The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 242: Heavenly Ceremony and the Meeting of Princes (IV)
In every sacrifice, before dawn on the day of sacrifice, the Taiguan kills animals and the Zhushi collects blood. The meat is divided into shoulders, arms, forks, gizzards, arms, spines, and ribs, all with bones, and put into the table. The meat and blood of a whole cow, sheep, and pig is called Tailao. The rest is Shaolao, which is a little more than Shaolao.

This time, the four-round prison used hundreds of livestock.

As soon as Wu Daofu informed the virtuous concubine to go up to heaven to clean up, the imperial eunuch Yu Xun began to get busy. The stove boiled water. The buckets. The knives. The basins. The table for cutting up the body and spreading the meat. The stakes for beating the cows. The iron hammers... After everything was ready, Yu Xun took the lead and tied a cow to the stake by its nose. The cow was big, so it was difficult to kill it like a pig. If the cow was controlled like this, it would be broken by a few hammers on the top of its head.

Niu Niu sensed his fate and knelt on the ground, mooing. Yu Shen didn't care. He touched the ox's head and closed his eyes and recited quickly: "I love you, so I eat you. Killing you is the way to transcend rebirth and liberation, and to teach you not to be an animal..." Then he swung the iron hammer and hit the ox's head. Niu Niu's eyes were full of stars, and he felt his head spinning. After a few low screams, he lay on the ground and twitched.

Yu Xun gritted his teeth and continued to hit Niu Niu until Niu Niu died completely. He threw the hammer away and said, "Divide it!" Several butchers came up, untied the nose rope, dragged Niu Niu to the table next to them, skinned him, dismembered him and removed the meat. A man squatted beside the table with a basin to collect the blood.

Compared to slaughtering cows, slaughtering pigs is more noisy.

The butchers here took their positions and pressed the pigs on the table. How could the pigs submit? They struggled desperately, their cries were sharp and piercing, but there were too many butchers, so they were pressed firmly on the table.

"Bring the knife!" The chief minister shouted to his colleagues to hand over the knife.

"Give!"

The butcher pressed his elbow on the pig's head and held its mouth with his palm. He held the knife under the pig's throat with one hand and slapped it back and forth. After slapping it four or five times, he pressed a certain part of the throat with his knife hand and stabbed it with the knife. The big fat pig screamed heartbreakingly and kicked its hooves wildly. The other butchers tried their best to hold it. But the butcher's knife did not cause blood to spurt out.

The soldiers who were watching the show not far away burst into laughter: "Guanglu Zai, can you guys do it? If not, please ask us to come."

Dazai's face flushed, he pulled out the knife, and thrust it in again. Zhuzhu was in pain, and screamed even more shrilly, louder, and more mournful, but it seemed that he still hadn't done it right, and still no blood spurted out. Dazai got anxious, retracted the knife a little, and thrust it in again, tossing around in Zhuzhu's throat.

"Tsk!" The soldiers were impatient. One covered his eyes with his hands and said, "How cruel. Can you do it or not? I told you not to show off!"

"Poke along, poke along!"

"Three inches below the throat, three inches below the throat."

"The knife is sincere! Alas, you are not sincere."

"Tsk, it's not that I'm arrogant, I'm really good at what I do, the sage should appoint me to the imperial court as the prime minister."

"Poor pigs, poor sheep! I can't bear to see these things..."

Amid the noise, the steaming pig blood finally gushed out in large streams. The helper who was collecting the blood hurriedly held the wooden basin steady. After half of the basin was filled with the bright red blood, he hurriedly sent it to Zhushi, who then ascended to heaven to offer it to God and Li Yuan and his son. The pig was then carried into the boiling water barrel.

"Oh oh! It's starting to get burned!" The soldiers were delighted again.

"Leave the large intestine to me!"

"...Hey, here comes another big fat black pig. With such a domineering body...why is it better to kill a human being?"

"I've been hungry all night and I don't have much strength left."

"What's the use? Let the saint starve for a night and fight you in single combat. Do you have a chance of winning?"

"You, you, you, don't argue.

The slaughterhouse was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

"Look, the killing begins!"

"You actually used that knife-like toothpick in your hand to poke such a big guy with thick skin and flesh. It's like stabbing a pedestrian with a dagger. It's so funny!"

"Ah, it seems like I was pushed up and thrown into the air. It looks like I'm going to be arched in the crotch as well."

"…It seems like I was really pushed."

"Oh, no."

"Wait and see, maybe he'll flip over right away."

