When Yang Guanji defected to the new dynasty, he was the magistrate of Changsha County. A few years later, he had become the governor of Jinling and the third-rank mayor of the capital with real power.
He was so excited today that he got up in the middle of the night, put on a brand new court uniform and looked in the mirror.
It was still dark, so I walked out.
He is also a well-known honest official. He does not bring an entourage to and from get off work, nor does he have his own private sedan. He walked all the way to the outside of the imperial city, walked around the wall for a while, and then came to a small gate. He verified that his waistband was guarded. The guard let him go.
There were many people standing outside the door, all officials' entourage, and they were not allowed to enter.
There were also some sedans parked, which were the private sedans of some officials.
Zhao Han only prohibited slave ownership, but not sedan riding, otherwise the bearers would lose their jobs. As long as the official's income is legal, there is nothing wrong with having a bearer at home. To put it bluntly, they are full-time drivers.
It can be said that there are almost no officials who ride to court.
Because all the good horses were taken away by the government and used to maintain the cavalry troops, the remaining horses among the people were all bad horses.
Yang Guanji entered from the side of the Meridian Gate and was taken by the female officer to have tea and rest.
Entering the waiting room, there were already more than thirty people inside. It was noisy like a vegetable market, and everyone was talking very excitedly.
Since the founding of Datong, today is the first time to go to court.
Old Ming ministers like Li Banghua must be used to going to court. But officials like Yang Guanji find it very new, and they belong to the vast majority.
"I heard that in the early morning of the previous Ming Dynasty, I had to go out at the fourth watch." The speaker was Chen Liangbi, a doctor in the Ministry of Household Affairs, who joined the Datong Army when they captured Guangdong.
"More than that, you have to get up at midnight." Anhui official Xuan Guozhu said. This ancestor was a relative of the Yuan Dynasty emperor, and he was also a blue-eyed person. After more than three hundred years, except for the slightly deeper eye sockets,
Other appearances are no different from those of Han people.
Jiangsu official Wu Zhenyu couldn't help but smile: "Did we come too early?"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Many officials burst into laughter.
Everyone was very excited to go to court for the first time. But they were also afraid that getting up too late and missing the court meeting would leave a negative impression on the emperor.
It's only five o'clock in the morning, and there are already thirty or forty people here, and the court meeting is held at eight o'clock.
Yang Guanji found a chair and sat down. After sitting there for a while, he felt sleepy and couldn't help but cover his mouth and yawn. He didn't drink tea to relieve his fatigue and just sat on the chair to sleep, turning a deaf ear to the conversations in the room.
It wasn't until 7:20 that a female official finally came over to remind: "All the ministers are waiting inside to wait for the court!"
The ministers lined up by the bridge, with Pang Chunlai standing at the front.
There are not many people in the military attache shift because they are all fighting on the front line. Even if they are officers of the Ministry of War, they are within the scope of civilian officials. Military generals can be transferred to civilian officials of the Ministry of War, provided that they are relieved of all command positions.
After crossing the bridge, they entered Yingmin Gate and continued to wait in line in the square in front of the palace.
At about 7:40, a master of ceremonies shouted in the Jingtian Hall: "Officials, come forward!"
The guards in front of the palace shouted with a louder voice: "Officials, come forward!"
There is no three blasts of the whip, but the etiquette and music are retained.
The etiquette and music officer played solemn music, and the cabinet ministers collectively stepped onto the Danbi, while the other ministers were waiting outside the Danbi.
Zhao Han walked slowly over and sat on the golden throne in the hall.
The master of ceremonies from the Ministry of Rites looked at the clock next to the emperor's throne. The minute hand finally pointed to eight o'clock: "The emperor ascended to the throne!"
"The emperor ascends to the palace!"
"Hundred officials enter the palace!"
"Hundred officials enter the palace!"
One after another, they quickly spread outside the hall, and the rhythm of the ritual music changed again.
The officials discovered that there were chairs placed in the palace, and each chair was engraved with an official position.
Yang Guanji's court meeting class is above average. Because the officials who participate in the court meeting, except for special departments, must be at least fifth grade or above, that is, they are department-level officials in the central department.
