The whole family chatted for a long time, and Xiao Jing quietly appeared behind Emperor Hongzhi, said a few words in a low voice, and then stepped aside.
Emperor Hongzhi nodded without trace, then moved to the side of Queen Mother Zhou, and everyone moved out of the way.
"Grandma, it's almost time. The ministers are waiting outside."
"What time is it now?" Queen Mother Zhou asked casually.
Emperor Hongzhi replied without hesitation: "Back to grandma, it's almost the end of the Si hour now, and it will probably be noon in just one stick of incense."
"Then let them come in!" Empress Dowager Zhou nodded with a smile.
"My grandson knows!" Emperor Hongzhi said respectfully, then after thinking for a moment, he turned towards Xiao Jing and said, "Xiao Banban, please invite all my dear friends to see you!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Xiao Jing immediately took the order and left the palace, not daring to delay for a moment.
Chen Ziyu, who was bored on the side, touched his growling stomach. He got up at five o'clock in the morning before dawn to start working. It was already eleven o'clock. He had not had any water, and he was already hungry. Memorized.
I don't even know these princes, dragons and grandchildren.
Some princes cast curious glances at Chen Ziyu, but after seeing Zhu Xiurong's bun and Zhu Houzhao's attitude towards his courtiers, they could naturally guess the reason.
It's just that everyone is curious about Chen Ziyu's identity. After all, the person who can catch the eye of the royal family must be a famous young and handsome figure.
Chen Ziyu also nodded to all the princes with a smile but not a smile.
At this time, he also cheered up. Later, after all the civil and military officials and the women with official duties had finished paying their respects, the main event of presenting gifts would come.
Women in the Ming Dynasty rarely appeared in public, except on such occasions. If they did not enter the palace to pay homage to the Queen Mother Zhou, it would be regarded as disrespectful!
So this day is also an excellent gathering for these women who have been hiding in the boudoir compound all year round.
At this time, the Empress Dowager Zhou, Emperor Hongzhi and Empress Zhang had already moved to the stage that had been set up outside the Longevity Palace.
The princes were also arranged on both sides of the ceremonial stage, surrounding the Empress Dowager Zhou and Emperor Hongzhi's family in the middle.
As for Chen Ziyu, he was sitting next to Zhu Houzhao, motionless and extremely honest!
Fortunately, the weather today is good, with no wind or snow, and the warm winter sun is still a bit pleasant.
From the kind smile of Queen Mother Zhou, you can feel that the old lady is in a very comfortable mood at this moment.
As the concubine of the Ming Dynasty God of War, Queen Mother Zhou's life also followed the God of War through ups and downs, and finally experienced four dynasties before reaching where she is now.
The Ming Dynasty ruled the world with filial piety. For Zhu Youtang, no amount of filial piety to the Empress Dowager Zhou could be overstated. After all, without the Empress Dowager Zhou's desperate protection back then, there might really be no Emperor Hongzhi today.
In the midst of bursts of thoughts, Chen Ziyu saw groups of ministers coming here, sorted according to rank and grade.
At the front of the row of civil servants is Liu Jian, the chief minister of the cabinet, in the middle, followed by Li Dongyang and Xie Qian on the left and right, and behind him are six ministers arranged in sequence.
Chen Ziyu looked around in the crowd with his head held high, and in a trance he seemed to see his father among the distinguished people among the crowd.
It's just inconspicuous and difficult to spot if you don't pay attention.
Among the nobles, the British Duke Zhang Mao is always strong and vigorous. Side by side are the Duke of Cheng, Zhu Fu, and the Duke of Wei, Xu Yan, and Duke of Ding, Xu Yongning.
Since the princes themselves are military commanders, on this occasion they not only represent the nobles, but also the military attache line!
From the founding of the Ming Dynasty by Hongwu to the present nine years of Hongzhi, there are only five Dukes who have been passed down. In addition to the above four, there is still one Duke of Guizhou.
It's just that the Duke of Guizhou's residence is in Yunnan, which is too far away from the capital. It takes half a year to travel back and forth, so I just arranged for people to send congratulatory gifts.
Emperor Hongzhi understood this very well. After all, the rebellion in Guizhou has not yet been resolved. The Duke of Guizhou was guarding Yunnan and could send troops to support the governor sent by the imperial court at any time.
Ten steps away from the podium, everyone stopped.
They all fell to the ground in unison, each movement flowing and flowing and meticulous.
The whole process lasted for a while. After everyone stopped, Queen Mother Zhou smiled and asked everyone to stand up.
After another roar of gratitude, everyone stood up.
Under the signal from Emperor Hongzhi's eyes, Xiao Jing took out the prepared decree of the Emperor and the Queen Mother and started reciting it.
It was the first time for Chen Ziyu to see such an occasion, and it felt strange.
In my previous life, I could only see these in TV dramas, but there is still a big gap between what I see in front of me and what I see in TV dramas.
Finally, Xiao Jing recited it for as long as a cup of tea before he finished reciting Yi Zhi and retreated behind Emperor Hongzhi.
At this time, a middle-aged eunuch next to Queen Mother Zhou walked to the center of the ceremony platform, held his head high and shouted loudly: "The ceremony begins!"
As soon as they heard about the gift presentation, the princes on both sides of the stands were eager to give it a try. This was also their favorite part.
Firstly, it can show one's filial piety to the elders, and secondly, it can please the Empress Dowager Zhou. Then a small reward will be enough for them to earn back the cost of the gift.
But there are exceptions to everything, such as these civil servant groups.
Civil servants generally have a high self-esteem and pride themselves on being honest, so the gifts are extremely shabby. They are usually mostly calligraphy and paintings inscribed by themselves.
Therefore, gifts from civil servants are presented silently at the end, and the main event is not their turn.
As for the nobles, they are mainly the Dukes, and most of the other counts and marquises are attached to the Duke's mansion.
For example, Chen Ziyu's father, as an earl, relied on the British Duke Zhang Mao.
Only by uniting can nobles and nobles secure their positions. No one can guarantee that he will not make mistakes. Making mistakes is not terrible. If you make a mistake and no one can help you to intercede for you, it will be terrible.
This is why Chen Rui originally thought that Chen Ziyu was seeking death after angering Long Yan, so Zhang Mao reached out to rescue him.
Seeing that the gift presentation was about to begin, Chen Ziyu also sat up straight and looked at the center of the field with energy, ready to see how eye-opening the gift that everyone had prepared for a long time was.
Zhu Houzhao on the side also quietly moved the chair to Chen Ziyu's side without leaving any trace, and whispered quietly when others were not paying attention: "Old Chen, the show is about to begin!"
"Your Highness, when will it be your turn?" Chen Ziyu responded in a low voice while staring straight ahead.
Zhu Houzhao explained: "I am usually the last one to give gifts!"
"Why?"
"Nonsense, I am the crown prince! Of course it is for the finale! Besides, if I am not prepared enough, there is still a chance to make amends!"
"..."
