The moon is dim and the stars are shining all over the sky, like a huge curtain studded with pearls, shining brightly.
The breeze is thin, and the mountains and forests are rustling softly. The light fog is getting thicker, soft and hazy.
Cicadas chirp softly, crickets hum, and occasionally, you can hear the mournful hissing of wild foxes and the roar of bobcats, which are really like the screams of ghosts.
Fireflies flew around the tomb mound, and the dots of green light flickered on and off, just like the eyes of a ghost opening and closing. Suddenly a phosphorus fire flashed, and the fleeting forest of steles was like a group of floating ghosts.
Suddenly, a whimper unique to animals emanated from the woods, followed by several more soft sounds of "chirp...chirp...", which were like bird calls, but much crisper.
In just two breaths, a similar sound was heard more than ten feet away. Then another fire light lit up.
It was a fire stick, and the lantern was lit. Then a figure stood up from the grass. He was wrapped in a leather robe, and there was a leather mattress in the grass where he was hiding. Although he was sleeping in the wild, he seemed to be very comfortable. The guard stood up, and the big mastiff beside him also stood up. Just when he was about to open his mouth, the guard slapped him back: "Idiot, you are handsome!"
He shouted, and the movement in the grass was getting closer and closer. Li Rui, wearing a similar leather robe, also led a big dog and walked out of the woods.
"The Yin time is right, let all the sentries return to the village!"
The guard responded, holding the whistle in his mouth and raising his head, and a crisp bird song drifted away in the wind. Then the two men and two dogs returned to the manor with a pile of broken things.
Although after entering Beijing, the possibility of war or attack was extremely slim, Li Chengzhi still did not relax his vigilance.
There are only twelve personal guards, and they have to watch the craftsmen making ice during the day, but no matter it is windy or rainy, or the sky is clear, there are at least four secret sentries around the manor every night.
Gao Zhan also joked that the capital was the most benign place and how could there be so many lawless people. But Li Chengzhi was so good that he even used the method of fighting and marching, and he was afraid of death to the extreme.
Li Chengzhi just smiled and did not explain.
When a person has enough secrets to a certain extent, it is not a question of whether he is afraid of death or not, but a matter of becoming a habit and preparing for a rainy day...
After entering the North Garden, Li Rui first went to the ice platform to take a look. A group of craftsmen and laborers were making ice. Further inside was the Central Garden, and others were fetching and transporting water.
One day and one night, only more than 200 cubic meters of ice are made, but nearly a thousand tons of water are used. Fortunately, it is close to Mang Mountain and the wells are dug deep enough, otherwise Li Chengzhi would have to find a way to buy it from the city.
Water.
After walking around and seeing that everything was normal, Li Rui went to the south courtyard and gently knocked on Li Chengzhi's door.
"Mr. Lang, it's Yinshizheng, it's time to go to court!"
Going to court?
Li Chengzhi really seemed to have not woken up. He thought for a long time before he came back to his senses: Today is the ninth day of the lunar new year?
According to his rank, he is only a Beijing official and has no qualifications to go to court. But today there will be a censor to attend to him, so yesterday the censor came to Taichang to inform the meeting and asked him to go to court today to defend himself.
It is a fact that it almost caused a riot, and there is nothing to argue with. It is nothing more than accountability, fines, and demotion. Li Chengzhi has long been mentally prepared: Yuan Ke no longer plans to receive a salary during his lifetime...
Yawning, he quickly got up and washed himself. Then he asked Li Rui to help him tie up his crown.
It is always not easy for a man to do such a job. It is neat at best, but not beautiful at all.
Even Gao Wenjun advised him to hire a few maids from Zaoshi or temporarily borrow a few from her and Gao Zhan's courtyard, but Li Chengzhi refused without even thinking.
It's the kind of ordinary aristocratic family that either uses the wives of servants or buys slaves with death contracts, the kind where the family prospers and loses. What's more, Li Chengzhi has countless secrets.
