The location for the autumn hunting was chosen in the Royal Hunting Garden on the east side of Chang'an.
The hunting ground selected in advance was actually near Bushou Palace on the bank of the Weishui River.
Bushou Palace was built by Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty. It is said that he saw phoenixes gathering and resting here, so he built this palace. After that, successive kings repeatedly repaired it, and it became the first place where the emperor stopped during his eastward tour.
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The weather is cool and refreshing in September.
The horses' hooves are lifted, the flags are fluttered, the emperor goes hunting, the eagles and his dogs fly, and the momentum is great.
The people accompanying him were scattered around the emperor's ceremonial carriage. The officials and nobles were all looking for opportunities to get close to the emperor, while the young people were holding bows and arrows on their backs, eager to show off their talents.
The martial ethos of these days is particularly evident at this time. Few nobles are weak. Riding a horse, holding a bow, and shooting back and forth are almost indispensable skills for the nobles.
Even scholars in the south can hang sharp swords on their waists. Swordsmen in the south and swordsmen in the north are both famous in the world, and the name of knight-errant is popular in both the north and the south.
Perennial wars created a unique martial culture at this time.
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"Li Mountain, from the northwest of Huashan Mountain to Zhongnan in the south, is where the Shanglin Garden was located in ancient times. There are still many relics left today, and Bushou Palace is one of them..."
Yang Shidao, a member of Zhongshushe, was able to accompany him, and along the way, he supplemented historical knowledge for the "ignorant" emperor.
Li Po was riding on a horse, and the palace men and sergeants Yu Lin were accompanying him. Some of the concubines were riding horses and some were sitting in sedan chairs. Li Bi, the empress, took the lead and followed behind.
The accompanying ministers spread out according to their rank and position, with the emperor as the center.
On the outside are some young nobles and the escorting Yulin Army.
Where the hell is hunting? In a small official society, social interaction is the focus, good mountains and water, or whether you can hunt satisfactory prey are secondary.
Not far from Chang'an, we came to the northern foot of Lishan Mountain.
Yang Shidao dutifully began to talk about ancient times.
Shanglin Garden was a famous palace in the Han Dynasty. Its status was roughly similar to that of the later Old Summer Palace. According to Yang Shidao, it occupied a vast area and was extremely luxurious. Entering it was like entering a fairyland.
Well, this guy is using his imagination. Time flies, and now Shanglin Garden has long since disappeared with the changes of the times, leaving only some vague traces.
Li Po came out to relax and was in a good mood. He smiled and said, "Shanglin Garden was built by Emperor Wu, right?"
Yang Shidao couldn't help but look at the emperor's eyebrows again, and quickly lowered his head and replied: "It is recorded in the history books that Shanglin Garden was expanded from the old Qin Garden site in the third year of Emperor Wu's reign, and it spans dozens of miles.
There are clouds in the forest above Sima Xiangru, and it ends with Bachan and goes in and out of Jingwei. Fenghao is flooded, and the rest is snake. The business is within it, and the eight rivers are wandering. The branches are different and different. East, west, north, south, galloping.
contacts.
There is also a saying in the Han Dynasty that hundreds of beasts are raised in the garden. In the Spring and Autumn Period, the emperor hunts in the garden and captures countless beasts. Among them, there are seventy palaces, which can accommodate thousands of horses and thousands of horses."
Li Po listened to the clouds and fog, and suddenly felt that Yang Shidao was not as considerate as Yan Shigu, and it was really abominable to show off his learned and memorizing skills in front of him.
That is to say, everyone seems to be related to each other, otherwise... hum...
Even so, he still had to take out his small ledger and make a note for this guy.
But he said leisurely: "Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was so courageous. If you put it this way, wouldn't he have occupied half of the capital, eight rivers around Chang'an, and all of them are in Shanglin Garden?"
Yang Shidao nodded with emotion and said: "Your Majesty is right. Emperor Wu's merits and demerits have always been mixed with praise and criticism. Speaking of which, in my opinion, he and Emperor Yang are actually somewhat similar.
It’s hard to say what the merits and demerits of using all the strength of the world to drive away the Xiongnu, but the Shanglin Garden is actually the only one that can be seen.”
Even though Yang Shidao was born in the Yang family of Hongnong and was a member of a prominent family in the world, he had the unique aura of a literati and was cautious when commenting on the past and present.
Li Po just laughed, what he said was quite cute.
"It's hard to say what the emperor's merits and demerits were. If Yang Guang destroyed Goguryeo and forced the Turks to surrender, how do you think people will judge him in the future? Is he a famous king through the ages, or a tyrannical lord?"
Yan Shigu's body swayed obviously on the horse, but thanks to his quick reaction, he immediately saluted on the horse and said: "It's over now, your majesty, I don't think Shanglin Garden will reappear in the world.
I am assisting His Majesty, but I am willing to be His Majesty's Huo Qubing, and to be a wolf in Xu, even if I die, I will have no regrets."
Li Po looked at the long and winding body of Mount Li in the distance and said with a smile: "I don't want to have only one Huo Qubing. Working together and letting a hundred flowers bloom is what I want to see..."
Yang Shidao secretly wiped his sweat and muttered something bad. At this moment, he remembered his elder brother Yang Gongren's warning to him, saying that he was a scholar and had better not be around His Majesty, otherwise he would probably be reprimanded.
This statement really hits the spot. Yang Shidao has been an official for many years, but he still likes to show off his knowledge and is also more down-to-earth.
For example, when he just said that he wanted to do Huo Qubing's work, it was from his heart.
Well, this Zhongshu Sheren who has read a lot of books and is comparable to Cen Wenwen and others is a typical Kansai nobleman, not the kind of literati who can only write articles.
It's no problem to mount a horse, pick up a sword, and fight with others. He has a solid body.
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The team meandered past Baqiao, which is quite famous.
Ba Bridge stands on the Ba River, with willows on both sides of the river, all prepared for people to break willows and send them to each other.
Li Po has been here twice, but he didn't take a good look at it. This trip, he stopped on the Ba Bridge and took a look.
I originally wanted to be a copywriter again and recite a poem, but after thinking about it for a long time, I couldn't remember it. Well, I wasn't in the right mood, so I just forgot about it.
The team passed slowly at the northern foot of Lishan Mountain. The Chi Road leading to Tongguan has been repaired this year, and there are still many fresh traces on the road.
Li Po summoned Yun Dingxing, a flatterer, to discuss the matter of road repair.
Looking at the cultivated farmland on both sides of the road, he called Su Dan over again and asked.
He was not as bold as Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. There were several royal hunting gardens scattered around Chang'an, which did not occupy a large area. There were also several royal gardens, but he had never been to them.
These are also the legacies left by the former Sui Dynasty. It seems that they were expanded when Li Yuan was in power. Well, Li Yuan caused great harm to the hunting gardens near Chang'an.
Li Yuan preferred hunting, and especially liked to eat game that he had hunted by himself. He also held a banquet of beasts in the palace, which almost caused the animals in the hunting garden to suffer a disaster.
Li Po has been on the throne for four or five years, and he has never taken action against the animals in the hunting garden. Now that he brings people to wander around, the animals will be in trouble.