People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1742: Sacrifice to Heaven and Earth, Destiny Descends

Suzaku Street was completely empty.

There were only thousands of Jinwu guards in red and golden armor on both sides extending all the way from Suzaku Gate to Mingde Gate.

On every street on both sides, densely packed people crowded ten feet away, standing on tiptoe, looking toward Suzaku Street with anticipation.

With a creaky sound, the Suzaku Gate opened.

Li Xuan, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe and a crown on his head, urged his horse forward with a solemn expression.

On each side, there were hundreds of Qianniu Guards leading the way, followed by hundreds of officials, kings and a dozen generals, going all the way from Suzaku Gate to Mingde Gate.

On the streets on both sides, everyone who saw Li Xuan couldn't help but cheer, and then bowed down solemnly.

"Your Majesty, may you live forever." Although the cheers were not very uniform, Li Xuan inexplicably felt a sense of relief.

A large number of people in the entire Chang'an city will benefit from his accession to the throne.

When Li Chongjun ascended the throne at the beginning of the year, he had already issued an imperial decree to exempt all the people in Yongzhou from land taxes that year.

Li Xuan ascended the throne yesterday and has asked the Secretariat to draft an imperial edict, which will announce on the day he is enthroned that all the people in Yongzhou will be exempted from land taxes for three years.

Not one year, but three years.

In the entire Chang'an City, at least more than half of the people need to pay land tax. Although the money is not much, it is enough for them to safely get through the most difficult period of three years.

Especially with the three years of tax exemption, even if a disaster occurs in Yongzhou within three years, the price of grain will not be too high.

Amid countless cheers, Li Xuan walked out of Mingde Gate.

At the Mingde Gate, Qu Chongyu bowed his head solemnly.

Li Xuan smiled gently, then rode away quickly.

The civil and military officials followed closely behind him.

At the end of the sight on both sides, the left and right leading guards are on guard, and in the invisible places, the left and right guards are ready to attack at any time.

……

The great events of the country are in the army and in the sacrifice.

The Circular Mound in the southern suburbs of Chang'an is the Temple of Heaven, where sacrifices are made to heaven; the Square Mound in the northern suburbs of Chang'an is the Temple of Earth, where sacrifices are made to earth.

……

Two miles outside Mingde Gate, the Circular Mound has already appeared faintly among the shade of the trees.

Li Xuan's horse slowed down slightly, and he couldn't help but sigh as he looked into the distance. In the past, he always came to the Circular Mound to offer sacrifices with Li Zhi.

Who could have thought that less than three years later, he would come to offer sacrifices as an emperor.

The four-story round altar with a white plaster surface finally came into view, with countless flags fluttering on all sides.

This is the Circular Mound.

On the altar in front of him, each round altar has twelve steps, evenly distributed around the altar in the shape of the twelve zodiac signs.

Just like the twelve hours, it is divided into Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu and Hai.

Zi and Wu are opposite to each other, representing north and south respectively.

Mao and You are opposite to each other, representing east and west respectively.

Countless Qianniu Guards stood around the Circular Mound, and thirty-six officials from the Ministry of Rites stood on different throne positions on each level, waiting solemnly.

Li Xuan at least came to the south side of the noon stage, then dismounted.

All officials stopped at the foot of the Circular Mound, except for the Minister of Rites and the Minister of Rites, who ordered their officials to present all kinds of sacrifices in front of the tablet of the Lord of Heaven, and then quickly withdrew.

Li Xuan, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe and a crown on his head, walked forward to the noon stage.

The Noon Step is wider than the other eleven steps. It is the staircase for the emperor to ascend the altar.

When the Minister of Rites Lin Renji saw Li Xuan step onto the Wubi, he immediately shouted, "The Emperor is offering sacrifices at the Circular Mound, and all the ministers are bowing in respect."

The ministers under the Circular Mound, as well as the ceremonial guards and music further away, all stopped at this moment.

Everyone knelt on the ground, and the sound of the emperor's footsteps climbing up the Circular Mound echoed between heaven and earth.

The Minister of Rites Wei Xuantong respectfully handed a square piece of white jade the size of two palms to Li Xuan, and then retreated from the third level of the Circular Mound.

Li Xuan stepped onto the top of the Circular Mound, and his vision suddenly widened, looking up at the sky that seemed like a canopy.

