Chapter 190

The hand that Qu Dubian was holding slowly grew colder and colder.

He didn't know how long he had been sitting here, waiting for the ninety-nine and eighty-one dragon-funeral bells to ring.

Only then did he hear the crying sounds spreading outside beneath the ringing of the bell.

He subconsciously raised his hand and wiped his cheek, and a trace of moisture appeared on his fingertips.

-

Almost everyone guessed that Prince Yong would be the new emperor.

Eunuch Yu later took out the imperial edict drafted by Emperor Chongzhao for the court officials to review, which completely implemented this point.

Prince Ming, Grand Tutor Fang and the other three regent ministers all knew the contents of the will a little while in advance. The emperor's body needed to be kept in the Fengxian Hall for seven days before it could be placed in the imperial mausoleum.

According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the new emperor would officially ascend the throne three days after the emperor's death, and then bury the previous emperor as the new emperor. Three months later, when the ceremonial robes were ready, the coronation ceremony would be held.

However, this rule is not mandatory. The person who made the rule just felt that it would be better to ascend the throne sooner and feel at ease to avoid any problems.

Three days later, all civil and military officials gathered in front of the Fengxian Hall.

When the will was formally read out once again in Fengxian Hall, as soon as Eunuch Yu finished reading it, people from the Ministry of Rites began to come out and follow the procedures according to the experience of their predecessors.

"The country cannot be without a ruler for a day, please ask His Royal Highness Prince Yong to take the throne as soon as possible!"

Some officials were truly sad, some were pretending to be sad, and most were filled with disappointment and sighs. However, what was most closely related to their future was the new emperor, their new boss.

When they went to court, His Majesty asked them to ask Prince Yong to ascend the throne. Why should they ask? The will is here. Can Prince Yong not ascend the throne?

They, the ministers, also have their own dignity, so how could they be controlled by the new emperor right from the start?

When the new boss took over, they heard the Ministry of Rites start to follow the procedures, so they also started to follow the procedures.

They were ready to wait for Prince Yong to finish saying something like "Today, the king has inherited the foundation laid by his ancestors and has been governing the country for a hundred years. This is a heavy responsibility on my shoulders. I am still young, and I hope that all of you ministers will work together to help me..." Then they would cry a little, and finally kneel down to congratulate the new emperor on his ascension to the throne, shouting "Long live the new emperor" three times, and that would be the end. All they had to wait for was the coronation ceremony in three months, which would also be quick.

As a result, they waited for a long time but Prince Yong did not mention anything about ascending the throne.

Question marks popped up in the ministers' heads.

The attendant stopped writing and looked up.

At that time, His Royal Highness Prince Yong was wearing mourning clothes, standing at the top of Fengxian Hall with his back to them, and he only threw six words to them: "Let's talk about it later, there's no rush."

These six words make people's hearts tremble.

If it were someone else, they would definitely not think too much about it, but His Majesty said it himself during his lifetime that he himself was not sure that Prince Yong would agree to succeed to the throne.

The Minister of Rites suddenly felt that many people were staring at his back. He could only step forward silently and ask on behalf of the others: "Your Highness Prince Yong, how long will it take?"

Qu Watanabe: “It’s hard to say.”

After saying this, he went to keep vigil.

Also keeping vigil together were Zhiyi, Sihe, the third prince, Prince Ming and a group of concubines. The eldest prince was not qualified to come, but Qu Dubian ignored those nagging ministers and pulled the eldest prince over as well.

He went in, but few of the officials outside the palace left. They quietly moved to the side of Grand Tutor Fang:

"Hasn't your majesty already written the name of Prince Yong in the will? You can succeed to the throne with just a nod, so why don't you nod your head?"

Fang Hechuan raised his eyebrows and said, "Yes, it was written. We saw it with our own eyes. However, when His Majesty wrote it, His Royal Highness Prince Yong was not by his side, and he did not obtain Prince Yong's consent."

In fact, he knew in his heart that according to what Eunuch Yu had said about the scene at that time, His Royal Highness Prince Yong had agreed, but he didn't know why there was a delay.

Maybe he wanted to temper the temper of the court officials? Or maybe there was something else.

After he finished speaking, the ministers who had been able to remain calm before began to lose their composure.

What does Master Fang mean by this?

...His Royal Highness Prince Yong will never run away.

-

All subsequent matters concerning Emperor Chongzhao were handled in accordance with the regulations and etiquette of imperial funerals.

