Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Ancestor worship is an extremely formal matter, and fasting and other things are the most basic conditions.

Although Zhu Yu had some complaints in his heart, he could only watch the ceremony obediently. However, he did not have to worry about being lonely, because Princess Ningguo, Zhu Yourong and other clan members also watched the ceremony together.

The main priests were naturally Zhu Yunhuan and Xu Miaojin, and no one could be chosen to be the main priest of the Crown Prince.

There was no problem with Xu Miaojin, the Crown Prince's Consort, coming to offer sacrifices, because she was the only woman of status among the four generations of the Ming Dynasty royal family.

Empress Ma was gone, and Crown Princess Chang had also long since passed away, so naturally, Xu Miaojin was the only one left. She had also given birth to a child for Zhu Yunhuan, so naturally, she was even more "advanced into the family".

As for other princesses and so on, they were also "married in a formal way", but that only referred to the lineage of the vassal kings, and had nothing to do with the imperial court and the country.

Zhu Yunhuan, dressed in a royal robe, bowed politely, "Your Highness, I, the Crown Prince Zhu Yunhuan, kowtow to His Majesty, Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Renzu."

Xu Miaojin naturally knelt down as well, "Your servant, the Crown Prince's Consort Xu Miaojin, kowtows to His Majesty the Emperor Gaozu and Renzu."

This is the official title. Not to mention that Zhu Yunhuan is only the crown prince now, even if he becomes the emperor, he still needs to pay homage to his ancestors. If you pay attention to your status at this time, the spit of people all over the world will drown you.

Letting Xu Miaojing come over was also an obsession of Old Zhu and Zhu Yunhuan, because the Old Zhu family finally had a woman who could manage the household, and the importance of this daughter-in-law in charge was not small.

Xu Miaojin lowered her eyebrows and looked solemn, not caring at all about the sacrificial text that Zhu Yunhuan was reading. But her heart was surging with excitement, and she knew that many things could not be stopped.

Xu Miaojin knew that the sacrificial text was written by the emperor himself. The sacrificial text that Zhu Yunhuan was reading this time was actually laying the foundation for his abdication and enthronement, but it was just clarifying the time.

Even the reign title and so on have already been finalized. We will first tell our ancestors and then announce it to the world.

In fact, it was not just Xu Miaojin who was excited. Those watching the ceremony were basically members of the royal family or descendants of Marquis Yihui. Unlike ordinary officials, they could basically be considered "their own people."

They knew the news earlier than ordinary officials, and were undoubtedly more shocked. Although there were many rumors in the outside world, they were just rumors after all.

After bowing again, Zhu Yunhuan took Xu Miaojin away from the Xian Hall. This time, he had to read another sacrificial text to announce it to the world. This was a proper sacrificial text.

After finishing the memorial ceremony, Zhu Yourong was very excited, "Brother, has the date been set?"

Zhu Yunxun said with a smile, "It's true that it's settled, but these things can't be said outside."

Zhu Youling was also very excited. "I know, I will definitely not tell anyone. But the matter has been circulating before, and now that we know about it, my elder sister and I should fast and behave ourselves."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "That's not necessary. You guys should do whatever you want. How can you say that my good days are coming and make my sisters' lives miserable?"

Zhu Yourong was prone to tears when she was excited. "If my mother knew what happened today, she would definitely be relieved."

Zhu Yunhuan also understood this and said, "After responding to Tianfu, we will also go to Xiaoling and Dongling. You should go with me to offer sacrifices these days. These things cannot be delayed."

Zhu Yourong and Zhu Youling naturally understood these principles. Some things really cannot be delayed. Especially such a big thing, it must be taken seriously, and no one can point out any shortcomings at this time.

After all, Zhu Yunhuan was not going to ascend the throne in a hurry, so many processes naturally needed to be more perfect.

If there is really a 'hasty ascension to the throne', it means that the old emperor needs to pass away, and then the crown prince will directly 'ascend the throne in front of the coffin'. This means that the funeral must be carried out while the coronation ceremony and so on must be carried out at the same time.

