Zhu Xiong Ying walked quickly to the dragon bed, sat down, and said, "Now that you're about to ascend the throne, there's no need to pretend anymore. Those people's repeated invitations and refusals were just for show. Now that things have come to this point, everyone knows that the matter is practically settled."
Old Zhu chuckled and said to Zhu Xiong Ying, "When I abdicated, I simply stepped down. You inherited my empire, not usurped it. There's no need for three requests or three refusals!"
That's the logic, so saying that Zhu Xiong Ying was being 'modest' is actually somewhat unnecessary.
Previously, signals had been given to some court officials, and they generally assumed that His Majesty's health was not good, and that it might have deteriorated to a certain extent. Moreover, the fact that the palace and city defenses had been replaced with trusted confidants of the Crown Prince led many to believe that they might really need to consider some matters, which was quite logical.
But things are different now. His Majesty the Emperor has informed some of his important ministers that he intends to abdicate voluntarily.
Such a thing cannot be kept secret at all. I believe that once these important officials leave the palace, the news will spread very quickly.
Old Zhu looked at Zhu Xiong Ying and asked with a smile, "We're thinking of abdicating as soon as possible, which will be just in time for the New Year. Once you ascend the throne, you can change the era name in a few days. Have you thought about the era name yet?"
The system of reign titles was established starting with Emperor Wu of Han. In the past, many emperors would issue edicts to change the reign title whenever there were auspicious omens, disasters, changes of the throne, or a sudden whim of the emperor.
But Zhu Yuanzhang was different. He decreed that the court would not perform the Fengshan ceremony, accept honorific titles, or receive auspicious omens. This practice essentially eliminated the possibility of later emperors changing their reign titles and basically established the Ming Dynasty's convention of each monarch using only one reign title.
Zhu Xiong Ying thought for a moment and said to his grandfather, "I'm really not sure. Jianwen is definitely not an option; I don't plan to be a civil emperor. Yongle isn't good either; he seems too vulgar. Zhengtong—that's practically an insult to me. Xuande, Zhengde, Tianshun—I don't think those are necessary. Why don't you give me another idea, Grandfather?"
Old Zhu laughed heartily, then said somewhat embarrassedly, "How about we watch 'Ying Shi'?"
Looking at the note that Lao Zhu handed over, it was clear that Lao Zhu had given it a lot of thought.
Zhu Xiong Ying frowned slightly. This reign title seemed a bit unoriginal and even a little tacky. To be honest, it seemed that no dynasty in history had ever used such a reign title. Zhu's "Hongwu" wasn't actually the first of its kind; it had appeared three times in history.
Suddenly seeing the expectant look in Old Zhu's eyes, Zhu Xiong Ying immediately understood.
"Alright, this will be the reign title. We inherited the dynasty from our grandfather, we are also the grandson of our grandmother, and the son of our father!"
Old Zhu laughed heartily, very pleased. "I knew you would understand me! Others might think you changed your name and couldn't bear to part with it. But I think you're still my Empress Dowager."
“Once my grandson ascends the throne, my father will be Emperor Xingzong. At that time, no one will be able to stop my grandson from building a mausoleum for my father.” Zhu Xiong Ying muttered, somewhat dissatisfied. “By then, there will be three imperial mausoleums on Zijin Mountain.”
Old Zhu was dissatisfied and said, "Sun Quan of Eastern Wu was also buried there, but we moved his stone unicorn."
By the way, Sun Quan's tomb is indeed on Zijin Mountain, we can't forget that. So saying there are three imperial tombs on Zijin Mountain isn't quite accurate, because there are actually four.
Old Zhu looked at Zhu Xiong Ying and asked again, "Ying'er, you will definitely be going to Beiping. This Zijin Mountain is a good place, it gathers royal energy, it's a dragon vein. But have you thought it through? Do you really want to build a mausoleum right in front of us?"
"I've said it before, my grandson will definitely be with his parents and grandparents after he passes away." Zhu Xiong Ying laughed. He knew what Old Zhu really thought. "Grandpa, don't worry, just wait and see. Our family will be reunited then."
Old Zhu chuckled happily, saying that the time the family spent together while they were alive was too short, and that they could be together for a long, long time after they died.
Suddenly remembering something, Old Zhu said, "Why don't you live to see the end of your life? Keep an eye on Yin'er then, so we'll remember him too."
Well, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't care what future emperors would be like. But for him, the true meaning of family reunion lay in having his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, whom he had watched grow up, by his side for as long as possible.
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