Since ancient times, there has been a custom of staying up all night on New Year's Eve.

The Zhu family all came from the common people, so naturally they also have this custom.

Moreover, there is a saying that staying up all night to honor the elders. Even if it is just a legend and not credible, the royal family would certainly rush to do it.

Therefore, after the dinner, New Year’s Eve is not over yet. As it is a royal palace, there are still a lot of singing and dancing performances.

Every New Year’s Eve, Zhu Ying would spend a sum of money to prepare for the New Year’s Eve program in the palace.

The stage was mainly built in Fengtian Square. There were large stoves set up around it, with flames rising, so there was no feeling of cold at all.

There are sheds built around to keep out the wind and cold.

In addition to the royal family, many ministers could also be invited, which could be regarded as another form of Spring Festival Gala.

Moreover, tomorrow is Zhu Ying's coronation ceremony, so this year's New Year's Eve is particularly different.

Nominally speaking, this is the first night of the transition from the Hongwu period to the Yongsheng period, and it has great significance.

The recruitment for this Spring Festival Gala will not only include various types of operas from the Ming Dynasty, but also some programs from other countries. Many performers have been preparing for this more than half a year ago.

For any drama troupe or performer, being able to perform on the Fengtian stage is the highest honor.

Therefore, we started rehearsing very early.

In the front row of the stands, of course, were Zhu Ying and Zhu Yuanzhang.

The second row is the princes, followed by the princes and the emperor's grandsons.

Behind them came the dukes and marquises such as Lan Yu, and then the ministers of the seven ministries and important officials of the court.

Probably no one will sleep tonight, because after the hour of Chou, that is, after the opera, singing and dancing on the stage end at 2 a.m., Zhu Ying's coronation ceremony and sacrifice to the heaven will begin.

Not only in the imperial palace, but in the entire capital city of Nanjing, there were bright lights at this time.

In order to celebrate the crown prince's coronation ceremony tomorrow, all major theaters are holding free performances, and a large number of stages have been built on Zhengyang Avenue.

In the teahouse and restaurant, the storyteller looked excited and spoke in a high-pitched voice, with no intention of stopping at all.

The sound of firecrackers rang out continuously and the streets were filled with crowds of people. It was truly a celebration for the whole world.

Looking further away, the entire Ming Dynasty was completely immersed in a sea of ​​joy. All the major cities, counties, and even villages in the countryside were filled with jubilation.

All the people of the Ming Dynasty understood that after New Year’s Eve, it would be the transition from the 37th year of Hongwu to the first year of Yongsheng.

"Thirty-seven years, thirty-seven years, it has passed in the blink of an eye. I still remember that back then, when I was a cowherd, I tried every possible way to have a bite of food to eat."

"In the turbulent times, I lived in turmoil, joined the Red Turban Army, and crawled out from the pile of dead bodies. Who would have thought that the ragged cowherd who became a monk and a beggar decades ago would be me today."

There was loud singing on the stage, but Zhu Yuanzhang didn't have much interest in listening. He held his eldest grandson's hand and spoke quietly.

Zhu Ying also seemed to have sensed something. He didn't say anything, but just held the old man's rough hand tightly.

"I used to think that I would die in battle somewhere like the other brothers and be buried in a foreign land. After all, I have nothing."

"Grandson, please don't look down on me. I know you are good at martial arts, but I was also a warrior in the front back then. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have been appreciated by Marshal Guo and married your grandmother."

"If it weren't for your grandma, we really wouldn't be able to accomplish such a big thing today. It's a pity that your grandma missed you so much that she passed away early. Otherwise, she would have lived longer than us."

"I still remember the first time I saw the elder sister, she was the adopted daughter of Marshal Guo. I was thinking at that time, how could there be such a beautiful female Bodhisattva in this world?"

"My great grandson, let me tell you, when your grandmother was young, she was a great beauty. There were countless people in our army who admired her, and many people tried every means to see her more."

"But your grandmother, who doesn't like anyone, chose me. Marshal Guo also liked me. He asked the eldest sister what she thought and betrothed her to me."

"That was truly the happiest moment of my life. I was so happy that I didn't sleep for two days and two nights. I lay there in a mess, tossing and turning, laughing under the quilt. That old guy Tang He thought I was crazy and almost went to call a doctor for me. Hahahaha..."

