The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Naturally, the people in front would not know what the Li family father and son and Wang Gao were thinking behind them.

In fact, for everyone standing here, the prisoner dedication ceremony is unfamiliar.

In fact, during the Jiajing Dynasty, Yan Song and his party members once instigated the Jiajing Emperor to organize a prisoner ceremony and asked Zhejiang and Fujian to send the captured Japanese pirates to the capital to praise their merits.

The main reason why he was elected was because the governor in charge of the suppression of Japanese pirates in Jiangnan at this time was Hu Zongxian.

However, what they met was Emperor Jiajing who was not interested in political affairs and concentrated on cultivation.

Their suggestions were naturally rejected by the emperor.

"Your Majesty should have arrived at Huangjimen."

Zhang Juzheng raised his head and glanced at the sky, then asked Wei Guangde in a low voice, who was sitting behind him on the left.

"It's been a while since the bells and drums were started. People around His Majesty should understand the rules. According to protocol, they should wait at Huangji Gate for people from Honglu Temple to greet him."

Wei Guangde whispered.

Wei Guangde didn't read the notes on prisoner presentation etiquette carefully in the Ministry of Etiquette at first. He just looked through them at home last night as a last resort.

Strictly speaking, it is actually against the rules to bring memorials home.

However, as the second assistant, there are a few people in the world who would make trouble against him.

Gao Gong was told this before, but you were actually involved in a political struggle, not just for the public good.

You must know that bringing memorials or other things out of the palace is a private matter. How can you let Ke Daofengyan do it?

If there weren't people around Gao Gong to keep an eye on him, they wouldn't be able to catch his painful feet.

While they were talking, two salute officers from Honglu Temple under the city gate turned their heads and entered the palace from both sides of the Meridian Gate.

Obviously, they went to Huangji Gate to invite His Majesty to the Meridian Gate.

At this time, on the tower of Huangjimen, the twelve-year-old Emperor Wanli was sitting on his throne looking at the empty square under the city gate.

When he arrived here in the past, it was already dark and full of officials from the court, who would salute him when he sat down.

In the distance, two officials in blue official uniforms walked in from the corner gate of the Meridian Gate. They quickly walked to the Huangji Gate and kowtowed to Emperor Wanli on the tower.

Emperor Wanli just raised his hand slightly, and the eunuch beside him shouted angrily to the bottom of the city tower: "Your Majesty has a decree, please be free."

Those who can stand in this position and issue orders on behalf of the emperor are not randomly arranged. They are all carefully selected. They are required to speak loudly and penetratingly.

After the two officials arrived, one of them took a step forward, bowed and said: "Your Majesty, for the ceremony of presenting prisoners, please Your Majesty to guard the Meridian Gate."

There is no business conversation, but this is the protocol. Emperor Wanli could not go directly to the morning ceremony, but had to be invited by the courtiers.

Generally speaking, the emperor will not leave the Huangji Gate, so he must ask the emperor to leave the palace.

Yes, strictly speaking, the Huangji Gate is actually the palace gate, the boundary between the inner and outer palaces, and the front and back palaces.

Emperor Wanli also wanted to see what the prisoner presentation ceremony was like. In particular, he wanted to see what Wang Gao, who dared to rebel against him, looked like. After the official's invitation, he immediately nodded and said, "Yes."

Soon, the shoulder was carried up. Emperor Wanli stood up, stepped down from the throne, and sat in the shoulder.

The four powerful eunuchs raised their shoulders at the same time amidst the slogans of the chief next to them. A group of eunuchs in front were holding whisks and other things to clear the way. Behind them were a large group of eunuchs and maids. They descended from the Huangji Gate Tower and walked in Honglu. Temple officials guided us to the Meridian Gate.

Go up to the tower and carry your shoulders directly to the throne of the Meridian Gate.

Emperor Wanli got off his shoulders and did not sit directly on the throne. Instead, he walked to the city wall and took a look, and all he saw were human heads.

