Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 532 New Year's Eve Feast
In 201 AD, the third year of Shenwu's reign, on the first day of the first month.

Because of the busy preparations before and after the New Year's Day celebrations, Zhang Yu barely slept a wink. The night before, he brought his children to pay respects to the retired Emperor Zhang Ji and held a late-night ancestral worship ceremony with him.

When the royal family worshipped their ancestors, the officials of Chang'an would travel from their residences to the palace according to the established rites, and they would gather outside the Zichen Hall before the tenth quarter of the night had elapsed.

Torches were set up in the spacious courtyard of Duanmen Gate to keep the officials warm when they entered the palace late at night. Hundreds of lanterns, some five feet or three feet high, were arranged along the stone steps leading from Duanmen Gate to the Zichen Hall. When the moon shone on the lanterns, it was as if a thousand trees of flowers were blooming at night, and stars were falling like rain to adorn the night palace.

Grand music and ceremonial guards were set up in front of the hall, while cooks, servants, and eunuchs busied themselves inside!
Before the Yuanhui Festival, all the officials gathered in the courtyard from Duanmen Gate to Zichen Hall, each dressed in fine clothes and greeting each other with smiles on their faces.

Has the Prime Minister arrived yet?

Du Ji led the six ministers of the Ministry of Personnel, shouting at the top of his lungs.

We've arrived!

Zhong Yao squeezed through the crowd, cupped his hands to Du Ji, and said with a smile, "May the beginning of the year bring you good fortune, peace, and abundant harvests."

May you enjoy peace, health, and abundant harvests!

Du Ji responded with a congratulatory remark, handed over the report from the Ministry of Personnel, and said with a smile, "The Prime Minister is the head of all officials, and I am grateful to have him deliver this report on behalf of the Ministry of Personnel."

"Have some more wine later. You worked very hard last year, Lord Du!"

"With the Prime Minister before me, I dare not complain of being weary!"

"You're welcome!"

"Prime Minister, the report from the Privy Council is here!"

Taking advantage of the free time, Xun You led several people from the Privy Council to present a report.

The term "谒者" (yězhě) refers to a person of lower status who receives a superior's greeting. Today, on New Year's Day, a report is presented to Zhang Yu, containing nothing more than greetings from the officials to Zhang Yu and Wang Ji.

"General, you have come all the way from Yuzhou to guard the frontier. You must be tired from your journey!"

After Xun You left, Zhong Yao greeted Zhang Liao as he presented his report.

"It's been several years since I last saw you, Prime Minister, you look much more energetic!" Zhang Liao asked, "I wonder if His Majesty intends to launch a military campaign this year?"

Zhong Yao accepted the report and said vaguely, "Since His Majesty has summoned the Grand General to the capital, there must be military matters to instruct him. The Grand General may wish to pay his respects to His Majesty after the New Year's assembly and then observe His Majesty's instructions."

"good!"

After a round of pleasantries, it was already the hour of Yin (3-5 AM).

"Boom!"

The bell rang out clearly, and the servant raised his voice and announced loudly.

"The hour of Yin has arrived. All ministers, please enter the hall to pay your respects to His Majesty!"

Upon hearing the news, no one dared to delay. Under the arrangement of the master of ceremonies, they lined up in two rows, one for civil officials and one for military officials, and filed into the hall.

After all the officials were seated, amidst the sounds of bells and drums, Zhang Yu, accompanied by Wang Ji in his official robes and crown, attended the ceremony, and the two sat together on the imperial couch.

"Your subject Zhong Yao, on behalf of all officials, pays homage to the Two Emperors, wishing them long life and great fortune at the beginning of the year!"

May you live a long and prosperous life, and have a lucky start to the new year!

When Zhong Yao delivered the congratulatory message, all the officials responded in unison.

Zhang Yu, seemingly supporting himself from the air, laughed and said, "The beginning of the year is a joyous occasion, so there's no need for such formalities!"

"Thank you saint!"

