I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 346 Ascending the Throne and Becoming Emperor (Part 2)

"General Liu, no, it's not like that..."

Zhang Song wanted to defend Liu Zhang, but Liu Miao had already turned and left.

"When the time comes, I will grant you special permission to choose a good spot to watch the ceremony!"

Seeing that Liu Miao was ignoring him, Zhang Song looked to Lu Su for help.

"Don't look at me like that. Do you think the emperor would back down on something like this?"

Zhang Song's expression turned grave: "Doesn't Liu Biaoqi fear the Shu region...?"

The meaningful words did not alert Lu Su; instead, he found them somewhat amusing.

"If Liu Zhang can really pledge allegiance to Yuan Shao as a member of the Han imperial family, then we should give it a try."

Just as warlords like Lü Bu, Shi Xie, and Ma Teng needed Liu Miao, Liu Zhang, a member of the Han imperial family, also needed Liu Miao to uphold the banner of the Han dynasty.

Now, it's not that Liu Miao wants to become emperor, but that the people of the world need a Han dynasty! They need a great emperor of the Han dynasty!

Unless Liu Zhang himself declares himself emperor in Shu, he is unlikely to pose a threat to Liu Miao.

"you……"

Seeing that Lu Su was fearless, Zhang Song ultimately dared not utter any wild words.

At the same time, Zhang Song also realized that Liu Zhang had probably made a terrible move!
------

The ceremony of offering sacrifices to Heaven was set on the Gengchen day, but this does not mean that the ceremony began on the Gengchen day.

Before the sacrifice, one must fast for seven days, including bathing and changing clothes, abstaining from alcohol, sexual activity, and meat.

When the day of the ceremony finally arrives, it is not counted from dawn, but rather at midnight, and the burning of firewood must begin before daybreak.

Therefore, on the afternoon of the previous day, Liu Miao would sleep until evening, then get up to eat, take another bath, and put on the imperial robe and crown.

A servant brought over a bronze mirror and used it to groom Liu Miao's appearance.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Liu Miao's eyes shone brightly. Although he had shown signs of hardship, his brows and eyes still exuded youthful vigor!

"Judging from my appearance, I am still a young man!"

The unabashed boasting fell right into the ears of Zhang Zhao, who had come to give Liu Miao his final instructions on etiquette.

Zhang Zhao also examined Liu Miao closely.

Liu Miao had eyebrows like swords, eyes like stars, and a back like a pine tree, yet he smiled and said, "My lord is only thirty years old. It has only been a few years since we raised our army to conquer Jiangdong. It is normal for him to look like a young man."

Liu Miao slowly turned around, his figure no longer as frivolous as before.

"Did you come here to remind me of the details of etiquette, Master Zhang?"

Before Zhang Zhao could speak, Liu Miao put his hand on his shoulder and said, "Don't worry."

"Although I am usually a bit lazy, I know that this enthronement is the result of the hard work of countless people over the past few months, and it is also a moment that millions of people have been eagerly anticipating."

"I have no reason to let you down, to let the people down. This time, no matter what, I will not make the slightest mistake!"

"Lord..."

Zhang Zhao stared blankly at Liu Miao.

He could sense that Liu Miao today seemed unusual!

When it's time to be serious, Liu Miao always manages to put people at ease...

Zhang Zhao's last shred of hesitation vanished, but he still reminded Liu Miao, "Your Majesty, be mindful of how you address yourself."

"..."

Just as midnight arrived, with the sound of a bell, Liu Miao stepped out of Qianyang Palace and stood on the palace steps.

The tiger-like warriors, adorned with pheasant-tail crowns and carrying ceremonial weapons, were already lined up on either side, awaiting Liu Miao.

As Liu Miao said, the matter of ascending the throne was not just his own affair. The palace warriors, attendants, musicians, and officials of rites were all working hard to prepare for everything!
Liu Miao stepped out of his red shoes, onto the jade steps, and walked forward solemnly and majestically.

Upon arriving at the palace, the emperor's imperial carriage was already waiting there.

It is decorated with jade and adorned with thin gold sheets featuring dragon patterns. The wheels are vermilion and have double teeth, with paired hubs and lintels. The chariot's crossbars are decorated with tiger patterns, dragon heads holding the yoke, and auspicious yokes are placed on the left and right. A phoenix stands on the crossbar, the chariot shaft is painted with skin patterns, and the edge of the feather canopy is decorated with fleas. A large flag stands on the chariot, with twelve tassels depicting the sun, moon, and rising dragons.

The chariot was drawn by six horses, whose harnesses were decorated with ivory bridles, intricate tin styling, pheasant tails, and red felt down.

The other five types of carriages, such as the Shiche, Anche, and Liche, are each matched with horses according to their respective directions and colors.

