Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 1203 Absent Dynasty
Winter goes to spring, and another year is coming.

Like the previous ten years, this year's winter is also very cold.It snowed heavily for several days at a time, and then fell again after a day or two when it cleared up.

There was also heavy snow the day before yesterday, so today the roofs of the city are covered with thick white quilts, only the ridge beasts on the roof stick out, and their bodies are also covered with snow.Ice crystals hang upside down from the eaves, most of the lanterns in front of the doors have been extinguished, and some people’s door couplets slipped and fell to the ground, all frozen into brittle slices, with a yellowish paste as hard as a stone on the back.This kind of paste is usually made of flour and alum. It is very sticky, and if it is not for the extremely cold weather, it will not freeze and fall off.

The snow on the street had been cleared two days ago and was piled up beside the road.However, after one night, another layer of ice formed on the road.There are no pedestrians on the street at this moment, and there are heavy refusal horses at important intersections, and there are officers and soldiers waiting beside them.There are hundreds of watchmen on patrol, exhausted all night, and most of them curl up under the eaves at the corner of the alley and take a nap.

The Ming court has always had strict laws, especially in Shenjing under the emperor's feet. Many systems must be implemented according to the law, no matter whether they are really reasonable or not.This is the rule set by the second ancestor Liezong. Every day in the middle of the capital, one is not allowed to go out after the evening bell rings at three o'clock. Anyone who violates the rule is called a night violator, and according to the law, he will be punished with fifty lashes.The night ban will not be lifted until the bell rings at three o'clock in the morning, and the horse refusal and iron fences at all intersections will be removed together.

Generally speaking, except for those who are on urgent official duties, or who are sick, give birth, or die, the rest of the people are not exempt.As for officials... After reaching a certain level, of course, they can always "have urgent official duties", that is another matter.

As soon as the night ban passed, the city began to be lively, and there were many more people for no reason.Most of these people wore black gauze hats, regimental collar shirts, and belts. They were obviously officials.

Ordinary people usually stay behind closed doors at this time, in order to avoid colliding with these officials who rushed to the early court.

The robes worn by these officials did not specify the color of the clothes, but only the tube style and embroidery. Therefore, to distinguish civil and military officials and their ranks, you only need to look at the patch on the chest.Of course, there are exceptions, such as Gao Yushi who wear special super-grade clothing, most of them are "big red silk".

Today is the Chang Dynasty, so that is the rule, but if it is changed every month, all officials need to wear official uniforms to attend the court, that is another distinction.

Officials of the same rank can go together with horses, but if they meet officials who are one rank or more higher than themselves, then they have to avoid horses.If you are higher than the third rank and above, no matter what important event you are rushing at that time, unless it is a posthorse that is six hundred miles away, you have to get off the horse and kneel down.

This is the court etiquette, the so-called ancestral rules.

Among these officials rushing to the early court, there were no patterns of cranes, golden pheasants, or peacocks on the patch, because these people at this time were all civil officials with a rank of three or above.

According to the regulations of this court, these officials can go to court in sedan chairs, while the rest can only ride horses.Now it's freezing cold, most of these officials are huddled in their sedan chairs, so they can't be seen outside.

Zhu Yijun, the emperor of Wanli, is not slack in politics now. On the contrary, he is very diligent in his administration. He only wants to do a great cause that surpasses his ancestors. Immediately set off as soon as the ban is lifted.It's just that no matter how early you set off, you have to hurry along the way. Only when you reach the Meridian Gate can you really let go of your hanging heart.

Before arriving at the Meridian Gate, you must first pass through the Daming Gate.Daming Gate is the south gate of the Forbidden City, and Qipan Street is outside the gate. It is still early in the day and there are not many merchants open.

There is a huge stone stele in front of the Daming Gate, commonly known as the Dismounting Stele, because it is engraved with the eight characters "officials wait to dismount here", and there are guards by the officers and soldiers beside it.Regardless of their rank, the officials participating in the court, whether they ride horses or sedan chairs, can only go here, and the next road is only on foot.

The Daming Gate is built of bricks and stones, and the roof is in the style of a single-eave Xieshan.There are couplets engraved on both sides of the door: "The sun, the moon, the light and the virtue of heaven, the mountains and rivers are the residence of the emperor", which came from Xie Jin, the chief assistant of the cabinet when Chengzu was born.

Since ancient times, the emperor faced the south from the north, so the status of the south gate is particularly unique, and the Daming gate also enjoys the treatment of the national gate.If it is not a special day, it will not be closed, and officials go to court through the left and right Chang'an Gates at the northeast and northwest corners of Daming Gate.

