Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 145 New Year’s Day Meeting
Today is New Year's Day.

This New Year's Day is also known as the Three Beginnings, which is considered the beginning of the year, the beginning of the time, and the beginning of the month. In the ancient people's time sequence, it has a strong symbolic meaning.

The New Year in the palace was a solemn yet busy scene.

According to the regulations of the Ministry of Rites, the New Year's Day court assembly was held in the Hanyuan Hall of the Daming Palace.

This hall is a palace structure with three gate towers. The hall sits on a three-tiered platform, which is 15 meters high, 77 meters long from east to west, and 43 meters wide from north to south. The main hall has eleven bays. In front of it are the Xiangluan Pavilion and the Qifeng Pavilion, which are built in the form of a three-tiered mother-and-child gate tower, with a tall brick platform below.

Flanking the main hall are the bell and drum towers, and below the hall is a 75-meter-long dragon tail path that spirals upwards along the platform wall. The entire complex is shaped like a giant "U". Magnificent and awe-inspiring, it is a symbol of imperial power and a national emblem of the Tang Dynasty.

Later palaces were also influenced by this.

At this time, the hall was decorated with ritual music, precious jade from various dynasties, carriages, and so on.

At dawn, all the civil and military officials, as well as foreign envoys, lined up according to their rank and position to wait, with candles illuminating the surroundings. This was actually quite significant, as this procession was known as the "Fire City."

It is said: Thousands of officials gaze upon Chang'an, and ten thousand nations pay homage to Hanyuan.

It is also said: The palace gates open to the heavens, and the officials of all nations bow before the emperor.
Before long, Li Longji, dressed in imperial robes, arrived at Hanyuan Hall with the Empress in a carriage. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he ascended the steps one by one.

The ceremony began with the birthday offerings from Crown Prince Li Ying and other officials, followed by a memorial from Zhang Jiazhen, the Grand Secretary, to the local governments, a report from Wang Qiu, the newly appointed Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, on auspicious omens, a report from the Minister of Revenue on tributes from various prefectures, and a report from Han Xiu, the Vice Minister of Rites, on tributes from various foreign tribes, and so on.

Li Longji, with his hand on his sword, stood in the incense-filled hall, his gaze sweeping over the many officials before him and reaching the distant horizon—where the first rays of sunlight burst forth under the glow of dawn, and shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" echoed across the sky.

It must be said that Li Longji's handsome appearance at this moment was one with the empire.

That's how an emperor of an empire should be.

Perfect.

The ceremony thus came to an end.

Next, according to custom, a banquet should have been held in Hanyuan Hall to entertain officials and foreign guests. However, this year it has been changed to a charity banquet, and a Tang opera will also be performed.

Therefore, after the ceremony, the prime minister and foreign guests, guided by the eunuchs, went to the Linde Hall.

Built during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang (1661-1665), this hall uses 192 pillars and has a platform that is 130 meters long from north to south and more than 80 meters wide from east to west. It consists of three groups of halls: front, middle and rear, with eleven bays in width and seventeen bays in depth, covering a total building area of ​​12300 square meters.

It was a palace specifically for the emperor to host banquets for his officials, watch acrobatic performances and dances, conduct Buddhist ceremonies, and receive foreign dignitaries.

Of course, this was no ordinary banquet. Once there, one could simply sit down and eat. Ministers and envoys were only guided by eunuchs to stand beside their seats.

However, it wasn't completely silent. The Tang Dynasty's system wasn't that strict; people around them were still chatting, and the atmosphere was quite relaxed.

After a while, Li Longji, who had changed into his everyday clothes, arrived at the palace accompanied by the three prime ministers, Zhang Yue, Zhang Jiazhen, and Yuan Qianyao.

The Empress and her female relatives went to the private seats behind the curtain. They usually stayed separately, but because it was a charity banquet, only one group of people were performing, so the Empress and the female guests could only watch from there.

Everyone immediately bowed.

"No need for such formalities, gentlemen."

