Chapter 306: Draft and Year
"What's the reason, Your Highness?" Zhang Guifen asked puzzledly.
Zhao Xing turned his head to look at Zhang Guifen and said, "This palace is like a cage. Father has been on the throne for more than 40 years, and he has only left the palace a few times, and he has never left Bianjing City."
"The emperor claims to rule the world, but in reality he has to stay in Bianjing for almost his entire life. Isn't that ridiculous?"
The night before his enthronement, Zhao Xing was filled with excitement. After all, he was about to become the supreme emperor.
But today, when he took the imperial seal and sat on the dragon throne, he suddenly felt a sense of loss.
Zhao Xing had never understood where this feeling came from. At noon, when he was having lunch and chatting with his father in Xingming Palace, his father's casual sigh made Zhao Xing understand where this feeling came from.
He was afraid that his father would be bored and fall ill after abdicating, so he told his father that he could leave the palace for some recreation and relaxation.
After hearing this, the emperor was stunned for a long time and sighed: "I have never left Bianjing City in my life. I have to go out and take a look."
Zhao Xing found it unbelievable when he heard this. After asking, he learned that not only had his father never left the city of Bianjing, but he had only been out of the palace a handful of times in recent years.
He suddenly thought, will he be like this in the future?
If you think about it carefully, it seems to be true. Ever since he became regent, he has almost been going between the Eastern Palace and the Imperial Palace.
So what is the difference between a palace and a cage?
Zhang Guifen thought about it carefully and it seemed to be true.
Before she got married, although she didn't like to go out very much, she was not unable to go out.
After she became the Crown Princess, although her status was honored, she spent almost all her time in the Eastern Palace.
Now that she has become the queen, she cannot leave the palace easily.
The palace was big, but the places she could actually go were fewer than Zhao Xing's.
"I'm just sighing, why do you still look so unhappy?" Zhao Xing saw Zhang Guifen's gloomy expression and reached out to pinch her face.
"I was somewhat touched by what Your Majesty said." Zhang Guifen sighed.
"Haha."
Zhao Xing held Zhang Guifen in his arms and said with a smile, "Then you should give birth to a prince for me as soon as possible. When the prince reaches adulthood, I will be less than 40 years old. At that time, I will pass the throne to him and take you to travel around the world."
Zhang Guifen blushed when she heard this and said coquettishly, "Your Majesty, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"There are only two of us here, there is nothing we can't talk about. Let's go, it's getting late, let's go back to sleep." Zhao Xing said with a smile.
…………
Naturally, a morning court session would be held the next day after the new monarch ascended the throne.
Several palace maids in front were leading the way with lanterns, while Zhao Xing was sitting on the sedan chair and yawning.
He arrived at the Daqing Hall, got off the sedan chair, and entered the hall through the back door.
"Your Majesty, we pay our respects to you!" All the officials bowed.
Zhao Xing stood in front of the dragon throne, looked at the officials bowing and saluting below, and then sat down.
"Be flat!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After expressing their gratitude, all the officials straightened up and the hall fell into silence.
During the first morning court session after the new monarch ascends the throne, some imperial edicts and official adjustments are usually read out.
Therefore, the officials were not in a hurry to do anything.
Zhao Xing looked at Sanshui. Sanshui understood, walked forward with the imperial edict, unfolded it and began to read it.
This imperial edict was the decree to confer the title on Princess Yongle. As for the imperial edicts Zhao Xing issued to confer titles on those concubines, they did not need to be read out during the court.
After the imperial edict was read, the eunuch in charge of the palace shouted, "If you have anything to say, report it as soon as possible!"
All the officials in the hall were very surprised to hear this. At the first morning court session after Zhao Xing ascended the throne, he only conferred a title on the princess, and did not make any adjustments to the officials.
Although they knew it was only temporary, they felt relieved.
The Minister of Rites stepped out and said, "Your Majesty is in a very high position. You should select concubines to fill the harem!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xing brought up the same excuse he had given to his father yesterday.
However, many officials stood up to oppose and insisted that Zhao Xing should be selected in the draft.
