Han Shizu

On March 995, the third year of Yongxi's reign (), the patrol soldiers in Luoyang City and the various squads of Luoyang Prefecture officers went out collectively to maintain public order.

Such a movement was not due to some sudden major incident that led to martial law in the city. On the contrary, at this time, the city of Luoyang was peaceful, stable and prosperous, and the markets, streets and lanes were all enveloped in a festive atmosphere.

The emergency rescue officers and soldiers specially set up due to the "Tokyo Explosion" incident were all deployed in the markets to conduct security and fire prevention inspections. They led the officials of each office to inspect every neighborhood under their jurisdiction and went door to door to preach and remind them. Fire prevention matters.

This day is the Jiaqing Festival. As one of the five major festivals, it is normal for the government to make some special preparations.

Counting the time, more than 40 years have passed since the birth of "Jiaqing Festival". After a long time, with the continuous strengthening and promotion of the official, it has been able to truly enter thousands of households and integrate into the festival life of the Han people. After all, there are too many ordinary people, both men and women, who have been unable to complete their lives in less than forty years due to unexpected factors such as natural and man-made disasters, epidemics and epidemics.

After more than 40 years of Jiaqing Festival, great changes have taken place in both the connotation and the form of the festival.

The establishment of the Jiaqing Festival is somewhat accidental. Some officials followed the previous dynasty's practice and asked the emperor to wish him long life. At that time, Emperor Shizu, who had just consolidated the power of the Han Dynasty, needed to further establish his authority, so he followed the advice. Ruliu, set his birthday as Jiaqing Festival.

At first, it was only limited to the palace and the court. Gradually, as Emperor Shizu's authority became stronger and his achievements were unparalleled, and with the active promotion of Xuanweisi, official celebrations also began to spread to the people. After all, the Holy Lord is coming to court, and all the people in the world should and want to be part of the Emperor's joy and auspiciousness.

Every festival has its own characteristics and distinctive symbols, and Jiaqing Festival is no exception. After so many years of evolution, Jiaqing Festival has become more like a blessing festival than simply celebrating the emperor's birthday.

Every year on this day, as long as the houses of Han scholars and people could afford it, they would bathe and purify themselves, change into new clothes, burn incense and pray. There were also many worship activities on this day in various places, and the people and scholars actively participated in them. The forms of praying are diverse, such as flying paper kites, releasing river lanterns, performing ritual dances, etc., which are very rich.

As for the objects for the common people of the Han Dynasty to pray for, there were also many, and the court did not impose any mandatory regulations in this regard. Therefore, regardless of whether they are ancestors, heroes, emperors, queens, immortals, Buddhas or great emperors, as long as they are not forbidden by the imperial court, they can be worshiped in temples or evil gods.

With the death of Emperor Shizu, it was almost an unspoken rule that he became a god that officials and people must worship. It is also sad to say that when Emperor Shizu was alive, the worship of the officials and the people may not be very sincere. On the contrary, after his death, people prayed and worshiped from the bottom of their hearts, hoping to receive blessings.

Perhaps in the simple understanding of ordinary people, the emperor who has escaped the limitations of the mortal body can have an immortal soul and can truly benefit all things and bless and bless every sincere citizen.

Of course, there are still many people who seek Buddhism and enquiry. In this social atmosphere, Jiaqing Festival has become an important festival for both Buddhism and Taoism. Every day on this day, Buddhist temples and Taoist temples inside and outside the capital open their gates, hold Dharma meetings, preach and enlighten people in order to save the world.

Especially the unobstructed assembly at Baima Temple and the Heaven and Earth Dharma Assembly at Zijin Temple often attract tens of thousands of people and believers. During this process, the incense money at each mountain gate must be several times or even ten times higher than usual.

This year is even more unusual. White Horse Temple invited Zen Master Guangji who travels to give Zen lectures. The origin of Zen Master Guangji is unknown. We only know that he studied Buddhism for twenty years, and then traveled around the world in search of Buddhism. He never stopped for more than forty years, and even went as far as Khotan and Anxi.

Of course, due to profound Buddhist principles and excellent "professional quality", it is a matter of course to obtain the "practice certificate" awarded by the imperial court, and it is also the highest-level gold book with dragon pattern issued by Qin Tianjian.

