Who can judge the merits and demerits of the past?
The Purple Palace is the residence of the emperor, but it is also a purgatory on earth.
The queen's gaze first fell on her son's face, which was still open after death, then slowly moved to her husband who was lying silently on the throne, and finally fixed on the prince's dull eyes.
Her husband, son, and grandson, the three most important men in her life, one was dying, one died suddenly, and one was living a life worse than death.
The mask of compassion on Prince Yong's face had long since faded, leaving only a look of disdain. His gaze swept across the room, finally landing on the Queen's face. He asked, "The traitor Ning Yanqing has been executed out of fear of his crime. However, the country cannot be without a ruler for a day. I'm afraid that my father's health will make it difficult for him to manage the affairs of state. Crown Prince..."
He glanced at the foolish Ning Chengji, and his unspoken meaning was obvious.
He asked, "The Queen Mother is the head of the six palaces and the mother of the country. What should we do now?"
Inside the hall, the hearts of the important officials instantly rose to their throats.
Although the soldiers around them, armed with sharp weapons, did not move, death hung over their heads. If they did not do so, they might be attacked by swords and axes.
After a brief silence.
The Minister of Rites, a member of Prince Yong's faction, was the first to step forward. His hair and beard trembled slightly as he spoke with unwavering justice: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty has been murdered by the deposed Crown Prince. You are now seriously ill, unable to speak or move. You can no longer personally manage state affairs!"
"Deposed Crown Prince Ning Yanqing murdered the emperor and his father, and poisoned the heir apparent. The evidence is irrefutable, and Heaven will not tolerate it. He has slain himself in the sight of heaven and earth! This monstrous disaster is the result of the foundation of the nation being shaken and the divine artifact being left without a master!"
He turned to Prince Yong and bowed deeply, his tone passionate: "Your Highness Prince Yong is extremely talented, wise and decisive. He stepped forward in times of crisis and turned the tide. It is truly destiny!
"I implore Your Highness, for the sake of our country and the people, to ascend the throne immediately and bring peace to the people!"
The Minister of Personnel followed closely behind, dropping to his knees with a thud. His voice was choked with deliberate sobs: "Your Majesty! The state has become so corrupt that only a capable ruler can rectify it! His Royal Highness Prince Yong is of our royal bloodline and a gifted genius. Only Your Highness can restore order if he inherits the throne. Please prioritize the people of the world!"
"Your Highness Prince Yong, please ascend the throne!" Several officials who were loyal to Prince Yong knelt down in unison, and the shouts gradually rose.
A big show was actually performed in front of the Purple Palace.
Ning Lingyi felt amused, for she had no idea that her third brother was actually a disciple of the opera theater, and that he could perform on stage with the vividness of an actor. She had no idea that all the civil and military officials in the court could also act out all kinds of human behaviors.
But Prince Yong's brows were furrowed, and his face was full of embarrassment.
He raised his hand and pressed it lightly, saying in a deep voice, "My dear ministers, this is wrong. My father is still alive. Although he has suffered an unforeseen event, the mandate of heaven remains. I am a vassal prince, how can I overstep my bounds? This proposal is absolutely unacceptable."
"Your Highness!" The Minister of Rites knelt down and said, "Your Majesty has suffered such a great disaster. Although his body is still intact, his mind is unconscious and his body is as thin as a withered tree. Can Your Highness bear to see His Majesty in such a state, and be troubled by state affairs and unable to rest in peace?
"Your Highness, upon ascending the throne, should you honor Your Majesty as the Supreme Emperor, allowing him to rest in peace and quiet, free from the toil of paperwork, that would be the truest form of filial piety!"
"Yes, Your Highness," the Minister of Personnel interrupted, "the country cannot be without a leader for a single day. Although the ringleaders of the rebellion have been executed, the remaining evil remains, and the unrest outside the palace is still ongoing. Without a wise leader to call for action, even greater chaos may ensue. Your Highness must prioritize the country. Please do not refuse!"
