Chapter 315: Passing on the Throne from the Imperial Mausoleum
Chapter 315 Passing the throne in the imperial mausoleum
Cars rattled, horses rustled, and pedestrians carried bows and arrows at their waists.
As soon as July entered, the official carriages of the Song Dynasty set off from Lin'an, stretching for more than ten miles.
Officials going north to worship their ancestors was naturally a top priority for both the government and the public. There were more than 10,000 people including the princes, ministers, entourage, and the imperial guards. Guo Mo and "Nanshan Woodcutter" Nanxi Ren were among them.
Nan Xiren's wedding was held as scheduled with the blessings of all relatives and friends.
As for the unexpected episode before the wedding, apart from the person involved, only Guo Mo knew about it.
Murong Qiudi's hurried pace did not even reveal a trace of panic.
Maybe, many years later and many years ago, we are completely different people from different worlds.
However, Nan Xiren stood there for a long time, and the matter that she originally came to discuss with Guo Mo now faded away in her mind.
After a few casual perfunctory words, Nan Xiren made a rare suggestion to his apprentice.
"I want to drink-"
Amid the surprised looks of several other "Jiangnan Seven Monsters", Guo Mo took the four masters to find a secluded side hall.
The dishes are exquisite side dishes, and the wine is the dusty "hero drunk".
The two of them drank one glass at a time, no one said anything, and no one moved their chopsticks.
"Mo'er, do you still remember the story I told you about more than 20 years ago when we were in Luoyang?"
After drinking several glasses of wine, Nancy Ren was finally willing to put down the glass in her hand.
"Fourth Master, have you seen that 'Xixia Muchu'?"
It was rare that the fourth master confided his feelings to Guo Mo last time. Of course Guo Mo remembered it in his heart. He just thought about it in his mind for a long time, but he couldn't find a woman who looked like "Mu Qiu".
When Nancy Ren heard the words "Xi Xia Muchu", she unconsciously drank another drink.
"Yes, when I entered the East Palace just now, I happened to meet a woman walking out, wearing the same gauze covering her face. It has been so many years, as if she has never changed."
Guo Mo opened his eyes wide and looked at Nancy Ren in disbelief.
It turns out that "Mu Qiu" is actually Murong Qiudi?
Guo Mo felt a little regretful. He should have thought that a woman from Xixia, of that age, with such high skills, who else could she be besides Murong Qiudi?
"Mu Qiu" is just a simplification of Murong Qiudi.
"Fourth Master, do you know who this 'Mu Qiu' is?"
Guo Mo asked cautiously, even for fear of irritating Nancy Ren in front of him.
Seeing Nan Xiren's slightly confused eyes, Guo Mo knew that he was still kept in the dark.
Guo Mo personally poured a glass of wine for the fourth master and filled a glass for himself, then told Murong Qiudi's name, identity, and origins one by one, and even mentioned her age.
"So that's it, haha, she is from the Murong family and the concubine of the Supreme Emperor of Xixia."
Nan Xiren smiled a little miserably, and Guo Mo could see his inner struggle and helplessness.
"Fourth Master, let the past go by. It is better to pity the people in front of you when you look at mountains and rivers in the sky. From now on, Murong Qiudi is her Murong Qiudi, and Mu Qiu will always be the Mu Qiu in your memory.
"
Guo Mo slowly picked up the wine glass and looked into Nan Xiren's eyes seriously.
"Haha, that's good. I didn't expect that as a master, I would need my own apprentice to solve the problem. I will punish myself with three cups..."
Three cups after three cups, maybe wine can't relieve sorrow, but it can really make people temporarily forget the unhappiness in their hearts.
This was just a small episode in a complicated and ordinary life. When it was over, it was really over. Nancy Ren didn't mention it again, and Guo Mo naturally wouldn't say more.
Everything went according to the established plan, and on June 18, a grand wedding was held at Nancy Ren's mansion.
