Chapter 16 fourth quarter

Chen Shengwen was explained, and then the Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was sent to prepare for the initial funeral ceremony. The "contingency" measures in the palace came to an end, and Gu ordered the eight ministers to move to the military plane to go to the meeting.What is discussed here is not the private affairs of the court, but the top priority of the country to be announced to the "subjects of the world". The first thing proposed is the moment and ceremony of the "emperor"'s accession to the throne. At that time, Zaiyuan spoke first: "As the saying goes, 'a country cannot live without a king', what should we do now? Let's come up with an idea!"

This is a big matter, and I will not make any rash proposals for a while.Sushun became impatient, pointed at Mu Yin and said, "Come next, you should talk first!" Mu Yin cleared his throat, and stated his opinion slowly: "Since ancient times, princes have always ascended the throne. However, this dynasty has its own system. We'd better follow the established rules to avoid gossip." "If it's a rule, it has to be done according to the example of Lord Kangxi." Duanhua wiped a finger of snuff, snuffed his nose, and shook his head: "It's been so long. Where can I find the successful cases from that year?"

"I do remember," Kuang Yuan interjected, "Emperor Zhang Bintian, Emperor Ren of the Great Ancestor, Eight Lingjian, at that time they were dressed first, and then issued the edict. The next day, they ascended the throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony and issued an edict. Change Yuan." "That's right!" Zai Yuan nodded and said, "Emperors of all dynasties are all seated in the Hall of Supreme Harmony." "It's not bad! I don't think it makes any sense!" Sushun shouted.Although Zaiyuan was appointed as Prince Yi and was the oldest, he was Sushun's nephew in terms of seniority, so he was very rude to refute his words: "According to what you said, if you don't return to Beijing, the country will not be able to have a day." emperor?"

"Don't be impatient," Zaiyuan's self-cultivation is very good, "I was discussing what to do, you can ask Jiyuan, maybe he has a good idea." Du Han had already researched this important matter, and he was confident, and he said calmly: "The words of Lie Gong are all right, 'A country cannot live without a king', the crown prince should 'ascend the throne before the coffin', but he must follow the principles According to the family law of the court, a grand ceremony is held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and an imperial edict is issued to change the Yuan Dynasty."

These words covered everything, no one could offend them, but they felt empty, and there seemed to be some contradictions, but Duanhua, who was in the dark in his stomach, just heard it, and hurriedly asked: "Jiyuan, what do you mean? He also said that he was enthroned in front of the coffin, and he also said that he will hold a grand ceremony in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Is it two thrones?" "Responding to the prince's words," Du Han replied: "The crown prince ascends the throne before the coffin, and the grand ceremony in the Hall of Supreme Harmony is the enthronement ceremony. They are two different things!"

"Ah, ah!" Duanhua was quite appreciative: "That makes sense!" This time Duhan became more eloquent: "It is said that it should be done according to the usual practice. There is an example. Forty-one years ago, it was also July, and on July 25, Emperor Renzongrui died here. The princes and ministers followed the rules. Zhu Yu, please invite Emperor Xuanzongcheng to ascend the throne. On the same day, he will honorably return to Beijing from the Zigong Palace, and hold the enthronement ceremony in the Hall of Supreme Harmony on August 27. It can also be done now, first invite the young master to ascend the throne, and the name will be corrected, and the rest will be done. It's all easy!"

This method is completely in line with Sushun's wishes. If the young master does not ascend the throne, Minister Gu Ming will not be able to use "shangyu" to order the whole country, so after listening to Du Han's words, he immediately said loudly: "Great! Let's do it this way. Jiyuan, He asked again: "Then when is the most suitable time for the young master to ascend the throne?" "It's best to do it together with the enthroned and ready-made clothes when the emperor of Daxing is making a small burial." "Okay!" Sushun ordered: "Chuan Qin Tianjian."

When the official from Qin Tianjian came to choose the time to choose Xiaoyu, the official replied: "Today is the best time to apply for Zhengzheng!" "Bastard, what's a good time?" Sushun shouted, "National mourning is a terrible event, what good time can we choose?" The refutation is reasonable, but why did he lose his temper so much?The official of the Qin Tianjian was so frightened that his face turned blue. Everyone present also felt that Sushun was going too far, but only Duhan understood where his temper came from?Shen Zheng's sun is about to go down, and the young master will only ascend the throne at that time, if he can't issue an edict to do things, this day will be a waste of time.

