today for you

Regardless of how far-reaching things Shi Qiang associates with, right now, I'm starting to feel powerless.You can hardly imagine how complicated the etiquette of ancient society is without being there.Before this, I had mentally prepared and referred to materials, but it was only after I actually practiced that I realized that my preparation was still not enough.

On the first day of the first day of the lunar new year, there was a large-scale celebration. The sacrifice to heaven was held on the highest platform of the Tai Chi Palace. This was different from yesterday's sacrifice. Yesterday was equivalent to sending off the gods. Today, it was an invitation to the gods, and the ceremony was more complicated and grand.

The Nuo dance team of thousands of people lined up one by one, tossing and turning in the sound of Xuantian gongs and drums, some played ghosts, some played witch gods, the dance moves were wide open, full of rough wildness and bestiality, and the dance was accompanied by roaring, Shocking to the heavens and the earth, the witch god finally defeated the ghost, took off the ugly and hideous mask of the ghost and bowed to the sky.This is completely different from the light singing and dancing at the New Year’s Eve banquet. This barbaric and religious dance is like an extremely fast arrow, piercing through the heart. The part of the soul that is closest to nature is squirming and waking up, stimulating my heart The blood is rolling hot.There is a feeling of being conquered at this moment.

After the opening Nuo dance, the sacrificial altar has been filled with three animals, six animals, five grains, as well as gold and silver ritual vessels, jade and colorful silk.The flames of thick incense candles as tall as a person flickered, and the flags fluttered on the empty altar. I stood in front of the altar, and there were hundreds of officials under the steps behind me. The scene was extremely solemn.

My main task is to preside over the sacrificial ceremony, and I am no longer wearing the crown dress from yesterday, but a sacrificial dress with gorgeous colors, abstract patterns, and complicated structure. After shouting, he knelt down on the futon.The emperor in the feudal era was the real dragon emperor, who paid attention to the divine right of the king, so the emperor was the master of the human world, but he should kneel to the heaven and the earth.After I knelt down, my courtiers followed me and knelt down one by one. The servants on the platform, the dancers of the Nuo dance, and all the people who participated in the sacrifice knelt down. The scene was spectacular.

After that, I sang the sacrificial speech on the silk script word by word in a singing tone according to the way I practiced.According to the ancestral system, the sacrificial speech must be written by the emperor himself to show sincerity to the gods.But how many of those who have been able to become emperors believe in gods since ancient times?So from a few generations ago, the emperors had tacitly asked their beautiful courtiers to write their own articles, and copied them again by themselves.After all, the emperor's specialization lies in politics, not literature. It is understandable that public documents on such formal occasions as sacrificial speeches cannot be quoted from classics. Just embarrassing.

I threw the sacrificial speech I had copied into the brazier and burned it. If a god really receives it, I hope that my handwriting is ugly.After all, 30 years of hard pen calligraphy and three months of soft pen calligraphy, no matter how you look at it, the former is more beautiful.

After reading the funeral speech, my business is not over yet.I have to kneel and prostrate three times to offer incense to the gods, and to sprinkle a little water on the altar to each of the ministers, which means to be contaminated with the wisdom of the gods, to remove the filth in the heart, and to continue to do a new year. Good officer.There was a small episode about sprinkling water, because the water delivered to me was only as much as a rice bowl, but there were more than a hundred officials. Yes, and when more than half of the people were blessed, the bowl was still empty.

At this time, I was a little flustered, feeling that I might have screwed up, but suddenly a eunuch came and poured a ladle of water into my bowl with a bucket!Afterwards, Chen Fu also explained to me that the bucket of water was already placed on the altar, so it was regarded as an offering.I was speechless after hearing this.

The sacrifice on the first day of junior high school almost came to an end after the part of blessing the ministers.Then there is the second day of junior high school, which is the second day of the new year. The first day of the new year is assigned to the gods, and the second day belongs to mortals.Although the Great Yin Law stipulates that the holidays of all officials start on New Year's Eve and end on the third day of the first lunar month, but basically they are immersed in the holiday atmosphere on New Year's Eve, and the first meeting of the new year will be held on the second day of the new year. towards.

The scene of this court meeting is extremely grand, with thousands of civil and military officials battling soldiers all year round, and Wanfang playing Shengping on the same track ("Yuan Ri Battle" by Tang and Zhang). There is no singing and dancing, whether it is civil and military officials, or envoys from other countries who come from afar, they all face north and shout long live together.This occasion is extremely shocking, especially the hearts of those who sit on the throne.I have to admit, my heart was shaken for more than a moment.I suddenly understood the reason why the ancient princes wanted to live and die for the throne. Without investigation, there is no right to speak. This is the truth.

Afterwards, there is the singing ceremony, which is about the annual gifts received by the emperor this year, what treasures were given by which subordinate countries, and what thoughtful gifts were given by so-and-so ministers... In short, as long as the list of gifts is long, you can sing for as long as you like. , and even because the gift list was too long, eight eunuchs were arranged to sing in turn.Of course, in order not to make the long singing process too boring, there is also a professional team in Hanyuan Hall to make real background music, melodious chime bells, beautiful silk and bamboo, calm drums... the ensemble of various instruments is definitely no better than a large symphony orchestra Difference.

