Pawn Crossing the River

Imperial City welcomed the first snow of the year.

The snow on the post road outside the Imperial City has been swept away. The entire post road looks a little dark against the white snow, leading straight to the dock of the Grand Canal.

Every year, there are 20,000 watercrafts from the imperial court and government officials docking here. As the year draws to a close, heavy snow arrives early, and the crowds of people on the dock who come to pick up goods are even more noisy. However, this pier is not the end of the Grand Canal. There is also a section of the canal that connects the moat of the Imperial Capital. After passing the gate, you can directly enter Taiji Lake in the city, but this is a treatment only available to royal tributes.

The so-called Grand Canal refers to the fact that when Zulong had not yet unified the world, the State of Wu dug a canal near Jinling Mansion to divert the water from the great river in order to fight for hegemony over the Central Plains during the Northern Expedition of Qi. It was called Hangou in history. Later dynasties continued to build on this basis. It developed and extended from north to south, especially after the second large-scale expansion and renovation in the Jin Dynasty. By the time of the previous dynasty, it basically connected Jiangnan and the Imperial Capital, and was called the Grand Canal.

The Grand Canal traverses four states, eleven prefectures, and twenty-three counties, with a length of more than 3,600 miles. Jiangnan produces two-thirds of the world's grain. It relies entirely on this river to transport grain to the imperial capital, so this river is worthy of Said to be the lifeblood of the entire dynasty.

It is said that auspicious snow heralds a good harvest, and it seems that next year will be a good omen. Not only the officials of the Qintian Prison breathed a sigh of relief, but the officials in charge of the Cabinet, the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Ministry of War also had some smiles on their faces.

There was only one yamen that couldn't laugh, that was the Water Transport Yamen. Not only could it not laugh, but it was also a little panicked. The Imperial City had a population of one million, all relying on this grand canal for supply. The last few batches of grain and silver that were transported to the Imperial City that year, and All kinds of tributes to supply the palace expenses must be shipped as soon as possible before the winter solstice. Otherwise, if the river freezes, the mission will be missed.

Therefore, in the past few days, the rivers entering Zhili territory are full of boats, causing river congestion.

The snow is getting heavier and heavier, filling the sky and the river.

The distance between the boats is a little further, and the situation on the other side cannot be seen clearly. There are many boats on the canal at this time, and bumps and bumps are inevitable. However, most of the people who are rushing to sail at this time are official servants working for the Yamen. , once encountered, they are not willing to give up easily.

Although serious officials will not escort the ship in person, some people are just petty officials who have already developed great official power. They have a vision of the world, wandering around in the eight extremes, raising the sky and spraying contempt from their nostrils. Forbearance, the wrath of thunder must be unleashed often.

All I could hear was yelling and cursing.

At this moment, a large ship came from the wind and snow, with a huge lantern hanging on the ship, with the three characters "Qingluan Guard" written on it. The black "Qingluan Guard" flags fluttered in the wind in the snow, making a hunting sound.

All the boats hurriedly moved to both sides of the river to avoid it.

Qingluan Guard's big ship occupied the middle of the canal in the heavy snow, looking like it was cloaking through the snow.

A figure walked out of the cabin and stood on the board of the ship. It was Qianhu Zhao Guangji, the palm print of Luzhou Qianhu Office. It was he and Jiang Bieyun who jointly planned the incident in Fengtai County.

Zhao Guangji looked towards the Imperial Capital through the wind and snow, feeling worried.

A Qingluan Guard Baihu came to Zhao Guangji's side and reported softly: "Sir, the Duwei Mansion has sent someone to urge us. We must get to the Duwei Mansion today."

The full name of Qingluan Guard is "Qingluan Guards Commanding Division". Its predecessor was also known as "Qingluan Guards Commandant's Mansion". It was later promoted to "Qingluan Guards Commander's Mansion" by Emperor Taizong of the Wei Dynasty. After the Daxuan court became the master of the world, Qingluan Guards was downgraded to "Qingluan Pro-Army Commanding Envoy", and the title of "Dudu Mansion" was removed. The government office still continued to be called "Qingluan Pro-Army Commander's Office". old name.

