Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 74 Ceremony (Part )

At dawn, Zhu Yunhuan had already followed Old Zhu to the Huagai Hall, one of the three main halls.

Normally, the emperor would first accept the worship of cabinet ministers and court stewards here, and then go to the Fengtian Hall to accept congratulations from all officials.

Those who came this time were not civil and military ministers, but royal family members in Beijing. No matter if they were princes, dukes or heirs, all males had to come.

They were all wearing crowns and robes. As the third generation of the royal family, only Zhu Yunhuan's crown had the Nine-Chapter Pattern, which was the same level as that of a prince.

Zhu Jihui, Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Shangbing and other princes wore eight-chapter and eight-tassel crowns. Zhu Yunwen was wronged, as he could only wear seven-chapter and seven-tassel crowns, the rank of a prince.

Old Zhu sat on the dragon throne and accepted four bows from his descendants.

Then Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and walked towards the Fengtian Hall. Zhu Yunwen and other grandchildren also hurried to move. They wanted to watch the ceremony and prepare for the next congratulations.

As for Zhu Di and others, they had no choice but to sit idle. They had to line up outside the Fengtian Hall. They were just watching the ceremony for the time being.

Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang followed Zhu Yunhuan on the left and right, but Zhu Yunhuan naturally could not follow him to Fengxian Hall, so he had to wait outside Fengtian Gate.

The deep sound of drums and whips rang out, and the royal family kings and civil and military nobles entered the Fengtian Hall according to their ranks.

Zhu Chong had a serious expression and whispered, "Nephew, from today onwards I will be your subject."

Zhu Yunhuan also lowered his voice and said, "Second Uncle, a nephew is a nephew, there is no need to say so many things!"

The censor was standing there staring anxiously. His Highness the Prince of Qin had never known etiquette. How could this man, who was about to officially become the Crown Prince, not be the most solemn and dignified at this moment?

Zhu Gang listened to the voice and said, "Go up to the palace."

As soon as the music stopped, a eunuch came to announce the emperor's order, "Your Majesty has ordered that the Crown Prince be summoned to the throne!"

Zhu Yunhuan immediately accepted the order and thanked him, then stood up and walked towards the Fengtian Hall.

Zhu Yunhuan followed the guide with a serious expression, trying not to mess up the rhythm and make sure they passed the Fengtian East Gate and entered the Fengtian Hall when the music stopped.

When Zhu Yunhuan appeared in the Fengtian Hall, the music changed again, and Zhu Yunhuan was taken to the front of the Danbi, where there was an empty seat for worship.

It doesn’t matter whether Zhu Chong and others feel uncomfortable or not, and it doesn’t matter whether the civil and military officials have any thoughts in their minds.

Zhu Yunhuan knelt down after paying his respects, and all the civil and military officials also knelt down at this time.

After performing the four bows, Zhu Yunhuan stood up.

Old Zhu, who was sitting on the dragon chair, spoke in a loud voice, "Announce the decree!"

Zhu Yunhuan knelt down again, and Xu Huizu also stepped forward with both hands holding up the imperial edict, "It is ordered!"

Zhu Yunhuan knelt down properly and said nothing.

Xu Huizu read the imperial edict in a loud voice, "The Emperor of Heaven and Mandate of Heaven decrees: In the 25th year of Hongwu, the grandson of the Emperor, Zhu Yunhuan, is the first heir of the royal family. He is the will of heaven. He has a bright character and is filial. I hereby inform the heaven and earth, the ancestral temple, and the country to grant him the imperial seal and make him the crown prince. He will take the throne of the Crown Prince, to strengthen the rule for thousands of years and to win the hearts of the people."

Zhu Yunxun immediately received the order in a loud voice, "Sun Chen Zhu Yunxun, obey the order!"

After paying his respects, Zhu Yunhuan stood up and followed Fu Youde to the throne.

Li Jinglong was kneeling with a tray in his hands, which contained a golden book, a golden treasure, and a jade sceptre.

Old Zhu looked at the kneeling Zhu Yunhuan with a serious expression and took the golden book.

Zhu Yunhuan bowed four times and knelt down to accept the golden book. Then he handed the golden book to Fu Youde behind him and knelt down again to accept the golden seal.

Zhu took the jade sceptre and according to etiquette, Zhu Yunhuan should kneel down to receive it. However, after Zhu Yunhuan bowed four times and stood up, Zhu took the jade sceptre from Zhu Yunhuan's hand and personally helped Zhu Yunhuan put it into his belt.

Old Zhu then looked at the princes of the royal family, the civil and military officials, and said, "The Crown Prince has been enthroned. The East Palace has a master, and the foundation of the country has been determined. Why don't you perform the ceremony?"

Zhang Fusheng immediately stepped forward and said, "Kneel!"

All the civil and military officials knelt down, not daring to look directly at him. "Your Highness, I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Long live His Royal Highness!"

Zhu Yunxun responded loudly, "My Lord is at peace. Please stand still."

Just as the civil and military officials stood up, Zhang Fusheng shouted again, "Kneel."

All officials bowed four times again, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Long live His Royal Highness." Zhu Yunhuan took out the jade sceptre and held it in front of his chest with both hands, "I am in peace. I stand up."

