Huo Zheng looked embarrassed and did not rush to express his position. He actually wanted to use this to sell a favor to the emperor.
Seeing that Huo Xiangguo didn't express his position, Gao Chong had no choice but to keep silent.
Seeing Huo Xiang's expression of embarrassment, Mu Sheng thought that the matter could not be done, so he said: "Huo Xiangguo, this matter is just a suggestion of mine. If it cannot be done, let it go first. National mourning is important, let's discuss it later."
After hearing this, Huo Zheng pretended for a while and said: "Your Majesty, this matter is not impossible. I also understand your Majesty's filial piety towards the late emperor. Anyway, I will move the courtiers to agree to this matter for the sake of the late emperor." The best posthumous title is to highlight the merits of the late emperor."
Seeing this, Gao Chong quickly expressed his position: "What the Prime Minister said is true."
Mu Sheng said: "Then I'll leave it to the Prime Minister."
An hour later, the court discussion continued, and the ministers entered the hall one after another to wait for the emperor, Prime Minister Huo and others to arrive and continue the discussion.
The ministers continued to discuss for a long time, but neither party could convince the other. At this time, Huo Zheng stood up and pretended to cough a few times. When the ministers saw that Huo Xiang was about to speak, they all fell silent.
Huo Zheng said: "My colleagues, I think it is feasible to confer a posthumous title on the late emperor. Let's discuss the terms at the court meeting today."
As soon as Huo Zheng finished speaking, the ministers saw Huo Zheng's statement and all changed their banners to align with Tian Jian's faction, supporting Tian Jian's posthumous title. The other faction instantly became a minority, which shows Huo Zheng's influence in the court.
At this time, Fengchang Zhang Xi, who was the first to object to the posthumous title, stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, Prime Minister, I believe that the court has its own laws, and the laws of the ancestors cannot be violated. How can we just change it?"
Hearing this, Gao Zhong stepped forward and said, "Master Zhang, why can't the laws of our ancestors be changed? If we in Jin Dynasty were still stuck in the old ways and didn't know how to adapt, how could we be in the current situation in Jin Dynasty?"
After hearing this, several ministers also stepped forward to second their opinions. Seeing that there was nothing he could do, Zhang Xi had to retreat.
Seeing that most of the courtiers agreed to give the late emperor a posthumous title, everyone began to discuss what posthumous title would be best for the late emperor.
At this time, Tian Jian, who was still the first to advocate the posthumous title for the late emperor, was the first to lead the crowd and proposed: "My lords, the late emperor's achievements have shocked the past and the present. The posthumous title is called "wu". Being strong and straight is called "wu". To control the chaos is called martial arts, to punish the people and overcome them is called martial arts. This word martial is just right for the late emperor’s illustrious military exploits in conquering the north and south, and sweeping away the princes of Guandong.”
Right Prime Minister Wang Yi, who had been pretending to be deaf and dumb at this time, also stepped forward and said: "I agree with you that our ancestors in the Jin Dynasty also had a posthumous title of Wu. In order to distinguish them, they have to add a word for "Xiandi". As for the posthumous title, I feel that in the posthumous law, the character Zhuang is very suitable. The character "Zhuang" is called "Zhuang" if the soldier's armor is urgent, "Zhuang" is the name of "Zhuang" when conquering the enemy, "Zhuang" is the name of "Zhuang" if he has a strong will to defeat the enemy, "Zhuang" is the name of "Zhuang" after repeated expeditions and killings, and "Zhuang" is the name of "Zhuang".
Sima Qin, a servant of one of the nine ministers, came forward and said: "I believe that the late emperor's writings are written in the same text, and his carriages are on the same track, and the world is governed by one family. This is the strategy for the long-term peace and stability of the world. The posthumous title should be in the previous character, and the state will determine the reputation as "wen" , He is smart and eager to learn, he is called Wen, and he is polite in giving, he is called Wen, and the emperor's virtue is broad, he is called Wen. His Majesty's literary and martial arts skills are truly unprecedented and unprecedented..."
Ministers, it is your words and my words that have almost gone through the suitable posthumous titles in the posthumous law one by one. The word "武" has been confirmed. This word is the top posthumous title among the posthumous titles of emperors in all dynasties. There is only one posthumous title left. Everyone is still fighting over the number, not knowing which one is better.
