Chapter 265 Argument at the Birthday Banquet (Part 1)
The three-day Longevity Festival, the main festival is the birthday of the emperor, also known as the Holy Festival. On this day, all the officials of the imperial court came to the Huangji Hall to present congratulatory forms to congratulate the emperor and congratulate the world. The etiquette of this process is extremely important.
It is complicated and complicated, and even veteran ministers may not remember it all clearly, so there are special etiquette officers responsible for calling the ceremony.
How troublesome are these processes? Just to see the emperor, you have to bow, pay homage, pay homage again, level your body, hold a wat, bow, dance three times, kneel on the left knee, kowtow three times, shout long live the mountain, shout again, kneel on the right knee,
There are many specific requirements for these actions, such as getting out of the wat, etc., and there is really no need to explain them one by one.
As for when the emperor will appear and what he will do after his appearance, those etiquettes really stipulate the details to the extreme, so it’s okay not to mention them.
Officials who are participating in such a big festival for the first time may be excited, but for senior ministers - such as Gao Pragmatic, who is still young but still considered a veteran - they are naturally calm when they go through these procedures. For example, Gao Pragmatic, his thoughts
It's not about the congratulations at all, but waiting for the subsequent grand banquet.
The grand banquet was held in the Huangji Hall without having to go anywhere else. The positions of the ministers and ministers for the banquet were basically in accordance with the order of the usual shifts at court. The preparations for the grand banquet were handled by Shang Baosi. Today, Shang Bao is responsible for the banquet.
Si Qing is Gao Pragmatic's younger brother Gao Wuguan (but he was adopted by Gao Gong). He has been in charge of this matter for many years and there will never be any mistakes in etiquette.
After the congratulations, the people from Shang Baosi first set up the throne in the hall, covered it with yellow robes, and summoned the Jinwu Guards to set up twenty-four guards to serve. The Jiaofang Secretary set up nine music and songs in the hall, and set up a great music outside the hall.
The dance team is waiting outside the hall. Guanglu Temple has a wine pavilion to the west of the throne, a dining pavilion to the east of the throne, and a rare and delicious pavilion (the original text is an ancient Chinese character, difficult to write, so the general idea is this) on the east and west sides of the wine and dining pavilion.
The royal banquet was placed on the east and west sides of the throne. Although the crown prince had not been enthroned, he was still seated to the east of the throne, facing west. The princes and kings were seated in sequence from south to east and west.
Officials of the fourth rank and above will have a banquet in the Huangji Hall, while ministers of the fifth rank and below will be entertained outside the hall, and a team of people including pottenders, wine ministers, and food ministers will be arranged to serve them.
When the banquet started, the ceremonial department invited the emperor to ascend to the throne. Zhu Yijun walked out with a blush on his face, showing no signs of illness, and the music was played immediately.
After the emperor ascended the throne, the music stopped. Then the firecrackers went off, and the princes, princes, etc. went to the palace one by one. The infant princes could not carry themselves by themselves, but they would not be carried by their biological mothers or nannies, but by their respective "big companions"
Either lead or hug him and bring him to the temple.
Next, the civil and military officials of the fourth rank and above entered from the east and west and stood in the hall, while those of the fifth rank and below could only stand in front of His Highness. All the officials once again performed the salute of praise and worship. After the ceremony, Guanglu Temple filed in, and the music played again.
When they arrived in front of the emperor, the fun stopped. Then Guanglu Temple opened the ceremony and poured wine, and first toasted to the emperor.
When the first round of wine was served, the Jiaofang Si played "The Song of the Flame Spirit". When the music started, everyone knelt down, and of course the Jiaofang Si also had to kneel to play. The emperor raised his glass and finished drinking, and the music stopped. All the officials fell down and praised again.
Pray, and then everyone takes their seats.
During the second round of toasts, the band played "The Song of Imperial Style". When the music started, Guanglu Temple drank wine for the emperor, and the prelude class drank wine for the ministers. After the emperor raised his drink, the ministers also raised their drinks, and the music stopped.
