Chapter 137 Sacrifice

Qin Hao's vacation was over without enjoying a few good days on Bai Ling'er's soft and comfortable bed.

"Time is like fine sand in your hands. If you don't look at it, it will be gone!" Qin Hao called him a hater. He hated himself for why he had to do so many things. Why did Kangxi and Qianlong in the braid drama just wander around when they had nothing to do? , a good-natured woman, a pretty girl, being wild all day long, how can I not do that?”

To be honest, Qin Hao envied the harem battles in movies and TV dramas, and how many women the emperor of the Qing Dynasty enjoyed.

While muttering in a low voice, Qin Hao saw Zhuge Xuan and others who had stayed behind during this period.

"Lord, there is something I need you to review." Zhuge Xuan handed a stack of residence newspapers to Qin Hao with a hint of worry in his eyes.

Hey, this is the newspaper of Ming Dynasty?

Qin Hao flipped through it with great interest. Of course, this kind of newspaper would not contain love stories such as gossips about celebrities and singers. What they did contain were mostly news such as the review of the emperor's memorials and information from various places.

This kind of official newspaper is naturally rigorous. In addition to the official newspaper, the Ming Dynasty also had some newspapers run by businessmen, and the content on them was much richer. There were all kinds of news about moon cake advertisements, singers, and restaurants. Qin Hao had read one before. I lost my interest and let you whistle in my words. I only listened to the words and ignored the true appearance.

Examining the Di newspaper in his hand, Qin Hao soon noticed the contents of a Di newspaper.

Apocalypse is over!

Zhu Youxiao failed?

Qin Hao was a little surprised. After thinking for a while, he remembered that it was May of the first year of Chongzhen, and Tianqi had been dead for more than half a year.

However, it was only six months after his death that the news reached Keelung from Jiangnan, which shows how inconvenient the information from Keelung was.

Qin Hao was a little worried that such news would cause inconvenience to him when he governs the territory in the future, and how to deal with the decree.

The next series of thoughts was, "Apocalypse is dead? He has no children. His younger brother Xinwang Zhu Youjian happened to be in the capital and took over his duties, so he got an advantage.

But this good brother failed to live up to the trust and expectations of his brother and sister-in-law, and completely ruined the family business! As for why he just mentioned his sister-in-law, she was the empress of Emperor Tianqi, and the king of Xin who was protected by Zhang Yan, known as the queen in ancient times. Otherwise, Zhu Youxiao would not have become the emperor so easily.

Although Zhang Yan has the reputation of Queen Mother, this is the praise of her beauty by later generations. She herself is a virtuous queen in history books, a woman who was the same as the founding Queen Ma. As for why she supported Zhu Youxiao, the reason is: It’s not enough for outsiders!

etc! It seems that not long after Tianqi died, Wei Zhongxian, who could support the overall situation for him, was sent to Xiaoling by Chongzhen to burn incense? Then die? Then the Eight Emperors of the Qing Dynasty, Taiji, came to the city, and then King Qin's army mutinied and killed Yuan Chonghuan. These straws came one after another that had a great influence on the future? "

While he was thinking wildly, Zhuge Xuan, who was standing aside, asked.

"My lord, Emperor Tianqi passed away, what should we do?"

"The emperor of the Ming Dynasty is dead. What does it have to do with us? Do I still have to bury him?!"

Qin Hao did have a good impression of the Ming Dynasty, but that was in the early days. Now, he wanted to replace him, but he was full of malice. It would be good if he didn't trouble the emperor, but there was no way to bury him.

Seeing Qin Hao's tough attitude, Zhuge Xuan still persuaded him nicely: "Master, although we are not ministers of the Ming Dynasty, a funeral will be a great convenience for us to take over the Central Plains in the future, so I still say..."

"Furthermore, we still need to do enough superficial work from Jiangnan to Yanlu, otherwise it will be bad for the Donglin Party to find excuses."

"That's true."

Qin Hao held his chin in deep thought. Now that Wei Zhongxian has fallen, his sons and grandsons are no longer in a position to be liquidated and distributed. The eunuch system of the Ming Dynasty was pretty good. Only with the support of the emperor could the eunuch have power. Without the emperor, it would be useless.

Unlike the eunuchs of the Tang Dynasty, who held military power and killed the emperor just like killing chickens, it was terrifying to let the emperor die just to cheer them up. , it is better for the emperor to be born in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, so he does not have to worry about dying unexpectedly.

From the perspective of interests, Zhuge Xuan is in favor of having a grand event. Now 90% of the people in Keelung and Hsinchu are from the Ming Dynasty. If they can rely on the Ming Dynasty, it will definitely increase their sense of belonging and prevent them from becoming homeless. Overseas travelers.