Of course, this meaning cannot be stated clearly. Du Han thought of a good reason to explain: "The weather is hot, and the body of the Emperor Daxing should not be placed for too long." , think again!" The official was also quite alert, but just now he was stunned by Sushun's head-on reprimand, when he heard Du Han's pointing, he suddenly realized, and immediately pretended to count with his fingers for a while, and calmly replied: "Xiao Yi Chenzheng is suitable for the second quarter, and Shenzheng is suitable for the big funeral." He no longer said "good time", but only said "it is suitable".

Du Han nodded, appreciating his understanding, but the small funeral should be early, and the big funeral might as well be calm, so he turned to look at Sushun and said, "How about Zhongtang? I'm afraid I won't be able to prepare for the big funeral." Sushun took out a huge Western gold watch from his purse, lifted the watch cover and looked at it. At this time, according to the Western calculation method, the time was six o'clock, and the second quarter of the day was half past eight, and there were still two and a half hours. Woke up, the time was just right, Shenzheng's funeral was indeed too hasty, "The funeral will be tomorrow morning!" He said.

"Tomorrow morning's funeral, it's better to take the second quarter of the first lunar month!" At this moment, the officials of the Qin Tianjian rushed to answer without waiting for Du Han to send a message. It was nine thirty on the second quarter of the first lunar month, neither early nor late, and it was considered appropriate. Sushun nodded, and the matter was considered a foregone conclusion. The second important matter that needs to be decided urgently is to appoint the "Minister of Funeral Rituals". This list has been decided in the water pavilion of Sushun's house long ago, just take it out and read it over. Then they discussed the wording of the mourning edict, which was drafted by Jiao Youying according to Du Han's proposal.He also talked about the matter of "respecting Zigong to return to Beijing". The "big poles" that required 128 people to carry along the roads and bridges must be repaired as soon as possible. He decided to immediately order Wen Yu, the acting governor of Zhili, to come to Rehe. Negotiate everything.There are many other important matters, but I have no time to think about them at the moment. After seeing the queen mother, I have to prepare for the important event of the crown prince, the emperor's throne. So Gu ordered the eight ministers, except Jingshou, to enter the palace together.The eunuch reported to the Queen Mother and summoned him immediately. When they met, they naturally cried bitterly. After crying for a while, the young queen mother wiped her tears and said sadly: "Look, Emperor Daxing left us orphans and widows and died! You are all loyal ministers of the late emperor. You have to do your best! Please stand up and speak." "Yes, yes!" Zaiyuan knelt on the ground and replied, "Slaves, entrusted by Emperor Daxing, must be loyal and help protect the young master. Please don't worry, Queen Mother." After finishing speaking, everyone kowtowed together and stood. When he got up, Zaiyuan turned around and said, "Sushun, play back the things we discussed with the Queen Mother!" Sushun remembered the late emperor's instructions, and paid special respect to the Empress Dowager. He knelt down in front of the empress dowager respectfully. According to the established practice after Renzong's death, the crown prince ascended to the throne first, and then returned to Beijing for the ascension ceremony, as well as the small funeral and the big funeral. The moment, clearly said it again. "Since you have discussed it, let's do it like this!" The queen mother asked again: "When will it be ready?" "I wanted to wear it for a small funeral. There are too many filial piety clothes, and it is too late to make them. Please ask the Queen Mother's order, can I make a big funeral?" "Yes, there are too many filial piety clothes." The queen mother asked again: "You asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to distribute the white cloth early, so that the girls in the palaces can rush to do it overnight." "Yes, the slave has already taken care of it. When the head of the respect room sends the list, I will send it out." Sushun said while taking out a list: "I will play with the Queen Mother again, and I will respect the funeral minister. A list was drawn up, Prince Rui Renshou, Prince Yu Yidao, Prince Gong Yixin, Prince Chun Yilan, University scholar Zhou Zupei, co-organizer of the university scholar Sushun, Minister of the Ministry of Family Affairs, Minister of the Ministry of Officials Quanqing, Chen