Chapter 34 Taizong Chapter 34 Jiaqing Today, Touring the Southwest
On March 7, the third year of Yongxi's reign (995), the patrol soldiers in Luoyang City and the various squads of Luoyang Prefecture officers went out collectively to maintain public order.
Such a movement was not due to some sudden major incident that led to martial law in the city. On the contrary, at this time, the city of Luoyang was peaceful, stable and prosperous, and the markets, streets and lanes were all enveloped in a festive atmosphere.
The emergency rescue officers and soldiers specially set up due to the "Tokyo Explosion" incident were all deployed in the markets to conduct security and fire prevention inspections. They led the officials of each office to inspect every neighborhood under their jurisdiction and went door to door to give reminders.
Fire prevention matters.
This day is the Jiaqing Festival. As one of the five major festivals, it is normal for the government to make some special preparations.
Calculating the time, more than 40 years have passed since the birth of the "Jiaqing Festival". After a long time, with the continuous strengthening and promotion of the official, it has been enough to truly enter thousands of households and integrate into the festivals of the Han people.
Life is going on. After all, too many people, both men and women, did not need forty years to complete their lives due to unexpected factors such as natural and man-made disasters, epidemics and epidemics.
During the past forty years of Jiaqing Festival, great changes have taken place in both the connotation and the form of the festival.
The establishment of the Jiaqing Festival is somewhat accidental. Some officials followed the previous dynasty's practice of wishing the emperor longevity. At that time, Emperor Shizu, who had just consolidated the power of the Han Dynasty, needed to further establish his authority, so he followed the advice.
Ruliu, set your birthday as Jiaqing Festival.
At first, it was only limited to the palace and the court. Gradually, as Emperor Shizu's authority became more and more consolidated and his achievements were unparalleled, and with the active promotion of Xuanweisi, official celebrations also began to spread to the people. After all,
When the Holy Lord comes to court, all the people in the world should also want to enjoy the emperor's joy and auspiciousness.
Every festival has its own characteristics and distinctive symbols, and Jiaqing Festival is no exception. After so many years of evolution, Jiaqing Festival has become more like a blessing festival than simply celebrating the emperor's birthday.
Every year on this day, as long as the Han scholars and people could afford it, they would bathe and purify themselves, change into new clothes, burn incense and pray. There were also many worship activities on this day in various places, and the scholars and people actively participated. The form of prayer was
The display is diverse, including flying paper kites, releasing river lanterns, performing ritual dances, etc. It is very rich.
As for the objects for the common people of the Han Dynasty to pray for, there are also many, and the court has no mandatory regulations in this regard. Therefore, whether they are ancestors, heroes, emperors, queens, immortals, Buddhas, emperors, as long as they are not obscene temples or evil gods expressly prohibited by the court, they can be worshiped.
sacrifice.
With the death of Emperor Sejo, it was almost an unspoken rule that he became a god that the officials and the people must worship. It is also sad to say that the worship of the officials and the people may not be so sincere when Emperor Sejo was alive. On the contrary, after his death,
Let people pray and worship from the bottom of their hearts, hoping to receive blessings.
Perhaps in the simple understanding of ordinary people, the emperor who is free from the limitations of the mortal body can have an immortal soul and can truly benefit all things and bless and bless every sincere citizen.
Of course, there are still many people who seek Buddhism and enquiry. In such a social atmosphere, Jiaqing Festival has also become an important festival for both Buddhism and Taoism. On this day, Buddhist temples and Taoist temples inside and outside the capital are open to the public.
At the mountain gate, Dharma meetings are held widely, and sermons are given to enlighten people in order to save the world.
Especially the unobstructed assembly at Baima Temple and the Heaven and Earth Dharma Assembly at Zijin Temple often attract tens of thousands of people and believers. During this process, the incense money at each mountain gate must be several times or even ten times higher than usual.
This year is even more unusual. White Horse Temple has invited Zen Master Guangji who travels to give lectures on Zen. The origin of this Zen Master Guangji cannot be verified. It is only known that he studied Buddhism for twenty years, and then traveled around the world to seek the path of Buddhism.
For more than ten years, I have never stopped, even going as far as Khotan and Anxi.
Of course, due to profound Buddhist principles and excellent "professional quality", it is a matter of course to obtain the "practice certificate" awarded by the imperial court, and it is also the highest-level gold book with dragon pattern issued by Qintianjian.
