Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 304 The Lantern Festival Gathering: The Abolition of the Buddhist Sect!
The fifteenth day of the first month of the second year of the Han Dynasty.

Today is a special day; according to the name used in later generations, today is the Lantern Festival.

However, the Lantern Festival in the Han Dynasty was different from that in later generations; it was not a celebration of family reunion.

The Records of the Grand Historian, Book of Music, states: "The Han dynasty would regularly offer sacrifices to Taiyi Ganquan on the first Xin day of the first month, at dusk, continuing until dawn. Shooting stars would often pass over the altar. Seventy boys and girls would then sing together."

During the Former Han Dynasty, on the first Xin day of the first ten days of the first month of each year, the emperor would hold a sacrifice to the creator god Taiyi at the Ganquan Palace in Chang'an, from dusk until dawn the next day.

The emperor held a banquet at Ganquan Palace to entertain his officials.

During the Later Han Dynasty, Buddhist scriptures were transmitted to the East, the White Horse Temple was built, and Shakyamuni was called "King of the Precious Lamp" by Buddhist monks, who said that "a thousand lamps burned on his body".

The Buddhist doctrine compares firelight to the divine power of the Buddha, saying that "one lamp can dispel a thousand years of darkness." The Buddhist patriarch Shakyamuni manifested his divine transformation and subdued demons on December 30th in the Western Land, which is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in the Eastern Land. To commemorate the Buddhist patriarch's divine transformation, a lamp-lighting ceremony is held on this day.

During the reign of Emperor Xiaoming, Moteng and Zhu Falan came to the east to spread Buddhism. Emperor Xiaoming ordered that lamps be lit on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the day of the miraculous transformation of the Buddhist patriarch. He also personally went to the temple to set up the lamps and ordered everyone to burn them to symbolize the great enlightenment of Buddhism.

From then on, although not every emperor was a devout follower of Buddhist doctrines, every year on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the city would be decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and all the nobles and commoners would hang lanterns. This formed the tradition of appreciating lanterns during the Lantern Festival to entertain the people and enjoy themselves, and it was called the "Lantern Festival".

However, Liu Bian did not care about this ridiculous "Lantern Festival" and even renamed it "Lantern Festival".

What if Taoism has not yet popularized the concepts of "Shangyuan," "Zhongyuan," and "Xiayuan"?

If the emperor wanted to call this "Lantern Festival," then it would have to be called the "Lantern Festival."

Liu Bian disliked Buddhism and abhorred its emphasis on the afterlife over this life.

Although the Buddhist doctrine of this era was to persuade people to do good, as the emperor, since he disliked this Buddhist religion, his subjects would follow his example and abandon his dislikes.
To this day, Buddhism remains on the list of religions that practice sexual immorality. It prohibits the holding of sacrifices and the recruitment of followers, with violators facing execution in the marketplace!
In a short time, the number of Buddhist believers in Luoyang, the capital, decreased sharply. No one would defy the emperor for the sake of their faith, and even if someone did... his family would not allow such a reckless act that would bring disaster upon them.

At this moment, just as the hour of You (17:00 PM) arrived, the deep blue sky above Luoyang City gradually settled, and night fell like a giant black curtain covering the heavens.

In an instant, the lights of thousands of households in the city lit up one after another. The lights were like stars falling to earth, reflecting the twinkling stars in the night sky and weaving a huge net that enveloped the entire city in a bright net of light.

The Lantern Festival celebrations began with the unveiling of this fiery net, and the city's noise rose like boiling water.

Liu Bian, dressed in a white dragon-fish robe, walked slowly southward along the northern end of the Heavenly Street, surrounded by a group of concubines.

Looking south, the entire long street was submerged in candlelight.

The candlelight, shining through the crimson paper lampshade, shone like flowing fire serpents, illuminating the street as bright as day.

The crowd was bustling, and the noise was like a boiling cauldron.

