bookbashuk Page 2529
Page 2529
Of course, it was still particularly shabby compared to the Northern Song Dynasty.
During a large-scale suburban sacrifice in the Northern Song Dynasty, the reward money alone reached six million strings of cash.
All members of the royal family, imperial clan, relatives of the empress, officials, and soldiers who participated in the sacrifice received a generous reward, and even clerks could get some leftovers.
The Ming Dynasty did offer rewards, but the emperor was very stingy. Ordinary soldiers could receive three to five hundred coins, while officials received only twenty or thirty strings of cash.
Zhao Yuan led a group of people to the northern suburbs to perform the sacrificial ceremony.
This is a waste of time, as well as manpower and resources.
Zhao Yuan planned to build the Temple of Heaven and Earth in the eastern suburbs of Luoyang.
After the capital is moved, the worship of Heaven and Earth will be combined in one place to save time and money.
After the sacrifice to the earth was completed, Zhao Yuan led his entourage, officials, and soldiers around the eastern city.
The entire city's population flocked out, first following the two groups from the north and south, and then waiting for His Majesty to arrive in the east of the city.
Numerous small vendors took the opportunity to sell snacks and drinks, and there were even many selling flowers.
Chapter 3373 A Hundred Nations Pay Tribute
Zhao Yuan stepped onto the altar and offered sacrifices to Heaven and Earth.
The music changed again, and civil and military officials stepped forward to kowtow to the new emperor.
Even envoys from various countries knelt down.
Suleiman lay on the ground, solemn music played, and the sound of shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" filled his ears, an atmosphere that stirred his blood.
Below the Seljuk Sultan were many minor sultans.
As the nephew of the Great Sultan, Suleiman not only had a right of succession to a small country, but also a right of succession to the Seljuk dynasty (very far down the list).
He now feels that the Sultanate succession ceremony is too frivolous, and if he were to ascend the throne one day, he would definitely follow the Ming Dynasty's etiquette and make changes.
Fujiwara no Tadamune, along with several Japanese nobles and monks, was kneeling outside the viewing platform.
They had only one thought: The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is truly awesome!
When Fujiwara no Tadamune arrived in Kaifeng, he didn't learn much real skill, but his appearance changed drastically.
Even his beard imitated Zhao Yuan's, growing out his bald chin and grooming a delicate little mustache on his upper jaw every day.
His daily work now consists of traveling around Kaifeng and studying the opera and music of the Ming Dynasty.
Take some time to read books, and only read Confucian classics annotated by His Majesty Zhao.
Once he returns to Japan, he will be transformed into a great Confucian scholar and a master of fashion and art.
Being summoned to the Emperor's bedchamber was a certainty, and one might even become a high-ranking official because of it.
Led by the military and honor guard, all personnel exited in turn.
There were also four elephants in the ceremonial guard, which were sent as tribute from the Dali Kingdom.
The practice of using four elephants as ceremonial guards is of unknown origin, but it has been in place since the mid-Northern Song Dynasty.
Zhao Yuan, in an open carriage, smiled and waved to the people along the way.
A tax reduction order was subsequently announced.
The tax reduction edict caused an instant uproar among the people outside the capital, who immediately called their friends and relatives and spread the news.
Because even ordinary people in the city have many different factions.
When the Ming Dynasty was first established, some of these were abolished, and now some more have been abolished.
Merchants were overjoyed, as many of the miscellaneous taxes they were required to pay were also abolished.
The wealthy and powerful are indifferent, but small and medium-sized businessmen are extremely excited.
"Bang bang bang bang!"
Inside and outside the city, shops everywhere were setting off firecrackers with a crackling sound.
The ceremony finally came to a complete end.
The civil and military officials went to the Daxiangguo Temple for a feast.
Envoys from various countries gathered at the Sifang Pavilion for a meal.
Officers and soldiers went to the barracks for a meal.
Even the busy clerks returned to their offices to eat and drink for free.
After a hearty meal and drinks, there are even rewards to be received.
"congratulations!"
As the prefect of Kaifeng, Hu Cheng naturally had to attend the banquet.
Officials would come over from time to time to congratulate Hu Cheng.
Although his sister was not the empress, she was granted the title of Imperial Noble Consort, so Hu Cheng could barely be considered the emperor's brother-in-law.
Hu Cheng became more and more excited as he drank, and soon he was swaying and unable to stand up straight.
Once upon a time, he was the son of a wealthy merchant, but he was uneducated, incompetent, and had no hope of achieving fame or success.
In order to marry his sister off to the son of a prefect as his second wife, he had to shamelessly fawn over him and never imagined he would have such a glorious life today.
Of course, with only a year since the major case concluded, officials in Beijing did not dare to openly and lavishly give gifts.
They were just trying to get close to him. Even if they wanted to befriend the emperor's brother-in-law, they could only invite him to banquets at other times.
Going to the theater and drinking together is already considered the extreme; nowadays, no one dares to give away singing girls.
Chapter 3374 Modifying Clothing
Inside the Daxiangguo Temple, the air was thick with the smell of alcohol, and mutton and pork were served in turn.
The Buddha statues in the various halls were all solemn and dignified, but they did not appear to blame the Buddhist community for indulging in wine and meat.
