In early April, in front of the Square of the Four Seas Guiyi Hall, the state funeral finally entered the final stage, with the funeral procession, and as an eunuch sang: "The auspicious time has come, let's rise."
The late emperor's coffin was slowly lifted by 108 strong men and passed through the center of the square, followed by a posthumous treasure car, a sacred silk car, a dragon scroll, etc... The emperor's ceremonial guard was the same as before his death, and it was still extremely majestic.
As the late emperor's coffin advanced, ministers, royal family members, and descendants of the late emperor all followed to bury him, followed by hundreds of shamans and wizards to pray and chant sutras for the late emperor.
As the new emperor, Mu Sheng naturally had to accompany the late emperor's coffin, but he could only walk. He could not take any transportation, so he had to personally carry the coffin to the emperor's mausoleum to bury the late emperor to show his filial piety.
A huge funeral procession came out of Qingyang Palace. Common people knelt on both sides of the streets in the city to see the late emperor off. There were bursts of crying from the crowd to express their grief for the late emperor.
As the procession marched outside the city, tens of thousands of elite Northern Army troops formed a square formation and knelt half-kneeling on both sides of the road, bowing their heads in mourning. The funeral procession passed through the military formation, and the officers and soldiers on both sides transformed into a long snake formation to protect the late emperor. On the other side, go to the Lishan Imperial Tomb hundreds of miles away.
When the late emperor's palace passed by the military formation, the Northern Army officers and soldiers all looked solemn. There was obviously an inexplicable respect for the late emperor in the eyes of all the soldiers. Their fathers had followed the late emperor around, fighting in the south and the north. The words of the veterans of the Northern Army There are still legends circulating here about those who followed the late emperor and swept across the world and destroyed countless countries. They are passed down from generation to generation, and the recruits are naturally affected by them. The influence of a person can reach this level, which is indeed unmatched by ordinary emperors.
When Mu Sheng saw the gazes of the soldiers of the Northern Army, he sighed in his heart. Perhaps he would never be able to surpass the great achievements made by the late emperor in his lifetime. It was already very rare to be able to maintain his family business well and not lose his fortune. Now that the late emperor has passed away, it will be difficult for him to do so in an era. With the passing of this great emperor, the end is about to come to an end.
At the same time, Mu Sheng was secretly relieved. As long as he could make good use of the late emperor's influence in the future, and the morale of the military and the people were with him, even though Huo Zheng had been Prime Minister for more than ten years, he would not dare to act rashly even if he had different intentions.
After walking for almost an hour, the huge funeral procession stopped in front of a temporary reed hall to rest. The so-called reed palace was a temporary camp for the funeral procession to rest temporarily. All civil and military officials and members of the clan came in to rest for a while. We set out on the road again. If we keep walking like this, there will definitely be people who are not strong enough to fall behind. Many people in Qingyang City spontaneously followed, helping the old and young to follow the late emperor's funeral procession. This shows the late emperor's high status in their hearts.
When Mu Sheng saw this, he was moved and called the accompanying officials to give the excess food and water in the camp to the people who came to pay their respects.
It was almost time to rest, the eunuch shouted, and the procession continued on its way. In the afternoon, the funeral procession marched for two hours before arriving at the cemetery at the foot of Lishan Mountain. Lishan Mountain is not high, but it is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and it is indeed a blessed place for Feng Shui. , now the place is already crowded with people, and the shrine of the emperor's mausoleum is in front, which looks dark and deep. The coffin of the late emperor will be officially buried after the sacrificial ceremony is over.
Lishan Imperial Mausoleum is the place where the ancestors of the Jin Dynasty are buried. Ordinary people are not allowed to enter here. Only members of the royal family who specially guard the mausoleum for the royal family and members of the royal family come to express their condolences. It will be open for a limited time.
Mu Sheng took a few glances at the luxurious imperial mausoleum built in this era, which cost countless manpower and material resources, and was secretly stunned. The imperial mausoleum's land is as high as a hill, and the surrounding environment is pleasant. Along the way, there are tall newly carved stone statues one after another. , seems to be silently guarding the emperors who have been buried here for generations.
