Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 302 His Majesty is no longer attending court?

Ciren Palace.

Empress Zhang knelt before the phoenix bed, mechanically repeating the action of wringing out a hot towel.

The empress, who was known for her virtue, now had a blank look in her eyes.

Such a reaction was not one of shock.

Empress Dowager Jiang did not fall ill suddenly, but her health gradually deteriorated. Last winter was exceptionally cold, and she thought she would not survive the winter, but she managed to hold on until the spring.

Spring of the 20th year of the Jiajing reign.

Twenty years have passed since Emperor Wuzong had no son, a prince was appointed as heir, and the fourteen-year-old boy went to the capital alone, with no relatives or friends. He waited in vain until he was reunited with his mother and the inner and outer courts jointly held imperial power.

Zhu Houcong was certainly not the kind of weak son who could only rely on his mother.

But given his sensitive and suspicious nature, the only person he could open his heart to without reservation was his mother.

Now, even this last remaining loved one is leaving.

So at this moment, Zhu Houcong, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, stood before his bed, holding the copy of the "Buddha's Discourse on Longevity" that he had personally transcribed.

Empress Zhang could not comprehend this feeling; she could only secretly observe His Majesty's reaction, mimicking his expression, and trying her best not to listen to the wailing of women outside.

Besides Zhu Houcong and Empress Zhang, princes, princesses, and concubines from the harem also gathered.

The cries of the five princes' mothers each had their own distinct characteristics—

Consort Yan knelt at the front, her cries of anguish the loudest, her eyes already red and swollen, yet she did not forget to push the eldest prince, Zhu Zaiji, towards the emperor.
Consort Wang, standing slightly behind, held her second son Zhu Zaiyi's hand, but secretly tightened her grip, making her son's cries much more sorrowful than his brother's.

Consort Li, accompanied by the third prince Zhu Zaiyuan, silently shed tears, remaining relatively quiet.
Consort Jing fainted in the arms of a palace maid. Her fourth son, Zhu Zaizhen, looked at his mother in a daze and burst into tears.

In the end, Consort Gong held the fifth prince, who was still in swaddling clothes, tightly, her tears soaking the child's clothes;
Empress Zhang gritted her teeth inwardly, cursing these vixens countless times in her heart, but there was nothing she could do.

It's all because her belly is so uncooperative; ever since her miscarriage years ago, she hasn't conceived again...

The current Empress is already walking on thin ice, yet she still has to watch those concubines and imperial consorts take advantage of her kindness and wander around the palace with their sons all day long.

Just as he was thinking about those things, Zhu Houcong's voice suddenly rang out: "Tell the outside to be quiet and bring Yuying in. Mother loves her the most!"

With bloodshot eyes, Huang Jin responded and slowly retreated.

Before long, the crying outside subsided, and Zhu Yuying, with her head bowed, approached.

Empress Zhang glanced sideways and noticed that the man's blank eyes mirrored His Majesty's reaction.

have to.

They are truly heartbroken.

Zhu Houcong could tell at a glance who was genuinely grieving and who was just feigning grief.

In fact, Empress Dowager Jiang managed the harem well and treated all the princes equally without any bias.

Even though the concubines had their own agendas, they all respected and respected this mother-in-law.

She is about to pass away, and it's inevitable that I'm a little sad.

However, compared to this personal feeling, political considerations are undoubtedly greater.

Empress Dowager Jiang desired brotherly harmony and was a supporter of the Imperial Study system. She also intended to establish an heir early to prevent the princes from fighting and killing each other.

Therefore, Consort Yan, the mother of the eldest prince, was most worried about the passing of the Empress Dowager, while the other princes' mothers inevitably had all sorts of wild thoughts.

With all these thoughts in mind, sadness naturally has to wait a little longer.

Take this opportunity to express your filial piety.

The new order after the Empress Dowager's death.

That's what they're considering.

This only made Zhu Houcong even more furious.

