Chapter 777 Making Arrangements for His Death
The imperial physician rushed forward to take Emperor Xiaozhao's pulse. After the initial surprise, a solemn expression returned to the physician's face.
Li Jingyue quickly asked, "How is it? Has Father's poison been cured?"
The imperial physician shook his head.
"That……"
Before Li Jingyue could ask any more questions, the imperial physician said tremblingly, "His Majesty's conscious state will last for at most half an hour. If there is anything, please give us your instructions as soon as possible."
The imperial physicians all withdrew.
Emperor Xiaozhao was also helped by the King of Chu to sit in the King of Chu's arms.
"Father, please don't be anxious. Please speak slowly." The King of Chu carefully held Emperor Xiaozhao, trying to find him a comfortable sitting position.
Emperor Xiaozhao leaned weakly against the King of Chu, his eyes quickly sweeping over everyone in the room.
"I don't have much time left, so I won't waste any more time on small talk."
Emperor Xiaozhao's voice was weak and feeble, but his tone was very calm.
"I hereby designate Li Yiqian, the heir apparent of the Prince of Qi, as the Crown Prince. After my death, the Crown Prince shall succeed to the throne."
Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent instantly.
Then a huge debate broke out.
"Your Majesty! The Prince of Qi has been deposed, and his heir is now a commoner. How can he possibly inherit the throne? We beg Your Majesty to reconsider!"
"Yes, Your Majesty! The Prince of Chu is extremely filial and pure, and is capable of undertaking great responsibilities."
"Princess Liyang is courageous and resolute, and is capable of undertaking great responsibilities."
"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
Everyone offered their advice, some supporting the King of Chu, others supporting Li Jingyue, but not a single person supported Li Sanqi.
Although the King of Chu was weak, he was indeed extremely filial and pure (or foolish), which was one of his redeeming qualities.
Such a person, though unlikely to achieve great things, will at least not cause any catastrophic disaster.
Moreover, the King of Chu was a man, which was a natural advantage for him.
Although Li Jingyue doesn't have any particularly outstanding qualities, her performance today was quite commendable. She's certainly capable of inheriting the throne.
As for Li Sanqi... no one wanted her to take over.
Therefore, no one mentioned Li Sanqi at all.
Li Sanqi glared at everyone with venomous eyes, and everyone avoided her gaze after receiving her look.
Look at this, what would happen if Li Sanqi were to succeed him?
Just as everyone was arguing fiercely, Li Sanqi suddenly shouted angrily, "Shut up, all of you!"
"Didn't you hear what the imperial physician said?"
"Father's time is running out!"
"How long do you intend to waste Father's life?"
Li Jingyue also spoke up promptly, saying, "Everything is up to Father Emperor! Gentlemen, just follow his orders!"
"Or is it that you gentlemen no longer respect the Emperor?"
Everyone shouted in unison, "We dare not!"
Ignoring everyone else, Li Sanqi looked bitterly at Emperor Xiaozhao: "Father, what other decrees do you have? Speak. Your son will obey without question."
Emperor Xiaozhao nodded almost imperceptibly and continued, "I hereby appoint Li Yiqian, the heir apparent of the Prince of Qi, as the Crown Prince, who will succeed me after my death."
"The Seventh Princess, Li Sanqi, is hereby named the Princess Dingguo, and the Sixth Princess, Li Jingyue, is hereby named the Princess Huguo, and they are granted the right to rule as regents until the new emperor is fourteen years old and assumes personal rule."
These words caused another uproar in the hall.
One is the Princess of Dingguo, and the other is the Princess of Huguo. Does His Majesty intend for the two princesses to check and balance each other?
But this will inevitably lead to the two princesses vying for power!
Is this really a good idea?
Regardless of what the ministers thought, the result was far beyond Li Sanqi's expectations.
She quickly kowtowed and thanked the Emperor, saying, "Thank you for your grace, Father Emperor!"
"Your subject has made too many mistakes in the past, and it is too late to repent for this matter."
"But now, your son has truly repented and will certainly live up to your father's expectations, assist the new emperor, work hard to govern the country, and restore peace and prosperity to Dayan."
