Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 602 Sacrificial Ceremony! Proceed!
Confucian rituals have always been incredibly complex.

The same applies to ceremonies for worshipping saints.

However, according to Zhu Yunwen's request, although the overall plan for the sacrificial ceremony was still extremely complicated, much of the content that required his personal participation as the emperor was cut.

At this moment, Zhu Yunwen was still resting in his room, looking out at the scene through the bright glass window, not yet walking to the center of the stage.

After all, it's much more comfortable to be inside a room.

Performing sacrifices outside the temple means being constantly in the spotlight, which is extremely tiring.

In particular, they couldn't sit like they would when holding a large meeting in later generations; they had to stand the entire time.

Zhu Yunwen suddenly noticed something amiss and asked Zhao Rui, who was standing nearby, "Why are there so many unfamiliar faces among the guards inside the Confucius Temple?"

He always paid close attention to the guards around him.

As the saying goes, within ten steps, everyone becomes an enemy.

No matter how much power you have, it's not difficult for you to do something if your personal servants ask you to.

Therefore, Zhu Yunwen was always very kind and approachable to his guards, and never scolded them casually.

If he finds too many things to be satisfied with, he will only secretly order the guard to be transferred away, rather than scolding and punishing him himself.

The guards of the Heavenly Pivot Bureau all knew how kind the emperor was.

They were treated exceptionally well.

Zhu Yunwen took these measures to ensure his personal safety.

Not only that, he also frequently showed concern for the guards, inquiring about their well-being.

In Zhu Yunwen's view, people's hearts are made of flesh and blood.

If those in positions of power regard others as servants and treat them with contempt or even humiliation, then it is not surprising that they will die at the hands of those close to them in the future.

There are countless examples of this throughout history.

There are far more examples than grassroots rebellions that overthrow the regime.

In addition, many emperors died mysteriously, and although the historical records do not explicitly state this, it was mostly related to the machinations of those around them.

Historically, many emperors of the Ming Dynasty "dissolved" in water. Whether this was an accident or intentional, only heaven knows.

Zhu Yunwen had a very clear understanding of this point and always treated those around him with kindness.

Because of their concern for them, they were somewhat familiar with the faces of the guards.

Even if there were too many people and apart from a few close attendants, one could not remember the names of the other guards, but seeing their faces would definitely leave some impression.

Normally, the emperor is only guarded by the guards of the Tian Shu Division, but today there are many unfamiliar faces among the guards on duty in the Confucian Temple.

This naturally puzzled Zhu Yunwen.

As emperor, he did not personally manage the specific details of the work.

But one thing is clear.

The number of guards accompanying the northern inspection tour was not small.

It's certainly not enough to maintain order for the hundreds of thousands of people outside the temple, but inside the Confucian Temple, the people from the Tian Shu Division should be sufficient to stand guard.

"The imperial court is going to hold a grand ceremony to worship the sage. Many people will come to Qufu. With so many people, chaos is inevitable."

Zhao Rui bent over and said softly, "Last night, some people resting nearby caused a disturbance."

"One of the guards' resting rooms caught fire, and the fire was extinguished only at dawn."

"Many of the guards in the Tian Shu Division have not had enough rest."

"Today is a grand ceremony, and we cannot afford any mistakes."

"The Shandong Provincial Inspector Wang Shoulian and his servants suggested that not only should the order outside be strengthened, but the security inside the Confucian Temple should also be increased by several times compared to usual."

“This servant thinks that what he said makes a lot of sense.”

"So he was ordered to select a group of men with clean records and loyal service from among the Wu Ding of Shandong, and to enter the Confucian Temple together with the guards of the Tian Shu Division to guard it."

"There are still some guards in the Tian Shu Division. I've told them to go and rest for a couple of hours. Once they've recovered, they can come back to work."

Zhu Yunwen gave a faint "Oh".

Zhao Rui handled all these matters. When he was unsure of what to do, he would report to Xu Miaojin and ask the Imperial Concubine for a decision. Zhu Yunwen was naturally not very familiar with them.

Last night, the guards' quarters caught fire?

How could we be so careless?

Zhu Yunwen frowned slightly and asked again, "Since Wu Ding was transferred from outside, why is he wearing the attire of the Tian Shu Division?"

Zhao Rui quickly explained, "In order to prevent outsiders from noticing anything amiss, Inspector Wang suggested that the guards who were replacing the Tian Shu Division should also temporarily wear the Tian Shu Division's uniforms, which would be more in accordance with etiquette at this grand ceremony."

“I thought it was a good idea, so I agreed.”

Zhu Yunwen said with dissatisfaction: "The Tian Shu Division is the imperial guards personally established by me. The clothes they wear are custom-made by the court, symbolizing the status and position of the Tian Shu Division. How can they be lent to outsiders at will?"