The little emperor had sharp eyes and naturally recognized Zhang Juzheng, Wei Guangde and other three cabinet ministers in front of the crowd at a glance.

After all, cabinet ministers will always stand closest to the emperor no matter where they are.

Looking back, he saw so many people that he could no longer recognize them. However, when he looked at Duanmen, the group of people under Duanmen once again attracted the attention of the little emperor Zhu Yijun.

Although it was a bit far away, the young emperor had good eyesight and could still see some people wearing Ming army armor, just like the Forbidden Army he usually saw.

Surrounded by them were nearly a hundred dirty prisoners.

They were all kneeling there, and some of them might not be able to hold on and wanted to fall down, so they would be kicked by the soldiers behind them, and they would have to kneel down obediently before they stopped beating them.

Of course, the young emperor Zhu Yijun knew who these kneeling people were. They were all Jurchens who were dissatisfied with the king's rule and wanted to rebel. Therefore, he had no good impression of them and would not sympathize with them just because he saw them being beaten by soldiers.

Thinking of what Wei Guangde once told him, the people who suffer the most in the world are actually the common people. The emperor can sympathize with them but no one else.

Thinking of this, the little emperor felt that he should be more hard-hearted.

It was like when he left the palace today, Empress Dowager Chen was still waiting for him at the palace gate to see him out, telling him what to do today and not to forget it.

In fact, he knew very well why. He was afraid that his sympathy would overflow and he would spare these rebels.

Those who were escorted in today were all minor leaders of the Jurchen tribe with the lowest status, and their hands were stained with Han blood.

And he is the master of the Han people in the world, and he wants to punish them on behalf of the Han people who died at the hands of these people.

Looking away, the little emperor Zhu Yijun sat on the throne.

When he sat down, he didn't know what tricks had been arranged in the palace. The sound of the music stopped almost instantly, making the noise in the square outside the Meridian Gate, which had seemed a bit noisy, suddenly become much quieter.

"Papa pa pa"

In the Meridian Gate Square, four eunuchs waved their whips and hit the ground, making a harsh sound.

For just a moment, the huge square was so silent that you could almost hear a pin drop.

The whip was blown and the whole place was solemn.

At this time, the salute officer who had previously gone to invite the emperor to the Meridian Gate sang loudly: "Enter"! "

As he finished speaking, Tan Lun, Minister of the Ministry of War, walked out of the queue of civil servants and took a few steps towards the Meridian Gate.

At the same time, two officials in green robes carried a huge cloth and followed him to the foot of the Meridian Gate Tower to salute.

As Tan Lun knelt down, the music started playing again, and the familiar movement "Chao Tianzi" resounded through the square. Tan Lun, Minister of the Ministry of War, brought in the officials who presented the cloth and bowed four times to the Meridian Gate.

"I love your life."

The slightly childish voice of the little emperor Zhu Yijun sounded, and Tan Lunping died happily.

"Your Majesty, in August of the second year of Wanli, Zhang Xueyan, the governor of Liaodong, was ordered to capture the rebellious Wang Gao and achieved a great victory."

Next, Tan Lun reported the victory of Liaodong.

The good news about Liaodong has actually been spread for a long time, and with a little care, you can get a copy from the General Affairs Department.

However, this good news report was polished after reaching the Ministry of War, and is slightly different from the original version.

Fortunately, the older officials were not affected by the good news, while many of the younger officials were already excited and eager to try.

Reports of victory are the easiest way to stimulate adrenaline secretion in people. It is actually normal for many people to become excited uncontrollably.

After Tan Lun finished his report, the praise pipe sang again: "Enter the dew cloth."

Following his shout, the musicians played the "Order of Peace" again. In the midst of the music, two officials from the Ministry of War unfolded the cloth for Emperor Wanli to see on the tower.

When a piece of music is finished, the music stops.

