Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

As a subject, he naturally withdrew quietly.

The head of the left and right seats each had a person, both with white hair.

"So, the temple name and posthumous title of the late emperor have not yet been decided?" Jiang Zhao looked down and asked calmly.

“That’s right.” The white-haired old man on the left replied, “Less than ten days after the late emperor’s death, Minister Sun had already resigned due to illness. Therefore, his temple name and posthumous title have not yet been officially decided.”

This man was Hu Su, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, who was over sixty-nine years old.

The person sitting opposite him was Wu Kui, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, who was fifty-six years old.

Jiang Zhao understood.

A monarch has three titles in his lifetime: temple name, posthumous title, and reign title.

The selection of temple names and posthumous titles is essentially an assessment of a monarch's merits and demerits throughout his life. Not only must they be selected with great care, but the process is also relatively complicated.

The selection of temple names was often based on suggestions made by officials of the Ministry of Rites, taking into account the life and achievements of the late emperor and the status of the imperial clan.

These suggestions range from five or six options to more than ten.

The suggestions from the officials of the Ministry of Rites were submitted, and after discussion among dozens of high-ranking officials in red robes, about three tentative temple names were proposed and made public during the regular court session. After discussion among the officials, the emperor gave the final decision.

This process can take anywhere from a month to a year and a half.

The process of determining posthumous titles required officials to travel to all the government offices, including the Three Departments, Five Directorates, Six Ministries, Nine Courts, Hanlin Academy, Censorate, and Censorate, to solicit opinions from all officials. Officials of the fifth rank and above were required to write down posthumous titles, gather their wisdom, and evaluate their merits to determine the best posthumous titles.

The Ministry of Rites and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices discussed and deliberated on the collected posthumous titles, and issued a document summarizing the late emperor's life achievements and demerits, as well as the general direction for determining the posthumous titles, and submitted several selected posthumous titles.

Once the posthumous title was officially determined, several Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, along with the Minister of Rites and the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, participated in drafting the book of posthumous titles. They then offered sacrifices to Heaven at the southern suburbs and reported the contents of the proposed posthumous title to Heaven.

Thus, the preliminary determination of posthumous titles was basically completed.

When a new emperor succeeds to the throne, it is common for him to add a posthumous title to that of the previous emperor. It is not uncommon for a posthumous title that was originally less than ten characters to be extended to twenty or thirty characters.

Among them, temple name and posthumous title, temple name is more important, and it is required to "not exaggerate the good and not conceal the bad" as much as possible.

This mainly concerns the evolution of the importance of temple names and posthumous titles.

Since the Shang Dynasty, temple names have been the primary designation, with only six people holding temple names: Taizu Shangtang, Taizong Taijia, Gaozong Wuding, Shizu Pangeng, Shizong Zujia, and Zhongzong Taiwu. These temple names are of extremely high value.

The Shang dynasty overthrew the Zhou dynasty, and posthumous titles were the primary form of recognition for rulers; every king received one, and they were considered fairly prestigious.

After Qin Shi Huang unified the country, he forbade his subjects to discuss the emperor in private, so there was no such thing as temple name or posthumous title.

After the Qin dynasty destroyed the Han dynasty, the emperors of the Han dynasty used both temple names and posthumous titles. Temple names were the most prestigious, and only seven emperors had them. The remaining emperors only had posthumous titles.

The fall of the Han dynasty and the birth of the Tang dynasty were originally a continuation of the Han dynasty's style. However, Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, and Empress Wu Zetian went to great lengths to "add posthumous titles" to their grandfather, resulting in an astonishingly long posthumous title. This was thus misused and gradually became something purely positive, no longer sufficient to summarize the emperor's life.

Thus, temple names gradually became important.

During the Zhou Dynasty, the merits and demerits of the emperors were determined primarily by their temple names.

Perhaps one day, temple names and posthumous titles will be ruined and replaced by reign titles.

