After Yin Shi, the night in the capital was still deep and the sky was not yet bright.

The Forbidden City is still sleeping.

The carriage was speeding on the street. Li Yi, who was sitting in the car, opened the curtain and saw the tall and deep Zhengyang Gate Tower passing behind his head.

The watchman who was hiding by the road holding a bamboo bag passed by his eyes and blended into the night. Li Yi turned around and looked north, revealing a small corner of the Forbidden City like a giant dragon.

When the carriage passed through Qipan Street and went straight to Daming Gate, the desolate and deserted capital also woke up little by little.

It is not yet dawn in the east, but the stars in the sky are still bright.

The thoroughfare leading to the imperial city gradually began to become noisy.

Chariots and horses rattled and galloped through the dust, and official sedans of various sizes were carried by one after another.

The officials' entourage carried lanterns and illuminated their official title plaques. There was a rush between going to court. If the officials in the capital stayed up late, they would have to get up before the pit was hot.

Officials' carriages and sedans drove side by side on the main thoroughfares of the capital, but when they encountered alleys and alleys, they just showed their official titles and went first and then left according to their official positions.

On the thoroughfare, there were shouts, the sound of sedan chairs, and the noisy sound of horse hooves. Carriages and sedan chairs gathered from all directions and headed towards Daming Gate.

At this moment, the sky is still gloomy and gray, the front courtyard of Daming Gate is shining brightly, the jade leaks on the tower are dripping, and the gate below the tower is tightly closed.

Countless carriages and sedans were parked outside the door. The night wind blew by, and the cover of the wind lantern swayed from side to side. The lamp bone knocked on the edge of the carriage, making a clear sound.

The lights flickered, but they couldn't stop the brilliant scene outside Daming Gate. It became the brightest place in the capital at night.

Li Yi straightened his official uniform before stepping out of the carriage.

In front of the Ming Dynasty Gate, there are mostly officials wearing black gauze hats and official uniforms waiting. They have to rush here before dawn every day, and they have to work after the court meeting, which is also hard work.

The sky is getting brighter little by little, the stars and moon are disappearing, the sky is shining, and the east is getting redder.

A ray of golden light broke through the layers of clouds and mist from the east, and the Forbidden City rose step by step, holding the rising sun.

As the sky grew brighter, the fire in front of Daming Gate was extinguished.

Suddenly, the Jingyang Bell rang. The melodious and majestic bell, accompanied by the sound of the drum at the Duanmen Gate, echoed among the red walls and blue tiles of the Forbidden City.

It was also the first time for Li Yi to see the Forbidden City, and he saw the vermilion-red Daming Gate covered with copper nails opening from the left and right with a dull creaking sound.

The palace gates and palace forbidden areas are opened one by one along the central axis from the outside to the inside.

According to ancient rituals, the emperor had an external dynasty, a ruling dynasty, and a Yan dynasty.

The Emperor's Palace has five gates, namely Gaomen, Kumen, Zhimen, Yingmen and Lumen.

These together are called the Three Dynasties and Five Gates.

When there are important state affairs, the emperor summons the princes and the people to inquire at the Kumen, which is called the Outer Dynasty. The emperor gathers the princes and ministers to inquire, and calls it the Zhi Dynasty outside the Lumen, and the Yan Dynasty inside the Lumen.

In ancient times, court ceremonies were determined by location. In the Ming Dynasty, court rituals were divided into major court rituals and regular court rituals.

The most solemn ceremony is the Great Chao ceremony, but it is only carried out on the first day of the lunar month and the winter solstice.

Generally called Chang Chao Yi, Chang Chao Yi is also divided into two levels, depending on the location, which are called Chang Chao Royal Palace Yi and Chang Chao Royal Gate Yi.

The Changchao Royal Gate Ceremony, which means the Royal Gate listens to government affairs, is held at Fengtian Gate.

The emperor ascended his throne directly outside Fengtian Gate, and all the officials paid homage to the emperor in the large square outside the gate.

The general rituals of the Ming Dynasty are the imperial rituals of the imperial court, which is relatively simple. Only in the twelfth lunar month of winter, when the weather is too cold, all the officials will finish their salutes outside the gate and then enter the palace nearby for court discussions. Generally, if there is a noon court meeting

, the evening court was also held at Fengtianmen.

