eurekapd Chapter 108 New Spring Palace Banquet
Chapter 108 New Spring Palace Banquet
To be honest, Chu Yuanming's show of goodwill did touch Shen's heart.
Originally, she had thought of leaving the palace to enjoy a life of wealth and luxury, as she had suggested to Xiao Yueshan at the time, after the emperor grew older. But now with Chu Yuanming's provocation, she saw another possibility.
Shen couldn't help but feel excited, and she began to look forward to meeting Chu Yuanming.
There is no queen mother or concubines in the palace now. Currently, only the concubines of Chu Yuanqi's reign live in the harem. When Chu Yuanqi was alive, he loved Empress Fu very much. There were not many concubines in the harem. Now there is no need to compete for favor, and the concubines get along well.
No matter how approachable the concubines were, they would not socialize with Shen, a wet nurse, on weekdays. Shen always kept to herself in the palace, which provided a lot of convenience for her private meetings with Chu Yuanming.
While Chu Yuanming was busy conquering the Shen family, he did not forget to deploy his troops. Chu Changning's rebellion had far-reaching implications, and the official positions from the six central ministries to the local prefects and prefects were reshuffled.
When Liu Chongshan, Duke of Rong, fell from power, his son-in-law, Marquis of Anguo and Minister of Imperial Household Yan Xu, were also dismissed and investigated. Duke of Qing, Wei Xun, and his son, Minister of Public Administration, Wei Shuo, were also confiscated and executed.
Among the officials of the six ministries implicated, Yu Zhiyong, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of War, Zhang Teng, the minister of the Imperial Household Department, and Yi Yan, the director of the Imperial Observatory, were the leaders of a total of 46 officials. Fan Bangchang, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, who defected in court, was also dismissed and investigated.
Like the Liu, Wei, and Fan families, countless families moved out of the capital. Xuanyang Lane where the Xiao family lived and Changxing Lane where Xiao Yueshan lived were mostly empty.
A wider range of officials were implicated at the local level. Huang Chunru, the governor of Yingtiancheng Prefecture, condoned the incident and was also reprimanded.
Huang Chunru is an old hand in the officialdom. He thought that Chu Yuanming and others wanted to move against him because he occupied this important position. Now that he was reprimanded and reminded, he might as well vacate the position immediately to avoid bringing disaster to his family.
In order to avoid further punishment, Huang Chunru quickly wrote a memorial requesting to retire and return home, citing the grounds that he was old and had failed to supervise the emperor.
Yueyun prefect Teng Daisheng was able to help Chu Changning create an earthquake and bring local garrisons to Beijing. Yueyun Chengxuan announced that Liang Xin, the governor of the Administrative Office, was to blame. The cabinet not only investigated Liang Xin, but also demoted his brother Liang Ji, the prefect of Fengtian Prefecture, and demoted him four levels to the seventh rank official, and took office in Gufan Prefecture.
More than 130 people, including local officials of Yueyun, the Gao family forces in the Military Commandery, and the censors in Dingchuan and Xuanwei, were investigated and punished for knowing the situation but failing to report it or failing to supervise properly.
The highest-ranking new nobility was given to Ruan Chen, the Marquis of Gongshun, who was given the title of Duke of Shun. Although this title could not be inherited, it was indeed a great honor. The next highest-ranking new nobility was Shou Junzhong, the General of Dingyuan, who was given the title of Earl of Wu'an. Some generals who had made contributions in the war to support the king were also given official titles.
Suppressing the rebellion was not a happy event. In the civil service, only Cao Yun, a member of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Rites, who was upright, was posthumously awarded the title of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and was buried according to the rites of a third-rank official. Several officials in the hall were accidentally injured and died, and they were also commended, and their widows and relatives were given pensions. The rest of the ministers were not commended.
The civil servants mainly made appointments for new officials based on the results of the imperial examinations, and the cabinet and the Ministry of Personnel jointly made appointments for new officials.
Just as Guan Li, a member of the Tongzhengsi family, said, Chu Changning's incident did not affect Zhou Yao. He was indeed promoted and was appointed as the fifth-rank Langzhong of the Yuheng Qinglisi of the Ministry of Works.
Previously, Zhou Yao had reported on Huai Wenhan, a Langzhong of the Water Conservancy Department of the Ministry of Works, who was responsible for the flood control of Han River. Zhou Yao had a deep impression of him, and he was promoted to the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works during the imperial inspection this time.