To put it simply, the Ming Dynasty has not yet become terminally ill, and its majesty is still not small. Otherwise, when Duan Daxin went to Ryukyu for the first time, it was under the banner of the Ming Dynasty that he could conduct fair transactions. Without this layer of tiger skin, they would have been without artillery and sergeants. It was eaten clean.

"Is it necessary?" Qin Hao thought for a moment and softened his attitude.

Think about it, Kang Mazi of the Qing Dynasty knelt down before Zhu Laozi, and said that he was more meritorious than the Qin Emperor and the Han Dynasty, and that his literary and military skills were unparalleled. I don't know if he was bragging. Anyway, an idol cannot escape.

In this case, it is not so unacceptable. Since Kang Mazi can do it, why can't he do it.

Qin Hao is no longer obsessed with identity and status. If there are benefits, then go for it. He happened to have won a battle and was worried about having no money to spend, so he thought it was to promote the consumption cycle.

"How to handle this funeral?" The question was raised by Zhuge Xuande, so he was naturally asked to handle it.

"According to the regulations of the "Ming Huidian" drawn by Emperor Gaozu of the Ming Dynasty, the death of the emperor is regarded as a great mourning, and a large burial must be held.

According to the law, the first step is to perform the small coffin: bathe the face of the late Emperor Tianqi, trim his hair, trim his eyebrows, etc., then change the shroud, and display the offerings in front of the body.

After that, the final coffin is performed: the deceased is placed in the coffin and laid flat. (Emperor Jiajing was the most outrageous emperor of the Ming Dynasty. His death was very special. Because he believed in Taoism, after his death, people had his body arranged in the shape of seven stars. Later generations opened a museum. Archaeologists thought that the coffin had been moved, which made a big joke.)

In addition, a "several banquets" (a table with wine and food and other offerings) are set up in front of the coffin, a silk cloth for calming the spirit, and a memorial flag (shaped like a flag, with the words "the late emperor's coffin" written on it. This rule was set after the death of Emperor Wanli, and it was implemented for one generation and then disappeared).

On the day of the final coffin, the successor emperor (Chongzhen) and the concubines and other palace relatives of the late emperor all need to wear plain clothes to pay tribute. In the capital, civil and military officials and women of the third rank and above must wear mourning clothes and enter the palace from Xihua Gate to Zhengyang Gate to cry twice in the morning or evening for three or more consecutive days, as a memorial service.

"Qiaodoma, what is mourning clothes?" Qin Hao, who only has a partial understanding of the various rules and regulations of the Ming Dynasty, was a little embarrassed. He originally thought that mourning clothes were a white mourning dress, but from Zhuge Xuan's tone, it was obvious that it seemed not that simple.

It seems that he thought it was simple. He didn't expect that an emperor's death would require such a complicated funeral. How much money would it cost? Qin Hao was a little worried whether he could really afford it.

"Before the funeral, civil and military officials wore plain clothes, black gauze hats, and black rhinoceros horn belts around their waists. After the funeral, they wore "Zhanmofu", which is mourning clothes made of coarse cloth without trimming."

When the emperor died, he could not wear official clothes. According to folk sayings, there were too many animals, which would affect the emperor's mood. There were animals on official uniforms in the Ming and Qing dynasties, with military officials wearing beasts and civil officials wearing birds.

The military officers are: Qilin, lion, leopard, tiger, bear, leopard, rhinoceros, and seahorse.

The civil officials in the Ming Dynasty are: first-rank crane, second-rank pheasant, third-rank peacock, fourth-rank cloud goose, fifth-rank white pheasant, sixth-rank heron, seventh-rank oriole, eighth-rank quail, and ninth-rank quail.

The civil officials in the Qing Dynasty were slightly changed to: first-rank crane, second-rank pheasant, third-rank peacock, fourth-rank cloud goose, fifth-rank white pheasant, sixth-rank heron, seventh-rank oriole, eighth-rank quail, and ninth-rank practice sparrow.

A beast in human clothing, well deserved!

After listening to Zhuge Xuan for a while, Qin Hao found a problem, "We are not Ming officials, do we have to be so formal? How much does it cost?" Qin Hao felt a little distressed.

"Since the lord feels it is cumbersome, there is no need to follow the Ming Dynasty regulations. White clothes are enough. As for the people's crying, let them do it."

"Okay!"

"By the way, should we face the North Palace and cry for a while? To show our feelings?"

Qin Hao stared at Zhuge Xuan and asked sincerely.

"Well, according to etiquette, it should be like this! But if the lord doesn't like it, it's okay not to cry." Zhuge Xuan also saw Qin Hao's thoughts. He was just curious about the emperor's funeral, but he was reluctant to spend money on a formal and grand ceremony.

"Okay! Instruct the etiquette office to pass down the order. All cities, towns, and garrisons in Keelung and Hsinchu should set up altars and tents for worship on the day when the official document arrives, and allow the military and civilians to go to mourn.