At this time, Huo Zheng stepped forward and suggested to Mu Sheng: "Your Majesty, I feel that the posthumous title of the late emperor needs to be chosen one word. Which word should be used?"
As soon as Huo Zheng's words came out, the ministers fell silent. Mu Sheng thought about it and said: "I think that the late emperor's achievements are indeed unparalleled, and even if they are recorded in history books in the future, they will surely shine on China. I think Huo Xiangguo just suggested The posthumous title of a person is very good. It is called "Zhao" if he has a respectful and graceful appearance, "Zhao" is a name of "Zhao" if he shows his virtue and has hard work. "Zhao" is the name of Zhou Da who has heard of the sage, "Zhao" has been heard of "Xuanyuan". Two words."
Huo Zheng nodded with satisfaction and said, "Okay, since Your Majesty agrees with the truth's proposition, it's settled."
After hearing the words, all the ministers agreed. Even if the matter is temporarily over, the "big burial" ceremony will be held tomorrow. Officials in Beijing, princes, concubines, princesses, and family members of the royal family need to go to the Sihaiguiyi Hall to pay their respects to the "big burial." After performing the "Emperor" appearance and performing the ceremony of entering the coffin, Mu Sheng also had to return to the East Palace to prepare.
The next morning, Mu Sheng, dressed in white mourning clothes, went to the main hall to sit quietly and observe mourning. At this time, the main hall was already covered in silver, and white became the main color here. The huge coffin of the late emperor was parked in the center of the main hall. The emperor's coffin was called Zi Palace. , Zi Palace was parked in the center of the main hall for everyone to pay their respects and worship.
Mu Sheng looked at the huge emperor's coffin. He didn't know what he was thinking. He just sat guarding beside the Zi Palace with an expressionless face. Zi Palace was surrounded by officials and priests presiding over the ceremony. Dozens of wizards held up the sacrificial vessels. They muttered words around Zi Palace.
At this time, all the ministers outside the main hall, dressed in mourning clothes, arrived here one after another. After the royal family members and ministers had basically arrived, Yang Jin, the general manager of the inner court, stepped forward to open the late emperor's edict again, and read it again in front of the late emperor's Zi Palace in front of the public. , indicating that the new king was enthroned by the Ming Dynasty.
After reading out the edict, Yang Jin said loudly: "Dear ministers, clan members, princes and princesses, the great ceremony has begun."
Under the guidance of the etiquette officer, a group of ministers knelt down in front of Emperor Daxing's Zi Palace, wept, knelt down and kowtowed as a sign of loyalty. The minister kowtowed, and Mu Sheng, as the chief priest, nodded slightly to show his return.
At this time, a man who was nearly fifty years old came outside the main hall. Accompanied by his family members, he knelt down in front of the late emperor's memorial tablet and burst into tears. This man was Lord Wu Xin's son Zi Qing. Prince Qing sobbed: "Your Majesty, my brother is late. , I didn’t know you had already..."
Wu Xinjun's son, Ziqing, and the late emperor were from the same mother, and they had a very good relationship when they were young. The other officials might just be pretending to cry, but he showed his true feelings.
Seeing this, Mu Sheng, who was presiding over the ceremony, hurriedly stepped forward to help Young Master Qing up and comforted him in a deep voice: "Uncle Six, please don't be overly sad. It's important to take care of yourself..."
Young Master Qing glanced at Mu Chen, nodded slightly and said, "I haven't had time to pay homage to the new king yet. Please forgive me."
"It doesn't matter, we are all members of our family. Today is a special period, so we can avoid these common etiquette."
Mu Sheng comforted him repeatedly, helped him sit aside, and asked Yang Jin to tell him: "Find a few people to serve Wu Xinjun."
Yang Jin heard this and said: "No, I will make arrangements right away."
After all the courtiers came forward to pay homage to the emperor's coffin in turn, the princes and princesses left behind by the late emperor came to kneel and worship. The concubines who had children left behind by the late emperor came with their children to express condolences to the late emperor. Among them, the twelfth son of the emperor, Prince Zhuo, cried and howled loudly. His biological mother, Mrs. Li, accompanied him, also looking sad, and kept comforting Young Master Zhuo.
Young Master Zhuo is now the only adult prince besides Mu Sheng. The other adult princes were either plotted to death or sent to the frontier during the competition to become emperor. They are the only ones left with great achievements.
