Wentang

Chapter 608 Performance and Dinner

Empress Xiao first came to the Yong'an Palace to meet the saint under the leadership of the ministers. In order to welcome her, the court specially opened the Hanyuan Hall.

The Hanyuan Hall is generally only used for grand court meetings and important events. The usual court meetings are held in the Xuanzheng Hall, and the emperor usually meets with ministers in the Zichen Hall.

Of course, the real purpose of using the Hanyuan Hall is not to welcome the former queen, but to welcome the return of the Chuanguo Yuxi.

The Ministry of Rites called all the officials in Chang'an who could come, just to witness the moment when Yuxi returned to the court.

Under the attention of all the people, Empress Xiao walked up to the main hall of Hanyuan in her best attire, and Yang Zhengdao followed closely behind, holding a brocade box.

Everyone first glanced at Empress Xiao who was walking in front, and then turned their eyes to the brocade box in Yang Zhengdao's hand.

"The widows of the previous dynasty pay homage to the saints of the current dynasty, and wish you peace." Empress Xiao gracefully and generously gave a simple Wanfu salute to Li Shimin, and even Yang Zhengdao behind her simply cupped his hands.

With a bang of 'buzz', everyone talked about it.A survivor from the previous dynasty?Not showing great courtesy when meeting a saint, this is still a self-styled queen in the past, it is simply outrageous.

Yue Shan was also very curious about what was going on, but he didn't make a sound but turned his gaze to the people standing at the front of the line. Seeing that those big bosses looked like gods, he immediately knew that there must be a deep meaning in it, and so on. Just watch the show.

The others were not stupid. Seeing that none of the Zaifu, the Ministry of Rites and other officials stood up and scolded them, even the emperor smiled and told them to calm down. They also realized that something was wrong and gradually calmed down.

After seeing the ceremony, Li Shimin asked: "I heard that with the support of the Turks, you established the Puppet Sui Dynasty in the northern grasslands. Why are you entering the Tang Dynasty now?"

Empress Xiao made another salute and said, "The sages of the former Sui Dynasty had no way, causing all the people to renounce the world and cause turmoil. We, the survivors, were also coerced by the bandits and unable to control ourselves. The Pseudo-Sui was also built by the Turks to divide our Central Plains. It is not what I want."

"Fortunately, the leader of the Turkic bandit was captured by the sage, which led to civil strife in Turkic, and I was able to take advantage of the chaos to escape from the sea of ​​suffering and return to the Celestial Dynasty..."

Then there are some polite and flattering words, to the effect that the Sui Dynasty lost its deer and the world pursued it, and the Tang Dynasty ended the troubled times and changed the world to peace. It is God's will to win the country.

Although she, a widow, was reluctant to part with her homeland, she was also unwilling to disobey God's will, so she voluntarily presented the Jade Seal of Shangguo to strengthen the Tang Dynasty.

Then Empress Xiao took the brocade from Yang Zhengdao's hand and lifted it over her head. Li Shimin stood up from the dragon chair with a solemn face, walked up to Empress Xiao himself, and took the brocade box respectfully.

Then he opened the box on the spot and took out a white seal from it: "Ordered by heaven, life will last forever."

"Zhu Qing's family, come and see if this jade seal is real or not." After speaking, he handed the seal to Chen Shuda.

Chen Shuda took it carefully, looked at the shape and the handwriting below, and said affirmatively: "This jade seal is the same as what I saw back then, and it is true."

After finishing speaking, he handed it to Xiao Yu, who gave the same answer after careful inspection.

In this way, Yuxi was passed down one by one in the crowd, but only the few ministers in the front who dared to speak out the authenticity, the others were more purely admiring.

Chuan Guo Yuxi, it is estimated that I can touch it this time in my life, and I may not even have many chances to see the eight characters "destined by heaven and longevity forever" in the future.

The emperor does not have only one seal. The general imperial edicts use the jade seals cast by the emperor himself. The jade seals used to pass on the country are generally used for important events such as the canonization of the queen, the prince, or sacrifices to heaven.

Therefore, it is not easy for even a senior official at the level of Zaifu to see the Jade Seal of Chuanguo once, and it is normal for everyone to be curious.

Yue Shan was no exception, he was even more curious than the people present.

For the people of the Tang Dynasty, the Chuanguo Yuxi has only been passed down for less than a thousand years, but for Yue Shan, this thing is a legend that has been passed down for more than 2000 years.

The most important thing is that this thing has been lost. I don’t know how many people feel sorry for it.

When the jade seal was passed to him, he picked it up and looked at it carefully, even touching every corner with his hands.

Although he has never played with jade, he can tell that it should be Hetian jade or blue sky white jade. Needless to say, the quality of the jade is very crystal and exquisite.

There are many legends about the jade seal of Chuanguo in later generations. The first is the quality of the jade. Some people think it was carved from Heshibi, while others think it was carved from Lantian jade or Hetian jade.

