Chapter 81 Jiaqing Festival and the Princes Troubles
Kaifeng in the winter of the 17th year of Kaibao is softer than before. There is a rising sun in the morning and colorful clouds at sunset. The blue waves and yellow leaves also add a gorgeous color to the capital. Compared with the inevitable desolation in previous years, this year
It is always a lush and prosperous scene.
For the officials and people in Tokyo, this winter is obviously much more comfortable. Of course, for some officials, this is a good omen, and a good omen.
There is always a shortage of smart people in the imperial court, and there is also no shortage of people who are good at making connections and figuring out what is going on. And they are not just one or two people, but a group of them.
Many people associate this comfortable winter with one thing, that is, in a few months, Emperor Liu's birthday is approaching again.
Thirty years ago, Emperor Liu's birthday was designated as a Jiaqing Festival by the imperial court. Of course, at that time, some officials from the Ministry of Rites were in order to cater to Emperor Liu's advice, and Emperor Liu was also in the stage of consolidating imperial power and expanding his influence.
, this method of fixing one’s birthday and having the whole country celebrate the festival can also be used.
Therefore, the Jiaqing Festival is celebrated as usual on the seventh day of March every year. Over the past thirty years, it has been basically integrated into the lives of Han officials and people.
It was Li Longji who first established the emperor's birthday as a fixed holiday. However, the promotion and acceptance of Emperor Liu's "Jiaqing Festival" obviously far exceeded that of Li Longji.
At least for the moment, the "divinity" of Emperor Liu is far greater than that of Emperor Tianbao. Now there is no "Qianqiu" or "Heaven", only Emperor Liu's Jiaqing.
It is conceivable that as long as the Han Dynasty can maintain it steadily for a hundred years, the "Jiaqing Festival" will become a fixed traditional festival.
Regarding this point, Emperor Liu was very vain. He had already achieved great achievements and left a name in history, but he still wanted to combine his reputation with Chinese culture, traditions and customs.
Very motivated.
In his early years, Emperor Liu didn't care much about it. At that time, he focused all his energy on strengthening the country and enriching the people. But now, he is paying more and more attention to his posthumous reputation.
The Jiaqing Festival is just one of the most representative symbols. Just like when people celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, they will think of Qu Yuan. Emperor Liu hopes that in the future, when people celebrate the Jiaqing Festival, they will also think of him, Emperor Liu.
From the current point of view, this effect is significant. Of course, this is accompanied by certain administrative intervention. Nowadays, every Jiaqing Festival, all states and states across the country, whether official or private, will hold certain celebrations, burn incense and pray.
One of the daily activities of the officials and the people that day was to pray for Emperor Liu or to pray to Emperor Liu...
Under Emperor Liu's attention, official celebrations became more and more lively, and the Jiaqing Festival was designated as one of the fixed holidays for officials across the country, with a three-day holiday.
There is no doubt that this is a form of personality worship, even deifying oneself regardless of appearance, and being respected by everyone, and will not be criticized in any way. Of course, no one dares to say weird things or express different views.
In fact, in today's Han Dynasty, Emperor Liu has long been on par with the gods. Last year, Emperor Liu came to meet a group of local officials who came to Beijing to report on their duties and transfers.
The scene was so "moving" that everyone from the prefect to the county magistrate burst into tears when they saw Emperor Liu and couldn't help themselves. When asked why, they were so excited that they couldn't express their joy and struggled to express their joy. The result
Well, Emperor Liu was so happy that he took time to treat those officials to a meal.
Against this background, the upcoming Jiaqing Festival of the 18th year of Kaibao naturally attracted the attention of the Manchu Dynasty. This time, the importance was obviously more important than ever before, because at that time, Emperor Liu was over fifty years old and half a century old.
Not to mention anything else, Emperor Liu could simply arrange birthdays in ordinary years without extravagance, but this kind of ten-year life expectancy still deserves more attention.
Even if Emperor Liu didn't mention it, those caring ministers would actively respond to it. Therefore, in the winter of the 17th year, the imperial court had already begun to prepare for the Jiaqing Festival in a few months, and Zhao Pu personally presided over the planning and preparation of the celebration.
Duke Xue Juzheng served as the Minister of Ceremonies.
Since the beginning of winter, the imperial court, including those who spoke highly of it, had transferred a large part of their energy to praising Emperor Liu, and auspicious signs from all over the country began to appear again. Even the comfortable winter in Kaifeng could
It is far-fetched to refer to a good omen.
Amidst the turbulence of the court, there are still sober people, such as the prince Liu Yang. From the bottom of my heart, it is abnormal for the court to be so vigorous and aggressive, and the atmosphere within the court is abnormal. The ministers and servants are all busy.
While praising Emperor Liu and busy singing praises for the emperor, obviously not many people will pay attention to the political affairs and people's livelihood, and it will even affect the normal operation of the government.
However, he couldn't express any dissent, let alone stop him. He was both a prince and a prince, so he couldn't risk being accused of "disloyalty and unfilial piety".
In fact, Liu Yang was certain that if he really put forward any opinions that went against the general trend, some officials would even dare to accuse him. There might not be any explicit criticism, but there would definitely be no shortage of insinuations and accusations.