The salute officer downstairs sang again: "Xuan Lu Bu".

The propaganda officer knelt down, and the propaganda officer from the Ministry of Rites went to the money to reveal the cloth and knelt down to announce it.

Wei Guangde listened carefully and nodded. This memorial was written two days ago and was only sent back to the Ministry of War from the palace yesterday.

After the announcement, the announcer and the announcer walked out of the crowd holding the dew cloth and placed it in front of the big case that had been arranged by the Meridian Gate.

After returning to his position, he prostrates himself, enjoys music, performs four obeisances, and then rests peacefully.

According to the rules established by Zhu Yuanzhang, music playing was indispensable in various ceremonial activities of the imperial court.

For this reason, the Ming Dynasty court had special sacrificial bands, congratulatory bands, banquet music and dance, etc., which were used on different occasions and had their own music.

The sacrificial music and dance of the Ming Dynasty "are mostly based on those of the Han, Tang, Song, and Yuan Dynasties, but their names have been slightly changed."

The emperors of the Ming Dynasty attached great importance to sacrificial music and dance, and revised the music and dance system many times. For example, in the first year of Hongwu, Zhu Sheng and Fan Quan were ordered to compose the Yuanqiu and Fangqiu movements. "Moon Movement" etc.

The so-called movement of worshiping heaven and earth together refers to the movement of worshiping heaven and earth or worshiping the land and grain together that only began to appear in the Ming Dynasty. In the early Ming Dynasty, the Confucian tradition was inherited, and heaven, earth and the land and grain were worshiped separately. However, Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang insisted on worshiping the two together.

There are many repertoires played by the Chao He band, and the application occasions are divided into Hao congratulatory rituals, Chao Hui rituals, visual rituals and Chuanlu rituals.

In the fourth year of Hongwu's reign, the "Chao Hui Music" was formulated. Music is used in the five links of enthronement, entrance of ministers, birthday celebrations, wine toasting and return to the palace, with a total of 26 pieces.

Among them, the "Long Live Music" and "Chao Tianzi" played during the "Ascension to the Throne" and the music played during the "Hundred Officials Salute" step in the "Wanshou Holy Festival Worship Ceremony" can be used in the court greeting ceremony, court meeting ceremony, and visual inspection ceremony. On occasions such as carrying out rituals and passing on rituals, the band used is Danbi Dalue.

In addition, the palace holds banquets and prepares feasts, music and dances.

The dance bands included in the banquet music include civil and military dances, Siyi dances and team dances.

The nine-piece movement of the banquet was originally established as a system of nine pieces and three dances. The martial dance is the "Dance to Peace the World"; the literary dance is the "Dance of Cars and Books"; and the Siyi Dance is "The Dance of Fuping the Four Barbarians".

By the 18th year of Yongle, the number of music and dances had increased, but the number of team dances was different from before, with the addition of "Dance to Show Uprightness to All Nations" and "Dance to Destiny and Virtue".

During the Jiajing period, the two civil and military dances and the Siyi dance remained unchanged, but only one team dance, the "Yingwhip Desheng Team Dance", was still in use.

It can be seen that the various ceremonial activities of the Ming Dynasty were indispensable for the participation of musicians, who played different pieces throughout the ceremony.

After working on it for a long time, we finally got to the point, and the real prisoner presentation ceremony began.

As the ceremonial officer of Honglu Temple sang again: "Present prisoners."

"Present prisoners."

"Present prisoners."

This time, after the saluting officer shouted a sentence, the honor guards and Han generals behind them began to relay, from ten to a hundred people, the sound of "prisoners' sacrifice" was heard.

"Hurry up, follow me."

The usher at Duanmen turned around and whispered to Li Chengliang, and then led them towards the Meridian Gate without looking back.

Two captains escorted a prisoner of war forward. The prisoners were struggling to walk. If they had been in the past, they would have been pushed by the soldiers behind them.

But when we get here, naturally no one will do this, just escort him away.

