Chapter 29: The sun rises and the moon is constant, balancing in the center

The military-civilian representatives and civil and military officials were kneeling outside the Meridian Gate when they suddenly heard a drum sound—it was the time drum arranged by the Imperial Observatory.

Following the drum sound, the morning sun rose, shining on the Meridian Gate.

Everyone looked up toward the gate tower.

They saw the announcers, ritual officials, guards, and other attendant officials filing out to clear the way and wait on the gate tower.

The cloud canopy and cloud plate followed closely behind.

A figure dressed in imperial robes slowly appeared, surrounded by the crowd.

"There is an edict!" someone shouted.

The military-civilian officials immediately bowed their heads: "Respectfully listen to the imperial decree!"

Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at the black mass of people kneeling below the gate tower, stretching as far as the eye could see, and his chest couldn't help but heave several times.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, finally easing his tension.

Only then did he speak toward the crowd below, word by word, in a loud voice: "Our nation has gloriously opened a grand plan, passing down the lineage for ten thousand generations; the ancestors and sages have created and guarded it with one heart for over two hundred years."

At the same time, the eunuchs on duty on both sides repeated it, passing it to the ears of those below, and every section below had eunuchs repeating it, shouting backward.

Layer upon layer, like a wave of sound.

"My Imperial Father, the late Emperor, set an example with wisdom and governed with diligence…… suddenly becoming a guest of the dragon carriage, he entrusted me with the divine vessels."

"Thus, I respectfully follow the last edict, humbly complying with public sentiment, and on the tenth day of the sixth lunar month, I respectfully announce it to Heaven, Earth, the ancestral temples, and the state."

Zhu Zhu Yijun paused, closed his eyes, and with full breath, said that sentence: "Ascend the throne as Emperor."

At this moment, the Zhonghe Shao music arranged by the Court of Imperial Entertainments played, bells and chimes rang together, and drums and music sounded in unison.

The guards on both sides vibrated their armor, making a rustling sound.

The military-civilian officials below, regardless of their thoughts, all bowed their hands to their foreheads, bowing once, twice, three times, and four times.

They shouted in unison: "Long live!"

"Long live!"

"Long live!"

The sound of thousands of people shouting 'Long live' soared straight to the heavens.

The shouting, the music, the clattering of armor, the ringing of bells and drums—it was like the resonance of heaven and earth, echoing throughout the entire Forbidden City!

……

The sound gradually ceased.

"Let next year be the first year of Emperor Wanli, and start anew with the people……"

The sound of reading the edict continued, and the military-civilian representatives were still kneeling and listening to the decree.

The officials, however, had already stood up and entered one after another through the Meridian Gate.

Zhu Zhu Yijun also turned and descended from the gate tower.

Later, he would still have to preside over the Zhongji Hall to receive the congratulatory memorials from the officials, but at this moment, his grand ascension ceremony was already complete.

The core of the ceremony lay in the proclamation; when everyone shouted 'Long live,' the ceremony had already ended in advance.

From now on, he was the Emperor respected by millions in the Great Ming Dynasty.

But…… this was far from the end, or rather, it was just the beginning of his ten-thousand-mile journey.

It wasn't just him waiting for this moment.

Gao Gong was also waiting; he was waiting for a ten-year-old child to sit on the throne, so he could pretend to serve the child Emperor to abolish the Directorate of Ceremonial and make the Emperor a nodding machine.

Feng Bao and Zhang Zhang Juzheng were also waiting; they needed the Li clan to ascend as Empress Dowager and supervise the state, so they could expel Gao Gong and hold absolute power.

Zhu Zhu Yijun, Feng Bao, Gao Gong, and Zhang Zhang Juzheng—the struggle between these few would officially begin at this moment.

……

Unlike the regular court, the ascension court was a ritual for all officials to pay homage to the Emperor.

The number of people was dozens of times that of a court deliberation, and the Zhao Wenhua Hall couldn't accommodate them.

And to manifest the majesty of the Imperial House, the Great Ancestor's established rule was that the ascension court must be held in the Fengtian Hall on the central axis of the Forbidden City.

Now, the Ministry of Rites requested the two Empresses Dowager, but it was changed to the Zhongji Hall.