Fuen, Minister of the Ministry of Industry Miansen, right servant Duhan, ten people in total, Prince Yu, Prince Gong, Zhou Zupei, Quanqing, are still staying in Beijing to handle business." That is to say, only Chen Fuen can come to Rehe. The Queen Mother didn't care about Chen Fuen, but Prince Gong. "Is Prince Gong also staying in Beijing?" She asked disapprovingly. "Western affairs must be done by Prince Gong, and after Zi Palace returns to Beijing, the funeral ceremony is heavy, so Prince Gong must preside over it in Beijing." "Your words are also good." The queen mother had nothing to say, so she had to agree. So Minister Gu Ming, knelt down and withdrew, and hurried to find Jingshou, teaching the crown prince, who had actually become the emperor, how to "see the burial in person", how to ask for sacrifices and ascend the throne, and most importantly, how to let the six-year-old The young master understands that his identity is different, he is the master of the world's subjects! It is not easy to explain these important and complicated changes to the hysterical crown prince in a short period of time, and Jing Shou is not good at words, so this difficult task It fell on Zhang Wenliang, talking and comparing, sweating profusely.Fortunately, during the three months in the study, his master Li Hongzao had enlightened him about this, and the Crown Prince finally understood it roughly. "Looking back, I am the emperor," he said, "what I say is the imperial decree." "Yes, yes!" Zhang Wenliang felt relieved, "The crown prince is so smart!" "Become the emperor, can't you still go to the study?" "Naturally!" Now it was Jing Shou who replied, "If you don't go to the study, you can't read, you don't know the truth, how will you manage the state affairs in the future?" "What do you mean by 'governing the country'? " "That, that is to say, for major events inside and out, the emperor will do whatever he says!" "Really?" The crown prince stared blankly with his small eyes, "If I say kill people, I will kill them?" "The crown prince must not say such a thing!" Jing Shou took out his uncle's identity and said with a somber face, "To be an emperor, you must love the people like your own son, so you can kill people casually?" The crown prince fell silent, but Zhang Wenliang murmured in his heart, if the crown prince, now on the throne, really said murderous words and let the queen mother know, it must be said that the left and right eunuchs are instigating, then it will be very bad luck. Therefore, when Zhang Wenliang waited for Jingshou to be away, he asked in a low voice, "Who is the crown prince going to kill?" In the past three months, the crown prince has made great progress in recognizing the font size and writing imitation styles. He can write a few straight and simple characters, and when he encounters an opportunity, he will show his hand. At this time, he said: "Extend your hand!" Zhang Wenliang knew that what the crown prince said was to write in the palm of his hand, so he quickly stretched out his palm, and the crown prince wrote three words one by one: "Xiao'anzi". The crown prince couldn't even write his own name, but he happened to be able to write the three characters "Xiao'anzi". The eunuchs and maids all believed in fate, and even more believed that the emperor was "Jinkou", and he was what he said. "It's broken!" Zhang Wenliang said in his heart, "Xiao Anzi's head will be lost sooner or later!" Having said that, Zhang Wenliang didn't think that he didn't do his own thing, so he could ignore it. On the contrary, he had a serious concern. Concubine Yigui was about to take power. He can't afford to offend the two slaves, so he must not let his little master say that he wants to kill An Dehai!As long as you say it, it will be heard by Concubine Yigui or An Dehai, and then you will be the first to bear the brunt. I was thinking about it, and I had to think of a way to let the crown prince, who was open-mouthed, know that this sentence could not be said. Words had come in from outside, saying that the time for the Emperor Daxing's small burial was coming, and the crown prince was invited to salute.Then, Jing Shou personally came to greet him, accompanied by Zhang Wenliang step by step, and welcomed the Crown Prince to Yanbo Zhishuang Hall. Inside and outside the palace, the princes and ministers, as well as the emperor's close ministers who were on duty in the inner court, stood solemnly in order of rank.Seeing so many people, the crown prince didn't feel timid, and hid on Zhang Wenliang, but suddenly stopped, and shouted loudly: "Master!" Li Hongzao was the only one of the courtiers, including the crown prince's uncle, to be honored, the master was really