The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 576 Move to a new house, sisters talk at night
With the gradual improvement of the official system of the Great Sui Dynasty and the increase of officials, the magnificent palace became crowded; and after the Ministry of Industry and the general supervisor worked day and night, the repair of Ziwei City was finally completed before Yang Tong returned to the capital.

On the second day after Yang Tong returned to the court, the rulers and ministers of the Sui Dynasty decided to open Ziwei City, and Yang Tong, Emperor Wu of the Sui Dynasty, officially entered Ziwei City. , for the common people of Luoyang, 'Diduren' is undoubtedly an honorable status.

Since the construction of Luoyang City, it has been the political center of the Sui Dynasty, but Luoyang at this time is no longer in the period of Emperor Wu of the Sui Dynasty.

Take the former Luoyang City as an example, there was only one high wall, and the outer Luocheng only had a short wall built with rammed earth, so that Luoyang only had the city wall as a defense. Today's Luocheng outer wall is built of huge green bricks, as high as seven feet, In the past, the ladders were difficult to play a role. The outer city wall was different from the past. It had an inclined slope. In case of war, the ladder could be directly attached to the city wall, making it easier for the siege soldiers to climb. At first, everyone thought that the outer city wall After new construction, it becomes flashy.

But when it was repaired for a few miles, in order to prove its actual combat value, the army conducted an offensive and defensive exercise, which made everyone shut up, because after the 'battle', the defenders could not only get out of the female wall Shooting at the soldiers on the siege ladder, when the rolling wood and rocks rolled down from above, they did not hit people and then rolled down to the bottom of the city without moving as before. Now because of the slope, the rolling wood and rocks Being able to stay on the city wall for a little longer, and rolling down the sloped city for more than ten or twenty feet, if there are people in this area, the casualties caused by rolling wood and rocks are several times higher than before!After this drill, everyone also changed from opposing the tilted design to fully supporting it.

The streets in the city intersect vertically and horizontally, matching in width and narrowness, forming a chessboard layout.There are twelve north-south streets in the south of the Luohe River, six east-west streets; four north-south streets and three east-west streets in the north of the Luohe River. There are precious trees planted on both sides of the streets during Emperor Wu's time, and drainage ditches on both sides have been renovated. Afterwards, blue bricks were laid on top of the rammed earth, and even the drainage ditch was paved with blue bricks in a 'concave' shape, which made it easier to remove the silt.The walls of the [-] Lifangs in the city were also changed to blue bricks to avoid the collapse of heavy rain erosion. In the past, in Daxing and Luoyang, there were accidents where the walls of rammed earth squares collapsed and killed a large number of people's houses.

Ziwei City, the political center of the Great Sui Dynasty as a key reconstruction, also has a new look. Ziwei City is divided into three parts: the imperial city, the atrium, and the palace city. The imperial city is where the central government offices of the Great Sui Dynasty are located. this.Located on the central axis of Luoyang is the Qianyang Hall, the first hall of Ziwei City, which is the main hall of the main office of the outer dynasty. Entering Ziwei Palace from Yingtian Gate, you can see the highest and magnificent palace building in the palace——Qianyang Hall, which symbolizes The majesty of the emperor shocked the world.This hall is where the court meetings and various ceremonies were held in the Sui Dynasty.

The atrium is centered on the Shengwu Hall (called Daye Hall in the period of Emperor Wudi) on the central axis. To the east are the Deer Palace, Zhuangjing Hall, Taiyi Hall, Dongshang Pavilion...; to the west are Xishang Pavilion, Guanwen Hall, Tongming Hall, Yisui Hall, Xianju Hall, Jixian Hall...

With Huiyou Hall as the center, Miyagi consists of [-] groups of buildings, including Taoguang Garden, Feixiang Hall, Liubei Hall, Xifang Hall, and Hongwei Hall. There are thousands of pavilions and halls.To the west of Huiyou Hall is the Yaochi, which covers an area of ​​nearly [-] mu. Fengyi Hall, Tongxin Hall, Dengchun Hall, Chengping Hall, Liri Hall, Liqi Hall, Ninghua Hall, Bichun Hall and other concubines live in ten groups. The building complex is built around the pool, and there are nine islands connected by stone bridges in the middle of the pool, which must be reached by boat.

