In March of the 20th year of Taiyuan, Crown Prince Sima Dezong came out of the East Palace.
The East Palace, located in the southeast of the imperial city, has three gates, Chenghua Gate due south, Fenghua Gate due west, and Anyang Gate due east. In the past few days, Yang Anxuan was running back and forth between the three gates, preparing for the upcoming marriage of the prince.
The interior and exterior were re-cleaned, furnishings were replaced, doors and windows were repaired, courtyards and corridors were cleaned, door pillars were painted, repainted, damaged stone bricks were replaced; new gauze curtains were replaced, red lanterns were hung, etc.
Yang Anxuan ran around with great interest, taking the opportunity to carefully observe the architectural style of Jin Dynasty.
The historical buildings of the Jin Dynasty were completely destroyed in the war, leaving nothing behind. Archeology for later generations can only infer the architecture at that time from documents and ancient buildings in Japan and South Korea.
Standing in the square and looking at the Chongzheng Hall standing on the high platform, the lacquer tiles (tiles painted with walnut oil), gold bells, silver couplets and gold pillars are shining brightly in the sun.
The East Palace is modeled after the Taiji Hall, with the main hall Chongzheng Hall and east and west wings respectively used for the prince's political affairs and entertainment.
Yang Anxuan was full of emotion. Such a majestic and exquisite building will disappear in time and space. The building full of ancestors' wisdom was burned by the war, which made people who traveled through it feel very sad.
The person in charge of the East Palace is Prince Shaofu Wang Ya. The number of the Sixth Prince's Fu was reduced to two, the Prince's Taifu Sima Daozi and the Prince's Young Fu Wang Ya.
Wang Ya is from Tan in the East China Sea, and her ancestor is Situ Wanglang during the Cao Wei Dynasty. Of course, she was not really scolded to death by Zhuge Liang.
Officials in the East Palace are mainly divided into three types: household officers, political officers and military attachés. The household officers are the prince's family commanders, the prince's commanders and the prince's servants; the political officers are the prince's common people, the prince's ministers, the prince's horse washers and the prince's family officials; the military attachés are the prince's left, right, middle and front five guards.
Most of these officials work part-time. Xu Miao, the minister of Zhongshu, is also the envoy of the prince Zuowei, and the minister of the East Palace is a political officer.
Not long after Sima Dezong entered the East Palace, the officials were not fully equipped, so the four newly appointed East Palace attendants were also sent to help direct the eunuchs and maids to clean and repair the palace.
Wang Ya was in charge of the affairs in the East Palace and arranged the celebrations. The abilities of the several East Palace attendants were appreciated. Yang Anxuan was able to complete five of ten tasks, Yang Xin and Chu Xiuzhi were able to complete two out of ten, and Xie Hun was mainly responsible for governing by inaction.
There are only two days left for the auspicious day of the prince's wedding, and the arrangements are almost ready. Watching the sun set in the west, Wang Ya picked up the rice dumplings placed beside the table and walked out of the east chamber. The setting sun shone brilliantly.
At Chenghua Gate, red lanterns are already hanging high in the doorway. Wang Ya frowned slightly and saw Yang Anxuan rolling up his sleeves and washing the ground with a bucket. The palace servants were kneeling on the ground washing, and they seemed to be talking and laughing.
Wang Yayi frowned, as a servant of the East Palace, how could he handle lowly business with his own hands? It was unbecoming.
However, Yang Anxuan was diligent and courageous in his work. Wang Ya liked him a little and would look for opportunities to give him a few words in the future.
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On the sixth day of the seventh lunar month, the rat (Wu Zi) is in the north, which is an auspicious day in the zodiac. It is suitable for marriage, sacrifice, praying for blessings, and receiving wealth.
Crown Prince Sima Dezong married Crown Princess Wang Shen'ai and Crown Prince's side concubines Yang Zhilan and Yin Huizhen. Yang Zhilan, a native of Nancheng, Taishan, is a brother and sister to Yang Xin, the imperial attendant of the East Palace.
The sound of bells, drums, silk and bamboo came downwind from the direction of Tai Chi Hall. The celebration was held there, and Yang Anxuan was not qualified to participate in the celebration. Wearing a brand-new official robe, he stood outside Chenghua Gate with a group of officials from the East Palace, waiting for the arrival of the wedding car.
