(Brothers and sisters, I have something to announce. This month, there will be no monthly votes for the remainder of the year.
The reason it is like this is because I am about to leave Shanghai and head north. For an entire month of July, I cannot guarantee stable updates. Furthermore, I am afraid that I cannot guarantee the quality, just like in the past. I feel apologetic and cannot go into detail. I can only bow and thank everyone.
This month, please vote for those authors who are more diligent and attentive. This is not being pretentious. It is truly the self-blame of sitting in front of a computer in a daze for two hours and not being able to write a single word.)
…
…
The entire city was plain white. It was as if a bone-chilling snow had fallen in September. Snowflakes fluttered and fell all around the Royal Palace, in various streets, alleys, and private residences. It was not true snow. It was just white cloth, white paper, white lights, white hanging, and white lanterns.
The vast expanse of white was very clean. The clean people suppressed their sorrow and crying in their lungs, terrified that they would disturb the saddest day in the Qing Kingdom in 20 years.
In the end, the news of the Emperor's death could not be hidden forever, particularly as the rumors grew stronger and stronger. The empress dowager made a prompt decision. She waited for the troops sent to Dong Mountain to bring back the Emperor's body and for the various investigations to continue before she sent out this world-shaking obituary.
The people of Jingdou were already mentally prepared. Once they received the court's confirmation and saw the large white lanterns hanging from the corners of the Royal Palace, they still received a great shock. People were often like this. Only after a person died would they think of the good things about him. Regardless of what kind of person the Qing Emperor was, at least during the 20-odd years he ruled the Qing Kingdom, the lives of the Qing people were the happiest they had ever been.
Thus, Jingdou was filled with a night of sorrow.
The Emperor had died of illness on the summit of Dong Mountain. This was the truth that the Qing nobles wanted to tell the people of the Qing Kingdom. As for what the true truth was, perhaps it would have to wait a few years before it would gradually be revealed. Like a flood, it would rush into the hearts of the Qing people. Those nobles would once again use the Qing people's grief to seek further benefits.
It was not yet the day the entire country would mourn, but Jingdou had already become a white world. However, the Minister of the Board of Rites and the official of the Honglu Temple should have died along with the Emperor on the distant summit of Dong Mountain. Thus, when all of this was carried out, it always appeared a bit unsmooth. It was like a sobbing elegy with a forced pause in the middle.
It was precisely because of these misfortunes that the important figures in the inner palace fell into a state of fear and uneasiness in addition to sorrow. Although the Emperor had not done anything overly shocking these years and appeared rather mediocre and quiet, the person who died was, after all, the Qing Emperor. He was the core of the Qing Kingdom's spirit.
After everyone had gotten used to the sorrow, they began to feel that it was absurd. How could the incomparably talented Emperor of the past, the Emperor who had the great ambition to unify the world, pass away so quietly? It was not that they could not accept the Emperor's departure, but that no one seemed to be able to accept this manner of departure.
This kind of quiet way of leaving was too strange.
The ruler had quietly passed away. What would await the Qing Kingdom?
Was it a collapse after the turmoil? Was it a rebirth in flames after a stable inheritance?
Seeking stability out of fear, people's thoughts settled. Everyone turned their gazes toward the dragon chair in Taiji Palace. They desperately hoped that a prince would quickly put his butt on that chair and stabilize the Qing Kingdom's politics.
The Crown Prince was the first choice. Regardless of whether it was in terms of status, relationship with the empress dowager, or the perception of the officials, it was reasonable to say that the Crown Prince should inherit the throne. However, everyone knew that the Emperor's main goal in coming to Dong Mountain to worship heaven was to depose the Crown Prince.
Some people thought of something and understood something, but they didn't say anything. The officials who had entered the Palace to cry for the soul looked at the Crown Prince, who was crying bitterly as he held the coffin. An incomparable coldness and respect grew in their hearts. It was as if they were seeing a young Emperor being reborn beside the coffin, crying bitterly.
The truth of the Dong Mountain matter was circulating among the officials. It seemed to have something to do with Sir Fan junior. Some people believed it while others didn't, but Fan Xian had disappeared. Perhaps he had died on Dong Mountain. Perhaps he had fled to escape punishment, leaving behind his father, wife, and child in their wombs to run to a distant foreign country.
The officials knew that if Sir Fan junior did not have the ability to flip the heavens, then he could only bury his name in the darkness. The general situation was already set.
… …
The empress dowager sat in the doorway of Hanguang Palace and listened to the waves of crying coming from behind. Her brows furrowed imperceptibly. A glimmer of sorrow flashed through her eyes. She knew that now was not the time for her to be unbridled and sorrowful. She had to hand the entire Qing Kingdom to the next generation before she could truly rest.
