Chapter 280: Great Music Shares the Harmony of Heaven and Earth; Great Ritual Shares the Order of Heaven and Earth

The many civil and military officials in the localities went through the birthday-congratulation procedures, and for the most part they went through them extremely fast.

From setting out the incense table to intoning the felicitation verses, it was all hastily wrapped up in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

After the felicitations, some of the lazier officials returned to their yamens, changed straight into informal clothes, and went back to the rear hall to lie down in comfort.

Some of the more diligent ones did take the opportunity to open court and sit in session.

Some cleared criminal cases, some examined official matters, some pressed for the autumn grain levies — in short, they were getting things done.

As for Lu Zhenfei, he simply left the yamen, mounted his horse, and went back out into the countryside to carry on with the land survey and triple verification.

The trivial business of adjudicating land disputes and lawsuits he dumped wholesale onto Wu Kongjia.

In any case, according to the duties of the Constable post, they originally covered arrest, inspection, jail and prisoners, public order, and such matters.

Having him directly decide cases and handle criminal law now was, admittedly, not entirely proper.

The Great Ming has a regulation: in criminal matters, the final decision and verdict must be approved with a nod by the principal magistrate.

If assistant officials such as the Vice Magistrate, Registrar, or Constable presume to pass judgment on their own, that is an overstepping of authority and is punishable by law.

But under the current wave of New Policies, and with Wu Kongjia's special status layered on top, this minor breach of regulations drew no gossip from anyone. It was precisely for this reason that Wu Kongjia's "Laoting Investigation" had, ever since the land survey began, halted directly at the progress mark of 21/27. It would probably have to wait until the survey was finished before this very busy man could take up his pen again.

But all the various affairs above pertain only to local officials.

For the hundred officials in the capital, the Grand Court Assembly for the Longevity Festival was the day's number-one business under heaven.

The Forbidden City, on the plaza before Huangji Hall.

The hundred officials, the ennobled, and the envoys of the various barbarian peoples, within the time of a cup of tea after the drums sounded at the hour of the rabbit, had already entered in order and taken their places, standing in their respective ranks.

In the biting early-morning wind, the voice of the Court of State Ceremonial official cut through the sky as he knelt and loudly announced:

"Pray ascend the hall!"

This single cry was like pressing the start switch of some kind of precision giant beast.

In an instant, the nearly one hundred musicians of the Music Instruction Division who had long been waiting beneath the hall eaves all moved in unison.

The signal pennant stirred.

The drums sounded.

The Zhonghe Shao Music suddenly struck up.

This was the "Song of Sacred Peace," played for the ascension of the hall.

"Heaven and earth, sun and moon shine bright; the eight directions and four seas celebrate great peace."

Pennant, vertical flute, mouth organ, panpipes, transverse flute, xun ocarina, chi flute, zither, se zither, bronze bells, stone chimes, response drum, yu wood block, tiger scraper, hand drum...

Over a dozen kinds of metal, stone, silk, and bamboo instruments roared out at the same moment.

The musicians responsible for the lyrics sank their breath deep into their dantian and sang out in full voice.

The human voices were grand, the instrumental sound solemn.

Bells, drums, mouth organs, and vertical flutes resounded together, making the vermilion stairway before the hall tremble faintly.

Truly it was majestic imperial might, imposing and magnificent.

It was amid this grand music that Zhu Youjian took his heavy first step.

Yes, heavy.

What he wore today was the full set of imperial dragon robes.

The dark upper garment, bearing the sun and moon dragon emblems on the shoulders, carrying the stars and the mountains on the back.

On the left and right cuffs were the three emblem patterns of fire, the flowery fowl, and the temple vessels.

The lower garment was embroidered with the four patterns of waterweed, rice grains, the fu axe, and the fu symbol.

These twelve heraldic emblems signified that the entire realm, all its mountains and rivers, was worn upon his person.

And the crown upon his head was heavier still.

The crown top was covered by a level board, with twelve strings of jade beads hanging before and behind.

Each string was threaded with twelve five-colored jade beads, in the sequence of red, white, blue-green, yellow, and black, representing the five directions and the five phases.

