"Grandson, ascend the throne."

Zhu Yuanzhang repeated it again, his tone full of sighs.

Zhu Ying subconsciously wanted to say something in objection, but was stopped by the old man's eyes.

"I know my body well. I thought I could hold out for a few more years, but I didn't expect it to collapse so soon."

"There's not much time left. I don't know how long I can hold on, but I don't have anything too worrying about."

"With my eldest grandson here, we don't have to worry about having no successor to the empire we have built all our lives."

"According to the rules of this court, the next emperor can only succeed to the throne after the previous emperor dies. I don't want this. I have been the emperor for so many years and I am a little tired. Why don't I try the taste of being the retired emperor?"

"We want to see our eldest grandson complete the coronation ceremony with our own eyes."

After hearing this, Zhu Ying actually had many excuses to refute the old man, but in the end, he said nothing.

"Okay, listen to Grandpa."

After a while, Zhu Ying slowly spoke.

At this point, there is actually no point in saying anything.

"Our good grandson." Zhu Yuanzhang patted his grandson's shoulder gently and grinned.

The matter of ascending the throne has been finalized, but it obviously requires some time to prepare.

In fact, the ascension to the throne in previous dynasties was usually very hasty, with little time for preparation, and the announcement to the world was usually made after the ascension.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang did not intend to do so this time. According to the current situation of the Ming Dynasty, there was no need to worry about any fluctuations in the succession to the throne, so Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to make it more grand.

Zhu Yuanzhang announced the news during a grand court meeting at the end of May.

Suddenly, the capital was shaken.

It sounds shocking, but it makes sense if you think about it carefully.

It can be said that the current Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty is basically in control. Over the years, whether in the military or in domestic affairs, Zhu Ying has demonstrated excellent abilities, making the current Ming Dynasty so powerful and gaining submission from all over the world.

Many ministers have noticed the poor health of Your Majesty, and believe that this is a sign that your time is running out, so it is not a bad idea to pass on the throne in advance.

The only one who was relatively nervous was probably Prince Yan.

Prince Yan's Palace.

Zhu Di and Yao Guangxiao sat opposite each other in the pavilion.

"I never thought that this day would come. I never thought that the son who looked a bit like my eldest brother would actually be my eldest nephew. It seems absurd to me, but he is indeed my nephew."

"Over the years, I have been thinking about one thing. If I had not had such thoughts in the beginning and had not forced him to come to the capital, then the emperor would naturally not have seen him. What would have happened then?"

"But when I think about it carefully, I have never regretted it. If...if I had known it would be like this today."

"Perhaps... eh... he is indeed very suitable to be the emperor. He is a truly wise ruler."

When Zhu Di was halfway through his words, he hesitated for a long time and finally said helplessly.

The changes in the Ming Dynasty can be clearly seen by everyone, whether they are ministers, princes, or ordinary people.

When Zhu Di was enfeoffed in Beiping, his biggest concern was to completely pacify the grassland, even though he himself felt that this might be completely impossible.

But now, someone has done it, and it seems so easy.

Yao Guangxiao also felt somewhat emotional.

"It is destiny. When I first met the Crown Prince, my mind became a little dark and many changes occurred."

"Now that I think about it, it was fate."

At this point, Yao Guangxiao paused for a moment and continued, "It's just that the Crown Prince's dragon energy is too strong now. After he succeeded to the throne, he has reached his peak. With such a strong deterrent, it is easy for others to hurt him. Your Majesty needs to make plans as soon as possible."

"Looking at the Crown Prince is like looking at flowers in the mist or the moon in the water. No one knows what the Crown Prince is thinking."

"Whether it's true or false, no one can tell for sure, but the prince should not forget that when the crown prince was wandering in the desert of the Western Regions, he was never a good person."

"So the farther away from the capital, the better. Now we should focus on the Dongsheng Shenzhou."

Zhu Di sighed and said, "I am afraid that there will be more changes, but now we are powerless. We can only see what the Crown Prince will do."

Yao Guangxiao said, "There are some ways. During this period of time, the prince can ask the prince and the princess to visit the palace more often. This will also make His Majesty more considerate of their old friendship, and it will be much easier."

"Of course, it can't just be the prince, it also includes the King of Qin, the King of Jin, and the King of Qi."