Because of the participation of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Guo Mo, all the officials and generals in Lin'an City either came to congratulate him in person, or at least sent people to send congratulatory gifts.
Even the official Zhao Kuo sent a valuable gift, and he personally wrote four characters - a match made in heaven, framed it and sent it over.
After getting married, Jin Yufeng naturally moved away from Peach Blossom Island. For the sake of the happiness of the fourth master, Guo Mo considered it as a sham for personal gain and arranged a position for Jin Yufeng in the "Imperial City Division".
He knew that his fourth master could not do such a thing. Having learned from the experience of "Dark Wind and Two Evils", Guo Mo was happy to be a good person again.
The day to go north to worship ancestors is set on August 16, the second day of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The reason why the official Zhao Kuo set out so early was because he wanted to see the newly acquired territory of the Song Dynasty along the way.
There are so many stories and feelings in the Central Plains, which Zhao Kuo could only understand from memorials or books before.
Now I can go for a walk and see it in person. How comfortable and proud is it?
A team of more than 10,000 people can only travel a few dozen miles every day.
Zhao Kuo, who is sixty years old this year, is in good spirits. Most of the time, he is not willing to stay in the imperial chariot. Instead, he rides a free horse and gathers with other generals.
When traveling north to worship ancestors, the real place to worship ancestors is not in Bianliang, but in Henan Prefecture. The specific location is Yong'an County under Henan Prefecture.
This Yong'an County can be regarded as a functional county, and it has only existed for more than 200 years.
In the fourth year of Jingde in the Northern Song Dynasty, the western part of Gong County, the eastern part of Yanshi County, and the northern part of Dengfeng were set up in Yong'an County to protect Song Mausoleum. It initially belonged to Henan Prefecture, and in the third year of Zhenghe in the Northern Song Dynasty, it was upgraded to Yong'an Army.
There are more than 300 tombs in the Song Tombs, covering the remaining seven emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty except the Huiqin Sect, plus the tomb of Zhao Kuangyin's father Zhao Hongyin, collectively known as the "Seven Emperors and Eight Tombs".
Surrounding the eight imperial mausoleums are the mausoleums of queens, royal family members, and more than 300 tombs of famous generals and ministers, including the tombs of Kou Zhun, Bao Zheng and other ministers.
Unfortunately, at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, Liu Yu, the "Da Qi" emperor supported by the Jin Kingdom in the Central Plains, carried out large-scale excavations of Song Tombs.
After the Jin Kingdom occupied the Central Plains, the buildings in the Song Tomb were completely destroyed and all the treasures were stolen.
After Guo Mo regained Henan Prefecture, he organized manpower to rebuild the Song Tomb. As a descendant of the royal family, Zhao Rushu was naturally the person in charge of this matter.
After several years of continuous renovation, all eight imperial mausoleums have been restored to their original appearance, and some of the empress mausoleums and the tombs of famous ministers have also been repaired.
The Yong'an Mausoleum of Xuanzu Zhao Hongyin, the Yongchang Mausoleum of Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin, and the Yongxi Mausoleum of Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi were buried in the tombs of nine concubines and 141 descendants.
The Yongding Mausoleum of Zhao Heng, Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty, buried three queens, and the tombs of accompanying ministers included: Gao Huaide, Cai Qi, Kou Zhun, and Bao Zheng. This place was called "Wollonggang".
The Yongzhao Mausoleum of Zhao Zhen of Song Dynasty and the Yonghou Mausoleum of Zhao Shu of Song Yingzong are the tombs of two queens and five princesses. The tombs of accompanying ministers include: Zhao Pu, Yang Yanzhao, Di Qing, etc.
The Yongyu Mausoleum of Song Shenzong Zhao Xu and the Yongtai Mausoleum of Song Zhezong Zhao Xu are the tombs of eight queens and four princesses.
