Wanli Youming

Chapter 155 Digging pits for the ministers

Chapter 155 Digging pits for the ministers

Before that, Zhu Yijun had approved the Ministry of Rites's inscription on farming and family rites.

Moreover, Zhu Yijun also appointed Duke Xu Wenbi, Bo Chen Wangmo of Pingjiang, and University scholar Zhang Juzheng to act as the three princes. Liang Menglong, Minister of Rongzheng and Military Affairs and Deputy Privy Envoy Yang Zhao, and Minister of Criminal Affairs Wu Baipeng acted as Jiuqing to prepare for the five-push and nine-push ceremonies.

And the Ministry of Households, the Ministry of Rites and the governor of Shuntian Prefecture have also entered the seeds of Leisi and 穜稑.

And until February [-]th.

Zhu Yijun officially left the palace and went to the farming residence.

This is the first time that Zhu Yijun has not been out of the palace as a private visit, so the scene is naturally very grand.

The scholars and civilians outside the curtains on both sides of the royal road, in order to witness the grand occasion of the emperor leaving the palace, have crowded the streets to the brim.

Even the attics far away from the curtain are crowded with people like a sea of ​​clouds.

And Zhu Yijun himself was quite new to this grand ceremony of leaving the palace, so he didn't feel bored because of this only symbolic etiquette.

What's more, it's mid-spring now, everything is recovering, the inside and outside of the capital are full of fresh green, the fragrance of flowers is pervasive, and the temperature is suitable.

This is also a good time to enjoy the scenery and travel.

Naturally, Zhu Yijun was in a good mood, and quite peacefully on the high dragon chariot, through the bead curtain and the sunlight, he observed the expressions of all kinds of people in his empire when they looked at him.

When he arrived at the farming registry, Zhu Yijun, under the guidance of the ceremonial officer, personally offered sacrifices at the farm altar, and laid silk, entered the rank, and offered the first gift.

After the ceremony, Zhu Yijun arrived at Jitian under the guidance of the ceremony officer, and stood facing south, while the accompanying ministers stood respectfully on the east and west sides.

Zhu Yijun looked at the Jitian in front of him, and the old trees and old branches in the distance that seemed to have been kissed by the spring breeze overnight, and he also somewhat hoped that the world's agricultural affairs would always be smooth and the crops would be plentiful.

But when he thought that the Ming Dynasty would soon have a small glacier climate, frequent floods and droughts, and the freezing line would move southward crazily, which would greatly affect farming, leading to the invasion of alien races in the north and the intensification of civil unrest. , you can't just pay attention to etiquette, you have to continue to make other plans.

While he was wandering away, Zhang Xueyan, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, knelt down in front of him holding Leisi. At the same time, Shi Yingyue, Yin of Shuntian Prefecture, also knelt down in front of him holding a whip, and said in unison: "Please do it, Your Majesty!" Cultivation Ceremony!"

Zhu Yijun took the Leisi in his left hand and the whip in his right hand, and while the two old farmers were leading the oxen and the two old farmers were holding the plow, they took the Leisi by themselves and began to cultivate.

Shuntian Fu Cheng and Hubu Zuo Shilang followed behind him.

Among them, the Prime Minister of Shuncheon Prefecture was in charge of holding the green boxes that are ready to be filled with seeds, while the Zuo Shilang of the household department was in charge of sowing the seeds, and the elders selected from the farmers in Gyeonggi were in charge of covering the soil.

It stands to reason that Zhu Yijun, the emperor, only needs three meaningful palms and three pushes.

But now because he felt fresh, he was still thinking about it in the third putt, and he was still ready to continue.

However, at this moment, Pan Sheng, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, hurriedly came over and knelt down in front of him: "My emperor's ceremony has already moved the heavens, and this year will have a good harvest, so that all the people in the world will be blessed with kindness!"

Seeing this, Zhu Yijun had no choice but to give the Leisi to Pan Sheng, then stepped aside, stood facing south, and watched Sangong perform five pushes and Jiuqing perform five pushes.

And seeing these, the big bellies of the three gongs and nine ministers clumsily stretched out their white and fat hands one after another, trying their best to maintain the appearance of plowing and keeping them from shaking, Zhu Yijun frowned a little, thinking:

"These three lords and nine lords should really exercise. They can't even stand still. When they really encounter captives and bandits besieging the capital in the future, don't even run away when they can't even pick up a knife. Do not move."

After Zhu Yijun thought so, at the end of the plowing ceremony, he said to Xu Wenbi, Zhang Juzheng and other three gongs and nine ministers who were wiping their sweat: "I have decided that the plowing ceremony is no better than others. We should restore the old practice of Taizu. This ceremony must be performed by me and the princes in person. In addition, the plowing ceremony will be added, and later it will be changed to nine pushes for the emperor, 36 pushes for the three princes, and 72 pushes for the nine princes, to show the importance of agriculture!"