In contrast, Taoist Priest Ziyang of Danding Dao also appeared in Zijin Temple. Of course, Taoist Priest Ziyang was also a strange person. It is said that he had been practicing Taoism in Huashan for thirty years and was eager to see Patriarch Chen Tuan but could not. However, at thirty
The great perseverance of the year finally moved the ancestor. One day, the purple energy came from the east, and the ancestor preached in a dream and taught him the true seal of the great road.
Then things got out of hand. Although the Taoist factions were as complex as a plate of scattered sand, due to his several connections with Emperor Shizu, Patriarch Chen Tuan still had an extremely high status in the hearts of the Taoist sects in the world.
Therefore, it is said that Taoist Priest Ziyang has obtained the true inheritance of his ancestor. Naturally, the tide has risen. However, one thing that must be mentioned is that Taoist Ziyang only started to leave Huashan after the death of Emperor Shizu. The reason is intriguing.
But no matter what, the injection of Buddhist and Taoist culture has also enriched the connotation of Jiaqing Festival and given it a foundation that can be passed on for a longer time.
During Jiaqing like this, there are many official and private gatherings. How can we prevent the Inspection Department and Luoyang Prefecture from getting nervous? Public security and order is one thing, and fire prevention is the top priority.
In all sacrificial activities, open fires will flood, which will lead to easy water leakage and fires. This is the experience and lesson learned by the officials and people of Luoyang over the years with loss of lives and property.
However, no matter how much we prepare for and publicize, what should happen will eventually happen, and the government cannot take care of the millions of people inside and outside Luoyang.
As a result, another fire broke out in Luxinfang in the southeast of the city. Fortunately, the patrol soldiers responded quickly enough and rushed there quickly to organize fire fighting and rescue people, so it did not cause a greater disaster. Even so, it affected three or five houses.
Courtyard, seven or eight people, old and young, suffered burns and scalds
There were countless small fires and disasters that were quickly extinguished in the markets. The busiest people inside and outside the city, and those who were under the greatest pressure, were probably the patrolmen and government officials who were running back and forth on inspections.
In the Han Empire shrouded in fireworks, although not all places were as prosperous and noisy as the two capitals, no matter whether it was cities, towns or villages, there was a vague resonance under the same festival customs and the same prayer behaviors.
This is also a kind of cultural identity that moistens things silently, and the identity of the empire. The rule of the Han Dynasty is also based on this habit, infiltrating people's hearts and touching every corner of the huge territory. Of course, this kind of touch is deep or shallow.
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The people were full of enthusiasm, and the central court also held activities. Although the extravagant and extravagant celebrations were cut off by Emperor Liu Yang, worshiping heaven on the high altar, worshiping ancestors in the Ancestral Temple, and worshiping spirits in the Pavilion of Heroes were still the same, with the emperor personally taking the lead.
Sacrifice is indeed a top priority for a country, and the Jiaqing Festival has become the most important political sacrificial event of the year in the Han Dynasty.
Perhaps thousands of years later, the Han Empire has long since declined, and all the great achievements and prosperous dynasties have come to nothing, but the Jiaqing Festival and the Blessing Festival can still continue, even if people will forget or even ignore the origin of the festival over a long period of time. But as long as the fireworks are going up and the sound of blessings is heard, for Emperor Shizu, it is still a consolation from thousands of years later.
The Kingdom of the Middle Kingdom has a well-known characteristic. Give it a few decades of basic security and stability, and it will return you a glorious and prosperous age.
This has already been reflected in the era of Emperor Sejo. The huge progress in productivity has brought about a significant improvement in the economic and material cultural level. If it were not for the excessive expansion and some misdeeds in the later years of Sejo, the so-called Kaibao Heyday Maybe it can appear more real.
But even so, the foundation left by Emperor Shizu only needs a little polishing and refreshing to be full of vitality. It is also the historical mission of Emperor Liu Yang to build a truly prosperous and prosperous age by connecting the past and the future.
In the past dynasties, the so-called governance and prosperity were all realized under the system of a feudal monarchy. Behind all prosperity, the ruthless exploitation of the people in Guizhou by the ruling class was unavoidable. The quality of the governance and prosperity depended on the recovery and development of the productivity level. How? Secondly, let’s look at where the bottom line of the exploiting class lies.
Both were feudal empires. Even though the Han Dynasty broke the boundaries of previous dynasties, and its technology and productivity levels were greatly improved, there was no fundamental change compared to the previous generation. This was also an inherent characteristic from the beginning of the founding of the country. This is how the genetic sequence is arranged. .