Following the large troops into the hall, no one went to sit down, but stood in line solemnly.
On both sides of the main hall are the ritual and music groups.
Under the side of the emperor's throne is the official Cao who recorded the court meeting (similar to the Ming Dynasty's official meeting). At this moment, the official Cao also put down his brush and stood upright behind the desk.
"All officials salute!" the master of ceremonies shouted.
Yang Guanji and the others had rehearsed a long time ago, and they all bowed their hands and said, "Greetings to Your Majesty!"
Zhao Han smiled and said: "I will give you a seat without any courtesy."
The master of ceremonies shouted: "Every official is seated."
The sound of the ritual music became slightly soothing, and the officials sat down one after another.
Li Banghua and Qian Qianyi were filled with emotion. They all went to court in the Ming Dynasty. They had to kneel before the emperor, and after kneeling, they had to stand the whole time to go to court.
Now there is no need to kneel down, and everyone has a seat, and that sense of dignity lingers throughout the body.
Yes, Qian Qianyi is also qualified to go to court. As a doctor of the Hanlin Academy, although he is not allowed to interfere in government affairs, his rank is relatively high.
Zhao Han sat on the golden throne, condescending, and said to the officials with a smile: "Today is the first court meeting of my dynasty. The meals have been prepared in the imperial kitchen. After the dynasty, you can have a banquet in the imperial city. There is no need to work in the morning, but
I have to work in the afternoon, so each person is limited to one glass of wine.”
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the banquet!" the officials shouted.
Zhao Han was in a happier mood: "I don't have anything to say. At the beginning of the new dynasty, you and I, the monarchs and ministers, work together to create a prosperous age. I want to surpass the rule of Zhenguan, do you have the confidence?"
"Do your best to help, even if you die!"
"I will do my best to serve you!"
"..."
This thing has not been rehearsed, and the officials spoke in a variety of ways.
After a period of noise, Zhao Han patted the armrest, and the master of ceremonies immediately shouted: "Quiet!"
It was quiet for a moment, no one spoke.
Zhao Han said: "Let's not talk about business today. Many of you came early and probably haven't eaten yet. Come and have breakfast with me. Let's eat and talk at the same time. Dismissal!"
"Dismiss the dynasty!"
"All the officials respectfully send the Emperor off to the throne!"
The officials stood up one after another, bowed their hands and watched the emperor leave.
The first time you go to court, is that all?
Yang Guanji was a little dumbfounded. He looked at other officials with similar expressions.
The regular court meeting, that is, the morning court meeting, is completely formalistic. The government affairs discussed have all been handled by the cabinet, and it is nothing more than a performance in front of the public.
Once matters are actually discussed in the morning court, it means three situations: first, there is a political struggle, second, the report goes beyond the level, and third, the emperor is dissatisfied with the cabinet.
Only those temporary court meetings were when the emperor summoned ministers to discuss some difficult and difficult issues.
Zhao Han doesn't like formalism, but he must preserve the early dynasty.
If the morning dynasty is directly cancelled, middle-level officials may never see the emperor for the rest of their lives!
So, what should you do in the morning?
Zhao Han came up with a way to only go to morning court three times a month to avoid affecting daily work. In each morning court, the emperor would come up with an issue, and the ministers would have a macro discussion around the issue. Basically, the details would not be discussed, because the details can be taken care of normally.
workflow.
After the dynasty dispersed, Yang Guanji followed the large troops and accompanied the emperor to have breakfast.
The place where the emperor gave banquets was in Xiyuan, which was the imperial garden west of the Forbidden City.
Yang Guanji looked curiously along the way and saw many female officials walking around and working in various places in the inner court. Some of the palace ladies were obviously strong women and were already in their thirties or forties.
Those strong women, who belong to the second batch of conscripted palace maids, are mainly engaged in physical work in the imperial city. There is no age limit, as long as they are of clean origin and have the ability to do things. They sign a five-year contract and can leave when it expires. Those who want to stay can also
You can apply for renewal.
The maids who brought food and wine to the banquet were all teenage girls.
Zhao Han raised his glass and said, "There is only one glass today, please drink slowly."
"Congratulations to Your Majesty!"
