Chapter 167: New Year Poem No. 1

The sacrificial ceremony began.

Zhao Zhen and Zhao Jun left the Chongde Hall and headed towards the front palace.

This year, some courtyards were built in front of the Daqing Hall and occupied by new departments, so the altar was moved outside the Duanli Gate.

At this time, as the time approached the celebration, officials lined up one after another and entered from the Youye Gate.

Under the command of officials from the Ministry of Rites, including civil and military officials, military generals, nobles, and royal family members, they were divided into three large squares and walked into the venue.

A large altar was built with wood outside the Duanli Gate. Zhao Zhen and Zhao Jun walked over and were assigned positions.

There were three large squares under the stage. Zhao Zhen stood at the front alone. After Wang Fan, the Minister of Rites, finished the prelude to the sacrificial activities on the stage, the sacrifice finally began.

Then Zhao Zhen came on stage and led the civil and military officials to kneel, pray, and beg, etc. in complex ritual activities according to the arrangements of Wang Fan and Yan Shu.

The sacrificial ceremonies in the Song Dynasty were nothing more than heaven and earth, ghosts and gods, and ancestors, but each of them had a special ceremony, so it was quite complicated.

At this moment, Zhao Jun was also in the crowd, and he was in a relatively front position, at the head of the civil and military officials, next to him were Lü Yijian, Wang Zeng and others, and the status of the ceremony was very high.

He raised his head, and in front of him was the altar.

There were many tablets on the altar, including Zhao Kuangyin, Zhao Guangyi, Zhao Tiao, Zhao Ting, Zhao Jing, Zhao Hongyin and other ancestors of the old Zhao family.

In addition to the civil and military officials, there were also a large number of other Zhao clan members.

He didn't know any of these people.

Among them, the one leading the clan members was a middle-aged man with a serious face.

Lü Yijian whispered to him that it was the Grand Master Zhao Yunrang.

Zhao Yunrang's face was gloomy, and at this moment his face was expressionless, his eyes were drooping, and he seemed to be looking down at the ground, with his hands in his sleeves, and his attitude could not be seen.

But it was obvious that he was very uncomfortable.

Although Zhao Zongshi is still being raised in the palace, the Empress gave the five-year-old Zhao Zongshi to the palace nanny to raise after she became pregnant, and no longer took care of him personally.

And it is very likely that once the Empress or Concubine Zhang gave birth to a prince, Zhao Zongshi would be sent out of the palace.

How could Zhao Yunrang be happy?

However, all this had nothing to do with Zhao Jun. As long as Zhao Yunrang did not make trouble, it had nothing to do with him, so he just glanced at him and continued the ceremony.

The civil officials stood in the middle below the altar, the royal family members stood on the left, and the military generals and nobles stood on the right.

There were officials from the Ministry of Rites presiding over the ceremony and singing praises.

Everyone stood below.

From time to time, as the praises reached a certain step, all officials, royal family members and nobles had to bow their hands and salute, and sometimes even kneel down.

During the ceremony that lasted for more than an hour, Zhao Jun looked around curiously at the sacrificial ceremony.

It was the first time for him to participate in such a high-level and grand event.

In the past, the village would hold ancestor worship every year, but the problem was that he was a junior in the village at that time, and all the specifications were handled by the elderly and elders. Those who could stand in the front were either rich and powerful or highly respected, which had little to do with him.

Basically, he followed the crowd and kowtowed to the ancestors of the old Zhao family in the ancestral hall, and then waited until noon and afternoon, hundreds or thousands of people in the village had a feast inside and outside the ancestral hall, and celebrated the New Year happily together.

Now, not only is he participating in the ceremony at the highest level of royal celebrations, but he is also standing at the front of the team and directly worshipping Zhao Kuangyin, Zhao Guangyi, Zhao Huan and others. This experience is really fresh.

The most interesting thing is that Zhao Zhen, the Song Renzong who was originally on the tablet in the village ancestral hall, is now the main worshiper, and he has become a secondary worshiper.

I wonder if thousands of years later, if the small village called Zhaojiawan in the central part of the south still exists, will his name be added to the tablet of the ancestors?

"The ceremony is over!"

At noon, with the shout of the Minister of Rites, the lengthy ceremony finally ended.

