Qin Chuan had no desire to be the emperor. He had to get up at five o'clock every morning to prepare for court. As someone who was used to taking a nap, he was sleeping soundly at this moment.
He reiterated that he didn't want to clock in for work, and Xiao Li smiled and glanced at him: "My husband, what can I say about you? Now that you're the emperor, aren't all the court systems under your control?"
"If you don't want to get up early, why not just change the time of the court assembly to Chen Shi (7-9 AM)? Also, I often hear you complain about the lack of holidays. Now that you're the emperor, you can easily increase the holidays. Right now, there are only three days of holidays a month. You can easily increase it to ten days, it doesn't matter. Anyway, the officials will be happy..."
After hearing Xiao Li's words, Qin Chuan was somewhat tempted; it seemed that being an emperor was indeed quite enjoyable.
Seeing that he seemed somewhat tempted, Xiao Li seized the opportunity to say, "In short, I only have one condition: our child must inherit the throne. Now, the world is only missing Loulan and the Northern Xiongnu before it can be unified. If you become emperor, I believe that in less than a year, the world, wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever rivers flow, and wherever the eye can see, will be China, Han land, and Daqian!"
"Li'er!"
Upon hearing Xiao Li's words, Qin Chuan was overwhelmed with emotion and hurriedly asked, "How do you know these things? Could it be... you're also a transmigrator?"
Xiao Li stared at him strangely, reaching out her slender hand to touch his forehead, her phoenix eyes filled with doubt: "Husband... why are you saying such strange things again? Aren't these the things you often say to me? Wan Chun! Summon the imperial physician!"
Upon hearing His Majesty's decree, Wan Chun was about to summon the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital.
Qin Chuan quickly stopped him, saying to Xiao Li, "Li'er, perhaps I'm a little tired..."
Xiao Li helped him sit on the dragon bed and said softly, "You must be tired from the journey. You should rest well. In a few days, I will pass the throne to you."
Qin Chuan felt guilty towards his empress wife, so he took her delicate hand and said, "Li'er, after you give birth, I will give the throne back to you. I will be the emperor for a year temporarily, just to spare you from hardship. You must not refuse then."
Xiao Li smiled, her eyes and brows beaming. "Alright, alright, whatever you say."
But in my heart I thought, I'll just find another excuse to refuse later.
...
Abdication of the throne is a major event for a country.
Inside the Golden Palace, when the Empress announced her intention to abdicate the throne to the Prince of Yan, the officials discussed the matter animatedly, but none of them openly opposed it.
It seems they had anticipated this day would come.
The current Da Gan is a powerful army with extremely strong military capabilities. It has destroyed the Southern Xiongnu, the Jiang Kingdom, and conquered the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions with overwhelming force and swift success!
Moreover, people's lives are getting better day by day!
The construction of the "county-to-county" straight road has made it much more convenient for officials to return to their hometowns. They heard that His Highness also plans to build "village-to-village" roads and deploy horse-drawn carriages and rickshaws. They can hardly imagine how convenient transportation will be in the future!
These were all brought by His Highness the Prince of Yan!
Since the Empress was willing to abdicate the throne to Prince Yan, none of the ministers had any objections.
Xiao Li summoned officials from the Ministry of Rites, who calculated the abdication date to be the most suitable day, July 25th.
...
On this day, Xiao Li, dressed in a magnificent gown, stood before the Golden Palace. The morning light shone down, illuminating her exquisite and gentle face.
The officials knelt and bowed, awaiting the start of the ceremony.
Xiao Li slowly opened her mouth, her voice firm yet gentle: "I have been ordained by Heaven to govern the world. Now I have my husband, Prince Yan, who is accomplished in both civil and military affairs, possesses both virtue and talent, and governs the country with a benevolent heart. This is a blessing for all the people."
"My heart desires, and I abdicate the throne to the Prince of Yan. May all that the sun and moon shine upon, all that rivers flow through, and all that the eye can see be China, Han land, and the land of Daqian!"
May my people live in peace and happiness for thousands of years to come, generation after generation!
Immediately afterwards, Xiao Li's imperial uncle personally read out the abdication edict.
Of course, this edict was only considered to be in accordance with etiquette after Qin Chuan "refused and declined" it three times.
Then, the majestic sounds of bells and drums resounded—
Qin Chuan, dressed in a black and gold dragon robe and wearing a nine-tassel crown, exuded nobility. His face was humble and solemn as he slowly walked up the steps under the watchful eyes of the assembled officials…
"My husband..."
With a smile on her lips, Xiao Li handed the Imperial Seal and the Edict of Abdication to Qin Chuan, her eyes filled with expectation and trust for him.
Qin Chuan performed the three kneelings and nine kowtows ceremony before her.
This ceremony was much more solemn than their wedding day.
After the ceremony, the new emperor and his ministers entered the palace.
The officials lined up in the same order they had used for court. Qin Chuan handed the abdication edict and the imperial seal to the eunuch behind him, then took Xiao Li's hand and led her to the dragon throne.
Facing the dragon throne, Qin Chuan slowly turned around, smiled at Xiao Li, and then slowly sat down.
At this moment, all the officials knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"
Xiao Li wanted to kneel down, but Qin Chuan helped her up, gazing into her eyes and saying affectionately, "Li'er, you must never kneel before me. Everything I have is thanks to you. I will remember your kindness for the rest of my life. I want to hold your hand and grow old with you, creating a great and prosperous era together..."
As he spoke, Qin Chuan took Xiao Li's hand, and the two of them faced the kowtows of the assembled officials.
Xiao Li's eyes were filled with tears, and she was speechless with emotion.
After a long, thunderous roar of "Long live the Emperor!", the hall finally fell silent.
Facing his assembled officials, Qin Chuan waved his sleeves and declared, "Today I ascend the throne, and all officials shall be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver! Starting tomorrow, the entire nation shall enjoy a seven-day holiday!"
Upon hearing this, the ministers exchanged bewildered glances.
Since ancient times, when a new emperor ascends the throne, he has always actively dealt with state affairs. How could he give the whole country a holiday as soon as he ascends the throne?
Isn't this ridiculous?
At this moment, Wang Jiayin, the Minister of Rites, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this action is probably inappropriate. Since ancient times, when a new emperor ascends the throne, there have been instances of granting amnesty to the entire nation and of universal celebration, but there has never been a request for a seven-day national holiday..."
Qin Chuan glanced down and waved his sleeve, saying loudly, "It starts today. And I'm telling you, from now on, I will implement a four-hour work system throughout the country, with at least ten days of rest each month. My people must not be caught up in the struggle, and they must not suffer too much!"
Upon hearing this, the ministers inwardly exclaimed, "If that's really the case, then that's wonderful!"
Officials not only received better treatment, but also had more holidays, which made their lives incredibly comfortable!
At this moment, Zhu Xizhou, the Minister of Revenue, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty is wiser than anyone else. You are considerate of your ministers and the people. Your Majesty is truly a wise ruler for all ages. However... if the ministers are on leave, who will be in charge of the affairs of state and the affairs of the government?"
Qin Chuan had already thought it through and smiled: "I intend to form a cabinet. I will handle major and important state affairs personally, and leave less important ones to the cabinet. As for the affairs of the various government departments, they can arrange for them to take turns resting. In short, don't let my people be overworked. My people are here to enjoy life, not to be treated like cattle."
Upon hearing the new emperor's words, all the ministers were overjoyed and immediately knelt down, shouting in unison, "Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor!"
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