On the occasion of rebirth Zhou Sui

Chapter 266 East Patrol to Mount Tai

The years are long and fleeting, and in the blink of an eye, two years have passed.

The fifteenth year of Kaihuang's reign (595 AD), the first day of the first lunar month.

It was the Spring Festival, and the imperial court had lifted the curfew as usual. The streets and alleys were filled with the sound of gongs and drums, and the blast of firecrackers. There were lights everywhere, and it was a festive scene.

There was no palace banquet on the first day of this year. In November last year, King Yang Guang of Jin returned to the court and led hundreds of officials to remonstrate with him, requesting Yang Jian to go to Mount Tai to become a Buddhist monk.

Yang Guang's move scratched Yang Jian's itch. Seeing the officials pleading, the Sui sage first shook his head:

'This is extraordinary. What merits do I have that can enable me to become a Zen monk in heaven and earth?'

Just when everyone thought he was going to refuse, Yang Jian changed the subject:

'But since I am bounded by four seas, it is also time for me to patrol eastward and promote the imperial power along the way. Let me pay my respects to Mount Tai by the way.'

The chariot set off on the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month. Different from the previous patrols, Gao Jiong no longer stayed in Daxing and was led by Yang Jian in front of the emperor.

As for Yang Yong, he stayed in the East Palace as always, and he was not allowed to supervise the country.

Yang Jian went to Guandong, but local officials who reported their work at the end of the year still had to come to Daxing to report their achievements to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The night was getting darker, but the wine shops and brothels were still brightly lit. In an elegant room on the third floor, several state-level officials who had returned to the court were gathering together, drinking happily.

After drinking for three rounds, Pei Xiu glanced at the people present. There were Qin Qiong, Fang Yanqian, Zhao Mu, Wang Dangwan, and Huang Baiji, all close confidants of his cousin Cui Che.

"Yan Gong has observed his filial piety for three years, and now he is about to leave the mountain. However, I will have to go our separate ways in a while. It is a great pity that I cannot be reunited with him."

Pei Xiu sighed.

When everyone heard this, they all sighed.

But Qin Qiong said:

"I have often exchanged letters with Duke Yan over the years. Duke Yan once adapted Cao Zhi's old poem and wrote: 'There are close friends in the sea, and we are as close as our neighbors at the end of the world.' Today I share this sentence with you, and we share the same heart and soul with Duke Yan.

Even if we are thousands of miles apart, why should we sigh?"

The so-called old poem of Cao Zhi is written to his younger brother Cao Biao, "My husband is aspiring to the world, and he is still close to his neighbors thousands of miles away."

Qin Qiong followed Cui Che when he was eleven years old, and it has been twelve years now. He now has a short beard under his chin and is no longer the childish look he once was.

Now that he is serving as the governor of Juzhou, his personal efforts are certainly indispensable, and his background as a nobleman is also one of the reasons, but the key lies in his identity as Cui Che's former subordinate.

In the eyes of outsiders, the cronies of Cui Che, Duke of Yan, are not just the party members of Jin Wang Yang Guang.

Yang Jian was determined to depose the crown prince. While cutting off Yang Yong's wings, he naturally wanted to support Yang Guang.

In recent years, Cui Che left the court and returned to his hometown to observe filial piety, but this did not prevent his old subordinates from making progress together in their official positions.

When the drunk Fang Yanqian heard this, his eyes lit up and he patted the table and said:

"Well said! A bosom friend in the sea is as close as a neighbor in the world! This sentence should make sense!"

After that, he drank another glass of pepper wine with everyone.

Zhao Mu put down his wine glass and advised:

"Although people feel refreshed during happy events, Xiao Chong (Fang Yanqian) still doesn't want to drink anymore."

He had a close relationship with Fang Yanqian, and it was Fang Yanqian who recommended Zhao Mu, Wang Dangwan, and Dong Jing to Cui Che.

The happy event Zhao Mu mentioned was not referring to today's New Year's Day, but the good news came from Anping yesterday. Fang Xuanling's wife, Lu, gave birth to a daughter, and now Fang Yanqian is also a grandfather.