The scale of the imperial ceremony is greater than that of the imperial ceremony. It is used when there is a need for pomp and ceremony, or when important events are held. Of course, it is not as simple as the ordinary imperial ceremony. In addition, the three main halls where the imperial ceremony can be performed suffer from disasters all year round, and often the imperial ceremony cannot be held smoothly.

As soon as the Ming Dynasty Gate opened, a chief eunuch walked out and said: "Your Majesty has a decree, and all civil servants will come to the palace to pay homage!"

Hundreds of officials had gathered outside Daming Gate, chatting with each other and walked in.

Although there are no officials from the Imperial Censor's Etiquette Department to standardize etiquette, the officials in front of the Daming Palace automatically separated a path and let these important ministers go to the front of the officials. Li Yi looked at several elderly ministers wearing red official robes from a distance.

, he didn’t know him, and there was no one around to introduce him, so he could only follow the crowd.

The gatekeeper commander Qian Hu is responsible for checking the access control and identifying the tooth tags worn by officials.

Li Yi naturally had a dental plaque to prove his official rank, and he had official documents with him, so he had a smooth journey.

I have also been informed that there are many officials coming to the court today. Hundreds of officials and relatives of the royal family line up in the south of Jinshui Bridge in front of the Meridian Gate. The ranks are lined up according to the official position. The civil official position stands east to west, and the military official position stands west to east.

The censor in charge of picketing held the yellow book and started to call the names. If the official coughed, spitted, dropped the wat board, walked unsteadily and behaved inappropriately, the censor would also write it down and wait for intervention.

The leisurely Jingyang bell has stopped, and the drum has sounded three times.

The five towers above the Meridian Gate are arranged like wild goose wings, and the incandescent sunlight shines on the glazed tiles, reflecting a lavender light.

Two teams of Han generals, wearing golden flying fish uniforms and wearing helmets, walked vigorously from the side door of the Meridian Gate and lined up to protect the road. Hundreds of Han generals stood with their arms akimbo, holding gold melons, treasure dings, and flags and flags.

On both sides of Fengtian Gate, the armor is so dazzling that it cannot be looked at closely.

At this time, voices one after another came from behind the Meridian Gate, from far to near.

"Jinluan Palace Face Saint!"

Li Yi followed the officials, and the officials of Honglu Temple on the side saw him, and quickly came over and ordered him to follow him to the Jinluan Hall, which is also the Huangji Hall.

There are ten kinds of vertical-spine beasts on the top of the Huangji Hall, while there are only nine kinds in Zhongji Hall and Jianji Hall.

The most indispensable thing about the Jinluan Hall is the various dragons. On the three-story white marble Xumizuo, in front of the hall, there are chi heads protruding from each floor. If it rains, you can see the scene of thousands of dragons spitting water.

And countless Han generals, holding gold melons, treasure crests, and flags, stood one after another on the white marble Xumizuo around the Huangji Hall.

The square of Huangji Hall, which can accommodate tens of thousands of people, is extremely empty, which makes Jinluan Hall particularly majestic and makes people feel solemn and quiet from the bottom of their hearts.

Li Yi steadily stepped into the Huangji Gate. The civil and military officials on the square were divided into two columns and marched along the royal road. When they approached Danbi, they changed ranks at the same time. The civil officials' seats stood east to west, and the military officers' seats stood west to east.

According to etiquette, civil and military officials cannot turn their backs to the north when maneuvering around.

In addition to the officials of the Chang Dynasty, the censor, who is the official of the Fengxian rectifier, stands at the end, facing north, and is responsible for inspecting the etiquette of all officials.

At the head of the civil service class are several cabinet ministers, while the royal guards stand opposite as the prime ministers of the military attache class. After the first class, there are chroniclers who are responsible for recording court affairs.

Your Highness Jinluan, all the officials are standing at attention, the ministers are in charge, the ministers are in attendance, the elephants are wearing gold embroidery, and the class is in order.

If you don't see the emperor's residence strong, you will know that the emperor is respected.

Li Yi looked down and waited for a long time, then the Shao music stopped, and the Honglu temple official stepped forward and sang: "Ban Qi!"

In front of the head of the civil service, all the officials came forward to worship, kowtowed, and shouted in unison: "Hail, holy bow!"

After the mountain call, the salute officer sang: "Bow!"

Everyone bowed once and kowtowed three times.

As for Li Yi, the officials of Honglu Temple had taught them these etiquette before, and Li Yi did well with everyone.

The salute officer sang: "Pingshen!"

After the ceremony is completed, court officials of fourth rank or above will enter the palace.