flattered! But the emperor had just passed away, so it was inconvenient to greet him with a smile, so he hurried out of the class and knelt down, and said in a mournful voice: "Please the crown prince's condolences and condolences, to complete the great gift." How can the crown prince understand these two sentences?I just looked at the master in a daze.Su Shunke said: "Master Li, please get up!" Although the wording was polite, his voice seemed rather impatient. Li Hongzao himself felt that the two sentences he said were utter nonsense, but the morning shift was no better than a study room, so what else could he say?The big ceremony was waiting in front of him, and he didn't dare to delay any longer, so he said again: "The crown prince, please go in!" The crown prince listened to the master very much, and the master walked away immediately after he said it.At this time, only Prince Jinzhi and Minister Gu Ming accompanied him.When he arrived at the East Nuan Pavilion, the crown prince saw "Ama" lying upright on the imperial couch with a white silk covering his face. He was a little scared, so he hid behind Zhang Wenliang, and refused to stand no matter how Zhang Wenliang coaxed him in a low voice. come to the front. When Xiaoyu started, there was something that aroused the crown prince's great interest, so he naturally stood in front of it to watch.As usual, when Xiaoyi dresses the dead, one person first makes a clothes rack, puts them on one by one, and then takes them off and puts them on the stiff corpse. The eldest son, or the great-grandson, the emperor's great funeral is naturally served by the heir, but the crown prince is too young, so Sushun ordered the chief eunuch, Ma Ye, to find someone else to replace him.So there were three or four young eunuchs, after discussing it, they went to Ma Ye and said, "Long Live Lord is in Japan, and Ruyi is the most favored, and I should let Ruyi serve this errand." It's a chore.Standing on Fang Cheng, Ruyi stretched her arms, and put on thirteen dragon robes one by one, from yarn to satin, from single to cotton, from midsummer to midwinter.The crown prince felt ridiculous when he saw Ruyi wearing a dragon robe, but once he wore so many, he felt even rarer. This side is putting on clothes, and the other side is already grooming the remains of Emperor Daxing. Usually, it is the errand of Ruyi and another eunuch Xi'er to attend to the washroom. At this time, only Xi'er is on duty.He pretended that the emperor was still alive, and when he entered a toilet, he said: "Long live God uses mouthwash" and "Long live God washes his face".Finally, he said: "Long Live Lord, please send!" After finishing speaking, he wrung a hot towel and covered Emperor Daxing's cheeks, then took out a bright razor, and sharpened it twice in the palm of his hand, intending to shave his face. Line the emperor's beard. After shaving her face, Xi'er knelt down and braided her hair again, and then Ma Ye led four eunuchs to put on the thirteen dragon robes that Ruyi had prepared for Emperor Daxing, plus a brand new Shi Qingning satin dragon coat, and five-color tuo The compass is tightly packed.The small mortuary was completed, and the "few feasts" were set up as an ebony table with four corners covered with gold, on which was a gold-encrusted green jade wine cup for the emperor's daily use. With a big gift, Ma Ye took the glass of wine outside the hall, knelt up and sprinkled it.Then the imperial dining room served meals in front of the spirit, and the Crown Prince, the ministers and eunuchs present mourned in unison.The preliminary "Feng'an" ceremony is completed in this way. At that time, a throne covered with bright yellow chairs had already been set up in the center of Yanbo Zhishuang Hall, the princes and ministers were lined up according to their ranks, Sushun and Jingshou led the Crown Prince to the seat, the sound of the net whip sounded, there was no sound, just listen The praises of Honglu Temple were praised loudly, and the officials tended to kneel and bow, which was also the most respectful salute—from this moment on, the six-year-old crown prince would be called "emperor" by the queen mother, and called "emperor" by the courtiers. "Emperor", eunuchs and court ladies are called "Long Live Lord". When the emperor came to the throne, he had to send officials to pay homage to the Heaven and Earth Ancestral Temple. This was handled by the officials of the Ministry of Rites. The first thing he had to do was to meet the Queen Mother.The little emperor didn't understand the principles of these etiquettes at all, and at the mercy of others, he arrived at the Empress Dowager's bedroom, kowtowed, got up from the ground, took off his big hat and threw