When Bianliang was captured last time, some treasures of the Northern Song Dynasty royal family were found in the Jin Kingdom's palace, and they were brought back to Henan Mansion by Guo Mo. Zhao Rushu returned them one by one to the Song Tomb according to relevant documents.
Yongchang Mausoleum is the second mausoleum of the Song Mausoleum, but it is actually the first mausoleum of the Song Mausoleum. The founding emperor of the Song Dynasty, Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin, is buried inside. It is also the most well-renovated and largest of the eight imperial mausoleums.
Mausoleum.
The base of the Yongchang Mausoleum is over 16 feet long and about 5 feet high. The cemetery is basically square, 80 feet long from east to west, north and south, with a gate in the center on each side.
The gate site is about six feet wide, with a pair of stone lions placed outside each door. The distance between the south gate of the cemetery and the breast platform is less than fifty feet, but the distance between the breast platform and the magpie platform is slightly longer.
The distance between the east and west of the second breast platform is sixteen feet, and the distance between the east and west of the second magpie platform is eighteen feet.
Between the south gate of the cemetery and the breast platform is the Shinto. The distance between the east and west of the Shinto is fifteen feet. Various stone elephants are arranged symmetrically. From south to north, there are Huabiao, stone elephants and elephant tamers, auspicious birds, and a pair of horns.
There are stone horses and horse-controllers, two pairs of stone tigers and stone sheep, three pairs of "vassal envoys", four pairs of civil servants and military ministers. There are stone lions outside the four gates of the cemetery, warriors on the north of the south gate, and in front of the mausoleum inside the south gate.
Palace man.
On August 14, Zhao Kuo and his party arrived in Yong'an County. The Crown Prince Taifu, the Minister of Punishment Zhao Rushu, the Henan Economic Strategy and Comfort Envoy Du Gao who also served as the Henan Magistrate, and the commander of the "Yue Family Army" Yue Ao were already waiting here.
Zhao Kuo and all the civil and military officials rested for the night and spent the Mid-Autumn Festival night together.
The Song Dynasty was a prosperous dynasty, and its festivals were colorful. Moon viewing was the most important festival activity during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
"On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, noble families decorated their terraces and pavilions, and people competed in restaurants to play in the moonlight, with silk baskets and cauldrons boiling. Residents in the inner courtyard heard the sound of sheng and yu in the distance late at night, as if they were outside the clouds. Children in the village played all night long. In the night market, parallel people,
As for understanding."
When people in the Song Dynasty admired the moon, they often held moon worship activities.
The so-called moon worship means burning incense in the courtyard to worship the moon god, and expressing one's wishes in order to seek blessings.
For example, from a middle-class family, men would like to "enter the Toad Palace early and climb up to the fairy laurels". Therefore, a poet at that time had a sentence: "People at that time were not surprised to get into college early, just because Chang'e loves young people."
Women, on the other hand, wish to "look like Chang'e and have a face like the bright moon."
In addition to worshiping the moon, drinking alcohol is also a major hobby of the world.
On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the rich drank wine and sang songs, while the poor also pledged their clothes to buy wine, "reluctantly welcoming the party and unwilling to waste it in vain."
This year has been going well, and Guo Mo's brewery has opened branches in Chang'an and Bianliang. It still controls the supply of "Hero Drunk" and always takes the high-end route.
But "Song Bai" has opened up its supply, and even ordinary people can happily buy one during the holidays.
After admiring the moon and drinking wine, it is natural to compose poems.
Unfortunately, as soon as the Mid-Autumn Festival poems were published in Su Dongpo's "Shui Diao Ge Tou", the remaining poems were all lost.
While the wine was in full swing, with the bright moon in the sky and the gentle autumn breeze, the official Zhao Kuo also ordered everyone to compose poems to express his congratulations, and some of his ministers greeted him with poems.
Not to mention Zhao Kuo who thought it was just average, even Guo Mo who was next to him found it boring.
Guo Mo didn't bring too many people with him on this trip north. The team was already large enough. If he brought too many people with him, he would obviously be asking for trouble.
