diskusbooks Chapter 667: Emperor Wei's Dance
Chapter 667: Emperor Wei's Dance
Soon, Lao Fengchang came up and began the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the sky.
As the Fengchang who manages the royal family, this old man's job is extremely easy, which is to arrange people to register the names of extremely distant branches of the royal family, and to count the salaries paid.
Because all the recent royal family members had been killed by two generations of empresses, there were few royal family members left in Shengjing. Therefore, he was getting younger and younger as he did not have to work hard, and he was particularly energetic when performing shaman dances.
Afterwards, the empress burned incense to offer sacrifices to heaven and ancestors, and reported to them her work and achievements, such as the expansion of territory, peace and prosperity in the country, and the growing national strength.
If nothing unexpected happens, the next time he offers sacrifices to heaven, he will go to Mount Tai to fulfill his vow. By then, he will have unified the world.
Then the empress announced in public,
"The former Wei Emperor, Cao De, has rendered meritorious service to the state and deserves generous treatment. He is specially granted the title of Marquis of Hun De of Great Yan, a house, and a court salary. The former empress is also granted the title of Madam to accompany him."
"Emperor Yingji of the Former Qin State has made great contributions to the country and deserves generous treatment. He is specially granted the title of Marquis of Miaoqing, Great Yan, and is given a house and a salary from the court. The former empress is also granted the title of Madam to accompany him."
"Appreciate this!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Below, the Emperor of Qin, the Emperor of Wei and many captives all bowed down in worship.
Although the Emperor of Qin was rather stubborn and never spoke of surrender, since he knelt down and did not cause any trouble, the Empress did not treat him differently and gave him the same title of marquis.
The empress did not treat them differently, and was also sending a signal to the three countries in the south that had not yet been destroyed, that there was no need to fight to the death and not surrender, and that they could live a life without worries about food and clothing in Yan State. Fighting to the death would only lead to death, while surrender would provide preferential treatment.
After the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven ended, Emperor Wei and Emperor Qin, with their queens, no, now it should be Marquis Hun De and Marquis Miao Qing, with their wives, went into the palace.
As for the others, they were all taken to the military camp outside the city and arranged to go mining in a few days.
The mining area is already heavily guarded, and the State of Yan cannot possibly keep these former dignitaries from the enemy country for nothing. It is just the right thing to do to keep an eye on them nearby and let them make use of their remaining energy.
Then, the empress came to the palace with her ministers.
Because the heaven sacrifice was held in the morning, the court meeting was held in the afternoon, and the imperial kitchen was also preparing for the dinner.
The two former emperors also changed into the clothes of marquises, and their wives also had special court clothes and were waiting in the palace.
After the morning meeting ended, it was already evening and the dinner began.
The celebration banquet was held in a grand manner, with everyone laughing and chatting happily.
The Emperor of Wei and the Emperor of Qin sat closer to the door, sharing a table with their wives.
At this time, Emperor Cao De of Wei had no appetite at all. His eyes were evasive, his forehead was covered in sweat, and he was fidgeting, as if he was extremely nervous.
The Emperor Qin glanced at him and asked curiously,
"Brother Cao, the captive surrender ceremony is over, our fate has been decided, and no one here cares about us. Why are you so nervous?
Is he sick?"
Emperor Wei wiped the sweat from his forehead and said quickly,
"No, no, I'm not sick, it's just...ah..."
Emperor Wei found it difficult to speak. He remembered what Shen Changgong said when he was taken to the hall and the portrait of the empress was searched out.
Let him dance for the ministers and the empress at the celebration banquet.
I hope Shen Changgong didn't tell the empress about this idea. I also hope the empress will be magnanimous and let him go so that he doesn't embarrass himself in such an occasion.
This is like a prisoner who is about to be shot. He knows that he is going to be shot, but that moment never comes. The longer he waits, the more nervous he becomes. At the same time, he is still hoping that a miracle will happen and his sentence will be changed.
The Emperor of Wei was very nervous and kept looking around. He didn't even have the mood to look at the dancers in the middle.
At this moment, the Prime Minister of Yan State, Wang Anqing, stood up and bowed to the empress.
"Your Majesty, I have a heartfelt request."
Yan Fuyao waved his hand, asking the dancers and musicians to stop, and then asked,
"Prime Minister, what's the matter?"
Wang Anqing smiled cunningly and said,
"Your Majesty, on this occasion of universal celebration, it would be too monotonous to have only dancers performing.
I have heard that when Marquis Hun De was the Emperor of Wei, he was fond of dancing, good at music, and knowledgeable about rhythm. He often danced with dancers in the Luoyang Palace.
I imagine that Marquis Hun De's dancing must be extremely moving and beautiful. Why don't we invite him to perform a dance for Your Majesty to celebrate the peace and prosperity of the Great Yan Kingdom?"
Hearing this, Cao De's heart finally settled down.
However, many ministers laughed jokingly.
Because last year, the five southern countries successfully united, and the complacent Cao De made a bold statement, saying that when the armies of the five countries broke through Shengjing in the future, he would capture the Empress of Dayan alive and make her dance for him.
When this matter reached the State of Yan, all the ministers of Yan were furious.
When the emperor is humiliated, his ministers die. It was more painful for their emperor to be humiliated by the enemy than to have them killed.
This insult was not just to the emperor alone, but to the entire State of Yan, and to the face of their court and ministers.
At that time, all the ministers gnashed their teeth and were determined to teach Emperor Wei a lesson.
However, the situation was completely opposite to what Cao De had expected. The State of Wei was defeated, Cao De was captured and taken to Shengjing.
Although they didn't make it into Shengjing, at least they did make it in.
At this time, the prime minister suggested that Cao De dance to help everyone vent their anger, and the ministers immediately applauded.
"Yes, Your Majesty, Marquis Hun De has been immersed in this art for many years and must be extremely skilled in dancing."
"Marquis Hun De lives in a pool of wine and a forest of meat. He is a hero in the world of sex. Even if he has never eaten pork, he has seen pigs run. After watching them for so many years, his jump must be pretty good."
"Yes, Your Majesty, please allow Marquis Hun De to perform a dance."
Even Uncle Shen Wanguan stood up and said in a sarcastic tone,
"Marquis Hun De, this is the first thing you have done for Great Yan since joining us. I believe that Marquis Hun De is certainly willing to do so. Otherwise, how can you demonstrate your loyalty to Great Yan?"
Yan Fuyao is Shen Wanguan's daughter-in-law. When Cao De said those words, he hated Cao De the most. He scolded Cao De at home for three days and wrote a letter to Shen Changgong, asking him to deal with Cao De severely.
Yan Fuyao put on a playful smile, thinking that this was quite interesting, so he said,
"Marquis Hun De, are you willing to perform a dance for me and all the officials?"
Cao De stood up tremblingly and said with a sad face,
"Your Majesty... I am old and frail, and my dancing posture is not good enough. I am afraid that it will disturb the enjoyment of Your Majesty and the other gentlemen..."
"It's okay. Marquis Hun De is not a professional dancer. I don't blame you if you don't dance well. Come quickly and let everyone appreciate your dancing."