Crimson silk ties, passing around the ears, were also adorned with two jade beads, signifying that one must stop one's ears to slanderous talk.

Dressed in this full regalia, when walking, one could not go fast, nor could one sway.

If one walked a little too hastily, or took too large a stride, those twelve tassels of jade beads before and behind would clatter chaotically and smack one in the face.

That would be a public breach of decorum, a case of "looking nothing like a ruler of men."

And this was to say nothing of the jade tablet held in his hands, the jade pendants hanging at his waist, and the inner garment, knee covers, great sash, grand ribbon, and all the many other accoutrements... As he walked, Zhu Youjian sought a little bitter amusement in his heart.

If this were in a game, this would be a full-set, full-red, full-star legendary-grade equipment set.

Physical defense 0, spell defense 0, prestige 9999.

Comes with the super-strong crowd-control skill Imperial Majesty's Awe:

If the person meeting the gaze belongs to the Great Ming faction, it forcibly inflicts a terror effect and forces them to kneel.

But the encumbrance penalty is way too high!

Agility directly deducted into the negatives.

And it's soulbound — cannot be traded, cannot be dropped.

"Within the dragon towers and phoenix pavilions, the fans part, the blinds roll up, the emperor stirs."

The singers' voices were high and clear, piercing through the layers of instrumental sound and soaring straight into the clouds.

Zhu Youjian's face was expressionless, his gaze vacant and majestic.

In truth, inside, he was rigidly counting the beat.

One step.

Two steps.

The Book of Rites says: "Ritual is the ordering of heaven and earth."

And the order of ritual is inseparable from the order of music.

Every step, every movement of this grand court assembly must hit the beat of the BGM.

A second early is rushing the beat; a second late is dragging.

Zhu Youjian advanced step by step, reciting silently in his heart.

"The sage moves Heaven and Earth's numen…"

Sure enough, the next instant, the musicians' voices rose, not a fraction of a second off.

"The sage moves Heaven and Earth's numen, preserving ten thousand years of life, great fortune increasing."

By this point, the music had already entered its closing passage.

And Zhu Youjian had also arrived, precisely on cue, before that throne symbolizing supreme power.

He turned.

He swept his sleeves.

The motion flowed like drifting clouds and running water, carrying an ineffable sense of rhythm. "Auspicious light and vigorous qi arise; ascending the precious throne, eternal peace and tranquility."

The instant that final word, "tranquility," fell.

Zhu Youjian sat down, steady and sure.

Perfectly seamless.

Like a precision gear clicking into its appointed place with a crisp snap.

At the same moment, the musicians ceased their voices.

The music masters pressed down upon strings and drumheads in unison.

Outside Huangji Hall, across the great square, the breathing of several thousand people seemed to stop at that instant.

In a single moment, not a crow or sparrow could be heard.

From extreme motion to extreme stillness.

This immense contrast pressed down so heavily one could scarcely breathe, making the figure upon the throne appear as solemn as a god or Buddha.

And thus.

Heaven exalted, earth humbled — the positions of Qian and Kun were fixed.

The low and the high displayed — the stations of noble and base were set.

And yet… this was still not over.

The Hall-Ascending Rite concluded, it was time for the obeisance proceedings.

"Bow!"

The master of ceremonies' high, piercing voice stretched out over the square, carrying an echo.

This vast imperial machine began to turn once more.

Whoosh—

That was the sound of several thousand men simultaneously lifting their robes and dropping to their knees.

Uniform and precise, deep and forceful.

Like a fierce gust sweeping across a field of wheat, or the heavy breathing of some colossal beast.

At the same time, the grand music thundered forth again.

This time, the players were more numerous, the instruments more magnificent, the scale many times greater than before.

The first movement: "Ten Thousand Years of Joy."

"Wind and rain in season, an age of peace ascending; for ten thousand upon ten thousand years, the rivers and hills, the altars of state."

"To all eight directions and four quarters, weapons of war are stilled; we celebrate the dragon-tiger council of wind and cloud."

The piece was divided into four sections, one prostration per section.

Several thousand officials in crimson and blue-green official robes, like marionettes, rose and fell with the music.

Not a hair out of place.

