The Song Dynasty was close to the northern border, and it was located in the northern zone of the Changsheng Continent. Winter came early, and there was often almost no autumn as a transition. When it was said to be cold, it was really cold.
On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Bianliang City officially received its first moderate snowfall. A few days ago, a layer of snow had already been laid on the eaves.
In order for the God-Proclaiming Ceremony to go smoothly, the government has begun to hire people to go to the streets to shovel the snow, and distribute red ropes and red cloths to the people, allowing every household to tie red knots and hang red colors on their own, to highlight the festive color of the people of the Song Dynasty.
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The white snow lined the red silk, and for a while the red silk fluttered on the streets of the capital. The endless red sea could be called a ten-mile peony.
In such an environment, as the three shocking bells rang, most people in the city subconsciously walked out of their rooms, walked onto the streets with a feeling of joy or sorrow, and gathered in a certain direction.
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The gates of the Imperial City had been opened early, and an honor guard team of thousands of people was slowly walking out.
In the lead, there were gongs and drums playing to clear the way, and two rows of guards and imperial guards came to see each other off, followed by hundreds of palace maids and eunuchs, all of whom were holding or carrying sacrifices in their hands.
After that, a car with a very strange shape appeared in the queue.
This car is more like a big box than a car. It is completely black and about two feet tall. It has no horsepower and looks more like it is walking on its own. But there is a chimney coming out of the front of the car.
White smoke mixed with rumbling sounds.
This kind of movement was very prominent on the street, and many people couldn't help but curiously raised their heads to look at the strange car, whispering to each other.
After the strange car passed by, the traveling team walked for a long time before they saw a dragon chariot pulled by eight horses out of the palace gate.
At this time, Hui Emperor Zhao Shuo was full of spring breeze, wearing a new dragon robe with hundreds of treasures. Under the weak sunlight of winter, the hundreds of gems inlaid around him were shining brightly, making him look like a god.
He sat upright on the chariot, trying his best to show his imperial majesty, but perhaps his heart was too comfortable, and there was always a smile on the corner of his mouth.
The man and woman accompanying him were naturally the prince Zhao Gou and the princess Lin Yang.
These two people accompanied the emperor with solemn expressions on their faces, but occasionally they would say a few words of flattery when their father had something to say.
The rest of the time, they kept their mouths shut and lowered their eyebrows, not even making eye contact.
…
The dragon chariot passed by, followed by the civil and military officials led by Gao Wenchong. Each of these people held high positions, but with the emperor riding in front, they could only walk. Even the prime minister Gao Wenchong had to follow on foot.
It can be seen that the Song Dynasty today worships the Twelve Divine Palaces.
They were wearing brand-new official robes, and some civil servants even put a layer of powder on their faces. However, most of them had expressions of joylessness and worrylessness in their eyes, not knowing what they were thinking.
The procession of thousands of people was like this in the street. It was long, but full of royal majesty. At this time, the people on both sides of the road knelt down and worshiped, and respectfully sent the emperor to the Xuanshen Platform.
At this time, under the instigation of the government, tens of thousands of people had already gathered around the Xuanshen Platform.
They knelt down in unison, and as the sound of gongs and drums approached, people already knew that the emperor was coming.
The Xuanshen Platform was built in one year and three months. It stands at the southeast corner of the city. There are three high platforms in the middle, about three feet high. They are built with high-quality fir wood and reinforced with mortise and tenon structures. They are quite strong.
In addition to the three high platforms in the middle, there is also a platform further forward. The height of the platform is only one foot six, but it is already a long way from the ground.
Among them, there is a large square cauldron weighing ten thousand kilograms!
This object is only used during important royal ceremonies, and is never reused. A new one must be built whenever there is a need.
Because in the past, cauldrons were built to worship heaven and ancestors, but now in the eyes of Hui Emperor Zhao Shuo, the importance of the Twelve Divine Palaces is almost equal to that of his ancestors, and he did not hesitate to spend huge sums of money to build this giant cauldron.
