The layout of the Ancestral Temple of the Ming Dynasty was like this. Before the Jiajing Dynasty, although it was also known as the Nine Temples of the Emperor, it had always been a structure of one hall and different rooms.
It's just because there are too many accidents in the succession of the throne. Sometimes there are five houses, sometimes there are seven houses, and some come in and then go out. It's a mess when you think about it in detail.
No matter how many rooms there are, having different rooms in the same hall means that all the pits are in the same big temple, and the tablets of each ancestor's god only have a single room.
Although Emperor Jiajing's biggest hobby in the middle and later periods was cultivating immortals, in the early stages, his biggest hobby was actually studying the ritual system, and he often made drastic changes to the ritual system.
Among them, the new Imperial Ancestral Temple was one of the landmark achievements of Emperor Jiajing’s etiquette reform. This new Imperial Ancestral Temple was built in the 14th year of Jiajing.
Compared with the old Taimiao Temple, the biggest change in the New Taimiao Temple is that it has changed from the system of living in the same hall with different rooms to the "capital palace and separate hall system".
That is to say, each ancestor who has not been exorcised has a relatively independent temple, and does not need to be crowded in one big temple.
The Ancestral Ancestral Temple burning tonight is the New Ancestral Ancestral Temple, which was built only six years ago and symbolizes the achievements of the Jiajing Dynasty's etiquette reform.
Thunder was accompanied by strong winds. In the main hall of Renshou Palace, Emperor Jiajing stood with a livid face, waiting for the final result. Yan Song and Tao Zhongwen stood beside him, not daring to express their anger.
I don't know when it started to rain outside. It was a great blessing to have rain after a long drought, but who could have expected that thunder would burn down the Ancestral Temple.
No one wanted to report such a bad thing, but in the end Huang Jin, the eldest companion of Emperor Jiajing, was pushed out.
But Huang Jin did not dare to say too much, and reported in the simplest words: "The fire started in Ren Temple and spread by the wind. Taizu and Zhaomu temples were all destroyed, but Xian Temple alone survived."
Emperor Jiajing was ready to express his anger, but he immediately stopped and suppressed it.
Xian Temple is the temple where Emperor Xian, the biological father of the Jiajing Emperor, lived. There was a big turmoil when Emperor Xian was allowed to "proclaim himself a sect and enter the temple", and Yan Song took advantage of this to come to power.
All the other temples were burned down, and only the temple dedicated to the emperor survived. It seemed like an accident of great luck.
But anyone with a discerning eye will understand what is going on. It must be that the people who put out the fire, with limited abilities, only tried their best to protect the temple.
For this loyalty and sincerity, Emperor, as long as you pay attention to filial piety, you are too embarrassed to blame others for your inability to put out the fire.
The wisdom of little people’s survival can be said to be found everywhere.
How to interpret and analyze natural disasters and how to remedy them are all matters for the future. At the moment, Emperor Jiajing just wants to vent his anger!
In fact, the most suitable person to vent his anger is the demon Dao Duan Chaoyong. He is responsible for the rain praying ceremony and he should be responsible for the lightning strike!
But Duan Chaoyong was still in Chaotian Palace at this time, and he was a bit "distant water cannot quench his thirst nearby", so Emperor Jiajing subconsciously looked around, first looking at Yan Song.
Mr. Yan Ge felt that the air pressure in the palace was terribly low, and he secretly regretted it. Why did he have to be humble and come to Renshou Palace tonight?
If I had used the utmost patience and waited for the rain to stop and dawn before taking action, I would not have encountered such embarrassment!
No matter what happens in the future, it is wise to escape from the emperor first! Otherwise, there may be no future!
He hurriedly requested: "This disaster has come from heaven, and I am all guilty! Please allow me to go home and beg for mercy!"
This "rest" no longer means taking a break, but means completely retiring.
There is a traditional rule after a natural disaster of this level occurs in the capital. Officials of the fourth rank and above must submit their resignations to show their guilt.
Of course, this is just a formalistic superficial article, not the real words, just a formality to fool God.
Emperor Jiajing also knew that "apologize and resign" were established routines, so he just waved his hand and said coldly: "Go down!"
Mr. Yan Ge knew very well that he might have fallen into a situation where everything he said was wrong, and it would be a great grace for the emperor to allow him to step down.
The gates to the palace city and the imperial city could not be opened until dawn, so Mr. Yan Ge waited until the gates were opened before he could go home and "close himself up and think about his mistakes."
After entering the house, Mr. Yan Ge asked where his son Yan Shifan was, and a servant led Mr. Yan Ge to the flower hall in the side courtyard.
Before he even entered, Mr. Yan Ge felt a smell of alcohol approaching.
Looking inside carefully, my son was drunk and unconscious, and next to him was his godson Zhao Wenhua, who was also unaware of his affairs.
The maid waiting in the house reported: "Yesterday there was thunder and it started to rain. The uncle was so excited that he took Mr. Zhao to drink all night long."
Yan Song: "."
What's the saying? This is called being happy too early! Being so drunk, no wonder you don't know any news.
