Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 220: The most important affairs of the state are sacrifice and war
January 1867, 1

It is a sunny day, suitable for breaking ground, offering sacrifices, raising beams, and moving graves. It is beneficial in the southeast and is a very auspicious day.

When it's still dark

The lights in Ganquan Palace were bright, and all the palace eunuchs were busy. The Queen Mother, King Zheng Guohui of Chu, the Queen, and all the concubines in the palace burned incense, bathed, and changed clothes early in the morning, preparing to go to the clan temple to worship.

"Dongmei, is His Majesty ready?" Queen Li asked anxiously.

Dongmei hurried over and nodded quickly, her snow-white and delicate skin flushed bright red. She had just finished helping His Majesty the King of Chu change his clothes, and then she ran over to report the news.

Dongmei is the maidservant who came with Queen Li as a dowry. In the harem, she is the queen's confidant and has an invisible mark on her.

Queen Li got up more than an hour early, had already finished washing and dressing, put on a grand ceremonial crown and headdress, and was sitting on the brocade couch waiting.

Seeing the sky was about 4: in the morning, she turned and asked, "What about the Queen Mother? Has she gotten up and washed yet?"

"Reporting to Her Majesty, the Queen Mother got up half an hour ago, bathed and washed, and had some tea and snacks. When I came here, she was just ordering her to change clothes."

"That's all right, let's go."

The queen raised her arms, supported by the court maids on both sides, and with a court girl behind her holding her long clothes, she walked all the way outside.

When they arrived at the central hall, King Zheng Guohui of Chu received the report and came out from the inner hall to greet them.

In the bright candlelight

King Zheng Guohui of Chu also strode out in a dark blue sacrificial robe and a royal crown on his head.

When he saw the queen dressed, he said with a smile, "The queen is dressed in a robe, which is much more formal than usual. I dare not joke easily."

"Your Majesty, please stop joking. The most important affairs of state are sacrifices and military affairs. How can we treat them as a joke?"

"My Queen, that is my fault."

"I dare not speak rashly. Your Majesty, please go with me and ask the old queen mother to come first."

"Well, let's go."

King Zheng Guohui of Chu readily extended his hand and walked towards the Queen Mother's bedroom.

The Queen Mother lived alone in the small garden at the back of Ganquan Palace. The row of bungalows in the back garden had been renovated and a fence with flowers, plants and trees had been added, covered with flowers of various colors.

This is what it means to find peace and quiet in the midst of noise.

Queen Mother Zheng Qian usually liked to sit in the Baroque pavilion, listening to the court maids playing the piano, the invited gentlemen telling stories, drinking tea and chatting happily.

It was pitch dark at this time, but the row of bungalows where the Queen Mother lived was brightly lit.

Led by two rows of lanterns carried by palace maids, King Zheng Guohui of Chu and Queen Li came to the flower-covered hedge wall and reported respectfully in a loud voice:
"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother, the prince and the queen respectfully welcome you and proceed to the family ancestral hall to pay homage. We respectfully invite the Queen Mother to depart."

"I know. I've been waiting for you for a long time. Why do you have so many rules? If you had told me earlier, I, an old lady, would have gone there by myself." A voice came from inside the house.

the door opens
The Queen Mother was a kind old woman, wearing a dark blue robe and a head full of pearls and jade, which made a rustling sound with every step she took.

The two concubines, Qiao Yue and Qiao Xing, supported the Queen Mother on either side. Zheng Guohui walked forward with a smile on his face and called out affectionately, "Queen Mother...how can I let you go alone?"

"Well, why call me Queen Mother? Just calling me "Mom" is better than anything else. It sounds weird... awkward." The Queen Mother grumbled, but she grabbed her son's hand and looked at it carefully. She liked it the most.

I couldn't help but start nagging, saying;

"Look at our second son, he has looked like me since he was young, much more delicate than your father, tall, strong and capable, he is truly blessed after several lifetimes of cultivation.