All the officials raised their glasses and shouted, but they all drank it in one gulp. No one really drank slowly.
The emperor gave a banquet using the royal family's private treasury. The food and wine were not luxurious, but they were quite delicious. Zhao Han was no longer so picky.
After the officials put down their wine glasses, Zhao Han finally raised the topic of today's court meeting: "Do you know, gentlemen, that the earth is a sphere? Anyone who wants to speak can raise his right arm."
More than half of the officials raised their hands.
Zhao Han pointed to one of them: "You tell me."
It was Yan Tingjie, an official from Fujian. He stood up and bowed and said: "Your Majesty, I am from Fujian. When I was a young student, I saw the Western Red-haired Fans. They came from the west thousands of miles away. According to these Red-haired Fans,
It is said that a small Western country continued to sail westward and crossed the sea to a continent. This continent was named America. Taking a boat on this continent and heading west, it was the country of Luzon in the South Ocean. It can be seen from this that the land is indeed
A sphere."
As soon as this statement came out, the banquet was noisy, and many officials really didn't know.
Zhao Han was very satisfied with this. From now on, every morning in the morning, he could spread new knowledge to all the officials, so that their vision would not be so narrow.
Zhao Han pointed at Ai Julius: "Master Ai, you tell me."
Aiulius is considered to be the most proficient in Confucianism among all missionaries. Even his Confucianism training can crush many Ming Dynasty scholars. He advocates the integration of Christianity and Confucianism and respects the customs of Han believers. Therefore, when expelling missionaries,
Ai Julius was not affected at all and is now a master of Qintian Academy.
The old Italian man was dressed in official clothes and bowed to Zhao Han and then to all the officials: "Your Majesty, the earth is indeed a sphere. There are nine days of sun, just like a king. The earth and the five stars (five planets) all move around the sun.
, just like the ministers guarding the king. Your Majesty is the sun, shining brightly. The people are all things, and only when the sun shines can they thrive."
"well said!"
Zhao Han accepted the flattery and said with a smile: "Tell the officials again, what countries are there in the West?"
Ajulius began to educate the officials: "There are island countries in the far west, called England and Scotland. There are also continents with many small countries. France, Prussia, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Rakshasa (Tsarist Russia),
Poland...to name a few. In the Near East, there are also Ottomans, Persians, and Mughals..."
The officials listened carefully.
Zhao Han asked: "Which countries are the strongest?"
Ajulius said: "Among the Western countries, in terms of army, France is the strongest, and in terms of navy, the Netherlands is the strongest. There is also the Rakshasa country, which has a vast territory, bitter cold and barrenness, and a large number of troops. In the Near East, the Ottomans, Persia and
The Mughals are all countries slightly inferior to our Datong China."
Yang Guanji looked confused and couldn't help but raise his hand.
Zhao Han said: "Please speak."
Yang Guanji immediately asked: "Mr. Ai, I have heard from Persia, where are the Ottomans and Mughals?"
Ajulius explained: "The Mughals were in Tianzhu, and the monarch of this country was a descendant of Genghis Khan. As for the Ottomans, it covers half of the Mediterranean Sea, and its land location is the great food country in Chinese history."
"Dashi, Persia, Tianzhu, that's it." Yang Guanji understood a little more and asked again, "Which of these three countries is the strongest?"
Ajulius said: "Persia was caught in the middle, and its territory was mostly annexed by the other two countries."
Another official raised his hand and was allowed by Zhao Han to ask: "How do the territories of these Three Kingdoms compare with our Datong court?"
Ajulius replied: "The size of our current territory is comparable to that of the Mughals, slightly larger than Persia, and certainly not as good as the Ottomans."
"hiss!"
All the ministers took a breath of cold air.
“Can the land in these countries be fertile?”
"Some are fertile and some are barren. The land of Tianzhu seems to have a lot of fertile soil. The quality of the cotton produced there is better than that of Lu cotton."
"Is Tianzhu cotton better than Shandong cotton?"
"That's true. English merchants bought more Tianzhu cotton."
"Where is the Rakshasa Kingdom? The name of this country is quite interesting."
"..."
Zhao Han was very pleased with the results of this court meeting and banquet, and the officials' global vision was illuminated.
