Northern Dynasties Imperial Industry

In the 17th year of the Kaihuang reign of the Tang Dynasty, the country was peaceful and the people were safe. The world was prosperous and peaceful.

In the inner courtyard of the Taiji Palace in Chang'an, the morning bell had not yet rung, but the candles in the palace had already been lit. The palace servants and eunuchs were in and out of the corridors, busy with the daily life of the nobles in the palace.

In the sleeping tent, Li Tai turned over in a daze, reached out to touch his side but touched nothing, opened his sleepy eyes and found that the beauty beside him was gone.

"My husband is awake, do you want to get up now?"

A gentle question came from outside the tent, and the queen, who had already dressed, leaned over and reached into the tent again, looking at the still sleepy emperor and asked with a smile.

Li Tai did not answer, but turned over, stretched out his hand to pull the queen to the couch again, and then he pillowed in the plump and soft arms of his wife, and continued to close his eyes and doze.

The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty sometimes wanted to stay in bed. Yesterday, the governors and governors of various states came to the court to report on their work. In order to reward these frontier officials, the court held a banquet in the palace to entertain the ministers. Li Tai naturally had to attend and preside over the banquet.

Those officials who had not been to the court for at least a year seized this rare opportunity to see the emperor and competed to dance and toast. Li Tai also accepted everyone. As a result, he was drunk in the end. When he came to the queen's bedroom, he had to toss and turn again. At this time, he was still quite tired.

Although the queen Dugu Miaoyin was already middle-aged, she had a happy family and a harmonious life. She was pampered and enjoyed a good life. Last night, she was newly blessed. She still had the beauty of her girlhood, and added a lot of mature woman's charm. At this time, seeing her husband lying in her arms like a naughty boy and refusing to get up, she also had a doting smile on her lips, and her jade fingers passed through her husband's hair and gently massaged the acupuncture points on his head.

Such warm moments are never too many, but Li Tai didn't have much time to enjoy them. After a short nap, he opened his eyes with perseverance and ordered the palace servants to bring him robes to wear and wash up.

Although it was not morning sun today, there were still many things on the desk of the Tang emperor to be dealt with. After getting up and washing up, he first accompanied the queen to have a simple breakfast, and then bathed in the morning light through Yongxiang and went out to the palace.

The morning sun rose, and the golden light fell on the world. The morning drums in the hundreds of squares in Chang'an sounded together. This magnificent city woke up from sleep in an instant. The people went out of the squares and got busy. The carriages and horses that had been waiting outside the city gates for a long time also entered the city in succession, adding vitality to the city.

The hundreds of officials in the imperial city also began to take their positions one after another, contributing their own strength to the management of this huge empire.

The Wude Hall in the inner palace, if it was not a court meeting, the emperor usually worked here and summoned ministers. This palace is connected to the East Palace, and the two places are convenient for travel. Sometimes the emperor would summon the crown prince here to teach him, or let him observe politics.

After the beginning of autumn, state affairs became more complicated, including the budget and expenditure of money and grain taxes, the annual summary of officials' performance evaluation, and the internal and external administration. Although these matters are managed by special departments, even if the emperor just reviews the results of various matters one by one, because there are too many matters, the workload is not small, and some important matters need special attention, so just summoning officials from various departments to discuss matters, unknowingly a day has passed.

Li Tai's focus today is on the selection of various matters. After the beginning of autumn, taxes from all over the country have been paid to the country one after another, and the tribute scholars selected from various states have also come to Chang'an. Although the imperial examination will not be officially held until the beginning of next spring, these tribute scholars have already entered the capital to prepare for the examination.

At the same time, the number of vacancies due to the expiration of the official posts and vacancies of internal and external officials this year has reached nearly one-third of the incumbent officials. There are more than 3,000 officials of different grades inside and outside the country who need to be selected and appointed in this year's selection. Therefore, this year is also a general election year, and the Ministry of Personnel and other selection departments will be extremely busy.

The first to come to the Wude Hall to report matters today were Xu Ling, the Minister of Rites, and Lu Changheng, the Vice Minister of Personnel. The two of them went to the hall together, and Xu Ling, the Minister of Rites, first reported on the matters related to the imperial examination.