After paying their respects to Zhang Yu, the officials took their seats at the banquet according to their assigned positions, as indicated by the master of ceremonies.

Zhang Yu pointed to the white tiger-shaped wine vessel in the hall and laughed, "This year, during the court audience, only those who dare to offer loyal advice will be allowed to open the white tiger vessel and drink wine!"

Then, Zhang Yu looked at Ying Shao and said, "Thank you for presiding over the meeting!"

"promise!"

Ying Shao stepped to the side of the steps, gathered his energy in his dantian, and raised his voice: "The beginning of the year, the start of the year, is the time to observe whether the year will be good or bad. If the wind and rain are favorable, and the divination yields a favorable result, it will benefit all officials and assist the sage in governing the world. Therefore, we will first perform divination to determine whether this year will be good or bad!"

The beginning of the year marks the start of the new year, hence the custom of divination developed since the Eastern Han Dynasty. Some people listened to the weather based on the five tones, others observed clouds and rain to know the harvest, and still others discerned wind direction to know good or bad fortune. Therefore, before the New Year's banquet, fortune tellers, feng shui masters, and shamans would report good or bad omens.

"Listen to the five tones of heaven and earth, and the Shang tone will appear, indicating military affairs!"

"Observe the weather and wind direction; if the wind blows from the north and clouds obscure the bright moon, the harvest will be average!"

"The sky will be overcast on New Year's Day, and there will be light rain during the day. The people will have no worries about famine!"

The harvest can be determined by observing the rainfall. The main factor is how many days of rain fall from the first to the seventh day of the lunar month. If it rains for one day on the first day, there will be one liter of rice to eat. If it continues to rain on the second day, and there are two consecutive days of rain, there will be two liters of rice.

"color!"

Although he knew that observing the wind, listening to the sounds, and discerning the atmosphere were not necessarily accurate, Zhang Yu still smiled and clapped his hands, instructing his men, "Reward them with money and provisions!"

"Thank you, Sage!" The fortune teller, feng shui master, and others, having received a lucky gift, happily bowed and withdrew.

Ying Shao said, "Feng Shui has its symbols, and divination has its results. Now there is the calamity of war, but the harvest is mediocre, which is a neutral hexagram. A sage will govern the world, with civil officials assisting the military, and peace will be restored to the world!"

"Receive the divination!" everyone shouted in unison.

In times of peace, war might not be a good thing, and the divination results might not be considered neutral. However, in a chaotic world where war is a constant occurrence, the disasters of war are commonplace. The key is to avoid large-scale droughts and floods.

With the divination concluded, the New Year's celebrations began at Ying Shao's suggestion.

Zhang Yu raised his wine cup to the assembled officials and said, “Since I raised my army in Daishuo, it has taken me more than twelve years to finally pacify China. Now that the Tang Dynasty has been established, it is thanks to the loyal assistance of you all. The Empress and I toast you all with this cup.”

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Everyone drank a full cup, accepting the gift with utmost respect and trepidation.

Then, Zhang Yu looked at Zhong Yao and said with a smile, "Sir, you abandoned your family business to serve me. Did you expect things to turn out this way?"

Zhong Yao rose from his seat and replied, "I served Your Majesty in the past because I respected Your Majesty's strategic acumen, and I thought that Your Majesty's ability to establish the Qin and Jin dynasties was already remarkable. How could I have dared to dream of the honor you enjoy today!"

“What the Prime Minister says is the same as what I said. Back in Shangdang, I originally intended to protect the borders and the people, to follow the example of Dou Rong, and to submit to the one destined by Heaven. Unexpectedly, after so many battles, we have wiped out all the warlords in China, with only the bandit leaders in five states still unsettled,” Zhang Yu said with emotion.

"I will first offer a toast to the Prime Minister!"

"How dare you!"

Zhong Yao said, "During the court audience, it is only right that your subject shows respect to Your Majesty, not Your Majesty showing respect to your subject."

"Though I cannot present this formal gift, I will never forget the merits you have rendered!"

