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In ancient China, especially during the Tang and Song Dynasties, the Lantern Festival may not be the most important festival of the year, but it is an extremely special festival.

First of all, it is after the New Year's Day and before spring plowing. At this time, there is no busy farming season, but the weather has warmed up and is not as cold as the New Year's Day, so it is suitable for going out.

At the same time, perhaps due to a common characteristic of human beings, spring festivals have always been open to women. In the Song Dynasty and before, although women had always had a certain status, women of all ages were allowed to go out and play freely, but it was not

It is limited to two spring festivals... In the countryside, the Shangsi Festival (the third day of March) after spring plowing is undoubtedly the most suitable. This day is a good day for outings, bathing, and getting rid of evil spirits. In the city, there is no doubt that

It’s the Lantern Festival, and lanterns and prayers are the eternal themes.

In fact, this kind of extra respect and openness to women in spring festivals is probably the product of the compromise and combination of the most basic human desires, reproductive worship, free love and farming society.

This point can be clearly seen from many primitive tribes and early civilized civilizations. Some specific development lines... It doesn't matter whether it is good or bad, but it is inevitable for all people in ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad.

It can only be said that even China, which is gradually becoming conservative and continuously repressive, cannot stop this basic human desire and need.

After all, foreign monks also steal lamp oil, and the Central Asian warlords who integrate politics and religion also like to raise women. We are all human beings, and we are essentially the same thing.

Of course, in the Song Dynasty, the Shangsi Festival, which was recorded in "Zhou Li" and was certified by the Confucian ancestors, but was more unbridled, suddenly disappeared in the north and the Central Plains, while the Shangyuan Festival, which had a more restrained theme, was

The official's further promotion... From this perspective, it seems to be another victory for feudal ethics.

The further deepening of sexual repression in traditional Chinese society and the weakening of women's actual social status seem to be true.

But in this way, during the five days before and after the Lantern Festival, it is said that 'women go out in the streets from night to night, and men and women mix', and 'the four doors are wide open, day and night', so that even prison institutions can take the opportunity to display torture instruments.

It almost became the Song Dynasty version of the Carnival, but it was also another kind of release.

Among them, it is recognized that the pattern of the Lantern Festival in Tokyo, especially in Tokyo, has always been different from other places.

For five consecutive days, from the 14th to the 18th of the first lunar month, millions of people came out in full force inside and outside the city and in the countryside. Colored lanterns spread all over the city, even extending to Yuetai and Qingcheng outside the city.

At night, it almost becomes a sea of ​​lights.

Among them, the unique lantern scene in the west of the city, the dense sea of ​​lanterns in the south, the luxury of the lantern market in the east, and the vastness of the lantern market in the north have always been famous.

But these are not as good as the lamphouse Dengshan opposite Xuande Tower and in the middle of Royal Street.

The so-called Lamphouse Dengshan refers to craftsmen ordered by the royal family to start building large-scale colorful shed-style lamps since the Chinese New Year. The shapes and sizes vary every year. The taller ones are almost as high as Xuande Tower, and the wider ones are

It's almost on the same level as Royal Street.

In fact, every year on the second day of the Lantern Festival holiday, that is, on the night of Lantern Festival, people throughout Tokyo often go to both sides of the Imperial Street to take seats in broad daylight, waiting for the lanterns and lantern sheds in the evening. The ignition of... This is just like the Spring Festival Gala in later generations. Regardless of whether it is good-looking or not, it is always a specific repertoire and it is the main show.

However, if we look at it carefully, since the Jurchens besieged the city in the second year of Jingkang, which is also the first year of Jianyan, Tokyo has not had a serious lamp shed for seven years.

But this time, during the Chinese New Year, there were vague rumors that the official Long Yan was very happy, and then allocated special funds to summon craftsmen to make lamps... Everyone considered that there was no major war last year, and the official's authority status has reached its fundamental level again. The situation was unshakable, and there was also a reason for Empress Dowager Yuanyou to return to the capital, so she seemed to believe her.

Most of the senior officials had no intention of refuting the rumors, because they heard with their own ears the conversation between Lin Jingmo, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, and Zhao Guan's family, so they knew that last year's wealth-building plan had actually been overfulfilled.

So in this case, we can make tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of guan... and it can also make the Lantern Festival market more lively, collect more commercial taxes, sell some lottery tickets, and recoup some costs... It may not work!

However, the rumors came true, and until the Lantern Festival holiday in the eighth year of Jianyan's reign, no one saw any lantern sheds erected in front of Xuande Gate. They only set up lantern riddles on the corridors on both sides of the imperial street, and then performed the routine for the Secret Pavilion that day. The above-mentioned important ministers gave the prime minister a vegetarian meal in Xiangguo Temple, but they could not help but feel a little disappointed with the court and the officials.

