The gods began by supporting Guo Jing to become emperor

Chapter 203: The first birthday banquet, Guo Jing pays homage to his ancestors
At the end of September, the weather is clear and cool.

The mansion of Marquis of Luoyang was filled with guests. Guo Jing was celebrating the birth of his little girl, and a birthday party was being held. Senior officials and generals from the shogunate, as well as powerful families from both places, sent guests to offer their congratulations.

In the hall, Guo Jing was dressed in purple robes and a golden crown, sitting on the main throne, looking like a tiger crouching and a dragon, majestic without even getting angry.

Seeing that the guests were almost all here, he raised his glass and said loudly, "You all have come from afar to attend my daughter's first birthday party. I am overjoyed. Please drink this glass to the full."

"please!"

The guests stood up to return the greeting, picked up their glasses and drank them all.

Afterwards, Guo Jing's daughter Guo Jianjia was carried out. Li Ping took her from the wet nurse and then rolled a boiled peeled egg on the baby, chanting auspicious words as she rolled, implying that disaster was coming and peace and joy would come.

The guests looked at the baby lying in Li Ping's arms with changing expressions. Many of them even had the idea of ​​an alliance. In the past, a similar one-year-old party was held for the twins born to Princess Huazheng, but at that time he had not yet started a rebellion and his influence was declining.

Afterwards, Guo Jing's concubines gave birth to many children, but they never held such a grand birthday party. The last time they held such a grand party was when Guo Jing married a concubine, which was enough to show his love for this daughter.

Of course they would not think that this was just a birthday party, otherwise it would not be so grand.

After the rolling disaster, it is time to wash hands. A basin of clean water is prepared in advance, and green onions, apples and rice are put into the water. Hua Zheng and Huang Rong together immerse the baby's hands in the water back and forth three times, which means cleverness, safety, health and a rich life.

When Huang Rong appeared in front of the guests, most of them did not dare to look at her again after taking a look, for fear of being trapped. However, they secretly sighed in their hearts that it was no wonder that Lord Guo wanted to marry such a beauty as a fairy as his second wife.

Huang Rong's figure remained slim after giving birth. Today, she wore a yellow dress, a bun on her head, and a golden hairpin. She had a beautiful appearance, smooth and moist skin, and a radiant look, with the charm of both a young girl and a young woman.

Then they changed the baby into new clothes and new shoes, which was called crown clothing, symbolizing a new atmosphere and good luck. It took almost half an hour to complete the series of procedures.

Soon, a square octagonal table was placed in the hall. Various things were placed on it, including books, seals, sheathed knives, rouge, embroidery, etc. Guo Jianjia, who had changed into new clothes, was carried by the wet nurse and placed on the table.

Guo Jianjia, who was wearing red clothes, had fair skin and big, bright eyes that were round and wide. Her innocent eyes seemed to be full of freshness about everything. All the guests looked at her closely, wanting to see what choice she would make.

Guo Jing stood next to Hua Zheng and Huang Rong, a rare smile on his stern face.

Guo Jianjia was seen crawling towards the table unsteadily. At this moment, a gust of wind suddenly blew, and the pages of the book on the table turned, making a rustling sound. Her attention was immediately attracted, and she slowly crawled over, grabbed the pages of the book, and smiled.

When the people around saw this, they seemed to be infected by the smile and smiled at the same time.

Lu Guanying was not far from Guo Jing and teased, "My Lord, if you catch this book, your niece will definitely be a well-educated and well-mannered lady in the future."

Wang Shan also echoed, "Congratulations, my Lord. The young lady has caught the book. She may be Li Yi'an again in the future."

Guo Jing smiled, "It's too early for you to say that now. She hasn't caught him yet."

Sure enough, Guo Jianjia was not satisfied with this. She looked around, kicked the powder box first, and then fiddled with the seal. At this time, a dagger sheath not far away was inlaid with gems, shining brightly. She was stunned for a moment, then staggered over and stretched out her little hand.

At the same time, she did not forget to hold the book tightly in her hand.

Everyone stared at her closely, wanting to see what she was going to grab. When they saw the tiny fingertips touching the dagger and holding on tightly, the adults around her couldn't help but gasp. Books are for literature, daggers are for martial arts, one is literature, the other is martial arts, hiss!
Some things are most afraid of people speculating. Anyone with a discerning eye can see Guo Jing's momentum. Such a scene cannot help but make people think about it.

With both hands full, Guo Jianjia shook the dagger, looked at the shining gems on it, and grinned.

"Congratulations, Lord Marquis!"

Someone shouted, and all the guests immediately echoed in unison.

Guo Jing's gaze slid away from Guo Jianjia's face and fell on everyone. He suddenly laughed out loud, "Haha, I'm deeply sorry for troubling you all to come to my daughter's first birthday party. Please move over and follow me to the table."

"please!"

Then, everyone in the hall followed Guo Jing and left to have dinner at the banquet.

