Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 177 Emperor Hongxi: Today, let's perform the family ceremony.

The next morning, Zhu Zhanhe got up early and, with the help of two maids, dressed himself in mourning clothes.

Then, Zhu Zhanhe followed in his father, the Prince of Han, and, with the protection of a group of guards, rode in a carriage directly to the palace, the palace specifically where the remains of the Yongle Emperor were kept.

Upon entering, Zhu Zhanhe saw a large group of people in the room. Out of respect for his elders, Zhu Zhanhe followed his father, the Prince of Han, to pay his respects to each of them.

"Third Uncle." Zhu Zhanhe saw his third uncle, Prince Zhao, first and quickly stepped forward to pay his respects.

"He'er, no need for formalities." Although Prince Zhao had some reservations about his nephew's ability but lack of assistance, it did not affect his goodwill towards his nephew, so he spoke with a smile on his face.

"Uncle Qi! He'er greets you!" Zhu Zhanhe bowed to the other prince closest to him.

"No need for formalities, no need for formalities. You must be the young master from the second son's family. You truly are a fine young man, worthy of being a member of the Zhu family." King Qi quickly praised the Han heir brought by King Han and King Zhao.

"Uncle King of Chu! He'er greets you!" Zhu Zhanhe then continued to reply to a King of Chu with a flowing beard.

"Uncle Zheng..."

"Uncle Huaiwang..."

...He bowed to more than a dozen princes in succession.

"Alright, let's go in. It's time to get to the coffin." Prince Zhao was about to chat with his nephew a little longer, but Prince Han stopped him, pulling the two of them towards the inner room.

As they walked, Zhu Zhanhe casually turned his head and glanced around, only to find that among the mourning crowd were many unfamiliar faces, with long knives hanging at their waists, and they had already vaguely surrounded the three of them.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Zhanhe couldn't help but chuckle to himself. This must have been the work of Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji! His uncle, Emperor Hongxi, would never do such a despicable thing!

Turning his head again, Zhu Zhanhe also noticed that his father and third uncle, Prince Zhao, were also very cautious. It seemed that they had also discovered something unusual. No wonder his father and third uncle wore inner armor when they went out!

However, Zhu Zhanhe was not afraid of any number of people! He turned his head and looked at his third uncle who was close to him. Only then did Zhu Zhanhe realize why he had met his third uncle before entering the door. It turned out that his old man had already discovered the problem and was waiting for him!

"Your Majesty, may you be well." After a while, the group entered the inner gate one after another. As soon as they entered, Zhu Zhanhe saw the many princes in the room kneeling down one by one, bowing to his uncle who was being helped up in front of him. Their greeting was filled with deep sorrow.

In an instant, everyone in the room knelt down, except for three people: Prince Han, Prince Zhao, and Zhu Zhanhe.

Seeing that his father, the Prince of Han, showed no intention of kneeling, Zhu Zhanhe decided to stand as well.

Because three people did not kneel down to pay their respects to the emperor, the atmosphere in the hall instantly became tense.

Seeing this, the eldest uncle, Emperor Hongxi, also swayed his plump body and staggered toward the three people who had not yet knelt down.

Seeing the eldest brother approach, the third uncle, Copper Pea, bent down, preparing to kneel and pay his respects to Emperor Hongxi. The Prince of Han followed suit, pretending to bend down and kneel as well.

"Second brother, third brother, quick, quick, get up, no need~, no need~" Before the Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao could kneel down, Emperor Hongxi, who had come close, reached out and pulled up his two younger brothers who had not yet knelt down. The two princes also stood up very cooperatively, even though they had no intention of kneeling down in the first place.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhanhe also stood up, even though he hadn't actually knelt down!
"Greetings, Uncle!" Although he did not kneel, Zhu Zhanhe still bowed and clasped his hands to Emperor Hongxi.