"After we got married, Marshal Guo was bewitched by a villain and locked me up without food. It was your grandmother who stole the freshly baked pancakes and hid them in her arms to bring them to me, and she burned herself."

"If it weren't for this, we might have starved to death there. Your grandma saved our lives."

"For me, being able to marry your grandmother is the proudest thing in my life."

Zhu Yuanzhang's calm tone was full of sighs. His eldest sister had always been in good health, much better than him. However, when his eldest grandson passed away, his eldest sister could not bear the blow and passed away due to depression.

"I just hate that fate played such a trick on me. My elder sister thought she could find you down there, but she never expected that you were still up there."

"If...if...ah...it's hard for her, but luckily she has the boss with her, so she shouldn't be alone down there."

"This guy, the eldest brother, is also an unfilial person. As the saying goes, one should not travel far away while his parents are still alive. We are still here, but he left us and went to find his mother."

"Back then, when your father was born, we were fighting in Jiqing, which is the capital where we are now. At that time, it was the critical moment to attack the city gate. The news of your father's birth came, and then the city gate was broken."

"The achievement of conquering the city should be half due to your father."

"When your father was young, he wasn't as naughty as you. He was very well-behaved. We and my sister never had to worry about his studies. Great scholars like Song Lian all said that your father was very talented."

"The only shortcoming is that your father is too soft-hearted and not ruthless enough. Being too kind is not a good thing when you are an emperor. At that time, whenever the second and third brothers made mistakes, it was your father who came to beg for mercy every time."

"Even before leaving, he still begged me to say something good to the second brother. This child, eh..."

As he spoke, Zhu Yuanzhang's voice suddenly became choked.

The memories of the past years suddenly began to become clearer in Zhu Yuanzhang's mind. Those deeply buried memories seemed to be blown away by the wind and vividly revealed.

Joyful moments, happy moments, blissful moments. In the beginning, I, my elder sister, Biaoer and our family of three had a very happy time.

However, when the eldest sister left, and when the eldest brother Zhu Biao left, all these happy, sad, and tragic memories also flooded into my mind.

"My dear grandson, how could they be so cruel to leave me like this? They left me in this world, all alone, all alone... How could they be so cruel?"

With all kinds of thoughts coming to his mind, Zhu Yuanzhang, who was only eighty years old, burst into tears.

"Grandpa, I'm still here, and my grandson is still here."

Zhu Ying held the old man tightly with both hands and spoke quickly.

Feeling the touch in his hand, Zhu Yuanzhang, whose eyes were already a little cloudy, slowly stopped his grief when he saw the person in front of him.

"Yes, grandson, you are still here, and you are still with us."

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang felt the sound of opera on the stage, the cheers from the surroundings, and the prosperous scene, which gave Zhu Yuanzhang a somewhat real feeling.

Just now, he seemed to be detached from everything around him and fell into his own world.

This feeling is actually very similar to autism in later generations. It is a manifestation of emotional closure. Fortunately, Zhu Ying is here.

Zhu Yuanzhang must have had completely different feelings towards this eldest grandson, whom he and his eldest sister raised personally when he was a child.

At this moment, there were sudden fireworks and roars of cannons.

The sky above the entire city of Nanjing was covered with colorful and brilliant fireworks. It was New Year’s Eve and the New Year had arrived.

From now on, the Hongwu year has passed and it is the first year of Yongsheng.

With the development of gunpowder technology, today's fireworks are more colorful than the firecrackers of the past. The imperial palace even directly uses artillery to launch high-altitude fireworks, allowing the fireworks to bloom higher in the sky.

Even a hundred miles outside Nanjing city, it is still clearly visible, and even the clouds can be seen.

"Really, it's beautiful. This is the most beautiful fireworks we have ever seen."

"If the elder sister were here, she would definitely be very happy. She loves watching these the most."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes froze for a moment. He looked up blankly at the fireworks in the sky and muttered to himself.

Be it a son or a grandson, in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart, his eldest sister is always the first.

In a person's life, the people who accompany him/her the longest and are closest to him/her are not his/her parents, nor his/her children and grandchildren, but the person by his/her side, the partner with whom he/she will grow old together.

Especially for Zhu Yuanzhang, the years of mutual support and care occupied the most important place in his heart.

Therefore, after the eldest sister left, Zhu Yuanzhang did not even want to establish a queen.