Then came the second movement: "Court of the Son of Heaven."

"Sacred virtue, sacred majesty — vast fortune equal to Heaven and Earth."

"Before the imperial steps, the civil and military ranks are arrayed in twin columns, drawn up upon the vermilion terrace."

"Within, they dance and stir the dust; the mountain cry of 'Ten Thousand Years' unites; the rivers and hills make strong the imperial domain."

"Rites and ceremonies praised and examined; we celebrate the dragon-tiger council of wind and cloud."

The music ceased. Rise.

Only then did the protocol officer raise his voice: "Present the memorials!"

The grand music struck up once more.

Two Supervising Secretaries of the Office of Rites, their faces grave and solemn, guided the ushers as they lifted the yellow table and entered through the eastern gate.

Upon the table were placed the congratulatory memorials offered by the civil and military officials of the hundred offices, the tributary states and border peoples, the imperial clan and enfeoffed princes.

After the music stopped, the inner usher called out: "Proclaim the memorial register!"

The Proclaimer of the Memorial Register stepped forward, prostrated himself, and rose.

His voice resonant, he read out, one by one, the congratulatory memorials submitted by the civil and military officials, the ennobled merit officers and enfeoffed princes, and the various border peoples of the four quarters.

"Huang Liji, Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent, Grand Secretary of the Hall of Literary Profundity, and Minister of the Ministry of Rites, leading one thousand and twenty-seven capital officials, presents a memorial of congratulation."

"Zhang Weixian, Junior Tutor and concurrently Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent, Commissioner-in-Chief of the Rear Chief Military Commission, Duke of Ying, leading four hundred and sixty-two ennobled merit officers and military officials in the capital, presents a memorial of congratulation." "Yuan Keli, Censor-in-Chief of the Left and Regional Inspector of Northern Zhili, leading the various prefectures and subprefectures of Northern Zhili…"

Southern Zhili, Henan, Zhejiang, Liaodong, Shaanxi…

One register after another, collected layer by layer either by the Governor or by the Provincial Administration Commissioner, and presented together.

Yes, they read out only the names of the regional representatives.

One must understand that even an office as insignificant as a county instructor is required to submit a memorial of congratulations.

If every single one were read aloud — even if only their names and official posts —

this grand court assembly could go on an entire day and still not finish.

Only after the many civil administrative divisions, military guard districts, and provisional military-civil jurisdictions of the Great Ming had been set forth one by one did it become the turn of other parties to present their memorials.

First came those many pre-Qin hereditary houses that, through a thousand years of Chinese history, no matter how dynasties changed, had generation after generation composed memorials of submission.

"The Duke for Perpetuating the Sage, the sixty-fifth-generation direct-line descendant of Confucius, Kong Yinzhi, presents his memorial of congratulation."

"The Hereditary Erudite of the Five Classics, the sixty-first-generation direct-line descendant of Mencius, Meng Hongyu, presents his memorial of congratulation."

"The Hereditary Erudite of the Five Classics, the sixty-second-generation direct-line descendant of Zengzi, Zeng Chengye, presents his memorial of congratulation."

"The Hereditary Erudite of the Five Classics, the sixty-seventh-generation direct-line descendant of Yan Hui, Yan Guanglu, presents his memorial of congratulation."

"The Hereditary Erudite of the Five Classics, the sixty-first-generation direct-line descendant of Zhongzi (namely Zilu), Zhong Yubi, presents his memorial of congratulation."

Zhu Youjian's eyelids drooped; he could not even be bothered to glance at these few who had personally entered the capital to offer tribute and present memorials.

These pre-Qin hereditary houses, after perpetuating themselves for so many years, were outwardly splendid but inwardly full of filth.

In fact, this filth had already become common knowledge throughout the realm.

Last month, Zhang Maoxiu had submitted the draft of his compiled Collected Works of Zhang Taiyue.

It was in truth simply a basic arrangement and compilation of his father's manuscripts and memorials.

Whenever Zhu Youjian had free time lately, he would leaf through it bit by bit, treating it as leisure reading.

And in it, as it happened, there was an essay relevant to this.

