I

  Chapter 532 529 [Emperor's own plowing]

  In the old calendar, in February, officials of the third rank and above start fasting (do not eat irritating foods such as **** and garlic).

   On the second day of fasting, Zhao Han read the sacrificial text in the Hall of Yingmin, and went to inspect the rice seeds and farm tools in person.

  The Minister of Taichang Temple and the Governor of Jinling Prefecture sent the seeds and agricultural tools to Xiannongtan together.

   On the third day of fasting, Zhao Han set off on a royal chariot.

   "Boom! Boom! Boom!"

  The bell rings at the Meridian Gate, and the royal driver leaves.

  After repeated weighing, Zhao Han resumed most of the sacrificial rituals, and at the same time restored the Taichang Temple that presided over the sacrificial rituals.

  However, the sacrificial ritual reform is more simplified.

  The restoration of various sacrificial ceremonies is not to engage in feudal superstition, nor is it to show the majesty of the emperor. Rather, Zhao Han understands a truth, the core values ​​of the ancient Chinese can be summed up in four words: respect heaven and ancestors!

   These four words cannot be lost, otherwise social thinking will fall into chaos.

  Before the Lantern Festival, he had already sacrificed to the heaven and the earth, and today he will hold the Tiantian ceremony. That is to say, the emperor persuaded farming and cultivated the fields himself to express the imperial court's emphasis on farming.

  When Yu drove out of the Forbidden City, officials of the third rank and above had already been waiting in line outside the Forbidden City for a long time.

  This is also simplified. In the Ming Dynasty, all civil officials above the fourth rank and military officials above the third rank had to go to the Laitian Ceremony. Now, regardless of civil or martial arts, all must be above the third grade (Taichang Temple is an exception), Zhao Han does not want so many officials to follow.

   Raising the standard for participating in sacrifices by one rank will immediately reduce more than half of the officials.

  When the procession of emperors and ministers passed by, many people from Nanjing gathered around, obviously wanting to follow behind to watch the excitement.

  The two Frenchmen, Henry and Charles, were also quite curious about this, wondering why the emperor was leaving the city.

   Could it be to go hunting?

   Or organize a knightly contest?

  The team went all the way to the southeast outside Nanjing, where the Nanjing Temple of Heaven and Earth is located.

  At the beginning of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang followed the ancient rituals and sacrificed to heaven and earth on the summer solstice and winter solstice in the south and north of Zijin Mountain.

   Etiquette is extremely cumbersome and goes a long way.

  So Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Heaven and earth are like parents. How can they be separated when they are sacrificed to parents?"

   Then the sacrifice to heaven and earth was changed from separate sacrifice to joint sacrifice, and the place of sacrifice was also changed. In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang's intention was to reduce the number of sacrifices and reduce the distance traveled, so as to avoid wasting people and money.

   Zhu Di moved his capital to Beijing, and the etiquette followed the old rules of Nanjing.

  Until Emperor Jiajing held a big etiquette discussion and made a series of etiquette reforms. One of them is to change the Temple of Heaven and Earth into the Temple of Heaven and the Temple of Earth, and follow the ancient rituals for separate sacrifices.

  Now, Zhao Han has changed again.

  His idea is the same as Zhu Yuanzhang's, he can do whatever he can to save trouble.

  The Temple of Heaven and Earth has a large sacrificial hall, where the yin and yang of the heavens and the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, mountains and rivers, and all the gods of nature are enshrined here.

  Xiannong Altar is near the Great Sacrifice Hall, dedicated to one of the ancestors of China: Shennong!

  The sacrificial officer of Taichang Temple acts as the master of ceremonies to arrange the process.

  Chen Maosheng, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, stood in front and recited the sacrificial oration, and then Zhao Han led the officials to bow down to Shennong.

  According to the ancient rituals, when offering sacrifices to Shennong, one should use Tailao, that is, a complete set of pigs, cattle and sheep.

  Zhao Han thinks it is too wasteful, just kill a pig.

  After the worship, Zhao Han pressed the hem of the dragon robe on his belt, took off his boots, and rolled up his trouser legs.

  The minister of Taichang Temple waved the red flag three times, the minister of the Ministry of Rites invited the emperor to come out of the altar, the minister of the Ministry of household presented the lei, and the governor of Jinling Prefecture presented the whip. Lei is the most primitive plow, and the portraits of Shennong often carry it.

  Zhao Han walked out of Xiannongtan, holding a lei in his right hand and a whip in his left.

  There were also two old local farmers, leading the cattle to follow, and the officials of Honglu Temple announced that the emperor would personally farm.

  Today, the concubine did not come.

  Men farm and women weave. Farming is a man's business, although there must be women farming among the people.

  The Field of the Son of Heaven, three points per mu.

   One-third of an acre of land is derived from here.

  Different from other emperors, Zhao Han's Tianzi Tian was not framed within the altar, but next to the paddy fields of the people.

   On the ridge in the distance, there are many people standing.

   There are even gentry, holding civilian binoculars, standing far away and happily peeping. After Zhao Han came to Nanjing, this was the first time he had plowed by himself. The people inside and outside the city of Nanjing had not seen the emperor plowing the fields for more than two hundred years.

   "Your Majesty, please turn over the ground!" The old cow farmer smiled.

  Old farmers are not invited randomly, they must be elderly. You must be over sixty years old, have high morals and prestige, and be able to plow the fields.

  Zhao Han only needs to take the lei, go to the field and turn it over a few times, and leave the rest to the old farmer to use the oxen to plow.

  Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Zhao Han planted the lei on the edge of the field and snatched the rope of the cow from the old farmer. In the surprised eyes of everyone, the emperor led the ox down to the field, inserted the plowshare into the soil, and drove the buffalo to plow the field with a whip.