The color is said to be white, also said to be blue or brown.

Now Yue Shan can tell everyone accurately that although it is not known whether this thing is Hetian jade or Lantian jade, it is definitely not made of Heshibi, and the color is also white.

There are also many people who say that when Wang Mang was in chaos, the Empress Dowager Xiaoyuan broke a corner of the jade seal on the ground, and Wang Mang repaired it with gold.

However, anyone who has studied history for a while knows that all official histories only record that the Empress Dowager Xiaoyuan threw the jade seal, but there is no record of breaking it and gold inlaid jade, so it can be determined that this is the story of the novel.

Yue Shan hugged the Chuanguo Jade Seal and watched it carefully several times, and when he was about to pass it on to the next person, he suddenly heard several dry coughs.

Just by hearing the voice, you can tell that it is Chen Shuda, Li Jing and other ministers.

He immediately knew what was going on, took back half of the seal that had been handed out, and then went out to Li Shimin, raised the jade seal high and said loudly: "The jade seal of the country is returned to the Tang Dynasty, which proves that I am great." Tang is the destiny. Congratulations to the saint, congratulations to the saint."

"Congratulations to the saint, congratulations to the saint." Zaifu and others immediately stood up and shouted.

"Congratulations to the saint, congratulations to the saint." Everyone in the entire court stood up and shouted together.

The tsunami-like voice echoed in the hall for a long time, Li Shimin blushed with excitement, took the jade seal and strode to the dragon chair to enjoy the congratulations from the court.

After that, there were some unnutritious scenes. Li Shimin praised Empress Xiao for her achievements and gave her a mansion for retirement.

As for the other titles and the like, there are no rewards, and the empress of the previous dynasty offered the jade seal for meritorious service, so it is not appropriate to give any titles.The best way is to not seal anything and raise her up.

On the other hand, Yang Zhengdao was appointed as a casual official who was not a member of the Sanqi Servant, and the matter was finally resolved satisfactorily.

At this time, Yue Shan probably also understood the reason why Empress Xiao appeared in the court hall as a widow of the former dynasty, and why she did not give a big gift.

This is just a show. The queen of the former dynasty handed over to Li Shimin the imperial jade seal, which symbolizes imperial power, which means that Li Tang's throne was given to us by the former Sui Chan, not by our rebellion.

Although everyone knows the actual situation, sometimes this fig leaf is what is needed.

Therefore, Empress Xiao must not pay homage to Li Shimin with a big gift. After all, the queen of the previous dynasty was also a queen. If she paid homage to Li Shimin with a big gift, how would this scene be played out?
After retiring from the court, some veterans and important officials were invited to the Penglai Hall, which happened to be the dividing line between the rear palace and the front palace.

To the north is the Hanliang Hall, which belongs to the harem, where the eldest grandson Wugou lives in summer, and in winter she will live in the warmer Qinzheng Hall.To the south is the Zichen Palace, where the emperor summoned his courtiers every day at work.

Because of the special geographical location, it is often used to hold royal banquets. Today, these courtiers are invited here to welcome Empress Xiao back to the Tang Dynasty.

Yue Shan was naturally also invited, but he knew that he was not the protagonist today, so he chose an inconspicuous position at the back to eat his food silently.

He observed the people who attended the banquet. Basically, they were all veterans of the Sui Dynasty, and some even retired at home. Only a few new court officials with special identities came to accompany them.

It's really accompanied, no matter how noble your status is, as long as you are not a veteran, you will sit in the lower position today.Even Li Shimin and eldest grandson Wugou changed into casual clothes and gave up the main seat to Li Yuan, while Empress Xiao took the first seat below Li Yuan.

Li Yuan's condition is not as good as before, his waist is hunched over, his hair is gray and thin, but he seems to be in good spirits.

When did Li Yuan die in the previous life, and Yue Shan started to run the train again in his mind, it seems to be in June and July of the ninth year of Zhenguan.

In this life, Li Shimin became emperor two years earlier, so it should be the 11th year of Zhenguan... 11th year?
I fork, isn't that next year?In other words, Li Yuan only has half a year to live?
But this is not the most important thing. The key point is that the princes and princesses should keep their filial piety after his death, and they cannot get married for three years.

Although in special circumstances there will be exceptions to not have to observe three years of filial piety, but there is only one person who can use exceptions to avoid the three-year filial piety period, the emperor.No other direct descendants of Li Yuan can marry.

This rule is very strict, let alone ancient times, even in the 21st century, China still has this rule.

Some have children and grandchildren who happen to be of the right age and have reached the age of marriage. Unfortunately, the elderly in the family pass away, and they may even report the funeral a day or two late.Everyone can understand this situation, and no one will say anything.

But when you get married within three years after reporting the funeral, you will be laughed at by everyone.

This... It's a good thing that Li Lizhi and I got married in February, and it's a good thing that Yue Shui'er got married in April.Yue Shan thought happily.