After the singing ceremony, there will be a link of rewarding meritorious deeds.The official benefits of the Great Yin are well done, and as long as they have made political achievements, they can receive various rewards.In addition to the normal rewards, the political achievements will be accumulated and summarized at the end of the year, and the merits and demerits will be offset. The outstanding ones will be named and awarded in public on the second day of junior high school to encourage them.At this time, I just need to sit on the dragon chair, nod and smile, and say something encouraging.Fortunately, on this occasion, I will only name and praise the most prominent ones, the so-called top ten, otherwise I would have worn out my lips with so many people in the court.

Generally, the court meeting can be held until noon, so the courtiers will be kept for dinner.Although it is also a banquet for the officials, the specifications will not be as high as the state banquet on New Year's Eve, and some ordinary dishes will even be specially prepared. This is also said.The vegetarian meal is to remind the courtiers to continue to live a hard and simple life in the new year, for the country and the people, but not for themselves.The ministers naturally had to eat this lunch, which was not as good as the dishes at home, because the emperor was eating too.What's more, even the cabbage boiled in clear water is delicious.

There are many more symbolic activities like this. When I first came into contact with them, I was amazed that the founding emperor who set these rules paid so much attention to the shaping of ideology. However, the founding emperor had a good heart, but the rules have been passed down to the present. , is only the remaining form.According to historical records, the founding emperor's first and second dynasties, the lunch served were real civilian dishes, vegetables without oil, water and salt, gruel with clear soup and little water, and half a roasted sweet potato.

According to records, if someone didn't finish the meal, no matter who the founding emperor was, he would take his official position to the end in one go, and even the prince would be sent to the people to experience life.This is probably related to the founding emperor's civilian background.Historical data also records that the emperor was still hard and simple when he became the emperor. During his career, his daily expenses in one month did not exceed half a tael of silver. Referring to the current price, I converted it, about 1500 yuan a piece Months, presumably there are more than that many families living on the well-off level. For decades, they are still emperors, which is very admirable.

When this lunch is over, the courtiers can go back to their respective homes to find their mothers and enjoy the last day of vacation.But for an emperor, things are not over yet.It was still the fault of the emperor. When the officials all over the country were resting, the emperor started the new year's work and settled accounts.The Great Yin royal family has a very magical tradition. The emperor must make an annual expenditure plan in the first few days of the new year. Of course, this is the family expenditure plan of the emperor's family.The emperor himself had a private treasury, and the expenses of himself and his concubines came from here, and the source of money in the private treasury was the emperor's salary and private property income.I didn't become an emperor, and I didn't know that the emperor actually got a salary, and the salary was paid by the Ministry of Households.

There is a calculation method at the Ministry of Households. I don’t know how it came about. Anyway, after calculation, the emperor’s monthly salary is 200 taels (refer to the standard of the Song Dynasty), which is about 36 yuan in conversion.I was really taken aback. The annual salary of a senior executive of a large company is about the same.It is indeed a profession that is rich and co-owner of the world.Of course, the money was given, and how to spend it was up to the emperor himself.In history, there are those who can’t make ends meet, some who have a small surplus, and some who are piled up in the warehouse like the founding emperor to grow moldy.

Because there is such a large amount of free use, the founding emperor stipulated that future successors to the throne must be able to have a plan for money, so at the beginning of the year, the emperors will make such a plan, such as whether there will be a harem this year. People's plans, such as how much they want to allocate to the queen this year, how much to the favorite concubine, whether to repair the palace, or whether to buy another piece of land to make a holiday villa.Although it may not be as planned, the emperors will do it for the sake of the ancestral system. After finishing it, they will post a list to tell the world how much money they have...

After a year, I deeply realized the charm of the Great Yin Dynasty. There was a founding emperor who was in charge of everything, a bunch of inexplicable rules, a barbaric Nuo dance, an elegant and moving movement, and an orderly political system. The structure is rigid but only flexible. There are loyal people and treacherous people, and there are crises and prosperity.

This is a country that countless people are willing to devote their efforts to protect, and it is also a country that has raised tens of millions of subjects.Only by being in it can I know its fun, and I probably won't be able to leave here again.Parents in modern society, long divorced ex-wife, my job, my life... I lost it all, but I am grateful for the opportunity to have a new gift in another equally lovely place.

Of course, it would be even better if he wasn't an emperor. After a year, everyone would fall apart. He was obviously an emperor, but he had to get up early and stay late.Working hard all year round, I have never been so tired after the first few years of working!

The author has something to say:

All the etiquettes refer to the etiquette of the Tang Dynasty and have been greatly changed.For example, the Tang Dynasty sacrificed Nuo dance on the [-]th day of the year.The big court will be on the first day of the junior high school.Also, I don't know why my new chapter was locked. I have tried my best to modify it, but I really can't read it, so I have to ask the editor tomorrow.

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Minor repairs. 2017.5.26