The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 241: Heavenly Ceremony and the Meeting of Princes (Part )
"The sages have rules for rewarding and punishing. The merits are not outweighed by the flaws, and the kings have passed down their teachings. The martial virtues and the gentleness are the patterns of the Zhou and Han dynasties. From the Xuanyuan period to the Tang dynasty, no one is exempt from the flaws, and the grace of the times is great.

"So Chengzong led the army to pacify Ji, but the emperor did not achieve anything, so he pardoned them. Tao, Yue, Na, and Wujun joined forces, and Sui and others failed to defeat them, so he was pardoned again. As a divine and wise man with discipline and civilization, it is not that he did not want to wipe them out. But looking at history, the people suffered. Ask about their previous achievements and want to see their future results. Treat them as before, the truth is here."

Treating others with kindness has been the custom of three generations and the teaching of our ancestors. Since the rebellion of Kuang Chao, the palace of Zhu has been in great turmoil and the country has been in trouble.

Is it because I am relying on my power to be arrogant, disrespectful and tolerant, and am only interested in showing off my achievements when I attack Zhu Wen?
Is it because I don't tolerate wise people?

Did I make a false assumption about my subjects?

Do I want to tamper with tradition?
Braving the cold and heat, cutting through thorns, fighting with swords, leading six divisions and the princes to fight thousands of miles to Luoyang. How many sacrifices and hardships were made on the way, could it be because of a small mistake!
Zhu Wen, you are such a wicked beast.

The court asked you to hold the Central Plains, and never skimped on your official position. You were given the title of Duke of the Three Realms and the title of King, and even your wives and concubines were given a higher rank than the imperial concubines. The positions of commanders of the four towns of He, Luo, Hua, and Cai were all given to the people you recommended. The late emperor bestowed your name on you, and the imperial edicts of commendation never stopped.

After visiting the royal families and reading the history books, I found that even Xiao He, Chen Ping, Zhou Bo, Huo Guang, and Guo Ziyi could not compare to the honor, dignity, and power you enjoy.

And yet you are still not satisfied.

Will you be happy only when you see men and women dying in the fields and the city wailing?
Can you only be happy when you see the country in turmoil and evil spirits rampant?
I have so many female relatives that my harem can be filled with them. My wife's beauty and talent are admired by all knowledgeable people. But you are not satisfied. You can only sleep peacefully after you torture other people's wives and concubines to death, rape your daughter-in-law until she can't walk, and make your son depressed.

You are an evil ghost in human skin, a disgusting bastard.

Do you think that I will surrender and compromise just because you have strong troops, vast territory and large population?
Do you think that someone like you can snatch the Nine Cauldrons from me?

Do you think that the matter is over once you are killed by your subordinates?

Yesterday, I went to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and brought this beast to offer as a sacrifice, and asked the witch to consult the gods for advice. Emperor Gaozu issued an oracle: whip the corpse three hundred times, grind the bones and scatter the ashes. Kill the ghost so that it cannot be reincarnated.

"So now publicly execute Zhu Wen." Dozens of people opened their eyes and shouted at each sentence. In the silence of the crackling torches, the old and stern voice of Prime Minister Liu Chongwang read out the edict.

A thrilling enumeration of major crimes and their sentencing!

The fierce flames that lit up half the sky red could not bring any warmth to people. In the cold early morning wind, the square was filled with rage.

Swish swish!
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, hundreds of assassins took out their shining steel knives and stared at the red corpse with bared teeth.

"Evil creature!" Some Wei Bo warriors could no longer suppress their hatred.

Zhu Wen sent people to Wei to buy grain, and at that time Le Yanzhen and his son were executed.

There were three charges: the governor launched corvée without authorization. He was incompetent in managing his family. Wang Duo was sent to Henghai as a garrison commander and passed through Wei. Le Yanzhen's son plotted to kill Duo and seize his property - "The people of Wei knew of Duo's reputation, and those who discussed it felt sorry for him and blamed the Le family."

Greed - "Lezi gathered fugitives, entered and exited his bedroom, and entrusted them with his confidants. The army was displeased. Lezi was afraid, so he changed his clothes and escaped. His father was appointed as the governor of Xiangzhou. After he took office, he demanded military equipment and money. The army was furious."

So he executed the general. Because Le Yanzhen was planning to sell grain to Zhu Wen to make friends with him, he killed the Bian envoy again. Zhu Wen used this as an excuse to intervene in internal affairs with armed forces, trying to support his agents. Although he was defeated, he captured the three cities of Liyang, Linhe, and Ligu, and roughly took Chanzhou, causing great economic damage to the military and civilians.

