Chapter 228 Liu Yu ascends the throne
Regardless of what others were doing at the age of nineteen, Qiao Yan, at the age of nineteen, had already reached the highest position among officials.
When all the ministers gathered outside the Gui Palace, there were only a few who could be counted on one hand as she was a marquis and her rank was not lower than the four generals. Therefore, she could wear the gold seal and purple ribbon for both title and official position.
Although according to etiquette, people like Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song had promoted her and nominally held higher official positions than her, so they should have stood in front of her, but when Qiao Yan arrived outside the Gui Palace accompanied by Cheng Yu, Lu Yuan and others, everyone inevitably focused their attention on her first.
The auspicious clothes worn by all officials attending Liu Yu's enthronement ceremony were indeed made at the last minute.
However, after Qiao Yan transferred textile craftsmen from Bingzhou to Guanzhong, these auspicious clothes that were tailored to measure and supervised by him did not show any sign of being perfunctory or rough.
Considering that after the ceremony of admission of all officials in the Zichen Hall of Gui Palace, everyone still needed to go to the outskirts of the city, Qiao Yan had people sew a layer of cotton-padded jacket inside the ceremonial clothes to prevent the court officials from being invaded by the cold and getting sick during the subsequent burning sacrifice.
There is another benefit to this.
Lu Zhi whispered to Huangfu Song: "This can be considered as rounding out the body and making it look more respectable."
In the late Han Dynasty, when natural disasters were frequent, being able to eat and gain weight was considered a blessing.
Lu Zhi's sarcasm was not wrong.
Most of the old ministers who went to Chang'an to maintain the Han Dynasty have been reduced in the past two years.
They were kept awake and awake at night because of Dong Zhuo's attempt to hold the emperor hostage, and they were also tossed and turned because of the hardships of the people in Chang'an.
Fortunately, the new year has come, or in other words, Chang'an has shown a new look since the end of last year.
Huangfu Song responded to Lu Zhi's words by motioning him to look in the direction of Qiao Yan.
It is hard to say whether this auspicious dress makes others look rounder, but on Qiao Yan, he still has a sense of lightness and elegance. At most, it is a bit heavy because of the combination of black on top and red on the bottom, but it also makes this young genius look tall and graceful, with a look of natural talent.
As she moved, the ripples of river and sea water on the hem of her auspicious dress seemed to be flowing and rushing, giving off a majestic aura of moving as fast as the wind.
Seeing this, Lu Zhi smiled and said, "It's rare to see her put on the Tiger Guard Crown properly."
Qiao Yan usually tied her hair with a small purple gold crown for the sake of convenience in movement.
But today is the ceremony of Liu Yu's enthronement, so it is necessary to follow some rules. He wears the Huben crown which belongs to the Wuguan.
This crown is also called the Heron Crown, which means a Heron feather needs to be inserted on the crown.
The heron is a bird with a courageous and aggressive temperament, so it became the hope for military officers during the Qin and Han dynasties.
She really deserves this hope.
While Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song were chatting, Qiao Yan had already walked up to them and bowed to the two people who had promoted him that year.
If it weren't for these two upright men who led the troops during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Qiao Yan would not have been able to do what she did, and it would have been even more impossible for her military exploits to be reported truthfully to Emperor Ling of Han.
Today, having reached the stage where she could support the Emperor, the help of these two elders was indispensable to her, so her bow was sincere.
However, the hidden meaning of this gift was probably not something that the two people in front of her could understand.
They just felt that she had grown one year older in the new year, and that this gave them hope that new people would support the family as the old days were coming to an end.
The evaluation of her as a loyal and attentive minister of the Han Dynasty has finally come true today.
The three of them had not been reminiscing for long when they heard another drum sound coming from the Gui Palace, and then the commander of the Jinwu Guard, Xianyu Fu, shouted for everyone to enter the court.
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhi stopped wanting to praise Qiao Yan and followed the order of the officials to enter the palace first.
The Zichen Hall of Gui Palace was also rebuilt when Qiao Yan led people to replan the city of Chang'an. Its shape was far less magnificent than the Luoyang Palace at that time, but fortunately Qiao Yan's aesthetic taste was much better than Dong Zhuo's.
Although the palace was simple, when they headed north from the south of Gui Palace, the morning light shone through from the southeast, covering the palace in a ball of light and shadow, allowing people to see some of the splendor that runs through the bones of this city.
There was a faint flash of inexplicable emotion in Qiao Yan's eyes.
But at this moment, what was reflected more clearly in her eyes was the scene before her.
This was actually her first time witnessing the emperor's enthronement ceremony.
There is no need to say much about Liu Hong. Liu Xie's ascension to the throne was completed with the support of Dong Zhuo, and of course she did not see it.
This rare situation made her feel emotional even though she was not the protagonist but the driving force behind it.
When she stepped into the hall, Liu Yu was already sitting facing north in a twelve-chapter formal dress.
According to standard procedures, the general should have climbed up the east steps to inform the officials, but a problem arose here.
Who is the Grand Commandant?