Then Zhu Yunhuan saluted to Old Zhu again, and Old Zhu nodded slightly and said, "The ceremony is over. Choose a day to offer sacrifices to the Imperial Ancestral Temple."

Zhu Yunhuan then stood up, and the ceremony of enthroning the crown prince seemed to be over. In fact, it was not over yet, as he still had to pay homage to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, but the most important thing now was to accept the congratulations.

After paying respects, Zhu Yunhuan followed Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang out of the Fengtian Hall. Fu Youde and others followed behind holding the imperial edict, as they were heading to the Wenhua Hall.

At this time, Xu Huizu was holding the imperial edict and going to the Meridian Gate to announce it. Officials from the Ministry of Rites were also accompanying him, and the imperial edict that had been decided on by the country naturally needed to be announced to the world.

The enthronement ceremony of the crown prince or grandson at the beginning of the country mostly followed the rules of the Tang and Song dynasties, but there were some changes.

For example, Zhu Yunhuan went directly to the Wenhua Hall to ascend the throne, while some people thought that since the formal enthronement ceremony had been completed, he should first pay homage to the Taimiao, then go to the Fengtian Hall to express his gratitude, and then go to the Zhonggong to express his gratitude.

But some situations are different. Old Zhu still thinks it is most important to go to the palace first, rather than going to the Taimiao immediately.

However, the necessary processes must still be followed, but they are arranged in a certain order.

Zhu Yunhuan still had a lot of things to do, not only did he have to go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to pay his respects, he also had to thank Old Zhu. Although the Crown Prince was gone, the Crown Princess was still there, so he had to go and thank her as well.

He still needs to meet his uncles, and at this time he has to perform family etiquette. He also needs to meet his brothers, and he still has to perform family etiquette.

All the officials not only need to come to pay their respects now, but also need to send in their letters of congratulation. As for the ladies of the inner and outer court, they are also indispensable to congratulate. Lu is probably trying to adjust her mood. Tomorrow she will have to come out to show her face.

Zhu Yunhuan arrived at Wenhua Hall, which meant he officially took over Wenhua Hall. This would become his office, the place where the crown prince would discuss and observe government affairs, and a formal occasion for the crown prince to summon all officials.

After Zhu Yunhuan sat down, he looked at Fu Youde and said, "Duke Ying, go and report back."

Fu Youde naturally had to report back to Zhu Yuanzhang, while Zhu Yunhuan was in the Wenhua Hall, where he once again accepted the four bows from the royal family and civil and military officials.

However, this was not a congratulatory ceremony, but a formal ceremony. Zhu Yunhuan would come back and ascend the throne again in a while.

The busy ceremony is now temporarily over, and Zhu Yunhuan can finally take a breath.

Zhu Chong stepped forward with a smile and said, "Nephew, it's time to go to the Central Palace to express your gratitude."

Although Empress Ma is no longer with us, proper etiquette still needs to be observed. Kunning Palace has been empty for so many years, but many people also know that Kunning Palace has remained the same as before, cleaning when necessary and tidying up when necessary.

All the daily necessities, furnishings, etc. are the same as when Empress Ma was still alive, except that no one lives there now.

Zhu Yunhuan stood up. He knew this. "Now that there are no officials, I will stop by Fengxian Hall later."

Zhu Gang coughed and said, "We can't make the decision on this matter. As long as you are not afraid of your royal grandfather being unhappy, it's fine."

Zhu Yunxun smiled and asked, "Where are Fourth Uncle and Fifth Uncle?"

"They are all very busy." Zhu Chong said with some pride, "Our two chief and deputy envoys can still have some free time, but your fourth uncle and his men have to go to your grandfather's place to congratulate him, and they also have to go to the Eastern Palace to congratulate him, so they can't rest. Your brothers are the same, they kowtowed in the Wenhua Palace and left."

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help laughing. Now, everyone with a little status in the palace was busy traveling and kowtowing.

Establishing a crown prince means that the foundation of the country has been established, which is a major event for the country.

In the Wenhua Hall, the status of the monarch and his subjects has been determined, so naturally they have to go and congratulate the emperor. The princes of the royal family will go to pay their respects, and the emperor's grandchildren now have to go there on time, because there are civil and military officials queuing up behind them.

After congratulating the emperor, these people had to kneel in a circle outside the Kunning Palace, and then kneel again in the Eastern Palace.

No one dared to complain about the complicated etiquette, and Zhu Yunhuan naturally would not. He didn't even have time to think too much about some things, and he didn't feel the ecstasy of being officially enthroned, nor did he feel the joy of holding power.

Now I am just busy on the road, either kowtowing or receiving others' kowtowing.

Outside the Kunning Palace, the princes of the royal family had already finished congratulating Zhu and were waiting.

When Zhu Yunhuan arrived, he took the lead in kneeling down and said, "Your Highness, I, Zhu Yunhuan, have received the imperial decree and would like to express my gratitude to Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."

After carefully performing the four bows, Zhu Yunhuan stood up.

The ceremony isn't over yet!

(End of this chapter)