Chapter 908: Supreme Martial God Emperor Heavenly Emperor

Today is an important day.
The first day of the lunar new year, a festive day.
A new year begins, everything is renewed.
A new emperor ascends the throne, inheriting the empire.
The day has not yet dawned at the Xijiao Xiangshan Camp, and the festive atmosphere of New Year's Eve has not yet dispersed. Last night, fireworks were set off throughout the city of Beijing, illuminating the sky with colorful lights.
As midnight approaches, from the nobles and aristocrats to the common people, everyone is eagerly competing to open their doors and set off firecrackers, setting off the "opening firecracker" of the new year.
At this time, the sky was gradually brightening, and the sound of firecrackers became lively again. Every household, young and old, woke up early to welcome the New Year.
Everyone changed into new clothes to celebrate the New Year.
Zhu Yihai also got up early. Today was the grand ceremony for the new emperor's enthronement, and as the former emperor, he had to go and celebrate. He couldn't delay the auspicious time.
Empress Dowager Chen and Empress Dowager Ruan, accompanied by their concubines, came to pay their respects, followed by a group of excited little princes and princesses, who woke up even earlier than the former Emperor.
The palace attendants brought the freshly pressed clothes for early morning comfort. Translated content:
They prepared formal attire for the Emperor, a set of ceremonial robes.
After Zhu Yuanzhang founded the Ming Dynasty, he established a system where the Emperor must wear specific attire for specific occasions. In total, there are fourteen sets of clothing, including the Dragon Robes, Regular Attire, Court Attire, ceremonial robes, armor, and more, corresponding to various events the Emperor would participate in throughout his life.
Zhu Yihai is not someone who strictly adheres to ancestral rituals, and he usually doesn't dress in a ceremonial manner.
But today is a special day.
He still has the palace maidens dress him in this extremely elaborate ceremonial attire.
Black robes are adorned with crimson shoes and red socks, while a flat heavenly crown is adorned with twelve precious beads. There are twelve patterns of sun, moon, and stars on the robe.
The black garment is woven with six patterns, with the sun and moon on the shoulders, stars and mountains on the back, and dragons and phoenixes on the sleeves, three on each side.
The trousers have the color of sunset, with a yellowish-red shade. They are woven in four sections, divided into four lines. The first two lines are represented by the fire pattern and the Zongyi pattern, the last two lines by the rice pattern, the Fur pattern, and the Fuzi pattern.
On the feet are red shoes paired with vermilion socks.
There are twelve exquisite pearl strands surrounding the crown of Ping Tian Guan, with twelve colorful jade beads in each strand. The beads are arranged in the order of yellow, red, blue, white, red, black, and green, and each one is a priceless treasure. Translation done.
Biknee boots, leather belt, wide belt, jade pendant, each put on one by one.
Twelve jade beads, twelve ornamental patterns, the number twelve is the most prestigious number for the emperor. Below the emperor, the crown prince wears nine colored jade beads and nine ornamental patterns. (Note: The translation is provided, and there is no need for a reply as it is an instruction.)
Prince of the First Rank is entitled to wear eight-ornament attire, while Crown Prince of the First Rank is entitled to wear seven-ornament attire, and Princes of the Second Rank are entitled to wear five-ornament attire, all of which are decorated with python patterns.
When granting the title of Duke, the King of the Foreign Feudal State bestows a five-ornament outfit.
王以下不设冕服。
「陛下真威武。」王桑榆在一边还是头次看到朱以海穿上冕服，这一件又一件穿上身后，居然让她生出股难言的崇拜之感。
Zhao Yihai took a look at himself in the mirror and felt that this outfit was too grand and cumbersome. It didn't feel comfortable to wear, and he didn't particularly like the combination of red and black colors, especially the deep black on the top and the scarlet hue on the bottom. It could be described as low-key yet profound, or perhaps a little too gloomy.
The style of these shoes on my feet is reminiscent of the footwear from the Zhou Dynasty thousands of years ago. Paired with those flashy vermilion socks, it feels quite uncomfortable.
On such a cold first day of the lunar year, one should wear a pair of high-top deer leather boots or tall sheepskin boots, along with long woolen socks for comfort.
Emperor Ping wears a crown with a decorative curtain of beads. There are twelve strings of beads that sway in front, obstructing the view. Additionally, there are also twelve strings of beads behind.
