pappabearbooks Chapter 30 is wonderful! He's a great and wise teacher! We're saved!
Chapter 30 is wonderful! He's a great and wise teacher! We're saved!
"Stand up! No kneeling!"
Dressed in a feathered robe, crane cloak, tall crown, wide belt, and red shoes, Si Chen raised his arms and shouted on the nine-tiered altar.
Behind them was the Taiping Dao Liesheng Palace, which had been built with the combined efforts of everyone over the past ten days.
Today is the first day of the Jia Shen year, the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen reign.
"Heaven, earth, ancestors, and heroic spirits are all enshrined here. Why are you kneeling before me? Only they deserve your grand salutations and worship."
"The way of cultivation can be summed up in one sentence: have no evil thoughts."
Those who belittle themselves will ultimately amount to nothing.
Finally, I wish you all a new year that surpasses the old, with everything going smoothly and without worry, and all your wishes fulfilled.
The attendants relayed Si Chen's words one by one.
In front of the Liesheng Palace, people were prostrate, a sea of heads, a dense crowd.
They were all dressed neatly; the clothes of the refugees were mostly washed until they were faded, but at least they looked human.
May the new year be better than the old, smooth and worry-free, and may all your wishes be fulfilled!
The people were overjoyed; these were rare days of peace and stability in recent years.
The twelve Tiger Warriors, wielding heavy halberds, clad in gleaming armor and wearing tiger masks, stood at the very center of the crowd.
Three hundred Feathered Scale Guards, each wielding a life-sized ironwood shield, stood on the left side of the formation, their wings drooping.
Fifteen hundred white-horse cavalry, clad in armor and carrying apricot-yellow flags, were deployed along both banks of the Haihe River to facilitate the flow of people.
Si Chen's left hand is the Six Ding Divine Generals, their heads covered with yellow turbans and wearing Taoist robes. The leader carries a large flag of the North Star, while the others carry the flags of the Sun, Moon, and Stars, wear golden masks, and have gilded fire bells hanging from their waists.
On the right are the Six Armored Generals. They wear fish-scale armor underneath and crimson taotie-patterned sleeves on top, holding ceremonial swords.
"Great and wise teacher, the auspicious time has arrived."
An official stepped forward to remind them.
"Let's begin then."
Si Chen looked up and saw the sun directly overhead. He turned around and slowly walked into the Taiping Dao Liesheng Palace.
The Palace of Saints is located to the right of the camp, and is planned to cover an area of over a thousand square meters. It is already taking shape.
The main hall of Huang Taiyi in the sacrificial ceremony is a brick and stone structure, standing on a nine-story high platform, with the roof covered with emerald green glazed tiles.
Above the palace gate is a plaque made of rosewood, and at the entrance are two marble pillars that would take several people to encircle.
The plaque reads: "Reverence for Heaven and Adherence to Ancestors".
Human beings are the sum total of social relations. Since the time of Yao and Shun, nothing has been more important than the four words: respecting Heaven and following our ancestors. The sacred Yan and Huang have brought us closely together.
To the left and right of the gateposts—If your heart is wicked, burning incense will bring you no benefit; if you are upright, what harm is there in not bowing to me?
Cao Youyi held the incense in his hands, his face flushed.
There is no other reason than that their ancestral tablets are also enshrined there.
The official in charge of the ancestral tablets and ancestral halls of the people were moved to this place to be worshipped by all the people.
As a result, wealthy families within a radius of hundreds of miles actively and enthusiastically donated funds.
Si Chen erected a stone tablet beneath the nine-story stone platform to commemorate this event.
Liu Ji's legs trembled; she felt as if a vast being was looking down upon her.
Shen Lian watched this scene from outside the Lie Sheng Palace with mixed feelings.
The practice of worshipping the ancestral hall of all people together with Heaven, Earth, ancestors, and heroic spirits is unprecedented.
With just this one move, he won over the hearts of the people here!
Since ancient times.
Those who are united in purpose will prevail, while those who are divided in mind and morality will fail; there are no exceptions.
The bell swayed and undulated, and the drums beat loudly.