Zhao Guangji nodded: "I understand."

Qingluan Guard Baihu did not dare to say anything and slowly retreated.

Zhao Guangji's mood was very gloomy.

Something went wrong in Fengtai County, and he was recalled to the imperial capital by Master Tongzhi. It was nominally to report on his work, but in reality it was to hold him accountable.

It is true that he and Jiang Bieyun planned this matter, but the reason why he and Jiang Bieyun met and worked together was because of the above.

Could it be that Taiping Road put pressure on the Duwei Mansion?

Viewed from above, the entire Imperial City looks like a "convex" character. It is divided into four layers. The upper part of the character "convex" is the inner city. Within the inner city is the imperial city. Within the imperial city is the palace city. The lower part of the character "convex" is the outer city.

In general, the palace city is in the middle, surrounded by four layers of guards. The main seat faces south, the central axis protrudes, and the two wings are balanced and symmetrical.

The palace city is the smallest in area and is where the emperor lives, also known as the "palace". The main entrance is the "Meridian Gate".

The imperial city includes the palace city. The main entrance is Chengtianmen, which means "carrying heaven's destiny and receiving orders from heaven." After Chengtianmen is a huge white jade square surrounded by walls on three sides, there is another gate at the southern end of the square. This gate is named It is the "Da Xuan Gate", also known as the "First Gate of the Imperial City". It has the same name as the country and is a symbol of the country's gate. No one can pass through this gate. Only during the country's grand ceremony, the emperor's chariot will pass through this gate. As for the queen, Only during weddings can one enter the imperial city through this gate.

Daxuanmen is majestic, with five sills facing south and three towers in the middle. It has a single eaves resting on the mountain, and a black tile roof with double eaves and ridges. There are stone lions and a dismounting monument on both sides of the door. In front of the door is the imperial road, and on the left of the imperial road is "Tianjie" is shaped like a chessboard and has the meaning of "a game of chess for emperors, wealth and wealth, and eventually the game will be broken up and defeated". The right side of the imperial road is the "Thousand-step Corridor", because there are 110 east-west Langfangs on the left and right. Got its name.

The Qianbu Corridor is surrounded by a two-foot-high palace wall. Most of the imperial offices are concentrated on both sides of the wall. Outside the east wall are the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of Industry, the Zongren Mansion, and the Qintian Supervisor. On the west wall are Outside are the three Fasi Yamen such as the Criminal Department, the Inspectorate, and Dali Temple. The Qingluan Guard's pro-army Duwei Mansion is within Daxuanmen and outside Chengtianmen, separated from the Liubu Yamen.

Among the many yamen, there are only two exceptions, which are within the palace city. One is the cabinet, located in Wenyuan Pavilion inside the Meridian Gate. The other is Taiping Temple, located at the former site of the former Secretary of Ceremonies.

During the previous Wei Dynasty, the inner court established twenty-four yamen, headed by the Chief of Ceremonies. The chief eunuch who headed the Chief of Ceremonies and was in charge of the seals was honored as the "internal minister". The chief minister of the cabinet who oversaw the six ministries in the outer court was honored as the "foreign minister." , two people, one inside and one outside, exercise the powers and responsibilities of the prime minister.

This was also the most criticized eunuch's interference in politics in the Wei Dynasty.

When Daxuan conquered the world, he not only abolished the guard system and the governor's office of the five armies, but also abolished the twenty-four yamen of the inner court headed by the ceremonial supervisor, and returned all power to the cabinet. The chief minister of the cabinet became a true " "Phase", able to sit down and discuss matters with the emperor.

However, the Daxuan court did not completely abolish the eunuch system that had lasted for thousands of years. Firstly, it was because of the huge power of inertia, and secondly, because the previous Wei Dynasty left behind 100,000 eunuchs, and there were many masters among these 100,000 people. The Daxuan court could not let things go and could only choose to take over.

