Huangming

Chapter 23: Ascending the throne and proclaiming himself emperor, taking the title Tianqi.

September 6th of the first year of the Taichang reign.

early morning.

The fog had not yet lifted, and dawn was approaching but not yet breaking.

That day, the entire city of Beijing became lively.

The Ming Dynasty is about to welcome a new emperor.

The Forbidden City was bustling with activity.

Countless palace servants, soldiers, and officials moved about among them.

In every palace within the Forbidden City, sacrificial offerings and incense were placed.

at the same time.

Qianqing Palace.

Inside the main hall.

Zhu Youxiao, dressed in a mourning robe, knelt before Zhu Changluo's coffin.

"By the late Emperor, I have received his edict and entrusted with the imperial throne."

After speaking, he bowed four times before stopping.

Having received his orders, Zhu Youxiao removed his mourning clothes and put on the imperial robes that symbolized supreme imperial power.

The imperial robe consists of a black upper garment and a yellow lower garment, with twelve embroidered patterns.

The outer garment is woven with the sun, moon, stars, mountains, dragons, and pheasants.

The inner garment is embroidered with ancestral vessels, waterweed, fire, rice grains, axe, and axe.

The crown is round in the front and square in the back, with a black exterior and a red lining.

With just this attire and his handsome appearance befitting a descendant of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Youxiao already exuded an aura of royalty.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Youxiao rode in the imperial carriage toward the Meridian Gate.

At this moment, outside the Meridian Gate, the courtiers knelt in submission.

The crowd lined up in order, starting with Fang Congzhe, Liu Yizhu, and other cabinet ministers, stretching out from the Meridian Gate all the way to the edge of the imperial city.

At that very moment, the Meridian Gate swung open, and Wei Chao, holding a scroll, rushed out, shouting:

"The Emperor has ascended the throne; you shall receive this decree!!"

Immediately, the drums set up by the Imperial Observatory sounded.

Above the Meridian Gate, attendants such as the Master of Ceremonies, the Palace Guards, and other attendants filed out to clear a path for the welcoming party.

The Imperial Guards followed closely behind, carrying cloud-shaped canopies and cloud-shaped discs.

The new emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Youxiao, dressed in imperial robes, soon made his appearance.

Looking down from his vantage point, he saw countless subjects kneeling in a dense, prostrate mass.

Even though later generations were used to grand scenes, Zhu Youxiao still felt somewhat suffocated by this sight.

But he took a deep breath and quickly returned to normal.

Zhu Youxiao unfurled the edict of succession and performed the ceremony of informing Heaven and Earth.

He stood tall and straight, facing the heavens and earth with a devout expression, as if telling the gods and the heavens of his determination to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the world.

Standing beside Zhu Youxiao, Li Jinzhong, a eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial, immediately shouted, "An imperial edict has been issued!"

Immediately, the eunuchs on duty shouted in unison, "An imperial edict has been issued!"

The sound carried directly beyond the Meridian Gate. Beneath the gate, the assembled officials knelt and cried out, "Your Majesty, we humbly await your decree!"

Zhu Youxiao's voice came out immediately.

"I, at a young age, inherited this great undertaking. I am deeply grateful for the heavy trust placed in me by the late Emperor and, following the sincere urging of my subjects, I have thus established this magnificent foundation and humbly received this auspicious mandate."

The eunuchs on either side immediately acted as megaphones, amplifying Zhu Youxiao's voice to the area below the Meridian Gate.

"The imperial throne cannot remain vacant for long, and the great lineage should be returned to the rightful ruler. I respectfully follow the Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty and ascend the throne on the Bingxu day of the ninth month. Let the following year be the first year of the Tianqi era, and let the world begin anew."

“Before September of the first year of Taichang, all officials, soldiers and civilians, except for those who plotted rebellion, high treason, sons and grandsons murdering their grandparents or parents, wives and concubines killing their husbands, servants killing their masters, using witchcraft and sorcery, or treacherous parties disrupting the government, are pardoned, whether they have been discovered or not.”

"The provincial mining tax supervisors have been harassing the people for a long time, and they should all be abolished. Those taxes already collected by the government should be transferred to the Taicang granary to supplement the Liaodong military expenditure."

"The officials who were previously punished for offering advice, such as Zou Yuanbiao and Feng Congwu, have all been reinstated to their original positions to demonstrate our sincerity in seeking out virtuous people and accepting their advice."

"The soldiers of the nine border regions have endured hardship and deserve our sympathy. The Ministry of Revenue is hereby ordered to promptly allocate 500,000 taels of silver as a reward. Furthermore, the embezzlement of military pay must be strictly investigated, and any violations will be punished."

"For the disaster-stricken prefectures and counties such as Shuntian, Yongping, and Baoding, seven-tenths of the taxes and levies will be waived this year. The relevant officials are still ordered to open the granaries to provide relief and prevent people from being displaced."

Zhu Youxiao finished reading the imperial edict, but the eunuchs continued to read it aloud.

At this moment, the officials were still kneeling and listening to the imperial edict. After the edict was read, they could enter the Wenhua Hall through the Meridian Gate to pay homage to the new emperor.

After completing the ceremony at the Meridian Gate, Zhu Youxiao rushed to the Fengxian Hall to pay homage to his ancestors.

Before the ancestral tablets, he slowly knelt down and performed the ritual of five bows and three kowtows.

After this series of rituals, Zhu Youxiao couldn't remember how many times he had knelt that day.

All I know is that my knee is aching slightly.

As dawn broke, the palace resounded with the deafening chimes of bells and drums.

The Imperial Guards had already prepared a grand procession, exuding an imposing aura.

Zhu Youxiao, dressed in a royal robe and with a majestic bearing, ascended the throne in the rear hall of Wenhua Palace.

Civil and military officials, dressed in court robes, stood in neat rows on the steps inside and outside the Wenhua Gate, each with a respectful expression and eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new emperor.

Officials from the Court of State Ceremonial led the stewards slowly into the rear hall of the Wenhua Temple.

As the ceremony was about to take place, in accordance with the old system, an imperial edict was issued ordering all officials to refrain from presenting memorials or offering congratulations.

After the imperial decree was delivered, the officials were led to their respective positions and loudly offered their praise.

Subsequently, the officials in charge of the service stepped forward and requested that the emperor ascend the throne.

"Your Majesty, we respectfully request that you ascend the throne!"

After a while.

Amidst the sounds of ceremonial music, Zhu Youxiao steadily walked out of the central gate and ascended the throne of imperial power step by step.

In an instant, the Imperial Guards cracked their whips, the crisp, loud sound echoing inside and outside the palace.

Officials from the Court of State Ceremonial loudly offered their congratulations, and all the officials bowed in response.

"Long live your Majesty! Long live! Long live!"

Thus, the grand ceremony for Zhu Youxiao's ascension to the throne was completed.

And the Ming Dynasty finally welcomed its fifteenth emperor.

PS:

The enthronement ceremonies of each emperor in the Ming Dynasty were different. This enthronement ceremony was based on the "Veritable Records of Emperor Xizong of Ming" and has been adapted.

(End of this chapter)