However, this is the most grandiose set of attire among the fourteen ceremonial outfits worn by the Ming emperors. It is only worn during the coronation and major sacrificial ceremonies. Normally, the emperor would wear the Guanfu, Longpao, Changfu, and other garments.
"Let's go, the emperor is still waiting for us to crown him."
At this moment, the new emperor should have also risen, leading civil and military officials to perform the ritual of offering sacrifices to heaven at the Altar of Heaven, then proceeding to the Ancestral Temple to pay respects to ancestors and various deities. They may even send people ahead to Nanjing to worship the Xiaoling Mausoleum and other sites.
After the emperor's sacrificial ceremony is completed, the bells announcing the coronation ceremony in the imperial city will ring.
If the bells have not yet rung, it means that the ritual for the new emperor's ascension has not yet been completed.
As the abdicating former emperor, Zhu Yihai does not need to participate in these rituals, but he is required to attend an important ceremony, which is the coronation of the new emperor.
When Zhu Yuanzhang established his regime and held the enthronement ceremony, there was no one to abdicate and pass the throne to him. Therefore, after the sacrificial ceremony to the heavens, he set up a golden chair and placed the coronation robe that he personally designed on it. He then took off his current attire and put on this set of coronation robe from that chair, thus completing his own coronation ceremony.
And now, Zhu Yihai voluntarily abdicates the throne to his son, naturally he has to personally complete this coronation ceremony.
Apart from the Emperor, no one else has this qualification.
Without the Supreme Emperor, it is just like following Zhu Yuanzhang's example, remaining vacant, which is equivalent to the divinely bestowed imperial power.
Zhu Yihai can go directly to the Temple of Fengtian.
"Dang!"
The majestic sound of the bell resonated, melodious and far-reaching, audible even at the Xiangshan Imperial Palace in the western suburbs.
"The coronation ceremony has begun!"
"Let's go!"
朱以海起身，行宫里无数人跟随。
他要去为新皇加冕，诸皇子们则也都换上了冕服前去观礼。
陈太皇贵妃、阮太贵妃如今也都晋为太皇贵妃、太贵妃，率太上皇东西六宫的一众太上妃嫔前去拜见新皇中宫。
The magnificent golden carriage is ready.
It is pulled by twelve magnificent golden horses, each one of which is a Dawan blood horse presented by the Dawan Khanate from the Ferghana Valley in the Western Regions. They are tall and sturdy, with their horse harnesses adorned with gold and silver. The horse at the far right also has a vertical tassel on its head, which represents the emperor's pennant.
Zhu Yihai's vehicle, the Golden Root Car, is a modified version, a luxurious four-wheeled open-top carriage. The carriage is adorned with gold and silver carved decorations, as well as twelve chapter patterns.
Originally, the emperor used to drive six horses, but now it is directly twelve horses.
The princes ride in four-horse carriages, using excellent steeds such as Qinghai horses, Hetao horses, Mongolian horses, Hexi horses, and Tianshan horses.
The luxury motorcade moves slowly forward, accompanied by countless imperial guards.
The cavalry of the Royal Imperial Capital Cavalry School have all changed into magnificent slanted capes, shiny breastplates, and on top of their helmets, there are also sharp colored flagpoles. They are all riding high-headed warhorses of the same color, and some cavalry even have decorative wings on their backs.
Sitting in the beautifully designed Golden Chariot, though it is open-top, it still has heated seats and hand warmers.
The carriage left the palace's gate and the sides of the road leading to the capital were already crowded with nearby residents. They were supporting the elderly and accompanying the young, dressed in new clothes, eagerly awaiting.
People knelt down on the freezing hard ground as they saw the emperor's golden carriage approaching.
On the first day of the lunar New Year, everyone came to pay respects to the supreme emperor instead of going for New Year visits.
Zhu Yihai put down the warm teapot in his hand and waved to the people on both sides of the road.
"Give everyone a reward, each person receives a small dragon coin. For elderly individuals aged sixty and above, give an additional eight red copper coins. For children under the age of six, give an additional six copper coins."
Zhu Yihai may be one of the wealthiest people in this era, perhaps even unparalleled, considering he has over two hundred million silver coins in his personal treasury, not counting the value of his businesses and other holdings.
Xiaolong, also known as Yinjiaozhi. A silver dragon, which is equivalent to one tael of silver, still has strong purchasing power. It can buy a stone of rice or wheat, and its purity is 90%. As for Xiaolong's one jiao, which is equivalent to one qian of silver, although its purity is 80% as a subsidiary currency, it has been circulating well in recent years due to the strong credit of the imperial court.