But without mentioning things in the distant future, right now, as Emperor Liu Yang uses strong means to restrain the ruling class, clarify official governance, crack down on lawlessness, and give the common people more and more tolerant living space, that kind of thing is rooted in the bones of the Han people. The production and operation capabilities have once again ushered in an explosion.
The effectiveness of some things needs time to be tested, while some changes are immediate. In more than a year, thousands of officials from the central government to the localities were dealt with, and thousands of powerful landlords were forced to move out. Emperor Liu Yang just held on. He held up the sky, held up the country, and also gave all living beings in the world a little more breathing space.
To put it bluntly, there is nothing complicated about Liu Yang's various actions: peace in foreign affairs, rest in domestic affairs, advocating law and governing officials, self-denial and peace of mind.
Perhaps even Emperor Shizu didn't really see one of Liu Yang's qualities, that is, extreme restraint. If the prince period requires keeping a low profile and being cautious, then this is already the third year after he ascended the throne, and Liu Yang still sees it. There were not many selfish desires and no personal enjoyment. The extravagant style that had been popular among the upper class of the court in Shizu's later years was almost wiped out by Liu Yang.
Although Liu Yang kept saying that he was imitating Shizu's simple style in his early years, there was a huge difference between the two.
It may seem a bit disrespectful to say that Emperor Shizu was frugal and neat during the Qianyou period, but that was limited by the country's strength. To put it bluntly, he was poor. Just look at him in the later period of Kaibao.
As for Liu Yang's era, even if we don't mention the treasury, the wealth of the young master is piled up like a mountain, and everyone can enjoy it. Therefore, a person who can control himself and control his inner desires will most likely be able to achieve success, and as a
The emperor can do it and persist for a long time, so this kind of person is actually very scary.
The dignitaries and bureaucrats of the Han Dynasty will gradually discover that although Emperor Shizu is erratic and prone to killing people, as long as he does not break the bottom line, or even falls into his hands unluckily, then he will live and drink.
Dance and dance, beauties and play.
Although Emperor Yongxi was generous, calm and elegant, and cautious about executions, his maintenance of the dynasty and his control over everyone made people accustomed to privileges, and those who exceeded their authority would feel uncomfortable from the inside out.
.Especially, it is too much to think about driving people overseas after breaking the law.
Of course, compared to the Kaibao era, the political atmosphere in the Yongxi era was still much more relaxed. If preventing the powerful from breaking the law and abusing the people can be considered "harsh government," then this may be the most harsh aspect of Liu Yang.
It is not as comfortable as when Emperor Shizu was the emperor! This may be the voice of some people. Of course, people often consider something from the perspective of their own interests. When they are entangled in a certain point, they often ignore some things.
People who hold this kind of thinking may have overlooked one point. When the dignitaries, bureaucrats, and landlords that Emperor Yongxi dealt with, Emperor Shizu encountered them, they would also be severely punished, and even engage in implicated family annihilation. However, they had to "touch" them.
Just fine.
In the third year of Yongxi's reign, in the seventh month of autumn, when the tail of midsummer marked the autumn tiger, and the weather was still quite hot, Luan Jia set off on his first official tour in Emperor Liu Yang's career.
Although Liu Yang was almost overwhelmed by the mountain of memorials, the results of pickets in various places were remarkable, and good news came to Luoyang Imperial City like snowflakes, Liu Yang still wanted to go out and see for himself.
Of course, this was only when the government was stable and the country was safe, so Liu Yang dared to think so, otherwise he would not dare to leave the capital without permission.
When the patrol plan was decided, Liu Yang tried his best to consider the possible impact of the patrol and try not to cause trouble to the local area.
For the cost of the patrol, the treasury only bears the normal official salaries, officers and soldiers' pay, and military supplies. All other expenses are paid by the Shaofu. For this reason, Liu Yang directly approved a million dollars. Of course, in his plan
, all of this money is not used for business expenses, but to take into account the kindness and benefits to some poor people, as well as the commendation of local upright officials, moral and righteous people, etc.
Liu Yang also sought to streamline his entourage, with only three thousand officers and soldiers escorted by Commander-in-Chief Li Jihe. Because of Li Jihe's "loyalty and bravery" in reporting the message, Liu Yang gave a full report after he ascended the throne, and he jumped from the army to the army.
He stood out among the sixteen inner battalions and was directly promoted to the commander of the inner army capital. This is a military position of the third rank.