At this time, Guo Jianjia was carried to the back hall. Huang Yaoshi was still wearing a green robe. He looked at his granddaughter with a loving face, feeling indescribably happy.

……

The banquets in the Marquis' Mansion invited all the great chefs from the North, including famous chefs from the Confucius Mansion and imperial chefs from the palace.

Good dishes must be served in good utensils, and he put a lot of thought into this first birthday party.

At the banquet, when the guests took their seats, they were stunned at once, because the porcelain used in the banquet was beautiful in style and simple and heavy in shape. Some people immediately recognized that it was porcelain produced by the official kiln and Jun kiln.

Since the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, the kilns have been less powerful than before, and the craftsmanship has gradually declined. Guo Jing's financial strength is amazing for him to have gathered such a large number of porcelain utensils. The guests looked at the porcelain while eating, and even couldn't help but pick it up and play with it carefully.

However, they found that these porcelains were newly-made. This discovery made them extremely surprised. These porcelains are rare and good things. The beauty of porcelain originated in the Tang Dynasty and has remained popular until later generations. It has become a part of civilization.

Guo Jing sat at the top, drinking from a porcelain wine jar. The unique celadon, dotted with cloud patterns, was an eye-opener.

He frequently raised his glass and drank with others, with a smile on his face all the time. He noticed the reactions of the guests below, but did not take the initiative to speak. Those who smelled business opportunities would sooner or later become restless.

…The Book of Zhou says, “If farmers don’t go out, they will lack food; if workers don’t go out, they will lack work; if merchants don’t go out, the three treasures will be gone; if hunters don’t go out, money will be scarce. Guanzi says, “Without farmers, there will be no stability; without merchants, there will be no life.”

All the areas in Guanzhong have been brought under control, Henan is peaceful and there is no war. The problem facing Guo Jing now is that he has no money. Due to years of war, the treasury is empty. Without money, the government can do nothing.

To this end, Guo Jing racked his brains and set his sights on porcelain. This thing was needed by everyone from high-ranking officials to ordinary people. It happened that many kiln factories in the former Song Dynasty were in Henan, so he ordered people to gather porcelain craftsmen and restore the porcelain kilns.

After more than half a year, he finally achieved results. Although it was difficult to return to his heyday, he was able to produce porcelain of stable quality. Therefore, he took the opportunity of this birthday party to launch porcelain and use it to make money through trade.

Porcelain is the hard currency second only to daily necessities, and is a special product for scholars and nobles. If it can be used for trade, the war horses from the northern grasslands, the grain from the south, and the Shu brocade can all be exchanged. In this way, the government will have money and can do something.

At a banquet, the guests and hosts enjoy themselves.

……

After the one-year-old banquet, someone came to ask for a meeting. Guo Jing arranged for officials to contact him regarding the porcelain matter. It was not an easy matter to make a deal, but there was no need for him, the marquis, to show up in person. He had long since stopped doing everything himself.

Marquis's Mansion, backyard.

A mourning hall was set up here, where the spirit tablet of Guo Jing's father Guo Xiaotian was enshrined.

Guo Jing knelt on the cushion in the mourning hall, looking at the spirit tablet surrounded by incense, feeling neither sad nor happy. He was a posthumous child and had never seen his father. Most of his impressions of his father Guo Xiaotian came from his mother's description.

As time went by, the mark of his father in his heart became fainter and fainter, but he knew what he was going to do next. If his father were still alive, he would definitely not agree.

"Dad, please forgive me for being unfilial."

He kowtowed towards the spirit tablet, then turned and left.

At some point, a rumor spread in Luoyang that Han Hou Guo Jing was suspected to be a descendant of the former Later Zhou Emperor Shizong Guo Rong. When Zhao Kuangyin launched a mutiny at Chenqiao and put on the yellow robe, the Guo family was ordered to change their surname back to Chai. However, the branch of Taizu Guo Wei was not affected. They were just suppressed openly and covertly and gradually declined.

After Guo Rong's son Guo Zongxun abdicated, his fifth son Guo Zongrang and seventh son Guo Xihai disappeared. Guo Jing's branch was suspected to be the descendants of Guo Zongrang. The news gradually spread, causing much discussion in the north.

It is a consensus among everyone that the Zhao family sought power and usurped the throne, and that they came to power in an illegitimate way. Even though the Zhao family sat on the throne for two hundred years, they still could not erase this stain. In comparison, although Guo Wei, the founding emperor of the Later Zhou Dynasty, also wore a yellow robe and started his career through a military coup (he was the first person to wear a yellow robe), Liu Chengyou of the Later Han Dynasty took action first, the conspiracy was leaked, and the generals of the imperial guards had no choice but to rise up in arms.

It is not known whether this story is true or not, but it is recorded in history books and it is recognized by the world that the Later Zhou Dynasty had its own legal reasons for gaining the throne. In comparison, Zhao Kuangyin's mutiny was an obvious bullying of orphans and widows, and was despised by the world.

