big song poppi

Chapter 455 0451 [Dengwen Drum]

As soon as he drove away Lao Jiu with his front foot, Liu Chang stepped into the main hall with his back foot.

"Your Majesty, Fan Lou has sent a secret report."

"Send it up."

After receiving the secret report, he only glanced at it, and a sneer flashed in his eyes.

Huainan West Road and the Chuanguo Jade Seal were returned to the Song Dynasty, Qinfeng Road and Yongxing Military Road were returned to Xixia, Wanyan Zongwang himself claimed the Hebei East Road and Shandong, and the rest were all returned to Wanyan Zonghan.

Okay, are you really treating Qi as fish on your dinner plate?

However, this secret report also revealed that the interests of the three kingdoms of Jin, Song, and Xixia have basically been agreed upon.

Once the things on the table are discussed, the next step is to prepare for war.

Both the Song and Jin Dynasties had suffered from firearms, so they would not be unprepared.

Thinking about it from his perspective, if it were Han Zhen, he would definitely choose the time of spring and summer, when there is abundant rain, especially in the south, where the climate is humid and the power of gunpowder will be greatly reduced.

After the city gate opens, enter the palace and line up in a neat queue under the arrangements of the officials of the Ministry of Rites.

The whole set of movements is flowing, solemn and beautiful.

Returning to Yanfu Palace, Han Zhen and his wives and concubines were dining in the main hall.

This sacrifice to heaven is different from the last time he ascended the throne.

When fighting a war, food and baggage are always gathered first, and then the army is dispatched.

Han Zhen explained: "Pay close attention to the grain and grass mobilization of these three countries at the border. If any abnormal movement is discovered, report it immediately."

The soldiers and horses move forward before the food and grass are moved.

At dawn, all civil and military officials were waiting in front of Xuande Gate early.

An Niang and the Di sisters started to show their pregnancy, and their bellies were slightly bulging. They were okay. They didn't vomit like when Han Zhang was pregnant with Xiao Heyue. Apart from being a little lethargic, they were just like normal.

"Greetings to your Majesty, may your Majesty be blessed!"

In winter, the days are short and the nights are long, and you will be shrouded in darkness in the evening if you are not careful.

Women do the opposite, praying six times and bowing three times.

And to kneel down and worship directly is the etiquette of the northern barbarians.

Now, the three of them are Zhao Fujin's key protection targets.

Xiaochong looked solemn.

Han Zhen didn't waste any time and asked straight to the point: "Have all the spies from the Song, Jin and Xixia Kingdoms been deployed?"

If she could give birth to a baby, she and the ministers in the court would at least feel a little more relieved.

Of course, other times cannot be ruled out.

When there are no natural disasters, food prices suddenly rise sharply without warning. There will be no other reason than war.

Not long after, Xiao Chong, wearing an official robe, strode into the Chui Gong Hall.

A raid is most likely in April and May.

Before the Song Dynasty, it was not popular to kneel down and worship. This was the case for everyone from princes and nobles to common people. They could only salute.

Wen Tianxiang was captured at that time and when he was escorted to Kublai Khan, when faced with the request to kneel down and salute, he directly stiffened his neck and said: The south bows, the north kneels. If you are doing the southern salute to the southerners, can you kneel too much?

It means that kneeling down is the etiquette of barbarians like you, but we southerners only bow.

In the main hall of Yanfu Palace, all the officials knelt down and paid homage.

The last time he ascended the throne was mainly to get the approval of the Emperor of Heaven, but this time it was to report his achievements of the year to the heaven.

In a year, three major gatherings are held, namely Christmas, Winter Solstice and Zhengdan.

Han Zhen, dressed in a ceremonious fur hat and accompanied by hundreds of civil and military officials, rushed to the southern suburbs to offer sacrifices to heaven.

After working for nearly two hours, at noon, we returned to the imperial city to hold a grand meeting.

……

Thinking of this, Han Zhen ordered: "Xuan Lincong."

Christmas is not a foreign word. It has existed since ancient times. It was the birthday of the emperor. It was also called the Longevity Festival in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The first day of the first lunar month is the first day of the lunar month.

The Song Dynasty inherited the system of the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty inherited the rituals of the Sui Dynasty. Therefore, the great dynasty meetings of these three dynasties did not discuss matters, but were a kind of etiquette with complicated regulations.

