Bachelor

Chapter 423

Meridian Gate.

It was Maoshi, the sky was still dark, and the darkness before dawn was the worst, it was as thick as ink.

If it weren't for the brilliant lights on the palace city, it would be difficult to move.

At this moment, if it is elsewhere, the people are still asleep.Although the ancients had the habit of going to bed early and getting up early, it is only four o'clock Beijing time.Even if you want to get up and do things, you have to wait until the sun is bright.

But this living habit is not suitable for the officials of the Ming Dynasty and the officials of the Gyeonggi area.Because, according to the system, they would gather in front of the Meridian Gate every day at Mao, and then participate in the morning court.Of course, the 15th day of the Spring Festival and the first and [-]th days of each month are not included in this list. These days are national statutory holidays.

The square in front of the Meridian Gate was already filled with excitement, and horse-drawn carriages and official sedan chairs kept coming, and then officials in various official uniforms walked over in a mess, some yelled and shouted, and some walked silently with their heads down.

The two side doors of the Meridian Gate were opened, and only the main door was still closed.The main gate is the passage for the emperor to travel, and it is rarely opened several times a year.

"Quiet, quiet." Just as Sun Dan got out of the carriage, he heard an old man's voice calling to him.

He hurriedly turned his head to look over, and it was Zhao Jian, the teacher who only knows how to test the time, and the current minister of the Ministry of Punishment.

Zhao Jian still had that kind appearance, and he couldn't help smiling when he saw his favorite student.He was wearing a brand-new second-rank official uniform, and the golden pheasant patch on it was so lifelike that it seemed as if it was about to spread its wings and fly.Zhao Jian wore a rhinoceros belt around his waist and thick-soled official boots on his feet. He walked in a smooth and steady manner, looking quite energetic.

Sun Dan cupped his hands and saluted: "It turns out to be the teacher, the student Sun Dan has met the teacher."

"No need." Zhao Jian helped Sun Dan up and said, "Above the court, you and I are ministers in the same court, and we are colleagues."

Sun Dan said: "Yes, I have seen Mr. Zhao."

Zhao Jian chuckled, and asked, "Jingyuan, this is your first morning court."

"Exactly." Sun Dan was not qualified enough to come here before, but now he is an editor of the Hanlin Academy, but he cannot escape this task.

"Actually, the morning court is just a ceremony, just take a look. This is the beginning, and I will come every day in the future, and I don't think it's strange." Zhao Jian smiled and said some precautions, and told him: "Wait After your Majesty finishes counting the mausoleums in the square of Fengtian Temple, officials of the fourth rank and below will go back to their respective yamen to work, and officials of the fourth rank and above will enter the palace to discuss matters with His Majesty. You are also eligible to enter the palace now, but you have to remember one thing, everything is more important. See more, think less."

This is Zhao Jian's many years of experience as an official. Sun Dan also understands this truth and nodded: "Your Excellency is right. Sun Dan's qualifications are shallow, so naturally he focuses on learning."

"That way, I have nothing to worry about." Zhao Jian stroked his beard and smiled gratifiedly: "Come on, as soon as we go in, the people from the Inspectorate should also call their heads."

The two entered the Meridian Gate while talking.

This was also Sun Dan's first morning court, and everything seemed fresh to him.To be honest, he really didn't know what the rules were in the early court. Fortunately, Zhao Shangshu, a veteran who knew the way, was there, so a lot of trouble was saved.

After entering the Meridian Gate, there is a wide square, and the opposite side of the square is Fengtianmen.

At this time, a loud bell rang, and the Fengtian Gate slowly opened.

Sun Dan and Zhao Jian didn't delay, they went straight across the square and entered Fengtian Gate.

Along the way, there were more and more officials, and the total number reached an astonishing thousand. It can be seen that the financial burden of the Ming Dynasty was heavy. The salary of so many officials in the capital alone was enough for the household department to be a headache.

There are many acquaintances in the crowd, such as Zhai Luan, Yang Tinghe, Yang Shen and others.

Because everyone was filing in and no one was talking, Sun Dan was too embarrassed to go up and chat.

Just walked a few hundred steps like this, passed through Fengtian Gate, and there was a cool morning wind blowing in front of you, and the sound of official uniforms rattling all over the world.

The eyes suddenly opened up.

I saw that a bigger square appeared in front of me.

