I am Li Shen and Li Shimin, the free kings of the Tang Dynasty

Actually, the sacrificial ceremony was the second part of the ceremony. Li Shen brought the child, but he didn't arrive that early.

Or rather, Li Shen didn't want to participate in the first stage.

The first step was to arrive at the palace before sunrise, where officials of all ranks waited outside the Taiji Hall.

Not only officials, but also members of the royal family, relatives of the empress, and envoys from foreign countries had to be present.

Although Li Shen was a prince, he still had to wait outside for the emperor to issue an imperial decree to grant him an audience.

When the time comes, the officials will enter the hall in order, with civil officials to the east and military officials to the west. Foreign envoys will stand at the end of the officials' ranks, and some low-ranking officials will have to stand outside the hall.

The process was also very complicated. The interpreter and attendant would announce the rites, and all the officials would simultaneously perform the grand ceremony of three bows and nine kowtows, which originated from the Zhou rites.

After the ceremony, the emperor rose and the prime minister and representatives of the imperial family stepped forward to read out congratulatory messages, which were basically flattering words praising the emperor, singing his praises, and expressing the peace and prosperity of the country.

Afterwards, they would kneel and kowtow to welcome the emperor's instructions, which were basically platitudes about rewarding officials, bestowing gifts, and blessing the people.

Li Shen had participated before, which is why he didn't want to go. Since he was going to kowtow to his father anyway, he might as well go and kowtow to someone else separately, which wouldn't take up much time.

Some people get up before dawn to wish their boss a Happy New Year; he's not a bootlicker.

Therefore, Li Shen comes to participate in the second part, the sacrificial ceremony, almost every year.

This is something he can't escape, otherwise he wouldn't have been willing to participate, because the process is also very complicated.

Once you exit Chengtian Gate, you'll find yourself in the Imperial City, where various government agencies are located.

The Imperial Ancestral Temple is located in the southeast corner.

Li Shen carried Li Xu and followed behind. He suddenly felt that the Empress was a bit too big. He thought it would be nice to have a sightseeing vehicle.

Seeing Li Tai panting heavily, Li Shen finally understood why his father had given Li Tai special permission to ride in a sedan chair into the palace.

Li Shen was worried that Li Tai might not be able to catch his breath and would die instantly.

Sacrifices are first offered to Heaven and Earth, which is why the Empress came.

The emperor is the Son of Heaven, and the empress is the Mother of the Nation. Although Li Shen always felt that they were not a couple, but rather mother and son, he never dared to say it.

Li Shen was like a puppet, reciting the eulogy and burning the offerings. He did whatever his father did.

The three thick incense sticks stuck in the ground seemed to outlive Li Shen.

The chaotic sacrificial ceremony to Heaven and Earth was finally completed. The officials waited at Chengtian Gate, and Li Shimin then led his clan members to worship their ancestors.

This year's ancestral worship ceremony was once again presided over by Li Chengqian, and thankfully, Li Shen was not asked to write the eulogy.

"What's wrong with Prince Ji?" On the way to the ancestral temple, a voice rang out. Li Shen looked up and saw two people smiling at him.

"Greetings, uncles."

These two men were none other than Li Boyi, the Prince of Longxi, and Li Fengci, the Prince of Bohai, who had met Li Shen once before.

"Hehe, no need for formalities. Is Prince Ji injured?" Li Boyi waved his hand.

The two of them noticed that Li Shen was walking with a limp.

"I am indeed injured," Li Shen said casually. He couldn't very well say that he had been beaten up earlier.

"Could it be that he was injured in Xizhou? We've heard that Prince Ji is brave and skilled in battle, personally leading troops to suppress the rebels and killing tens of thousands of enemies."

Such bravery is so much like His Majesty's back then; truly worthy of being His Majesty's son.

Li Fengci said approvingly.

"Haha, as expected, I couldn't escape Uncle's eyes. That's right, it was the injury I sustained in Xizhou. But it's nothing, just a minor injury to relieve Father's worries. It's nothing, it's nothing."

Upon hearing this excuse, Li Shen's eyes lit up, and he readily agreed.

Upon hearing this, the three brothers nearby immediately looked over and inwardly cursed him as shameless.

However, it's not convenient to expose them at this time, otherwise they would be among them.

"Haha, Prince Ji is indeed a young hero. He is truly a blessing to our royal family," Li Fengci laughed along.

"Um, is there anything I can help you with, uncles?"

Li Shen had no dealings with these two uncles; when he gave them a reward, they even asked him for money.

He also sent people to investigate and found that the two men were raised by Emperor Gaozu and were spoiled and dissolute by nature. They were idle and extravagant, and did not do any proper work.

Their emperor father had to provide them with financial assistance from time to time; otherwise, these two would have had to sell their property long ago.

“This…” Li Fengci hesitated for a moment and glanced at Li Boyi.

"Well... I wonder if Prince Ji could lend us some money? We'll pay him back next month after we receive our salaries," Li Boyi said, rubbing his hands together, somewhat embarrassed.

"Borrow money?" Li Shen was taken aback. "Have you two uncles encountered some difficulties?"

"Alas, to be honest, we did spend a bit more than usual. Prices in Chang'an have risen these days."

Spices were even more expensive, costing several times more, with a single ounce costing several hundred coins, or even a string of cash.

We are, after all, members of the royal family, and we cannot be looked down upon, so we must buy spices even if they are a bit expensive.

And so... and so..."

Li Fengci said that it goes without saying that he lived too extravagantly, wanted the best of everything, and spent all his salary.

In Chang'an, under Li Shen's deliberate control, the prices of daily necessities did not rise; he targeted customers from the middle class and above.

It mainly consisted of noble families, officials, and wealthy merchants, and consisted of luxury goods.

Silk, wine, tea, soap, mirrors, and spices were also among them.

Li Shen had known about the price increase of spices for a long time, but this did not have much impact on ordinary people. In any case, even if the price did not increase, they would generally not be willing to eat them anyway.

Li Shen looked at the two of them and knew that they were pure parasites.

“My two uncles, why didn’t you borrow money from my father? If we’re talking about money, who in this world is as rich as my father?”

Li Shen asked curiously, "Isn't it usually my father who helps them out?"

After hearing this, the two glanced at Li Shimin in front of them, and Li Boyi shook his head and said:

"Prince Ji may not know this, but His Majesty has already given us some money this month. However, Yuanzheng has many expenses, so the expenditure is quite large."

We two have no more words to say about asking His Majesty for money.

Li Fengci nodded in agreement.

Even if the two men were shameless, they dared not ask the emperor for money again.

"Hehe, then why did Uncle come to me? Look, the Crown Prince is here, as are the Prince of Wei and the Prince of Jin. I am the youngest."

Do you think I'm young and easy to talk to?

Li Shen chuckled twice, then his expression suddenly changed. Li Shen didn't care about their money, but he hated these kinds of troublesome things.

You can help in an emergency, but you can't support someone who's always been poor. These two are living a life of extravagance and debauchery, and they want others to pay for their lives? They're dreaming.

"This..." The two were speechless after Li Shen said that. They were actually quite afraid of Li Shen, even though he was a junior.

However, Li Shen was not well-regarded by the upper echelons of Chang'an, and was often described as insidious, ruthless, and cunning.

But Li Shen is rich and generous, so they came to give it a try.

"Well... since His Highness Prince Ji is unable to attend, then forget it. We'll find someone else." The two were afraid.

"and many more!"

Just as the two were about to leave, Li Shen suddenly called out to them.

(What happened to that big scandal today? There's been no follow-up. It was the one from 6 PM.)