"If it is said that etiquette should be observed during grand ceremonies, then we should be even more careful."

"Not to mention that the clothing and weapons of the Tian Shu Division are mostly matched. If you borrow clothing, you also need to borrow commonly used weapons such as muskets."

"How can these things be lent out so casually?"

"As a provincial inspector, Wang Shoulian is well-versed in the classics. How could he not understand such a simple principle?"

"This is utterly outrageous!"

"And you, how could you agree to such an outrageous request?"

Zhao Rui immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "This servant should not have acted on her own initiative, Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

Zhu Yunwen said, "I employ you because you have always been cautious in your work and have never made any mistakes."

"You must never forget this point; caution is the best policy."

Zhao Rui kowtowed and said, "This servant will remember, and this servant will definitely pay attention in the future."

Zhu Yuntong waved his hand and ordered, "Quietly send down the order to withdraw those guards who are not from the Tian Shu Division and have them return their clothes and weapons immediately."

Zhao Rui was taken aback for a moment, then hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, the sacrificial ceremony has already begun. It might not be appropriate to change the guards at this time. Perhaps we should leave it as is for now and discuss it after the ceremony?"

Zhu Yuntong's eyes flickered slightly.

It must be said that Zhao Rui's words make a lot of sense.

Replacing the guards at this time would probably not be a good idea.

However… after a moment’s thought, he made up his mind and said, “Withdraw now. Pass down the orders one by one. Do not cause any disturbance or chaos. Try not to make any noise.”

"If there are not enough guards after the removal, local Shandong soldiers can be transferred to stand guard, but they must not wear the clothing of the Tian Shu Division, nor can they use the weapons of the Tian Shu Division to stand guard."

Zhao Rui hurriedly replied, "This servant understands, this servant will go and do it right away."

After saying this, he was about to leave when Zhu Yunwen called out to him, "Where are you going now?"

Zhao Rui said respectfully, "Those soldiers were transferred in by Wang Shoulian, the Shandong Provincial Inspector. To transfer them out, we need to go through the Shandong Provincial Government. I will go to Wang Shoulian and ask him to issue the order immediately."

Zhu Yunwen glanced at Wang Shoulian, who was already standing properly in the crowd in the square outside, waiting for the sacrificial ceremony to begin, and said, "It's just a matter of resuming normal guard duties; there's no need to disturb the ceremony."

"If the order is issued in the name of the Heavenly Pivot Bureau, would those Wu Ding dare to disobey?"

"I am about to go out to preside over the grand ceremony and read the prayer. I will need you to serve me by my side."

"Send someone to inform the Imperial Concubine about this matter and ask her to handle it."

Although Zhu Yunwen had the sacrificial ceremony modified to significantly reduce his participation time, some parts were impossible to eliminate. Zhu Yunwen also had neither the interest nor the energy to memorize those tedious procedures, how to perform the actions, what to say, and what to do.

This requires someone to provide guidance.

Zhao Rui, as his personal chief eunuch, was the person who had been chosen long ago.

In such a rush, it's impossible to replace the person.

The guard duties had always been under Xu Miaojin's jurisdiction. Since she was a woman and did not participate in the sacrificial ceremony, it was appropriate for her to take on this task.

Zhu Yunwen didn't really care, he just thought it wasn't good to break the rules and create problems for the future, so he asked Zhao Rui to correct it immediately.

This action also served as a warning to the guards of the Tian Shu Division, ensuring that such an incident would never be allowed to happen again.

So, even if someone gives such an order in the future, the guards will think it's wrong, actively resist it, and report the situation to him.

This will better ensure your own safety.

This was Zhu Yunwen's true purpose.

He couldn't punish the guards of the Tian Shu Division for this matter, after all, they were just following orders.

Zhu Yunwen could only warn them in this way that such things should never be allowed to happen again.

Zhao Rui quickly agreed and then went out to arrange for people to go and report to Xu Miaojin.

At this point, the sacrificial ceremony had reached the stage where the emperor was to be invited out.

Zhao Rui immediately led the way, taking Zhu Yunwen to the very center.

"See Your Majesty!"

The princes, ministers, nobles, Confucian scholars, and descendants of Confucius who participated in the sacrificial ceremony all paid their respects together.

After Zhu Yunwen gestured for them to stand up, a series of sacrificial rites followed.

Zhu Yunwen personally unfolded the prayer he had already written and read it aloud:

"A glorious holy prayer, to proclaim to the world."