Next, they enter the soup, and the drumming music begins. The Guanglu Temple goes to the outside of the temple. The drumming stops. The music starts in the temple, and all the officials stand up. The official of Guanglu Temple enters the soup to the emperor. After entering, the officials sit down again, and then start the ceremony.
Qunchen Soup.
At this time, the emperor raised chopsticks, and the ministers also raised chopsticks. This also has a special meaning, which is called praising the food. Next comes the dance. The first one is usually a martial dance, which according to modern terms is a vigorous dance, called "Dance to Peace the World."
Further down to the third round, the band played "The Song of the Ming Dynasty" and danced "The Dance of Fu'an Siyi". In the fourth round, they played "The Song of the Legend of Tiandao" and danced "The Dance of the Che Shu Hui Tong".
In the fifth round, play "Zhenhuanggang Song" and dance "Hundred Operas Dance". In the sixth round, play "Jinling Song" and dance "Baman Presenting Treasure Dance". In the seventh round, play "Changyangzhi"
Song", dance "Lotus Picking Team Dance". In the eighth round, play "Fragrance Song", dance "Fish Leaping in the Deep Dance". In the ninth round, play "Driving the Six Dragons Song".
For each of the above toasts, the ceremony is the same as the first round, and the ladle is painted in the same way. After nine rounds, Guanglu Temple receives the royal nobles, the preface class collects the ministers, and enters the soup.
By this time, everyone was hungry and had a great appetite, so it was finally the time for the big meal. The music played, the officials stood up, thanked everyone, and sat down again, and the prelude began to serve the food.
The raw materials for the banquet food are rare and rare from all over the country, and are sent to Beijing from all over the country. Some fresh food is expressly delivered by postage. It is carefully prepared by famous chefs in the imperial dining room, and of course they are all top quality.
According to the custom of the Ming Dynasty, everything must have rules, so no matter what the "national" celebration was in the Ming Dynasty, even the recipes were fixed, and most of them were customized by the Hongwu and Yongle dynasties. Specific to the Wanshou Festival's holy
The festival banquet was custom-made in the 13th year of Yongle (1415).
This customization stipulates: serve five plates of wine, five plates of fruit, fried chicken with tea and snacks, double stick bones, large silver ingots, large oil cakes, three kinds of soup, double steamed buns, horse meat rice, and five cups of wine.
On the middle table are four plates of wine, four plates of fruit, fried pancakes, silver ingots, two stick bones, three kinds of soup, two sets of steamed buns, horse meat rice, and three cups of wine.
On the middle table are four plates of wine, four plates of fruits, fried dishes, tea and snacks, two dishes of soup, double portions of steamed buns, mutton rice, and three cups of wine.
The monks and officials were served on a plain banquet, with five plates of wine, fruits, tea, fried food, three kinds of soup, steamed buns, honey cake and rice.
The general ordered a plate of wine, longevity noodles, steamed buns, horse meat rice, and a cup of wine.
A soldier with a golden spear, an elephant slave, and a school captain, both ate steamed buns and a cup of wine.
Jiaofang Sileren, a plate of wine, noodle soup, steamed buns and a cup of wine.
Give it to the officials and envoys on the table, put five plates of wine, fruits, two kinds of soup, small steamed buns, and three cups of wine on the table. Put four plates of wine, fruits, two kinds of soup, and small steamed buns on the middle table.
A high-ranking and pragmatic official of the second rank, with an additional title of first rank, is of course "on the table". However, horse meat rice was actually replaced with donkey meat rice because of the shortage of horses in the Ming Dynasty.
The arrangement of the table is also interesting. The cabinet elders with the highest status are at a separate table; the six ministers and the Zuodu Yushi of the Imperial Procuratorate are the "seven ministers of the imperial court", and they are also at a separate table; the following are two tables for the ministers of each ministry
——Earlier, there was a big table, but now because the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of War both serve four servants, a large table would be too crowded, so it was divided into two tables. Now it is the Ministry of Household Affairs, with one table for the eight servants of the Ministry of War, and another table for the other servants.
table.