"One, two, three... Seventeen breaths, and he didn't move at all. He was rolled in the mud!"

“What the hell is this!!?”

"Haha, look, the eunuch is personally taking the lead in the battle."

"Woohoo! Ladder to Heaven! Climb the ladder to heaven! Brothers, the saint is walking up the middle ladder to heaven! Ahhhhhh! The Great Sage is so cool! God! He is a true immortal dragon!"

"Spirit..." The color range is vast, harsh, clear, like the sound of heavenly music, and the sound of the pipa is like the whistling of a strong wind sweeping through caves and mountains that can resonate.

"Dang, dang..." The unprecedentedly exciting and solemn sounds of the bells and drums were loud and clear.

The sky and the earth changed, the wind rose and the clouds surged. The sun rose in the east and set in the west, the yin and yang changed, the sun and the moon alternated, and a thin layer of blood-red eyes of the sun god had been brewing on the skyline. The refreshing morning sun passed through the flowing morning mist, quietly sprinkled on the forest, the river, and the land, forming colorful and gorgeous tyndalls in each place. The trees, the grass leaves, the air, everything in front of me seemed to be brand new.

On the noon road, the emperor, in black clothes and red skirt, held a jade sword in his hand, and walked up the stairs without tilting or slanting, neither fast nor slow.

As time goes by, the sky light with golden, white, dark purple and blue tinged in the crimson is accurately projected down from the plane of the ecliptic in the eastern sky, landing on the towering hilltops, the three seats of Zhaomu, the tablets of the gods, the flags in the sky, and the orbit of the twelve hours.

It seemed as if the brightest beam of seven rainbows just happened to shine on the emperor, illuminating him in pitch black, bright red, and shining all over, with pearls and precious stones, and dazzling colors.

The virtuous concubines, the virtuous concubines, and the other female attendants, who were following closely behind the emperor a few steps away, were still in the shadow of dawn.

A ray of light blocks the noon road.

For example, the terminator divides day and night, dusk, yin and yang, and the ruler and his subjects.

What is Yin and Yang?

The Three Bonds and the Yin and Yang. The ruler is Yang, the minister is Yin. The father is Yang, the son is Yin. The husband is Yang, the wife is Yin.

What is the relationship between ruler and subject?

Yang is the king and Yin is the minister.

“Great!”

"Great is Qian Yuan! The source of all things! Who is the most supreme? The illustrious God! Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong, who conquered Zhuolu. Only we, the saints..." A majestic singing voice sounded.

"Great!" The dancers and dancers danced passionately, with pipes in their left and feathers in their right hands, in various graceful and elegant postures.

"Great!" All the ministers and princes stood like pine trees and arrayed like the ocean, responding together with emotion, piety, chanting and a bit of sighing.

The surroundings had become completely quiet without them noticing. The soldiers had stopped their humming and sat there like a pit of terracotta warriors, looking at the Tongtian Terrace and the colorful emperor with awe, solemnity, worship, excitement, and nervousness.

May I ask God, are there immortals?
If there is, it would be like a saint, right?

They all lowered their heads, not daring to look at the dome, for fear that their eyes or blasphemous words would alarm the four great beings at the highest point.

"Stand facing west!" The voice of Taichang Qing Su Rong sounded from the dome.

The saint walked to Li Yuan's throne and stood facing Li Shimin's throne.

"Please grant me the jade!"

Luo Fu gave his Zhengui, which symbolized the status of the Li emperor, to Liu Yong, the imperial censor. Liu Yong took it and gave it to the saint along with the Dagui kept in his own department.

After putting the big jade on his body and holding the jade in his hand, Su Rong said, "Please pay your respects, Your Majesty."

The saint bowed to God, Gaozu and Taizong in turn.

After finishing, the ceremonial officer ordered: "Those in power, please bow!"

Then, except for the ceremonial attendant and the saint, everyone present worshipped the three thrones.

Then, the host switched to Su Rong: "Officials should proceed with caution."

His subordinate, Xie Lu Lang, walked to the side of the stage and gave the signal to the music department below to change the dance music. Then, he took back the flag and the dance music stopped abruptly.

"Emperor, please bow again!" Su Rong shouted again.

The saints bowed again.

"The one in power bows again."

Everyone bowed again. After the ceremony, the Grand Masters took out the jade coins from the basket and placed them side by side in front of the three gods. The saint was ordered to stand in the middle facing the gods. The Grand Master took some jade coins and handed them to him. The saint held them with a Zhengui, knelt down, prostrated himself, and asked the gods to accept the money.