Are you kidding? Zhao Xing was an emperor, but he had less than ten concubines in his harem.
At least half of the civil and military officials in the court had more wives and concubines than Zhao Xing. If Emperor Zhao Xing didn't take more concubines, how could they take concubines?
"I will arrange this matter." Zhao Xing rubbed his head in pain.
He was a little confused as to why so many incompetent emperors in ancient times were labeled as lustful.
He himself was unwilling to select concubines through selection, but the officials forced him to do so.
Hearing that Zhao Xing did not refuse, the officials gave up.
"Your Majesty has ascended the throne, but the reign title has not yet been decided. Please make a decision as soon as possible." said the Minister of Rites.
Although the change of era name happened in the following year, the reign title had to be decided early on.
"Let's use Xuanwu as the reign title." Zhao Xing said.
In ancient times, the reign titles of some dynasties changed frequently, while in other dynasties, each emperor only used one reign title.
Using only one reign title usually represents the emperor's ambition.
If the year name is changed frequently, it will have more meanings.
However, the meaning of Zhao Xing using Xuanwu as the reign title is easy to understand.
The word "xuan" means to spread and publicize. "Xuanwu" can be understood as promoting martial virtues.
The general meaning is that Zhao Xing is going to mobilize troops.
There are many reign titles with the word "Wu" in history, such as Liu Bei's "Zhangwu", Li Yuan's "Wude", and Zhu Yuanzhang's "Hongwu".
Without exception, these were times when wars were more frequent.
In fact, Zhao Xing originally wanted to use "Zhangwu", but in ancient times "Zhang" was a general term.
Liu Bei's reign title "Zhangwu" is actually "Zhangwu".
There is no strict rule that prohibits the use of an era name that has already been used, but Shu Han was not a unified regime and did not exist for long, so it was unlucky.
Emperor Taizu made a joke back then by using a reign title that had been used by a small regime.
Zhao Xing naturally couldn't make such a joke. He collected the reign titles of emperors of all dynasties and did not see any using Xuanwu.
There was an Emperor Xuanwu in the Northern Wei Dynasty, but that was just a temple name, so it didn't have any impact.
When the generals heard this reign title, they were delighted.
The civil officials all felt sympathetic.
The reign title chosen by the emperor himself represents his thoughts and ambitions. Such an emperor who always wants to promote military power is not something that civil officials would like to see.
They hoped that the new monarch would be benevolent and focus on civil affairs, so that the status of civil officials in the court would become higher and higher.
However, no one stood up to oppose it, after all, it was just a year name.
The civil officials of the Song Dynasty had a suppressive effect on the military generals. Most of the people in the Privy Council were civil servants, and even if there were a few military generals, they had little say.
After all, Zhao Xing had just ascended the throne, and they didn't want to bring bad luck to Zhao Xing.
Seeing that no one objected, Zhao Xing said, "Since all the ministers agree, let's do it. Announce to the world that the reign will be changed to Xuanwu on the first day of next year."
Next, some trivial matters were discussed and the morning court ended.
Zhao Xing returned to Longtu Pavilion and waited for a while, then Yu Xianggong and Hai Wenyou walked in.
The two of them also came back to watch the ceremony. After all, one of them is a husband and the other is a Hanlin scholar. For such a major event as the enthronement of the new monarch, they must come back to watch the ceremony.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!" the two men bowed.
"No gift."
Zhao Xing asked someone to seat the two men and said with a smile, "I called Yu Xianggong and Hai Xueshi over here to ask about the progress of the land measurement. Who of you two will speak first?"
"His Majesty!"
Yu Xianggong bowed and said, "I have completed the inventory of farmland in all the states of the Central Plains, and found a total of more than 6 million acres of hidden farmland."
"Yeah." Zhao Xing nodded and looked at Hai Wenyou and said, "Where is Master Hai?"
"I have only checked the land of the six states and found more than two million acres of hidden farmland." Hai Wenyou said, bowed and said, "I have failed to do my job well and failed the trust of the Emperor and Your Majesty. Please punish me, Your Majesty!"
(End of this chapter)