Standing on the top of the altar, you can have a panoramic view of Chang'an City and the fertile plains of Guanzhong.

Li Xuan retracted his gaze and looked at the tablet of "Haotian God" in front of him, then he held the white square jade disk in his hand and placed it respectfully on the altar.

In an instant, a white firework rose up from the southeast corner of the altar and rushed straight into the sky.

More sacrifices to heaven, jade and silk, etc. were burned in the Liaotan in the southeast direction.

The fireworks rose to the sky, where they could be smelled by the Emperor of Heaven and the gods, allowing them to enjoy the sacrifice.

At the same time, at this moment, the gazes of the Emperor of Heaven and the gods will also fall on Li Xuan.

……

Li Xuan slowly took out the sacrificial text he had written from his sleeve, and said aloud to the tablet of "Haotian God": "In the first year of Kaiyuan, the year of Yiyou, the ninth month of Bingxu, the eighteenth day of the full moon, I, the minister Xuan, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, dare to announce to Haotian God: I am ignorant and unable to understand the truth, and I have been blessed to be the god. I am always afraid that I will bring disaster to the people, so I work diligently..."

Li Xuan's solemn and dignified voice spread along the altar to all directions of the altar. It was known not only to the heavens, but also to the officials around it and the people farther away.

Overcome desires and concentrate your mind to create a prosperous era.

When Li Xuan was offering sacrifices to Haotian and praying for the health and prosperity of the country, all officials keenly captured these eight words.

Restrain your desires and create a prosperous future.

This is Li Xuan’s promise to God, and also his request to all officials.

While countless ministers bowed their heads solemnly, they also kept these eight words firmly in their hearts.

Although the Wu family rebellion has passed and the wise officials in the court have withered, the remaining officials still have the ambition to save the world and bring peace to the people. Before Li Chongjun was in power, most officials followed the rules and were ignorant. Now that Li Xuan is in power, they can immediately see that under Li Xuan's leadership, they can create a more magnificent tomorrow and a more wonderful prosperous era.

Likewise, anyone who fails to keep up with this path will be quickly left behind.

Similarly, this also means that there will be more positions in the court for those ambitious people who want to show their talents.

"…Now is the time for the Nine Temples to be blessed, and for the people to enjoy the fortune. How can I shirk my responsibility? We have been in danger of invasion for a long time, and have not expressed my gratitude for a long time. Now the suburbs have just been settled, and it is the time of the Lord. I would like to offer sacrifices of jade and silk, and various kinds of food, hoping that you will pray and burn incense to show my utmost sincerity. Emperor Gaozu Wu is worthy of being the god, and I hope you will enjoy it!" After Li Xuan finished reading, he could not help but bowed slightly, and in an instant, there was a solemnity between heaven and earth.

Immediately, all the officials in the four fields shouted in unison: "Enjoy the feast! Enjoy the feast! Enjoy the feast!"

An inexplicable force acted on Li Xuan. He slowly straightened up and looked at the entire Chang'an City and the entire Guanzhong Plain in front of him. At the same time, the whole world flashed in his mind.

The world is at peace and the people are prosperous.

There is no oppression, and we create the world together.

This is Li Xuan’s biggest wish.

With a loud "boom", the fireworks in the southeast suddenly rose up and rushed straight into the sky at a higher and faster speed.

Li Xuan had a vague feeling in his heart that Heaven had acknowledged his identity as the new emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

It will be used for sacrifices in the future.

In an instant, all the ministers in the four fields bowed solemnly at the same time, and shouted loudly: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. May your Majesty live forever, and may the Tang Dynasty live forever. Long live your Majesty, long live your Majesty, long live your Majesty."

Farther away in Chang'an City, at this time, more cheers were heard: "Long live His Majesty, long live the Tang Dynasty, long live His Majesty."

Li Xuan stood on the Circular Mound, with the sky above his head and the earth under his feet.

From this moment on, under heaven and on earth, he was the only legitimate emperor in the entire Tang Dynasty.

Emperor.

Solemn and sacred.

……

The southern suburbs offer sacrifices to the Lord of Heaven as the main offering, supplemented by the Yellow Emperor.

The northern suburbs offer sacrifices to the earth, mainly to the thick soil, supplemented by Shennong.

The same sacrificial ceremony is arduous and complicated.