Zhao Zhen walked down from the altar and headed for the Purple Palace.

At noon, a large number of banquets were arranged in the Purple Palace and the surrounding palaces. Zhao Zhen hosted a banquet for all the ministers, and all the officials celebrated together. In the evening, they would go to Donghua Gate to watch the fireworks.

As the powerful director of the Political System Institute, Zhao Jun followed Zhao Zhen all the way to the Purple Palace, and the banquet officially began.

Many senior ministers were in the inner palace, while the rest of the officials, nobles, and clan members were in the side hall and the outer hall.

According to the customs of previous years, the inner hall was more formal, while the outer hall was more casual. Many literati wrote poems to each other, and there was a sign of peace and prosperity.

So now in the outer hall, hundreds of middle and lower-level literati have held a literary meeting, and they have written poems one by one.

"Brother Cigong, how do you think of my poem?"

"Not bad, not bad, well written."

"Brother Zichang, come and take a look at my poem and give me some comments."

"It's well written, but it lacks some charm. It would be better if the green trees were changed to jasper trees."

The outer hall is spacious, with hundreds of tables. Everyone sits on the ground, and the ground is covered with bamboo mats. Although it is late winter and the weather is still cold, various charcoal fires are lit in the room, making it warm like spring.

Since there are no senior officials or the emperor present, these middle and lower-level officials in green robes are quite unrestrained and not very restrained.

Although they are all green robes above the fifth rank, they are actually the Yuanwailang, Zhizhigao, Geshijiang, Zhusilangzhong, Yushi, Jianguan and the like of various ministries. After the current reform, they are all powerful mid-level officials in various departments, and they can go out to govern the state.

Therefore, to a certain extent, in addition to the Shangshu and Shilang of the Political System Council and more than a dozen departments, they are the backbone of the lower level. In a few years, they are all qualified to become Shangshu Shilang and even prime ministers.

For the rules of the court, they are naturally clear.

At the end of the year, the government and the officials celebrate together, and naturally there are not so many details and red tape. Everyone drinks, lies, sits, or leans with three or five friends, chats, writes poems, and it is so lively.

The inner palace is another scene. The original Shuxiang, Jixiang, Canzhi Zhengshi and Pingzhang Junguoshi of the Privy Council have now been changed to Shangshu of various departments and Tongzhi of the Political System Council.

More than 20 senior officials in purple robes sat upright, with Zhao Zhen sitting at the top, and next to him was Empress Cao, who was more than two months pregnant.

Zhao Jun's seat was the first one next to Zhao Zhen.

After the banquet began, Zhao Zhen raised his wine glass and said to the crowd with a smile: "My dear people, in the new year, the whole world celebrates together, and I hope that the country will be peaceful and the people will be safe, and the world will be blessed. I cheer for you all!"

Cheers appeared in the Tang and Song dynasties. In the Tang Dynasty, it referred to the shouting and cheering during gambling. In the Song Dynasty, it gradually became a word of praise and often appeared in lyrics.

Hearing Zhao Zhen's words, all the ministers raised their glasses and stood up and said, "I wish the emperor good health and continuous blessings for the Song Dynasty."

The Minister of Rites also said, "It's time to say goodbye, fireworks every year. Morning and evening, peace every year."

"May this be a good thing for thousands of years. Laugh and have fun, and have fun forever."

"May you live a thousand years, and have spring every year."

"And meet the good time, and celebrate the time."

All kinds of blessings appeared in everyone's mouth, making Zhao Jun quite embarrassed.

He really didn't know much about the blessings in ancient times.

After thinking about it, he said, "May your majesty be happy and successful, and everything can be expected. May the queen's face be as red as ever, with flowers on her head, year after year!"

"Hahahahaha."

After a blessing, Zhao Zhen was very happy, raised his glass and said, "Come, drink!"

He drank it in one gulp.

The ministers also drank the wine, and after sitting down, the singing and dancing began.

A group of singing girls walked into the hall, and a musician sat in the corner. The cheerful New Year music and dance soon filled the room with joy.

Zhao Jun was actually not used to this kind of environment. There was no mobile phone to play with, no Spring Festival Gala to watch, and no computer to use. Just watching the singing and dancing was really boring, so he focused on eating. In the Song Dynasty, there were already stir-fried dishes, which were delicious and fragrant. He ate them hard.

