Chapter 572: The Hongxing Emperor

Amid shouts of "We are willing to obey your commands," the Four-Article Covenant was passed!

These Four Articles would later be engraved on a bronze pillar and erected as a token of good faith — the bronze pillar would stand inside the Gate of Receiving Heaven, where all officials could see it when they came to court.

Since everyone was willing to obey his commands, Zhu Cilang reluctantly agreed to ascend the throne.

The enthronement ceremony had long been prepared and was set for the sixteenth day of the first month — the day after Zhu Cilang accepted the abdication and made the covenant with his ministers.

Early that morning, Qian Qianyi led the officials of the Ministry of Rites to offer sacrifices at the Altars of Heaven and Earth and the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Zhu Cilang, meanwhile, went to pay grand ceremonial respects to the Chongzhen Emperor, who was about to become the Retired Emperor — had Chongzhen become the late emperor, Zhu Cilang would have had to don mourning clothes and offer prayers. Since Chongzhen was still alive and kicking, it was changed to a grand ceremonial visit, along with the presentation of a "retirement pension" of ten thousand taels of gold.

Although the Chongzhen Emperor's edict of internal abdication had already been promulgated and Zhu Cilang had reluctantly accepted it, Chongzhen was still the emperor for the time being. First, Zhu Cilang had not yet formally ascended the throne; second, until he did, he could not confer the title of Retired Emperor upon Chongzhen.

So Chongzhen, for the last time in his capacity as emperor, received the homage of the emperor-designate, Zhu Cilang!

After receiving the "retirement pension" of ten thousand taels of gold presented by Zhu Cilang, he handed over all the imperial jade seals of the Son of Heaven, one by one, into Zhu Cilang's own hands, symbolizing the transfer of imperial authority.

Because the Ming dynasty had never obtained the "Heirloom Seal of the Realm" (that seal symbolizing the Mandate of Heaven had been carried off when Emperor Huizong of Yuan fled, and was said to now be in the hands of the Qing), it had produced jade seals in great quantity, winning by numbers. Seventeen were made at the dynasty's founding, and the Jiajing Emperor had seven more made, for a total of twenty-four jade seals, known as the Twenty-Four Imperial Treasures.

When Zhu Cilang had escorted Chongzhen in their flight, these Twenty-Four Imperial Treasures had been "confiscated" by Zhu Cilang. Only today, knowing he was formally retiring, did Chongzhen see them again — taking each one in his hands, feeling them over, and only reluctantly parting with them to his son, Zhu Cilang.

Zhu Cilang received them one by one and handed them to the seal-holding eunuch of the Seals Office for safekeeping. From now on, Zhu Cilang's commands would no longer be princely decrees but proper imperial edicts.

By the time all twenty-four imperial treasures had been transferred one by one, the auspicious hour had nearly arrived. Inside and outside the imperial palace at Nanjing, bells and drums sounded in unison, and ceremonial music swelled. Zhu Cilang donned the dragon robe prepared long before, put on the crown with its twelve strands of jade beads, and together with the Chongzhen Emperor proceeded to the platform outside the Gate of Receiving Heaven, where he received the homage of the hundred officials.

The hundred officials had also put on their splendid ceremonial robes. Guided by officials of the Ministry of Rites, they crossed the Golden Water Bridge, entered the Meridian Gate, and proceeded into the square before the Gate of Receiving Heaven. There they divided into two columns, civil and military — the civil officials kneeling to the left of the imperial way, the military officials to the right. After the imperial guards cracked their whips and the Great Han Generals rolled up the screens, they performed the grand rite of three bows and nine prostrations.

After the hundred officials had completed their rites, Chief Grand Secretary Wei Zaode read aloud the Chongzhen Emperor's edict of abdication, and only then did Minister of Rites Qian Qianyi read Zhu Cilang's accession edict.

And the Chongzhen Emperor sat upon the imperial throne for the very last time!

After Wei Zaode finished reading the abdication edict, Chongzhen's backside had to bid farewell to the imperial throne forever. He rose and walked toward the chair where Zhu Cilang was seated.

Zhu Cilang had of course already stood up. After making a bow to his Imperial Father, he walked toward the imperial throne.

Then father and son sat down together!

Once Zhu Cilang was seated, Qian Qianyi began to read the accession edict.

The reign name belonging to Zhu Cilang would also be announced in the edict read by Qian Qianyi. Taking the meaning of "Hongwu revived," it was called Hongxing!

That is, the Great Ming Hongxing Emperor!

It sounded very imposing, and also very righteous — surely he would be a good emperor!

However, the reign era would not be changed this year; the twentieth year of Chongzhen would remain in use. Only from next year — that is, 1648 by the Western calendar — would the Hongxing era begin.

The enthronement ceremony ended there. Zhu Cilang, now formally the Hongxing Emperor, sat upon the imperial throne, looking at the civil and military officials arrayed in two columns across the square, his heart truly indescribably stirred!