When everything was over, it was already dark when we returned to the palace.

A large amount of delicious food was prepared in the palace, and a large amount of silk and satin were taken out from the inner treasury and quickly distributed to the homes of all officials.

High-ranking officials above the third rank even received a jar of fine wine from the palace.

In the Liangyi Hall, Li Xuan looked at Yu Ze, Li Bi, Li Mo, Li Zhu, and Li Yan below and said seriously: "Chang'an and Luoyang will not have any major problems in the short term. From today on, our sights will be on the world."

"Yes!" Five of them bowed at the same time.

Li Xuan looked at Li Yan and said, "The amount of autumn grain handed in by all the counties and prefectures in the country must be accurately verified and counted and stored in the warehouse after arriving in Luoyang and Chang'an."

"Yes!" Li Yan bowed.

Li Xuan looked at Li Mo and Li Bi and said, "Now that I have ascended the throne, the noble families in the world will definitely take action. They might try to pretend to be bandits and intercept tax grain. The Right Thousand Bull Guard will expand its manpower and conduct an investigation. If there is any truth in the investigation, the Ministry of War will mobilize the government soldiers and the Dali Temple will send people to investigate and confiscate the property."

"Yes!" Li Mo and Li Bi bowed at the same time.

Li Xuan looked at Li Zhu and said, "Send someone to protect the safety of Li Bi and Li Yan. If someone really wants to do something, I'm afraid they will start by assassinating and poisoning them."

"Yes!" Li Zhu bowed solemnly.

Li Xuan stood up from the throne, walked slowly to the front of the Taiji Palace, looked at the mountains and rivers in front of him, and said softly: "I am not afraid of anything that comes in an open and aboveboard manner. The only thing I am worried about is those people using poisoning and assassination methods. So no matter what, we should prioritize our own survival. At worst, we can mobilize a large army to surround and kill them."

"Here!" Everyone raised their hands in unison.

Li Xuan finally looked at Yu Ze and said, "Starting tomorrow, the Secretary General will organize all the post stations in the country. The messages from all places must be delivered quickly and accurately, even if it means adding more people. If there are any obstacles, find them out and solve them."

"Yes!" Yu Ze bowed solemnly.

"This world belongs to us, no one can destroy it."

……

It was late at night, and Liu Jinyu, who had been tired all night, walked towards the east courtyard.

Inside the house, Liu Shubi and Liu Qiongyu were taking care of several children.

Seeing Liu Jinyu return to the room, Liu Shubi quickly asked the maid to help take off her coat, and muttered: "My husband is really a fool. He has already ascended the throne, but he still hasn't accepted us into the palace."

"You, stop talking nonsense." Liu Jinyu glanced at Liu Shubi, and when she saw that she had stopped talking, she said, "My husband has been busy with so many state affairs these days. He also has to offer sacrifices to the heaven and earth, the various tombs, and the imperial temple. He is so busy that he has no time to go home."

Liu Jinyu was not out of sight in the palace. Li Xuan was busy until the palace gates were locked every day, and the candles in the Liangyi Hall were not extinguished for a long time.

When he woke up the next morning, a lot of things fell on his shoulders.

"And my husband didn't take us into the palace these days, not without purpose." Liu Jinyu sighed softly, looked outside the courtyard, and said softly: "You don't even look at how many people have come in and out these days. Dou Niang and Tong'er are also exhausted."

Liu Shubi nodded slightly. There were indeed quite a few people visiting in the past few days, and they were all greeted by Liu Jinyu, Qu Douer and Pei Shitong.

Only those people that the three of them felt were unable to be received would be handed over to the Ouyang family for reception.

Although Liu Shubi was destined to get the title of a noble concubine in the future, at present, she was still a member of Pengwang Teng, and like Zheng Shiwu Niang, she had no qualifications to go out and meet guests.

Liu Jinyu sighed and said, "Okay, go and rest. There won't be many days like this left. My husband will be enthroned soon. Before that, we all have to go to the palace."

"Yes!" Liu Shubi nodded, then took Liu Qiongyu and sent the children back to their room to rest.

In the dead of night, a figure suddenly appeared behind Liu Jinyu.

Liu Jinyu's body froze, and then she immediately responded: "Husband!"

Li Xuan nodded gently: "Yes!"

(End of this chapter)