Chapter 173: Li Zhi Returns to His Original Nature

Chapter 1248 Li Zhi returns to his original nature

Since ancient times, the most beautiful scenery in Chang'an is Chang'an under the moon.

Chang'an is lonely and quiet under the waxing moon, with stars dotting the river. A young child points to the Milky Way and listens to his mother telling those old stories in the sky that will never be finished and never get tired of.

In Chang'an during the full moon, the ground is covered with silver frost, thousands of households are pounding clothes, and the sound of pounding rice is endless. Occasionally, a woman from the well is washing her clothes while singing a tune she overheard from a brothel. Although the singing is not good, it is good. There are many libertines willing to listen.

Only the waning moon is the most chilling. The cold light shines on the iron clothes and the blade, with a cold light shining. There is no sound of Hujia in Chang'an, only the warm lights of thousands of houses behind the cold iron clothes.

The moonlight is bright today, and when the huge pale yellow full moon rises from Dongshan, the huge phoenix at the entrance of Jinchangfang begins to shine. Its colorful wings flicker with the lights, as if it comes to life, and it starts to sing loudly. .

Under the moonlight, the originally dark east side of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda was covered with a layer of frost. This made this tall tower, which has been criticized by the people of Chang'an for a long time, like a half-rusted thorn, piercing straight into the sky. .

The flame on the Tianshu of the All Nations is still burning, but the light it emits is too weak and is easily suppressed by the bright moon, just like a candle swaying in the cold wind.

When the candles in Xingqing Palace were lit, Chang'an immediately came to life. The bright candles and the bright moon in the sky reflected each other, like a dialogue between the human world and the heavenly palace.

"Uh-huh-huh-huh-huh-how high is the sky?"

"Gee-up-hoo---the sky is as high as the ninth level!"

"Uh-huh-huh-huh-huh-where is my emperor?"

"Gee-up-hoo--my emperor is in the sky!"

"Gee-hoo-hoo--the moon is a candle, and the thunder is a drum."

"Gee-up-a-ha---the wind is like a cattail leaf fan, and the rain is like fine wine.

"Gee-up-a-ha--the earth is the platform, and Chang'an is the plate."

"Gee-up-hoo--dragons and phoenixes are for food, and rivers are for drink."

"Gee-up-g-g-dig a spoonful of water from the cave and congratulate our emperor."

"Your Majesty's life is three thousand frosts, and the fortune of the country will be long."

"Your Majesty's life is three thousand frosts, and the fortune of the country is long..."

When the ceremonial officer and a group of officials began to sing eulogies to welcome the emperor, Yun Chu stood at the edge, so he could see very clearly that when those officials sang the eulogies, they really hoped that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty would live long, and even more. The Tang Dynasty was long-lasting, at least, that's what they thought and did at this moment.

A golden bell rang, and first eight warriors holding ceremonial guards appeared and stood on both sides. Not to mention their height, each of them seemed to weigh three hundred kilograms.

Then came eight pairs of palace ladies in gorgeous palace attire, carrying lanterns, gold lamps, incense burners and other ritual utensils. They walked so lightly that their feet could not be seen. They looked like they were gliding on the smooth ground. Yun Chu estimated that , each of them is at least 1.8 meters tall.

During the welcome song, eight more eunuchs wearing black clothes and high black gauze appeared with horizontal swords on their waists. Each of them held a vermilion lacquer wooden plate in their hands. The wooden plate was covered with dark brocade, making it difficult to see. What were they wearing? However, judging from these vigorous steps and thick joints, Yunchu still discovered that these should be eight castrated super masters.

When Emperor Li Zhi, who was wearing an unruly fur hat and a large fur hat, came out leading a black and white giant bear made of gold and jade, the two wings of the screen behind him were deliberately lowered by two palace ladies. Li Zhi, who was walking in front, looked extremely tall. Without Pingshan, the giant bear behind him didn't look that big. However, the giant bear walked with Li Zhi. From time to time, the giant bear nuzzled close to Li Zhi, like a fairy. people.

If Li Zhi didn't sit down, others couldn't sit down. As for Yun Chu, who had sold all his seats at a good price, he could only stand against the pillar.

