Fengchan is a very grand sacrificial ceremony in ancient China. Emperors such as Qin Shihuang and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty all held grand ceremonies. Here "feng" refers to offering sacrifices to heaven, and "Zen" refers to offering sacrifices to earth. Together,
It means offering sacrifices to heaven and earth.
It is said that "the great affairs of the country lie in sacrifice and military affairs." On the surface, Fengchan is just a form of sacrifice, but in fact, Fengchan is not an ordinary sacrifice, so there is another mystery behind it, and it is also an important part of the emperor's power.
Fengchan itself originated from people's awe and worship of "heaven and earth". Due to the limited scientific knowledge and production materials they mastered, people in ancient times could only interpret their understanding of heaven and earth based on their own life experience, believing that God controls the sun, moon, thunder and rain, etc.
It has the ability to destroy itself; while the earth nurtures the growth of all things, and rewards and punishes humans based on the quality of the crop harvest.
The history of Feng Chan has a long history, which can be traced back to the Wuhuai family before Fuxi. Sima Qian recorded a conversation in "Historical Records: Feng Chan Shu", to the effect that during the Spring and Autumn Period, Qi Huangong wanted to hold a Feng Chan ceremony after he became hegemonic, but Guan Zhong thought it was inappropriate.
Then he quoted from classics and told the origin of Fengchan.
Guan Zhong said that the ancients granted Mount Tai and 72 families who worshiped Mount Liangfu. The famous ones include the Huai family, the Fuxi family, the Shennong family, Emperor Yan, Huangdi, Zhuanxu, Emperor Ku, Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, and King Cheng of Zhou.
, they are all ordered to be granted Zen status. In other words, being granted Zen status is not something you want to do, but requires a proper reason.
The ceremony of Zen can only be held when there is a change of dynasty or when the country is in the state of rejuvenation, and there is a sequence. Generally, sacrifices are made to the heaven first, and then to the earth. The location of the sacrifice to the heaven is unified, and they are all held in Mount Tai, because Mount Tai is the Dongyue Mountain.
, the east is the main source of life, it is the beginning of all things, the place where yin and yang alternate. There are many places to worship the earth, such as Yunyun Mountain, Tingting Mountain, Liangfu Mountain, Dushou Mountain, Suran Mountain, Kuaiji Mountain, etc. The locations of different periods are combined.
Inconsistent.
At the same time, as a national-level super large-scale ritual activity, the form of Fengchan is complex and mysterious. Fortunately, two people later standardized the process and content of the Fengchan activity, and it was abided by later emperors. These two people
They are Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han.
It is said that after Qin Shihuang unified the six countries, he wanted to hold a ceremony to enshrine the Zen, so he summoned the scholars in Xianyang City and asked how to do this. The result was very confusing. Some people said that the Zen should be carried out in a push cart to avoid damaging the vegetation of Mount Tai;
The floor was swept and the temple was built with straw.
Obviously, none of these Confucian scholars got to the point. Qin Shihuang, as the only emperor throughout the ages, did not care about these details, so he directly decided the process according to his own will.
He first rode a car from the south slope of Mount Tai to the top of the mountain, laid stones to chant virtues and offered sacrifices to God, and then came down from the north slope to meditate on Liangfu Mountain. Therefore, it can be said that Qin Shihuang formulated the 1.0 version of the process of enshrining Zen, that is, one letter and one Zen. To this day
Mount Tai also has relics from Emperor Qin Shihuang's enthronement of Zen, such as Mount Tai stone carvings, Five Doctors Pine, etc.
By the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he had enriched the process and content of the Zen ceremony and formed the "Er Feng Er Zen". That is, first worship the earth from Liangfu Mountain, and then set up an altar to worship the sky in the east at the foot of Mount Tai. Then, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty again
He led a few ministers to climb Mount Tai and offered sacrifices to heaven again on the top of the mountain.
On the second day, we descended from the north slope of Mount Tai to the nearby Suran Mountain to worship again. It can be seen that this process is more complicated, and subsequent emperors basically followed this process when ennobling Zen.
