Top Scholar

Chapter 608, Fourth Year of Zhengde
A series of loud bangs and crashes of fireworks drowned out Eunuch Liu's hoarse voice; he couldn't even hear himself speak. Furious, he slammed his fist on the table and yelled, "Stop setting them off! We're having serious business here!"

"Stop setting them off! Stop setting them off!" His brother-in-law quickly went out and stopped Liu Erhan, who was outside with his child, from setting off fireworks.

“Therefore, we must also follow suit,” Liu Jin continued. “We should implement this method in all towns and military commands, investigate the military farm lands that have been seized, and redistribute them to ordinary soldiers… This will not only reduce the burden on the court, but also improve the lives of the soldiers.”

"Only when soldiers truly benefit will they fight bravely, and only then will we have troops to use!" Eunuch Liu said worriedly, "The common people are already in chaos, we must not let the soldiers also become chaotic, otherwise the Ming Dynasty will truly be in jeopardy!"

The eunuch faction members nodded in agreement. No one considered themselves the villain; in their own individual dramas, everyone was a protagonist!
Not yet, Eunuch Liu paused and added, "Furthermore, this is also to prepare for the future nationwide land survey... Once we get the military settlements sorted out, with the support of the garrisons and the experience gained, we can tackle this toughest challenge!"

Upon hearing this, the eunuch faction members at the banquet all secretly groaned. Good heavens, with the nationwide rectification of finances and grain, the investigation of military farms, and the land survey, these three measures might cost everyone their heads!

But Eunuch Liu was in high spirits, and judging from his resolute expression, anyone who dared to offend him at this moment would be asking for trouble. Everyone could only silently drink their wine, each with their own plans…

Liu Yu, with his exceptional emotional intelligence, quickly raised his glass and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, on this day of universal celebration, let's not talk about these troublesome matters!"

"That's right, you're so diligent! Even on New Year's Eve, you're still thinking about state affairs." The others chimed in, raising their glasses to toast you.

"Yes, Your Majesty, let's drink! For the sake of the Ming Dynasty, please put your mind at ease today!"

Seeing that no one responded, Liu Jin was furious, but since it was the New Year, he couldn't very well smash his teacup, so he said nothing more and picked up his wine cup, saying:

"Dry!"

Amidst the clinking of glasses, the fireworks at the Liu residence once again burst into bloom in the night sky, dazzling and spectacular!
~~
The next day was the first day of the first month of the fourth year of Zhengde.

On the first day of the new year, the grand court ceremony was held as usual! This was the first of the national rites of the Ming Dynasty. All officials serving in the capital were required to attend court to pay New Year's respects to the Emperor. Although Su Lu was only a sixth-rank official, he was among them.

The day before, the Imperial Seal Office had placed the Imperial Seal Table to the east of the throne in the Fengtian Hall and the Incense Table to the south of the Danbi Steps; the Music Bureau had arranged the Zhonghe Shaoyue music in the east and west of the hall and the Dayue music on both sides of the Danbi Steps.

Before dawn, the Embroidered Uniform Guards displayed their ceremonial guards in front of the palace, with fans placed inside. The Golden Guards deployed armored soldiers at the Meridian Gate, the Fengtian Gate, and around the Danchi (a type of imperial platform). Great Han generals guarded various parts of the palace steps, and cavalry and elephants were trained south of the Wenwu Tower. Banners fluttered, and armor gleamed, fully displaying the majesty of the Celestial Empire!
Meanwhile, the Su brothers had gathered outside the Meridian Gate with the officials, who were divided into civil and military ranks.

All officials wore Liang crowns, red silk court robes, and red silk knee coverings, with no distinction in color or rank insignia.

However, one can still distinguish a person's rank at a glance by the number of beams on their crown—a duke's crown has eight beams, a marquis's crown has seven beams, and both are adorned with a pheasant-feathered cap. A prince consort's crown has seven beams, but does not have a pheasant-feathered cap.

Below the highest rank, the first rank had seven beams; the second rank had six beams; the third rank had five beams; the fourth rank had four beams; and the fifth rank had three beams. All ranks from the first to the fifth used ivory tablets.

The sixth and seventh ranks had two beams, while the eighth and ninth ranks had one beam, all using locust wood tablets. A group of junior officers, embarrassed to take the wooden tablets out, tucked them into their sleeves…

As the drums sounded, all the officials stood in orderly ranks, none daring to utter a word.

