At this time, the officials had arrived at the square in front of the Gate of Supreme Harmony. Bi Ziyan raised his head and took a look. Guards of honor were already in place at the Imperial Gate, and all kinds of people were already in place.
On the Dan steps of the Gate of Taihe, on the left and right side of the steps is the band of the Bell and Drum Division, and between the pillars of the palace are "generals of the Han Dynasty". They are all wearing gorgeous gilded armor with mountain inscriptions, and carry wild goose feather sabers on their waists.
Below the Dan steps, to the left and right of the royal road and behind the civil and military officials, there are school captains standing with swords in their hands.
At this time, a eunuch shouted: "Your Majesty has arrived, Your Majesty has ascended the throne."
Then he saw Chongzhen, with a gloomy face, walking out from behind with the support of Wang Chengen.
Obviously, he had arrived a long time ago. He was just sitting and resting behind the screen, waiting for the officials.
The emperor was so diligent and got up early, which also put a lot of pressure on the ministers.
No one dared to get up late, as it would be troublesome if they were late. This also made them feel very painful for people who were accustomed to the idle life of Wanli and Tianqi who did not go to court.
After the emperor arrived at the royal gate and sat down on the throne, the Bell and Drum Division began to play music. The music played when "ascending to the throne" was, "Long Live the Music" first, and then "Chao Tianzi".
Guardsmen in golden robes, holding five umbrella covers and four groups of fans, climbed up the Danqi from the east and west sides and stood on the left and right behind the throne.
There were two eunuchs in the palace, one holding an umbrella cover and standing on the seat, the other holding a "weaponry" with two fans, standing in the middle of the back of the seat. (After the Tianshun period, the positions of the warriors holding the umbrella and the fan were moved.
When we reach the south of Jinshui Bridge, only the umbrella on the seat and two arms are left; the umbrella on the seat is also removed when there is a strong wind. This may be different from the actual situation.)
Wang Chengen saw that the ministers were neatly lined up, with solemn expressions, and stood with hands lowered. After there was no problem with their appearance, he sang loudly: "Crack the whip!"
Immediately, the whip-wielding warriors south of Jinshui Bridge vigorously waved their whips again.
Bang! Bang!...
After the whip was blown, the officials of Honglu Temple came forward and sang loudly: "Enter the class!"
The civil and military officials who had already lined up immediately took action. The left and right groups of civil and military officials marched hand in hand and entered the royal road. Then, the civil officials "went north to west" and the military attachés "went north to east". They lined up at a close distance under the Gate of Taihe.
At this time, the princes, princes, and princes formed their own group (the Xun Qi Class) and stood slightly apart in front of the military attache class.
When Wang Chengen saw the standing shift finished, he shouted: "Salute!"
All the officials immediately bowed down and bowed three times. Everyone shouted in unison: "Long live my emperor, long live my emperor."
At this time, it was the ceremony for the "big class".
Chongzhen raised his hand expressionlessly and said: "Everyone, please get down and start the court meeting."
Although Chongzhen is young, he is only nineteen years old this year, one year younger than Yang Fan. However, he has an old-fashioned character and cares about his authority very much. He especially likes to perform these rituals to show his majesty.
Today is the Great Court Meeting, and the procedures of the Great Court Meeting are different from those of platform affairs. Platform meetings are very relaxed and there are not many ceremonial matters. The Great Court Meeting is majestic and serious, and mainly deals with four types of events.
The first thing is to meet with officials entering and leaving Beijing. Before taking office, officials must come to see the emperor once, and the emperor must give some entrustments, instructions, encouragement, etc. Officials who come to Beijing to report on their work must also come to see the emperor.
Make a summary and report on the local work during this period. At the same time, accept the emperor's questions and listen to the emperor's instructions.
The second thing is to deal with emergency military affairs at the border and civil uprisings, rebellions, and special natural disasters that occur within the country. Si Tianjian reports on unexpected celestial phenomena, auspiciousness, etc. Today, Yang Fan's request for help will be considered in the second stage.
The third thing is to deal with general government affairs. It is equivalent to the general manager's office meeting of the Ming Dynasty. Matters that need to be discussed at the meeting are reviewed in turn at this stage. The approved arrangements are implemented, and the relevant officials are responsible for supervising the progress. Those that are not passed may be added.
Guidance, come back to the meeting next time after rectification is completed. Or reject it directly.
