Northern Dynasties Imperial Industry

Zu Jue waited at the gate of the imperial city for a long time with great expectation. From day to night, he never saw the imperial city attendant coming to summon him. His mood also changed from eager to anxious and disappointed.

He wanted to ask the general here to go to the imperial city to help him inquire about it, but the general saw that he was bluffing. There was no such thing as the supreme minister's inquiry. He was not driven away from here. If you are well-educated, how can you still listen to him?

When night fell, no one else needed to linger around the imperial city. Even though Zu Jue was unwilling to do so, he had no choice but to leave the imperial city and return to his home with a disappointed mood.

What comforts him is that the people who blocked the door and insulted him when he left home in the morning are no longer here. However, this is obviously not because they were scared away as Zu Jue expected. They can only leave after they are tired of scolding. , I will definitely return tomorrow.

Thinking of this, Zu Jue became more and more irritable. When he got home, he ordered his family to serve wine and food. He sat in the banquet and began to drink sadly. Could it be that there was still a lingering aftertaste of the holy meaning in his mind that he had not yet sensed?

He had been mentally exhausted in the past few days. Although he slept for a day and a night, it was not enough to replenish the energy consumed. Today, his mood went through a lot of ups and downs. At the moment, he was drinking heavily, and the fatigue and fatigue came to his head, and he soon fell asleep again. go.

Zu Jue fell asleep with his heart full of thoughts, but he suffered from the officials who accepted the emperor's order and summoned Zu Jue to attend the court meeting tomorrow.

All officials in Beijing must carefully note their official status, including their official titles, career history, place of origin, family background, and address in Beijing, including when they entered Beijing and when they planned to leave Beijing. If foreign officials entering the court did not have a fixed address in Beijing, they could live in the pavilions provided by the court. These materials are stored in the Ministry of Personnel and Guanglu Temple and can be consulted when necessary.

As the emperor's order was issued, the general secretary of Zhongshu Province was responsible for informing Zu Jue of the matter. The general secretary looked up in the official office of Guanglu Temple and found that Zu Jue was currently living in Chongrenfang Hall on the east side of Da Nei. In the pavilion, I was still secretly glad.

There is only one street between Chongrenfang and the Imperial City. You can go straight there after leaving the city. It doesn’t take much time. You can rest and sleep after you come back. After all, no one wants to wander through the streets and alleys in the city in the middle of the night, and have to patiently explain when they encounter the patrolling guards.

However, Tongshiren was still happy too early. When he came to Chongrenfang Pavilion and informed him of his intention, he was immediately dumbfounded. Zu Jue did not live here at all!

The person in charge of the pavilion did not know his whereabouts at all. He only said that a servant of a powerful person in the Kinei came here to move Zu Jue's family and luggage away, but did not give any explanation.

It was only after asking those who came to Beijing with Zu Jue that they learned that there were nobles in Beijing who admired Zu Jue's writing style, so they invited him to write epitaphs for their ancestors. Because of his majestic writing style, he was very popular with the owner, and because of his residence in the museum, he was very popular. It was inconvenient, so he borrowed his free house in Beijing to live in. As for whose house they were staying at and where their address was, they didn't know very well. They only provided the names of several wealthy families.

After the general secretary heard this, sweat began to form on his forehead. He didn't care to complain at the moment, so he started to inquire at various noble houses based on the clues he got. Fortunately, most of the residences of these powerful people are located in a few buildings close to the imperial city, so there is no need to search all over the city.

After running around like this for several hours, the Tongshishi talent finally found out that Zu Jue was staying at Hou Caizheng's villa in Beijing in Changxiang County.

Cai Zheng's father, Cai You, died of illness a few years ago, and the imperial court also made a posthumous gift. Cai Zheng originally planned to invite Wang Bao, Yu Xin and other southerners to write an epitaph for his father, but these two people were afraid of Cai You and Cai You. He did not dare to agree to the close relationship with former Otsuka Prime Minister Ubuntai, and Cai Zheng did not want his father's epitaph to be too ordinary, so he kept delaying his return to his hometown for burial.

It was not until Zu Jue, a well-known literary figure from Hebei Province, came to Beijing and was introduced by other meritorious officials that Cai Zheng invited Zu Jue to write an epitaph for his father's life. Cai Zheng was also grateful to Zu Jue because of the powerful words in his epitaph, so he rewarded him generously, including lending him a house to live in as part of his reward.

When the general manager finally found Zu Jue's house, it was almost dawn, and his robes had already dried and were soaked with sweat. However, as the morning time was approaching, he had no time to complain and went to the house. Asked where Zu Jue was.

Zu Jue's family suddenly saw officers and soldiers breaking into the house. They thought that they would suffer retribution and were too timid to come forward. Only his son, Zu Junxin, stepped forward tremblingly and asked, "May I ask why your distinguished guest came to visit my father?"

"According to the order of the Supreme Being, I have summoned your father-in-law and ancestor Jue to attend the morning court. He must be summoned as soon as possible. I have to appoint officials to my subordinates. I am afraid it will be too late!"

The general manager replied angrily, standing in the court breathing heavily.

"This, this...is this happening? God's grace is so great, God's grace..."

After hearing this, Zu Jun's son was also overjoyed. After bowing and thanking the family member, he hurriedly returned to the back hall, only to find his father sleeping at his desk, smelling of alcohol. Zu Junxin also complained endlessly and hurriedly summoned him. The family members came together and dragged the sleeping father into the back room, took off his clothes and then rinsed him with fresh well water.

"The traitor wants to drown my father!"