The mausoleum of an emperor is usually built from the moment he ascends the throne, and is then sealed and buried in the year of his death. The mausoleum of Emperor Chongzhao was already prepared, and led by the Ministry of Rites, Qu Dubian buried him in the mausoleum according to the rules without missing a step.

All in all, it took about a month.

The Great Zhou Dynasty was without an emperor for a month, but the country was very stable. Most of the government affairs were handled by Prince Yong during his time of mourning. He had experience in handling border affairs in the northern border and was able to get the hang of it quickly. There was no need for him to review all the miscellaneous matters one by one, and the three regents were not there to just sit there and do nothing.

That is... apart from government affairs, they can't see the shadow of Prince Yong at all.

I don't know where he is, what he has done, or what he wants to do.

Not attending court and getting up early may be fine for two or three days, but after a long time, they will feel uncomfortable all over.

Every time I think of the empty, perhaps dusty dragon throne in the Ganji Palace, I feel a bit panicky as other people's children have already gone to school while my own children are still running around outside.

When Emperor Chongzhao's funeral was over, the ministers thought nervously and excitedly, can he finally ascend the throne this time?

Then I heard the bad news -

Prince Yong is living in the Seventh Prince's Mansion. He needs to take it easy as living in the palace can easily cause him to be sad.

……OK.

They smiled with understanding. Filial piety is more important than anything else, there is no doubt about it.

After all the civil and military officials understood with a smile, they turned around and went to the three regent ministers to talk. If all else failed, they grabbed Eunuch Yu's hand and asked him to find out from Eunuch Ye whether there was a specific time limit for ascending the throne.

During this period, Eunuch Yu handed over the management of the imperial palace to Ye Xiaoyuan. When Prince Yong ascended the throne, Ye Xiaoyuan, who had always been by his side, became the new eunuch in charge.

Eunuch Yu recalled the expressions of the ministers who were almost crying, and couldn't help asking: "Eunuch Xiaoyuan, His Highness...what has he been doing these days?"

Ye Xiaoyuan answered flawlessly, smiling and saying, "All memorials and official matters must be dealt with."

Eunuch Yu said worriedly, "Even if I ascend the throne, I can handle it. My family has been here for so many years, but I have never seen those ministers in the court act like that..."

Like a resentful husband abandoned by his wife, or like a resentful wife ignored by her husband.

They all stare at you with resentful and sad eyes. It’s okay if there’s only one of them, but if there’s a crowd of them... it makes it seem as if he, Yu Decai, has let down all these people.

Don't say he doesn't want to. Even if he wants to, he doesn't have the ability to do so.

Eunuch Yu rubbed the goose bumps on his arms, "Eunuch Xiaoyuan, you have known our family for so many years, can you tell me something?"

Ye Xiaoyuan said: "I really don't know about this."

He knew, but he absolutely could not say it.

-

The Seventh Prince’s Mansion.

Bedroom, dark room.

A thin, pale man was lying on the bed.

There was a thick layer of gauze wrapped around his chest. The nearly fatal wound had not yet fully healed even after more than a month.

It was the Fourth Prince.

Qu Dubian sat beside the bed, pressed his pulse with two fingers, and slowly transmitted his Qi as usual.

His brows were slightly furrowed.

That day, the fourth brother pierced his heart with a long sword without hesitation. However, fortunately, the fourth brother had never stabbed anyone before, and the sword did not pierce the heart accurately, but just grazed it and injured the heart meridian.

Fortunately, the sword is narrow, otherwise, even if it were a little wider, even gods would not be able to save it.

He quickly stopped the bleeding, helped his fourth brother lie down, and continued to supply him with internal energy, barely saving his life.

This matter cannot be made public, not even by Imperial Doctor Yang.

The only ones who knew about this were him, Liuliu and Ye Banban.

He simply asked Doctor Yang for a prescription for treating heart damage, and asked Yi Twelve to go out and find another doctor to write a prescription, which he boiled at home and fed to his fourth brother.

The first few days were indeed dangerous. He had to keep an eye on the Ministry of Rites to prevent anyone from noticing that the Fourth Prince was not in the coffin and bury him as soon as possible to avoid a lot of trouble. At the same time, he calculated the time and had to rush back to re-infuse the Mianshou Jue internal energy before it was exhausted in Fourth Brother's body.

After such a long time, the Fourth Prince's condition finally stabilized. He no longer needed to transfer Qi every day, but only once every few days.

that is……

The person never woke up.

