Chapter 410 409 New Year

The first day of the first lunar month of each year is one of the three major festivals in the Han society of the Ming Dynasty.

At that time, all officials will have a holiday for the New Year. Whether it is the court officials or the common people, there will be warm celebration ceremonies and cultural and sports entertainment activities.

The court will hold ceremonial activities for all officials to pay tribute to the emperor and the ladies of the court to pay tribute to the empress. The prince, the prince and their concubines will also pay tribute to the emperor and the empress dowager respectively. At the same time, the prince will also accept the congratulations of all officials.

In the local area, there is a ritual of "all the big and small government offices in the world pay tribute to the palace", that is, on the first day of the first lunar month, except for the officials in the capital, officials from all kinds of government offices across the country wear official uniforms and go to their respective government offices to hold the ceremony of "looking at the palace and congratulating from afar".

The officials danced and cheered, performed kneeling rituals, and verbally congratulated the emperor on the new year.

The princes of various places also performed the ceremony of "looking at the palace to celebrate". After the ceremony of paying tribute and looking at the palace, the officials of the court and the local areas also visited each other and performed the "New Year's greetings" ritual.

However, in the middle and late Jiajing period, such a solemn ceremony as the New Year's Day Grand Court Meeting was no longer held, and all the ceremonial activities of officials congratulating the emperor and women congratulating the empress were cancelled.

Wei Guangde had been an official for several years, but he had never participated in even a grand court meeting. The only time Emperor Jiajing would go to the palace was for the palace examination every three years.

However, the officials had nothing to say about not going to the palace in the past two years. Now the reconstruction of the three major halls has not been completed, and the emperor can't stand in front of the construction site to accept the congratulations of the officials.

Not holding a grand court meeting does not mean that he can sleep in on the first day of the new year. On the contrary, Wei Guangde got up earlier than usual because he had to go to Fengtian Gate to pay homage to the palace. After that, the officials continued to take holidays and called friends to find places to have fun.

At the time of Yin, Wei Guangde had already gotten up and washed, and with the help of his wife, he dressed neatly, walked out of the house with the dim night sky above his head, and got on the carriage.

As the whip sounded, the wooden wheel rolled over the snow on the ground and moved forward. Wei Guangde was leaning against the carriage and taking a nap. Although there were hot tea and food on the table, he had no appetite at the moment and just wanted to sleep.

It had been a long time since I had such an experience. Fortunately, Emperor Jiajing did not attend the morning court, otherwise the officials in Beijing would have been exhausted to death.

Wei Guangde thought with some gloating that it was not easy to meet a good emperor like Jiajing.

There was a lantern hanging in front and behind the carriage, which was the only light in the alley at this moment.

Fortunately, after turning out of the alley, lanterns appeared on the road in front and behind. The destination was naturally the same as Wei Guangde.

The team rushing to the morning court was connected in front and behind, forming an ancient version of a luxury car team and continued to move forward. Not far ahead was the gate of the market, which had been opened long ago. The night watchmen stood on both sides with guns and dared not be careless.

At this moment, the people in the carriage and the sedan chair were all big figures they could not afford to offend.

At this time, teams of people riding sedan chairs and cars kept appearing in the streets and alleys of the market on both sides of Chang'an Street. Everyone gathered together and continued to walk towards Chengtian Gate along the main road.

When it was still far away from Chengtian Gate, the carriage could not move. The front was already blocked by the sedan chairs that had arrived earlier. Wei Guangde had no choice but to drink a sip of hot tea and eat something before getting off the carriage and walking forward.

Entering from Chengtian Gate, outside the Meridian Gate, officials lined up according to their ranks.

Now Wei Guangde is no longer the highest among the Jinshi of his class in terms of rank.

Except for the champion who will be awarded the sixth-rank Hanlin Xiuzhu official position, other Jinshi will only start from the seventh-rank and the seventh-rank official position, and will be at least half a year behind the first three before being awarded.

The Jinshi who were sent to the local areas also had a long way to go for promotion, but most of the Jinshi who stayed in Beijing and were assigned to the six ministries would have the opportunity to be promoted within one or two years after being awarded.

In fact, if we only talk about the rank, there is such a disadvantage in entering the Hanlin Academy, that is, the rank rises very slowly, which is not as good as the same year entering the six ministries.

When Wei Guangde first entered the officialdom, he caught up with the top scholar Zhu Dashou at a rocket speed, and he did spread a little reputation, but now it is different.

Wei Guangde didn't walk too far, and he vaguely saw the person walking forward in front of him. From the back, he looked like Lao Kan.

Now Lao Kan is the head of the Shanxi Qingli Division of the Ministry of Justice, and he is also a sixth-rank official, the same rank as Wei Guangde.

After a few quick steps, Wei Guangde caught up with Lao Kan.

"Shandai, are you still behind me?"

Lao Kan heard someone calling his name from behind, stopped and looked back to see that it was Wei Guangde, smiled and said, and bowed his hands and said: "Congratulations on the New Year."