It's just disappointing again, but it's destined that no one will mention this excuse... If you really want to mention it, there is no need for officials to ask, other officials will use the country's unrest and diligence and frugality as an excuse to prevent you from coming to power.

Of course, as mentioned before, with the country having no major military operations for a whole year, the economy fully recovering, and the court being extremely stable, even though there is no large-scale participation of the royal family and officials in Tokyo City’s Shangyuan Festival this year, But the scale is still close to that of previous years when Yuda was prosperous.

In fact, perhaps because they have been frustrated for a long time, the level of activity among the people seems to be even better.

For five consecutive days, there was a lantern market in the evening. Not to mention lantern riddles, during the day, the Cuju court in the north of the city also held exhibition games for five consecutive days. The lottery points near the gates in the inner city even added Shangyuan movable type special lottery tickets. Every day there were ten The prizes for hundreds of cultural treasures were awarded on the spot. It is said that the five-day prizes were sealed by the three queen mothers and two noble concubines on the same day... The first day was at the Zhuque Gate, the second day at the Xuanqiu Gate, and the third day at the Wangqiu Gate. On the fourth day of Spring Gate, many people flocked to Lijing Gate, Luhe Gate, and Chongming Gate. The whole family bought dozens or hundreds of lottery tickets, but unexpectedly they were still looking at Spring Gate!

On the fifth day, which was the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, before dusk, the chamberlains from the Ministry of Internal Affairs opened the small box of the royal seal in front of everyone at the same time. Unexpectedly, there was only one hundred strings of movable characters designated by Empress Dowager Zheng. In addition, there is actually a Qian Guan movable character string designated by the government!

Up to this point, who still doesn’t understand that this is the official’s private expression of compensating for the lack of a lamp shed? You must know that even if you don’t know how to calculate accounts, you can probably understand that this kind of sorted lottery with six movable characters and six doors is actually not large in scale. The imperial court only sold out all the money every day for only six to seven hundred coins, and basically all of them were given as rewards.

For the Zhao Guan family, who had always been stingy, this thousand guan was really a loss, and it could be regarded as a kind of sincerity.

Without further ado, Bai Guan was handed out immediately at Chongming Gate, and the Qian Guan award was handed out outside Luhemen... And then it turned out to be a military man from a Tibetan origin, and he bought it for only eighty Wen.

I bought eight Northern Expedition auspicious movable type paper coupons, but won this award!

I don’t know how many people around me are shouting and scolding in private, but this kind of lottery with six movable characters printed in sequence is divided into six doors. It is clean and the scale is not big or small. Everyone buys it randomly. It is difficult for even the officials to cheat. I’m done.

The Queen of Fan could only be envious in her heart.

After all, one thousand guan, for people below the middle class who are willing to buy lottery tickets, is enough to buy an heirloom house in the city, build an heirloom shop, and leave hundreds of guan for coffins.

.

The so-called financial freedom of the citizen class in the feudal era was roughly like this.

But no matter what, as the evening of the 18th day of the first lunar month arrives and the lantern market begins for the last time, it seems that this carnival is finally coming to an end.

However, so to speak, on the nineteenth day of the first lunar month, early in the morning, Zhao Guan's family, along with two concubines, as well as several princes and princesses, appeared in the relatively deserted Xuande Tower.

Not only that, soon, the three empresses, whether it was Empress Dowager Meng, commonly known as Yuanyou, who had just returned, or Empress Dowager Zheng, commonly known as Ningde, who rarely appeared in the harem, and Empress Dowager Wei, commonly known as Chengping, were all accepted by the official family.

Come and board the Xuande Tower.

Not counting this, all the ministers in Beijing, including the Prime Minister Lu Haowen, also appeared one after another... Lu Haowen was picked up from Jingyuan by the Queen Mother and the Empress Dowager. The other ministers were due to start their official duties today.

, it’s basically a head-on collision... and the official family has an edict, ordering the ministers to go up to the tower together with the secret cabinet ministers to accompany him. If the meeting happens to happen, you may go up to the tower. The other officials, whether they are in office or retired, all follow the instructions.

At the final stage, sit quietly along the corridors on both sides of the imperial street and watch.

Since the officials want to put on such a posture to see their ministers, who wouldn't come? Not to mention the important ministers of the Secret Pavilion who came up to the building one after another. Even the monks and Taoist priests among those in the public pavilion did not care about the fragrant oil left in their temples.

They all hurriedly put on brand-new monk robes and Taoist robes, and gathered in a hurry.

When he arrived, he was out of breath, but when he arrived, he was solemn and dignified.

After this group of people arrived, on the frighteningly wide Imperial Street, directly in front of Xuande Tower, something changed again. Countless craftsmen had already poured out of Xuandemen from the palace with various tools and materials, and began to open the door in front of the public.