,How dare you use outsiders around you?
He calculated the time, Li Liang should be arriving soon, and he would bring some tribesmen with him, and he could solve the problem of guards and servants at the same time...
In just a moment, Li Rui tied up his crown and drove the rented carriage through Guangmo Gate and into the inner city.
Follow the north-south Guangping Imperial Road (from Guangmo Gate to Pingchang Gate), pass through Hualin Garden, Henan Yin, Donggong, Diannong, Taicang, etc., and travel about seven or eight miles to reach the East-West Royal Road (from Dongyang Gate to Dongyang Gate).
Xiyang Gate). Then walk about four miles and arrive outside the Meridian Gate.
Knowing that the earlier he came, the more people would queue up, so Li Chengzhi almost stepped in. It was already two o'clock in the morning, and the yellow gate at the entrance of the palace had already been called out for a while, and there were not many officials left.
Li Chengzhi handed over his family registration, including his name, rank, appearance, etc. Immediately, the general on duty and Huang Men came closer with lanterns to identify him. When he saw Li Chengzhi's face clearly, the eunuch didn't even bother to check.
.
First, he is too eye-catching, and others cannot impersonate him even if they want to. Second, although it is his first time to go to court, these officials are already very familiar with Li Chengzhi: he was beaten twice outside the palace gate, and once inside again.
He went to the palace twice and angered His Majesty twice...and both happened a few days ago. How could they forget so quickly?
He must have known some details about Li Chengzhi. The eunuch in charge of checking the registration was very polite. When he handed the registration back to the door, he also reminded: "Feng Zhaolang, please hurry up, the court is about to start..."
Hearing this sentence "Feng Chaolang", Li Chengzhi was a little confused.
Without the eunuch reminding him, he would have forgotten that he still had such a first-level promotion?
It is true that he rises and falls tomorrow, and the ups and downs are so frequent that even he himself does not understand which level is cut off for him.
"Thank you, Lieutenant Commander, for reminding me!"
Li Chengzhi took over the family registration and replied with a smile.
There are still two moments before the court starts, so there is still time.
After entering the palace gate, you can see almost a human wall of imperial guards on both sides of the palace road. Everyone is wearing armor and holding a sword. They are all looking at each other with evil looks on their faces. If you are timid, your legs will probably tremble.
This is also one of the "court rituals" to demonstrate the majesty of the emperor and to prevent officials from being overheated and running around in the palace instead of going to court properly.
If an official walks too fast or too slowly, makes noise for no reason, looks around, etc., these forbidden troops will shout and scold them.
As he walked, he looked at the appearance of the Forbidden Army and secretly compared it with his subordinates. Unknowingly, Li Chengzhi passed the stop gate and the end gate.
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Just after checking the family registration, there was a "dong" sound, and a bell rang on the tower of Duanmen, and several strong men were actually closing the door.
Seeing that he was still in the mood to wait and see, the general on duty at Duanmen was speechless: Why is he so curious?
However, some officials went to court for the first time. They stayed up all night for fear of arriving late. There were many people waiting outside the palace gate just after the third watch. When they entered the palace, they were even more frightened. They just walked around without even turning their heads.
It’s not uncommon for people to fall and get injured if they dare to lift too much.
This one is pretty good, just like You Jing?
You look around. Apart from you, can you see a court official in Tai Chi City?
Everyone has already entered the hall and is in each row!
"Feng Chaolang, with a maximum of two characters (an ancient unit of time, also called a minute. One character is about five minutes, three characters is a quarter), even the door of the Tai Chi Palace will be locked..."
Li Chengzhi's heart skipped a beat.
So this bell is the so-called Chao Zhong?
Too careless!
He walked quickly towards Tai Chi Hall, still mumbling curses: It’s just idle?
It’s just a Tai Chi city with a radius of two miles. What’s the point of repairing it for such a long time?