After nearly three years of bitter toil, he had finally endured to this moment of ascending the throne and becoming emperor. He glanced sidelong at Chongzhen seated beside him and saw a stiff smile fixed on his face. He thought: Your smile has frozen stiff! How happy you must be! And well you should be — originally you were the last doomed ruler of the Ming, and now, no matter what, you're not the last. And you don't have to hang yourself on Coal Hill either — you've got decades of happy life ahead.

At least a million taels a year. And we'll still have to spend tens of millions of taels of silver on you! Truly wonderful!

Zhu Cilang sighed softly: I'm the one who suffers — so young, and I've taken over such a mess. A lifetime of toil is guaranteed!

But it was too late for regrets now. Chongzhen had already given up the throne, and Zhu Cilang had already taken over. He was now the Hongxing Emperor.

Although the enthronement ceremony had ended, Zhu Cilang could not yet "get off work," because one task remained unfinished: honoring his Imperial Father, Zhu Youjian, as Retired Emperor!

"Imperial Father!" Zhu Cilang rose at this moment and bowed to Chongzhen. "Your son requests that Imperial Father ascend to the supreme honor, becoming Retired Emperor of the Great Ming!"

So this is what it means to be Retired Emperor. Chongzhen sighed inwardly, but on his face he had to look happy — he had just received a "retirement pension" of ten thousand taels of gold, so how could he not be happy? If he wasn't happy, there'd be no more next time.

"Our son," Chongzhen said with a smile, "your father has long wished to retire. Today that wish is finally fulfilled, and I am overjoyed!"

Zhu Cilang thought: You ought to be satisfied. In the original history, Chongzhen had only seventeen years! Now it's already twenty — you've outlived Li Zicheng himself. What reason do you have to be unhappy?

At this point the Retired Emperor Chongzhen asked again: "Our son, has the choice of empress been settled?"

The choice of empress remained a great difficulty. Wu Sanmei was pregnant again, but no one could guarantee she would bear a son. And Zheng Chagu was now in favor too — after Wu Sanmei became pregnant, she had attended him in bed almost every night (except for those days), and sooner or later she would conceive as well!

"Imperial Father," Zhu Cilang said, "your son does not intend to establish an empress for the time being. The Selected Attendants Lady Wu and Lady Zheng are both virtuous and worthy, and shall both be enfeoffed as Imperial Noble Consorts.

The Selected Attendants Lady Ning and Lady Fei shall both be enfeoffed as Consorts — Lady Ning as Worthy Consort, Lady Fei as Pure Consort."

The Ming imperial harem had twelve ranks: Empress, Imperial Noble Consort, Noble Consort, Consort, Concubine, Lady of Bright Deportment, Lady of Handsome Fairness, Beauty, Lady of Talent, Lady of Noble Status, Selected Attendant, and Lady of Gentle Virtue. The crown prince's consorts, however, had far fewer ranks — only Principal Consort, Secondary Consort, and Selected Attendant (Lady), with nothing below that carrying any title.

After Wu Sanmei, Zheng Chagu, Ning Xiangyu, and Fei Zhen'e had followed Zhu Cilang, they had all received only the rank of Selected Attendant, and had never been promoted since. And Zhu Cilang, being no lecher and busy with military and governmental affairs, had taken no other women.

So his harem now consisted of four women. Wu Sanmei and Zheng Chagu stood shoulder to shoulder in status, so both were enfeoffed as Imperial Noble Consorts, second only to the empress!

And although Ning Xiangyu and Fei Zhen'e lacked good fathers, they had shared hardship with Zhu Cilang, so both were enfeoffed as Consorts. The reason they were not Noble Consorts was to leave a rank for future promotion — once they bore sons, they could be promoted to Noble Consort.

As for Imperial Noble Consort, that still required a good father to attain!

So besides Wu Sanmei and Zheng Chagu, Dorgon's daughter, Princess Dong'e, was also qualified to become an Imperial Noble Consort. After Zhu Cilang's enthronement, Zu Kefa would once again travel to Beijing to propose marriage to Dorgon, requesting Princess Dong'e as an Imperial Noble Consort!

Of course, the northern expedition would still proceed. Whether it succeeded or failed, Zhu Cilang would honor the marriage contract. Even if the Great Qing were no more, Dong'e's position as Imperial Noble Consort would not fall through!

The Hongxing Emperor was a man of righteousness who kept his word!

"Oh." The Retired Emperor Chongzhen nodded, lost in thought — the Hongxing Emperor still had no son! And he didn't know to take more consorts, insisting instead that Wu Sanmei and Zheng Chagu bear the eldest imperial son. Heh heh — what if in the end there was no son to succeed him? But even if that happened, it wouldn't matter. This Retired Emperor has plenty of sons.

Just as Chongzhen was nodding, the Prince of Fu, Zhu Yousong, holding the already-drafted "Edict Honoring the Imperial Father as Retired Emperor," walked to the center of the platform outside the Gate of Receiving Heaven and began to read it aloud!

(End of Chapter)