The width of the square is slightly larger than the Meridian Gate Square outside, and more than 1000 officials crowded in the square, which suddenly seemed sparse.

So many officials standing in disorder in the square obviously lost the face of the imperial court, so officials from all ministries and yamen came to greet the officials of the department to form a team.

According to the rules of queuing, civil servants are on the left and military officials are on the right.Sun Dan naturally followed Zhao Jian to the left.

No one spoke during the whole process, and there were rustling footsteps everywhere.

After reaching the square on the left, Sun Dan discovered a very important problem.No one from the Hanlin Academy came to follow the order of standing, and he didn't know where to stand.

Seeing that Sun Dan was at a loss, Zhao Jian smiled and said, "Jingyuan, your Hanlin Yuan editors and editors are in a superior position. You don't need to line up alone, just go with the six ministers and the cabinet ministers. Come with me. .”

Sun Dan: "Thank you for your guidance, sir."

So, Sun Dan and Zhao Jian came to the front of the team, just in time to see the other two colleagues of the Imperial Academy, Yang Shen and Wang Yuanzheng.They were accompanying the three elders of the cabinet, the six ministers, and the governor of Shuntian, standing in a small square in front of the square.This small phalanx has only 11 people in total, but it is the core component of the bureaucratic system of the entire Ming Dynasty.

It was also said that these 11 people were very familiar with Sun Dan, and when they saw Sun Dan approaching, they all nodded their heads.

Standing among them, Sun Dan suddenly realized that at some point, he had unknowingly walked into this core decision-making layer.This feeling is weird, I can't tell what it feels like.

As soon as he stood still, the envoys of the Inspectorate began to roll their names, and the voices of the envoys' roll call could be heard everywhere.

Although these imperial envoys have low positions, they have great power and very bad attitudes. Sometimes they are even suspected of being unreasonable. Whenever something happens, no matter how high your official position is, you will always be reprimanded.

"Master Huang, what's the matter with you, you coughed loudly when you went to the hall early?"

That Mr. Huang is a fifth-rank official, probably suffering from a cold and coughing badly, but when he was reprimanded by the seventh-rank envoy, he didn't dare to reply, and said again and again: "Your official, your lower official caught a cold, just now I just endured the cold." ...I can't help it...cough, cough."

The imperial envoy was even more annoyed: "Master Huang, the imperial court has a system. If the officials of the early court suffered from cold, tuberculosis or other serious diseases, they were not allowed to go to the court. Otherwise, they will pass the illness to other officials, or even to your majesty. You eat Can you afford it?"

The officer surnamed Huang covered his mouth with his hands and explained: "The lower official just caught a cold, not an infectious disease, cough cough..."

The imperial envoy's face was ashen, and he was about to teach the official surnamed Huang again. At this time, he saw another official surnamed Huang spitting with his head bowed. Wiping the phlegm vigorously a few times, he cursed: "Pay attention to your official manners, what's the point of spitting in Fengtian Palace?"

While reprimanding the offending officials, the imperial envoy wrote down their names on the dental board, waiting for the discussion.

Sun Dan was surprised. He had heard about the Ming Dynasty's supervisory department and knew how powerful they were.But Sun Dan didn't get to know anyone from the Procuratorate on a daily basis, and he only knew one Sun Yingkui among the six departments. As far as this Sun Yingkui was concerned, he was a good person and knew Sun Dan well.But looking at today's situation, it is only then that we know how powerful the Imperial Envoy is, and this is a powerful political force!
It was still early, but fortunately it was already early summer, and the weather was not cold anymore, so I could stand upright here for a long time.

No one spoke, just stood there silently.

But Sun Dan still sensed that something was wrong. The several big officials in the small square he was standing in were all making eye contact, and they even focused their eyes on him intentionally or unintentionally.

Sun Dan suddenly thought this way in his heart, do these elder monks have something to say to him, otherwise, it is impossible for him to meet Zhao Shangshu by such a coincidence?
Sure enough, within a short while, Zhao Jian suddenly opened his mouth and said in a low voice, "Jing Yuan."

Sun Dan: "The next official is here."

Zhao Jian: "Jingyuan, it's been nearly a month before and after the reunion with the Empress Dowager in the palace. The capital city and Tongzhou are very familiar with each other. From your point of view, is it appropriate to add an emperor character to the Empress Dowager's honorary title?" ?”

He was testing Sun Dan's political attitude.

