Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty: Please say long live His Majesty

Chapter 149: Exchange with Zheng Clan of Xingyang (Part )

On the second day of the first lunar month, Li Chengqian got up early and followed the emperor to the southern suburbs of Chang'an.

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.

This day is the day when the emperor offers sacrifices to heaven and earth.

……

The wilderness was desolate and the sky and earth were cold and solemn.

Under the Circular Mound, dozens of officials in red and purple stood solemnly.

Li Chengqian was wearing a light yellow round-necked robe with nine pythons and nine emblems, and a nine-beam crown on his head. He stood at the front of the ministers with a solemn expression.

Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Yang Shidao, Cen Wenben, Liu Li, Hou Junji, Guo Xiaoke, Chang He, Su Dingfang and other civil and military officials stood behind Li Chengqian.

In front of everyone was a four-story round altar covered with white plaster, with countless densely packed flags fluttering in all directions.

This is the Circular Mound Temple of Heaven.

On the altar in front of him, there are four circular layers with twelve steps on each layer, and the twelve steps are evenly distributed around the circular altar according to the twelve zodiac signs.

Just like the twelve hours, they are 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 and are east and west respectively.

……

Countless thousands of ox guards stood around the Circular Mound with flags waving.

Thirty-six officials from the Ministry of Rites quickly walked to the different emperor's positions on each floor, lowered their hands naturally, and then bowed their heads solemnly.

The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Heavenly Khan Li Shimin, was dressed in a scarlet and yellow dragon robe, holding a black sheathed sword in his hand, and then walked up to the Circular Mound step by step.

On the third floor, Yu Jian, the Minister of Rites, and Li Daozon, the Minister of Rites, stood on both sides.

When the emperor stepped onto the throne, Yu Jian and Li Daozong simultaneously announced, "The emperor is offering sacrifices at the Circular Mound, and all the ministers bow in respect."

Li Chengqian, the other ministers under the Circular Mound, the ceremonial guards and music in the distance, all knelt on the ground at this moment.

Li Daozon took a step forward and respectfully handed a square piece of white jade the size of his palms to Li Shimin, and then he and Yu Jian retreated to the back.

As soon as the emperor stepped onto the top of the Circular Mound, his vision suddenly broadened. Looking up, he saw the vast sky like a canopy, and looking down, he could see the fertile plains of Guanzhong.

The emperor withdrew his gaze and looked at the tablet of "Haotian God" in front of him. Then, he held the white square jade disk in both hands and placed it respectfully on the altar.

In an instant, countless sacrifices, jades, silks and other offerings were thrown into a burning altar in the southeast corner of the altar, and then quickly burned.

Immediately, a thick white smoke rose up and rushed straight into the sky.

The fireworks rose to the sky, and the Emperor of Heaven and all the gods enjoyed it together.

……

Li Shimin stood at the mouth of the altar and read the sacrificial text he had written word by word: "... This is the legacy of the Nine Temples, and the blessing of millions of people. As a minister, how can I refrain from this responsibility? We were once in danger of invasion, and I have long since expressed my gratitude. Today, the world is at peace, and we are in the long run. I respectfully offer sacrifices of jade and silk, and various offerings, hoping that you will pray for the sacrifices and burn incense, and offer my sincere tribute. Emperor Gaozu Wu deserves the divine intervention, and I will enjoy the feast!"

The emperor finished reading and then bowed deeply.

Suddenly, the world was silent.

The next moment, Li Chengqian and all the officials in the four fields kowtowed at the same time and shouted in unison: "Enjoy the feast! Enjoy the feast! Enjoy the feast!"

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

The ministers kowtowed again and said, "May Your Majesty live forever, and may the Tang Dynasty live forever. Long live Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty."

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

Solemn and sacred.

Li Chengqian knelt below with his lips tightly pursed.

Today, the one standing there is his father, the emperor. Then one day in the future, he will be the one standing there to offer sacrifices to God.

