Kaifeng in the winter of the 17th year of Kaibao is softer than before. There is a rising sun in the morning and colorful clouds at dusk. The blue waves and yellow leaves also add a gorgeous color to the capital. Compared with the inevitable desolation in previous years, this year It is always a lush scene.
For the officials and people of Tokyo, this winter is obviously much more comfortable. Of course, for some officials, this is a good omen, and a very good one at that.
There is no shortage of smart people in the imperial court, and there is no shortage of people who are good at making connections and figuring out what is best for them. And they are not just one or two people, but a group of them.
Many people associate this comfortable winter with one thing, that is, in a few months, Emperor Liu's birthday is approaching again.
Thirty years ago, Emperor Liu's birthday was designated as a Jiaqing Festival by the imperial court. Of course, at that time, some officials from the Ministry of Rites were in order to cater to Emperor Liu's advice, and Emperor Liu was also in the stage of consolidating imperial power and expanding his influence. , this method of fixing one's own birth date, which is used by both the government and the public to celebrate festivals throughout the country, can also be used.
Therefore, the Jiaqing Festival is celebrated as usual on the seventh day of March every year. Over the past thirty years, it has been basically integrated into the lives of Han officials and people.
It was Li Longji who first established the emperor's birthday as a fixed holiday. However, the promotion and acceptance of Emperor Liu's "Jiaqing Festival" obviously far exceeded that of Li Longji.
At least for the moment, Emperor Liu's "divinity" far exceeds that of Emperor Tianbao. Now there is no "Qianqiu" or "Heaven", only Emperor Liu's Jiaqing.
It is conceivable that as long as the Han Dynasty can maintain it stably for a hundred years, the "Jiaqing Festival" will become a fixed traditional festival.
Regarding this point, Emperor Liu was very vain. He had already achieved great achievements and left a name in history, but he still wanted to combine his fame with Chinese culture, traditions and customs. Very motivated.
In his early years, Emperor Liu didn't care much about it. At that time, his energy was focused on strengthening the country and enriching the people, but now, he is paying more and more attention to his posthumous reputation.
The Jiaqing Festival is just one of the most representative symbols. Just like when people celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, they will think of Qu Yuan. Emperor Liu hopes that in the future, when people celebrate the Jiaqing Festival, they will also think of him, Emperor Liu.
From the current point of view, this effect is significant. Of course, this is accompanied by certain administrative intervention. Nowadays, every Jiaqing Festival, Taozhou, both official and private, across the country will hold certain celebration activities. Burning incense and praying is also one of the daily activities of the officials and the people on that day, either to pray for Emperor Liu or to pray to Emperor Liu... ....
Under Emperor Liu's attention, official celebrations became more and more lively, and the Jiaqing Festival was designated as one of the fixed holidays for officials across the country, with a three-day holiday.
There is no doubt that this is a form of personality worship, even deifying oneself regardless of appearance, and being respected by everyone, and will not be criticized. Of course, no one dares to say weird things or express different views.
In fact, in the current Han Dynasty, Emperor Liu was already on par with the gods. Last year, Emperor Liu was in a mood to meet with a group of local officials who came to Beijing to report on their duties and transfers.
The scene was "touching". When they saw Emperor Liu, everyone from the prefect to the county magistrate burst into tears and couldn't help themselves. When asked why, they were too excited to express their joy and struggled to express their joy. As a result, Emperor Liu was so happy that he took time to treat those officials to a meal.
Against this background, the upcoming Jiaqing Festival of the 18th year of Kaibao naturally attracted the attention of the whole court. This time, the importance was obviously more important than any other time, because at that time, Emperor Liu was over fifty years old and half a century old.
Not to mention anything else, Emperor Liu could simply arrange birthdays in ordinary years without extravagance, but this kind of ten-year life expectancy still deserves more attention.
Even if Emperor Liu didn't mention it, those caring ministers would actively respond to it. Therefore, in the winter of the 17th year, the imperial court had already begun to prepare for the Jiaqing Festival in a few months. Zhao Pu personally presided over the planning and preparation of the celebration, and Xue Juzheng, Duke of Ji, served as the Minister of Ceremonies.
Since the beginning of winter, the imperial court, including those who spoke highly of it, have transferred a large part of their energy to praising Emperor Liu. The auspicious signs from all over the country have begun to appear again. Even the comfortable winter in Kaifeng can It's far-fetched to mention it as a good omen.
In this turbulent situation, there are still sober people, such as Prince Liu Yang. From the bottom of my heart, it is abnormal for the court to be so grand and aggressive, and the atmosphere within the court is abnormal. The ministers and servants are busy praising Emperor Liu and singing praises for the emperor, but the political affairs and people's livelihood are obviously not that important. Many people pay attention to it, and it may even affect the normal operation of government affairs.
However, he couldn't express any dissent, let alone stop him. He was both a prince and a prince, so he couldn't risk being accused of "disloyalty and unfilial piety".
In fact, Liu Yang is certain that if he really puts forward any opinions that go against the general trend, some public officials will even dare to accuse him. There may not be any explicit criticism, but there will definitely be no shortage of insinuations and accusations.
