Listening to Zhang Shou's voice, the emperor could not help but feel slightly dazed. He could vaguely hear the stereotyped and even somewhat dull voice of the Grand Tutor who crowned him that year: "On an auspicious day of the month, I will be crowned with the first year's formal attire. I wish you a long life and good health, and great fortune."
When he came back to his senses, he saw that Zhang Shou had already put the black cloth crown on Lu Sanlang. Thinking that since ancient times, the emperor's first dress was only for the coronation, and there was no second or third ceremony, he couldn't help but mutter to himself: "It's just the words for the crown of a scholar in the rites of passage. I thought Zhang Shou would come up with a few auspicious words himself, or use the four-sentence blessing speech simplified from the rites of passages."
"How can Shou have so much free time?" Zhu Ying complained directly in the emperor's ear, "He had to give lectures yesterday, and before that he also had to teach students in the Jiuzhang Hall of the Imperial College, and the Third Prince. Uncle, do you think he is supernatural? He is simply too busy to handle it. He only had time to urgently review the chapter on the ceremony of capping a scholar, and just memorized all the sentences by copying it!"
At this time, Zhu Ying, who used to like to praise Zhang Shou, complained about Zhang Shou's last-minute preparation. Although she was not familiar with the ceremony of coming of age, she felt that it was quite similar to the ceremony just by looking at the strict procedures. However, she still did not think that Zhang Shou would not make any mistakes, so she decided to speak out in advance to prevent the emperor from finding fault.
In response, the emperor smiled. Seeing that Minister Liu and other guests who came to watch the ceremony were all cautiously looking at him, he swallowed his words of provocation. He came here today not only to give face to the little fat man of the Lu family, but also to take a good look at this ceremony.
You know, these days, the ceremony of capping is no longer considered as a major event in life, just like the wedding, as it was in the Qin and Han dynasties. It is even less popular than in the Tang and Song dynasties, when it was performed by officials and the common people. Nowadays, only the royal family and some officials who particularly follow the ancient rituals will hold the ceremony of capping. As for ordinary poor families, not many of them go through the motions, let alone ordinary people.
For example, his crowning ceremony was very grand because it was a rare ceremony for the emperor to enter his first years of service. The crowning ceremonies of the eldest and second princes were also held in a grand manner because the empress attached great importance to them. However, according to what he heard from Ge Yong and others, his father, Emperor Ruizong, had a very simple crowning ceremony, and Emperor Yingzong was lame at the time and was also shabby.
The emperors before him, such as the Taizu Emperor who did not value etiquette, had a hasty ceremony for Taizong's coming-of-age ceremony, while Gaozong's was very grand when he was emperor, while Sejong's was mediocre... As for the princes, their ceremony was even more humble and different.
As for why he suddenly wanted to come and watch the coming-of-age ceremony of the little fat man from the Lu family, and compare it with himself and his predecessors, the reason was very simple. Today he had thrown another heavy burden on the Ministry of Rites that would make them extremely entangled.
After conferring the title of Crown Prince on October 15, he planned to hold a ceremony for the crown prince, the third prince, on October 16. But before that, he needed to decide on the scale and who would be the guest of honor for the crown prince's ceremony.
Of course Zhang Shou didn't know that the emperor who came to observe Lu Sanlang's coming-of-age ceremony today actually had such an idea in mind.