Dong Zhuo once appointed himself as the Grand Marshal. Later, he called himself the Prime Minister and appointed Huang Wan as the Grand Marshal. After the princes attacked Dong Zhuo, he abolished Huang Wan's position as the Grand Marshal. He never appointed another Grand Marshal until his defeat and death.
After seizing power from Dong Zhuo, Li Jue wanted to appoint himself to this position. Unfortunately, before he could stabilize the situation, he made this choice and was forced to flee.
When the ministers were discussing the process of ascending the throne, they finally made a decision that the person who would take over the position of Grand Marshal would exercise this position.
Therefore, the one who ascended from the east steps at this time was Lu Zhi.
He slowly unfolded the book in his hand.
In the policy book, a relatively objective evaluation was first given to the past deeds of the two previous emperors, Liu Hong and Liu Xie.
However, since it is difficult to comment on the merits and demerits of the former, he can only list the establishment of the Hongdu Gate School and the production of the Xiping Stone Classics as his achievements. The latter was under the threat of Dong Zhuo, and it seemed difficult for him to say anything, and the most he could say was that he was filial.
Fortunately, it will be easy later.
"Yu, Marquis of Xiangben, the governor of Youzhou, is a descendant of King Gong of Donghai." - This is the blood-based legitimacy of Liu Yu's accession to the throne.
"When stabilizing Youzhou, he maintained a lenient policy, encouraged and supervised farming, opened up the benefits of the Hu market in Shanggu, and promoted the abundant salt and iron resources in Yuyang. The people were happy and the harvests were good every year, with the grain output reaching 30 g/mu."1 - This is praising Liu Yu's merits.
"When there is chaos in Chang'an, there needs to be someone with virtue and education to take the top position. When there is change in the world, there needs to be someone with lofty virtue to shine throughout the world." - This is a further elaboration on the rationality and necessity of Liu Yu's accession to the throne.
After these three steps, it is concluded in the strategy book that Liu Yu, Marquis of Xiangben, is qualified to "rule the Han State and hold to the middle ground" and when he ascends the throne, it is hoped that he will work diligently to cultivate himself and uphold his position.
The disappearance of the imperial seal in Luoyang made it impossible for Lu Zhi to present it to the new emperor from the east according to the standard procedures at this time.
But now there is no one else who has the imperial seal, so we can just assume that it has been lost in the war.
Before the ceremony was held, those in charge of the ceremony had already had a new jade seal carved out of jade as a symbol of the imperial power at this time.
In response, Liu Yu gave the jade and pearl to Lu Zhi after taking the seal.
In fact, in this awarding ceremony, the Mingzhu should be a treasure of the same scale as the Suihouzhu, which is meant to express the emperor's respect for his important ministers.
But when you keep things simple, you really don't have to worry about so much.
Just like the next step after Lu Zhi took the pearl and jade, Qiao Yan stepped forward and took Liu Yu's sword from him.
In the enthronement ceremonies of successive emperors of the Han Dynasty, the "sword" that was presented was the sword that Emperor Gaozu claimed to have used to slay the snake and start an uprising. Even if the original sword was lost, a similar one would often be made. However, the pattern of this item no longer existed in the war in Luoyang, so it could only be replaced by Liu Yu's sword.
But whether it is the Snake-Slaying Sword or Liu Yu's sword, the meaning contained in the act of granting the sword is the same -
The military officers and ministers of the dynasty had to act on the emperor's behalf and intimidate all the enemies with their military prowess.
This position could only be in Qiao Yan's hands.
If she wasn't too young, the important process of reading the decree should be handed over to her.
Qiao Yan bowed with his sword in hand, and the next moment, everyone in the hall shouted "Long live Liu Yu" in unison.
This was accompanied by the proclamation of a general amnesty.
After the enthronement ceremony, the ancestral temple will be worshipped.
Paying homage to the ancestral temple is one of the important processes in the emperor's enthronement ceremony, and its importance is no less than that of granting the seal.
For example, Liu He, the King of Changyi, who was deposed by Huo Guang, was also known as the Marquis of Haihun. The reason for his dethronement was that "the ancestral temple is more important than the emperor. Your Majesty has not received the order to elevate the temple, and cannot follow the order of heaven"2.
The tablets of the Han Dynasty's ancestral temple in Luoyang had been moved to Chang'an, but before the Gao Temple could be rebuilt, they were temporarily moved into the Mingtang and merged into one place.
As the announcement of "The Emperor is arriving in the Mingtang" was made, the gate of Gui Palace opened again.
People here cannot see that when this palace gate opens, the South Gate facing the inner street also opens at the same time.
In order to ensure the safety of the new emperor's enthronement, this city gate is not used as a gateway for the people of Chang'an today.
But when the emperor's carriage and the officials following closely behind were walking along the long street, dense crowds of onlookers had gathered on both sides of the street. Only the Jinwu Guards and Liangbing soldiers on both sides of the road could restrain and stop these people.
Qiao Yan looked towards one side of the street and saw Zhao Ji, who claimed that she was here to collect materials for Leping Monthly News.