However, when Liu Miao inadvertently saw the five carriages behind him, his mouth suddenly twitched.

The horses for the five-horse carriage needed to be of five colors—blue, red, white, black, and yellow—to correspond to the five directions. However, Liu Miao could clearly see that the manes of the blue and red horses were obviously bleached…

"We still need horses!"

Liu Miao forced a smile, boarded the jade carriage, and sat quietly inside.

The carriages and horses moved forward, rolling over the smooth streets, leaving the palace and the imperial city, and arriving at Zhuque Avenue in Jinling City.

Although Liu Miao knew that the imperial road had long been under martial law, he still couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when he saw the empty streets.

Just as the carriage had crossed the Zhuque Bridge and was about to leave the city, Liu Miao suddenly saw a flash of fire appear before him!

As the jade carriage continued forward, one could see the firelight split into a sea of ​​stars, scattered in tiny fragments across the open fields south of the city. At the same time, the silence that had been filled only with music was now filled with the sounds of people, making it more rounded.

"Is the person sitting in the carriage really the Emperor?"

"How can it be false?"

Which one? Which one?

"The biggest one! Are you blind?!"

"Long live the Emperor! May he bless us with a good harvest this year!"

"Your Majesty! Can Your Majesty hear me? My name is Wu Ji! I wish to recommend myself!"

……

The gradually increasing commotion made Liu Miao chuckle speechlessly.

I was so stupid! Really!
How could ordinary people possibly gather in the city of Jinling to welcome them? If they wanted to come and see them, they would have to squeeze onto the altar in the south of the city!
Liu Miao, who had been feeling anxious just moments before, suddenly perked up!

Inside the carriage, Liu Miao was not as solemn and dignified as the people had imagined, nor did he possess any imperial authority. Instead, he used the gaps between the carriage wheels to scan their faces one by one.

The elderly and the young.

Men and women.

Farmers and vendors.

Almost all the people of Jinling City appeared on both sides of the road, giving up their sleep for the night, and tiptoed to look at Liu Miao!

Looking at these faces, some unfamiliar yet familiar, Liu Miao tried his best to memorize them all.

Compared to luxurious palaces, carriages, and ceremonial objects, Liu Miao preferred to see the faces of these people, hear their voices, and remember them.

The jade carriage moved slowly forward, and in the short seven miles, Liu Miao saw scenery more beautiful than any other road in the world!

Upon reaching the vicinity of the altar, one finds a heavily armed army already standing there.

With an army of swords and spears in front of him and people eager to follow him behind, Liu Miao had never felt so at ease!
As the jade carriage slowly came to a stop, Liu Miao stood before the brightly lit altar.

What followed was the emperor performing the grand ceremony of serving soup and black wine!

This is also the most complicated and solemn ceremony in the entire event.

Liu Miao held a dragon-shaped wine vessel with a beast-face design, which required offerings to the Five Emperors. Each emperor required 72 cups of wine, totaling 365 cups for the five emperors.

The term "醊" refers to watering the ground with wine.

In other words, Liu Miao had to water the ground a full 365 times!

Moreover, before offering sacrifices to the Five Emperors, prayers must be recited.

My legs went numb while I was listening to the prayer.

After that, Liu Miao led the three dukes and other deputy priests to begin the sacrifice to the Heavenly Emperor.

The wine offered in the sacrifice was called Xuan wine.

The water was black, hence the name "Xuan".

"Zun You Xuan Jiu" (尊有玄酒) is used to teach people not to forget the origin of food and drink, and therefore advocates simplicity and authenticity.

This is the explanation given to Liu Miao by the official in charge of rites.

However, Liu Miao simply suspected that given the resources of the Zhou Dynasty, it would have been impossible to gather enough fine wine for such a large-scale sacrificial ceremony, which is why he substituted water...

Moreover, prior to this ceremony, Liu Miao had never questioned the Duke of Zhou's feelings for the Zhou emperor.

But when it was Liu Miao's turn to do it himself, he still harbored malicious suspicion that the Duke of Zhou, who formulated this set of rites, wanted to work the Zhou emperor to death!
After circling around for an hour, the sacrifices to the Five Emperors were finally completed, and Liu Miao was finally able to enter the inner altar and ascend the Eight Steps.

But the torment was clearly not over yet.

Eight steps, fifty-eight cups per step, totaling four hundred and sixty-four cups...

In other words, Liu Miao still needed to irrigate the land 464 times.

Liu Miao glanced behind him furtively. Although the oldest man, Lu Kang, looked a little overwhelmed by the exertion, his face was still flushed.

Before the ceremony, Liu Miao asked Lu Kang if he should not follow him to do such a torturous thing.