After about half an hour, a song and dance ended, and all the ministers cheered. At this time, Wang Shouzhong came in from outside the door and reported to Zhao Zhen that a good poem had appeared this year and was to be presented to the emperor.

This was also a routine.

The green-robed officials outside competed with each other in writing, and wrote the best poems to present, which was also a blessing for the New Year. At the same time, if the poems were well written and caught the eyes of the emperor and the prime ministers, they would be promoted quickly in the future.

Zhao Zhen smiled and said, "Which great sage wrote a good poem this year?"

Wang Shouzhong said, "It was Song Zijing, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Works."

Song Zijing was Song Qi, the younger brother of Song Xiang.

Zhao Zhen was not surprised to learn that it was him. The Song brothers were all talented and wrote good poems. He nodded and said, "Announce."

"Announce!"

Wang Shouzhong shouted.

Song Qi, who was outside, walked in, stood in the central hall, bowed to Zhao Zhen and said, "Your Majesty."

Although these people were the backbone of each department, they were not qualified to attend the court except for the censors and remonstrators, so Song Qi rarely saw the emperor. At this moment, he entered and stood solemnly, hoping to make a good impression.

Zhao Zhen smiled and said, "I heard that Mr. Song wrote a good poem?"

"It's just an impromptu work for the occasion."

Song Qi handed the written lyrics to Wang Shouzhong with both hands and smiled, "Because I followed your majesty to worship the heaven, earth and ancestors, I was moved and wrote this poem."

"Well, good."

Zhao Zhen took the poem handed over by Wang Shouzhong, looked at it, and saw that the poem was indeed a good sacrificial article, and the content was very exciting.

He immediately asked Wang Shouzhong to read it out.

Wang Shouzhong held up the poem and said loudly: "God has a bright virtue, and the round altar is full of grand ceremony. The seven-mile road in the south city is a time for the suburbs every three years. The canopy of Yu moves, and the Qian walks in the red dragon. The mountains and rivers face the tassels, and the stars and elephants lean on the flags. The music is more peaceful in front of the urn, the emperor's spirit comes down to ask for mercy, the Mi Du E offers jade, and the Qing Temple tastes the sacrifices all over the temple."

The content of this poem is magnificent and the words are gorgeous. Although there is nothing special about it, it is basically a pile of rhetoric, but it is indeed suitable for the occasion.

"Good poem!"

"This poem is well written."

"It has the style of a first-class sacrificial article."

Everyone commented and applauded.

Although there are no particularly outstanding sentences in it, it is difficult for sacrificial texts to produce famous sentences.

They are often piled up with gorgeous words, not to mention that gorgeous words also have technical content.

Not only does it require neat writing, but it also needs to be in tune with the rhythm.

Obviously, Song Qi's poem is a relatively standard article.

Zhao Zhen also thought it was very good. He looked around at the ministers and said, "Song Qing's poem is very good and should be appreciated. Who among you will come out to respond?"

The style of poetry and lyrics was very popular in the Song Dynasty. When holding literary gatherings, there was a saying of responding.

This kind of play actually started in the Tang Dynasty, when Liu Yuxi, Bai Juyi and Yuan Zhen often wrote corresponding poems at banquets.

The famous song "Thousands of sails are passing by the side of the sinking boat, and thousands of spring trees are growing in front of the diseased trees. Listen to a song today, and I will be refreshed with a glass of wine for now." He just came here to meet Bai Juyi at the cocktail party.

After hearing Zhao Zhen's words, Yan Shu pondered for a moment, stood up and said, "Come on, I am."

"The talent of Prime Minister Yan is eight times higher than that of Zijing."

Seeing Yan Shu stand up, Song Qi was a little timid. After all, Yan Shu was a great poet with literary names all over the Song Dynasty. If he wrote a better poem for the occasion than him, wouldn't he be suppressed by his literary reputation?

So Song Qi quickly surrendered and said: "If Yan Xiang wrote the lyrics, then Zijing would probably have to hide his face and go away."

"Hahahahaha."

Yan Shu was very happy to see Song Qi relenting and sat back down again.