There are gatekeepers at the gates of the two Changan gates.The so-called family register is a booklet containing officials who participated in the early dynasty.When officials come here to declare their identities, there will be a record of today's attendance on the family register, and a small word "disease" will be marked under the name of the sick official, so this is also called registering the family register.Such records are also for the convenience of monthly checks, so that absent officials can be found in time and dealt with accordingly according to the law.

After the family registration is recorded, you will receive a badge, which must be tied around your waist according to regulations, this is the so-called Beijing official waist badge.After passing the left and right Chang'an gates, there are Chengtian gate, Duan gate, and then the Meridian gate. These two gates are also guarded by officers and soldiers. If there is no waist card hanging, they will definitely not be allowed to enter.

When they got outside the Meridian Gate, everyone was looking for their familiar colleagues, gathering in twos and threes to chat.When the drums sound, they must stand in order.

At this time, the censor will come out to rectify the etiquette. Any minister who sees spitting, making noise, dressing inappropriately, etc., will step forward to interrogate and write down the name for impeachment.

Those whose names are written down will be punished according to the law, and in severe cases, they may even be dismissed from office.Of course, for these officials, being punished is a minor matter, being reprimanded for being rude in public, and losing the dignity of civil servants, that is a big scandal.

The order of civil servants stands in front of the left door, and the order of military officers stands in front of the right door.When the bell rang on the Meridian Gate Tower, they entered through the gates in front of them in order. After crossing the Jinshui Bridge, they came to Danchi in front of the Huangji Gate and stopped. They stood facing each other and waited for the emperor to sit down. Whip salute, and then began the morning court.

The emperor's throne was set up in the middle of the Huangji Gate, facing south, surrounded by yellow curtains to separate the cabinet ministers, Jinyiwei and Lijian who stood next to the throne.All the officials stood with their hands down, waiting for the arrival of the emperor, but after waiting for nearly half an hour, the throne was still empty.Neither the emperor appeared nor the servants came to deliver the decree.

After another half an hour, there was still no news, and the officials who stood far away from the throne finally couldn't help but began to whisper.

The cabinet ministers were all standing on the east side of the throne, and the civil and military officials below were all looking at this place at the same moment, and everyone was waiting for Shoufu Shen Shixing to speak.

Gao Wushi was not far away, so he cast his gaze towards Shen Shixing at this time.

The officials around Gao Yushi were a little panicked at the moment. Although everyone was of high rank, the general censor would not "find fault" with the officials of the Six Departments, but the important officials of the court naturally had the dignity of the important officials of the court. These ministers and servants On the contrary, he stood very honestly, and even rarely stomped his feet secretly to activate his blood, so even though he stood in a sheltered position, his hands and feet were cold and he was shaking slightly.

Gao Yushi is fine, firstly, he is the youngest among these officials, secondly, it is well known that he is not afraid of revealing his wealth, at this moment, besides the python robe on the outside, he is also wearing a special foxtail jacket inside, which is not at all. I don't feel cold.

Crops, which are commonly known as "chicken crops" and "duck crops", refer to the fur of the fox's chin, under the neck, and part of the front abdomen, as well as the expensive fur clothing made of these parts of fur.The fur of this part of the fox has thick fluff and good warmth retention. Compared with the fur that is processed and spliced ​​with fur from other parts of the fox body, such as fox legs, fox armpits, and fox gizzard products, it has better warmth retention, and of course the price is more expensive.

Except for people like Hai Rui, there were not a few of the top officials in the Six Departments who could afford to wear fox fur, but there were not many who dared to be as aboveboard as Gao Yushi.This is a typical demeanor of wanting face but not liking, and it may also be one of the characteristics of the Ming Dynasty.

When Gao Pragmatic looked at Shen Shixing, Shen Shixing was also in a dilemma.

It's not that Shen Shihang has never encountered such a situation today, but it was during the Longqing Dynasty, and it was the first time that this situation occurred in the Wanli Dynasty today.

During the Longqing Dynasty, before the start of the Chang Dynasty, the emperor temporarily notified him of exempting him from the court. Shen Shixing met him twice.

Everyone knew that Mu Zong was in poor health, so when this happened, the courtiers generally remained calm and didn’t have any special reactions. towards.

But the Wanli Dynasty was different. Zhu Yijun's body was still pretty good in everyone's opinion, and he was very young. It stands to reason that the situation of Mu Zong should not have happened back then.But how can we explain and deal with the fact that it is often not coming soon?

Xu Guoshen, as the second assistant, spoke first: "Yuanfu, the emperor has been here for a long time, so it's okay if the court can't go on, the civil and military officials are still blowing the wind. If a few are damaged by the freeze, the emperor may say 'The dragon's body is not in good condition' will pass, but our cabinet may just..."