"Your Majesty, this autumn, there are 5,425 tribute candidates selected by various roads, 1,364 students and apprentices in the two capitals, and there are..."

After Xu Ling went to the hall, he first described the situation of the tribute candidates from various roads who came to Beijing to take the imperial examination this year.

Among the tribute candidates from various parties who participated in the imperial examination, those from the official schools in the two capitals obviously accounted for the majority, more than one-fifth, while the rest of the states in the world accounted for less than four-fifths of the quota.

This situation is actually the result of many years of promotion and improvement. In the early years, the candidates from the two capitals accounted for the vast majority of the imperial examinations, while the candidates from other prefectures and cities were few and far between, with many prefectures sending only one or two candidates each year.

Because most people were not sensitive to the reform of the imperial court's selection order, and some families who were aware of this tried their best to send their sons to the political centers of the two capitals. In addition, in previous years, the prefectures and counties recruited talents from the wild and usually directly granted them official positions, but now they have to travel thousands of miles to the capital just to obtain the qualification for an examination, which also made some local talents who have not changed their ideas uninterested.

In view of the difficulty of implementing a reform, Li Tai could only order the state and county official schools to improve and recruit some private students who were interested in learning to teach. At the same time, in order to further expand the number of people who can be covered by the imperial examination, the states conducted the state tribute examination, which is no longer limited to prefectural and county students. At the same time, all states who select tribute candidates will be exempted from the mediocre household transfer, so that they can calmly Entered Beijing to take the imperial examination.

At the same time, in the two capitals, it was no longer limited to the recommendation of official students, apprentices and serving officials. The talented people in the field were allowed to submit ultimatums to Yousi to recommend themselves, and uniformly participated in the tribute examination held by the Ministry of Rites in the autumn of that year, thereby obtaining the qualifications to be promoted.

After such promotion and reform, and more than ten years of development, the imperial examination finally took on the appearance of a national talent selection ceremony. Every year, thousands of tribute examinees come to Beijing to take the imperial examination, creating a huge talent pool for the country. Reserve.

With sufficient talent reserves, the standards for official selection can be set higher, which also makes the performance evaluation of Datang officials very stressful.

In previous years, there was only one test every year. After three years as a Beijing official and four years as a foreign official, the rank was always fulfilled. However, while the annual examination is now retained, if the examination is rated as middle or lower for two consecutive years, then he will be dismissed directly without waiting for the rank to be full. Furthermore, anyone who is dismissed because of this will not be allowed to participate in the civil service election again within ten years. Only by passing the imperial examination specially set up by the imperial court can one be released from this ten-year imprisonment.

It's just that the examination is for the selection of academic qualifications for junior colleges and is not a permanent event. Even if it is held, it usually only selects a dozen or less people. Those who can pass the examination and stand out are all outstanding talents.

This year's imperial examinations were similar to those in previous years, so the report was very quick. There are more than 5,000 candidates who participated in the imperial examination. It is impossible for the Ministry of Rites to directly report the complete list to the Supreme Being. Therefore, Li Tai cannot find any familiar names among them and can only wait until the results of the imperial examination are released before making any decisions. reading.

After talking about the imperial examination, Li Tai thought of another thing, which was about the management of clan titles. When the Tang Dynasty was newly established, there were still many things to deal with, so the clan titles followed those of the previous dynasty without any further adjustments.

Now it is the seventeenth year of the founding of the emperor. He has reached middle age, and his sons have been awarded titles one after another. Some of the brothers in the clan have passed away. In addition, there are many new descendants in the clan, so there is no doubt about the inheritance of titles and honors. Needs some more rectification.

So Li Tai told Xu Ling to work with Zong Zheng later to finalize the relevant regulatory reforms as early as possible before the year, so as not to delay the clan members' year-end sacrifices to their ancestors.

