With the passing of the Hongwu Emperor, many people were busy preparing for his departure.

The Ministry of Rites was required to offer sacrifices to Heaven, Earth, and the ancestral temples, and the funeral date was also to be offered sacrifices at the same time. Officials wore mourning clothes, fasted for three days, and mourned morning and evening for three days, etc., all of which had to be done according to the rules.

Zhu Yunying knelt before the coffin, his face haggard and his eyes lifeless. He thought he was prepared, that he could perhaps accept all of this with relative calm. Sometimes he even thought that this might be a relief for his imperial grandfather.

Zhu Yunying knew his grandfather all too well. His grandfather had lost his father in his youth, his wife in middle age, and his son in his old age—all of which had happened to him, and his grandfather was a man who valued family ties so much.

For the past few years, his grandfather has been holding on, but now he finally doesn't need to keep going.

Perhaps the last few years of Old Zhu's life were extremely painful, as he could only constantly reminisce about his loved ones. Perhaps he was also happy, with his grandsons successful and his great-grandchildren always by his side.

Xu Miaoqing's eyes were red as she carefully advised, "Your Majesty, please go and rest."

Zhu Yunying raised his head, looked at Xu Miaoqing, and asked, "Where is the Crown Prince?"

"Go and rest," Xu Miaoqing said with considerable concern. "The Emperor has passed away, and the Crown Prince is deeply grieved."

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Zhu Yunying sighed and said, "He has been with his grandfather since he was a child and they were very close. He is still a child, and now that his grandfather has passed away, the Crown Prince must be feeling very bad. Go and see him, and talk to him more."

Xu Miaoqing still advised, "Your Majesty, you should also go and rest. If your grandfather in heaven were watching over you, he would surely be worried to see you like this."

Princess Anqing added, "Ying'er, just listen to the Empress. Go to the side hall to rest and eat something. Your father certainly doesn't want to see you like this. He and Mother are always worried about you, so don't let them be uneasy."

Zhu Yunying smiled and adjusted her kneeling posture. "Aunt, we're alright, we know what's going on. Actually, we understand that it's good that Grandfather passed away peacefully. Grandfather suffered his whole life, it's good that he didn't suffer before he left."

Princess Anqing almost burst into tears. Her father, the Emperor, had hardly ever had a few easy days in his entire life. Everyone said that the Hongwu Emperor was the supreme ruler of the world, but perhaps his happiest years were only a few years in total.

Looking at Old Zhu's shrine, Zhu Yunying said, "Think about it, we should have done better, but we still caused him a lot of worry and anger. He doted on us so much, but the things we did were really improper."

Princess Ningguo quickly advised, "Ying'er, don't think like that. Your father loves you the most. Not only in front of you, but also in front of us, he always praises you. You have never disappointed your father, and he likes you the most."

Zhu Yunying smiled and said, "Aunt, we know, so please don't say any more. We know what we're doing. We may not be doing too badly, but we should have done better. It's better not to talk about these things now, as it will only add to our sorrow. You should all go and rest. I'll keep Grandfather company and talk to him."

If the emperor doesn't leave, no one else dares to leave either. Even if the emperor leaves, members of the imperial family are expected to stay and keep vigil.

Remembering something, Zhu Yunying asked, "Where is Shuangquan?"

Shuangquan appeared quickly and knelt before Zhu Yunying, saying, "Your Majesty, this servant requests permission to stay overnight to sweep and clean."

Zhu Yunying sighed and said, "You are a free servant responsible for sweeping and cleaning the mausoleums. Go to Xiaoling Mausoleum and perform the sacrificial rites. Over the years, you have been the only one who has been truly helpful to your grandfather."

Shuangquan kowtowed deeply, filled with sorrow and gratitude, saying, "This servant thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness!"

Zhu Yunying smiled and said, "We might not be able to visit Xiaoling Mausoleum often in the future, so you must do your best to offer sacrifices. In the future, we will bury you in Xiaoling Mausoleum as well. You served your grandfather in life, so you can go with him in death."

Shuangquan was overwhelmed with gratitude, so much so that he couldn't speak. To be buried with the Emperor at Xiaoling Mausoleum was a privilege reserved for high-ranking officials. For him, a man who had served his sentence, to be buried with the Emperor at Xiaoling was an unparalleled honor.

Wang Chengen, standing nearby, was somewhat envious of Shuangquan. If he were fortunate enough to be buried with her, it would be an immense blessing.

Seeing Shuangquan leave, Zhu Yunying asked, "Have you prepared anything else?"

This is naturally the funeral, and the procession is about to begin, so many things cannot be taken lightly.

Zhu Su then said, “Your Majesty, officials have already been dispatched to make preparations. All the necessary shrines, ritual offerings, wine, fruit, and food have been prepared. Officials have already been dispatched to offer sacrifices at the Jinshui Bridge, the Meridian Gate, the Duan Gate, the Chengtian Gate, the Daming Gate, the Desheng Gate, as well as the bridges across the river, the deities to be worshipped in the capital, and the shrines to be worshipped along the way.”

This was the last night, and Joo Yoon-young only took a short nap before starting preparations.

Zhu Yunying set up the funeral rites and led everyone in offering sacrifices. At this time, the Directorate of Ceremonial, the Ministry of Rites, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard ordered their officials to set up a large palanquin and arrange the funeral rites outside the Meridian Gate and the Great Ming Gate.

At dawn, the imperial city was draped in white mourning clothes. Zhu Yunying, accompanied by his young son, dressed in mourning attire, bowed four times. He offered silk, wine, and read the prayer, then bowed four times. He raised his voice in mourning, rose, the mourning ended, and the body was buried.

At this moment, Zhu Su and others also wiped the coffin clean, and then, amidst the sorrow of countless people, strongmen lifted the coffin onto the cart carrying the emperor's coffin.

The formal funeral procession began, and Zhu Yunying solemnly announced the departure of the hearse. Zhu Yunying was even restricted from accompanying the hearse for too long, and could only watch as the hearse carrying the late Zhu slowly departed from the Meridian Gate.

Emperors often cannot act so arbitrarily; they can indeed directly attend funerals. However, if they establish such a rule now, the result would be that even if a complete ritual is formed, future funerals would have to follow the same standards and rituals.

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