Chapter 24 Lecture 07 Taihe Grand Ceremony

Let me talk about the coronation ceremony first.It is the enthronement ceremony of the emperor.Fengtian Hall (Huangji Hall, Hall of Supreme Harmony) was opened on the first day of the first lunar month in the 19th year of Yongle (1421), and it was burned down three times in the Ming Dynasty.Because the reconstruction project was too huge, seven of the fourteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty in Beijing (Yongle, Hongxi, Xuande, Zhengtong, Jingtai, Taichang, and Tianqi) did not ascend to the throne here.The emperors who held the ascension ceremony in the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Qing Dynasty included Emperor Yongzheng and the emperors after him.

Let's talk about the wedding ceremony.The big wedding held in Fengtian Hall (Huangji Hall, Taihe Hall) should be for young emperors, because adult emperors have been married before ascension to the throne, only young emperors can enshrine a queen on the emperor's throne and hold a big wedding ceremony .In this way, in the Ming Dynasty, only two young emperors, the Zhengtong Emperor (9 years old) and the Wanli Emperor (10 years old), completed their weddings during their tenure as emperor.When Zhu Qizhen, the orthodox emperor, held his wedding ceremony in the Fengtian Hall that had just been renovated, the smell of paint hadn't completely dissipated.Although Emperor Wanli had the last fire in the Huangji Hall in the Ming Dynasty, he managed to get married before that.Therefore, in the Ming Dynasty, only two emperors used Fengtian Hall for their wedding ceremonies.In the Qing Dynasty, four young emperors, Shunzhi (6 years old), Kangxi (8 years old), Tongzhi (6 years old) and Guangxu (4 years old), held a grand wedding ceremony in the Hall of Supreme Harmony (Puyi had already abdicated when he got married, although he ascended the throne at the age of 3).

What is the fate of the queens who were established and held a big wedding ceremony in the Hall of Supreme Harmony?Empress Qian of Ming Yingzong, after her husband was captured, recorded in the history books: "Weeping at the sky at night, lying on the ground when tired, losing one share; crying again, losing one eye." ) Empress Qian is lame in one leg and blind in one eye, and has yet to give birth to a son, which is really pitiful.The Wanli Emperor and Empress Wang, because her husband favored Concubine Zheng, she was lonely and desolate all night long.Emperor Shunzhi and Empress Borzigit of the Qing Dynasty were abolished, and Empress Hesheli of Emperor Kangxi died at the age of 22 due to dystocia with the abolished prince Yinreng.Empress Arute of Tongzhi died more than 70 days after the death of her husband, saying that she died of a hunger strike, or that she died because of empress dowager Cixi who swallowed gold. (Volume 2 of "The Four Spectrums of the Qing Imperial Family") As for Emperor Guangxu's Longyu Empress Yehenala, not only did her husband not love her, but she also died at the age of 46 after signing the "Decree of Xunguo".The endings of the six empresses who held their weddings in the Hall of Supreme Harmony (Fengtian Hall, Huangji Hall) in the Ming and Qing Dynasties—the ones who died of anger, those who died of illness, those who died of swallowing gold, and those who died after being boiled, were all unfortunate.

Let's talk about the ceremony.After Yongle established the capital in Beijing, he conquered it himself, and the Fengtian Temple was burned.When the orthodox emperor personally conquered Oala, Mongolia, he was in a hurry, disorderly, and in a panic, so he couldn't care less about holding a grand ceremony for his personal conquest!During Emperor Zhengde's personal conquest, he was afraid that his ministers would remonstrate him, so he made a small plan and carried it out secretly, and did not hold a grand ceremony.In the Qing Dynasty, only Emperor Kangxi personally conquered it, but held a grand ceremony in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.It can be seen that during the 500 years of the 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the only emperor who held a personal conquest ceremony in the Hall of Supreme Harmony was Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty who held a personal conquest ceremony for Galdan.