Regarding the adjustment of clan titles, it basically means clarifying a series of hierarchical divisions such as princes, princes and heirs. Li Tai's own brothers and sons will naturally be granted the title of prince, while the brothers of the same grandfather's clan will regard the elder as the prince, and the remaining as the county king, and then the heirs will be of the same level as the county king. If a prince has been passed down for five generations and a county king has been passed down for three generations, if there is no meritorious service or gift, the country will be removed and only the clan status will be attached.

The Li family in Longxi already has a large lineage, and there are also some meritorious officials who have given their surnames and appendixes. The population of each generation has almost exploded exponentially. Without strict regulations and strict control, it will soon become a very serious problem. . The situation of Li Tai's generation is not serious yet, and that is thanks to Er Zhurong, but it is also time to take precautions before they happen.

He did not blindly reduce the benefits of the clan, but still encouraged the clansmen to make full use of their talents and ambitions. Anyone with a clan affiliation who could pass the imperial examination would be awarded the rank of fifth-rank official, and there was no need to stand for election. Participate in the selection and conferment of officials.

As long as the children of the clan have certain talents, Li Tai is willing to pave the way for them to join the ruling system. But if the mud can't support the wall, then we can't keep these rice worms from generation to generation.

When talking about the election, Li Tai also told Lu Changheng, the Minister of Civil Affairs, to give appropriate preference to the meritorious officials, especially the children of martyrs, during the election, and to give more consideration to officials who were appointed from military positions to civilian appointments. Practical talents rather than classic articles.

As the country was founded over time and its internal and external affairs gradually stabilized, today's military affairs in the Tang Dynasty are no longer as frequent as they were at the beginning of the country's founding. The corresponding opportunities for generals have also decreased, and the need for internal rule and management has gradually exceeded the need for external conquest and development. Many military generals had no choice but to work full-time as civilian officials, and some even became prime ministers. Proper care for these officials also complied with the development needs of the times.

After discussing several things, it was already noon, and Li Tai was ready to pack away the clutter on his desk and have lunch. He did not spare the few people who attended the meeting to have a meal, and it was not that he was stingy about the meal. It was just that not many people were willing to accompany the leader to have a working meal. Li Tai still knew this.

Lu Changheng had already stood up and was about to leave, but Xu Ling had no intention of leaving yet. Instead, he came to the front of the imperial case and said: "I have another matter to report to the saint. There is a lot of discussion in the public today about the ceremony of enshrining Zen. In previous years, the court There has been some discussion on this, but He has always refused. Now that the country is at its peak and the country is at its peak, the chaos and decadence since the Wei and Jin Dynasties has been wiped out, I also believe that the saint has fulfilled the destiny to govern Chixian County in China and the people of the country. Now he has made great achievements and achieved many results. Yu Haotian, repay the merits of this man and god!"

Next to him, Lu Changheng heard Xu Ling's report and was about to turn around and leave. At this moment, he also turned around and saluted the Supreme Being above him: "Xu Shangshu's words are very kind, and I also wish to be granted Zen status!"

Since the Yongjia Rebellion and the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China, China has been in chaos and division for hundreds of years. It was not until the current Supreme Lord eliminated dissidents and unified the world in one fell swoop that China's golden bowl was restored to its integrity. After that, he worked hard to improve politics internally and made great military achievements externally, making the Tang Empire dominate all states and awe-inspiring. The current Supreme Lord was even promoted as the Heavenly Khan by the leaders and chieftains of the various Hu states.

As early as the sixth year of Kaihuang, when the court completely wiped out the remnants of the Northern Qi Dynasty and then gradually recovered Liaodong, there were many voices in the court requesting Fengshan. However, Li Tai rejected this proposal on the grounds that the world was newly settled, the parties were not at peace, and the country was not rich. After that, whenever there was a major construction inside and outside the court, people from both the court and the public would advocate Fengshan, but Li Tai never agreed.

It's not that he didn't want to Fengshan. After all, for the ancient emperors, the greatest honor was to Fengshan Mount Tai and report their achievements to heaven. However, most emperors knew their own limitations. Occasionally, there would be a scumbag who would force himself on the matter, which would ruin such a solemn and glorious ceremony passed down from ancient times. As a result, even if the emperors of later generations climbed Mount Tai again, they would not be ashamed to call it Fengshan. They could only watch the sunrise and satisfy their desire.