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The honor guard set off seven minutes before sunrise and arrived at the Xuanshen Terrace in a short time. The snow on the roadside had been shoveled away by dedicated personnel in advance. The royal honor guard of Hui Emperor Zhao Shuo arrived at the Xuanshen Terrace smoothly.
Under the altar.
After getting off the chariot, Hui Emperor Zhao Shuo looked at the Xuan Shen Platform in front of him with a solemn look on his face, and he felt a sense of joy in his heart that he had achieved his wish.
After today, there is hope for immortality, and he will always exist in the world as the emperor of the Song Dynasty.
Hui Emperor Zhao Shuo thought so.
A strange car stopped in front of the dragon chariot. At this moment, the door opened and a short middle-aged man in a kimono got out.
This man has an average appearance with a square face, his hair is combed in a moon-shaped hair, his bald forehead is so bright that it almost reflects light, and he has a neat brush beard under his nose, which you can tell from a glance has been trimmed every day.
Emperor Hui Zhao Shuo saw this man getting out of the car and hurriedly walked up to talk to him.
"Mr. Fukuda Ichiro, thank you for your hard work for traveling thousands of miles here!"
Emperor Hui Zhao Shuo's face was full of joy. If you look closely, you can see a hint of flattery in his smile.
The kimonoed man named Ichiro Fukuda also smiled, and held the hand of Hui Emperor Zhao Shuo with a warm smile.
"Zhao Sang, with your active cooperation, the Song Dynasty will finally enter a prosperous era of peace and stability. Your contribution will be permanently recorded on the monument of history. The Twelve Divine Palaces and the Song Dynasty will be eternal friends.
.”
Although Ichiro Fukuda is short, his voice is very rough, his eyes are fiery, and his words are also very convincing.
It seems that under their plan, the Song Dynasty is really going to enter a peaceful and prosperous age.
Hui Emperor Zhao Shuo didn't mind that Ichiro Fukuda called him Zhao Sang, because in Japanese custom, calling a person "So-and-so Sang" means respect.
And this Ichiro Fukuda is naturally a Japanese, and he is also the lord of the tenth palace of the Twelve Shrines.
Only a person of his status can represent the Twelve Divine Palaces and participate in the passing ceremony of the entire Song Dynasty.
It's just that the Twelve Shrines have always been mysterious, and the twelve palace masters behind them are even more mysterious existences. The Fukuda Ichiro in front of me seems too ordinary after all.
But this did not affect his tall image in the heart of Hui Emperor Zhao Shuo.
The two exchanged a few words of greetings, and soon they boarded the Xuan Shen Platform together, and even Zhao Gou and Lin Yang, who were the descendants of the dragon and the phoenix, could only follow behind them.
Originally, Zhao Shuo planned to build only one high platform, hoping to be able to sit on the same platform as the high priests of the Twelve Divine Palaces.
However, due to the rules of the shrine, the national preceptor, the emperor, and the shrine envoys must sit on separate platforms, which is why there are three high platforms today.
Emperor Hui Zhao Shuo took his children to the high platform in the middle. Ichiro Fukuda climbed to the high platform on the left under the protection of two retinues, while Imperial Master Lu Heng was already waiting on the high platform on the right.
Seeing Ichiro Fukuda's arrival, Imperial Master Lu Heng still had a half-smiling expression and performed the rituals of the Twelve Gods to Ichiro Fukuda from afar.
The two looked at each other from afar, with polite smiles on their faces.
Although they both belong to the Twelve Divine Palaces, Ichiro Fukuda is the master of the Wen Palace, and Lu Heng is from the Palace of Hundred Beasts, and they have no friendship with each other.
Seeing that the time was up, a special person told the people watching to be silent, and Hui Emperor Zhao Shuo stood up on the high platform.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty received the sacrificial document from the palace, and now he had to recite the sacrificial document in public to express his gratitude to God!