Upon hearing that Zhaoji was coming, Lu Lingju even reported to Qiao Yan that she wanted to come as a guard so that she could experience the scenery of Chang'an.
With the idea that it would be no harm to let them see the world, Qiao Yan approved it immediately.
Also, let them bring along Zhuge Liang and Huang Yueying, who are all over ten years old and have potential.
Now these children are standing in the crowd under Dian Wei's care.
They all showed expressions of amazement at this sight that had not been seen in ten years.
Lü Lingju held Huang Yueying's arm and asked, "How do you think such a scene would be recorded in Sister Cai's writing? If it only praises the grand occasion of the new emperor's enthronement, it seems that our lord is not grand enough. If it only says that our lord is holding a sword to fight against the enemy, it seems a bit presumptuous."
Huang Yueying withdrew her gaze from Qiao Yan and said to Lu Lingju, "If it's hard to write like this, why not show it from the perspective of Hongwenguan?"
Seeing that Lü Lingju still seemed to understand something, Huang Yueying explained, "Although the Hongwen Academy has been built and the four masters have been selected, don't you think that, based on the number of scholars traveling to and from Chang'an, it can only accommodate a very small number of them?"
Lu Lingju thought about the scene she saw and nodded.
"Because the emperor has not yet ascended the throne, the positions of the ministers have not yet been settled. Those who arrive first may not necessarily gain anything in advance. Instead, they may be neglected due to the numerous things to prepare for the enthronement. It is better to wait until the enthronement ceremony is over, and come to Hongwenguan to serve under the pretext of being shocked by the emperor's majesty."
"The news that Chang'an has a new master, the new emperor has ascended the throne, and scholars have been promoted from the Hongwen Academy is recorded in the monthly report. What will the students in Leping who are responsible for copying it think?"
Lu Lingju suddenly realized: "I have to learn more so that I can compete with them! At least I can't fall too far behind those who served the central government earlier!"
This is how to mobilize the enthusiasm within the college.
But while Lu Lingju was thinking about this, he was also pondering another problem.
At the beginning of the new year, isn't it time to distribute your new lucky money?
What will the pattern be this year?
This might be the reason why she was so eager to get the formal appointment.
Every year that passes, she has to delay one year before she can start collecting her lucky money, so she collects one less pattern than others.
This is also a source of positivity.
Anyway, Lu Bu is still guarding Suiyuan Town, so she will keep the lucky coin for the time being.
Regardless of what these onlookers were thinking, under the gazes of thousands of people, Liu Yu, Qiao Yan and others had already left Chang'an City and went straight into the ancestral temple in the Mingtang.
Because the Mingtang is not large in scale, its construction level is much higher than that of the Gui Palace and the Weiyang Palace, which is worthy of the ceremonies held here.
Liu Yu first entered the ancestral temple to offer sacrifices to the ancestors of the Han Dynasty, and then burned incense outside the Mingtang to pray to the sky, meaning to pray to the six ancestors in the village and all the gods.
This is a further declaration of the legitimacy of the succession.
At this point, the coronation ceremony is almost complete.
Since Liu Xie was only missing and not dead, the ministers did not have to change from auspicious clothes to mourning clothes. They only had to complete the subsequent task of welcoming and seeing off the emperor back to Chang'an.
After this long and complicated process was completed, when Liu Yu returned to the Purple Palace, he was no longer a candidate for the throne who was "granted" the power of the emperor, but a true monarch of the Han Dynasty.
With the emperor in power, the officials in the court of Yecheng were divided into different groups, and the same was naturally true for the court of Chang'an.
Of course, the first thing to be announced to the public was the change of era name.
From the beginning of January this year, the court in Chang'an changed the name of the year to Jian'an, intending to make the world peaceful and the country prosperous in Chang'an.
Interestingly, the Yecheng court also changed the reign title at this time to Yonghan.
But which Han Dynasty is the orthodox one must be decided by the battle between the east wind and the west wind. It is far from enough to rely solely on the reign title.
In the palace in Chang'an, Liu Yu had people read out the titles bestowed upon the court officials.
Among the three ministers, Lu Zhi was appointed as the Grand Marshal, Wang Yun as the Minister of Education, and Huang Wan as the Minister of Works.
But before the imperial decree on the military generals was read out, everyone saw Qiao Yan take a step forward. "I have something to report."
This was obviously not a legal way to submit a memorial, but considering her importance to the court in Chang'an, this action was not a bad idea.
After Liu Yu raised his hand to signal her to speak, Qiao Yan said, "Although Guanzhong is now settled, the world is not yet at peace. The governors of the four provinces, the Marquis and the Bozhong, and the governors of Yizhou and Jingzhou are relatives of the Han Dynasty. They should be appointed to official positions in the court to show that the Han Dynasty is in Chang'an."
"In the past, the traitor Dong appointed Liu Yizhou as the Grand Marshal, but this position is suspected of usurping power. It is better to entrust him with the position of Grand General to build a friendly relationship between Guanzhong and Yizhou."
As soon as Qiao Yan said this, Liu Yu's close followers who were holding the edict of enthronement were all startled.
General?
In terms of canonization, that was clearly her place!
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