There is no need to plant a tree even if it is bare...
He couldn't run, so he could only walk in a hurry. He could barely step into the threshold of the Tai Chi Hall. The third bell rang on the end door. Immediately, strong men closed the red door of the Tai Chi Hall.
Li Chengzhi breathed a sigh of relief: if he had just a few more breaths at night, he would have to kneel outside the temple to await his punishment.
The civil and military departments are strictly separated from top to bottom, internal and external. Li Chengzhi is now a pure civil servant with a rank of seventh rank, so he is naturally ranked at the bottom of the left class.
Just as he stood up, Zuo Pu Sheyuan Yi shouted "Respectfully, Your Majesty", and then heard the sound of whips in the inner hall. King Wu, the general, the warriors, etc., each holding an umbrella cover and a royal fan, entered from the preface door.
In the Yuan and Wei Dynasties, water virtues were respected. From the emperor to the ministers, the uniforms were all of the same color: soap clothes and crimson clothes. The difference was the crown and ribbon, that is, the hat and ribbon.
The emperor wears a crown that reaches the sky, with twelve white beads hanging down from it, which is the kind of crown that Qin Shihuang often sees wearing in movies.
The ministers are all awarded the Xianguan, and their title and grade will only be distinguished by whether there is a mink tail on the cage crown, whether there are jade beads on the leather belt, and the length of the hem of the lower skirt.
A seventh-grade official like Li Chengzhi naturally has nothing, even the hem is bare.
"Good weather, peace inside and outside!"
When Yuan Ke sat down, he heard General Jin Wu singing loudly from the left and right, and all the officials bowed in unison: "I have seen your Majesty!"
Including the Qing Dynasty, this was roughly the case in all dynasties. Only for major dynasties like New Year's Day, the ministers would shout "Long Live" three times. It is not like what is shown on TV and they shout every day.
As long as it is a great dynasty, music must be played. After all the officials have paid their respects, and when they retire after playing with the emperor, they will also dance a few times.
After all the officials paid their respects, the three princes, three queens, princes, etc. each took their seats after taking a few seats. The rest of the courtiers could only stand. There was rarely a time to kowtow, and most of the time the etiquette was to bow or bow.
When those important ministers who are sitting on their knees are saluting, they will put their hands on the ground and lower their heads to show respect, but this etiquette is not more important than bowing.
Since Zhu Yuanzhang, officials have to kneel and kowtow when they go to court!
There were six to seven hundred court officials in the palace, and Li Chengzhi was still at the end, more than ten feet away from the emperor. He couldn't see the emperor's face clearly. He only heard the emperor ask from a distance: "Do you have anything to report?" Although there was only one sentence, Li Chengzhi felt that the emperor seemed a little impatient.
Generally speaking, nothing happened. Liu Fang played the report of Goryeo, and envoys from Khitan and Khitan countries would come to Beijing to pay tribute in the near future. Cui Guang reported the creation of the new calendar, and Gao Zhao reported the revision of rituals, music, weights and measures, etc.
Seeing that there were no more reports from the officials, Lieutenant Wang Xian, an imperial official, went out to join Gao Zhan. On the seventh day of the lunar month, Li Chengzhi went to the city to confuse the people, almost causing turmoil.
According to the procedure, the person involved must come forward to defend himself or admit responsibility, and then he should be punished or demoted.
But the emperor obviously didn't want to bother, and he didn't wait for General Jinwu to give the order for the two men to come forward. He looked at Wang Xian and asked, "Both of them will be demoted one level and retained. What do you think?"
Wang Xian did not hesitate at all and responded respectfully: "I obey your order!"
All the ministers, including Yuan Yong, Liu Fang, Cui Guang, etc., felt strange. They thought that Cui Liang would be the one to promote them later, but they still had to go through the procedures, otherwise they would not know.
The courtiers at the bottom will inevitably think too much.
And what’s going on with Wang Xian?