Outside the door was the old custom of the place where the Li royal family had first made their fortune. There was a brass basin with some paper money used by the common people burning in it. The yellow paper money gradually burned to ash like a sign of the impermanence of life. No matter how glorious one's life was, in the end, it would just turn into a puff of smoke and a pile of ash.
The entire Palace was busy, busy in an oppressive and tense atmosphere. The inner Palace walls were not high. One could faintly see the tips of the white banners the internal court had bought hurriedly running along the walls toward the front of the Palace. Inside Taiji Palace, something that would decide the future direction of the Qing Kingdom was going to happen. Everyone's gaze stopped there.
Compared to it, Hanguang Palace was rather cold and cheerless. The empress dowager pulled back her muddy gaze from the tips of the white banners. In a slightly raspy voice, she said, "The court cannot fall into chaos, so it is fine for the Palace to fall into chaos today."
She then turned her head to glance at the old official beside her and said in a gentle voice, "You are a senior official and deeply trusted by the Emperor. At this juncture, you should think for the court."
Shu Wu's body was half-bent. His old and peaceful eyes looked at the gradually extinguishing flames in the yellow basin. In a suppressed voice, he said, "I understand. However, the Emperor's posthumous edict is here. I dare not disobey."
A leaping flame flashed through the empress dowager's eyes. A moment later, it was immediately extinguished. Gently stretching out her hand, she threw the unopened letter in her hand into the copper basin. The paper money in the basin, which was about to be extinguished, immediately burned even more fiercely.
The posthumous edict that the Qing Emperor had personally written the night before he was assassinated, which designated the heir to the throne, gradually became useless paper money to mourn for himself.
Shu Wu stared at the letter in the copper basin and didn't speak for a long time.
"Since the person is already gone, then what he once said is no longer important." The empress dowager suddenly began to cough with great difficulty. It was a long time before she calmed her breathing. Looking at Shu Wu, she used a sincere gaze and a warm tone that should not have been there. "For the future of the Qing Kingdom, the truth has never been important, is it not?"
Shu Wu was silent for a long time. He then shook his head. "Empress dowager, I am only a scholar. I only know that the truth is the truth. The Emperor's will is the Emperor's will. I am the Emperor's official."
"You have already done your best." The empress dowager gazed at him calmly. "You have already done your duty as an official. If you have the opportunity to see Fan Xian again, remember to tell him that I will give him a chance to clear his name as long as he stands out. "
A chill surged in Shu Wu's heart. He knew that if Sir Fan junior had actually entered the Palace to see the empress dowager last night, he would probably already be a prisoner and officially the true culprit behind the Emperor's assassination. He would become the cannon salute before the Crown Prince's ascension.
He bowed to the ground and respectfully said, "I am going to Taiji Palace."
The empress dowager smiled slightly and shook her head. "Go. You must know that everything is predestined. Since it cannot be changed, any attempt to change will only make things worse, so why change?"
Shu Wu was an old official of the Qing Kingdom. He had a respected position in the hearts of the people. His students and old friends were all over the court. However, he had a stubborn personality. Today, it was the Crown Prince's ascension ceremony. Disregarding his life and death, he forcefully requested to see the empress dowager in an attempt to change the matter.
Only this old official had the right to do such a thing. If it had been any other official, they would probably have long become a wisp of wronged spirit under the Palace walls. The Qing Emperor had just died, and the Crown Prince had ascended to the throne. At this juncture, the empress dowager prioritized stability and would not force this old official too much.
However, Shu Wu could not change anything. If he was smart, he would quietly wait for the Crown Prince to ascend to the throne and then immediately beg for his bones and return to his homeland.
…
…
Shu Wu walked alone and lonely to the door of Taiji Palace. He could not hear the greeting of the plain-clothed official beside him. He also did not hear Eunuch Hou announce the Crown Prince's edict and invite the scholar into the Palace. He only stood in a daze at the Palace door and looked at the messy sacrificial procession in the square in front of the Palace. He looked at the upright white banners and the vigilant imperial soldiers on the palace walls. He heard the waves of firecrackers in the distance and the mournful sound of whips outside the Palace door. He suddenly felt a wave of hot blood surge into his head, making him dizzy.
From this moment on, Shu the Scholar's head was incomparably heavy. Like a wooden man, he walked muddleheadedly into the spacious Taiji Palace and stood in the second position among the civil officials. His entire person was muddled.
He did not hear what the empress dowager said in a slightly sorrowful voice behind the bead curtain beside the dragon chair. He also did not hear the heartfelt sobs of the Crown Prince, the Great Prince, the Second Prince, and the Third Prince. He also did not hear the cries of the Qing officials echoing in the Palace.
Occasionally, a few words burrowed into his ears, such as Fan Xian, rebellion, wanted, confiscation of property …
Shu the Scholar muddleheadedly knelt to the ground with the officials. He then muddleheadedly stood to the side and stood quietly. In front of him, Hu the Scholar glanced at him with concern. He used his gaze to send out a warning and wariness, but he hid the coldness in his heart well.