Of course, when consecrating the Zen, the materials used were also very particular. The materials used by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty mainly included the three-ridge grass produced in the Jianghuai area, the feathers and furs of precious birds and animals from various places, and they were sealed with five-color soil.
Amidst the solemn music, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, dressed in yellow clothes, knelt down and worshiped in person, announcing to heaven and earth. After the conferment, he ordered the change of Yuan Dynasty, and also ordered the princes to build a "residence" at the foot of Mount Tai.
Having said this, it can be seen that Feng Chan is obviously a large-scale activity that wastes people and money, so it must be based on a stable social environment and strong economic strength, and has strict etiquette regulations. If you want to be a famous teacher, it is destined to be impossible.
Held frequently.
According to research, the emperors in history who held the title of Zen include the First Emperor of Qin, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty, etc. Those who wanted to grant the title of Zen but failed in the end included Emperor Wei Ming, Emperor Wen of the Song Dynasty, Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty.
, Song Taizong, etc.
Forget about other emperors, Tang Taizong, as the "Heavenly Khan" of all nations who came to court, initiated the "Reign of Zhenguan". It stands to reason that he has every reason to carry out the Zen ceremony. Why was it not done?
In fact, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty himself also wanted to show off his grandeur through the Feng Chan, but Wei Zheng poured cold water on him: "Your Majesty's eastward Feng Feng will attract thousands of people from all over the world. You will need thousands of horses to pay for the account, mobilize several states, and your household registration will be depressed.
Why can I give it?”
You see, even during the Zhenguan period, it was difficult to hold a decent ceremony for the Zen ceremony. It can be seen that the Zen ceremony was indeed a waste of money and people. Fortunately, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was considerate of people's livelihood and listened to Wei Zheng's opinions, so there was no ceremony for the Zen ceremony.
Since the enthronement ceremony is so troublesome, why do all ambitious emperors want to perform the enthronement ceremony? As a "veteran" who has worked diligently in an ancient court for nearly thirty years, Gao Pragmatic believes that there are three possibilities:
The first is to announce to the world that there has been a change of dynasty, announcing that the new emperor is "ordered by heaven" and that his rule of the world is in line with the will of heaven and has unquestionable legitimacy. This situation usually occurs when the old and new regimes change, as is the case with Qin Shihuang.
Typical of a type of example.
Second, enshrining Zen can whitewash peace. As mentioned before, enshrining Zen is a national ceremony that can only be held in "peaceful and prosperous times". There is also a reason to enshrine Zen when the country appears to be reviving, such as Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, and Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty. Moreover,
, if the country can organize a decent ceremony for the Zen ceremony, it can also put gold on the emperor's face and leave his name in history.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Third, Feng Chan is also a kind of "flexing muscle" to show the strength of the country. Because when Feng Chan is held, kings and leaders of surrounding affiliated forces are often invited to participate, so
Once you arrive, you can show them the economic and political strength of the dynasty, and in the name of being blessed by God, you can intimidate them and make them surrender forever.
However, there is actually a big trouble in the Ming Dynasty when it comes to Feng Chan, that is, since the Song Dynasty, Feng Chan has been abolished in form, but its essence is still retained - the Ming Dynasty established the Temple of Heaven and the Temple of Earth in Beijing, and held ceremonies there.
Ceremonial activities to worship heaven and earth, so much so that in the original history, the Tatars also held activities to worship heaven and pray for grains at the Temple of Heaven.
In other words, the current Feng Chan should have been replaced by offering sacrifices to heaven at the Temple of Heaven. So the question arises, does Shen Yiguan’s so-called Feng Chan refer to a sacrifice to heaven at the Temple of Heaven? No, Shen Yi Guan said clearly in his essay, He suggested recovering and immediately preparing for the Taishan Ceremony!
