Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

The Chinese ceremony of coming of age originated in the Zhou Dynasty. According to the Zhou system, the ceremony was held in the ancestral temple. Within ten days before the ceremony, the person receiving the ceremony had to divine an auspicious day, and then inform relatives and friends of the date of the ceremony.

Three days before the coming of age ceremony, the guests of honor for the ceremony are selected, and a "protagonist" is chosen to assist in the ceremony.

During the ceremony, the host, the distinguished guest and the person being crowned all wear formal attire. The host is usually the father of the person being crowned, while the distinguished guest is a person of high moral character and prestige.

First, a black cloth cap is put on, then a leather cap is given, and finally a jade cap is given. After each capping ceremony, the guest of honor reads a blessing speech to the person being capped.

The great guest will then choose a name for him, and the host will then escort the great guest to the gate of the temple and offer him a toast.

At the same time, they were rewarded with bundles of silk and fur, and also given sacrificial meat. The person who received the crown would change into a ceremonial hat and formal suit to pay a visit to the king, and would also hold a wild pheasant and other things to pay a visit to the local officials and others.

The rituals of capping, taking a given name, and paying respects to the ruler have changed in later generations according to time and place.

The ceremony of coming of age began in the Zhou Dynasty and flourished in the Han Dynasty. Over the following thousand years, it was interrupted approximately twice.

One was during the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China, and the other was after the Mongols took control of the Central Plains. During the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang quickly restored the destroyed Chinese etiquette system, and the coming-of-age ceremony achieved a second revival.

Since the first year of the Hongwu reign, everyone from the emperor to the crown prince, officials to ordinary people, had established rituals for the ceremony of coming of age.

Zhang Shikang respected ancient rituals, but hated to participate in lengthy ceremonies, and he did not feel any contradiction at all.

Fortunately, Brother Chongzhen agreed to simplify all the more troublesome parts of the entire ceremony, canceling everything such as what started ten days ago and what started three days ago.

As for divination of an auspicious day, the day decided by the emperor of the day is an auspicious day, and even the king of heaven would have to recognize it.

There was only one day for preparation, and the ceremony was held in the Taimiao, so time was extremely tight.

Logically speaking, the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple should be the ones to handle this kind of matter urgently.

Zhang Shikang originally thought that he was just going through the motions, but Zhang Zhiji and Sun found out that their son's coming-of-age ceremony would not only be hosted by the emperor himself as the guest of honor, but would also be held in the Taimiao.

What is the Taimiao? It is the ancestral temple of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty. It is not only a glory for Zhang Shikang, but also a glory for the lineage of the Duke of Ying.

So starting early the next morning, Sun prepared two large boxes of formal dresses for Zhang Shikang, in various colors and styles.

Zhang Shikang was like a puppet, being directed by his mother and sister to try on clothes.

After trying on the clothes, another family elder came over to tell him the etiquette details of the coming-of-age ceremony.

In the afternoon, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites came to visit in person and repeated the procedures they had agreed upon for holding the coming-of-age ceremony in the Taimiao.

So at night, Zhang Shikang felt even more tired than fighting outside.

That night, Zhang Shikang slept very soundly and slept until early morning.

At this time, outside the Duke of Ying's Mansion, there was already a lot of activity, and the Zhang family's clan elders and peers all came to the Mansion.

Logically speaking, it would be good enough to allow Zhang Zhiji's family to participate in the ceremony held in the Taimiao.

However, Emperor Chongzhen issued a special decree that although the venue was changed to the Taimiao, all members of the Zhang family were still allowed to participate.

This touched Zhang Shikang somewhat. Holding the ceremony in the Taimiao was probably because his brother wanted to let the emperors of all dynasties know that the Ming Dynasty was now experiencing a period of revival.

But agreeing to allow all members of the Zhang family to participate in the ceremony is a sign of respect for Zhang Shikang and the Zhang family.

After all, this is the Zhang family's business.

When Zhang Shikang had a simple breakfast, changed his clothes and came to the yard, hundreds of clan elders and peers greeted him one after another.

These elders and peers basically have no titles, and they all live on the remaining shade of the Duke of England's mansion.

Zhang Shikang's current status in the court has even surpassed that of his father, which is even more remarkable in the eyes of clan elders and peers.

Some elders even instigated their younger generations to come and pay their respects to Zhang Shikang, hoping to become familiar with him.

Looking at the slightly reserved faces of the younger generations in the same clan, Zhang Shikang encouraged them very gently. He chatted and laughed with his peers and maintained due courtesy towards his elders.

The clans at that time were very different from those in later generations, and clan concepts were very important.

The reason is not complicated. After all, this is not an era of complete rule of law, and people of the same ethnic group basically stick together for warmth.

No matter who becomes successful in the clan, he must take care of other members of the clan. If the successful person ignores his fellow clan members, once the news spreads, this person's reputation in the village will be completely ruined, and he will not be able to enter the clan temple even after his death.

Of course, this problem would not arise in the Zhang family. Firstly, Zhang Zhiji was the patriarch of the Zhang family. Secondly, Zhang Zhiji was the hereditary Duke of England. The patriarch of the next generation and the next generation would also be from the lineage of the Duke of England.

Thirdly, Zhang Shikang himself was a hereditary marquis and the most powerful official of the dynasty, and the right-hand man of the current emperor.

Zhang Shikang was naturally not afraid of difficulties within the clan, but no matter what, these were all his fellow clansmen and he could take care of them. He did not favor people based on personal relationships, but basically looked at personal ability. If someone was lazy and good at doing things, he would go back to where he came from.

After only half a quarter of an hour of greeting, the fellow tribesmen around him were full of praise for Zhang Shikang, praising him to the skies.

Zhang Shikang had long been immune to such words that sounded like flattery, and he simply responded with a smile.

Soon, officials from the Honglu Temple reminded the Zhang family to set off.

Zhang Shikang and Zhang Shize got on the same carriage with their father, while Sun, Xing and Zhang Jingyi got on another one, and the rest of the clansmen also got on carriages one after another.

The motorcade followed the officials from the Honglu Temple and after they got onto Chang'an Street, people from the Bingmasi had already begun to maintain order, and the people on the street were watching as if they were enjoying a commotion.

A quarter of an hour later, the convoy arrived outside the Chang'an Left Gate, entered the palace wall from the Chang'an Left Gate, and stopped outside the Chengtian Gate.

Led by the officials of the Honglu Temple, Zhang Zhiji and his family went directly to Chengtian Gate, while the rest of the Zhang family had to undergo strict security checks outside Chengtian Gate.

Chengtian Gate is already within the scope of the imperial city, and the emperor himself is participating in this ceremony, so Zhang Zhiji's family can naturally be exempted from security checks, but the Zhang family members do not have this treatment.

A wide imperial road was paved between Chengtian Gate and Wumen. On the left side of the imperial road was the Altar of Land and Grain, and on the right side was the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

When Zhang Shikang followed his father into the Imperial Ancestral Temple from the right gate, almost all the nobles and relatives in the capital had arrived.

Except for a few officials from the Honglu Temple and the Ministry of Rites, Emperor Chongzhen did not summon any officials to the ceremony.

Zhang Shikang's package of reform plans was enough to keep officials from various departments busy for a while.

"Big brother!"

Sun Dasheng and Xu Wenyuan, who were in the distance, saw Zhang Shikang and ran over shouting.

……