The more his sons tried to curry favor with him, and the more the concubines schemed against him, the more vigilant he became.

Those deliberately ingratiating gestures were all seen by him as clues to coveting the dragon throne.

At this moment, the Empress Dowager was critically ill, yet this group of people were still putting on airs outside the palace. The more Zhu Houcong thought about it, the angrier he became. His knuckles clenched so tightly that they turned white, and his eyes were filled with a mixture of bloodlust and violence, like a ferocious beast whose scales had been touched.

Zhu Yuying, who was originally grieving the end of Empress Dowager Jiang's life, was so frightened by the ferocious expression on the man's face that she quickly lowered her head.

She never used her relationship with Empress Dowager Jiang to claim a sibling-like bond with the emperor, but always adhered to the proper duties of a subject to the emperor.

On the one hand, her early experiences enabled her to maintain a good mindset and never become complacent.

On the other hand, influenced by her husband Haiyue, she always felt that His Majesty was cold-hearted and that it was best to keep her distance.

Even so, the tyranny in the emperor's eyes still frightened her somewhat.

Even if those concubines and their children outside are putting on a show, there's no need for such a reaction, is there?
"Son..."

Fortunately, at that moment, a low voice drifted over.

"mother!"

Zhu Houcong trembled, his anger vanished instantly, and he rushed onto the bed, gently grasping Empress Dowager Jiang's hand: "Mother! Your son is here! Your son is here!"

Empress Dowager Jiang's icy hand was enveloped by Zhu Houcong's equally icy hand. The swaying palace lantern cast shadows on her sunken eye sockets, casting a shadow over what was to come: "Don't blame them... and don't be angry... angry at your own children... they won't fight back... and they can't fight back against you..."

When a person is about to die, his words are also good.

At the same time, they won't consider too many things.

Empress Dowager Jiang spoke from the depths of her heart; how could she not understand her son's temperament?
She would never be so blunt under normal circumstances, but the moment she opened her eyes, she saw Zhu Houcong's ferocious expression, his wariness and hostility towards his own flesh and blood, and she finally couldn't hold back anymore.

Zhu Yuying had already retreated silently earlier, and now she had almost backed up to the door, her head bowed.

Empress Zhang and Huang Jin, who were standing nearby, changed their expressions drastically, wishing they could cover their ears. Sure enough, Zhu Houcong immediately felt a surge of shame and anger at having his thoughts exposed, and his eyes subconsciously darted to the left and right, landing on Empress Zhang and Huang Jin.

"Son..."

Empress Dowager Jiang was already on her deathbed; her ability to regain consciousness was a final burst of energy. Her lips trembled, and she quickly lost the ability to speak coherently, but she still managed to offer her final words of care: "Treat...your child well...be...a...good...father...Emperor..."

"Mother! Mother! Don't worry, don't worry, your child will definitely do as you say!"

Zhu Houcong put aside everything else, overwhelmed with grief, and nodded repeatedly: "Your son will definitely be a good father and a good emperor!"

"Well……"

As she uttered her instructions with difficulty, Empress Dowager Jiang's eyes slowly glazed over.

A tear slid down her graying temples.

With a lingering attachment to the mortal world.

He was filled with worry for his descendants.

His eyes dimmed completely.

A plum branch outside the window snapped with a crack and crashed heavily onto the snow.

……

February 17th, the 20th year of the Jiajing reign.

Empress Dowager Jiang passed away at the age of sixty-four.

Her posthumous title was "Empress Cixiao Zhenshun Renjingcheng Yi'an Tiandan Shengxian".

When Empress Dowager Jiang was seriously ill, she prepared her will and informed all the civil and military officials, both inside and outside the court.

There are three key points.