"How many suggestions for temple names and posthumous titles have been submitted?" Jiang Zhao asked.

He's been incredibly busy lately.

In addition to determining the temple name and posthumous title, attention must also be paid to the construction progress of the late emperor's mausoleum.

If nothing unexpected happens, the future issues will also involve the determination of the bestowal of titles upon the new emperor's biological father, Zhao Zongquan, as well as the determination of the bestowal of titles upon the four members of the imperial clan who failed to inherit the throne, and may also involve sacrificial rites.

In addition, when a new emperor establishes an empress or crown prince, sacrifices must be offered.

With a new emperor ascending the throne and his foundation unstable, he will definitely have to reopen the imperial examinations, and it is highly likely that he will be in charge of them.

Just a rough calculation suggests that I'll be toiling away for a year or two.

If the new emperor's foundation is solid, he will surely realize his grand ambitions. The issues of "annual tribute" and "annual payment" involve diplomacy and will also be his business.

Everyone knows how powerful the young Grand Secretary is, but who knows the hardships he endures?

I was born to be a workaholic!

Therefore, Jiang Zhao naturally hoped to free up time to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Otherwise, the pile will just keep growing, and you'll get busier and busier.

"The suggestions for temple names have all been submitted, but less than half of the suggestions for posthumous titles have been submitted," replied Hu Su, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

Throughout history, there have only been a few dozen temple names, so choosing one is not difficult. Moreover, the suggestions are submitted by the officials of the Ministry of Rites, making the process much simpler.

The posthumous title involved the opinions of all officials, and although it was not as important as the temple name, it was more complicated.

"Summon all officials of the rank of Langguan and above, and have them come over in half an hour," Jiang Zhao instructed. "Please submit the suggestions from the Langguan first."

Hu Su nodded quickly and gave the order.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, more than twenty proposals for temple names were handed to Jiang Zhao.

Temple names are divided into "Zu" and "Zong". The late emperor was naturally called "Zong".

Temple names throughout history have been of the same category as those of the ancestor: Tai, Gao, Shi, Zhong, Cheng.

The first category, with a predominantly positive connotation, includes: Shi (世), Zhong (中), Gao (高), Ren (仁), Xiao (孝), Xuan (宣), Su (肃), and Xian (显).

The first category is neutral or controversial: Mu, Ying, Ming, Dai, Wen, and Wu.

The first category, with a predominantly negative connotation: 徽, 钦, 熹, 哀, 思, 顺, 质, 和.

In addition, there are some less common temple names that appear less frequently.

Holding the document, Jiang Zhao examined it according to its praise and criticism.

"Emperor Sejong".

“Xianzong”.

Emperor Renzong.

"Emperor Zhongzong".

Emperor Xiaozong.

"Emperor Mingzong".

"Emperor Wenzong".

Jiang Zhao glanced at "Wenzong" and couldn't help but shake his head.

This is truly a little genius!

The characters "Wen" and "Wu" are undoubtedly excellent as posthumous titles. Emperor Wen of Han and Emperor Wu of Han both had "Wen" and "Wu" as their posthumous titles.

But if the temple name is based on civil or military affairs, then it's not even close to being a good temple.

Temple names, in general, take into account the level of the previous user of the temple name.

The previous emperor was Emperor Wenzong of Tang, Li Ang, who was placed under house arrest by eunuchs during the "Ganlu Incident," and his abilities were truly lacking.

Emperor Wenzong's civil administration was relatively successful, but the country's overall strength was weak.

The late emperor, was his evaluation really that low?

It even requires real-name registration!

After a while, more than twenty officials from the Ministry of Rites who had the right to make suggestions entered the hall one after another.

Jiang Zhao glanced around and recognized many of the people. He couldn't help but smile gently: "I am honored by His Majesty's great favor to serve as Minister of Rites and to serve alongside you all in the Ministry of Rites. It is truly a privilege."

"My lord is too modest!"