This shows how much favor the Li brothers received, but precisely because of this, he was destined to be the commander of the Imperial Army for a long time.
As for the accompanying ministers, there were mainly four people, the cabinet bachelor Wang Dan, the ministers were Han Hui, the imperial envoy, Liu Fang, the king of Zhao, and the eldest son of the emperor, Liu Wenhuan, Duke of Ruyang, who had just been married.
Regarding Liu Wenhuan's marriage, it once caused a sensation in Beijing. It was not because of how luxurious and grand the wedding ceremony was, nor because of his status as the eldest son of the emperor, but also because the person he was marrying, Chang Wei, was very famous in Beijing.
Of course, Chang Wei was not an ordinary person. If you really want to talk about it, you have to trace it back to his great-grandfather Chang Si, who was Gaozu's minister of Conglong and the founding father of the country. Guo Wei even called him "Uncle Chang". Although
Later, he was punished by Emperor Shizu because of his greed, cruelty, violation of laws and regulations.
But the qualifications are there after all, and the close relationship with the Guo family has always been maintained. After the death of Lao Changsi, although he gradually declined, when Guo Wei was still alive, he remembered his early love and took care of him. He was talented.
However, they still support and promote him. For example, Chang Si's son Chang Ju once served as the governor of Fenzhou.
As for Chang Wei, whom Liu Wenhuan married, she was the legitimate daughter of Chang Kun, the contemporary head of the Chang family. Chang Kun had a very small official position, just a foreign minister of the Ministry of Industry, but Chang Wei was very extraordinary, and was more famous than his father and even his great-grandfather.
big.
First of all, there is the appearance. This woman is very beautiful. When men see her, they fall in love with her. It is said that once when Chang Tong was passing through the West Market, her veil fell off and her true face was revealed, causing four cars to collide in the street.
At the same time, Chang Wei was also very talented, proficient in playing music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and poetry. At the age of 17, she disguised herself as a man and became a blockbuster at the Peony Poetry Festival, almost surpassing Sun He, the number one scholar.
Such a beautiful woman who is both beautiful and beautiful, famous as the capital's master and a hero, naturally attracts the courtship of the rich and powerful children in the capital, who want to marry her home. The suitors who come to the house almost cross the threshold of Chang's house, but their father Chang Kun rejects them all.
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It wasn't until Concubine Zhao learned about her during a chat with the married women that she became interested. She called them to observe and talk, and she fell in love with her. Then she thought of calling her as his bride. The dignified Concubine Zhao was married to the eldest son of the Emperor of Han Dynasty.
Of course, Chang Kun had no reason to refuse, so after some procedures, Chang Kun became Liu Wenhuan’s official wife.
Regarding this marriage, not to mention how many children of wealthy families in the capital and scholarly scholars had their dreams shattered, and not to mention how many people in the market talked about and praised this marriage. At least Zhao Kuangyi was quite critical. He also tried to dissuade Concubine Zhao not to marry Chang.
Hey, in his opinion, the Chang family father and daughter have impure motives, have a business reputation, and are suspected of being sold for a price, so they are not a good match.
However, Concubine Zhao refused to listen and even felt that Zhao Kuangyi, her uncle, was stretching too far and even wanted to interfere with Liu Wenhuan's marriage. At the same time, what she valued was Chang Wei's great reputation, and marrying such a daughter-in-law was also for Liu Wenhuan's sake.
Be famous and have a bright face.
On the other hand, using the Chang family as a link can strengthen the connection with the Guo family, which may work wonders at critical moments.
After learning about Concubine Zhao's secret thoughts, Zhao Kuangyi almost scolded her for being stupid and short-sighted.
The emperor is a pragmatic person. If you are trying to gain fame and gain fame, won't this make His Majesty displeased?
At the same time, since everyone has already thought of winning over the Guo family, why not directly ask for the Guo family's daughter and go around the Chang family? How much of the friendship between the three generations of a declining family that existed decades ago is left now? Guo Tong
Although her granddaughter is not as talented as Chang Ling, is she still not worthy of Liu Wenhuan?
Unfortunately, Concubine Zhao was stubborn and Zhao Kuangyi had no choice but to curse her views on women in his heart, unless the emperor vetoed the marriage.
Unfortunately, Liu Yang never expressed anything publicly at this time. On the contrary, after Liu Wenhuan got married, Chang Kun, Chang Kun's father, was directly promoted from a marginal member of the Ministry of Industry to the supervisory censor of Hebei Province.