He seemed to have fallen into the deepest sleep, and because it was too comfortable, he no longer wanted to open his eyes.

Mian Shoujue couldn't wake him up either.

Qu Dubian looked at the thin face and whispered, "Fourth brother, do you really want to keep sleeping like this, in the dream, without waking up?"

The Fourth Prince remained silent.

B Twelve said: "It is normal for people to be unwilling to wake up after being stimulated. Your Highness, give him the Forget Worry Pill to eat."

The Forget-Sorrow Pill was obtained by His Highness from somewhere unknown. It is said that taking it can help one forget the past.

It was taken out a long time ago, but he was hesitant and didn't let the fourth prince eat it. His Highness said that he wanted him to make his own choice, but who would have thought that the fourth prince would keep avoiding it and not wake up.

Qu Dubian stroked a small medicine bottle in his hand.

A long time ago, it was drawn in a simulator lottery. The introduction only has one sentence: Forget the troubles of the past, I don’t know the worries of the world.

The moment his fourth brother committed suicide, he thought of this thing, so he said that to him.

But when the moment came for him to feed him, he hesitated.

After hesitating for a long time, Fourth Brother still hasn't woken up. On the contrary, he seems to be not as well as he was in the past few days. If this continues, his vitality will gradually fade away.

After a moment, he calmed down, raised his hand and said, "Liuliu, bring me some water."

Yi Twelve poured a glass of water and helped Qu Dubian half-help the Fourth Prince stand up.

Qu Dubian pinched the Fourth Prince's chin, opened his mouth, and fed him the Forget-Your-Sorrow Pill.

After about a quarter of an hour, the wrinkles between the Fourth Prince's brows slowly relaxed, his breathing became shallow, and his eyelids moved, as if he was about to wake up.

Qu Watanabe pinched the back of his neck.

The fourth prince fell asleep again immediately.

B12: "Your Highness, don't you want to see him?"

Qu Duanbian did not answer now, but said: "Arrange for Fourth Brother to leave as soon as possible, by ferry."

B12: "We can control the Xihe Ferry in the suburbs of Beijing. Will Your Highness go there too?"

Qu Watanabe: "Well, I'll go see him off."

"good."

-

Fang Mansion.

Xi Shiqiu came to Fang Hechuan to have a drink.

Normally speaking, these two men, one a middle-aged man and the other an elderly man, don't drink much, because they usually have to attend the morning court. Their bodies are old, and their metabolism is slow after drinking, so they have no energy to attend the court the next day.

There is no need to think about it now, as I haven’t attended court for more than a month.

Xi Shiqiu: "It's been so long, and you haven't looked for Prince Yong yet. You really can't sit still."

Fang Hechuan: "There's no point in talking. He's not even nineteen yet. Why are you pushing him so hard?" Although nineteen is not yet an adult, he is already considered an adult. When he said this, he knew it was a bit biased.

So he coughed lightly and added, "Besides, is there something wrong in the court?"

"..." Xi Shiqiu put down his wine bowl and sighed, "Nothing happened, but I feel like there's a stone hanging in my heart."

He was still relatively calm. He didn't notice the group of ministers or even clan members outside. He looked in the direction of the Seventh Prince's Mansion and sighed countless times a day.

"If this continues, what His Majesty said before his death, that all officials should go to the gate of His Royal Highness Prince Yong's mansion and cry, will probably become a reality."

Fang Hechuan: "It has become a reality, don't you know it?"

"???"

Seeing his confused face, Fang Hechuan said slowly: "Half an hour ago, Lin Zongping organized a large group of officials to go to the Seventh Prince's Mansion. They are probably almost there now. Should we go and take a look?"

Xi Shiqiu: "Why didn't you tell me earlier?! You've already drunk the wine!"

Fang Hechuan: "You didn't come up and talk to me. I just found the opportunity to speak. But there is no rush. If we go now, the time should be just right."

Xi Shiqiu pulled him up and ran towards the Seventh Prince's mansion.

They are also considered to be Prince Yong's teachers. If they agree to ascend the throne in front of the Seventh Prince's mansion, it would be so embarrassing for them to be late!

-

The Seventh Prince’s Mansion.

Lin Zongping stood at the front, and standing on his left and right were the Minister of Rites and Prince Ming.

The Minister of Rites was dressed neatly, holding the imperial crown in both hands, wearing a black and gold dragon robe and imperial boots, and had a serious expression on his face.

Lin Zongping said to Prince Ming: "Your Majesty, please start."

