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墨書 Inktalez
The night was deep, and the bright moon hung high in the sky. Qin You, the Recorder of Military Affairs, sat alone under the lamp, wide awake.
The burden on his shoulders was simply too heavy.
The garrison stationed at Chang'an City was currently located at the Xuanwu Gate, known as the Left and Right Garrison, responsible for guarding the imperial city. The organization and management of this military force were somewhat chaotic, but with the New Emperor ascending to the throne, there were too many issues to address, leaving this matter unattended.
No one spoke of it, yet everyone understood that the New Emperor's rise had come at the cost of bloodshed among his own kin. Qin You was fortunate; true to his name's meaning of "protection," his unit had stood firm and survived after the Xuanwu Gate Incident, becoming part of the imperial city's garrison. However, several friends who had joined the military with him were not so lucky; they had been executed as part of the Crown Prince's rebellion.
Logically, having experienced all this, Qin You should have harbored deep fear or even hatred towards the New Emperor. Yet he did not. After witnessing the Qin Wang ride a white horse during the aftermath of the Xuanwu Gate Incident, he saw a gaze that was resolute and focused on the bloodshed around him. Strangely enough, that gaze was not sinister but radiated a brightness that words could hardly describe.
This man was a born ruler; if he were to reign, it would surely be a blessing for the common people! For some reason, Qin You firmly believed this in his heart.
Since the New Emperor's ascension, the garrison had been stationed at Xuanwu Gate, yet military officer appointments remained incomplete. So far, only Zhongshu Province had recommended a seasoned and loyal general, Fan Chengchu, to serve as commander of the Left and Right Garrison. His subordinates included only a Chief Clerk and one Recorder of Military Affairs each for both the Cangcao and Zhoucao departments; all other positions were vacant. As Recorder of Military Affairs, Qin You found himself overwhelmed with various tasks.
Currently, Qin You's most important mission was to prepare for the upcoming Ritual Ceremony. The Left and Right Garrison had been stationed in the imperial city for over half a year and had gained considerable experience in guarding duties; thus, personnel for the Ritual Ceremony's security would be selected from among them.
The Ritual Ceremony was highly anticipated; it would be the New Emperor's first official appearance before the people. Preparations for this grand event had begun at the start of the year and had kept both the Ministry of Works and Ministry of Rites extremely busy. Nevertheless, this ceremony was crucial and necessary—every minister understood this well.
Qin You was known for his meticulous mind and mature approach to tasks, earning him General Fan Chengchu's trust. Therefore, organizing and planning for the security of this Ritual Ceremony naturally fell upon him. The weight of this responsibility was indeed significant.
The altar was set at Dragon Head Mountain in southeastern Chang'an City. In fact, this altar was not newly constructed but rather an artifact from a previous dynasty. In Year Two of the Kaihuang Era of Sui, Sui Wendi Yang Jian built a new capital city called Daxing City at Dragon Head Mountain and ordered a grand altar to be constructed there. This altar was truly magnificent, consisting of four tiers and far surpassing anything from previous eras. The New Emperor's decision to directly use this altar from a former dynasty would undoubtedly astonish everyone.
Typically, there would be taboos regarding items used by previous dynasties; even if they were not destroyed or rebuilt, they would usually be avoided to prevent any implication of glorifying that era. However, Emperor Li Shimin seemed completely unconcerned about this matter. The Sui Emperor's misrule had plunged the nation into chaos and suffering—something that all common people witnessed firsthand; justice and injustice were clear in their hearts. Now that turmoil had just subsided, citizens needed time to recuperate; there were no surplus resources available for constructing altars. Rather than spending money on such endeavors, it would be better to provide relief to the people.
Once the decision was made, the entire nation not only refrained from gossip but instead praised the New Emperor. People believed that with such compassion, regardless of the altar used, or even if there were no altar at all, the gods would surely bless him.
Thus, Qin You thought that no matter how difficult or exhausting it might be, he had to ensure this mission was accomplished well.