Zu Jue was aroused by the cold water. When he woke up, he stared at his son and yelled at his son. But when Zu Junxin told the news that the Supreme had summoned him, Zu Jue suddenly smiled again. He felt that his whole body was burning, and he Fearing that the smell of alcohol would offend etiquette, he immediately shouted: "Get water from the deep well quickly!"

Although it was early autumn after summer, the weather was getting colder at dawn. The well water that had just been drawn from the deep well was cold to the bone. The moment it was splashed on his body, Zu Jue let out a series of screams.

After hearing this, the Tongshi Shiren who was waiting in the vestibule frowned and said, "Your family really doesn't know what to say! You are so anxious to press for the holy order, and you still have the intention to kill an animal as a congratulation!"

Not long after, Zu Jue, with green lips and white face, walked out of the inner hall wrapped in thick robes and swaying. Before he could ask in detail, he was dragged forward by the impatient housekeeper. At the gate of the house, mount your horse and head to the imperial city.

Zu Jue's muscles were so stimulated by the well water that his muscles shrank. Now he was swaying on the horse and had to be supported by his son to ensure that he would not fall off the horse.

It was almost dawn, and the sky was still dark, but officials holding open fires and honor guards could already be seen on the streets. They were all rushing to attend the morning dynasty.

After Zu Jue saw these ceremonial guards, his heart became hot again. Although he did not have such a magnificent ceremonial guard at the moment, he was also going to the pilgrimage to meet the saint. Thinking of the great future in the future, Zu Jue shrank. His muscles and bones were stretched again, and he no longer needed his son's support, and he was able to sit steadily on the horse.

Today is not a day of great dynasty, but just an ordinary morning dynasty. Those who can participate in the dynasty meeting are all regular officials in Beijing. The so-called Chang Shenguan refers to a civil official of the fifth rank or above and an official serving in the two provinces of Zhongshu and Menxia, ​​supervising the censor, Yuanwailang and Dr. Taichang.

Zu Jue doesn't even have a serious official position at the moment, and naturally he doesn't belong to the rank of a permanent official. When he attended the morning meeting, he didn't know where the train was, so he had to go to Menxia Province to receive a temporary appointment before the start of the court meeting to determine his status. The location of the North Korean train.

Tongshi Shiren hurriedly led Zu Jue to the province of Menxia, ​​where the imperial edict had already been prepared, and Zu Jue was appointed to the official position of Wai Lang, a member of the sacrificial department under the Ministry of Rites. Before he had time to think about the profound meaning of the imperial court's appointment of him, the general secretary dragged him straight to the official office of the Ministry of Rites.

At this time, the time for the morning court meeting was approaching, and the officials participating in the court meeting were all gathered in the office to tidy up their appearance. After Zu Jue was led to the official office of the Ministry of Rites, he looked up and saw the majestic Minister Cui Zhan. He immediately showed joy and strode towards Cui Zhan to reminisce about old times and have a few words. Cui Zhan saw that he was still dressed in fashionable clothes, and he also Ignoring the pleasantries, he quickly ordered: "Invite Zu Lang into the house quickly to change his robes!"

By the time Zu Jue changed his robes and came out, Cui Zhan had already led the officials from the Ministry of Rites out of the official office. Zu Jue quickly followed him when he saw this. Some colleagues in the team quickly told him about his ranking and the details of the court meeting later. Participate in etiquette.

The imperial court held all major dynasties in the Qianyuan Hall of the Imperial Palace. Some grand ceremonies also required the opening of the Chengtian Gate at the junction of the Imperial Palace and the imperial city. Generally, the emperor left the Imperial Palace and went to the outer court hall for the regular dynasties. The hall is located to the north of Zhongshu Province, and across the street are the Menxia Province and Zhengshi Hall.

Although Zu Jue entered the court as a meritorious scholar, his level of meritorious service was not high enough to require him to enter the court to receive commendations and awards. Before, he had only received awards at the Ba Shang Military Camp outside Chang'an City, so this was his first time to participate in the Tang Dynasty. At the court meeting, I was also very excited.

Then Zu Jue suppressed his excitement, followed step by step in the court class to which he belonged, and slowly walked into the outer court hall. The rituals of the Chang Dynasty were simple, and the ministers just filed into the palace, without the more complicated singing and worship.

There is no specific process for the regular meeting of the regular court. Basically, it is a situation of starting a meeting if something happens and withdrawing if there is nothing. Of course, these words would not be shouted out directly, and in such a huge empire, there would never be a situation where nothing was reported. Officials from each department reported matters in order according to their rank, but what was reported was basically just the name of the matter, the specific details It is difficult to explain the process and content clearly at the court meeting.

If the emperor is interested in certain matters after listening to the speeches of the ministers, he will naturally stay with the officials in charge after the court meeting to conduct more detailed inquiries.

Although Zu Jue had to prepare for the court meeting today, he was not arranged to perform the performance, so he could only listen to the performance of other officials in the train.

He originally thought that a senior official would read out the manuscript he had submitted to the public, but throughout the whole court meeting, he did not hear anything directly related to him. This made him doubtful. Did you specially allow him to attend today's court meeting just to make him stand in the court hall?

When the court meeting was over and the ministers exited the court one after another, Zu Jue still hadn't waited for the supreme leader to summon him. He was wondering what he should do next, when a young man from somewhere else came directly to him and asked him He cupped his fists and said, "After you retire from the imperial court, will you have some free time? I would like to ask you about some of the things that happened in the "Lun on the Death of Qi" I wrote earlier."

Hearing that someone finally mentioned this work that he had devoted so much effort to, Zu Jue felt happy. But when he saw the face of the person clearly, he couldn't help but be shocked again, because this person turned out to be Gao Xiaowan, the legitimate son of Gao Cheng.