A qualified spy can deduce whether there is a war in the near future just by looking at changes in food prices in the market.

The offerings also changed.

However, Han Zhen reorganized the Great Chao Meeting, canceling the Christmas Day Dachai Meeting and retaining only the Winter Solstice Dachao Meeting. At the same time, he changed the Zhengdan Dachao Meeting from a ritual to a year-end summary meeting.

Xiaochong replied: "Except for a few spies who were exposed and lost contact due to various reasons, most of them have successfully gone into hibernation."

"I accept your order!"

After taking care of these things, the sky had turned completely dark.

Only in special circumstances will people kneel and worship, such as worshiping heaven, the emperor's enthronement, large court gatherings and other significant occasions.

Moreover, the kneeling ceremony in the Central Plains is not just a simple kneeling, but a ceremony of three solemnities and six bows. The first is Jishou, the second is Pause, the third is empty head, the fourth is vibration, the fifth is auspicious bows, and the sixth is ominous bows. , The seventh is Qi Bai, the eighth is Praise Prayer, and the Ninth is Suspect Prayer.

Later, when the Yuan Dynasty conquered the world, kneeling and worshiping became popular.

In order to show his orthodoxy, Zhu Yuanzhang recognized the Yuan Dynasty and also inherited many rituals from the Yuan Dynasty, one of which was the kneeling ceremony.

As for the Liusu three kneels and three bows of noble women in the Qing Dynasty, apart from having similar names, the rest of them have nothing to do with each other. The movements were designed by the Manchus themselves.

"Please sit down!"

After finishing the ceremony, Han Zhen waved his hand.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

All the civil and military officials knelt and sat on the soft couch.

Liu Chang sang and said: "All the tribes report."

Zhao Ding and Wu Min are not familiar with Zhao Ding and Wu Min, the old ministers of Zhao and Song Dynasties, but officials from the Shandong department have become accustomed to them.

This is to report on the work of each department throughout the year.

Xie Ding, as the head of the civil service, stood up first and said: "My lord Xie Ding, I would like to report to the cabinet..." After the cabinet report was finished, the Ministry of Husbandry and the Ministry of Personnel...

In the past, the routine was confusing, but now with the year-end summary, all civil and military officials have a clear understanding of each ministry.

It started off okay, and the courtroom was peaceful.

When Chen Dong reported, the atmosphere suddenly changed.

"This year, the Supervisory Office investigated and dealt with 65 corrupt officials, and the proceeds from dirty money and property confiscation totaled more than 370,000 yuan."

Han Zhen had zero tolerance for corrupt officials, and directly punished the three clans for corruption of more than a thousand dollars.

Those below Qian Guan will be exiled.

Sixty-five people, even if only half of them embezzled Qianguan, according to the execution of the three clans, more than a thousand people would have to be killed.

For a time, many officials felt sad.

After the reports from each department, Han Zhen made a summary, followed by the outlook and arrangements for next year.

Han Zhen sat on the dragon chair and said loudly: "The sage said: Everything will be established if it is prepared, and it will be ruined if it is not prepared. Our dynasty can never be like the pseudo-Song Dynasty, where the Yin eats the grain, so I plan to establish a budget system. Starting from this year, all ministries and agencies will Supervisors and temples, local prefectures, counties, and counties are all required to calculate a reasonable budget for their departments at the beginning of the year and submit it to the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Supervisory Office for review."

"From now on, various state capitals will withhold their own budgets for summer and autumn taxes and commercial taxes, and the remainder will be handed over to the national treasury."

The policy of Zhao and Song Dynasty was to emphasize the central government and despise the local governments.

It is often said that in the Northern Song Dynasty, a whole country used its strength to support a city. However, many people do not know how to support it.

All local taxes in the Zhao and Song dynasties were handed over to the treasury. Food, money, cloth and other materials were all transported to Tokyo City. Official salaries and other expenses were allocated by the central government.

In other words, local governments have no money.

The advantage of this is to strengthen centralization.

But the disadvantages are also obvious.

For example, good things that benefit people's livelihood, such as building bridges and paving roads, can only be left to officials to figure out their own solutions.

Where do officials get their money?

In the end, it was not only the local wealthy gentry, landlords and wealthy businessmen who could only be sued, which led to the gradual entanglement of interests between the wealthy gentry and officials.