Fang Yanqian waved his hands repeatedly:

"I'm waiting for my old friends to meet again. Good times are hard to come by again. If I don't have a good time today, I'm going to have to wait for the next day."

After everyone heard this, they toasted again and did not leave until the next morning.

On the sixth day of the first lunar month, Pei Xiu and others left Daxing one after another and returned to Guandong to take up posts. Cui Che finally ended his three-year mourning period and could listen to music and laugh with others openly.

But before he had time to indulge himself, he was summoned by Yang Jian and went to Mount Tai to meet him.

The messenger who delivers the message counts the days and is on his way.

When Yang Jian was granted the title of Zen, Dugu Jialuo was bound to be there. Cui Che left his concubines and concubine's children in Anping, and set off in a hurry with only his wife Yang Lihua and his second son Cui Yanqing.

I rushed all the way, but still missed the sacrifice ceremony on the 11th day of the first lunar month.

When Cui Che arrived in Licheng County, it was already the thirteenth day of the first lunar month.

Yang Guang, who came to greet Cui Che, vividly described the excitement of the day before yesterday and said with emotion:

"Sacrificing sacrifices to Mount Tai is already such a grand scene. What was it like when the First Emperor, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and Emperor Guangwu were granted Zen status?"

Cui Che smiled and said:

"If you want to know the grand occasion of the conferment of Zen, Your Highness will have to do it in person in the future."

When Yang Guang heard this, he felt excited, but then shook his head and smiled bitterly:

"My father has unified the world and thinks he has no merit to be granted the title of Zen Master Taishan. What merit do I have to have such an extravagant hope?"

The merit of repaying heaven is called Feng; the merit of repaying to earth is Zen.

Looking at the entire history, there are countless people who have proclaimed themselves emperors, but there are only six people who can truly be enshrined in the world of Zen in Mount Tai, namely Qin Shihuang Ying Zheng, Han Wu Emperor Liu Che, Guangwu Emperor Liu Xiu, Tang Gaozong Li Zhi, and Tang Xuanzong Li Longji.

and Song Zhenzong Zhao Heng, who was incompatible with them.

Zhao Heng single-handedly lowered the value of Mount Tai for Fengchan. After him, no emperor ever went to Mount Tai for Fengchan.

Before Zhao Hengkong was born, being enshrined in Mount Tai was a sacred thing, and Yang Guang yearned for it endlessly.

But I feel that I am lucky or unlucky to have a father like Yang Jian.

Fortunately, today the world has not only been unified again, but even the surrounding forces are afraid of the Sui Dynasty's power, and most of them are dependent on the Sui Dynasty.

Unfortunately, just because neighboring countries had surrendered one after another, Yang Guang was unable to seek border power.

Just as he was sighing with emotion, Yang Guang suddenly had an idea in his mind:

If one day he sat on the throne and forced some of the submissive forces to rebel, wouldn't he be able to conquer them justifiably?

This idea was hidden in Yang Guang's heart, and even when facing his friend Cui Che, he did not reveal a word about it.

As the carriage approached Licheng, Cui Che deliberately did not show the sign of Yan Guofu, so the local people did not know that Cui Che had returned to Licheng.

Today's Licheng County has long been separated from Qingzhou and is governed by Qizhou Prefecture. It has been eight years since Cui Che left here, but many people still remember his kindness. There is a shrine for him outside the city. On weekdays,

The incense is endless.

Yang Jian saw Cui Che again after three years. Without waiting for him to salute, he smiled and said:

"Yesterday I went to the Consort Yan's Temple, and the incense was very popular."

After Cui Che saluted, he said calmly:

"When I was young, my position was not prominent, but because I was a princess, I was favored by the emperor.

"Your Majesty has appointed me to be the general manager of Qingzhou. I am afraid that I will betray the holy family, so I work hard and sleep hard at night, and I work hard, but I hope that I will be worthy of my father.

"Qingzhou has great governance, and the people mistakenly believe that it is the contribution of humble ministers, but they do not know that it is His Majesty's frivolous corvee and low endowment that led to today's prosperous scene.

"Since leaving office, Wei Chen has never set foot in Qingzhou and other places. The so-called Yan Gong Temple, Wei Chen really does not know about."

besides

(End of chapter)