……

The southern suburbs offer sacrifices to heaven mainly to Haotian, supplemented by Huangdi.

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

The same sacrificial ceremony is arduous and complicated.

But fortunately, we all got up very early in the morning and it was basically over by noon.

The emperor did not return to the palace directly, but went to Taiyi Qinghua Temple in Jinchangfang.

Nine-foot red door, six-foot black tripod.

Li Shimin looked up and saw the five characters "Taiyi Qinghua Temple" painted in gold on a black background. He felt an inexplicable calmness in his heart.

In previous years, when I went to the Buddhist temple, I heard a lot of noise, but the Taoist temple can make people feel peaceful.

"In Qinghua Temple, purple mist lingers around the Leo constellation, while the Compassionate Taiyi offers nectar and willow trees to save all living beings." Li Shimin turned sideways to look at Master Wencao, the Taoist priest of Louguan, and nodded with satisfaction, saying, "The Daoist sect saves the world, and the Taiyi savior is worthy of their reputation."

"Your Majesty, thank you for your compliment." Yin Wencao, dressed in a purple Taoist robe, flicked his whisk and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, please."

The emperor nodded, then stepped into the Taiyi Qinghua Temple. There were not many people in the temple at the moment, and some places were even still doing finishing work. However, one look at it and you could tell that it would only take three to five days.

The emperor didn't care. From Taiyi Jiuku Hall to Sanguan Hall, and then to Sanqing Hall, the emperor burned incense and paid his respects at every point.

Walking out of the Sanqing Hall, Li Shimin saw a man wearing a white Taoist robe standing under a bell tower.

"Master Sun!" The emperor walked forward in surprise, nodded slightly at Sun Simiao, and asked, "Why are you here?"

"Your Majesty!" Sun Simiao clasped his hands and saluted to the emperor, then said: "After the Taiyi Qinghua Temple opens, it will provide free medical treatment to the people of Chang'an for a year. I may come to see it occasionally, so I came here in advance to familiarize myself with it." "If the real person comes here, this place will truly be a famous temple in the world." Li Shimin couldn't help laughing.

He knew that if Sun Simiao even came here once, the people of Chang'an would raze the place to the ground.

Li Chengqian took a half step forward and bowed, saying, "Father, thanks to the donations from the palace, there's still some money left over from the temple renovations. So, I've taken it upon myself to use the extra money to craft this bronze bell. This way, I can start each day by listening to this special bell at dawn and dusk."

The bell sounded special, and Li Shimin looked up at the bell tower.

He understood what Li Chengqian meant. This bell tower was actually built with clothes from the palace, and even some of the queen's clothes donated.

In this way, every time the bell rang, it was equivalent to the queen's voice resounding throughout Chang'an.

Even spread to the public.

The emperor sighed softly, looked at Li Chengqian, and said, "The prince is thoughtful."

"This is what I, your son, should do." Li Chengqian bowed solemnly.

Li Shimin withdrew his gaze, turned to look at Sun Simiao, and asked, "Master, how are the preparations for the Crown Prince going?"

"It's progressing smoothly. It's spring, maybe March." Sun Simiao nodded.

Li Shimin turned to look at Yin Wencao and asked, "Master, when will the Taoist temple open?"

"March 15th." Li Chengqian and Yin Wencao spoke at the same time.

Li Shimin was slightly stunned, then nodded and said, "That day will be fine. On March 16th, the Master will treat the Crown Prince."

"Here!" Everyone raised their hands in unison.

March 15th is the birthday of Empress Wende.

The emperor and Li Chengqian had to come again to pay homage and pray for Empress Changsun's blessing.

This is especially true for Li Chengqian.

……

It was already afternoon when the emperor returned to the palace.

Soon, the emperor quickly distributed the delicacies prepared in the palace and a large amount of silk and satin to the homes of all officials who were participating in the sacrifice to heaven and earth today.