At this time, Mr. Yan Ge was also furious. He pointed at the sleeping duo and shouted to the servants: "Bring a bucket and pour cold water on them!"
Yan Shifan was brutally woken up from his deep sleep. After seeing the situation clearly, he couldn't help complaining to his father: "Don't you allow my son to be happy?"
Mr. Yan Ge shouted: "Lightning struck the Ancestral Temple and set it on fire. Most of them were burned down! What else do you want to be happy about?"
Yan Shifan, who was hungover, was shocked when he heard the news, which made his head hurt even more.
Then he saluted Mr. Yan Ge and said, "This is a God-given opportunity. Congratulations in advance to my father for being promoted to the position of Chief Assistant!"
Yan Song was so frightened in the palace that he had no energy to think about it. When he suddenly heard this sentence, he couldn't help but yelled: "Are you crazy?"
Yan Shifan explained: "Zhai Luan, the first assistant, should have been responsible for such a disaster from heaven, so as to comfort God!
What's more, if Zhai Luan is found guilty of fraud in the examination room again, wouldn't it be a matter of course for him to step down?"
Yan Song had been panicking, but now he calmed down. After thinking about his son's problem carefully, it seemed that it was not unreasonable.
From the perspective of traditional "sensation between heaven and man" thinking, after such a disaster occurs, someone has to step forward and take responsibility.
If the emperor doesn't want to take the blame himself, then he will always find someone to take the blame. Isn't Zhai Luan, the first assistant, the most suitable person to dump the blame?
As long as a little evidence of guilt is provided, the emperor will definitely sacrifice Zhai Luan directly to heaven.
After thinking about it, Yan Song nodded to Yan Shifan and said: "Now all the ministers of the fourth rank and above have to resign behind closed doors to apologize. It is not suitable to torment. We will wait for two days before launching."
Then he said with some worry: "It's just that I didn't grasp the timing well this time. I made a mistake and made up a few words about Qin Dewei in front of the emperor. I don't know if there will be any future troubles."
Yan Shifan comforted him: "It would be fine if we just slandered Qin Dewei, the emperor shouldn't care too much.
Besides, my father’s words are correct. Qin Dewei does not care about human life, and he is indeed assuming that he is innocent. None of this has anything to do with the disaster at the Imperial Ancestral Temple."
These sentences are quite true. Emperor Jiajing generally did not mind two ministers criticizing each other, and sometimes even tolerated them.
"However, Duan Chaoyong will definitely be in trouble, and Qin Dewei is also afraid that he will turn over." Yan Shifan added, "I want to go to the prison to visit him."
Yan Song said in surprise: "What prison are you visiting?"
Yan Shifan said: "I want to talk to Qin Dewei. Zhai Luan must step down this time!"
Yan Song did not ask Yan Shifan what he wanted to talk about, but only asked: "What if we can't reach an agreement?"
Yan Shifan said: "If we can't reach an agreement, then stimulate him and further amplify his arrogance and domineering! Didn't my father hear about Tian Feng in the Three Kingdoms?"
Imagine that after Qin Dewei learned about the disaster in the Ancestral Temple, he triumphantly predicted that he would be pardoned and released from prison.
Speaking of Duan Chaoyong, if he proudly said that he had foresight, what would the emperor think? Would he feel ridiculed?
Father, you should know best what kind of temperament the emperor is like! I really hope that Qin Dewei will regard the disaster at the Ancestral Temple as something beneficial!"
Yan Song nodded, "You might as well give it a try."
Although Duan Chaoyong is about to be finished and cannot restrain Qin Dewei, Qin Dewei may have to turn around, but he can still make Qin Dewei continue to lose points.
Yan Shifan complimented, "The most correct and far-sighted thing my father has done recently is to let the Sanfa Division handle cases impartially!
This way we can attack, retreat or defend, otherwise we will be slandered as Duan Chaoyong's accomplices now!"
In the Renshou Palace, after Yan Song left, Emperor Jiajing felt sleepy and took a nap, then called Tao Zhongwen over again.
He didn't want to vent his anger on Tao Zhongwen, but he wanted to get some explanations from Tao Zhongwen. Just like when Tao Zhongwen calculated the fire during the southern tour.
Of course Tao Laodao knew what kind of explanation or interpretation would please Emperor Jiajing.
Erbi Taoist priests would say that this is God's warning to the court!
Literary and artistic Taoist priests will say that your Majesty has achieved great success in mystical cultivation, which has attracted the thunder from the sky!
But Tao Zhongwen was neither a pornographic nor a literary artist. He pretended to make some calculations and said: "There is a demon who wants to destroy our Ming Dynasty. He has a sinister plot. He wants to draw thunder and attack the Renshou Palace at night!"
Fortunately, with the blessing of the ancestral gods, I used the tablet of the god as a magical weapon to lead the thunder to the Ancestral Temple, thus protecting His Majesty from the demon's thunder!"
Eunuch Huang Jinhuang, who tried hard to appear transparent next to him, couldn't help but secretly raise his head and wanted to give Master Tao a thumbs up.
This interpretation is truly amazing!