As for his two apprentices, Wu Nantian and Haji, they were always with him. Guo Mo could give them instructions on their martial arts at any time. If anything happened, he would always have an errand boy.
Guo Mo only brought half of the two hundred "brocade clothes". They were led by "Iron Palm Ruthless" Lu Pingsheng. His Highness the Crown Prince had to have some dignity after all.
Others were admiring the moon, drinking wine, and composing poems, but Guo Mo was just drinking. Accompanying him were his two apprentices.
Originally, there was no room for these two boys. After everyone drank until the end, no one noticed this rudeness, so these two simply sat on the floor beside the master's desk.
Wu Nantian was better, knowing his identity and the rules of the occasion, but Haji was a little worse. After more than a dozen cups of "hero drunk", this guy's loud voice started to sound.
Everyone saw that he was the retinue of His Highness the Crown Prince, and some even knew that Haji was Guo Mo's apprentice, so naturally no one came to stop him.
"Master, what kind of poetry do they write? They are too incompetent. Why don't you come and show your skills to them?"
Wu Nantian looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to them, so he whispered to Guo Mo.
"You can't stop your mouth despite eating and drinking?"
Guo Mo glared at Wu Nantian fiercely, he didn't want to be in the limelight.
First of all, he didn't know how to compose poetry at all, and the two articles that were circulated before were plagiarized.
Secondly, even if he could compose poetry, he would not be able to overwhelm the audience, or it would be a masterpiece that would be handed down from generation to generation, but he would be embarrassed to stand up and write it.
"What? Master has good poetry? Then write it down quickly. What master writes must be a hundred times, no, a thousand times better than what they all wrote -"
Well, Wu Nantian was glared back by Guo Mo, but Haji, who was half drunk, accidentally heard Wu Nantian's words.
As for his loud voice, he usually speaks in a loud voice, but now after drinking, his voice has become even louder.
"Oh, the prince has some good words?"
Guo Mo's seat was not far from the official Zhao Kuo, and even though there were several courtiers who came forward to offer poems in between, they could not block Haji's voice.
"Father, please don't listen to this stupid boy's nonsense. I don't think I have any good works."
When Guo Mo saw that something was going wrong, he quickly stood up and denied it.
"Your Highness, don't be so modest. Let's not talk about the two widely circulated poems you made in the early years. Even the poems in "The Romance of the Gods" were all written by you, right?"
"You can't shirk this. I have witnessed it with my own eyes, without any falsehood."
As the saying goes, it's hard to guard against a domestic thief.
I originally wrote "The Romance of the Gods" solely to please Xiao Xiang'er. Later, when I saw that everyone liked it, I had nothing to do at that time, so I simply "wrote" the entire book.
It's good now. I originally wanted to shirk it, but first I was betrayed by my apprentice, and now I was betrayed by the prince and master in my house. Are we such a failure in life?
"Haha, Prince, I'm afraid you can't shirk it with the real-name recommendation from Taifu Zhao. Stop talking nonsense, I will personally give you a cup. If you can write good poems, it will be a good story."
After saying that, Zhao Kuo really stood up and picked up the wine bottle on his desk. Was he going to go up and pour wine for Guo Mo?
"Haha, since the officials have poured the wine themselves, I will grind the ink for His Highness the Crown Prince——"
As soon as he finished speaking, an old man came next to him. He turned out to be the retired envoy of the Privy Council. He was once the head of the hundred officials and is now the Duke of Wei.
The day when Guo Mo was established as the crown prince was when Shi Miyuan fell. In order to stabilize the overall situation, Zhao Kuo still gave Shi Miyuan enough dignity and rewarded him with the title of Duke Wei.
However, except for the false name of the Duke, all other positions have been erased.
When Shi Miyuan fell, the officials didn't bother him. They couldn't stop the junior officials and officials below who were responsible for specific affairs from secretly causing trouble.