Don't think he is cold-blooded and heartless, he has no friendship with Li Yuan.

In his previous life, he had read a lot of time-travel novels, and many protagonists of the time-travelers sympathized with Li Yuan, and created a lot of fun and enjoyable things to relieve his boredom.

Yue Shan had never done this before, firstly, he really had no idea about it, and secondly, his status as the chief planner of the Xuanwumen Incident was rather embarrassing, so Li Yuan probably thought how to get rid of him first when he saw him.

Therefore, since Li Shimin became the emperor, Yueshan never asked about Li Yuan's affairs again, and the two sides never said a word.

So making him feel guilty, sympathetic, etc. towards Li Yuan is completely overthinking.

Even if Li Yuan died in front of him, at most he would sigh with emotion that the emperor was no different from ordinary people when he died, and he would not have other miscellaneous feelings.

The only thing he needs to think about is what changes Li Yuan's death will bring to his life.

Yue Shui'er is sixteen this year. To be honest, she is considered an older leftover woman in this era. The national law also stipulates that women who are sixteen and unmarried have to pay double poll tax.

After Li Yuan died, Li Tai couldn't get married for three years, at least he couldn't accept a concubine in an upright manner. Three years later, Yue Shui'er would be a nineteen-year-old old lady.

Although in Yue Shan's view it is good to get married on the [-]th or [-]th, it is already deep in this era that one must abide by the rules of this era. It is really not a good thing to wait until the [-]th to get married.

And the wedding between him and Li Lizhi, if it was changed to before, he wished Li Yuan would die a few more times, and it would be better if Li Lizhi was married when he was seventeen or eighteen.

Now, hehe... He who awakened the soul of the alchemist has changed his mind, and he doesn't want to wait three years.

so far so good.

But soon he thought of another thing, Li Chengqian's concubine didn't seem to be settled yet.No, I have to hurry up and urge my eldest grandson Wugou, don't pick and choose, and book it as soon as you meet the right one.

He was thinking wildly, and the banquet was still going on normally.

He was also very happy to see Empress Xiao, and he opened his mouth and shouted: "Old sister-in-law, you are finally back."

The phrase "old sister-in-law" really surprised everyone. No one thought that Li Yuan would call out this title. Only Li Shimin's eyes flickered and he didn't know what he was thinking.

Empress Xiao was also taken aback for a moment, but she immediately came to her senses and said with a smile, "Shu De, we haven't seen each other for more than ten years, right? It's hard for you to remember me."

"How could I forget that you were a young girl when you first married into the Prince Jin's mansion, but you acted gracefully and gracefully. Although I was a few years older than you, I was often reprimanded by my aunt for being mischievous and playful. You often pleaded for me... ..." Li Yuan began to ramble non-stop, talking about some things when he was young.

But no one present dared to be impatient, and no one dared to interrupt, only Empress Xiao interrupted from time to time.Every time she speaks is just right, always making Li Yuan laugh out loud, or fall into nostalgia.

"Later, I learned that you were kidnapped by the Turkic people. I negotiated with Xieli several times to get you back, but Xieli refused. I wanted to send troops to take you back, but I was not strong enough to be his opponent. It has been delayed until today to let you return to your homeland, I hope you don't blame me."

"How could it be? I also heard about the fact that you asked Xie Li to let me go back to Tang Dynasty. Even though it didn't work out, I have always been grateful for your kindness. You, Li Shude, are the only one who can still think of me as an old sister-in-law. It is." Empress Xiao said gratefully:

"And I'm back now, I'm already very satisfied to be able to return to my homeland in my lifetime, and I can close my eyes even after I die."

"Speaking of which, I would also like to thank the sage. If he hadn't defeated the Turks and captured Xieli alive, I don't know how long it would take to realize this injustice."

"Hmph..." Li Yuan snorted and glanced at Li Shimin, but in the end he didn't say anything sarcastic, but followed Empress Xiao's words: "He's also capable of marching and fighting."

Then he changed the subject and said: "Don't say that you are not dead, there are still many days to enjoy life in the future."

"Old man, old man, it's too late to be dissatisfied." Empress Xiao tactfully did not mention Li Shimin, but said with emotion.

Then the two brought up the topic back then, inevitably they would bring in some people they knew when they were young.Some people are no longer there, and some are sitting at the table.

The veteran sitting at the table also took this opportunity to join in the conversation, and the scene became lively for a while.

While chatting, we talked about the Siege of Yanmen back then. I don’t know who said something thanks to Princess Yicheng.Then Li Yuan said with emotion, Yicheng is also a poor woman.

Then this topic passed away like this, after all, it was brought up in casual chat, and no one took this woman seriously.In other words, everyone knew about her later anti-Tang behavior, and deliberately avoided talking about her.

But when he said that the listener was not interested, Li Shimin's eyes flickered when he heard Li Yuan's evaluation of Princess Yicheng, as if he had made a certain decision.

(End of this chapter)