Li Longji looked around and saw that to the left of the head of the table were the Turks, Khitans, and Silla, while to the right were the envoys from Greater and Lesser Bolu. The Japanese, who had sent gifts first, were only in the second seat.

However, for them, this is already the best seat.

They might not have been invited before.

"Where is the Tibetan envoy?"

Li Longji suddenly asked.

The Tibetan envoy, Qiernan, who happened to be behind Li Longji, immediately said, "Tibetan envoy Qiernan pays respects to Your Majesty of the Great Tang Dynasty."

Li Longji turned around and asked, "Why was the Tibetan envoy seated in the second seat?"

Li Linfu, who had been waiting for an opportunity to act, immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, since today is a charity banquet, the seating arrangements are mainly based on donations, not on rank."

"is it?"

Li Longji chuckled and said, "Tibetan envoy, did you Tibetans spend all your money on war and not even have enough to donate for a good seat?"

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

The envoy from Little Bolu, in particular, laughed the loudest.

Li Longji was alluding to the recent invasion of Little Bolu by the Tibetans, which resulted in a crushing defeat by several thousand Tang soldiers.

As the emperor of the empire, Li Shimin was not actually that magnanimous, and he often teased foreign envoys.

Li Longji is in high spirits now, having won many battles. If we don't make a few jokes, the show will just lose some of its flavor.

A fierce glint flashed in Shang Gongbu's eyes, but he dared not be arrogant in front of the emperor.

After everyone had finished laughing, Qier Nan said, "Your Majesty of the Great Tang Dynasty, our Tubo is a vast and resourceful land with strong and powerful people and horses. Even if we are in difficulty, we are not so poor that we cannot even afford this little bit of money. The reason why I am seated in the second seat is out of courtesy."

Li Longji asked with a smile, "Is that so? Then tell me about it."

Qier Nan looked at the Turkic envoy Dunshan and said, "The Turks and the Tang Dynasty are like father and son, while our Tibet and the Tang Dynasty are like uncle and nephew. According to etiquette, we should not sit at the same table with you."

Two years ago, after the Turkic Khan won a war against the Tang Dynasty, he did not press his advantage but instead sought peace and formally recognized Emperor Xuanzong of Tang as his father.

During the reign of Songtsen Gampo, the Tibetan Empire and the Tang Dynasty were also related as father and son.

However, after Princess Jincheng entered Tibet, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang became the brother-in-law of the Tibetan king, thus changing their relationship to that of uncle and nephew.

Emperor Xuanzong chuckled a few times and then asked, "How is Princess Jincheng?"

Qier Nan hurriedly replied, "The princess is dignified, generous, virtuous, and deeply respected by the people of Tibet. Everything is fine."

"That's good!" Emperor Xuanzong waved his hand and said, "Guards, elevate the Tibetan envoy to the seat of honor."

"As ordered."

"Thank you, Your Majesty of the Great Tang," said the beggar from the south.

Shang Gongbu's lips curled up slightly, his eyes filled with smugness.

Check it out!

Who dares to look down on Tibet?

However, Qiernan knew that this was Li Longji's intention.

First, Tibet was relegated to a secondary position, while Greater and Lesser Bolu were placed above it. The intention was to let the other envoys know that the Tang Dynasty today ranks officials according to their relationship with the emperor. So what if Tibet is powerful? I don't take them seriously.

If Qier Nan doesn't answer this question well, Li Longji plans to let him sit in the second seat.

However, Li Longji was quite satisfied with Qier Nan's answer, and even hinted to Princess Jincheng that he should consider the Buddha's sake rather than the monk's, so he promoted him to the seat of honor, which was also to show the magnanimity of the empire.

After the seating arrangement was slightly adjusted, Li Longji took his seat and gestured for the others to take their seats as well, and everyone then sat down.

After sitting down, Li Longji said to Dunshan, "Turkic envoy, I have heard that you are well-versed in the culture of the Central Plains. A Tang opera will be performed later. I wonder if you will be able to understand it."

"Your Majesty is so complimentary."

