Three Kingdoms

Pingyang City.

dawn.

The mountains to the east are gradually turning red. The surrounding things also broke away from the gray and blue color, and as the light on the horizon became brighter, Pingyang City, which had been sleeping all night, woke up again. The people in the city slowly and automatically gathered together. At the same time, as soldiers were on guard duty on both sides of the street to maintain order, the voices of people gradually began to boil, like boiling porridge that began to spray foam. .

On the main streets of Pingyang, there are red and colorful hangings along the street. Long colored cloths and silks, from the eaves of one house to the eaves of another house, are like colorful arch bridges, which are different from the blue and black clothes worn by ordinary people. , gray and yellow are completely isolated.

At the beginning of these colorful arch bridges is Pingyang Mansion Office.

At this time, all three gates of Pingyang Mansion were opened. Two teams of soldiers wearing bright light armor, holding flags, axes, gold melons and other ceremonial objects stood majestically beside the gate.

Accompanied by the low and slow sound of drums, Pingyang officials, big and small, dressed in silk robes, stood in the square in front of the Pingyang government office according to their official rank. From time to time, there were small voices of discussion like the sound of grasshoppers in the bushes. , I heard it seemed to be coming from that direction, but when I turned around to look for it, I found that everyone was standing, and no one seemed to be making any small movements or talking...

To be honest, this kind of ceremony and scene is definitely the first time for these Pingyang officials, even the first time in the Han Dynasty.

At this moment, the winners of the academy competition, under the leadership of the etiquette officer, gathered in the front yard of Pingyang government office. When the auspicious time came, they would go out through the main gate of Pingyang government office. , then go around the city for a full circle, and then come back here again... Yes, this is the ceremony of boasting officials and parading through the streets after the imperial examination in later generations.

The results of the Academy Competition have come out. There is no doubt that the top spot will last for ten thousand years. Well, it cannot be said that it will last ten thousand years. Anyway, Sima Yi has occupied the top spot for several years...

The second and third places surprised many people. One was Ma Jun from Youfufeng, and the other was Jia Hong from Jingzhao Yin.

The three of them and the more than fifty outstanding students behind them were all wearing red robes, with red crowns for advancement on their heads. If it were left to future generations, there might be more people to kill, but in red, it is considered a good color. In the Han Dynasty, surrounded by officials in black robes, the paintings were as colorful as they wanted, and as beautiful as they were beautiful.

Today, only Sima Yi, Ma Jun, and Jia Hong can enter and exit through the main gate, while the other fifty or so people have to go through the side gates on both sides. And only Sima Yi and three people have horses, and the rest of them are on foot. This level is low. The price is much worse.

Sima Yi, this boy is naturally very familiar to people in the academy. Although they are full of resentment when they see Sima Yi, they all admire Sima Yi's talent and learning. They have nothing to say, but this Ma Jun Where did Jia Hong come from?

Looking at Sima Yi alone, he seems to be quite calm and composed, but Ma Jun and Jia Hong on the side are both a little excited. Even though Jia Hong is older than Ma Jun and Sima Yi, he is still at this moment. His hands and feet were trembling a little, and even his beard was trembling...

Although Pingyang Mansion may not look like the formal imperial palace and the Forbidden City in later generations when imperial examination officials were paraded through the streets, under Fei Feiqian's arrangement, the honor that should be given was no less, with the full set of ceremonial guards of a hussar general. , go from the main entrance, which was originally only accessible to hussar generals. Basically, the only difference from later generations is the level above. But at least at this point in time, Fei Qian has given him the highest courtesy he can give.

In other words, today Sima Yi, Ma Jun, and Jia Hong can be regarded as the first group since the Han Dynasty to enjoy the treatment of the Han hussar, and receive the envious or jealous looks of everyone present...

Although Sima Yi couldn't see anything on his face, his heart was full of emotions. As a smart guy like him, he could naturally understand the intention of the Cavalry General Fei Qian in doing this. However, he knew that when this honor, which was regarded as the first for a Han scholar, was placed in front of him, Sima Yi could not refuse it.

