After noon, Zhu Ping'an had just finished his lunch when Prince Yu invited him to the study. In the study, Zhu Ping'an met the eunuch from the Western Garden, who came to convey the oral instructions of Emperor Jiajing, ordering Zhu Ping'an and Gao Gong to go to the Wuyi Hall in the Western Garden to write Qingci.
Emperor Jiajing will hold a natural fast tomorrow to pray for the people of Datong, Xuanfu and all the people of the Ming Dynasty.
Ziranzhai is one of the six fasting rituals in Lingbao, and it is a fasting ritual specifically for praying for the people.
Today, in addition to the officers and soldiers from Datong and Xuanfu occupying military farms, Emperor Jiajing also received reports on drought and locust plagues from Datong and Xuanfu. Emperor Jiajing, who took the responsibility of being the parent of the people of the world, felt deeply the hardships of the people in Datong, Xuanfu and other places, so he decided to hold such a natural fast to pray for the people of the world, especially the people in Datong and Xuanfu.
After Zhu Ping'an arrived at Prince Yu's study, he met Prince Yu, Gao Gong who had arrived earlier, and the eunuch who came to announce the imperial decree.
After Zhu Ping'an entered the room, he bowed to them one by one.
"Haha, Zihou, no need to be so polite. Since everyone is here, Eunuch Zhang, please announce the decree." Prince Yu nodded, then looked at Eunuch Zhang with a smile, indicating that he could convey the oral order.
"Then the younger one will announce the decree."
Eunuch Zhang bowed to Prince Yu, then stood up straight, facing Zhu Ping'an and Gao Gong, and slowly read out the oral instructions of Emperor Jiajing, "I often hear that when the holy emperor and wise king are in power, the yin and yang are in harmony, the weather is favorable, the sun and the moon are bright, the stars are in place, the people are peaceful, and their lifespans are prolonged. Today, I am honored by heaven and earth, and my position is higher than that of dukes and marquises. I am not able to illuminate the world, and my virtue is not enough to stabilize the people. Floods and droughts have continued for years, and the generals of Xuanfu and Datong have occupied the military farms, causing the people to suffer. I feel deeply ashamed, so I hold a natural fast to pray for the people. Now I order Qian Dongyang, the reading scholar of Prince Jing's mansion, and Xu Pu, the reading scholar of Prince Yu's mansion, Gao Gong, the reading scholar of Prince Yu's mansion, and Zhu Ping'an, the Hanlin Academy... ... and others to immediately enter the Wuyi Hall in the Western Garden to present the Qingci."
This time, Emperor Jiajing summoned eleven people to Wuyi Hall to present Qingci. Two were from Prince Yu's Mansion, two were from Prince Jing's Mansion, four were from the Hanlin Academy, and the other three were from the Ministry of Rites. Of course, the main force in writing Qingci was still Yan Song, Xu Jie and other cabinet ministers in Wuyi Hall, and Zhu Ping'an and others were just sideline teachers.
"Your Highness Gao Gong has received your order."
Gao Gong knelt on the ground with an expressionless face and received the imperial edict.
"Your subject Zhu Ping'an accepts the order."
When Zhu Ping'an received the decree, his face was full of respect, but in his heart he was resentful of Emperor Jiajing. Instead of spending time and money on holding the Natural Fast, it would be better to study major policies to benefit the people, or reduce taxes for the people in Datong, Xuanfu and other places.
After receiving the oral instructions from Emperor Jiajing, Gao Gong and Zhu Ping'an bid farewell to Prince Yu and followed the eunuch to Wuyi Palace in the Western Garden.
After being away from Wuyi Palace for more than a month, Zhu Ping'an came to Wuyi Palace again.
As soon as he entered Wuyi Hall, Zhu Ping'an heard a rustling sound of writing. Looking around, he saw that everyone in Wuyi Hall was preparing Qingci. They all rolled up their sleeves and worked hard, picking up their pens and concentrating on writing Qingci.
The eunuch led Zhu Ping'an and Gao Gong to a room in the inner part of Wuyi Palace. This room was like a classroom, with three rows of tables, five tables in each row, and a total of fifteen sets of tables and chairs in the room. In this room, Zhu Ping'an met several acquaintances, such as Li Chunfang, Yuan Wei, Guo Pu... ...
"Haha, Brother Suqing and Zihou are here." After seeing Gao Gong and Zhu Ping'an, Li Chunfang stood up and greeted them with a smile.
"Brother Zishi/Lord Li." Gao Gong and Zhu Ping'an greeted with a smile.
"Brother Su Qing."
Yuan Wei walked up to Gao Gong and greeted him enthusiastically, deliberately ignoring Zhu Ping'an who was standing next to Gao Gong.
This Yuan Wei is really petty... ... Seeing this, Zhu Ping'an couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth.
After the greetings, everyone started to prepare for the Qingci. The fasting ceremony would be held tomorrow, and the Qingci had to be presented before Emperor Jiajing went to bed at night. The best works would be selected by Emperor Jiajing and burned tomorrow to be heard by the gods.
Tonight, everyone must present at least one poem.
"What a ridiculous thing..."
After Zhu Ping'an sat down, he curled the corners of his mouth and made a weak and silent complaint.
There are at least fifty people in Wuyi Hall, including cabinet ministers Yan Song, Xu Jie and others. It is no exaggeration to say that they are all elites among the elites of the Ming Dynasty. They should be handling government affairs and offering suggestions for the construction of the Ming Dynasty. But now they are all writing Qingci here, and the Qingci that everyone has worked hard on all night will end up being burned tomorrow... ...
What a waste.
Why
Emperor Jiajing, Emperor Jiajing, how could such a smart emperor get stuck in alchemy and cultivation? If he had not been obsessed with this, with Emperor Jiajing's talent and ability, he would have been a revival leader, why would he leave such a mess for future generations
In his heart, Zhu Ping'an couldn't help but complain madly about Emperor Jiajing.
"Hey, Zihou, what are you mumbling?" Yuan Wei, with his sharp eyes, noticed the curve of Zhu Ping'an's mouth and couldn't help but ask loudly.
"Oh, Master Yuan, I was just saying, roll up your sleeves and work hard."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Ping'an turned his head to look at Yuan Wei with a bright smile on his face. After he finished speaking, he even rolled up his sleeves, looking like he was ready to do something big.
This kid is really cunning. Looking at his mouth shape just now, he was clearly complaining, but now he acts so positive... Looking at Zhu Ping'an's bright smile, Yuan Wei felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly.
"Haha, roll up your sleeves and work hard... Well said, young people are still full of energy." Li Chunfang smiled and gave Zhu Pingan a thumbs up, then followed Zhu Pingan's example and rolled up his sleeves.
"Roll up your sleeves and work hard..."
The young eunuch who was serving tea in the room silently wrote down this sentence, thinking that when the emperor asked about the progress of Qingci later, he could tell the emperor this sentence from Lord Zhu. Hearing this, he became more motivated, and the emperor would definitely be satisfied.
Complaints can be made, but the Qingci still needs to be written.
Although Qingci is really useless to ordinary people, it is still useful to oneself. At least, if Qingci is well written, it can attract the attention of Emperor Jiajing, which is a way to get a promotion and a raise.
Through this Qingci Avenue, you will walk on the road to success. The higher you go, the greater your energy will be. The greater your energy is, the more you can do for the people of Ming Dynasty in the future, and the greater your efforts will be... ...
Zhu Ping'an rolled up his sleeves, spread out the rice paper, picked up the brush and dipped it in ink, and began to write the Qingci carefully.