Your father and I have lived in Tongzhou all our lives. We are just a bunch of rich locals, but we never expected that we would raise a real dragon. How can we seek justice for this?
Your father is afraid of death, so he just listens to the nonsense of those old ghosts in the clan.

He was afraid that he would die on the way to Nanyang, and would not be able to be buried in his ancestral tomb, but would become a lonely ghost outside.

That's why he refuses to come no matter what. It's because this old man is unlucky.

Look at me, an old woman. I will go wherever my son is, no matter how far away the place is. I will go with him even if I die. I want to stay with him. Now I am enjoying my life.

Your father, this damn old man, is so unlucky! "

The old Queen Mother kept chattering, but the Queen didn't dare to interrupt her. She could only feel anxious and wink at Zheng Guohui repeatedly.

Zheng Guohui smiled and replied, "Mom, I'll take you to the ancestral temple right now. From now on, this will be our royal temple. I'll tell our ancestors here that you've become the Queen Mother."

"Okay, we should tell our ancestors about it. This is a big deal." The Queen Mother understood and responded with a smile.

Nowadays, women are generally not allowed to enter the ancestral hall unless it is something extremely good or extremely bad.

The best thing is that the royal family's weddings and funerals, as well as the enthronement of women of noble birth, are all major events that are not restricted by ordinary clan etiquette.

The worst thing that could happen was being unfaithful to one's husband and being arrested and publicly questioned in the clan temple.

According to ancient rituals
When a king marries a queen, he needs to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth. The queen of Da Chu was married before the founding of the country, so this etiquette was naturally omitted.

The subsequent Nacai ceremony should be held in the clan ancestral hall to show solemnity. These rituals and the subsequent complicated rituals of asking for the name, accepting the good news, accepting the betrothal gifts, and announcing the date are omitted.

But there are two rituals that cannot be omitted, namely the "Temple Reporting Ceremony" and the "Enthronement Ceremony", which are the clan ancestral hall ceremonies to be held early this morning.

Today is not just about enthroning, but also reporting to the ancestors of the Zheng family;
"The Great Chu Kingdom was established in Southeast Asia. Zheng Guohui, a descendant of the Zheng family, was made King of Chu. Manila was established as the capital. He offered sacrifices to his ancestors for generations, and sacrifices continued for thousands of years.

My father is honored as King Ren of Chu, my grandfather is posthumously honored as King Xin of Chu, my great-grandfather is posthumously honored as King Yi of Chu, my mother is honored as Queen Mother, and Zheng Li is honored as Queen, etc., and this is hereby announced to the world."

If the name is not correct, the words will not be correct.

The two grand rituals of "reporting to the temple" and "conferring the title" cannot be omitted.

The group arrived at the gate of Ganquan Palace, where the carriage had already been prepared.

A large number of Zheng clan members wearing black cheongsams stood at the palace gate waiting, and the line stretched all the way to the door of St. Augustine's Cathedral.

The royal clan ancestral hall is just outside the gate of Ganquan Palace, more than 100 meters away. It was originally the Baroque Cathedral of St. Justin. The architectural decoration is prosperous and gorgeous, and almost every part is exquisite.

Now, after the reconstruction, the cross and other elements that can be associated with Catholicism have been removed, and the ancestral tablets of the Zheng family's ancestors have been placed where the altar was originally placed.

The tall statue of the crucifixion of Jesus that originally stood on the front of the church has been removed, along with the oversized bronze cross and other religious items, which have been temporarily placed in a remote warehouse.

It only takes a few minutes to get from the gate of Ganquan Palace to the royal ancestral hall by carriage.

At the gate of the royal ancestral hall, Taoist Master Jingyun from the "Taiyuan Zixiao Palace" Taoist temple in Wudang Mountain led a group of Taoists to respectfully welcome them at the gate.

After some courtesy, people entered the magnificent cathedral one after another, and the atmosphere became solemn and dignified.

The descendants of the Zheng clan took seats on both sides of the church, and soon the huge church was full. Some people of lower status could not enter the door and had to wait outside.