Si Chen stood in the main hall, with a large four-legged bronze cauldron in front of him, densely covered with the sun, moon and stars. The North Star was in its place and all the stars were surrounding it. Behind him, the eyes of the people were on him. He seemed to be in a furnace, being roasted by the faith of the people.
At that time, Sichen ordered that all these countless statues be made of clay, because why should gods be valued with gold and jade?
Only the Central Yellow Supreme Unity should be offered with the heart as a sacrifice and the tripod as a vessel.
Si Chen said loudly, "The Supreme One is the father of the Dao, the predecessor of Heaven and Earth. It resides above the Nine Heavens, within the Great Purity, beyond the Eight Darknesses, and within the subtlest realm. To worship the Supreme One is to worship Heaven and Earth."
"Taiyi is omnipresent, so why define it by mortal objects? All things, including the sun, moon, stars, wind, clouds, thunder, rain, and the spiritual energy of mountains and rivers, are created by Taiyi. Even we are born under the influence of Taiyi. When you make offerings in the future, just silently recite the name of Taiyi and be sincere."
"On the first and fifteenth of each month, sacrifices are to be offered in the palace of the Holy Ones."
"Praise Taiyi."
Si Chen lit the incense sticks, and the incense sticks burned naturally without any wind. He then held them horizontally with both hands together, bowed deeply, and raised his hands to insert the incense into the four-legged cauldron.
Two plumes of smoke rose straight up into the sky, lingering there for a long time, as if reaching the heavens.
"Yes."
The crowd grew even more awe and stepped forward one by one to offer incense.
From this day forward, the incense inside the large cauldron will burn day and night without ceasing.
Si Chen stepped into another side hall, where the statues of the Heavenly Emperor Suirenshi, the Earthly Emperor Youchaoshi Cangwu, the Human Emperor Fengrenshi Zongzhu, and the statues of the Five Emperors were enshrined.
"The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, the origins of the Xia dynasty, begin from here; you must not forget them."
The Sichen then offered three sacrificial animals and incense with the highest honors to awaken the spirit.
"yes!"
Si Chen swept over the remaining statues, and the others followed suit.
Although we share the same incense offerings as the saints, we should still have a central figure to guide us.
A clever fellow would naturally follow closely in Si Chen's footsteps.
Then we arrived at another side hall.
"These are Emperor Gaozu of Han, Emperor Wen of Han, and Emperor Wu of Han, three Red Emperors. Descendants of the Imperial Han Dynasty, their blessings extend to future generations."
"This is the Ming Dynasty's founding emperor, who, as a mere commoner, wielded a three-foot sword and achieved unparalleled feats, reconciling the North and South. The land of China was now unified, and the sun and moon reignited the great order. The Ming Dynasty unified the world, surpassing the Three Dynasties and ranking above the Tang and Han dynasties. Reaching the ends of the earth, all submitted to its rule. The earth was now round and complete, and the Ming Dynasty was finally incorporated into the map."
"Thus I know that while there are high and low in the world, there is no inherent nobility or baseness among people."
"But you who rise to power through this will also perish through it..."
"Gentlemen, please remember this."
Si Chen bowed twice and ordered the servants to perform a sacrificial ceremony with the rites of Shao Lao.
Looking up, he ordered two sacrificial animals to be offered, and then slowly departed.
The crowd held torches and followed closely behind.
Finally, Si Chen stepped towards the back hall.
This place enshrines the Medicine King Temple, Yue Fei Temple, Guan Yu Temple, and the statue of Puji Tianfei.
"The Medicine King eliminated the harm of the Five-Mineral Powder, thus saving our Chinese descendants from falling into evil ways. All those who cultivate themselves should uphold this virtuous heart."
Si Chen offered two sacrificial animals with the rites of a lesser sacrificial animal, and ordered everyone to worship and offer sacrifices. He then turned to another statue, a sculpture of a red-faced man with a long beard and a Guan Dao (a type of halberd).
"In this world, loyalty and filial piety are the foundation of our character. The Great Emperor Guan Yu, the Supreme Deity Who Subdues Demons of the Three Realms; the Loyal and Martial King Yue Fei, the Great Emperor Who Pacifies Demons of the Three Realms. Follow me in paying homage."