The county magistrate might as well be in charge now. Today he will find fault with you, saying that you have violated the regulations, and tomorrow he will find fault with you, saying that you have exceeded the regulations.
Over the past year, many of the industries under Shi Miyuan's name have been harassed or even merged.
Shi Miyuan was once a man who could control the sky with one hand, so he naturally knew the ropes. Unfortunately, the current situation was stronger than others.
For these unexplainable things, he couldn't afford to file a lawsuit. Even if he sued, would anyone really come to help him?
Besides, how many of his family properties, whether real estate or land deeds, are clean?
Later, Shi Miyuan simply thought about it and gave most of his property to his sons. Some of them were even sold at low prices, leaving only the mansion with the plaque of "Duke Wei" and a building outside the city.
Manor and 100 acres of paddy fields.
This time Zhao Kuo, an official, went north to worship his ancestors. In addition to leaving behind the necessary officials on duty, he also brought with him the civil and military ministers of the fifth rank and above in the court. Naturally, Wei Guo Gong Shi Miyuan was also with him.
Zhao Kuo, who holds the "Imperial City Division" in his hands, naturally understands what Shi Miyuan has been doing for more than a year.
Now, Shi Miyuan has lost all his power and can no longer stir up any trouble.
The Song Dynasty completely destroyed the Jin Kingdom and regained most of the territory of the Jin Dynasty. Zhao Kuo's mind seemed to have become more open-minded with the expansion of the Song Dynasty's territory, and it was no longer the state of mind when he was just in peace.
Especially after the death of Li Zunxu, the supreme emperor of Xixia, Zhao Kuo seemed to be more open-minded. Won't all the intrigues, wealth and power be in vain in the end?
Therefore, after Zhao Kuo saw the list of people going north prepared by the Ministry of Rites, he put Shi Miyuan's name forward a lot, and he was a first-class Duke after all.
However, for a title like Duke, you are only useful if the officials say you are useful. If the officials cannot think of you, I'm sorry, you are a complete empty shell.
Official Zhao Kuo poured wine, Duke Shi Miyuan of Wei studied ink, and Prince Taifu Zhao Rushu rushed to spread rice paper for Guo Mo and handed him wolf hair.
Guo Mo was dumbfounded.
What does this mean?
Was he beaten by a group of three old men?
"Haha, Prince, you see all the civil and military officials are looking at you. You, the most talented person in the Song Dynasty today, won't just give in, right?"
"Your Highness, you can admit defeat if you want. If you see this unopened jar of 'Hero Drunk', just drink it down. I will have a step to step down."
What nonsense is "the most talented person in the Song Dynasty today"? Doesn't that mean "Xu Zhonglin"?
When "Fengshen Yanyi" came out, it immediately caused an uproar. Some people were fascinated by the story in it, some applauded the poems in it, and some applauded the characters in it.
Because the author's name in the book at that time was "Xu Zhonglin", people with good intentions called "Xu Zhonglin" the most talented person in the Song Dynasty today.
Guo Mo is now so forced that he has forgotten that he is "Xu Zhonglin".
"Writing" poetry or drinking a jar of wine?
Looking at the eager eyes of everyone around him, Guo Mo knew that he had no choice. It seemed that he would have to be a copycat again.
However, to write poems about the Mid-Autumn Festival, they must be written after the Song Dynasty. It is really difficult to find good ones.
Seeing that Guo Mo had already begun to "conceive", everyone stopped talking and waited quietly.
After Guo Mo scraped the bones and searched the intestines, he took the wolf hair handed over by Zhao Rushu with his right hand, drank the wine that Zhao Kuo filled with his left hand, and dipped it lightly on the inkstone polished by Shi Miyuan.
"Pipa Fairy·Mid-Autumn Festival——"
"Wow, are you going to write a long or short sentence?"
"Yes, this Pipa Immortal is not easy to write. There are hundreds of characters, but the rhyme is tricky and the style is elegant..."