This is where Liu Yang expressed his hardships. His mood has inevitably been gloomy recently. Even though he is forcing a smile on his face, his heart is actually full of sorrow. Of course, Liu Yang's worries and sorrows are not only due to this matter. There is also turmoil in the East Palace and restlessness in the back house.
It made him quite depressed and even felt tired.
In recent years, the internal fighting in the East Palace surrounding the Crown Princess and Concubine Zhao has become more and more intense. In the past, the ministers saw the possible heir apparent between the princes, but now, some people have seen the third generation.
So far, Liu Yang's position as the crown prince is still stable and almost unbreakable. And a prince who has been in power for twenty years has already had a deep enough background and influence. Even without the support of his mother's clan, Liu Yang can only
On his own, his banner is strong enough.
The most important thing is that Emperor Liu always trusted him, expressed his expectations from the bottom of his heart, and said, "The future of the country is yours." Such situations are normal.
In fact, Liu Yang can already be regarded as a kind of sustenance for Emperor Liu, reposing his efforts and expectations. It took him so many years to cultivate such a satisfactory heir, which is similar to a one-way street.
If you persist, there is no turning back.
Of course, these all have a premise, that is, Liu Yang himself does not seek death. However, judging from the qualities he has shown over the years, such a talented prince is still smart enough and has long adapted to his identity. How can
He was even more skilled in dealing with Emperor Liu.
However, he was always worried about his own family affairs and the troubles in the East Palace. The relationship between Concubine Murong and Concubine Zhao was not just a jealousy between the women of the East Palace. It reflected the two noble families of Murong and Zhao.
The family struggle is also related to the future inheritance of the empire.
This is obviously an eye-catching thing. After Emperor Liu, if nothing unexpected happens, he will be Liu Yang. This is known to everyone. No other prince, prince, or prince has the strength and prestige to compete with him.
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But after Liu Yang, this is worth talking about. Although it seems a bit early to talk about this when Emperor Liu is still alive and Liu Yang is in his prime years, but for some people with "long-term vision", it is not early at all.
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Moreover, Liu Yang's situation is also worthy of attention. Up to now, Liu Yang only has two sons and one daughter. The eldest son Liu Wenhuan, born to Concubine Zhao, is now nine years old; the second son Liu Wenji was born to Concubine Xiao (Xiao Yanyan was born in
After giving birth to a child, her status will naturally improve), now she is five years old.
As for the Crown Princess, she finally got pregnant in the fifteenth year of Kaibao and gave birth in the winter of that year. Unfortunately, she was a girl. This not only made Concubine Murong lose her temper, but also gave Liu Yang a headache.
How could Liu Yang himself have not considered the issue of heirs? From the two existing sons, there is no doubt that the eldest son Liu Wenhuan should be chosen. After all, Liu Wenji is the son of Xiao Yanyan, so he is born at a disadvantage.
However, the Crown Princess refused. In an almost desperate situation, someone gave her an idea. He was the Crown Princess, Liu Yang's first wife, and the aunt's mother of Liu Yang's children, so he suggested that she adopt Liu Wenhuan.
This idea is very constructive. Even Liu Yang heard it and thought it was a good way to kill two birds with one stone. However, this was obviously strongly opposed by Concubine Zhao, probably due to the influence of her mother. The little emperor's grandson Liu Wenhuan also
Not willing.
This matter was a fuss for a while, attracting gossip from both the government and the public. However, it was settled and ended with the Crown Princess giving up on her own initiative. After all, there is really no need to adopt a son who will probably not be filial to her in the future. On the contrary, it is to replace the "enemy".
It is not cost-effective for his son to stabilize his position.
During the whole process, Zhao Kuangyin did not express his position rashly and remained silent. However, Zhao Kuangyi, who had returned to the court and served as the minister of Zhongshu, privately told Zhao Kuangyin that it would be a good idea to let the Crown Princess adopt him. This could directly determine Liu Wenhuan's status.
things.
It's a pity that Zhao Kuangyi has unique vision, but he doesn't have much ability to interfere. He is just an uncle and cannot control Concubine Zhao's thoughts, let alone affect Concubine Murong.
This incident was such a big deal that even Emperor Liu heard about it. Liu Yang also asked for advice and was criticized by Emperor Liu, saying that if he couldn't even manage the harem, how could he govern the world? There were other things.
Shamelessly use your own "harmonious" harem as an example to educate you.
As for Emperor Liu, he didn't have any ideas at all. They said they would marry each other across generations. He really had no special preference for his grandchildren. What's more, when it came to the issue of heirs, he had to be even more cautious.
However, Emperor Liu was not happy about the overt and covert fighting in the East Palace. At the same time, he also felt that people were confused. He was still alive and well. Some people began to think about the issue of the third generation emperor. It was simply unseemly.
Do you have ulterior motives, or do you no longer pay attention to him?
Therefore, during that time, Emperor Liu's temper was also somewhat bad, and he always had a cold face when he went to drink with Zhao Kuangyin.
Murong's adoption of Liu Wenhuan came to nothing, and due to Emperor Liu's attitude, the East Palace remained peaceful for two years. However, recently, troubles arose again.
After long-term observation and thinking, the Crown Princess once again proposed to Liu Yang that she wanted to adopt Liu Wenji, who was born to the Xiao family. As soon as this proposal came out, Liu Yang really had a headache, and there was a huge response in the East Palace, the Imperial City, and even the imperial court.