The next step is to "join the table" according to the Dajiuqing and Xiaojiuqing, except for the previous group of big guys. In short, it is to arrange officials with similar status at one table or side by side tables as much as possible.
Since the emperor sat alone at a high position, there was basically no "enjoyment with the people", so when the banquet started, the nature of etiquette was downplayed, and colleagues at the same table had the opportunity to speak.
Gao Jingshi's table is composed of the Six Ministers and the Zuodu Censor, and the next table is the cabinet minister. The people on these two tables can be regarded as the top power center figures in the Ming Dynasty besides the emperor, so if there is a "God's perspective" at this moment
If you do, you will find that the distance between them and other tables is relatively large, so that a physical hierarchical barrier is formed.
But in this way, if people at the two tables want to talk to each other, it is very convenient. As for the meal itself, everyone knows that the banquets in the Ming Dynasty palace can only fill the stomach, and are far less reliable than their own meals.
Rich people like Gao Pingshi even ate a few pieces of chicken and drank a small cup of soup. Although there was wine at such a banquet, people usually did not drink openly to avoid getting drunk.
It would be very unsightly to cause a disgrace in front of a gentleman. However, everyone would still raise a glass from time to time and only touch their lips - it would take time anyway.
At this moment, small talk is the real business.
Today's seven ministers of the imperial court are as follows: Chen Yubi, the Minister of Personnel, Gao Pragmatic, the Minister of Hubu, Xu Xuemou, the Minister of Rites, Zhou Yong, the Minister of War, Shu Hua, the Minister of Punishment, Shi Xing, the Minister of Industry, and Shen Li, the imperial censor of Zuodu.
On the cabinet table are Shen Shixing, a bachelor of Zhongji Palace, Xu Guo, a bachelor of Jianji Palace, Wu Dui, a bachelor of Wenhua Palace, Wang Jiaping, a bachelor of Wuying Palace, Wang Xijue, a bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion, and Dongge, who is new to the cabinet.
Bachelor Liang Menglong.
The Qiqing table started chatting first, and the first person to speak was the theoretical boss of the table - Tianguan Chen Yubi.
As the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Chen Yubi naturally chose to start talking about personnel establishment. After a round of toasting each other, he put down the Rhinoceros Horn Jue and asked directly to Gao Pragmatic: "Qiu Zhen, I read your "Innovation Station Shu" a few days ago.
, I have some questions while feeling emotional, I wonder if you can help me clarify them?"
Although Chen Yubi actually belongs to the Real School, his foundation comes from his father Chen Yiqin (a bachelor of Wuyingdian in the Longqing Dynasty). Chen Yubi was also the core of the "Chen Party" before. In terms of closeness at this time,
, it can only be said that it is the peripheral force of the Practical School, and Gao Pragmatism will definitely give him enough face.
So Gao Jingshi immediately put down the Rhinoceros Horn Jue and said politely: "Brother Yuan Zhong is so polite. If you have any questions, just ask me. You must tell me everything you know." When the others saw the show coming, they stopped their cups and listened to him.
People talk.
Chen Yubi did not beat around the bush and asked directly: "If this sparseness works, more than ten members of the Ministry of Revenue will be in charge of the post stations in each province, but as far as the center is concerned, the inns are under the jurisdiction of the Vehicle and Driving Department of the Ministry of War. In this way
Come on, in the future, will the driving department have the final say on matters regarding the inn, or will it be the various members of the household department who will have the final say? I am in charge of civil affairs, so I have to understand this."
"Brother Yuan Zhong's concerns are legitimate, but I have discussed this matter with Grand Sima." Gao Pingshi said, turning his head and saying to Zhou Yong: "Brother Yangsi (Zhou Yong's nickname is Yangsi, his name is Lexuan), please
How about you tell me the difference?"