To the west of Ziwei City is the imperial garden centered on Jiuzhou Pool, which is on the same level as Ziwei City from north to south.Further to the west is the Huitong Garden with a circumference of 20 miles. Because it is located to the west of Miyagi, people also call it Xiyuan.This was originally a hilly and desolate country with undulating terrain. When Luoyang City was built, the peasants fired bricks and tiles here, forming a depression with a radius of more than [-] miles and a depth of two feet. Yu Wenkai simply diverted Jianshui, Gushui, and Luoshui Entering it, it becomes a huge artificial lake; although the pavilions and pavilions built around the lake are far from being comparable to the palaces in Ziwei City, they are exquisite and elegant.

Unlike Yang Tong's high-profile entry into Ziwei City by the emperors and officials of the Great Sui Dynasty, his family members seem to be relatively 'low-key'. Every night, they use countless carriages and carry boxes and cages to move to Miyagi 'silently'.

On the evening of the eighth day, under the escort of Shurawei, more than a dozen carriages drove into Miyagi City through the Shenwu Gate, the north gate of Ziwei City.

Although Ziwei City has just been opened, it has been inhabited and maintained by people. There are ten elderly eunuchs and a hundred court ladies living in the palace. He is a trustworthy person re-selected by Jiang Fengyi, and all the previous maids are released.

The old eunuch headed by him is called Yang Chao, who is 57 years old this year. He entered the palace in the Northern Zhou Dynasty and was promoted step by step from a young eunuch to the chief of the palace. Emperor Wu trusted him and bestowed the country's surname. He has always been conscientious and did not dare to make the slightest deviation. Because of his outstanding ability, when Wang Shichong entered Ziwei City, he continued to entrust his property to him. Now he is appointed as the Second Order of Changqiu , ranked under Jiang Fengyi, the other six old eunuchs served as chief officials of the six bureaus of Shangshi, Yeting, Gongwei, Xiguan, Neifu, and Neifu respectively, and they were called Shaoling, and the remaining three also performed their duties. .

At this time, the eunuchs and maids had already lined up inside the Shenwu Gate, and the carriage stopped slowly when it arrived at the gate. A court lady helped the queen Wei Fengwu out of the carriage. See the queen!"

Wei Fengwu raised his jade hand falsely, and said with a reserved smile: "You are Director Yang, I heard that the Empress Dowager told you about you, so I will trouble Director Yang in the future."

"The empress is serious, this is what a humble official should do." Yang Chao bowed and said.

Wei Fengwu looked at the court ladies lined up, and asked a little strangely: "Who are they?"

"Reporting to the queen, the maid of honor in their court."

Wei Fengwu was taken aback, "There are so many people?"

Yang Chao glanced back and said with a wry smile: "There were more than five thousand court ladies and servants during Emperor Wu's time. The palace is too big, and now there are only more than one hundred people, which is not enough!"

"..." Wei Fengwu didn't say anything else. According to Yang Tong's order, all the original servants of the palace were brought into Ziwei Palace. She thought it was enough, but after hearing what Yang Chao said, the sum was not at its peak. one-tenth ofShe knew that she needed to live in Ziwei Palace quickly, and then increase some manpower appropriately. Others can be done slowly, but the security defense cannot be delayed, and the female guards must be added as soon as possible.

At this point, Wei Fengwu ordered: "It's all gone! I will get to know each other one by one in the future. Let's go to Fengyi Hall first."

"Please wait a moment, Queen, I will lead the way."

Yang Chao dismissed the maids and servants, and then invited the queen to get on the carriage. He rode a horse and led a bunch of carriages to Fengyi Hall.

Among Yang Tong's family members, except for Wei Fengwu and Pei Qinghua, everyone else entered Ziwei City for the first time. They thought that the Shenwu Palace in Yecheng was big enough, but only now did they know that the palace city of Ziwei City is astonishingly large. Walking inside, you actually have to ride a horse!

In the first large carriage, Wei Fengwu explained to several 'sisters' in the same car: "Fengyi Hall is beside the Yaochi Lake to the west of Huiyou Hall. Go straight from Shenwumen, about three miles away. If you go around Qu If you go straight, it will be farther. In the past, it was not a carriage, but a chariot!"