Since the Ming Dynasty had the Temple of Heaven, why did it go to Mount Tai to enshrine it? It is obvious that Shen always did this just to facilitate the "enshrinement" event, and ignored the starting point of the Ming Dynasty's establishment of the Temple of Heaven to avoid abusing people's power.
What he wants is for the emperor to go to Mount Tai to enshrine Zen, and what he wants is a grand national ceremony!
The reason why Gao Pangshi was shocked was because Shen Yiguan's move was actually a conspiracy. Although anyone with a discerning eye could see what he was planning at a glance, compared to conspiracy, the cleverness of the conspiracy is even more brilliant. It's useless if you see through it.
Because when Shen Yiguan came up with this plan, he had actually succeeded more than half of it. Even if the enshrinement of Zen was finally blocked later, it would not affect the success he had achieved.
What success? The first to advocate Feng Chan!
According to Guan Zhong, being granted Zen status requires "acceptance of orders"; according to Gao's pragmatic analysis, three conditions are required for granting Zen status. In fact, whether it is Guan Zhong's somewhat mysterious words or Gao Pragmatic's clear analysis, they are actually talking about the same thing - Feng Chan has conditions and purposes.
Now is not the time to change dynasties, but the Wanli Dynasty under Zhu Yijun's rule for nearly thirty years does meet the standards of "ZTE" based on its achievements: it regained its homeland, quelled civil strife, defeated its old enemies, and subjugated the vassals with virtue. The country has even made extraordinary achievements in domestic governance.
Since the Wanli Dynasty, sea trade has flourished, clan restrictions have been lifted, post roads are self-sufficient, and all industries have prospered. As a result, the treasury has become increasingly abundant, and the debts accumulated by the court since the Jiajing period have long been paid off; the soldiers are well-prepared, and a 1.6 million-strong army can frighten the world. Except for natural disasters It is still frequent and cannot be called peace in the world. Who dares to say that the four words "Wanli ZTE" are not worthy of the name?
And for this reason, the Fengchan Taishan Mountain not only prays to the heaven and earth to revitalize the Wanli calendar, but also shocks all the barbarians. This ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven and earth can also be seen as the emperor praying to heaven for good weather and for the people to be free from illness and disasters... Isn’t this what an emperor should do?
It can be said that this memorial, which basically completed the establishment of the North Korean province, gave Shen Guanyi a good opportunity to "initiate the enshrinement of Zen", because the emperor's civil and military skills have reached the pinnacle to this day!
Even if his achievements and merits are not said to be greater than that of Taizu who expelled the Tartars and restored China, but if he were to say that he was greater than the Five Expeditions of Mobei and still could not destroy the remaining Yuan Dynasty, I am afraid that the people of the world will not be dissatisfied.
Nowadays, with such civilized and martial arts, why shouldn’t we be enshrined in Mount Tai!
The reason why Shen Yiguan's move was a conspiracy was because as long as he initiated it, it would be a great achievement that could not be erased in the emperor's mind. Even if the matter failed in the end, it would not affect the status of this achievement in the emperor's mind.
Gao Pragmatic, who has always had a high degree of political sensitivity, also thought that Shen Guangyi might have expected that the resistance between the DPRK and China would not be too great. Although the majority of the above civil and military achievements must belong to the emperor, if you really want to take a closer look, most of them are Most of them were achieved by the pragmatic school led by Gao Pragmatism.
Once the title of Zen is successful, the merits of the Shi School will not be covered up in any way, and his contribution to Gao Pragmatic will also be mentioned everywhere, so there will not be much resistance from the side of the Shi School - even if Gao Pragmatic himself does not agree with the title of Zen, I am afraid There is no way to stop the urge of the entire Practical School to realize this huge achievement.
You know it in your heart, but you dare not stop it, or are unable to stop it. This is called conspiracy.
Shen Yiguan made a clear move this time. He was betting that no emperor could refuse the huge attraction of Fengchan Taishan, and that even the Shi School, which had made great achievements, could not refuse such an attraction.
As for whether Gao Pragmatic will refuse, Shen Yiguan is not worried. In Shen Yiyi's view, it is good that Gao Pragmatic does not refuse, and everyone gets what they want.
