"The handover is a major event, and so is the relocation of the capital," Emperor Hui said. "It would be best if His Majesty Emperor An could return to the capital and discuss the matter with the civil and military officials."
Xie Zhaozhao, holding her son, corrected him, "Now that I have reached a consensus with you, I will leave the rest to Emperor Chen and the Prime Minister. I need to return to the palace to preside over state affairs."
Are you kidding me? Me, going back to the capital with you?
I will not set foot in the capital of Daqian until the transfer of power is complete.
There was a reason why Xie Zhaozhao chose Daming Prefecture as the capital.
Daming Prefecture is located at the northwestern end of the Yanbei Plain, bordered by the Canghai Sea to the left, the Taihang Mountains to the right, the Yanshan Mountains to the north, and the Heji River to the south.
The feng shui is excellent.
This place was once the capital of six dynasties, and the imperial palace has a good foundation. It was once an extremely magnificent and luxurious ancient capital city on the continent. The craftsmen could repair it in a short time and surpass the imperial palace of the Great Qian Dynasty.
The key point is that there are no remaining enemies here, so she can stay here with peace of mind.
In November of the thirty-fourth year of Emperor Hui's reign, a major attack was launched on the capital.
Emperor Hui sent Leng Luo, the commander of the Imperial City Guard, to the Liu residence to invite Grand Secretary Liu to the palace to play chess with him.
After dressing, Grand Secretary Liu gave instructions to his family before leaving: "Jin Yan has been appointed Minister of Rites by Emperor An. His Majesty Emperor Hui is holding me accountable."
Prepare the coffins, and keep the ceremony simple. Instruct Jin Yan that Emperor Chen and Emperor An are in dire need of capable men, so there's no need for him to observe mourning.
Liu Jinyan, Liu Yiyi's father, is no less talented than Grand Secretary Liu, but he has always kept a low profile, fearing that his fame would attract unwanted attention.
Now that Grand Secretary Liu has retired, the new emperor has invited him to serve as the Minister of Rites of the Jade Dragon Kingdom.
Both Madam Liu and the young mistress cried, "Can we not go to the palace? You can ask Emperor Chen for permission."
Grand Secretary Liu smiled and said, "Emperor An and Emperor Chen have been benevolent enough. Your Majesty has failed to see the situation clearly and has been causing trouble for the past few months. This has only damaged the relationship between father and son and resulted in the deaths and injuries of countless ordinary people. Your Majesty has really gone too far."
After making his final arrangements, he calmly entered the palace.
Emperor Hui saw that he was fearless and thought he really had come to play chess.
Grand Secretary Liu smiled and said, "Your Majesty, this old minister is sixty-two years old this year, and has been accompanying Your Majesty for thirty-four years. Today, in this game, I must win!"
Emperor Hui smiled and said, "You've never won in your entire life, but this time, I will win again."
The chessboard was set up, and the two players took turns playing.
Although Grand Secretary Liu's eyesight wasn't very good, his thinking when playing chess was incredibly clear.
From the very beginning, they proceeded cautiously, becoming increasingly ruthless. Emperor Hui was powerless to resist and could find no way out.
In the past, the two of them could play a game of chess for a long time or even a whole day. This time, in less than half an hour, Grand Secretary Liu had utterly annihilated Emperor Hui and blocked all his paths.
Emperor Hui was both shocked and furious. After searching for a long time, he could no longer find any way out. He threw down the chess piece in his hand and asked, "How could you have improved so much?"
Grand Secretary Liu laughed heartily: "Your Majesty, you're getting old, admit defeat!"
At those words, Emperor Hui's expression changed drastically. Pointing at Grand Secretary Liu, he roared, "How dare you! Guards, seize him for me!"
The Imperial Guards were about to arrest Grand Secretary Liu, but he calmly said, "Your Majesty, it's not that I'm inferior to you, it's that I've always yielded to you. I want to tell you that if I wanted to win, I could win anytime, but I couldn't bear to let you watch yourself lose everything."
He was using the game of chess to tell His Majesty: Stop it, stop causing trouble.
Emperor Chen and Emperor An aren't incapable of dealing with you; they're just being lenient with you. Have some shame!
Emperor Chen is your son. You've dragged this out for three months. Every time you cause trouble, Emperor Chen kills you, destroying more families, creating more tragedy and hatred, and diminishing the bond between father and son.
The Imperial Guards did not send Grand Secretary Liu to prison because after Grand Secretary Liu finished speaking with Emperor Hui, he vomited blood and died!
Emperor Hui sat in darkness all night. Grand Secretary Liu, who had been loyal to the court all his life, died in front of him, using his death to advise him to be pragmatic.
Think more about the people, think more about your children and grandchildren, and stop being so stubborn.
The key issue is that we can't win.
On the first day of the twelfth month of the thirty-fourth year of Emperor Hui's reign, at the Qinzheng Hall
Early morning.
"At the end of August, the peace agreement was announced to the world, and Da Gan and Yu Long Kingdom were united as one, with the country named Yu Long." Zhou Shaoyu said, "A king's word is law, and my father has always carried out the handover in accordance with the agreement, and now it has finally been completed."
All the civil and military officials knew that Emperor Hui was not actually handing over power; he was just dragging his feet.
Not only have they been dragging their feet, but over the past few months, they have been constantly mobilizing troops and organizing various forces in an attempt to turn the tide.
They even sent someone to poison Emperor Chen, intending to kidnap him and blackmail Emperor An.
After months of turmoil, the army was decimated, and many loyal ministers and generals died. Even the most loyal Prince Jing, who used Princess Changping to get close to Emperor An and attempt an assassination, was imprisoned.
He drove Liu, the Grand Secretary who had followed him throughout his life, to his death a few days ago...
"Proclaim the imperial decree!"
Emperor Hui said to Hua Zisheng.
Hua Zisheng was an old servant of Emperor Hui. He read out the first imperial edict after Emperor Hui ascended the throne. Emperor Hui then asked him to read out the last imperial edict of the Great Qian Dynasty.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Crown Prince Zhou Jingqi is too young and lacks sufficient knowledge to fulfill the duties of Crown Prince. He is hereby relieved of his post as Crown Prince and enfeoffed as the Prince of Liang. So be it!"
Zhou Jingqi reached out and accepted the imperial edict, then breathed a sigh of relief.
He didn't want to be the crown prince. He was afraid of Zhou Shaoyu, and he was also afraid of the civil and military officials. He was terrified.
Next, Zhou Jingqi's birth mother, Consort Jing, was brought to the imperial court.
Consort Jing looked at Zhou Jingqi kneeling to one side, his crown removed, and felt utterly hopeless.
Hanako Katsu then read out the second imperial edict.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor of the Great Gan Dynasty decrees: Consort Jing, mother of Prince Zhou Jingqi of Liang, is jealous of the virtuous and capable, interferes in court affairs, spreads rumors, frames loyal officials, and poisons the imperial heir... She is hereby sentenced to death! So be it!"
"Father, I beg you, please don't kill Mother. I will take good care of her, okay?" Prince Liang pleaded with Emperor Hui.
Emperor Hui smiled faintly: "You'd better mind your own business!"
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