Chapter 62 Book for All People
Qin Wang Zhao Defang asked for the tenth time in Chunfengju, the palace, "Yun Yi, has the princess not returned yet?"
Yun Yi sighed helplessly!
He bowed and reported, "Your Majesty, the city gates are about to close, and the people guarding the gates have not sent back the letter. The princess is probably staying in the manor and will not come back tonight!"
Qin Wang threw the book!
He snorted coldly, "Not coming home at night! Do you still look like a princess? Yun Yi, tell the housekeeper that the princess is not allowed to leave the palace at will in the future!"
Yun Yi sighed helplessly again! He
smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, you are making it difficult for housekeeper Zhao! If the princess wants to leave the palace, can housekeeper Zhao stop her?"
Qin Wang Zhao Defang immediately lost his temper.
If the princess wants to leave the palace, not only the housekeeper Zhao, but I can't stop her! I can't bear to break her legs, so she can run wherever she wants.
The King of Qin sighed silently in his heart! He
reached out and picked up the visiting card left by Cao Wei on the table, thinking about why the Duke of Lu's Mansion, which had never had any dealings with the Qin Palace, sent Cao Wei here?
Being blocked by heavy rain in the Mo Yun Cavalry Camp outside the city for a few days, could it be that something happened in the capital?
"Your Highness, tomorrow is the day of the grand court, and you have to go out to the palace at five o'clock in the morning. You should go to bed early!" Yun Yi reminded the prince.
"Okay! Go to bed now!" The King of Qin replied in a sluggish tone.
Yun Yi shook his head and thought, "When the princess is not in the palace for a day, his prince seems to have no interest in anything.
Could it be that if he doesn't go to sneak through the tunnel for a day, the prince will feel itchy and lost? 】...
The Song Dynasty held a grand court every ten days.
The next day, Qin Wang Zhao Defang got up at five o'clock in the morning, washed and changed into court clothes, and ordered Yun Yi to go outside the city to pick up the princess and bring her back to the palace. He took sixteen guards and rode out of the palace in a carriage to the palace.
On the day of the grand court, the streets were full of officials of all sizes rushing to the palace. The closer to the palace, the more people there were.
The Song Dynasty did not allow officials to ride in sedan chairs pulled by people. Officials of low rank and those who behaved low-key usually took three or two followers and rode out on horseback.
High-ranking officials usually went to court in carriages, with guards ranging from a few to more than a dozen people.
Only the prime minister Zhao Pu liked to show off. He brought more than 60 guards. A large group of guards blocked the wide streets beside the carriage. When
officials saw that it was the ceremonial guard of the left prime minister Zhao Pu, who had great power in the court, they all stepped aside to make way for the prime minister.
The carriage of the left prime minister Zhao Pu moved slowly forward, and the Prince of Qin Zhao Defang sat in the carriage and followed slowly behind.
Several officials on horseback couldn't help but whisper that the left prime minister Zhao Pu refused to take His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin seriously and blocked the way in front of him.
Some officials praised His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin for his tolerance and broad-mindedness. Some, however, lamented that His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin, who was deprived of military power from his position as a military governor and transferred back to the capital, had a hard time being an idle prince in the capital!
Xuande Gate is the main gate of the imperial city, nearly ten feet high, and has five gates, two auxiliary gates on the left and right.
Xuande Gate is beautifully built with gold nails and red lacquer, dragons, phoenixes, flying clouds, carved beams and painted pillars, and covered with glazed tiles.
The two auxiliary gates on both sides are Zuoye Gate and Youye Gate, and the court officials entered in two waves through the auxiliary gates.
Behind Xuande Gate is a square that can accommodate tens of thousands of people, and behind the square is a majestic and magnificent giant palace - Daqing Hall. Grand court meetings or celebrations are held here.
On both sides of the imperial road, the bell tower and the drum tower stood across the road from each other.
One by one, the court officials, wearing
official uniforms and goldfish bags on their waists, led the way in the crowd. The long hat wings of the officials flickered and swayed, and no one dared to walk quickly, lest the violent shaking of the hat wings would lose their dignified demeanor.
The Daqing Hall could accommodate thousands of people. When the whips were sounded, the ministers entered in shifts holding the cymbals.
The long hat wings prevented the court officials waiting in the hall from talking to each other.
The higher the official position, the longer the hat wings, so they could only stand steadily holding the cymbals and look dignified. Although the cap brim of the officials of low rank was a little short, they were all silent and did not dare to lose their manners.
Every time Qin Wang Zhao Defang saw this scene when he went to court, he could not help but laugh secretly. His father, Emperor Taizu, had put a lot of thought into the cap brim of his court dress.
The attendants came out, and a group of eunuchs were on the left and right.
The emperor came out in a dragon robe, stepped on the jade osmanthus and sat on the dragon chair with supreme authority.
Qi Wang Zhao Tingmei still claimed to be sick and did not come. Qin Wang Zhao Defang stood at the head of several princes who went to court to listen to government affairs. Below were the military officers in the back row of the secret envoy.
Zhao Pu, the head of all officials, stood at the head of the civil officials, his eyes slightly closed, with a look of confidence and a sense of superiority that he had the chance of winning.
Zhao Pu was the prime minister, the head of all officials, during the reign of Emperor Taizu. He had great power over the government and the country.
