There are three kinds of court meetings in the Great Xia Dynasty, the first is the daily routine of the early dynasty, only officials above the fourth rank can participate, most of them are cabinet ministers and six ministers, there are twenty or thirty people, and the scale is small.

The second type is the Shuo and Wang Dynasty held on the first and fifteenth days of each month, and all officials in Beijing must participate, and the scale is very large, and the content of the deliberations and the articles of association are much more solemn and formal than those of the early dynasty.

The third is the Great Dynasty Meeting, which is only held on the three days of the New Year's Day, the Winter Solstice and the Emperor's birthday every year, and not only all the officials of the capital must participate, but also some local officials who return to Beijing to report on their work. Because of the largest number of people, it is basically just a process, and the main political affairs still depend on the early dynasty and the Shuowang dynasty.

September 15 is the third time that Gu Yunji has participated in the Shuowang Dynasty since joining Hanlin, and because of the experience of the previous two times, he is already familiar with it. The venue of the court meeting was in Fengtian Temple, and after standing in his position according to the order of etiquette, Gu Yunji solemnized his appearance and waited for the start of the court meeting.

A few days ago, there was a matter of Jia Daoheng, Gu Yuanhui said that the ministers were likely to take advantage of this court meeting to put pressure on Emperor Jingfeng, Gu Yunji really wanted to see that scene with his own eyes, but unfortunately his official rank was low, so he could only stand outside the palace to participate in the court meeting, and he couldn't see the situation in the palace very clearly.

In the Fengtian Palace, after the hundred officials were listed, the great eunuch Ning Fuhai said in a sharp voice: "There is something to start, nothing to retreat from——"

As soon as the words fell, a gray-haired minister stood up from the civil official queue and said to Emperor Jingfeng: "Old minister Zhou Minqing, there is a book to play." ”

Zhou Minqing is the father of the empress of the first emperor Huizong, that is, the father of the cousin-in-law of the Empress Dowager Duanyi after Emperor Jingfeng ascended the throne.

Zhou Minqing is currently a fictitious prince, has no real power in his hands, and generally does not get involved in the affairs of the imperial court. Whenever he came forward, he either wanted to rebel against a certain decision of the emperor in the name of the ancestral etiquette system, or to take the lead in a matter of controversy between the monarch and the ministers.

Anyway, for Emperor Jingfeng, as long as Zhou Minqing speaks, it will be no good thing.

However, Zhou Minqing is a veteran of the Three Dynasties, and nominally the father of Emperor Jingfeng's sister-in-law, so he has to give him two points of face at any time. At the moment, although Emperor Jingfeng had a bad premonition in his heart, he still showed a warm smile on his face: "Mrs. Zhou, please speak." ”

Zhou Minqing said: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Great Prince is now seven years old, and he has already reached the age of literacy and reason. Please send down an edict to allow the eldest son of the emperor to go out of the cabinet to study, so as to cultivate knowledge and cultivate people's character. ”

Emperor Jingfeng's face froze, and then quickly returned to normal, and said in a calm tone: "Regarding the matter of the emperor's eldest son's study, I have my own decision, and I can discuss it later." If Mrs. Zhou has nothing else to do, let's return to the train first. ”

"Your Majesty." Zhou Minqing was unmoved, and still maintained the posture just now, "The children of the common people are enlightened and studying, and most of them are five or six years old, and His Royal Highness the eldest prince is eight years old when he turns the year, and he really can't drag it out, so it's better to discuss it today and make a charter." ”

Saying that, Zhou Minqing bowed down, his posture looked more and more respectful, but his tone was stubborn: "Since Your Majesty said that you have made a decision, then please ask Your Majesty to talk to the ministers and listen to it, so that the ministers can rest assured." ”

Seeing Zhou Minqing's unforgiving posture without giving an explanation, Emperor Jingfeng's eyes gradually turned cold, and he didn't speak for a while.

Liu Qingli, Marquis of Xuanyang, is the father of Liu Guifei, and has always stood firmly on the side of Emperor Jingfeng. At this time, seeing that Emperor Jingfeng seemed to be displeased, he hurriedly stood up and said loudly: "What does Taifu Zhou mean?" Your Majesty said that if there is a decision, then there is a decision, why should Mrs. Zhou ask the bottom line? ”

"Besides, Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, his thoughts are tolerant of the United States, and he is wise and martial.

