Mingtang is the place where Zhou Tianzi preached and preached as recorded in the Confucian classics, and grand ceremonies such as national sacrifices, court meetings, celebrations, and election of scholars were held in Mingtang, which was not only sacred but also mysterious.

Since the opening of the Sui Emperor, the controversy over the Ming Hall has been fruitless to the four emperors. It is not because the national strength is not strong, but because there are 100 opinions for a hundred bachelors, each expressing their own opinions and discussing in groups!

The giant Confucian scholars also didn't know what this Ming Hall looked like, where it should be built, and how large-scale it was, and they couldn't find any specific clues when they checked the classics of the dynasties, only some scattered fragments.

Chun Yudeng, a lecturer in the Eastern Han Dynasty, once said: "Mingtang should be located in the south of the national capital, three miles away from the palace, and seven miles away. ”

"The shape of the Ming Hall should be the upper circle and the lower one, with eight windows and four mounds. It is the palace of the Son of Heaven, so it is called Mingtang! Mingtang is majestic and grand, and the Duke of Zhou once sacrificed King Wen of Zhou in Mingtang, and he deserves to be the god of God's five essences! ”

"Shengde Ji" said: "Mingtang, since the ancient Xia Dynasty, has a total of nine halls, each hall has four doors and eight windows, a total of thirty-six doors and seventy-two windows. In ancient times, the thatched house was built, with the upper circle and the lower part, which was used to accept the worship of the princes! The foundation of the Ming Hall is surrounded by pools, just like the university Biyong set up by Zhou Tianzi! ”

"Mingtang Moon Order" said: "Mingtang, three zhang high, nine feet wide from east to west, seven zhang long from north to south, upper circle and lower part, four halls and twelve rooms, each room has four doors and eight windows. The palace of Mingtang is square, three hundred steps long on each side, and is located thirty miles away from the suburbs! ”

"Zhou Li: Examination of the Gongji" said: "Ming Hall is the temple of King Wen of Zhou, the Xia Dynasty is called the Shimu, the Yin Dynasty is called Chongwu, and the Zhou Dynasty is called Mingtang. Mingtang is nine zhang long from east to west, seven zhang from north to south, and one zhang high from the hall. There are five rooms, each two feet long, and the roof is covered with thatch. ”

The Confucian scholar Xu Jun said: "The Son of Heaven built the Ming Hall, which is used to pass through the gods, feel the heaven and the earth, and at the four o'clock, to educate, to worship virtue, to emphasize the Tao, to show ability, and to praise and act!" ”

Empress Wu was determined to build the Ming Hall, because after completion, it could not only worship her ancestors and carry forward the prestige of the country, but also create a sacred atmosphere for her to ascend the throne.

But the ancient materials she searched for were all scattered, without a specific form, and the debate about Mingtang was also chattering, so what should she do?

Empress Wu thought that since the giant Confucian masters did not know, there was no need to waste time with them, so Empress Wu did not ask the Confucian scholars, but only discussed the Mingtang system with the scholars of the North Gate, and the construction plan of the Mingtang was quickly determined.

Zhou Simao said: "If the Ming Hall is built in the southwest of Bingsi Xun, it is too far away from the palace, and it is very inconvenient to go out of the palace to set up politics, not only to disturb the people, but also to strengthen the security work, which is obviously very inconvenient!" ”

Hu Chubin said: "I think the Ming Hall can be built within the imperial palace, and the location of the main hall in the south is very good!" ”

Miao Shenke said: "Regarding the shape of the Ming Hall, I think it can be built with three floors, and the ground floor is built as a square, as square as a jade seal. The middle floor can be built as an octagon or twelve-sided shape, and the top floor can be built as a twenty-quarter-sided or circular one, covered with a round cover! ”

Empress Wu said: "Your ideas are very constructive and inspiring, the next step is to form a construction plan, determine it, and then ask the painter to design the drawings and prepare to break ground!" ”

In the year of the vertical arch, Empress Wu ordered the famous painter Mao Boro to design the construction drawings according to the Mingtang construction plan discussed and determined by the bachelor of the North Gate.