It doesn't matter even if he refuses, because in this matter, even being highly pragmatic may not be able to stop the emperor - well, even if Wang Jiaping is added, so what? Shen has never felt that Wang Jiaping can influence the emperor on such a major matter. will.
After taking another 10,000 steps back, the matter still failed in the end. For Shen Yiguan, it was just 100% turned into 80%, and the harvest was enough. He believed that with the initiative to confer Zen, the emperor would definitely understand that this court Among the ministers, he was the only one who completely stood by the emperor's side and followed the emperor's will in everything he did.
Gao pragmatism is indeed a great talent, but so what? You Gao pragmatism, you pragmatic school, have been acting like "imperialists" for many years, but are you really willing to follow the emperor's wishes in everything? Impossible. There are still many places where you will restrict the Emperor, and there are even many places where the Emperor will be worried.
Apart from anything else, what proportion does your pragmatic school account for in the court now? Is the power you hold now too great? Especially you, Gao Pragmatic, is your influence so great that even the emperor has to do it for you? Looked sideways?
However, I, Shen Yiguan, am different. Everything I do is in compliance with the emperor's wishes. In order to win the dignity of being enshrined in Mount Tai and become famous throughout the ages, in order to limit the ever-expanding power of the Practical School and the ever-increasing prestige of Gao Pragmatism... all these things , the emperor will not understand the value of me, Shen Yiguan, in the court!
Gao pragmatic saw that Zhu Yijun was deep in thought instead of speaking, and he understood the emperor's intention. Which emperor wouldn't want such a ceremony to prove his greatness?
Wang Jiaping said that the contribution of the founding of North Korea to the province was not as good as the extermination of the remaining Yuan Dynasty. He was right, at least for the Ming Dynasty, but what Wang Jiaping said was wrong in itself.
Wang Jiaping made two mistakes. One is that merit should not be looked at alone. Shen's consistent advocacy of enshrining Mount Tai was not just for the sake of North Korea. Although Gao Wuzhi has not seen the original text of his essay, Gao Pragmatic has full It must be understood that this sparse article must list all the great achievements of the emperor since he came to the throne, and use various great deeds to support "receiving orders and then becoming a Zen".
The second is even simpler. Wang Jiaping made the mistake of ignoring Zhu Yijun's reaction and taking the initiative to oppose Feng Chan. You must know what Chen Ju said just now, and Shen Yiguan made it clear in his memorial that today there are "two sages of virtue and conduct"... At this time you Wang Jiaping opposes Feng Chan, does that mean that today’s world is not worthy of the “Two Saints of Virtue and Conduct”?
Gao Pingshi felt awe in his heart, and he had an intuition that Wang Jiaping's words were so straightforward that they might be bad. According to Shen Yi's consistent behavior, in addition to initiating the title of Zen to demonstrate his own value and consolidate his status, he might also be at ease this time. Other thoughts.
Taking into account Wang Jiaping's personality, we cannot rule out the possibility that Shen Guanyi, in the interest of Feng Chan, who is also the Shi School, coerced Gao Pragmatic into agreeing to Feng Chan, and that he might also simply take advantage of this opportunity to get rid of Wang Jiaping.
As for the reason...Wang Jiaping has been obviously leaning towards pragmatism recently. Isn't this enough?
"Seeking truth."
A soft call made Gao pragmatic subconsciously turn his head to look at Zhu Yijun.
The emperor looked at him with a half-smile but not a smile: "Mr. Shen Ge's proposal is somewhat similar to some of your past practices. They are both inconsistent with the ancestral tradition... What do you think?"
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PS: I did a rough count today. Since the epidemic last year and the elderly at home fell ill and the Chinese New Year, based on one update a day, I should have owed a total of 32 chapters. There may be more in the future. Sometimes there will be two updates a day to make up for the arrears, but I still have to declare in advance that there is no guarantee that there will be arrears every day. It still depends on whether I can spare time on the day.
