On the winter solstice, the Bian Palace, which had been quiet for a long time, became unusually lively, especially the main hall of the Han Palace and the Chongyuan Hall. The chamberlains of various departments and bureaus in the palace were busy making final preparations and arrangements.
The emperor had already issued an edict to hold a palace banquet on the winter solstice. The concubines of the harem, ministers, generals of the two yamen, noble ministers, and the vassal and town festivals who came to Beijing for an audience were all invited to the banquet.
This is probably Liu Chengyou's most "extravagant" activity since he took the throne. Although he advocates frugality, when the country's situation is initially determined, there is still little food left in the money, so he simply organizes a grand party to connect with each other and inspire people. , is also very necessary.
The founding of the Han Dynasty was full of ups and downs, and the less than a year since Liu Chengyou succeeded to the throne was also full of ups and downs. The illusion of peace and prosperity sometimes needs to be maintained.
Liu Chengyou said before that he wanted his subjects to have fun together, so he issued an edict and extended the curfew and closing time in Tokyo to midnight to allow the citizens to enjoy themselves. There is still a long way to go before Kaifeng can open the market at night. Although the market system is gradually established This trend has been broken, but in order to facilitate the management of the city, it was still strictly implemented before.
The enthusiasm of the people of Tokyo for the festival far exceeded Liu Chengyou's imagination. No matter noble officials or ordinary rich and poor people, they all celebrated the solar terms, wore new clothes, and ate dumplings. The winter solstice was as big as the New Year.
To the north of the Imperial City, beside Xuanwu Gate, there is a spacious military camp, school grounds, barracks, dining rooms, armory and other building facilities, which are neat and complete, and are heavily stationed.
More than 8,000 newly-organized iron cavalry under the Palace Front Division were stationed here, and together with the guards Long Jiejun on the northwest side, they jointly defended the palace city.
The original establishment of the cavalry army was 10,000 cavalry, but due to the shortage of generals, soldiers, and especially war horses, and the fear of dismantling the guard cavalry army, it was ultimately not enough. Even so, the cavalry army was enough to equal the number of cavalry troops. Long Jie's army resisted.
At this time, there were less than half of the soldiers left in the army. Except for officers on duty, soldiers who were alone and whose parents were not in Tokyo, they were all allowed to go home on leave. However, colorful flags were also fluttering in the camp, and the usually solemn and strict atmosphere was replaced. Watered down quite a bit.
Carloads of wine and meat were brought to the camp and piled up in the school yard. All the troops stationed in the camp sent manpower to collect them together under the leadership of their respective officers. This was Liu Chengyou's edict, and the money was collected from the treasury to be purchased and distributed. He rewarded the two yamen and banned the army, and he was determined to win over the morale of the army, hoping to achieve the effect of enjoying the happiness of the monarch, his subjects, the army and the people.
The reward materials for the tens of thousands of soldiers in the camp were another expenditure that was enough to make Wang Zhang feel painful for the third commander.
Although the atmosphere on the school field was warm, the orderly scene fully reflected the training quality of the new cavalry sergeants. Yang Ye was dressed in a vigorous military robe, and the armor embedded in his body was polished. He stood with his sword in hand and supervised in person. The distribution of food and wine was very efficient, and it only took an hour for them to be distributed.
Yang Ye resigned from the Tong'an Army and returned to the capital with Liu Chengyou. For his role in suppressing the garrison and suppressing the rebellion, he was granted the title of Marquis of Yu, the capital of the left wing of the cavalry army, and was appointed governor of Kuizhou. He assisted Han Tong in charge of the left wing of the cavalry. military.
The reward materials were obviously calculated based on the number of people. After the troops and battalions received the supplies, only a small half of the carts were left. Seeing the mess left in the school grounds, Yang Ye immediately ordered to his left and right: "Clean it up. The remaining property and supplies will be recorded in the camp treasury. In addition, the order will be sent down. Your Majesty will reward the three armies and all the sergeants will celebrate. However, they must not forget to violate discipline and malfeasance. Please supervise the commanders of each army."