"Congratulations on the New Year."

Wei Guangde also hurriedly bowed his hands.

According to folklore, in ancient times, there was a ferocious monster with a big head and a small body. It was cruel by nature and made a sound of "Nian~" when it roared, so it was named Nian.

As time went by, people gradually discovered the activity pattern of Nian. It turned out that it would rush into the town every 365 days, and it would appear at night and leave at dawn. This terrible night was regarded as the "New Year's Gate".

Later, people found that Nian was afraid of three things, namely red, fire and loud noises. So later people would gather together on New Year's Eve when Nian was about to come, paste red paper (later gradually changed to paste peach charms or red couplets), hang red lanterns, set off firecrackers, etc., the purpose was to drive away Nian.

After New Year's Eve, it is naturally a smooth New Year.

The two people have the same rank, so they naturally stand in the same team. They are both wearing green robes and are considered the end of the team.

"If you don't go to the team of the Duchayuan, you can still walk around."

Lao Kan knew that Wei Guangde was restless and restless. The officials stood in line and behaved themselves. Only the censor from the Metropolitan Procuratorate was wandering around outside, recording violations of the rules.

"I didn't get it."

Wei Guangde smiled and said, it's not that he didn't want to, but that he didn't get the job.

Not long after, the sound of three-way drums sounded from the tower of Wufeng Tower, indicating that the time had come.

The queue of officials in front still stood motionless, but the queues of generals and lieutenants on duty on both sides of the official queue began to move. They quickly entered through the Meridian Gate to place a guard of honor.

Although Emperor Jiajing did not come here, there was no shortage of required procedures. However, the officials did not need to enter Fengtianmen. They knelt down directly outside Fengtianmen and completed today's meeting.

The weather was a bit cold, but Wei Guangde could only stand like this until the bell rang. The civil and military officials who lined up in formation closed the doors from the left and right, walked in through the Meridian Gate and arrived outside the Fengtian Gate.

Zhu Xizhong, Duke of Chengguo, stood at the forefront of hundreds of officials and relatives. Under his leadership, hundreds of people bowed five times and kowtowed three times to Fengtian Gate.

Originally, in a normal court meeting, hundreds of officials would have to enter Fengtian Gate to Fengtian Hall. After congratulating the emperor, there would be many ceremonies, and there would even be activities such as receiving foreign guests, and finally a banquet would be given. Now the whole province is covered.

Wei Guangde was flanked by many of his familiar colleagues and peers. After the court meeting, they naturally walked out together. They had to find a place to drink and warm up first. It was holiday time again, and the emperor had no control over what he did during the holiday. .

As a group of people walked out slowly, they passed by the right gate and saw an official in green robe arguing with the chamberlain guarding the gate.

Wei Guangde knew that person. He was from the Sixth Section. He might be planning to go to the Sixth Section to check in.

Wei Guangde was not interested in him going to the check-in room during the annual vacation. He just laughed and walked out with others. However, when he got closer, the conversation there still fell into his ears.

"Master Nie, just wait a little longer. The ladies have to go to Xiyuan from Xihua Gate. Wait a little longer. I will let you in when the honor guard over there has passed."

The chamberlain stopped him and refused to let the man in, but Wei Guangde also heard that it must be Emperor Jiajing's harem who had gone to greet the emperor early, so he temporarily sealed the Youshun gate.

Wei Guangde didn't take it seriously. After leaving the Forbidden City, he and his colleagues walked along Chang'an Street to find a restaurant. It was just dawn.

Following the tradition over the years, restaurants near Chang'an Street chose to open their doors on the first day of the Lunar New Year, because their first customers were officials who had just returned from the palace to complete the court etiquette.

Of course, if it were another emperor's grand meeting, they would have nothing to worry about. Thanks to Emperor Jiajing for allowing these officials to come and have dinner early.

As soon as Wei Guangde walked in front of the restaurant, he heard the people who had entered first were already shouting for the store to bring some hot food.

It snowed all day on New Year's Eve yesterday. It stopped snowing this morning, but it felt even colder.

However, the store owner was naturally well prepared. When Wei Guangde entered, not only was the brazier already burning brightly, but the steaming food and wine were also ready.

"Guozhen booked a private room here two days ago, haha."

Lao Kan behind him smiled.

"I really forgot about this."

Wei Guangde was happy when he heard it, and thinking about it, this was not the first time he had encountered it.

When I was an official in the capital in my first year, I left the palace early in the morning and didn't know where I was going. I saw some restaurants along the street open, but I didn't know until I got there that they were full and had been booked in advance.

While Wei Guangde and others were eating delicacies and drinking hot wine in the restaurant, the Yongshou Palace in Xiyuan was also extremely lively, with many maids and chamberlains present.

Normally, there are not many people in Yongshou Palace. Emperor Jiajing wanted to practice here, so he naturally liked peace and quiet.