The founding of the Great Chu State was based on the Zheng family. Among the "nine ministries and three departments" of the provisional government, four ministerial-level officials were occupied by members of the Zheng family. Together with important figures such as Zheng Shouxin, the governor of Tongzhou, they occupied nearly half of the country.

As for the military, there are even more.

Now, everyone is properly dressed in dark blue robes, and the cathedral is filled with people. In this extremely heavy and solemn atmosphere, every member of the Zheng family has found their roots in their blood and a sense of belonging overseas.

In this cathedral, which should now be called the Royal Family Temple, everything seems to be in place.

Inside the clan ancestral hall

The high dome-style arched doors and windows are covered with exquisite Baroque intricate patterns. The murals depict religious stories of Catholic doctrine and there are also naked little angels.

In front of the altar

The religious ceremony was presided over by hundreds of Taoist priests. On the altar were placed layers of ancestral tablets. Each ancestral tablet was cast in purple copper, with exquisite patterns of coiled dragons and clouds, and the ancestor's name made with gold-plated craftsmanship.

The great-grandfather was King Yi of Chu, and the grandfather was King Xin of Chu, both of them were listed prominently and placed in the center. There were also three layers of eaves decorations on the ancestors' ranks, which were the lintels of the kings.

There is no ranking for other ancestors, which shows their respect and veneration after their death.

One detail that deserves special mention is
Gaozu was the Righteous King of Chu. It is said that Gaozu was a very loyal and chivalrous man during his lifetime. Whenever his neighbors were in trouble, he would generously help them. Therefore, he was the Righteous King of Chu.

My grandfather was a man of integrity and loyalty, nothing special about him. He was King Xin of Chu.

In the ancestral tablets, seven generations of ancestors of the Zheng family are enshrined. This is considered to be beyond the rules. This is the royal etiquette. The princes can only enshrine five generations of tablets. It cannot be a mess.

The Duke of Zhou established rituals, as stipulated in the "Wangzhi" (Royal Regulations);
The emperor has seven temples, princes have five temples, officials have three temples, and scholars have two temples.

A temple is a place where tablets are enshrined for worship. The temple where the ancestors live is the ancestral tablet.

In other words, the emperor offered seven tablets, the princes five, the officials three, and the scholars two.

"The Book of Rites" says: The seven leaves can be used to observe virtue.

It also says: "Three Zhaos and three Mus, together with Taizu, make seven." This is a very particular point.

The inner meaning is worth pondering!

Under the altar, there are a total of nine hundred and ninety-nine lit oil lamps surrounding the ancestral seats.

Directly above the ancestral tablets, in the center of the screen wall of the Heng Hall of the ancestral hall, there are three huge gilded plaques hanging, all of which were handwritten by Zheng Guohui himself.

The first one is "Expanding Territory", the second one is "Taking Root in Southeast Asia", and the third one is "Carrying On the Past and Opening Up the Future".

The three characters have three meanings: "Opening up new frontiers" is the current work, "taking root in Southeast Asia" is the expectation for future generations, and "carrying on the past and forging ahead" is the vision for the future of the Zheng family.

This vigorous and powerful font adds an invisible aura of majesty to the ancestral hall, is full of Chinese cultural characteristics, and complements the altar for ancestral worship.

Above the screen wall of the Hengtang Hall was originally where the statue of the crucifixion of Jesus was hung. The space is tall and large, and with three huge gilded plaques hanging on it, it does not seem crowded at all.

According to the plan
Huge couplets will also be made on the left and right sides, but due to the tight time schedule and the relatively large reconstruction project, they can only be completed after the National Day celebrations.

The reason why St. Augustine's Cathedral was converted into the Zheng Ancestral Hall was, firstly, to make use of waste, and secondly, the location of the cathedral was too good, which was very consistent with the traditional Chinese feng shui.

There are many things to pay attention to when building an ancestral hall. Every detail will be put under the microscope by the clan members, and will be discussed and revised repeatedly. Any place that is slightly worse will be rejected.

