At the third watch, two thousand internal guards surrounded an independent mansion covering an area of about three acres in the west of Yunyang County. A general came forward and reported to Liu Wutong: "There are a group of Japanese samurai living inside, like wild dogs.
Likewise, when we shouted, they shouted at the top of their lungs and threw knives at us."
"Are you sure he is a Japanese samurai?"
"already confirmed!"
Liu Wutong nodded and coldly ordered: "Light a fire and burn them!"
"Follow the order!"
Lang Jiang ran back, but within a moment, countless torches and gunpowder arrows were thrown into the courtyard, and hundreds of internal guards threw thin-skinned clay pots filled with kerosene into the courtyard.
Thick smoke billowed in the compound, flames soared into the sky, and the monstrous fire soon engulfed the entire compound.
Two thousand internal guards surrounded the compound and were waiting with crossbows raised, but no one escaped until they died.
The fire lasted until noon the next day. The three-acre compound was burned to ashes, leaving only some ruins. The internal guards conducted an intensive search and quickly found the charred corpses.
Place them on the ground in several rows.
After searching three times, including the cellar, no new bodies were found, so the search ended.
"General Qi, a total of twenty-five corpses were found. They were all burned to charcoal, making it difficult to identify them!"
Liu Wutong nodded, which was completely consistent with Su Qi's confession. There were only twenty-five Japanese assassins in the compound. They had no contact with the outside world. Someone came to deliver food to them every afternoon. In just two days, there must be no such thing.
What a change.
"Inform the county government to clean up the affairs and retreat the army!"
After leaving a mess to the county government, two thousand internal guard soldiers got on their horses and galloped towards Chang'an.
The county magistrate came with a large group of government servants. Looking at the charred corpses and broken walls all over the ground, the magistrate's head was aching. Fortunately, they were all Japanese assassins and there was no need to identify the corpses. He ordered the corpses to be sent outside the city for burial.
The house fire was also registered as an accident.
On the last day of the year, Empress Dowager Zhang issued an abdication edict, officially announcing that the young emperor was unable to govern the Tang Dynasty due to physical reasons, and announced his abdication to the world.
Empress Dowager Zhang also issued a second imperial edict stating that the regent Li Ye was wise, wise, and able to govern the country. He was the legitimate royal heir of the Li family of the Tang Dynasty and could succeed the emperor of the Tang Dynasty.
Immediately afterwards, the Political Affairs Hall and the Military and Political Council also issued a formal statement, unanimously supporting the regent Li Ye as his successor as Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.
On the first day of the first lunar month, just after dawn, the Jingyang Bell on the Hanyuan Palace rang. The sound of the bell was clear and high, spreading throughout the city, announcing that the emperor's enthronement ceremony had officially begun.
The whole city cheered, and hundreds of thousands of people flocked to Danfeng Gate from all directions to witness the emperor's enthronement ceremony.
From Danfeng Gate to Zichen Gate, thousands of huge colorful curtains are hung on both sides. The morning breeze blows and the curtains swing, making it very majestic and spectacular.
Under each colorful curtain stands an honor guard holding a long weapon.
"Dong-dong-dong-"
With the sound of low drums, the bells above the Longwei Road of Hanyuan Hall began to play, slowly kicking off the enthronement ceremony.
On the long imperial bridge leading from Danfeng Gate to Hanyuan Palace Square, Li Ye, the new emperor of the Tang Dynasty, arrived at Hanyuan Palace Square escorted by two thousand armored cavalry. Thousands of ministers lined up in the square.
Li Ye, wearing a nine-piece dragon robe, a flat crown on his head, a red jacket on his feet, a sash, and a jade gui, slowly walked up to the enthronement altar, where all the officials prostrated themselves on the ground.
Li Ye first worshiped heaven and earth, burned incense and prayed. Thousands of ministers also followed and knelt down to worship heaven and earth.
Then Li Lin, the patriarch of the clan, read out the Empress Dowager's edict and the official statement, explaining clearly the reasons for the emperor's abdication. When the emperor grew up, he was found to have an intellectual disability and was unable to govern the world, so a new emperor needed to be established.
The regent, Li Ye, was a wise and powerful man who turned the Tang Dynasty over and rebuilt it. His achievements were unparalleled and he should be crowned emperor.
Li Ye accepted the Empress Dowager's edict and the Eight Treasures of the Emperor.
Li Ye then raised the emperor's eight seals one by one. Every time he raised a seal, hundreds of officials knelt down and shouted, "Long live your Majesty!"
When Li Ye raised the final imperial seal, all the officials bowed and kowtowed, "Long live your Majesty! Long live! Long live your Majesty!"
Accepting the Eight Treasures of the Emperor on the enthronement altar, this means that Li Ye officially became the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.
Immediately afterwards, Li Ye walked into the Hanyuan Hall, sat on the dragon couch, and accepted the congratulations from hundreds of officials.
The enthronement ceremony is divided into three steps. The most important step is the first step, which involves worshiping heaven and earth on the enthronement altar and receiving the emperor's seal. If it is abdication, the old emperor also needs to go to the altar and hand over the talisman.
But Li Ye did not change dynasties, and of course he did not abdicate, but succeeded to the throne. This is the same as the old emperor abdicating the throne as the Supreme Emperor, and the new emperor ascending the throne, so the succession does not require so many complicated rituals to prove the legitimacy of his throne.
sex.
The ceremony when the late emperor Li Heng ascended the throne in Lingwu was much simpler. There was almost no first step to ascend the throne to worship heaven and earth. He directly started the second step, accepting worship from more than a hundred officials in a temporary palace, and then sent people to announce it to the world.
