Although it was almost dusk, the already weak sunlight still dazzled Zheng Rong so much that he couldn't open his eyes. After a dizzy spell, Zheng Rong finally adjusted his eyes to the huge change in light. Then he heard a sharp and hoarse voice. It turned out that Wang Zhonghai had walked up behind Zheng Rong and whispered, "The emperor ordered me to convey his order to keep the prince for a night banquet."
Since it was an imperial decree, Zheng Rong certainly did not dare to refuse it. He bowed solemnly and said, "I accept the decree."
Wang Zhonghai listened, still with a fake smile on his face, and said, "Then please set up the imperial garden at 3 p.m., Your Majesty. Hehehehe, I wonder if Your Majesty still remembers where the imperial garden is?"
Zheng Rong grew up in the palace since he was a child, and the Imperial Garden is a large place in the palace, so he naturally knew how to get there. He did not agree with Wang Zhonghai, but held his hand and slowly walked towards the Imperial Garden.
Although the prince of Youyan had the right to walk freely in the palace, Zheng Rong had not been to the palace for ten years. It was really a bit noticeable for him to wander around the palace alone, so the imperial guards who were patrolling the palace would stop and question him from time to time. Fortunately, many of the guards who were familiar with Zheng Rong had been promoted to leaders, and after a few greetings, they did not dare to embarrass the prince of Youyan. However, it was still a bit troublesome to be questioned repeatedly, so Zheng Rong could not help but speed up his pace and walked towards the imperial garden.
The previous emperor liked to be lively, and when Zheng Rong was in the palace more than a decade ago, the Imperial Garden often held various banquets. However, the current Emperor Zheng Yong was devoted to cultivating immortality and rarely went out. He tried to save unnecessary court meetings, and even refused to personally receive tribute from vassal states such as Korea, Annan, Ryukyu, and Japan. Of course, it was impossible for officials from the Ministry of Rites to host a banquet for foreign envoys in the Imperial Garden. As soon as the imperial edict of "holding a banquet in the Imperial Garden" was issued, the eunuchs were really busy.
Zheng Rong, who came alone, did not want to be disturbed by unnecessary etiquette during the busy preparations, so he found a secluded corner to admire the flowers and plants. Luoyang is located in the heart of the Central Plains, and its flowers and plants are not as lush as those in Jiangnan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and South Guangdong. However, the palace has its own skilled craftsmen who cultivate flowers, plants, fruits and trees contributed from all over the country on this loess. Although the collection of hundreds of flowers in one corner loses the natural interest, it also has a unique flavor.
Among all flowers, plum blossoms are the most popular, which has a lot to do with the founding of the Han Dynasty. When Taizu rose up, he lost the first battle and was chased by the soldiers of the previous dynasty. Taizu had to escape into the mountains and only relied on sour plums to fill his stomach. He survived for half a month, gathered his men and horses, and made a comeback. This is how the Han Dynasty established its 200-year foundation. Taizu did not forget the difficulties of starting a business, and valued the quality of plum blossoms blooming in bitter cold, so he designated plum blossoms as the national flower of the Han Dynasty. After two hundred years of peace and prosperity, the Han Dynasty has continuously selected and cultivated plum blossoms. Now the plum blossoms that are pampered in the palace are not only of different colors, but also have fist-sized flowers, which are not inferior to the wealth of peonies. Although such plum blossoms have lost Taizu's intention of being prepared for danger in times of peace, they are very pleasing to the eye. Such a gorgeous flower turned into a fluttering camouflage in Zheng Rong's eyes, and it became blurred.
The sun sets in the west, the moon is bright in the sky, and countless candles are lit around the imperial garden, making the banquet scene seem as bright as day. The exotic flowers and plants of different colors and shapes are particularly gorgeous under the rendering of various lights, and the weather is getting cooler. The specifications of this night banquet are different from those in the past. In addition to the current emperor Zheng Yong and the Prince of Youyan Zheng Rong, only two princes were invited, namely the eldest son Zheng Chang and the second son Zheng Yao; the prince in Beijing and the Prince of Heluo Zheng Hua; the prince of Lingnan Zheng Nuo who is nominally studying in the Imperial Academy but is actually a hostage; and the following are eleven royal relatives at the level of county princes and dukes, who are the backbone of the royal family of this dynasty. There were also three elders from the Secretariat and the Cabinet, the Prime Minister Yang Yuanzhi, the head of all officials, the left and right secretaries Cao Kang and Zhang Chaohe; the six ministers and the Minister of Personnel Liang Xunde, the Minister of Revenue Ye Yuanlu, the Minister of Rites Shi Liangzhi, the Minister of War Fu Kui, the Minister of Punishment Yuwen Guan, and the Minister of Works Lu Jia; the six left assistant ministers were also invited. The six right assistant ministers only had different divisions of labor from the left assistant ministers in daily affairs, but this time they were not invited just because they were slightly inferior to the left assistant ministers in name, and they could not help but feel very depressed. So there were only 32 people attending the banquet. Although the number was not large, it had already concentrated the central ruling class of the Han Dynasty.