All of the officials hid it well. There was only sorrow and no change in expression.
Shu Wu furrowed his brows. He could not hear any sound. Looking at the colleagues he was usually very familiar with in the procession, he felt at this moment that they were strangers, particularly Hu the Scholar in front of him. The two of them were very close. Although they had not had time to say anything since last night, he had hinted to Hu the Scholar outside the Palace today.
Why was Hu the Scholar so calm?
Shu Wu's brows furrowed deeper and deeper. Suddenly, his body trembled. His ears, which had been deaf for a long time, suddenly recovered. He heard the sound of gongs and drums ringing out from outside Taiji Palace.
He opened his mouth. Only now did he know that he had finished saying what needed to be said. The Crown Prince was about to ascend the throne.
…
…
Shu Wu's strange state fell into the eyes of many people. The officials in court all knew that the previous Emperor and Shu Wu had always been on good terms. Suddenly hearing the news of the Emperor's death, it was natural for the old scholar to not be able to withstand the emotional impact. It was natural for him to be a bit dazed, so not many people were suspicious.
However, the empress dowager, sitting behind the beaded curtain beside the dragon chair, stared coldly at Shu Wu's every move. Her gaze turned, and a eunuch walked behind Shu Wu, preparing to help the old scholar to rest.
The Crown Prince's gaze landed on Shu Wu. Forcefully hiding his sorrow, he said, "Old scholar, go rest for a moment in the side hall." Then, he didn't glance at the crowd again. He also didn't look at his brothers below the steps. Calming his emotions, he walked in the direction of the dragon chair.
Standing in front of the dragon chair, the Crown Prince looked down at his brothers and officials kneeling on the ground. He knew that after he sat down, he would become the fifth monarch since the founding of the Qing Kingdom, a ruler who controlled the lives and deaths of billions of people in his hands.
This was the goal he had fought for a long time. For the sake of this goal, he had once been terrified, jealous, and dissolute. In the end, he had learned his father's patience, calmness, and waiting … viciousness.
When such a goal was suddenly within reach, Crown Prince Li Chengqian's emotions were so calm that it made him feel a little strange.
The Crown Prince's gaze lowered slightly and looked at his second brother below. Looking at the calm and gentle expression on his face, for some reason, he thought of Fan Xian, who had already secretly entered Jingdou.
The news of Fan Xian's survival had come from the direction of Dongshan Road last night. The Crown Prince's heart was like a sugar thorn, sweet and painful. For some reason, knowing that Fan Xian was alive, he instead let out a breath. As for his second brother below? A cold smile flashed through the Crown Prince's heart. The Ye family's army was not far from Jingdou, but his second brother's heart was still not easily calm.
"Please, Emperor, ascend the throne."
"Please, Emperor, ascend the throne."
He did this three times. Crown Prince Li Chengqian bowed three times to show his respect for heaven, earth, and man. Then, he straightened his body and looked at the officials kneeling on the ground below. It was as if he could see the billions of people under heaven kneeling to him. A sense of satisfaction of controlling the world rose involuntarily. A moment later, it disappeared without a trace. He only felt that this matter was very boring, so boring that it made one feel annoyed.
Perhaps I am the only Emperor to sit on the dragon chair with a frown.
Li Chengqian thought of this and sighed in a certain corner of his heart. Turning around, he bowed respectfully to the empress dowager and was about to sit on the dragon chair.
…
…
Shu Wu felt that he had truly lost his mind. In such a solemn and sorrowful moment, when the entire court was silent and tens of thousands of officials were kneeling, he actually knelt on the ground and took two steps forward. He came under the dragon chair and kowtowed to the ground. In a loud voice, he cried, "No!"
Once the word "no" came out, everyone in the court was shocked. Behind the beaded curtain, the empress dowager's face sank. A few eunuchs began to walk toward Shu the Scholar. On the other hand, the Crown Prince, who was about to sit on the dragon chair, let out a breath. He finally understood what his earlier confusion was.
It was impossible for the ascension to the throne to be so smooth. There would always be some twists and turns.
After Shu Wu cried out these two words, he shook off his dizziness. The old scholar took a deep breath and felt unprecedentedly clear. He knew what he should do.
Sir Fan junior wanted to borrow his bones, so he would throw these old bones out. This could be considered as repaying the Emperor's many years of kindness in recognizing and using him, as well as the trust the Qing people placed in the officials.
Shu Wu didn't even glance at the eunuch supporting him. Straightening his body, he looked at the empress dowager behind the beaded curtain and the Crown Prince in front of the dragon chair. Using all the strength in his body, he staked a lifetime of honor and disgrace, and he staked the life and death of his entire clan, he cried out sorrowfully.
"Before the Emperor died, he left behind a posthumous edict. The Crown Prince … is not allowed to inherit the throne!"
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