Chapter three hundred and forty-six clouds and rain
"So Jinggong went out into the wild and was exposed. On the third day, it rained heavily, and the people had no time to plant." [Yanzi Spring and Autumn Period·Internal Chapter Remonstrance 1]
There was such a timely rain, and no matter how many times Mu Shun persuaded him to show up late at night, the emperor would not give up on this good night. He asked about the time and learned that it was Yinmo, that is, four or five o'clock in the morning in later generations.
, the autumnal equinox has not yet arrived, the days are still long and the nights are short, and in a few moments the white belly of the fish will appear in the east.
The shower stopped, but residual rainwater was still dripping from the eaves. There was a "ding-dong" sound of dripping water all around the Qingliang Hall, which sounded very interesting. The emperor wiped his wet wrists and forearms with Gebu and asked softly: "
Who is on duty at Shangshutai and Chengming House tonight?"
In order to cope with the emperor's "occasional" moodiness due to his sleeplessness at night, Mu Shun had already memorized the list of attendants who stayed in the palace every night. At this moment, he thought about it and replied: "The person at the minister's desk is Zhao Yong, the minister.
Hu Mao; over there at Chengming House are Liu Yao and Wang Chang, the ministers of Huangmen."
Zhao Yong is the son of Zhao Wen. After the death of the former Situ Zhao Qian, because Zhao Qian's son had a dull nature and refused to serve as an official, and now he helped his coffin move south after the recovery of Yizhou, the emperor appointed Zhao Yong to the chancellery.
, can be regarded as a favor. Hu Mao is not well-known. Although he is from Yingchuan, he always keeps a low profile, and the emperor has no impression of him. As for Liu Yao and Wang Chang, their identities are somewhat intriguing.
.
"Interesting." After hearing the names of these people, the emperor smiled meaningfully, threw Gebu into the hand of a Zhonghuangmen, and said: "Lele alone is not as good as all. If everyone wakes up, then
Let’s all come together to enjoy the cool air.”
"I promise." Mu Shun responded, and someone beside him was ordered to go.
Naturally, the emperor would not easily receive his ministers in the private palace. When he was summoned at the Zhonghuang Gate, the emperor moved to a side chamber near the Qingliang Hall. The back of the side chamber was facing a pool of water, which had been occupied for a long time.
The sun has dried it, and since the rain tonight, a lot of water has accumulated in the pond. Although it is not deep, it is enough to reflect the dark clouds and crescent moon in the sky, which is somewhat like what a summer night should look like.
Just as we walked under the veranda, suddenly the clouds covered the moon, and the lightning in the sky was like a golden snake dancing wildly, illuminating half of the city. Then there was a roar, and raindrops as big as gold eyes fell densely. This time it was not the same as before.
During the gentle breeze and drizzle, the tiles around were clanking, and countless water droplets splashed on the floor and walls in the verandah. Mu Shun quickly took a thick cloak and put it on the emperor, and then
He ordered people to roll up the screen in the verandah shelter from the rain, set up the table, and light lamps and candles for the interested emperor to watch the rain.
Seeing that the emperor was enjoying it, Mu Shun, in order to amuse himself, was not afraid of making noise and breaking the rules. He covered his ears amidst the thunder and led the cheers: "It's raining again, it's raining again! What a heavy rain!"
His shout was like an order, and the small yellow gates and middle yellow gates under his hands also cheered with him. Some of the middle yellow gates deliberately acted like wild children in order to attract the emperor's attention and please them.
Then he jumped into the courtyard, dancing and cheering to his heart's content in the rain.
The Habayashiro and Tiger Benro who were on duty at night were also lined up under the verandah. They were selected from the army and appointed by the emperor as elites. They were first-class calm and calm in their conduct. Although they were happy in their hearts,
But he didn't lower his arrogance and follow a group of eunuchs to make noise.
The emperor found it lively and interesting, and was particularly happy. He sat on the couch and looked at the misty rain, feeling indescribable joy in his heart. He turned around and found that the man who looked like an iron tower next to him was still standing there with an expressionless expression on his face. He stared motionlessly at the eunuchs enjoying themselves in the court.
