female concubine

From February to the Dragon Boat Festival and from August to the Winter Solstice, the lecture period of the Dingjing Banquet is from February to the Winter Solstice Festival. Hanlin bachelors, university scholars and other important ministers serve as lecturers.

On the first day of November, there are still six days before the winter solstice festival. All the internal and external departments and the Ministry of Internal Affairs are busy, and the six departments of the three provinces are also preparing for the winter solstice sacrifice to the Taimiao.

The prince went to the Chongwen Museum in Zuochunfang to study the classics, and Lu Wei, the same Pingzhangshi, walked in with a copy of the doctrine of the mean, "The old minister has seen His Royal Highness the prince."

"Master is here." The crown prince politely got up from his seat and cupped his hands towards Lu Wei.

"Your Highness, we are going to talk about "The Doctrine of the Mean" today, and we will hold sacrifices during the winter solstice, so I can only talk with Your Highness for half an hour..."

"Master, I want to ask Master something before the lecture."

Lu Wei sat up and bowed to him, "Excuse me, Your Highness."

"It's related to the sacrificial offering. Does master know the candidates for the sub-offer and final offering at the altar of the winter solstice?"

"This..." Lu Wei lowered his head, "This matter is under the control of the Nine Temples and the Ministry of Rites, minister..."

Seeing that Lu Wei hesitated and seemed afraid to speak, the prince turned cold, "Master is the prime minister, and all official documents must be signed and sealed by him, even if it is His Majesty's edict, let alone a document from the Ministry of Rites."

"I really don't know. The first offering is His Majesty, and the second offering is naturally His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. As for the final offering... Maybe it is an important minister of the imperial court or a certain prince from a side branch of the clan."

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On the evening of the fourth day of November, officials of the Taishi Bureau stood on the bell and drum tower facing east and west in front of the Daqian Hall to observe and record the omissions. They beat the drum every moment, and every time the drum was beat, an official in green uniform held an ivory The wat board made a report.

Three days before the winter solstice, the emperor stayed in the Daqing Hall. In the hall, there were not only the emperor's personal guards, but also the soldiers in front of the hall. A group of more than a dozen people guarded the emperor's safety in the martial law hall.

A warning area was set up outside the Xuande Gate to prevent the common people from approaching. The Imperial Army was lined up from the outside of the palace to the Imperial Street in neat uniforms, and tens of thousands of war horses surrounded the palace under martial law.

——Boom! ——The Bell and Drum Tower played the newspaper, "Shen Shizheng!"

Immediately, the forbidden center blew the long-sounding horn, followed by the ups and downs of the drums, and the forbidden soldiers inside and outside the forbidden center became vigilant after hearing it.

The one-year-old servant walked into the Duo Hall of the Daqing Palace, "His Royal Highness sent someone to ask, this winter solstice sacrifice..."

"I'm tired, rest for a while, it's time to wake me up." The emperor murmured, obviously not listening to Zhao Ci's transfer.

Zhao Ci had no choice but to bow his hands, "Yes."

As time passed, the sleepy emperor also fell into a dream.

【Wei Yuanzhe, killing your wife and son will surely lead to a terrible death! 】

——Boom! ——

"Three stick drums in ugly time!"

The emperor was awakened by the sound of drums outside the palace, and touched the cold sweat on his forehead, "What time is it?"

"Return to Your Majesty, at the third quarter of the ugly hour, the ministers have also arrived at the main hall one after another."

"Send someone to pass on the crown prince."

"Yes."

The emperor got up from the couch, "Let them bring the clothes in."

The female historian and palace servants of the Shangfu Bureau walked into the hall softly after hearing the call. The servants and several court servants of the Shangfu Bureau brought the crimson gauze gown embroidered with the pattern of star officials and the 24 beams inlaid with pearls to embellish Jinbo Mountain and cicadas. The decorative cirrus crowns and gold and jade belts were presented, and the emperor waved to them, "Everyone, step down."

After the palace servants retired, the emperor's confidantes waited on them to wash and change their clothes. After putting on the clothes, Zhao Ci presented the Xuangui on the brocade plate, and the emperor took it and walked out from the side hall.

During the period of washing and dressing, the Crown Prince had already arrived at the Daqing Hall from the East Palace. The Emperor only glanced at him before turning his eyes away and walking up to the Ming Terrace.

"All blessings, Your Majesty."