The abbot and the monks busied themselves with serving the distinguished guests, making sure they were well taken care of.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, the main sources of income for Daxiangguo Temple were as follows: usury, donations from believers, hosting banquets, printing Buddhist scriptures, providing accommodation, operating shops, and collecting rent from land.
It has always been a place where Buddhist monks indulge in wine and meat, and there are even special pig slaughterhouses.
Now, usury is prohibited, farmland has been confiscated, and shops have been sold off.
Even the stall fees in the square of Daxiangguo Temple were collected by the government.
The revenue of Daxiangguo Temple was cut by more than half by the imperial court.
The remaining income is also strictly regulated and must be taxed honestly.
"Amitabha!".
The abbot of Daxiangguo Temple chanted Buddhist mantras while watching the officials clinking glasses and exchanging toasts, but his heart was filled with endless worries.
Many people understood that the imperial court was going to move the capital.
Because the Henan Provincial Governor and the Luoyang Prefect had already begun repairing the Luoyang Imperial City and clearing weeds from the Luoyang Palace last year.
After the capital was moved, how could Daxiangguo Temple still host banquets for the imperial court?
……
On the second day, there was a grand court meeting.
Civil and military officials filed in, some sitting, some standing, patiently waiting for the emperor to ascend the throne.
The moment Zhao Yuan stepped into the main hall, the ministers in the front rows saw it clearly and immediately reacted in various ways.
Some people frowned, some looked down and ignored it, and some pretended nothing had happened.
The emperor has been impolite; his attire is clearly inappropriate!
The master of ceremonies began to proceed according to the procedure, and Zhao Yuan quickly finished speaking. Then it was the turn of the ministers to present their reports.
Hu Anguo, the Minister of Rites, was the first to stand up: "Your Majesty, the newly revised 'Great Ming Code' has just been promulgated, and all kinds of clothing and etiquette are clearly written."
"The emperor should not be the first to disobey."
Zhao Yuan said, "The Tongtian Crown is too heavy and not very aesthetically pleasing."
"The same applies to the white silk square collar, which is like a baby's bib."
“When the emperor wears these two items, he looks like a clown on a stage, more comical than dignified.”
Upon hearing this, many ministers lowered their heads and suppressed their laughter.
The metaphor of "a baby's bib" is truly apt.
At the grand court assembly, the emperor wore the Tongtian crown, the crown prince wore the Yuanyou crown, the ministers wore the Jinxian crown, and the censors wore the Xiezhi crown.
Zhao Yuan always wore the travel hat to court, and even after becoming emperor, he didn't change it.
The reasons are twofold: first, they think it's too heavy; second, they think it's ugly.
There is also the white Luo Fangxin Quling, which is a white necklace worn around the neck.
The emperor, the crown prince, and officials of the seventh rank and above were required to wear them at grand court assemblies, while officials of the seventh rank and below were not entitled to wear them.
The emperor's necklace was particularly large and conspicuous.
Moreover, the imperial robes Zhao Yuan wore today were much narrower, no longer the traditional wide robes and sleeves.
He has lost three parts of his refined elegance but gained seven parts of his competence.
Zhao Yuan, holding his sleeve, said, "Gentlemen, look, doesn't this save a lot of fabric?"
Zhai Ruwen stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the dress code has already been determined and cannot be changed rashly."
"If the emperor can arbitrarily break the rules of dress, can officials arbitrarily break the law?"
Zhao Yuan nodded in approval: "What the Prime Minister said is absolutely right."
"And the Minister of Rites, who dares to speak frankly, is truly rare."
"Each of them is awarded a gold coin as a reward."
Zhai Ruwen and Hu Anguo stepped down, both in high spirits. They had both advised the new emperor to observe proper etiquette and received his praise.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Yuan said, "Officials of the Court of Ceremonies, please write this down. I will dress like this from now on."
"The Ming Dynasty's dress code will be revised again. The old Tongtian Crown will be abandoned, and the name of the Yuanyou Crown will be changed to Tongtian Crown."
"As for the Crown Prince's crown, simply modify the Jinxian Crown and rename it the Yuanyou Crown."
"The corrupt officials of the court have all been removed."
"The court officials' robes should also be made a little tighter."
"When we revise the Ming Code again next time, we'll include all of these."
Chen Dong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, policies should not be changed overnight."
Zhao Yuan smiled and said, "I will also bestow upon you a gold coin."
"That's enough for today. Anyone who offers further advice will not be rewarded with coins."
Chen Dong hesitated, then silently retreated.
Zhao Yuan said, "This is not a matter of changing orders overnight. It has been in place ever since the change was made."
After speaking, the emperor scanned his ministers, looking to see who could continue the conversation.
Xiao Chu and Qin Hui stepped forward at the same time.
Qin Hui quickly took a half step back, inviting Xiao Chu to speak first.
Xiao Chu said, "Your Majesty's pioneering spirit has led to the reform of the clothing system."
"Changing the hat, removing the curved collar, and narrowing the robe are all ways to sweep away the cumbersome and show that our great Ming Dynasty is determined to move forward."
Zhao Yuan smiled and nodded. Old Xiao really understood him.
Qin Hui then added, "The officials and robes of the former Song dynasty were gloomy and inconvenient to carry out their duties."
"Your Majesty's changes are excellent. I suggest that the everyday clothes also be made a bit narrower."