Dominate the Country

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On the first day of February, the ancestral temple was officially worshipped.

The next day was the second day of the first lunar month. The sky was slightly bright, a touch of crimson appeared in the eastern sky, and the dim moon was looming in the sky. The whole city of Nanjing was filled with a faint fragrance. The streets and alleys of Nanjing were cleaned up, the loess was sprinkled, and countless pots of blooming flowers were placed in the green belts of the streets. The fragrance spread, drifting with the wind, and drifting into the pores of everyone's breathing.

In front of the Prince's Mansion, guards, eunuchs, and maids stood all the way, and everyone was waiting respectfully.

In the main room of the mansion, Chen Ming was sitting alone in the room, and light smoke was rising from the incense burner next to him. The fragrance filled the room and filled the courtyard as the door was opened.

"Your Highness, the auspicious time has arrived!" Liu Wu's voice came, and as his words fell, the sound of stringed instruments outside had already sounded. Chen Ming opened his eyes, his expression was solemn, he took a deep breath, and then exhaled a long breath. He stood up and took a last look at the large dressing mirror on his side, and walked out of the room steadily.

He got up before dawn to bathe and burn incense, and did not dare to eat or drink, for fear that he would lose his dignity. Now he is wearing a black robe, a purple skirt, a white silk belt, a nine-tassel crown on his head, and a ribbon tied around his chin, looking majestic and noble.

The coronation ceremony of the Internal Affairs Department has been rehearsed skillfully. Chen Ming walked onto the prince's golden carriage, "Dang!" The sound of the golden bell rang in his ears, and the etiquette officer shouted loudly: "Get up!" The armored soldiers followed.

Huangzhong Dalu, the harmonious sound of the zither and the harp, the beating and clapping, the stone chimes and bells, the flute and the flute accompanied the drummers, and the elegant music came into his ears. Thanks to the old Zhu back then, Chen Han now has a set of ready-made "rules" to refer to.

Before the Ming Dynasty, only Emperor Gaozu of Han ascended the throne on the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, but the Mianzhi ceremony was not ready at that time, and all the ceremonies could not be verified. Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties all changed their titles. There is no need to consider the Yuan Dynasty, just like Chen Ming would rather find someone to come up with a set than to check the Qing Dynasty's enthronement ceremony, so the only reference in Chinese history is Zhu Hongwu. When the Ming Dynasty was established, Zhu Yuanzhang was about to ascend the throne in December of the first year of the Wu Dynasty, and ordered the left prime minister Li Shanchang and others to prepare the ceremony. Shanchang led the ritual officials to play. Now many of the ceremonies of Chen Han are copied from Zhu Ming's year. Then Chen Ming felt the golden carriage move, and the rolling sound of carriages and armor collided, which immediately added a touch of fierce color to the soft and elegant Shaoyin.

The city of Nanjing was already crowded with people, and even the Confucius Temple during the Lantern Festival was not so crowded. Countless soldiers with live ammunition on both sides of the imperial road were ready, and their eyes scanned the people in front of them like radars. Countless people cheered on both sides of the road. The second and third floors of the buildings on both sides of the imperial road were also crowded with people, and loud "Long live the emperor" came to the face.

This was the cry of the people:

"Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long live the emperor!"

"Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long live the emperor!"

Each shout was like an electric wave passing through Chen Ming's body. This was a completely different feeling from being shouted long live by the ministers. The Chinese of this era treated the emperor like a "god". As long as he was not incompetent and made the people in the country miserable, the subconscious reaction of the common people when they saw the emperor was to kneel down and kowtow.

Surrounded by hundreds of officials and ceremonial guards, the whole city of Nanjing, whether it was the common people or the wealthy and wise, looked forward to the golden carriage in the team. The houses along the street were filled with incense tables, and the whole family, young and old, came out together. When they saw the procession coming from afar, they knelt down and kowtowed, shouting "Long live the emperor".

In the team of state guests and envoys, in addition to the envoys and kings from Korea, Annan, Siam, Ryukyu, Japan, there were also Robert Peel, Michel Crulls, Francois Philippe Perrier, Robin Lustig and others led by Newton and Rodoni.

The appearance of these foreigners was also a "first" in the coronation ceremony of the Chinese dynasties.

Chen Ming sat motionless in the golden carriage. He could not see outside, but he could imagine that at this time, there must be a black mass of people kneeling down, whether they were white-haired old men or childish children, all of them had to kneel down and kowtow, shouting "Long live the emperor". This was a great force. The power of Eastern civilization was nurtured in this shouting like a tsunami.

"Mr. Robert, this is the power of the Eastern emperor. In his country, no one can challenge their dignity. Their will is the will of the entire country. His Majesty George III is a tiny firefly and the moon in the sky compared to the Chinese emperor.