"Yet your servant (Zhang Juzheng) humbly holds that since none of the Princes now come to court to offer felicitations, why must the Kong lineage go in person? Nor need the court regard this as something weighty."

"Every year they make a trip, and their clansmen and tenant households, subjected to levies and impositions, suffer unbearable toil and hardship."

"Along the way they stir up trouble at every turn; soldiers and civilians avoid them no differently than they would barbarians and raiders. Once they reach the capital, they linger for months, and only when their private goods are all sold off do they set out to return."

"Is this truly for the sake of observing the nation's glory and rendering tribute?"

"Your servant humbly believes it should be handled as with the princely estates: each year merely dispatch someone to present horses in felicitation; there is no need to go in person."

"Or in a year of court audience, submit a memorial in advance to request permission, and proceed only after receiving the imperial decree — that would also be simpler and more convenient."

Ha — "no differently than they would barbarians and raiders."

Zhang Taiyue, this foresight of yours is simply too astonishing.

How did you pierce through nearly a hundred years and see their final fate at a single glance?

Every last one of these people has indeed turned into barbarians and raiders — and even grown their hair into queues, ha ha.

At this thought, Zhu Youjian could not help breaking into a smile, then hurriedly suppressed it and sat upright with a solemn expression.

He raised his eyes and swept a glance over these few men, sneering inwardly.

Well, take it slowly. Old Master Kong departed too soon and could not discipline you properly, never letting you have a good taste of a Shandong stalwart's fists.

I, as the Son of Heaven, though my stature cannot match the Sage's towering frame, am still willing to lend a hand and assist a little!

Skipping past these few nauseating figures, what came next were some of the Great Ming's important tributary states.

They could basically be divided into two types: inner tributaries and outer tributaries.

So-called inner tributaries were those whose internal affairs the Great Ming could deeply interfere in.

In this age of feudal monarchy, some inner tributaries even considered themselves to be under the Great Ming's governance.

"The envoy of the kingdom of Joseon, Jeong Du-won, presents his memorial of congratulation."

Hearing this, Zhu Youjian raised his head and looked at this man, and sure enough he saw a facial shape that was extremely familiar to him.

This was the Great Ming's most loyal tributary state, after all…

Back during the Imjin War, when Japan invaded Joseon,

King Seonjo of Joseon had even uttered words like, "I may die in the land of the Son of Heaven, but I cannot die at the hands of brigands."

It was a pity that this tributary state lacked fighting strength; at best it could count as a lapdog, but it could not be called a hunting hound.

"The envoy of the Prince of Shunyi, son of Boshitu, Dragon-Tiger General Omubu, leading the one hundred and forty-seven tribes, great and small, under the Prince of Shunyi, presents his memorial of congratulation." A key figure had arrived; Zhu Youjian could not help stirring slightly.

In the Court of Colonial Affairs' planning, the crux of the Mongol question lay precisely in the enmities and entanglements between the Prince of Shunyi and the Sutai Taiji.

This Omubu was, from the start, an important chess piece the Great Ming intended to exert effort on.

And the fact that the Prince of Shunyi had personally sent his son on this errand conveyed some intriguing information.

— Of course, the above enmities, entanglements, and lines of thought were things Zhu Youjian could not have produced, and Hong Chengchou even less so.

The overall line of thought had been laid down by the old man Wang Xianggan.

After them came Subudi and Guiyingqia of the Three Guards of Duoyan.

This so-called Subudi was, in truth, the head of the largest Tabunang household of the Kharchin tribe at the Battle of Qingcheng, and he stood on the Prince of Shunyi's side. Guiyingqia, however, was a subordinate of Ligdan Khan, and this was the first time in his life he had come to pay tribute to the Great Ming court.

— This was very intriguing.

Two factions that were clearly in complete opposition were using the shared banner of the Three Guards of Duoyan.

Only, Subudi was using the title of "Guard Commander of the Duoyan Guard," one of the Three Guards.

While Guiyingqia was using the title of "Guard Commander of the Taining Guard," another of the Three Guards.

The Great Ming's official posts — among the Mongol tribes, these were hard currency passed down from generation to generation.

Never mind that the man might die while the office survived —

even if an entire tribe died out to the last man, this official title absolutely had to remain!

