Chapter 70: Zhu Yuanzhang: My Good Grandson Is Still Too Merciful

Outside Yingtian City, atop the summit of Mount Zhong.

The Ministry of Rites had long since set up the sacrificial altar there.

A great cauldron stood majestically upon the altar, with sacrificial offerings and incense tables arranged before it.

Zhu Yunsong stopped his imperial chariot a hundred paces away, and with the support of Ma Sanbao, slowly stepped down from the carriage.

"Please ascend the altar of sacrifice to Heaven, Your Majesty, and offer prayers to the Sovereign Heavens," Chen Jing's voice resonated through the air.

Zhu Yunsong lingered his gaze on the altar for a moment, let go of Ma Sanbao, and walked toward the altar alone.

The altar had a total of forty-five steps, embodying the auspicious number of nine and five.

Zhu Yunsong ascended slowly, coming to a halt before the great cauldron under the watchful eyes of all the civil and military officials.

Three burning incense sticks, prepared in advance, were handed to Zhu Yunsong.

Taking the burning incense, Zhu Yunsong's expression turned exceptionally solemn as he held them respectfully before his chest.

The next moment, a voice as deep and resonant as a great bell echoed from Zhu Yunsong's mouth, carrying far and wide.

In the twenty-fifth year of the Hongwu era, under the heavenly cycle of Guiyou, I, the Emperor of the Great Ming, Zhu Yunsong, with a most pious heart, hereby proclaim to the Sovereign Heavens above:

I, though of tender years, have been blessed with the boundless grace of Heaven and Earth, and have inherited the glorious legacy of my imperial grandfather, the Founding Emperor and High Emperor. Having ascended the grand throne to rule over the universe, I have been filled with trembling caution day and night since receiving this mandate, fearful of proving unequal to the task. I aspire to match my virtue with Heaven and to transform the people through benevolence. Now, looking up to observe the heavenly phenomena and gazing down to inspect the geography, sensing the orderly progression of the four seasons and contemplating the universal prosperity of all things, I specially lead my officials, reverently preparing sacrificial beasts and silks, to solemnly announce to the August Heaven.

O August Heaven, most benevolent and most holy, nurturing all living creatures and observing the lands below! Though lacking in wisdom, how could I dare fail to revere Heaven and follow the ancestors, to govern diligently and love the people? May Heaven deign to grant us discernment, protect our state with favorable winds and timely rains, bring bountiful harvests, ensure national prosperity and peace, and establish universal harmony. I shall exhaust my sincerity and wisdom to repay the heavenly grace and comfort the hopes of the people.

Hereby, on the fifteenth day of the ninth month in the twenty-fifth year of Hongwu, having auspiciously chosen the hour, I lead the civil and military officials to solemnly perform the ceremony of sacrificing to Heaven, respectfully offering sacrificial beasts and fine wines, and earnestly setting forth this prayer. May the August Heaven partake of these pure offerings, bestow abundant blessings, forever preserve the prosperity of our state, and eternally safeguard the peace and well-being of our common people.

Next year, the era name shall be changed to Tianwei, and this is respectfully proclaimed to the August Heaven.

……

Tianwei was Zhu Yunsong's era name.

The Ministry of Rites had proposed a total of eight era names, including Jianwen, Yongle, Tianqi, Yongchang, and Zhaowu; yet Zhu Yunsong ultimately chose the most imposing one: Tianwei.

Tianwei, as the name implied: Heavenly Might and Majesty.

It symbolized that the authority of the imperial crown was as unshakable as the heavens, powerful enough to overawe all directions.

Having finished the prayer, Zhu Yunsong paid his respects with three kneelings and nine kowtows, inserted the burning incense into the censer, and slowly turned to face the officials.

At that moment, the officials seemed to feel the true majesty of the Son of Heaven, and they fell to their knees in unison, shouting mountain-shaking cheers of, "Long live the Emperor! Long live, long live the Emperor!"

Zhu Yunsong's gaze swept across all the officials, and a surge of grand ambition suddenly rose in his chest.

From this moment on, he was the true second-generation emperor of the Great Ming.

From this moment on, he would hold the power of life and death over the tens of millions of subjects of the Great Ming, and control the rise and fall of the neighboring nations.

Of course, upon Zhu Yunsong's shoulders also rested the glory, disgrace, rise, and fall of the Great Ming empire, as well as the future happiness of its tens of millions of people.