The attendant officials of the Court of Imperial Seals had already set up the throne in the hall, and Zhu Zhu Yijun sat on it leisurely.

He didn't pay attention to the ritual of ascending the hall, just quietly waiting for the officials to present their congratulatory memorials.

After a round of whip-cracking and music, the officials filed in.

The four nobles who had received the decree to sacrifice stepped out first: "We, the subjects, have not failed our mission and have already announced it to Heaven, Earth, and the ancestral temples."

"Heaven, Earth, and the ancestral temples heard of Your Majesty's ascension, and there was auspicious color falling; it must be extreme joy."

"We, the subjects, dare to present congratulatory memorials to Your Majesty."

Having spoken, Zhu Zhu Xizhong glanced obscurely at the Emperor on the throne, his heart filled with thoughts.

Zhu Zhu Yijun's vision was obscured by the crown beads, and he just nodded: "Your loyalty is sincere; I know it."

He looked at Feng Bao again: "Director of Ceremonial Feng, present the congratulatory memorials to me."

Feng Bao bowed: "This servant obeys the decree."

Afterwards, he walked down from the imperial steps and collected the congratulatory memorials from the four nobles.

The four nobles returned to their ranks.

Another Grand Secretary stepped out: "We, the subjects, congratulate Your Majesty on your ascension and also have memorials to present."

Zhu Zhu Yijun nodded.

Subsequently, the officials, from the Grand Secretaries, the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers, down to the seventh-rank minor officials, presented their congratulatory memorials one by one.

Everything was orderly.

Until……

"Your Majesty ordered the Director of Ceremonial to collect the congratulatory memorials; who are you, you scoundrel!?" The Hai Yushi of the Guangxi Circuit, Zhang Xiao, frowned and looked at Feng Bao.

The hall fell silent instantly.

Zhu Zhu Xizhong seemed to be feeling unwell and closed his eyes tightly.

Gao Gong looked straight ahead, as if he hadn't heard anything at all.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng's lips parted slightly, showing just the right amount of surprise.

Gao Yi held his tablet with both hands, looking as if he had expected this.

Only the officials who were in the dark looked around, exchanging glances with their colleagues, their eyes filled with helplessness and panic.

Feng Bao, facing this difficulty, possessed a great deal of self-cultivation and didn't even twitch an eyelid.

He just bowed toward the imperial desk and said slowly: "This humble one is the Director of Ceremonial."

Zhang Xiao flicked his sleeves, pointed his finger at Feng Bao, scanned the crowd, and asked the officials: "This is the Director of Ceremonial!?"

The officials were all shrewd; how could they not know that this was the rhythm of trouble?

Not to mention whether you recognized him or not, even if you had doubts, should you be roaring in the Zhongji Hall at this time?

Regardless of their rank, every official who met Zhang Xiao's gaze turned their heads away, unwilling to be drawn into this vortex.

The ritual official below the imperial steps immediately shouted to stop him: "Zhang Xiao! The Son of Heaven is presiding over the court; mind your decorum!"

Zhang Xiao bowed and confessed his guilt to the Emperor: "Your Majesty, I have just returned from an inspection in Guangxi and did not know that the late Emperor had a last edict to change the Director of Ceremonial; I am guilty!"

Since Feng Bao was the Director of Ceremonial, it must have been the late Emperor's last edict, right?

Advancing by retreating!

Although Zhang Xiao's words were a confession, he was actually putting the issue of Feng Bao's appointment as Director of Ceremonial not following the proper procedures on the table.

Feng Bao knew exactly what kind of performance this was, and even though he was prepared, he couldn't help but look at Gao Gong with hatred.

Zhu Zhu Yijun also knew exactly what was going on; he was just a pawn.

Seeing this, he simply played dumb: "Hai Yushi Zhang, please rise; those who don't know are not guilty."

"You are unaware that Director Feng was appointed by my mother, not by the late Emperor's last edict."

Zhang Xiao was naturally asking a question he already knew the answer to; not only did he know, but he was waiting for this moment.

He caught a glimpse of Ge Ge Shouli nodding secretly, felt confident, and continued to pester: "Oh…… so it was an imperial decree issued by Empress Dowager Chen at that time; then it was I who was rude."

Theoretically, the position of Director of Ceremonial could only be appointed by the Emperor.

