The Red Mansion Big Liar.

Chapter 201 Spring Farming Accident

The day of Hai in mid-spring.

Emperor Zhengqing, who seldom attended court, also left the palace and came to the Xiannong Altar.

After all the complicated rituals such as welcoming the gods, playing music, burning incense, and leading the ministers in worship, etc.

Fang led his ministers to the sacrificial field.

A group of princes and ministers all rolled up their trouser legs and sleeves and took up their respective positions.

Zhang Yunyi's rank was not high enough for this honor, so he could only blend in with the crowd and watch from the sidelines.

However, Jia Yucun, the newly appointed governor of Shuntian Prefecture, had the opportunity to show up. He was seen holding a cattle whip high above his head and kneeling facing north to present it to the emperor.

Emperor Zhengqing took the whip and, surrounded by his ministers, came to the sacrificial field, holding the plow in his hand and waving the whip.

Originally, the work could be completed by plowing the land three times symbolically, but something went wrong this year.

No matter how Emperor Zhengqing waved the whip, the ox remained motionless.

Agriculture was the foundation of ancient dynasties, and oxen, as the best livestock for plowing fields, were a strategic resource.

In order to ensure the stability of strategic resources, the government not only set up cattle-raising officials for the people to rent, but also registered every oxen used by the people.

Even princes and ministers rarely had the opportunity to eat beef.

This is one of the reasons why the Five Oxen Painting has such a high status in the famous classical paintings handed down from generation to generation.

During the spring ploughing ceremony, the oxen went on strike. Even if the emperor was angry, he could not play the lute to the oxen, nor could he punish them. He could only vent his anger on humans.

Not only was the cattle-breeding official of Shuntian Prefecture who provided the oxen for draft, but all the officials of Shuntian Prefecture were also implicated.

However, the fate is secondary, the ceremony must go on, especially this kind of sacrificial ceremony, the time cannot be delayed.

When the emperor was getting anxious, Zhang Yun逸 suddenly remembered an interesting story from the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty.

He stepped out of the line and said, "Your Majesty, calm down! This has never happened before. Now that there is such a sign, it may not be a bad thing. It is better to let Lord Jia and the relevant officials of Shuntian Prefecture to atone for their crimes and complete the procedures of the ceremony first. It will not be too late to deal with it when the harvest comes in autumn."

After hearing this, Jia Yucun and all the officials of Shuntian Prefecture looked at him with gratitude.

Seeing that it was him who spoke, Emperor Zhengqing's face looked better. He exhaled heavily and said, "If the cows don't plow the fields, how can this grand ceremony continue?"

Zhang Yunyi gave Jia Yucun a reassuring look, and then said slowly, "Your Majesty, it is not necessary to use cows for the ceremony. Since it is the fault of Shuntian Prefecture, I am afraid that the officials of Shuntian Prefecture will have to serve the emperor like cows and horses!"

If you work like a slave for others, it can be considered an insult.

But in the eyes of these ministers, serving the emperor like a slave was just their duty.

Especially, it concerns the future.

Before others could react, Jia Yucun had already prostrated himself on the ground, saying, "Master Zhang is absolutely right. The ceremony cannot be delayed. It is our honor to serve the emperor like a slave!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" The Shuntian officials suddenly realized what was going on and immediately echoed, "We are honored!"

Zhang Yun逸 struck while the iron was hot and said: "The emperor has set an example himself, and you all bow your heads like cows. This may not be a bad omen for the government to be in good order and the people to be harmonious. Even if this matter spreads to the people, it will be a good story and a good talk."

After hearing what he said, Emperor Zhengqing seemed to have thought of something. Without any hesitation, he waved his hand and said, "Well said! I'll do as you say!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Yucun immediately got up from the ground and, together with a group of officials from Shuntian Prefecture, removed the lasso from the oxen and tied it around himself.

Zhang Yunyi also took the opportunity to help and whispered, "Don't worry, everyone. The soil in the sacrificial field has been loosened beforehand, so it won't be too strenuous."

After hearing this, Jia Yucun burst into tears of gratitude. All the officials in Shuntian Prefecture were also very excited and showed gratitude on their faces. "Thank you very much for your righteous words!"

The reason why Zhang Yun逸 was willing to help them offend others was certainly not to help Jia Yucun offend others.

Firstly, he was not a member of the imperial examination system, so he was neither good at literature nor martial arts, and was criticized in official circles.

In addition, he holds considerable power, so it is inevitable that others will envy him.

The emperor's heart is like water. In order to avoid the situation where three people can make a tiger, he cannot rely entirely on the emperor's trust.

If you don't think about the future, you will have immediate worries. In order to avoid being hurt by gossip, you have to seek some help from the court.

I don't ask for any role to play, I just hope that at critical moments, different voices can emerge so that we are not isolated and helpless.

Secondly, the ancients were superstitious, and something went wrong during the Spring Ploughing Ceremony, so it was inevitable that they would be held accountable later.

In order to fertilize the soil, he arranged for Zhang Cheng to dig the sacrificial field three feet deep in advance, and mix the processed bird droppings into the soil according to the proportion.

Although he had reported the matter in advance, once someone with ulterior motives took advantage of it, they might put the blame on him.

Therefore, helping Jia Yucun and all the officials of Shuntian Prefecture to exonerate themselves at this time was also helping himself.

Although he held an official position, he had no relevant authority and could not even send someone he trusted to guard the sacrificial fields. However, Shuntian Prefecture had the right to maintain public order in the capital.

Their official careers are linked to the harvest from the sacrificial fields, so they will certainly pay more attention to the situation of the sacrificial fields during this period.

This way, he can feel more at ease, and it can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

Of course, although there are many princes and nobles in the capital, Shuntian Prefecture is a punching bag, but it is also a considerable power to govern the capital.

In fact, it can bring unexpected benefits in many cases, which is why he is willing to win them over.

He was publicly absolving everyone of their guilt today, and they had to remember this favor whether they wanted to or not.

Even if there are a few ungrateful people among them, they will not contradict him to his face because they are concerned about their reputation.

These officials were used to a life of luxury. Even though he arranged for Zhang Cheng to turn the soil in advance, by the time Emperor Zhengqing had plowed the sacrificial field three times, they were all panting and in a mess.

The saying "work like a horse or an ox" really does hold true.

Although the emperor agreed to Zhang Yun逸's proposal to wait and see the results, the cattle-raising official was also to blame and was dismissed from his post on the spot.

However, Jia Yucun and other officials who wanted to keep their official positions would naturally not care about a small cattle-raising official.

I had to thank Zhang Yun逸 again.

Zhang Yunyi also took the opportunity to speak frankly: "To be honest with you gentlemen, I have reported to the emperor earlier and have used some tricks. I dare not say anything else. As long as the sacrificial fields are not affected by natural disasters or man-made disasters, the harvest will not be bad. Now that you gentlemen are closely related to the harvest of the sacrificial fields, you must pay more attention."

After hearing this, Jia Yucun looked thoughtfully at the imperial sedan chair returning to the palace in the distance.

And the people who were originally worried became more confident.

Although intrigues were inevitable in the government office, everyone was united at the moment. They patted their chests and promised Zhang Yun逸 that they would send people to guard the land strictly and would not allow any damage to the sacrificial fields.

The Prince of Qin and the Prince of Ning, who were accompanying the emperor in the distance, turned back intentionally or unintentionally to look at Zhang Yunyi and others who fell behind.

However, there seemed to be relief in one of their eyes, while there was a hint of entanglement in the other's passionate eyes.

……

(End of this chapter)