Although Emperor Jiajing was still depressed and angry, his spirit was slightly relieved, and he asked knowingly: "Who is the monster?"
Tao Zhongwen still did not say it clearly, but just hinted: "Such a big thunder cannot be caused by a small fight.
Anyone who has set up an altar in the capital recently and has done so on a grand scale may be a demon."
Emperor Jiajing sighed: "Listening to the real person's words is like clearing the clouds and seeing the sun."
Tao Zhongwen took the opportunity to say again: "Your Majesty, it is best to pardon and release Qin Dewei."
Emperor Jiajing asked sensitively: "Are you pleading for Qin Dewei?"
Tao Zhongwen denied it and said: "I am not asking for mercy, but because with Qin Dewei's destiny, I am someone who can eliminate disasters for Your Majesty.
If Qin Dewei had not been imprisoned this time, and there were fewer people in the court to deal with the disaster, how could there have been a disaster like the lightning strike on the Imperial Ancestral Temple?"
At this time, all the eunuchs including the Supervisor of Ceremonies had arrived and gathered under the eaves outside the palace.
Although they don't know what they can do or what the purpose of gathering here is, they must have an attitude.
Then they saw that the emperor only called in the eunuch Bingbi and the admiral of Dongchang Qin Fu.
Although everyone understood this very well, after a disaster appeared, it was necessary to hunt down monsters and confuse the public. Dongchang was specialized in doing this, but everyone could not help but be envious.
After Eunuch Qin came out again, he bowed his hands to his "colleagues" and then left in a hurry.
When they arrived outside the Meridian Gate, Eunuch Qin transferred the officers from the Jinyiwei School on duty and arranged their respective tasks.
Then he personally led the people, and when he walked out of the right gate of Chang'an, he suddenly saw people surrounding Denwen Drum.
Usually this happens when someone beats the drum and files a complaint.
Originally, Eunuch Qin didn't want to deal with this matter. There were guards in uniform guarding Denwen Drum, and anyone who complained about beating the drum would be sent to the Metropolitan Procuratorate, so Dongchang didn't have to worry about it.
But before Eunuch Qin had walked a few steps, he heard someone shouting loudly on the other side of the Dengwen Drum: "Gentlemen in the past, listen to me, my name is Ma Er, and my master is Qin Zhuangyuan!"
But my master has been wronged so much that he was tortured by the Three Laws, and he has nowhere to complain! And as a servant, I have no other ability, so I have to complain!"
Eunuch Qin: "."
What is going on here? Why did Qin Dewei open a stall here again?
After some thought, Eunuch Qin said to his entourage: "Go over and bring that horse to see me!
Collect the pleading again, I will take the pleading back to the palace now and present it to the emperor!"
The attendant hesitated and said, "Is this going too far? If your Majesty is annoyed by it, it will be more than worth the gain."
Eunuch Qin said confidently: "Don't you hear something from the court that there is nothing trivial involving Qin Dewei? Your Majesty will not think it is too much!"
At this time, the atmosphere in Tianlao was completely different from the past. The news of such a big disaster in the Ancestral Temple had already spread after a long time.
Some jailers wanted to congratulate Qin Dewei, but felt it was inappropriate, so they hesitated.
At this time, a fat man with one eye walked into the prison to visit him.
Qin Dewei expressed that he was very surprised. If he was asked to imagine the people who came to visit the prison, even if he thought of 500 people, he would not be able to think of Yan Shifan.
Yan Shifan greeted him amiably and said: "Qin Banqiao was not made trouble in the sky prison, was he? This time the Three Law Division handled the case impartially. Did Qin Zhuangyuan feel it?"
Qin Dewei said lazily: "If you have something to say, just say it. You don't have to sell it."
Yan Shifan revealed his purpose: "Have you heard about what happened at the Imperial Ancestral Temple this time? Generally speaking, when something like this happens, the prime minister will be responsible for it.
I think Zhai Shoufu is the most suitable candidate, otherwise the other candidates would be you or my father."
Qin Dewei secretly laughed, Yan Shifan, aren't you too outdated? How old are you and are you still in touch with heaven and earth?
There are so many things going on in the Jiajing Dynasty, can you come here with sensitivity and responsibility?
Then Qin Dewei responded casually: "Zhai's first assistant is certainly suitable, but your father is known as the cabinet minister, and he is also the suitable person to be responsible for the disaster in the Imperial Ancestral Temple."
Yan Shifan said dissatisfied: "Qin Banqiao, you are boring now. If I really want to say it, you are also a good candidate."
Qin Dewei replied: "When the Ancestral Temple suffered a disaster, both Zhai Luan and your father were in the position of elders, which was in response to the sympathy between heaven and man. But I am in the heavenly prison, what responsibility do I have?"
Yan Shifan: "."
Wucao! He suddenly suspected that Qin Dewei deliberately hid in the sky prison in advance!
When such a disaster occurs, all serving ministers must apologize and reflect on themselves and reflect on whether they have angered God, but not Qin Dewei, who has no political responsibility if he is not in office!
The ideas are too messy. I should sort them out and revise them. Unfortunately, I have to post them in order to catch up with the update.
