This year's Wanshou Festival will be held very grandly because foreign envoys are coming to congratulate us.
This was the first time since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty that foreign envoys came to congratulate the Great Zhou Dynasty. This is an extremely important thing for Da Zhou. The ministers in the court took it very seriously, but the emperor, who was the birthday boy, didn't care so much.
In the past few days, the ministers have been discussing one thing. That is whether the emperor should go to worship Confucius Temple on the day of Wanshou Festival.
Foreign envoys worshiped the Central Plains culture and respected the two saints Confucius and Mencius. Previously, the eldest prince of Wusun made a clear request to the emperor in advance, hoping that Dazhou could open an academy in Wusun.
After hearing Wusun's proposal to open an academy, envoys from Anron, Johor and other countries also seconded the proposal, hoping that Dazhou could also open an academy in their countries.
The ministers were very happy and proud to see that foreign envoys admired the Central Plains culture so much. Therefore, some ministers proposed to bring foreign envoys to worship Confucius and Mencius on the day of Wanshou Festival.
Foreign envoys also wanted to worship Confucius and Mencius very much. If they could do so, it would be their honor.
It has never been done before to worship Confucius and Mencius on the Longevity Festival. Also, worshiping Confucius and Mencius is not done every year.
When the Great Zhou Dynasty was first established, the emperor and the late emperor worshiped Confucius and Mencius together. Later, when the emperor ascended the throne, he worshiped again. After that, the emperor never worshiped Confucius and Mencius again. In fact, every year on the birthday of Confucius and Mencius, ministers reminded the emperor to pay homage.
The emperor felt that it was too troublesome to go to worship every year, so he asked the prince to take ministers and students from the Imperial Academy to worship the two saints Confucius and Mencius.
At this time, in the imperial study room, the emperor's feet were resting on the imperial table and his head was held behind his head with his hands.
"Let the prince go."
When He Xiang and Taishi Liu heard what the emperor said, they were not surprised at all.
"Your Majesty, it would be inappropriate for His Highness the Crown Prince to worship the two saints Confucius and Mencius on the Longevity Festival."
Taishi Liu echoed: "Your Majesty, you haven't worshiped Confucius and Mencius for many years."
"I don't worship, but the prince does every year." The emperor curled his lips and said, "I hate this kind of troublesome thing."
"This year, foreign envoys will participate in the worship. It would be better for the emperor to lead the worship in person."
The emperor said impatiently: "It's really troublesome." In fact, the emperor preferred Legalism to Confucius and Mencius. "Who asked me to bring foreign envoys to worship Confucius and Mencius? Didn't he know that I was very busy?"
"It was proposed by Marquis Xuanping. The foreign envoys are very much looking forward to worshiping the two saints Confucius and Mencius with you." Seeing the emperor's reluctance, He Xiang persuaded him, "Your Majesty, no matter how unwilling you are, you should still go to worship the two saints this year. Bye."
"Your Majesty, you should try to pretend." Taishi Liu said sharply.
The emperor swayed his feet and said reluctantly: "I don't want to pretend." In fact, the emperor was not very convinced of the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, even though people all over the world respected them. "Also, on my birthday, I should worship my father and mother, as well as my ancestors. Why should I worship Confucius and Mencius, who did not give birth to me?"
"Only by worshiping Confucius and Mencius on the day of your Wanshou Festival can you show your respect for the two saints." He Xiang said, "Furthermore, the only very important festival recently is your Wanshou Festival."
"On the Wanshou Festival, I will only worship heaven and earth and my ancestors." People in the world admire Confucianism too much, which is not what the emperor wants to see. "One day in advance, a grand worship ceremony will be held on the day before my Longevity Festival." The emperor deliberately emphasized the word "grand".
He Xiang and Taishi Liu glanced at each other, then nodded in agreement: "That's okay."
Taishi Liu asked, "His Royal Highness will continue to worship?"
"No, this time it will be the fourth child who will take the lead in worshiping."
Hearing the emperor's words, He Xiang and Liu Taishi were stunned for a moment, and then they immediately understood what the emperor meant.
"You might as well let His Highness Dai Wang take the lead in worshiping." He Xiang complained unceremoniously.
"I would rather let that stinky second son take the lead in worshiping Confucius and Mencius, but is he worthy?" the emperor said with disgust. "If I let him worship, everyone in the world will immediately think that I have abolished the boss. The second oldest is the prince."
The king was a military commander, and if he was asked to take the lead in worshiping Confucius and Mencius, the ministers would definitely object.
"You asked the fourth prince to take the lead in worshiping. This is pushing the fourth prince to the front." He Xiang frowned slightly and said, "The fourth prince is not yet an adult. Is it appropriate for you to let him worship?"
Taishi Liu understood the emperor's intention, "The emperor's real purpose is not to push the fourth prince out, but to improve the status of the Li family."
Hearing Taishi Liu say this, He Xiang understood.
"Your Majesty, where will this put the Kong family?"