"In the thirty-first year of the Great Ming Dynasty, the year of Wuyin, on the Xinyou day of the ninth month, the Emperor Yunzhuan, with utmost care, prepared the grand sacrifice and the rites of incense and silk, and personally led all civil and military officials and great Confucian scholars from across the land to offer sacrifices before the spirit tablet of the Former Teacher, King Wenxuan, saying:"

"Alas, my late teacher, a model for all ages! His virtue was comparable to heaven and earth, and his teachings transcended time."

"He edited and compiled the Six Classics to establish a model for all generations; he initiated civilization and set the standard for the people."

"Where there is a land of China, there is the Way of Confucius."

"I, by virtue of my position, have inherited the throne and am deeply concerned day and night, fearing that I may fail the will of Heaven, the ancestors, and the sacred teachings."

"However, the Way has its roots and branches, and learning has its evolution."

"Later scholars, either bound by textual interpretation or confined by sectarianism, often talked about the distinction between the noble and the lowly, but forgot the principle of the common good, which caused the sacred learning to be obscured and the profound meaning to be obscured."

"This is not the fault of the late teacher, but the mistake of the later learners!"

"In my opinion, the core essence of the teachings of our late master lies solely in the four words 'the world belongs to all'!"

"The honorific titles bestowed upon our late teacher by successive generations are still insufficient to fully express even a fraction of his virtues."

"To glorify your sage virtue and to reveal the Great Way, I hereby offer sacrifices to Heaven and Earth today, and posthumously honor my late teacher as the 'Great Accomplished Sage Teacher'!"

"The 'Great Accomplishment' is the gathering of the wisdom of past sages and the harmony of the ancient and modern ways; the 'Supreme Sage' is one whose virtue matches that of Heaven and Earth, a model for all ages, and there is no one above him!"

"Now that its name has been corrected, we should strive to put its principles into practice."

"In order to glorify the teachings of the 'Great Sage and Teacher,' I hereby proclaim to all the people of the world:"

"Starting next year, throughout the entire territory of the Great Ming, all my subjects, regardless of whether they are members of the imperial family, officials, gentry, merchants, laborers, commoners, slaves, men, women, rich, poor, noble, or lowly, shall undergo six years of compulsory education!"

"All children who are six years of age or older must attend school."

"The state establishes schools, prepares teachers, distributes teaching materials, and teaches the essence of the Four Books and Five Classics, as well as new knowledge of natural history, arithmetic, geography, and natural history."

"The aim is to enlighten their minds, make them understand the principles of things, teach them etiquette and righteousness, and instill a sense of shame, so that they can support themselves and serve the country when they grow up."

"My wish is that the way of the sages will no longer be the private learning of a few, but a public instrument for all people under heaven!"

"May our great Ming Dynasty be a place where everyone can read and every household can hear the sounds of music."

"Based on this, we can build a nation of virtuous people internally and transform barbarian lands externally, thus establishing a lasting foundation of peace and prosperity!"

"This is to comfort the spirit of the Great Sage and Teacher in heaven."

"I hope you enjoy the meal!"

After the eulogy was read, the crowd below was immediately shocked.

The emperor's eulogy announced three matters.

First, Confucius was posthumously honored as "The Great Sage and Teacher".

No one had any objection to this point.

It's nothing more than further elevating the status of the sage.

Scholars were delighted with this outcome, and the descendants of Confucius were even more overjoyed.

Secondly, it announced the implementation of six years of compulsory education and emphasized that everyone, regardless of wealth or social status, must attend school.

This is undoubtedly a major event that will affect the world.

Therefore, the imperial court will likely have to invest countless financial, material, and human resources into this endeavor.

The fate of many children will be forever changed.

Many of the educational officials present were shocked upon hearing the news.

Many people secretly wondered that enrolling all children in school was no small matter.

It will be extremely difficult to accomplish this.

The required expenses alone are not a small amount.

Not to mention the need to hire a huge number of teachers.

Most importantly, the people need to cooperate and be willing to send their children to school.

Although there is a saying in society that "all other professions are inferior, only studying is superior," in reality, there are still many poor people who are not very willing to send their children to school.

Moreover, this prayer emphasizes that it is not limited to men or women.

Before this, unless they were from wealthy or powerful families, ordinary people would usually only send their sons to school to learn to read and write.

How to get people to willingly send their daughters to school is also a problem.

Ultimately, however, how to resolve these issues is a matter for the Minister of State and the relevant officials in charge.

They will always find a solution.

Even if it ultimately fails to materialize and is abandoned, it is still one of the solutions.

What those present were most concerned about was that the long-standing debate between "new learning" and "old learning" had finally come to an end.

His Majesty stated clearly in his prayer that "the world belongs to all" is the essence of Confucianism.

In this way, everyone stopped arguing.

Unexpectedly, just as Zhu Yunwen finished reading his prayer, someone below suddenly spoke up: "Your Majesty, I have something to report!"

……

(End of this chapter)