But Lu Kang immediately flew into a rage! He almost got into a fight with Liu Miao again!
In Lu Kang's words, "Back then, we sponsored Liu Miao and finally helped him become an emperor. How could we possibly give up this opportunity to bring glory to our ancestors?!"
So Old Master Lu mustered his strength and drank three bowls of deer blood and ate a whole ginseng root from Liaodong before coming to participate in the sacrificial ceremony.

Clearly, Lu Kang was determined to accompany Liu Miao to the end, even if it meant death! Otherwise, Liu Miao suspected he would die with regrets!

There are undoubtedly many people who share the same thoughts as Lu Kang.

So even though Liu Miao's arms and back were aching, he continued to perform the ritual over and over again.

However, due to the reform of the rites and laws, the figures of ordinary people had been engraved on these eight steps. Naturally, the abstract faces of these figures were replaced with the faces of the ordinary people that Liu Miao had seen when he arrived.

Scholar, farmer, craftsman, merchant, soldier, doctor, Taoist, divination.

These seemingly illusory symbols took on corresponding human figures in Liu Miao's eyes.

This is the first time since the beginning of Chinese history that symbols and figures of ordinary people have appeared during the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven.

Liu Miao offered the black wine to them, and the smile on his face was noticeably brighter than when he offered sacrifices to the Five Emperors.

"It is my honor that I can offer you a toast; how could you complain of being tired?"

Only then did Liu Miao seem to truly understand the meaning of the sacrifice. His somewhat tired expression vanished without a trace, replaced by genuine reverence.

Four hundred and sixty-four cups.

And the previous 365 cups.

After doing all of this, Liu Miao's back was almost broken!
And this is only the first step in the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven!
Liu Miao originally wanted to take a rest, and also let the people behind him rest, but the official in charge of etiquette shook his head at Liu Miao.

It's almost dawn!
No matter what, they shouldn't have fallen before dawn!

Liu Miao gritted his teeth and began the subsequent sacrificial rites.

Before arriving at the altar, Liu Miao personally presided over the Three Offerings Ceremony—

The first offering of jade and silk!
The calf for sacrifice has already been placed on the central altar.

Heaven, Earth, the High Emperor, the Guangwu Emperor, and the Yellow Emperor each used one calf; the Green Emperor and the Red Emperor shared one calf; the White Emperor and the Black Emperor shared one calf, for a total of seven calves. The Sun, the Moon, and the Big Dipper shared one ox; the four camps of gods shared four oxen, for a total of five oxen.

As the music and dance of "Yunmen" were played, an official immediately took a knife and slaughtered a calf.

Burying the hair and blood of a slaughtered calf underground is called "burying hair and blood," used to appease the gods.

Then, the deities were respectfully welcomed and descended upon the altar; the first offering of silk and wine was made to honor the gods.

Ya Xian offers wine and sweet wine!
The ritual vessel containing the offerings is placed on the altar; this is the ritual of presenting the offerings.

The chief priest presents a blue jade disc as an adjunct offering; this is the final offering of the chief priest.

Finally, the congratulatory prayer is offered!
Emperor Liu Miao received the imperial edict and read it aloud towards the faint light of dawn.

"The Supreme God of Heaven and the Goddess of Earth, who have bestowed their mandate upon the common people and are their parents, we dare not accept such a title. All the officials below us agree with this."

"It is said that Yuan Shao usurped the throne and murdered his emperor. Enraged, Miao raised an army of righteous men and defeated his million-strong force at Kunyang. He brought peace to the land, and the people throughout the land received his grace. He was favored by Heaven and the people of the land turned to him..."

"If Miao presides over the sacrifices, and all the gods enjoy them, then Heaven has bestowed it upon him; if Miao presides over the affairs, and the affairs are well-managed, and the people are at peace, then the people have bestowed it upon him. Heaven gives it to him, and the people give it to him; therefore it is said that the Son of Heaven cannot give the world to the people."

Liu Miao's statement that "the people received it" was not only an emphasis on his own legitimacy, but also a denial of the legitimacy of Yuan Shao's abdication.

Even the emperor cannot arbitrarily grant the empire to others!
Between the emperor and heaven, there are the people!
“He repeatedly declined, even thrice. His subordinates said, ‘The mandate of Heaven cannot be delayed.’ How could we not respectfully accept it!”

Liu Miao completed his final offering, and the sunlight hidden beneath the gloom was already stirring, as if it were about to cooperate with Liu Miao to illuminate this land! Let light return to this earth!

"Burning the sacrificial offerings!"

With a command given, the ritual of burning firewood was performed!
Firewood was lit, and the sacrificial calf was placed on the pile of firewood and burned, so that the smoke reached the sky.

As the wisp of smoke pierced through the clouds, the sunlight finally broke through all obstacles and shone down on everyone!

Liu Miao looked down at the altar and saw that all the people were shining brightly!
"It is received by the people, and it is received by Heaven."