But with the Emperor deceased, it was reasonable for the Empress to act as regent and make an expedient decision.

Although…… Zhang Xiao knew perfectly well that it wasn't an imperial decree issued by Empress Dowager Chen.

With the play having reached this point, someone naturally stepped in to help and raise the tone.

The Right Vice Director of the Office of Transmission, Han Ji, scolded: "Zhang Xiao, you are presumptuous! Empress Dowager Chen is so discerning; how dare you slander her! This position of Director of Ceremonial held by Director Feng was selected by the current Empress Dowager Li!"

As soon as the words fell, the Left Investigating Hai Yushi of the Ministry of Personnel, Song Song Zhihan, immediately stepped out to argue: "Vice Director Han, please be careful with your words; we in the Six Offices have never seen any clear decree issued by Empress Dowager Li at that time."

These two were Gao Gong's students, as everyone in the court knew.

By this time, those officials who were in the dark finally realized that the Senior Grand Secretary and the Director of Ceremonial were about to have a real fight!

The censors, the Six Offices, and the Office of Transmission were all Gao Gong's people.

With these few singing in harmony, if it wasn't Gao Gong's instruction, then it would be a ghost.

The court was Gao Gong's home field, and the poor Director of Ceremonial could only be beaten by everyone, truly having no way out.

As for the person involved, Feng Bao, watching himself being put on the fire in the blink of an eye, although he had no expression on his face, his hatred was not the least bit diminished.

Even though he knew in advance that Gao Gong would make trouble recently and had some psychological preparation, he still felt extremely angry at this moment.

He had long been well aware of this shortcoming.

When the late Emperor passed away, Imperial Consort Li detested Meng Chong, so she expelled him and promoted him instead.

As for a formal imperial edict... the Seal-Holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial was truly not something a mere Imperial Consort could decide with a single word.

Moreover, at that time, Meng Chong was the Seal-Holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and Gao Gong was the Senior Grand Secretary; the two were allies, so it would be strange if they had obeyed a mere decree from an Imperial Consort.

Thus, he advised the Imperial Consort Li of that time to bypass the Outer Court and appoint him directly, turning the raw rice into cooked porridge.

The birth mother of the successor had status, and he himself led the Eastern Depot and had men at his disposal; why would he need to care about any procedures or etiquette?

The methods of struggle in the Inner Court were quite different from those in the Outer Court.

Therefore, cutting the Gordian knot was truly an expedient measure; at that time, it was fundamentally impossible to issue a formal imperial edict to the Grand Secretariat.

Otherwise, at best, it would have been rejected by the Six Ministries, and at worst, it might have implicated the Li family—Gao Gong was truly capable of hurling the insult about "a hen crowing at dawn."

Afterward, relying on the Li family to suppress it, no one pursued the matter for a time; even if they had, those memorials could have been left in the palace.

Furthermore, with Meng Chong done away with a few days ago, and Li having become the Empress Dowager today, Feng Bao's position was already unshakable.

It was just that he had not expected Gao Gong to actually dare to order a Hai Yushi to expose this matter to his face during the Grand Enthronement Ceremony!

This was done even knowing it was useless, just to disgust him.

It was truly disregarding the two palaces and disregarding the face of the young Emperor!

Feng Bao glanced obscurely outside the hall, but did not wait for the movement he had expected.

Yet he could not refrain from fighting back at all, so he decisively brought up Empress Dowager Li: "You gentlemen might as well think it over carefully; Empress Dowager Li did indeed issue an oral decree back then!"

Feng Bao bit down hard on the words "Empress Dowager."

This was to remind these people that this was not just offending him alone; behind him, he was backed by the Emperor's birth mother, an Empress Dowager who was overseeing the state!

Gao Gong was one thing, but were you Supervising Secretaries and Censors truly going to walk down this path of no return?

But that Zhang Xiao, not knowing what promise he had been given, not only did not restrain himself in the slightest, but instead became even more aggressive.

Hearing Feng Bao's words, Zhang Xiao's eyes widened in anger; after kowtowing toward the imperial desk, he loudly questioned: "How can an oral decree from an Imperial Consort decide the position of the Inner Minister!?"

He then loudly questioned the hundred officials to his left and right: "Does our dynasty have such a precedent!?"