Of course, Li Tai could not refuse the temptation of Fengshan, but he always felt that the time was not ripe before. However, he was already eager to do it after being provoked year after year. Now that Xu Ling and others mentioned this matter again, he could not hold back. After lowering his head and being silent for a long time, he said a little embarrassedly: "The Fengshan ceremony is far from being decided by two or three people. It needs to be discussed with the people of the country. If everyone agrees, it can be carried out."

Xu Ling and others heard that the Supreme was obviously moved, and they were also happy in their hearts. They bowed and nodded in agreement. If they could successfully Fengshan Mount Tai, it would not only be the glory of the emperor, but also the glory of their ministers of the time, and it would surely be a great success in the future!

Afterwards, a discussion about Fengshan was soon launched in the court, but the officials did not discuss much about whether Fengshan should be performed. It seemed that everyone agreed that this issue was not worth discussing.

After all, the achievements made by the Tang Dynasty since its establishment are obvious to all. The Eastern Yi, Western Qiang, Southern Barbarians and Northern Tatars have all surrendered. It can be said that it is an unprecedented prosperity since the powerful Han Dynasty! Even the establishment of the Tang Dynasty itself is a remarkable achievement. After the rise of the Five Barbarians, the Han Dynasty once again ruled the Chinese land!

So with the tacit understanding of the officials, they directly skipped the question of whether Fengshan should be performed, and began to discuss the etiquette, regulations and procedures of Fengshan.

The north and the south diverged and then merged, so there were naturally two sources of inheritance in terms of the origin of the ritual system. Although they have been integrated and absorbed in the Tang Dynasty in recent years, the ceremony of Fengshan has never been involved before, so the specific etiquette that needs to be adopted for Fengshan immediately caused discussions and disputes among the famous etiquette experts in the north and the south.

Faced with such public opinion, Li Tai was somewhat at a loss for words. He had been rejected many times before, but this time, everyone didn't even give him a chance to half-heartedly agree. Although the relevant etiquette procedures still need to be discussed, since it has been decided to perform Fengshan, the preliminary preparations must be started now.

So the court then ordered that Yang Jian, Duke of Anguo and Minister of the Central Secretariat, be the Fengshan Zhidun Envoys, and arrange the inspection and offerings along the way east in advance, and ordered Cui Zhongfang, the governor of Qingzhou, to supervise the construction of the Dai Temple in front of Mount Daizong for the emperor to stay, and at the same time ordered the leaders of the four states to come to the court this winter, and to accompany the emperor to the east and perform Fengshan on Mount Daizong after the spring of next year.

Now the administrative power of the Tang Empire is extremely strong, and it is naturally very attentive to Fengshan, which is a top priority in any feudal period. As the court officially issued the order to perform Fengshan, various related personnel and materials began to quickly gather along the banks of the Yellow River. The Hanjia Granary in Luoyang, the eastern capital, alone stored 3 million shi of rice, which was enough to supply the Fengshan army and did not require the local government to impose additional taxes.

After a period of intense preparation, by the beginning of the second year, all matters related to Fengshan had been prepared. The 100,000 soldiers of the various tribes were led by the generals of the Southern Court such as Zuowei General Ruofeng, and were divided into front and back divisions to set out in sequence.

Among those who followed the emperor were the two queens, the Duke of Liang, the Duke of Chen and other guests and friends of the country, the Duke of Jing Wei Xiaokuan led the meritorious officials, the prime minister and the secretary Liu Ang, the minister of the door Yan Zhiyi and others led the internal and external officials, and the relatives of the royal family and the elders of the tribes also accompanied them.

The chiefs of the tribes were divided into the big and small khans of the Eastern and Western Turkic Khans, Murong Bo, the king of Xihe of Tuyuhun, and other chiefs who still had their territories and subjects. Among them, Murong Bo was the son of the Tuyuhun Khan Kualu who was granted back by the emperor during his western tour.