Liu Miao took a deep breath, slowly turned around, turned his back to the sunlight, and looked at the people.

Zhang Zhao, Wang Lang, and other officials of etiquette felt a sudden jolt of fear.
This action wasn't part of the original ceremony!
Liu Miao, as expected, has lost control!

Just when everyone's hearts were in their throats, they saw Liu Miao quickly stop in his tracks.

Liu Miao lifted his wide sleeves, clasped his hands, and, despite his aching back, performed the most perfect bow of his life to the officials, musicians, soldiers, and common people below the altar!
The emperor bows!

Bowing to the people!

The altar was high up, and everyone could see Liu Miao's movements!
So when the people saw Liu Miao, wearing the imperial crown, bowing and paying homage to them, they instantly erupted in cheers!

"Your Majesty, have you bowed to me?"

"Is this how it is when an emperor ascends the throne?"

"No, it's never been recorded in any books!"

"..."

The deafening sound almost drowned out the ritual music offered to heaven and earth!

But this sound alone surpasses any ritual music that can please heaven and earth!
"Long live!"

"Long live your Majesty!"

"Long live the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty!!"

Long live the Emperor!

Even Zhongshan Mountain and the Yangtze River cannot drown out the sound at this moment!

Upon hearing the sound, Liu Miao spoke slowly in a voice only he could hear—

"Long live the people!"

……

Zhang Zhao, who was initially angry because Liu Miao had violated etiquette, gradually calmed down upon hearing the roar of the crowd below.

Lu Kang, his face flushed and panting, tried to persuade Zhang Zhao, "You and I know His Majesty well. If he doesn't make a scene, is he really himself?"

Zhang Zhao still harbored resentment, but he shook his head and said, "That shouldn't have happened... Never mind, nothing serious has happened, so let His Majesty be willful this once."

Lu Kang and Zhang Zhao had been guarding the rear for Liu Miao and had long been inseparable.

Looking at Liu Miao's figure, with his back to heaven and earth and facing the people, the two exchanged knowing smiles.

"I told you long ago, Your Majesty would succeed."

"I heard you used to complain that His Majesty used to eat for free at your house?"

"Don't bring this up again! Otherwise, we'll sever all ties!"

"Ha ha ha ha."

……

But the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven was not yet over.

Then came the drinking of blessed wine and the receiving of sacrificial meat.

Enjoying the wine after the sacrifice symbolizes receiving blessings from the gods.

The meat given after receiving a sacrifice symbolizes being protected by the gods.

Emperor Liu Miao was undoubtedly the most unfortunate one to distribute the wine and meat...

He distributed wine and meat to officials he knew all too well.

Lu Kang, Wang Lang, and Chen Yu.

Zhang Zhao, Gu Yong, Lu Su, Zhou Yu, Taishi Ci...

There were even a few of Liu Miao's sons whom he barely remembered...

Liu Miao's surging emotions just now turned into a bellyful of resentment—

"Damn it, no wonder the Zhou rites were lost! Damn it! When I have time in the future, I will definitely revise the Zhou rites for him first!"

Fortunately, there were only a few officials distributing the wine and meat, about five hundred in total.

Compared to the thousands upon thousands of deities, serving five hundred people is indeed not many...

After that, the music for sending off the gods was played, and the spirits returned to heaven.

"Qingyang", "Zhuming", "Xihao", "Xuanming", "Yunqiao", "Yuming"...

Each piece of music could be played for a long time, and once again Liu Miao's eyes became numb...

As the last piece of music ended, the sun was already setting in the west.

Fortunately, there was no wind or rain today. It seems that Liu Miao served these gods quite well, and they didn't send a downpour to trip him up... Although Liu Miao really wished for a downpour so he could escape home.

last of the last.

The Ritual of Offering Sacrificial Fireworks!

Burning offerings is a way to show respect to the gods and bid them farewell!

Three sacrificial animals, six ritual implements, furs, silks, brocades, bamboo and wood, feathers, gold, jade, tortoise shells, cowrie shells...

While watching the fire, Liu Miao even put a piece of mutton in his mouth. Although Zhang Zhao saw this, he tacitly approved of it.

Today, Liu Miao has been completely consumed by the flames...

Finally, the sun set, the ceremony was over, and they returned.

The coronation ceremony finally came to an end, and Liu Miao, with stiff steps, once again boarded the jade carriage.

"Whoo~~~~"

"I now suspect that the reason Cao Cao never declared himself emperor until his death was because he feared that if he held a coronation ceremony, his descendants would simply disappear..."

Once inside the jade carriage, where he was sheltered, Liu Miao finally dared to move his stiff limbs.

A moment later, Liu Miao burst into laughter again in the carriage.

"But in any case..."

"The Great Han has returned!"

(End of this chapter)