There is a tradition of keeping the year old on New Year's Eve. This keeping the year old is actually directly related to the sacrifice, because we have to wait until midnight to make the sacrifice, and the big family does not live together, so of course they cannot go home to sleep separately.
So everyone has to gather together, eat fruits and various snacks, and then sit and chat together, waiting patiently for the sacrifice time to arrive. This may be how the tradition of staying up late on New Year's Eve came about.
Li Ye's family also has the tradition of keeping the New Year's Eve together. Every year, everyone gathers in the living room to keep the New Year's Eve together.
But today everyone is staying in Zhen'an Tower, so Li Ye arranged to set up a big lotus tent on the first floor of Zhen'an Tower, with a thick soft carpet underneath, and a small table in the middle of the main tent filled with all kinds of food and drinks.
.
Of course, the lotus tent also has petals, which are five separate tents. Each of the five wives and concubines has a small tent of their own, where they can sleep or sit together in twos and threes and chat.
The happiest thing was the children, who happily crawled around in each small tent.
Li Ye was talking lazily with his wife Dugu Xinyue. Three young ladies, Qingyu, Taiwei and Shen Li, gathered together to chat. What was unexpected was that Yang Yuhuan and Shen Zhenzhu were lying in the same tent chatting.
So don’t take this kind of face thing too seriously, be pragmatic, and you can actually live in harmony even if you throw away face.
Dugu Xinyue asked with a smile: "Husband, do you think we can go to worship tonight?"
"It might work!"
Li Ye smiled and said: "Since Chenghua has made a promise, she will definitely be able to fulfill it. Besides, the other party still knows nothing about it, so she should be able to catch the other party off guard and throw the pot away."
"Will your husband go on an expedition next year?" Dugu Xinyue asked again.
Li Ye nodded, "Next year is the key year to eliminate the feudal towns in Hebei. Although I will not participate in every battle, I will still go to the key battles, especially the battle with the grassland Uighurs and the Khitan people."
"Will the Huihe army go south after spring?"
“Will definitely come!”
Li Ye knew very well that Dengli Khan of Uighur was a very vengeful person. In the past few years, he had been restrained by the Jiankun tribe and had no chance to go south.
But this year, Huihe defeated the Jiankun tribe, and Geluolu's strength declined, and Denli Khan became the master of the grassland. The momentum was booming. How could Denli Khan give up the interests of the Central Plains? How could he not retaliate for what he had done that year?
Arrow revenge?
Li Ye smiled and said: "But even if he comes again, he will go back crying."
At this time, the eldest daughter Xingsha crawled over. Xingsha is a nickname, her official name is Li Luping, and she will be nine years old soon.
She lay down next to her mother's ear and whispered: "I just overheard Er Niang chatting with Aunt Shen."
Dugu Xinyue pinched her daughter's face and smiled: "You can't just eavesdrop on other people's chats!"
"Actually, it wasn't eavesdropping. Er Niang knew I was behind her and pinched my ears."
"Oh! What are they talking about?"
"The second mother advised Aunt Shen to become a concubine. Aunt Shen said she wanted to be a wife. Mother, what does it mean to be a wife?"
Dugu Xinyue immediately understood that just like Mrs. Guo Guo, she could enter and leave the palace normally, and could still live in the palace. In fact, she did not have the status of a concubine, but she could live in the palace for a long time openly.
It was a good idea. Dugu Xinyue glanced at her husband, and Li Ye said lightly: "Let's wait until she gives birth!"
At this time, Yang Chaolu, the deputy leader of the female guard, quickly came to the princess's tent and said: "Princess, I have something to report for my humble position!"
"Say it! The prince is also here with me."
"His Royal Highness, Princess Qi, and Li Dutong have received news that Ashina Chengqing has been annihilated, and sacrifices can be carried out normally tonight."
Li Ye nodded, "Thank you for your hard work during this time!"