"I am determined to serve you, sir!"

"We will follow your lead."

The Ministry of Rites, as the stronghold of the Han faction, had at least 60-70% of its staff members who were Han Zhang's protégés and former subordinates.

Jiang Zhaoshi is undoubtedly the next party leader of the Han faction, and taking office in the Ministry of Rites will be a perfect fit for him.

For a time, all that could be said were phrases like "driving" and "following orders blindly."

Jiang Zhaoping nodded, picked up the document of recommendation in his hand, and solemnly said: "The late emperor spent forty years recuperating and developing the country, and in his later years he took up the reins and expanded the territory. Such achievements deserve to be honored with a posthumous title."

In short, the general direction was set.

"What you say makes sense."

There were constant voices echoing the sentiment.

Given the late emperor's achievements, it would be inappropriate not to bestow upon him a posthumous title of praise.

Compared to Emperor Taizong, the late emperor was not necessarily inferior!

"Shi, Xian, Ren, Gao, Xuan, Zhong, Xiao." Jiang Zhao picked out several temple names and looked down.

Building on the past and forging ahead into the future, expanding territory and making a difference for the world.

Of course, "世" can also mean the transfer of lineage.

Consolidating political power and managing the frontier can be a significant achievement.

A ruler who governs with benevolence and filial piety achieves outstanding political results and can be considered a model of filial piety.

A peaceful and well-governed government is a suitable model for governance.

The leader who restores the dynasty can be considered the best.

Governing a country with benevolence and kindness is the essence of benevolence.

To build a great foundation is a noble endeavor.

“Choose three out of seven, and then submit them,” Jiang Zhao said slowly.

As the first emperor to expand the territory, it would be a disservice to the hard work of the Grand Secretary to guide him if he didn't have a top-tier temple name.

When a new emperor ascends the throne, he will certainly tend to give the previous emperor a more prestigious temple name.

More than twenty people started discussing it.

Chapter 174 Sejong's Pancake!

Ministry of Rites, Office of the Minister of Rites.

In the main seat, Jiang Zhao held a document and looked down.

From the Left and Right Vice Ministers down, more than twenty officials of the rites each had their own explanation.

Shi, Xian, Ren, Gao, Xuan, Zhong, Xiao.

The seven temple names all correspond to the achievements of the late emperor to some extent.

“Ren means benevolent governance.” One of them pondered and then said, “Using Ren as a temple name has never been done in ancient times, and it is relatively biased and cannot summarize the achievements of the late emperor. Let’s remove this temple name.”

The temple name Renzong is undoubtedly more in line with the late emperor's governing style.

The problem is that the specific level of this unprecedented temple name is not clear.

In comparison, it's better to remove it.

The Ministry of Rites had departments for ceremonial affairs, sacrifices, guests, and meals, all headed by a fifth-rank official named Langzhong. They were collectively referred to as Langzhong of the Ministry of Rites, but their powers and responsibilities differed.

The person who spoke just now was the Director of the Department of Rites and Ceremonies.

There were three other officials from the Ministry of Rites, one of whom was Sheng Hong, Jiang Zhao's father-in-law. He was a cautious man who rarely spoke.

As soon as he said it, many officials nodded in agreement.

The character "仁" (ren) is indeed not very suitable.

“Keep both ‘medium’ and ‘high’,” Jiang Zhao interjected.

The leader who restores the dynasty can be considered the best.

To build a great foundation is a noble endeavor.

Even among superior temple names, there are differences. The characters Tai, Shi, Gao, and Zhong represent the highest level of superior temple names.

Among them, the temple name of Emperor Taizong has already been occupied by the late Emperor Zhao Guangyi.

The character 世 (shì) not only signifies carrying on the past and ushering in the future, but also implies the transfer of lineage.

If we're really going to talk about it, it might be more suitable for the new emperor.

Of course, obtaining the temple name of Emperor Sejong was no easy task.