Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 245: Close Officials
Although I don't understand some of the current situations, I always feel that some things are not as simple as they seem. But there is no need to worry too much. For the time being, we can stay put. It's not that urgent yet.

As they got closer and closer to Mount Tai, many people were excited. This time was also a Fengshan ceremony. The emperor had performed Fengshan ceremonies several times over the years. It didn't seem as grand as the one in the first year of the Yuanfeng reign, but it was still a Fengshan ceremony!

Not everyone has the opportunity to follow the emperor to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth, but it is still a grand event.

The reason for this Fengshan ceremony was to expand the territory by thousands of miles. The core area of ​​the Western Regions had been taken into the hands of the Han Dynasty, and this was a reason to demonstrate the achievements.

The territory of the Han Dynasty was unprecedented, and the Western Regions were a land that the Central Plains dynasties had never set foot in before. But now the Han Dynasty had stationed troops there, appointed officials, and had begun to directly govern it.

This was certainly something that Liu Che could thank heaven and earth for. He did what previous emperors had not done, and the Han Dynasty became even more powerful under his rule.

Huo Xian was so busy that he called Huo Guang and asked, "Uncle, has everything been arranged in the Mingtang?"

Huo Guang immediately replied, "Don't worry, I've been there myself. If we follow the arrangements you've made, there shouldn't be any mistakes."

The Mingtang was very important. After offering sacrifices to heaven, the emperor had to accept the congratulations of all officials. With Liu Che's face-conscious personality, the affairs of the Mingtang were not trivial.

"Fortunately, the Mingtang was built before." Huo Xian said with a smile, "But we still have to go and check it out in advance and make sure it is repaired before Your Majesty goes there."

There was no need for Huo Xian to remind them of these things, as Huo Guang and others naturally understood that some things could only be done before the emperor issued an order, and waiting until the emperor mentioned it would be a waste of time.

Seeing Huo Guang hesitate to speak, Huo Xian asked, "Uncle, do you think that some of the current Fengshan rituals and Mingtang layouts are not in line with the ritual system?"

Huo Guang lowered his voice and said, "That's what I'm worried about, Shan'er. This time the Fengshan ceremony is different. Although Your Majesty has never issued an order, everyone knows that you are the one who is in charge of and in charge of the Fengshan ceremony."

There is nothing wrong with this, Huo Xian was the Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry without the Grand Marshal's seal. He was also the person in charge of the Fengshan ceremony without an imperial edict.

Huo Xian didn't have those worries. "Uncle should also know about the Fengshan event, right? Some of the rituals are not decided by His Majesty!"

Huo Guang was speechless for a moment. During the first Fengshan ceremony of the Han Dynasty, countless scholars and doctors read through ancient books, trying to find out the Fengshan rituals and so on, and they did find some clues.

But there was not a single one that could convince everyone. There were many suggestions piled up in front of Liu Che, so in the end, the emperor directly decided on the ceremony and etiquette of Fengshan.

When emperors of later generations wanted to perform Fengshan, they more or less needed to refer to Liu Che's Fengshan ceremony. His was unprecedented and he also established a series of rules.

The reason why Huo Xian is so confident and narcissistic now is actually because he is influenced by the company he keeps. He has learned many things from Liu Che.

Huo Xian said confidently, "Don't worry, uncle. I know what I do. I know what your majesty likes and what he doesn't like. Your majesty also told me about the shortcomings of the last Fengshan ceremony."

Huo Guang would definitely not believe such words if someone else said it, but what Huo Xian said was convincing.

However, Huo Guang still reminded him cautiously, "Xian'er, please follow His Majesty's order. Don't think about what you like."

This was indeed a point that Huo Guang was not at ease with. Few people would dispute that Huo Xian understood the emperor's preferences. But there was one bad thing about this child: he liked to bring in his own ideas.

They always did their own things under the banner of the emperor's favor, and when the matter was brought to the emperor's attention, the emperor had to help cover it up. This kind of thing happened more than once or twice.

Huo Xian just smiled at this. There was no point in saying anything. His promises were sometimes equivalent to being useless.

As soon as Huo Guang left, Ma Heluo came hurriedly and said, "Sir, we have sent guards to inspect the areas from Shanyang and Shanyin."

Huo Xian nodded and said, "Let's go take another look. If there are bumpy or slippery places, we must prepare in advance. Even if there are trees, we should not cut them down if possible, so as not to destroy the mountain scenery."

Ma Heluo had no objection. After the emperor's Fengshan ceremony, he would most likely perform a Dengfeng ceremony. Go up the mountain from the sunny side of the mountain and go down the mountain from the shady side.