As an imperial lieutenant, responsible for remonstrance, he allowed the emperor to do whatever he wanted?
Looking at the emperor's face, he didn't look good. Everyone was guessing what happened, but the emperor was not even willing to wait for such a little time?
After only two or three breaths, Yuan Yi and Liu Teng were seen again. All they heard was Liu Teng's loud voice: "I have something to report: Yesterday, the ice master Gao Zhan brought more than 120,000 gold from the sale of ice to the Taifu."
, I have counted them all and handed them over to Sinong Temple!"
"Attack!" Yuan Yi also followed suit, "I would like to request your Majesty's approval: I will first transfer 60,000 gold to the Seven Soldiers to be used for famine relief in Wuchuan Town and Shanxi..."
"Accurate!"
The emperor waved his hand, pointed at Liu Fang, Cui Guang and Cui Liang, and said anxiously: "One hundred and twenty thousand gold, how long has it been since I saw such a lot of real money? Gao Kan's move can be said to be a contribution to
Sheji... Well, there is also Li Chengzhi, who has performed three pieces of formation music, and should also be rewarded... All the ministers will make a list and submit it as soon as possible. In addition, in addition to Li Chengzhi, who is Dayu Zhen, he will be moved to the palace to listen to it..."
A group of courtiers were a little confused.
Where did the 120,000 gold come from? According to their previous guess, as Gao Zhan played, Neigong and Guanglu's ice would be sold pound by pound, and they could be sold out. Excluding the two months
If it is damaged, it will only be sold for 50,000 to 60,000 gold.
Where did this extra double come from?
It’s not like I didn’t respond quickly, I already guessed that the ice in Gongzhong and Guanglu was probably sold out.
No wonder the emperor moved back to Dachao City and used ice mirrors in the Tai Chi Hall, but the emperor did not mention when the officials would resume awarding ice.
We sold out all the balls, and I still give you a fart award... Then how do you want us to spend this summer?
At least seven or eight of the ten ministers glared at Gao Zhan who was standing in the martial arts class, as if asking: What a good thing you did to give birth to a son without an asshole.
Only a few, such as Liu Fang and Cui Guang, secretly cursed Li Chengzhi.
There is also a small group of people who are wondering: Gao Zhan, the second son, has only average intelligence. When did he have such wisdom and skills?
Just as I was thinking about it, I suddenly heard a loud voice singing from the palace: "Retreat from the court!"
When he looked up, he saw that the emperor had left the jade couch, stood up and entered the preface door. As he walked in, he waved to Wang Xian: "Follow me!"
Then he pointed at Gao Zhao: "Sikong is coming too!"
Gao Zhao, Wang Xianggong responded and followed closely.
Seeing that the emperor was so anxious, the ministers were even more confused: What happened?
While everyone was stunned, Li Chengzhi breathed a sigh of relief. He rolled his eyes and walked calmly out of the hall.
It's almost two months since the weather got cold, and there's no ice available. Are you afraid of frying the pot?
The emperor was quite upright and did not mention his name, but promoted himself in the name of "Three Songs of Formation Music". Even if all the officials wanted to bite their teeth in hatred, they would only cause trouble for Gao Zhan... p>
Sure enough, a group of military attachés had surrounded Gao Zhan on three floors inside and three floors outside. Yuan Yongzheng shouted and asked: "Where is the ice!"
Usually only Gao Zhao is treated like this, but Gao Zhan was a little panicked after going through this battle.
But he suddenly remembered Li Chengzhi’s confession: A donkey can’t fall even to death, but with His Majesty’s backing, are you afraid of anything?
"Of course it's sold!"
Yuan Yong said angrily: "Fart, that's tens of thousands of square meters, even the palace can't use so much?"
Gao Zhan straightened his waist vigorously: "There are nearly three hundred large temples in Beijing, and each one will buy one hundred square meters..."
All the ministers were shocked on the outside and tender on the inside.