"Your Majesty released the news ahead of time this time, and even the Imperial Observatory hasn't figured out the date yet. This shows that Your Majesty wants to hold a grand ceremony. It probably won't be held in the near future. I estimate that it will be on the first day of the first lunar month."

"If we leave it for half a year, it will be long enough for the surrounding small countries to come and congratulate us."

Yao Guangxiao himself was well versed in Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, so it was easy for him to calculate the best day. Moreover, His Majesty announced it so early, naturally it was also to make the succession ceremony of the Crown Prince more grand.

In fact, just as Yao Guangxiao calculated, the best day given by Liu Rixin of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory was also the first day of the first lunar month.

The first day of the first lunar month is the beginning of the year, and it is also the day when the new emperor ascends the throne, and it has a special meaning.

Even though there is still more than half a year left, it is actually very tight for the coronation ceremony.

This is different from an ordinary coronation, and its symbolic significance is far greater than its practical significance. After all, there is no suspense or change in the inheritance of the throne. When most emperors ascend the throne, they believe that the country cannot be without a monarch for a day, so they will do it as quickly as possible to avoid any changes.

Zhu Ying's coronation ceremony was more of a display of the glory and strength of the Ming Dynasty.

In fact, according to ancient rituals, both Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Ying were qualified to be enthroned on Mount Tai.

According to Zhang Shoujie's "Commentary" on "Records of the Grand Historian: The Book of Fengshan", "An altar was built on Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to heaven and repay the heaven's merits, so it was called Feng. The land was cleared on the small hill below Mount Tai to repay the earth's merits, so it was called Chan."

In other words, the emperor reported to heaven his achievements on earth. Before, this was the thought in almost every emperor's mind.

Since ancient times, there have been only six people who have performed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, and the first one was naturally the first emperor of all time, Qin Shihuang.

Unifying China is naturally enough to be enthroned.

The credit for the termination of Fengshan should go to Emperor Zhenzong of Song, because he broke the rule that had been passed down for thousands of years, which made the emperors of later generations ashamed to be associated with him, and Fengshan thus disappeared in the long river of history.

Zhu Yuanzhang drove out the Tartars and restored China. These eight words alone were enough to make him a great emperor, but not a single minister stood up to say this.

Zhu Ying doesn't really count, because his current achievements are basically attributed to Zhu Yuanzhang, although many people know that the Ming Dynasty's current prosperity is inseparable from the Crown Prince.

But no matter what, we are still in the Hongwu period, and the emperor in power is Zhu Yuanzhang.

It is only after Zhu Ying ascended the throne that his achievements can be counted.

In Kunning Palace.

Ye Yueqing looked a little worried, so she asked softly, "Your Majesty's dragon body..."

As the Crown Prince's Consort, she knew very well that if Zhu Ying wanted to be the emperor, he would have been the emperor long ago. Given His Majesty's temperament, he would have wished for it to happen sooner rather than later.

It’s just that the Crown Prince himself doesn’t want this to happen, and wants many of the achievements to be attributed to Your Majesty.

"Don't worry, Grandpa is still healthy, nothing will happen."

"The reason why we want to hold the coronation ceremony in advance is that grandpa wants to see it with his own eyes. This is in line with his wishes."

Although Zhu Ying said this, he knew very well in his heart that the old man's health was indeed not good.

He agreed to ascend the throne with the intention of bringing good luck.

Ye Yueqing asked, "Your Highness, how should we arrange the expenses for the grand ceremony?"

Zhu Ying thought for a moment and said, "For this coronation ceremony, we should invite all the surrounding countries, vassal states, and wherever we can, to participate."

"Nowadays, the treasury of the Ming Dynasty is relatively full. When it comes to purchasing, don't worry too much about the cost. It's okay to make it more grand."

"I'll trouble Yueqing to take care of these trivial matters."

Ye Yueqing said: "This is what I should do."

After Zhu Ying ascended the throne, he naturally appointed Ye Yueqing as the queen, but there was no grand ceremony for the queen.

Zhu Ying said: "I want to hold the coronation ceremony in the form of a military parade. Firstly, it was the same as when I conferred the title of Crown Prince. Secondly, it is a deterrent to other small countries and will let others know how much I value the army."

"If an emperor does not have military power in his hands, how can he be called an emperor? Whether Xiaowen inherits the throne in the future or other descendants, they should also attach importance to military power."

