Chapter 404: The Emperor’s Throne (Part )
On the first day of September in late autumn, the morning light rises in the east, and the bright morning glow blows away the clouds and mist, making the sky suddenly bright.

On the plain east of Chang’an, strong winds blew in, like thousands of horses galloping or running with weapons in hand.

Below the altar, there were the Xiandeng Camp, the Shengshe Camp, the Ruichong Camp, the Jia Camp, and the Chai Camp, totaling more than 20,000 combat soldiers and more than 23,600 auxiliary soldiers. Some were on guard with weapons by the roadside, while others were standing solemnly with their backs straight, looking awe-inspiring.

These soldiers who had fought for the Han Dynasty for many years, in addition to Liu Bei’s desire to let them witness the rebirth of the Han Dynasty, also had to rely on combat soldiers and auxiliary soldiers to maintain order in the eastern suburbs.

As time went by, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of gentry and wealthy families from Sili who came to Chang’an City, even from the neighboring Yizhou, Bingzhou, Jingzhou, and the more distant Yuzhou, Yanzhou, Jizhou, and even Qingzhou, Xuzhou, and Yangzhou, there were endless groups of scholars who came in droves just to participate in the grand ceremony of the emperor’s enthronement.

Not only scholars, but common people also came to join in the fun, especially in the river areas, where hundreds of ships came and went every day, all loaded with people heading to Chang’an.

According to official statistics, in the past half month, the number of people who crossed into Guanzhong through four ferry crossings including Tongguan reached as many as 80,000 to 90,000.

Many families would choose one person to carry some fried dry food to eat on the way, and then bring some money in case of emergencies. If anything unexpected happened, they could also buy some miscellaneous grains and rice in other states and counties as food, so that they could eat half-hungry and half-full on the way back.

Liu Bei learned that the people who came to Chang’an from all over the country were countless people from Qingzhou, and among the people of Qingzhou, the largest number came from the three counties of Pingyuan, Jinan and Le’an.

Therefore, he ordered that all those entering the country would be temporarily exempted from passing through the customs, and that the travel fees for all official ships on the rivers were halved. He also ordered that if anyone needed to buy straw, inns, post offices, and pavilions could buy it at the market price.

At the same time, merchants on the road were ordered not to sell various items at prices higher than the original prices, and those who violated the order would be severely punished.

As of a few days ago, the population near Chang’an suddenly increased by nearly 120,000. Fortunately, everyone knew what Guanzhong was like at that moment. It had been ravaged by bandits from Liangzhou for many years, and the people were living in dire straits. In recent years, there was also a severe drought.

The local people in Guanzhong had no surplus grain to sell, so they had to carry enough food with them to satisfy their hunger, otherwise they would starve when they arrived in Chang’an.

In order to maintain order under such circumstances, allocate open space to accommodate the people, and strictly investigate all kinds of rape, theft, and murder, Zhao Yun, who is the Jingzhao Yin, is very busy.

At this time, just as the sky in the eastern suburbs was getting light, there were already huge crowds of people. Officials, scholars, and common people all stretched their necks and looked up at the huge three-story rammed earth Temple of Heaven in the front, with five colors of blue, red, white, black, and yellow.

The altar was filled with tables, with firewood placed on the top, which was used to burn sacrifices and jade to express sincerity to heaven.

The officials of Taichang were carefully checking the sacrificial utensils such as bells and tripods placed near the altar, checking the wine and food utensils, and confirming that everything was in the right place.

Then the Taichang official calculated the time, muttered something, bowed and kowtowed three times, stood up respectfully, and prepared warm wine and meat to offer to the spirit tablet of Emperor Taizu Gao that was brought out from the Gao Temple.

The numerous officials below the altar stared intently at the actions of the Taichang officials, and followed suit by performing the salutes and paying homage to Emperor Gaozu.

As the auspicious time calculated by the Taichang officials drew closer, the sound of horse hooves could be heard on the road outside the sacrificial area.

The first to appear were thousands of Huben soldiers wearing full black armor and with red flying feathers on their helmets, leading the way. They held eight-foot-long spears upright and bows hung on their horsebacks. The scene was grand and majestic, and the momentum was overwhelming. The majestic soldiers held high the “Han” flag and the large banner fluttered in the wind.

