The Great Ming Demon Pill: Your Majesty, please address me as the Crown Prince!

The next morning, before dawn, Zhu Zhanjun was woken up and informed that His Majesty would be holding an ancestral worship ceremony in three days, and that he should fast and abstain from meat for the next three days.

Zhu Zhanjun was completely bewildered before he finally remembered.

During the Ming Dynasty, there were several specific times when ancestor worship was mandatory.

For example, the Four Seasonal Offerings, which are auspicious days in the first ten days of the first month of each season (early spring, early summer, early autumn, and early winter), are used for joint sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

New Year's Eve, Qingming Festival, Ghost Festival, Winter Solstice.

These are all times for offering sacrifices.

The event to be held now should be an auspicious day for ancestor worship in early summer.

Zhu Zhanjun rubbed his temples.

It's nothing much, just some bland food.

Hey!

and many more!

Zhu Zhanjun's eyes suddenly lit up.

He has an idea!

..................

Three days later.

Ancestor worship at the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

The auspicious time has arrived.

The Imperial Ancestral Temple was solemn and dignified, with banners fluttering and ceremonial guards in full force.

Wearing a ceremonial robe with twelve embroidered symbols and a crown, Zhu Di, guided by officials of rites, led Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi, Prince of Han Zhu Gaoxu, Prince of Zhao Zhu Gaosui, as well as grandsons Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Zhanjun, and other members of the imperial clan, slowly up the stone steps of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

Civil and military officials lined up on both sides, all dressed in court attire, heads bowed in solemn silence.

The melodious sound of bells and chimes rang out, and the master of ceremonies announced: "The auspicious time has arrived; the ancestral worship ceremony shall begin."

Zhu Di stood at the front, holding a jade tablet, his expression solemn.

Behind him, Zhu Gaochi, who was overweight, was slightly out of breath as he climbed the steps, but he still tried his best to maintain his composure.

Zhu Gaoxu stood tall and proud, his eyes shining brightly.

Zhu Gaosui lowered his eyebrows and looked demure.

Zhu Zhanji followed closely behind his father, Zhu Gaochi, with a dignified expression, but his eyes kept glancing at Zhu Zhanjun to his side and behind him.

Zhu Zhanjun also changed into the formal attire of a prince's heir today. Despite his young age, he walked with a steady gait and a calm expression, though his dark eyes occasionally flashed with cunning.

The master of ceremonies chanted again: "Welcome the gods—"

The music begins with "The Song of Harmony".

Zhu Di led the crowd in kneeling and bowing three times.

"In the ninth year of Yongle, the year of Jichou, on an auspicious day in early summer, the filial grandson, Emperor Di, respectfully leads his sons, grandsons, civil and military officials to solemnly announce before the ancestral tablets of Emperor Taizu Gao, Empress Xiaoci Gao, and all the ancestors..."

Zhu Di read the sacrificial text aloud, his voice booming and echoing throughout the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

The content was nothing more than reporting on the current situation, praying for national peace and prosperity, and for a successful Northern Expedition, etc.

Zhu Zhanjun knelt in the line of princes and grandsons, at the back.

While everyone was looking down, he quietly glanced up at the main hall of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Inside, the ancestral tablets of Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma were enshrined, and the air was filled with the smoke of incense and the lights of candles.

The master of ceremonies announced, "First offering!"

Zhu Di personally presented the grand sacrificial offering, which consisted of three sacrificial animals: a cow, a sheep, and a pig, along with jade, silk, and wine.

"Ah Xian!"

Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi stepped forward and presented the offerings.

"Final Offering!"

Prince Zhu Gaoxu of Han stepped forward and presented him with dried meat and pickled vegetables.

After the three offerings ceremony, the music stopped.

The master of ceremonies announced loudly: "Drink the blessed wine and receive the sacrificial meat!"

Zhu Di stepped forward slowly, picked up the jade cup containing blessed wine from the altar, bowed slightly to the shrine, and then slowly drank the wine.

Then, he accepted the sacrificial meat offered by the official in charge of rites and symbolically ate a small piece to show that he accepted the blessings and protection bestowed by his ancestors.