In contrast, Taoist Priest Ziyang of Danding Dao also appeared in Zijin Temple. Of course, Taoist Master Ziyang is also a strange person. It is said that he has been cultivating Taoism in Huashan for thirty years, but he was eager to see Patriarch Chen Tuan but could not see him. However, his thirty years of perseverance finally moved the Patriarch. One day, Zi Qi came from the East, The ancestor preached in a dream and taught him the true seal of the great road.

Then things got out of hand. Although the Taoist factions were as complex as a plate of scattered sand, due to his several connections with Emperor Shizu, Patriarch Chen Tuan still had an extremely high status in the hearts of the Taoist sects in the world.

Therefore, it is said that Taoist Priest Ziyang, who has received the true inheritance from his ancestor, naturally has a rising tide. However, one thing that must be mentioned is that Taoist Priest Ziyang only started to leave Huashan after the death of Emperor Shizu. The reason is intriguing.

But no matter what, the injection of Buddhist and Taoist culture has also enriched the connotation of Jiaqing Festival and given it a foundation that can be passed on for a longer time.

On such a Jiaqing occasion, official and private gatherings gather together. How can we not make the Inspection Department and Luoyang Prefecture nervous? Public security and order is one thing, and fire prevention is the top priority.

During any sacrificial activities, open fires will flood, which will lead to easy water leakage and fires. This is the experience and lesson learned from the losses of lives and property suffered by Luoyang officials and people over the years.

However, no matter how prepared we were and how we publicized it, what was supposed to happen would eventually happen, and the government could not take care of the millions of people inside and outside Luoyang.

As a result, another fire broke out in Luxinfang in the southeast of the city. Fortunately, the patrol soldiers responded quickly enough and arrived quickly to organize fire-fighting and rescue people, so it did not cause a greater disaster. Even so, it affected three to five families, and seven or eight people, old and young, suffered burns and scalds.

In the marketplace, there were countless small fires and disasters that were quickly extinguished. The busiest people inside and outside the city, and those who were under the greatest pressure, were probably the inspectors and government officials who were running back and forth on inspections.

In the Han Empire shrouded in fireworks, although not all places were as prosperous and noisy as the two capitals, no matter whether it was cities, towns or villages, there was a vague resonance under the same festival customs and the same prayer behaviors.

This is also a kind of cultural identity that moistens things silently, and the identity of the empire. The rule of the Han Dynasty is also based on this habit, infiltrating people's hearts and touching every corner of the huge territory. Of course, this kind of touch is deep or shallow. .

The people were enthusiastic, and the central court also held activities. Although the extravagant and extravagant celebrations were cut off by Emperor Liu Yang, worshiping heaven on the high altar, worshiping ancestors in the Ancestral Temple, and worshiping spirits in the Pavilion of Heroes were still the same, with the emperor personally taking the lead.

Sacrifice is really a top priority for a country, and the Jiaqing Festival has become the most important political sacrificial event of the year in the Han Dynasty.

Perhaps thousands of years later, the Han Empire has long since declined, and all the great achievements and prosperous dynasties have come to nothing, but the Jiaqing Festival and the Blessing Festival can still continue, even if people will forget or even ignore the origin of the festival over a long period of time. But as long as the fireworks are going up and the sound of blessings is heard, for Emperor Shizu, it is still a consolation from thousands of years later.

The Kingdom of the Middle Kingdom has a well-known characteristic. If you give it a few decades of basic security and stability, it will return you a glorious and prosperous age.

This has already been reflected in the era of Emperor Sejo. The huge progress in productivity has brought about a significant improvement in the level of economy and material culture. If it were not for the excessive expansion and some misdeeds in Sejo's later years, the so-called Kaibao Heyday might not have been possible. Can appear more real.

But even so, the foundation left by Emperor Shizu only needs a little polishing and refreshing to be full of vitality. It is also the historical mission of Emperor Liu Yang to build a truly prosperous and prosperous age by connecting the past and the next.

In the past dynasties, the so-called governance and prosperity were all realized under the system of a feudal monarchy. Behind all prosperity, the ruthless exploitation of the people in Guizhou by the ruling class was unavoidable. The quality of the governance and prosperity depended on the recovery and development of the productivity level. How, second, look at where the bottom line of the exploiting class lies.

Both were feudal empires. Even though the Han Dynasty broke the boundaries of previous dynasties and greatly improved its technology and productivity levels, there was no fundamental change compared to the previous generation. This was also an inherent characteristic from the beginning of the founding of the country. This is how the genetic sequence is arranged. .