Civil and military officials wear court uniforms and beam crowns. The crown prince wears eighteen-beam Yuanyou crown, which is similar to the emperor's crown and decorated with Jinbo Mountain but without the cicada pattern. The number of grades from six to two beams decreases, and the Taiwan admonisher is the censor, and the law enforcement officer wears the Xiezhi crown.

Hundreds of officials held wat boards and kowtowed to the emperor.

"Be flat."

"Your Majesty, Princess Chu and King Shouchun have arrived."

The crown prince, the head of all the officials, immediately turned around and looked at the entrance of the palace in a daze. Princess Chu, who was wearing a maid's dress, entered the palace with a child in her arms. The child was still wearing court clothes.

Then I heard the old emperor on the Mingtai say, "Bring him up."

The servant at the side stepped forward and gently hugged the child in Princess Chu's arms, and ascended to the palace to give it to the emperor.

In the spacious and spacious hall, the courtiers rushed to look at each other, with plans in their hearts that they dared not say. Chen Yu, wearing the nine-beam Diaochan crown, took a step forward, "When the court sacrifices, the emperor and the ministers wait for the Daqing Palace, Your Majesty. How can you hold the king of the county and sit on the throne of the Mingtai, where will His Majesty put the crown prince? It makes the officials speculate that where will the country be placed when people are divided?"

Hearing Chen Yu's straightforward questioning of the emperor, he was not annoyed, "Can a half-grown child arouse the suspicion of all the officials?"

"The country has a system, and His Majesty's move is..."

"Okay!" the emperor scolded, "Take him back and follow me to the Taimiao."

Chen Yu stopped talking and walked back to the standing row. Many ministers looked at the crown prince, but the crown prince's expression did not change. Instead, he stepped forward to say a few words of loving care when the child was carried down.

"It's cold in winter, can you bring him warm clothes for the sedan chair?"

Xiao Youqing nodded, "Take it, thank you His Royal Highness for your concern."

"Zong Ren is the child left by the sixth brother, and I will ask Princess Chu to take care of her in the future."

"Yes."

As the forerunners, the iron cavalry of the imperial army set off one after another at the third watch to open the way for the guard of honor.

——Boom! ——

"Yin Shizheng!"

The sound of the Taishi Bureau's announcement of the time came into the room, and the Minister of the Ministry of Rites came out of the hall holding a wat board and said loudly: "Strictly punished by China and foreign countries!"

Thousands of riders set off from Xuandemen to the Taimiao. The emperor stopped suddenly when he climbed the jade scorpion, and waved to Zhao Ci who was on the side and whispered something in his ear.

Not long after the emperor boarded the chariot, Zhao Ci carried out a two-year-old child from the back of the carriage, and the emperor let him sit beside him.

On both sides of the imperial road leading to the Taimiao, the imperial guards stood guard, and the common people crowded the streets of several squares. Every time the emperor's carriage passed through the streets of the squares, it caused a commotion, causing the watching common people to push their heads forward.

There were no covering tents around Yuren, and the common people saw the emperor's true face at a glance, and found a child in court clothes beside the emperor.

The emperor took Xiao Zongren's immature hand, patted his head and said: "It would be great if you were older, and Weng Weng could let them teach you to read sage books, and you could go hunting with Weng Weng. When your father was a child..." The emperor suddenly paused.

"Who is the child on the official jade chariot?"

"Who else can accompany the son of heaven besides the little county king of the six kings?"

Immediately behind the emperor's frame is the crown prince's frame, and there are many relatives in brocade robes on the side, "The official's move, I am afraid that this will be the discussion in the tiles tonight, your highness is not worried ?"

【"Whether it is His Majesty's temptation and test minister can't guess, but if His Highness wants to sit firmly in the East Palace, he must have the heart of a king."】

The crown prince bowed his head and smiled slightly, "The king of Chu passed away, leaving only one child under two years old. It is reasonable for His Majesty's heirs to love less."

That day and night, the emperor stayed in the Taimiao, and began to hold sacrifices at midnight. All civil and military officials, including the prime minister, stopped outside the palace. Foreign officials were not allowed to enter. Only the royal family members could accompany officials inside.

Rituals and music were played, and a red lacquered gold plaque was placed in the southeast corner of the main hall of the Taimiao, with the words "emperor's throne" engraved on it, and the emperor stepped forward and stood facing west.