For a time, this matter caused a lot of discussion among scholars and scholars in the north, and many dark histories of the early Song Dynasty were dug up. Everyone was talking about it, saying that Song Taizu poisoned Chai Zongxun, Song Taizong ordered Li Yu to be executed (as written in history books), and so on.

These rumors, coupled with the actions of the Zhao Song royal family in the past two hundred years, have made countless Han people regret and curse. If Zhou Shizong had not died young, perhaps the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun would have been taken back long ago, and the Zhao family would never have had a chance to sit firmly on the throne.

In the backyard of the mansion, Huang Rong was with Guo Jing. Guo Jianjia was lying in the cradle beside him. She coaxed the child to sleep. She stared at him for a while and suddenly asked, "Husband, is your family really the descendant of Guo Zongrang?"

Guo Jing was stunned, then laughed and said, "I don't know either." If it were someone else, he would definitely answer yes, but facing the smart Huang Rong, he answered truthfully that he didn't know.

After all, the only famous ancestor of his Guo family was the Liangshanpo rebel Guo Sheng. He didn't know whether Guo Sheng was a descendant of Guo Rong, but since they all had the surname Guo, it was not impossible that they were his descendants.

Huang Rong's eyes flickered and a faint smile appeared on the corners of her mouth. If the rumors intensified, the Song Dynasty would lose its legitimacy and the legal system of the Han Dynasty would return to Guo Jing's hands. Legal system was a shortcut to becoming king when one was strong, but a death warrant when one was weak, because no one would recognize it and it would bring disaster upon oneself.

After all, the Zhao Song royal family's kingdom was not won with a single blow, but was usurped from other families, which violated the loyalty of the time. The Guo family treated him well, but he usurped the throne. Now the Guo family's descendants are rising, while your Zhao family is living in a corner of the south and has been beaten into a coward by the Jin Kingdom. In this comparison, who is more like Emperor Shizong? Is there any need to say more?

Legal principles are not for the common people to see, but for the scholars of the world and the powerful families to see. The common people don't care who is orthodox, as long as they can have enough food to eat, that's enough.

But the children of powerful families want to study and serve as officials. They have their own set of moral standards and a code of conduct for the upper class, namely the Confucian principles of loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness. The reason why Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty recognized the Yuan Dynasty was to inherit their legal principles. Even though the orthodoxy of the Yuan Dynasty was on the Tatar side, the legal inheritance was in the hands of the Ming Dynasty because it was the founder of a unified country, and the Ming Dynasty had a bigger fist than the Tatar.

Legal principles are a kind of inheritance, which is indispensable to every unified dynasty. But Guo Jing is different. When the Zhao Song Dynasty was still in existence, he started a new dynasty. He did not inherit the legal principles and political heritage of the Song Dynasty. He admitted that he was a descendant of the royal family of the previous dynasty and inherited the political heritage of the previous dynasty, the Later Zhou Dynasty. The territory of the Later Zhou Dynasty is almost the same as the territory he rules now.

In other words, once those scholars, powerful families, and scholarly families recognized his legal principles from the bottom of their hearts, he would become a competitor with the Zhao Song royal family in the south, because both sides inherited the legal principles of the Later Zhou Dynasty.

If Zhou Shizong had not died young and the Central Plains had been unified under his leadership, he would have legally inherited Liu Han in the future, because the throne of Later Zhou Taizu Guo Wei was passed down to him by Emperor Liu Han, and his throne originated from Guo Wei.

The legal principles of the Li Tang Dynasty had long been destroyed, from Li Cunxu to Li Siyuan and later Li Congke, and then they were destroyed by Shi Jingtang. The legal principles of the Former Tang Dynasty no longer existed, or it could be said that it was not the Song Dynasty but the Liao Dynasty that inherited the legal principles of the Former Tang Dynasty.

Abdicating and ascending the throne are two different things. One is succession, and the other is founding a country.

In just one month, the news became more and more intense, and everyone thought that Guo Jing was going to become king, but in fact he did not have this idea for the time being, and only half-heartedly expressed his ambition.

Otherwise, your subordinates will think you want to be a loyal subject of Mongolia. How will they deal with you if you fall out with Mongolia in the future? You must make it clear that they are subjects of the Guo family, not subjects of Mongolia.

When Mu Huali heard about this, he just smiled and didn't react. When a person becomes rich, he will recognize a powerful ancestor. This is common in ancient and modern times, both in China and abroad, and it is also common on the grassland. There is nothing to be surprised about.

Afterwards, Guo Jing ordered people to find the descendants of the Chai family who were stranded in the south, bring them to Luoyang, summon them in person, confer official titles on them, order them to change back to their surnames, and go with them to Songling and Qingling to pay homage.

By the time this news reached the south it was already winter.

(End of this chapter)