The drums sounded, and the officials in charge of ceremony led the civil and military officials, as well as the envoys from the four barbarian tribes and vassal kings, into the palace in order through the left and right side gates, where they stood on the east and west sides of the steps according to their rank.

The drums sounded three times, their roar echoing through the palace. Zhu Houzhao, clad in his imperial robes, moved from the Hall of Literary Glory to the Hall of Imperial Sacrifices, where he ascended the throne and took his seat. He had played cards with the Su brothers all night and didn't return to the palace until the fourth watch; he'd even worn his dragon robe to bed…

Three whips cracked outside the palace, their sound echoing through the heavens. The emperor's drowsiness was dispelled, and he rallied his spirits to complete the grand ceremony.

The music from the Imperial Music Bureau suddenly began, and the Master of Ceremonies sang "All together!" The court ceremony commenced.

The first official stepped forward and addressed the emperor on the steps, his voice as clear as a bell: "We, your humble servants Zhang Mao and others, on this auspicious New Year, a time of great prosperity and celebration, wish Your Majesty a long and prosperous life, and a glorious reign of ten thousand years!"

After the speech, the master of ceremonies announced: "Hold your scepter, bow, and perform three dances—"

Su Lu followed the officials, bowing and spreading his sleeves in a dance-like manner, his movements perfectly synchronized.

The master of ceremonies repeated: "Kneel!"

All the officials knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!" The sound shook the palace and only stopped after three shouts.

Subsequently, the congratulatory messages from the princes, provincial governors, military commanders, and representatives from Korea and Annam were announced. Officials from the Court of State Ceremonies led tribute bearers from the four barbarian countries to present their tributes, and all the rituals were performed in accordance with protocol.

This was Su Lu's first time attending a court assembly since passing the imperial examination, and it was far more grand than the announcement of the winners or the ceremony of expressing gratitude.

He stood with his eyes lowered, listening to the sounds of praise, music, and shouts of encouragement, and seeing the court ceremony he had only seen in books. He felt that every move he made strictly adhered to the rules of etiquette.

Su Lu couldn't help but sigh inwardly, the civil officials' organizational skills were indeed strong. The fact that such a grand ceremony, which required the cooperation of various government departments, could be held well was a testament to their competence.

After the ceremony, Zhu Houzhao issued an imperial decree to host a banquet for all officials and to give each of them twenty silver dollars.

The officials kowtowed to express their gratitude, the master of ceremonies announced "Rise," and the music of the Imperial Music Bureau resumed.

With three cracks of the whip, the emperor set off.

All the officials bowed their heads in respect to see him off, and only dared to move when the emperor entered the Huagai Hall.

~~
After the court ceremony concluded, the officials and envoys from the four barbarian tribes moved in turn to the east and west wing halls, where the New Year's Day banquet would be held. When Su Lu entered the east wing hall, he saw that the officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices had already arranged themselves, but those low tables looked strangely familiar.

"Looks familiar, doesn't it? It was used in the imperial examination." Kang Zhuangyuan chuckled softly.

"I knew it." Su Lu suddenly realized. "I was wondering why arranging the examination tables was the job of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Turns out they were using other people's tables."

"It's good enough that you didn't get oil all over your sleeves." Kang Hai was still a very witty person.

The eunuchs led the officials to their respective positions, where they stood respectfully with their hands at their sides. Only after the emperor changed into ordinary clothes and led the ministers to the Fengtian Hall did the whip crack three times outside the hall, and the master of ceremonies loudly announce, "Take your seats!"

Officials sat behind small tables, while envoys from the four barbarian tribes performed the three kneelings and nine kowtows before daring to take their seats.

The music of Zhonghe Shaoyue from the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) resounded, and the tune of Longping lingered in the air. Outside the hall, various performances and wrestling games began in succession.

At this time, officials from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices served wine according to regulations. The first wine offered was presented to the emperor by Liu Jin. Zhu Houzhao raised his cup, and the master of ceremonies announced, "All officials, please offer your wine."

All the officials rose, held their cups with both hands, bowed, took a small sip, placed the cups back on the small table, sat down, and the offering ceremony was complete.

The second and third offerings both follow this ritual. After the three offerings are completed, the officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices begin to serve the meal.