At the end of the month, the soldiers held the flags first, followed by the drums, and there were two lines of honor guards on the left and right, holding halberds on the outside and sabers on the inside; a continuous line of chariots, cavalry guards, and officials holding halberds lined up in a long queue, winding from the Tai Chi Hall To the East Palace...
Yang Anxuan stood respectfully with the crowd, his eyes were filled with festive red, and his ears were filled with the sound of festive silk and bamboo, that beautiful girl was getting married.
Yin Huizhen married the idiot prince happily. The situation in front of her was grand and prosperous, and everyone had smiles on their faces. Yang Anxuan felt a touch of sadness in his heart, and he could no longer hear the clear sound of the flute.
The carriage was decorated with gorgeous colorful silks and drove slowly into Chenghua Gate amidst the sound of silk and bamboo. Yin Huizhen sat numbly in the carriage, her heart ached so much that she no longer felt anything.
The soul was long gone, and the remaining body mechanically followed the rules taught by the palace people, numbly saluting, kneeling, and riding in the car.
The car body shook, and Yin Huizhen seemed to wake up from a dream. Through the gauze curtain, she vaguely saw the figure standing by the roadside. Mr. Yang must be standing there. Her heart twisted violently, and tears fell silently.
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Ten days later, the newly married prince ascended to the Chongzheng Hall, and officials from the East Palace paid homage in turn.
Prince Sima Dezong, who was sitting on the high seat, had dull eyes, looking straight ahead without focus, as if he were dumbfounded. Sima Dewen, King of Langya, stood beside the prince and spoke up to help him.
This little prince, who was only eleven years old, spoke clearly and handled things well. Yang Anxuan sighed secretly in his heart. If Sima Dewen succeeded to the throne, the world of the Eastern Jin Dynasty might be extended for a few years.
The duty of the East Palace Attendant is to accompany the prince to study, and also to assist the prince in explaining Confucian classics and how to govern the country.
The prince Sima Dezong didn't know how to be warm or cold, and couldn't even speak. Teaching him Confucian classics was a typical example of playing the harp to an ox. Sima Dewen, the king of Langya, accompanied the prince. This reading actually turned into studying with the king of Langya.
Those who came to teach the prince were all great Confucian scholars. Che Yin, Xu Miao, Yu Hongzhi and others came separately the next day.
Not to mention Sima Dezong, Sima Dewen is just an eleven-year-old child with an active temperament and likes to play.
Knowing that Yang Anxuan's archery skills were outstanding in the competition between the two schools, Sima Dewen said: "I heard that Yang Shidu's archery skills are outstanding, so I can shoot a few arrows for Gu Yi to watch."
There is a martial arts arena in the East Palace. Eighty steps away, Yang Anxuan shot three arrows in a row, all of which hit red. Sima Dewen applauded and asked Yang Anxuan to teach him archery.
The prince has a special five-bow bow and an archery target twenty paces away. Yang Anxuan gave instructions on Sima Dewen's stance, strength, etc. according to the "She Jing" written by Hu Fan.
With step-by-step guidance, Sima Dewen was able to hit the target with three to five of his ten arrows.
"Your Majesty is very talented and talented. If you practice more, you will become a marksman." Yang Anxuan complimented casually.
Sima Dewen believed it and shot an arrow with great interest, hitting the target and not far from the target.
Sima Dewen was very happy and asked Yang Anxuan with a smile: "How long will it take for me to practice to surpass Yang Shidu?"
Yang Anxuan's smile froze slightly, and his casual flattery was actually taken seriously by Sima Dewen, so he had to respond: "Weichen has been practicing archery since he was six years old. It has been twelve years now. With the prince's qualifications, he has practiced hard to become a master." He will surpass me in seven or eight years."
"It will take seven or eight years. It's such a long time." Sima Dewen was a little disinterested and shot the arrow out of his hand. The arrow flew to no one knows where.
The other three people watched Yang Anxuan instruct King Langya in archery, and were naturally unhappy to see Yang Anxuan being appreciated by the prince.
Chu Xiuzhi said to Sima Dewen with a serious face: "Your Majesty, archery is only one of the six arts of a gentleman. Etiquette, music, imperialism, calligraphy, and mathematics should be paid equal attention to. Confucian classics are the foundation of self-cultivation and life, but the prince cannot make mistakes due to small mistakes." big."
