God bless the ninth year, the first day of the lunar month. Tao
The emperor Zhao Zhen followed the etiquette and law, went out of the imperial city, and offered sacrifices to heaven at the Qingcheng Palace in the south of Bianjing City.
Just after the rooster crows, the sky is dark, the night wind is strong, and there is no moon in sight. Only hundreds of torches, blown by the wind, light up the square in front of Daqing Hall.
In the huge square, there were a total of 22,221 people holding the battalion, leading the troops, and taking charge of the various armies and departments.
In addition, there are thousands of civil and military officials accompanying the driver, as well as vehicles, horses, and even six elephants.
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Tens of thousands of people took their places in the square without any disorder, waiting for the emperor to come out of the main hall of the imperial city.
Civil servants of the fifth rank and above, military officers of the fourth rank and above, as well as Hanlin officials and imperial censors all accompanied the emperor to worship heaven.
The father and son Sheng Hong and Sheng Changbai, one of whom was the director of the fifth-grade Ministry of Industry and the other was the editor of the seventh-grade Hanlin Academy, were among those accompanying him. Tao
Now is the coldest time in Bianjing. As a southerner, Sheng Hong stood in the cold wind wearing a thin court dress, and his teeth were trembling with cold.
At this moment, Sheng Hong missed the fox fur that his wife had sewn by hand.
Although it looks a bit ugly, at least it is made of solid materials and is windproof and warm. If I could put one on now, I would definitely be much warmer.
It's a pity that Sheng Hong can only think about it. This is an annual ceremony to worship heaven, and he must wear court clothes to show his grandeur.
Compared to the middle-aged Sheng Hong, who is physically weak, Sheng Changbai's condition is much better.
The seventh-grade court uniform is not thicker than the fifth-grade court uniform, but Sheng Changbai is young enough and has strong firepower, so he can barely bear it.
The lights in the square flickered on and off, and the coldness brought by the strong wind seemed to have set a rhythm. Wave after wave, it hit people, making it difficult for people to guard against it. Tao
Sheng Changbai raised his sleeves, covered half of his eyes, and tried to look forward.
But I saw four people standing at the front of the line in the Hanlin Academy. They were Liu Tingxi, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy and a minister of Zhan Shifu, Wu Yingyan, a bachelor of the Imperial Academy and the minister of the Ministry of War, Tao Yue, a bachelor of the imperial academy and a minister of the Ministry of War, and Ding Siquan, a bachelor of the imperial palace.
Among the four first-level Hanlin scholars, Liu Tingxi took the lead. Wu Yingyan and Tao Yue stood behind Liu Tingxi, separated on the left and right. Behind Wu Yingyan is Ding Siquan, and behind Tao Yue, there is obviously a vacant position.
That is the position of the new lecturer Wei Chen, but Wei Chen has not yet taken up his post.
Sheng Changbai couldn't help but sigh secretly when he saw this.
It's good to be given a leave of absence to get married, and you don't even have to attend the heaven-sacrifice ceremony. At this moment, Wei Chen is probably still lying at home sleeping.
Sheng Changbai suddenly felt a little envious of Wei Chen because he didn't have to get up early or get cold. Tao
If possible, who would want to stand here like a fool in the cold weather and blow the wind?
Dispelling the random thoughts in his mind, Sheng Changbai tightened his pathetically thin court uniform and continued to hold his breath like all his colleagues around him, silently waiting for the ceremony to begin.
Snapped! Snapped! Snapped!
After three cleansing whips, drums and music blared in front of the palace, and everyone's expressions suddenly became solemn and solemn.
The Emperor Zhao Zhen slowly walked out of the palace gate, tens of thousands of people knelt down and worshiped, shouting "Long Live the Mountain". The shouts were like landslides and tsunamis, echoing in the sky above the square.
Immediately, Zhao Zhen climbed onto the jade chariot, and after the ministers of Honglu Temple loudly praised him, the sounds of drums, horse hooves, and footsteps began one after another.
First, six elephants started to guide, and more than a hundred riders from the Qingyou team walked along the road. More than two hundred people from the front guard of honor, holding banners such as Suzaku and Yellow Dragon, Feng Boyu Master, Lei Gong and Dian Mu, followed closely behind. Tao
Then there are Taichang's front propaganda, Si Tianjian, front cavalry, Sixth Army honor guard, left and right Xiao guards, Jinwu guards, Peng Japanese army, Fengchen army...
