Zhu Biao finally arrived at the official office of the Ministry of Rites. The Minister of Rites was over sixty years old. Hearing that the Crown Prince was coming, he quickly led people out to greet him. They showed Zhu Biao the room behind the ceremony, but he felt restless in his heart.
On the way, the Minister of Etiquette asked sideways whether the Crown Prince was dissatisfied with the complicated wedding ceremony.
Of course Zhu Biao was not that boring. After all, the prince's wedding was a wedding, and Zhu Biao didn't care if it was too complicated. But the canonization of kings and the etiquette they received were important matters, and they would also affect the problems of the Ming Dynasty in the future.
According to the rules of the previous dynasties, the king of the world is called the emperor, and the king of a country is called the king. The prince is the first rank of the king, and the prince is also the king of his country. The emperor is subordinate to the king of the world, and he commands the military, political, and military affairs of the country.
The etiquette received should be second only to the emperor's enthronement and crown prince's canonization.
Zhu Biao said that he was here for the prince's grand ceremony. The Minister of Rites immediately felt a twitch in his heart, fearing that something might happen. It would be great if His Highness the Crown Prince came an hour later, so that the memorial could be submitted.
Zhu Biao knew that the princes in the early Ming Dynasty were in charge of both military affairs and people's livelihood. They were assigned a literary prime minister and a military prime minister. The literary prime minister was in charge of national affairs and the military prime minister was in charge of the army. The royal palace had as many as 156,000 personal guards.
, and at the same time, the prince can also command the country's garrison.
Moreover, the etiquette he received was extremely noble. Zhu Biao looked at the Minister of Rites and said: "Fu Shangshu, have the specific etiquette for canonizing the prince been decided?"
Regardless of how depressed he was, the Minister of Rites still responded with a warm look: "Reporting to Your Highness the Crown Prince, we have just drafted it and are preparing to present it to the Holy One. If the Holy One approves, then the Ministry of Rites will start to make arrangements."
Zhu Biao smiled and nodded and said, "Can I let me take a look?"
Fu Shangshu did not dare to object. This was not a very confidential matter. Moreover, he naturally knew His Highness's status: "I will have it brought to His Highness for review. I have long heard that Your Highness is knowledgeable and capable of understanding ancient and modern times. I just want to ask Your Highness to correct me."
.”
Zhu Biao smiled and nodded. He who is too old to die is a thief. These court officials are very shrewd. Soon someone brought it. Zhu Biao looked at it carefully. Fu Shangshu said at the side: "There are many saints."
If you have any advice, please give honor to all the princes."
After Zhu Biao heard this, he knew that this was the Minister of Rites who was inoculating him again. It seemed that the etiquette drawn up by the Ministry of Rites was very noble, even a bit excessive. However, no matter what, Zhu Biao still had to express his stance.
The first page Zhu Biao opened read, "The prince is granted the title of prince, awarded a gold book and gold treasures, a salary of ten thousand stones, and officials and subordinates in the government. The guards can range from 3,000 to 19,000 soldiers and are affiliated with the Ministry of War.
, crowned with a chariot, flag, and residence, ranked first among the emperors. Dukes, princes, and ministers bowed down to pay homage, but no one dared to salute.
In other words, the prince's honors and etiquette are second only to the emperor's. The princes and ministers must bow to the prince as a monarch and ministers, and no one dares to pay homage. When the prince enters the court to see the emperor, the princes and ministers must bow and bow.
Kneel down and perform the ceremony of kneeling down to welcome the prince.
Zhu Biao's expression remained unchanged. He just raised his head and looked at the Minister of Rites. He took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his head with some fear. Zhu Biao lowered his head and continued to read.
"The prince's crown and attire are all like those of the East Palace, and the first crown is made of five colors."; "The crown is made of nine feathers, nine jade, gold hairpin, red tassel, and two jade ornaments."
Each has nine charms.