"Step back a little, bow again, and stand facing east."

The saint stood up, took three steps back, bowed again, then walked to Li Shimin and stood obediently.

"Give more coins to honor the ancestors."

He took the money, walked to Li Yuan's seat, knelt down, and asked Li Yuan to accept the money.

"Withdraw slightly, bow again, stand facing west. Present coins again, and offer to Emperor Taizong."

The saint walked back and stood beside Li Yuan, then copied the process and sent living expenses to Li Er.

"The emperor has been restored to the throne. The officials respectfully offer sacrifices to the gods."

Now you can take a break.

My head was like it was filled with lead, and my mental state was like a dead person who went back to school after playing games all night in an Internet cafe, but I dared not sleep. You can imagine how tormented and painful it was. No wonder the sacrifice to the heaven is only held once every few years unless there is a special reason. Who can stand it! If it happens a few more times, there is a possibility of sudden death on the scene. I am afraid, and I feel numb when I think about the subsequent procedures.

Soon, the money deposit ceremony was over.

The following agenda is long and complex.

Following a similar process to paying money, the Saint gave wine to the three living fathers. Si Tu led the assistants to serve the food. The staple food was fresh raw liver, fat and blood of cattle, sheep and pigs slaughtered by Guanglu Temple, boiled meat, and grains. How could you eat this? It makes you want to vomit just by smelling it! After the bloody food was placed on the table in front of the throne for a while, the raw liver, raw oil, and raw grains were thrown into the charcoal stove and burned, and the cooked ones were removed.

After the saint has fulfilled his filial piety, it is Shufei's turn to offer sacrifices.

He watched in a daze. Concubine Shu was really pious, and she looked like a young wife who was frightened, nervous, and anxious: she went into the kitchen every three days, washed her hands and made soup. She didn't know her aunt's taste, so she sent her younger aunt to taste it first. This was probably the scene.

Li also felt guilty. Concubine Shu was indeed honest and virtuous. She silently endured the grievances and secretly swallowed her tears. She believed whatever the man said and never contradicted him. She would give in to him if he wanted her to. Compared with those fierce women and killers he had seen in his previous life, she was simply a different species. Hiss, why are the two buttocks so round and round? He noticed this when Concubine Shu knelt down.

Damn you, what are you thinking? Don't blaspheme. The saint immediately put away his evil thoughts.

After Concubine Shu finished her offering, Prince Ji made the final offering.

The saint thought of various things to resist the drowsiness that was coming like a tide, which would make him fall asleep as soon as he closed his eyes: "...Afu, I'm going to faint." He murmured in a low voice.

Saint, I am about to faint too. Luo Fu's consciousness became blurred, and he bit his lip and persisted.

"The Emperor bows again!" Su Rong suddenly called out.

The final offering is over! The saint was inspired and did as he was told.

"The emperor bows again!" Su Rong's voice was still powerful.

This old man has been busy these days. He didn't sleep all day and all night yesterday. He can still maintain this state now. It's awesome. The same goes for Situ, Zheng Yanchang, etc. Compared with them, I am ashamed. If he is like this at such a young age, what will happen when he is old?
"prosper."

The saint and the crowd stood up.

After this round of dance and music was over, Su Rong crossed his arms and said, "Please stand in the southeast direction."

The concubine and other "ministers" left the round hill and returned to the ranks of officials from the Central Dynasty. The sacrificial personnel also left the round hill with various gifts, meat, grains, rice, wine and other tributes to the three gods and rushed to the firewood altar, placing all these things and Zhu Wen's head on the firewood hill.

When everything was ready, six people came up holding torches.

Feng Lilang stood nearby.

On the hill, the saint appeared alone at the southeast corner of the dome, standing with his sword in hand, overlooking the crowd below. Tens of thousands of eyes were looking up. A voice seemed to come from above the clouds: "Chai Liao Gao Tian!"

Feng Li Lang suddenly shouted: "Burn! Fire and smoke are spreading across the prairie!"

"Boom!" The pile of firewood over ten feet high and in circumference was ignited, and billowing smoke and blazing flames instantly shot straight into the blue sky.

The emperor placed his hand on his sword and said goodbye without a script: "Your Majesty, your servant Ye respectfully announces--"

"The thief Huang Chao was in power, and the rivers and lakes were blocked. Henan and Hebei were filled with ghosts and monsters. The evil beasts ate people in broad daylight. All kinds of people were trembling with fear. Since he succeeded to the throne, he has been thinking about how to govern, but the wind does not stop when the tree wants to be still."

