1136, Two prisoners presented to the Imperial Ancestral Temple
The emperor ignored the cabinet who were still arguing in Wenyuan Pavilion, and took his concubine and concubine directly to the square behind Duanmen. There was already a motorcade waiting here.
The Ming Dynasty has always paid attention to etiquette. The emperor has royal etiquette, and the people have civil etiquette. What is used by the emperor and what is used by the subjects are very clear and cannot be exceeded.
Otherwise, the consequences will be terrible, and there is the risk of confiscating your home and exterminating the nine tribes.
The carriage system of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty was divided into two stages. The first stage was the initial stage of Emperor Taizu. The second stage was the stage when it was basically stabilized after Emperor Chengzu's reform.
In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, the ceremonial officials formulated the form of chariot wheels for the emperor. During the Ming Dynasty, there were five types of chariot wheels.
They are jade chariots, which are of the highest specifications. They are generally used for very important occasions such as sacrifices.
Next are leather chariots, elephant chariots and wooden chariots. These three chariots are used in many situations, and can also be used by queens and concubines.
However, after Chengzu's Jingnan Campaign, he not only moved the capital to Beijing, but also made extensive changes to the court's etiquette system. In the third year of Yongle, Emperor Chengzu finally determined the level of chariots.
They are: large chariot (modern music, ancient music), jade chariot, large carriage, small carriage, walking chariot, Daliang chariot, sedan and other vehicles.
Today is a very grand ceremony, offering prisoners and honoring ancestors. This is also the most glorious moment since Chongzhen ascended the throne. There are not many opportunities for the emperor to add honor to himself.
To expand the territory and eliminate the enemy that threatens the most in the north, he is undoubtedly qualified to do so.
If Yang Fan pacified Mongolia, it would make sense for the emperor to go to Mount Tai.
Therefore, today, the emperor wears the most solemn ceremonial dress, rides on the highest-grade carriage, goes to the Ming Tombs to pay homage to his ancestors, and then returns to the Ancestral Temple to offer prisoners and enjoy the cheers of all the people.
Perhaps most readers don't know that large carriages are sometimes driven not by horses, but by elephants.
The smaller Asian elephants from Yunnan are used.
A baby elephant between the ages of three and five is fully capable of pulling a large cart.
Empress Zhou, Concubine Tian and Concubine Yuan also saw the big train for the first time. They were all very surprised.
Since they entered the palace, various crises in the court have continued, and the emperor has no intention of traveling, so these vehicles have been kept sealed.
At this time, they all looked at the emperor's carriage with curiosity.
Concubine Yuan Guifei and Concubine Tian Guifei were a little jealous. This car could only be ridden by the emperor. At most, the emperor took the prince and queen with him. Others were not eligible to ride.
They are just concubines, not even imperial concubines or noble concubines, let alone have the qualifications.
The two of them could only take the Feng sedan.
The phoenix sedan is the most common vehicle used by imperial concubines. It was the vehicle used by the imperial concubines, crown princes, and princesses in the Ming Dynasty.
The shape of the Feng sedan is as follows:
It has a green roof, a gold-coated copper bead top, a gold-copper flying phoenix on each corner, a hanging silver incense round treasure cover and colorful decorations. The sedan body has a red-painted wooden frame, with three sides of woven bamboo mat, painted with Zhai inscriptions, and plastered with gold and copper.
Flower leaf binding.
Red painted b, decorated with gold-plated copper phoenix head and phoenix tail. Green pin gold Luo edge red curtain and watch belt, red inside red bed and sitting mat. Red pin gold Luo sedan robes, with gold pin gold beads inscriptions
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The prince and concubine changed to wearing red wooden pingluo sedan clothes. They were drained, with vanilla inscriptions, and the belt and curtains were all in phoenix inscriptions.
This kind of vehicle is a two-wheeled vehicle, while the emperor's large carriage is two kinds of large carriages, four-wheeled and two-wheeled. There is no comparison at all.
The large carriage can be pulled by horse-drawn horses or elephants. When using horse-drawn carriages, there are ten horses in each of the two rows in front. There are three horses driving the four shafts of the carriage, and there are a total of thirteen horses pulling it. (For details, see the exit and entry police.
Figure).
The queen and the two concubines came forward to watch curiously and chattered endlessly.
Today Chongzhen was very happy and said: "Two of you."
This was extremely merciful. Normally, they were not even qualified to touch each other. Today, they were allowed to board the carriage for a visit. Immediately, the two concubines followed the queen and boarded the carriage with beaming eyebrows.