Sima Dewen said: "Shi Chu learned the lesson correctly."
Xie Hun and Yang Xin, who were standing beside them, looked at each other with smiles on their lips.
Among the four East Palace attendants, Yang Anxuan is the youngest, Yang Xin is the oldest, Xie Hun is the second, and Chu Xiu is the third. These three people are all young and have known each other for a long time. They intentionally or unintentionally rejected and ignored Yang Anxuan, who was younger than them.
Yang Anxuan didn't take it seriously. What he wanted was not the opportunity for the East Palace attendant to get close to the prince and King Langya, but the sixth-rank official status, which would make a great difference after leaving the capital in the future.
At Prince Langya's Mansion, Sima Dewen returned to the mansion and happily asked someone to take his bow and arrows and rush to the garden.
The palace garden is very large, with birds and animals kept in captivity, and Sima Dewen can shoot with his bow. Rabbits lurk, deers flee, cranes fly and geese scurry, creating a mess.
After shooting six arrows in succession, Sima Dewen found nothing except a few goose feathers falling in the pond. Sima Dewen threw the bow in his hand angrily and said angrily: "This broken bow is far inferior to the bow of the prince brother."
The attendant beside him said with a flattering smile: "My lord, why don't you shoot something bigger."
Sima Dewen thought for a while and said with a smile: "Yes, go and drive Gu's horses to the school field. Gu wants to shoot the horses."
There are more than ten fine horses in the palace, all of which were given to him by Sima Yao. The servants placed a dozen horses in the school yard in the back garden of the palace, and Sima Dewen bent his bow and shot them.
The school field only has an area of acres, and it is difficult for more than a dozen horses to dodge. After a while, several arrows hit the horse's body. The horse raised its hooves and neighed in pain, and Sima Dewen burst into laughter. He finally got over the addiction of a sharpshooter.
The next day, East Palace. When the prince's young master Wang Ya asked about the prince's homework, Sima Dewen naturally answered the question.
After hearing that Sima De's writing was clear and meaningful, Wang Ya praised him and said: "Your Majesty is smart and has made progress in his studies. Not bad."
Sima Dewen said happily: "Master Wang, I learned archery from Yang Shidu yesterday. Yang Shidu praised me for my extraordinary talent."
Wang Ya stroked his beard and said, "Of the six arts of a gentleman, archery is the first. It would be great if the prince can practice archery and assist the prince in the future to protect the family property of his ancestors."
Sima Dewen stretched out his chest and said proudly: "Yesterday, when I returned to the palace, I asked people to put the horses on the school grounds. I shot the horses with my bow and hit three of them."
"What?" Wang Ya said in shock: "My lord, are you holding a bow and shooting horses?"
Sima Dewen thought Wang Ya was surprised by his archery skills, and said proudly: "Yes, they were all hit in the horse's belly."
"Nonsense," Wang Ya scolded, "horse is the surname of the country. It is very unlucky for the prince to shoot the horse himself."
Sima Dewen's expression changed, he came to his senses, he fell to the ground with regret, and said: "The lonely king knows that he was wrong, please punish me."
Wang Ya sighed: "The prince is still young, so of course he made mistakes, but the fault is not yours. Those servants in your house should be held accountable when they saw the prince shooting the horse without stopping him."
Yang Xin said with both yin and yang: "Master Wang, Yang Shidu is also at fault for tempting the prince to shoot arrows."
Wang Ya glanced at Yang Xin and said, "There is nothing wrong with practicing archery. You cannot stop eating because of choking."
Yang Xin blushed, bowed and said: "Young master taught you well, Yang made a mistake."
He turned around and bowed to Yang Anxuan, saying, "You are foolish to make such a mistake. Don't blame Yang Shidu."
Yang Anxuan returned the gift calmly and remained silent.
There are four attendants, so naturally they have to be divided into high and low.
Xie Hun was favored by the emperor and would become the consort in the future. Among the four, he was the noblest.
As for the other three, Yang Anxuan was appreciated by King Langya yesterday, so Yang Xin wanted to step on Yang Anxuan when he found the opportunity.
Seeing that Yang Anxuan did not argue, Wang Ya nodded slightly and said: "The four of you are all talented and famous. As the attendants, I hope that I can fully assist the prince in the future and establish his merits."
The four of them bowed together and said, "I sincerely follow the teachings of Master Wang."
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