Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 303: Ascend the throne and become emperor! Rumors spread!
"His Majesty is dead!"

As this voice sounded, all the ministers were shocked as if struck by lightning.

Soon, there were bursts of crying.

“Your Majesty!”

"His Majesty!"

All the ministers knelt down, prostrated themselves on the ground, and cried bitterly.

In Confucian culture, there is the concept of "king and father".

When the emperor passed away, if the ministers did not show enough grief or cry enough, they would be guilty of serious crimes that could be impeached by the censors in the future.

In fact, if anyone is convicted of this crime, no matter how great his past achievements are, there will be no possibility of turning things around.

If you are not sad, you are disloyal and unfilial!

What's the point of being unfaithful and unfilial?
Therefore, at this moment, no matter what the ministers really thought in their hearts, the first thing they had to do was to cry bitterly.

Zhu Yunhuan originally thought that some ministers would stand up and question the cause of the emperor's death and force him to abdicate.

Unexpectedly, the ministers' reactions were very calm.

Apart from crying and wailing, no one said anything else.

However, Zhu Yunhuan reacted quickly.

While His Majesty the Emperor is still alive, they must demonstrate their absolute loyalty to Him.

Even when facing their grandson, this is no exception.

After all, the crown prince is just a crown prince, not the emperor.

But everything changed when His Majesty died.

No matter what the reason for His Majesty's death, as long as His Majesty dies, he, as the Crown Prince and the heir to the throne, is the natural heir to the throne.

At this time, standing up and questioning him would be truly courting death.

There are no fools in the court.

Even if someone really suspected him of regicide, they would not stand up at this time.

As for the legitimacy of the throne and how to deal with the aftermath, those were matters for Zhu's descendants and it was not the turn of their ministers to interfere.

Although there were many ministers gathered present, except Zhu Yunhuan, there was no other direct descendant of the Zhu family.

Zhu Yunhuan had already been in power, and none of them had ever colluded with the prince to seize the throne.

Therefore, no one would say anything more at this time.

However, Zhu Yunhuan was also very clear that this was just the calm before the storm.

Since Zhu Yuanzhang did not issue an edict to pass on the throne to him, nor did he issue an edict to discuss his affairs after his death, there would inevitably be further disputes.

Amid the sobbing, the old monk Yao Guangxiao was the first to stand up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I beg you to accept my condolences and take care of the late emperor's funeral as soon as possible."

Yang Rong, Yang Shiqi, Chang Sheng and others immediately followed: "Your Highness!"

The other ministers immediately bowed and said, "Your Highness!"

"Meet the Emperor!"

"Meet the Emperor!"

……

A country cannot live without a ruler for a day.

According to the ritual system, when the old emperor dies, the crown prince or designated successor will automatically become the new emperor.

The ministers paid homage to the new emperor in front of the old emperor's spirit tablet, which was considered the emperor's accession to the throne.

After the death of the previous emperor and before the new emperor held his coronation ceremony, the ministers called the new emperor "Your Majesty".

Of course, only after the coronation ceremony is actually held can he be considered a legitimate emperor.

However, even if he only ascended the throne in front of the coffin, he was recognized by all the ministers and could handle state affairs and issue imperial decrees in the name of the emperor.

After all, the coronation ceremony is an extremely grand ceremony that requires time to prepare.

But during this period, the country cannot be without a monarch.

Zhu Yunhuan looked slightly dazed.

Have I finally become the emperor of the Ming Dynasty?
Although Lao Zhu is still alive, he will not appear in public again unless something unexpected happens.

He will only stay in the deep palace, quietly being an "emperor emeritus" unknown to outsiders!
The power of the Ming Empire was truly and completely handed over to his hands.

At this moment, Zhu Yunhuan did not feel much joy, he just felt that the burden on him was heavy.

Even though he was the crown prince and in charge of state affairs in the past, he never had this feeling.

The emperor and the crown prince are different after all.

From today on, he will truly rule the world!

……

After accepting the worship, Zhu Yunhuan summoned Yoshigaki in and immediately began to arrange the "afterlife".

If this matter is to be concealed by someone else, there must be other people involved.

As Zhu's close attendant, Yoshigaki had no need to hide the truth from him.

What's more, Old Zhu lived in seclusion in the deep palace and also needed someone to serve him.

Yoshigaki has served Lao Zhu for many years and is undoubtedly a very suitable candidate.

Zhu Yuanzhang's death was so hasty that he did not give Zhu Yunhuan more time to plan and arrange things.

This is also a test for him.

According to etiquette, after the death of an old emperor, the first thing to do is to perform a "small burial".

That is, clean the corpse, bathe it, tidy up its appearance, and change its shroud.

This is a very delicate job.

There must be no unclean area on the body of the deceased.

At this time, outsiders are not allowed to come in at will.

This is also why the ministers were crying outside and did not enter the room.

Normally, when the ministers arrived after the emperor's death, the remains had already been prepared.