These people who were brought to the capital were actually considered to be lucky.

You must know that Li Chengliang left hundreds of people behind in preparation for being offered as prisoners, but many people died along the way, and only a hundred or so people arrived in the capital.

Then they were selected from them, and finally these dozens of people were able to enter the palace and "send death".

Throughout the ages, every time there was a big war, when the three armies made a triumphant return, they often presented prisoners of war to the king, which was called "victory presentation of prisoners."

This ancient system can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty. "Book of Rites·Royal System Chapter 5" records: "When the emperor is about to go to war, he should worship the God, the gods, and the gods in the land to be conquered. He receives orders from his ancestors and is taught by the school. When he goes to war and captures criminals, he should offer sacrifices to the school and report the crimes." That is, before the Zhou emperor goes to war, he must offer sacrifices to the heavens, the earth, and his ancestors; after winning, he will send the prisoners of war to the school for sacrifice to boost the morale of the soldiers and declare that the king's power is granted by God. This can be called the origin of the "prison offering ceremony". By the Ming Dynasty, the prisoner offering ceremony was very grand, with strict procedures and a huge scale. "Ming History·Lizhi Military Ceremony" records: "When the army returns from the expedition, the emperor leads the generals to present the captives and heads outside the south gate of the temple and the north gate of the community. They report to the temple community, perform three offerings, and go out together. After the sacrifice, the captives and heads are handed over to the Ministry of Justice, and the music assistant leads the retreat."

All civil and military officials in Beijing attended the captive offering ceremony.

From the officials in the front who were all wearing red clothes to the blue and green robes in the back, it is no wonder that Emperor Wanli looked down from the city and saw only heads.

In addition, the foreign envoys who were temporarily living in the capital in Huitong Hall were also brought here to watch the ceremony.

However, at this time, the foreign envoys living in Huitong Hall were only envoys from Korea and Ryukyu.

Due to the years of non-intervention, the external deterrence of the Ming Dynasty has greatly decreased. In the past, the surrounding foreign countries flocked to the Ming Dynasty to pay homage, but now most of them no longer do so. If it were not for the tribute under the Maritime Customs, I am afraid that other foreign countries would not send people to the Ming Dynasty.

However, Wei Guangde also heard that the envoys from Korea and Ryukyu came to the Ming Dynasty to pay homage to the emperor, and there would be some trade and exchanges between the two countries.

You know, although Ryukyu and Korea are only separated by the sea, there is also Japan in the middle. It is inconvenient for the two countries to trade directly, so most of them will go to the Ming Dynasty to trade first, and then return to their own countries.

Finally, the officers who offered the prisoners escorted Wang Gao and others to the Meridian Gate. Li Chengliang stepped out and led the Liaodong generals to kowtow four times to the Wanli Emperor on the gate tower. He stepped aside and let the emperor see the captives they brought.

"Who is Wang Gao?"

Zhu Yijun leaned forward on the dragon throne and asked in a childish voice.

Wang Gao raised his head and looked into the eyes of the Wanli Emperor.

Seeing the little emperor on the throne, Wang Gao was in a state of collapse. He could not accept losing to such a little kid.

In fact, let alone him, the Liaodong generals glanced at the little emperor on the throne with some surprise.

Although Li Chengliang knew that Emperor Longqing died young and that the throne was now occupied by a child in his teens, he had a different feeling when he actually saw him.

"You are Wang Gao."

Among the captives, only one person raised his head, so the young emperor easily knew who it was, and then asked: "It is you who constantly sent troops to invade my Liaodong border town and slaughter the people of the Ming Dynasty. Why?

In the past, my Ming Dynasty kindly accepted you to live outside the Great Wall, but I didn't expect that you were all a group of ambitious people.

Don't say that my Ming Dynasty treated you poorly. If you don't obey the king's rule, you can just return to your hometown in the north. I think you are a group of people who don't know etiquette."