Prince Ming nodded, looked towards the gate of the Seventh Prince's Palace, and said in a loud voice: "All civil and military officials are here, please let Prince Yong ascend the throne!"

Lin Zongping and all the officials knelt on the ground, clasped their hands and said, "Please let Prince Yong ascend the throne!"

"Please let Prince Yong ascend the throne!"

This is quite a generous gesture.

The civil and military officials thought, isn't it just to make these ministers bow their heads first? Once they bow their heads, it's fine. When a new monarch and his ministers get along, they always have to work together.

Who knows, there might even be a good story left behind about a wise minister visiting a wise ruler.

First, he heard a dog barking from inside the mansion gate. Then, Ye Xiaoyuan pushed the door open and saw the situation outside. He was stunned for a second, "My Lords...?"

Prince Ming said politely, "Eunuch Ye, please invite His Royal Highness Prince Yong out."

The Minister of Rites said, "The formal dress for the enthronement ceremony has not been rushed out, but the regular imperial dress is still available. The weaving department has the size of His Royal Highness Prince Yong, and it was also rushed out."

Ye Xiaoyuan said: "But, His Highness is not at home today."

“…”

There was silence.

Prince Ming: "Where did he go?"

Ye Xiaoyuan was puzzled: "I left the suburbs of Beijing. I have something to do."

Your Highness's whereabouts were not hidden. With so many people in the capital, didn't he notice?

There was silence again.

Suddenly, some stupid person yelled:

"His Royal Highness Prince Yong ran away!!!"

"Hurry and chase him!!"

A group of people left here in a hurry, and soon someone asked, "Prince Yong went to the ferry crossing in the west of Beijing!"

Then they rushed to the ferry.

Only two people were left. Xi Shiqiu glanced at Fang Hechuan and asked, "You said you won't run away?"

Fang Hechuan: "...It doesn't necessarily mean running."

He was a little hesitant, and suddenly he was a little unsure. It's hard to say? After all, people are bound to rebel and get angry sometimes.

The old man, who had been calm from beginning to end, could no longer remain calm. He hurriedly took two steps, but then retreated with gritted teeth.

"Call back Lin Zongping and the Minister of Rites. Don't disturb them. I trust him."

-

Jingxi Ferry.

Xia Fuyang and Xi Zixing led their troops to guard eight hundred meters away and cleared out all the people around them.

They didn't know what Qu Dubian was doing here, and didn't ask much. They just found a pavilion, sat down and drank tea and chatted while looking towards the ferry.

It was a clear autumn day and the distance was far, so I couldn’t see clearly what was happening over there.

Xi Zixing: "He said it was a gift to a friend, but I don't know which friend it was that deserved his attention."

Xia Fuyang sighed: "Yes, all the people around have been cleared out."

Xi Zixing: "He doesn't look like he's sending someone away, he looks like he's going to run away. No wonder the officials in the capital are so worried. Minister Xi has even lost two extra hairs."

Xia Fuyang had been staring at that place, but he couldn't help himself and stood on the platform of the pavilion to look over there, "Who is it..."

When did I make good friends behind their backs?

Xi Zixing picked up the teacup, blew on it to his lips, and lowered his eyes to hide his thoughts.

He had a guess...

However, this conjecture can never be verified or proven.

ferry.

A cool breeze blew, and the yellow willow leaves floated on the water, drifting with the waves.

The surface of the river was shaking slightly, and the black-sailed boat docked at the ferry was also shaking slightly.

Yi Twelve stood at the stern, guarding the place.

The structure of the boat shed is somewhat different from that of an ordinary wupeng boat. It is very suitable for sleeping, just right for one person. There are small things on it to hang miscellaneous items, and there are grids on both sides for storing items.

The fourth prince lay safely inside.

Qu Dubian helped him put the pillows in place, moved his head straight, and stuffed another pillow into his arms for him to hold.

The Fourth Prince's body had memories, and he automatically hugged the pillow in his arms tightly, rubbing his chin on it.

Qu Watanabe found it amusing and stuffed a prepared letter into the Fourth Prince's clothes.

"I don't know what the effect of the Forget Worry Pill will be. Will it also clear my memory of everything I've learned? But... you should have forgotten all the troubles in the capital."

Good and bad.

Happy, desperate.

Everything disappeared.

"I don't know whether it's a good thing or a bad thing to let you completely forget. I made the decision without permission. I hope you won't blame me, fourth brother. Anyway, you will have to drink Meng Po soup after you go down. Everything has settled down and you don't remember the past. Let me be selfish and know that you are still alive and that I have a brother who is very close to me."