In the first year of Dashun, Zhu Wen, who was still determined to defeat Wei, asked for permission to pass through Hedong, but Wei refused. He asked Zhao, but Zhao also refused. So he crossed the river to attack Wei, beheaded more than 10,000 people, and looted prefectures and counties. It was not until Wei Bo surrendered that he stopped burning and looting and returned to the army.

Ever since the sage rebelled against Bian, Wei Bo has been defeated repeatedly and suffered many casualties.

It seems easy to hold on until today, but how many soldiers and elders died under the sword of Bian before seeing the dawn? How can they not be barbaric now? "This is a betrayal of the country, even if it is the inheritance. Such a filthy person, how can he not be a bastard?!"

"A wicked man is rebellious, and arrogant and arrogant are evil. A thief is domineering, and his face is covered with frost."

"He controls the land in his hand and indulges in his desires. Since ancient times, few great thieves can compare to him. He is truly a beast in human form!" More than a thousand Wei soldiers rolled up their sleeves and pointed at the corpse, shouting and cursing: "Dangshan dog! You still dare to show off your power and ask me for money!"

"Saint, Situ! I will whip the corpse of this fellow with my own hands!" A Wei Bo soldier knelt down and shouted at Yingtian Tower.

"I'm coming too!" Chen Kang, the elder brother of Concubine Chen and the general of Hezhong Yamen, also stepped forward and asked.

"Me too!"

……

Wei soldiers, Hezhong people, Shatuo people, Yan soldiers, Guanzhong soldiers... Zhu Laosan has too many enemies.

"Yes." The saint said neatly.

Hearing this, Situ threw the imperial edict into the arms of the official next to him and said, "It is approved. One person will be sent from each town. There are rules for sacrifices, so don't make a fuss!"

"Yes." The soldiers bowed, "We thank you!"

In the darkness, illuminated by the fire, in full view of everyone, the music started again.

Cui Wuci and his men locked Zhu Wen's limbs and waist with iron chains, then formed a circle and pulled the dishevelled, stinking corpse to "stand up". Instantly, the rotten clothes, the skin full of holes, and the dark red claws with bones exposed were wriggling on a large scale, and the rotten meat, salt sand, corpse water, and mucus were scattered like raindrops. Concubine Shu, Luo Fu and others covered their noses one after another, and Cui Yuzhang was disgusted: "Has he always been so smelly? It's really stinking to death."

Ten red-robed Taoist priests held magical instruments and formed a larger circle around Cui Wuci and his companions. One Taoist priest pasted a long red paperweight with runes painted in white paint on Zhu Wen's forehead, cheeks, chest, mouth, and other parts, humming: "Today is the sixth Yi, the wild path is in a hurry, the sixth Bing and the sixth Ding, the wild path will punish itself, the sixth Wu and the sixth Ji... kill the wild path..."

The other Taoists circled around Zhu Wen.

They were dressed in red and green, waving their sleeves, babbling to Zhu Wen, making weird and exaggerated gestures and waving their colorful clothes. There was singing and dancing all around. White silk and flags fluttered in the night sky, and countless figures were moving around in the dark square lit by bonfires, but no one spoke.

"Snap!" The whips lashed at his flesh. Cui Wuci, Chen Kang, Zhu Jin and more than a dozen others surrounded Zhu Wen and whipped him at the same time, cursing as they whipped him.

"You monster!"

"We should scoop up water from the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers to give him an enema!"

"Burn the bed on the east wall, and you will fall into the trap."

"Take Jiang Gong's mace and smash your soul."

"I will use Wu Zi's rope to break your bones!"

"I will put you in the execution ground, dig out your heart and liver, and turn you into a human pig. I will throw you into a boiling pot and eat your intestines..."

In the firelight, Zhu Wen, with red talismans all over his body and his head drooping and being tied up in a spread-eagle position by iron chains, looked like a subdued zombie.

The saint stood with his hands behind his back, a slight smile on his face, watching silently.

He originally planned to offer sacrifices in the courtyard of the Imperial Ancestral Temple as usual, breaking Zhu Wen's hands and feet in front of the altar, cutting out his heart, beheading him, and killing captives for blood sacrifice. Just like King Wu conquered Shang and Emperor Zhuangzong punished Liu Rengong and his son. However, Wei Bo and Hezhong repeatedly requested to deal with Dong Zhuo and Hou Jing in the same way, so he gave this plan.

I feel pretty good now.