Ye Yueqing nodded and said, "Your Highness is right, but we must conduct a military exercise to determine the elite division."

Zhu Ying smiled and said, "It can be considered a grand event in the army."

"Except for India, everything else is peaceful now. Brunei has been incorporated into the territory of our Ming Dynasty. We should have attacked Majapahit, but grandpa has not issued an order."

"I also understand that grandpa wants to leave the credit for expanding the Majapahit Kingdom to me. Grandpa has mentioned this many times before."

"The Indian army only has a few hundred thousand soldiers. It's just the frontline battle, so they can't participate. Let the other guards compete one after another. There's still time."

"It is not a good thing for the local garrisons to continue to use soldiers from the Beijing camp."

The Ming Dynasty now has more than two million troops. Because Zhu Ying attaches great importance to military honor and loyalty, being a soldier is not only not excluded, but also a relatively decent thing.

In particular, the military academies established in various places provided the lower-class people with a new way out besides taking the imperial examinations.

Because the corresponding privileges of scholars and juren had been revoked, it was easy for one to become an officer after graduating from a military academy.

Military officers and civil officials are almost equal in status nowadays. Moreover, as the Ming Dynasty was engaged in wars everywhere, soldiers had more opportunities to make achievements. This led to countless people volunteering to serve in the army every time there was a conscription.

Even though many of them have retired, the number of new troops has increased over the years.

"Your Highness, have you considered using the former national army?" Ye Yueqing put forward his own idea.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ying also understood what Ye Yueqing meant.

This is indeed a question worth considering.

The so-called original national army refers to the original armies of Goryeo, Japan, Annan, Champa, Siam, Zhenla, and the grassland.

These troops currently exist as the Ming Dynasty's military.

If they could appear at Zhu Ying's coronation ceremony, it would mean that the Ming Dynasty was tolerant of these regions, which was equivalent to formally recognizing their identity as Ming people.

After just a brief thought, Zhu Ying agreed with the idea.

For the current Ming Dynasty, the territory is already large enough and it is no longer manageable.

If we want to truly educate the people in these areas, in addition to immigration, cultural penetration is also a very important aspect.

Therefore, stability is now the main theme within the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Ying then issued an edict to draw part of the original troops from Goryeo and Japan to participate in the military parade for his enthronement ceremony.

The news quickly spread throughout the Ming Dynasty.

After learning that the crown prince's coronation ceremony would be held on the first day of the first lunar month, many wealthy families in the local area began to consider going to the capital to watch the ceremony.

The capital was already very congested, and many people who had been to the capital simply set off early when they received the news.

Otherwise, when that day comes, there will be no chance to even enter the capital.

One can imagine how lively the capital will be on New Year’s Day this year.

The first to worry was the Beijing Public Security Bureau.

As soon as the news was published in the official gazette, the left and right governors of the Public Security Bureau felt a headache.

If there are too many people, and a stampede occurs, especially on the day when the Crown Prince ascends the throne, it would be a great sin for them.

The worst that can happen is dismissal from office. In serious cases, the offender may even be held accountable and face imprisonment.

Therefore, the Public Security Department immediately began preparing for what might happen this winter.

Now Lan Yu still holds the title of Grand Commander of the Public Security Bureau, but the actual affairs are handled by the left and right commanders. Besides, Lan Yu is in Tianzhu and cannot take care of this matter.

Just as the entire Ming Dynasty was preparing for the Crown Prince's upcoming ascension to the throne.

In the Middle East, a piece of news suddenly happened that Timur died suddenly.

This was an earthquake-like event for the entire Middle East, and even the whole world.

Although Timur designated his own heir, it was obvious that other princes and grandsons who were eligible to inherit would not obey him so obediently.

It means a big storm is about to come.

This is very good news for the Ming Dynasty, especially the Tianzhu region.

After Timur's death, Shah Rukh, the ruler of the Indian region, no longer had the heart to continue to tangle with the Ming Dynasty, and led his troops to Samarkand overnight.

The tense situation in India suddenly became much simpler due to Shahru's retreat.

Shah Rukh knew very well that if he continued to stay in India, once the situation in Samarkand became clear, he would most likely be attacked from behind.

Lan Yu also happened to receive the news that the Crown Prince was about to ascend the throne.