When Zhao Pu was the prime minister, he was arbitrary and overbearing. He and the current emperor Zhao Guangyi, who was the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture and a prince at the time, fought to the death for power. After
the current emperor Zhao Guangyi came to power, the first important official he dismissed was Zhao Pu, who was demoted to Hebei Road to be a transport envoy.
But for some unknown reason, Zhao Pu was re-employed by the emperor two years ago and returned to the position of prime minister.
However, the emperor also established the position of right prime minister and several councilors, which greatly divided the power of the prime minister.
At the grand court meeting, all civil and military officials raised and discussed the problems that could not be solved in the government office. The emperor would also bring up controversial issues at the small court meetings and let all officials discuss and seek solutions.
All kinds of political affairs, big and small, caused these court officials to argue endlessly, and even attacked each other with red faces.
Several princes would sometimes interject.
Only Qin Wang Zhao Defang, with only ears but no mouth, listened quietly without saying a word. Like a beautiful sculpture, he stood there silently.
The plan for dredging the river in the capital was finally decided, and the hall finally quieted down.
The left censor doctor Jia Yan suddenly came out with a slate in his hand, "I have a memorial!"
The emperor, who had been a little tired because of the noise of the ministers, suddenly became energetic! He
looked at this trusted and beloved general with a pleasant face and asked, "What memorial do you have, Lord Jia?"
Jia Yan raised his head and exchanged a knowing look with the emperor, then said, "Your Majesty!
Since Emperor Taizu founded the dynasty and established the capital in Bianjing, the palace was built on the site of a governor's official residence, which was extremely small. How could it be worthy of the majesty that a palace of an imperial dynasty should have?
Now, under the wise governance of Your Majesty, the Song Dynasty has begun to The expansion of territory has made immortal achievements. Dali and Western Shu were all in the hands of the Western Han Dynasty. The territory was vast and the four seas were subservient.
The people were prosperous and lived and worked in peace and contentment, and the court treasury was abundant and sufficient.
I petition Your Majesty to issue an order to expand the imperial palace to show the great power of our Song Dynasty, and order... "
Before Jia Yan finished his memorial, a court official next to him suddenly jumped out!
"Your Majesty! Absolutely not!" The emperor, who was stroking his beard
and was eulogized by his confidant and beloved generals and petitioned to expand the imperial palace to show the great power, suddenly turned cold!
Seeing that it was Wu Mian, the Minister of History, who opened his mouth to stop him, he was furious!
"I am only expanding the palace, not moving the capital, why not?" The emperor's tone was already filled with anger.
Before Wu Mian could say anything, the left prime minister Zhao Pu walked out of the train.
: "Your Majesty! Our dynasty has only been established for more than 30 years, and its foundation is still shallow. In recent years, there have been continuous wars, the treasury is empty, the people are exhausted, and foreign enemies are everywhere. How can we afford to engage in large-scale construction and waste people's money and labor?
Moreover, there are tens of thousands of people who have lived near this palace for many years, and there are countless shops and stores under the imperial city.
If this palace is expanded, where will those people who have lived here for generations and those merchants who have invested heavily live?
Your Majesty! Emperor Taizu once taught us not to compete with the people for profit! How can we ignore the survival of the people because of the extravagant enjoyment of the royal family?"
"I second the motion!" The Chief Secret Envoy Chu Zhaofu came out to second the motion.
"I second the motion!" The Minister of Revenue Luo Zhongxu came out to second the motion.
The emperor was so angry that his face turned pale!
[The treacherous prime minister Zhao Pu! You have given so many high-sounding reasons, isn't it because your Zhao family's mansion and shops are all at the foot of the imperial city!
My great achievements in the past few years have become worthless in your mouth? ! 】
Cheng Yu, who was the judge of Kaifeng Prefecture when the current emperor Zhao Guangyi was the prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture, was promoted to the position of Jieshizhong after the emperor ascended the throne.
Seeing that the left prime minister Zhao Pu spoke up to block and even spoke up, the two important ministers spoke up again and hurriedly stood up.
Cheng Yu's eyes were full of sarcasm: "Left Prime Minister, what do you mean by competing with the people for profits? It's because your mansion and more than a dozen prosperous shops are all at the foot of this imperial city, right?"
Zhao Pu didn't care at all about the sarcasm and exposure of Cheng Yu, the emperor's confidant.
Two long eyebrows raised! "That's right! Not only are my mansions and shops located at the foot of the imperial city, but ask yourself, how many mansions and shops of the officials in this court are not located at the foot of the imperial city?
For the prosperity of the Song Dynasty's economy, Emperor Taizu and the current Majesty have encouraged officials to take the lead in doing business. My shop has paid a lot of taxes and silver, and the abundance of the Song Dynasty's treasury is also due to my contribution!"
Cheng Yu was speechless!
Yes, since Emperor Taizu, this dynasty has been strongly advocating the prosperity of commerce.
In order to facilitate transactions for the people, many of the city walls in Bianjing were demolished, and the night curfew was no longer enforced. How can you use Zhao Pu and the shops of the officials to make a fuss?
The emperor was furious!
He said in a cold voice, "What if I must expand the palace and move your mansions and shops?!"
"Your Majesty, you must not do that! Here is a letter from the people written with tears and blood, begging Your Majesty to revoke your order!" The Right Counselor Liu Zhi came out of the class and knelt on the ground.