Zhu Houzhao was not a stingy emperor. With money in hand, he naturally treated his officials to a good meal. Roast goose and steamed mutton were served on small plates, fish slices and dried meat each occupied a corner, dried fruits and pastries were placed on the corner of the table, and Jinbo wine was poured into a white jade cup.

But the officials picked up their chopsticks and only took a few bites, partly to observe etiquette in front of the emperor, and partly because the dishes were tasteless and had gone cold... The Court of Imperial Sacrifices consistently performed its proper function.

Midway through the banquet, the emperor issued an edict to bestow flowers. After expressing their gratitude, the officials pinned the colorful flowers to the side of their court hats... The Ming Dynasty followed the custom of the Song Dynasty, and men especially liked to wear flowers in their hair, including the emperor and officials.

After bestowing flowers, three whips were cracked, and Zhu Houzhao set off to return to the palace. The master of ceremonies sang "Thank you for your grace," and all the officials and envoys from the four barbarian tribes respectfully escorted the imperial carriage back to the palace.

Once the emperor left, the officials in the east and west wing halls finally relaxed, raising their wine cups to toast each other and exchange New Year's greetings, chatting enthusiastically about gossip...

"Have you heard? Last night, on New Year's Eve, the Emperor didn't return to the palace, which made the two empresses very sad," a well-informed source revealed.

"Oh? Is that so? Could it be that His Majesty spent the New Year in the Leopard Chamber?!" After all, it only happened last night, and most of the officials in the East Wing Hall still knew nothing about it.

"It doesn't seem so." Someone else shook their head and said, "The Leopard Chamber was very quiet last night, not even fireworks were set off, which is completely out of character for the Emperor. He must not be there."

"Where can the Emperor spend the New Year?" The officials immediately became interested and began to speculate, each offering their own guesses, some of them quite unrestrained.

After all, it was the Lunar New Year, so the Imperial Guards couldn't easily arrest people...

"The Emperor arrived on time for the grand court ceremony today, which means he must not have gone far," a group of middle and lower-ranking officials discussed among themselves.

"Could it be that His Majesty has somewhere else to go besides the Leopard Chamber?"

Such discussions about the emperor's private affairs have always been the most popular topics, but only the self-proclaimed aloof scholars disdain to participate.

They automatically gathered in a corner, clearly distinguished from the others, but their faces showed no sense of superiority; instead, they were full of worries, their brows and eyes filled with melancholy.

One of the Hanlin scholars asked in a muffled voice, "Has the destination for our assignments been announced? Where exactly are we being sent?!"

Everyone then looked at Academician Zhang Nai, who replied in a heavy tone, "It's settled. It's an imperial decree that came on the last day before the New Year."

"Senior Zhang, where are you being sent out?" the crowd asked Zhang Nai.

Zhang Nai replied, "Assistant Prefect of Zhenjiang Prefecture."

"Sigh, this is too much!" Everyone sighed. Scholar Zhang was supposed to be sent to a large office next year, and when he was sent out to a post, he would usually serve as a third-rank provincial administration commissioner.

At the very least, one must start as a prefect, then be given a scarlet robe and become a magistrate. How could one possibly fool someone with a sub-prefect position? Those positions are reserved for those who have passed the imperial examinations or even the provincial examinations!

"And what about me?" asked a compiler surnamed He.

"They've been appointed as Assistant Prefects of Kaifeng," Zhang Nai replied, and before the other Hanlin scholars could ask any questions, he announced their destinations one by one.

Most of them served as assistant prefects, and some even held the titles of sub-prefect, judge, or county magistrate. In addition, sixteen lecturers and editors, including Wu Yipeng, were all sent to the Six Ministries in Nanjing to serve as subordinates.

"This is an utter disgrace!" A young scholar was so angry he almost smashed his wine cup. He said indignantly, "We, the esteemed scholars of the Hanlin Academy, are being sent to serve as assistant officials in the provinces! Liu Jin is clearly doing this on purpose to humiliate us!"

"That's right!" The Hanlin scholars also looked unwilling. "We heard that Eunuch Liu and Minister Zhang claimed that we Hanlin scholars only know how to write and have no practical knowledge, so we must be sent to the local areas to practice government affairs before we can be appointed!"

(End of this chapter)