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

Li Chengqian walked into the Yiqiu Palace of the Eastern Palace from outside. Zheng Rentai, his wife Cui, his son Zheng Xuanguo, and his daughter Zheng Shuang'er all stood up and said, "Your Highness!"

"No need to be so polite." Li Chengqian nodded to Zheng Rentai and said, "I should have been back before noon, but I went to Taiyi Qinghua Temple, so I was delayed a little."

"There are so many things going on today, so a little delay is normal." Zheng Rentai saluted politely.

"Originally, my father-in-law should have gone with us. I don't know why, but my father didn't call him." Li Chengqian said the word "father-in-law" easily. Zheng Rentai's expression immediately eased. He shook his head and smiled, saying, "Your Majesty has his own thoughts, and they are not something we can easily guess."

Li Chengqian nodded, walked to Zheng Shuang'er's side and sat down, and took her pulse.

Zheng Rentai looked at Li Chengqian in surprise and said, "Your Highness knows medicine?"

"I learned a little bit while I was recuperating." Li Chengqian briefly explained, then looked at Zheng Shuang'er and said, "Did my beloved eat too much today?"

"I don't know why, but I have such a big appetite." Zheng Shuang'er's cheeks suddenly turned red with embarrassment.

"In fact, it's better to eat more." Li Chengqian looked at Cui with a smile and nodded, "What do you think, mother-in-law?"

"That's right." Cui smiled with satisfaction. They were very satisfied with Li Chengqian's attitude towards Zheng Shuang'er.

Li Chengqian then looked at Zheng Xuanguo and asked, "Brother, are you still with the Right Thousand Oxen Guard?"

"Yes!"

"I wonder if you are interested in working as a clerk and military officer in Prince Han's Palace. After two years, you can be directly transferred to the position of Chief Clerk of Shangzhou. If you make achievements, you can be transferred to the positions of Zhongshu Sheren and Jieshi Zhong." Li Chengqian told them about the future arrangements for Zheng Xuanguo that he had carefully considered.

Zheng Rentai reacted quickly: "Your Highness, do you not want Dalang to stay in Qianniu Guard anymore?"

"You can continue to stay, but it is not good for your career. It is better to go to the local area to make achievements, and then be transferred back to Chang'an. In this way, some of the gaps in between can be easily bridged." Li Chengqian nodded seriously.

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Zheng Rentai couldn't help but bow slightly to Li Chengqian. He could clearly see Li Chengqian's intentions.

Unless Zheng Xuanguo can become a General of the Thousand Oxen Guards in the next ten years, it would be better for him to be transferred to another place.

The last two positions, Zhongshu Sheren and Jieshi Zhong, were both close ministers to the emperor, and were much higher than Qianniu Weilangjiang.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Zheng Xuanguo also bowed.

"No need to be so polite, we are all family." Li Chengqian smiled and waved his hand.

Zheng Rentai looked at Li Chengqian and said, "Your Highness is very busy in the Eastern Palace. Is there anything the Zheng family of Xingyang can help with?"

"You're too polite, father-in-law." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "As for help, I do have a favor to ask... I've heard that the Zheng family has quite a few ancient books on farming handed down from the Han, Wei, and Jin dynasties."

"Farming?" Zheng Rentai was slightly stunned.

"That's right, farming is the best." Li Chengqian nodded seriously.

"That's not difficult." Zheng Rentai nodded slowly.

"In that case, thank you very much, father-in-law." Li Chengqian couldn't help laughing.

……

At Cheng'en's gate, Li Chengqian sent the Zheng family away, and then sent Zheng Shuang'er back to Yi Qiu Palace. At this time, he hurried towards Yichun Palace.

As soon as he entered the hall, everyone stood up and saluted.

"Your Highness, we are honored to see you." Su Shu, her mother Feng, her younger brother Su Gui, her cousins ​​Su Jun, Su Gan, Su Yu, and her cousin Su Yi all bowed together.

(End of this chapter)