"Yes!" The military officer who was following him said with emotion about Yang Ye's arrangement: "The Duke of Yu is loyal and dedicated to his duties, and he is respected by those in lower ranks!"
Yang Ye actually didn't even take a second look at the remaining half of the cart's goods. It was very rare given the military atmosphere that had existed for three generations.
As he said that, the military officer looked at Yang Ye curiously: "Your Majesty held a banquet in Chongyuan Hall, why didn't Marquis Yu go?"
On both sides of the cavalry army, there were senior officers above Yuhou, and only Yang Ye stayed behind in the camp.
He raised his hands in the direction of the palace and said, "Your Majesty's kindness will be greatly appreciated. However, the army cannot be left without anyone in charge. Besides, it is enough to be able to celebrate with the brothers!"
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After looking at the sky and hearing the festive noises coming from each camp, Yang Ye waved his hand: "Let's go, follow me to inspect the troops!"
The situation is similar to that of the Cavalry Army. Inside and outside Kaifeng City, the Forbidden Army barracks in Tokyo continue to be lively. A festival and a reward are enough to continue to eliminate the depression and dissent caused by the decentralization of the entire army.
...
In the palace, Chongyuan Hall, before dusk is approaching, is already covered with colorful silks and decorated with candles. Inside and outside the palace, facing inside and outside, there are banquets for generals and their families. There are thousands of people attending the banquets.
Enter the palace.
Of course, the space of Chongyuan Hall cannot accommodate so many people, so the two verandas of the hall were simply put to use, and a large tent was temporarily built outside the hall. Even so, it was still crowded, but on the other hand, in the winter,
Yes, it’s time to gather together to keep warm.
Since Liu Chengyou succeeded to the throne, the palace of the Han Dynasty has never been so noisy and lively.
Zhe Cong Ruan and his granddaughter also entered the palace early for the banquet. Under the guidance of the waiters, they took their seats. Naturally, his seat was in the middle of the palace, relatively close to the front. For this winter feast, the eunuchs and maids in the Han Palace were not enough.
Liu Chengyou also transferred a thousand imperial guards in the palace to serve him specially.
"Is this the main hall of the palace? It's so spectacular!" Zhe Saihua followed Zhe Congruan. This young lady from Fuzhou was dazzled by the magnificent scenery in the palace. She glanced at the busy scene around her and exclaimed: "
It’s so lively!”
"This is Kaifeng, the place where the best of the world gathers!" Of course Zhe Congruan could hold on, although he had never experienced such a grand scene in his life.
However, Miss Zhe couldn't help but mutter: "Isn't it said that the emperor advocates frugality and simplicity? How much food will be spent on such a banquet?"
Although the surroundings were noisy and Zhe Saihua's voice was quiet, Zhe Congruan still heard it clearly and quickly stopped the little granddaughter and taught her to be careful about what she said in this palace.
Zhe Congruan has a lot of qualifications, but he grew up in Fuzhou. Among the ministers in the palace, he doesn't know many of them, and even fewer have friendships with him. However, when others were sitting there, many people who knew him took the initiative.
Come up and say hello. After all, the emperor's regard for Lieutenant Zhe has spread widely.
As it got later, there were more and more people, and the scene became more and more like a palace banquet. Seeing that it was almost time and people had almost arrived, Liu Chengyou, Queen Mother Li, and Queen Fu entered the palace together.
.Concubine Gao was not among the small group of people in the finale.
As the emperor and the two empresses arrived, the originally warm atmosphere inside and outside the hall suddenly subsided, but the festive atmosphere remained. Liu Chengyou only glanced at the grand scene in the hall, everything was in order, and this banquet was handed over to the state. It was prepared by his uncle, Li Ye, the envoy of Xuanhui Nanyuan. Liu Chengyou found that his uncle seemed to be quite capable in this regard.
Climb the royal steps, sit on the dragon bed, and together with the two empresses, accept the worship and congratulations of the officials at home and abroad, and officially start the palace banquet.