Great Zhou Empire: Kill Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning

Chapter 368 Water Melody (Special thanks to book friend Orange 66/2021…9411 for the monthly ticket!)

After staying in Weizhou for two days, Chai Zongxun and his party continued to travel north on the national highway for ten days. They completed the journey that previously took nearly two months and arrived at Daming Prefecture.

The imperial family moved into the former Prince of Wei's Palace, using it as a temporary residence.

Fu Zhenzhen returned to her childhood home and naturally lingered there. Chai Zongxun accompanied her around the palace and listened to her talk about some interesting things in her childhood.

That evening, when the two of them were sitting in the pavilion in the back garden drinking and admiring the moon, Fu Zhenzhen smiled and said:

"Your Majesty, when I was young, I often pestered my brother to practice martial arts with me, so that I would not lose too much when I went to the capital after the autumn harvest to compete with Your Majesty.

Now that I think about it, my brother is really very patient!"

Fu Zhenzhen had only one brother, who was three years older than her, Fu Zhaoshou's eldest son Fu Chengliang. In the ninth year of Kaixi, he married Cao Xi, the eldest daughter of Cao Bin, the "Duke of Gan" and the commander-in-chief of the Fourth Corps of the Longxiang Army.

Chai Zongxun recalled the time when he, Fu Zhenzhen and Diwu Chaolu played martial arts in the Bianjing Palace when they were young, and he couldn't help but smile and said:

"Cousin, no wonder I always noticed you learned new moves during the annual palace competitions!

Fighting with you was the happiest time of my childhood."

Fu Zhenzhen sighed, her eyes reddened, and said:
"Your Majesty, those moves were taught to me by my grandfather himself. He was afraid that I would not know my limits and might hurt Your Majesty in the duel, so he personally taught me several moves that were both safe and powerful.

Alas, Grandpa used to bring me to this back garden to play, and he used to watch me chasing butterflies and catching dragonflies. That scene seemed to be right in front of me, but... Grandpa is no longer here, wuwuwu..."

Fu Zhenzhen's eyes were filled with tears and she threw herself into Chai Zongxun's arms.

Chai Zongxun stretched out his arms and hugged Fu Zhenzhen tightly, sighing:

“If the sky had feelings, it would grow old; if the moon had no hatred, it would be full forever.”

Cousin, grandpa has passed away, don’t be too sad, you still have me!
Life is like this. No matter if you are an emperor, a general, or a peddler, the saddest thing is the word "love". Love brings pain and frustration. "

Fu Zhenzhen raised her head slightly, looked at Chai Zongxun from her arms, and sighed softly:
“Your Majesty, what you said is very good. It is true that if people have emotions, they will feel pain and frustration.

From this point of view, Zhou'er is indeed as Your Majesty said, not being trapped by love is a kind of happiness.

Your Majesty, do you think that Zhou'er's lineage can continue to prosper and prosper for generations to come?"

Chai Zongxun said excitedly:

"Cousin, you can definitely do it! With my unprecedented achievements and the ancestral system I have established, how dare future emperors and descendants violate it!

I treat the people with kindness and put the people first. The imperial family of the Great Zhou Dynasty will surely be blessed by heaven and the blessings will last forever!"

On the evening of August 15th, the Mid-Autumn Festival, Chai Zongxun and other members of the imperial family held a banquet at the temporary residence of Prince Wei in Daming Prefecture.

The governor of Daming Prefecture offered a variety of local dishes and fruits, which were carefully prepared by the hundred imperial chefs accompanying the emperor, and were very much to the taste of Empress Dowager Fu and Empress Fu.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, a huge, bright full moon had risen to the sky, illuminating the square in front of the hall as bright as day.

Queen Mother Fu smiled and said:
"My son, I have been traveling in Damingfu by car. I have seen that the population and shops are more than ten times more prosperous than when I went to Bianjing more than thirty years ago!
This is all due to the Emperor's diligent efforts to govern the country, and the name "Kaixi Prosperous Era" is well deserved."

Chai Zongxun raised his glass and said:

"The Queen Mother praised the child.

In the future, as our Great Zhou expands its territory, increases its population, and advances in science and technology, the whole society will surely become more prosperous! May the tradition of our Chinese people be passed down from generation to generation, and the noble spirit be immortal! We must never be enslaved by foreign races, and we must never be usurped by bandits!

