Brother Zhu Youxiao

Chapter 18 National Mourning
"Clang-clang-clang-"

In the early morning, just as the sky was gray and bright, the bell and drum towers in the capital began to ring.

The sound of bells and drums let millions of people in the capital know that this was the beginning of the national mourning.

For a while, although all the people dared not say anything, they still couldn't stop muttering in their hearts.

Especially those who are engaged in flower willow business and meat business are even more frowning.

In the huge capital city, when the bell rang, all the officials went to the imperial city one after another.

In the national mourning of the Ming Dynasty, on the second day after the emperor's death, officials in the capital who went to work in the capital had to wear plain uniforms, black gauze hats, and black horn belts, and rushed to the inner palace to wait for the reading of the will.

This is not over yet, the officials of various departments have to fast and sleep in their official offices, and they have to go to the Jiyan Hall to cry for a while in front of the mourning hall where the deceased emperor's coffin is stored.

This process takes three days.

Due to Zhu Youjian's intervention, the transfer case did not happen, Li Kangfei had been placed under house arrest in a disguised form, and the Donglin Party did not become famous because of the transfer case.

The power in the court is fairly balanced, and the inner court is relatively stable under the check and balance of Wei Jinzhong, Wang An, and the Hakka clan.

Early in the morning, Zhu Youjian put on sackcloth and filial piety, abandoned the luxurious elephant robes, and walked to several banquet halls on foot.

Since only two of Zhu Changluo's sons survived, and Zhu Youxiao was the emperor, it was impossible to cry for a whole day, so the task of mourning fell to Zhu Youjian.

According to the procedures, Zhu Youxiao, the cabinet and other ministers only need to cry for half an hour before they can leave and go to Wenhua Palace to handle government affairs.

On the other hand, Zhu Youjian, if there is no accident, he needs to live in Jiyan Palace unswervingly for the next three days.

Knowing the process, he really didn't want to do it in his heart.

But there was no other way, what had to be done had to be done, so he came to the square outside the Jiyan Palace surrounded by several eunuchs and Jin Yiwei.

"Woooooooo..."

"My late emperor..."

"My late emperor..."

Before Zhu Youjian entered the banquet hall, he heard ghosts crying and wolves crying.

He turned his head to look, but it was a group of familiar people walking from the palace gate, throwing white paper and crying all the way.

"What is this for?" Zhu Youjian really didn't understand the process after the death of the Ming emperor. He was also in a daze during the days when Wanli died, but now he has the mind to ask others.

Seeing his inquiry, a eunuch in his early twenties quickly explained: "Your Highness, according to the etiquette system, after the death of the first emperor, the empresses and concubines need to take off their jewelry and costumes, and weep from the Xihua Gate until they enter the mourning hall of the Jiyan Hall. "

"Because the first emperor only had His Royal Highness and Long Live, and Long Live had to deal with government affairs, and several banquet halls needed someone to receive officials, so His Highness and Long Live did not need to participate in this process."

"That's it..." Hearing the eunuch next to him explain, Zhu Youjian glanced at him.

I saw that this eunuch had delicate eyebrows and looked very seductive, and his name was the famous Cao Huachun in later generations!
Yes, that is Mr. Cao.

It's just that this is Eunuch Cao in history, not Eunuch Cao in martial arts novels.

Historically, Cao Huachun's family was poor, influenced by the atmosphere of "nearing the emperor and raising relatives", he entered the palace around the age of twelve or thirteen.

Because he was talented, intelligent, diligent and studious, he received a good education in the inner school, and was proficient in poetry, calligraphy and painting.

Later, he was sent by Wang An to Xuqin Palace to accompany and serve Zhu Youjian.

In the early years of the Apocalypse, the eunuch Wei Zhongxian was favored and took power, killing Wang An. Cao Huachun was implicated and expelled from Beijing, and sent to his capital Nanjing to be punished.