But without mentioning things in the distant future, right now, as Emperor Liu Yang uses strong means to restrain the ruling class, clarify official governance, crack down on lawlessness, and give the people more and more tolerant living space, the kind of feeling that is rooted in the bones of the Han people The production and operation capabilities have once again ushered in an explosion.

The effectiveness of some things takes time to be tested, while some changes are immediate. In more than a year, thousands of officials from the central government to the localities were dealt with, and thousands of powerful landowners were forced to move out. Emperor Liu Yang just held on. He held up the sky, held up the country, and also gave all living beings in this world a little more breathing space.

When it comes to Liu Yang's various actions, there is nothing complicated to put it bluntly: peace in external affairs, recuperation in internal affairs, advocating law and governing officials, self-denial and peace of mind.

Perhaps even Emperor Shizu didn't really see one of Liu Yang's qualities, that is, extreme restraint. If the prince period requires keeping a low profile and being cautious, then this is already the third year after he ascended the throne, and Liu Yang still sees it. With little selfish desire and no personal enjoyment, the extravagant style that had been popular among the upper echelons of the court in Shizu's later years was almost wiped out by Liu Yang.

Although Liu Yang kept saying that he was imitating Shizu's simple style in his early years, there was a world of difference between the two.

It may be a bit disrespectful to say that Emperor Shizu was frugal and neat during the Qianyou period, but that was limited by the country's strength. To put it bluntly, he was poor. Just look at him in the later period of Kaibao.

As for Liu Yang's era, even if we don't mention the treasury, the wealth of the young masters is piled up like a mountain, and they can be enjoyed by anyone. Therefore, a person who can control himself and his inner desires has a high probability of being able to achieve success. If you can do it for the emperor and persist for a long time, then this kind of person is actually very scary.

The dignitaries and bureaucrats of the Han Dynasty will gradually discover that although Emperor Shizu is erratic and prone to killing people, as long as he does not break the bottom line, or even falls into his hands unluckily, he will live happily and drink wine. Dance photos and dance, beauties play photos.

Although Emperor Yongxi was generous, calm and elegant, and cautious about executions, his maintenance of the imperial system and control over everyone made people accustomed to privileges and those who exceeded their authority feel uncomfortable from the inside out. . In particular, it is too much to think about driving people overseas after breaking the law.

Of course, compared to the Kaibao era, the political atmosphere in the Yongxi era was still much more relaxed. If preventing the powerful from breaking the law and abusing the people can be considered "harsh governance," then this may be the most harsh part of Liu Yang.

It's not as comfortable as when Emperor Shizu was king! This may be the voice of some people. Of course, people often think about something from the perspective of their own interests. When they are obsessed with a certain point, they often ignore some things.

People who hold this kind of thinking may have overlooked one point. Emperor Yongxi dealt with the dignitaries, bureaucrats, and landlords, and Emperor Shizu would also severely punish them, and even engage in implicated family annihilation. However, he had to "touch" them. Just fine. In the third year of Yongxi's reign, in the seventh month of autumn, when the tail of midsummer was approaching and the weather was still quite hot, Luan Jia set off on his first official tour in Emperor Liu Yang's career.

Although Liu Yang was almost overwhelmed by the mountain of memorials, the results of pickets in various places were also remarkable, and good news came to Luoyang Imperial City like snow flakes, Liu Yang still wanted to go out and see for himself.

Of course, Liu Yang only dared to think this way when the government was stable and the country was safe. Otherwise, he would not dare to leave the capital without permission.

After the patrol plan was decided, Liu Yang tried his best to consider the possible impact of the patrol and try not to cause trouble to the local area.

For the cost of the patrol, the treasury only bears the normal official salaries, officers and soldiers' salaries, and military supplies. All other expenses are paid by the Shaofu. For this reason, Liu Yang directly approved a million dollars. Of course, in his plan, all the money was not used for business expenses, but to take into account the kindness and concessions to some poor people and the local integrity. Rewards for officials and virtuous people, etc.

Liu Yang also sought to streamline his entourage, with only three thousand officers and soldiers escorted by Commander-in-Chief Li Jihe. Due to Li Jihe's "loyalty and bravery" in reporting the letter, after Liu Yang came to the throne, he gave a full report and stood out from the 16th Battalion of Dauchi and was directly promoted to the commander of the capital of Dauchi. This is a third-rank military position. .

This shows how much favor the Li brothers received, but precisely because of this, he was destined to be the commander of the Imperial Army for a long time.