We will always be a world-class and powerful country! Let us drink this cup together, my dear ministers!"

Empress Dowager Fu and all the members of the imperial family of the Great Zhou Dynasty who were present raised their glasses and drank them all, followed by a round of blessings.

The atmosphere was cheerful, as it was another imperial family banquet. The empresses, concubines and maids at the banquet were constantly chatting, making the banquet very lively.

After a while, Queen Diwu Zhaolu smiled and said:

"I have long heard that Your Majesty is extremely talented and is the 'Emperor of Ci' elected by the subjects. Today, the imperial family is having a family banquet and we are extremely happy. I wonder if I, my children and others will have the honor of listening to Your Majesty compose a new ci?"

Chai Zongxun smiled as he looked at the thousands of his concubines, imperial concubines, and nearly a hundred children sitting in the hall, and his heart was as sweet as honey.

After pondering for a while, a poem emerged in his mind, and he immediately chanted it slowly:

"Shuidiaogetou

When is the bright moon?Ask Qingtian about the wine.I don't know what year is the heavenly palace.I want to take the wind to return, but I fear that Qionglou Yuyu will be very cold from the heights.Dancing clear shadow, like in the world?

Turn to the Zhu Pavilion, look down at the Qihu, and the light will make you sleepless. There shouldn't be any hatred, so what's the point of saying goodbye? People have joys and sorrows, separations and reunions, and the moon waxes and wanes. This is a difficult thing in ancient times. Nung, moon and new moon. "

After this poem was recited, everyone in the room was shocked.

Concubine Yi Zhou Nuying sighed:

"No wonder the world calls your majesty the 'Emperor of Poetry'. Your majesty's talent for poetry is far superior to that of my brother-in-law, Duke Li!"

Princess Du Xiuyun sighed:
"Your Majesty's "Water Melody" has a very different rhythm from "Nian Nujiao: The Great River Flows East", and it can be said to fully express the feelings of life's joys and sorrows.

It is a very memorable read. ”

That night, after the banquet had lasted past midnight, when Empress Dowager Fu and the princes and princesses left due to fatigue, Chai Zongxun embraced several concubines and royal concubines and fell asleep together.

After traveling north for another seven days from Daming Prefecture, the imperial carriage arrived at Linhuang Prefecture on August 23, the 28th year of Kaixi.

Linhuang Prefecture, known as Shangjing in the Liao Dynasty, was the first capital built on the Khitan mainland in the early days of the founding of the country. It was the early political, economic, military and cultural center of the Liao Dynasty.

In the first year of the Liao Dynasty (938), the Khitan destroyed the Later Tang Dynasty and obtained the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. The country was renamed "Great Liao". At the same time, the "Imperial Capital" was renamed "Shangjing" and the prefecture was named Linhuang Prefecture.

When Linhuang Prefecture flourished during the Liao Dynasty, it had a population of more than 800,000. After several years of the "Zhou-Liao War", when it was taken over by the Great Zhou Dynasty, only 520,000 people remained.

Over the past few years, thanks to Chai Zongxun's vigorous development policies of "treating the people of Zhou and Liao equally" and "focusing on industry and commerce", the population has rapidly recovered and grown. The current population is 750,000, almost catching up with its peak.

The plan of Linhuang City is roughly in the shape of a "sun", consisting of two parts, the Imperial City (north) and the Han City (south), with a total area of ​​about 5 square kilometers. A palace city was built within the northern imperial city, forming a "U" shape. The plan layout of the two cities of Shangjing in Liao Dynasty and the palace and imperial city in a circle is a manifestation of the ruling ideology of "governing according to local customs" and "the supremacy of imperial power".

After Abaoji proclaimed himself emperor (907 AD), he began to build palaces and temples in the "West Building", and successively built the Mingwang Building, Tianxiong Temple and Kaihuang Hall.

In the 23rd year of Kaixi, after Chai Zongxun sent a large army to destroy the Liao Kingdom, he used the Liao Imperial Palace in Linhuang Prefecture as his temporary palace.

The members of the imperial family were of delicate physique, so after checking into the temporary palace to escape the summer heat and rest, Chai Zongxun, accompanied by Concubine Shu, Yelu Hegudian, and Prince Chai Jihui, went to various states in Liao to inspect the people's livelihood, and were warmly welcomed by the local Liao people.

(End of this chapter)