The ancestral hall requires attention to the dragon veins and the source of vitality. The hall should be spacious and square, with its back to the mountain and in front of the water. The water mouth should be well collected, and there should be no conflict or fighting, which is a good feng shui situation.

It is required that the left and right sides complement each other, the four forces are balanced, and it faces north and south.

It is required to avoid densely populated areas as much as possible, which are suitable for the ancestors to come and go, so as not to offend the ancestors.

It is required to have a terrain with a mountain behind it, beautiful mountains and rivers, and outstanding people. It is required to have a prosperous literary career and a thriving population.

It is best to occupy the dragon vein, and there must be a river or pond. Water is the key to the ancestral hall. As the saying goes, "prosperity comes when there is water." If you want to have many descendants and continuous wealth, you must have a solid backing and water around the ancestral hall.

It just so happens that St. Augustine's Cathedral meets all the requirements. It faces south and north, with its back to the mountains and in front of the water, and its geographical location is absolutely perfect.

Although the mountains are still more than 20 kilometers away, the terrain is still a situation where it is backed by mountains and faces water.

With the Pasig River on the left and the Pasig River on the right, it is low in the front and high in the back, and is located in the center of Manila's Royal City, symbolizing a Feng Shui treasure land with two dragons holding a pearl.

Actually

The Spanish did not build churches at random locations. The location of each church was carefully selected, and it invisibly matched the feng shui of China.

The best of them is naturally the Cathedral of St. Augustine, so it was chosen as the royal shrine to continue the glory.

As for the European architectural style, it cannot be forced.

In European history

There are many examples of churches being converted into mosques, and there are also examples of mosques being converted into churches, which shows that people do not care about architectural styles, and Taoism, which advocates nature, cares even less.

Ancestral Hall

The Taoists were chanting incantations, the altar was filled with smoke, the bells were ringing, and the old Taoist priest Jingyun with a white beard looked solemn, looking quite like a symphony conductor.

The old queen mother, King Zheng Guohui of Chu, the queen and a group of clan elders and prominent members of the Zheng family knelt on the cushions beside the altar, silently chanting scriptures and repenting, waiting for the ritual procedures to proceed one by one.

During the fasting and offering ceremony, "opening the altar", "inviting gods", "descending gods" and "keeping vigil" are carried out step by step.

Old Taoist priest Jingyun stepped on the Gangbu Dou and led six middle-aged Taoist priests to brandish the Money Sword, chant the spell and set up the barrier, respectfully inviting the heroic spirits of the ancestors to visit the altar and enjoy the incense.

After a series of rituals, Taoist priest Jingyun announced the "starting of the spirit", and completed the spell by pinching the fingers and chanting the incantation.

At this moment

The muezzin shouted, "Men of the tribe, kneel down!"

All the Zheng family members in the clan ancestral hall stood up from their seats and knelt on the ground in unison, looking extremely respectful.

The muezzin shouted:
"Ancestors, there is a young man of the Zheng family, surnamed Zheng, Ming Guohui, courtesy name Jinghai, from Tongzhou, Jiangsu Province. He is young and promising, with great ambitions. He led his army to Southeast Asia to establish the Great Chu Kingdom, bringing honor to his ancestors. I report this to Heaven..."

At this time, a very prestigious elder of the clan picked up the thick Qingci copy, walked forward and read it out in an eloquent manner.

This is a Qingci sacrificial oration that quotes from classics, has obscure and difficult-to-understand words and phrases, and also has to rhyme. It was written by He Ruilin, the Minister of Commerce and Culture, who was a great scholar in Guanzhong and naturally had great literary talent.

The general meaning is

Zheng Guohui rose from humble beginnings, fought bravely to suppress bandits and made great contributions, was rewarded by the court and appointed an official, and later got married, went to Southeast Asia, and finally eliminated the Spanish colonists, established the State of Chu, and posthumously conferred the title of king on three generations of his ancestors.

