The edict establishing an empress delighted the veteran officials, including Chen Fan, Hu Guang, and Zheng Xuan.
Subsequently, a group of veteran officials requested permission to enter the palace and ask the Empress Dowager to preside over the emperor's wedding, and they began to get busy.
The two elderly men, Chen Fan and Hu Guang, were as energetic as they grew older, and they arranged every detail of the emperor's wedding ceremony.
Now that the imperial court is wealthy and powerful, in Hu Guang's words, the ceremony for establishing an empress is a major event concerning the emperor's life, and it must be held on a grand scale, the bigger the better.
Hu Guang, who has always advocated thrift, was unusually generous this time.
If you want to make it a grand affair, you need to have plenty of time to prepare. After discussions between the officials and the Empress Dowager, the date of the Emperor's wedding was set for September 10th, giving them a full three months to prepare.
Meanwhile, Song Yue's mother brought the women of her household into the palace and began to teach Song Yue some matters concerning "serving the emperor in bed".
June 20th.
While everyone was busy with their own affairs, a coming-of-age ceremony was held for the emperor in front of Weiyang Palace, presided over by the Grand Master of Ceremonies.
Then, in front of all the civil and military officials and members of the imperial clan, Dou Miao personally handed the Imperial Seal of the State to Liu Hong.
"Emperor, from this day forward, the Han Dynasty will truly be ruled by you."
Looking at Liu Hong, who had grown into a young man, Dou Miao couldn't help but recall how lonely and helpless Liu Hong looked when he first entered the palace, and her eyes were filled with relief.
"Thank you for your care over the years, Mother. I will always remember it."
Liu Hong solemnly accepted the Imperial Seal of the State, then looked at Dou Miao's slightly aged face, his eyes reddening slightly.
After the coming-of-age ceremony was completed, the emperor officially entered Weiyang Palace and then issued an edict to the world.
After officially assuming power, Liu Hong summoned Yuan Feng and Cao Song to inquire about matters concerning the martyrs' cemetery.
Upon learning that everything was ready and that the families of the martyrs had all been received in Luoyang, Liu Hong ordered all officials to prepare to welcome the remains of the martyrs of the Northern Expedition to the martyrs' cemetery.
Two days later, Liu Hong, dressed in the imperial robes, personally led civil and military officials and soldiers to the Martyrs' Cemetery located in the west of the city.
Behind them were thousands of family members of martyrs, dressed in mourning robes, holding the martyrs' urns tightly in their arms.
The area around the cemetery was now filled with ordinary people and young students who had come to witness the ceremony. Everyone stood there solemnly and quietly.
Upon entering the cemetery, the first thing that catches the eye is the huge stone stele in the center, which is about three zhang tall.
This monument was built by craftsmen from the College of Engineering, who led a large number of laborers and spent a great deal of manpower and resources to construct it using more than 300 marble slabs. It was named by Liu Hong: Monument to the Heroes of the Han Dynasty.
The monument bears eight large characters: "Heroic Souls Who Protected the Nation, Forever Immortal."
In front of the stone tablet, a large red flag with a gold border bearing the Chinese character "Han" flutters in the wind, as if surrounded by thousands of martyrs.
Everyone, including Liu Hong, gazed at the majestic monument with reverence.
Subsequently, under the guidance of the official in charge of the ceremony, the families of the martyrs, holding the ashes of their loved ones, came to the tombstones with sorrowful expressions.
The tombstone is engraved with the martyrs' names, hometowns, and ages at which they died in battle, followed by their battle achievements and the details of their combat experiences.
Immediately, the martyr's family members placed the ashes into the burial pit behind the stone tablet, and the soldiers next to them went forward to bury them.
As the burial was completed, cries of anguish immediately filled the cemetery.
An elderly woman with gray hair, her eyes filled with tears, hugged the stone tablet, her calloused hands constantly stroking the inscriptions on it.
"My son, you did not die in vain. Your mother is so happy for you."
Although she was illiterate, she knew that this was proof that her son had existed, and that his name would be remembered by everyone.
On the other side, a young woman stared blankly at her husband's tombstone for a long time without saying a word. Beside her, a seven-year-old boy was sobbing softly.
The woman reached out and stroked her son's head: "Don't cry. Your father is a hero, and a hero's son shouldn't shed tears..."
"Don't worry, Mother. I won't cry. When I grow up, I will be a hero like my father."
Upon hearing this, the little boy immediately wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and looked resolutely at his father's tombstone.
The local people and students who came to witness the ceremony couldn't help but shed tears as they watched the touching scenes at the martyrs' graves.
Liu Hong then named the place: Qingshan Martyrs' Cemetery.
He also ordered the construction of a memorial square in front of Qingshan Mountain, and the building of ten schools around the square for the children of martyrs to learn to read and write.
The people who came to pay their respects did not leave until sunset.
In the days that followed, young people flocked to the temple to pay their respects every day.
"A true man should live to fight for his country and die to be buried in the green hills."
Every young person who has paid their respects to the deceased will say the same thing without prior arrangement.
Following the Shrine of Heroes and the Shrine of Loyal Martyrs, the Martyrs' Cemetery has become the third sacred place in the hearts of young people.
At this time, more than four months had passed since the fall of Goguryeo. The officials stationed in Liaozhou, leading nearly a million laborers from Fuyu and Goguryeo, had worked for several months to build a temporary official road connecting the Han Dynasty and Liaozhou, and began to expand and reinforce it.
Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Sun Jian, Yuan Shao, and others also recruited a group of soldiers and began to return to Liaozhou to build the Youliao defense line.
The first group of migrants arrived in Liaozhou and, with the help of officials and soldiers, began to build their new homes.
Yang Biao, who was transferred to Chengde as prefect, immediately gathered a large number of people from the Southern Wuhuan tribe. He sent officials to teach them farming and also sent people to teach them to speak Chinese.
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