As for the accompanying ministers, there are mainly four people, the cabinet bachelor Wang Dan, the prime minister is the capital inspector Han Hui, Zhao Wang Liu Fang, and the eldest son of the emperor, Ruyang Gong Liu Wenhuan, who has just been married.

Regarding Liu Wenhuan's marriage, it once caused a sensation in Beijing. It was not because of how luxurious and grand the wedding ceremony was, nor because of his status as the eldest son of the emperor, but also because the person he was marrying, Chang Wei, was very famous in Beijing.

Of course, Chang Wei was not an ordinary person. If we really want to talk about it, we have to trace it back to his great-grandfather Chang Si, who was the great minister of Emperor Gaozu and the founding father of the country. Guo Wei even called him "Uncle Chang". Although Later, he was punished by Emperor Shizu because of his greed, cruelty, violation of laws and regulations.

But the qualifications are there after all, and the close relationship with the Guo family has always been maintained. After the death of Lao Changsi, although he gradually declined, when Guo Wei was still alive, he remembered his early love and took care of him a lot. Talented people are still supported and promoted. For example, Chang Si's son Chang Ju once served as the governor of Fenzhou.

As for Chang Wei, whom Liu Wenhuan married, she was the legitimate daughter of Chang Kun, the contemporary head of the Chang family. Chang Kun had a very small official position, just a foreign minister of the Ministry of Industry, but Chang Wei was very extraordinary, and was more famous than his father and even his great-grandfather. big.

First of all, there is the appearance. This woman is very beautiful. When men see her, they fall in love with her. It is said that once when Chang Ning was passing through the Western Market, her veil fell off and her true face was exposed, causing a series of collisions between four cars on the street.

At the same time, Chang Wei was also very talented, proficient in playing music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry and songs. At the age of 17, she disguised herself as a man and became a blockbuster at the Peony Poetry Festival, almost surpassing Sun He, the number one scholar.

Such a beautiful woman who is both beautiful and artistic, famous as a master of the capital, and a queen of meritorious officials, naturally attracted the attention of the powerful children in the capital, who wanted to marry her home. The suitors who came to the house almost crossed the threshold of the Chang Mansion, but their father Chang Kun rejected them all. .

It wasn't until Concubine Zhao learned about the person during a chat with the married women that she became interested. She called her to observe and talk, and she fell in love with him, and then she thought of calling her as a bride. The dignified Concubine Zhao proposed marriage to the eldest son of the Emperor of Han Dynasty. Of course Chang Kun had no reason to refuse, so after some procedures, Chang Wei became Liu Wenhuan's official wife.

Regarding this marriage, not to mention how many wealthy children of Gyeonggi and scholarly scholars had their dreams shattered, and not to mention how many people in the market talked about and praised it, at least Zhao Kuangyi had some criticisms. He also tried to dissuade Concubine Zhao not to accept Chang Wei. In his opinion, the Chang family father and daughter had impure motives and were suspected of running a business and selling for a price, so they were not a good match.

However, Concubine Zhao refused to listen and even felt that Zhao Kuangyi, the uncle, had stretched his hands too far and even wanted to interfere in Liu Wenhuan's marriage. At the same time, what she values ​​​​is Chang Hao's great reputation. Marrying such a daughter-in-law will also make Liu Wenhuan famous and look good.

On the other hand, using the Chang family as a link can strengthen the connection with the Guo family, which may have miraculous effects at critical moments.

After learning about Concubine Zhao's secret thoughts, Zhao Kuangyi almost scolded her for being stupid and short-sighted.

The emperor is a pragmatic person. If you are trying to gain fame and gain fame, won't this make His Majesty displeased?

At the same time, since everyone has already thought of wooing the Guo family, why not directly ask for the Guo family's daughter and go around the Chang family? How much of the friendship between a declining family and three generations that existed decades ago is left now? Although Guo Tong's granddaughter is not as talented as Chang Tong, is she still not worthy of Liu Wenhuan?

Unfortunately, Concubine Zhao was stubborn and Zhao Kuangyi had no choice but to curse her views on women in his heart, unless the emperor vetoed the marriage.

Unfortunately, Liu Yang never expressed much publicly at this time. On the contrary, after Liu Wenhuan got married, Chang Kun, Chang Kun's father, was directly promoted from a marginal Ministry of Industry member Wailang to the supervisory censor of Hebei Province.