Ten small dragons can be exchanged for one big dragon at any time, whether it's for shopping or paying taxes, and there's no need for additional payment.
Even in the Jingji area, prices are relatively stable. One small dragon can buy twelve catties of grain, or five catties of fish, three catties of pork, or four catties of beef. It can buy forty-five duck eggs, or fifty-five chicken eggs. Ordinary vegetables can buy fifty catties, and seasonal fruits like peaches and pears can buy about ten catties.
You can also buy two catties of cotton or two to three feet of white cloth.
There are different sizes of copper coins, which are solid copper coins without holes. Similar to silver coins with denominations of fifty cents, twenty cents, and ten cents, there are also copper coins with denominations of twenty cents, ten cents, and five cents. The twenty cent coin is made of brass, the ten cent coin is made of bronze, and the five cent coin is made of red copper.
Give an old person a small dragon plus eight red copper coins, with a total value of one hundred and forty wén, which is considered a good red envelope reward. The child also has one hundred and thirty wén.
If a family of six or seven members comes out, they can get seven or eight hundred wén.
Everything was prepared in advance. The Ministry of Appointments had already prepared a large amount of silver and copper coins, as well as minted coins, to be used as rewards for the inner palace. And in order to match the occasion, they were all Tai'an year coins minted in advance last year.
Once the emperor changes, so does his subordinates; once a new monarch arises, there will also be new money.
Whether it is silver yuan, silver jiao, copper yuan, or copper coin, apart from the changed year number on the silver yuan and the altered emperor's portrait, everything else remains the same. The quality of all kinds of currency is still as good as the Shao Tian Qian before.
Last year, the currency bureaus in various regions went all out to mint new money. Today, these newly minted coins will officially enter circulation. The first recipients of this currency will be rewarded to civil and military officials, soldiers, nobles, and relatives of the royal family, as well as to the elderly, disabled, and vulnerable individuals, including foreign envoys.
These New Year coins, as well as the image of the newly enthroned emperor, will be scattered throughout the territory of the Ming Dynasty, even reaching the surrounding vassal states. The new year's name of Ming Dynasty and the dragon face of the new emperor will also spread far and wide.
This time, the reward amount is very large, but the court has money. It is only natural to give more rewards when the new emperor ascends the throne.
The emperor waved his hand all the way, and behind him, there were imperial guards driving horse-drawn carriages filled with money, distributing rewards to everyone.
The atmosphere became even more heated.
Carriages filled with money were being sent out one after another, but the retired emperor was well-prepared. Carriages loaded with money kept coming out from the Summer Palace in Fragrant Hills, and not only were they able to distribute a small amount of money to each person, today, the emperor could even afford to give out a large silver dragon or even a gold dragon to each person.
But if we really do it this way, how will future emperors distribute rewards?
When the emperor's convoy arrived at Beijing, it was the right time.
The new emperor had also completed various pre-coronation ceremonies, leading the royal family, high-ranking officials, and civil and military officials to wait in front of the Gate of Supreme Harmony for the former emperor's arrival. Countless envoys from foreign vassal states were also there, waiting to witness this extraordinary moment.
"The Supreme God, Emperor of the Martial Sacred Heaven, Shao Tian, has arrived!"
奉天宫门的正门被缓缓推开，在恢弘的宫廷雅乐声中，礼部官员高唱着新皇给太上皇加的尊号降临。
The new emperor steps forward to welcome.
Officials from the Ministry of Rites sing loudly.
"Ascending to the glorious heavenly mandate,
Emperor of China,
Emperor of Great Ming,
Khan of all Mongolia,
掌控力之轮等七政宝的转轮者、文殊菩萨的化身，
The supreme leader of the various tribes of the Jurchens outside the Great Wall,
朝鲜、安南、占城、柔佛、琉求、日本、大宛、希瓦、诺盖、布哈拉、占城、缅甸、南掌、西伯利亚、克里米亚诸国的保护者，
Since Pangu created the world, the three emperors established the nation, and the five emperors expanded the territory. From the Xia, Shang, Zhou, and Qin dynasties to the two Hans, Wei, Jin, Sui, Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties, the Chinese civilization has been inherited and guarded for five thousand years.
Your Majesty, Emperor of Taian.
"