Shen Shixing let out a foul breath, nodded, and beckoned to the servant in charge of the ceremonial supervisor beside him, and told him to invite the emperor—in fact, it was just a reminder.

The servant came back not long after going down, and Shen Shixing asked from a long distance: "How is it? Did the emperor say when he will arrive?"

The servant said embarrassingly: "When you return to Yuanfu, the palace is in chaos, and the little one didn't see the emperor."

"It's a mess?" Shen Shixing's heart tightened, his brows furrowed: "Why?"

"This... small ones are not clear."

Shen Shixing was annoyed, you are also a supervisor of ceremonies after all, why don't you have this ability?

Xu Guo glanced at Shen Shixing, who was suppressing his anger, and continued to watch his nose and nose and heart.

But Zhang Xueyan couldn't bear it, and waved to Gao Wushi who was not far away.Gao Wushi bowed slightly to Liang Menglong, then walked towards where the elders were.

Seeing that Gao Yushi was called over by Zhang Xueyan, Shen Shixing felt even more unhappy, but the most important thing he lacked was the city mansion. Although he was in a bad mood, he put on a smile on his face: "Seeking the truth, what's the matter?"

Of course he knew why Gao Yushi came here, and also knew that Zhang Xueyan had asked him to come, but he couldn't take the initiative to admit that he couldn't ask about the emperor's situation, and Gao Yushi had to intervene in such a trivial matter.

However, Zhang Xueyan didn't care about these things. Not only was he old, but he also had senior qualifications. He always estimated that he would be able to work in the last few years, so he was not afraid that Shen Shixing would be dissatisfied with him.

Zhang Xueyan said bluntly: "To be honest, the emperor has been here for a long time. It is not unreasonable for all civil and military officials to drink wind in this ice and snow. You have been studying with me in the palace for ten years. You know all the people in charge of ceremonies. It is you." Find someone to see what happened in the palace!"

Gao Wushi didn't agree immediately, but turned his head and bowed to Shen Shixing: "Yuanfu?"

Shen Shixing glanced at the shivering officials outside, and sighed softly: "Go."

Gao Wushi still didn't say much, let alone showed any complacency, but nodded slightly, and turned to look for someone.

He also just randomly picked a servant sent by the Supervisor of Rituals, and ordered: "Go in and find Mr. Huang or Mr. Chen first, and say that I asked: What happened in the palace?"

The servant quickly responded, and was about to leave, but Gao Wushi added: "Also, even if the emperor is really delayed by something, you have to ask the emperor for an order in person, even if all the officials are dismissed first." Alright, or if a few people really freeze to death, it will have a great impact on the face of the court, do you understand?"

The servant was Chen Ju's man, so naturally he didn't dare to make a big deal in front of Gao Yushi, so he quickly agreed and left in a hurry.

Gao Wushi then went back to report to Shen Shixing and Zhang Xueyan, Shen Shixing held his posture and refused to ask first, but Zhang Xueyan didn't think so, nodded, and said directly: "You met the emperor a few days ago, the emperor is not in good health phase?"

Gao Wushi shook his head slightly: "The emperor just has some foot problems, and there is nothing wrong with the rest."

Wu Dui had the closest relationship with Gao Yushi, and he didn't hide his words. He frowned and said, "Seeking the truth, I remember that you don't understand medical principles. Don't tell me you didn't realize it?"

Gao Wushi thought for a while, but still shook his head: "Although I don't understand medical theory, the emperor was in good spirits at the time, so it won't be a mistake."

Wu Dui wanted to say something else, but Shen Shixing waved his hand and said, "Since we have sent people to invite again, we can rest assured and wait a little longer. Monarchs and ministers, how can a courtier talk about the monarch repeatedly because he is impatient to wait?" reason."

He is the chief assistant, since he said so, it is difficult for others to say more, and Gao Yushi didn't want to be too publicized in the public, so he planned to return to the list.

But Zhang Xueyan called him back again, and said: "The person in charge of the ceremony was ordered by you, you should wait here, lest he come back and look for you again."

Shen Shixing's face became more gloomy, but he didn't say anything.Gao Wushi glanced at him, then looked at Zhang Xueyan, but saw Zhang Xueyan nodded slightly.

He could roughly guess what Zhang Xueyan meant, so he couldn't refuse, so he had to stand behind a few elders.

This scene was watched by civil and military officials, and the voice of discussion seemed to be louder for a while.

Not long after, the servant hurried over and saluted Gao Wu all the way, saying: "Gao Gongbao, I have clarified the matter, the eldest son of the emperor is suddenly ill, the empress dowagers of the two palaces, the emperor and the empress have all gone Bell Palace!"
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(End of this chapter)