Zhu Ping'an left the Meridian Gate and quickly rushed to the Tongzhengshi Yamen, where he found that something was wrong.
Why are there so many people at the gate of the Tongzhengshi Yamen? There is an exaggerated queue! There are about seven or eight officials queuing at the gate, waiting for the reception official of the Tongzhengshi Yamen to register.
This is very unusual. I have never encountered this situation when I came to the Tongzhengshisi Yamen before.
What big thing happened
The most recent major event is the impeachment of Senior Brother Yang... Could it be that all these officials in front of him are like himself, not afraid of the oral threat of Emperor Jiajing, and come to plead for Senior Brother Yang
Zhu Ping'an, who was at the end of the line, couldn't help but feel excited when he thought of this possibility.
There is strength in numbers, and with so many officials pleading for Senior Brother Yang, the chances of saving him are much greater.
Zhu Ping'an happily started chatting with the officials queuing in front of him, and then the curve of Zhu Ping'an's mouth withered.
no!
They came to the Ministry of Public Security to submit a memorial, not to plead for Senior Brother Yang, but because of the solar eclipse!
It turned out that at about 1:15 this morning, a solar eclipse occurred outside, and they all came to petition Emperor Jiajing, advocating a rescue ceremony.
At this time, Zhu Ping'an finally realized what was happening. No wonder he felt a commotion outside when he was working in Prince Yu's Mansion in the morning and wondered what was going on. It turned out that there was a solar eclipse.
"When a solar eclipse occurs, we should carry out rescue work. As subjects, we should submit memorials and give advice to fulfill our duties."
After the topic was raised, the official in front had a good chat with Zhu Pingan. This official had talked with the officials in front of him and knew that they were all here to make suggestions and perform rescue rituals, so he naturally classified Zhu Pingan as a similar person and thought that Zhu Pingan was also making a petition for the solar eclipse. He had no idea that there was a "traitor" among the people in the queue.
"Ahem, yes, yes."
Zhu Ping'an coughed, nodded, and the corners of his mouth twitched.
"The Book of Celestial Officials in the Records of the Grand Historian says: Sun changes mean cultivating virtue, moon changes mean reducing punishment, and stars change mean harmony. All celestial changes, if they are excessive, are used for divination... The most important thing is to cultivate virtue, the next is to cultivate government, the next is to cultivate rescue, the next is to cultivate defense, and there is nothing below... ... The sun is the essence of Yang, the image of the ruler. If the ruler's actions are slow or fast, the sun will slow or fast accordingly. If the ruler slightly exceeds the normal degree, it will be covered by the moon, and the Yin will be immersed in the Yang. It is also like the ruler's actions may be off the mark, which should be caused by the feelings. Your Majesty should follow the precedent and perform the ritual of rescue."
I don’t know if the official in front was a chatterbox, but he started chatting with Zhu Ping’an while quoting from classics while waiting in line.
Zhu Ping'an simply responded with "Yes, yes," but his mind was actually full of thoughts, as if a brainstorming session was going on.
eclipse!
In Zhu Ping'an's view, this is a very normal natural phenomenon and has nothing to do with people's subjective and objective behavior. However, Zhu Ping'an also knows that for the ancients, this solar eclipse is a big deal.
In ancient times, people depended on the weather for their livelihood, and farming could not be separated from the sun.
A solar eclipse is the disappearance of part of the sun.
The sun disappeared! ! ! ! ! What will happen to the crops in the fields? ! This was a world-shaking event for the ancients who depended on the weather for their livelihood. In ancient times, people believed that solar and lunar eclipses occurred because a monster called the Heavenly Dog ate the sun and the moon. Therefore, when a solar or lunar eclipse occurred, the common people would beat gongs, drums and set off firecrackers to scare away the Heavenly Dog and save the sun and the moon.
Then why do the sun and the moon get eclipsed by heavenly dogs
The ancients who believed in "respecting heaven and protecting the people" had in-depth research on this. They believed that the sun represented the emperor, and the sun symbolized the emperor. The most typical theory was the ancients' theory of the unity of man and nature.