The entire process was solemn and respectful; the hall was completely silent except for the wisps of smoke rising from it.

Zhu Di looked devout, as if he were conversing with his ancestors in the afterlife.

After drinking the blessed wine and receiving the sacrificial meat, he turned around and returned the jade cup and sacrificial plate to the official in charge of ceremonies.

The master of rites announced the end of the sacrificial ceremony.

Zhu Di glanced at the crowd.

"You may all leave now."

"I want to have a word with our ancestors."

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, and naturally dared not disobey, so they all retreated.

After a while.

Only Zhu Di remained in the temple.

The temple doors slowly closed, shutting out the sunlight and noise from the outside world, leaving only the flickering candlelight to illuminate the ancestral tablets and portraits, shrouded in smoke, solemn and deep.

Zhu Di stood alone before the shrine of Emperor Taizu, Zhu Yuanzhang, and remained silent for a long time.

He looked up at the majestic portrait of Zhu Yuanzhang, his gaze complex.

After a short while, he slowly spoke, his voice echoing in the empty hall:

"Father, your son... has come to see you."

"It's been nine years since the Yongle Emperor took office, and my son has been in this position for almost nine years now."

"Over the years, my son has never dared to slack off for a single day."

"Reducing the power of the princes, compiling the Yongle Encyclopedia, sending Zheng He on his voyages to the Western Ocean... I have always thought about how to govern the country you have built, make it more stable and prosperous, and ensure that our Ming Dynasty will last a long time and be powerful throughout the world."

He clenched his fist and said with some excitement.

"The remnants of the Mongol Yuan dynasty in the north have always been a major threat."

"Your son has not forgotten your teachings from back then, nor has he forgotten how our Zhu family came to rule the world."

"In the first Northern Expedition, my son won and drove the Tartars back to the depths of the grasslands."

"But my son knows that's not enough."

"They are ambitious and will try to make a comeback at the first opportunity."

"If the northern frontier is not at peace, the central plains will be in turmoil."

Zhu Di's gaze sharpened.

"Therefore, sons must continue to fight, fight them until they can never hold their heads high again, fight them so badly that the borders of our Great Ming Dynasty will at least enjoy several decades of peace!"

His voice echoed throughout the hall.

Zhu Di paused for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face.

"Dad, you probably don't believe it, but this time I feel more confident than ever before."

"It's not because our son is better at fighting, but because our Zhu family has produced a fine grandson."

"Zhan Jun, that third son of the Han Prince's family, is young but full of tricks."

"He's really done a great job this time!"

"He presented his son with a magical artifact called a telescope."

"Just this copper tube, pick it up and look at it, and wow! The scenery from miles away is brought right up to your eyes, every detail is crystal clear!"

"With this, we can know exactly where the enemy is deploying and moving troops in advance!"

"This battle is a sure win, no matter how we fight it!"

"In the past, when we launched the Northern Expeditions, the vast grasslands made it difficult to ascertain the movements of the main force of the Tartars. We often went on long expeditions only to find nothing or fall into an ambush."

"But things are different now!"

"With this telescope, my son's next Northern Expedition will surely be able to strike straight at the heart of the enemy, achieving the greatest results with the least cost!"

"We must completely annihilate those remnants of the Northern Yuan, so that they will tremble at the mere mention of the name of our Great Ming Imperial Army!"

Zhu Di took a deep breath.

"Father... I assure you, I took this position not for pleasure, nor for power."

"My son truly wants to shoulder the responsibility of this nation, to govern it better than ever before, and to ensure that our Zhu family's rule lasts for thousands of generations!"

"What my son has done, whether it's the Northern Expedition or anything else, is not only for the Ming Dynasty, but also... to prove something to you."

"This proves that your fourth son has the ability and determination to be a good emperor!"

As Zhu Di spoke, he slowly knelt down on the prayer mat and solemnly kowtowed to the shrine of Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Father, your son will certainly work hard to govern the country, expand the territory, and protect the Ming Dynasty forever."

"Father, did you hear that?"

His voice echoed in the empty hall.

Zhu Di's eyes were slightly red.

Suddenly, an old voice rang out.

"Son, your father heard you!"