In the ninth year of Kaibao's reign, on the first day of the sixth lunar month, this was a special day. Emperor Liu was going to confer the title of king on his sons. This was a major event that caused a stir in the government and the public, and was another grand event for the court in the first half of this year.
In fact, the news of being crowned a king has been out for a long time, and it has been widely circulated within the royal family and the court. This is a matter of course. Even if it follows the rules, as the son of the emperor, it is natural for him to be crowned a king and given a title, and no one will have any objection.
As for Emperor Liu, he also had this idea for a long time. However, due to his concept of "no title will be awarded without merit", he has always shown some restraint. Even if this concept is applied to members of the royal family, in the actual operation process
In the middle, it is not tenable, but Emperor Liu inevitably has some mentality of being both responsible and upright.
By the ninth year of Kaibao, there were only three people in the Han clan who had received the title of king, King Yong Liu Chengxun and King Xu Liu Chengyun, as well as Liu Min who inherited the lineage of King Wei. Even counting those who were awarded the title of King of Zhou by Emperor Liu in the early years and those who were deprived
There are only five people in the lineage of Mingjue Prince Liu Chong of Taiyuan.
Liu Chong was originally sent to Luoyang for retirement, and his title was retained. However, after his sudden death, his descendants were placed under house arrest, and his title was reduced to three levels in a row, and Liu Chengjun inherited it.
Except for a few sons who were awarded the title of duke one after another, it can be said that there are very few nobles in the rest of the clan. It is not only because of the weak bloodline of the clan, but more importantly, because of Emperor Liu's vague suppression.
It can be said that during the reign of Emperor Liu, the clans of the Han Dynasty did not enjoy the power and status they should have. On the one hand, Emperor Liu insisted on conferring titles and merits, on the other hand, Emperor Liu was stingy and did not give any trust.
The descendants of the clan have the opportunity to forge ahead.
Over time, how could the descendants of the Han clan not be resentful, and Emperor Liu did not believe that they were not resentful. This was also the case before. Once Emperor Liu lifted the ban, the Han clan was so happy that they even cried for joy.
Nowadays, the imperial court has new policies and systems for the management and appointment of the clan. Emperor Liu should naturally make further arrangements for his sons, the core members of the Han clan.
Being crowned king is naturally a matter of course. Moreover, before the news spread, many people had thought that during the Northern Expedition, except for the prince, the brothers Liu Xu, Liu Xi, and Liu Fang all had great honors, and the court discussed them.
Success, but not enough rewards. The twists and turns in this process naturally make people think.
And just as many people had guessed, the reason why he kept holding back was that Emperor Liu was really waiting for the return of Brother Liu Fang. Even after he returned to Beijing, it still took him more than a month to prepare.
Emperor Liu also showed great importance to the king-conferring ceremony, and the scene was extremely grand. The canonization ceremony was held in the Qianyuan Hall. Wei Renpu, the cabinet bachelor and the Duke of Yu State, served as the master of ceremony. The attendees included clan members, relatives, ministers, and six ministers.
All hundreds of officials above the rank were present, and envoys from various ethnic groups and countries in Beijing were specially invited to observe the ceremony.
Such a grand and solemn ceremony is enough to show that Emperor Liu attaches great importance to this matter. There are only three princes who are preparing to be crowned kings, Liu Xu, Liu Xi, and Liu Fang. Therefore, for the first time in the ceremony, they became
The most dazzling supporting role at the feet of Emperor Liu attracted everyone's attention.
In the Qianyuan Hall, nobles gathered. The ruling class of the Han Dynasty were all well-dressed and elegant. They stood in the highest palace of the Han Dynasty with great enthusiasm. Being able to stand here was a reflection of their power and status.
.
"Let's begin!" Emperor Liu was dressed in formal imperial robes, sitting high on a dragon bed, with a face full of majesty and solemnity, so calm that no one could see any emotion.
After being appointed, Wei Renpu officially started the canonization ceremony according to the etiquette. In the past, he was extremely disdainful of these seemingly complicated etiquette procedures, and even had a contemptuous attitude, wishing that everything could be done neatly and directly to the key points.
solve.
However, as he grows older, and with the improvement of the entire system and social management system built under his leadership, he has a deeper understanding of these tedious matters, and even enjoys them. He has long realized that these rules and etiquette
System is the embodiment of authority and a way to maintain the ruling class. As the emperor who stands at the top of the ruling class, how can he hate it anymore.
