Chapter 679: The imperial edict behind the plaque of "Zhengda Guangming"!
"Okay! I agree!"
Cheng Zheng slowly raised the corners of his mouth and closed his eyes.
…
"He was fine the day before, how could he be gone just like that?" Upon hearing the news, Liu Yanhui hurried to the palace.
Others also entered the palace one after another.
Shen Lanxi: "Cheng Zheng will be buried as the empress and buried in the imperial mausoleum. The court will be suspended for three days, and there is no need to perform the national mourning ceremony!"
The Ministry of Rites will take care of it immediately.
Even though there was no national mourning ceremony, Cheng Zheng was buried with the status of emperor and empress after all. The people were grateful for His Majesty's love for the people and spontaneously observed a national mourning for 100 days.
Since the common people all went in this way, the officials naturally did not dare to show up at this time.
Any happy events in the officials' families were postponed.
Although Shen Yuanxu and Shen Yuanjing were upset, fortunately the wedding dates for their sons and daughters had been set.
It was His Majesty who issued the order personally.
If it were in the past, those who were close to each other would have to observe mourning for two years.
The Shen family's sons and daughters' desire to enter officialdom was delayed again and again, and in the blink of an eye another year had passed.
This year, the sons and daughters of the Shen family got married one after another, the daughters of the Shen family got married, and new wives came in. The number of people in the Shen family did not decrease, but increased.
The following year, Shen Yuanjing and Shen Yuanxu were assigned to the Ministry of War, both serving as assistant ministers.
Not long after they took office, they went to the palace one after another to seek official positions for their sons and daughters, but were all rejected by Shen Lanxi.
"If they want to be officials, they should either join the army for training or take the imperial examination. Those who rely on their fathers' glory to make a living are all rubbish!"
This was the first time His Majesty had reprimanded them harshly, but instead of bearing any grudge, the two of them seemed somewhat happy.
From His Majesty's tone, it seems that He still has expectations for them.
Letting them gain experience in the military is also a good choice.
Soon most of the men in the family were assigned to military training.
The next month, Shen Lanxi made a decision that shocked all the court officials.
"I have written the name of the heir apparent on the imperial edict and personally placed it behind the plaque of "Zhengda Guangming". If anything happens to me, the court officials can take out the imperial edict from the plaque and read out the heir apparent's accession to the throne!"
All the officials were in an uproar. They didn't expect that the way to choose a crown prince could be like this.
On second thought, this is a good thing, as it will reduce a lot of fighting.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
As soon as Shen Lanxi made the decision, the Shen family couldn't sit still anymore.
"Who will His Majesty write in the imperial edict?"
All the boys and girls in the Shen family became objects of suspicion, among whom Shen Chengfeng, Shen Emei and Shen An were the first to bear the brunt.
Shen Chengfeng has already made a name for himself in the army by suppressing bandits, and he was just promoted to the rank of captain this year. Secondly, he already has four sons and three daughters, and his position as successor is secure.
Shen Emei was second. She had followed her husband to an official post outside the capital before. Although her husband was well-behaved, he was now transferred to the capital to serve as an official. After giving birth to two sons in succession, she successfully entered the court by virtue of her meritorious service in rescuing the disaster-stricken people. Now she is the head of the Ministry of Works, a fifth-rank official.
Although Chen An is neither good at literature nor martial arts, he is one of the popular contenders because he is adopted.
"Does anyone of you know who is written in the imperial edict of His Majesty?" Shen Yuanxu and Shen Yuanjing asked in their rooms respectively.
However, none of the children had the confidence to stand up.
"Father, can't you go and ask? His Majesty will definitely choose someone from our Shen family." In Shen Yuanjing's family, only Shen Emei is competitive, while the other children are all timid and are not favored by Shen Yuanjing.
Shen Yuanjing: "That's not right. If I ask, it will seem like I care a lot about the status of heir."
Although he felt that His Majesty would definitely choose someone from their first wife, after all, they were brothers from the same mother... Even if they were brothers from the same mother in name only, His Majesty would still choose someone from their first wife.
"Father, don't forget that there is more than one father in the big house."
She also has two uncles. Although both uncles are at the border, both uncles have sons.
What if Your Majesty thinks men are better than women and doesn't choose her?
Shen Yuanjing's heart was shrouded in worry. Yuan Jun and Yuan Qing had been at the border all year round. Although their children were in the capital, he had observed carefully and found that their children were not outstanding.
"The name Emei was chosen by His Majesty. His Majesty is a woman, so he will naturally support women. You still have great hope."
Shen Emei didn't think so. Ever since she gave birth to a son, she felt that a son was better than a daughter. Besides, she was not His Majesty's biological daughter, so there were many variables.
"Father, tomorrow His Majesty will officially put the imperial edict behind the plaque. By then, it will be difficult to change it." She still wanted her father to go to the palace to check it out.
Shen Yuanjing glanced at his daughter. Not wanting her to know that he was afraid of the emperor, he could only find another excuse.
"As your younger brother, I know your Majesty's temper best. The more I push him, the more he will go against me."
"It's best for us to do nothing now and appear to not care at all about who is on the imperial edict. Only then will His Majesty look at us differently."
Shen Emei's face was full of doubt. Seeing that she couldn't persuade her father, she turned to think of other ways.
The same thing happened in Shen Yuanxu's room.
"Father, who will be written on the imperial edict?" Shen Chengfeng was a little anxious, unable to stand or sit still.
Shen Yuanxu: "Keep calm, Your Majesty is very wise, especially at this time, you should be more generous and just show your excellence."
Shen Chengfeng said worriedly: "Your Majesty is a woman, and Shen Emei is also a woman. When Your Majesty gave Shen Emei this name, did it imply expectations?"
Shen Yuanxu shook his head: "At that time, Your Majesty didn't even know whether Shen Emei could reach adulthood, what was he looking forward to?"
"Also, considering your majesty's physical condition, do you believe she can live until your grandson is born?"
Shen Chengfeng was speechless for a moment.
Indeed, he was worrying too early. His Majesty looked stronger than him. He couldn't even lift the companion sword.
"We just need to wait for the right time!"
"Father, do you think the eldest wife will come to the palace tonight?"
Shen Yuanxu: "If he is smart, he will stay put!"
My fourth great-aunt and the Queen Mother died because they underestimated the enemy.
He still can't see through His Majesty!
…
On the second day, the imperial edict that attracted the attention of all officials was held in the hands of the white-faced eunuch.
Shen Lanxi climbed up the ladder herself and placed the imperial edict behind the plaque.
Four first-rank officials were holding the ladder from below. They were all loyal to His Majesty.
If it were anyone else, they would not care who was written on the imperial edict. They only cared about the safety of the person stepping on the ladder.
After Shen Lanxi put away the imperial edict, she turned her head and looked back, smiling brightly.
"No need for you to hold on, just move aside."
Liu Yanhui and others held on to the ladder tightly and did not let go.
Shen Lanxi did not ask them to let go, but took a deep breath and jumped off the five-meter-high ladder with graceful movements, landing steadily.
All the officials were amazed. His movements were even more handsome than this year's top martial arts champion.
"From now on, officials no longer have to worry about me having no successor!"
Shen Lanxi laughed heartily.
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