I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 47: The Suburban Sacrifice Begins! Little Wanli Catches a Cold

October 27th, afternoon.

Liu Tidao, the head of the Ministry of Justice who was in mourning at home, was thrown from horseback into the Censorate by two Jinyiwei.

He was completely in the dark and hadn't figured out the situation yet.

Three elders of the cabinet, a group of officials from the Censorate, his superior from the Ministry of Justice, several criminal lawyers holding ink and pens, and a group of clerks all came before him.

The scene was even grander than the joint trial of the three judicial departments.

The key point is that the eyes of the three elders were like knives, making him feel uneasy.

"I...I...Is it possible that I am...rebelling?"

Liu Tidao was terrified and tried hard to think about whether he had done anything outrageous while in mourning at home.

……

About an hour later, the trial ended.

The Censorate sentenced: Liu Tidao, the head of the Ministry of Justice, used the excuse of being assigned to judge a case to return home, causing the submission of memorials to the emperor to be nearly a year late. He was demoted two levels for the crime of delaying public affairs and returned to his hometown to wait for a vacancy. After the mourning period was over, he would await the transfer order from the Ministry of Personnel.

The sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue became a seventh-rank county official in the blink of an eye.

If nothing unexpected happens, he will be appointed as a county magistrate in a remote and poor area, and his official position will become lower and lower. If he makes another mistake, his official career will surely end immediately.

Who made him spoil the whole barrel?
The officialdom is so cruel.

Once you make a big mistake, no matter how capable you are, it will be difficult for you to be assigned to an important position.

Liu Tidao's behavior slapped the faces of the cabinet elders and the officials of the Ministry of Justice, and he seemed to have ended his official career.

After receiving the case file, the young Wanli did not punish the three cabinet ministers.

Only Wang Zongmu, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, and Jiang Duo, the doctor of the Ministry of Justice, were fined one month's salary.

Followed by.

The three cabinet elders and the officials from the six ministries were all on edge.

If the young Wanli were to point out such foolish mistakes again, they would not have the face to teach him a lesson with their chests held high.

Officials in various government offices in the capital also became more diligent and conscientious.

In this era, if anyone makes a mistake, his career will be in jeopardy.

Two days later.

Liu Tidao left Beijing on an ox cart, crying all the way, even more sad than when he returned home to attend a funeral last year.

……

On the first day of November, there is the new moon.

At four o'clock in the morning, Shen Nian dressed neatly and rushed to the forbidden area.

Next, the capital's government offices will be busiest and little Wanli will be most unhappy for the next half month.

Because the winter solstice suburban sacrifice ceremony (suburban sacrifice) is about to begin.

As the saying goes: The most important affairs of a country are sacrifices, and the most important sacrifices are called suburban sacrifices.

The Suburban Ceremony is the most important event in the Ming Dynasty, no doubt about it.

The third day of November.

Zhang Juzheng and others presented the "New and Old Illustrations of Suburban Rites" to the young Wanli to let him know what to do next.

At the same time, the memorial reminded: During the period of the suburban ritual, the ruler must be mentally restrained, remain pious, and be extremely cautious in his daily life, eating, and drinking, as if God had descended upon him...

simply put--

That is: do not eat or speak carelessly, and show respect to God with a pious attitude at all times.

Young Wanli hated suburban sacrifices, not only because of the constraints in life.

But next, he still had to give daily lectures.

It is necessary to attend the noon and evening ceremonies to prepare for the suburban sacrifice rituals; and to go to the Taimiao to report on the sacrificial matters to the ancestors.

Go to the southern suburbs in advance to check on the livestock kept in the sacrificial site; understand the preparations of officials from various government offices.

And when it comes to sacrifice.

He also had to go on stage in person to lay down silk, offer silk, welcome the gods, present gifts, and see the gods off.

All kinds of red tape are cumbersome and costly.

Little Wanli's business increased at least tenfold.

at the same time.

The Ministry of Rites, the Honglu Temple, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard also became the busiest government offices in the entire capital.

Because the Minister of Rites Ma Ziqiang was also a Hanlin scholar.

Therefore, many prayers and sacrificial texts for suburban sacrifices were basically written by officials from the Hanlin Academy. Even if they were written by officials from the Ministry of Rites, they still needed to be polished by officials from the Hanlin Academy.