Qu Duanbian paused for a moment and said, "I almost forgot."

He took out a wooden plaque from the sachet around his waist.

He pierced a hole in the wooden plaque and weaved colorful ropes on it to make a pendant.

He put the wooden token around the fourth prince's neck.

"Fifth Brother gave it to you. It's called 'Calm and Peaceful, Plain and Smooth'. He carved it himself. Fifth Brother doesn't blame you. Originally, he wanted to burn it for you... Fortunately, he didn't use Yin wood to carve it, otherwise it would be difficult for you to wear it."

The Fourth Prince pursed his lips, and no one knew what he was dreaming about.

The bangs on his forehead are particularly eye-catching.

Ye Banban cut his hair for him, Qu Watanabe didn't have the skill to do that.

Although the Fourth Prince had rarely left the capital, it was inevitable that someone would recognize him. For the time being, he might as well cut his bangs to cover half of his face. Once he left the capital, he would be basically fine.

He said a lot slowly and bit by bit.

"A few days before my father passed away, I was covering up your funeral and healing your wounds in a dark room, so I didn't go to see him. I don't know what I would say if we met."

"Thinking about it now, it's only been a month. I can't remember how I felt at the time. I only remember the sound of bells ringing one after another, very loud."

"…My eldest brother didn't make it. He was demoted by our father to be a centurion in Lingbei. Without an imperial edict, he couldn't enter the palace. Uncle Ming said that he had advised my eldest brother to come back to see our father, but our father didn't agree. He still felt that my eldest brother had betrayed him twice, so he didn't want to see him, but my eldest brother still came."

Lao Deng probably wanted him to come back, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

Maybe, who knows what he really thinks.

The Fourth Prince probably felt a buzzing sound in his ears. He frowned, reached up, grabbed Qu Watanabe's sleeve, and then touched his hand.

So she threw away the pillow and hugged his hand instead.

Qu Dubian let him hold her for a while.

The wupeng boat was moving slowly, the sky outside was moving towards the afternoon, and the wind was getting cooler.

Outside, B Twelve reminded, "Your Highness, he should be waking up soon." The tranquilizer that was given to him was almost out of date.

Qu Watanabe: "I know."

He pulled his hand out, looked at the Fourth Prince who frowned instantly, and stuffed the pillow back into his hand.

Qu Dubian walked out of the boat shed, stood at the stern and took a look inside.

When the fourth brother wakes up, he will no longer remember him, and he doesn’t know whether he will be able to find his favorite little pillow in the future.

Qu Dubian said: "Liuliu, please send him off and stay with him for a while."

Yi Twelve nodded: "Don't worry, Your Highness."

Qu Dubian jumped onto the shore, and Yi Twelve rowed the boat.

The ferry sails slowly and leisurely.

Forget the troubles of the past, I don’t know the worries of the world.

Qu Dubian watched them walk away.

From then on, there was no more Fourth Prince in the world, only Qu Duze.

"Fourth brother, you are free."

The mountains are high and the seas are vast, the bamboo forests are flowing and water is flowing. There is no longer any bondage from the past and no more guilt. The dark web will protect you in the dark. From now on, you will be an ordinary idler and live a plain life.

Inside the awning boat.

The fourth prince opened his eyes blankly.

After a long time, he sat up, lifted the boat curtain, and saw Yi Twelve rowing the boat. Turning his head, he saw a light purple figure that had walked far away to the shore.

He asked, "Boatman, who am I and who are you?"

Yi Twelve, wearing a bamboo hat, replied, "Someone stuffed a letter into your arms."

-

Qu Dubian waved at Xia Fuyang and Xi Zixing from a distance.

“Let’s go!”

The two left the pavilion. "Finally you came out. We have been waiting for so long, Your Highness."

Xi Zixing: "I received the news that all the civil and military officials are waiting for you at the palace gate."

Qu Watanabe paused and said, "Well, let's go."

This time he didn't stop and went straight to the palace gate.

The Meridian Gate is wide open.

Civil and military officials were lined up on both sides, with the imperial guards stationed not far away.

The Minister of Rites held up the imperial crown and the black-gold dragon robe and said again, "Your Highness Prince Yong, please ascend the throne."

Fang Hechuan, Lin Zongping, and Xi Shiqiu also bowed and said, "Your Highness Prince Yong, please ascend the throne."

All officials responded.

Qu Watanabe lowered his eyes.

