In the fourth year of Taihe reign of Emperor Cao Rui of Wei, it was the first month of spring, when everything was new, the grass was luxuriant, and everything was full of vitality.
The Jiuhua Terrace in the eastern suburbs of Luoyang was also built a few years ago under the orders of Emperor Wen himself. Although the Jiuhua Terrace is not very high and does not have many intricate and gorgeous structures, it is magnificent and awe-inspiring. New, after careful inspection, you can actually see a bit of the style of the Tongque Terrace in Yedu.
Today's Jiuhuatai is also different from the past. On the stage, all the guests were seated together, drums and harps were playing, creating a lively scene.
Because what is being held here and now today is the crowning and adulting ceremony for the legitimate son of Changling Marquis of the Xiahou clan.
The elders of the Cao family and the Xiahou family were all sitting in order of their positions, facing south and facing north, under the hall steps.
The two young men from the past are currently holding their crowning ceremony.
"On the auspicious day of the month, you will start to add Yuanfu. Abandon your young ambitions, follow your will and become virtuous. Your longevity will be respected by Weiqi, and you will be blessed by Jingfu..."
After the two honored guests washed their hands from the west steps, they each took a silk cloth crown from the hands of a minister on the steps, and slowly and solemnly put it on the carefully combed crowns of Xia Houxuan and Cao Xi. On their hair, Xuan and Xi also had solemn expressions, and they knelt down to receive the crowning ceremony of the guest of honor with solemn faces.
The crowning ceremony of the ancients not only symbolized a person's adulthood, but also meant that from now on, adults will gain many new rights and correspondingly have to bear more responsibilities.
After wearing the cloth crown just now, it represents the person who was crowned, that is, Xia Houxuan and Cao Xi, and they have the right to participate in politics and govern people.
The ceremony did not end here. Amidst the solemn and elegant Daya music, the two slowly walked into the back hall, took off their original attire, and put on matching embroidered hats. Xuanduanfu.
After wearing Xuan Duan uniforms and wearing silk cloth crowns on their heads, the youthful spirit of Xia Houxuan and Cao Xi seemed to have subsided, and they were replaced by more mature and steady aristocratic characters.
After the two tidied up their clothes, they solemnly and slowly walked out of the back hall, thanking and saluting the clan elders, relatives, friends and guests who came to watch the ceremony.
The two guests who presided over the crowning ceremony washed their hands again, then took two leather beanies sewn and woven from white deer skin that resembled warrior heads, and continued with the following ceremony:
"The auspicious month and the day are due to you. Respect your majesty and be virtuous. My eyebrows will live for thousands of years and you will be blessed forever. ..."
After the praise was over, the two honored guests added the leather hats to the two young men who were about to reach adulthood.
This kind of leather ben hat is made of white deer skin. White is the correct color of the West among the five elements, which represents the spirit of killing and war. , wearing it naturally means that the crowned person has the right to execute and kill, and correspondingly has the responsibility to perform military service.
Xia Houxuan and Cao Xi entered the back hall again, and then changed into the robes that matched the leather crowns on their heads. This robes matched the white leather crowns they wore, and their color was also white. The waist of the clothes is also decorated with a pleated lower skirt, and is tied with a knee-covering garment that is also white.
After changing into Jue Bian's attire, the two walked out of the back hall again and continued with the crowning ceremony.
"With the correctness of the year, with the order of the moon. Xian Jiafu. Brothers are here to achieve great virtue. Huang Lai has no boundaries, and is celebrated by heaven. ..."
At this time, the two honored guests solemnly and carefully placed the most honorable Jue Bian on the heads of Xia Houxuan and Cao Xi.
The two of them entered the hall again, changed into Xunshang that matched Jue Bian, and put on red-yellow knee caps.
Yellow represents the central soil, which is the most respected, and therefore is the most sacred and important of the three crownings.
Xia Houxuan and Cao Xi came out of the back hall again and saluted the guests. The ceremonial procedures of the crowning ceremony are finally more than half completed.
After the two people completed the three crownings, according to the etiquette of the crowning ceremony, they each brought a piece of dried meat and went down the main hall from the west steps. They were led by the praisers to the east wall. Then, the two people went from the north end of the palace to the east wall. After walking out of the door, the two faced north, where they met their mothers and completed the ritual of offering dried meat.
When the crowning ceremony arrives, it is the most important moment.
At this time, it is time for the guest of honor to pick the "words" for the two of them.
After adding a title, the original name can only be used to refer to oneself. From then on, except for one's own king and father, no one can call oneself by his first name, and can only call oneself by one's cousin to show respect for oneself. Respect.
After Cao and Xia came back from visiting their mother, they faced south according to etiquette and stood solemnly on the east side of the west steps. The two guests of honor had solemn faces and gave the final congratulations to the two crowned people in front of them:
"Tai, the beginning, the vitality begins to sprout. It is called Taichu. It is said that its Qi is vast and can be the beginning of all things. Xuan'er, I will choose the word for you, Taichu.
Xihe is the one who created the sun and the moon and created the heaven and earth. Xi'er, I will give you a name, Uncle Zhao. "[Note 1]
[Note 1: Xiahou Xuan's courtesy name is Taichu, and Cao Xi's courtesy name is Zhaoshu. 】
After taking the title of Zhengbin, Xiahou Xuan and Cao Xi can be regarded as true adult scholars.