The only thing that can make the Chinese emperor bow his head is heaven." Newton had a thorough understanding of the difference between China's "God" and the Western "God". In order to explain it more directly, he used "heaven" to describe it.

"Every emperor in China claims to be the son of heaven. Gods must also be recognized by the Chinese emperor to become real gods. The power of the Chinese emperor actually has no restrictions or taboos. The entire country is the private property of the emperor, and all the people are his slaves. Only the emperor is free, and the others, including the prime minister, are his servants."

"Here, the emperor does not exist because of the country, on the contrary, the country exists because of the emperor. In this country, the will of the emperor alone is greater than the sum of the wills of all the subjects. The entire country is to provide services to the emperor. The meaning of all the subjects' existence is to run for the emperor. All institutional arrangements are centered on the interests of the emperor alone.

Therefore, we see that under the emperor system, the emperor controls everything and dominates everything. All power is monopolized by the emperor alone, and all aspects of society are determined by the will of the emperor alone. "The more he learned about the East, the more terrifying China became in Newton's mind. In China, the relationship between the emperor and his subjects was not between man and man, but between God and man, and between man and the poultry he fed. The emperor of China is like a high god, and all the people in the world How to make a living, how to dress and wear hats, what style to build his house, and even how to think, all have to be decided by him. From Montesquieu's point of view, within the territory of the Chinese emperor. , that is, there is no air that can be breathed freely.

When the Tatar emperor ruled China, many people were beheaded because of a sentence of dissatisfaction in their diary, and some were cut into pieces because of schizophrenia and nonsense. One of the greatest Han emperors, Zhu Yuanzhang, also massacred tens of thousands of people at the beginning of the founding of the country. Those high-ranking ministers, generals and nobles were like chickens and ducks being slaughtered arbitrarily under his hands.

Regarding this point, Newton had already discussed this with Chen Ming, and Luo Dongni also told Chen Hui. It's just that the two of them got different answers. The Western monarchs in Luo Dongni's mouth were like ridiculous clowns in Chen Hui's eyes, while Chen Ming believed that it was the difference created by the civilizations of the two sides.

He once said to Newton, "Under the emperor's order, a magnificent and huge capital suddenly appeared in an unexpected place. The frontiers and seaports are open to foreign trade today, and they are all closed tomorrow. Between whether the emperor can, some economies Fields may be fully supported, and some economic fields may be completely banned. Huge armies move in and out of Mongolia and Vietnam, reaching as far as Central Asia. The most powerful fleet in the world cruises to the east coast of Africa, just for an unknown reason. of rumors The purpose is to promote the majesty of the emperor. For a real Chinese emperor, it is like turning the faucet of tap water with his hands. He can turn it on and turn it in the opposite direction. The fate of the whole world depends entirely on It depends on the "wiseness" or "foolishness" of the emperor. If the emperor has a peaceful and stable character, the world will be in order; if the emperor is overjoyed with his achievements, the world will be in turmoil; if the emperor is a bastard or crazy, the world will become a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood."

Therefore, Newton now strongly disagrees with Britain's actions in Burma, and it is really ridiculous that Britain and France, two countries that are at odds with each other in Europe, have joined forces in distant Asia because of an unstoppable empire. . "Britain should use peaceful thinking to solve India's interests."

"It is the greatest misfortune of the Kingdom of Great Britain to go against such a country and the current emperor of China."

"Every founding emperor of China is a unique hero. Looking at the history books of China, they account for most of the most outstanding people among the hundreds of emperors in Chinese history. With such a wise Chinese emperor, It would be like fighting Caesar."

Because as long as you offend the Chinese emperor, you will face an extremely powerful empire that will attack with all its strength. The power of the Chinese emperor reached the pinnacle of human power. Whether it is other countries in the east, the world of heaven, or kingdoms in the west, the prestige of their monarchs is far from being comparable to that of the Chinese emperor.

The most powerful emperor in Europe, Louis XIV of France, took the "Swiss Hundred Guards" with him when he traveled. He thought the pomp was extremely grand. Little did he know that every time Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty went out thousands of years ago, he would be accompanied by at least three warriors in costumes. Thousands of people.

In Russia, which is very colorful, Ivan IV also convened a meeting of the gentry composed of boyars, senior priests and feudal nobles to formulate national political and economic policies; Britain established a parliamentary system in the 13th century, and gradually formed a According to the king's practice in parliament, the king has no right to make and terminate laws without authorization; even in France when the European monarchy system was at its peak, Louis XIV had no right to deprive others of their lives at will, but could only send people he disliked to prison. Bastille. On the other hand, in China, those who are not even worthy of carrying shoes are the Chinese emperors.