He kowtowed again, his forehead hitting the ground with a sound.
"Please let His Royal Highness Prince Yong ascend the throne! Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long, long live the emperor!" More officials, pushed by the invisible waves, knelt down one after another, and the cheers echoed in the empty hall.
Kneeling down and submitting seems to be the only option.
However, not everyone gave in.
"What nonsense! Traitor!"
The Eastern Palace Secretary pointed at Prince Yong and shouted angrily, "Prince Yong, you are the biggest traitor! It was you! You deliberately instigated and instigated, and then reaped the benefits! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was forced to death by you, and His Majesty was harmed by you! You are hypocritical and righteous, but in fact you have evil intentions! You..."
"Chen Zhanshi!" A voice interrupted him. It turned out to be an official from the prince's party.
With a fawning expression on his face, he knelt before Prince Yong and shouted, "Your Highness, please understand. The deposed Crown Prince Ning Yanqing has committed atrocities and has long since lost his moral integrity. He has brought this upon himself! We, your servants, have been deceived and coerced by him!"
"Your Highness Prince Yong is wise and brave. You have turned the tide and saved the collapsing empire. This is the will of heaven. I respectfully invite Your Highness to ascend the throne!" He kowtowed heavily, like a useless dog finding a new master.
The East Palace Secretary looked at his former accomplice and was so angry that he trembled all over. His lips quivered and he wanted to curse again: "You are so shameless!"
"Shut up." A murderous look flashed in Prince Yong's eyes.
A silent soldier behind the East Palace Secretary took a step forward and slashed out with the long sword in his hand without warning!
“Puff!”
Chen Zhanshi's curses came to an abrupt end. He lowered his head and looked at the bloody tip of the knife sticking out of his chest. Blood instantly gushed out, staining the gold bricks in front of him red. His body swayed, then fell to the ground with a thud, twitching a few times before he became motionless.
This knife was crisp, sharp and ruthless.
Killing Chen Zhanshi also killed the conscience, loyalty, and sense of shame of more people.
More people chose to kneel down and bow to King Yong, and the number of people kneeling down had reached seven or eight out of ten.
All the important officials who had not yet kneeled cast their eyes on Prime Minister Wang, and then involuntarily focused their attention on the Queen who had been standing upright.
Thousands of soldiers controlled the power of life and death, and all the civil and military officials in the court had surrendered to King Yong. Her husband and grandson were already disabled. What else could resistance bring except more deaths, including the deaths of herself, her daughter-in-law, and her grandson?
The queen's back seemed to bend slightly under the heavy phoenix crown.
She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she spoke slowly.
"The country cannot be without a ruler for a single day. The emperor has suffered such a great disaster, and the crown prince... has committed suicide."
"Prince Yong will take the throne as emperor."
"Your Majesty is wise!" The Minister of Rites responded loudly as if he had been pardoned, his face filled with uncontrollable joy. "Your Majesty's decree is in accordance with Heaven's will and the will of the people. Your Majesty should be grateful for your profound understanding of justice!"
He immediately turned to the officials behind him and spoke quickly: "Quick, draft an edict immediately!"
"In compliance with the Empress's decree: His Majesty the Emperor, whose health is unsound and unable to cope with state affairs due to the rebellion of the deposed Crown Prince Ning Yanqing, abdicates the throne to Prince Yong, Ning Yanli! Prince Yong is a benevolent and filial prince, a wise and valiant man, and should inherit the throne as Emperor! The Emperor is honored as the Supreme Emperor, and his palace is relocated to the Western Garden for rest and recuperation. The Empress is honored as the Empress Dowager! Change the reign..."
He looked at Prince Yong.
Prince Yong stood with his hands behind his back. At this moment, in this place, it was the most satisfying moment in his life. He was finally going to become the emperor.
He had been waiting for this moment in his dreams for countless nights.
He uttered two words: "Guangqi."
The darkness has ended and a new era of light is about to begin.
