The Emperor Emeritus was to lead the Crown Prince to pay homage at the imperial mausoleum. This was no small matter; it was a major event that had to be taken seriously.
Many people are already aware of the Emperor Emeritus's 'filial piety'. For example, the Ming Imperial Mausoleum was built by the Emperor Emeritus for his parents, elder brother, and sister-in-law. It is the earliest imperial mausoleum in the Ming Dynasty, predating the Xiaoling Mausoleum of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang by more than ten years. The inscription on the mausoleum was personally written by the Emperor Emeritus. Even after the construction of the Ming Zhongdu city in Fengyang was halted, materials used to build the Ming Imperial Mausoleum were used to construct it.
Severe punishments are used to govern chaotic times, while filial piety is valued in prosperous times.
This was also Zhu Yuanzhang's idea, so he built the Fengxian Hall to the left of the Qianqing Palace to enshrine the ancestral tablets and clothing of four generations of emperors. Facing his ancestors, Zhu Yuanzhang always referred to himself as "the filial son emperor, Yuanzhang".
Ruling the country through filial piety—these were some of Zhu Yuanzhang's simple beliefs. Of course, many people also believe that Emperor Zhu was so filial not only because he was genuinely filial, but also because 'filial piety' is indeed a universal value today, an excellent tradition deeply ingrained in the genes of the Chinese nation.
When the retired emperor needed to pay homage at the imperial mausoleum, the Ministry of Rites, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and the Court of Imperial Studs naturally had to send personnel. Clearly, this was no small matter, not to mention that the actions of the imperial family were related to matters of national importance.
The retired emperor paying homage to his parents is a grand ceremony, a demonstration of filial piety!
Before that, however, what needs to be prepared now is the discussion of etiquette in the imperial court, which is also a major event.
Zhu Yunying chose to hold the grand banquet in the Jinshen Hall, which is one of the three main halls of the former dynasty. It is where the emperor changed his court clothes before court and where he appointed the empress and the crown prince. The emperor also received congratulations in this hall.
The name "Jin Shen Zhi" (谨身之名) is meant to remind the emperor to strengthen his self-cultivation, so holding a grand banquet here seems to be without any problem.
Old Zhu understood Zhu Yunying well; looking at these arrangements, he guessed they were meant to embarrass the current Duke Yansheng. He felt that his precious grandson didn't actually dislike Confucius; he simply didn't like the way Confucius's descendants looked.
Kong Ne was indeed like that; as the head of the civil officials, he appeared to be a renowned scholar. However, he wasn't particularly interested in the Four Books and Five Classics, the imperial examinations, and other such matters. Like many Dukes of Yansheng, Kong Ne was content with simply cultivating his character.
For the Kong family, it didn't matter who sat on the dragon throne. As long as the Kong family was given status and Confucius was given plenty of land, that was enough. He could be the Duke Yansheng of the Ming Dynasty, or he could be the Duke Yansheng of the Liao, Jin, or Mongol people.
It doesn't matter who sits on the dragon throne, and we don't need to care about those things, as long as the interests of the Kong family are protected.
These are indeed the thoughts of many members of the Confucius family in Qufu. They don't care about the profound sayings of their ancestors. For them, all they need to do is claim to be descendants of Confucius, and they can own a lot of land, buy grain from tenants, and not have to pay taxes.
This is the privilege of the Duke Yansheng, and this is the importance of having a good ancestor.
The civil officials were excited, as this was an extremely important event for them. The imperial family also attached great importance to it, with all the princes still residing in Yingtian Prefecture scheduled to attend, and several distinguished military officers also sent over.
Young Zhu, dressed in solemn court attire, was led by the hand by his mother, the Empress Dowager; they too were to attend. This signified the importance the Ming Dynasty placed on the matter, and it was also a 'battle' to legitimize the Zhu family, demonstrating their power and influence.
At this moment, the Jinshen Hall wasn't exactly overflowing; everyone had their assigned seats according to their rank. Many people couldn't actually see Kong Ne, and many simply couldn't see the retired emperor on the dragon throne.
Xu Miaoqing held little Zhu's hand. At that moment, the whip cracked, and Prince Zhu Gui immediately led the civil and military officials in a grand ceremony of obeisance. Although he was the uncle of Zhu Yunying and Xu Miaoqing, he was only a prince, while Xu Miaoqing was the empress. Not to mention that Xu Miaoqing was the empress, who ruled the world, even little Zhu, who seemed somewhat naive, was practically a monarch to Zhu Gui and the others.
The roles of ruler and subject were established long ago.
"Your Majesty, we pay our respects. May Your Majesty live a long life."
"Your subject pays respects to His Highness the Crown Prince. May His Highness live a long life."
Xu Miaoqing didn't speak, but looked at Xiao Zhu encouragingly. She knew that her son had been spoiled by his grandfather and had become a lawless little tyrant, incredibly audacious. And this time, Xu Miaoqing also hoped that her son would 'officially' appear in the court.
Little Zhu glanced at his mother, then seemed to remember something. "My dear minister, rise."
The voice was soft and childish, but little Zhu wasn't intimidated, and that was enough. Meanwhile, Old Zhu and Little Zhu, standing to the side of the hall, were practically ready to high-five. They didn't appear immediately, nor did they ascend the imperial steps together; they wanted to see Little Zhu's performance, and they wanted to see the reactions of the civil and military officials.
At this moment, Wang Chengen exuded an air of authority, stepping forward with a serious expression and drawing out his voice, "By the Crown Prince's decree, all my beloved ministers, rise!"
Zhu Gui and others took the lead in expressing their gratitude, saying, "We, your subjects, thank you for your grace."
Just as the civil and military officials stood up, Xu Miaoqing reminded young Zhu, "Your Highness, it's your turn to give a reprimand."
Little Zhu was suddenly confused. He remembered there was something going on, but he couldn't quite recall it. So he immediately turned to the left of the imperial steps, where his father and great-grandfather were standing.
Old Zhu chuckled and nudged Zhu Yunying, "Yin'er is still too young, you go ahead first."
Zhu Yunying immediately stepped forward, his gait powerful and majestic, as the whip cracked once more. He walked straight to the dragon throne, and as soon as he sat down, the civil and military officials naturally shouted "Long live the Emperor!" three times. Even little Zhu, who had just sat down at his small desk, immediately sprawled out there, literally lying there, looking quite amusing like a little frog.
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