Zhu Jianyan stood in the corner of the Wenhua Hall conference room, looking at the people coming in around him, and introduced him in a low voice to Zhu Jingyuan next to him.
It mainly explains the identity and origin of these people and the interest groups they may represent, which can be regarded as giving children a lot of insight.
Because it was an emergency meeting, the people who received the notice did not dare to delay, and they all arrived in a short time.
There were five important components of the empire, including the clan, the cabinet, the military, the foreign dynasty, and the imperial merchants. There were more than twenty people in total.
After everyone waited for a while, the old emperor Zhu Zhongliang, who had white hair and beard, slowly walked out of the back hall with the support of two attendants.
"See your majesty. Is your majesty bowing well?"
The waiting princes and ministers did not look at the emperor's condition, and collectively instinctively bowed and said hello.
The highest etiquette in the early Ming Dynasty was "five bows and three kowtows." "Bowsing" was not just a matter of kneeling down and kowtowing, but the whole process had rhythm and requirements.
The Qing Dynasty simplified the movements, using a simple combination of kneeling and kowtowing in multiples, coupled with the bang-bang rhythm of ringing the head, replacing the complex ritual of bowing and bowing the head in the Ming Dynasty.
Although there are nine heads in total for three kneels and nine kowtows, it is actually not as complicated as the eight heads for five bows and three kowtows. It is also simpler to learn and can show sincerity more intuitively.
However, in the Qing Dynasty, three kneels and nine kowtows were required whenever meeting the emperor, so kowtowing became a habit of the Qing Dynasty people, and ministers were nicknamed kowtow bugs.
However, the Ming Dynasty's five bows and three kowtows were only used in major court rituals and rituals after the mid-Ming Dynasty.
"On every New Year's Day, the emperor is on top, and the court officials often bow to the emperor three times, while the rest of the people stand outside the Fengtian Gate in sequence, bowing five times and kowtowing three times."
After five bows and three kowtows have become a "big ceremony", it is "not a big ceremony and there is no need to kneel down".
After Renwu was revived, the common ritual of kneeling and worshiping was abolished, and everyone usually bowed their hands.
When subordinates meet their superiors, including the emperor, they only need to bow their hands slightly while bowing their hands. This is simpler than the etiquette of Western royal families at the same time.
Only when it was time to offer sacrifices to the ancestors of heaven and earth, would the emperor and his ministers kneel together, which was a cumbersome ceremony of five bows and three kowtows.
Zhu Jingyuan instinctively followed everyone and bowed to say hello, and then heard a low cough:
"Ahem... I'm fine... everyone, please sit down."
The other party's condition seemed to be very bad. Zhu Jingyuan subconsciously raised his head and glanced at the old emperor. He was startled and subconsciously shouted:
"Grandpa...your hair...what's wrong with you..."
Zhu Jingyuan was born in the royal family and had a large number of uncles and brothers. In addition, Zhu Jingyuan was still in school and did not have the opportunity to see the emperor often.
But we always have to meet once during the Chinese New Year, and it’s only been more than a month since the Chinese New Year.
Zhu Jingyuan remembered that during the Chinese New Year, his grandfather still had black and white hair, and his body seemed to be relatively strong, and he did not need anyone to help him walk at all.
It has only been a month since I last saw him, and his hair has suddenly turned completely white, his face is very pale, and he seems to be unable to stand still.
After the shock, Zhu Jingyuan quickly reacted.
His father is about to sign a contract and is worried about being accused of losing territory and seeking peace. The old emperor is also worried!
Moreover, no matter which official goes to sign the contract, the emperor must give final approval when he comes back. The hat of seeking peace after losing ground will eventually be put on the emperor's head.
After thirty years of hard work, he tried to open up new territories for the Ming Dynasty. Not only did he not gain any territory, but he also caused public resentment and put the vassal state in danger.
After more than thirty years of hard work and hard work in power, it will end miserably with the loss of territory and suing for peace. One can imagine the mood of the old emperor.