The girls were silent. For them, this was a new home that was still very strange.

Looking at the countless pavilions and pavilions in the snow through the car window, as well as the towering and imposing Huiyou Palace, the eyes are a little dazzled. Even Li Xiuning, who has lived in Daxing Palace for a while, can't help but admire The scale and momentum of Ziwei City.

"Queen, all imperial concubines, the Hall of Fengyi has arrived!" At this time, Yang Chao shouted outside.

"it is good!"

When the carriage came to a complete stop, everyone got out of the carriage, and saw the Yaochi Lake not far away. At this time, there were many snowflakes, and the lake was covered with mist, like a fairyland.

Through the confused mist, there are row upon row of palaces all around, and a huge pavilion with a height of more than ten feet appears in front of everyone.

This time!
Including Wei Fengwu and Pei Qinghua, everyone was stunned.

In Wei Fengwu's and Pei Qinghua's impressions, Fengyi Palace is the living place of the queen, but although it is majestic, it is only one floor high. They did not expect that such a huge palace appeared in front of everyone.

At this time, Yang Xifang suddenly shouted excitedly: "Father!"

Before the words fell, they rushed out like a cute deer. Everyone looked down and couldn't help laughing. Everyone looked up, but they ignored Yang Tong who was waiting for them in front of the gate.

Yang Chao hurriedly stepped forward to salute: "Please refer to your majesty for a humble position."

Yang Tong smiled and said, "It's fine if I'm here, you should step back first."

"Here!" Yang Chao stepped back.

Now that there are no outsiders, everyone is relaxed.

"How did Fengyi Hall become like this?" Wei Fengwu stepped forward and asked.

"In the past, apart from Fengyi Hall where the queen lived, the Tongxin Hall, Dengchun Hall, Chengping Hall and other halls around Yaochi were the residences of the imperial concubine. These seem to be very close, but in fact they are the farthest away. The two palace complexes, There are two miles apart, you have different temperaments, some people like to be quiet and not to move, if it continues like before, walking around will become less and less.”

Yang Tong came up to him with his daughter in his arms, and said as he walked, "Just build this magnificent Fengyi Hall. From now on, the whole family will live here, and the children can play and study together! Being able to see all relatives is also convenient to understand the children's learning. Another advantage is that everyone can live together, which can save a lot of manpower and material resources, especially in terms of defense forces. At least hundreds of people can be saved, which can be said to kill multiple birds! "

Wei Fengwu was happy in her heart, and said with a smile: "I wanted to find a bigger palace for the whole family. The whole family can stay together during the day and night. Everyone has their own room, but they can get together at any time. The scenery is even better. Unexpectedly, my husband has already made arrangements, so let's make a decision like this!"

Yang Tong smiled at her, and then said to everyone: "Everyone, come in!"

The family immediately walked into Fengyi Hall.

The Hall of Fengyi has been tidied up. The lobby on the first floor is extremely wide. 24 huge white marble pillars stand on both sides of the lobby. Dragons and phoenixes are carved on them. The boxes and cages that came here are temporarily placed here. In order to avoid confusion and difficulty in finding them, everyone’s belongings are placed in one place. Now each area is piled up like a hill.

"Husband, how tall is Fengyi Hall?"

"It's eleven feet high, divided into thirteen floors." Yang Tong's answer made all the girls speechless.

"Is it the tallest building in Luoyang?" Shui Tianji asked.

"Of course not!" Yang Tong shook his head and said, "The base of the Qianyang Hall of the King of Wandians is 120 feet long from north to south, 110 feet wide from east to west, and 27 feet high. It is divided into three floors. Four colors are used to represent the four seasons of spring green, summer fire, autumn yellow, and winter snow; the middle layer has twelve sides, imitating the twelve hours of the day, and the top layer is circular, surrounded by Kowloon sculptures. There is a perimeter in the middle The giant wooden pillars of about five feet long run through from top to bottom. It can be called the pinnacle masterpiece of our architectural art in the Sui Dynasty.”

For this building, Yang Tong is also amazed.

The appearance of Qianyang Palace is very similar to the legendary Vientiane Shrine. It was designed by Jiang Xingben, Yuwen Rutong, Yuwen Wen, He Chou, Li Chun and other top craftsmen. Such a huge wooden palace, Yang Tong is not Know how they solve the load bearing problem.