"I invite the gods of the late emperors." Some officials of the Taichang Temple walked out of the main hall with the gods of the previous emperors, and the ceremonial officer loudly shouted martial law outside the hall, "Strictly deal with China and foreign countries!"

The emperor bowed down to the gods of the previous emperors one by one, and when he reached the last emperor's throne, the emperor waved to the accompanying clan members, and the etiquette officials and clan members all withdrew from the main hall one after another.

The emperor walked into the inner hall and knelt down again facing Taizong's portrait alone, "Daddy."

"Did you see that my son drove them back to Saibei?" The emperor's eyes were red, "Why did you refuse to make me the crown prince until your death?"

【"Sanlang, you got what you wanted now. Look back and see what you lost when you got it. Don't let power control everything about you, otherwise you will regret it just like Dad."】

"My son understands. Daddy's situation was the same as his son's now. The son will protect the Wei family."

After the ceremony, Shengjia set off from Nanxunmen to stay in Qingcheng, and at three o'clock that night, he took a jade boat to the suburban altar one mile away from Qingcheng to perform sacrifices.

There are two layers of walls outside the altar, the inner wall is a slightly shorter earthen wall, and a large curtain called "Daci" is set inside the wall for the emperor to change clothes. The hall is called "Xiaoci", which is used for the emperor to rest when offering sacrifices.

The altar is square, with three floors and a total of 72 steps. The platform on the top of the altar is several feet wide.

There are two yellow mats on the top platform of the altar, the north is the spiritual seat of Haotian God, and the east is the spiritual seat of Emperor Hanhan. In front of the yellow mats are two low tables with sacrificial offerings on them.

Musicians play music, singers sing, and there are dozens of Taoist priests singing beside the altar. The sound of chime bells and jade pan is solemn and heavy.

The emperor walked down from the jade girdle supported by others, and entered the Daci through the east gate of the altar to change the sacrificial attire.

The servants replaced him with a 24-pronged flat sky crown and a cyan dragon court dress. The uniform was covered with a middle single, and a jade pendant was worn around the waist. Then, he put on red shoes and was supported by Zhao Ci and the escort to the altar. Take a small break and wait.

When the time came, the Minister of Taichang Temple approached Xiaoci, "Your Majesty, please come to the altar."

The sound of ritual and music stopped, and the emperor stepped up to the altar with his sleeves folded. First, he offered sacrifices to the heavens, toasted and knelt down to the throne of Haotian God, and then he worshiped the ancestors.

The clan relatives and ministers waited under the altar, the Crown Prince looked at the child next to Xiao Youqing, who was only two years old and had changed into a crown and sacrificial attire.

The crown prince looked at Xiao Youqing coldly, and immediately raised his eyebrows suspiciously: "Could it be him?"

Xiao Youqing looked at the emperor who was slowly walking down from the altar, and turned to say: "Your Highness, Gaia has offered."

After the emperor returned to Xiaoci and sat down, the minister of Taichang Temple said: "Ya Xian, Crown Prince Wei Kai."

From the bottom of the altar all the way to the top, Wei Kai was restless during the whole process, until the supervisor knelt and held the wine glass for a long time, the prince didn't respond, so he raised his head and whispered, "Your Highness, it's time to toast and kneel down."

Only then did the crown prince come back to his senses, took the wine glass and knelt down towards the spiritual seat. Ya Xian, who had always envied the crown prince, felt uncomfortable now that he got his wish. So far, he seemed to be able to feel that the abolished crown prince was looking at himself who was still King Zhao. The taste of the final offering.

The crown prince stepped down from the altar, and glanced at Tai Changqing, which made him swallow the report he was about to make loudly. After the crown prince left, he said: "Finally, Shouchun County King Wei Zongren."

The sacrificial process was jointly drafted by the Taichang Temple and the Ministry of Rites, and then signed and sealed by the Zhengshitang after the emperor reviewed it. Not many people except high-ranking officials knew about it.

Two servants who had been arranged in advance stepped forward, saluted Princess Chu, and after obtaining permission, led Shouchun County King to the altar.

Seeing that the person on the altar was a child who was not even knee high, it quickly aroused a discussion among the officials under the altar.

The crown prince turned his head when he saw the child who couldn't even walk steadily, and suddenly smiled tremblingly, "It's really amazing." Then he said coldly, "You really want to fight against me?"

Xiao Youqing looked at Wei Kai indifferently, "I'm just seeking justice for the officials!"