Na Mao Bora is a Silla clan, fond of handicraft techniques, good at painting and casting, is a craftsman of Shang Fangjian, and is the author of "Illustrated Treasure Book". After receiving the task, he immediately designed and painted according to the construction plan.

After the construction drawings were drawn, they were dedicated to the Empress Wu. After the martial arts, Shang Fangjian and the officials who will be the supervisors were convened to discuss the revision and discuss the start of construction.

At that time, Xue Huaiyi, the owner of the White Horse Temple, had completed the renovation and expansion project of the White Horse Temple and the Buddha Conferral Temple, and won a good reputation, so he was also invited to participate in the construction meeting of the Ming Hall.

Xue Huaiyi had studied carpentry, built mansions, had a lot of practical experience, and he had a flexible mind and did not love the constraints of Confucian classics.

Xue Huaiyi said: "Since the Ming Hall is the Hall of the Dao of Tomorrow, then we must act in accordance with the Dao of Heaven. The Son of Heaven is connected with the sky, which is reflected in the layout of the capital city is Luoshui Guandu, and it is reflected in the building of Mingtang, which is the place where the sky is round! ”

"The rammed earth foundation of the main hall is designed as a square, symbolizing the place and the four seasons of the year. The second layer is designed with twelve transformations, symbolizing the twelve hours of the day. The third layer is designed with a 24-sided shape, symbolizing the 24 solar terms. The upper two floors are covered with green glazed tiles in a circle, symbolizing the circle of the sky! ”

"On the first floor of the square pedestal, four palaces can be built around the circular hall, as for whether the palace uses four doors and eight windows every night, or two doors and seven windows, the minister thinks it will do!"

"The pedestal adopts a three-layer white marble pedestal, and then excavates a pool around the foundation of the Ming Hall, and builds a bridge on the top of the pond to reach the surrounding area, just like the university Biyong! The minister thought that the ancients should adopt what was correct, and what was not good-looking could be changed, and there was no need to stick to the ancients. ”

Empress Wu nodded in approval again and again, praising Master Xue for his ingenious conception of architecture. Finally, based on the opinions of all parties, the design drawings of Mingtang were revised and finalized, and Mao Borneo was ordered to redraw.

In the fourth year of the vertical arch, the Empress Wu accelerated the pace of sprinting to the throne, and the Ming Hall must be built as soon as possible, as the place where the emperor was enthroned, according to the results of the previous discussions, upholding the concept of my territory and my master, and according to the principle of how to facilitate and how to come, it was decided to build the Ming Hall on the foundation of the Qianyuan Palace.

In the middle of spring, Empress Wu ordered the demolition of the Qianyuan Hall of the Taichu Palace of the Divine Capital, and built the Ming Hall on the original site, and the master Xue Huaiyi, the master of the White Horse Temple, entered the palace to preside over the supervision and build the Ming Hall. Recruit famous craftsmen from all over the country to gather in Shendu, and tens of thousands of craftsmen are served.

King Zuo Buque was dissatisfied with a big man who had not been castrated and went to the palace to work with a group of female intellectuals, although there were Yulin Army guards in the palace, but he was still a little uneasy.

He said: "When Taizong, there was a musician Luo Heihei who was good at playing the pipa, and after Taizong castrated him, he let him enter the palace to guide the palace maids. If Your Majesty thinks that Xue Huaiyi is ingenious and wants to drive him in the palace, please castrate him so as not to disturb the palace! ”

After the table, it is like a stone sinking into the sea, and there is no news! The upright courtiers were a little indignant, but they were helpless.

Xue Huaiyi appointed his uncle Miao Daxing as the supervisor of the Ming Hall, and entered the palace to build the Ming Hall with the skilled craftsmen. He gave Miao Daxing a sky-high salary of 100,000 copper coins per month, anyway, there is money in the inner treasury!

Miao Daxing was so happy that he used the money to buy houses in Luoyang and Chang'an, as well as carriages, fields and slaves, and lived a tyrant-style life.

The most important thing in building the Ming Hall is to consolidate the foundation and insert the pillars of Tongtian, and the foundation plane of the Ming Hall is octagonal. Xue Huaiyi instructed the craftsmen to dig a huge pillar pit in the middle of the octagon.