In 1627, Zhu Youjian succeeded the emperor, and the following year he was changed to Yuan Chongzhen. Cao Huachun was called back immediately and entrusted with the important task of rehabilitating unjust cases.

Because of his ability to handle affairs, he won the trust and reliance of Emperor Chongzhen.

When the Ming Dynasty fell, Yang Bo of Shuntian Mansion, Yang Shimao of Wanping, etc. respectively went to the counselor Cao Huachun to "open the door to welcome the thieves. When the thieves entered the city, they stood up to serve them. Now that they entered the capital in the Qing Dynasty, they returned to serve them. This traitorous minister, though ten thousand beheads, is not enough to win the hearts of the people. .”

However, Cao Huachun had already returned to the elderly's family for six years, so it can be said that he was framed and wronged.

Because Zhu Youjian had no one to use, he asked Wang An to give Cao Huachun to himself in advance.

I never thought that this guy is similar to what is recorded in history, and he is really talented and intelligent.

Compared with Wang Chengen's dullness, Cao Huachun is skilled in methods and familiar with various etiquettes, so he is a good helper.

Zhu Youjian was quite satisfied with him, so after he explained, he glanced at the long mourning team, but he didn't see Concubine Li Kang and Concubine Zheng in his memory.

"Why didn't Concubine Li Kang and Concubine Zheng Huanggui attend the mourning?"

Zhu Youjian asked a question suddenly, but Cao Huachun was not flustered, and replied respectfully while holding a fly whisk:
"I heard that it was Wei Jinzhong, the eunuch in charge of Xixin, who passed on the oral order of long live, preventing the two from participating in the national funeral of the late emperor."

"Hmm..." Hearing this, Zhu Youjian didn't bother to think whether it was his brother's idea or Wei Jinzhong's idea, he walked directly into the banquet hall, and then walked to the mourning hall.

At this time, two young eunuchs quickly approached Zhu Youjian from left and right, put up two futons for him, and lifted the hem of the skirt.

Zhu Youjian didn't feel anything, and just knelt on the futon.

He kowtowed several times in a row, all of which hit the small futon in front of him, then got up and walked to the gate of the banquet hall.

Cao Huachun asked the little eunuch to bring tables and chairs, as well as pastries and tea, and Zhu Youjian sat on the chair, ready to receive the officials.

As time passed, Fang Congzhe and Liu Yixiu from the cabinet were the first to appear at the gates of the palace, along with officials from the six ministries, ministers, Yuanwailang, etc., as if they had made an appointment. , more than two hundred people came together to mourn the funeral.

"His Highness Fifth..."

Fang Congzhe took the lead in saluting from a long distance away, and Zhu Youjian quickly returned the salute, while the other officials had to salute one after another even though they looked down on Zhu Youjian.

Zhu Youjian returned the gifts one by one, and then said a lot of good things, which were nothing more than talking about the hard work of all the officials.

As soon as the scene was finished, he kept his mouth shut and let all the officials enter the banquet hall, salute those who saluted in the hall, and those who cried for mourning.

They all wore sackcloth and filial piety, and after saluting, they withdrew from the banquet halls, and those with lesser official positions were talking outside the door about official affairs that needed to be resolved.

People with higher official positions, such as cabinet ministers, six ministers, and six department officials, waited for Zhu Youxiao to come out to cry in the Jiyan Hall, and then went to Wenhua Hall with Zhu Youxiao to discuss state affairs.

Zhu Youjian didn't go into the banquet hall, but just sat at the entrance of the hall, eating some pastries and drinking two sips of tribute tea from time to time.

Not to mention, this tribute tea tastes fresh and refreshing, and there will be some aftertaste at the end, which is much higher quality than the camellias Zhu Youjian drank in his previous life.

He just waited for the appearance of his good emperor brother, and from time to time, he observed the officials standing at the gate of the palace and chatted together, squinting his eyes, wondering what he was thinking...

(End of this chapter)