Officials who want to be promoted and gain a good reputation have to turn to these local snakes for help.

Another example is that there is a famine in a certain place. The local government has no money and can only submit a memorial to the central government.

The memorial was sent to the capital, and then it was reviewed and approved by Zhongshu's disciples and the emperor. Then the Ministry of Household Affairs allocated funds to distribute grain and transport it to the disaster-stricken areas. This back and forth would take at least a month.

How many people will starve to death in one month?

If local officials do not handle it properly, riots and uprisings may even occur.

This is one of the reasons why uprisings were so frequent in the Northern Song Dynasty for more than a hundred years.

Han Zhen's approach has indeed corrected a series of shortcomings, but it is not perfect. When the local government has money, there is no guarantee that officials will not take risks and take advantage of them.

That's why he asked the Inspectorate to intervene and cooperate with the Ministry of Household Affairs' review.

Once you find that the amount submitted to the Ministry of Accounts does not match the local treasury accounts, it will be fun.

"I accept your order!"

All civil and military officials responded in unison.

Han Zhen nodded, and then asked: "Do you have anything else to say?"

At the great court meeting on the first day of the first lunar month, all civil and military officials, regardless of rank, can start to speak.

This was an opportunity for lower-level officials to show their faces.

If you can grasp it and be remembered by His Majesty and the big guys in the DPRK, not only will your career be smooth in the future, but you will at least avoid detours for several years.

As soon as he finished speaking, someone stood up in the crowd and said, "I have something to say!"

Han Zhen was not very impressed by this person. Judging from the ornaments on his official uniform, it was obvious that he was only a seventh-rank official.

Liu Chang on the side reminded him in an inaudible voice: "Your Majesty, this person's surname is Su Mingdi. He is the grandson of Su Shi and the son of Su Guo. He is a doctor in the editorial department of Jinzou Academy."

"Oh."

Han Zhen nodded slightly.

Su Di said loudly: "Your Majesty is concerned about the world and has a mind for all people. I suggest that the drums should be restarted!"

Wu Min praised: "This is a great kindness!"

However, Zhao Ding objected: "No, the hearing drum reaches heaven directly, and the people are ignorant. Your Majesty has so many things to do every day, how can you waste your time on family petty matters?"

Some people agree, and some people oppose it.

For a time, the court became noisy.

Dengwengu!

It is said that this drum has been established since the time of Yao, Shun and Yu. It is a drum for daring to remonstrate. Anyone who wants to express his remonstrance or complain about injustice can do so on the drum.

It has been established in all dynasties.

However, the Dengwen drums of other dynasties were basically just decorations, mere formalities. Some dynasties even strictly guarded them, for fear that the common people would cause trouble with them.

For example, in the Ming Dynasty, the Dengwen drum was once hung high out of the reach of ordinary people, and a large number of royal guards were sent to form a human wall to prevent people from approaching. The Qing Dynasty even stipulated that no matter whether the drum was beaten rationally or not, thirty beats were played first to see who would dare to bullshit?

Only in the Northern Song Dynasty, the Dengwen Drum was set up outside Xuande Gate. Not only could it be knocked casually, but anyone could knock it.

Should it be said or not, Zhao Song did this better.

For example, a commoner in the capital lost a pig and couldn't find it, so he simply beat the Dengwen drum and knocked out Song Taizong Zhao Jiong.

This matter is recorded in "Xu Zi Zhi Tong Jian Chang Bian·Volume 34·Chunhua Four Years".

[Mouhui, a citizen of the capital, beat the drum of Dengyun and complained that his slave had lost a pig. He issued an edict to give him a thousand coins to compensate him. Because he told the prime minister, he said: "It seems that if you complain to me about all the details, it is also a matter of hearing the decision. It is ridiculous." . However, if you apply this mind to the world, you can have no enemies. 】

It was okay at first, as few people dared to beat the drum. But after Song Renzong and Zhao Zhen succeeded to the throne, everything changed. People in the capital no longer went to Kaifeng Mansion if there was a family dispute or a neighbor dispute. They went directly to Xuande Gate to beat the drum and complain a few words to relieve their anger.

As time went by, Zhao Zhen was so beaten that he simply withdrew the Dengwen drum.

This is why Zhao Ding objects.

If we really want to let the people beat the drum, then the officials will have twelve hours a day to do nothing but deal with the trivial matters of the people.

(End of this chapter)