"Zhongkang!" the emperor said loudly, his voice still clear in the noisy rain: "Is this the first time you have seen such heavy rain since you entered the court?"
Xu Chu remained motionless, turned around and clasped his fists at the emperor and said, "I promise, if your Majesty's prayer for rain is successful, the people of Guanzhong will be delighted."
"But why can't I see a happy look on your face?" The emperor looked at Xu Chu with great interest. He was in a good mood tonight and might as well make the other party's reputation a success.
Sure enough, Xu Chu said in a sonorous and powerful voice: "I have the duty to protect Your Majesty, and I dare not slack off."
The emperor looked solemn, nodded, and looked up at the court. The group of eunuchs who were deliberately trying to please and show off were so ridiculous to him. He said to Mu Shun, who had already stopped smiling: "Let them Everyone, go down."
Standing on the other side of the palace, Zhang Heng, the man in front of the palace, couldn't help but feel a little scared when he saw this. He was actually a little tempted just now, thinking about showing his face in front of the emperor, but fortunately he didn't backfire. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel envious of Xu Chu. , if he was as strong as Xu Chu, the emperor would be able to notice him at a glance, right?
"Your Majesty, Shangshu Lang Hu Mao is here." After listening to a few words from a man in the Huangmen Gate, Mu Shun came over to return his orders.
The emperor was drinking hot tea when he couldn't help but wonder: "It's a long journey from Qingliang Hall to Jianli Gate, how come they're here so soon?"
Mu Shun bowed and said, "This person heard that it was raining, so he thought that His Majesty might send an edict, so he kept waiting there."
The emperor's eyes flashed, and he slowly put down the tea bowl: "This man is quite obedient."
This rain can be said to have relieved the urgent need. It was not until the afternoon of the next day that the heavy rain slowly began to subside. The ministers who had prepared early entered the palace to congratulate Yuzu. They agreed to wait for the rain news from each county before offering Yuzu sacrifices. Sheji. After two days like this, the weather in Guanzhong changed drastically. The drought-stricken people saw the gloomy sky with drizzle in the early morning, which did not stop for a long time. In the afternoon, strong winds came and the black clouds became thicker and thicker. Finally, It rained like a torrential downpour.
It rained for three days. The people in Sanfu all raised their heads happily and danced in the white rain curtain. It was hard to tell whether there were more tears or more rain on their faces.
The subjects of the three auxiliaries were all cheering for this great event. At this time, the news of Yang Zan's death from illness was like one of thousands of rain flowers falling on the lake, undetectable and insignificant.
Taking advantage of the happy occasion, the emperor issued a series of edicts. First, he approved Yang Zan's legacy, which had not been dealt with for a long time. He also ordered the emissary Pushe Li Shen, who had just been transferred to the court from the post of governor of Longxi, to visit the house and was relieved. The payment of favors, favors, and extortion of money were all as usual, no more, no less, which seemed very formulaic. However, everyone in the Yang family felt as if they had been forgiven, without any dissatisfaction, and even claimed to have escaped calmly.
After Yang's people were appeased, the emperor was not in a hurry to take drastic action. Instead, he issued several more edicts. Zhao Yong, the Minister of Civil Affairs, became the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and became the assistant of Fu Xun, the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. After serving as secretary-general, Huangmen Shilang Liu Yao moved to Longxi Prefecture. What is most surprising is that the embarrassing Huangmen Shilang Wang Chang, Wang Yun's nephew, was actually sent to Yongzhou to work as a farmer.
The reason for this personnel transfer was that it rained that night. The four ministers and Huangmen ministers who happened to be on duty at night enjoyed the rain scene with the emperor until dawn, chatting happily with each other.
When the emperor took some time off from his busy schedule, he began to promote these newcomers.
This familiar scene reminded many people of the night before the emperor's first public confrontation between Chang Dynasty and Wang Yun after the execution of Dong. He also summoned the attendants who were on duty at night.