Luan Jia traveled all the way west, passed Chang'an, and landed in Hanzhong. Liu Yang made a very careful inspection. With Luoyang as the capital, the Kansai region could not be ignored.
Especially the Guanzhong Plain, of course, is not as fertile as it once was, but in fact, the annual crop output is still quite large. Without the huge blood-sucking beast of the imperial court lying around, it is more than enough to be self-sufficient. This is still in addition to paying taxes.
In the case of endowment and branch edges.
When we arrived at the Hanzhong Plain, it was just average, with abundant output, which really made people happy. After entering Jiannan, the situation was not so good. Although more than a year had passed since the Shu Rebellion, the sequelae of the war were still serious and devastated.
Such a scene cannot be erased by no less than ten years of hard work.
Both the climate environment and the people of Sichuan are still in a slow recovery period. However, there are still patches of rice on the Chengdu Plain, and the golden season is what the people of Sichuan have experienced in the past five or six years.
The first full farming season was very difficult.
However, this is a good sign, and it also means that Jiannan Road has returned to normal order and is on the right path of development. With these fields, these people, and these rice, the grand occasion of the Land of Abundance will one day come.
One more thing to mention is that nowadays, the main rice grown in Sichuan is Champa rice. In this regard, the imperial court has made great efforts to promote it for decades, and the rice production in the southern part of the Han Dynasty has also increased year by year. Nowadays, rice
Like wheat, it has become a staple food on the dining table of the Han people.
When he arrived in Chengdu, Liu Yang did not bother to praise Li Hang, Xu Shilian, Liu Tinghan and other civil and military officials for their contribution to the recovery of Shu. He first worshiped Wuhou Temple, then Pan Gong Temple, and then went to a community in the suburbs of Chengdu to pay homage to those who were in the chaos of Shu.
Those who died were neither officers, soldiers nor rebels.
At the same time, Liu Yang asked Lin Te, the deputy military envoy of Wude, to find representatives from all walks of life from all over central Sichuan, invite them to drink and dine, and listen to their voices, so as to judge the public sentiment and examine the merits and demerits of local officials' governance.
Of course, what's more important is that Liu Yang generously apologized to the people of Shu, saying that the chaos in Shu was due to the court's ineffective supervision and poor government governance, which ignored the suffering of the people of Shu. At the same time, he swore to the people that he would not violate the law for daring to bully good people.
Nobles, officials, landlords, and merchants must be punished.
It has to be said that Liu Yang bent down and performed some people-friendly operations, and the effect was remarkable. At least, as the matter continued to spread, the remaining resentment of the people in Sichuan towards the court and the emperor was completely eliminated.
They came to the understanding that the emperor and the court were far away in Luoyang, the capital of the capital, and it was normal for them to be somewhat negligent in the supervision of Shu. They concluded that the worst was indeed the unscrupulous nobles, corrupt officials, and local tyrants and evil gentry in Jiannan.
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Liu Yang stayed in Chengdu and its surrounding areas for more than a month. Obviously, this was his main destination for this tour. The officials and people in central Sichuan who encountered serious disasters also needed comfort from the supreme ruler, and there was nothing better than personal care.
Seeing things more effectively.
In addition to inspecting political officials, it is more important to visit the people's sentiments, paying special attention to salt, tea, and silk, which are the leading industries in Sichuan. They even went to the south to observe the production process of well salt in person, met with salt workers cordially, and presented those
The salt worker who worked as a cow was moved to tears.
Originally, Liu Yang wanted to go further south to Qianzhong and Yunnan, but he was persuaded by his ministers. Although Qianzhong and Yunnan have been attached to him for a long time, they are still frontier places. The emperor's presence in person is of paramount importance.
On the one hand, the mountains are high and the forests are dense, so it is difficult to guarantee that there will be no accidents. In addition, due to the influence of climate and epidemics, we have to be careful.
Liu Yang was not a person who could not listen to advice. He sighed and suppressed his idea, but he sent an envoy to convey the edict and summoned some powerful chieftains from Guizhou, Yunnan and Tubo to Chengdu, hosted a banquet in honor of them, and talked about "friendship".
At the same time, he once again assured them that the imperial court would respect and protect their existing interests. Of course, they also needed to contribute their "loyalty" to the imperial court.
After such a "Chengdu Conference", the chieftains and chieftains were very moved. Starting from the third year of Yongxi's reign, there had been no major chaos in the southwest of the Han Dynasty for more than 30 years. Even if there was a small chaos, it was quickly suppressed by the army and chieftains.