  That movement is actually quite skillful.

   Only veterans like Chen Maosheng stood beside him with a smile on his face. When they only had half the land in the county, during the busy farming season, they all helped the common people plant the land.

   "The emperor really knows how to farm!"

   "Hands and feet are still a bit raw, not like an old hand."

   "It's been a long time since I plowed the field, and it will be very easy to plow a few more times."

   "It's good that the emperor knows how to plow the fields. Knowing that farmers are not easy, the land tax will not be heavy."

   "Long live Your Majesty!"

   "..."

  The peasants watching the emperor's plowing from a distance, just started whispering there, and then erupted into shouts of long live.

  The two French nobles were already stunned.

Henry said in disbelief: "Plowing land is something that only lowly farmers can do. Why did the emperor of China plow the land himself? This will make the emperor's majesty go away! And those officials, no one stopped them, and they all stood there laughing .God, what did I see?"

Charlie said with a smile: "Perhaps, the Chinese emperor and ministers all regard this as a game. Listen, there is a band playing music by the field, and the emperor must be playing the role of a farmer. This is probably his interest and hobby. I heard People say that Chinese emperors all have hobbies, and there is also a carpenter emperor. European monarchs also have weird hobbies."

"No, why are all the peasants near us kneeling before the emperor?" Henry looked around and couldn't understand more, "The peasants bowed very piously, it seems that the Chinese emperor plowed the fields himself, and immediately won their support .”

  Charlie said: "The emperor is engaged in humble farming. Of course these humble people will be very happy. You see those officials are laughing. They must be mocking the emperor in their hearts. The Chinese emperor has lost his majesty in front of the ministers."

Ai Julius did not know when he came, and said in French: "You two are wrong. Cultivating food is a very sacred thing in China. The emperor personally went to the field to cultivate, which means that he is kind, and it also means that he knows how to govern the country. Officials do not will laugh at them, but will even more support their monarch."

  Henry couldn't understand: "Aren't people who farm the land very humble?"

Ai Julius shook his head and said: "There is a saying in China that scholars, farmers, and businessmen rank first, which can be understood as scholars and officials. Peasants are ranked second, and craftsmen and businessmen are ranked behind farmers. Chinese officials and scholars, A lot of them farm their own land. Or grow vegetables in the garden, or grow food in the field, and they think it’s a very elegant thing to do.”

Henry spread his hands: "Strange Chinese customs, strange Chinese ideas. If the European nobles know that the Chinese emperor actually farms his own land, his image will definitely plummet in Europe. There are also farmers whose status is actually ranked behind craftsmen and businessmen Ahead. Peasants are the most humble, and the meaning of their existence is to provide food for the nobles."

  Ai Julian sarcastically said: "So in the previous twenty years, France contributed the most peasant riots in Europe. Because the French prime minister has exactly the same idea as you."

  Henry said with a smile: "Father Richelieu is a great prime minister. Although most nobles and peasants hate him, he made France stronger, and he allowed the king to truly control the land of the country."

   This is how the **** decides the head. Henry is a nobleman who lost his fief. The harder Richelieu messed up the nobles, the more he would gloat.

  Charlie didn't speak anymore, but he kept in mind what he saw and heard in China, and planned to return to Paris as a talking point, and maybe he could seduce a few rich ladies.

  The Emperor of China plowed the fields himself, and word would surely spread in Paris.

  While the nobles despise and ridicule, some open-minded scholars will definitely reflect on the systems of European countries. This phenomenon has been very popular since the beginning of the Renaissance. According to a few words of Chinese thought and customs, various reflections on the current Europe: how is this country?

  A famous scholar even put forward a very serious thought after reading travel notes in China: Since China existed before the birth of Jesus, was the world really created by God? Or, are the Chinese people created by God? If the Chinese were not created by gods, then is **** still the supreme and only existence?

  The news of Zhao Han’s plowing spread to Europe, and it is estimated that some scholars are rushing to shout: The Chinese emperor attaches great importance to agriculture and treats farmers well. European monarchs only know how to oppress peasants, this is why China is stronger than European countries! Monarchs of Europe, stop and wait for your people!

   Zhao Han didn't plow all the one-acre three-point field of the Son of Heaven, but only plowed three back and forth for show.

  This is also etiquette, push three times and return three times.

   Then another piece was flattened out. The governor of Jinling Prefecture held the green box in his hand, and the servant of the household department held the seeds and sowed them. This is breeding, concentrated sowing of rice seeds, and after they grow into seedlings, they are pulled out and transplanted to the field.

  According to the ancient ritual, five grains should be sown.

  Zhao Han said to the Minister of Taichang Temple last month: "How to plant, how to plant, how can the five grains be sown together? Wait for other seeds to rot?"

  After the Son of Heaven’s personal plowing was over, the Minister of the Household Department and the Governor of Jinling Prefecture returned home with the lei and the whip.

  Zhao Han boarded the viewing platform, and the three princes and nine ministers went to get the whip and the plow in turn. Sangong pushes five times and returns five times, Jiu Qing nine times pushes nine times, and finally just plows one mu and three parts of the land.

   "Cultivation is a success!" Chen Maosheng shouted.

   "Let's play "You Ping Zhang"!"

   "The emperor drove back to the palace!"

  The royal band started playing again. Pingzhang means peace in the world and outstanding political achievements, and "Youpingzhang" means God blesses the country and the people.

  Several farmers stood by the field and were happy. One-third of the acre of land had already been leased to them, and they only collected some rent and handed it over to the palace.

  This is the field of the Son of Heaven, if they can cultivate it, they may be able to enjoy the royal air.

  (end of this chapter)