is my honor."
"I accept the order and thank you." All the officials present knelt down, but their expressions were different. Xu Huizu and others looked calm, while the lower-ranking generals looked slightly depressed. On the contrary, the civil servants mostly looked happy.
From the 31st year of Hongwu to the 6th year of Jianye, the generals and guards of the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion were almost completely out of civilian control. Although the power to appoint and remove generals still lies with the Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War, as long as there is the support of the emperor, the Military Selection Department can
It can be turned into a rubber stamp. What's more, both Jing Qing and Mei Yin followed Yun's orders, making this system of checks and balances useless.
But judging from this imperial edict, perhaps it is because His Majesty the Emperor believes that there will be no more wars in the Ming Dynasty, or perhaps because he is beginning to feel uneasy. No matter why, after the war with Samarkand is over, the Emperor will resume his career.
This system started.
So of course the civil servants will be happy, because they think this means that the system of civil and military control has begun again. Even if Yun pays attention to maintaining a balance, the following generations of emperors will gradually favor civil servants.
Standing in the main hall, Yun naturally noticed the expressions of the civil and military officials. He sneered, but then calmed down and asked the waiter to say: "All the ministers are equal."
Afterwards, various officials congratulated Yun on his victory in the battle with Samarkand. Yun also announced that a prisoner dedication ceremony would be held, and after the prisoner sacrifice ceremony, he would go to the Xiaoling Mausoleum to pay homage to Zhu Yuanzhang.
"I obey the decree," officials from the Ministry of Rites and other yamen said one after another.
After that, all the officials were ready to disperse. It was already the middle of the twelfth lunar month, and although it was not the day of holiday yet, most of the officials had already given themselves a holiday in their hearts. There was nothing important during this period, and they all planned to go to court and go back quickly.
Go home and prepare for the New Year.
Ke Yun suddenly said: "My dear friends. My dear friends, you should know that in the far east, on the opposite side of the ocean, His Royal Highness King Xiang and Fang Mingqian discovered a vast place."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I congratulate Your Majesty." Zheng Yi, the Minister of Rites, stepped forward and agreed, but his expression was not excited. Civil servants generally have no interest in expanding outwards. For them, the discovery of Hanzhou Continent is just a discovery.
It was just a barren land, of little use to the Ming Dynasty. In fact, not only the civil servants, but also the military generals did not think that the Hanzhou continent was of much significance.
Of course Yun also knew their attitude, and was not annoyed after hearing Zheng Yi's words. He continued: "In this land that I named Hanzhou Continent, there are many savages. These savages can't read, and they don't even know how to use copper utensils and weapons."
Iron tools are very backward, even more backward than the barbarians near the Ming Dynasty."
"So I have a question, what kind of person can be called a human? Or what is the definition of a human? What is the difference between a human and a beast?"
"Can the barbarians around the Ming Dynasty be counted as human beings? If so, what kind of people are they? Can the barbarians on the Hanzhou continent be counted as human beings? If they are human beings, then what kind of people are they?" Yun asked several questions in succession.
"Well, Your Majesty, I believe that if you know etiquette and are free from animal nature, you can be a human being. If you don't know etiquette and are as barbaric as wild beasts, you can't be considered a human being." Zheng Yi said.
"What do you think, Qing Xie?" Just when everyone was starting to think about this question, Yun suddenly asked Xie Jin.
"Your Majesty, I believe that people who have writing and can record the history of their ancestors for self-examination, correct their clothes and know their gains and losses can be considered as human beings; if there is no writing and no history, even if they have language and can talk to people, it cannot be counted as a human being.
People." Xie Jin said.
Afterwards, there was some chaos in the hall. Many civil servants discussed with the people around them what could be considered a human being. After a while, Yun ordered the Han general to maintain order, and then the hall became quiet, and everyone faced Yun Shili again.
"I just suddenly thought of this matter, so I am not asking you to give me a clear answer now."
"The Chinese New Year is about to come. Dear friends, you can think about this issue during the Chinese New Year. You can also read ancient books or talk with knowledgeable people to find out what exactly counts as a human being. If anyone has any insights on this, please let me know.
I will study the memorial carefully."
"I have nothing to do today." Yun said and signaled to the waiter, who shouted loudly: "Retreat!"
All the officials hurriedly saluted Yun, and then left the hall in twos and threes.
"Brother Xie Jin, your Majesty suddenly said what qualifies as a human being, and what does it mean?" Xie Jin's good friend Dong Lun, the Minister of Rites, has been thinking about this matter since Yun raised that question, but
I still couldn't figure it out, so I asked.
"An Chang {Dong Lun}," Xie Jin said, "I haven't figured it out either, but His Majesty's words are certainly not unfounded. There must be deep meaning."
In the next few days, Yun first held a memorial ceremony and then went to Xiaoling to pay homage to Zhu Yuanzhang. When facing Zhu Yuanzhang, Yun knelt in front of the statue for a long time and kept mumbling something until it was almost dark.
, the etiquette officer had to step forward to remind him, so Yun stood up, and at the same time helped Wen Yuan, whose legs were completely numb, and left the mausoleum. But before leaving, Yun took a deep look at the statue, and then turned and left.
It was already the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month when Yun returned to the capital from Xiaoling. The winter vacation had already begun. All government offices except the General Administration Department had been closed. Yun also relaxed and began to enjoy the rare rest time in the year.
However, when he saw Wen Lin and other young children, he suddenly thought of Tang Sai'er, and then thought: "I wonder how the White Lotus Sect would react to Tang Jingyu being transferred as a bodyguard of the county king."