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This is also the reason why Li Heng has always been worried about it. After he collected the Eight Treasures, he wanted to hold another enthronement ceremony. All the preparations were almost done, but in the end it was not held because he fell ill. All the utensils he prepared were lost.
Li Ye saved money.
The second step is to accept the obeisance and congratulations from the officials, and the next step is the third step, to accept the congratulations from the people of Chang'an.
In fact, the ceremony was not very long, only about a quarter of an hour, a total of three quarters of an hour, but it took several months of preparation.
Li Ye, accompanied by senior officials of third rank or above, boarded the Danfeng Gate. The square outside Danfeng Gate was already crowded with hundreds of thousands of people, filling the square and several surrounding streets.
When Li Ye appeared above the city tower, hundreds of thousands of people were excited, cheering like a mountain and a tsunami, "Long live His Majesty the Emperor! Long live!"
Li Ye waved to greet the people. At this moment, Li Ye's eyes were a little moist. When he was thirty years old, he finally ascended the throne of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.
The enthronement ceremony is over, and next comes the traditional New Year's banquet, where the emperor entertains all officials of the court. This year coincides with the emperor's accession to the throne, and the New Year's banquet is more lively and larger. Many low-ranking officials who were not qualified to participate in the banquet in previous years
You will also get the opportunity to attend the New Year's banquet, toast your boss, and increase your chances of showing up.
This is actually a kind of official social interaction. The New Year's banquet held by the imperial court is not only for the emperor to thank the officials for their hard work last year, but also to encourage the new year.
But the unspoken unspoken rule is also to resolve official feuds, unite sincerely in the new year, and contribute to the resurgence of the Tang Dynasty.
In the afternoon, hundreds of cavalrymen rushed to all states with the decree printed by the imperial court, announcing to local officials that the new emperor of the Tang Dynasty had ascended the throne, and announced that the new year would be the first year of Jiaxing.
The enthronement ceremony is over, but the celebrations in Chang'an are still going on. All Chang'an artist groups took to the streets to perform parades. The people of Chang'an City had just participated in the new emperor's enthronement ceremony in the morning, and in the afternoon they went out with their wives and children to watch the parade performances.
The city was filled with gongs and drums, loud laughter, and great excitement. The celebration of the new emperor's coronation finally reached its climax in the evening.
People all over the city rushed to watch the fireworks show. This was the first time in history. They were actually large gunpowder arrows, which of course would not hurt anyone. They were fired into the sky with a heavy crossbow at the top of the city and exploded in the sky. The gunpowder inside
Mixed with iron powder and white sugar, it looks like blooming peonies, especially red and bright in the night sky.
The fireworks of the Tang Dynasty were relatively simple, but they were more numerous. They kept rising into the sky and were brilliant and colorful. They lasted for a full quarter of an hour. Millions of Chang'an people were mesmerized by the sight, and kept exclaiming and applauding.
Li Ye's ascension to the throne was only a change in status, but there was no change in the court system and operations. If we must say a change, it would be a change in title. He could no longer be called His Highness, but changed to His Majesty.
After Li Ye ascended the throne, he first received a series of canonizations.
First, the young emperor abdicated and was granted the title of Prince of Jiyin County. Because he was mentally retarded, he continued to be raised in the palace. Zongzheng Temple was responsible for his living arrangements. The Queen Mother also formally abdicated and was granted the title of Lady Luo Guo. She temporarily lived in the palace to take care of her son.
Li Ye immediately canonized his grandfather Li Linfu as Emperor Wenzong, respected his father Li Dai as the Supreme Emperor, his mother Pei as the Empress Dowager, and his grandmother Mu as the Empress Dowager.
Then it was the turn of the concubines, the Dugu family was canonized as queen, the Liangdi Yang family was canonized as Huifei, the Liangdi Liu family was canonized as Defei, the younger Dugu family of Liangdi was canonized as Shufei, and the Liangyuan and Shen families were all Zhaoyi
.
The eldest son Li Tan was canonized as the crown prince, the other sons were all princes, and the daughter was canonized as a princess.
In the room, Li Ye and his wife Dugu Xinyue sat across from each other and drank. Dugu Xinyue smiled and said: "I am very glad that your Majesty listened to my concubine's advice and did not make Yuhuan a noble concubine."
Li Ye smiled and waved his hand, "When we are alone together, you should still call me husband. I think this is a husband and wife, not a monarch and his subjects."
Dugu Xinyue nodded, "I also think it's easier to call me husband."
Li Ye smiled and said: "It can be hidden for a while, but it cannot be hidden forever. If it is exposed one day, Concubine Feng Hui still feels normal. If she has two concubines in a row, she will be laughed at by future generations."
"That's the truth."
Li Ye held his wife's waist and asked her to sit in his arms. Dugu Xinyue stretched out her finger and tapped her husband's nose lightly and said with a smile: "You are already an emperor, and you are still so frivolous!"
Li Ye said with a smile: "It is easy to change a country, but it is difficult to change one's nature!"
Dugu Xinyue just said that her husband still liked her so much, and her heart felt like honey. She simply put her arms around her husband's neck and said coquettishly: "I still want a daughter, so you have to work hard tonight!"
Li Ye picked up the wine glass and said with a smile: "Have another drink, and let's go to bed and give birth to the little princess!"
Dugu Xinyue picked up the wine glass. Although they were an old couple, Dugu Xinyue was still embarrassed and raised the glass gently and touched it with her husband.