it aside, and shouted loudly: "I'm hungry! Get something to eat, hurry up!" ,quick!" So Shuangxi hurriedly shouted outside the door: "Long live Lord pass on the food!" This is the first time this new "Long Live Lord" has been served, and everyone is still not sure about the rules, so they just summoned him according to the established routine, and passed it to the imperial dining room. Can this table of imperial dining be handled for a while?Then forget it. "Don't talk like this!" The queen mother said, holding the little emperor's hand, "You should remember that you are the emperor now! Be prudent in your words and deeds, yelling is inappropriate. do you know? " The little emperor listened to the aunt's words the most, although he didn't quite understand, he still nodded deeply and said, "I know." "Double Happiness!" The Empress Dowager sympathized with her servants, and ordered: "You pass it to the respect room. From today onwards, unless there are any special accidents, you don't have to serve the emperor alone, and eat with me sooner or later." "yes!" "Also," the Queen said again, "Look if you have any snacks, bring some plates first." The Empress Dowager's favorite leisure snacks, there are many delicate snacks, and then put four plates, and put milk tea in a yellow bowl, and put them on the kang table together for the little emperor to enjoy. The Empress Dowager watched him eat snacks and asked about the salute just now. Zhang Wenliang knelt outside the door and picked out a nice rendition.The queen mother heard that the little emperor was able to cope with such a big scene, and she was not disgraceful. She was quite comforted, and she kept praising: "This is the best!" Then she ordered Zhang Wenliang: "When the emperor has used the snacks, you can take them to the table. See Concubine Yigui." This remark reminded Zhang Wenliang, who broke out in a cold sweat, and said to himself: "Oops, oops, it's really terribly bad! Forget such an important sentence!" It is such an important sentence. After the emperor ascends the throne, he should announce to the princes and ministers: "Feng'er Niang is the queen mother!" Zhang Wenliang felt uneasy because the little emperor wanted to kill Xiao Anzi, and he forgot about this important matter without a trace! In this way, Zhang Wenliang added an extra concern, the only thing he could do was to hope that the little emperor would have another chance to meet Minister Gu Ming on this day, and he could make amends, otherwise, he would not be able to invite Dowager Yigui's forgiveness anyway! After the little emperor ate his snack, Shuangxi wiped his face with a towel; the queen mother said, "Go to your mother-in-law! Say she's not feeling well, be good, don't upset her." Therefore, Zhang Wenliang had no choice but to bite the bullet and serve.When I arrived at Yigui Dowager's palace, I felt strange as soon as I entered the door, she was silent, and the eunuchs and maids all had uneasy expressions on their faces.When the emperor arrived, they all knelt down naturally, and only then did they make a slight sound.Xiao Anzi heard it from the house, lifted the curtain and came out, and hurriedly picked him up on the spot, but his expression was very ugly. "Go and report, Lord Long Live came to greet Concubine Yigui." Zhang Wenliang said. "Toffee is ill and just fell asleep." It's true that she was sick, but it was a lie to say "just fell asleep". Concubine Yigui was very angry, and she had already told Xiao Anzi that the little emperor came to see her, so she used this as an excuse, no see! The first one is Su Shun's Qi.As soon as he received Xiao Anzi's report, saying that Sushun ordered the respect room, the queen was called the empress dowager, and when Chen Shengwen reminded him, he still regarded her as the "twilight concubine" like other concubines, which was intentional. Immediately, he became irritable. The second is to be angry with the little emperor.I have taught it so many times, but I still haven't said the sentence "Feng Erniang is the queen mother"!She didn't expect Zhang Wenliang to be responsible, she only hated her son for being unfilial, and now her anger became heavier. Of course Zhang Wenliang knew the reason for Concubine Yigui's illness, and he could hide it for a while, so he replied briskly: "Since the concubine has just fallen asleep, it is not appropriate to disturb, and the Lord Long Live will come back to say hello!" He hugged the little emperor and left. Concubine Yigui lay on the bed and heard these situations clearly.Only then did I realize that Zhang Wenliang might be playing tricks. Thinking about it again, Zhang Wenliang was always cautious and never dared to do this.After all, my son was always