Sun Dan immediately understood that this morning court was the final showdown between the courtiers and the emperor, otherwise it would be impossible for them all to arrive.Sun Dan is now the emperor's private secretary, in charge of confidential matters, and sometimes can represent the emperor's views.Although Yang Shen and Wang Yuanzheng were also the emperor's secretaries, they were only responsible for drafting the imperial edict, and because they had a special relationship with Yang Tinghe, they did not touch important matters.

Sun Dan also knew that Zhao Shangshu's question was very serious, and if he answered it badly, he would become the enemy of the entire civil service system.He played tricks: "Master Zhao, Sun Dan is only a deputy envoy, you can ask Shangshu Mao about this matter."

Mao Cheng was also standing in the phalanx. He turned his head and glanced at Sun Dan: "Master Sun, Mao Cheng will definitely not agree to such a thing. The question of the imperial examination is related to the foundation of the country, and there is no compromise at all."

Sun Dan had no choice but to reply, "Actually, there is a certain reason for respecting King Xing as Emperor Xingxian. As for adding the word "Huang" in front of the emperor... All elders and adults should discuss it with His Majesty again, and we can finally reach a consensus."

"Well said." Yang Tinghe, the chief minister of the cabinet, who had been silent all this time, suddenly turned his head and said to Sun Dan: "Sun Dan, you are right. After discussion, we can always reach a consensus. , It’s not impossible.” He sighed a long time: “This matter has been entangled for too long, and it’s time to resolve it. As for adding the word “Huang”, I also checked it when I came down. Your Majesty invites favor and flattery. It is absolutely unacceptable to use it for bargaining on important national affairs."

"That's right, little man Huang Jin, the state affairs of my Ming Dynasty are going to be ruined by this shameless eunuch." Several ministers also nodded at the same time, and cursed in a low voice.

"There must be no compromise this time." Qiao Yu's voice became louder, "I will fight with reason, and I must ask Your Majesty to dispel this idea."

"Yes, yes, this matter cannot be discussed any longer. You should stand firm." Zhao Jian nodded at the same time.

But Yang Tinghe sighed and shook his head again and again.

Yang Shen was a little upset, and couldn't help but said: "Shoufu, the big gift is a matter of right and wrong, and you can't back down!" Although he and Yang Tinghe were father and son, they only called each other by their titles in formal occasions.

Yang Tinghe said to his son in a soft voice: "Master Yang, blindly using force can certainly show our strength of character, and also have the effect of rectifying the source. It's a pity that major national affairs have a lot to do with each other, and some things are not right and wrong. You can make it clear. You have not reached my position and age. When you reach my step, you will understand how difficult it is to maintain this regime. Times are difficult, so try your best to support them. Everything must go to the good side To do it, the truth is right and wrong, black and white, but it may not be the blessing of the country or the court."

On the surface, Yang Tinghe's words were intended to teach his son a lesson, but in fact, he meant to tell the second-rank officials.

Everyone nodded their heads in disbelief.

But Yang Shen still felt that what his father said was not right, he opened his mouth to say something more, but seeing Yang Tinghe waved his hands a few times, he had no choice but to close his mouth.

After a long time, he sighed: "Yang Shen also understands the meaning of Lord Shoufu, but now..."

Mao Cheng interrupted suddenly at this time: "Actually, it is not unacceptable to offer a letter on the head of King Xing, but it is not worthy of enjoying the Taimiao, and it can be worshiped in the new emperor's mausoleum in Anlu. Lord Shoufu is right, If this matter continues to be discussed, when will it be the end?"

Mao Shangshu is the representative of the imperial court, and he is the most resolute in his opposition to the emperor's attempt to give King Xing the honorary title. He also had a complete falling out with Huang Jin in Tongzhou some time ago.What he said now was somewhat beyond Sun Dan's expectation.

It seems that these elders have reached a consensus, and now they are testing their own opinions.

Because Sun Dan is the emperor's confidant, perhaps, only he knows the emperor's true thoughts.

But Yang Shen said: "Shangshu Mao's words are old-fashioned and upholding the country's words, but unfortunately, now Huang Jin proposes to add an emperor character to Xing Wang's honorary name. Although I agree to add the character, I am afraid that Huang Jin will think that I am When you are weak, you will be forced to step by step. Jingyuan, you have been serving His Majesty all year round, what do you think?"

As soon as he said this, everyone's eyes fell on Sun Dan.

