It is the birthday of the new emperor, which belongs to the Qianqiu Festival of the Jiajing Dynasty. As usual, ministers have to present gifts.
The vassal lords from various places had prepared gifts long ago and sent them to the capital one after another. This was the first Qianqiu Festival after the death of Emperor Zhengde and the death of Emperor Zhengde after the rebellion of King Ning was put down, and everyone in the court paid more attention to it.
In particular, the feudal lords in various places regarded this as a manifestation of their loyalty to the new emperor and treated it with all their strength.
In fact, after the new emperor ascended the throne, feudal lords from all over the country came to express their congratulations, but not everyone was convinced by the little emperor.
After all, Zhu Si came from a branch of the royal family. Why was he so lucky to be the emperor, but we can't?
There are many gifts sent from various places, and some gifts intended to curry favor with the new emperor are naturally more expensive. These gifts do not need to be prepared at the court, but will be sent directly to the palace. After being viewed by the emperor, they will be sent to the inner palace for storage.
The new emperor’s birthday.
All the ministers congratulated him on his birthday, and Zhu Si was still giving a banquet in the Wenhua Hall at noon.
The banquet is divided into two classes.
The first class present were senior civil servants, several cabinet elders, six ministries and nine ministers, ministers of various ministries and all the ministers, Hanlin bachelors, etc.
After this class has finished eating, the second class will come again.
Those who came this time were mid-level officials in Beijing.
Zhu Hao, as a Hanlin Academy editor, had a low official rank but would have high achievements in the future. He was also invited. He finally set foot in the palace for the first time after becoming an official and had a delicious meal with his colleagues.
.
The Hanlin Academy was led by Yang Shen. After all, the Hanlin bachelors, the bachelor's degree, and the bachelor's degree had all finished their meals.
"Yong Xiu, I heard that you will be promoted to minister soon, so I would like to say congratulations to you first."
At the same time, there were six ministers in the capital, Yuanwailang, the censor of the imperial court, the counselor of the general affairs envoy, and the young ministers of various temples. Although Yang Shen had been in the imperial examination for a long time, he had been absent from the court for a long time.
At present, there are still no promotions from the position of editor. Many colleagues have been officials in the government for ten years and have been promoted after completing the exam for nine years.
Yang Shen's prestige among middle-level officials was very high, of course, mainly due to the prestige of his father Yang Tinghe in the court. Zhu Hao was treated politely by Yang Shen, and instead of sitting at the same table, many people came over to toast and greet Yang Shen.
Salute and greet Zhu Hao, introduce each other and exchange pleasantries.
For half of the meal, Yang Shen was dealing with others.
After the banquet is over, any uneaten food must be taken back.
It seems that the banquet is not very sumptuous, but it is always something made by the royal kitchen of the palace. Folks can't buy it even if they want to. This kind of gift is more of an honor. Taking it home can also let the family feel the emperor's grace. By the way,
Try the skills of the royal chef.
"Zhu Hao, you said very little during the banquet today."
On the way back to the Hanlin Academy, Yang Shen mentioned something.
Zhu Hao smiled, not knowing what to say.
I just entered the imperial court and got the top score in the exam at the age of fourteen. Most people are not convinced by my talent and learning. What do you want me to say to them?
When someone comes over to say hello, it’s considered good for me to return the favor. Even if I want to chat with them for a few more words, I have to set the time and occasion.
Yu Chengxun hurriedly caught up with the two of them and asked, "Have you noticed that there don't seem to be many people here today?"
Yang Shen looked him over and said, "You mean the palace people?"
"yes."
Yu Chengxun said, "During the time of the previous emperor, whenever there was a banquet, there would always be palace officials showing up to show His Majesty's grace, and there would also be toasts to His Majesty from afar. But this time when the new emperor ascended the throne, all the red tape was removed, and even the banquet seemed
…It’s not too formal, and it always feels a little shabby.”
Yang Shen said: "After the new emperor came to the throne, he has always advocated diligence and frugality. So far, apart from the construction of the Xingxian Emperor Temple and the reconstruction of the Xingwang Palace, the new emperor has had disputes with ministers. He has not even had the Qingning Palace where the Queen Mother lives.
Plan to repair it.”
Empress Dowager Chiang's entry into the palace formally established the current pattern of the coexistence of empress dowagers in the two palaces.
Empress Dowager Zhang lived in Renshou Palace, and Empress Dowager Jiang lived in Qingning Palace. In terms of status, Empress Dowager Zhang was naturally respected. After Empress Dowager Jiang entered the palace, she also visited Empress Dowager Zhang and was treated coldly. Zhu Si resented this.
mind.
Yu Chengxun seemed to know something and did not shy away from Zhu Hao. He smiled and said: "But I don't know how your Majesty insists on adding a title to the Queen Mother. How should you avoid it?"
When Yang Shen mentioned Qingning Palace, Yu Chengxun took advantage of the situation and raised the issue of Empress Dowager Chiang's title.
He does not mean that.
Historically, the first thing Zhu Si insisted on after his mother entered the palace was to add the word "emperor" to the titles of his father and mother to reflect their equality with Xiaozong and Empress Dowager Zhang, so that he would no longer have to worry about adopting someone else.
Only in the name of one's family can the saying that succession be followed without heirs be established.
Unexpectedly, in the first month of the first year of Jiajing, a fire broke out in the small room behind Qingning Palace.
The ministers took this as an excuse and believed that Zhu Si had offended God by adding titles to his parents, and it was a punishment from God.
Originally, Zhu Houcong's attitude was extremely tough, and he was extremely frightened by the fire. Empress Dowager Chiang also felt that her son had obtained the throne too easily. Since it was a gift from God, it was best not to go against God's will, so she advised her son.