Assembling a weird, huge thing that kind of looks like a headlight... but not sure?

At the same time, the Imperial Guards were fully armed early and lined up around the object, strictly prohibiting others from approaching it.

Very soon, with the Zhao Guan family's unethical raid, the entire Tokyo city immediately seemed to come alive. Countless soldiers and people gathered together regardless of how long they had stayed up last night, so that the front of Xuande Tower was soon filled with a sea of ​​people, no less than

Scenes at the gates of the inner city a few days ago.

The craftsmen were still working hard, but the noise was getting louder.

Frankly speaking, at this time, whether it is the important ministers above Xuande or the common people watching the excitement below, 80% of their attention is not on the Royal Street thing... After all, there is a 'established rule' for this kind of thing, never mind

Are you doing something fancy with the people, or are you trying to impress Yuan Xue with the horse-drawn hemisphere from last time? Anyway, everyone is watching the fun... At this time, everyone's eyes are more on Zhao Guan's house, the three queen mothers, and the two noble concubines.

On two princes and three princesses.

There is so much worth talking about in this set:

Needless to say, Zhao Guanjia himself is dressed in a scarlet robe and has a stiff-winged futou.

However, Empress Dowager Yuanyou, who had the greatest support for the Zhao Guan family and was also the source of the legitimacy of his ascension to the throne, happened to be the one with the furthest relationship with the Guan family. What’s more, the matter of handing over documents for the Second Saint had just happened, so that both parties

Seven or eight years of peace and quiet have come to an end.

Theoretically, Empress Dowager Wei is the closest person to Zhao Guan's family, but according to rumors, this Empress Dowager is the most difficult to describe, almost the same as Pan Guifei... Whether it is a big candle or a big parrot, anyone who is interested can find out.

It's really stupid... But it's not her fault. If Zhao Guanjia didn't stand out, this person would have been a low-ranking person in the emperor's harem, just like Pan Guifei had not slipped through the net and got pregnant at the beginning.

, there would not be such good fortune as it is today.

Empress Dowager Zheng is the most well-known, recognized by the people as having the highest prestige and the level of the harem, but she is currently the most silent one, and she was also the quietest one before.

Needless to say, the two concubines, without a queen, may not have a queen in the future, which is enough to make these two rivals for a lifetime... However, today, Concubine Pan is dressed extremely gorgeously, complementing the red robe of the official family,

Xiaomin, who didn't know it, saw it from a distance and probably thought she was the queen!

As for Concubine Wu, maybe it’s because she’s already pregnant, so she can’t wear the kind of luxurious clothes that fit her well, right?

The two princes are both in their infancy this year, and their true appearance cannot be seen. After only showing one side, the older palace maids took them back safely, but it was the two who had the shortest 'appearance' who got the most attention...

...Of course some people know what's going on, but some people will inevitably have confused thoughts in the reality where the level is not high. This is almost doomed.

As for the three princesses, one was promised to Yue Pengju's son, one was promised to Wu Jinqing's son, and the other was promised to Han Liangchen's son... Of course, they were princesses after all, even if it was the three princesses who came to the official family at this time

, but it doesn’t matter anymore.

Let's just say that waiting is long and boring, and it will be like that if you look around too much, but Xuande Building is destined to be eventful.

Not to mention anything else, it's just that the officials sit there for several hours, which is a rare opportunity to be at a distance that is actually far away but seems very close to the people, and it is in public... This is a rare and good opportunity, so,

In history, countless people took the opportunity to come out here to complain, write letters of remonstrance, and offer treasures.

Among them, of course, a special person will take over the imperial complaint directly like before in front of Taixue. Most of the latter two were rewarded and mostly dismissed casually. However, just like when Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty was in high spirits, he was advised to be frugal.

A negative example of personally ordering torture and execution.

"Officials, please offer some sacred objects!"

Sure enough, after the city tower gradually became quiet, in the corridors on both sides of the imperial street below, an idle official of the prefecture level, who was obviously a prefect, saw that the opportunity was rare, but finally couldn't bear it anymore, and raised the things in his arms.

He raised his head high and jumped out from the crowd... then of course he was directly stopped by the imperial guards who were guarding him tightly.

Zhao Jiu glanced at this person. Although his eyesight was very good, he did not recognize who this person was, and he was not familiar with his voice, so he dismissed him with a wave of his sleeves.

But at this moment, Concubine Pan, who was on one side, suddenly put her hands on Zhao Jiu and said something: "Guan family, that person is the old prime minister, don't deal with it lightly..."

Not only Zhao Jiu, many people in the quiet Xuande upstairs instinctively came to see the imperial concubine, and then most of them turned back together.

Only Zhao Guan's family continued to look at Concubine Pan's red silk clothes, and then smiled slightly and said: "Since the concubine said it, it doesn't hurt to meet..."
To be continued...