The fireworks were set off in the sky for nearly half a day before they stopped for a while. In later times, this would have been just over an hour.

对于普通百姓来说，这一个多小时燃放的烟花，是他们完全不敢相信的数字，是普通家庭一辈子都赚取不的钱财，也只有皇家富裕，才能承担得起如此花费。

“差不多了，大孙，该去准备登基大典的事情了。”

“咱还有一句嘱咐，记着，以后，不要太为难你的叔叔们，咱知你忘掉了曾经的记忆，然在你小的时候，他们每个都曾经非常的疼你。”

“自古皇家无情，但咱希望咱们老朱家不要这样，别为难他们，答应咱，好吗？”

朱元璋的声音中，带着几分恳求，或许是他已经感受到了什么，才会说出这样的话。

“爷爷请放心，孙儿，不会为难他们的。”

朱英郑重的说道，同时眼眶之中，微微泛红，他也似乎感受到了什么，可这个时候，却不知道该怎么说了，或许是在害怕开口。

朱元璋咧嘴笑道：“快去准备吧，咱还想看看，咱大孙登基的威风时候呢。”

登基仪式是繁琐且严格的，不管是祭祀上天，还是其他的一些安排，每个过程都有很大的讲究，神圣而威严。

这可以说是最为庄严肃穆的仪式感了，也是皇权的体现。

大量的宦官还有士兵出现，迅速对奉天广场搭建的舞台跟其他设施进行拆除，然后换上新的装饰。

大臣们也要在奉天门外进行等候，只有皇室子孙才能在奉天广场内。

大量的宫廷乐匠准备着，从祭祀到登基，包括其中的阅兵，这里头有数十种乐曲。

登基这么重大的仪式，怎么能没有背景音乐。

沐浴，更衣，换上崭新的龙袍。

这件龙袍并不跟后世常见那样复杂华丽，反而要简单几分，除了有几团龙纹外，就只有简单的暗纹，显得恢弘大气，并不奢靡。

印象中龙袍的十二章纹，是明朝历史上英宗之后的皇帝才有的。

其中袖口也不宽大，而是很窄，跟后世有几分类似，多了几分简洁干练。

按照流程，朱英先去太庙，社稷坛祭祀，而后就是到正阳广场，举行的升旗仪式。

走过祭祀流程之后，天边已经是微微亮了。

而在正阳广场，早已经是密密麻麻的人群，不仅是大明百姓，大量的外国人也是在此刻出现。

因为提前半年就广而告之的关系，许多外国人很早就赶了过来，为的就是等待着见识到大明太孙，或者说新的大明皇帝。

大明能有今日之广阔，繁荣，昌盛，跟大明太孙分不开干系。

尤其是最近几年，太孙已然跟皇帝没有太大区别。

不管是神州历史，还是国外历史之中，如此之强大的皇帝，是非常的稀少的，尤其是如今大明对整个世界的影响力，还有远超神州历史的疆域版图，可谓是真正意义上的第一。

这么强大的皇帝登基仪式，可以说绝对是在世界历史上，都是最为浓厚的一笔，也不难怪几乎所有人都想要参与进来。

别说是正阳广场周边，哪怕是房屋上，都是挤满了人，当然，还有守卫。

这等场景，后无来者暂且不提，必然是前无古人。

场面浩大，但朱英并不说什么。

当然，说什么也没啥用，根本听不到。

在龙辇抵达升旗台的时候，朱英从龙辇上走了下来，朝着旁边的太监郭忠微微点头示意。

郭忠当即大声喊道：“陛下谕旨，升旗！！！”

在郭忠的身后，还有一个数十人的侍卫团，这些人是进行挑选的大嗓门。

随着郭忠喊话，侍卫团当即扯起嗓子复诵：“陛下谕旨，升旗！！！！！”

旗帜上升，围绕在朱英身边的数千将士，宦官，尽皆跪地俯首，大喊道：“吾皇万岁万岁万万岁！！！”

更远处，所有在正阳广场的将士们，全部跪地：“吾皇万岁万岁万万岁！！！”

紧接着，但凡听到声响的百姓，激动的跪在地上，大声嘶吼着：“吾皇万岁万岁万万岁！！！”