The ministers were discussing the government affairs, and Li Yi was waiting outside. Fortunately, there were officials from Honglu Temple here, so he was not afraid that no one would call him.

Sure enough, after a while, an official from Honglu Temple came over and said, "The emperor has summoned you to see him. Come with me."

Li Yi crossed the threshold of the Jinluan Hall and saw that the Jinluan Hall was indeed magnificent. There were dense dougongs under the eaves, and colorful seal paintings on the beams. The floor was paved with gold bricks. The ministers standing all over the hall were all

A noble man.

Senior civil servants wear scarlet robes, with golden pheasants and peacocks on the embroidery. Senior military officers also wear scarlet robes, with lions and tigers on the embroidery.

Standing on the left side of the Emperor's Sumeru Seat are the ministers in python robes, and on the right side are the guards in brocade robes.

The young emperor is sitting on a gold-lacquered throne with clouds and dragons on the Xumizuo. There are four pairs of furnishings on both sides of the throne, namely the treasure elephant, Luduan, crane and incense pavilion. Behind him are seven gold-lacquered thrones with clouds and dragons.

Big screen.

After Li Yi entered the temple, he lowered his eyes, and then, under the guidance of the officials of Honglu Temple, he came to stand on a square brick in the temple.

The emperor on the throne is wearing a leather hat and a crimson dragon robe. This young emperor is in good spirits, with bright eyes and a sharp look between his brows.

Under the stern gaze of the censor, Li Yi did not dare to raise his head to take a closer look, so he could only lower his head.

Emperor Chongzhen, who was now sitting on the throne, asked His Highness: "Is this the minister Li Yi?"

Emperor Chongzhen's voice sounded loud and clear, making people feel very majestic.

Li Yi replied respectfully: "I have been ordered to pay homage to Mr. Li Yi!"

Emperor Chongzhen asked: "You have done great service by killing Nurhaci's grandson Bakqin and capturing Nurhachi's six sons. I am very pleased."

Li Yi replied: "The national situation is difficult. Since I am at the border, I should do my best to be loyal to the emperor and do my best for the people to repay the emperor's kindness."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded with a smile and said: "You are a truly loyal minister. Although you are young, you are very loyal and righteous. You are both civil and military. You know how to share the country's worries. I feel very relieved. I heard that you are not only excellent in martial arts, but also within a year.

From the county examination to the provincial examination, he became a scholar and became famous. Following the sages in this way is probably a character cultivated by poetry and literature."

Every time Emperor Chongzhen said something, His Highness the Chronicler was holding a big pen and brushing ink on the book.

The civil and military ministers of the Manchu Dynasty agreed very much with Emperor Chongzhen's statement that he admired civil servants, and they also had a good impression of Li Yi, who met Li Yi because of his military achievements! It turns out that this person is also one of our scholar-bureaucrats.

Li Yi was also very knowledgeable and said: "Your Majesty is wise and wise. The wisdom of the sages is like the vast ocean. Just a little bit can be used by me throughout my life."

Seeing Li Yi who was very disciplined and not very sharp, Emperor Chongzhen was a little disappointed in his heart, but he still smiled and said: "You understand poetry and calligraphy, practice martial arts, and you can become a general of the Ming Dynasty in the future."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I will definitely encourage myself so that I can become the support of the Ming Dynasty and subdue the Tartars."

Li Yi expressed his ambition to serve the country. When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, his brows stretched and he couldn't help but said: "You are loyal to the country, and you will certainly live up to it. In your opinion, why can you kill Bakqin and capture Tabai alive today?"

"

Li Yidao said: "It is because of the diligent work of the emperor, the efforts of all the princes in the court, and the death of the generals at the border that we were able to capture the Tartars and show the power of our heavenly dynasty."

"Okay, okay, okay." Emperor Chongzhen said three good words in succession: "Supervisor Yuan once said that Liao would be restored in five years, but now he has captured two generals from the Eastern Han Dynasty in just one year. I am very relieved."

All the ministers commented one after another: "The emperor is wise and the country is very fortunate."

Emperor Chongzhen said: "In this case, let Dali Temple and the Ministry of Punishment jointly interrogate the rebel Tabai, and make the Donglu rebellion and treason crimes public to the public, so as to serve as a warning to others. As for the meritorious officials, we will make a decision after the court discussion."

"I thank you, Lord, for your kindness." Li Yi immediately bowed three times and kowtowed five times.
Chapter completed!