Emperor Xiaozhao looked at Li Sanqi, a satisfied smile on his face, and said softly, "Good. I hope you keep your word."
After speaking, he looked at Li Jingyue.
With tears in her eyes, Li Jingyue quickly declared, "Father, I will definitely protect Qian-ge'er and the Great Yan kingdom for you."
"Alright." Emperor Xiaozhao's gaze softened even more.
"Marquis Yongning Yu Tong, Marquis Enping Yan Jin, and Grand Secretary Liu Wenyan, receive the imperial decree."
"Your Majesty, we receive your decree." The three crawled forward on their knees and replied in unison.
"The Marquis of Yongning has already been granted the title of Grand Protector. Now, the Marquis of Enping is granted the title of Grand Tutor, and Liu Wenyan is granted the title of Grand Preceptor."
"I hereby appoint the three of you as regents to assist the young emperor and the two princesses in governing the country."
"Your Majesty, we obey your decree and express our gratitude!" The three men kowtowed in thanks.
Only then was Emperor Xiaozhao's plan clearly and completely revealed to everyone.
Li Sanqi and Li Jingyue supervise and compete with each other internally, but at the same time they must join hands to guard against and oppose the three regents.
Divided yet unified.
The three regents are even more interesting.
The young emperor was Qiao Qinghe's great-grandson and was raised under her care, so he would naturally be close to the Qiao family and thus naturally close to Marquis Enping.
However, there is a blood feud between Marquis Yongning and Qiao Qinghe, as they are separated by the murder of his mother. Therefore, it is impossible for Marquis Yongning to join forces with Marquis Enping.
With the fall of the Yongchang Marquis's mansion, military power will inevitably fall into the hands of the two men.
By ensuring that the two do not unite, there is no danger of one becoming too powerful and overthrowing the imperial authority.
Therefore, the two of them are also in a mutually restraining relationship.
As the only civil official, Liu Wenyan naturally had an advantage over the Marquis of Yongning and the Marquis of Enping, who were both from noble and military backgrounds.
With his skills and experience, it would be no problem for him to restrain Marquis Yongning and Marquis Enping.
Moreover, as the Grand Tutor, he had the responsibility to teach the young emperor, and as the young emperor's maternal great-grandfather, he would certainly protect the young emperor.
Just as everyone was deeply impressed by Emperor Xiaozhao's plan, Emperor Xiaozhao continued, "I hereby confer upon Lady Qiao the title of First-Rank Lady of the State, bestow upon her a dragon-headed walking stick, and entrust her with the responsibility of supervision above and punishing treacherous and greedy officials below."
"Qiao, today I bestow upon you supreme power. I hope you will live up to my trust, protect that child, and protect the land of Dayan."
Qiao Qinghe felt a mix of emotions: shock, bewilderment, and gratitude, but mostly guilt.
In order to save her life, she once said that she would find out Min Ji for Emperor Xiaozhao.
However, she did not succeed.
She even joined forces with Li Sanqi at one point to try to seize the throne from Emperor Xiaozhao.
In the end, Emperor Xiaozhao did not pursue her mistakes and treated Li Sanqi leniently.
Although Emperor Xiaozhao had his own considerations in doing so, it must be said that he was truly a magnanimous person.
Qiao Qinghe kowtowed deeply to Emperor Xiaozhao with heartfelt gratitude, "Your Majesty, this humble woman thanks you for your great kindness!"
Emperor Xiaozhao considered everything he could think of for the sake of Qian Ge'er, or rather, for the sake of the Dayan dynasty.
All she could do was look after the people in the house for Emperor Xiaozhao and for Qian Ge'er, so that Qian Ge'er could grow up safely and smoothly take over the Dayan Empire.
"Furthermore... Prince Qi is to be executed! Li Rui, the eldest son of the deposed Crown Prince Li Chengjun, is to be adopted by Prince Qi's household and inherit the title of Prince Qi."
"The Marquis of Yongchang's family is stripped of his title, fined, and his property is confiscated."
"The Queen Consort of Chu is to be executed."
...
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