Tianshen Festival
At this time, one of the ministers recognized Liang Hongyu and said, "Your Majesty, Liang Hongyu was a prostitute in Jingkou before. If she becomes a general, wouldn't it bring discredit to the Song Dynasty if it gets out?"
When everyone heard this, they all talked about it. Yes! How could a prostitute be a general?
Zhao Gou really didn't expect that Liang Hongyu was a prostitute before. When questioned like this, he didn't know how to answer.
Han Shizhong then stepped forward and said, "Liang Hongyu is the granddaughter of the famous general Liang Yan. She was framed by Tong Guan and fell into prostitution. Even so, she did not give in to depravity. Instead, she worked hard to become the most popular courtesan in Zuixinlou, selling her art but not her body. This kind of woman who has emerged from the muddy world without being tainted by it truly earns my admiration."
Zhao Gou said, "So she's the daughter of a famous general. Tong Guan's crimes are extremely serious. Since he framed her, let's restore her status as a descendant of a military family and grant her the former Liang Mansion as the residence of the Protector of the Nation General. What do you think?"
At this point, the ministers no longer had any reason to object, and they all said, "Your Majesty, we will obey your orders."
After dismissing the court, Zhao Gou summoned Liang Hongyu into the back hall.
Liang Hongyu bowed when she saw Zhao Gou and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for redressing my grandfather's name."
Zhao Gou said, "Compared to you protecting the country and saving your master, this is nothing. I didn't expect you to be the descendant of a famous general. No wonder I felt you were born to be a female general when I first saw you."
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your kindness."
"If you need anything in the future, please let me know."
Liang Hongyu was surprised to hear this. She and Zhao Gou had never been so close, so she said, "I dare not."
Zhao Gou then stood up and walked to her side, put his hands on her arms, and said, "This is what I should do for saving your life."
Liang Hongyu saw a spark of love in Zhao Gou's eyes, and a tenderness that an emperor had never had before. She was a little stunned. Could it be that Zhao Gou fell in love with her? Then she denied it. How could it be? There were many beauties in his palace, and she had been in a brothel, so he would definitely not be interested in her. But Zhao Gou's behavior was very strange, so she had to leave here on the pretext of something.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. If Your Majesty has nothing else to do, I will take my leave."
Zhao Gou also knew that he was too impatient and might have scared her, so he said, "Okay, let's go see your Liang Mansion first." Then he released his hands from her arms.
Liang Hongyu had just reached the palace gate when she saw Han Shizhong waiting there. She bowed and said, "General Han, why are you here?"
Han Shizhong smiled and said, "Congratulations on your grandfather's injustice being redressed, and on your promotion to female general."
Liang Hongyu chuckled and said, "Then I have to thank the general for lending me his elite troops."
Han Shizhong said jokingly, "I never expected that my elite soldiers would be so useful in the hands of a young lady."
The two men smiled at each other, said nothing more, and went back to their own homes.
Liang Hongyu walked outside the Liang Mansion, and the two big words "Liang Mansion" stood in front of her. Unfortunately, things and people have changed. Liang Hongyu thought to herself: Grandfather, father, Hongyu has finally vindicated you.
Liang Hongyu pushed open the two doors and saw Asen, Jinxiu, Qiufeng, and the other maids in the Liang Mansion standing on both sides. Then she heard everyone say in unison, "Welcome back, General."
Liang Hongyu stared at Asen and said, "It's your attention again, isn't it?"
"Miss...oh...I should call you General now. The Liang family has finally been rehabilitated, so of course this welcome ceremony should be grand."
"You're the only one with a lot of tricks, but I like it."
"As long as the general likes it," said Asen. It had been a long time since he had heard a girl praise him, so he was naturally very happy. He asked the maids in the mansion to clean the entire mansion carefully.
Liang Hongyu walked into her boudoir and looked at the spotlessly clean room. All the furnishings had not been changed, and the guqin was lying there quietly. She seemed to see herself playing the guqin here before, and her father sitting beside her, listening to her guqin music with his eyes closed, as if intoxicated.
Jinxiu, who was standing next to her, started crying again and said, "Miss, we are finally back here."
"Yes! I'm finally back. It's a pity for Grandfather and Father..."
Liang Hongyu felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
Zhao Gou asked Zong Ze to stay in Bian Jing. At this time, Bian Jing was already a deserted city. The people fled south with Zhao Gou, and only the soldiers guarding the city were left in the city.
Zong Ze stood on the city wall, looking at the once prosperous Bianjing City, which was now desolate. He couldn't help but sigh: When will we be able to cross the river and recover the Central Plains?
Zong Ze first recruited hundreds of thousands of bandits, including Wang Shan and Yang Jin, and incorporated them into the Song militia to strengthen the defenses of the Two Rivers region. Yue Fei also joined his army. He then began repairing the cities and fortresses there, building defensive fortifications in the Two Rivers region, making them increasingly fortified.
He also actively organized the Song army and civilians to launch a counterattack against the Jin army. At that time, the famous "Fourth Prince" of the Jin Dynasty also fought with Zong Ze several times, but returned in defeat every time.
Under the protection of Zong Ze, the Southern Song Dynasty had a few years of respite. The wealthy families in the city of Bianjing moved to Lin'an, and the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, Lin'an, ushered in unprecedented prosperity.
Most of the south is hilly, which is not conducive to the development of agriculture. Zhao Gou relied on the development of non-agricultural areas. Industry and commerce have achieved unprecedented development, and small farmers and households have all started businesses.