The Great Pillar Pit was planned to fill in four huge pillar foundation stones to serve as the support of the pillars. The craftsmen found boulders on the surrounding stone mountains and found a way to drag them into Luoyang City by cart to cut and polish them.

Miao Daxing instructed craftsmen to dig round mortises on the four boulders that had been cut and polished, and then hoisted them into the big column pit with tools to fill them.

The pillar of heaven needs to use three thousand-year-old trees, where to find the thousand-year-old wood? Miao Daxing thought that the area around Songshan and Jianghuai was rich in ancient trees, and Xue Huaiyi decided to look for them separately.

Xue Huaiyi led the carpenter to the Jianghuai area in a carriage to search for ancient trees, accompanied by Su Changshou and Jin Wuwei along the way. Xue Huaiyi and his entourage walked to Xuyi and heard an old farmer say that there were ancient trees on the nearby mountain, so he led a team to inspect them.

Enter a primeval forest, but see the mountains and rivers are connected, the ancient trees are all over the slope, the tall giant trees rise from the ground, the light green grass is inlaid with a large area of dark green, the splashing stream breaks the tranquility of the forest, the fragrance is blowing, the birdsong is pleasant, and all kinds of vines of different thicknesses are wound on the trees to form different forms.

Xue Huaiyi held a bamboo cane, scaring snakes all the way, walked to the top of the mountain and looked around, and suddenly saw a tall and thick tree in the distance, and immediately cheered and ran there.

When going down the mountain, a carpenter suddenly screamed, and everyone gathered around to check, it turned out that his foot was bitten by a poisonous snake, and the poisonous snake saw that everyone was moving loudly, and turned around and got into the bushes.

Xue Huaiyi carefully examined the carpenter's scars, ordered the medicine boy to tie his calves, cut the flesh and let out the poisonous blood, and went to find herbs himself. After a while, Xue Huaiyi pulled a handful of half lotus grass and applied it to the carpenter's wound, which can play an antibacterial, disinfectant and hemostatic effect.

The carpenter's wound gradually improved, and Xue Huaiyi sent the medicine boy to stay behind to take care of him, while the others continued to move forward.

When he came to the bottom of the tree, a carpenter stepped back with a scream, pointed to the tree and shouted, "Snake, what a big snake!" Xue Huaiyi looked at it and said, "Where is the snake?" It's clearly a rattan wrapped around the trunk of a tree! ”

The tree is about 40 meters tall and about 5 meters in diameter, and it takes ten people to hug it, and the thick rattan at the mouth of the bowl is wrapped around the branches, like a giant python.

Several carpenters could not help but kneel and prostrate, called tree gods. Xue Huaiyi walked around the ancient tree, pulled it on the trunk with a saw, was very satisfied, and decided to saw it down and transport it to Luoyang.

The carpenters used ink fountains to play the line, and then cut them in parallel with sharp saws from all directions, and after sawing for a long time, they only cut a shallow layer.

Locals said that there were tigers, wild boars and poisonous snakes on this mountain, and Xue Huaiyi saw that it was getting late, so he led everyone back to the city. After returning to the city, he visited the county commander, and when the county commander saw Su Changshou and Jin Wuwei, he knew that it was the nobles in the palace who came, so he hurriedly bowed.

Xue Huaiyi explained his intentions and asked the county to send officials, bring big knives and bows and arrows, protect around the thousand-year-old trees to prevent tigers and wolves from invading, and hire a snake catcher.

The next day, Xue Huaiyi led the people to set up camp near the thousand-year-old tree, and during the day, the officials patrolled the surroundings with knives and bows, beating gongs and drums to frighten the beasts. Light torches near the camp at night and ambush traps.

After many days of uneventful operation, the carpenters sawed down the thousand-year-old wood, and then pulled the huge trunk up the hillside and pushed it down, making a loud rumbling sound, and the huge trunk rolled into the river and drifted all the way to the wide Huai water.

There were boatmen on the water to follow, and the giant trees drifted along the Huai River to the Tongji Canal, and then transferred to Luoyang.

Xue Huaiyi went to other places to cut down two ancient trees, went down the river to the east, and turned Luoyang. Miao Daxing commanded and supervised the craftsmen in Shendu to cut various palace components, complete various mortise and tenon structure woodware, and wait for the giant wood to arrive and be erected and assembled.