This place actually looks like a carefully maintained forest park. The plants have been carefully trimmed, the stone slabs on the road are neatly arranged, and the ground is almost spotless. There is a tower built in front of each tall imperial mausoleum for future generations to use for worship. The main hall is not as dilapidated as the tombs of later emperors. All that is left is a dirt bag covered with weeds.
Perhaps only with the passage of time and the complete decline of a dynasty, this place will gradually become deserted and uncared for. The founders of new dynasties usually will not waste money on maintaining the imperial tombs of the previous dynasty. Once the dynasty declines, this place is destined to gradually decline, and ultimately cannot escape the fate of being submerged in the long river of history.
Perhaps one day in the future, what will really attract people here is precisely the countless treasures buried in these countless imperial tombs, and these legendary treasures have repeatedly lured a group of desperadoes regardless of life and death. People always hope that their wealth in this life can be taken underground to continue to enjoy happiness, but in the end they still leave alone, taking nothing with them. So what if they were the king of a country during their lifetime?
At this time, Fengchang Zhang Xi came forward to meet the emperor and said: "Your Majesty, the auspicious time has come. Please come to the stage to offer gifts and hold a burial ceremony."
When Mu Sheng heard the words, he nodded slightly. He slowly climbed up to the high platform to worship the gods and ghosts of heaven and earth amid the sounds of mourning music and horns. After the ceremony, the shamans and wizards sang rituals, and hundreds of strong men carried the coffin of the late emperor and shouted chants and placed it on the Shinto. Pulled by ropes on the wooden rails, the coffin slowly slid into the tomb chamber, and then bursts of dull vibrations were heard. All the mechanisms in the tomb passage were activated. Seven thick stone doors sealed the tomb passage in turn, and a group of tomb guards followed suit. The entrance is covered with layers of earth, and the burial ceremony comes to an end.
As the chief priest of the state funeral, Mu Sheng led the clan members to worship the late emperor's shrine in the main hall in front of the emperor's mausoleum. The slightly smaller shrine next to the late emperor's shrine is the spiritual tablet of the late emperor and empress Zhao Ji who was just posthumously named. , that is, Mu Sheng's biological mother, Mrs. Zhao. In this way, his status is that of a legitimate prince, and there is no doubt about the legitimacy and legitimacy of inheriting the throne.
After a series of sacrificial ceremonies, the funeral ceremony is completed in stages, but the state funeral is not completely over. The funeral period is still in place across the country. During this period, royal family members are not allowed to marry, hold banquets, or hold funerals for one year. When gatherings are allowed, the people are more lenient. No marriage or gatherings are allowed within a hundred days. After a while, two or three months will pass.
The seventh prince, Prince Zhe, who had followed here as a member of the clan, saw that the coffin of the late emperor had been buried, and he seemed to let go of some worries in his heart. He kowtowed heavily in front of the late emperor's throne a few more times, then came to the new king to say goodbye and prepare to say goodbye. Return to Lingxuan Sect.
Prince Zhe came to the emperor, stepped forward to greet him and said: "Your Majesty, the late emperor has been buried, and it is time for me to go back. I have come to say goodbye to your majesty."
Mu Sheng nodded slightly and said: "Seventh brother, why don't you stay? I remember that your mother-in-law, Mrs. Pang, is still alive. Now that the late emperor has passed away, Mrs. Pang has to move out of the palace. Why don't you stay with her? What about Jingyi and filial piety? When the time comes, I will specially prepare a house for Mrs. Pang, and all treatment will be as per the old rules in the palace. What do you think?"
After hearing this, Young Master Zhe was moved and said: "Your Majesty, I really don't know what to say..."
After thinking for a long time, Young Master Zhe said: "Your Majesty, I don't dare to ask for such an extravagant request. I am a wanderer in the rivers and lakes. I am used to being carefree. I am afraid that I may not be able to adapt to staying in this bustling Qingyang City. If your Majesty, you are willing to grant us Mother and son, I hope to take my mother to Lingxuan Zong to spend her old age in peace, so as to make up for my regret of not being able to show filial piety in front of my mother all these years."
