After speaking at length, led by Grand Tutor Fan representing the elderly figures including those imperial kinsmen, they followed the yearly tradition, reminiscing about the past. Each one took turns speaking a short segment, reciting familiar tales.
Starting with the founding Emperor, the Great Ancestor, they talked about the harsh and tyrannical governance of the former court that made people's lives miserable, the external threats from the Tartars eagerly waiting to invade the Central Plains, the former tyrant emperor abandoning his people and fleeing, the world in chaos at the time. Fortunately, the Great Ancestor, disregarding his safety, stood out, reversed the dire situation, drove away the Tartars, reassured the people, and rescued them from dire straits...
As they spoke, these elderly men invariably concluded with how difficult it was to conquer the empire and even harder to govern it, their words laden with earnest advice to warn the Son of Heaven.