The emperor smiled casually and said: "It's not a place of death." Although the Kong family's reputation among the literati students in the world has been reduced due to the incident involving the former head of the Kong family, the Kong family's status in the hearts of the literati students in the world is still very high. high. Even though the Li family's status among literati students in the world has become higher and higher over the years, it is still not as good as the Confucius family. "Let the fourth child go. This will save the prince and the second child from fighting."
"Your Majesty, are you sure?" He Liang frowned slightly and said with a serious look, "The fourth prince is not the legitimate son."
Taishi Liu suggested: "Let the fourth prince and Li Pushe take the lead in worshiping the two saints Confucius and Mencius, and worship them in the Taixue. By the way, let the foreign envoys see the style of our Taixue, and let the Taixue's The students showed the magnanimity of my Zhou students in front of the foreign envoys."
With a snap, the emperor clapped his palms vigorously and looked at Taishi Liu with admiration: "Old Liu, you have a good idea. I will do as you say."
He Xiang also thought that Taishi Liu's proposal was a good one. He nodded in agreement and said, "If the fourth prince and Li Pushe worship together, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, His Highness the King of Dai, and other ministers will have no objection."
"Don't the foreign envoys want us to open academies in their country, so that they can see the majesty of our Taixue." Taixue is the highest academic institution in the Zhou Dynasty, and it is the most important place to worship the two saints Confucius and Mencius. suitable.
The emperor laughed and said: "Old Liu, you still have a bright mind."
He Xiang said: "Since the worship ceremony is held in Taixue, let this matter be left to the fourth prince and Li Pushe."
The emperor nodded and immediately asked Sun Kui to call the fourth prince and Li Pushe.
The fourth prince arrived at the imperial study room before Li Pushe. Hearing that the emperor was going to leave the matter of worshiping Confucius and Mencius to him and his grandfather, he was very shocked and at the same time very excited.
Of course, he shied away first, saying that he was too young to undertake such an important matter, and asked the emperor to choose others to worship Confucius and Mencius together with Li Pushe.
The emperor said that he believed that the fourth prince could handle this matter well, and asked him and Li Pushe to handle this matter well, so that the foreign envoys could experience the culture of Yuanyuan Liuzhou in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Seeing that the emperor trusted him so much, the fourth prince did not shirk anymore. He promised the emperor that he and his grandfather would handle the matter well.
After Li Pushe entered the palace, the emperor told him again what he had said to the fourth prince before.
Li Pushe did not shirk. He solemnly told the emperor that he would definitely hold this worship ceremony together with the fourth prince.
The emperor asked Li Pushe to find the fourth prince, and the two of them had to make preparations for worship in the next two days.
Every year, Li Pushe would bring his students from Imperial College to worship the two saints Confucius and Mencius, and he was very familiar with this matter.
Because they were busy paying homage to the two saints Confucius and Mencius, the fourth prince had to move to Taixue and prepare to pay homage with Li Pushe. He was temporarily unable to compile history in the History Museum of Lanyuan Pavilion.
Soon, all the civil and military ministers in the dynasty knew that the fourth prince and Li Pushe worshiped the two saints Confucius and Mencius together. They were very surprised at first, and then felt that it was reasonable. However, this is not a good thing for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness the King.
In the East Palace, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not understand why the emperor suddenly arranged for the fourth prince and Li Pushe to prepare to worship together. You must know that every year, he and Li Pushe bring the students of Imperial College to worship the two saints Confucius and Mencius.
"Father, what do you mean by this?" His Highness the Crown Prince frowned and said with dissatisfaction, "What's the point of letting the fourth brother go to worship? Who is the fourth brother?"
The Eighth Prince probably guessed the emperor's purpose, but he couldn't tell His Highness the Crown Prince.
"I go to worship every year, why did I change it to my fourth brother this year?" His Royal Highness said with an unhappy look, "My father wanted my fourth brother to..."
"Brother, the fourth brother is not yet an adult. Even if the father wanted the fourth brother to come forward, he would not choose this time." The eighth prince was not speaking for the fourth prince, but he could not let the fourth prince be feared by His Highness at the moment. His purpose was to make His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the King Dai fight to the death.
His Highness the Crown Prince thought about it. There are still two years left before the fourth prince reaches adulthood.
"Then why do you think my father suddenly asked my fourth brother to worship?"
"It's very simple. The fourth brother is the grandson of Li Pushe." The eighth prince explained, "Taixue is the highest academic institution in the Zhou Dynasty. The reason why my father allowed Confucius and Mencius to be worshiped in Taixue is to serve as ambassadors to foreign countries. The magnificence of our students from the Great Zhou Dynasty is displayed in front of the ministers."
"Although the fourth brother is Li Pushe's grandson, the fourth brother is just an ordinary prince after all." His Highness the Crown Prince also felt that it was right for him and Li Pushe to worship Confucius and Mencius together. "My father asked my fourth brother to worship. Isn't this nonsense?"