The descendants of the late emperor's widow were generally not allowed to leave Qingyang, the capital, without permission. There was a palace outside Qingyang Palace that was specially used to accommodate these people there until they grew old.
After hearing this, Mu Sheng thought for a long time, and it seemed that he had done a lot of things that broke the rules recently. At the moment, he just asked Young Master Zhe to take his mother to live in seclusion, which was actually nothing.
Mu Sheng then agreed, "That's fine. You can ask your sixth uncle, Master Ziqing, to arrange this for you. He is responsible for managing clan affairs. I think he will give me a favor."
When Prince Zhe heard this, he was overjoyed and wanted to kneel down to pay homage. Mu Sheng hurriedly stepped forward to help him up and said, "Seventh brother, we are all brothers, so why do you do this?"
The relationship between the two brothers instantly became like that of brothers born from the same mother. They talked about everything on the way back. Mu Sheng didn't know why he had a good impression of Young Master Zhe as soon as they met. Maybe he was the same as him among the princes. It must be related to the only monks who can practice.
Mu Sheng sometimes thought to himself, if the young master Zhe is not the descendant of the late emperor, nor his royal brother, but just an ordinary person, he really wants to keep him by his side and entrust him with important tasks. Unfortunately, his bloodline means that he cannot be given even a little power. .
In the past history books of the Jin Kingdom, there are too many examples of bloody massacres between royal family members for the throne. Even brothers could not resist the temptation of power, and they still killed each other with swords and blood, and the whole country was plunged into chaos. If there is turmoil, granting officials and powers to Young Master Zhe will bring endless disasters. If you keep him by your side, you can only raise him as an idler. It is better to let him go free.
After the burial ceremony of the late emperor, the funeral procession returned to Qingyang City. Huo Xiangguo and other important officials in the court immediately began to prepare for the new emperor's succession ceremony. The entire court became busy again from inside to outside.
More than twenty days have passed since the late Emperor Zhaowu, the third emperor, was officially buried. At this time, a huge curtain was hung in front of the Four Seas Guiyi Hall, indicating that the funeral was temporarily suspended and preparations for the new emperor's coronation ceremony had to be made. The country could not If there is no king for a day, the great position should not remain vacant for a long time. As time goes by, changes will occur.
In the East Palace, Mu Sheng, as the acting emperor, finally took off his white mourning clothes. At this time, the permanent official Zhang Zhong came with the new emperor's crown uniform to try it on for the new emperor in preparation for the upcoming succession ceremony.
Mu Sheng put on one piece of complicated clothes after another. After he was almost dressed, he came to the bronze mirror and looked at his crown clothes. The size felt a bit too big. This set of clothes was naturally used for the enthronement ceremony. It is impossible to make them freshly. They are all ready-made and used, or they were worn by the late emperor. After he officially succeeded to the throne, there will naturally be professionals to customize a fitting Gongmian suit for him, because there will be any grand ceremonies in the future. He still has to wear it.
The Gun Mianfu is the official attire for the emperor's enthronement ceremony. It has twelve flowing crowns on its head, the sun and moon on its shoulders, and is embroidered with various complex patterns of mountains, rivers, birds and animals. The style is not too strange. This suit is the origin of The tradition that had been established since the Dayu Dynasty when Emperor Yu succeeded to the throne was completely inherited by the Jin State after it conquered the world.
It's just that in this different world, there are two moons in the sky. There are two moons embroidered on the shoulders of the gun suit. The new moon and the new moon are on the left and right shoulders. The two moons appear at the same time every night. It is impossible to embroider only one. As for the huge moon, it is impossible to embroider only one. The golden crow sun is embroidered on the chest of the clothes. The golden thread surrounds the sun and the golden crow hangs in the middle of the sun, making it look extremely luxurious. In order to perfectly display the golden crow sun on the chest, the Gun Mianfu is different from ordinary clothes in that it has a round collar. Open the placket, and fasten the entire piece of clothing on the left side directly to the right side. Only in this way can the integrity of the Golden Crow Hanging Sun pattern be perfectly guaranteed.
Mu Sheng stretched out his hand and was extremely satisfied. Once he put on these clothes, he really looked a bit like an emperor.