Li Zhi sat down, and the giant bear lay at Li Zhi's feet. The people who came to the banquet still couldn't sit down. Both men and women started dancing. After three times, Li Zhi whispered through the gap of the crown bead curtain: "Sit down."

The ceremony officer immediately shouted out the ceremony, and then everyone backed away and slowly moved back to their seats relying on their memory.

When Li Zhi spoke, everything was silent, and you could hear a needle drop.

"I am very happy to return to Chang'an. I am particularly happy to see that all the people in the house are our loyal ministers and filial sons of the Tang Dynasty. Today's banquet is called - the Bright Moon Banquet. My heart is as bright as the sky. My dear friends should also be careful as the bright moon. You can speak freely during the banquet. , you can have fun without worrying about it.”

After saying that, he picked up the wine bottle in front of him and said, "I love you, please drink a lot."

Li Zhi touched the wine bottle lightly with his lips and put it down. All the guests, both men and women, drank it in one gulp.

Before the drum music started, Wei An, the head of the Wei family who was sitting on the first seat on the left, stood up with a wine bottle and said: "The bright moon is in the sky, shining thousands of miles away. The Tang Dynasty is peaceful and the people are prosperous. I congratulate your majesty."

With Lao Wei taking the lead, everyone stood up once again and shouted: "I congratulate Your Majesty..."

This scene looks beautiful, but unfortunately, it is just the fantasy of Yu Wenjing, the Minister of Rites...

In fact, Li Zhi was wearing a simple purple robe, his hair was tied up with a jade hairpin, and he was wearing a pair of soft shoes. He was followed by a giant bear whose coat was not smooth at all. Stuffing the huge head between Li Zhi's legs made Li Zhi unable to walk smoothly, and he had to pull the giant bear's head aside from time to time.

There were no 300-jin strong men to clear the way, no 1.8-meter-tall palace maids to perform the ceremony, and no eight or eight strong and weak men to guard the left and right. There was only an unrefined emperor who stumbled out from the back.

The emperor used to be a person who paid great attention to etiquette and pomp, and especially liked the grand scene of the homage of all nations. At that time, even if there were no nations, the Ministry of Rites would tell the border troops to find a way to gather all nations to come to Chang'an for homage.

At that time, the emperor had supreme honor in every move, and his clothes and hats were afraid that they would not be luxurious. The pomp and circumstance could not be too large, and the number of participants could not be too small. Even the voice of speaking could be made into a ceremonial sound with a throat clamped.

Since when did the emperor start not to care about these things?

Yuwen Jing thought it was after the emperor's Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai.

Before the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, there were always a few strange-looking Hu people or wretched-looking foreigners in the court. At every court meeting, the emperor would even specifically name these Hu people or foreigners and ask them to say some solutions to the same problems encountered in their countries. As a result, every time their answers could attract laughter from the whole room.

After the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, there were basically no foreigners in the court. The few remaining Japanese officials also disappeared from the court. When the emperor rarely attended court and the crown prince and the queen governed the country, there were more and more officials who looked like foreigners, most of whom belonged to the queen's political camp.

And the emperor had fewer and fewer opportunities to wear the fur crown. Even in the grand occasions of the Spring and Autumn Festivals, the emperor never appeared in full dress.

However, when the emperor came out, everything was silent and you could hear a pin drop.

Yuwen Jing thought this was a reflection of the emperor's great consolidation of power. Looking at the horizon, all he could see were captives. Who would he wear the fur crown for?

His Majesty no longer needed these external things to decorate his honor. As long as he appeared, it was the supreme honor for his subjects. Where he was, there was the center of heaven and earth.

Li Zhi finally came to the upper seat, and threw his heavy body onto the wide couch. After grabbing a bottle of grape wine with his slender white hands and taking a sip, he said to Yuwen Jing, the Minister of Rites, "Let's start."

Yuwen Jing just knocked the golden hammer, and the golden bell made a buzzing sound, and then a group of palace-dressed women holding feather fans came out from behind the huge pillar, one feather fan covering their face, one feather fan covering their abdomen, and the feather fans trembled endlessly as they danced the Spring Festival dance.

