The next day, early in the morning, before the sun showed up, all the civil and military officials of the imperial court were already ready outside the Meridian Gate.
If yesterday's court meeting was the most thrilling event in these days, then today's court meeting is the most important ceremony.
Because today is the canonization ceremony of the Prince of the East Palace!
The bell of Mao hour had just rang, and the palace door was slowly opened by the powerful man. Under the guidance of the ceremony officer, the ministers finally stepped into the palace city after a long absence.
Speaking of this matter, the Ministry of Rites really had a headache.
According to the etiquette system, the emperor is not in the capital, and the main halls cannot be used rashly. However, the canonization of the prince is different from ordinary court meetings, and it certainly cannot be outside the Meridian Gate.
Originally, the Ministry of Rites' intention was to reduce the scale and hold the canonization ceremony in the Wenhua Hall.
After all, the Wenhua Hall was originally designed for the East Palace, so it makes sense to hold the ceremony there.
But when it came to Empress Dowager Sun, she was rejected.
The Wenhua Hall is a palace for ordinary discussions, so in terms of spaciousness, it is incomparable to the three major halls. If the canonization ceremony is held in the Wenhua Hall, many civil and military ministers will inevitably be deleted.
Without a grand ceremony witnessed by all the ministers, it would be better not to hold it at all!
She was very insistent on this point, so in the end, the Ministry of Rites finally decided to use Fengtian Hall after consulting King Xin.
High above the Danbi, as the drums played, the dignified and resonant voice of the etiquette officer rang out.
"Come in, ministers!"
All the ministers looked solemn, climbed up the steps, and lined up to step into the threshold of Fengtian Hall.
The first ray of sunlight in the morning shines through the gate and onto this majestic and grand palace, making it look extremely solemn.
It's just that the throne that should have been the emperor's seat is now empty. Only a smaller couch is placed under the throne.
When the ministers were divided into civil and military positions in the palace, the Empress Dowager Sun, dressed in court uniform and wearing a phoenix crown, slowly walked out from the back hall. Surrounded by a group of internal servants, she stepped up the high steps. After sitting down, the ceremony officer raised his head again. call.
"bye!"
So all the ministers bowed down in unison, knelt three times and kowtowed nine times, and shouted in unison.
"The Queen Mother lives a thousand years."
The courtesy officer calls again.
"rise!"
The ministers stood up and stood up. Empress Dowager Sun looked calm and ordered: "Jin Ying, declare the edict!"
So Jin Ying accepted the order, respectfully picked up a yellow silk edict in front of the case prepared by Shang Baosi, and began to read it.
"Because the bandits invaded the borders and tortured the people of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor was deeply afraid that the bandits would bring harm to our ancestors of the Ming Dynasty, so he had no choice but to personally command the Sixth Army to correct their crimes..."
This edict was actually similar in content to the one previously sent to the Ministry of Rites, but it was just more in line with the imperial regulations.
To make it clearer, it means to be more verbose.
Jin Ying read in one breath for less than half a cup of tea before the highlight came.
"...Only the basis for the stability of the country is to establish the crown prince first. The eldest son of the emperor has seen that he is naturally talented and wise, and the princes of my imperial family and all the civil and military ministers have sincerely expressed their request to establish the East Palace. I have said it again and again. Therefore, Now, with the treasures in the book, I will see Shen Shen as the Crown Prince, and he will be in the East Palace. He will determine the foundation of the country and tie it to the hearts of the world. He will issue an edict to all the people and make it known to all the envoys."
As Jin Ying closed the yellow silk in his hand, he shouted loudly.
"All ministers accept the decree!"
So the courtiers below knelt down again to salute and shouted in unison.
"I respectfully obey the imperial edict!"
Logically speaking, at this time, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince should appear, receive the treasure, and then accept the worship of the ministers.
But considering that the current crown prince is only a two-year-old baby, considering safety issues, the Ministry of Rites simply cut off this section.
It has to be said that although this canonization ceremony is of great significance, it is indeed very simple in terms of ritual regulations.
Basically, at this point, the basic aspects of the ceremony are over. If normal procedures are followed, the courtiers should leave.
But after Jin Ying retired, the ceremony officer did not come out to announce the end.
Instead, among the courtiers, several ministers slowly came out.
There are five civil servants here, namely Wang Zhi, the Minister of Personnel, Yu Qian, the Minister of War, Shen Yi, the Minister of Hubu, Hu Hui, the Minister of Rites, and Chen Yi, the censor of Zuodu.
On the Wu Chen side, there are four in total: Li Xian, Marquis of Fengcheng, Guo Sheng, Marquis of Cheng'an, Zhao Rong, Bo of Xincheng, and Shi Jing, the Prince Consort.
Nine courtiers, representing civil and military officials respectively, headed by Wang Zhi, the Minister of Civil Affairs, stood in the center of the hall.
Then, Wang Zhi took out a memorial from his sleeve and led nine ministers to prostrate themselves in the tunnel.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Holy Mother, today the Holy Mother is driving to the north for hunting. The crown prince is young. The country is in danger and the hearts of the people are turbulent. As the old saying goes, the country has a long-term monarch, and the country is blessed. Wang Zhi, the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, together with the civil and military ministers, please congratulate the Holy Mother. , make plans early to establish the clan society."
This was also agreed upon in advance. You must know that although the Queen Mother and the civil and military ministers had already finalized the matter at yesterday's small court meeting.
But just like the canonization of a prince, there must always be a part of informing the officials. Of course, three resignations and three concessions are also indispensable...