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. This is all part of my humble duty."
Dugu Xinyue asked with a smile: "Then are we moving tonight?"
Li Ye also smiled and said: "Sleep first, go to sacrifice at Yin Shi, come back after the sacrifice and continue to sleep, we will talk about moving tomorrow!"
The sacrificial time is usually chosen at Yin Shizheng, which is four o'clock in the middle of the night. This is the time when night and day alternate. Yin Shizheng on New Year's Eve is also the beginning of the New Year.
Li Ye has received notice from Li Chenghua that the assassin threat has been eliminated, Ashina Chengqing is dead, and their family has also lifted their guard.
Li Ye took his family to the ancestral hall to worship their ancestors.
Three animals and various sacrifices were placed on the tribute table, and the incense burner was lit.
The whole family wore black sacrificial robes and lined up to offer incense and kneel down one by one.
The master of ceremony was still Li Tengkong. She couldn't shirk it. It was her father's spiritual tablet.
Everyone takes turns to offer incense, kneel and worship, and the process is over after completing it once.
But in fact, the sacrificial process is very cumbersome. Various ceremonies, such as the Li Ancestral Sacrifice hosted by Li Dai, take a full hour and a half, which is only three hours.
It takes half an hour just to take a shower and change clothes, and then it starts at Yin hour and ends at Yin hour, a full two hours.
Li Ye's sacrifice only lasted a quarter of an hour, and of course he had only a small family. For example, there was also the burning of paper. Hundreds of ingots stacked with gold and silver foil were finally placed in the bronze furnace in the courtyard. After the sacrifice, the housekeeper would sprinkle fire.
oil and then burn it on fire.
For Li Ye, worshiping ancestors was a ritual that had to be done, rather than a spiritual sustenance.
So Shen Li couldn't understand and was very confused. Although she was not qualified to enter the main courtyard, she was also watching in the side courtyard. The preparations for the Shen family's ancestor worship had been started several months ago, and a lot of manpower and material resources had been spent.
, it takes a whole night to perform sacrifices, which makes people half exhausted.
But when she arrived at her husband's house, she changed into a temporary sacrificial robe, and a group of sisters took turns to burn incense and kneel down. It was over in a quarter of an hour. She was completely confused. Didn't it mean that the royal sacrificial ceremony was more grand?
The weather was very cold, so I had to go back after the sacrifice. Of course I didn't walk back, but got on a few light carriages. Everyone covered their legs with thick blankets, and the carriage drove to Zhen'an Tower.
It's too late to move tonight, so we can only talk about it tomorrow.
"Looking at you, do you feel confused?" Qingyu laughed in a low voice.
Shen Li nodded, "I didn't expect it to be so short?"
Qingyu smiled and said: "I heard from my eldest sister that there was no ancestor worship in the first few years. After it stabilized, I reluctantly started to do it. Then it was very simple. My husband was very resistant to ancestor worship and basically didn't participate in it before. Pass."
"Why?" Shen Li was even more puzzled.
"In the past, my husband and mother lived in Yonghefang, and the Li family did not recognize them. Later, after returning to the family, my husband basically went out to fight and was away from Chang'an for many years. Of course, he did not need to participate in ancestor worship."
Shen Li nodded, "My husband's fortune was built by his own hard work, not by the protection of his ancestors, so there is no need to take ancestor worship so seriously."
Qing Yu praised her for being smart and said with a smile: "That's right, but although the ancestors don't worship, there will definitely be sacrifices to the gods in the future, and it will be very grand."
In fact, of course they wouldn't know that there was another reason why Li Ye didn't like to worship ancestors.
As they talked, they arrived at Zhen'an Building. Everyone got off the car and went upstairs to their rooms to sleep. Dugu Xinyue was waiting for Shen Li. When she came over, Dugu Xinyue said with a smile: "Husband, I'll go to bed later." Your room doesn’t count tonight, it will be your wedding tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.”