Zhou Yong is different from Chen Yubi. He is from the real practical school and is also from Yanjin County, Henan Province. He is a township party member like Gao Gong and Gao Pragmatic. Zhou Yong was a member of the Renxu Branch in the 41st year of Jiajing (1562).
The fifty-seventh Jinshi in the top three did not do well in the examination. Logically speaking, it is generally difficult to get to the top. However, although this person has poor grades and only mediocre abilities, he has a particularly good official career.
What does good official luck mean? For example, whenever you complete your three-year exam as a subordinate, your boss will either have an accident or be promoted, and the position will be vacated for you. This is a typical example of good official luck.
This is almost the case for Zhou Yong. He was the governor of Liaodong in fifteen years with only the qualification of the top three in the district. He became the governor of Jiliao in less than twenty years. Then, because Zhang Xueyan resigned and returned home, he was able to return to the ministry and serve as the chief minister.
.
As we all know, the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty attaches great importance to "academic qualifications". The three "gods in the sky" who are ranked first can be praised as much as they want. For example, Gao Pragmatic was promoted quickly and set records, but no one said that he was not qualified. At most, some people said that he was too young.
——Most of the other Jinshi candidates were around thirty years old. It was too ridiculous for you to win the top prize at the age of 18. The result is that at the age when most people can pass the examination, he has already become the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs.
In less than ten years, he went from being the No. 1 scholar in the new department to being the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and was even demoted three levels in a row. This was the strength of the No. 1 scholar, and no one could question his qualifications.
On the contrary, the qualifications of the top three Jinshi are much lower than those of the first and second class, because the first class is called "Jinshi Ji Di", and the second class is called "Jinshi origin". Needless to say, the status also means that the status is worthy of the name.
Yes, but the top three are obviously inferior, it is called "from the same Jinshi background" - you can barely be counted as being from the same Jinshi background.
There are very few people in the Ming Dynasty officialdom who can do well with such qualifications. During this period in history, there was another top-level boss named Shen Yiguan, but Shen Yiguan was also tougher than Zhou Yong because he was first of all a big boss.
The nephew of the poet Shen Mingchen, and although he passed the top three examinations, he was admitted as a Shujishi during the imperial examination, so he still had Hanlin status.
Zhou Yong's "academic qualifications" were not very good, but his official luck was good. In addition, after he reached the position of governor of Liao Dynasty, it happened that the practical school was "not available", so he could only be reused. Therefore, he became the Great Sima after a few trips.
The consequence of a weak foundation is that he, the great Sima, does not have much respect in front of Gao Pragmatic, the great Situ. In the eyes of many people, he has already made up his mind to become a high-pragmatic yes-man.
This time was no exception. As soon as Gao pragmatic asked him to speak, he immediately took over and explained for Gao pragmatic: "Chen Tianguan didn't know something. What Gao Situ Shuzhong said was a temporary expedient. The station has always been
They are all under the management of the Vehicle and Driving Department of the Ministry of War, and Wai Lang, a member of the Ministry of Household Affairs, only supervises the finances.
In addition, Gao Situ also said that in the future, when the post station can be responsible for its own profits and losses, and even contribute to the finance, the Ministry of Household Affairs will support the expansion of the Vehicle Driving Department. Today, the Ministry of Household Affairs generally establishes the chief officers of the post stations in each province to strengthen the jurisdictional authority."
Chen Yubi's question was actually to cooperate with Gao Pragmatic to explain the situation. For the three people to talk about it, Xu Xuemo, the Minister of Rites, couldn't help but said: "What is the reason for the incident at the post station? It is not the responsibility of the Ministry of Rites, but so many ministries have been increasing year after year.
Suppose, today we set up more than ten officials, and tomorrow we set up more than ten officials, when will they start? The common people in the world support hundreds of officials. If these officials are added endlessly, aren't they just preying on the people?"
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