Xi Zixing and Xia Fuyang looked at each other, took a step back, and stood behind Qu Dubian.

Qu Dubian raised his hand, and his fingertips fell on the dragon robe that symbolized supreme power.

Time seemed to go back in an instant, and he remembered a day seven years ago.

He was twelve years old at that time.

He dragged the injured Agumuduo to Yu Ruo's hostage house. His hands and body were stained with blood. He couldn't stand the smell of blood, so he took a bath in Yu Ruo's house.

The Fourth Prince accepted the task of escorting Agumuduo back to the Princess's Mansion. After throwing the task to his subordinates, he took Qu Dubian with him and went back together.

He took a shower and seemed to have changed into Yu Ruo's ill-fitting clothes, and his hair was half wet and half dry.

He and his fourth brother had another conversation on the way.

-

On the river.

The fourth prince took out the letter from his chest. The first sentence on it was: "Your name is Mian Xiaoan. It is a super cute name given to you by someone who likes to raise dogs. Don't delve into the past because it is meaningless..."

This is a letter written by Qu Watanabe after careful consideration.

He was worried that the Fourth Prince would try to find his memory because of amnesia, but he also felt that based on his personality, he was not the kind of person who was as stubborn as his fifth brother.

The Fourth Prince felt it himself and indeed had no urge to explore the past.

He asked, "The person who just left the shore, is he the one who wrote to me and likes to keep dogs?"

Yi Twelve said: "Perhaps, it could also be the new emperor."

If it were someone else, they would just treat this as a joke.

The fourth prince repeated: "New Emperor...?"

A conversation suddenly flashed through his mind.

[“Fourth brother, do you really not want that position?”

He looked down at a young boy, then raised his hand, straightened his messy collar and smoothed his half-dry, half-wet hair.

"Xiao Qi, that position is really not what everyone wants."

How many bones are there under the throne, who can count them? How thick is the blood stain on it, who can measure it?

To reach that position, how much price must be paid, how much human things must be abandoned, who can weigh and calculate it?

He's fine like this.

He walked the young boy forward.

"Fourth brother, just send me here. I will walk the rest of the way by myself."

"good."

He said, "If you are interested, Fourth Brother will help you."

The young boy didn't look back, but raised his hand and waved, "Power is valuable, but life is more valuable. If it's for freedom, both can be abandoned."

He smiled.

He watched the young boy in front of him, whose clothes were dragging on the ground and didn't fit him, staggering and lazily walking into the towering imperial city in the darkness ahead.

A vague fragment flashed through my mind, and soon returned to calm.

Only a sense of emptiness, sourness and dull pain is left.

The fourth prince is now called Mian Xiaoan.

He asked, “Where are we going?”

B Twelve said: "Mountains, rivers, places you like."

Someone will be at the highest point, protecting the people he wants to protect.

-

The sun sets and the sky is getting dark.

In front of the palace gate.

Qu Dubian gathered his thoughts, put the imperial crown on the wooden tray aside, and picked up the black and gold dragon imperial robe.

He disliked the trouble of the imperial crown, so he just put his clothes on to save trouble, leaving the wide cuffs hanging naturally.

Qu Watanabe: "Go into the palace."

Fang Taifu and the others looked solemn and immediately retreated to the sides, "Your Majesty, we respectfully welcome you to the throne!"

All civil and military officials, as well as royal family members, bowed their heads and saluted. The imperial guards half-knelt with their guns in hand. Xia Fuyang and Xi Zixing also bowed and said:

"Your Majesty, I welcome you to the throne!"

They stood respectfully on both sides to welcome the youngest emperor since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

"Your Majesty is welcome to take the throne!"

Qu Dubian paused, then walked towards the palace gate. Along the way, there was no other noise except the cheers of "Long live the emperor" and "Welcome to the throne, His Majesty".

The vermilion door in front was open, gloomy and dark.

The young man finally entered the imperial city, with two figures following him closely.

Boom—boom—!

When the new emperor passed through the palace gate, the bell rang nine times.

The heavy bell rang again.

The civil and military officials turned around again and headed towards the palace gate.

"Congratulations to your majesty on your succession to the throne—"

The figure, wearing a loose black and gold dragon robe, walked steadily along the road.

The sun will rise as usual tomorrow.

-

Historian Records:

More than a month after the emperor's death, the seventh son, Prince Yong, succeeded to the throne and changed the reign title to Yonghe.

In the first year of Yonghe, a general amnesty was granted to the whole country.