But today's situation is a bit special.

Many ministers were present.

The bathing of the body after death also gave Zhu Yunhuan time to make arrangements calmly.

"Go and select a group of reliable palace maids and eunuchs immediately to prepare to bathe and change clothes for the emperor," Zhu Yunhuan ordered.

Yoshigaki took the order and left.

Zhu Yunhuan called Yang Rong in again and said, "Go and prepare a body of a condemned prisoner immediately."

He did not let Yoshigaki do this because Yoshigaki was, after all, a eunuch in the palace.

Yoshigaki could certainly do it, but he would have to rely on others.

Compared with Yang Rong, an official from outside the province who does things personally, it is different.

"Your Majesty, we are ready!" Yang Rong bowed and whispered, "On the way to the East Palace, the late Emperor told me some things."

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help but look at him deeply.

Old Zhu trusted him and actually told him such a top-secret matter.

However, this was mostly because Yang Rong was his "secretary".

"This matter cannot be disclosed at all. All the people who know about it and participate, except you, others..." Zhu Yunhuan paused for a moment and said, "Grandpa Emperor will be lonely in the deep palace, so we should arrange for more people to accompany him. As for the others, let them go to the deep palace to keep Grandpa Emperor company as much as possible."

This is also the key to Lao Zhu's plan.

It is not the case that the more secretive it is, the better. Instead, they have to spread the rumor that the old emperor is not dead, but is just "imprisoned".

This scale must be struck just right.

"According to the order!"

Zhu Yunhuan asked again: "I remember the process of folk funerals. After the small burial, people have to pay their respects to the remains. How should this be handled?"

This is the most troublesome thing.

After all, the dead person was not Lao Zhu, and others could tell that at a glance.

It was too late to find a substitute who looked similar. The eunuchs and palace maids who bathed the corpse could handle it, so there was no need to worry about leaking the secret.

But the ministers, princes and grandchildren who came to pay their respects could not.

"Your Majesty, don't worry about this." Yang Rong said, "Your Majesty, you only need to announce to the public that the late emperor was tortured before his death, and his face was unfortunately distorted. The late emperor once left a will, not allowing outsiders to see his face again."

"After the bath, the late emperor was given a bronze mask to wear. At the same time, the craftsmen were ordered to make a golden mask overnight. Before the coffin was placed, Your Majesty personally put it on."

"In this way, the ministers will not be able to see the remains of the late emperor, so there will be no problem."

good idea!
Zhu Yunhuan nodded slightly and asked, "The ministers won't quarrel over this, right?"

"Who dares?" Yang Rong said coldly, "This is the order of His Majesty, and it is also the last words of the late emperor before his death. Which minister dares to disobey the order? You can be beheaded immediately!"

Soon, Yang Rong changed his tone: "Your Majesty, don't worry, this will not happen."

As soon as the voice fell, he continued: "The only person I am worried about is the King of Yan who is now in the capital."

"He is the son of the late emperor, so it is only natural for him to see his remains."

"But the Prince of Yan is a reasonable man. As long as Your Majesty can persuade him, he will not be stubborn."

Zhu Yunxi was stunned.

Ministers really had no reason to question in this matter.

In fact, not everyone could see the emperor's appearance after his death.

He found a reason to put a mask on the emperor's body so that outsiders could not say anything.

Only Zhu Di was a little different. After all, he was Zhu Yuanzhang's biological son, so it was reasonable for him to see his father's remains after his death.

The other sons of the princes are all away.

With the body preservation technology of that era, it was impossible to wait for the princes' sons to return to Beijing before putting the bodies in coffins.

Of course, there is no need to worry.

Those who are underage and have not been granted fiefdoms are still children and do not need to be taken care of.

As for Zhu Di... this is a good opportunity to test how loyal he is to me.

After all, this man has always wanted to be emperor, otherwise, he would not have taken Yao Guangxiao into his mansion.

If he makes a fuss, spreading "rumors" as a result of this may not be a bad idea.

……

Soon, the body of the death row prisoner was carried in, and Lao Zhu mixed in with the crowd of servants and left quietly.

According to ritual system, a mourning hall was set up in the imperial palace.

After the bath, the "emperor's" body was sent back to the Imperial Palace from the East Palace that evening.

Zhu Yunhuan immediately issued an imperial decree.

"The late emperor has passed away. According to his wishes before his death, there will be no grand funeral. All the subjects of the country will only mourn for three days and then take off their mourning clothes. There will be no hindrance to marriage."

Since the Tang and Song dynasties, with the deepening of Confucianism, people have become more and more concerned about funerals.

Observing mourning for three years has gradually become a tradition.

There was even a "ritual law" that prohibited all weddings and marriages in the country for three years after the emperor's death.

That is, all the people in the world have to mourn the deceased emperor for three years.

This is of course too much and will have a huge impact on the national economy and people's livelihood.