Yun Chu looked at Wei An, who seemed very impatient because he couldn't speak, and was very anxious for the old man Wei. If he couldn't communicate with the emperor, the thousands of acres of land he used to buy a seat would really go down the drain.

There are rules for palace maids to perform the Spring Festival dance. This dance can only be seen at the emperor's banquet in the spring. Whenever this dance starts, some high-ranking officials will come on stage to dance together. If the officials are of high status and the emperor values ​​them very much, the emperor will occasionally come down to dance a song surrounded by palace maids.

Wei An and other old ministers left their seats and began to dance with their old waists to celebrate the New Year to the emperor.

The emperor did not move, but patted the giant bear's head twice, and the giant bear twisted and walked into the dancing crowd, stood up, and jumped up.

Under Yun Chu's worried eyes, the emperor waved to Wei An, who was panting from dancing, and Wei An hurriedly walked through the dancing crowd and came to the emperor's feet to bow and salute.

Li Zhi held the wine bottle in one hand and leaned forward. At this time, the sound of dance and music gradually became smaller and almost inaudible.

Even so, others still couldn't hear what the emperor said to Wei An, but the old Wei An had already prostrated himself on the ground and paid homage to the emperor. From his surprised look, it can be seen that the old guy benefited a lot this time.

Although everyone was dancing, their eyes were fixed on Emperor Li Zhi. Some were grateful like Wei An, while others were terrified like Du Shi. Generally speaking, after each song and stick of incense was finished, the people on the stage had different feelings of joy and sorrow.

Li Zhi sat on a high seat with a wine bottle in his hand. He took a sip of wine and then looked at the people off the stage with a smile, like a satisfied old shepherd checking his sheepfold.

Lu Zhaolin came quietly to Yun Chu with a bottle of wine and whispered: "Your Majesty's power is unmatched."

Yang Jiong also took the opportunity to whisper: "I thought these people would take advantage of His Majesty's presence in Chang'an to make some demands. I didn't expect that in front of His Majesty, they were really like cattle and sheep waiting to be slaughtered, let alone making conditions... hehe..."

Yun Chu also said with emotion: "The momentum of the emperor who has surpassed the Qin and Han dynasties has been established. Whoever touches it will be unlucky."

Lu Zhaolin said: "I'm afraid that Emperor Taizong did not have such power in the past."

Yang Jiong said: "During the reign of Emperor Taizong, the Tang Dynasty was surrounded by wolves. Tubo and Goguryeo were both great enemies. Now, these two great enemies, one has fled to Nepal, and the other has destroyed the ancestral temple..."

Just when Yun Chu was whispering with Lu Zhaolin and Yang Jiong, Wu Chengsi sat in the most inconspicuous seat in Hua'e Tower and drank one cup after another with his brother Wu Sansi.

Although Yun Chu was so powerful at this time, their brothers did not envy him at all, and even wanted to stay away from Yun Chu.

Wu Chengsi has always believed that it is not easy to take advantage of the royal family. Even if you take advantage now, you will inevitably pay an equally tragic price in the future. This is the balance of the royal family. It is allowed for each to lead the trend for three to five years, but if you lead the trend for decades, you are immature.

Wu Chengsi's eyes passed through the dense crowd of people, and the emperor in the distance was already out of reach.

Wu Sansi took a sip of the wine, shook the bronze wine jar in his hand, and said to Wu Chengsi: "Today's wine seems to be a bit too much."

Wu Chengsi smiled and said: "Yun Chu said that wine doesn't make people drunk, but people get drunk by themselves. This is the case now."

Wu Sansi laughed and raised the wine jar and said: "The whole cup is full of strong power. The alcohol strength increases by three points. Brother, drink this cup to increase my brother's life and happiness."

Wu Chengsi's alcohol tolerance is shallow. He drank the wine in the cup, slapped the table and sang in a low voice: "That day when you left, the snowflakes flew again..."

Without waiting for him to continue singing, Wu Sansi, who still had some alcohol tolerance, covered Wu Chengsi's mouth and scolded in a low voice: "Brother, do you want to be beaten by Yun Chu?"