Tang Shuyi, who had been living off his wife, had his official title removed and would soon return to his hometown. This little news was insignificant compared to the investigation of the traitors.
The changes in the Beijing inspection were too great. Xiao Yueshan and Zhou Yao didn't know many people and couldn't quite figure out the twists and turns.
Because the investigation into vacant official positions was put on hold, the cabinet issued an order to start the planning of local officials in advance. After the Beijing inspection was over, local officials with outstanding results in the plan would be selected to return to Beijing to take up their posts.
This news rekindled the thoughts of court officials. There were many vacancies in both the capital and local government positions, which provided more opportunities for upward mobility.
During the period of national mourning, the palace had not held any celebrations. Now that the three-year period had come and Chu Yuanhong's wedding had already taken place, Chu Yuanming proposed holding a New Spring Palace Banquet, which would be considered a way to celebrate his old age. It would also be the first royal gathering since Chu Changning's rebellion. The court officials, each with their own thoughts, went to the palace to celebrate together.
The New Spring Palace Banquet is held in Hanyuan Hall, and officials of the fifth rank and above can attend the banquet.
Zhou Yao had just been promoted to the fifth rank, so he was naturally eligible to attend the palace banquet. Princess Shu Rongxue of Prince Jin advised that the female relatives should also celebrate together. In addition to the wives of the officials with high ranks and titles, ordinary officials' wives could also attend the banquet.
The former Guanglu Temple Minister Yan Xu and Taipu Temple Minister Zhang Teng were both dismissed from their posts. This palace banquet was the first one hosted by the two newly appointed chief officials, so naturally there was a new atmosphere with new people.
On the evening of the New Year's Palace Banquet, there was singing and dancing everywhere. The officials had set up a mountain tower in the palace courtyard to represent a procession of immortals, six tribute groups, nine dragons and five phoenixes, and the Sitian Rooster Singing Tower was next to it.
Starting from the palace gate, there were lights and decorations and brocade curtains. It is not difficult to imagine the luxurious scene.
However, behind this lively atmosphere, there was a dark tide. The court officials seemed to be enjoying the banquet, but in fact they were secretly observing everyone's expressions and actions.
Xiao Yueshan looked upwards and saw the little emperor on the dragon throne. He was as delicate as a piece of jade and looked like a doll wrapped in gold, yet he had a solemn expression on his face.
Lu Dehou and Shen stood at the foot of the dragon throne, serving on the left and right.
The royal family, civil and military officials were seated in the main hall, side halls and corridors on both sides according to their ranks, with the fifth rank already sitting very far back.
Although they had been here for more than half a year, they had adapted well. But it was their first time to attend a banquet in the palace, so it was still a bit strange.
The palace banquet began with the lively sound of stringed instruments and orchestras. A group of dancers dressed in gorgeous costumes entered the hall and began to perform a wonderful opening dance.
After the dance, Prince Chu Yuanming of Jin stood up, saluted the emperor first, then turned around and raised his glass to address all the ministers.
"Thanks to the protection of heaven and earth and the favor of our ancestors, our Great Zhao can enjoy great blessings and last for thousands of generations. The first cup of wine is dedicated to the gods of heaven and earth and our ancestors!"
All the ministers responded and drank the wine in one gulp.
After Chu Yuanming paid respects to heaven and earth on behalf of the royal family, Song Pu stood up and made a second round of prayers.
"Today, we have restored order, and all of you have played a role. In this New Year, I would like to drink this second cup of wine to wish your majesty good health and prosperity for our Great Zhao!"
The ministers responded again, completing the ceremony of pouring the imperial wine.
Finally, we drank the third glass of wine, and the dishes and snacks were finally served. Each glass of wine was accompanied by a special dish, music, dance, and acrobatic performances, full of ritual sense.
Exquisite dishes such as Roasted Immortals, Taiping Biluo, Silk Soup, Honey-floating Crispy Flowers, etc. were presented one by one by the palace servants.
In winter, the royal family likes to eat mutton, and today's palace banquet is also mainly mutton. Mutton tastes sweet, is very hot and non-toxic, can replenish qi, calm the mind and stop panic, has a good nourishing effect, and is most suitable for winter consumption.
The mutton at the palace banquet was cooked by famous chefs. There was no smell of mutton. The mutton was sweet and refreshing, and the sheepskin was soft and sticky. Xiao Yueshan ate it happily. At least this time he did not miss out on his taste buds.
The banquet continued, and various programs were performed one after another. The atmosphere gradually became more heated, and the ministers' programs were about to begin.