Zhao Zhen said with great interest: "Which of the husband's poems does Song Qing think can match Song Qing's?"

Song Qi looked around.

Lu Yijian, Wang Zeng, Li Di and others are not good people.

Although they don't have great literary names, they actually all have good lyrics writing skills, and it's a bit difficult to put them together.

The rest of the people are not bad either. If the boat capsizes and they are pushed down, it would be a bit embarrassing.

For literati, literary names still have to be fought over.

After thinking for a while, Song Qi had no choice but to smile bitterly and said: "Except for Mr. Yan, if you want to write, you can."

In fact, he wanted to pick the weak persimmon and targeted the hard-working Zhao Jun.

But I heard that our Zhao Zhiyuan is petty and will probably have a hard time if he offends Zhiyuan, so he is not so bold to tease the tiger's beard.

But when he glanced around and finally took a deep look at Zhao Jun, who was immersed in cooking, he was noticed by Zhao Zhen above.

Zhao Zhen wanted to watch the play happily, so he waved his hand and said: "It doesn't matter, all the gentlemen present are reasonable people, and they won't blame you if you can't write it. Hanlong, if you can't write the poem, will you blame Song Qing? ?”

Zhao Jun raised his head, glanced at Song Qi, and said happily: "I don't blame him, but are you sure I can't write poetry?"

"Hahahahaha."

Many of the leaders laughed.

The other ministers from various departments who didn't know the inside story were confused.

Do the prime ministers and the emperor all know that our magistrate has a superb level of poetry?

"If that's the case, then I choose Zhiyuan to write a poem that matches my poem!"

Zhao Jun's words only aroused Song Qi's displeasure.

Everyone knows that the Zhiyuan Zhiyuan did not enter the official position through the imperial examination, but was promoted to the Zhizhiyuan from the imperial city's Zhisi Si, and only took this position with the support of officials and prime ministers.

Due to incorrect procedures, the officials below were quite critical. They believed that Zhao Jun was not a normal selection and was not qualified to become a magistrate. There was a constant stream of objections.

It's just that Zhao Jun's authority was at its peak. He had beheaded so many people and arrested so many corrupt officials that no one dared to come directly to trouble him.

But writing poetry is a matter of hard power and a matter of literary reputation, so Song Qi felt insulted when he heard Zhao Jun's words.

How could a person who didn't even pass the imperial examination write poems that surpassed his own?

It doesn't make sense.

I must teach this Zhiyuan master a hard lesson.

However, Zhao Jun asked again and again: "Are you sure you want me to write it? Don't you regret it?"

"Sure."

Song Qi said firmly: "I will never regret it."

"That's a poem for the occasion, right?"

Zhao Jun asked again.

"Yes."

Song Qi responded: "It doesn't matter whether it's for worship today or for good luck in the New Year."

"Crack!"

At this time, firecrackers were set off everywhere in Bianliang City.

The sound is getting louder and louder, and the excitement is getting louder and louder.

Zhao Jun thought for a while and said: "This poem is suitable for the occasion. The sound of firecrackers marks the end of the year, and the spring breeze brings warmth to Tusu. Thousands of households always replace the old talisman with new peaches."

"What a poem!"

"Yes, it's indeed the right time. The firecrackers just went off."

"Hahaha, I didn't expect Zhiyuan to be so talented. This poem should be the number one New Year poem!"

After hearing this, all the ministers were stunned for a moment, and then they all cheered.

Song Qi silently handed over his hands and exited the hall.

Zhao Zhen waved to Zhao Jun on the stage, and Zhao Jun walked up to Zhao Zhen's side.

Zhao Zhen whispered in his ear: "Whose copy did this belong to?"

"Wang Anshi's."

Zhao Jun glanced at Queen Cao, who was sitting upright not far away, and answered in a low voice as well.

"Your poems are so good that they scare people away."

"Isn't that why you are going to the fire?"

"I am also doing this for your own good. You lack nothing but a literary reputation. Everyone says that you have no literary talent and that your morals are not worthy of your place. After today, there will be a lot less gossip."

"Then I have to thank you."

"You're welcome, it's all what I should do."

Zhao Zhen said happily.

Zhao Jun rolled his eyes and returned to his seat.