The treasures of the prince: the registration system is the same as that of the crown prince. The treasures are made of gold and turtle buttons. They are five inches and two cents square in circumference and one inch and five cents thick. The inscription is "the treasure of a certain king".
The following are the specific steps of the ceremony. Zhu Biao is not interested in those. The key is here. The honor of the prince is too precious. This is the standard for appointing the crown prince. In this way, where does the prince's dignity as a prince come from?
Reflection? Where is the dignity of monarch and ministers?
Zhu Biao closed the book and saw that the Minister of Rites did not say anything. Fu Shangshu suddenly had a headache. It might as well be because of the wedding that he came to find fault.
But giving the prince such a noble etiquette was also the intention of the Holy One, but it was a great disrespect to His Royal Highness. Now he was sandwiched between father and son, and they were no longer human beings.
The Minister of Rites was also very uncomfortable. Logically speaking, this was the emperor's wish, so he didn't need to care about others. However, the special nature of the prince of this dynasty made him have to worry about it.
Zhu Biao actually didn't care what kind of courtesy his brothers received. After all, they were also nobles from Tianhuang. He was also confident that his brothers would be honest. However, he had to consider the future. In the early years of the dynasty, once the etiquette was set
, will become a rule.
His father felt sorry for his son, and raised the status of the prince too high. He may have thought that the eldest son would inherit the country, and the other sons could also be honored throughout their lives. However, Zhu Biao suppressed all the princes, and the descendants of future generations may not necessarily
Already.
Especially accepting the kneeling and worshiping of officials is the treatment of a king. If you suffer too much, your ambitions will not expand. Besides, if officials kneel too much, they will have more thoughts. Since they are all kneeling, it is better to choose one.
Kneel down comfortably and gain the merit of following the dragon.
Zhu Biao finally understood why his father secretly said today that he would be in charge of the government. Zhu Biao was angry and funny, pitiful for the hearts of parents in the world. Zhu Yuanzhang valued family ties and loved his children very much.
But this incident has a profound impact. The prince is on the same level as the crown prince. What if it is the elder princes in the future? Does the crown prince still have to salute them? What if it is the emperor's elder princes?
Zhu Biao picked up the drafted memorial and turned to the end. It contained the established royal internal etiquette. Zhu Biao exhaled after reading it.
Looking at the Minister of Rites, he asked: "If I have the prince's uncle here, then after meeting, should I salute first, or the prince's uncle?"
The Minister of Rites' face stiffened but he still said: "His Royal Highness should perform family rites, bow four times, and uncles should sit facing west to receive them."
Zhu Biao narrowed his eyes and asked, "If your Majesty still has your uncle and prince here, how should you salute?"
The Minister of Rites replied in a low voice: "In the court, we perform the courtesy of the emperor and ministers, and in the private hall, we perform the courtesy of family members. My uncles and uncles sit facing west and receive four bows from the emperor."
Zhu Biao stood up slowly with an expressionless face and said: "The Minister of Rites has a good opinion. He is indeed an old man of our court. I have to go out and find someone to ask for advice. When should we start the ceremony and collapse the music?"
The Minister of Rites trembled and knelt on the ground and said to Zhu Biao: "Your Highness, this is God's will, how dare I disobey it!"
But Zhu Biao still had a cold face. It was not easy to manage clan affairs. No matter how high the prince's status was, how could he reprimand and punish them if they committed a crime? The king is the king and the ministers are ministers, even if they are relatives of the emperor.
When making rules, personal feelings cannot be mixed. He can understand that Zhu Yuanzhang wants his descendants to live a comfortable life, but he cannot support it, even if it includes his descendants. Zhu Biao is a little ruthless. He doesn't care about the descendants he has never seen.
I care more about the stability of Ming Dynasty.
He did not expect his descendants to spread all over the world, but he hoped that future emperors could concentrate on developing the country instead of wasting their minds on restricting clans, and he did not want to see his descendants lying on the Ming Dynasty like maggots sucking blood.