Zhu Yunhuan naturally didn't need to do this. He would arrange a lot of things, and many things needed to be done according to some rules that had been established before. The formal procedures for how to ascend the throne had already been determined.

Some things are no longer just tacitly understood, but have basically been announced on a small scale. This is no small matter.

Although it seemed that only the trusted members of the royal family knew about this, neither Zhu Yuanzhang nor Zhu Yunhuan thought that the information could be kept completely confidential, and they did not intend to keep it secret from everyone.

Some news now needs to be made known to more people. In the final analysis, many things need to be prepared. Everyone will have more time to prepare and will not feel caught off guard.

Everyone needs to start preparing for the next few things and start contributing their own efforts to the new emperor's ascension to the throne.

Zhu Yunhuan, in a good mood, returned to the Zhongdu Palace to rest and said to Xu Miaojin, "Let people start preparing. It's time for us to set off back to Beijing."

Xu Miaojin had no objection either. She knew very well that this trip back to her hometown to worship her ancestors would be a quick one. If she stayed in Fengyang for a long time, that would be the most abnormal phenomenon and would make people feel uneasy.

As for being tired, that's certainly not the case. After all, these people travel by car and don't need to walk, so naturally they don't feel tired at all.

It is still better to put business first. Only when Zhu Yunhuan truly sits on the dragon throne and waits for the dust to settle, can he feel truly at ease. Otherwise, who knows what kind of changes will happen.

Take the former crown prince for example. His position was extremely stable and no one thought there was any problem with it. However, he fell ill after an inspection tour of Guanzhong.

Holding Xu Miaojin's hand, Zhu Yunxun said earnestly, "The sisters probably have a lot on their minds during this period. You should talk to them more and don't let them do too much."

Xu Miaojin knew it very well. She was just worried that her sisters would do something bad with good intentions. "I know that my sisters have always loved Your Highness. As long as they are good to Your Highness, that's enough."

This is true, Zhu Yourong and Zhu Youling are well aware of their own abilities and know that they may not be able to help with serious matters. But this does not prevent them from doing their best and doing whatever is assigned to them.

Xu Miaojin was very smart and considerate. "Your Highness, I also think that we should find something for the sisters to do during this time, otherwise I will just be anxious."

Zhu Yunhuan thought about it and felt that it made sense. He knew some important things, but he couldn't do anything. He was a little anxious. After thinking about it carefully, Zhu Yunhuan said helplessly, "I don't know what I can ask my sisters for help. Do you have any ideas?"

It's no wonder Zhu Yunhuan couldn't think of it. The main reason is that it's hard for women to take care of important court affairs in this era. Not to mention the two princesses, even the queen and the crown prince's concubine have limited influence on the court.

Xu Miaojin smiled and said, "In the early years, the Royal Grandmother established the Red Warehouse to help the wives and daughters of scholars. I thought that now I could also help Your Highness gain some fame among the civil officials and scholars."

This made Zhu Yunhuan laugh. "You should have done this. What's the point of letting them get all the fame? This is not good. This is not good at all."

A princess or even a princess doesn't really need too much fame and prestige, it's enough to live a good life. But the Crown Prince's Consort and the Queen are different, they need to have a good reputation in the court and the country.

Xu Miaojin naturally knew this truth, so she smiled and said, "Your Highness, you are overthinking. I just want my sisters to help me. If I don't care about the Hongcang matter, my grandfather will definitely scold me."

This is the truth. If the affairs of Hongcang are not managed properly, scolding would be the least of the problems.

After all, it was founded by Empress Ma. Although her reputation would not be affected by this incident, Zhu Yuanzhang would never allow his descendants to damage Empress Ma's reputation.

After careful consideration, Xu Miaojin said, "Your Highness must know that the scholars have been somewhat dissatisfied with Your Highness over the years, and feel that Your Highness has always been close to the royal family and nobles."

Zhu Yunhuan naturally knew about this and said with a smile, "This is indeed true. Those scholars always feel that I treat them harshly, not letting them occupy high positions in the government, and not giving them more power."

Zhu Yunhuan continued to joke with a smile, "Those people are just gluttons. Not only are their appetites huge, but they are also insatiable. If we really give in to them in everything, the emperor will just have to rule without any hesitation in the future."