But today is different. On the first day of the lunar month, Concubine Shen and Concubine Lu Jing from the harem came here with more than a dozen concubines to pay New Year greetings to Emperor Jiajing.

Since Empress Fang, Emperor Jiajing has not established another empress, and the power of the harem naturally fell into the hands of the only imperial concubine Shen. Concubine Lu Jing was not only favored by Emperor Jiajing, but also had a son, Prince Jing, and her status was She is not low-ranking in the palace either, her status surpasses other imperial concubines and is second only to Concubine Shen.

Of course, after King Jing's vassal affairs were put on the agenda, Concubine Lu Jing's dream of being the Queen Mother came to an end, and her status in the palace began to decline. At the beginning, she was someone who dared to directly challenge Concubine Shen's harem.

After all, even many civil servants could not understand Emperor Jiajing's true thoughts. Some people really thought that because of Concubine Lu Jing's favor, Emperor Jiajing might choose to pass the throne to Prince Jing, which was even more so for other people in the harem. So true.

But at this time, in the main hall of Yongshou Palace, the previous festive atmosphere had disappeared.

After Concubine Shen and the other concubines paid homage to Emperor Jiajing, Emperor Jiajing was naturally very happy. Instead of rewarding him as usual in previous years, he rewarded her with much richer property.

Concubine Shen was a concubine in the third month of the 10th year of Jiajing. She was appreciated for her intelligence and prudence.

In the 13th year of Jiajing's reign, Queen Zhang was deposed, and Fang was appointed as the queen because she was "cautious and not slack, and she respected the emperor's wishes". At the same time, Concubine Shen Xi was conferred the title of Concubine Chen, and Concubine Yan Li was conferred the title of Concubine Li.

In the 15th year of Jiajing's reign, Concubine Shen Chen was promoted to a noble concubine, and in the 19th year of Jiajing's reign, she was promoted to an imperial concubine on the same day as the crown prince mother Wang Guifei.

She was able to become an imperial concubine step by step, so she was an extraordinary person. She knew that Emperor Jiajing was fond of practicing Taoism and would never bother him in the slightest.

But once the emperor summons her or there is a solar term, she will do everything she needs to do.

However, as a noble concubine, Shen's fate was not good. She had no children in her life. After Concubine Cao Duan was executed in the 26th year of Jiajing, Shen raised Concubine Cao Duan's second daughter, Princess Ning'an Zhu Luyu. In the fifth year, Princess Ning'an got married, and the etiquette for paying homage to the Shen family was the same as that of her biological mother, so she had an adopted daughter.

After leading the concubines in the harem to pay their respects, Concubine Shen said many festive words, naturally hoping to make Emperor Jiajing happy. Since it was the New Year, she naturally hoped that everyone would be happy.

The two princes who should have been the rightful masters and who could please the emperor the most were King Yu and King Jing, but these two princes could only kneel outside the gate of Yongshou Palace before leaving.

But now, Concubine Shen, who was known for her eloquence, could only retreat to one side without daring to express her anger. The other concubines also hid on both sides like frightened birds, leaving only Concubine Lu Jing kneeling in the middle.

"The fiefdom of the vassal king is a matter of national affairs. When did it become the harem's turn to interfere?"

Emperor Jiajing sat at the top and watched Concubine Lu Jing speak word by word.

"Your Majesty, I just want Zhen'er to be closer to me. Please allow your Majesty."

Concubine Lu Jing's eyes turned red at this time, and she was already lying on the ground as she spoke.

Maybe she also realized that she had done something wrong today, or at least the situation was wrong, but since the words had been spoken, she could only hope that she could use family affection to calm Emperor Jiajing's anger.

"The feudal kingdom I have found for King Jing will naturally be good. The construction of the royal palace is almost completed. These are all handled by the imperial court. You are not the one to speak on national affairs. If Zhu Zaizhen is dissatisfied, he can report it."

Emperor Jiajing was not affected by Concubine Lu Jing's performance at all, and still spoke coldly.

Previously, after Concubine Shen spoke, Concubine Lu Jing also came up to say a few words, but she quickly brought the topic to King Jing's confederation of the country.

De'an Mansion in Huguang is thousands of miles away. Concubine Lu Jing is naturally unwilling to send her only son there. She wants to change King Jing's feudal state to Beizhili, or Shandong.

However, it seems that the idea of ​​​​just wanting to keep her son closer to her really touches an iron law of the harem of the Ming Dynasty, that is, "the harem must not interfere with politics."

It is said that this was first said by Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang to Queen Ma, and it later became an iron rule in the harem of the Ming Dynasty.

Perhaps Emperor Jiajing was too kind to Concubine Lu Jing in the past, so she had the courage to talk to Emperor Jiajing about this matter, but after seeing the emperor getting angry, she did not dare to say anything more.

"If you give him a message, if you have any ideas, write a memorial yourself and don't do those little tricks."

Emperor Jiajing looked at the woman kneeling in the hall coldly. He seemed very shrewd before, but he made such a mistake at this time.