Next came the emperor’s chariot with a pheasant feather canopy, built on a golden chariot wheel and pulled by six white horses. The walls of the chariot were painted with the sun, moon and stars, implying that he was traveling in the image of heaven.

There were also five accompanying convoys, arranged according to the five elements, and filled with flags, drums, ritual vessels and other utensils as well as attendants.

The Huben Cavalry led the way, and the huge convoy drove all the way from the Chidao Road to the Temple of Heaven.

“Long live!”

“Long live!!”

“Long live the Emperor of Han! Long live the Emperor of Liu!!”

Before Liu Bei stepped out of the carriage, the excited people ignored the solemn etiquette, their faces turned red and their necks turned red, and they couldn’t help raising their arms and shouting.

Some people in Pingyuan even cried with joy, they never thought they would have the chance to have a relationship with the emperor of Han Dynasty, some people had received favors before and had sat on the ground and chatted with the emperor. This was not an emperor who was high above them. For the people of Qingzhou, Liu Bei was their fellow emperor, who had followed Lord Xuande step by step to where he was today.

Hearing the excited shouts of the people, Liu Bei, who was wearing a crown with twelve chapter patterns, followed the etiquette set by the Minister of Rites and was supposed to walk forward until he reached the altar.

But when he heard the people of Guizhou expressing their joy to him in the most deafening shouts, excitedly and enthusiastically, he could not help but stop slowly.

“Why did the king stop?” the Taichang officials who were guiding him asked in confusion.

These steps had been carefully considered by them and were arranged completely in accordance with the etiquette that Guangwu had perfected in Luoyang.

Whether it was the new emperor fasting and bathing three days in advance, or sending officials to offer sacrifices to the ancestors in the ancestral temple and inform the emperors of their accession to the throne, the succession was absolutely legal and there were no loopholes. How could it suddenly…

Wearing the twelve-tiara imperial crown and the imperial robes, Liu Bei ignored what the ministers thought. Before ascending the altar, he turned around and carefully gazed at the many soldiers, civilians and officials, bringing familiar or unfamiliar faces into his mind.

Then he bowed and kowtowed to all the people in the world, then walked up the stairs.

“Is this… is this in accordance with Zhou Li?”

The officials of Taichang were stunned for a moment. They did not expect that the emperor would bow to the people when he ascended the throne. Even though they had been familiar with Zhou Li for many years, they could not find such a source to learn from.

Why doesn’t the king follow the Zhou rituals at all? How can he worship randomly for such a grand event?

Some Taichang officials wanted to give a reminder, but they did not dare to say anything at this time. They could only watch as the new emperor added an inexplicable step to the Zhou rituals so that future officials could learn from it and make corrections.

At this moment, the people and soldiers responded with earth-shaking shouts and all knelt on the ground.

“His Majesty!”

“I am willing to die for Your Majesty!”

“Seeing your Majesty’s sincerity, how dare I not repay you with all my heart and soul.”

Not to mention whether they had seen it or not, even in rumors, no one had ever heard of the emperor turning around and bowing to the people of the world before ascending the altar. Not only were the common people and soldiers shocked, even the scholars and officials who came to watch the ceremony were shocked and speechless for a long time.

“If this man were still alive, could he be compared to Yao and Shun?!”

An old scholar in his 80s couldn’t help but speak in a trembling voice.

This is to treat all people in the world, regardless of gender, age, or social status, as human beings.

You have to know that the more noble a person’s status is, the less they treat people of lower status as human beings. Treating them like animals is already the worst.

But the new emperor of the Han Dynasty was able to bow down and pay homage. Once he bowed down, who among all the people present would dare not to fight to the death?
This was not the Wei and Jin dynasties when values ​​were shattered, but the Han dynasty when the legacy of scholars remained. The strong shock to everyone’s mind was the first time, and it would spread to the world over time.

With such a great favor coming, who would dare not repay it with the courtesy of a scholar? Not to mention Gan Ning in the crowd who was so excited that his eyes were filled with tears, even Sima Yi, who had worked hard for a long time, felt the same way.

Zhuge Liang, who came to Chang’an with his uncle Zhuge Xuan, saw this scene and could not help but remember it firmly in his mind.

“The emperor is truly a wise ruler. His sincere heart is unforgettable to those who see him…”

(End of this chapter)