In the 15th year of the Kaihuang reign of the Tang Dynasty, the Tuyuhun Khan Kualu resisted the imperial order and rebelled in the land. He was defeated by the Tang army and retreated westward to the land of Shengqiang in the Subi women's country in eastern Tibet. The queen of Subi captured and beheaded him and presented him to the Tang Dynasty. The Tuyuhun people lost their leader, and the Tang emperor took pity on their people who were out of control, so he made Murong Bo their leader and granted him the title of Xihe King.

There were also some Goguryeo kings such as Gao Tang who had lost their country and were annexed by the Tang Dynasty. They had settled in the territory of the Tang Dynasty and now they also followed the emperor.

There were as many as a hundred Hu lords both inside and outside the country, plus the varying numbers of their entourage, so a team of more than ten thousand people was formed. Their customs, clothing, and appearance were different, and they formed a distinctive landscape in this huge Fengshan team.

The Fengshan Brigade officially set out from Chang'an in late spring in March, and toured the east along the way. They also stopped and walked along the way, and pacified the local areas. When they arrived at the foot of Mount Taizong, it was already midsummer in May.

I won't go into details about the things along the way. When Li Tai came to the foot of Mount Tai, which lost its original name because of him, he was naturally overwhelmed. He remembered all the experiences since his defeat at Mangshan and his hasty escape to the west. He remembered the hardship and scenery during his half-life in the military, the battles in the south and the north, and the hawkers selling hiking poles under the red gate of Mount Tai in later generations...

"It's still not lively enough!"

Unlike the highly commercialized Mount Tai scenic area in later generations, the current Mount Taizong still maintains a rather primitive state even though it started preparing for Fengshan and repairing the mountaineering road last year. Only the guards and flags and cultural relics arranged from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain reveal the solemnity of this era, which is far from comparable to the tourist teams that get off the bus and wave the guide flag in later generations.

Li Tai did not choose to climb the mountain in a sedan chair, but wore fashionable clothes and climbed up the stairs step by step, just like he had been walking steadily since he came to this world. As the mountain rose, his breathing became a little hurried, and various images in his mind, whether in the past or the present, emerged one after another, blending and splicing in his mind, forming a series of bizarre images, which made it difficult for him to distinguish between reality and illusion for a while, and the whole person became a little dazed.

This dazed state continued until he reached the top of Mount Tai, and stayed in Daci next to the Circular Mound on the top of the mountain. That night, Li Tai could not sleep. The various images surging in his mind made him more and more uneasy and worried. Occasionally, he could hear the noise of tourists waiting to enjoy the sunrise in the corridor of the hotel on the top of the mountain, and occasionally the mountains shouted long live. He could not tell what was true and what was false.

It was not until dawn the next day that an eunuch entered the tent and reported: "Your Majesty, the auspicious time is approaching, and all the ministers are waiting for the emperor to arrive outside the hall."

Li Tai was still a little dazed, and did not say much. He just sat up from the couch and let the waiter come forward to put on his robes and robes.

When he walked out of the tent, the cold mountain wind blew in his face, the eastern sky was white with golden light, and the top of Mount Tai was full of flags. The civil and military officials of the Tang Dynasty and the chieftains of the four barbarians all bowed and said: "Long live our emperor..."

This scene and this voice were like a sharp sword that split the fog, and immediately made Li Tai's foggy state of mind clear, and his eyes regained their firmness and sharpness. He took the jade inscription handed over by Prime Minister Yan Zhiyi beside the Circular Mound, and slowly climbed up the high platform step by step, facing the rising sun in the east, which was shining endless golden light on the world, and shouted loudly Said: "Emperor Tai, the founder of the Tang Dynasty, was appointed by heaven to establish the highest position in the universe, unify the world, and put an end to wars in the country. Now he leads all the ministers to ascend the throne to announce the completion and report it to the Lord of Heaven..."

"The Book is Completed"

Li Tai has completed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai and ascended the throne. I would also like to say that the main plot of this book has ended. Thank you for your support over the past two years. I am very excited after writing it. I will write a post about the completion of the book tomorrow when my emotions have calmed down a little. I will formally thank everyone for their support and love, and also make a summary of this book, as well as some subsequent thoughts. Thank you very much!!!