When the old emperor heard Zhu Jingyuan's voice, his cloudy eyes moved slightly, and he asked in confusion:
"Whose child are you...? Why are you here in the hall?"
Zhu Jingyuan was not surprised that his grandfather did not recognize him.
He has more than 20 sons and may have over a hundred grandchildren. His father is not favored to begin with, so it is normal for him not to recognize him.
It was very normal in a big family for the emperor to directly ask who his grandson was. After hearing this, Zhu Jingyuan quickly bowed and answered:
“I’m reporting to the Emperor’s Grandfather that the second son of my father, the Emperor, is Shang Jian and Xia Yan, and is currently the Minister of Honglu Temple.
"Sun Chen Jingyuan, who has turned fifteen years old this year, is attending the imperial meeting with his father today."
The old emperor's head moved slightly, as if he remembered where this child came from. After a brief silence, he waved his hand:
"Boy from the second son's family... you go home, there is nothing to do with you here today.
"If you want to do something... go back to your Uncle Ninth... to make arrangements..."
Zhu Jingyuan, Zhu Jianyan and his son, as well as other princes and ministers present, instantly understood what the old emperor meant.
Zhu Zhongliang probably felt that under the current situation, it was good for Zhu Jingyuan to come up with something to do, but he didn't want him to put today's incident on his resume.
He also signaled to the ninth son of the emperor who stayed at the scene, the heir he had already reserved in his mind, to arrange better errands for Zhu Jingyuan in the future.
"My son, I have recorded it."
The ninth son of the emperor, Zhu Jianfeng, bowed and agreed, then turned to his nephew Zhu Jingyuan and said:
"Jingyuan, please go home first. I'll have someone look for you later."
Zhu Jingyuan was immediately confused, and the development of the matter was unexpected.
Zhu Jingyuan's idea was to observe and wait first, waiting for the discussion between the emperor and ministers to end, and for them to determine the direction and plan for the peace talks.
Only in the end, when the emperor arranged for the person in charge of the negotiations, and when his father Zhu Jianyan was not allowed to take over the task, could he stand up and take over the task for his father.
As a result, now, I lost my composure because of seeing the old emperor's appearance, and then he was targeted by the old emperor. He was going to give me a fat job and drive me home...
However, Zhu Jingyuan quickly calmed down. There was no comparison between an unknown so-called fat man and the real power minister who had been booked.
The key is that the only way to perfectly solve his father's crisis is to stand up for him, so he can't leave no matter what.
So Zhu Jingyuan once again bowed his hands and saluted, and said loudly and very solemnly and sincerely:
"Sun Chen has his own ideas about the peace negotiation. He hopes to observe and participate in today's meeting. I beg the emperor to grant it."
Quiet, the entire Wenhua Hall was quiet.
Previously, when Zhu Jingyuan spoke, the surrounding princes and ministers were a little surprised, but they quickly relaxed.
Everyone began to look forward to a warm family drama in which the royal father and son were kind, the brothers were respectful, and the uncles and nephews were harmonious.
In the more than 150 years since Shizu ascended the throne, there has never been an emperor killing a brother after he ascended the throne. The royal family has become a model of family harmony.
Emperor Shizu himself ascended the throne at the age of 15, abdicated at the age of 60, and lived for another 30 years after abdicating, reaching the age of 90.
He had seen his grandchildren secure the throne and died when his great-grandson had reached adulthood.
For more than seventy years, Emperor Shizu taught four generations of royal family members through words and deeds, and established the order and rules for competition within the royal family.
The current emperor Zhu Zhongliang is the fifth generation emperor counting from Shizu. He still instinctively maintains the habits of Shizu's era, and his love for his descendants is still natural.
What everyone didn't expect was that the old emperor's actions were indeed as everyone expected, but Zhu Jingyuan, a half-year-old boy, refused.
The ninth son of the emperor, Zhu Jianfeng, was stunned for a moment when he heard Zhu Jingyuan's words, and then winked crazily at the father and son, Zhu Jianyan and Zhu Jingyuan.
But both father and son were unmoved, and both understood the reason why Zhu Jingyuan had to stay.