Many smart people have a word in their minds, just like Sima Yi, which is called buying bones for a thousand gold. No, it should be called buying bones for ten thousand gold. But what if you are that bone now? The people present couldn't help but swallow their saliva, and then looked at the three leaders, Sima Yi, with bright eyes.

Xun Chen stood behind Fei Qian, with his hands in his sleeves, his graceful demeanor, and his long beard fluttering slightly in the wind. Looking at Fei Qian in front of him, he couldn't help but feel some indescribable feelings rising in his heart.

Xun Chen never thought that Fei Qian would perform such a ritual.

At this moment, because of this special ceremony, it had an unprecedented meaning and became different from all other schools in the world.

Chinese people pay great attention to rituals.

Just like for the emperor, the most important ritual is to offer sacrifices to heaven. From top to bottom, especially in feudal society, such rituals are needed to distinguish grades and determine status. The emperor believed that he was the emperor and was appointed by heaven, so after he obtained the throne, he would want to organize a Zen ceremony to finalize his position. Before the Qin Dynasty, 72 emperors held Zen ceremonies in Mount Tai. By the Han Dynasty, the Zen ceremony, like the military parades of many countries in later generations, became an unparalleled ceremony that every emperor would inevitably hold. As for the subsequent dynasties, the ceremony of Zen The process and details are so complete that even the number of steps is specified.

It is natural that the emperor would spend a lot of money to perform such a ceremony, but would there be any direct material output and benefit recovery from such a ceremony? Obviously, the ceremony will only consume commodities and materials, and will not directly produce a lot of gold and silver property from the sky or the ground. So what can such a ritual that can be said to consume a lot of money do?

Of course, for example, during the enshrinement ceremony, the emperor naturally said that this was for the sake of all the people in the world, for praying for heaven's blessing, for good weather, etc...

But in reality, no ritual can be seen entirely on its own.

Take the Christmas Eve of later generations as an example. Can the candlelight, red wine, steak, aromatherapy, etc. be prepared and the girl be invited out just for a meal? However, many girls also know it well...

People are keen on rituals. Men, women and children, both at home and abroad, in ancient and modern times, do not need rituals to mark their lives, nor do they mean that there will be immediate changes with rituals. Rather, they need to use rituals to make a certain moment, a certain period of life, different from others. Same.

Anyone who is rational knows that there is not much difference between themselves and other people, especially in a society with strict class hierarchy. People in higher classes will have two more eyes or two more noses than those in lower classes. hand? Genetically speaking, ninety-nine percent of all humans are the same, even chimpanzees, and rituals vividly demonstrate these differences.

For the current group of academy students, they were all the same in the academy before, and they all wore the same green shirts, but now, let alone Sima Yi, Ma Jun, and Jia Hong, who attracted everyone's attention, even the other The more than fifty people in the ceremony all attracted the same attention, enjoying the glory in such a ceremony and showing their specialness.

Xun Chen looked past Fei Qian and towards the three Sima Yi people in the government office, especially Sima Yi. Xun Chen was naturally familiar with Sima Yi. Over the years, Sima Yi and Wang Chang almost took turns taking the first place in the competition. However, Wang Chang had already served as an official and went to Chang'an, but Sima Yi kept declining, saying that he had no knowledge. There are deficiencies, he is still young, etc., and he refuses to hold office. But now, after such a ceremony, Sima Yi, like all the other students who praise their official positions, cannot become an official even if they don't want to...

The Cavalry General's skills are really powerful!

Sima Yi stood at the front of the queue of students, dressed in red, like Ma Jun and Jia Hong beside him, holding a locust wood wat board, listening to some small whispers coming from behind, looking at his nose, looking at his mouth, quietly He stood there, but his heart was not as calm as water, but had ups and downs.

After the competition, Sima Yi also understood that if there were no accidents, the first place would still be his. However, he had not seen the Hussars General in the past few days of the competition, nor had he received any news from others, so he Even his uncle Sima Hui was a little disappointed and lost because he had some disagreements with Zheng Xuan and didn't pay much attention to him. But he didn't expect General Hussar to actually perform such a ceremony!

After this ceremony, just like the fifty or so people behind him, he was stamped with the mark of the Cavalry General, right?