Standing on the Temple of Heaven, Chen Ming looked down at the civil and military officials and the 20,000 soldiers of the Imperial Guard surrounding him, with mixed feelings in his heart. He traveled through ten years and finally reached this point today. All the ministers present lined up on both sides, with solemn expressions and lowered eyes. At this moment, except for the sound of the whistling wind blowing the flag, he could no longer hear any noise.

Ascending the throne, ascending the throne, does this word come from the fact that the emperor wanted to ascend the Circular Mound Altar?

Chen Ming first offered sacrifices to the Temple of Heaven and then to the Temple of Earth, among which the Temple of Heaven was the most important.

The wind blew the crown clothes, and the crowns struck each other, making a crisp and sweet sound.

"Long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

The cheers shook the sky, and thousands of rays of sunlight in the sky shone on Chen Ming's body. He opened his arms. At this moment, he really felt that he was embracing the whole world.

In my heart, a torrent roared like the mighty Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. In a trance, he seemed to see a real dragon.

The color turned dark and yellow, with a camel head, antlers, a snake neck, a turtle eye, a fish scale, a tiger paw, an eagle claw, an ox ear... It flew straight into the sky, and then its body shape quickly changed from a few tens of feet long at the beginning to a body of a thousand miles, and then circle on the map of China.

Countless sunlight shone down, and Chen Ming's eyes suddenly lit up. The rays of the sun made him close his eyes uncontrollably. When he opened them again, there was some kind of dragon in the sky, not even a single bird feather.

"The Emperor of Heaven and the Earth God have been willing to grant Ming the mandate to be the father of the people. Ming does not dare to accept it. All the subordinates, without planning, agree that the Manchus have taken advantage of the chaos to occupy the Central Plains and enslave the world for more than a hundred years.

The descendants of the gods have been reduced to carriages; the beautiful mountains and rivers have been reduced to left-handed clothes. There is no one who does not feel bitter and resentful of the slave chieftain.

Ming was angry and raised an army of righteousness. He defeated millions of pseudo-Qing slave soldiers in the Central Plains, executed countless high-ranking officials and important civil and military officials, pacified the world, and brought grace to hundreds of millions of people in the country. He is the will of heaven above and the will of the people below. Yuan Yuan returned. The people rested in the fields. All the ministers said that the people had no master, and they must promote the title of emperor. I dare not refuse, nor do I dare not report the emperor's blessing. So on February 2nd, on the south side of Zhongshan Mountain, an altar was set up and the ceremony was prepared to announce the emperor's blessing. I only care about the emperor's heart. If I can be a lord, the emperor's blessing will come on the day of the sacrifice, and the sky will be clear. If I can't, on that day, there will be strong winds and strange scenes, and let me know. "

There will certainly be no "strong winds and strange scenes" on the second day of February, otherwise if Chen Ming "cooked" again, he would order the beheading of all the people in the Imperial Observatory. So the whole ceremony was completed smoothly.

After the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the sky, Chen Ming was surrounded in front of the golden chair, facing south, and the stewards came forward with the crown case and the treasure case. The cabinet ministers and generals took the robes and put them on Chen Ming, and then put on the twelve-tassel crown.

The sound of the strings and chimes paused, and the music changed immediately. The etiquette officer shouted: "Officials, pay your respects!"

"The sacrificial ceremony is over. Please ascend the throne."

"Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long live the emperor!" The three kowtows and nine bows must be performed carefully and without any mistakes. In this way, the dynasty is officially established and has been registered with the gods.

The new dynasty is named Han and the era name is changed to Chengtian! This year is the first year of Chengtian, 1775 in the Western calendar. [Many people have proposed to use the Yellow Emperor's calendar, but looking at China's historical tradition, it has always been the emperor's era. Isn't it still learning the Western calendar model to come up with a Yellow Emperor's calendar 4xxx? 】

The large army returned to the Nanjing Imperial City. From today on, there is no need to say that this place is the Han Palace anymore. From today on, this is the legitimate palace, in the Fengtian Hall.

The edict of enthronement was announced, and Chen Ming sat on the dragon chair. The etiquette officer led Chen Cong to the throne of the emperor, knelt down and showed the tablet, and all the officials knelt down. The treasure officer opened the box, took out the emperor's jade seal and handed it to Chen Cong. Chen Cong held the jade seal and presented the imperial treasure. Shang Baoqing took the jade seal and put it in the box. Then the ministers came to pay their respects, bowed, bowed, bowed, stood up, tablet, bowed, danced three times, kneeled on the left knee, kowtowed three times, shouted long live the emperor, shouted again and again, kneeled on the right knee, and took out the tablet. All the civil and military officials followed this step to complete the ceremony meticulously.

