New Year's Eve has passed, and time has entered the eleventh year of Orthodoxy.
In principle, the first to fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year are holidays, but because there are so many sacrificial activities, it is difficult for officials to take all these holidays.
The emperor wanted to worship heaven and earth, the sun and the moon, mountains and rivers, and also his ancestors...
Not only officials have to participate in these activities, but also the royal descendants are no exception.
For example, at this time, Zhu Jinghong had already finished dressing and was going to attend the worship ceremony at the Shizu Mausoleum.
Zhu Jinghong just walked out of Chengmingyuan, and by chance he met Baochai and Xiangyun.
"See Thirteenth Master!"
Before the two men knelt down, Zhu Jinghong waved his hand and said: "No gifts, no gifts!"
"Where are you going?"
Just listen to Xiangyun's reply: "The Queen's grace has given us three days' leave!"
"I see...it's the Chinese New Year, so you should be allowed a few days off!"
Just when Zhu Jinghong was about to say a few more words, Yu Hai reminded him: "Thirteenth Master, let's leave quickly, the Lord is still waiting!"
Nodding, Zhu Jinghong said to Baochai and the others: "You have a safe trip, I'll take my leave first!"
"Thirteenth Master, walk slowly!" The two girls followed and saluted.
After Zhu Jinghong left, Xiangyun took Baochai and continued eastward. After a while, they left the palace through Donghua Gate.
Seeing Xiang Yun's expression of joy, Baochai couldn't help but ask: "Girl, not long after you entered the palace, you have returned home like an arrow?"
This was originally a casual question from Baochai, but Xiangyun said with emotion: "When I was at home, I always felt that the elders were strict. I thought that one day when I grow up, I can leave them earlier... But I have been away from home for a month. But I miss them so much!”
"Now that I think about it carefully, the elders' strict control is really for my own good!"
After hearing this, Baochai smiled and said: "If you think like this... you have grown up!"
The two chatted like this, quickly left Donghua Gate, and continued walking to Dong'an Gate.
Outside Dong'an Gate, Xue Pan was already waiting with his servants, looking eagerly in the direction of the palace gate.
"Uncle, the girl is here!" Ying'er shouted happily, and then rushed to catch up.
At the same time, some people from the Shi family were also heading towards the palace gate.
After leaving the palace gate, Baochai said a few words to Xiangyun before they went back with their families.
Inside the sedan, Baochai was thinking about things at home, but he heard Xue Pan say from outside: "Sister, I used to come to pick you up, and Lian Er came up to rush me. Now that he has a princess, he doesn't like us anymore." !”
Jia Lian didn't come today, so Baochai naturally noticed it. "Brother, please don't say this to others. After all, we are two different families. We are here out of friendship but not out of duty. How can we be resentful because of this!"
"Sister...Brother, I never felt resentful. I wish he wouldn't come!"
"Every time I come here, I worry about this and that. It annoys me to death!"
After hearing this, Baochai couldn't help but joked: "You are right. When Brother Lian comes to play with you, there is no time when you don't go there happily!"
Pulling the reins, trying to keep level with Baochai's sedan, Xue Pan continued: "Sister... you are wrong, now the second brother Lian has become a candidate for the Dragon Guard, and he hasn't come to play with me for a long time! "
"He is so ambitious. Brother, you should learn from Brother Lian!"
Baochai had a good impression of Jia Lian and could not help but use him to admonish his brother.
"Sister, am I not making progress anymore? I haven't handled the Thirteenth Master's errands properly!" Xue Pan was quite dissatisfied.
Inside the sedan, Baochai smiled and said, "Of course that would be better!"
Soon they returned to the mansion. This was Baochai's first time entering the capital's mansion.
Compared with Jinling Xue Family and Rongguo Mansion, this place is obviously much smaller, but there are also three main courtyards and two cross-courtyards on the left and right, so it is no problem for a family of three to live there.
Aunt Xue was currently in the inner house, standing under the eaves and staring at the door outside, refusing to leave despite the maid's persuasion.
"The girl is back!"
Hearing the news outside, Aunt Xue immediately smiled and walked towards the courtyard. The next moment Baochai walked in surrounded by the girls.
"Mother, how do you..."
Before Baochai finished speaking, her mother-in-law said, "Baby girl, I hope you are back!"
"Daughter pays homage to mother!" Baochai knelt down to salute.
However, Aunt Xue supported her and said at the same time: "It's cold outside, don't worry about these false courtesy, let's go in and talk!"
After entering the house, Baochai formally saluted her mother. Aunt Xue couldn't help but accepted it. She was very happy that her daughter was filial to her.
"For so many years, you brothers and sisters have always been by my side. Now that you have been away from home for a long time, you don't think it's a big deal on weekdays... At the end of the year, Mom always feels empty in her heart!"
"Now that you are back, my mother will feel at ease!"
Every word in her words was full of Aunt Xue's love for her daughter, and Baochai also had tears in her eyes when she heard it.
Although she has a tough character, is well-educated, and is polite and prudent, she is only a fifteen-year-old girl who has just entered high school in modern times.
"How long will it take for you to come back this time?"
"The queen has granted three days' leave!"
"Only three days? Alas... something is better than nothing!" Aunt Xue looked regretful.
Seeing that his mother was not very happy, Baochai said: "When I come back this time, my mother has given me many things. Mother, please come with me to see them!"
After saying that, regardless of whether her mother wanted to or not, Baochai took her to the side room, where the girl had already placed her "luggage".
Aunt Xue was originally not very interested, but when she saw Baochai being given a first-class crown and the royal gift, she started laughing from ear to ear.
First-grade crown uniform, you must know that the old lady of Rongguo Mansion is only a first-grade crown uniform.
When Aunt Xue was happy, the emperor led his ministers and officials on a grand march out of the imperial city.
In order to ensure the safety of the emperor's travels, the Beijing camp and the guards went directly to the army, each dispatching tens of thousands of troops and retinues, and the five-city military and horse divisions were mobilized at full strength.
Everything within five miles in front and three miles of the emperor's dragon chariot was in a vacuum state to ensure absolute safety.
In the villages and towns encountered along the way, regardless of the status of the people involved, those who can breathe must be moved out of the warning range.
Under this kind of vigilance, it was absolutely impossible to assassinate the king and kill Jia with human power, but Zhu Jinghong was still worried.
After all, the White Lotus Sect in Beijing was being cut like weeds, so he couldn't help but worry about this trip.
In addition to offering sacrifices to the ancestral mausoleums today, the next step is to offer sacrifices to heaven, earth, mountains and rivers, but according to the practice of previous years, the emperor should have asked the prince to do it for him.
Logically speaking, worshiping heaven and earth should be placed first, and the emperor should be present in person, but in Zhu Xianming's case, it was completely reversed.
It can also be seen from this how much Zhu Xianming respected his grandfather and placed him directly in front of heaven and earth.
"But this great ancestor suppressed the turmoil and rebuilt China. He completely transformed the southwest and conquered all the chieftains in Tibet and all the tribes in the north..."
"The establishment of the four major capitals of Qinghai, Anxi, Anbei, and Andong strengthened the imperial court's control over the surrounding areas, and also promoted the reform of the land in these places. He is simply the strongest man in history..."
It is not an exaggeration to say that this thirty-five-year reigning experience is as good as cheating. Even if the current emperor has done well enough, he is still far behind compared to Shizu.
Thinking of this, Zhu Jinghong couldn't help but sigh: "It's no wonder...the old man respects the ancestors so much. As a descendant who inherits his career, he will naturally be honored!!"
(End of chapter)
