Therefore, to a certain extent, apart from the Chancellor and Vice Minister of the Constitutional Council and more than ten departments, they are the backbone of the lower levels. In a few years, they will be qualified to become Chancellor, Vice Minister or even Prime Minister.
Of course, he was very clear about the rules of the court.
As the New Year approaches, the government and all officials celebrate together, so naturally there are not so many formalities and red tape. Everyone drinks while lying, sitting, or leaning with a few good friends, chatting or writing poetry, and it is quite lively.
The inner palace was a completely different scene. The original Privy Councilors, the Prime Minister, the Vice Prime Minister and the Minister of Military Affairs had now been replaced by the Ministers of various departments and the Vice Minister of the Council of State Affairs.
More than twenty senior officials in purple robes sat upright, with Zhao Zhen sitting at the top, and next to him was Empress Cao, who was more than two months pregnant.
Zhao Jun's position is the first one below Zhao Zhen.
When the banquet began, Zhao Zhen raised his glass and said to the crowd with a smile, "My dear gentlemen, the New Year is here and the whole world is celebrating. I wish the country peace and prosperity, and may all the people of the world be blessed. I applaud you all!"
The word "cheer" appeared in the Tang and Song dynasties. In the Tang dynasty, it referred to the shouting and cheering during gambling. In the Song dynasty, it gradually became a word of praise and applause, and often appeared in lyrics.
Upon hearing Zhao Zhen's words, all the ministers raised their glasses, stood up and said, "I wish the emperor good health and the great Song Dynasty continued prosperity."
Another Minister of Rites said: "Farewells are like this, fireworks are set off every year. Morning and evening, peace and prosperity every year."
"May this virtue be preserved for thousands of years. May you have endless joy and happiness."
"May you live a thousand years, and may spring come to you every year."
"It is a good time, and we should celebrate the good times."
All kinds of blessings came out of everyone's mouth, making Zhao Jun quite embarrassed.
He really didn't know much about the ancient blessings.
After a moment's thought, he said, "May Your Majesty be happy and successful, and may all things go well. May Your Majesty always have a youthful complexion, and a beautiful head of flowers, year after year!"
“Hahahahahahaha.”
After some blessings, Zhao Zhen was very happy. He raised his glass and said, "Come, drink!"
He drank it in one gulp.
The ministers drank the wine, and after they sat down, the singing and dancing began.
A group of singing girls walked into the hall, and musicians sat in the corner. The cheerful New Year music and dancing soon filled the house with joy.
Zhao Jun was actually not used to this kind of environment. There was no mobile phone to play with, no Spring Festival Gala to watch, and no computer to use. Just watching the singing and dancing was really boring, so he focused on eating. Stir-fried dishes had already appeared in the Song Dynasty, and they were delicious and fragrant, so he ate them with relish.
After about half an hour, the song and dance ended, and the ministers cheered. At this time, Wang Shouzhong came in and reported to Zhao Zhen that a great poem had appeared this year and he wanted to present it to the emperor.
This is also a common practice.
The green-robed officials outside competed in literary competitions, writing the best poems to present as a New Year's blessing. At the same time, if the poems were well written and caught the eyes of the emperor and the prime ministers, they would be promoted quickly in the future.
Zhao Zhen smiled and said, "Which great sage wrote a good poem this year?"
Wang Shouzhong said, "It's Song Zijing, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Works."
Song Zijing is Song Qi, Song Xiang's younger brother.
Zhao Zhen was not surprised to learn that it was him. The Song brothers were all talented and wrote good poems. He nodded and said, "Xuan."
"Xuan!"
Wang Shouzhong shouted.
Song Qi, who was outside, walked in and stood in the center of the main hall. He bowed to Zhao Zhen and said, "Your Majesty, I greet you."
Although these people were the backbone of their respective departments, except for the censors and remonstrators, they were not qualified to attend court. Therefore, Song Qi rarely saw the emperor. Now he walked in and stood solemnly, hoping to make a good impression.
Zhao Zhen smiled and said, "I heard that Song Qing wrote a good poem?"
"It's just an improvisation."
Song Qi handed the written lyrics to Wang Shouzhong with both hands and said with a smile: "Because I followed Your Majesty to offer sacrifices to the heavens, the earth and the ancestors, I was moved and wrote this poem."
"Yeah, okay."
Zhao Zhen took the poem handed to him by Wang Shouzhong, took a look at it, and found that the poem was indeed a good sacrificial article with wonderful content.
He then asked Wang Shouzhong to read it out loud.
Wang Shouzhong held up the poem and said loudly: "God is virtuous and virtuous, and the round altar is grandly decorated. Seven miles south of the city, every three years there is a suburban festival. The majestic canopy moves, and crimson dragons line the branches. Mountains and rivers face the tasseled crown, and the stars and elephants lean on the flags. The music is more peaceful before the shrine, and the emperor's spirit descends to express his mercy. The imperial court offers jade, and the Qing Temple is full of offerings."
This poem has magnificent content and gorgeous words. Although there is nothing special about it and it is basically a pile of rhetoric, it is indeed appropriate for the occasion.
“Good poem!”
“This poem is very well written.”
"It has the grace of a first-class sacrificial article."
Everyone commented and applauded.
Although there are no particularly brilliant sentences in it, it is difficult for sacrificial texts to produce famous sentences that will last forever.
It is often filled with fancy words, and fancy words also require technical content.
Not only must the writing be neat, but the rhythm must also be appropriate.
Obviously, this poem by Song Qi is a relatively standard and excellent piece of writing.
Zhao Zhen also thought it was very good. He looked around at the ministers and said, "Song Qing's poem is very good and deserves to be appreciated. Will anyone among you come forward to respond to it?"
Poetry and prose were very popular in the Song Dynasty, and when literary gatherings were held, there was a practice of responding to the poems.
This practice actually started in the Tang Dynasty. People like Liu Yuxi, Bai Juyi and Yuan Zhen often wrote poems in response to each other at banquets.
The famous poem "A thousand sails pass by the side of the sunken boat, and thousands of trees bloom in front of the dead tree. Today I will listen to your song and drink a glass of wine to refresh my spirits" was written in response to Bai Juyi's poem at the cocktail party.
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