"Hey, brother, you actually use 'elegant' to describe it? I admire it, isn't it just love between a man and a woman?"
"His Royal Highness actually used this word card. Isn't it a bit..."
"Hey, what do you know? His Royal Highness is a man of temperament!"
…
Well, Guo Mo just wrote a word brand name, and the ministers around him who thought they were full of knowledge started talking about it.
Zhao Kuo turned around, looked around, and glared at them fiercely.
I finally got my son to agree to write a poem. Are you trying to disrupt the situation?
Following Zhao Kuo's destructive eyes, the surroundings became quiet again.
"Every year in the blue sea, I want to ask, who is the ice wheel for? When I blow a piece of autumn fragrance, the light is as clear as snow. I look at it with sadness, and I know that the good days and good nights have all turned into sorrow. It is only a shadow now, and it is worthy of facing the bright moon of the old days.
.
Playing hide-and-seek in the flower path, once provoked the Xiao Xiaojing Wuye. Do you remember the small fan, and the coolness and heat several times. I only ended up, filled with hundreds of feelings, always confused, not related to separation. The purple jade was ruthless, and the cold night blew it apart
.”
This is a poem by Nalan Xingde, which can be said to be the saddest Mid-Autumn Festival poem.
The bright moon is still the bright moon of the past, and what has gone cannot be chased. The poet is left alone in Zhongxiao, secretly feeling sad.
Since you left, even the moon has lost its former glory.
"Good words, good words——"
I don't know who shouted, and immediately, praises started to ring out one after another.
Despite the sad tone of the poem, it is also a rare and good poem.
"Prince, is there anyone you are missing in your heart?"
Zhao Kuo is also a person who understands poetry. Not to mention Zhao Kuang, even Zhao Kuangyin, who was galloping around at the time, can write two strokes, let alone Zhao Kuo, who has received a systematic education.
"When I return to my father, I miss the prosperity of the Song Dynasty and the heroism of Emperor Taizu. Even so, the Sixteenth State of Yanyun has not yet returned to the hands of the Han people."
"Tomorrow I will pay homage to my ancestors. I felt that something was missing, and I felt empty, so I accidentally wrote this poem."
Well, I’ve written it anyway, so I can explain it however I want. Whether you believe it or not, I believe it anyway.
"Well, he is indeed my son. Jiangshan is a beautiful woman. Jiangshan is the best beauty, but Jiangshan is not perfect."
"However, my son is wise and powerful. I believe that soon you will be able to dominate the world and recreate the style of the Han people during the Han and Tang Dynasties!"
After all, they are father and son. It seems that Zhao Kuo also believes it.
The next day, the wind was calm and the sun was clear, with no clouds in the sky.
Civil and military officials from all over the dynasty, dressed in costumes, led by official Zhao Kuo, paid homage to Yongchang Mausoleum.
With the low sound of horns, thirty-six soul-chasing drums, and incense candles curling into the sky, Zhao Kuo solemnly read out the sacrificial manuscript. From Guo Mo on down, all the ministers knelt down and worshiped there devoutly.
Guo Mo felt drowsy while listening to the eloquent parallel prose, but Lao Zhao Kuo read it with great interest. In the end, he burst into tears and raised his arms and shouted loudly.
Guo Mo still can't fully understand the emotions of people in this era. If he doesn't have true feelings, how deep his acting skills will be?
"Under the leadership of Emperor Taizu, the descendants of the Zhao family in the future will have Zhao Hao, who will have great literary talent, outstanding martial arts, have the world in mind, and swallow up mountains and rivers with power."
"My minister, Zhao Kuan, is sixty years old and has low energy. I would like to pass on the throne to Prince Zhao Hao. I hope Taizu will protect our country, the Song Dynasty, and its people in peace and prosperity for generations to come——"
What?
Ancestor worship actually evolved into the passing of the emperor's throne?