Dozens of teams of people passed through Xuande Gate in batches and walked south along the imperial road.
On the jade chariot, Zhao Zhen was holding it like a sculpture in a temple.
Although he is the emperor of Zhou Dynasty, Zhao Zhen's situation is actually not much better than that of officials like the Sheng family and his son.
He is still cold now.
The jade chariot under the seat is an antique handed down from the founding of the Zhou Dynasty. It has a green dragon on the left and a white tiger on the right, decorated with turtle back patterns, and is coated with gold and silver.
The decoration is extremely exquisite, and the various furnishings are full of nobility, which is very suitable for the emperor's status, but the comfort of the ride is not considered. Tao
The jade chariot was ventilated from all sides, with only one layer of gauze covering the emperor's face, but this thin gauze could not block the biting cold wind at midnight.
So, on the way south from Xuandemen, before crossing Zhouqiao, Zhao Zhen's face turned blue and his lips turned white from the cold.
Gao Huai, who was accompanying him, quickly discovered that Zhao Zhen was abnormal, and quickly asked someone to find a small heater. When he was about to hand over the jade gown, he was stopped by Zhao Zhen softly.
In court ceremonies, everything must be done in accordance with etiquette. Even the emperor cannot act willfully. There can be no more or less jewelry and utensils carried with him.
Even if it's just a small heater.
Zhao Zhen, who was trembling with cold, waved his hand to signal Gao Huai to step back. Then he took a deep breath, straightened his waist, sat upright, and continued to maintain the majesty that an emperor should have.
This is how I managed to survive in previous years. I just need to survive until Qingyang Palace. Tao
There are palaces there that are as warm as spring, and there are also imperial doctors with superb medical skills. As long as you drink a bowl of warm and nourishing medicinal soup, after sweating, and rest for a while, your body will feel much better.
The sky is getting brighter, and the majestic ceremonial vehicles have driven out of Nanxun Gate one after another.
When the red sun completely jumped above the horizon, Zhao Zhen finally arrived at Qingcheng Palace, five miles south of the city.
Seeing that Zhao Zhen's face was terribly pale, Gao Huai and several other chamberlains hurried forward and helped Zhao Zhen out of the jade chariot.
Gao Huai whispered: "Your Majesty, the imperial physician is already waiting at Duancheng Hall."
Zhao Zhen tried his best to open his eyes wide, looked at the palace not far away, nodded, and took steps with some difficulty.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew up, blowing out half of the lights and candles in the square. Tao
The flag not far away swayed a few times in the wind, and then snapped in the middle.
Almost at the same time, Zhao Zhen staggered and fell to the ground, unconscious.
This change happened very quickly, in the flash of lightning. All the civil and military officials present were dumbfounded for a moment, and they all knelt on the ground in fear.
"His Majesty!"
"Is your Majesty's dragon body okay?"
"I waited for ten thousand years to die, but I failed to notice this strong wind and disturbed the Holy Master. Please forgive me!"
All the officials were chattering away, making the scene as noisy as a vegetable market. Officials are also mortals. When encountering such a thing all of a sudden, they would inevitably feel panicked and uneasy. Tao
Officials below the third rank did not dare to leave their positions easily to inquire and inquire. They all knelt down to plead guilty first.
In the end, Han Zhang, the chief assistant of Longtuge, came out to take charge of the overall situation. Han Zhang first stepped forward to check Zhao Zhen's condition, and then immediately asked the chamberlain to send the unconscious Zhao Zhen to Duancheng Hall, and invited the imperial physician for consultation and treatment. .
Except for a few important ministers such as three bachelors, six ministers, and Hanlin bachelors, the other officials, including the two princes, were dispersed and went to their residences in the palace to rest temporarily.
In the chaos, Sheng Hong found Sheng Changbai through the crowd. Seeing that his son was safe and sound, Sheng Hong felt relieved and returned to his residence with Sheng Changbai.
On the way back, I happened to see several officials looking gloomy, as if they were mourning for their heirs, and they were mumbling something.
"The strong wind is shaking and the ritual cannot be completed. This is a sign of great disaster!"
When Sheng Hong and Sheng Changbai heard this, they turned to look at each other, their eyelids twitching, unable to conceal their horror. Tao