He will be a good emperor.
"Change the era name to Guangqi!" the Minister of Rites announced loudly.
The imperial seal was tremblingly held in front of the queen by the eunuch. The queen looked at the seal that symbolized supreme power. She stretched out her hand, her fingertips were cold, and picked up the imperial seal. She pressed it heavily on the abdication edict with the ink still wet.
“Bang!”
A soft sound announced the end of one era and the beginning of another.
"By the Will of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: Prince Yong, Prince Yong, succeeds the throne and ascends the throne... Change the reign to Guangqi! I decree this!"
"Long live our emperor! Long live! Long, long live our emperor!"
The thunderous cheers of "Long live the dragon" rang out again. The soldiers and officials inside and outside the hall knelt down in unison like wheat waves blown by the wind, with their foreheads touching the ground, and paid homage to the black figure standing in front of the dragon throne.
Prime Minister Wang looked at his colleagues and important officials kneeling on the ground and sighed in his heart. He lifted the hem of his official robe, and then his knees felt like they were filled with lead. He wanted to kneel down, but it was extremely difficult.
After all, the lives of more than a hundred people in the royal family are more important than these knees.
Of course, he cannot escape the harsh criticism in history books and the eternal infamy.
Your Majesty, I, an old minister, feel ashamed of you.
Finally, he knelt down.
In the hall, only two people were still standing.
The Queen, no, now she was the Empress Dowager. She still held her back straight. From tonight onwards, no one in this huge palace would truly respect her anymore. If she could die, why would she be alive now? She sneered and shed another tear.
The other one is Ning Lingyi.
She was far from the center of the crowd, yet she saw the entire drama unfold. She watched the seemingly calm but ecstatic profile of Prince Yong, the ministers kneeling at his feet, begging for honor, the abdication edict stained with the blood of her father and nephew, and the blood staining the soldiers' blades in the firelight outside the palace...
It turns out that this is the true face of power transfer.
They pave the way with the blood of loved ones, weave the crown with lies, and stage one high-sounding farce after another surrounded by knife-like violence.
They talk about benevolence, righteousness, and morality, and every word they say is about loyalty, filial piety, chastity, and righteousness, but they cannot cover up the disgusting hypocrisy and bloodiness. A new emperor has new ministers, and the emperor is no different, and the ministers are no different.
The new emperor's gaze seemed to casually sweep over the two standing people, lingering on Ning Lingyi for a moment, deep and incomprehensible, and then moved away.
He faced the kneeling ministers, raised his hand, and gently supported them: "Everyone, please stand up."
He finally reached the pinnacle of power, the position he had always dreamed of, it was like a dream.
So what if he was the crown prince, so what if he was the legitimate son, so what if he was driven out of the capital like a stray dog? Today, it was he who ascended the throne as emperor, not his cowardly and incompetent brother who only had the title of the eldest crown prince!
He won.
Who is the greatest in the universe? King Yong.
His power extends throughout the country, with the sun and the moon on his shoulders and the mountains and rivers in his hands. He is the only one who can bring honor to the Emperor.
However, there is still some work to be done.
Yesterday they were loyal ministers of the Prince's party, but today they are traitors and rebels who can be killed by everyone. How could Emperor Guangqi tolerate such a ruler who harbors traitors and allows chaos? He must kill all nine of their clans to achieve peace!
The clamor of the coronation had not yet died down, and new chaos spread with the night.
"By order! The remaining followers of the Crown Prince shall be killed without mercy!"
"Leave no traitors or villains alive!"
"Those who resist will be killed! Those who conspire will be arrested!"
"Search the property! Exterminate the clan!"
Accompanied by shrill shouts and cries of killing, flames shot up into the sky in every corner of the capital, dyeing the dark night into an eerie blood-red. Countless lives came to an abrupt end in this night, countless families were wiped out in this night, and the entire capital was shrouded in fear and blood.
Who can judge the merits and demerits of the past? Even a young man can claim a reputation!
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