While Shen Nian was taking notes in front of the emperor, he was also busy with his duties in the Hanlin Academy, and he almost came home late every day.

……

On the fifth day of the eleventh month, the young Emperor Wanli inspected the preparations for the suburban sacrifices and rewarded the officials responsible for the distribution of offerings, accompanying sacrifices, and stewards.

As the record-keeping officer, Shen Nian also received a bag of silk and a box of sweets.

The morning of November 6th.

Young Wanli visited the sacrificial animals in the southern suburbs and after returning to the palace, he suddenly caught a cold.

The imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau rushed to treat the patient, but the young Wanli showed no improvement after drinking two bowls of medicine. Zhang Juzheng had no choice but to cancel the temporarily established noon and evening court sessions.

The next day, little Wanli still showed no improvement and did not even have the strength to sit up from the bed.

The officials suddenly became anxious!

Zhang Juzheng instructed the doormen who served the young Wanli to use less charcoal cakes and a low fire for heating, and he also customized a diet specifically for the young Wanli.

On November 8, little Wanli still showed no improvement.

At this moment, there are only three days left until the suburban sacrifice ceremony.

Zhang Juzheng was helpless.

They began to delete some unimportant rituals for the young Wanli, such as laying silk and offering silk, and all of them were handed over to Zhang Siwei.

He just hoped that little Wanli could stand on the Circular Mound in the southern suburbs.

Unfortunately, it was after noon.

Little Wanli was running hot all over, and his condition seemed to have worsened.

Zhang Juzheng panicked and went into the palace to serve him personally.

He treated the young Wanli closer than his own son. If he fell, it would be enough to cost Zhang Juzheng most of his life.

It is so difficult to cultivate an emperor!
……

Near dusk, Feng Bao appeared in the Imperial Hospital.

"Useless! A bunch of useless people! After three days of using medicine, His Majesty still hasn't recovered. The court has really wasted its time supporting useless people like you!"

Feng Bao dared to be so arrogant.

On the one hand, he does have the ability!
On the other hand, Empress Dowager Li wiped away her tears and told him to scold these imperial doctors and make them use their real strength.

At this time.

Wang Yan, the sixth-rank judge of the Imperial Hospital, stepped forward and said, "Eunuch Feng, it's not that we're not attentive, but Your Majesty is frail and can't take strong medicine. The prescription we've prescribed for Your Majesty will be effective in five days, and you should be fully recovered in seven."

Feng Bao glared at him.

"Seven days? There are only three days left before the suburban sacrifice. Can he be cured within three days? If not, each person will be caned fifty times in the court!"

Wow! Wow! Wow!

All the imperial doctors knelt down.

They are also helpless.

No one dared to use drastic measures when dealing with a precious person like the young Wanli.

It is successful to cure the disease slowly, but if you treat it wrongly and cause other diseases, it will be a heinous crime that will destroy the entire family.

The principle that these imperial physicians adhere to is: it is better to be ineffective than to make mistakes.

As long as the little Wanli's life is not in danger, there is no need to use risky quick medicine to make him recover.

At this time.

Wang Yan bowed and said, "Eunuch Feng, I'm afraid the only one with this ability is Doctor Li from back then."

"Li Shizhen? If I can find him, what do I need you for?"

Feng Bao was so angry that he wanted to hit someone.

After Li Shizhen resigned from his post in the Imperial Medical Bureau and returned to his hometown in the 37th year of Jiajing, he began to compile the "Compendium of Materia Medica", and his footprints covered Huguang, Jiangxi, and many famous rivers and mountains.

It is impossible to find him within three days unless he is in the capital.

"If you fail to alleviate His Majesty's condition within three days and personally go to the southern suburbs, you will all be punished with a beating!"

After saying this, Feng Bao waved his sleeves and left the Imperial Hospital.

……

At night, Shen Nian walked out of the Hanlin Academy with a tired look on his face.

Little Wanli was ill, which made him feel a little bad.

Aji, who was sitting in a carriage not far away, immediately came over and said excitedly, "Master, the master is here!"

"My father is here? Then is my mother here?" Shen Nian asked.

"No."

Shen Nian curled his lips slightly and said, "My father is here but my mother is not, so we definitely won't celebrate the New Year in the capital. My father, who is so frugal with words, would never come to see me if there is nothing wrong."

After saying that, Shen Nian got into the carriage.

(End of this chapter)