After the word-picking ceremony, the two went to visit the brothers and sisters from each clan who came to watch the ceremony. Finally, the two dressed in formal attire and brought various gifts to visit the elders of their respective clans. The master of the family also toasted the guests with wine and presented gifts to express the family's gratitude.
After this complicated and solemn ceremony, the two of them were truly adults.
The elders of the two clans looked at the two rising stars in their families with expressions of relief.
―――
The inner city of the imperial city.
After the death of Emperor Wen, the new emperor Cao Rui who ascended the throne once again rebuilt the Luoyang Imperial City, and the Jianshi Hall, originally used for political discussions and court meetings, was replaced by the newly built Taiji Hall.
In the Taiji Hall and above the court, all civil and military officials stood in their respective positions in strict order and respect according to their respective shifts.
Wei Emperor Cao Rui, who was sitting on the throne, looked solemn and majestic at this time. Compared with a few years ago, he now gave people a mysterious feeling and was more inviolable.
After several years of hard work and experience, he is no longer the frightened and eldest son of the emperor who walked on thin ice.
Nowadays, his eyes are filled with the mysterious color that belongs to the emperor. This is a color that makes people unable to guess and cannot see through. No matter who it is, there will definitely be a feeling when seeing such eyes. An urge to shiver.
Ever since Cao Rui ascended the throne as emperor three years ago, granted amnesty to the world, and granted hundreds of official titles, God seemed to be eager to begin its test of the young Wei Emperor.
The young emperor seemed to have remembered some past events, and there was still a confident and mysterious smile on his lips.
[The past is vague]:
In August of the seventh year of Huang Chu, it was an extremely hot summer.
This year was also the fourth year of Jianxing reign of Liu Chan, the later lord of the Shu Han Dynasty, and the fifth year of Huangwu reign of Wu King Sun Quan.
Sun Quan, the Lord of Wu, heard that Emperor Wen Cao Pi had passed away and that the new emperor was an unknown young man. He felt that this was an excellent opportunity to go north to compete, so he personally led tens of thousands of troops to attack Jiangxia. The situation was critical and the morale of the army was unstable. Wen Pin, Wen Zhongye, the prefect of Jiangxia, while holding on to Jiangxia, hurriedly asked the court for help.
The late emperor died and the new emperor was established. This was the critical moment when the Wei Dynasty was waiting to be rejuvenated. The twenty-year-old emperor was not frightened by this sudden change. After the court meeting, Cao Rui decisively dispatched a man with high prestige. Xun Yu, the imperial censor, went to the front line of Jiangxia to reward the three armies and sent orders to the defenders. If the war situation changes, His Majesty the Emperor will come to Jiangxia in person to fight side by side with the armies.
When the Jiangxia defenders heard the news, their morale was greatly boosted. King Sun Quan of Wu could not attack and advance for a long time. After a few months, he had to retreat.
Cao Rui and the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty breathed a sigh of relief, but what no one expected was that Sun Quan would resort to tricks again.
A few days later, on Xinsi Day, the famous Soochow generals Zhuge Jin and Zhang Ba led tens of thousands of troops to invade Xiangyang again. This time Cao Rui couldn't sit still. Only then did he realize that if he didn't give Soochow a look, he, as the new emperor, would not be able to feel at ease.
After another court meeting, he decisively made another decision, which was to mobilize the four famous ministers left to him by the late emperor, Sima Yi, Cao Zhen, Cao Xiu and other famous generals to go into battle in person. Cao Rui understood that he had just ascended the throne, and if he could not defeat the enemy in one fell swoop this time, then the civil servants, military generals, and people in the country would be disappointed with him as the emperor. In this case, the situation would be very unfavorable.
And it was his cleverness to send these ministers who cared about their lives to go into battle in person. Because it is his first time to be the emperor, and it is also the first time for Sima Yi, Cao Zhen, Cao Xiu and others to be ministers. No matter who they are, they are very concerned about their reputation and prestige. Therefore, in this battle, Cao Rui will He was firmly tied to the four ministers who took care of their lives.
In this way, Chen Qun, the general of the town army, was responsible for the dispatch of grain and grass in the rear, while Sima Yi, the general of the Fu army, led an army to Xiangyang in person to attack the Wu thieves.
For Sun Quan, King of Wu, the success or failure of this battle meant whether he could truly compete in the Central Plains and then aspire to dominate the world.
For Wei Emperor Cao Rui, the success or failure of this battle determined the stability of his throne and the peace of the country.
For the people of the two countries, the success or failure of this station means peace and happiness in the past ten years. If defeated, the sons and daughters will return safely, and the military expenses collected by the court will not be in vain. Not only that, You can also get compensation for loot. If defeated, it will naturally only make matters worse.
In this way, the whole world's attention was attracted to the important town of Xiangyang in Jingzhou.
Naturally, Sima Yi did not dare to relax in this battle. He showed off his power and not only defeated Zhuge Jin's main force, but also killed Wu general Zhang Ba.
Cao Xiu, the general who conquered the east, actively cooperated with Sima Yi to pursue and intercept the defeated remnants of the Wu army. Soon, Cao Xiu broke up with him and headed to Xunyang. The Wu army was defeated and had to retreat hastily.
After this battle, the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty and the people of the world were full of confidence in their new emperor.
Thinking of this, the emperor, who was already twenty-six or seven years old, already more mature and steady than the late emperor, and who did not show his emotions easily, could not help but reveal a proud smile.
After being stunned for a moment, he remembered what happened just after the victory.
After all, what happened that year was far more than that; and God's test did not end just like this.