Actually...sold to a monk?
Each of the three hundred major temples is one hundred square meters, which is already thirty thousand square meters. I am afraid that the palace will have to save more than twenty thousand square meters for the remaining twenty thousand square meters, so what are the officials doing?
How are you going to survive this summer?
All the officials were furious, but intimidated by Gao Zhao's power, they dared not speak out in anger.
Only members of the clan like Yuan Yong, who consider themselves elders, dare to ask Gao Zhan a few words.
Yuan Yong's face was filled with astonishment: These monks are crazy. I wonder if the emperor is worried about how to find excuses for you?
This idea definitely did not come from Gao Zhao, but rather was thought up by the emperor?
Shocked in his heart, he couldn't help but let go of his hand holding Gao Zhan's sleeve, and cursed bitterly: "Flattering a villain, are you really unworthy of a human being?"
All the ministers fell.
When it comes to flattery, who dares to compare with you, King Yingchuan, and how dare you criticize me like this?
Hearing this, how could Liu Fang and Cui Guang not guess that it was Li Chengzhi's idea?
Liu Fang asked his officials calmly: "Can you see Li Chengzhi?"
Most of the courtiers didn't know who "Li Chengzhi" was. When Gongsun Chong said, "Li Chengzhi is the eunuch Li Houlang", some people realized that they were talking about being played by Lieutenant Wang and being rewarded by His Majesty.
The one.
"I was still at the end of the class just now, but I seem to have left the palace..."
Ran away?
How can it be so easy?
There are three gates to the palace alone, and every time you pass through one, you have to check the family registration. How could he be allowed to leave the palace so easily?
Cui Guang laughed ferociously and pointed at a golden-armored general outside the palace gate: "Go to Duanmen to deliver the order, don't let Li Chengzhi go out, run faster..."
Li Shao happened to come over and asked out of curiosity: "I am also looking for him. What's strange is that it was His Majesty who granted Li Chengzhi the title of Dayu Zhen. How did he do it?"
This is an official from the sixth rank!
And no one other than the emperor’s close associates can hold the position.
For example, the former lucky ministers Zhao Xiu and Ru Hao have all held this position. Now, in addition to Gao Zhao, Wang Xian, the imperial censor lieutenant who is favored by the emperor, Sanqi often serves Gang, and Fengcha captain Zhao Yong has also held this position.
Job.
But the question is, how many days has Li Chengzhi been in Beijing?
When he saw Li Shao, Cui Guang became very angry and said: "Uncle Yuan, can you recommend a good talent to your brother (the two are each other's in-laws)?"
Li Shao was confused: Listening to this voice, does it have anything to do with him?
……
In a short time, Li Chengzhi was caught and slipped back.
Seeing Li Shao, he was full of surprise: "When did Shibo return to Beijing?"
For Li Chengzhi, Li Shao was not just an elder, but also had the kindness to protect him when he was in Jingzhou. Including Cui Guang, there are many reasons why Liu Fang took such good care of him.
Li Shao smiled and replied: "I just entered Beijing yesterday..."
The two of them were about to chat when Cui Guang stepped in between them and looked at Li Chengzhi with a sneer on his face: "You are running so fast, maybe you guessed that I am looking for you?"
How could Li Chengzhi recognize him?
I cursed in my heart, and started telling lies: "This is my first time going to court, so I was inevitably flustered. I actually felt a little anxious, so I walked a little faster..."
Did I believe you?
"I see among the hundreds of court officials, there is no one bolder than you."
Cui Guang cursed at the irony and pulled Li Chengzhi out of the hall.
It wasn't until the surroundings became quieter that he cursed in a low voice, "Do you know why Your Majesty has become more and more anxious in recent years? How dare you come up with such sinister ideas..."
This means that Li Chengzhi made it clear that he was digging a hole for the monk to jump into.
Li Chengzhi's eyelids twitched: I'm going to become a sperm?