Dun Shan said very humbly, "The culture of the Central Plains is profound and extensive. What I know is but a few stars in the morning. However, before this, my little prince and I had already read Dream of the Red Chamber and loved it very much. In particular, our little prince couldn't sleep at night. He even thought of going to the Wuming Academy to learn about this opera, but was turned away."

"is it?"

Li Longji laughed heartily and then looked at the Turkic prince.

The little prince immediately stood up and said, "Ashina pays his respects to His Majesty the Great Tang."

Seeing that the young servant had fair skin and blue eyes and was handsome, unlike the bearded Turkic brute, Li Longji felt a certain fondness for him and chuckled, "If you really want to go and see, I can have my nephew take you there. My nephew is the senior disciple of Wuming Academy, and he will be starring in the Tang play later."

There was also a hint of pride in his words.

The little prince immediately asked, "Is it the gull?"

"A guillotine?"

Li Longji was stunned.

Wang Shouyi, who was sitting nearby, quickly said, "Your Majesty, 'dog-headed vulture' is my son's nickname."

After saying that, her face turned red.

How did this Turkic prince know the name of the eagle?
Strange.

Dun Shan hurriedly said, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. My young prince once saw that young man in the West Market and heard the people of the West Market talk about his nickname, so he remembered it."

"It's alright! It's alright."

Li Longji chuckled and said, "I didn't expect Que'er to have such a nickname. I'll call him that next time too."

"what?"

The officials couldn't help but look at Li Longji with strange expressions.

Li Longji quickly coughed and said, "It's good that you know it. Next time, I'll have him take you to see the Nameless Academy."

"Thank you, Your Majesty of the Great Tang," the Turkic prince said immediately.

Just then, a man behind him said, "Your Majesty, I have a request."

Li Longji turned around and saw, "Oh, it's the envoy from Japan. What do you want to ask of me?"

Wu Zetian had already bestowed the name Japan upon it, and in formal ceremonies, it was also called Japan, but Li Longji still habitually referred to it as Wa (倭国).

Yamato Nagamine didn't mind, but mainly dared not, and respectfully said, "To be honest, Your Majesty of the Great Tang, we also really like the storytelling and Tang opera, so we want to send people to the Nameless Academy to study."

This shows how much he loves the house and its inhabitants. Li Longji was very happy and waved his hand, saying, "Come forward and talk."

"Thank you, Your Majesty of the Tang Dynasty."

Yamato Nagamine took a step forward.

Li Longji asked, "Can you understand Dream of the Red Chamber?"

Yamato Nagamine hurriedly replied, "Your subject knows a little bit about it."

Li Longji asked, "Then tell me, which character do you like the most?"

Yamato Nagamine said, "My favorite character is Lin Daiyu."

Li Longji responded with an "Oh," and then said, "Really? Then tell me the reason."

Yamato Nagamine said, "The main reason I like Lin Daiyu is that although she is frail and sickly, she is very strong-willed and does not use her frailty to gain sympathy from others. I especially admire this."

"Well said!"

Li Longji laughed heartily, "It seems you truly love Dream of the Red Chamber. Very well, I will have someone arrange it."

Upon seeing that the Tang emperor seemed to greatly admire the opera, the other envoys immediately followed suit, expressing their desire to send people to learn Tang opera.

Just as Li Longji was about to agree, he suddenly realized that the nameless academy seemed to be a private academy, not the Imperial Academy.

this..

But if the Imperial Academy didn't teach Tang opera, what kind of order would that be?

Wu Xin, standing to the side, sighed inwardly.

The Tang opera hasn't even been performed yet, and it's already like this. Are we really going to let the Imperial Academy teach Tang opera? What should we do then?

But once the words were spoken, he couldn't take them back. Li Longji suddenly looked at one person: "Prince Sipu".

"The minister is here."

Li Qiao hurriedly replied.

Li Longji said, "I'll leave this matter to you to arrange."

Li Qiao blinked.

Big brother.

How should I arrange this?

Li Longji, knowing exactly what to do, asked, "Does the Prince of Sipu have any problems?"

"My minister obeys."

Given that the foreign guests were present, Li Qiao had no choice but to agree.

(End of this chapter)