Zhu Youjian wanted to get a good look at the expressions on these two men's faces.

It was a pity the distance was simply too great, and the jade beads were rather in the way; he could only give up.

Further on came some tributary states that were tributaries in name only.

Among these states, the succession and investiture of their kings still had to be carried out through the Great Ming.

Even when they rebelled internally or fought among themselves, they still used the legal principles provided by the Great Ming as their legal principles.

But in degree of submissiveness, strategic importance, and economic integration, they ultimately fell short of the aforementioned states.

Among them, those to the south were Annam, Champa, Siam, and the like; further out toward the Southern Seas were Sulu, Malacca, Srivijaya, and so on.

Further still beyond those were the southwestern regions, including certain native chieftains in Huguang, Yunnan, Guizhou, and other places.

This portion, by count, amounted to several hundred families. If each family sent one envoy, that alone would be several hundred people.

These native officials inherited their posts through the generations. Some still retained their customs, but some had also sinicized, to the point of being indistinguishable from Han Chinese of the Central Plains.

The Ming court basically never took the initiative to touch these native officials' posts, unless someone's line died out without heirs.

—Under the fertility conditions of this era, this probability was actually not low.

Only in such cases would the native official's post be reclaimed, after which a county would be established, land opened up, households registered and the people enrolled, and governance brought in.

In sum, it was a gentle, gradual replacement of native chieftains with regular administration.

Of course, the current She-An Rebellion in the southwest was a violent replacement of native chieftains with regular administration.

This rebellion had begun in the first year of Tianqi, yet by the third year of Tianqi, it had already been smashed by Zhu Xieyuan, leading Qin Liangyu and Du Wenhuan.

She Chongming was forced to abandon his home base of Yongning and flee to another native chieftain, An Bangyan.

The two of them looked set to cling together and die in each other's arms.

And then, right at that moment, the Great Ming's factional strife struck.

Zhu Xieyuan went home for mourning, and the miraculously useless Zhang Heming of the eunuch faction took over the command.

As a result, from the excellent situation of the third year of Tianqi, they kept right on suppressing the rebellion until the seventh year of Tianqi and still had not finished.

In places like this, thousands upon thousands of li from the capital, Zhu Youjian could exert no influence whatsoever. He could only appoint Zhu Xieyuan, whose past performance in the memorials had been decent.

And pray that this place would not, by some bizarre butterfly effect, produce a scenario where "the fall of Yongchang was in truth a fall brought on by the southwest."

After all, it was truly beyond his reach.

The Proclamation Officer presented the addresses in sequence, and at last finished reading all the congratulatory memorials.

The ceremony continued.

The Outer Master of Ceremonies shouted: "All officials, kneel!"

The hundred officials knelt once more.

This time, according to ritual protocol, no music was required. It relied solely on the Inner and Outer Masters of Ceremonies shouting in unison:

"Prostrate!"

"Rise—"

Afterward, the Ushers lifted the memorial table and placed it on the eastern side of the great hall.

The Outer Master of Ceremonies again shouted: "All officials, kneel!"

The hundred officials knelt in unison. The Speech-Reading Official knelt at the center of the vermilion steps, facing the sovereign, and delivered the unified address:

"We, your ministers bearing office, on this occasion of Your Majesty's sacred festival, as the celestial signs first stir and glorious blessings extend afar..."

"Reverently we hail His Majesty the Emperor, who receives Heaven's favor and protection, upholding Heaven's mandate in eternal prosperity—!"

—Here, Zhu Youjian had no lines.

The address concluded, and now grand music was played.

The hundred officials once more followed the rhythm of the music and performed the fourfold obeisance.

After the music ceased.

Zhu Youjian, who had sat rigid as a statue the entire way, finally awaited his part.

The Proclamation Officer stepped forward and knelt to request: "May it please Your Majesty to proclaim the decree."

Zhu Youjian gave an almost imperceptible nod. His lips and teeth parted slightly, and he uttered a single word:

"Proclaim."

—With this, he had spoken his first line of the entire grand court assembly.

The Proclamation Officer received the edict from Gao Shiming's hands, exited the hall, and stood atop the vermilion steps, declaring that there was a decree.