"The second and third tallest buildings are the Shengwu Hall and Huiyou Hall in Ziwei City, and the Chaotian Hall in Yecheng ranks fourth."

"Husband!" Shui Tianji put her arms around Yang Tong's arm and said coquettishly, "I can't count on the three halls of Qianyang, Shengwu, and Huiyou! I want Fengyi Hall No. 13, please tell my eldest sister. OK?"

Wei Fengwu gave her an annoyed look: "The top floor is where the children read books. Are you ashamed to compete with the children? The following twelve floors are your choice."

Yang Tong patted Shui Tianji's fragrant shoulder and said with a smile: "According to my experience in Chaotian Temple in Yecheng, the higher the place, the stronger the wind, and the windows are squeaky all year round. I can’t sleep peacefully at all, and it’s cold in winter! I think the top floor is the best to enjoy the view and cool off!”

"The first floor is a place for dining and meeting guests; the second floor is the library; the third floor is most suitable for children to study, because if it is too high, not only the wind is strong and noisy, but also they will look out from time to time, and they can't calm down at all. Reading, the third floor has plenty of light, and sometimes it is convenient for the teacher to teach!"

Everyone agrees.

Yang Tong looked at Wei Fengwu and said with a smile, "You are the eldest sister in Miyagi, and you will arrange your residence!"

Wei Fengwu was overjoyed when she heard the words, it was still early, and she didn't rush to make arrangements, but followed Yang Yu to observe floor by floor, and finally found that Fengyi Hall was not only tall, but also very large, with many rooms on each floor, Together, everyone lived on the seventh floor.

As for Empress Xiao and the four of them, Yang Yu originally planned to arrange them in the palace next to Yaochi, but Empress Xiao thought that next to Yaochi is where the emperor and concubines live. The elders are here, and it is easy for hostile forces to maliciously spread rumors. The four of them lived together. In the Hongwei Hall to the east of Huiyou Hall, it is close to Taoguang Garden, and the scenery is excellent!Although Yang Tong was not happy with their choice, he did not object.

……

The night gradually deepened, and everyone who had been busy for several days had already fallen asleep.Li Xiuning stood on the balcony of the room. She leaned on the white jade railing and stared at the sparkling fairyland. The cold wind blew her long and flowing hair like a fairy.

At this time, Yang Tong appeared behind her and hugged her slender waist from behind, "Don't you feel cold?"

Li Xiuning leaned back slightly, leaning on her husband's shoulder, her heart was full of warm touch, after a long time, she turned around, looked at her husband with bright beautiful eyes, and said softly: "I just moved, you should accompany eldest sister."

Yang Tong lowered his head and kissed her smooth forehead lightly, and said with a smile, "You are indispensable in my heart, everyone is equally important, and I care about everyone equally."

Li Xiuning smiled sweetly, "My husband is really a strange man. He is clearly the supreme emperor, but most of the time he looks like a family man with no ambitions. When you have the 72nd concubine of Sangong Sixth Court, can you still treat everyone equally? "

Yang Tong laughed: "I can't have so many women."

"is it?"

Li Xiuning looked at Yang Tong with a half-smile, her beautiful eyes were full of suspicion.

At this time, a palace lady reported outside the door: "Your Majesty, General Yin has sent news that Wei Pushe and Ling Shangshu are asking to see you outside the palace."

Yang Tong was taken aback, it was so late, Wei Yunqi and Ling Jing came to see him, he must have been in a hurry, he quickly replied: "Please come to Huiyou Hall."

"Huiyou Hall?" The maid was a little hesitant.

"Zhou Li" has the regulation of "three dynasties and five gates" for the imperial palace, but in fact, in the imperial palace system since the Warring States period, few people followed this system. micro city.The five gates of Ziwei City are Yingtian Gate, Qianyuan Gate, Zhulong Gate, Shengwu Gate, and Huiyou Gate.

The outer court is a place to discuss state affairs, deal with prison lawsuits, promulgate decrees, and hold grand ceremonies; the middle court is also called the governing court, which is the place where the daily court governs affairs, handles ministers' memorials, and accepts letters from all people; and the inner court is also called In the Yan Dynasty, it was the place where the emperor met his ministers, discussed matters with the ministers, and held orders and banquets.