Looking at this scene, more than a dozen Bian generals were completely pale. Listening to the crowd's curses and looking at the ferocious faces, they were even more trembling with fear, fearing that they would be dragged out for sacrifice.

In a corner, Zhao Yanran, Zhao Meng, Han Shan, Song Jing, Yuan Heng and others also felt a chill on their backs and couldn't help shivering.

"Bloody!"

As the last sound of the blow dissipated, the three hundred lashes were over. Zhu's corpse was in tattered clothes, with dead insects all over the ground, and it looked horrible.

Zhu Jin drew his sword, grabbed his crown with his left hand from behind, and slowly stabbed the sword into his heart with his right hand.

The blood of the corpse splattered!

Zhu Jin stirred it fiercely with a ferocious look, drew out his sword and threw it beside him, and inserted his right hand into the wound...

After a while, the dirty black heart was taken out.

Zhu Jin shouted: "Bastard, where is your heroic spirit!"

"Bang!" Zhu Jin threw Heixin heavily to the ground.

"Cheers!" Situ and Yuwenrou clapped their hands at the same time.

"Cheers!" All the ministers and soldiers laughed.

After digging out Zhu Wen's heart, Cui Wuci walked up to him holding the Huangyue given by the emperor, and cut off Zhu Wen's arms as swiftly as if he were slaughtering a chicken. Then he kicked him down like a dead dog and stepped on his back: "Traitor!"

Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Sparks flashed, blue bricks shattered, and Zhu's legs and head were chopped off. Cui Wuci put down the yellow axe, picked up the corpse, grabbed the hair with one hand and the arm with the other, raised them above his head, and looked down at the audience.

"Roar, roar, roar!" All the soldiers and officials shouted excitedly together.

Cui Wuci hoisted the red head to the top of the flag and hung it, while a group of warriors surrounded the remaining human pigs, formed a circle, and stabbed them with spears, chopped them with swords, and smashed them with hammers until they were smashed into a pool of meat paste. Then, several people came forward with wooden barrels and firewood, and poured kerosene and burning materials on the rotten clothes and meat paste.

A torch was thrown in.

"Boom!" The flames shot up like an explosion.

Cui Wuci did not remove the iron chain tied to the human pig. The fire was very strong, and it was sizzling loudly. The subordinates were very strong, and no one cried. Many of them couldn't help laughing. The wind was very strong, and the ashes were scattered all over the ground. Quanzhong died peacefully.

After executing Zhu Wen, the sage took the Jade Road and the team continued to set out. After leaving Duanmen, the vassal soldiers and officials of the princes continued to join the officials and ceremonial guards. Looking down from the sky above Luoyang, it was like streams merging into a river, and more like evil children and rebellious children returning to their parents' orders and family rules.

……

It is said that "Zhuanxu obtained it and placed it in the Xuan Palace; Yuqiang obtained it and placed it at the North Pole."

The emperor sits facing south, and the north is the most respected. The princes, ministers, and scholars sit facing east and west to the south of the emperor, so serving the monarch is also called facing north.

The emperor's father is heaven and his mother is earth, so an altar for offering sacrifices to his father is set up in the south of the capital. This is to show that one faces north and serves God, and that heaven is superior and earth is secondary. This is how the south of heaven and the north of earth are.

According to Confucian classics, the sky is round and the earth is square. Therefore, the altar for worshipping the earth is square, so it is called the Altar of the Earth. The altar for worshipping the sky is a perfect circle, so it is called the Altar of Heaven and the Round Mound. What is a mound? It has ups and downs and layers.

How many floors? Four floors.

Archaeology shows:

The circumference of a circle is about 53 meters. This is where the constellations are placed.

The two circles are 40 meters in size, with five stars, Beichen, Beidou, Tianyi, Taiyi, Ziwei and the following fifty-five constellations.

The three circles are 28 meters long and represent the Five Emperors, the Sun God, and the Moon God.

The circle is about 20 meters, and God enjoys it alone. But he will choose an ancestor to sit under the seat facing east and west, and eat with him.

Why not sit west and face east?
Zhaomu. On the altar, God sits in the north and faces south, so the left is west and the right is east, and the ancestors sit in the east. This time, Li Yuan and his son were paired together, Li Yuan in the east and Li Shimin in the west. The entire altar has a height difference of about two meters per circle.

According to the Record of Suburban Sacrifices of the Zhenyuan Period, twelve evenly spaced paths were opened on each level according to the method of dividing a circle, and they were named Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, and Hai according to the twelve zodiac animals. In addition, according to the principles of yin and yang, and monarch and minister, the Zi step was in the north, the Wu step was in the south, and the emperor ascended the altar from the Wu step.