朱英站在升旗台上，能够听到整个南京城，都在不断传响着这个声音。

远处，更远处，不管此刻在做什么，干什么，只要听到这个声音的人，哪怕他们距离皇宫再远，什么也看不到，也会当即跪地高呼。

实则，不仅仅是南京城。

登基大典时辰是确定的，为辰时，也就是早上七点整。

是时，大明疆域内，各大府城，县城，乡镇，尽皆是在这个时辰，朝着南京城的方向跪地高呼。

高丽，倭国，占城，真腊，暹罗，安南，天竺，尽皆是高呼吾皇万岁之声。

这就是现在朱英的影响力，大明皇权的威严。

此刻的朱英，可以放肆大胆的说：朕即国家！

若是更为嚣张一些，当可自号千古一帝。

升旗并未是结束，而只是整个登基大典的开始。

在接下来的流程里，主要的流程便是阅兵。

三十万大明精兵，将会在正阳大道上，排成一个个方队，等候他们的新皇检阅。

同时，这也是给大明百姓的保障，还有对天下万国的威慑。

为了这次的阅兵，所有参加的将士们，都经过最为严格的操练，跟曾经朱英册封太孙的阅兵不同，此次要求更为严苛。

当一个方阵走来的时候，几乎只能听到一个脚步的声音，若闭上眼睛，感受那地面的震动，如同是一个巨人在缓步走来。

而这样的方阵，是三十万精锐，尽皆具备的军事素质。

哪怕是对军事完全没有了解的百姓，也能明白这其中的可怕之处。

那些其他国家过来观礼的使臣，在如此精兵之下，一个个是脸色惨白。

三十万精锐之士啊，多少国家，连这些参加阅兵的士兵数目都没有，哪怕有一万，不，数千这样的士兵，都已经能轻易踏破他们的王都了。

更别说，大明如今，士兵过两百万，多少国家，全国人口加起来，都没这般数目。

而作为大明人，所有的百姓，此刻在心中升起一股极强的自豪感。

看，这就是我们的国家，我们的大明。

即便是朱樉，朱棡，朱棣这些藩王皇子们，此刻心中也不由是服气。

尤其是朱棣，他曾经几度，想着登临皇位，在他看来，在大哥朱标薨逝之后，父皇的子嗣之中，也就自己最有资格继承皇位。

但现在，不得不服。

他清楚，哪怕是父皇把皇位传给了自己，大明也不可能在自己手中，达到今日这般的鼎盛程度。

甚至可以说，远不如也。

朱允炆微微抬头，看向朱英的方向，眼神中透露出复杂的目光。

在他的旁边，是洋溢着兴奋的朱允熥。

朱允熥此刻真想大声高喊：这，就是我大兄，亲大兄。

一列列军队在正阳大道上行走，当行走至奉天门前时，便是高呼‘万岁！’

这场阅兵仪式，一直持续到未时中，也就是下午两点才算结束。

接下来的仪式，便是在皇宫里的奉天广场举行了。

在奉天广场台阶上方，奉天大殿前，摆放着两张龙椅。

当文武百官浩**上千人过来时，朱元璋此刻正坐在龙椅上。

朱英则是从下方，一步步走上台阶，走到朱元璋面前跪地磕首。

“好大孙。”

朱元璋笑着说了一句，旁边司礼监太监刘和，躬着身子，木托盘上放着一顶冕旒。

冕旒便是后世中可以常看到的，一个圆筒帽子上面放一个横板，前后都有帘子的皇冠。

横板有讲究，前面是圆的，后面是方的，前后各掉着12根用五彩丝带串着的12颗玉石，形成一个小型的“门帘”。

冕旒源于“周礼”，天子之冕十二旒，诸侯九，上大夫七，下大夫五。

在周之后，冕旒通常作为皇权的象征。

皇帝很少会戴冕旒，只有在非常正式的场合下才会佩戴，而在这个时候，冕旒也是象征着皇权的更替。

朱元璋起身上前，摘下朱英头上的乌沙翼善冠，接过太监刘和托盘上的冕旒，为朱英戴上。

此刻，算是整个仪式的最后流程了。

戴上了冕旒的朱英，随着朱元璋一起，坐上了属于自己的那一条龙椅。

奉天广场中，文武百官再次跪地山呼：“吾皇万岁万岁万万岁！！！”

朱英先是看了眼老爷子，在其肯定的目光下，朗声道：“众爱卿，平身！”

此时，天象变化。

天空之上，罕见的出现了日月同辉的景象。

（全书完）