Throughout the whole day, Xiu'er walked around the village and generally grasped the basic situation of the village. At dusk, everyone returned to the blacksmith shop.
Several of Blacksmith Feng's apprentices couldn't help but stood at the door with joy, waiting for the arrival of these people.
Looking at the expressions of several apprentices, Blacksmith Feng asked with some disgust, "What? It's done?"
Among the several apprentices, one replied somewhat steadily: "Master, it's done."
As he spoke, he took an iron ingot from the hands of several people behind him and handed it to Blacksmith Feng.
"Please ask the master to check."
Blacksmith Feng took the iron ingot and shook it in his hand. Then he took a small hammer and a chisel from an apprentice and struck hard on different positions on the iron ingot. After a few hits, he would observe carefully.
After checking the condition of the iron ingots and chisels, he finally nodded with satisfaction.
"Miss Li, please take a look."
Li Xiuer smiled and shook her head.
"Blacksmith Feng, I don't know how to make iron, so I can't tell the difference between good and bad."
"Girl, please look."
Blacksmith Feng held up the iron ingot and explained to Xiu'er.
"The refined iron cannot be made too hard or too soft. If it is too soft, not only can it not be made into a sword, but it cannot even be used to make a hoe or plow. The blade will curl when used. If it is too hard, it will become brittle. Just now I used a chisel.
I tried it, and found that the iron ingot did not break apart, nor did it leave any marks. Therefore, this piece of refined iron is made. The girl can rest assured now."
Xiu'er nodded.
"Okay. I'd like to trouble you to divide it into two parts. I'll take one piece away, and the rest is up to you."
"Okay, please don't worry, girl, I will take action tomorrow."
July 15th is the day of the new year.
Shen Xiyao got up earlier than usual today. After everything was packed, she left the Hou Mansion with her grandfather Shen Ao.
Shen Ao was dressed in purple court clothes and held a bamboo wat board in front of him. Shen Xiyao did not wear the black men's clothes, but wore a helmet and armor, and followed Shen Ao in dark red leather armor.
The first and fifteenth days of the lunar month are the great dynasties, and all officials of the fifth rank and above in the capital participate.
Shen Xiyao is a school lieutenant, but her official position is not enough and she is not qualified to go to court yet. However, as a guard of honor in the imperial forest, she has to accompany the king and guard in front of the imperial court.
It was still dark at this time. Along the way, strings of lanterns were moving quickly, followed by sedans and carriages of officials at all levels, gathering towards the palace.
In the square in front of the palace, many officials were already waiting. When they saw Shen Ao coming, they all stepped forward to salute.
"Good morning, Lord Marquis."
"Old general, you are polite."
Shen Ao smiled and returned the favor, and then chatted quietly with several officials who were close to him.
Shen Xiyao did not wait in front of the palace. After saying hello to her grandfather, she entered the palace through the city gate on the west side of the palace. She joined dozens of female soldiers from the Tianfeng Army and went to duty in front of the Zichen Palace.
At three o'clock in the morning, the bell on the bell tower in the palace rang, and then the palace door opened wide.
The officials waiting in front of the palace stopped talking and began to enter the palace.
In the palace, the Yulin Guards have one post every five steps and one sentry every ten steps. They line up majestically along the road from the palace gate to the front of Zichen Hall. In the distance, there is a small team of Yulin Guards patrolling constantly.
None of the officials dared to speak. They were arranged left and right according to civil and military positions, and then arranged in order according to their official positions. They quietly followed the bluestone road to the Zichen Hall.
As soon as Mao hour arrived, the sound of "The Emperor has arrived" sounded one after another from far to near.
Yang Ke was dressed in bright yellow court clothes, raised his head and held his chest high, and slowly walked into the main hall from the passage behind the Zichen Palace. The twelve strings of his crown were gently swinging to cover the dragon's face. Several eunuchs and maids lowered their heads to wait on him.
Shen Xiyao stood under His Majesty Dan, holding the hilt of the sword on her waist with her right hand to protect the emperor.