Under this circumstance, Zhu Houcong had to temporarily put aside the matter of adding emperor titles to his parents, and officially regarded Emperor Xiaozong as the emperor.
In this round of the great ceremony debate, the civil servants can be said to have won a complete victory.
As a later person, Zhu Hao would naturally consider the impact of an incident on people. Although history has not clearly stated whether the fire was purely accidental or arson, an inexplicable fire started at a critical time.
Resolved a crisis between king and minister.
If the fire was man-made, then who was the arsonist or instigator?
Just think about who is most beneficial to this matter, and you will know who let it go.
With Zhu Si's character, would he set fire to resolve the discord between the emperor and his ministers? He is already an emperor, and he would not do such a disadvantageous thing. There is only one explanation. The fire must be related to the Queen Mother Zhang and Yang Tinghe.
related.
Understanding this, Zhu Hao felt that Zhu Si's attitude on certain matters was too firm now, and someone might take a desperate risk to bring about the fire.
…
…
That night Zhu Si came out of the palace, and Zhu Hao discussed with him about adding titles to Emperor Xingxian and Queen Xingxian.
Zhu Si's attitude was extremely determined.
"I will not compromise with those ministers on this matter. Zhu Hao, you don't know. I brought the queen into the palace with good intentions. I took her to see that woman with good intentions, but the woman turned her back on her. I didn't want to do this.
I mentioned it to outsiders, but that woman actually asked me to kneel down to her! If I hadn’t seen my mother nearby... I would be so infuriated!"
Zhu Si had not mentioned this issue before.
It just means that Empress Dowager Jiang was ignored by Empress Dowager Zhang when she entered the palace.
Now he even told Zhu Hao these secrets, making sure to show how much he trusted Zhu Hao.
At this time, Zhu Hao and Zhu Si were talking alone, and even Zhang Zuo and Tang Yin were not around. Zhu Hao had nothing to worry about and expressed his worries.
"Previously, civil servants obviously suffered a loss in the matter of accepting the Queen Mother into the palace. I am afraid that Queen Mother Zhang will also feel unwilling to do so." In order to take care of Zhu Si's mood, Zhu Hao mentioned that Queen Mother Zhang could not be called an emperor.
The Queen Mother, we cannot say that she is the Queen Mother of the Palace, she can only be called by her surname.
As expected, Zhu Hao said so, and Zhu Si's face looked much better.
Zhu Si smiled and said: "You have a plan again, right? Tell me quickly."
Zhu Haodao: "It's not that I have a plan, but I think that our opponents will take action... His Majesty is now resolute in giving the Queen Mother a title, just like the method he used to deal with civil servants before. How do you think they should do it?"
Come to stop His Majesty?"
When Zhu Si heard this, he asked me to think about this?
If I have a good brain, I don't need you to give me advice, okay?
"Zhu Hao, aren't you making things difficult for me? I don't know what methods they will use... Just tell me, I'm really worried," Zhu Sida said.
Only then did Zhu Hao reveal the possibility that his opponent might set fire to Qingning Palace.
Zhu Si was extremely surprised: "Isn't it possible? They have the guts of a bear and the courage of a leopard, so they dare to act like this?"
Zhu Hao said: "I hope it's my humble heart, but I'm afraid...the imperial palace, especially the harem, is still in charge of Empress Dowager Zhang. There are many concubines in the harem, and most of the people in the palace are left over from the previous two dynasties. Maybe not
Someone must have given instructions, or someone may have wanted to do something about it.
"Furthermore, Your Majesty's ascension to the throne has harmed the interests of many die-hard forces in the palace. They relied on the power of Queen Mother Zhang. As the Lord of the Sixth Palace for the past thirty years, Queen Mother Zhang has widespread influence in the palace. She
Some of his supporters may act to harm His Majesty in order to make meritorious deeds."
Zhu Si nodded, and he heard the most crucial point in Zhu Hao's words.
That is, if your arrival harms the interests of others, others will definitely find ways to retaliate.
Zhu Hao continued: "But according to my expectation, most of them would not dare to attack the main hall of Qingning Palace, and their targets would most likely be the side halls or back rooms, so your Majesty had better arrange for manpower to keep an eye on them and look for people from Prince Xing's Palace instead of
If you are unlucky enough to be caught by what I said, you should immediately find Xiao Jing and ask him to testify, so that the evildoer can be brought to light to intimidate the courtiers."
Zhu Si smiled and said: "Zhu Hao, isn't this something you learned from the secret of heaven again?"
"Your Majesty, please don't laugh. If I had that kind of ability, I would have ascended to become a god long ago. Why would I need to worry so much here?" Zhu Hao said angrily.
Zhu Si still kept laughing.
Zhu Hao said: "Your Majesty's birthday is today, so it would be better to return to the palace early and reunite with your family."
Zhu Si smiled and said: "No need, my family has already celebrated my birthday at noon... Oh, by the way, the second group of people from Prince Xing's Mansion has arrived in the capital, and Lu Bing is also here. Let him find you in two days."
."
Zhu Hao suddenly remembered that there is another Lu Bing who will shine in the next few decades, but he has not yet made his mark.
After all, Lu Bing was only eleven years old, so no one took him seriously. Only Zhu Si thought he was a childhood playmate or the nanny's child, so he paid more attention to it.
Although Lu Bing's mother Fan Niang now lives outside the palace, she has access to the palace grounds. In history, Lu Bing often followed her mother to the palace to play, and her relationship with Zhu Houcong became increasingly close.
"Um."
Zhu Hao nodded.
Zhu Si happily took Zhu Hao out and asked people to prepare hot pot.
Celebrating birthday outside the palace.
Zhu Si ate two big meals a day. It seemed that he was not satisfied with the delicacies in the palace and only liked the folk delicacies outside the palace that Zhu Hao prepared for him.