The streets were teeming with gentry and commoners. During this rare Lantern Festival, even the usually arrogant playboys set aside their contempt for the common people and, holding torches made of reeds or branches, sang and danced in groups in the square.

The sound of their footsteps striking the ground was rhythmic and powerful, like the waves crashing against the shore, echoing the distant, ethereal sound of drums and music.

"Look, my lord, it's a dance!"

Xun Cai leaned close to Liu Bian's ear, her voice tinged with excitement. Having followed her father's teachings since childhood, she had never seen such a lively scene before, and her words implied an encouragement for Liu Bian to join in the dance.

Who would have known that the emperor loved singing and dancing, especially this kind of step dance!

However, as soon as the words left his mouth, Xun Cai realized he had spoken out of turn.

It was already a rare privilege for the emperor to take them out of the palace to watch the lanterns; how could they possibly participate in the common people's dancing?

Putting aside the fact that it was improper, if there were assassins mixed in with the dancing crowd, the consequences would be unimaginable!

"Hahaha, very good, very good!" Liu Bian laughed loudly, without refusing. Looking at the jubilant dancing crowd in front of him, he was itching to try it himself.

As for the concern that he might be assassinated while dancing?
Liu Bian carefully handed his daughter to the wet nurse beside him. Although Liu Qing had a natural birth and it was not her first child, she had still narrowly escaped death. Liu Bian was worried about her going out with him, fearing that she might catch a cold or get hurt and develop health problems.

These days, if you don't take proper care during your postpartum period, you might develop health problems for the rest of your life!
After handing the child over to the wet nurse, Liu Bian reached out and shoved the group, saying excitedly, "Junming (Dian Wei), Bodu (Xun Fei), Bodao (Fu De), Degui (Cai Mao), come with me!"

Liu Bian was naturally too weak to push these people, but the emperor himself had already strode into the dancing crowd. How could they stand idly by and put the emperor in possible danger?
For a moment, Dian Wei and his three brothers-in-law, Xun Fei, Fu De, and Cai Mao, had no choice but to follow in, half helplessly and half cautiously, and quickly formed a guard around Liu Bian.

Wang Yue, Fu Xie, Zhang Chao, Han Sui, and other officers and soldiers of the Wuwei Battalion, dressed in civilian clothes, also quietly blended into the crowd.

The dancers were immersed in joy when a group of imposing men suddenly joined them. Although it seemed abrupt, no one questioned it in the warm atmosphere illuminated by the lights, and they enthusiastically distributed torches to Liu Bian and his group.

An elderly man with white hair and beard stood by the square, pointing at Liu Bian as he danced. He stroked his beard and praised, "Young man, what a graceful dance!" Upon hearing this, Liu Bian danced to the rhythm while nodding and smiling in response, saying, "Yes, my mother always praises me like that, saying that I dance much better than my master!"

Upon hearing this, the concubines, guards, and other attendants who knew the truth couldn't help but laugh, and could only lower their heads to hide their smiles.

If the retired emperor heard the emperor say such things, he probably wouldn't be able to contain himself and would pull the emperor into a dance-off on the spot.

Before long, the torch in his hand burned out, and the dance came to an end.

Liu Bian waved his hand, politely declining the sachets offered by several young women with budding romantic feelings, and turned back to the throng of beauties. He continued to stroll along the main street with his wives and concubines, laughing and chatting, attracting the attention of passersby who were filled with envy.

However, Liu Bian's gaze quietly returned to the place where he had just danced. Xun Cai was worried that it might be dangerous for him to participate in the dance.
Among the dancers just now, there were probably very few who weren't dressed in embroidered robes!
These guys, when they dance, don't even bother to hide the brass nameplates that represent their status at their waists properly. They almost blinded him. How could there be any danger?

After walking several dozen steps, the group came to a huge tree of lanterns, with countless crimson palace lanterns hanging densely from its branches, shining like a cascading galaxy, illuminating the lights in all directions.