The arrangement of seats was also quite elaborate. The one overlooking the center was naturally the emperor's dragon throne; Zheng Rong sat on the golden steps to the right of the emperor, which was different from the left side of the crown prince and everyone else, including the two princes and the prime ministers of the outer court; under the golden steps, on the right were the royal relatives, arranged by rank, those of the same rank were arranged by seniority, those of the same seniority were arranged by the time of awarding honors, and those of the same time were arranged by age; on the left of the emperor were the outer court officials, with the three prime ministers of the Secretariat at the head, followed by the ministers of various ministries in the order of official duties, household duties, rites, soldiers, punishments, and labor, and below them were the left vice ministers of various ministries. Although Zheng Rong had a bad first impression of Minister Shi of the Ministry of Rites, he quite appreciated this very deliberate arrangement arranged by the Ministry of Rites.
It was already the afternoon when a team of palace maids and eunuchs came cautiously from the depths of the imperial garden with well-trained steps, each holding a large and small plate to serve the guests one by one. The imperial cuisine in the palace was elegant and moderate, and although it was not a delicacy, the ingredients were all rare and top-quality, making many royal relatives and officials salivate when they saw the imperial cuisine for the first time. However, no one among the guests dared to eat, for no other reason than that the current emperor had not yet taken his seat.
The palace has its own rules. No matter what they think, the princes and ministers always sit upright with expressionless faces. The harmless whispers that usually happen are not seen because of this special atmosphere. Until a high-pitched and sharp cry of "Your Majesty has arrived" was heard, the more than 30 nobles present stood up almost at the same time and turned their heads to look in the direction of the voice. They saw Emperor Zheng Yong, supported by two eunuchs, moving towards the throne step by step.
The emperor had not been in the court for a long time. Not to mention the princes and six left ministers who were not close relatives, even the ministers of the six ministries with little experience like Shi Liangzhi saw the supreme ruler of the empire sobbing without regard for etiquette for the first time. Just when they were at a loss for a moment, the mature and steady Prime Minister Yang shouted "Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness" while taking the lead in completing a set of prescribed movements from standing up to crawling on the ground. Only then did the ministers, led by Yang Yuanzhi, prostrate themselves on the ground one after another, and the sporadic voices of "Long Live the Emperor" rang out.
The emperor finally sat on the dragon throne amidst the crowd, and said calmly, "My dear ministers, please take your seats. This is a banquet I'm hosting to welcome the Prince of Youyan. My dear ministers, please don't be too polite."
The emperor had not held court for a long time, and his voice was even rarer. The thirty dignitaries, including the two princes, stared at the white marble floor with their eyes, but listened with their ears pricked up, for fear of missing out on some important details. No one even stood up for a long while after the emperor finished speaking.
Seeing this, Zheng Rong hurriedly thanked the emperor and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!" Then he sat upright at the table. The royal family and officials heard this and shouted in unison, "Thank you, Your Majesty!" They didn't even dare to brush off the dust and dirt on their bodies. They sat behind the tables, but no one picked up the food with their chopsticks.
The emperor, who had not seen his royal family and court officials for a long time, seemed to be half amused and half proud when he saw the reserved scene at the banquet. He raised the bronze wine cup that Emperor Taizu Gao used to host a banquet for his ministers, and said in a loud voice: "My dear ministers, I have been ill for a long time and have not recovered for years. Thanks to your loyalty and dedication to the court, the world is peaceful. I am deeply relieved. Come on, I toast you all!" After that, he brought the wine cup, which was filled to eight points, to his mouth. The fine wine was fragrant and intoxicating, and the emperor Zheng Yong, who did not know the essence of wine, was also intoxicated. He took a sip, but could not resist the strength of the wine. He coughed twice and put down the wine cup reluctantly.
The royal relatives and ministers were so flattered to see the emperor toasting them that even those who usually never drank hurriedly raised their glasses and drank them all. They did not dare to urge the person to drink as they did at a private banquet and would not stop until the person toasted finished the glass.
The emperor smiled and nodded, looking at Zheng Rong and said to everyone: "My brother has served the country in the northern border and has made great contributions. It is a rare opportunity for you to drink with me and my beloved ministers on this good day. It can be said that I am very happy. Unfortunately, I can't hold my liquor, so please toast King Youyan a few more cups!"
As soon as he finished speaking, someone raised a glass to toast. Zheng Rong looked carefully and saw that it was indeed the eldest son of the emperor, Zheng Chang. Twenty years ago, the current emperor Zheng Yongshang was traveling in the palace. It was unknown when he had the favor of a maid named Changing Maid. A few months later, the maid's belly became bulging, so she was taken as a concubine and gave birth to a son at full term, Zheng Chang. Although Zheng Chang's mother was poor, he looked very much like his father, and also a bit like his uncle Zheng Rong. At first glance, he was of royal blood. He raised the wine glass very respectfully and said, "The emperor's uncle is both civil and military, and Zheng Chang has admired him since he was a child. Ten years ago, when the emperor's uncle had not yet been enfeoffed, I listened to his teachings many times. Thinking about it now, I have benefited a lot. It's just that I haven't yet mastered it. I hope that the emperor's uncle will stay for a few more days when he comes to Beijing so that I can come to him for advice. So I toast to the emperor's uncle."