All the officials inside and outside the Zichen Hall saluted at the same time, shouting long live the mountain.
Yang Ke slowly sat on the dragon chair and waved his hand slightly. The eunuch next to him bent down to accept the order, then stood up straight, faced the officials, and spoke in a long and measured voice.
"Your Majesty, please stand up! Take your seats!"
All the officials saluted and thanked him. The officials in the palace knelt and sat on the left and right sides.
"If there is nothing wrong with me, I will leave the court!"
The eunuch shouted again in a routine manner.
"To report to Your Majesty, I have this memorial..."
"Weichen thought..."
Officials from various ministries reported all the matters within half a month one by one. The ministers discussed and gave countermeasures, and Yang Ke mostly nodded and reported accurately.
In fact, Yang Ke already knew about these things and had already made private arrangements with the prime minister and the officials in charge of various yamen. At this time, it was just a formality.
From the court meeting, it can be seen that the various decrees of the Wei Dynasty were implemented quite well, and there were no officials at all levels who were just doing nothing.
Nearly two hours have passed in the blink of an eye.
Ji Yun, the young minister of Honglu Temple, pinched the memorial in his sleeve with some anxiety, gritted his teeth, stood up, walked to the middle of the hall, saluted and reported.
"Your Majesty, I have a brief report."
As he spoke, he took out a memorial from his sleeve and raised it high above his head.
"This is the urgent document received at the time of application yesterday. This year's Wanshou Festival coincides with His Majesty's birthday. Southern Chu, Shu, Later Qin and other countries submitted letters..."
"Hmph, what about Southern Chu and Western Qin? These are national traitors. Telling them to rebel against Chu is to rebel against Qin."
Before Ji Shaoqing could finish what he said, someone started to criticize him.
The officials turned around and saw that the person speaking was Yuan Huai, the censor.
Just when Ji Yun was about to speak, someone spoke before him.
"Is it useful to say this now? Is it just a matter of words?"
Seeing that it was the prime minister who had come forward, Yuan Huai suppressed his unhappiness, bowed to the emperor and apologized, and then returned to his original position.
When no one spoke, Ji Yuncai continued: "Several countries are preparing to send envoys to congratulate His Majesty on his birthday and attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. Please grant your permission. These are the credentials of these countries. Please take a look at them."
In this era, there are very few festivals that can be celebrated by the whole country, and Longevity Festival is one of them. To put it bluntly, it is the birthday of the emperor, so it must be celebrated by the whole country.
"No!"
All the officials looked up in surprise and looked at the figure sitting high on Danbi.
As an emperor, he would not directly give his own decision on a matter. He would only let hundreds of officials give different opinions first, and finally synthesize these opinions and make a smooth decision. But for this matter, the emperor did not make any decision at all. Let hundreds of officials discuss it, and directly rejected the petitions from several countries.
"Your Majesty, please think twice!"
The minister ordered Cheng Kangming to leave the office immediately and salute.
"I know what your Majesty is thinking. However, the matter has passed, and it is still called treason and rebellion. It can be based on the nominal benefits, but it also means contempt in the heart."
As soon as Cheng Kangming finished his vague words, all the officials understood it. Those who didn't understand could only whisper.
With a "dang" sound, Yang Ke tapped a small chime on the Long Book Table, and the Zichen Hall became quiet again.
Then, Yang Ke's eyes turned to Chu Rupeng. Chu Rupeng's eyes were drooping, as motionless as a wood carving and clay sculpture.
Yang Ke turned his attention to Cheng Kangming again. Cheng Kangming looked at Yang Ke without fear, but made no move.
Yang Ke turned his eyes to Yuan Huai with some annoyance.
The imperial censor looked at Yang Ke with a complicated expression.
Yuan Huai fully understood the meaning of Cheng Kangming's words. After all, he also served in Beijing more than ten years ago. Although his official position was not large, he also experienced this matter.
Yuan Huai also understood what Yang Ke meant, so he could only stand up and walk to the hall.