As for the place behind Huiyou Gate, it belongs to the private place where the emperor and his concubines lived-Miyagi!The Huiyou Hall in the palace city is where the emperor reads. It is equivalent to the study of ordinary people. Waiting for idle officials, don't expect to enter the Huiyou Hall once in a lifetime. It is a great honor and trust for the emperor to meet his officials here.

Knowing these rules, the court lady seemed hesitant.

"By the way, it's freezing cold, let someone prepare ginger soup!" Yang Tong understood what the maid was worried about, but he was still sure.

"Here!" The maid quickly retreated.

Yang Tong entered the room with Li Xiuning in his arms, closed the balcony door, and said with a helpless smile, "Go to bed early, I guess I'll be busy again."

Li Xiuning put her arms around Yang Tong's neck, kissed him affectionately on the lips, and said with a smile, "State affairs are the most important thing, hurry up!"

Yang Tong nodded, turned around and left the room, and walked downstairs quickly.

Li Xiuning stood at the door, watching him disappear into the night, when she turned her head, she saw Xiao Yuexian hugging a quilt, looking at her with a blushing face, Li Xiuning asked curiously: "Why is little sister here?"

Xiao Yuexian said a little shyly: "Sister Ning'er, the window in my room seems to be not very good. I'm a little scared. Can I sleep with you tonight?"

"It's cold outside, come in quickly!" Li Xiuning couldn't help laughing, her husband only said that the windows on the upper floors would ring in the evening, and she didn't want to meet Xiao Yuexian at night.

"Thank you!" Xiao Yuexian said politely.

"You are welcome between sisters." Li Xiuning took her quilt, looked at her, and teased: "Little sister went south with that guy this time, not only pregnant, but also more beautiful and tender than before. It seems that guy took him It moisturizes well."

Xiao Yuexian blushed with shame, and said angrily, "Sister Ning'er is talking nonsense!"

Li Xiuning put the quilt on the bed, sat down on the stool beside her, and said maliciously: "I was as shy as you at first, but after hanging out with the shameless third sister for a long time, my skin is thicker than a city wall, I can assure you, You will be like this in the future."

Xiao Yuexian sat down opposite Li Xiuning, changed the subject and said, "Sister Ning'er, I want to write a letter to the nanny in Jiangling, my husband won't be angry!"

"No! As long as you don't talk about politics, it doesn't matter if you write a hundred letters a day." Li Xiuning said.

Xiao Yuexian nodded, looked at Li Xiuning, and sighed: "I thought my marriage was a tragedy, but after marrying my husband, I realized it was different from what I thought. It seems that I was too naive before."

"It's not that you are naive!" Li Xiuning said with a smile, "Actually, we both married our husband for the same reason. It's just that we were lucky and met a husband who was different. He never cared about our natal family, but sincerely Sincerely treat us as relatives, so that we can get rid of the misfortune of marriage. Sister, our happy marriage is hard-won, and we must cherish it even more."

"I understand!"

"It's our good fortune that your husband values ​​love and righteousness, but he is the emperor after all, and there will definitely be many women in the future. Don't take this too seriously."

Seeing Xiao Yuexian nodding silently, Li Xiuning thought for a while, and couldn't help but say again: "Speaking of which, among us sisters, your background is the most noble."

The Xiao family in Lanling started from Xiao Wangzhi in the period of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty. At the end of the Western Jin Dynasty, it moved to Lanling County in the south. It was called "South Lanling" in history, so it was called the Xiao family in Lanling. Priceless.In terms of the long family inheritance, the families of Wei Fengwu, Changsun Wugou, Shui Tianji, and Li Xiuning are hard to beat. As for Lu Qinghua's Pei family, although it has been passed down for thousands of years, because of personal experience, he dare not even use his own surname.

Xiao Yuexian was terrified, she shook her head repeatedly and said, "Sister Ning'er, please don't say that!"

"I don't mean anything else, you don't have to think about it. You are noble, gentle and kind. We all like you, but I'm just afraid that you will be used by others." Li Xiuning said with a smile: "My temperament is different from yours. I like to be straightforward. Go, if what you say is wrong, don't take it to heart."