"So they gathered their troops and fought with their spears and axes."

"In the Mi Pond, catching poisonous snakes."

"Outside Changchun Palace, capture the clown."

"Without a break, the old demon in Dangshan dared to start a rebellion. It shook Guanshan and affected Xuzhou and Yunzhou. It invaded Wei and Jin in the north and looked at Jiangzuo in the south. It relied on its many demons to be domineering. Therefore, it was punished by heaven and it was attacked with all its might. It blocked the road... In the name of God, it finally killed the most cunning and expelled the evil. It recovered the old capital... Today, I respectfully report this to God. I advise you, both at home and abroad: there will be no second and third time."

After saying this, the saint looked out at the sea of people, his pupils sweeping across the happy, enthusiastic, proud, young faces.

This is my army, my wealth, my life.

I looked at the three groups of guards approaching. The colorful women, young and beautiful, each with their own beauty and talent, most of them were full of love and admiration. The ministers were dressed in red and purple, and had high-sounding titles. There were also the princes with different expressions, some melancholy, some disapproving, some praising, some humble, and some surprised. These are my Chinese and foreign concubines, my achievements.

I have already had both fish and bear's paw, the country and the beauty.

The Five Ridges are winding and rolling, the Wumeng Mountains are majestic and rolling. The water of Jinsha River is warm against the cliffs, the iron chains of Dadu Bridge are cold. I did it.

After singing along the river, I turned my head eastwards, and with profound knowledge, I helped the poor. Yesterday is history. Today is a new beginning. I will do the same. And do better.

I don’t know if this is arrogance or something else, but I won’t stop. I will walk until I reach the end of my rope and see the light at the end of the tunnel. I will run until spring comes and the world is at peace.

This land has a culture that has stood tall for thousands of years, and men and women with the most creativity, vitality, and emotions. Give it a chance to change, give it someone to redeem it, wash away the dust, and be reborn from the ashes.

Why choose the Late Tang and Five Dynasties?

Then they might also ask: Why climb the highest mountain, swim across the longest river? Why in the uncivilized Middle Ages would you rather be burned on the cross or imprisoned in the imperial prison for your own opinions?
Because I want to.

Because I can.

Deciding on a revival is not easy, but rather fraught with difficulties.

Rebuild the glory of the Holy Tang Dynasty, defend the Chinese people, and protect all universal human values such as freedom, fairness, kindness, honesty, and courage.

I am just a mayfly in the universe, a grain of sand in the vast ocean. Let me live this short and insignificant life, not to be alone and to have a clear conscience.

May God bless San Don.

May God and the saints bless the empire’s army, people, descendants, culture, and fortune.

The sun rises, the clouds and fog disperse, and the mountains and rivers of Luochuan shine with golden light.

"The firewood is half burned, the ceremony is over." The voice of the Minister of Rites Su Rong sounded as if he had been relieved. He staggered a few times and fainted. He was held in the arms of his subordinates, who watched the emperor descend along the noon road: "Great!"

"Great!" Zhao Ruxin and Yuwen Rou raised their arms and shouted. He Yuqing, Zhu Xiewusi, Chen Chen, Luo Fu, Nangong Chongyan, Wenren Chuchu, Yang Kezheng and other concubines, female imperial concubines and palace maids all shouted in unison: "Great!"

"Mighty Wu Kang! Holy Tang Bu Yang!" Wu Yiji clapped his hands, and the Wei Bo army struck their shields with swords: "Roar! Mighty Wu Kang! Holy Tang Bu Yang!"

Wang Zimei and Xiao Xiu took the lead, and the Chengde army collectively stretched out their right hands: "The merits are announced in the annals, and the hundred blessings are mine!"

“Bang, bang, bang!” The armies of Hezhong, Hunan, Jingzhou, Xiakui, and Huihu… all got excited: “Long live the Wuji!”

"Only my great sage, may he be blessed forever!" The imperial guards and officials bowed down: "Long live my sage!"

Wherever you look, you see chickens popping up in the pots and all things flourishing.

Alas! The sea can be filled and the mountains can be moved, a man's ambition should be like this.

When the current hits the water, the waves restrain the flying boat!

All the memories of these years came to mind: "Saint!" Rounu choked.

The king is proud and the beauty is crying.

This time, how can I say "Shuang"?

(End of this chapter)