"Your Majesty, I think... what the minister said is inappropriate."
Only then did Yang Ke's expression soften, and he leaned back to wait for Yuan Huai's memorial.
But after Yuan Huai said this, he fell silent again.
Before anyone else could make a move, Cheng Kangming lifted his robe and knelt down.
"Your Majesty, if the Wei Dynasty wants to sweep the nine provinces and pacify the world, it must face its opponents from the bottom of its heart. Chu and Qin sent letters to congratulate their birthdays. I also know that they have other purposes. One is to rectify his name, and the other has other motives. But
We, the great Wei Dynasty, are the orthodox people in the world and have occupied the right of heaven. We dominate the Central Plains and have the most advantageous geographical position. All the people in the court are united and have peace. Why should we be afraid of Chu, Qin and other clowns?"
"You have forgotten why the great ancestor Bintian? What humiliation the late emperor suffered? Have you forgotten the sufferings of King Lu?"
Cheng Kangming grabbed the ground with his head.
"I dare not forget."
He raised his head again and continued: "Because of this, Your Majesty should face up to Chu and Qin."
Yang Ke's eyes were on fire with a ferocious expression, as if he wanted to choose someone to devour. He stared fiercely at Cheng Kangming who was kneeling on the ground.
After a while, Yang Ke leaned heavily on the backrest of the dragon chair and let out a long breath.
"Although this year is my birthday, I have not prepared any big plans before. At this time, the autumn tax has not yet arrived, and the summer tax has been exhausted, which is when the national treasury is empty. I also specifically warned Prime Minister Chu and Yang
Your Majesty and others, there is no need to mess around."
"Your Majesty clearly knows that the Mid-Autumn Festival and His Majesty's birthday are both times when the whole world celebrates and rejoices with the people. Although Your Majesty is considerate of the people and cannot bear the huge expenditure on the national treasury. However, several countries have sent envoys to congratulate them. Even if the national treasury is empty, we still want to show our greatness.
Wei Guowei."
At this time, Ji Yun appeared again and continued to report.
"What do you think, sir?"
"We agree with Ji Shaoqing's proposal."
Censor Zhongcheng first stood up and agreed to Ji Shaoqing's proposal.
"I'll second the proposal."
"I'll second the proposal."
Other ministers also expressed their opinions.
All the ministers in the palace expressed their support for Ji Yun's proposal, and even the censors who were most prone to criticizing also expressed their support.
This is not because the officials are flattering, but because the Wei royal family has always been thrifty and has won the support of the officials.
Yang Ke had been in power for nearly sixteen years, and he only held a grand celebration when he ascended the throne.
Since then, no expensive celebrations have been held, and the palace expenses have been reduced repeatedly. Even the Wanshou Festival in recent years was just a meal with a group of ministers in the imperial garden.
"Cheng Shangshu, how much national money is left?"
"Less than a million dollars."
"How much can the autumn tax bring in?"
"Your Majesty, the weather is going well this year and the harvest is excellent. The autumn tax will probably collect nearly 7 million yuan."
"In this way, the national treasury will allocate 200,000 guan, and the concubines will also allocate 100,000 guan."
"Yang Aiqing."
"I'm here."
Yang Min, the Minister of Honglu Temple, had white beard and hair. He was already in his sixties and his movements were a little slow. He stood up tremblingly and saluted.
"Can Honglu Temple be sure to arrange my birthday and Mid-Autumn Festival dinner within January?"
"Your Majesty, everyone at Honglu Temple will do their best to show the prestige of the Wei Kingdom."
"Okay, the three hundred thousand guan will be handed over to your beloved. I have ordered Honglu Temple to make arrangements to receive envoys from several countries."
"According to the decree."
"Retreat!"
Before Yang Minzhi could finish his words, Yang Ke immediately announced his resignation and left the Zichen Palace with a gloomy expression.
Officials at all levels quickly stood up, saluted, and respectfully sent the emperor off.
It was already noon, and all the officials' legs were numb. They beat their numb legs one after another and began to walk out hungry.