Chapter 887
The System of Funeral Sacrifice
Qian Zhong limped out of Kunning Palace. Just as he turned out of the passageway, the sun burst out from behind the clouds, its blinding white light stinging his eyes.
He swayed and fell backward, but a warm hand supported his back and pushed him back upright.
Qian Zhong was momentarily dazed, and then slowly turned his head, only to see Pan Yun withdraw his hand.
Qian Zhong opened his eyes slightly, and almost immediately, a voice popped into his mind: It's her, she can save my little sister!
Qian Zhong immediately knelt on the ground.
Pan Yun reached out and grabbed the person's arm, holding him firmly.
Even after all these years, she still can't get used to the fact that people here kneel down all the time.
Qian Zhong pleaded, "Master Pan, please save Her Majesty the Empress."
Although the words were unclear, Pan Jun immediately understood: "To be buried alive with the dead?"
Qian Zhong nodded repeatedly, his face pale, and said, "Her Majesty is willing to be a vegetarian for the rest of her life to pray for His Majesty's well-being. Please ask Master Pan to put in a good word for her with Prince Cheng and ask the Imperial Clan Court not to have Her Majesty buried with her."
Although the list was drafted by the Imperial Clan Court, it was actually just a suggestion. In the end, the new emperor and the empress dowager had to agree, especially the new emperor, whose opinion was crucial.
Pan Yun stared at him for a moment, then withdrew her hand and said, "Your leg injury is serious. Go back and rest."
Qian Zhong stared blankly at her retreating figure, unsure whether she had agreed or not.
In the evening, Zhu Qiyu, exhausted, came to Pan Yun to listen to her teachings.
This was a habit he had developed during this period, and he didn't change it even after returning to the palace.
He said he was listening to sermons, but in reality, he was just using Pan Yun as a dumping ground. He was under too much pressure and told Pan Yun everything.
Especially after returning to the capital after the war, Pan Yun and her three nephews moved into the Imperial Observatory, never leaving the palace, no longer discussing politics in the main hall, and even no longer associating with officials. Zhu Qiyu then preferred to visit her even more.
Upon entering, Pan Yun simply nodded at him and continued sitting and making tea.
Zhu Qiyu didn't care. He walked over and plopped down in a chair, looking utterly dejected.
Pan Yun poured him a cup of tea and asked, "Is this the Empress Dowager?"
Zhu Qiyu lowered his head and hummed in agreement, saying, "Your Majesty suspects that Cao Nai and others refused to help you in your time of need, and even intended to harm my brother. She has ordered me to hand over all those accompanying the Emperor to the Northern Garrison for interrogation, and to recall Kuang Ye and Chen Huai."
Someone let slip to her that the Emperor could have escaped danger, but Yang Jun missed the opportunity to attack, allowing the Oirat Mongols to bypass the enemy through the gap without providing support. This led to the Emperor's capture and the deaths of many ministers.
The Empress Dowager ordered me to interrogate the Yang family, to force them to reveal whether Yang Hong was behind it and who was truly in charge.
Pan Yun: "It's normal for the Empress Dowager to have some misunderstandings after losing her son. Once she calms down, she'll realize that many of her speculations are unfounded and will let the matter go."
“But…” Zhu Qiyu hesitated, “Because I was unwilling to severely punish the ministers accompanying the emperor, the Empress suspected that I was gloating and colluding with the ministers to cover up my brother’s death…”
Pan Yun said gently, “Your Highness, you will ascend the throne in three days. You have many state affairs to attend to. You need to decide whether to continue fighting in Luchuan; whether to offer amnesty to Deng Maoqi in Fujian or to increase the number of troops to continue fighting also needs to be reconsidered; next year is the flood season of the Yellow River, and you need to decide whether to repair the river channel and dikes, and how to repair them; there are countless things to do, such as the compensation for the soldiers who died in this battle and the arrangements for the wounded soldiers. It is not worth being so sad for the sake of the Empress Dowager.”
Zhu Qiyu opened his mouth, but didn't relax; his face looked even more bitter.
Pan Yun knew that he was quite sensitive, and even if she could persuade him, he would keep things to himself and suffer internally.
After thinking about it, I remembered Qian Zhong, whom I had met that afternoon.
I originally wanted to find a good time to bring it up with Zhu Qiyu, but now it seems better to do it now.