The Master of Ceremonies shouted: "Kneel."

The hundred officials again went rustling and clattering to their knees.

Only then did the Proclamation Officer unfurl the edict and read it aloud:

"This sacred birthday, We share in joy with you, Our ministers."

Seven simple words, yet they represented the boundless grace of the sovereign.

The Master of Ceremonies shouted again, and the hundred officials performed another rite before rising.

At this point, the Master of Ceremonies tucked his tablet into his belt, bowed three times, and performed the ritual dance.

Yes, he actually began to dance.

After appreciating this bout of awkward dancing, the ceremony at last drew to its close.

The Master of Ceremonies prostrated himself, knelt first, sank his breath to his dantian, and shouted with all the strength in his body:

"Mountain shout!"

The hundred officials knelt in unison, hands raised to their foreheads.

Thousands of mouths opened at once, converging into a colossal wave of sound almost visible to the naked eye:

"Ten thousand years—!"

Musicians, military cadets, even the guards standing watch at the distant gates all joined in at this moment.

The wave of sound reverberated between the red walls and yellow tiles of the Forbidden City, layer upon layer, surging toward the vermilion steps like a tsunami.

"Mountain shout!"

"Ten thousand years—!"

Zhu Youjian felt the throne beneath him tremble faintly in that terrifying wave of sound.

His eardrums buzzed and rang.

"Again — the mountain shout!"

"Ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand years —!"

In this moment, even though this was not the first time Zhu Youjian had experienced this scene, he could not help but feel a moment of dazed abstraction.

This was imperial power, developed over two thousand years.

This was the majesty that had ruled this vast empire for over two centuries.

The authority of this entire set of rites, from top to bottom, through the hierarchy of sovereign and subject, of high and low, sustained the rule of the whole dynasty.

And if this was so within the dynasty, was it any different outside it?

Let the sovereign be sovereign, the subject be subject — this was the unchanging order for all ages that the Confucians had designed for this land.

Yet the paradigm had changed, after all.

The "age of stasis" was already over.

The "age of flux" was beginning to show its first signs.

How was one to reform this entire system, from the innermost to the outermost?

Zhu Youjian drifted, lost in thought.

Only when the music struck up again was he pulled back to reality.

The hundred officials prostrated themselves on the ground. The Master of Ceremonies advanced alone and performed four obeisances.

When the music ceased, the Master of Ceremonies stepped forward and once more knelt to report.

"Your Majesty, the court assembly rites are complete. I beg you to return to the palace."

Zhu Youjian, his face expressionless, opened his mouth and said: "Granted."

With this, Zhu Youjian had delivered his second — and final — line of the entire grand court assembly.

The grand music rose again.

This time, the piece played was the "Air of Peace and Stability."

"The sacred dragon soars at the ninth-five; a thousand states, ten thousand nations gaze up in reverence and submission; the whip cracks thrice, the lords and ministers stand together — "

"Sashes and pendants chime like jade; palm-leaf fans shield the imperial countenance — "

"Harmonious music, pitch-pipes in tune; rich kingfisher hues, brocade and embroidery; they escort the ornate canopy back to the Dragon Palace — "

Zhu Youjian rose.

Zhu Youjian exited the hall.

Zhu Youjian arrived at the grand imperial procession beneath the vermilion steps.

Zhu Youjian sat upright.

Only now did the rites truly approach their final cadence.

The Seal Officer, bearing the imperial seal in both hands, and the Procession Guide Officer, leading the way ahead, with numerous musicians from the Music Instruction Bureau following and playing as they went.

The hundred officials trailed behind the entire way, a vast and mighty escort, all the way to the Hall of Floriate Canopies.

Only then did the Master of Ceremonies halt his steps, turn back to face the assembled ministers, and in a long, resonant voice proclaim:

"The imperial carriage returns to the throne — "

"The hundred officials are excused from escort — "

"Let each return to his duties — "

In a single instant —

The Emperor, the eunuchs, the hundred officials, the attendants, the ennobled peers, the various foreign envoys…

One and the same thought surfaced, almost simultaneously, in all their minds.

"It's finally over."