Emperor Liu's "maturity" is all-round, and his assimilation is also all-round. His thoughts and spirit have long been integrated into this era, integrated into this era dominated by him, and of course, the era is also devouring and assimilating him.
Sitting at the highest place, the field of vision is wider, and you can see farther and more comprehensively. Of course, Qianyuan Hall is too big and there are too many people. Although it is neat and orderly, it is still difficult to see all the clouds.
fundus.
However, this did not prevent Emperor Liu from observing his ministers and feeling their emotions. Of course, the focus was only on two people, the first queen and the second prince.
Today's grand canonization ceremony will undoubtedly have an important impact on the entire imperial court. To put it more seriously, it will even have far-reaching significance for the future of the empire.
At the moment, in Emperor Liu's view, the people most likely to have thoughts about this are his queen and crown prince. Da Fu would not object to the title of king, but the scene was so grand and solemn that it was inevitable for people to speculate on his intentions.
As for the prince, even if he had many long talks with Emperor Liu, he would still be affected by such kindness from the kings.
However, what satisfied Emperor Liu was that the queen still behaved gracefully and magnanimously, sitting upright on the phoenix bed, showing her maternal grace. As for Liu Yang, she was calm as usual, with a warm face and a smile on her lips.
I'm happy for my brothers.
The entire ceremony went smoothly according to the procedure, without any disturbance, and no one dared to cause trouble on such an occasion. This is a play, and everyone is an actor in it, even if they only play a trivial supporting role,
With 120% enthusiasm, behave solemnly and integrate into it.
Of course, there are only three protagonists in this scene. There is no need to consider the title. Emperor Liu had obviously laid the groundwork many years ago. This was proved when he changed the title of Meng Chang to the Duke of Zhao and transferred it to Liu Fang.
Liu Xu was granted the title of King of Qin, Liu Xi was granted the title of King of Jin, and Liu Fang was granted the title of King of Zhao. There was nothing unexpected about this. However, the canonization edict was a bit lengthy and was drafted by Wei Renpu himself. Emperor Liu's role in it was only to stamp it with his seal.
But it is also the most functional one.
Although it is only a title of king, and Emperor Liu has not given feudal meaning, the kings have no actual fiefs, no administrative and military power, and even the power of fiefs has not been determined, but for the current Han Dynasty, the feudal status of the kings
, is definitely a sensational event, at least for these princes who were the first to be crowned kings.
The title system of the Han Dynasty has been perfected for a long time, but there has always been a shortcoming. Now, it has been completed. In this pyramid of power and status, a group of top dignitaries have finally been born, from Emperor Liu to the prince. Liu
The emperor's original intention was also to safeguard the Heavenly Family and consolidate imperial power.
The king of Wei, Liu Min, also made great achievements during the expedition to Mobei. However, due to his status, he was already at the pinnacle of his life. He had been at the pinnacle of his life since he was born, and he was not afraid of being overshadowed by his achievements.
There was no title, but he was rewarded, and the rewards were heavier than those of his brothers. Emperor Liu gave him an imperial palace from the east and west capitals, as well as a series of rewards such as imperial weapons, famous horses, precious armor, gold and silver, etc.
, the famous weapon could no longer be improved, so he made material compensation. At the same time, Emperor Liu also added a hundred guards to the Wei Palace, allocating them from the guards.
It can be seen that Emperor Liu's love for Liu Min was, of course, not without the influence of the Queen's great charm.
In addition to the three new kings, Emperor Liu took this opportunity to grant titles to his other sons who had reached their age. The fifth prince, Liu Yun, Duke of Qi, still stayed put. This son was a bit heartless, and there was nothing wrong with him.
Disappointed and unwilling, smiling.
The seventh prince Liu Hui was granted the title of Duke of Wu, the eighth prince Liu Ai was granted the title of Duke of Lu, the ninth prince Liu Shu was granted the title of Duke of Chu, the tenth prince Liu Zhao was granted the title of Duke of Yan, the eleventh prince Liu Xiao was granted the title of Duke of Liang, and the twelfth prince Liu Han was granted the title of Duke of Yue.
These were all princes over ten years old, and it was also a grand gift of titles from Emperor Liu. Emperor Liu finally showed his generous side towards his own sons.
After the ceremony, the whole hall was naturally filled with cheers and congratulations, and the joyful atmosphere reached a climax. An imperial banquet was inevitable, and Emperor Liu specially called the sons who had won the title to the side hall to encourage and teach them.