Time has entered the eleventh year of Qianyou (958). It is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and spring has begun in Kaifeng. In the Han Palace, at dawn, the morning light is still weak. The whole palace wakes up earlier, faster and busier than in the past. All the palaces, terraces and pavilions have long been cleaned up. On this special day, all the palaces People, like clockwork, got up early, washed and dressed.
The servants and guards in the palace were also catching up with the time, arranging the final decorations for the ceremony. The atmosphere of joy quietly permeated the imperial city and spread beyond the palace walls. At the beginning of the dynasty, the emperor officially issued an edict to hold a National Day on the 15th to celebrate the "ten years of rule."
National Day was actually held last spring to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Han Dynasty. However, it is obvious that the celebration of the tenth anniversary of Yuji deserves more attention and the ceremony is more grand. A huge amount of money was spent on internal funds and the treasury, and the scale of preparations for the ceremony was so huge that it could be described as unprecedented extravagance. After all, with the support of Meng Shu’s treasury...
In the Yaohua Hall, Concubine Gao also got up earlier than usual and began to dress up meticulously. Concubine Gao, who was already thirty years old, had become more feminine and sultry. Under the waiter of the palace maid, after putting on a gorgeous palace costume, the whole person became more gorgeous and graceful, with an aura of nobility all over his body.
"Mother!" Under the guidance of the chamberlain, the third prince Liu Xi walked in and bowed respectfully to his radiant mother.
Liu Xi is already ten years old and has grown rapidly in the past two years. His head has already passed the imperial concubine's slender waist and almost reached her towering chest. Because of his good genes, his appearance is naturally passable. As long as he doesn't grow crookedly, he will definitely be a handsome man in the future.
Dressed in luxurious silk clothes, he was very decent. His hair was only bound by a ribbon and a jade hairpin. He looked very relaxed, with a careless smile on his lips.
Seeing his lazy smile, Concubine Gao couldn't help but look stern, glared at him, and asked, "Is everything packed?"
Liu Xi nodded, and his dark and shiny eyes moved a few times. He looked at Concubine Gao's visibly heavy palace clothes, yawned and said, "It's still early, and there's still time before the festival, mother." Why do you have to work so hard!"
Hearing what he said, Concubine Gao suddenly showed a hint of anger and scolded: "Why are you still so lazy!"
Seeing that his mother was angry, Liu Xi quickly stood up and became solemn, his little face tightened. Concubine Gao then seriously warned: "Today is your father's big day. It is the biggest celebration since the founding of the Han Dynasty. You can accompany him for sacrifices, military parades, court greetings, and royal banquets. On weekdays, you should be more relaxed. That’s all, but on this grand occasion, with thousands of people watching, you must perform well..."
Listening to his mother's instructions, Liu Xi couldn't help but show a little helplessness on his young face, but he still solemnly responded: "Yes! I remember it!"
Seeing this, Concubine Gao sighed, her face softened a lot, she lowered her body lightly, reached out to straighten Liu Xi's dress, and said, "My son is getting taller and bigger. !”
Mr. Gao has great expectations for his son. However, many times, many things that you strive for can be obtained without much effort.
The spring is bright, the warm wind brings blessings, the auspicious time comes, the bells ring, and the whole-day Qianyou celebration begins. Under the arrangement of the officials of the Ministry of Rites, Liu Chengyou led his concubines, clan members, relatives and officials to the Ancestral Temple to worship their ancestors, pray to heaven and earth, and report their merits.
Afterwards, he and Queen Dafu rode on a chariot, paraded in Kaifeng, and went straight out of Tianjie to accept the cheers and praises of the people in Tokyo. The people in the city were happy and enthusiastic, and the audience was packed with people. The atmosphere was very warm.
Later, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty personally went to the south gate of the imperial city to inspect the imperial guards of the two yamen. The troops he saw were carefully selected elite soldiers from all the armies in Tokyo. They were all tall and burly, and their military appearance was extremely magnificent. The neat and high-pitched shouts of long live pushed the celebration to the first climax. After being invited to watch the ceremony, the remnants of the separatist rule and the barbarians from all directions were all shocked and overwhelmed.
After the military parade was over, Liu Chengyou returned to the palace, took a short rest, and then went to Chongyuan Hall to accept the worship and congratulations of the ministers and envoys. During this series of events, the Empress Dafu always accompanied Liu Chengyou, which meant that the emperor and empress shared the honor.