"Sister Ning'er, please give me instructions."

"My father has now attached himself to the court. In the future court, I am afraid that there will be many southern scholars, and maybe a southern faction will come out! In order to gain more rights, these people may push your mother and son to the elder sister's house. Opposites." Li Xiuning spoke up to this point, looked at Xiao Yuexian's pretty face, and said, "Eldest sister is my husband's first wife, and Zheng'er has been established as the crown prince, and her position is solid. And my husband hates the family who betrayed Da Sui's family very much. And partisan disputes, you must not be fooled by these people."

"I do not know!"

"It's fine if you don't, and don't blame me for being troublesome."

"Sister Ning'er treats me as her own family member, and she said that for my own good. I am very grateful." Xiao Yuexian held Li Xiuning's hand, with a deep sense of gratitude in his eyes.

Li Xiuning patted her hand lightly, and sighed: "If we want not to be implicated by the officialdom, we have to go on the road of not being involved in politics. How the world is a matter for men, we just need to take care of ourselves!"

"Sister Ning'er's instruction, keep it in my heart." Xiao Yuexian nodded lightly, hesitated for a while, and asked back: "Sister Ning'er, my father has already surrendered to the Sui Dynasty. I just need to be careful in the future. You are in serious trouble." What should we do in the future? Or, why don’t you just write to Mr. Li and ask him to have a truce with Da Sui? In this way, everyone can live in harmony, isn’t it great?”

"impossible!"

Li Xiuning smiled wryly and shook her head. She already knew how to face this problem, and sighed leisurely: "Little sister, my father is different from Xiao Gong. It's not as simple as you think. Don't say it's me. It’s my father. Now I can’t stop.”

"Why?" Xiao Yuexian grew up in a greenhouse, so she didn't know the dangers of politics.

"It's very simple." Li Xiuning explained helplessly: "The Guanlong dignitaries are behind Li Tang's uprising, and my father is the representative of the interest group of the Guanlong dignitaries. The Guanlong dignitaries need my father to lead them to make contributions in order to gain More interests, if my father violates the interests of the Guanlong powerful group, even the Ninth Five-Year Lord will be ruthlessly killed by them. Moreover, the world must be unified so that the people will no longer be poisoned by the flames of war. Therefore, my husband and my father No choice."

Xiao Yuexian was silent for a while, then said: "Isn't this the country without two masters and the sky without two days?"

"Yes!" Li Xiuning suddenly raised her head and said with a sad wry smile: "My husband may forgive the Li family if he wins; if my father wins, the Yang clan headed by my husband will definitely not survive."

"Why is that?"

"After I married into the Yang family, after what I heard and saw, I finally understood why Dugu and Webster, who had been honored for generations and won the trust of Emperor Wu, conspired against the Sui Dynasty decades ago. Benefits." Li Xiuning sighed and said: "What my husband does is even more radical than the two emperors Wen and Wu, so if my father wins, even if he wants to let him go, many families will not agree. And my father will definitely not do it for my husband. family and go to the opposite side of the family."

There was another sentence that Li Xiuning didn't say.

That is, Yang Tong has a very good reputation among the people, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he is popular among the people. For this reason alone, her father will not have any future troubles.

"Then, what about Miss Ning'er?"

Xiao Yuexian suddenly felt that Li Xiuning was very pitiful. One side was her natal family and the other was her husband's family. They were supposed to be a family, but now they became sworn enemies. Compared with her, she was much happier.

Hearing this, Li Xiuning's beautiful eyes turned red, she shook her head lightly, and said in a trembling voice, "What can I do? Let nature take its course!"

"Sister Ning'er, I'm sorry." Li Xiuning pointed out kindly, but she brought up the sadness of the other party, Xiao Yuexian felt very guilty, "I, I'm too stupid, I can't speak..."

"It's okay. Let's not talk about such heavy topics!" Li Xiuning forced a smile and said, "You are pregnant, so don't worry about these messy things. It's getting late, let's go to bed early."

Xiao Yuexian is a well-behaved person, and she is most afraid of annoying people. She wanted to say something comforting, but she also felt that this kind of dilemma would only make Li Xiuning more sad if she talked about it, but she hesitated for a while, and finally nodded slowly: " All right!"

(End of this chapter)