The entire Qingci poem is full of praise, which highlights Zheng Guohui as great and upright, in harmony with the time and people, almost to the point of being called a god.

The next step is the coronation ceremony.

Taoist Priest Jingyun held the crown in his hand and put it on Zheng Guohui's head. At this time, bells and drums rang, smoke filled the air, and Taoists chanted incessantly, creating a solemn religious atmosphere.

Zheng Guohui then put crowns on the old queen mother and the queen one after another, and read out the decree of enthronement, and these tedious matters came to an end.

It took more than two hours. It was a little after 4 o'clock when we entered the ancestral hall, and it was already dawn when we came out.

The Zheng clan members dispersed. They needed to eat something and rest. The highlight of today's founding ceremony had not yet begun, and many people had important tasks to do.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was naturally no exception. After sending the Queen Mother back, he returned to the bedroom with the Queen.

The two men changed out of the sacrificial robes and crowns they wore during the clan sacrifice, washed up again, and hurried to eat breakfast.

The ritual garments worn by participants were solemn and dignified dark blue, while the robes worn at the founding ceremony were completely different.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu and the queen were both wearing bright yellow robes embroidered with gold dragons. He wore a Ming-style royal gold-thread winged crown on his head, exuding a strong royal aura.

Took a short break

Colonel Zheng Shan, an officer of the Imperial Guard, came forward to report, raised his hand and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, please ascend. The imperial chariot is ready. Your Majesty and the Queen, please ascend."

"Okay, let's go."

Zheng Guohui knew that the highlight of the day was coming. He stood up, turned around, took the queen's delicate little hand, and the two walked out of Ganquan Palace together.

It was dark just now, and the imperial carriage could not be seen.

Now the sky is bright, it is early morning and you can see clearly.

This is a large four-wheeled carriage with a golden body. The roof is in the style of a classical Chinese three-story pavilion with double eaves, and it uses the gold-plating technique. Nine lifelike dragons are coiled around the body of the carriage, making it look extremely majestic.

This four-wheeled carriage was based on a Western carriage, but it was twice as wide and much taller than an ordinary carriage. It was engraved with a golden royal emblem.

It is pulled by eight pure white horses, divided into two rows, front and back, with four white horses in a row, and two drivers each controlling a row of four horses.

Zheng Guohui held the queen's hand, and the two of them boarded the royal sedan chair. They drove along the street, escorted by more than 200 guards on war horses.

At the forefront
The royal cavalry, holding the royal flag and carrying the back flag, led the way, shouting all the way, "The King of Chu has arrived, all who are not here should stay away."

On both sides of the road, soldiers had already been lined up in neat rows on both sides of the street, with swords and guns drawn, on high alert, and strictly prohibited any onlookers from crossing the cordon.

The royal carriage, escorted by more than 200 cavalry guards, drove quickly out of the city.

The core stage of the founding ceremony was at the Manila Wharf, which had a wide terrain and the newly built Fort Santiago as a reviewing stand. It was also a place to review the heroic appearance of the armored fleet and the sailing fleet at sea, making it the undisputed first choice.

The Manila Pier is about 9 kilometers away from Ganquan Palace, and it only takes about half an hour to ride a horse slowly. It was about 7: in the morning, which was just the right time to arrive.

along the way
A large number of Chinese people who were heading to the Manila wharf stopped and stood on both sides of the road, looking at each other after hearing the loud shouts of the cavalry leading the way.

When they saw a large number of royal cavalry riding towards them, the magnificent roof of the royal chariot emitted a golden glow, representing the infinite majesty of the king.

The people on both sides of the road knelt down and shouted "Long live our king, long live our king, long live our king!", and greeted him respectfully on both sides of the road.

Seeing these people kneeling spontaneously to welcome him, Zheng Guohui, sitting on the imperial sedan chair, turned around to look at the queen's energetic face and couldn't help but smile.

There is nothing more glorious in life than this!

(End of this chapter)