Chapter 7 This Love Will Never End 1. Fengshan
The 30th year of Jianwu was the 30th year of Liu Xiu's reign. In February, officials in the court petitioned the emperor to offer sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai, but Liu Xiu sternly refused.
On the ninth day of April, Liu Xiu changed Liu Yan's title from Zuo Yi Wang to Zhongshan Wang, and moved him out of the imperial palace, but he did not mention a word about letting him return to his country.
In the winter of that year, Jia Fu, Marquis of Jiaodong, died and was posthumously named Gang.
In the 32nd year of Jianwu, although the court officials did not dare to mention it in front of the emperor, they had been discussing the matter of Fengshan behind the scenes. So a book called "Hetu Huichang Fu" with the words "The ninth day of Chi Liu will meet Mount Tai" was delivered to Liu Xiu. Liu Xiu, who believed in prophecies, immediately asked his eldest son-in-law Liang Song to check it. Then "Hetu" and "Luoshu" popped up again, and all the rules and regulations were implying that Liu Xiu should go to Fengshan.
At this time, the Minister of Works Zhang Chun proposed the Fengshan ceremony, and Liu Xiu approved it immediately. He also issued an edict ordering that all ceremonies should be conducted in accordance with the standards of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Liu Che.
I strongly disagree with the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai. It is not only a waste of money and labor, but also a long journey. How can Liu Xiu's body bear it? However, Liang Song and others kept inciting Liu Xiu, who firmly believed in prophecies, thought it was very reasonable. So the Fengshan ceremony, the most expensive and grandest sacrificial ceremony since the founding of the country, began.
Liu Xiu left Luoyang on the 28th day of the first lunar month with his civil and military officials. The army marched eastward in a mighty manner. I didn't want to go to Mount Tai to watch them suffer, but I was really worried about Liu Xiu's health, so I had to go with them.
On February 9, the team arrived in Lu State and rested for two days in Liu Qiang's Lingguang Hall before continuing on their journey. However, before leaving, Liu Xiu asked Liu Qiang to go to Mount Tai with him to offer sacrifices to the gods. After arriving at Fenggao on February 12, Liu Xiu ordered the General of the Tiger Guards to lead his troops to the mountain to repair the road, and then asked the Imperial Censor and the Imperial Censor to lead the craftsmen to the mountain to carve stones.
On the 15th of February, the emperor, princes, the three dukes, and all civil and military officials fasted in the inns and on the banks of the Wen River. On the 19th, the imperial carriage arrived at the foot of Mount Tai. Liu Xiu and I stayed in the pavilion, and all the officials lined up in the field. Looking up from the foot of the mountain, I could only see that the mountainside was shrouded in clouds and was imposing.
After offering sacrifices to the gods on the night of the 21st, they officially began climbing Mount Tai at dawn and headed towards the summit.
The first section of the way up the mountain was still rideable, but soon the road became rugged and difficult to travel, and one had to dismount and lead the horses frequently. By the time one reached Zhongguan, one was twenty miles away from the flat land, and the horses could not go up any further , so one had to leave all the horses and chariots at Zhongguan.
Looking up at the top of Mount Tai from the middle, the sky is like a floating cloud, so high that it is out of reach . In between, the rocks are strange and steep, the cliffs are deep and narrow, and the road is looming. Most officials are used to a life of luxury and have never suffered such suffering. Many people are exhausted and fall to the side of the road to take a rest. The old and weak even lie stiffly on the rocks and it takes a long time for them to recover.
The team that was originally well-equipped to set out became a mess here. The long team was scattered on the winding mountain road, stretching for more than 20 miles, shaped like a coiled snake.
Liu Xiu stood on the steep cliff, his gray hair was blown by the wind, and he looked ethereal. I was standing next to him and suddenly felt very scared. I held his hand tightly, regardless of whether there were ministers around to pay attention, and just held on to him.
"Don't be afraid." He panted and turned back to cheer me up, "We'll reach the top of the mountain soon." As he said that, he held my elbow and helped me continue walking forward.
"I'm not afraid of being tired..." For some reason, tears suddenly welled up in my eyes. I couldn't help stamping my feet and said, "You are already over sixty years old. Why do you have to climb Mount Tai instead of staying at home and enjoying your life? If something bad happens to you, I...I..."
He took my hand and said with a smile: "I have lived these 61 years, it's worth it!"
The air on the mountain was thin, and the higher we went, the colder it got. When I was about to reach Tianguan, I felt my knees go numb, and I couldn't move a step no matter what. I could only sigh and say, "It's no use! You go ahead, I'll wait here for you to come down the mountain!"
Liu Xiu looked at me silently, with pity and love in his eyes, then turned his back, bent down and squatted.
I felt both jealous and happy, and patted him on the back: "How can you carry me?"
Liu Xiu said: "How can we know if we don't try it?"
I refused to do so. The servants around me rushed to carry me, but were stopped by Liu Xiu. As we were at a stalemate, three or four figures rushed down the mountain, shouting, "Let my son carry me!"
Liu Zhuang led his brothers back from the top of the mountain, and they all shouted, "Sons, carry your father and mother up the mountain!"
Arriving at Tianguan, we saw the lush pine and cypress trees on the top of the mountain, as if they were in the clouds. Looking up at Tianmen, it was like looking at the sky from a cave. Going up another seven miles, the winding path was only wide enough for one person to climb. Liu Zhuang, Liu Cang and others took turns carrying Liu Xiu and me up to Tianmen.
There are no birds or animals on the top of Mount Tai. One mile further east, you can see the newly built circular platform for offering sacrifices to the heavens. On the north and south sides of the circular platform are the remains of the Fengshan ceremony of Qin Shihuang and Emperor Wu of Han.
The round platform was nine feet high and thirty feet in diameter, with a twelve-foot square altar on top. When all the civil and military officials had arrived, they took their places in turn beside the altar, holding jade tablets and facing north. The Tiger Guards held halberds and lined up below the platform, with a majestic presence. The Fengshan Ceremony officially began.
Liu Xiu walked up the east steps to the altar and stood facing north. The Minister of the Chancellery held the jade tablet in his hand, and the emperor sealed it with his seal. The jade tablet was sealed under the square stone of the altar. Liu Xiu bowed to the sky, and all the officials bowed together, shouting: "Long live the emperor - long live the emperor - long live the emperor - long live the emperor -"
The sound shook the valley and echoed for a long time. I could no longer suppress my excitement and tears welled up in my eyes.
Standing on the top of Mount Tai, the wind and rain of the world are all at your feet. Looking around, the mountain is filled with fog. In the distance, the mountains are vaguely visible, and there are thousands of miles of beautiful scenery and thousands of miles of mountains and rivers.
Liu Xiu put one arm around my waist and pointed to the distance with the other: "With the blessing of Heaven, we will unify the world, establish a country and change things, comfort the people and settle their careers, and have good weather and good harvests. People and gods will listen to us... But Lihua, this land is beautiful and it is yours - this is our beautiful land!" He held my hand tightly, with our fingers tightly intertwined.
The sky and the earth merged into one, and at this moment time seemed to have stopped. Since I came to this mysterious time and space, and first met, encountered, and fell in love with Liu Xiu, scenes after scenes flashed through my mind quickly like old clips from a movie.
This is our beautiful country!
Our beautiful country!