Zheng Rong smiled and thought to himself: Zheng Chang was stupid when he was young. He couldn't read and write at the age of four or five, which worried the late emperor many times. By the time he could read and write, he was already a prince leading troops to fight. He was away from home all year round and never gave Zheng Chang any advice. However, at the banquet, how could he be serious? He just said a few humble words and compliments, and drank the wine in the glass.
Unexpectedly, just as the wine was filled, another person stood up to toast. It was the emperor's second son Zheng Yao. Zheng Yao was the legitimate son of Zheng Yong, and his mother was the current queen. The queen was a daughter of generations of loyal people. She was arranged by the previous emperor to marry Zheng Yong, but she was not favored by Zheng Yong. However, the emperor was obsessed with cultivation and had no interest in other concubines. The queen was able to secure her position as the leader of the harem. A son is honored by his mother. Zheng Yao's influence in the inner court was incomparable to Zheng Chang.
The so-called relationship between Zheng Chang and Youyan Prince Zheng Rong was forced. It was even harder for Zheng Yao, who was two years younger than him, to establish any friendship. He finally came up with empty words like "The emperor's uncle has made outstanding contributions and has a high reputation. People have long admired him." Just as he was about to say it, Zheng Chang beside him sneered and said slowly: "The emperor's uncle has just revealed a lot, and you want to toast him. Do you want to get him drunk?"
Zheng Yao was unhappy when he heard this. He immediately took back the wine glass and looked straight into his brother's eyes and said, "The King of Youyan has a large appetite. Whenever he wins a victory, he always holds a banquet to celebrate, but he never gets drunk and loses his composure. Even a child knows this. What do these two glasses of wine mean to him?"
Seeing Zheng Yao secretly teasing him for being less than a child, Zheng Chang rolled his eyes and said slowly, "The sage said, when you go out, you should serve the ministers, when you come in, you should serve your father and brothers, and don't be bothered by alcohol. The emperor's uncle can certainly drink a lot, but drinking will cause trouble after all, so the emperor's uncle must drink in moderation. Are you trying to make the emperor's uncle lose his composure by toasting him like this?"
Zheng Yao did not back down after hearing this. He simply put down his wine glass and argued, "The sage also said that only excessive drinking can prevent chaos. The emperor's uncle is the first commander of this dynasty. As long as it does not violate military discipline, drinking more can actually boost morale. This is a common truth in the army. Don't you know it?"
"Hmph! Don't think that just because you are the palace guard, you can keep the word 'military' on your lips all day long. Why haven't I seen you fighting on the battlefield and expanding territory for the Han Dynasty? I am in charge of the public security around Luoyang, but some palace guards, relying on someone's power, get drunk and cause trouble every day!" Zheng Chang sarcastically responded.
"You're talking nonsense!" Zheng Yao cursed.
"You're talking nonsense!" Zheng Chang did not show any weakness.
At this point in the argument, the two princes threw away their cutlery and stared at each other. Seeing this, their uncle Zheng Hua stood up and stood between the two, fearing that they would really fight. On the other side, although Zheng Nuo was a cousin, he was still a close relative. Although he did not step forward to separate the two, he smiled and tried to smooth things over.
Shi Liangzhi, who was sitting at the back seat, then remembered that the conflict was caused by toasting, which was a dispute over etiquette. As the Minister of Rites, he was of course an authority in this area, and he could not let the eldest prince he supported suffer, so he racked his brains to come up with some reasons, stood up, and was about to speak. Prime Minister Yang Yuanzhi, who did not want to remain silent, turned his head and scolded him: "Sit down, you are just a minister, how can you have a say in the conflict between the two princes?" The scolding was not loud, but the tone was very firm. In addition to Yang Yuanzhi's status and qualifications, he actually suppressed Shi Liangzhi's carefully prepared remarks.
Zheng Yao, who was in a stalemate with Zheng Chang, was still worried about not being able to find a way out. He vaguely heard what Prime Minister Yang said, so he raised his voice and said, "The Minister of Rites naturally has no right to speak, but Yang Yuanlao has been a minister for three dynasties, prime minister for two dynasties, and has the title of imperial teacher, so he must be able to say a few words. Then Zheng Chang would like to ask the Prime Minister, should I offer this glass of wine?"
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PS. The founding emperors were often wise and powerful, and the various systems they established were usually quite reasonable. However, the descendants of later generations always said that they wanted to "follow the words of the previous emperor", but they were constantly making revisions and reforms. As for the effectiveness of the reforms, it depends on the ability of the emperors of later generations. The evolution of the aesthetics of plum blossoms described in the article is an example. (To be continued)