But no one knows who he will bring this time. Since the first year of Yuanfeng, the emperor has come to Mount Tai six times, and he has performed the Fengshan ceremony every time.

The rules set by Liu Che were that the world must be conquered and unified; the world must be peaceful and stable for a long time; and auspicious signs must continue to appear.

Only those who meet these standards are eligible for Fengshan, but sometimes there can be some flexibility. Auspicious signs can actually be artificially created, or a white "auspicious beast" can be caught.

In fact, in Huo Xian's view, in addition to boasting about establishing a prosperous era, the emperor was also imitating Huangdi.

It is said that Huangdi mined copper from Shou Mountain and cast a tripod at the foot of Jing Mountain. When the top was successfully cast, a dragon appeared. Huangdi climbed up the dragon's back along the dragon's whiskers and flew up to heaven.

The current emperor is thinking about these things. If a dragon really appears, he will also ride on it to ascend to heaven.

By then, maybe Huo Xian will have to be brought along. After all, when Emperor Huang ascended to heaven, he took his harem and more than 70 ministers with him, but he left behind the lower-ranking officials.

After talking to Ma Heluo carefully about some things, Huo Xian was actually unsure whether the emperor would perform the Dengfeng ceremony this time. After all, the emperor had not performed the Dengfeng ceremony in the last five or six Fengshan ceremonies.

Zhao Hexi came running over, "Sir, His Majesty has summoned you."

Huo Xian was not polite to Ma Heluo and ordered, "Make sure to get it done. I'll send someone over to take a look tomorrow. If it's not done well, you'll be in trouble!"

Ma Heluo did not dare to complain at all, although he was the emperor's attendant, and everyone knew that if he became an attendant, he would definitely become an important official. However, there was still a difference between important officials and important officials. The county governor was considered an important official, and the nine ministers were even more important officials among important officials.

But compared with the Grand Marshal and the General of the Cavalry, he is not considered a very important official.

What's more, having been by the emperor's side for a long time, he knew that there were only three of the Han Dynasty's most legendary attendants.

One was the Grand Marshal and General. He was the first person to lead troops out as a Shizhong. Everyone knew what happened afterwards.

The second special Shizhong was the Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry Huo Qubing, who was the minister who was personally taught the art of war by the emperor.

The third most legendary Shizhong was Huo Shan. He was Shizhong and Fengcha Duwei at the age of four. The emperor personally taught him reading and writing, riding and archery, and taught him the art of war. This Shizhong was always present on important occasions.

Regardless of whether the minister was five or ten years old at the time, he would carry the snake-slaying sword to guard the emperor on important occasions. In the eyes of some people, the minister was treated like this, even the emperor's sons and grandsons had never enjoyed such treatment. What's more, the two generations of champion marquises had set a precedent for such things as offering sacrifices to heaven.

The first generation of champion marquis was named Feng Langjuxu, who was so bold as to offer sacrifices to the heavens in the sacred land of the Xiongnu people. Offering sacrifices to the heavens was a right only the emperor had.

The second generation of Champion Marquis was only ten years old when he followed the emperor in the first grand enthronement ceremony.
We are all ministers, so we should not compare ourselves with each other. Compare ourselves with Huo Guang, Jin Midi, or even Li Guangli or Li Ling, but don't compare ourselves with Wei and Huo. Comparing ourselves with others will only make you angry.

Huo Xian hurried to the emperor's tent, "Your Majesty, what do you want?"

Liu Che smiled and stood up, saying, "This time I am going to hold a ceremony to enthronize the emperor. Please have someone prepare it."

Huo Xian immediately became proud, "Your Majesty, how can I wait for your order before doing anything! I have sent people to Shanyang and Shanyin to check in advance, and there will definitely be no delay. Your Majesty, how about we spend the night on the top of the mountain?"

Liu Che sighed and said, "Fortunately you have grown up. You got sick when you stayed overnight on the top of the mountain."

Of course not. If it hadn’t been for that time, he wouldn’t be the Huo Xian he is today.

"Your Majesty, let's make it clear first. Only I can accompany Your Majesty to the enthronement ceremony." Huo Xian was also 'stingy', saying, "At most one or two more people can be added. Others will not have this blessing."

Liu Che smiled and said, "I am so old now, wouldn't it be appropriate for me to bring a few more people with me?"

Huo Xian smiled and said, "Your Majesty, don't you still have me? Last time I was enthroned, I was only ten years old, and Your Majesty dragged me and carried me on your back. Now I am young and strong, and Your Majesty is also healthy and strong. Do we still need anyone else?"