Sun Dan didn't expect that he would be pushed to the top of the storm, he smiled wryly and said: "Sun Dan is just a seventh-rank editor, who is mean and soft-spoken, and he doesn't know if he should say something or not."

Yang Tinghe nodded slowly, and encouraged: "It's okay to be quiet but say it."

Only then did Sun Dan express his truest thoughts: "Actually, the key now is what kind of ceremonial guard the Empress Dowager uses to enter the palace. She can no longer stay in Tongzhou, and it is time to reunite with His Majesty. This is the law of human relations and nature. Whoever has no parents, if it were you and me, if your mother has already arrived at the door, but you can’t get together, you don’t know how to feel, and how will the people of the world feel?”

Sun Dan's words made sense and made everyone nod their heads.

Sun Dan: "If it is true what Shangshu Mao just said, respecting the Empress Dowager is the Empress Dowager of Xingguo. According to the emperor's etiquette, you can enter the palace through the Daming Gate. There shouldn't be any problem with this point."

Several cabinet ministers and the six ministers exchanged glances and nodded at the same time: "How should we get together?"

Sun Dan breathed a sigh of relief: "In this way, His Majesty can also feel at ease."

But Yang Shen asked Sun Dan back: "Jingyuan, what if Huang Jin refuses to let go and wants to give King Xingxian the title of Emperor?"

Sun Dan suddenly wanted to smile bitterly, he cupped his hands, and said to Yang Shen: "Brother Yongxiu, Sun Dan is just a small editor, not Huang Jin, how do I know what he wants to do?"

Yang Shen suddenly smiled: "Actually, I think Huang Jin definitely wants to go one step further. However, we also have countermeasures."

While talking, he took out a memorial under Sun Dan's puzzled gaze, and handed it to Sun Dan: "Jingyuan can take a look, if you have no comments, please sign it."

Sun Dan took it and glanced at it, then was taken aback: "This..." It turned out that this was a letter of resignation. All officials of the court requested to resign from all public positions and return to the countryside to work in agriculture.

There are also many names densely written on the memorial, including Yang Shen, Wang Yuanzheng, and more than a dozen Hanlin.

When Sun Dan was in a daze, Yang Tinghe smiled and said, "Actually, the three ministers of our cabinet and Mao Shangshu also wrote this memorial." He also took out the notebook from his sleeve and waved it to everyone: "My lords ,what do y'all think?"

Following Yang Tinghe's action, Mao Cheng, the other two elders, also took out his notes.

Zhao Jian and Qiao Yu shouted at the same time: "Okay, come on, I am willing to accompany Lord Shoufu to request to resign from my position."

Now Sun Dan is in a dilemma, agree to Yang Shen, it is difficult to explain to Jiajing, don't agree, and have trouble with the officials of the civil service system.

In the midst of embarrassment, suddenly, a royal envoy walked over with a serious face.Regardless of the identities of these people standing in front of them, they just scolded: "Shoufu, Prime Minister Mao, Prime Minister Jiang, you are all second-rank officials from the six ministries, why are you so noisy here? To set an example for all officials?"

Then everyone shut their mouths at the same time.

Finally escaping from this embarrassing situation, Sun Danan yelled that it was dangerous, and couldn't help but secretly took a breath.

At this time, a group of eunuchs came out of Fengtian Hall, the leader of whom carried a five-meter-long leather whip, walked to the open space in front of Fengtian Hall, raised the whip and slapped it to the ground with a "crack!"

This sound was extremely loud, as if it was drawn to a person's vest.Everyone was refreshed and straightened their backs at the same time.

I don't know how many whips were whipped. When the loud sound of whips stopped, the gate of Fengtian Palace opened wide, and there were bursts of drum music.The chief eunuch Huang Jin came out and shouted loudly: "Your Majesty is here, and all the officials bow down."

Then the emperor came out.

As a result, more than a thousand officials knelt down at the same time.

Next came the routine morning procedure, first announcing the list of retired officials and the appointment and dismissal of officials in various provinces.

This set of procedures lasted for nearly half an hour, and it was finally finished, and then Huang Jin shouted: "Officials above the fourth rank enter the palace to discuss matters, and the rest of the officials return to their duties!"

Then, the officials who retreated kowtowed to thank them again.

Sun Dan walked towards the Fengtian Hall with all the senior officials of the fourth rank and above, and participated in the first morning court in his life.

(End of this chapter)