Firstly, they were buried with the emperor after his death;

Secondly, he instructed all members of the royal family and civil and military officials to do their utmost to assist the emperor.
Thirdly, funeral arrangements should be simple;
"After my death, the funeral rites shall follow the old customs of the previous dynasty. Weeping shall last for three days, after which the mourning period shall cease. The mourning period shall be extended by twenty-seven days, alternating between days and months. This shall be observed by both the emperor and his subjects. The emperor shall not grieve excessively, lest it interfere with state affairs. He shall not abandon the regular sacrifices to the gods of the suburbs, ancestral temples, and all deities. He shall not prohibit music and weddings of his subjects, both inside and outside the capital. All princes of the realm need not attend the funeral, but may send envoys to offer incense. All civil and military officials outside the capital shall be exempt from offering incense. This is hereby decreed, and all shall comply with it."

It can be said that this person considered things very thoroughly.

But the Empress Dowager was so magnanimous that she did not require the common people to observe mourning for her, nor did she prohibit marriage or singing and dancing.

As for the common people, especially in the capital, anyone who dares to hold a banquet, make merry, or watch a play during the Empress Dowager's mourning period can test whether the Embroidered Uniform Guard's swords are sharp!
Putting aside everything else, even the young Grand Secretary no longer goes to Pimp Alley.

All the colorful decorations in the palace had already been removed, and everyone in the court was dressed in plain clothes.

Plain clothes should be mainly white, black, and gray, and bright colors such as red, yellow, and purple should be avoided.

The material should be coarse cotton and linen, not silk.

For example, Yan Song and Xia Yan wore white mourning caps, white linen clothes with fur trim, and raw linen belts around their waists.

The two old men were dressed in mourning clothes.

His grief-stricken expression was as if he had lost a close relative.

Don't laugh, ordinary officials aren't even qualified to wear mourning clothes for the Empress Dowager!

That's fine, but the Empress Dowager's coffin needs to be kept in the palace for twenty-seven days, during which a memorial ceremony will be held every day, with all the officials mourning. After twenty-seven days, the coffin will be moved to the mausoleum.

Empress Dowager Jiang was to be buried with Emperor Xingxian, so naturally she would be buried in Xianling Mausoleum, which had already been arranged during her southern tour.

Even so, when the day of the funeral arrived, Zhu Houcong was so grief-stricken that he almost fainted, and even offered to escort the coffin all the way.

None of the courtiers dared to dissuade him, and fortunately, after weeping bitterly, he returned to the palace and did not actually embark on another southern tour.

When the emperor goes on an inspection tour, he needs to make many preparations. If he actually personally escorts the coffin south, then the burial will be delayed, which would be unfilial.

With this in mind, Zhu Houcong ultimately gave up the idea.

The officials breathed a sigh of relief and gradually resumed their old habits.

According to the system, when the Empress Dowager died, the mourning period was three years of the lowest level of mourning, but the actual mourning period was twenty-seven months. The emperor, princes and close relatives of the imperial family had to wear coarse hemp mourning clothes, while officials wore plain clothes.

But in reality, things basically returned to normal after the 27th.

High-ranking officials are forbidden from wearing elaborate clothing to avoid offending His Majesty's eyes, while lower-ranking officials can change into ordinary clothes, and everything remains the same.

While His Majesty is indeed very filial to Empress Dowager Jiang, the court officials also share this view.

But gradually.

Looking from top to bottom, I suddenly realized something was wrong.

Inside the cabinet office, the sandalwood incense in the bronze incense burner had burned out, leaving behind piles of grayish-white ash that no one bothered to clean.

Because the piles of memorials on the desk were far more shocking than the incense ash.

Yan Song slowly walked in and saw Xia Yan pacing anxiously with his hands behind his back.

Upon seeing him appear, she disregarded past grievances and eagerly stepped forward to ask, "Is Your Majesty attending court today?"

"As advised by the Directorate of Ceremonial, court will be suspended again today..."

"How can this be? There are urgent military matters in the Northwest!"

They looked at each other, and a bad feeling filled their hearts at the same time.

A phrase that seemed completely unrelated to a diligent and ambitious emperor came to mind—

Negligence in governance!

(End of this chapter)