Therefore, even in real history, Zhu Yuanzhang specifically stated in his will that after his death, all his subjects were only allowed to mourn for three days, and marriage among the people was not prohibited, in order to reduce the impact on people's lives.

The second imperial decree is:
"I have just ascended the throne, and I miss the late emperor so much that I cannot bear to destroy his belongings. From today on, the harem is sealed off, just like the late emperor's life. All concubines and palace maids are to stay in the harem and are not allowed to leave the palace unless they die."

This is the solution Zhu Yunhuan came up with.

First of all, although the Ming Dynasty's imperial palace was magnificent, it was subject to the constraints of the times. In the eyes of Zhu Yunhuan, a time traveler, although it was beautiful, there were still many inconvenient and inhumane aspects of life. He was simply not used to living there and had no intention of living there.

But Mr. Zhu is old and has been used to living there for a long time, so he is not used to the changes.

Using the excuse of missing Grandpa Emperor and wanting to keep the place where he lived intact during his lifetime as the reason, directly sealing off the harem is undoubtedly the best solution.

Old Zhu could also live a very comfortable life in the harem.

After all, although Zhu Yuanzhang took the initiative to place himself under house arrest, Zhu Yunhuan couldn't really let his grandfather suffer in the deep palace, right?
After the imperial edict was issued, Yang Rong immediately sent troops to guard the passage to the harem and ordered the craftsmen to build the wall overnight.

From then on, all exits from the harem were sealed, and the remaining doors were directly locked and could not be opened without reason.

Only two cleverly designed holes were left for transporting supplies and delivering messages.

The four imperial doctors who treated Zhu Yuanzhang, as well as the palace maids and eunuchs who bathed the "corpse", were also sent to the harem.

Old Zhu also needed to be treated by an imperial physician in there, so four imperial physicians were sent in.

As for causing trouble in the harem... the harem is very big, all you have to do is separate the living quarters for the four people.

You know, in addition to palace maids and eunuchs, there are also guards in the palace.

But normally, guards are not allowed to enter the harem after dark.

After all the palace gates were locked, the security of the harem was taken over by the eunuchs.

Afterwards, Zhu Yunhuan dispatched five brigades of new troops to station in Nanjing City, guarding the east, west, south, north and in front of the imperial palace to prevent any accidents.

……

late at night.

Inside the palace.

In front of Old Zhu’s coffin.

Zhu Yunhuan was in mourning.

Zhu Di was also keeping vigil nearby.

He had just been crying heart-wrenchingly, but now he gradually calmed down. However, he still looked a little dazed and had not yet come out of the grief of Old Zhu's death.

Suddenly, Zhu Di felt someone pulling the corner of his clothes. When he turned around, he saw that it was his son Zhu Gaoxu.

As Zhu Di's son, he had a deep relationship with Zhu.

Old Zhu passed away suddenly, and of course he was extremely sad.

But by the time of Zhu Gaoxu's generation, things were completely different.

He grew up in the city of Peking. He could only see his grandfather, the Emperor, who lived far away in Nanjing, when he occasionally returned to Beijing with his father.

The feelings are natural.

If Zhu Yuanzhang passed away at this time, would you feel too sad?

However, due to etiquette, as a grandson, he had to keep vigil.

"Dad, there are some things. Let's go out and talk about them." Zhu Gaoxu lowered his voice and said quietly.

Zhu Di was slightly surprised, but without thinking much about it, he quietly got up and went to the outside of the mourning hall with Zhu Gaoxu, away from the crowd, only to find that his other son Zhu Gaochi was also there.

"What's the matter? Do we have to come out and talk about it?" Zhu Di asked with a frown.

When Zhu Yuanzhang passed away, as a filial son, he would be criticized by his ministers if he did not observe mourning in front of the coffin.

Zhu Gaoxu looked around and confirmed that there was no one else nearby. The guards were all far away. This was an open square. Then he said in a very low voice: "Dad, I got the news that Grandpa Huang is not dead."

"What?" Zhu Di asked loudly as if struck by lightning.

"Dad, don't speak so loudly." Zhu Gaoxu quickly made a gesture to keep quiet and looked around.

Fortunately, no one was alarmed.

The guards on the road in the middle of the square were still standing guard motionlessly, and none of the ministers kneeling in the middle to keep vigil looked around.

In an era when etiquette and laws were more important than anything else, everyone tried their best to show their sadness and filial piety, and were not moved by external things.

"What's going on?" Zhu Di asked, grabbing Zhu Gaozhao's clothes.

Zhu Gaochi also looked over, shock evident in his eyes.

"Father, I heard a rumor that His Royal Highness took advantage of Grandpa Huang's serious illness and asked the imperial physician to announce that he had passed away."

"In fact, it was a case of using a cat to replace a prince."

"That's why they put a mask on the body to prevent people from seeing it."

"Grandpa Emperor is still alive, but he has imprisoned him in the harem."

……

(End of this chapter)