Upon closer inspection, one notices that each lamp is skillfully hand-painted with auspicious birds and beasts, and the candlelight shines through the thin gauze, creating a dazzling display.

At the top of the lamp tree, a huge bronze mirror reflects the lights from all directions, warding off evil spirits and bringing good fortune, with the candlelight and glow intertwined.

Under the lamp-lit tree, the music and dance for the worship of the God Taiyi were in full swing, and there was a white crane locked in a large cage, with the shaman's feathered robes fluttering.

It was a feathered robe adorned with white bird feathers, and he wore a crane crown on his head. He danced with the white cranes in the cage, stretching their necks and spreading their wings, looking ethereal and otherworldly.

This dance is called the Crane Dance!

Animal-themed dances were popular during the Han Dynasty. During the Former Han Dynasty, the variety shows in Chang'an included "a large bird strutting, a white elephant carrying a pregnant woman, and a bird with a drooping trunk rolling around."

The Former Han Dynasty inherited the shamanistic tradition of communicating with the gods through dance from the Chu region, and combined it with the ritual music of the Central Plains to form the "animal-mimicking dance".

Cranes were regarded as "celestial birds" during the Han Dynasty. Later, with the prevalence of prophecies and apocryphal texts, crane dances were also seen as a celebration of national peace and prosperity and the mandate of heaven. As a result, crane dances were popular in both the court and the countryside.

After strolling along the Heavenly Street for about an hour, everyone was already showing signs of fatigue.

Therefore, under the protection of a group of soldiers from the Imperial Guards dressed in civilian clothes, and with countless embroidered guards secretly pointing along the way, they escorted the emperor and his concubines back to the palace.

However, returning to the palace does not mean the end of today's activities. For this Lantern Festival, which should have lasted all night, this is just a warm-up.

Moreover, today is not only the Lantern Festival, but also the one-month anniversary of Liu Yuanchu's birth.

Liu Bian, holding his one-month-old daughter, invited a group of close court officials to participate in his daughter's one-month celebration banquet. Even Liu Hong, the retired emperor, made a rare appearance from the North Palace, reappearing in the sight of the court officials to participate in his granddaughter's one-month celebration banquet.

At the banquet, Liu Bian gave Liu Yuanchu the formal name "Liu Huang," while "Yuanchu" was simply adopted as her nickname.

Liu Huang, whose nickname was Yuanchu.

Such a given name and nickname clearly demonstrate the extent to which this eldest princess was favored by the emperor.

“You must behave well, and not be like your father, who is always so irritable.”

While Liu Bian was drinking and chatting with his close courtiers, Liu Hong snatched Liu Huang from the wet nurse's arms, carefully held his swaddling granddaughter, and played with the little girl with her big, blinking eyes along with Empress He, his eyes revealing rare affection and tenderness.

Who doesn't wish for family happiness and the joy of being surrounded by children and grandchildren?

As a beneficiary of the succession of the main branch from a minor one, the lack of offspring was always a drawback for his lineage. Therefore, Liu Hong was actually satisfied with Liu Bian's fertility and the fact that his harem maintained a facade of harmony, unlike the cutthroat atmosphere of his own harem.

Whether it's civil administration or military prowess, and even in the harem, this kid is now more outstanding than his father.

Of course, he could only keep his satisfaction with his son Liu Bian to himself; he would never openly express it.

Look at this kid's unruly behavior. If he finds out, he'll be strutting around like crazy.
That will definitely affect the governance of the country!

It's definitely not because he's too proud to admit that this brat is better than his father!

Liu Bian, of course, had no idea what Liu Hong was thinking about him; he simply continued drinking with his court officials.

Everyone else thought that he was only happy because this daughter proved his fertility, which was why he doted on this eldest princess so much.

But for Liu Bian, it was not so; rather, it was because this daughter was a symbol of his true roots in this era.

(3067 words)
(End of this chapter)