In Zhu Yijun's view, civil servants should pay more attention to courtesy, so he should pay attention to courtesy in terms of encouraging farming!

Although the ceremony of farming is not cumbersome, because according to Zhou etiquette, ministers such as the Sangong and Jiuqing need to follow the farming and do some physical labor.

Therefore, since Hongwu, except for the first year of the accession or when the emperor was an adult and wanted to govern in person, he should personally perform a plowing ceremony to let the world know that the emperor's emphasis on agriculture is actually a wise emperor. It is enough for Yin to sacrifice to the farm altar.

And all the officials didn't think there was anything wrong with this, and they didn't even say that this move was against the ancestral system.

And it is right to say that the emperor should cultivate every year like Zhu Yuanzhang.

After all, the plowing ceremony not only requires the emperor to plow the field three times, but even the Sangong and Jiuqing have to plow the field five and six times.

This amount of labor is nothing to ordinary people, but it is undoubtedly equivalent to a strenuous exercise for the emperor and ministers who are not engaged in production.

It's just who would have thought that today's day is actually a person who really attaches importance to agriculture, earnestly fulfilling the plowing ceremony that the civil officials asked him to do, not to mention that he has to do the plowing like the Taizu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang every year, and also increase the plowing. Labor volume.

After hearing this, Xu Wenbi hurriedly looked at Zhang Juzheng, Minister of Rites Pan Sheng and other civil officials.

After Zhang Juzheng's breathing calmed down a bit, he knelt down in front of Zhu Yijun and said, "My emperor is truly the king of Yao and Shun!"

Pan Sheng, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, also said: "The ancestors and ancestors under the nine springs will be very happy, and the heavens will be moved by the holiness, and will protect my emperor's Ming Kyushu for a longer time. Good weather!"

Other ministers also knelt down and praised Zhu Yijun.

Xu Wenbi and Chen Yumo had no choice but to kneel down when they saw such nobles and praised them.

As for his own decision, Zhu Yijun didn't know whether he was moved to heaven or not, but he knew that many of the ministers in front of him seemed to be really moved, and they all burst into tears and choked up.

There is no way, for the ministers, they have to jump into the hole they dug for themselves with tears in their eyes.

After all, it is impossible to ask the emperor to respect the ritual system, and at the same time not support the emperor when the emperor respects rituals.

"Sir, I remember that the cultivated land is more than 690 mu, right?"

Zhu Yijun specially summoned Zhang Juzheng alone after he returned to the palace after he had made all the princes Qingping, and asked about the farming land.

Zhang Juzheng clasped his hands and replied: "Your Majesty, yes, according to the old regulations of Chengmiao, among them, more than [-] mu of land are used for sacrificial objects."

After hearing this, Zhu Yijun said: "Drafting the imperial edict, in the future, we will first use the farmland registered in the Nongtan, and then allocate some of the fields as special fields for new grain trial planting!"

"Chongnong Temple is also set up to manage this part of the field. The temple is responsible for research and development and introduction of new crops for trial planting, and the form of examinations can be used to select some clan members who are free to raise but know about agriculture, as well as the sons and daughters of nobles and dignitaries. Entering the temple as an official, let them also do some serious things for the world, instead of eating the fat and anointing of the people in vain."

Zhang Juzheng bowed his hands and said yes.

Next, Zhu Yijun asked Zhang Juzheng to draft an edict because of the end of the farming registration ceremony, and gave silks, satins, silver and other things to the three gongs and nine ministers who participated in the farming registration ceremony. Other deacons and officials also rewarded things, and even gave a banquet to participate in the farming Ji Li and others.

It's just that at the banquet, the dishes served are all boiled corn with pork ribs, fried corn with chili, potato stew, steamed meat with sweet potato flour, these fresh dishes are mixed with various newly introduced varieties of rice.

These dishes were all made by Zhu Yijun by the Inner Court Shangshan Supervisor, and Guanglu Temple was not in charge, so they were naturally treated by the emperor himself.

It stands to reason that Guanglu Temple is responsible for the court food and banquets of various ceremonies in the Ming Dynasty.

But few people like to eat the food at Guanglu Temple, and it has always been flashy.

In "Wanli Ye Huo Bian", a popular proverb in the capital of the Wanli Dynasty is mentioned, which is called "The Four Great Unreliable Capitals of the Capital".

And these four unreliable are the articles of the Imperial Academy, the swords and guns of the Arsenal, the tea soup of Guanglu Temple, and the prescriptions of the Imperial Hospital.

Aside from the prescriptions from the imperial hospital, when Zhu Yijun and the nobles in the palace have headaches, they basically ask Li Shizhen for prescriptions.

The hereditary medical household system resulted in a very poor standard of imperial physicians.

In terms of food, Zhu Yijun basically used the Shangshan Supervisor to set up private banquets.

This time, Zhu Yijun was no exception, just to encourage the promotion of new grains and provide the richness of Ming's agricultural products, he specially prepared a lot of new products for this private banquet.

(End of this chapter)