The construction of the Ming Hall is in full swing, after the Dragon Boat Festival, the ministers please add the title of "Our Lady of God Emperor" for the Empress Wu, and the Empress Wu gladly responded, and ordered Shang Fang to supervise the production of the tripartite jade seal.

Xue Huaiyi returned to Shendu, transported the three giant trees to the lumber yard for processing, and used the wedge nail tenon process to splice the three giant trees into a pillar with a total length of 86 meters, and then hoisted it to the pillar foundation stone and inserted it firmly.

As soon as the pillar is erected, the other bucket arch beams can be quickly erected. The pillars, beams, panes, floor tiles, etc. of the original Qianyuan Hall can be reused, so the construction progress of the Ming Hall is very fast.

December 27 is a memorable day, on this day, the towering, resplendent Ming Hall was built, which lasted only ten months. This is the result of the nation's efforts.

When Xue Huaiyi reported the completion of the Ming Hall to the Holy Mother, the Holy Mother praised him and said that he would give him a big surprise!

Our Lady of God and Emperor led the civil and military officials to visit the newly built Ming Hall with great interest.

I saw that the Ming Hall was built on a three-story pedestal, which was square and 88 meters long on each side. At 88 meters high, it was the tallest single wooden building at the time. At the top is a one-zhang tall ornament of gold treasure phoenix.

The civil and military officials walked across the white jade bridge on the pool and entered the Ming Hall to visit. There are four halls on the pedestal, east and west, north and south, the east side is called Qingyang, the south side is called Ming Hall, the west side is called the general chapter, and the north side is called Xuantang.

Each hall has left and right rooms, which are deep, long and wide. The circular hall in the middle is the end wall hall, and when you go inside, you can see the pillars of the sky that can only be surrounded by ten people, decorated with red lacquer, and there is a dragon wind hovering on it.

Inside is high and spacious, magnificent, the weather is myriad, the ground is paved with gold bricks, flower mats, and placed with black walls, smokers, incense cases and lampstands.

There are three floors in the hall, and the lower floor is a flat square, symbolizing the four seasons, and it is the place where the Son of Heaven issued decrees and held court meetings in the four seasons.

The middle floor is a twelve-sided shape, symbolizing the twelve hours, and is a place to worship and worship ancestors. The upper layer is 24 sides, symbolizing the 24 solar terms, and is the place where the gods of the Five Heavenly Emperors are worshipped. The middle and upper floors are domes, and the dome is also decorated with a golden dragon.

This splendid building dazzled the civil and military officials, who expressed their amazement, just like Ali Baba entering a cave full of jewels, and was so dazzling that they couldn't open their eyes!

Our Lady of God and Emperor was very satisfied, and praised the Ming Hall for having a square, round, square and round, and thousands of weather, symbolizing the vigorous growth of all things in heaven and earth, and giving the name "Vientiane Divine Palace" on the spot.

The plaque and couplet inscription of Vientiane Shrine were written by Zhong Shaojing, a 30-year-old calligrapher and Zhifeng Pavilion.

Zhong Shaojing's "Lingfei Jing Xiaokai Character Post" has been handed down to this day, his calligraphy is beautiful and beautiful, the pen gesture is round and strong, the penmanship is strong and exquisite, and the wrist is hidden in the front, and the essence of Wang Xianzhi is obtained.

Our Lady of God and Emperor accepted the congratulations of the ministers in the Vientiane Shrine, and then set up a banquet to reward the ministers, praised Xue Huaiyi's great achievements in public, and canonized Xue Shi as General Zuo Weiwei and Liang Guogong.

Xue Huaiyi was flattered and overjoyed, he finally had a formal official position and a high social status! He excitedly shouted "Long live" and thanked the Holy Mother and the Emperor. But the civil and military officials showed a look of disdain and were not proud.

At the meeting, the Holy Mother and Emperor announced that ordinary people would be allowed to visit the Vientiane Shrine.

Publicly allowing the women of the Shendu and the elders of the states to enter the palace to visit the magnificent golden and splendid Vientiane Shrine is undoubtedly an earth-shattering initiative, reflecting her magnanimity to the people and the world!