The fourth thing is to deal with the officials who have behaved improperly before and during the imperial court meeting. After the ministers of various ministries and agencies have finished their speeches, the censor and the officials of Honglu Temple will go out one after another to report the officials during the morning court.
In the event of a breach of etiquette, the emperor will be asked to decide what punishments are required in accordance with the laws and regulations of the Ming Dynasty.
After these four procedures are completed, Wang Chengen will ask again whether the ministers have any other matters to report.
If no one says anything, at this time, the officials of Honglu Temple will sing loudly: "After the performance is over, the whips will be blown to get up to speed. When the holy driver retreats, all the officials will also retreat, and everyone will go back to the Yamen to attend to their duties."
The whip was blown again, and the emperor returned to the harem. After the ministers sent the emperor off respectfully, they dispersed and returned to various ministries for business.
Although Chongzhen was in a bad mood today, he still went through the procedures patiently. Now is not the time to vent his anger.
At this time, it was the first meeting of the Imperial Court to listen to the affairs of state, to receive civil and military officials entering and leaving the capital.
Several ministers were ordered to leave the capital one after another. Before leaving the capital, they came to see Your Majesty.
Chongzhen was always kind and cheerful. He put forward some of his own expectations and gave encouragement. He encouraged them to share their worries for the country, govern the local area well, and ensure that the court's tax revenue was sufficient and on time, so that the people's lives could improve.
Then several governors from other provinces returned to Beijing to listen to their work reports.
Obviously, the situation in various places is not good. Shandong, Shanxi, and Henan are suffering from severe drought, starvation is everywhere, and there are hordes of refugees in the valleys. There is neither food relief nor sufficient military force to deter the people.
The country has been at peace for a long time, and the guards and camps lack combat effectiveness. There is a serious lack of pay, the officers and soldiers have no fighting spirit, and the armaments are weak. The situation is very bad.
Chongzhen also frowned, comforted him, and let them go down.
As usual, the last thing to deal with is often a major matter. At this time, Wang Chengen sang loudly: "See you, the new Governor of the Trilateral Border, Yang He."
The Governor-General of the Three Borders was one of the four major governors of the Ming Dynasty. The four governors were: Governor-General Jiliao, Governor-General Xuanda, Governor-General Three-Border, and Governor-General Guangdong and Guangxi. (The Governor-General of Zhejiang and Zhejiang was only temporarily established when Hu Zongxian was coordinating the anti-Japanese war and has not been continued.
Later it was called a permanent official position.)
The governor of Jiliao is now Liu Ce. Although Wang Yingzhi was imprisoned after the Jizhou mutiny, Liu Ce logically has leadership responsibilities. However, I don't know why the emperor just didn't touch Liu Ce.
This made Yuan Chonghuan extremely anxious. He was waiting to pull Liu Ce down and replace him with one of his own. Otherwise, Liu Ce would have the same official position as him, be on an equal footing, and be much more senior than him. He would not be able to command Liu Ce at all.
Policy.
Qian Longxi felt that the emperor obviously did not want to completely hand over Ji Town to Donglin. After all, Ji Town is the best town in the world and an important place in Gyeonggi Province.
Governor Xuanda is responsible for the defense of the Mongolian tribes in Monan. Now Yang Fan has basically wiped out the Monan tribes. Therefore, Governor Xuanda has become a decoration and has lost its necessity. Whether to abolish it is also one of the focuses of the current court battles.
Because Xuanfu Town, Datong Town, and Shanxi Town are the territory of the Jin Party. If they are abolished, it will be a huge blow to the Jin Party. They firmly oppose the abolition.
Among the four governors, the trilateral governors have the largest jurisdiction, the largest number of troops, and the most powerful power.
The governor is in charge of both the military and civil affairs, and has great power. Under the three governors, he manages nine generals and four governors.
These four governors are:
Governor of Shaanxi: Governor of Shaanxi and in charge of military affairs. He is based in Xi'an.
Governor of Ningxia: The governor of Ningxia oversees military affairs. He is based in Yinchuan.
Governor of Gansu: The governor of Gansu and other departments handle military affairs. He is based in Ganzhou.
Governor Yansui: Governor Yansui and other departments are in charge of military affairs. The station is in Yulin.
It is supposed to be a job that everyone is eager to grab. But now, everyone is avoiding this position like the plague.