The sacrificial ceremony begins.
Zhao Zhen, Zhao Jun and others left Chongde Hall and headed towards the front palace.
This year, some courtyards were built in front of the Daqing Hall and occupied by new departments, so the altar was moved outside the Duanli Gate.
As the time for the celebration approached, officials lined up one after another and entered from the Youye Gate.
Under the command of officials from the Ministry of Rites, all civil and military officials, generals, nobles, and royal family members were divided into three large formations and entered the venue.
A large altar was built with wood outside Duanli Gate. Zhao Zhen, Zhao Jun and others walked over and were assigned positions.
There were three large square formations below the stage, with Zhao Zhen standing alone at the front. The sacrifice officially began only after the Minister of Rites Wang Fan on the stage had completed the prelude to the sacrificial ceremony.
Then Zhao Zhen came on stage and, according to the arrangements of Wang Fan and Yan Shu, led all civil and military officials in kneeling, praying, and other complicated ritual activities.
The sacrificial rituals in the Song Dynasty were nothing more than worshipping heaven and earth, ghosts and gods, and ancestors, but each one had a special ritual, so it was quite complicated.
At this moment, Zhao Jun was also in the crowd, and he was in a relatively front position, at the head of the civil and military officials. Next to him were Lu Yijian, Wang Zeng and others. His ceremonial status was very high.
He raised his head and saw the altar in front of him.
There are many tablets on the altar, including those of Zhao Kuang, Zhao Guangyi, Zhao Tiao, Zhao Ting, Zhao Jing, Zhao Hongyin and other ancestors of the Zhao family.
In addition to the civil and military officials, there are also a large number of other members of the Zhao royal family.
He didn't know any of these people.
Among them, leading the front of the royal family was a middle-aged man with a serious face.
Lu Yijian whispered to him that it was Zhao Yunrang, the Grand Chancellor.
Zhao Yunrang's face was gloomy and expressionless at the moment. His eyes were lowered, as if he was looking sideways at the ground. His hands were hidden in his sleeves, and his attitude was really unrecognizable.
But he obviously felt very uncomfortable.
Although Zhao Zongshi is still being raised in the palace, after the Empress became pregnant, she handed the five-year-old Zhao Zongshi over to the palace nanny to raise and no longer took care of him herself.
Moreover, it is very likely that once the queen or Concubine Zhang gave birth to a prince, there would be a very high possibility that Zhao Zongshi would be sent out of the palace.
How could Zhao Yunrang be happy?
But all this had nothing to do with Zhao Jun. As long as Zhao Yunrang didn't cause any trouble, it had nothing to do with him, so he just glanced at him and continued the ceremony.
The civil officials stood in the middle below the altar, the royal family members stood on the left, and the military generals and nobles stood on the right.
Officials from the Ministry of Rites presided over the ceremony and sang praises continuously.
The crowd below was standing.
From time to time, as the ceremony reached a certain step, all officials, royal family members and nobles would bow their hands in greeting, and sometimes even kneel down.
During the ceremony that lasted more than an hour, Zhao Jun looked around curiously at the sacrificial ceremony.
It was his first time to attend such a high-profile and grand event.
In the past, the village would hold ancestor worship ceremonies every year, but the problem was that he was just a junior in the village at that time, and all the specifications were handled by the old people and elders. Those who could rank at the front were either rich and powerful, or highly respected, and it had little to do with him.
Basically, he would follow the crowd and kowtow to the ancestors of the Zhao family in the ancestral hall. Then, at noon and in the afternoon, hundreds or even thousands of people in the village would have banquets inside and outside the ancestral hall and celebrate the New Year happily together.
Now, not only am I participating in the ceremony at the highest level of royal celebration, but I am also standing at the front of the team and directly offering sacrifices to Zhao Kuang, Zhao Guangyi, Zhao Huan and others. This experience is really fresh.
The most interesting thing is that Song Renzong Zhao Zhen, who was originally enshrined in the village ancestral hall, is now the main worshipper, and he himself has become the secondary worshipper.
I wonder if, thousands of years later, if the small village called Zhaojiawan in the central part of the south still exists, will my name be added to the tablets of my ancestors?
"The ceremony is over!"
By noon, with a shout from the Minister of Rites, the lengthy ceremony finally came to an end.
Zhao Zhen walked down from the altar and went to the Purple Palace.
At noon, a large number of banquets were set up in the Purple Palace and the surrounding palaces. Zhao Zhen hosted a banquet for his ministers and all officials celebrated together. In the evening, they also went to Donghua Gate to watch the fireworks.
As the powerful director of the Ministry of Political System, Zhao Jun followed Zhao Zhen all the way to the Purple Palace, where the banquet officially began.
Many senior ministers were in the inner hall, while other officials, nobles, and royal family members were in the side halls and outer halls.
According to the customs of previous years, the inner hall was more formal, while the outer hall was much more casual. Many scholars and literati wrote poems to each other and invited each other to participate, and the atmosphere was full of singing and dancing.
So right now, in the outer hall, hundreds of middle and lower-level civil officials have held a literary gathering and started writing poems one by one.
"Brother Cigong, what do you think of my words?"
"Not bad, not bad, very well written."
"Brother Zichang, come and take a look at my poem and give me your comments."
"It's well written, but it lacks some charm. It would be better if the green trees were replaced with emerald trees."
The outer hall was spacious, with hundreds of tables placed there. Everyone sat on the ground covered with bamboo mats. Although it was late winter and the weather was still cold, various charcoal fires were lit inside, making it as warm as spring.
Since there were no senior officials or the emperor present, these middle and lower-level officials in green robes were quite unrestrained and not very restrained.
Although they are all wearing green robes of the fifth rank or above, they are actually the Yuanwailang, Zhizhigao, Cabinet Lecturer, Langzhong of various departments, Censor, and Counselor. After the current reform, they are all powerful middle-level officials in various departments, and can go further to become governors.
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