Liu Che was very happy and said, "Okay, let's do the enthronement ceremony together."

Huo Xian whispered, "Your Majesty, should we bury the Fengshan Book when the time comes?"

Liu Che became serious, "But someone else is asking you questions?"

Seeing Huo Xian nod, Liu Che said in a somewhat old-fashioned manner, "These people, each and every one of them is a source of worry to me. After I have finished repairing the Fengshan Book, I will give it to you for safekeeping. Let's see who dares to interfere when the time comes!"

Huo Xian immediately assured him, "Your Majesty, I won't watch it either!"

Sima Qian and others always asked questions, wanting to know what was actually written in the Fengshan Book.

But Huo Xian really didn't quite understand it. Although he knew the general meaning, he only memorized some of it when the emperor recited it during the sacrifice to heaven, and he had not yet memorized the entire text.

Liu Che was even more relieved that even a naughty child like Huo Shan knew about this, but some people didn't know about it. It was really annoying.

Huo Xian also continued, "Your Majesty, the Mingtang has been cleaned up. Let all the officials and attendants go there first, clean up what needs to be cleaned up, and rest if necessary. We will go to fast and bathe."

Liu Che even thought that it was good for the child to grow up and do things in moderation. "Your arrangement is good, let's do it. This trip will save me a lot of worries."

The first time Fengshan was a time of inexperience, everyone kept giving suggestions, and many things still required the emperor to make decisions personally. But now that Fengshan has been performed more often, everyone is basically familiar with the ceremony.

What's more, he has a helper like Huo Xian, who knows how to handle both big and small matters. The emperor doesn't need to worry too much, as everything can be done in advance.

Liu Che is in a good mood now, because Huo Shan is such a sensible child. With such a reliable minister, he can indeed have fewer worries and concentrate on his own affairs.

Mrs. Xing, who was standing by, was so jealous that she had no hope of accompanying the emperor in the ceremony of enthronement. However, judging from the current situation, even if she was offered the chance to accompany him, she would not have the chance.

Huo Xian also became serious and said to Liu Che, "Your Majesty, we should also bring some warm clothes this time. Although the weather is warm now, it is still a bit cold to spend the night in the mountains."

Seeing Liu Che nod, Huo Xian continued, "Your Majesty, I think you should be sincere. Your Majesty wear the crown and I will wear the formal dress. This way, the mountain god will definitely be able to sense it!"

Liu Che's eyes lit up, and he immediately said, "Okay! I've thought about it carefully. Last time we tried to save some trouble, and ended up making mistakes!"

Huo Xian continued, "I asked Ma Heluo and others to go there first and told them not to disturb the mountain god. Your Majesty, this is what I think. Mount Tai is where the mountain god lives. He certainly doesn't like outsiders to disturb him, let alone destroy him."

Liu Che was even happier, and said in great approval, "That makes sense! Shan'er is really thoughtful! This is the good thing about you since you were a child, that is, you don't take small things to heart, but you never neglect big things!"

"Your Majesty's affairs are the most important!" Huo Xian was thick-skinned. He didn't care whether it was a close minister or a flatterer. "I don't know anything else. I just need to do your Majesty's business well."

Liu Che was still pleased with such simple and crude flattery. He felt that this was what Huo Shan really thought.

The child he brought up would naturally be on his side. Liu Che felt that no one knew this child's thoughts and personality better than him. This child would only tell the truth and could not hide his thoughts.

In other words, even if the child had some ulterior motives, Liu Che was confident that he could see through them at a glance.

Some of Huo Xian's behavior was also seen by people, and some people might find it shameful. But more people envied him. It was very common to please the emperor, and some people were even more flattering and explicit.

Those people were probably more jealous because Marquis Guanjun could always easily please the emperor, and it seemed that no matter what he did, he could get the emperor's approval.

When it comes to guessing the emperor's thoughts, there are really few people in the Han Dynasty who can compare with Marquis Guanjun.

Huo Xian continued to discuss some matters related to Fengshan with Liu Che. Even though he had experience in many things, he still did not dare to take it lightly and felt that there was still room for improvement.

Fengshan is an absolutely major event. On the one hand, it is to demonstrate the emperor's great achievements, and on the other hand, it is to seek immortality. No matter which one, it is a major event in the eyes of the emperor and cannot be taken lightly.

Therefore, it is very necessary to consider things more thoroughly. There is no harm in doing more of such things, but you can't mess them up because of laziness.

Fortunately, Huo Xian knew the importance of things and was very experienced in some matters, so he could naturally help the emperor make clear arrangements!

(End of this chapter)