The General's Office set up water and land Taoist temples in various temples in Keelung and Hsinchu to worship Emperor Tianqi. When the official document arrives, all places will stop slaughtering for three days, fast, and eat cold food. Oh, by the way, all camps, factories, mines, and forests can not implement this order. In addition, aquatic products are not included in the fasting and can be eaten as usual."

"In addition, you must arrange capable people to search and summon eminent monks in the city to chant sutras and pray for Emperor Tianqi." Qin Hao remembered that when the elderly in the village died in the past, they would invite monks to knock on the wooden fish.

"Yes!" Zhuge Xuan immediately took the order and went down to prepare.

The next day, bundles of white fine cotton cloth were brought out from various warehouses by attendants and distributed to officials and soldiers at all levels. Suddenly, Keelung, Hsinchu and other places turned into a white ocean.

A mourning shed built with huge bamboo and fir wood was set up in front of the city. On the huge altar, incense, candles and spirit tablets were all available. A huge copper vat was at the entrance of the mourning shed. The people who came to cry and worship had to burn a thick pile of paper money for Emperor Tianqi here.

On the huge incense table, according to the etiquette, three cups, three teas, two soups, two rices, four vegetables, one roasted meat, one roasted liver, one meat bone, one oil cake, one bean, one chestnut, one date, two radishes, one round eye, one lychee, one walnut, two steamed buns, one mutton, two thin meat, one soup pot, and one wine pot were placed.

In addition, there were one cow, one sheep, and one pig in front of the main table. The so-called Tailao ritual was used for sacrifices in ancient times.

For a while, from Keelung in the north to Hsinchu in the south, from the sea in the east to Ryukyu in the west, there were cries everywhere, and everywhere there were black smoke and black butterflies from burning paper money that were quickly blown away by the wind.

Even the workers in various places had to go to the table with the spirit tablet of Emperor Tianqi before going to work, and perform the ritual of three bows and nine kowtows, and the foreman would burn incense on their behalf before they could go to work.

"Let's fight the ghosts, and pay our respects to Master Zhong Kui!"

In the water and land dojo in Keelung, Qin Hao and Zhuge Xuan drank tea and ate snacks in a temporary tent, taking a short rest, while watching a group of women from the Keelung Army, led by their own women, go to burn incense, add lamp oil, and burn paper money for the spirit tablet of Emperor Tianqi, and then cry and worship.

The two drank a dozen cups of fruit wine and felt refreshed. Accompanied by the Buddhist chanting in the scripture shed, the two unethical guys began to have a conversation that was not to be told to outsiders.

"My Lord, the country is in mourning now, and the new emperor has just been established. I believe there will be some turmoil in the court. How should I deal with it in Keelung?"

Qin Hao put the bowl in his hand aside and looked to the north. "When the new emperor ascends the throne, he will inevitably promote a group of his own confidants. Whether it is in the court or among the generals in the border towns, they will be affected. This has been the case since ancient times. As the saying goes, a new emperor has new ministers! We only need to prepare for war, collect intelligence, and develop people's livelihood. We can avoid the muddy water of the Ming Dynasty first."

"My Lord, you have a good idea. No matter how turbulent the political situation in his court is, I have tens of thousands of elite soldiers in Keelung, 50,000 brave soldiers guarding the key points, dozens of gunboats, and hundreds of three-masted warships shuttling back and forth, so I can have nothing to worry about!"

In the past two years, Qin Hao's strength and influence have expanded to a level that can be looked down upon by Zhuge Xuan and others. But Qin Hao himself does not seem to agree.

"After the great mourning, the focus of our army is to train soldiers. What I mean by training soldiers is not just to practice martial arts in the military camps, but to send them to Japan in batches to clear out those daimyo who refuse to submit. How can we strengthen our army without fighting? I will use the blood of Japanese samurai to build a strong army that has fought for a hundred battles. Who can stop us when we move into the Ming Dynasty?" Qin Hao's eyes gleamed.

Accompanied by the smell of incense and candles from the altar in the distance, the wailing of women, and the chanting of monks, Qin Hao's understated words immediately made Zhuge Xuan feel so discordant. He saw waves of murderous intent in his words.

He believed that in the next few years, there would be cries and pleas from all over Keelung and Hsinchu, followed by reports from all over Japan on how many villages were broken, how many people who resisted stubbornly were killed, and how many official slaves were captured.

Some are happy, some are sad. The Keelung chariot is already rumbling. It is impossible to stop it. It is impossible not to be crushed to death. The only way is to get on it and make way for it.

Hearing this, Zhuge Xuan did not hesitate, lifted his clothes and knelt in front of Qin Hao, respectfully bowed and shouted, "I will do my best to help the lord complete the great cause!"

The two smiled at each other. At this moment, they already understood each other tacitly.

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