The large carriage is one foot, three feet, nine and a half inches high and eight feet, two and a half inches wide. The seat height is more than four feet and one inch. If we convert it into modern length units, the large carriage is nearly 4 meters high and 2.5 meters wide.
about.
The emperor's cushion inside is about 1.3 meters high. Sitting on it can be said to be condescending and looking down at the world, with extraordinary magnificence.
Hanging around the carriage are Ruyi beads panels, which are now known as tassels. But the tassels are also covered with beads. These pearls are all pearls from Hepu, Guangxi. Each one is priceless.
Concubine Yuan Guifei exclaimed: "The pearls here are so big, but they are a bit old and have turned yellow."
Concubine Tian felt a little sad when she heard this. She married King Xin at the age of fifteen, and now her husband has become the emperor and been promoted to a concubine. Four years have passed in the blink of an eye.
How long can a woman stay bright and beautiful in her life? Just like the priceless Hepu pearls on this tassel, over time, they are no longer pure and flawless. The so-called pearls turn yellow with age.
Concubine Tian was a talented woman and had always been favored by the emperor. She was also somewhat sentimental.
Under the cushion is a box painted with red paint, divided into twelve parts. Each part is painted with gold powder on 12 kinds of animals, including unicorn, lion, rhinoceros, Pegasus, elephant, phoenix, peacock, and white crane.
The emperor didn't come up, and Empress Zhou didn't dare to cross. She sat on it and tried. Everyone watched carefully.
Each large vehicle has four wheels (the picture shows a four-wheeled vehicle, but some large vehicles have two wheels. It may be related to the specific etiquette specifications.) The wheel decoration is also very luxurious. The outer frame of the wheel is painted red.
It is lacquered and has 18 spokes. Each spoke is beautifully carved, and even the nails have patterns.
The hub part of the wheel is bound with a copper gilded lotus petal-like hub. The traction rope of the car is made of the royal yellow rope.
The house on the car is nearly 2 meters high, with pillars all around. The pillars are five feet eight inches high. Many gold patterns are carved on the two pillars in front.
The pillars of the carriage are divided into three sections with carved patterns, each with its own meaning.
The upper part is engraved with the precious flower, the so-called solemn treasure. This is a flower that symbolizes holiness and elegance.
The lower part is carved with brocade with a turtle back pattern. The turtle was a sacred symbol in ancient times.
The middle part is engraved with a cloud and dragon pattern that symbolizes the royal family.
Every pillar is gorgeous and exquisitely crafted. As for the roof, it is also extremely luxurious. The huge five-clawed golden dragon entrenched on the roof is painted in gold and surrounded by noble lotus patterns.
With Wang Chengen holding his arm, Chongzhen stepped onto the carriage. Except for the middle compartment, there were railings and walkways on all sides of the carriage. The driver and the bodyguard, the Han generals in uniform, stood to protect the emperor.
At the back of the carriage, there are two Taichang Sanchen flags. Each Taichang flag is made of yellow silk thread, with 12 hanging ribbons. The front and back of each hanging ribbon are embroidered with a soaring dragon.
However, the meanings expressed by the two flags are different. The left flag has the sun, moon and Big Dipper embroidered on its waist, and the top of the flag is also a gilded dragon head symbolizing the royal family. The right flag is embroidered with black and white patterns, and the flag head is a gilded bronze halberd.
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Because it has to pass through the gate of the Forbidden City, the width of the large carriage is more than four meters. Because the gate opening of the Forbidden City is only more than six meters wide, the carriage is too wide to get in and out. The four-wheeled carriage is difficult to turn, so it is not a particularly important moment.
Generally, four-wheeled vehicles are not used.
Seeing the emperor coming up, the queen and the two concubines immediately knelt down and waited for the emperor to sit down on the throne before they dared to stand up.
"We are about to set off soon. You two beloved concubines should go to your carriages. The Queen will come up and sit on my right hand side."
"Yes, thank you for your grace."
The two concubines reluctantly got off the carriage and walked towards their sedan cars behind them.
At this time, the large carriage had already been hitched to three adult elephants in the first row, and a four-year-old elephant at the shaft was closely matched with the shaft. Wang Chengen quickly got on the carriage, holding the whisk in his arms, and stood behind the emperor.
Normally, the emperor's carriages and horses were stored in the two rows of side rooms between Chengtianmen and Duanmen. The emperor's ceremonial guards, flags, drums, imperial costumes, etc. were all stored in Duanmen.
At this time, the emperor left the palace. At the Meridian Gate and Duanmen, the bells and drums rang for a while, and hundreds of drummers played music together. In the sound of ancient music, the emperor's cavalry slowly left the palace.