But the result was beyond Dao Yan's expectation. The prince actually chose a path that seemed to be quite troublesome.
"Han Du, Han Du, this poor monk really cannot underestimate you!"
...
Since Zhu Di was the first to come out, he was naturally the first to enter Beijing.
There is no other way. The only thing to blame is that Zhu Di was too successful in creating the image of a filial son at the beginning. He had to rush to the capital at the same speed as before. If he dared to go any slower, it would arouse suspicion from others.
"When my father asked everyone not to leave the fiefdom, you were the most audacious and dared to ignore my father's will and forcefully come to the capital to express condolences. Now that the prince has issued an edict to summon everyone to the capital, how come you have changed into a slow-moving person?" What does it look like? Are you just pretending to be filial to your father?"
Therefore, in order to avoid arousing suspicion among others, Zhu Di had to rush to the capital day and night no matter how unwilling he was.
"Fourth brother!" Zhu Biao's eyes turned red when he saw Zhu Di for the first time, and he stepped forward without hesitation to hug him affectionately.
Zhu Di's eyes were red, and he was so sad that his lips trembled, and he asked: "Brother Emperor, who is my father..."
"Bold!" Before Zhu Di could finish speaking, a supervisory censor next to him sternly stopped Zhu Di.
With wide eyes and long hair, he shouted loudly: "Emperor Daxing's edict has been passed on to the emperor. Although King Yan, you are the prince, but there are differences between kings and ministers, so please call him the Holy One."
Zhu Di's eyes suddenly looked at the supervisory censor, but the other party stared at him without giving in.
If it were a person with a weak personality, he might foolishly stand up at this time, trying to be a peacemaker, and say, "It's okay, it's okay..."
But Zhu Biao is different. Although he is kind, he is not cowardly. Knowing that this is his righteous title, there is no reason to compromise.
Therefore, Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Di with a smile, did not say a word more, and quietly waited for Zhu Di's answer.
Zhu Di ignored the censor who was shouting loudly on the side, but looked up at Zhu Biao. As long as Zhu Biao nodded, a small censor could not do anything to him.
But Zhu Di waited for a long time, and before Zhu Biao said "no problem", he knew that his plan would not work. Moreover, more and more officials were looking at him. Faced with such increasingly heavy pressure, Zhu Di, no matter how unwilling he was, had to lower his head, kneel in front of Zhu Biao, and bow respectfully: "Your Majesty. , Zhu Di, pay homage to...the emperor..."
As the last two words were spoken, Zhu Di's heart suddenly became very empty, as if he had lost something extremely important.
Zhu Biao seemed to have just reacted. He quickly helped Zhu Di up from the ground and complained: "What are you doing, fourth brother? We are from the same mother. When we were children, we slept on the same bed and ate one." Where is the rice in the pot? Why do you need to pay such a big courtesy? Get up quickly."
Zhu Di's face twitched unnaturally, and he thought to himself: If you really don't mind, why didn't you say a word just now?
"The etiquette of a monarch and his ministers cannot be revoked, and I will never accept it." Zhu Di said polite words, but he stood up.
Zhu Biao didn't pay attention to Zhu Di's small dissatisfaction, and then said with a sad look: "Fourth brother has come all the way back, and he must be missing his father. It seems that fourth brother is going back to settle down first, and then go see Do you want to see Father, or should you go now?"
Zhu Di took a deep look at Zhu Biao, needless to say? If he dared to go back and settle down first before visiting his father, wouldn't the filial piety he put on all the way have been in vain?
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your understanding, but I still want to see my father immediately." After the previous contact, Zhu Di already knew that although his imperial brother seemed as kind as before, he was actually much smarter than before. .
No longer daring to test Zhu Biao, Zhu Di now only wants to see his father as soon as possible.
"Okay, Brother Huang will accompany you there." Zhu Biao nodded and cordially put his arm around Zhu Di's shoulders to the Qianqing Palace.
The two were brothers, and although they behaved a little more closely, during the period when the Daxing Emperor was still young, the supervisory censors would not be ignorant to stand up and criticize him.
The coffins of ancient emperors were all made of catalpa wood, so the emperor's coffins were also called "Zi Palace". The Zi Palace must be painted forty-nine times as required. The outside is decorated with gold, the inside is lined with five layers of gold five-color dharani segments, and eight layers of gold and dragon-colored satin in various colors. Zi Palace was placed in the Qianqing Palace, where several banquets were held and memorial services were held at three hours: morning, noon and afternoon. The succeeding emperor must personally offer food and wine as sacrifices, kneel three times and kowtow nine times, and must express a feeling of mourning.
When Zhu Biao and Zhu Di arrived at Qianqing Palace, Zhou Wang Zhu Ji, Tan Wang Zhu Zi, Lu Wang Zhu Tan, as well as the concubines and young princes and princesses, were already kneeling in front of Lao Zhu's Zi Palace, looking sad and crying. Worship.
Han Du knelt beside An Qing and worshiped for several days. The moment he saw Zhu Di, Han Du's eyes suddenly burst into light.