too thin-natured, otherwise he wouldn't have heard that his biological mother was sick, so he wouldn't have asked. "In the future, we must discipline him well!" Dowager Yigui gritted her teeth and made up her mind. But what about now?She had always planned to be the empress dowager on the same day as the empress, and her son would become the emperor, so the birth mother would naturally be the empress dowager. At this moment, she would have to meet the empress dowager as a concubine, no matter what, she was unwilling!However, during the funeral ceremony, there are many places where it is necessary to show up with the queen mother, so how do you deal with yourself?After thinking about it for a long time, there was only one way: make excuses. So, she found Xiao Anzi and gave him a set of instructions.Xiao Anzi knew in his heart that if Concubine Yigui was not crowned queen mother, she would not meet another queen mother.This is a very troublesome matter, and we have to go to the Queen Mother's Palace to find out the news. At this time, the respect room notified: According to the book, get the white cloth, and rush to make filial piety.Xiao Anzi personally led someone to fetch it down, and after seeing Concubine Yigui, he set up a chopping board in the backyard, summoned the maids, and started working one after another.After arranging all this, I went to the Empress Dowager's Palace to watch the scenery. There were a lot of people in the Empress Dowager's palace, and the making of filial piety clothes became more and more lively. Xiao Anzi looked around, not wanting to meet the Empress Dowager, so he quickly knelt down to pay her respects. "Is something wrong?" asked the Queen Mother. You can't say that there is nothing wrong, what are you doing here?Xiao Anzi had no choice but to reply: "Your servant has something to say, let's start playing for the Empress Dowager." "Just say it here!" "The slave master ordered the servant to say that the queen mother must be very sad when the emperor Daxing passed away! The slave master was anxious to come to say hello, but the slave master was also anxious and painful because of a 'big event'. , lying on the bed, unable to move, feeling very anxious, asked the slave to take a look. The master of the slave also said, if the queen mother asks, let the servant play for her: Now all major affairs, both internal and external, depend on the queen mother, please be sure to ask her condolences, So that we can maintain the overall situation." Xiao Anzi is famous for his ability to speak nonsense with staring eyes, and his face does not change. Sometimes he can't tell a lie, because he has a thick skin and pretends to be real.But at this moment, the lie was made up extremely cleverly. It not only concealed his intention of coming, but also pretended to be sick for Concubine Yigui. The queen mother was very moved. So the queen mother frowned and asked: "I also heard that your master is not feeling well, I don't know that the disease is so serious! Has it been passed on to the imperial physician?" "Slave master is not called biography! He said that everyone is busy with the emperor's important affairs inside and out at the moment, so don't cause trouble for them!" Xiao Anzi paused for a while and said: "Slave master is sick, take a pulse and take medicine , it doesn't work at all, as long as you rest quietly for a day and a half, it will be fine." "Since that's the case, she won't have to come out when I go back and offer a drink to Emperor Daxing." The queen then ordered, "Go back and pass on my words, and let your master take good care of you. You might as well wait for Emperor Daxing to be buried tomorrow before coming back." Salute!" "yes!" "Let me also ask you, what did the emperor talk about when he went to your master just now?" This question just gave Xiao Anzi a chance to slander Zhang Wenliang, "If you go back to the Queen Mother, the Lord Long Live has never seen the slave master." He said, "The Lord Long Live arrived. The slave master was in pain for a while and just fell asleep. Played the Long Live Lord, intending to wake up the slave master, Zhang Wenliang said: "No need, no need, let's go!" Grandpa can't help it." "Is it like this?" The queen mother was surprised and displeased, but she didn't say any more. Xiao Anzi looked speechless, kowtowed and retreated.Thinking back to the conversation just now, I feel very proud, especially Concubine Yigui's pretending to be sick. I was afraid that I would not be able to pretend to be sick. The national funeral ceremony is hard to escape, and I didn't want to get the Queen Mother's promise lightly and skillfully. This is a great achievement, so I have to go back and report it quickly.