Chapter 15: Court Meeting
Sheng Hong walked in front of the crowd.

After finding the carriage, he turned around and personally helped Old Lady Sheng get on, fully demonstrating his respect and filial piety.

An old house where a treasure.

As the only daughter of the Marquis of Yongyi, Old Lady Sheng had quite a reputation in Bian Jing.

Now that the Sheng family has returned to Bian Jing, with the title of Old Lady Sheng, it will be much easier for them to get things done and integrate into the circle of dignitaries.

Watch everyone leave.

Sheng Hong did not get on the car as he had to report to the government first.

It stands to reason that there is no need for officials to return to Beijing to report on their work in such a hurry. They can go back home and rest first. However, Sheng Hong adheres to the cautious approach, hoping not to be caught in any fault.

early morning.

As the first rays of morning light shone through the red walls and golden tiles of the palace, the outline of the palace emerged in the hazy morning mist.

Officials dressed in court robes and holding court tablets gathered from all directions and gathered in the open space in front of the imperial palace.

As the palace gate slowly opened, officials filed in.

Sheng Hong was wearing a green robe, holding a wooden sceptre, and wearing a black and silver rhino horn belt around his waist. He followed the crowd inside.

He followed the team with his head down, feeling curious about entering the palace. He was attracted by its majestic grandeur and could not help looking around.

After passing through several palace gates and walking down a long corridor, the magnificent palace is right in front of you.

In the square in front of the palace, there were already many palace maids and eunuchs waiting there, and there were a lot of light snacks and tea prepared nearby for the officials waiting to attend court to fill their stomachs.

But no one came forward to get some food.

If officials had to attend a morning court session, most of them would not eat breakfast to avoid getting an upset stomach and misbehaving in front of the palace.

Soon, drums sounded, and a eunuch walked out from the top of the stairs and shouted:

"Go up!"

The officials passed through the Duanli Gate in two columns and entered the main hall.

In the hall of the morning court.

The armored imperial guards were guarding all around, and historians had set up tables and chairs on the side of the hall to record the content of today's court meeting.

The civil and military officials in the hall were divided into two wings.

The civil servants stood on the east side, facing west.

The military attachés stood on the west side, facing east.

Officials in purple, red and green official uniforms stood in order of rank.

Officials of the Great Zhou used the color of their official uniforms to distinguish their ranks.

Those above the ninth rank wear blue, those above the seventh rank wear green, those above the fifth rank wear red, and those above the third rank wear purple.

As a fifth-rank Chengzhilang, Sheng Hong just barely made it to the court meeting.

A moment later, the emperor wearing a dragon robe walked out slowly, surrounded by eunuchs and palace maids.

The officials bowed their heads and saluted, shouting in unison:

"Long live Long live Long live!"

The voice echoed throughout the hall, showing the emperor's supreme majesty and dignity.

The emperor walked slowly and steadily to the highest point in the hall.

He climbed onto the dragon throne and looked down at the officials below.

"A few days ago, reports came in from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Hubei that locusts were spotted in sporadic places. If there really was a locust plague, it would mean thousands of miles of barren land, with no crops to harvest."

"Is there anyone from Jiangsu or Zhejiang down there?"

Sheng Hong, holding a wooden tablet, walked out from the back of the team with his head bent and his body hunched like a shrimp, and walked to the front of the team tremblingly. Under the gaze of the prime minister Han Qi, he knelt down and kowtowed, then stood up and began to speak and play.

"I am Cheng Zhilang, the new Shangshutai, Sheng Hong, and I just arrived in Beijing from Yangzhou yesterday."

The emperor at the top noticed Sheng Hong's nervousness and uneasiness, so he spoke:

"I know you, a good handwriting."

"You say." Sheng Hong didn't expect that the emperor had heard of his name and praised him in public at the morning court. His heart was suddenly filled with great surprise. When he was about to start answering his views on the locust plague, he was interrupted by Prime Minister Han Qi next to him.

"I have seen locust plagues several times. If we raise more ducks when the locusts are still larvae, egrets will eat them and they will not cause any disaster."

After briefly answering the emperor's question, Han Qi's expression suddenly became serious and his true intentions were revealed.

"Your Majesty, I have something else to report."

The emperor naturally saw Han Qi's thoughts and said in a deep voice:
"Today we are only discussing the matter of locusts. Please do not make any unnecessary matters."

"Everything born from nature has its own branches and leaves. Where do they come from? It is nothing but reproduction and inheritance."

The emperor waved his hand to interrupt.

"If it's a private matter, you can come to the study to report it."

At this time, another civil servant in a purple robe walked out from the group of civil servants, bowed his head and saluted, then took over the conversation.

"Your Majesty, the day before yesterday, I asked to see you in your study. Your Majesty and I talked about history. The day before that, your Majesty and I were talking in your study. I was so anxious that I didn't care about my dignity!"

Han Qi followed suit.

"It takes ten years to grow a tree, and a hundred years to raise a person. Your Majesty should adopt a son from the royal family as soon as possible!"

As soon as the words fell, the entire court fell silent.

The emperor slowly stood up from the dragon throne and calmly said something, which instantly caused a huge uproar.

"Are you guys forcing the emperor to abdicate?"

Sheng Hong shuddered when he heard this, thinking that he was unlucky today.

I didn't expect that the first time I went to court, I would encounter the issue of establishing an heir, something I was trying to avoid!

"Your Majesty, please calm down. These are just the shallow opinions of your ministers."

"Your Majesty lost his youngest son. Your Majesty is sad, and your officials are sad too. Your Majesty is sad about your young son, and your officials are sad about the whole world!"

"Your Majesty, please adopt a member of the royal family, interrogate their character, and select one from among them to be your successor!"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the civil and military officials in the court knelt down.

A silent request is better than a loud cry.

How had Sheng Hong ever seen such a scene?

All the officials knelt down, leaving him alone standing there in a daze. It took him a long time to react and he also knelt down hurriedly.

In a panic, he knelt down and found that his wooden tablet had fallen to the side. He raised his forehead slightly to lock the target and was about to reach out to take it, but he heard the emperor's voice, so he had to quickly retract his hand and continue to kneel with his head down.

"You guys are going to tear each other apart, and you still say you are not forcing me to abdicate?!"

There was still silence in the court, and no one spoke a word.

The silence in the air revealed the attitude of the ministers.

Upon seeing this, the emperor understood the officials' plan and stumbled, falling onto the dragon throne.

"I have lost my son, but I am still trying to govern the country. You are a bunch of bastards who have no king or father!"

"You are actually threatening me in this palace!"

The emperor was so angry that his old body started coughing. Sheng Hong was just about to take back his wooden scepter during this opportunity. As soon as he stretched out his hand, he heard the emperor angrily wave his sleeves, smashing the soup handed to him by the eunuch to the ground. Sheng Hong was so scared that he quickly withdrew his hand again and knelt with his forehead against his chest.

"I don't want to hurt your majesty's feelings, but today I have to hurt your majesty's feelings..."

"you shut up!"

"In order to protect your majesty's integrity in his later years, this old minister begs your majesty to adopt a royal family member and interrogate his character..."

"Disobedience! You bastard!" the emperor shouted as he walked down.

"Choose one from among them and make him your successor!"

"Bastard!" The emperor roared as he approached Han Qi.

"This is the foundation of the country, Your Majesty!"

All the officials in the audience bowed and knelt again, putting their hands on their foreheads like Sheng Hong.

(End of this chapter)