Judging from the date when Zhu Biao issued an order to summon the kings to the capital, even if it was urgent for eight hundred miles, I am afraid that the person who conveyed the order had just arrived in Peiping, and it was impossible for Zhu Di to appear in the capital. Even if someone among the kings could rush to the capital first, it shouldn't be Zhu Di.
Unless, before Zhu Di received the order, he came to the capital in advance! In other words, Zhu Di disobeyed the decree and left the fiefdom privately.
Han Du guessed in his mind why Zhu Di was able to come to the capital so early, so he withdrew his gaze and did not directly go up to ask him why he dared to leave the fiefdom privately.
After the worship was over, Han Du found Zhu Biao. "Your Majesty, why did King Yan come to the capital so many days in advance after issuing the decree just a few days ago? I'm afraid he got the news of Emperor Daxing's death from some secret channel, so he left his fiefdom and came to the capital early, right?"
Zhu Biao waved his hand and sighed: "This fourth brother explained to me that he did get some rumors. Because he missed his father too much, he set off early."
Han Du looked deeply into Zhu Biao's eyes and said, "Does the emperor believe what he said? He left the fiefdom and entered the capital without an edict, which is tantamount to conspiracy!"
Zhu Biao nodded heavily, sighed, and said: "I know. But after all, I have already issued an edict to summon the kings to the capital. Fourth brother... he just... was just a little ahead of schedule. Besides, now is the period of my father's funeral. I have to keep an open mind, right?"
Han Du did not pursue him closely. He nodded and said, "I just want to remind the emperor. Since the emperor understands the seriousness of this matter, I can rest assured."
"Let's just let this matter go. I'm afraid all the brothers will be rushing to the capital in the past few days. It is most important to handle the national mourning properly first." Zhu Biao waved his hand and reminded Han Du that the national mourning for Emperor Daxing should be considered as the moment. Heavy.
"Yes, I understand." Han Du bowed and bowed.
...
A few days after Zhu Di arrived in the capital, the other vassal kings gradually came to the capital almost in order of distance.
Lao Zhu's national funeral ceremony officially began.
The first is the funeral ceremony. During this period, officials of the ninth rank and above in the capital, as well as officials above the rank of chief envoy and minister, had to come to the capital to participate in the ceremony. But Lao Zhu left a legacy to keep everything simple. Then Zhu Biao, in accordance with his father's imperial edict, ordered his father's concubines, princes, princesses, princes, ministers, etc.; officials of the fifth rank and above in the capital, as well as the wives of officials with imperial status, all to come to Qianqing Palace to pay their respects to Daxing. The emperor's remains.
Zhu Biao will also lead all the feudal kings, feudal princesses, feudal princes, married princesses, consorts, etc. to Danbi to perform the "big funeral ceremony".
After the funeral ceremony, it was the time for the entire Ming Dynasty officials and people to mourn.
Originally, the etiquette of the Ming Dynasty was inherited from the Tang Dynasty. According to the system of the Tang Dynasty, during the emperor's funeral. The royal family, including the close branches of the royal family, the close clan clan, and the distant clan clan and ministers in the capital are not allowed to marry or have entertainment and banquets within one year. All officials and people in the capital must wear mourning clothes for twenty-seven days. No sacrifices are allowed, and no marriage is allowed for a hundred days.
However, since Lao Zhu was unwilling to burden the people of the world, he shortened this long process to three days. That is to say, the people have their own way. After three days, it is time to offer sacrifices, marry and have fun.
I have to say that in thinking about the people, Lao Zhu surpassed all emperors in the past and present.
During the great mourning period, the imperial court would issue the posthumous edict of Emperor Daxing to the outside world. In addition to informing the people of the death of the late emperor and allowing everyone to mourn collectively, it was also to announce the new emperor Zhu Biao. This process seems simple, but in fact it is very complicated and takes a long time. Because the edict was not only issued to the various envoys, but also to other vassal states, as well as the thirty-three governor-general offices of Nanyang, all the governor-general offices of Goryeo, Xiyang, Tianfang and other places.
Zhu Biao announced to the world that he would inherit the throne, so Qianqing Palace could not just house Lao Zhu's Zi Palace. Therefore, during this period, it is necessary to move Zi Gongfeng to the funeral palace to settle down temporarily for a period of time.
But Zhu Biao respected his father, and even though he had inherited the throne, he was still unwilling to move his father's Zi Palace. He would rather live in the East Palace temporarily than let his father stay in the Qianqing Palace.
Then the Qin Tian Jian began to calculate the auspicious day. After the Qin Tian Jian selected the auspicious day, the Daxing Emperor could be officially buried.
But before burial, there is actually a lot of things to do. For example, an inscription must be engraved for Emperor Daxing, or three days before the official burial, special people must be sent to offer sacrifices to the Heaven and Earth, Ancestral Temple, Fengxian Hall and Sheji Altar. In addition, the route to the Fengyizi Palace must be planned in detail to ensure that the burial proceeds smoothly and no mistakes can be made.
The last time Queen Ma was buried, Lao Zhu almost got angry and went on a killing spree because of the rain. If Monk Zong Lai hadn't been so clever and gave Lao Zhu a step down, I don't know how many people would have died that day.
