On the first day of the tenth month of the first year of Jianning, according to the rules of the court, this day was the day of the monthly grand court assembly, and all officials in the capital, regardless of their rank, had to attend.
To accommodate officials who lived far from the palace, Liu Hong issued a special edict that the grand court assembly would be held an hour later than usual, at Chen Shi (7:30 a.m.), which is equivalent to about 7:30 a.m. today.
The emperor's wise decision received the support of many officials. Those who were far away would not be delayed, and those who were nearby could sleep a little longer. Unlike before, when they had to get up to wash and dress when they were sleeping soundly, leaving them in a daze all day.
At the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), more than half an hour before the court assembly, Cao Song was awakened by his wife. With the help of his wife and maids, he began to dress and wash.
After glancing at his former official robes, Cao Song looked at Cao Cao's mother and said with a smile:
"My lady! Go and fetch the cotton coat His Majesty sent me yesterday! I want to wear it to court today!"
"It's been prepared for you, Master of the Family, for a long time!"
Madam Cao smiled and nodded, then took the brand-new cotton coat from the maid and draped it over Cao Song's shoulders.
After putting on the clothes, Cao Song nodded in satisfaction, feeling the soft and warm cotton-padded coat on his body.
"This cotton from the Western Regions is truly a wonderful thing! It's so warm to wear; I won't be afraid even if I go to the north!"
"Hehe~ Look how pleased you are with yourself. It's almost time. Eat your breakfast and hurry up to court!"
Madam Cao smiled and then had a maid bring in breakfast.
"Haha~ This is a gift from His Majesty. I'm afraid there are no more than ten people in the entire court who can receive such a gift. Of course I have to be happy."
Cao Song couldn't help but laugh heartily. He then went to the table and frowned when he saw a bowl of porridge and a small dish of side dishes on it.
Why is there much less rice porridge than usual today?
"The two bushels of rice His Majesty sent are almost gone. If we continue to eat it the way we always have, I'm afraid it won't last more than a few days!" Lady Cao explained, seeing Cao Song's furrowed brows.
Cao Song nodded upon hearing this, then said softly, "So fast? It seems I'll have to find a way to ask Lü Qiang for some more!"
After Zhang Rang transported the forty shi of rice from Fuchun back to Luoyang, Liu Hong left five shi each for Empress Dowager Dou and his own mother, Chen Fan and the Three Dukes, as well as Cao Song and Dou Wu, each sent two shi, and all the civil and military officials each sent twenty jin.
Since eating rice, Cao Song has completely fallen in love with its taste. He eats a big bowl of it every morning and at lunch. Now, after eating it for almost four months, he has realized that there is not much left.
While eating, Cao Song pondered how to get more from Lü Qiang.
After the meal, Cao Song checked the time and found that there was still half an hour before the start of the court assembly. He then boarded a carriage and headed towards the palace.
About half an hour later, Cao Song's carriage arrived outside the palace. Wearing the cotton coat given to him by Liu Hong, Cao Song got off the carriage in high spirits and walked towards the civil and military officials waiting outside the palace gate.
"Greetings, Grand Minister of Agriculture!"
Some lower-ranking officials on the outskirts greeted Cao Song as he approached.
"Haha~ You're too kind, everyone!"
Cao Song also greeted each of the officials with a smile.
"Hmph~ A petty person who has achieved his goal!"
Just as Cao Song was greeting everyone, a voice suddenly came from the crowd not far away. Although it was not loud, it clearly reached Cao Song's ears.
Cao Song turned his head and saw that it was a group of officials who called themselves the Qingliu faction, gathered together.
Cao Song couldn't help but sneer, then walked over, looked around at the other person, and said, "Oh ho~ which bastard was talking badly about someone behind their back just now?"
Upon hearing Cao Song's words, the expressions of the several upright officials immediately changed. One of them, an elderly man of about seventy, stood up, his face flushed, and angrily rebuked Cao Song:
"Cao Jugao, as the Grand Minister of Agriculture, how dare you utter such foul language! You are truly disgracing our culture!"
Cao Song sneered, "Ha~ I'm speaking frankly, unlike some people who dare to speak but don't dare to stand up, like women who only gossip behind people's backs!"
"you...."
"What do you mean, 'you'? Look at all of you! This is the palace gate, and you're all trembling like this. What kind of decorum is this? I think you're the ones who are truly disgracing civilization!"
Seeing the group shivering from the cold, Cao Song couldn't help but mock them again.
The old man retorted, "The weather is cold, and standing here shivering is a natural bodily reaction. How is that considered uncivilized?"
"Tch~ Then why am I alright? Oh, right, what are you all wearing? No wonder you can't keep out this cold wind!"
Cao Song glanced at the group with disdain, and looking at their clothes, he couldn't help but sneer.
"Huh? What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"
Upon hearing this, the old man looked down at his own clothes, then looked at Cao Song, only to realize that Cao Song's clothes were indeed very different from his own.
Meeting the old man's gaze, Cao Song laughed smugly, "How about it? Isn't it beautiful? This was a gift from His Majesty. It's filled with cotton from the Western Regions, it's very warm! Haha~ Haha~ You don't have one, do you?"
After laughing, Cao Song spread his arms and spun around twice, infuriating the several upright officials who didn't know what to do. Their eyes were practically spitting fire as they looked at Cao Song.
"Hmph~ So what? It's just a piece of clothing as a reward, what's there to be so smug about?"
The old man snorted coldly, his words filled with disdain for Cao Song's petty behavior, but those around him could detect a hint of sourness in his voice.
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