Knock knock knock!
The sound of drums echoed throughout the imperial city at dawn.
The Jiade Hall is located in the northern palace of the imperial city of Luoyang.
This was the site of important ceremonies and rituals held by the Eastern Han Dynasty, and also the place where important officials of the court met with the emperor annually to discuss national affairs.
Solemn, majestic, and imposing, it demonstrates the imperial power of the empire, its might extending to all corners of the world.
Twenty years ago, Liu Hong, who was welcomed by his ministers from Hejian Prefecture, ascended the throne here and became Emperor Ling of Han!
Today, on the first day of the year 185, Liu Hong will hold a grand court assembly here.
He Jin and the faction supporting the Prince of Hongnong will also launch a powerful offensive against Liu Hong here, forcing Liu Hong to issue an edict declaring Liu Bian as the successor to the empire.
They are determined to win!
Ta-da!
After the morning drum sounded three times, a series of clear chimes rang out.
The summit of Jinping Mountain, west of Luoyang City, was bathed in the morning sun, revealing a golden ray!
Meanwhile, outside the Jiade Hall, in front of the Jiade Gate, all the civil and military officials of the capital with a rank of 600 shi or above had already lined up in two rows.
They will pass through the Jiade Gate, follow the long white jade steps, climb the slope of the Nine Dragon Wall, and enter the Jiade Hall.
The officials lined up consciously from front to back according to their rank.
The high-ranking officials dressed in red robes, including Grand Commandant Huangfu Song, Grand Tutor Yuan Feng, Minister of Works Yuan Wei, Minister of Education Qiao Xuan, Censor-in-Chief Zhu Jun, General He Jin, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat Wang Lang, and Commandant of the Guards Lu Zhi, were seated in the front row.
After the red robe came the green robe, the blue robe, and the black robe, in an orderly fashion.
As a prince, Liu Wei wore a red robe and stood with Liu Bian and Liu Xie, not with the ministers.
Meanwhile, members of the imperial clan, such as Liu Yu, Liu Biao, and Liu Zhang, followed behind the three princes, including Liu Wei.
"His Majesty has decreed that all officials be summoned to the palace!"
Although the eunuch Zhang Rang committed many evils, he frequently presided over court ceremonies, which honed his excellent voice.
His voice was loud and clear, full of energy.
At first glance, one wouldn't guess that he's a man without genitals.
As his voice echoed in the air outside the Jiade Hall, a total of more than two hundred officials entered the Jiade Hall in a grand procession.
The grand court meeting of the Eastern Han Dynasty, which took place in 185 AD, is about to begin.
Court deliberations played a significant role in major decision-making in feudal dynasties, and were meetings personally presided over by the emperor.
The forms of court assemblies in the Han Dynasty included regular court assemblies, inner court assemblies, and grand court assemblies.
In the Eastern Han Dynasty, court sessions were generally held every five days.
The regular court sessions were usually held in the Hall of Officials' Assembly in the Prime Minister's residence, and the emperor would personally convene and participate in these meetings.
At the beginning, the emperor had control over the court, but now it is controlled by the emperor's relatives and eunuchs.
Liu Hong was basically excluded and rarely participated.
Almost all daily meetings were held in General He Jin's mansion.
The inner court was a meeting attended by the Grand Marshal, the General-in-Chief, and other officials such as the Attendant-in-Ordinary and the Gentlemen-at-Arms.
Those who were granted official titles were all people who were favored by the emperor.
They were mainly attendants to the emperor, who did not belong to the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers system, nor were they servants who served the emperor's daily needs.
Their primary duties included discussing political affairs, offering advice and criticism, serving as advisors to the emperor, and guarding the palace to protect the emperor's safety; they maintained close relationships with the emperor.
The inner court convened relatively frequently, and its flexibility stemmed from the fact that those in power were in charge.
The privacy of the venue for the Inner Court meetings and the close-knit nature of the participants also make the meetings more flexible.
However, in the later years of Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong was frequently ill, and Empress Dowager Dong and the Ten Attendants interfered in palace affairs.
Liu Hong rarely holds such meetings.
The Grand Assembly is the most ceremonial meeting, held on a grand scale to demonstrate the majesty of the nation.
In addition to officials with salaries ranging from 2,000 to 600 shi, there were also representatives of the Hu (non-Han) regimes that had submitted to the Han Dynasty.
Unfortunately, the Southern Xiongnu, who had submitted to the Han Dynasty, were exterminated by Liu Wei. Meanwhile, the Xianbei, Qiang, Shanyue, and Nanman took advantage of the Yellow Turban Rebellion to rebel and refuse to submit to the Han Dynasty.
Therefore, no representatives of the Hu people were seen at this grand court assembly.
As the ministers entered the hall, guided by the eunuchs, the civil and military officials, along with the imperial relatives, filled the spacious hall to the brim.
Directly in front, on the imperial steps, a dragon throne sits facing south, completely empty.
Civil officials were in the east, and military officials were in the west.
The prime minister, censor, general, marquis, officials of two thousand piculs of grain, grandee, and scholar all have their own arrangements!
The courtiers stood in complete silence, each with a solemn expression, like old monks in deep meditation.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
Zhang Rang shouted again, and everyone's spirits lifted.
Footsteps came from the side door of the main hall, and Liu Hong, wearing a beaded imperial crown, slowly walked in, surrounded by eight palace maids and eight eunuchs.
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
The ministers rose and sang their praises in unison, their resounding voices captivating.
"My beloved subjects, rise and take your seats!"
The officials all sat down on the ground.
Before the Song Dynasty, emperors and their ministers would hold court discussions while seated.
In the Song Dynasty, they stood, but in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, they knelt.
This also shows that before the Song Dynasty, ministers were still respected to a certain extent.
Liu Hong sat down on the dragon throne.
He seemed much more invigorated today, most likely because Liu Wei gave him money, which gave him confidence and improved his mood.
On the other hand, there is the importance of this grand court assembly.
On the first day of the new year, we should at least maintain a good spirit.
If one looks sickly, wouldn't that affect the fortune of the new year?
Liu Hong's piercing gaze swept over the assembled officials below the imperial steps.
Although the emperor's relatives and eunuchs had already stripped him of most of his power.
But at this moment, in this majestic hall, he stood high above, displaying the authority of the empire's master.
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