The spearhead of these words pointed directly at Empress Dowager Li, and the hundred officials were all startled, wishing they could leave their seats and flee.

What kind of heaven-shaking battle was this today, to actually denounce the Empress Dowager overseeing the state!

Seeing him barking like a dog, Feng Bao's tone also became intense: "Is Hai Yushi Zhang questioning Empress Dowager Li?"

If the position of the Seal-Holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial could be removed in a few words, Gao Gong would have done it long ago; why wait until now?

It was precisely because his appointment was firmly tied to Empress Dowager Li!

With such a heavy accusation leveled, it remained to be seen how a mere Hai Yushi would dare to receive it.

Unfortunately, while Zhang Xiao was charging into battle, there were plenty of people behind him.

At this moment, naturally, someone came out to control the situation.

Gao Gong spoke in a flat tone: "The two of you should be careful with your words; do not rashly involve those above in your own problems."

Zhang Xiao knew what it meant to stop while ahead, and he would also know how to gauge the degree.

Ignoring Feng Bao entirely, he continued toward Zhu Zhu Yijun: "At the beginning of Your Majesty's reign, how limitless are those who covet! How can the name and the vessel be lent to others?"

"Since the congratulatory memorials are collected by the Seal-Holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, this subject dares not offer them to others!"

In his words, there was nothing but the grave crime of Feng Bao coveting the name and vessel and usurping imperial power.

As the Left Hai Yushi-in-Chief, Ge Ge Shouli could not truly let the enthronement ceremony be ruined by the censorial officials.

He stepped out and scolded: "Zhang Xiao! Are you determined to disrupt His Majesty's enthronement? Present the congratulatory memorials and withdraw immediately!"

Having said this, he further advised: "Your Majesty, even if what Zhang Xiao says is reasonable, it is merely a case of a minor inner minister usurping the divine vessel; it is not as important as Your Majesty's enthronement today. This subject requests that this be dealt with later."

With a few words, these censorial officials branded Feng Bao as someone who had stolen the Directorate of Ceremonial and usurped the divine vessel.

They did not even give Feng Bao a chance to interject.

Zhu Zhu Yijun only felt it was ridiculous; these people truly did not put the Emperor in their eyes, as even his enthronement ceremony could be used as a battlefield.

It was no wonder Emperor Xiaozong was praised to the heavens by these civil officials and called a true benevolent ruler since the Three Dynasties—when Emperor Xiaozong held court, the civil officials were in this very state.

According to the records of the Veritable Records of the Ming in Korea, when Emperor Xiaozong held court, the court officials held their own small meetings and argued endlessly, and Emperor Xiaozong could only sit on the dragon throne like a wooden statue.

Was this the kind of Emperor this group of people wanted?

Fortunately, Zhu Zhu Yijun had other plans at the moment; otherwise, seeing these people so devoid of respect for their ruler, he might have turned against them in public.

Thinking this, he adopted the attitude of a spectator and took the opportunity to step down: "Minister Ge speaks reasonably. Zhang Qing, this matter can be discussed later; do not tangle over it here."

The current disturbance at court was at most the first step in bringing this matter to the table; it could not yet shake Feng Bao's position.

Gao Gong must have had further plans, and there would certainly be storms ahead.

Today's prologue should also come to an end.

As a pawn, Zhang Xiao had already completed his mission; hearing this, he immediately bowed submissively and said he would obey: "This subject was fearful of an inner minister usurping the divine vessel and deceiving the ears and eyes, and for a moment, I was burning with anxiety."

"In my unseemly state, I inadvertently disturbed Your Majesty's enthronement. After I go down, I will submit a memorial to state my own crimes and await Your Majesty's disposal."

"As for the matter of Feng Bao, this subject will also submit another memorial."

Having said this, he finally handed the congratulatory memorials to Feng Bao.

But as the two passed each other, Zhang Xiao quietly sneered.

Feng Bao took a deep breath, suppressed the emotions in his chest, and swallowed his pride.

He was expressionless, seemingly waiting for something.

Seeing Feng Bao swallow his anger, Zhang Xiao could not help but feel gratified; just as he was about to return to his rank, before his footsteps had even moved, at this very moment, a eunuch suddenly entered from the side hall.

"An imperial decree from the Empress Dowager!"