At the beginning of the founding of the Wei Dynasty, in order to protect the royal family, the Qingluan Guard and the twenty-four yamen of the inner court were established. The Qingluan Guard had thirteen eunuchs who recruited strange people and strangers for their own use. The eunuchs were trained by the royal family since childhood and awarded one The secret scriptures of Buddhism and Taoism compiled by Confucian masters are legendary among the people in Jianghu, and the eunuchs also teach them from master to disciple and pass them down from generation to generation, just like the sect.

In addition, there were also Confucian people who had "learned the arts and martial arts and belonged to the imperial family". The combination of these three made the Wei Dynasty suppress Taoism and Buddhism for more than two hundred years. .

The eunuch's inheritance is not included in the inheritance of the five immortals. It is specially used for people with incomplete bodies. Although after practicing to the extreme, one can get a glimpse of the wonderful truth of immortality. It is said that one can also understand the essence of the transformation of heaven and man and the growth of all things. But before practicing, But he wants to go to the palace. If a man or a woman practices it, the yin and yang will be reversed, the man will become a woman, and the woman will become a man, which is very strange.

With the collapse of the Wei Dynasty, this inheritance also fell into the hands of the Daxuan Dynasty.

The Daxuan court called them "Yin Yang people".

Taipingguan, as the name suggests, has a close relationship with Taiping Dao. If the Imperial Master, that is, the Great Master of Taiping Dao, comes to the imperial capital, he will stay here and sit and discuss Taoism with His Majesty the Emperor. Because the Daxuan royal family adheres to Taoism, in the Taoist system, the Daxuan emperors of the past dynasties also have honorific titles. His Majesty the current emperor is titled "General Master Yin Yang Gong Guo Zi Da Zhenren", and he is nominally above the three deputy chief masters Da Zhenren. , just like the headmaster Da Zhenren, they are in the same super level.

However, most people in the Taoist sect do not regard His Majesty the Emperor as a Taoist priest, so the only superior Taoist priest is the Grand Master.

There are dedicated Taiping Dao disciples in charge of the Taiping Temple on weekdays. Ordinary people, including maids, eunuchs, guards, courtiers, and princes, are not allowed to enter.

As for the original twenty-four yamen of the inner court, they were streamlined into the Xuanhui Courtyard, with two courtyards, the south and the north. There were various departments under them, with eunuchs serving as the Xuanhui envoys and deputy envoys. The Hui envoy is in charge of the South Courtyard, and is in charge of the registration of various internal offices and three groups of internal servants, the rituals of suburban sacrifices, court gatherings, banquets and tents, and all internal and external offerings, and inspects their names and objects. The deputy envoy to the North Courtyard is in charge of the Yin and Yang people. He has the responsibility of guarding the inner court and only listens to the orders of the emperor.

The biggest difference between the Beiyuan and Qingluan Guards is that the Qingluan Guards can leave the Imperial Capital and have the responsibility of investigating the world, while the Beiyuan will not leave the Imperial Capital unless there is an emperor's decree.

At this time, in a duty room of the pro-army captain's mansion, a brass brazier was burning red and warm.

Today, Qingluan Guard commander Tongzhi Yunluo is on duty.

She is the only woman among the three officials of Qingluan Guard. Judging from her appearance, she looks about thirty years old, but few people know her actual age.

Over the years, she has been in charge of Nanzhen Fusi, living in seclusion and rarely showing up. In the eyes of outsiders, it is the Master Tongzhi who controls the North Town Fusi who is more prestigious, but within Qingluan Guard, it is Yun Tongzhi who is more famous. Knowing is even more frightening.

Yun Luo came to the threshold of the check-in room and lifted up the heavy cotton curtain, but did not cross the high threshold. When he looked out, he saw snow particles mixed with the low wind blowing towards his face.

Yun Luo's mood was a little gloomy, just like the weather in front of him, and he couldn't help but sigh.

Immortal Qingwei will be going to the capital in the near future. In name, he has come to the capital on the order of His Majesty the Emperor, the Master of Yin and Yang, Master Zijiji, to perform a Luotian Dajiao for His Majesty the Emperor, and he has come to ask questions along the way.

Thinking of this, Yun Luo's already gloomy mood became a little more gloomy.