Empress Dowager Sun was perched high above Lord Dan, looking at the prostrate courtiers below with somewhat complicated eyes.
She knew that as soon as she said these words, there would be no room for redemption.
However, when the situation reached this point, how could she have any control over it?
With a faint sigh, Empress Dowager Sun said: "What you all have expressed is the great plan of the country. As you and others have requested, Qi Yu, King of Tan, will take the throne as emperor. The Ministry of Etiquette will prepare the ceremony and the enthronement ceremony will be held on a certain day."
Today is the ceremony for the canonization of the East Palace. Although Zhu Qiyu is in charge of the imperial affairs, he is still a minister in his title. Therefore, he does not sit at the top with the Queen Mother Sun, but stands at the bottom with the ministers.
Hearing this, Zhu Qiyu faced the ministers who were prostrating themselves on the ground.
"Ministers, why are you discussing this?"
After saying that, she turned to the Empress Dowager Dan and also prostrated herself in the tunnel.
"Holy Mother, I am a member of the royal family. What talents and virtues do I have that I dare to accept this invitation?"
Empress Dowager Sun did not speak, but Li Xian, Marquis of Fengcheng, spoke up: "Why do you insist on your highness? The country has a long-term king, and the world is at peace. Your highness is the son of Xuanzong. He is talented and talented, and his virtues can be shown to all kings. Now that the country is in danger, it is up to your highness to take charge of the overall situation. I sincerely ask Your Highness to take the country and the country into consideration, and take the throne as your king!"
After the words fell, Zhu Qiyu's voice was fierce.
"The country is in danger, and the etiquette and laws are in place. The Crown Prince is still here, how dare you violate the laws?"
Li Xian then stepped back and said nothing.
Immediately, Hu Xi, the Minister of Rites, stepped forward and said: "As a royal family member, Your Highness has the responsibility to support the country. This is a great righteousness. Today, the Crown Prince is young and the country has no long-term king. Great righteousness comes before etiquette and law. I sincerely ask Your Highness to express your gratitude to the emperor." The great righteousness is the most important thing, the inheritance of the ancestors is the most important thing, and the successor is the king!"
In fact, this is what is called three concessions and three concessions.
Many people think that this kind of red tape is actually redundant, but in fact it is not.
Anyone who knows something about the imperial system can discern some clues from this speech.
From a procedural point of view, first the ministers requested the order, and then the Queen Mother issued an edict to approve it. This step represented the recognition of the imperial power, mainly to illustrate that this was not a usurpation of the throne, but a inheritance from top to bottom.
After the Queen Mother issued the edict, all the ministers came together to invite King Tan.
Naturally, Zhu Qiyu could not agree immediately. The reason he gave for his first refusal was that he had no talent and no virtue.
In contrast, it was Li Xian, Marquis of Fengcheng, who spoke on behalf of the military ministers group and affirmed the ability and character of His Highness King Tan.
From the perspective of the subordinates, this is to declare to the world that His Highness King Tan's character and ability are enough to become the lord of all peoples. From the perspective of the superiors, this is to express the loyalty of the military ministers to the new king.
Immediately afterwards, Zhu Qiyu resigned for the second time. The reason given by Zhu Qiyu was that the crown prince was still there and it was illegal for him to succeed to the throne.
This time, the person who spoke out was Hu Hui, the Minister of Rites. Naturally, it was the Ministry of Rites who came forward on matters of etiquette. At the same time, as an important minister of the Six Ministries, Hu Hui also represented the civil service group.
What Hu Xi brought out was the name of the world's righteousness. Righteousness is more important than etiquette and law. Putting the country's righteousness and the ancestral foundation in front also shows that the new king is not disobeying etiquette and law and plotting to usurp the throne, but upholding the country's righteousness and supporting the emperor. Wei saves the country, and at the same time shows the loyalty of civil servants to the new king.
In this way, with the empress dowager's edict and the civil and military requests, Zhu Qiyu could "reluctantly" agree.
Of course, there is still one last step left.
After the civil servants and military ministers all requested their orders, it was natural that Wang Zhi, the leader of the officials, should appear.
Seeing that Zhu Qiyu "resolutely refused to accept his words", Wang Zhi stepped forward slowly and said.
"I know that Your Highness obeys the etiquette and upholds the righteousness. However, the Queen Mother and the Queen Mother have orders, so how can Your Highness refuse to do so? I sincerely care about the country, and it is not for personal gain. I sincerely request that Your Highness accept the order and take the throne as king!"
After saying that, Wang Zhi led his ministers to prostrate themselves again and shouted.
"I sincerely ask Your Highness to accept the order and take the throne as your successor!"
This time, it was not just the few important ministers who stood up who prostrated themselves. All the ministers in the Fengtian Palace also prostrated themselves. The ministers shouted in unison, and their voices penetrated the palace and shook the sky.
Seeing the persistence of the ministers, Zhu Qiyu sighed heavily and said.
"Your Majesty, since we are the country, I should also serve the country and the country as our ancestors. The Queen Mother of the Holy Mother has given us an edict. If we disobey it, wouldn't it be considered disobedience?"
Then all the ministers shouted together again.
"Your Highness is righteous, and we will do our best to work with His Highness to protect the country and fight against foreign enemies!"
Zhu Qiyu looked at everyone present intently, his eyes swept over the ministers shouting below, as well as the complicated-looking Empress Dowager Sun in the seat, and finally towards the distant sky outside the palace gate.
From today on, the overall situation is finalized!
Never again...