In the Chongyuan Hall, there were ceremonial guards in the court, and all civil and military officials were wearing crowns and court uniforms, standing in several ranks. The scene was grand and orderly. Zhang Ji, a bachelor of Chongzheng Palace, stood at attention under Danqi and read the congratulatory message as the protocol envoy. It was personally written by Tao Gu, the Minister of Rites, and reviewed and revised by various scholars, and approved by Liu Chengyou. There are thousands of words in a congratulatory message. It is a complete compliment to Emperor Liu Chengyou, praising his virtues and praising his achievements. The key is that there are almost no repetitions of cumbersome words and sentences, which shows his talent.
It took Zhang Ji two-quarters of an hour to read a congratulatory form. The words had to be spoken clearly, the voice should be loud, and the breath should be steady without making any mistakes. Even for a young man like Zhang Ji, this was not an easy task. However, Zhang Ji was indeed able to withstand big scenes, with the emperor behind him and hundreds of officials in front of him. Under such pressure, he was very smooth and finished the congratulatory speech without any mistakes.
It is said that it is recited, which is no different from reciting it. It is full of voice and emotion. It is a long article that Zhang Ji has already recited by heart. When the last word came out of his mouth and he stopped speaking, not only was Zhang Jie's mouth dry, but the sweat on his back was also wet...
The platform of Chongyuan Hall is the highest among all the palaces in the Han Palace. Liu Chengyou, sitting in the middle, is completely superior to the other ministers, and the visual effect of his superiority is very obvious.
Sitting high on the throne, listening to the praises to himself, although it was lengthy, Liu Chengyou listened with gusto.
After Zhang Ji finished his congratulations, it was Prime Minister Fan Zhi's turn. Fan Zhi's congratulations were much more practical. He listed Liu Chengyou's civil and military achievements over the past ten years one by one, with corresponding results.
In ten years, the Han Dynasty has made great progress and development, and is about to unify the world. In such a long period of time, Liu Chengyou, as emperor, has indeed accomplished a lot.
After Fan Zhi's sorting out, looking back, everyone suddenly felt that His Majesty's civil and military skills had flourished to this point. It is almost a summary report of military and political work, a different kind of praise.
An army of 200,000, a population of 16 million, an annual income of 14 million yuan, 9 million hectares of cultivated land, the elimination of separatist regimes, the acquisition of city land, the opening of ditches and roads, and the containment of floods... It took Fan Zhi more than half a year. In the passage of time, Liu Chengyou's deeds of enriching the country, strengthening the army, and ruling the world are described in detail. Those glorious achievements are amazing.
After Fan Zhi, the officials from all the Daozhou states came forward, each holding special gifts to offer. Afterwards, envoys from various countries and tribes came to pay their respects and congratulate him. The Liao Kingdom also sent envoys to bring gifts. It was "old friend" Xiao Husi who wanted to spy. Of course, the value and abundance of the gifts did not come from the Southern Tang Dynasty or Wuyue. Considering the political changes in the Southern Tang Dynasty in recent months, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but look at the Tang envoy Zhong Mo.
Until dusk, the celebration banquet began in Chongyuan Hall. In addition to being solemn and grand, a national ceremony also requires fine wine and food, with the monarch and his ministers celebrating together. The royal family, nobles, domestic and foreign civil and military ministers and envoys gathered for a banquet with more than 3,000 people. It was the largest number of people and the first time since the founding of the country.
It is not only the ruling class of the Han Dynasty that is celebrated, but also the people of Tokyo. It is not just the National Day, but also the Shangyuan Festival, where the king and the people enjoy together. In the streets of Tokyo, men and women, cheered by all the people, walk around the streets, filling the city with light, and staying up all night, it is already known as the Lantern Festival.
In the Beijing military camp, the generals and schools also rejoiced together. As usual, the remaining soldiers received generous rewards and rewards from the emperor.
Inside and outside Chongyuan Hall, there are mountains of lanterns and forests of silk ribbons. Most of the square in front of the hall is occupied by banquet tables. In order to serve this imperial banquet, almost all the chamberlains and maids in the Han Palace were gathered to serve the banquet. .
Since the founding of the Han Dynasty, there has never been such luxury. In his speech at the opening of the banquet, Liu Chengyou only announced one piece of good news, which was that thanks to the heroic efforts of the soldiers at the front, the rebellion in Shu had been put down.