What about the first three places, what about wearing red colors, and what about praising officials and parading around the streets? In Sima Yi's eyes, all the purposes of these ceremonies are for one purpose, that is, the Hussar General wants to gather these people tightly and become his subordinates. Help and become a part of the Cavalry General.

Obviously, this kind of ceremony works really well.

Not to mention the young man named Ma on the right, even the obviously older Jia guy on the left had his beard trembling with excitement and almost burst into tears...

After going through this circle, Sima Yi felt that not only the more than fifty students would be extremely excited, their hearts surging, and their loyalty to the Cavalry General Fei Qian was beyond words, but also those who were watching the ceremony, those other students who had not yet passed, He must have felt the same way, wishing that the Cavalry General would immediately hold the next Academy Competition, and then he could go to high school.

Um?

Sima Yi's eyes quickly moved from side to side, saying so...

This hussar general is really powerful this time! Could it be that Wang Chang and Wang Wenshu thought of this and went to Guanzhong one step ahead?

Hiss...

"The auspicious time has come!" While Sima Hui was thinking, the resonant voice of the ceremony officer on one side rang out, causing everyone present to straighten their waists and prepare themselves.

Forget it, even if he figured it out now, Sima Yi couldn't go back, so he had no choice but to listen to the etiquette officer's instructions, organize the queue, and prepare for the opening ceremony of the official parade.

Amidst the rumbling drums, Xun Chen, representing the Cavalry General, arrived in the middle of the government office and stood on the steps. The drums stopped just in time, and the whole place was solemn.

It has to be said that Xun Chen is quite qualified as a character in the scene. His appearance and demeanor are all top-notch. He unfolded the scroll in his hand, looked around briefly, and then said loudly: "The origin of Taixing in the Han Dynasty, guarding the mountain in Pingyang In the academy, examinations are held for all students to select talents for the country, and the fifty-six candidates are outstanding, as follows..."

After reading this, Xun Chen paused subconsciously. When he saw the ordinary students, even those who already knew the answer couldn't help but swallow their saliva. Then he broke the silence again and continued in a deep voice, "...the Academy Competition. Name! Sima Yi, Sima Zhongda!"

The ceremony officer shouted: "The first place in the academy competition! Sima Yi, Sima Zhongda!"

The soldiers on both sides repeated it again, and suddenly the rolling sound was like a stone dropped in a calm pool. The ripples spread out, starting from Pingyang Mansion Office as the center, spreading outward, like a wave between heaven and earth. There was only one sentence like this left.

"The first place in the academy competition! Sima Yi, Sima Zhongda!"

One person sang, hundreds of people spread it, and finally a rumbling sound spread throughout the city. Even if Sima Yi's mind changed, at such a moment, there was a buzzing in his head, and he didn't know where he was for a moment.

Fortunately, Sima Hui reacted quickly, stepped forward quickly, and knelt on the ground...

Then came Ma Jun in second place, Jia Hong in third place, and then all the way to the top ten. The eleventh place was also lucky because he became the representative of the remaining forty-six people. After all, there was someone The name, unlike the rest of the people, only has the word "wai" left...

After such praise, it was natural to enter the street parade.

Led by Sima Yi, everyone saluted General Fei Qian, and then, under the protection of the guard of honor, they came out of the Pingyang government office and began to walk slowly along the middle of the street.

Everyone walked not fast, as if they were reminiscing about all this, and seemed to keep this moment in their hearts. If life is a big dream, then this moment is undoubtedly the most beautiful dream.

When Sima Yi and others came out, the solemn atmosphere in the city immediately changed into a noisy and lively atmosphere. The firecrackers that had been prepared long ago were thrown into the brazier one after another, and they made a crackling sound, mixed in with the cheers one after another. My eardrums were buzzing.

The horses that Sima Yi and the three rode were all castrated and well-trained. They had extremely gentle temperaments. Even though there was loud music and people, they still took small steps slowly.

Sima Yi looked up at the sky, at the three-color flag in front of him, and then glanced at Ma Jun, who was blushing, and Jia Hong, who couldn't help but burst into tears. That's all, that's all, since the Cavalry General is like this For etiquette, I will try my best to help you!