The coffin of Crown Prince Zhu Biao was kept in the Renzhi Hall. According to etiquette and custom, it would be buried only after many eminent monks chanted sutras for 49 days starting from the day of mourning.

Of course, there is no need to worry about the problem of preservation. The preservation technology in ancient times was still very advanced, especially in the royal family.

Even in later generations, the ancient embalming technology has provided great inspiration for later generations. Some of the techniques that have been passed down are still in use since before Zhu Ying traveled through time.

The corpse of an emperor in the middle and late Ming Dynasty could even last for three months without rotting.

The crown prince's reign is 49 days, while the emperor's reign is 81 days.

There are also strict regulations in accordance with etiquette.

As for why it has to be stored for so long.

The main purpose is to spread the news throughout the country, especially in ancient times when information dissemination was slow, perhaps after the emperor or the prince passed away.

It will take at least more than a month for the news to spread throughout the Ming Dynasty.

If he were buried within seven days like ordinary people, many royal descendants would not have time to pay their respects.

Secondly, the subjects of the Ming Dynasty, or the government officials in some remote areas, didn’t even know that the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty had passed away.

Wouldn't that be a joke?

The same is true for the emperor.

Although many of the regulations in etiquette and law seem cumbersome and strict, they are, to some extent, influenced by the social structure at that time.

In the cold and empty funeral palace, Zhu Yunwen's eyes were filled with sorrow and he seemed to be at a loss.

Of course, this is true. It’s not that he was acting, but he was really sad about the death of his father Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao had two wives.

The first one was Chang, the eldest daughter of Chang Yuchun.

The Ming Dynasty emphasized matching of family backgrounds, so the prince's wife naturally had to come from a noble family.

However, after giving birth to Zhu Yunhuan, Chang died of illness due to the sequelae of dystocia.

Lu was previously the prince's second wife and came from a minor family.

The reason why Lu, who came from a small family, was chosen as the prince's second wife was naturally because she was extremely beautiful.

Compared with Lu, Chang's appearance was obviously much worse.

Zhu Biao naturally treated his wife with respect, and he doted on his second concubine, Lu.

After Chang died of illness, Zhu Biao asked his father, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, to directly appoint Lu as his successor.

A son is honored by his mother, so Zhu Yunwen, who was originally a concubine's son, naturally became a legitimate son.

The legitimate son cannot descend from the illegitimate son, so the sons born to Chang and Lu are all legitimate sons.

After the death of the eldest grandson Zhu Xiongying, Zhu Yunwen became the eldest grandson.

As for Zhu Yunhuan, his life was not easy.

His mother died of illness when he was born, and he lost his biological mother at a young age, so he was raised by Lu. The Crown Prince Zhu Biao was also relatively simple about him, neither hating him nor liking him.

As for the eldest grandson Zhu Xiongying, before his death, he was raised personally by Empress Ma and Zhu Yuanzhang. Even Crown Prince Zhu Biao and Crown Princess Chang could only visit him.

Since weaning, she has been living and growing up with Empress Ma and Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Biao's character was relatively Confucian, emphasizing kindness and generosity. This was also related to Zhu Yuanzhang's teachings, because he knew that a country would perish if it was warlike, no matter how big it was.

So he hoped that his son would not be like him and become an emperor on horseback, but would focus on governing the country.

In this respect, Zhu Yunwen was very similar to his father Zhu Biao, and Zhu Yunwen looked very much like his mother, Lu, which made Zhu Biao like him very much.

As a result, Zhu Yunhuan's situation became very embarrassing.

As the grandson of the emperor, he just lacks some pampering, but he will certainly not lack fine clothes and delicious food.

However, in such an environment, especially after the death of the eldest grandson Zhu Xiongying, Zhu Yunwen became the eldest grandson, the only one who could threaten Zhu Yunwen's future position was Zhu Yunhuan.

Because legally speaking, Zhu Yunhuan was the legitimate son earlier, and even after Zhu Yunwen was promoted to the legitimate son, there was no distinction between the two in terms of the order of succession to the throne.