Zhao Gou also restored some of the old festivals, such as the Tianshen Festival, which was Zhao Gou's birthday. The whole country celebrated and a banquet was held for all officials. Those who attended the banquet included the queen, concubines, children, as well as prime ministers and officials. Liang Hongyu heard that not all officials could attend the banquet, only officials from the capital could attend.
At the beginning of the imperial banquet, all the ministers turned to Zhao Gou and said: "Your Majesty, we pay our respects to you and wish you happiness as vast as the East Sea and a long life as long as the Southern Mountains."
After all the officials paid their respects to the birthday, there was a banquet. The music was divided into two types, Dengge and Gongjia. There were a total of 440 musicians in Dengge and Gongjia. The musicians sat down in front of their respective instruments. Suddenly, the sounds of stringed instruments and wind instruments were heard in the empty hall.
The graceful dancer suddenly threw away her sleeves, which fluttered and moved, carrying wisps of agarwood.
Zhao Gou and his ministers were intoxicated by the singing and dancing, completely forgetting that his mother and sisters were still suffering humiliation from the Jin people in the Jin camp, and forgetting that the Jin people's iron hooves could destroy everything at any time.
When the banquet was halfway through, a eunuch came hurriedly and reported: "Your Majesty, the Jin people have sent envoys to attend the banquet."
Upon hearing this, the ministers began to whisper to each other, wondering why the Jin people were coming.
Zhao Gou's heart tightened when he heard this. What was this Jin man planning to do? He pretended to be calm and said, "I want to invite the envoy."
The Jin envoy walked to the front of the hall, bowed, and then said, "Our Great Jin Emperor sent me to congratulate Your Majesty on his birthday. This is the birthday gift we send you," and then presented the gift list.
Zhao Gou glanced at the gift list, which included ceremonial beads, gold belts, cloth, horses, etc.
Then he said, "Take me to thank your emperor."
The envoy said, "I'll bring it to you." Then he looked around and said, "You guys in the Song Dynasty aren't very good at beating people with sticks, but you do know how to enjoy it."
Liang Hongyu was about to stand up and argue with the Jin envoy, but was held down by Han Shizhong who was sitting next to her.
Prime Minister Lu Yihao said: "Our Great Song is rich in resources and has a prosperous economy. We are naturally qualified to enjoy it. Compared with some barbaric and desolate places, we are naturally much better off."
The envoy snorted coldly, "Enjoy yourself now, as time like this won't last long." Then he threw his head back and laughed as he left.
The ministers naturally understood what the envoy meant. Zhao Gou instantly lost his interest and asked, "How is the battle going at the front?"
Han Shizhong said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. With General Zongze stationed in Bianjing, the Jin army has attacked many times but has not gained any advantage."
Zhao Gou felt relieved instantly. He had endured the world's infamy and had cowered in a corner, determined to defend this inch of land. "That's good. Thank you all, my dear ministers." After saying this, he raised his glass, and the ministers also raised their glasses and drank it all.
The banquet continued as usual, treating the previous scene as just a small episode.
This was Liang Hongyu's first time attending such a banquet. She discovered that not only was the food served to each minister different, but the quantity was also different, so she turned to ask Han Shizhong next to her.
Han Shizhong smiled bitterly and said, "This is also my first time attending such a banquet."
After the Jin invasion, the Song court stopped some extravagant banquets. Now that the economy has improved and the people are stable, some ministers have proposed restoring the old customs and holding celebration ceremonies. The emperor's birthday banquet is naturally indispensable, but the Ministry of Rites has deleted some cumbersome etiquette and streamlined many old customs. Even so, the whole banquet is still very luxurious.
The food at the imperial banquet alone is divided into seven categories.
The first category is pre-meal fruit desserts, with a total of 110 fruit snacks of various types.
The second category consists of fifteen dishes to go with wine, each with two dishes, for a total of thirty dishes.
The third category is side dishes, with a total of eight dishes.
The fourth category is the wine-inducing fruit store, which has ten items in total.
The fifth category is the ten flavors of wine recommended by the chef.
The sixth category is ten dishes of food.
The seventh category has fifteen dinners.
The first rank was for the Grand Tutor Qin Hui, who was served roasted lamb, porridge, and sesame cakes, along with 20 staple dishes. From the second rank onwards, the order gradually decreased, and the fifth rank only had "three kinds of food each and two bottles of wine."
Liang Hongyu and Han Shizhong's meals were both third-class, with a total of ten dishes.
When officials came to congratulate the emperor on his birthday, officials from the central government to the local governments had to make many preparations. The first was to prepare two types of documents to congratulate the emperor on his birthday.
The Tianshen Festival congratulatory message is a message sent by ministers to the emperor to wish him a happy birthday.
Liang Hongyu wrote a relatively short congratulatory message to Zhao Gou: I wish Your Majesty good fortune as vast as the East Sea and a long life as long as the Southern Mountains.
There was also a Tianshen Festival Merit Memorial, which was used to praise the emperor's merits. Liang Hongyu couldn't help but feel worried when looking at this cumbersome memorial. The emperor had already given enough face to everyone without saying that he had escaped. Where did his merits come from? But since she was the general, she should abide by the rules set by the Song Dynasty officials. So she wrote whatever nice words she could on it.
In addition to official documents, each minister had to present money. Han Shizhong presented a live deer. He had no extra money, so he had to hunt a live animal in the wild. Unexpectedly, Zhao Gou took one look at the deer and said, "My dear minister, please release it back to the forest to adapt to its nature."
Han Shizhong had no choice but to release the deer. Liang Hongyu mocked him for this, saying, "The emperor wants dead animals, and you, General, actually brought a living animal as an offering." She then handed over the gold and silver utensils she had prepared to the designated recipient right in front of him. Han Shizhong had no choice but to look at her with a doting smile.
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