"Yes!" The generals were all invigorated, as if they had found a clear and accurate goal, knowing that one day they might also be worshipping here.
Sichen offered sacrifices to the two gods with two sacrificial animals, and then moved to the front of the Puji Tianfei Temple.
Along the coast, temples dedicated to the Heavenly Princess are ubiquitous.
In the seventh year of the Yongle reign, she was bestowed the title of Heavenly Princess Who Protects the Nation and Blesses the People, and Who Is Wondrously Responses, Benevolent and Universally Benevolent, and Who Was Officially Worshipped by the Nanjing Court of Imperial Sacrifices.
Si Chen pondered for a moment, "Looking at the ocean, the surging waves reach the sky. The giant waves are like mountains, quite different from the misty clouds of other foreign lands. Yet our people, with their sails high and sailing day and night, cross those raging waves as if walking on a smooth road. The peace and tranquility of the sea is all thanks to the divine protection of the Heavenly Princess."
At this time, there was an unprecedentedly large maritime and land merchant group in the south—the Five Merchants, which was also the foundation of Zheng Zhilong's success at sea.
The Five Elements are divided into two parts: Mountain and Sea. The land element is further divided into Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. The sea element is divided into Benevolence, Righteousness, Propriety, Wisdom, and Trustworthiness.
They all worship the deity Puji Tianfei.
Finally, there was a wall arranged like stars scattered across the sky.
Countless memorial tablets for fallen heroes, along with those moved from various ancestral halls, are bathed in incense smoke.
"This hall is dedicated to all the heroic spirits who sacrificed their lives, and to our ancestors."
Si Chen bowed with his hands clasped.
Everyone followed suit.
The great bell tolls once, marking the beginning of heaven and earth and establishing the order of the universe.
After the large bell rang twice, the bronze tortoise, crane, white deer, and qilin in the pool in front of the hall, bathed in incense smoke, seemed ready to take flight.
The great bell was struck three times, each time with one hundred and eight strikes. The Palace of Saints trembled violently, and countless immortals appeared lifelike, as if the gods were present.
The ceremony is now complete.
hum~
The big sound is loud, the elephant is invisible.
A spiritual entity encompassing the heavens casts its gaze, merciless and selfless.
The area in the main hall where Taiyi is enshrined is filled with a misty aura shaped like a canopy, which cascades down from the dome onto everyone.
All traces of illness, misfortune, and malevolence turned to ashes, cleansing away all impurities.
A white light, visible to the naked eye, swept along the Sancha River estuary to Dagukou, wiping out nearly 100,000 soldiers and civilians.
At this moment, 100,000 soldiers and civilians were all placed under the command of the Inner Jing Water Mansion.
Si Chen looked around and nodded in satisfaction.
"Gentlemen, I will not keep this glory to myself."
"All famous mountains and rivers, sage emperors and wise kings, loyal ministers and martyrs, those who have contributed to the country and those who have shown kindness and love to the people, will be enshrined in the Palace of Saints and worshipped by the people."
"In ordinary households, those with a regular occupation should also be supplemented from time to time, and no one should be left out."
"On the contrary, those who do not want to live a down-to-earth life, but instead think about the evil ways of advancement, are lazy and averse to work, are obsessed with wine, women, gambling, and the three religions and nine schools of thought, are not among the four classes of people, and are not allowed to join my school, thus disrupting my laws and regulations."
"If anyone dares to say such a thing, may both gods and men punish him."
He then used his hand as a knife to write the inscription on the stone pillars on the left and right sides of the main hall.
In this era of relative material scarcity, the cultivation of the spiritual world becomes all the more important.
We must never allow the control of this spiritual world to fall into the hands of others, otherwise strange thoughts will inevitably arise.
Even if the army were to lose control one day, the Palace of Saints alone could be used to raise an army.
To control the rituals is to control the hearts of the people.
Everyone was convinced.
"Holy one, the great and wise teacher!"
"Excellent, great and wise teacher!"