Moving forward, every step must be taken with utmost caution, because even a single word or a subtle decision from him could alter the landscape of the Great Ming and the world.

"Please return to the palace, Your Majesty," Chen Jing's voice sounded once more.

Immediately following came the excited and high-pitched voices of the nobility: "Please return to the palace, Your Majesty!"

The civil officials also joined in the chorus: "Please return to the palace, Your Majesty!"

Only then did Zhu Yunsong descend from the altar and walk slowly toward his imperial chariot.

Once aboard the chariot, the imperial procession turned back toward Yingtian City.

Along the way, the common people excitedly crowded around the procession, and some daring children even drew close to observe Zhu Yunsong's appearance.

Ma Sanbao stood on the shaft of the imperial chariot, reached into a bamboo basket, grabbed two handfuls of red envelopes, and scattered them along the way to the children.

The red envelopes were specially ordered by Zhu Yunsong. As a modern person, a joyous occasion naturally called for distributing red envelopes; otherwise, it would feel incomplete.

The children beamed with joy upon picking up the red envelopes, shouting "Long live, long live, long live the Emperor" all the way.

When leaving the city, the procession had passed through the Taiping Gate, but on the return trip, not wishing to retrace their steps, they made a special detour to enter through the Zhengyang Gate.

Entering Yingtian through the Zhengyang Gate and passing along Qianmen Avenue brought them to the Meridian Gate, which was the Hongwu Gate of the Great Ming.

Just as the procession was about to reach the Hongwu Gate, a fast horse came galloping toward them.

Arriving before the imperial chariot, Song Zhong leaped down from his horse in mid-air, landed heavily in front of the chariot, and dropped to his knees.

"Your Majesty, a large gathering of scholars has blocked the entrance outside the Hongwu Gate, obstructing the path into the palace. Your humble servant awaits Your Majesty's instructions."

Hiss!

Song Zhong's voice was not low, and the officials following behind the imperial chariot heard it immediately.

Many among the civil official faction turned pale at once, especially senior officials of the Six Ministries led by Zhan Hui, who immediately began searching the crowd with their eyes.

Being civil officials themselves, they naturally knew that such tactics could only be pulled off by the literati.

Furthermore, they had heard rumors yesterday about people contacting scholars and merchants, but they had not expected these people to be so utterly reckless as to pull such a stunt during the emperor's grand coronation.

The military faction, however, had no such complex thoughts.

Today, Lan Yu wore his saber at his waist and was clad in gold-trimmed bright-light armor, which already endowed him with supreme majesty. Hearing that someone dared to block the path to the Meridian Gate, his sudden surge of wrath made people reluctant to meet his gaze.

"Your Majesty, let your servant go! In less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, this servant will slaughter every last one of those blind fools."

Opening his mouth to speak of rivers of blood—he was truly the God of War of the Great Ming.

The other nobles of the Great Ming were not to be outdone either, stepping forward one after another to stroke their weapons and beg for orders.

Having crawled out of piles of corpses, they spoke just like Lan Yu, demanding the complete extermination of those blind fools.

By contrast, Zhu Yunsong sat upon his imperial chariot looking completely unperturbed, as if untouched by the unfolding events.

"Great-uncle, why panic? Just accompany me to take a look and see what this is about."

With that, Zhu Yunsong simply closed his eyes, as though everything around him had nothing to do with him.

Among the civil officials, the official surnamed Zhang and others twitched the corners of their mouths slightly at this sight, a flash of delight visible in their exchanging glances.

Indeed, they had deliberately arranged this disruption for today to put Zhu Yunsong on the spot.

They knew Zhu Yunsong had the backing of Lan Yu and that ruthless pack of wolves, but today was the coronation ceremony; no matter what, Zhu Yunsong would never dare to commit murder today.

Up on the second-floor veranda overlooking the street, Zhu Yuanzhang took in every single action of Zhu Yunsong, frowning slightly as he muttered:

"Sigh! This child is still too benevolent. People are pressing right up to his face, yet he remains so calm..."

With that, he turned around, looking at Fu Youde with the gaze of entrusting an orphan to a guardian:

"Weiyue! After I am gone, remember to frequently counsel Yunsong. As an emperor, he must never harbor womanly pity."

"Understood! Your humble servant will remember it well."