This is where Liu Yang talks about his difficulties. His mood has inevitably been gloomy recently. Even though he is forcing a smile on his face, he is actually filled with sorrow in his heart. Of course, Liu Yang's worries and worries did not only come from this matter. The turmoil in the East Palace and the restlessness in the back house also made him quite depressed, and even felt tired.
In recent years, the internal fighting in the East Palace surrounding the Crown Princess and Concubine Zhao has become more and more intense. In the past, the ministers saw the possible heir apparent between the princes, but now, some people have seen the third generation.
So far, Liu Yang's position as the prince is still stable and almost unbreakable. And a prince who has been in power for twenty years has already had a deep enough background and influence. Even without the support of his mother's clan, Liu Yang can only On his own, his banner is strong enough.
The most important thing is that Emperor Liu always trusted him, expressed his expectations from the bottom of his heart, and said, "The future of the country is yours." Such situations are normal.
In fact, Liu Yang can be regarded as a kind of sustenance for Emperor Liu, reposing his efforts and expectations. It took him so many years to cultivate such a satisfactory heir, which is similar to a one-way street. If you persist, there is no turning back.
Of course, all of this has a premise, that is, Liu Yang himself does not seek death. However, judging from the qualities he has shown over the years, such a talented prince is still smart enough. He has already adapted to his status and is even more proficient in how to deal with Emperor Liu.
However, he was always troubled by his family affairs and the troubles in the East Palace. The relationship between Concubine Murong and Concubine Zhao is not just a jealousy between the women of the East Palace. It reflects the struggle between the Murong family and the Zhao family, and is also related to the future inheritance of the empire.
This is obviously an eye-catching thing. After Emperor Liu, if nothing unexpected happens, he will be Liu Yang. This is known to everyone. No other prince, prince, or prince has the strength and prestige to compete with him. .
But after Liu Yang, this is worth talking about. Although it seems a bit early to talk about this when Emperor Liu is still alive and Liu Yang is in his prime years, but for some people with a "long-term vision", it is not early at all.
Moreover, Liu Yang's situation is also worthy of attention. To this day, Liu Yang only has two sons and one daughter. The eldest son Liu Wenhuan, born to Concubine Zhao, is now nine years old; the second son Liu Wenji, born to Concubine Xiao (Xiao Yanyan's status was naturally improved after giving birth to a child), is now five years old.
As for the Crown Princess, she finally got pregnant in the fifteenth year of Kaibao and gave birth in the winter of that year. Unfortunately, she was a girl. This not only made Concubine Murong lose her temper, but also gave Liu Yang a headache.
How could Liu Yang himself have not considered the issue of heirs? From the two existing sons, there is no doubt that the eldest son Liu Wenhuan should be chosen. After all, Liu Wenji is the son of Xiao Yanyan, so he is born at a disadvantage.
However, the Crown Princess refused. In an almost desperate situation, someone gave her an idea. He was the Crown Princess, Liu Yang's first wife, and the aunt's mother of Liu Yang's children, so he suggested that she adopt Liu Wenhuan.
This idea is very constructive. Even Liu Yang heard it and thought it was a good idea, killing two birds with one stone. However, this was obviously strongly opposed by Concubine Zhao, probably due to the influence of her mother, and the young grandson Liu Wenhuan was also unwilling.
This matter was a fuss for a while, attracting gossip from both the government and the public, but it was left undisturbed and ended with the Crown Princess giving up on her own initiative. After all, there is really no need to adopt a son who is likely not to be filial to him in the future. Instead, it will consolidate the position of the "enemy's" son, which is not cost-effective.
During the whole process, Zhao Kuangyin did not express his position rashly and remained silent. However, Zhao Kuangyi, who had returned to the court and served as the minister of Zhongshu, privately told Zhao Kuangyin that it would be a good idea to let the Crown Princess adopt him. This would directly determine Liu Wenhuan's status. things.
It's a pity that Zhao Kuangyi has unique vision, but he doesn't have much ability to interfere. He is just an uncle and cannot control Concubine Zhao's thoughts, let alone Concubine Murong.
This incident was such a big deal that even Emperor Liu heard about it. Liu Yang also asked for advice, but was criticized by Emperor Liu, saying that if he couldn't even manage the harem, how could he govern the world? She also shamelessly used her own "harmonious" harem as an example to educate her.
As for Emperor Liu, he didn't have any ideas at all. They said they would marry each other across generations, and he really had no special preference for his grandchildren. What's more, when it came to the issue of heirs, he had to be even more cautious.
However, Emperor Liu was not happy about the overt and covert fighting in the East Palace. At the same time, I also felt that people were confused. He was still alive and well. Some people began to think about the issue of the third generation emperor. It was simply unseemly. Was it because of ulterior motives or that they no longer took him seriously?
Therefore, during that time, Emperor Liu's temper was a bit bad, and he always had a cold face when he came to Zhao Kuangyin for a drink.
Murong's adoption of Liu Wenhuan came to nothing, and because of Emperor Liu's attitude, the East Palace was peaceful for two years. However, recently, there has been trouble again.
After long-term observation and thinking, the princess once again proposed to Liu Yang that she wanted to adopt Liu Wenji, the son of Xiao. As soon as this proposal came out, Liu Yang really had a headache. There was also a huge response in the East Palace, the Imperial City, and even the imperial court...