Solar eclipses symbolize the emperor, and when a solar eclipse occurs, it means that the emperor is in trouble. Solar eclipses, lunar eclipses, and other "excessive" celestial phenomena are all caused by the emperor's misconduct and mismanagement. Therefore, in all dynasties, whenever the sun, moon, or celestial phenomena are abnormal, according to convention, the emperor and the ruling ministers must cultivate virtue, improve governance, and perform routine rescue rituals.
The rescue ceremony is a kind of "ritual" in ancient times. After the development of successive dynasties, it has formed a complete, strict and standardized procedure. The Imperial Astronomical Observatory predicts the time of solar and lunar eclipses in the capital and other places, and notifies the local areas in the first five months. Wherever a solar or lunar eclipse lasts for a certain period of time, a rescue ceremony must be performed. During a solar eclipse, all civil and military officials in the capital must go to the Ministry of Rites to perform the rescue ceremony, and during a lunar eclipse, they must go to the Taichang Temple to perform the rescue ceremony. The rescue ceremony requires the participation of all civil and military officials, Shuntian Prefecture, the Ministry of Rites, the Imperial Guard, the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, etc. During the period, a series of procedures must be performed, including cleaning the yamen, setting up the incense table, changing the auspicious clothes, beating the golden drum, playing music, burning incense, and performing the three-kneeling and nine-knocking rescue ceremony.
In short, the ritual of rescue is a custom. As long as the solar eclipse reaches a certain degree, the ritual of rescue must be performed according to custom.
Therefore, after the solar eclipse occurred yesterday, these officials came to submit petitions to advise and perform rescue operations.
Doing so not only demonstrates their responsibility, but also serves as their performance, and can also help them save face in front of Emperor Jiajing (of course, except for officials who are extremely upright and responsible). Historically, many officials did this when a solar eclipse occurred, and the effect was ideal.
Zhu Ping'an understood all their thoughts.
However, Zhu Ping'an doesn't think so. He feels that they are too wishful thinking and the result will be completely different from their expectations, which will make them cry rhythmically.
Zhu Ping'an knew Emperor Jiajing very well, and he could be said to be one of the few people in the Ming Dynasty who knew Emperor Jiajing best. In modern times, Zhu Ping'an has read too many records about Emperor Jiajing, including official history and unofficial history.
During a solar eclipse, there are deeper implications behind the rescue ceremony.
The ritual of rescuing a person during a solar eclipse implies that the emperor is in trouble, that the emperor has lost his virtue, that the emperor is not a good ruler, that the emperor has violated the will of heaven, etc. In short, it can be equated with the emperor being at fault. After a solar eclipse, part of the ritual of rescuing a person is the emperor's moral cultivation activities to ward off disasters. The key to the moral cultivation ritual is "self-blame", which means that the emperor reviews his own behavior, which falls into the category of "self-blame".
Guilt?!
Would the proud Emperor Jiajing do that? ! Are you willing
Without thinking, Zhu Pingan knew the answer. Emperor Jiajing couldn't even accept Senior Brother Yang's memorial, so how could he "blame himself"? !
etc…
Zhu Pingan paused when he thought of this, and a current flashed through his mind. Then Zhu Pingan could no longer stand, and he turned around and walked back, leaving the Tongzhengshi Yamen directly without caring that it would be his turn soon. As he walked, he crumpled up the memorial he had prepared in his sleeve.
"Hey, little brother, why are you gone? It's almost your turn."
The officials in the queue in front noticed Zhu Ping'an leaving and couldn't help shouting at Zhu Ping'an's back.
"I suddenly remembered an urgent matter." Zhu Pingan replied as he walked.
"Haha, did you forget to bring your memorial? Back then, when I submitted my first memorial, I also forgot to bring my memorial."
The official in front smiled and expressed his understanding.
"Your Excellency has good eyesight."
Zhu Ping'an turned around, smiled, and strode away.
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