Zhu Xiong Ying felt a heavy weight in his heart, his emotions incredibly complex, but he knew that some things were just as they were. Old Zhu was getting old, and Zhu Xiong Ying had to accept these things. He knew that not only did Old Zhu need to change, but he also needed to change.
After Zhu Xiong Ying was released from confinement, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately fell ill, and now it was Zhu Xiong Ying's turn to oversee the country as the crown prince.
The civil and military officials were all numb to this drama. They all knew very well that it wasn't that the emperor was unwell; it was simply that His Majesty was resting or secretly watching every move in the court.
Standing before the throne, Zhu Xiong Ying looked at the civil and military officials. He was quite familiar with the matter of overseeing the country.
At this moment, Mei Yin stepped forward and said, “Your Highness, the Gongyang Commentary says: ‘In the Spring and Autumn Annals, one should avoid mentioning the taboos of the superior, the close relatives, and the virtuous.’ Now that Your Highness is the Crown Prince, it is appropriate to discuss the taboos of the emperor.”
Ren Hengtai felt this was making a mountain out of a molehill and immediately stepped forward, saying, "Isn't it too early to talk about this now, Imperial Son-in-Law? His Highness is the Crown Prince, and now is not the time to discuss taboos."
Ren Hengtai's meaning was quite clear: firstly, Emperor Zhu was still alive, and discussing the taboo of using the character '英' (Ying) or '雄' (Xiong) in the name of the Crown Prince now would be a great disrespect to the reigning emperor. Secondly, in Ren Hengtai's view, once the Crown Prince ascended the throne, it would be fine not to use the characters '英' or '雄'.
At this moment, Zhu Xiong Ying spoke up, "My name does indeed need to be changed. His Majesty the Emperor has compiled the Ancestral Instructions, and my name is no longer appropriate. My name has already been changed in the clan register, so my beloved ministers need not worry."
The Crown Prince changed his name?
Shouldn't all the people of the land be required to avoid using this name, as it is a "royal taboo"? But now, to make things easier for all the people, the Crown Prince has actually taken the initiative to change his name, just to make things convenient for everyone!
Of course, some people are ambivalent, just as Zhu Xiong Ying said, "The Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty are right there." Some people have actually been criticizing Zhu Xiong Ying's name because it's so unusual; those who don't know him might think he's not Zhu Xiong Ying's direct grandson, or that it was just a randomly chosen name.
The names of members of the imperial clan follow strict rules, and Zhu Xiong Ying was indeed different from them.
Once Zhu Xiong Ying changes his name, Xu Yun Gong will definitely have to change his name as well. At that time, Zhu Xiong Ying will certainly have to follow the established naming conventions of his ancestors, which can be considered a formal beginning.
Thinking of this, Zhu Xiong Ying continued, "There have always been taboos in every dynasty, and this dynasty is no exception. My name and surname are not to be avoided by my brothers of the same generation. There are established rules in our ancestral teachings, and when the emperor ascends the throne in the future, none of my brothers will need to change their names."
When people think of taboo names, they often think of emperors. But avoiding the names of parents and sages is also quite normal. For example, many scholars avoided the names of Confucius and Mencius, and some dynasties also avoided the name of the Yellow Emperor, the ancestor of the Chinese nation.
According to the established etiquette, if Zhu Xiong Ying were to ascend the throne, his peers certainly could not use the character '允' (Yun). However, considering the names chosen by Zhu Xiong Ying, his peers would not need to avoid using the character '允', otherwise this would also be a troublesome matter.
However, when Zhu Wenying grows up, the character "Wen" will no longer be usable, which might be a headache for many people. But Zhu Xiong Ying doesn't plan to change anything, nor is there any need to change anything.
Amidst a chorus of praise and eulogy, Zhu Xiong Ying left court and went straight to the Wenhua Hall to handle some matters.
Mei Yin was also summoned at this time. Zhu Xiong Ying knew that Mei Yin's previous mention of avoiding certain topics must have been at Old Zhu's behest.
"Your subject Mei Yin greets His Highness the Crown Prince." Mei Yin was very polite, but not pretentious.
Zhu Xiong Ying smiled and raised her hand, saying, "Uncle, please don't be so polite. It's too formal."
Although Mei Yin appreciated Zhu Xiong Ying's closeness, he accepted it openly and without hesitation. The Crown Prince's closeness was his own business; Mei Yin's respect was simply what he should do, the duty of a subject.
Looking at Mei Yin, Zhu Xiong Ying asked directly, "Uncle, did the Emperor instruct you to bring up that matter in court today?"
Mei Yin was indeed talented, despite his noble birth as the nephew of Mei Sizu, the Marquis of Runan. However, Mei Yin was more than just a military general; he was well-versed in classics and history, and achieved considerable success in civil administration.
Mei Yin did not hide anything and said, "It was indeed His Majesty's instruction. Does Your Highness find anything amiss?"
Zhu Xiong Ying shook his head and said to Mei Yin, "No, did Grandfather give any other instructions?"
"His Majesty has ordered all the princes to come to court next month." Mei Yin made no attempt to hide anything; he had a vague idea of what was going on.
Zhu Xiong Ying frowned slightly. According to ancestral rules, princes were not allowed to leave their fiefdoms easily. Moreover, when a new emperor ascended the throne, normally princes only needed to send envoys to present congratulatory memorials and were not required to attend court for three years. Only after three years were princes permitted to attend court in turn.
In fact, many ancestral precepts were changed. For example, the rule that if there were no princes in the court, the throne would pass to the younger brother upon the death of the elder brother was changed for Zhu Yuanzhang. Otherwise, if this rule were followed, the other princes would have objections, since Zhu Xiong Ying was the grandson of the emperor. Ultimately, it was because Zhu Biao did not ascend the throne, so it was normal for some princes to have their own ideas.
Furthermore, at Zhu Xiong Ying's suggestion, Emperor Zhu also removed the right of princes to "purge the court of corrupt officials." After all, according to the original ancestral precepts, if there were no upright ministers in the court and there were treacherous and evil officials, the emperor could secretly order the princes to lead their troops to quell the rebellion.
This gave some unscrupulous people an opportunity. They didn't care if the court was full of treacherous officials or if there was a secret edict. They could say they had one, and that was it. They wanted to purge the emperor of his corrupt advisors, kill him, and then forge the edict, seize the throne, and then claim they had no choice.
These can be considered Zhu Xiong Ying's subtle intentions, as some of the vassal kings still held some military power. Zhu Xiong Ying not only wanted to remove the military power of those vassal kings, but also to suppress them from a moral standpoint, forbidding them from touching military power.
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