Luan Jia traveled all the way west, passed Chang'an, and landed in Hanzhong. Liu Yang inspected it very carefully. With Luoyang as the capital, the Kansai region could not be ignored.

The Guanzhong Plain, in particular, is certainly not as fertile as it once was, but in fact there is still a lot of crops produced every year. Without the huge blood-sucking beast of the imperial court lying around, it is more than enough to be self-sufficient, and this is still in addition to paying taxes. In the case of endowment and supporting edges.

When it comes to the Hanzhong Plain, it's just the same. The abundant output is really pleasing to the eye. After entering Jiannan, the situation was not so good. Although more than a year had passed since the Shu Rebellion, the sequelae of the war were still serious, and the devastated and ruined scene could not be erased by no less than ten years of hard work.

Both the climate environment and the people of Sichuan are still in a slow recovery period. However, there are still acres of rice on the Chengdu Plain, and the golden season is what the people of Sichuan have experienced in the past five or six years. The first full farming season was not easy.

However, this is a good sign, and it also means that Jiannan Road has returned to normal order and is on the right path of development. With these fields, these people, and these rice, one day the grand occasion of the Land of Abundance will come.

One more thing to mention is that nowadays, the main rice grown in Sichuan is Champa rice. In this regard, the imperial court has made great efforts to promote it for decades, and the rice production in the southern part of the Han Dynasty has also increased year by year. Nowadays, rice Like wheat, it has become a staple food on the dining table of the Han people.

When he arrived in Chengdu, Liu Yang did not bother to praise Li Hang, Xu Shilian, Liu Tinghan and other civil and military officials for their contribution to the restoration of Shu. He first visited Wuhou Temple, then Pan Gong Temple, and then went to a community in the suburbs of Chengdu to pay homage to those who were in the chaos of Shu. Those who died were no matter whether they were officers, soldiers or rebels.

At the same time, Liu Yang asked Lin Te, the deputy military envoy of Wude, to find representatives from all walks of life from all over central Sichuan, invite them to drink and dine, and listen to their voices, so as to judge the public sentiment and examine the merits and demerits of local officials' governance.

Of course, what is more important is that Liu Yang generously apologized to the Shu people, saying that the chaos in Shu was due to the court's poor supervision and poor government governance, which ignored the suffering of the Shu people. At the same time, we made an oath to the people that any lawless nobles, officials, landlords, or merchants who dare to abuse good people and common people will be punished.

It has to be said that Liu Yang bent down and performed some people-friendly operations, and the effect was remarkable. At least, as this matter continued to spread, the remaining resentment of the people of Shu towards the court and the emperor was completely eliminated.

They came to the understanding that the emperor and the court were far away in Luoyang, the capital of the capital, and it was normal for them to be somewhat negligent in the supervision of Shu. They concluded that the worst was indeed the unscrupulous nobles, corrupt officials, and local tyrants and evil gentry in Jiannan. .

Liu Yang stayed in and around Chengdu for more than a month. Obviously, this was his main destination for this tour. The officials and people in Sichuan who encountered serious disasters also need comfort from the supreme ruler. There is nothing more effective than taking care of things personally.

In addition to inspecting political officials, it is more important to visit the people's sentiments, paying special attention to salt, tea, and silk, which are the leading industries in Sichuan. They even went to the south to personally observe the production process of well salt, cordially interviewed the salt workers, and brought those The salt worker who worked as a cow was moved to tears.

Originally, Liu Yang wanted to go further south, to central Guizhou and Yunnan, but was dissuaded by his ministers. Although central Guizhou and Yunnan have been attached to it for a long time, they are still frontier places after all. When the emperor comes in person, safety is on the one hand. The mountains are high and the forests are dense, so it is difficult to guarantee that there will be no accidents. In addition, due to the influence of climate and epidemics, it is even more necessary to be careful.

Liu Yang was not a person who could not listen to advice. He sighed and suppressed his idea, but he sent an envoy to convey the edict and summoned some powerful chieftains from Guizhou, Yunnan and Tubo to Chengdu, held a banquet in honor of them, and talked about "friendship". At the same time, he once again assured them that the court would respect and protect their existing interests. Of course, they also needed to contribute their "loyalty" to the court.

After such a "Chengdu Conference", the chieftains and chieftains were very moved. Starting from the third year of Yongxi's reign, there had been no major chaos in the southwest of the Han Dynasty for more than 30 years. Even if there was a small chaos, it was quickly put down by the army and chieftains. , some could not even reach the capital.

(End of this chapter)