Pan Yun said, "The Empress Dowager is gentle and compliant. She just can't accept it for the time being. Your Highness, why don't you reassure her and let her know that you are a kind and benevolent person? This will not only not diminish her dignity as the Empress Dowager, but will also help her inherit the late Emperor's legacy."
Zhu Qiyu was taken aback: "Your Majesty's last wish? What was Your Majesty's last wish?" Pan Yun: "To abolish the practice of funerary sacrifice."
Zhu Qiyu's eyes widened in surprise. "This, this, this, this is an ancestral rule. How can it be abolished so easily?"
Pan Yun sighed, "In the end, it goes against the natural order."
Zhu Qiyu fell silent upon hearing this. He also felt that this was against the natural order, and the palace servants he had seen in the past two days flashed through his mind, many of whom he knew well.
and……
Thinking of how the Princess Consort had been crying for her sister-in-law these past two days, Zhu Qiyu was deeply moved, but his heart clenched with worry: "This is an ancestral rule; the court officials won't agree to it, will they?"
Pan Yun looked up at him and saw that he was serious and nervous, so she was speechless.
The court officials still refused; only heaven knows how happy they were.
Those concubines who were buried alive were all daughters of court officials. Unless they were beasts, who could stand by and watch their daughters being sacrificed alive?
However, they dared not utter a word out of fear of imperial power, and every time they received an imperial edict, they had to kneel down and express their gratitude with a joyful expression.
Pan Yun said calmly, "Your Highness, rest assured, as long as you issue the decree, the officials will only shout 'Long live the Emperor!'"
A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Zhu Qiyu led his army back to the capital in triumph. He had achieved military merit, gained prestige, and won the hearts of the people. He was immediately put on the throne and was already considered the new emperor.
However, in order to comfort the Empress Dowager and Empress Qian, and also to express his brotherly love, Zhu Qiyu insisted that everyone still call him Prince Cheng before his formal ascension to the throne.
But privately, everyone had already quietly changed their tune, and he could even issue edicts directly using the imperial seal.
Zhu Qiyu swallowed hard, still hesitating.
Pan Yun sighed and said, "This was also the late emperor's wish. A few years ago, when Prince Zhou passed away, he wrote to the Imperial Clan Court and Your Majesty several times before his death, requesting that the Princess Consort and other female relatives be exempted from being buried alive with him. The late emperor was deeply moved and granted this request. This shows that the late emperor was benevolent and did not want to have any more practice of burying people alive with the dead."
Zhu Qiyu blinked: "Really? Your Majesty wasn't moved by the affection between Prince Zhou and his wife, that's why..."
Pan Yun stared at him intently, and Zhu Qiyu stopped.
Pan Yun: "...Your Highness, now that the late Emperor has died like that, the Empress Dowager is most concerned about his posthumous title. What posthumous titles have the ministers recently proposed?"
Zhu Qiyu's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at Pan Yun in surprise.
The court officials are indeed discussing posthumous titles today; there are three in total: Huai, Min, and Shang…
The Empress Dowager only became particularly agitated in the afternoon, and almost tore down the harem.
Zhu Qiyu suddenly stood up: "I don't like this posthumous title either. I've already rejected it and ordered the ministers to discuss it again."
Pan Yun said, "The late emperor did have achievements. The Battle of Luchuan... although it was a narrow victory, it was still a victory. However, the defeat in his personal campaign, coupled with his capture and the knocking on the door, resulted in the deaths of so many court officials and soldiers, as well as the implicated civilians. If we don't give the late emperor a great achievement, it will be difficult for the court officials to agree with him."
“If the late emperor’s posthumous title is not determined, he cannot be buried. Does this mean that our Great Ming Dynasty must also have a dispute over etiquette? Fighting for two or three years?” Pan Yun said, “Not to mention how much this will delay things, even the empresses in the harem will not be able to bear it.”
“An instability in the harem will definitely affect your mood, decision-making, and state affairs,” Pan Yun sighed. “If that’s the case, why not follow the late emperor’s wishes and abolish the practice of funerary sacrifice?”
She said in a low voice, "There is something I have never dared to say to Your Highness."
Zhu Qiyu quickly replied, "Is there anything between us that we can't talk about?"
Pan Yun then said, "The direct line of the Zhu family is gradually declining, which is affecting the fate of the nation. How can we be sure it's not because the practice of burying people alive with the dead is too offensive to Heaven?" (End of this chapter)