Zhang Yu looked at Yu Yi and joked, "I wonder how many children that barbarian woman has borne for you?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Yi's face flushed red, and he said awkwardly, "Two sons and one daughter, thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."

"Ha ha!"

Zhang Yu looked around at the civil and military officials at the table and said with a smile: "When I was appointed to a post on the frontier, there were no civil officials around me. Minister Yu had to take up a post to support his family because of his poor family background. At that time, the northern frontier was often snowy and the days were often bitter and cold. I was worried that Minister Yu would not be able to bear it and would run away. So when I went out to raid the Hu people, I gave him a beautiful Hu woman to appease him."

"hehe!"

Unexpectedly, Yu Yi had such a past, and everyone couldn't help but laugh good-naturedly. Yu Yi, on the other hand, looked embarrassed. He had been in dire straits in his youth, and if he hadn't followed Zhang Yu, he probably wouldn't have achieved what he has today through his own efforts over several lifetimes.

Amidst laughter, Meng Ningzhi, emboldened, left his seat and boasted to Yu Yi about his purple robe and official seal, bowing and asking, "How do you feel now, you who were once so ugly?"

Meng Ningzhi's sudden question puzzled everyone present, who were unsure of the relationship between the two.

Yu Yi was stunned for a moment, then realized that Meng Ningzhi was referring to his enlistment years ago. He then said with shame, "I was wrong to have recognized such a hero. I lack His Majesty's ability to judge people. I hope the general will forgive me!"

Upon hearing Yu Yi apologize, Meng Ningzhi hurriedly returned the greeting and said, "Prime Minister, I had no intention of blaming you. I only wish to let people know that one should not judge a book by its cover."

"Hey!"

Yu Yi returned the greeting, then sighed and remained silent.

Upon hearing this, those unaware of the details inquired among themselves and learned that when Meng Ning joined the army, he requested to be appointed as a squad leader, but was rejected by Yu Yi because of his ugly appearance. Instead, Zhang Yu was the one who promoted and recruited him. Everyone sighed in dismay.

Zhang Yu said, "What happened more than ten years ago was something Shao Ran overlooked. Now, let us two drink a cup of wine to let bygones be bygones."

"please!"

Although Meng Ningzhi was narrow-minded and had been holding onto his resentment for over a decade, the recent interrogation dissipated all his anger. Therefore, under Zhang Yu's guidance, he apologized to Yu Yi.

"The past transgressions are all contained in the wine," Yu Yi replied with great magnanimity.

Zhang Yu smiled and said to everyone, "Today is the beginning of my first year on the throne, and also the day of my third year. If any of you have grudges, I hope you can settle them at this banquet."

"promise!"

Taking advantage of the warmer atmosphere, Ying Shao ordered his officials to come forward and offer their congratulations. At that time, a military general was first introduced, followed by a civil official, and they all paid their respects to Zhang Yu in turn.

"Your Majesty, I wish you a long and prosperous life. If you wish to lead the campaign against the southern invaders, I am willing to volunteer!" Zhang Liao said, offering a toast.

Zhang Yu laughed and said, "When I ascended the throne, Wen Yuan was far away in Yuzhou, so we could not get together to drink and make merry. Now that the New Year's banquet is being held, and you have no subordinates to pay your respects, you may go home when you have had your fill."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The timing of the New Year's celebration, which was held by the emperor and his ministers, was unusual; it was not at dusk, but at dawn before daybreak.

There are two reasons why dawn was chosen instead of dusk.

Firstly, dawn is the beginning of the day, and celebrating the New Year before dawn is in accordance with the auspicious day of the Three Origins. Secondly, in addition to paying homage to Zhang Yu, the officials and their subordinates also pay homage to them. Therefore, for these two reasons, the court's New Year celebrations need to be arranged at dawn.

After Zhang Liao offered his congratulations, the remaining civil and military officials offered similar auspicious words. Zhang Yu, however, did his best to encourage each of his subordinates, hoping to boost morale.

(End of this chapter)