"If you go to worship the eldest brother, the people who represent the king will definitely not be happy. If you go to worship on the king's behalf, eldest brother, your people will definitely object." The Eighth Prince analyzed for His Highness the Crown Prince, "I guess the father doesn't want our people and If the people acting for the king start to argue, I will simply ask the fourth brother to go and worship."
His Highness the Crown Prince felt that the Eighth Prince's analysis made some sense, "You are right."
"Brother, as long as you are not worshiping on behalf of the king on behalf of the father, it will be fine." The Eighth Prince comforted His Highness, "Whether it is the fourth brother or the third brother, they will not pose a threat to you, brother, if they go to worship in place of the father. .”
The dissatisfaction in His Royal Highness's heart was put to rest by the Eighth Prince's words. His face instantly became much better, "You are right, as long as he is not the acting king."
"Brother, there is no need for you to take this matter to heart." The Eighth Prince continued to comfort His Royal Highness, "This worship is not an important one. You see, my father even held it one day in advance. Just show it off and show it to foreign envoys."
The Eighth Prince suddenly asked: "Brother, don't you see?"
"What do you see?" His Royal Highness asked with a puzzled look.
"Father doesn't want to hold this ceremony." The Eighth Prince really guessed it.
Upon hearing this, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince asked in surprise: "Eighth brother, why do you say that?"
"If my father really wanted to hold this memorial ceremony, he would definitely hold it on the Wanshou Festival, and my father would pay his respects in person. But my father did not." The eighth prince really knew the emperor very well.
After hearing the Eighth Prince's analysis, His Royal Highness had a look of surprise on his face: "It's true."
"So, brother, you don't need to worry about this memorial ceremony." The eighth prince said, and the expression on his face suddenly became solemn, "Brother, what we need to pay attention to now is that the king is approaching the princess of Annan Kingdom. I think On the Wanshou Festival, the king will propose to his father to marry the princess of Annan as his concubine."
After hearing this, His Royal Highness did not show anger or ridicule on his face, but said very calmly: "Uncle has guessed it."
"Then what does Lord Zhenguo plan to do?" the eighth prince asked curiously, "will he stop the king?"
"No, uncle said that he would be the king of the whole generation."
"Zhengquan Daiwang?" The eighth prince looked surprised, "Brother, if the princess who went to Annan Kingdom on behalf of the king is the concubine, that generation king will have an extraordinary relationship with the royal family of Annan Kingdom, which will not be good for us."
His Highness the Crown Prince was not worried at all. He said calmly: "It's useless."
Seeing His Highness the Crown Prince's calm look, the Eighth Prince hurriedly asked: "Brother, what exactly are you and Duke Zhen going to do to the King?"
"My uncle didn't tell me, but he told me to wait until the Wanshou Festival and let me get in front of the king and propose to my father that the king marry the third princess of Annan Kingdom as his concubine." His Royal Highness the Crown Prince smiled and said, "You are right to listen to your uncle."
"If Duke Zhen Guo said so, then there must be no problem." The Eighth Prince said with a smile, "Then we will wait for the Wanshou Festival."
"Eighth brother, do you know that there are iron ore and gold mines in Annan?" His Royal Highness asked suddenly.
The Eighth Prince nodded slightly: "I know, I saw in the book that there are copper mines and silver mines in Annan Kingdom."
"You said that if we get the iron ore and gold mines of Annan Kingdom, will King Dai still be our opponent?"
"Of course not a rival." The eighth prince said in his heart. Sure enough, Duke Zhen and the others also took a fancy to the iron ore and gold mines in Annan Kingdom. "Brother, what are you and Duke Zhen going to do?"
"We plan to assist the eldest prince in ascending the throne."
"Brother, the eldest prince is the heir of Annan Kingdom."
"However, the king of Annan Kingdom prefers the second prince, just like me and the acting king." When the prince said this, a trace of hatred flashed in his eyes, "My uncle and I plan to support the eldest prince to ascend the throne, so that we can make Annan Kingdom The royal family is in our hands, and then the iron ore, gold, copper and silver mines in Annan will be ours."
"Of course, the army of Annan Kingdom is also ours. Then we won't have to be afraid of King Dai's army."
"This is a good idea." Sure enough, Duke Zhen wanted to control the entire Annan Kingdom, but his idea was too simple.
"Someone in the court has already planned to propose to my father the establishment of a Protectorate in Annan, but I intend to oppose it." The prince said with a profound look, "If a Protectorate is set up in Annan, the royal family of Annan will be controlled by the imperial court. , so we can’t get the good things from Annan Kingdom.”
"That's what the elder brother said."
Lord Zhenguo is really brave.
It's a pity that neither the Duke of Zhen nor the eldest brother expected that all this was the father's plan.
Duke Zhen Guo really underestimated his father.
I have been in Xi'an for the past few days. I don't have time to code during the day, so I can only come back to code at night, so I can only update one chapter.
When I get back from Xi'an, I will reply to the previous two updates.
(End of chapter)