The four layers combined form twelve ladders to heaven.

Each floor is decorated with flags.

"Tongdian" says: "The vast primordial energy is called Haotian, and the distant view of the vast sky is called Cangtian." The four-round flag of God is dark blue.

The color of the imperial land is yellow.

The Five Emperors are true to their nature.

In addition, there are also music hangings, burning altars, burial pits, dance teams, cauldrons and food places, and washstands outside the round mound. The music hangings refer to the formation of the musicians, the display of musical instruments, and the changes in the team when singing. The burial pit is the pit where the sacrifices are buried alive or dead. The dance team is divided into civil dance and martial dance. One dance, two dances...

In short, it is very particular and complicated, so I won’t say much.

Except that the round hill was newly built temporarily, it looked less ancient and weathered, and the configuration was in place. What was even more rare was that the princes participated in the ceremony, and the vassal army served as the procession, guards, and guards of honor, watching the whole ceremony. It was not only an opportunity to swear an oath of legality, authority, and destiny, but also conducive to promoting mutual feelings, status concepts, and political mutual trust. This was the first time since the difficult times.

……

On August 23rd of the second year of Qianning, the cold moon cast a faint light.

In the dark night, torches were like clouds. The central army, foreign army, Uighurs, Tubo... Yiwu, Weizhou, Chengde, Hezhong, Hunan, Jing, Kui... more than 20,000 good-looking, tall, and stable-charactered warriors selected by the princes sat on the ground to the east, west, and south of the round hill.

Dark clouds press down on the city, threatening to destroy it; armor shines like silver scales towards the moon.

In the distance, a large group of Qianniu, officials, and female imperial concubines came galloping to carry out Zhongyan and the Foreign Affairs Office. After confirming that everything was normal, some stayed and the rest returned to report.

Soon, the welcoming team came into view. They were densely packed with men and women wearing golden masks and bear skins, dressed in bright red, black, white, and colorful clothes, carrying musical instruments, shaking their heads, dancing, and slowly approaching.

The soldiers looked up, then fell silent again or whispered to each other, sensing that something had sneaked in nearby. As the welcoming team approached, the torches on both sides of the road began to jump, tilt, and shake in a certain direction. It was unclear whether it was caused by the airflow caused by the movement of people or controlled by someone.

"There really is a ghost." A warrior looked around and subconsciously touched the handle of the knife.

"Shh... don't talk, stay away..."

"Haha, let me tell you, it really exists. I have seen it."

"Have you seen it again?"

"Really? My hometown..."

"Stop, stop talking, I'm afraid of this."

"speak!"

"Shh...the expressions, clothes, and songs of these people...are really scary...let's not talk about it anymore."

"Boom!" The dull tones of the thunder drums and gourds turned into a rapid and noisy sound, and a dozen black-clad female musicians holding eight-hole flutes began to play solo. Immediately, dozens of pairs of jade hands quickly slid the pipa, and the pipa girls tilted their heads slightly, closed their eyes, or squinted, and played enchantingly.

The soldiers who were whispering and bragging to each other looked on, their voices becoming quieter.

When the team reached the hill, the music stopped.

After a while, a carriage drove quickly into Wubi Road.

Si Tu stood on the carriage holding a large flag with Zhu Wen's head on it. When he got closer, he stopped the carriages and horses, got off the carriage, strode to the round hill, and stuck the flagpole next to the burning altar. He glanced at the Weiwei, Guanglu and other subordinates, as well as the dancers, musicians, and censors who had arrived in advance. Seeing him, everyone reminded each other to stand up, keeping a straight posture and a serious expression.

Then he returned the same way.

The sound of the imperial procession could be heard from the outside.

The saint parted ways with the officials.

Led by Prime Minister Zheng Yanchang and Si Tu, who was in charge of preparing the sacrifice, hundreds of civil and military officials and princes went to the entrance of Qiudong Maobi Road.

The saint had a dead look on his face as he led the concubine Shu who was in charge of offering sacrifices, the virtuous concubine who was in charge of cleaning, and several female concubines who were in charge of fasting into the ceremonial procession leading to the entrance of the noon road.

The roadside was lit with torches, and the guards supported themselves with one hand and held a sharp weapon with the other. Behind them were an endless number of trusted soldiers sitting on the ground.

"Deng Ge! Quiet!"

"Boom, boom..." The drums sounded.

"Du..." The horn sound came second.

"Dang..." The clear and elegant sound of the chimes came into my ears.