The Ritual Ceremony was set for April Seventh, and there were less than twenty days left. The choice of April Seventh was suggested by the Grand Astrological Bureau and confirmed by Zhongshu Province. The Grand Astrological Bureau was responsible for observing celestial phenomena and compiling calendars. In this dynasty, there was a particularly talented scholar in the Bureau; if people did not know that his judgments were based on careful observation, they might mistakenly believe he could foresee the future.
This year, the area around Chang'an had been experiencing a prolonged drought since spring began. The Grand Astrological Bureau predicted that around April Tenth, there would be a welcome rain. Upon learning this, Zhongshu Province suggested to the emperor that the Ritual Ceremony be held on the seventh day of the month so that after the ceremony, it was likely that they would receive much-needed rain, greatly benefiting the new emperor's authority.
The troublesome part was the blessing ceremony conducted by the Eight Great Holy Monks for the New Emperor.
The Eight Holy Monks were selected from among the enlightened monks in major temples across the country. Coincidentally, Zhu Gaoseng Bopo arrived in Chang'an at this time with Buddhist scriptures and received the highest honors from the court. Zhu was known as the birthplace of Buddhism, and thus its monks were deeply versed in Buddhist teachings. Now, monks from all over gathered at Qingliang Temple in Chang'an to debate Buddhist doctrines and select a monk to bestow blessings upon the New Emperor.
The debates would last for a long time. According to customary practices for such events, Qingliang Temple would need to be closed off from the outside world during this process, completely immersing themselves in a state of emptiness and selflessness. The selection of the Eight Holy Monks would likely occur on the day of the ceremony itself since it was believed that Buddha would provide signs regarding which monks were chosen. After their selection, they would undergo Ritual Cleansing and Changing of Garments before proceeding to perform a Thanksgiving Ceremony in the main hall of Qingliang Temple. Then they would cover their holy faces with precious garments and ride in ceremonial litters to the altar.
Along the way, they would encounter citizens who came to pay their respects; however, according to regulations, the monks' holy faces could not be exposed to public view. Therefore, sufficient personnel needed to be arranged for protection. During the Topknot Ceremony, highly trained soldiers would also serve as plainclothes guards. Although there should be no doubt about the disciples of Buddhism, they would still be very close to the emperor, so utmost caution was necessary.
There were countless issues to consider regarding security arrangements. In addition to deploying soldiers on-site for protection and maintaining order among the gathered citizens—preventing any emotional outbursts that could threaten safety at the altar—lookouts needed to be stationed at one or two elevated points to oversee and grasp the overall situation. Fortunately, the terrain near the altar was favorable; there were ancient buildings on either side called Emerald Pavilion and Langya Terrace.
Then there was also the issue of selecting security personnel...
Qin You rubbed his aching temples vigorously. After enduring one more night, he would have nearly completed all planning; he only needed to report to General Fan Chengchu on the second day and finalize everything before implementation.
Having barely slept through the night, Qin You finally finished drafting his plan for securing the Ritual Ceremony. Early on the following morning, he took a thick stack of draft documents and hurried to visit General Fan's residence.
However, without seeing General Fan, the general's residence was in chaos, a complete mess.
Early in the morning, what on earth happened? Qin You was quite puzzled. After some inquiries, he finally learned from a hurried servant a piece of news that left him stunned.
General Fan Chengchu had actually hanged himself in his study late at night!
Was the capital city experiencing a streak of bad luck lately?
Recently, Bai Qianfan, the Governor of Yongzhou, had been overwhelmed with work. He rushed to the general's residence to assess the situation and comfort the family members. But the moment he entered the scene, he noticed a glaring flaw: General Fan's body hanging from the beam was more than three inches higher than the overturned stool beneath him.
In other words, this was not a suicide at all, but rather a murder. The murderer was quite foolish, having made such a clumsy mistake and left behind a bunch of shoe prints that were clearly not the same size as General Fan's feet.
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