When taking care of Zhu Yunhuan, Lu inevitably had to put more thought into it.

It is difficult to raise a child into a pillar of society, but it is very easy to raise him into a waste.

Although it was not very thorough, Zhu Yuanzhang no longer liked it.

Now that the crown prince has passed away, it seems that the Lu family has become the winner with the last laugh.

…

"Brother Daoyan, you fake monk, I haven't seen you for a few years. You have gained a lot of weight. I guess you are living a comfortable life with King Yan."

In a courtyard, opposite Yao Guangxiao, a middle-aged man dressed in Confucian style said to him with a smile.

"How can I compare to Brother Zicheng? After all, I am just wasting my time in Buddhism."

Yao Guangxiao replied with a smile that he would no longer call himself a poor monk to Huang Zicheng.

When he was young, Yao Guangxiao became a monk at Miaozhi Temple in Suzhou. He was proficient in the three religions and had good relations with academic leaders of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism.

Among them, he once studied with Huang Zicheng's teacher Song Lian for a period of time. Although he did not enter Confucianism, he also served as a disciple and could be considered a fellow student of Huang Zicheng.

Huang Zicheng was a Hanlin scholar and a companion student in the Eastern Palace. He had always been Zhu Yunwen's teacher and they had a close relationship.

After a brief exchange of greetings, Yao Guangxiao stood up and bowed, saying, "It seems that I wish Brother Zicheng a smooth career."

Huang Zicheng was slightly startled, and immediately asked, "Brother Daoyan, what do you mean?"

Yao Guangxiao pretended to be angry and said, "Okay, Brother Zicheng, you are going to hide this from me."

After he finished speaking, he quietly looked around and whispered in her ear, "The Crown Prince has passed away, and the country cannot be without a crown prince for a day. It is said that His Highness Yunwen is very much loved by His Majesty. I think he will be appointed as the crown prince soon."

Huang Zicheng couldn't help but take a step back after hearing this and whispered, "Brother Daoyan, don't say this carelessly. Be careful of what you say."

Yao Guangxiao said nonchalantly, "According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, if there is a legitimate heir, the heir shall be the heir; if there is no legitimate heir, the eldest son shall be the heir; and if there is an elder brother, the younger brother shall inherit the throne."

"His Highness Yunwen is not young anymore, and he accompanies Your Majesty all the time. If you don't make His Highness Yunwen the Crown Prince, who else can you make?"

Huang Zicheng paused for a moment, then smiled and said with some pride: "Brother Daoyan is indeed very insightful. However, His Majesty has not yet made a decision, so everything is still unknown."

"It is only a matter of time. At the moment, no one can compare to His Highness Yunwen." Yao Guangxiao said affirmatively.

Huang Zicheng did not answer again after hearing this, but he obviously agreed with what Yao Guangxiao said and was quite confident.

At present, Your Majesty has only two choices: either choose from among the princes or choose from among the emperor's grandsons.

The prince, in order of succession, is naturally the second son, Prince of Qin, Zhu Chong.

The emperor's grandchildren were Zhu Yunhuan and Zhu Yunwen.

It is basically impossible for Prince of Qin Zhu Chong. Since he was recalled to the capital last year, it is considered good enough that he was not deposed from his position as a vassal king. Your Majesty will never choose him.

Of course, the King of Qin could also be deposed on the grounds of lack of moral character and replaced by the King of Jin, Zhu Gang.

However, although Zhu Gang was a good fighter, he was too cruel and had a bad reputation.

Although he was favored by Zhu Yuanzhang, he was not an excellent candidate to be the crown prince.

Zhu Di was quite good, with both fame and military achievements.

It's just too far back.

With two older brothers ahead of him, it was not Zhu Di's turn to succeed to the throne no matter how you looked at it, although Zhu Di felt he was very competitive.

So when you think about it this way, Zhu Yuanzhang actually had no choice at all.

The position of the Crown Prince must belong to Zhu Yunwen.