The sage walked with his sword in hand. The soldiers on both sides looked up and followed his steps. When the sage was about to reach them, they stood up. When the sage passed by, they sat down again.

Concubine Shu felt dizzy, extremely happy, yet so nervous that her heart was beating wildly.

When I married Li Qi in Shu, I never thought that he would become the emperor and be where I am today.

The expression of Concubine Xian was abnormal. Such a complicated process, various rituals, music, systems, and customs, everywhere demonstrated the superiority of heaven and earth, the order of yin and yang, the resonance between heaven and man, the law of nature and human relations, and the majesty of patriarchal law.

If you don’t climb a high mountain, you don’t know how high the sky is. If you don’t stand by a deep stream, you don’t know how thick the earth is. Only by being in it can you realize how righteous orthodoxy is and how heavy the Nine Cauldrons are.

During the three hundred years of the Holy Tang Dynasty, there were many rebels and traitors, the capital was captured several times, and the emperor fled several times. It was unprecedented, but he always managed to survive and survive life-and-death situations time and time again. Why is this? Is it a manifestation of authority, sacredness, orthodoxy, and the virtues of ancestors?

Of course it is. Qin, Han, Wei, Jin, Zhao, Qin, Yan, Wei, Song, Qi, Liang, Chen, Eastern and Western Wei, Zhou, Qi, and Sui, which dynasty or surname's prestige, popular support, sacredness, and orthodox appeal can withstand so many blows and heavy losses.

Magic.

The virtuous concubine couldn’t quite figure it out, so she simply stopped thinking about it and focused on the ceremony.

She stared at the saint's back, her lips curled up slightly, looking very happy and proud.

Make a lot of money.

That was the most correct decision my father ever made.

……

Two hundred steps later, the saint and his entourage arrived at the entrance of Wubi Road.

"Please sweep the floor, Concubine Xian." the usher shouted.

what?
Can I go first?
Even though she was mentally prepared, Concubine Xian was still extremely flustered.

This step should have been taken by Sikong, but Li Keyong was not here, and now it was his daughter who carried it out by mistake. What the hell...

"Don't be afraid." The saint encouraged her.

All right. Concubine Xian nodded, took a deep breath, and followed the guide to the Mao Road to clean up the mess.

The mound is really high.

The virtuous concubine followed the usher up the long and mysterious ladder with flying flags and surrounded by smoke, which seemed endless to climb, and headed towards the throne of God at the highest point.

Under the gaze of tens of thousands of people.

Step by step.

Every step she took made her feel a mixture of sacredness, solemnity, awe, and excitement, all growing wildly like weeds.

"Boom..."

A variation of the drumbeat.

what?
The virtuous concubine quickly focused all her attention, carefully raised her head, and let her eyes climb along the steps all the way to the depths.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of a crowd of people moving "below the mountain".

She saw altars within circles and twelve paths leading to heaven.

She saw a vast sea of fire and a woman in red who looked eerie and terrifying in the dim morning light and white mist.

She saw red lacquered shrines covered with inscriptions, like stars surrounding the sun and the moon, and the princes guarding the emperor, standing collectively and orderly on a four-story round platform, like a huge open-air ancestral hall.

She saw the flagpole with Zhu Wen's name on it.

At last.

She saw the throne. It was similar to the throne that the saints in Penglai Palace usually sat on. There was a desk in front of the throne. It was shrouded in the hazy mist and light of morning fog, smoke, candles, lights, the waning moon, and the dawn. Wherever she looked, it was black, red, and white, blurry, colorful and bizarre.

Under his seat, there is one on the left and one on the right, facing east and west, like a pair of brothers serving their father, or a father and son respecting their grandfather.

The sense of déjà vu created by the Three Gods’ Seats is like three generations of father, son, and grandson, three awakened ghosts. Summoned by the “Yuhe Law”, they descended on the round hill and sat down in the mist, waiting to enjoy the kneeling worship of their descendants, chewing and drinking the blood, wine and meat tributes offered by them…

Zhu Xiewusi's eyes were dull and his mind was blank.

Along with the sharp shouts of the eunuchs, the shrill screams of livestock being slaughtered, and the strong, fresh smell of blood and stench that drifted into the nose due to the wind, the gurgling and crackling of the boiling water in the cauldron and the burning firewood, the singing and music suddenly became louder.

A cold wind blew.

She seemed to be possessed by evil spirits, and prostrated herself on the ground in front of the center seat, her tone filled with deep fear and trembling: "God, Ancestor..."

(End of this chapter)