Speaking of this, Liu Qingli glanced at Zhou Minqing, and said meaningfully: "There are all kinds of things in the court, Your Majesty has his own considerations for the Holy Son of Heaven, and some things are inconvenient to talk about with us and other secular subjects. Mrs. Zhou studied it so carefully, but he tried to speculate on the holy will in vain and transgressed it? ”

Zhou Minqing sneered: "The old man just said a few words, and Xuanyang Hou doesn't have to buckle such a big hat for the old man." Your Majesty's Ninety-Five, your inner thoughts are indeed not something we can overstep and peep into. However, the prince's upbringing is related to the society of the country, and the matter is big, and we have eaten the court and the court, and we should serve wholeheartedly as the upper worries. If you just listen and don't ask, and don't care about everything, won't you become a moth in the corpse's vegetarian meal? ”

"On the other hand, the Son of Heaven has no selfish affairs, and royal affairs are also state affairs. The old man is asking about the prince's study, and the court is above board, and it is not a pickled conspiracy, what is inconvenient to say? ”

Zhou Minqing turned his head and glanced at Liu Qingli, and aggravated his tone: "What's more, even Your Majesty didn't say anything, but Xuanyang Hou jumped out and said that it was inconvenient to say, who was speculating on the holy will and acting arrogantly!" ”

Liu Qingli was so angry that he choked: "You! ”

"Alright." Emperor Jingfeng suddenly spoke up and interrupted the quarrel between the two, "The courtiers have different opinions, and it is common for them to argue with each other, so why should they deduct each other's hats of trespassing?" Xuanyang Hou was quick to talk for a while, and blurted out, and Mrs. Zhou didn't have to take it to heart. ”

Thinking of Jia Daoheng's incident a few days ago, Emperor Jingfeng felt that he was afraid that it would not be so easy to get past today, and seeing Zhou Minqing's resolute attitude, he couldn't help but loosen his heart, so he simply took the initiative to give way: "Regarding the matter of the eldest prince's study, what Taifu Zhou said is reasonable, and it is indeed difficult to drag it out...... In this way, seeing that the weather is about to cool down, it is not a good season, so it is better to wait for the spring next year to let the eldest prince go out of the pavilion to study. ”

Zhou Minqing frowned, and before he could raise any objections, Liu Qingli behind him showed joy on his face and echoed: "The minister thinks it's very good." His Royal Highness the Second Prince will be seven years old in February next year, and he will also reach the age of literacy and reason, so he will go out of the cabinet to study with his eldest brother, which will save trouble. ”

"Ridiculous!"

As soon as the words fell, Cai Zhichuan, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, refuted with an angry face: "His Royal Highness the Great Prince is the eldest son of His Majesty, the head of the clan, and he should correct the order of his name before leaving the cabinet to study. His Royal Highness the Second Prince is the second son, since he is ranked after the eldest prince, how can he study with his eldest brother? This is the real violation of etiquette and transgression! ”

Liu Qingli was pressed by his momentum, and said with a weak mouth: "The left and right are His Majesty's princes, but there is a slight gap in age, just go out of the pavilion to study, do you need to be treated so differently?" ”

One is the eldest son of the emperor and the other is the second son of the emperor, although the two are only in age, their respective fates are completely different. The eldest son of the emperor will inherit the throne of the emperor in the future, and the second son of the emperor can only be crowned a prince at most, and bow to the eldest brother of the emperor.

Liu Qingli was originally a mediocre petty official, but because his daughter Liu was favored, he was promoted all the way by Emperor Jingfeng. In just a few years, the Liu family has completed the transformation from a low-level official to a relative of the emperor, and seeing that Emperor Jingfeng favors the second son of the emperor from the Liu family, the delusions in their hearts have gradually been hooked out, wanting to ask for more.

Liu Qingli was carried away by the desire for power, and even Emperor Jingfeng didn't dare to talk about the etiquette system by letting the second son of the emperor study with the eldest son of the emperor, but he said it in the court so loudly, which immediately angered many ministers.

(End of chapter)