"He'er, no need for formalities, no need for formalities, come along with me!" Emperor Hongxi, Zhu Gaochi, did not mind that his nephew had not knelt to pay his respects. Instead, he took the opportunity to have Zhu Zhanhe follow him. "My two younger brothers, please don't stand on ceremony. Today we are just having a family gathering!"
"Ah~, come, come, come, come, walk, walk, walk, come with me." Emperor Hongxi spoke gently to his two younger brothers, then turned around and took one of them by the hand, leading them toward the coffin of their father, Emperor Yongle.

Zhu Zhanhe followed behind his uncle, but he noticed that the hidden guards with swords in various corners were looking at each other in bewilderment. They had only received orders from the Crown Prince to be ready to arrest the Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao at any time, but now that the Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao had been taken away by the Emperor and were being kept by his side, they did not know how to proceed.

In the end, one of the people who was probably in charge quietly went out.

In contrast, Zhu Zhanhe didn't care. He only needed to protect the lives of his father and third uncle, and didn't need to worry about anything else.

In just a short while, Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji arrived inside with a group of guards dressed in mourning clothes and carrying swords.

At this moment, Emperor Hongxi was instructing his two younger brothers on matters concerning the mourning period in the coming days.

After arriving at the mourning hall, Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji first scanned the various corners of the hall and then greeted the several princes kneeling nearby, but he made no move to bow and pay his respects to Emperor Hongxi.

"Zhanji, come here." Just as Zhu Zhanji was chatting with the various vassal kings, he suddenly heard the voice of his father, Emperor Hongxi, at the front. So, Zhu Zhanji gave a few instructions to the captain of the guard beside him, and then quickly stepped forward.

"Your Majesty!" Upon hearing his father's words, Zhu Zhanji quickly stepped forward, knelt behind his father, and bowed to obey his father's instructions.

"You child, now that you're here, why don't you greet your second and third uncles?" Emperor Hongxi glanced at his son behind him and reminded him with a hint of reproach.

"Second Uncle, Third Uncle, your nephew has been rude!" Upon hearing his father's instructions, Zhu Zhanji quickly lowered his head and nodded to his second and third uncles beside him.

When the Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji sent his greetings, the Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao did not even turn their heads, continuing to kneel and keep vigil.

"You must greet the Prince of Qi, the Prince of Chu, and all your uncles one by one." Emperor Hongxi did not care that the Crown Prince's greeting was ignored. Instead, he instructed the Crown Prince to greet each of his elders.

"Yes!" Upon hearing his father, Emperor Hongxi's, words, Zhu Zhanji, who had become the crown prince, was slightly taken aback, but still respectfully nodded in agreement.

However, after agreeing verbally, Zhu Zhanji whispered a reminder in his father, Emperor Hongxi, with a troubled expression.

"Your Majesty, according to the rules, everyone should kneel behind you today." Before Zhu Zhanji could finish speaking, Emperor Hongxi frowned in displeasure.

"Tch!" Prince Zhao, who had overheard Zhu Zhanji's words, couldn't help but give Zhu Zhanji a cold look, his face full of disdain.

Meanwhile, the Prince of Han rolled his eyes with a look of disgust, not even glancing at Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji.

"Today's ceremony is a family ritual!" Emperor Hongxi explained to his clueless son with a hint of annoyance.

But Zhu Zhanji still held onto his father Hongxi Emperor's arm, his eyes fixed on him.

"Hey, you..." Emperor Hongxi was about to explain when he was interrupted by the Prince of Han beside him.

"Your Highness is quite knowledgeable about etiquette!" Prince Han glanced at Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji with a sneer and said sarcastically.

"Huh? Second son, what does a little kid like him know?!" Emperor Hongxi didn't care about his second son's mockery of his own son, and instead explained on his son's behalf.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and pay your respects to your uncles and elders!" Looking at his son, who was still standing there dumbfounded, Emperor Hongxi urged him impatiently. He suddenly realized that his son really needed to learn a thing or two in some areas!
(End of this chapter)