Isn't that the situation that scholars want to see the most? As long as they are given some opportunities, they will definitely be able to firmly control the court. Even if there are party struggles, they are just internal affairs of the Wenguan.

By then, there will be a lot of rules and regulations to restrict the imperial power, and there will also be various suppressions on nobles, military generals, etc.

It is said that the Song Dynasty was a paradise for scholars, and their status was extremely high. The situation in the middle and late Ming Dynasty was not much better. The civil official group that gained power at that time also suppressed the nobles and military men to the point of suffocation.

Even if some emperors wanted to take back power, it was extremely difficult, and they could only try to limit the power of the literati groups in various ways.

But even so, these people were still not satisfied, they always wanted to get more. As a result, during the Later Jin Dynasty, these people became honest, and their demands became lower and less.

Zhu Yunhuan said with some disdain, "Look, during the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, these scholars seemed to have low status, but they just had a lot of benefits. Now that their status is high, they want more benefits."

Xu Miaojin quickly advised, "Your Highness is a little extreme. In my opinion, there are still many capable ministers in the court who are loyal to the emperor and the country."

This is also her cleverness. She will not blindly agree with Zhu Yunhuan. She will definitely advise when necessary. Simply trying to please and curry favor is not what a Crown Prince's Consort should do.

Zhu Yunhuan naturally knew that some of his statements were extreme, but this obviously would not make him change some of his views and perceptions.

"These people want everything," Zhu Yunhuan said honestly. "They not only want benefits, but also power, status, and fame. It's not that easy. I, the crown prince, am often scolded, and members of the royal family are also criticized."

Xu Miaojin continued to persuade him, "Your Highness, although some scholars do have bad conduct and wrong positions, they are still the ones who are needed to govern the country. I was born in a noble family, and I have seen many absurd acts by nobles since I was a child."

Zhu Yunhuan naturally agreed with this statement. There was no problem with the nobles balancing the court structure. Occasionally, there were some nobles with more promising talents who were worth using. However, it was undeniable that the nobles were corrupting and degenerating very quickly, and it was even irreversible.

Therefore, Zhu Yunhuan was aware of what Xu Miaojin said. Even though he seemed to dislike some scholars, he still valued them when the time came.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "I know this. You probably know that I have a lot of scholars under my command, but they think there should be more."

Xu Miaojin felt that some of Zhu Yunhuan's views were different from those of some serious scholars, so both sides might have some cognitive biases.

Among the six ministers there was one named Yan Zhenzhi, who seemed to be from a scholarly family, but not only had he not taken the imperial examination, he had previously entered the officialdom as a grain chief.

With such a Minister of Works being promoted and reused by Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunhuan, many scholars felt uncomfortable.

Some officials in the capital now know that Daoyan, the Grand Secretary of Wenhua Palace, is the confidant of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. This man can be called a monk. Even though he seems to be very proficient in Confucianism, he is not a serious scholar.

The person who is valued is not a serious scholar, and the confidant is not a serious scholar either. With these two role models around, it would be strange for the scholar to feel balanced.

They studied hard and once they passed the imperial examination, they thought they could hold high positions in government and help the country. However, the pressure on them was not on them to be promoted, so they were not sure whether they could be promoted.

Zhu Yunhuan was aware of the imbalance in the scholars' hearts, but he would not care too much about it.

"Miao Jin, you are in charge of the palace now, so you must remember not to give in just because someone makes a fuss." Zhu Yunxun said with a smile, "Some people just push their luck, and you need to use both kindness and force to make them obey."

Xu Miaojin could only express her gratitude. It seemed that she still couldn't change the Crown Prince's opinion on some things.

But if you think about it carefully, you will feel that what Zhu Yunhuan said makes a lot of sense, and some things are indeed the case.

The so-called palace fighting has no place to survive in the Ming Dynasty harem, but there are always some people who engage in intrigue or want to curry favor and climb up.

Scholars should definitely be used, and even valued. Zhu Yunhuan naturally cared about his reputation among scholars.

But no matter what, we must restrict when it is necessary! (End of this chapter)