In fact, Mu Sheng did not fight for it in the strict sense. He was carried by others and rushed into the finals to win. In fact, no one expected that the throne of emperor would eventually fall to the fourteenth prince Anlehou Mu Sheng. .
As for the other little princes and princesses of the late emperor, they were only half-grown children. The oldest was only thirteen years old and the youngest was only five years old. Mu Sheng looked at the "legacy" left by the late emperor and felt mixed emotions in his heart for a while. , from now on, the life and death of these people will depend on his thoughts.
After the death of the late emperor, these direct blood relatives of the late emperor became ordinary clans, and they all had to move out of the palace to live. Of course, the court had to provide salaries to support them, and their living standards would definitely be lowered a lot, and they would not be able to compare with those in the palace. , I guess half of the sadness in their hearts is based on this.
After these direct blood relatives worshiped the previous emperor, under the guidance and arrangements of the officials, they turned to kneel down to worship the new emperor who had just succeeded to the throne.
In the crowd, Young Master Zhuo raised his head slightly and glanced at Mu Sheng who was sitting high on the throne. A trace of envy flashed in his heart, and then he was surrounded by a huge sense of fear. At the Alimutai Conference that year, he had openly committed crimes. Today, he really wants to slap himself to death a hundred times. If he had known that he could take the throne, why would he be so stupid as to openly provoke him? I hope he can let me go as he has a lot of it.
The ceremony continued until noon, and another twenty or so slim women came in from outside the main hall. They were all dressed in plain clothes, with a white silk cloth covering their faces. They knelt in front of the Daxing Emperor Zi Palace and cried so loudly that it shook the world. Even Mu Sheng was moved when he saw it. Incessantly.
Mu Sheng then called Yang Jin, the general manager of the inner court, and asked, "Who are they? Why are they so sad?"
Yang Jin showed a trace of sympathy in his eyes and said: "Your Majesty, they are all the concubines of the late emperor, but they are all concubines who have never given birth to any children. According to the ancestral system, after the late emperor is buried, they all have to be buried. of."
When Mu Sheng heard this, he was shocked. No wonder they were so sad. Judging from their bodies, they should be very young. At such an age, they actually had to accompany the old emperor to death? It is so cruel, this evil old society.
Mu Sheng pondered for a long time and then asked: "Yang Jin, please invite Huo Xiangguo over and say that I have something important to discuss with him."
"promise."
After a while, Huo Zheng came up and sat next to the emperor and asked: "Your Majesty called me here, why?"
Mu Shengjing said in a calm tone: "Huo Xiangguo, are all these women the concubines of the late emperor who did not have any children?"
Huo Zheng nodded and said, "That's true."
Mu Sheng said: "Huo Xiangguo, I see that they are so young and in their prime years, and they actually want to be buried for the late emperor. God has the kindness to live a good life. These are living people. Is it possible to release them from the palace to make a living on their own? "
Hearing this, Huo Zheng said in a serious tone: "Your Majesty, this matter is absolutely impossible. I can understand your Majesty's kindness, but this is an ancestral system. It has been set since the founding of the Jin Dynasty. If the late emperor's edict was Without special instructions, they must be buried for the late emperor. This has been the case for hundreds of years. If His Majesty insists on breaking the ancestral system, this is a great act of unfilial piety and may attract criticism from both the government and the public. Please think twice."
Mu Sheng heard this and said angrily: "What if I insist on pardoning them?"
Huo Zheng also had a strong tone and refused directly: "Your Majesty, you have not officially ascended the throne yet. After the enthronement ceremony, you are considering abolishing this system of burying ancestors."
Mu Sheng was immediately stunned and speechless. Also, he was only the acting emperor now. If he wanted to abolish the ancestral system, it would be equivalent to re-amending the constitution. Such a major project must be done after he officially ascends the throne. This is terrible. It is not a trivial matter. This law must be finally abolished through court discussion. What can't he do now, after he ascends the throne? The state funeral is over, and these women have already become cold.
As the emperor at this moment, he suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness. At least he couldn't do anything now. Although he felt pity in his heart, he could only give up. At this moment, he secretly swore in his heart that the first thing he would do when he came to power would be to abolish the emperor. This inhumane ancestral system.
In fact, this system of human sacrifice is the dregs left over from the slave era. Later, as society developed and matured, human sacrifice became pottery figurines, and later became lower-cost paper figures and horses. After all, the population is at any level. Time is the most precious resource of the country. It is really cruel that people are buried alive at every turn.