The shouts of "Long live the emperor" were still ringing in Chen Ming's ears. Chen Ming had already coughed lightly and said, "When I ascend the throne, I will unify the world. All ministers must fulfill their duties and put down the chaos as soon as possible!"

The cabinet and all the officials bowed their heads again and shouted, "Long live, long live, long live!"

After the ceremony, Chen Ming went to the Taimiao to honor his ancestors. He honored the old lady Huang as the Grand Empress Dowager. Chen Hui Gao was the retired emperor and the empress dowager, but the three generations of ancestors from Chen Hui to above were to be posthumously honored.

The officials once again performed the ceremony of kneeling three times and bowing nine times. Then Chen Ming appointed the queen. At this point, the enthronement ceremony was completed.

The emperor's coronation ceremony was over, and it was time for Chen Ming to reward meritorious soldiers and officials. He issued an edict to confer titles on Chen Cong as the King of Song, and Chen Yan, Chen Yan, Chen Kuai, Chen Lu, Chen Cong, and Chen Zhe as the King of Cai, Xu, Deng, Xue, Ju, and Shen. Seven kings were conferred titles at once, and Chen Erbao was supposed to be included, but he was eventually taken down. But Chen Ming also compensated Chen Erbao, giving him the title of Duke of Yan, and Chen Quan the title of Duke of Xu. Just from the title alone, he surpassed Song, Xu, Cai, Deng, Shen, etc., and among this group of people, only his title was a noble title that could be inherited for five generations, while the titles of Chen Cong and Chen Quan could only be inherited for three generations, and the titles of the other six kings were just temporary titles.

Then there were Chen Liang, Gao Pengqi, Chen Jia, Chen Yi, Shi Meng, Lu Long, Chen Guang, Chen Qi, Huang Jie, Huang An, Gao Pingshan, Gao Jinghui, Chen Wenzan, Chen Jianbai, Chen Hongtao, Gao Qiao, Huang Jingting, Chen Kaishan, Chen Andong, Gao Yuanhou, etc. All of them were given the title of Marquis. Those who died in the battle before, such as Gao Pengyue, were also posthumously given the title of Marquis of Zhengyang!

Then there were some civil officials, and some military generals with a lower status, such as Liu Dezhao, Chen Gang, Peng Zhongrui, Shen Guozhen, Ren Meng, Zhang Chi, Zheng Hongyu, Wei Xiuzhi, Liu Wu, Chen Dawei, Huang Zicong, etc., as well as Yang Shijin, Zheng Lianfu, Chen Dai, Duan Xiulin, Ye Xiangde, Wang Lun, Liu Song, Miao Fuwei, Liu Wen, etc., including the navy generals and some surrendered Qing army officers, the number of people was quite large. These people were all granted titles of baron, but their positions varied. Some were noble titles that were passed down for five or three generations, while others were just titles of nobility.

In short, looking at the people who were granted titles as a whole, there were very few kings and dukes among the meritorious officials, but there were no less than fifty marquises, and more than a hundred earls, with the total number approaching the 200 mark.

"The head of all officials cannot be vacant. Chen Cong, the Minister of the Cabinet of King Jin Song and the Minister of Finance, is the Chief Minister of the Cabinet."

Chen Cong stepped forward to receive the decree and thanked the emperor. Although Chen Cong had been prepared, he was still uncontrollably excited when he heard this.

"The prince is the foundation of the country's future and cannot be appointed lightly. Now my sons are all underage, and they will be temporarily given the title of Duke. When they reach the age of twenty, the title will be determined."

The age of twenty means that people have grown up, and Chen Ming has a good idea of ​​whether they are smart or stupid, and how they behave. It will be difficult to determine it by then.

The whole process was over, and it was almost dark.

When Chen Ming first came to the harem as the master, he went to the West Palace first, and paid his respects to Chen Hui and Gao, who had moved here, and then to the old lady, the most senior empress dowager. When he arrived at Kunning Palace, Li Xiaomei, Liu Wanyun, Shi, Feng, Wu, Yao, Lin, etc. were already waiting in front of Kunning Palace.

The previous dynasty conferred titles on all the ministers, and then Chen Ming held a banquet for all the ministers, and the harem was not idle. When Li Xiaomei was canonized as the queen, the several who gave birth to Chen Ming's children were all canonized as the main wife, and the next person was the concubine. There were not so many channels in the Chen Han court, just four ranks.

Concubine, main wife, noble concubine and queen. The imperial concubine was the vice queen, and theoretically she would not appear when the queen was there.

"Everyone get up." Chen Ming waved his hand, with unconcealable joy in his voice.