The visit of ordinary people to the Vientiane Shrine lasted for nine days. After the common people visited, they went outside the palace to vigorously promote the wonder of the Vientiane Shrine "the iron phoenix enters the clouds, and the golden dragon hides the mist". Some people spread the word even more godly, saying that he stood on the mountain a hundred miles away from the divine capital, and he could still see the Vientiane Shrine in the distance!

While the Holy Mother and the Divine Emperor and the civil and military officials were feasting, a parrot flew over the Ming Hall, and a golden light shone on the body of the Holy Mother and the Emperor, and this golden light was only visible to her.

Our Lady God Emperor looked along the golden light, and saw the Buddha of Immeasurable Light preaching the Dharma in the Pure Land of Western Bliss ten trillion times away, reaching boundless sentient beings and achieving immeasurable merits.

The height of the Buddha of Infinite Light is about 500 zhang, looking up from below, straight into the sky. That golden light is the great light of compassion emitted by the Buddha of Immeasurable Light, and those who meet it are able to avoid all suffering.

Our Lady of God and Emperor was so moved that he ordered Xue Huaiyi, the Duke of Liang Guo, to build a five-storey heaven 16 meters north of the Ming Hall to store the Buddha statue of Amitayus.

He also issued the "Edict on the Etiquette of the Ming Hall", saying: The secret strategy of the Ming Hall to open the world, the operation of the law and the weather, can make disasters not happen, disasters do not happen, and they will worship the three saints on the first day of the first month of the next year, in order to match God, it is advisable to order the ceremonial officials and doctors to set the sacrificial etiquette, and follow the essentials and quickly listen to the music.

Of course, the ceremonial officials and doctors did not dare to slack off, and hurriedly discussed overnight to draw up the ceremonial procedures for the Grand Vientiane Shrine. Our Lady and the Emperor sent a priest to arrange the arrangement according to the ceremonial procedures and prepare the sacrificial items in advance.

After visiting the Vientiane Shrine, the courtiers wrote poems and praises, and some said: "Mingtang sits on the Son of Heaven, and the princes of the New Moon Dynasty." Qingle moved a thousand doors, and the imperial wind was Kyushu. ”

Some said: "Mu Mu Holy Emperor, Yong Yong Ming Hall." The Son of Heaven is in the palace, and the jade is strong. Others said: "The Great Enlightened Hall is congratulated by the court, and the princes are grinding their swords and grinding each other." ”

The king of Zuo Buque begged for gifts but coldly poured a scoop of cold water on her who was excited, and compared the Vientiane Shrine to Xia Cang's Yao Room and Shang Xuan's Qiongtai, hoping that she could live in a thatched hut and govern the world like the ancient sages.

The Holy Mother and Emperor laughed after reading it, and did not blame him.

In a blink of an eye, on the first day of the first lunar month, the Holy Mother and Emperor held a sacrifice ceremony in the Vientiane Shrine.

She was dressed in a crown, with a three-foot long waist and a two-inch Zhengui in her hand for the first offering, first sacrificing the Haotian God Seat, then worshipping Gaozu, Taizong, Gaozong, and then sacrificing the first king of Wei, and finally sacrificing the Wufang Emperor's seat.

After the ceremony, Li Dan offered the sub-sacrifice, and then went on the field to carry out the sacrificial ceremony, and Li Chengqi was the final offering.

After the feast, the Holy Mother and Emperor walked out of the Ming Hall, rode a BMW, patted the horse and rushed to the gate of heaven in the Taichu Palace, and then unfolded the holy decree of the colorful auspicious cloud brocade on the high-headed horse, announcing the amnesty of the world and changing the Yuan Yongchang.

After a day off, the Holy Mother and Emperor sat on a high throne in the middle of the Ming Hall and received congratulations from civil and military officials. Then, in Vientiane, the priests issued nine rules to instruct the hundred officials.

Our Lady of God and Emperor also feasted the ministers in Vientiane, and the envoys of Tubo, Tocharo, Zhu Jubanguo, and Boxian City also came to congratulate and worship the birthday, and join in the fun.