The grand ceremonies held in the Fengtian Hall (Huangji Hall, Taihe Hall) during the Ming and Qing Dynasties should be both grand and solemn, but sometimes they were both capricious and child's play, leaving behind many absurd stories. Let me tell you the story of Emperor Zhengde first.As mentioned earlier, Emperor Zhengde didn't like reading since he was a child, but liked hunting; he was a majestic emperor and wanted to be a "general".On the thirteenth day of the first lunar month in the twelfth year of Zhengde (1517), before dawn, Emperor Zhengde went to the Temple of Heaven to offer sacrifices, and then went hunting in Nanyuan (Nanhaizi).At dawn, the civil and military ministers first chased to the Temple of Heaven, then the emperor went to Nanyuan; the ministers chased to Nanyuan again, but the gate of the garden was closed and they could not enter.In the afternoon, the decree was delivered: let the ministers return to Chengtianmen (Tiananmen) and wait.In the middle of the night, the emperor drove to the palace, and the Yufengtian Hall (Huangji Hall, Taihe Hall) received court congratulations. No candles were lit, and it was pitch black, and all the officials were asked to kneel in front of the Fengtian Hall.In the middle of the night, another banquet was held in the Fengtian Hall for civil and military officials, pilgrimage officials and Siyi tribute envoys. (Volume 145 of "Records of Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty") It was freezing cold, and in the middle of the night, the courtiers were summoned to the main hall, where they knelt and kowtowed.Chaohe was originally a grand royal ceremony, with strict rules and regulations, making Emperor Zhengde make such a fuss, it became a child's play, and suddenly lost his majesty.

Let's talk about the story of Emperor Jiajing.In the twenty-ninth year of Jiajing (1550), the Mongolian Altan Khan's army broke through Gubeikou and entered Miyun. The mausoleum of the Ming Emperor (the Ming Tombs are within the boundaries of Changping), is equivalent to sweeping the suburbs of today’s northern Beijing counties.So "the capital is under martial law, and the kings of the towns are called."The courtiers were very anxious, but Emperor Jiajing hadn't been in court for a long time, and he couldn't play in person due to important military and political affairs.The ministers took turns asking the emperor to come out to discuss matters, but Emperor Jiajing always refused.Thanks to the insistence of Xu Jie, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, the emperor finally agreed.One day, the ministers filed into the court at dawn and waited respectfully for the emperor.When will Emperor Jiajing come out? "History of Ming Dynasty" said that it was the time of "sun (bu)". "晡" refers to Shen time, which is from 3:00 to 5:00 in the afternoon.When Emperor Jiajing arrived at the Fengtian Hall, he looked at the civil and military ministers of the Manchu Dynasty who had been waiting for a whole day, and without saying a word, he gave Xu Jie an imperial edict, asking him to lead everyone to the Meridian Gate, "responsible!"The poor ministers of the Ming Dynasty wanted to protect Zhu's surname with all their heart, but they were rejected at first, then they were punished to stand and kneel in disguise, and finally they were scolded, and the matter failed, how frustrated they were!

Then tell the story of Emperor Xuantong.It was Emperor Xuantong who frustrated the ministers of the Qing Dynasty even more.Before the Empress Dowager Cixi passed away, her husband's grandnephew Puyi, who was only three years old, would inherit the throne of Emperor Guangxu, and let her sister's son and Puyi's biological father, Prince Jin Zaifeng, supervise the country.On the ninth day of November in the thirty-fourth year of Guangxu (1908), the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Xuantong was held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.Pu Yi recalled: I was tossed about by them for a long time, and the weather was extremely cold that day, so when they carried me to the Hall of Supreme Harmony and put me on the high and large throne, it had already exceeded my patience limit.My father knelt sideways under the throne on one knee, supported me with both hands, and kept me from moving, but I struggled and cried, "I don't want to stay here, I want to go home! I don't want to stay here, I want to go home!" Father I was so anxious that I was sweating profusely.Civil and military officials kneeled and kowtowed endlessly, and my cries became louder and louder.My father had no choice but to coax me and say: "Don't cry, don't cry, it's almost over, it's almost over!" After the ceremony, all civil and military officials whispered: "How can you say 'almost over'?" But what do you mean?" The princes and ministers were discussing and dejected, thinking that this was an ominous omen for the Qing Dynasty.

"Book of Rites · Book of Music" says: "Rites are the order of heaven and earth." When Xuantong ascended to the extreme, etiquette was out of order and turned into a farce. The fall of the Qing Dynasty and the loss of the country became inevitable.The Revolution of 1911, the establishment of the Republic of China, the abdication of Xuantong, and the end of the monarchy.Forced by Feng Shuai, Puyi left the palace and returned to Prince Chun's North Mansion (now Song Qingling's former residence)—it was really the end of the Qing Dynasty, and it was really Puyi who had returned home!