Years later, when Yihua recalls the night of Kangxi's death, she still feels that everything happened too fast and is not quite real.
First, nine loud bangs came from the direction of the Forbidden City, sounds that could wake up everyone in the city.
After Yi Hua was awakened, she looked at Yu Ling, who was on night watch. The two of them went from staring at each other to suddenly realizing what was going on in the blink of an eye.
"Go and call Abao here." Yihua sat upright in the palace, as if she could feel the tense atmosphere outside.
Ah Bao came in and listened attentively to Yi Hua's instructions.
"Take this seal and go to the front courtyard to find the head guard. Tell him to keep a close watch on everything. No one is allowed to enter or leave the palace. Anyone who causes trouble, no matter who they are, should be arrested and await the Prince's personal judgment." Yi Hua took out a seal from her purse. This was a token that Yinzhen had given her in advance. With this, she could mobilize everyone under Prince Yong's command. It was like having the Prince Yong himself.
"More guards should be assigned to protect the eldest princess and Hongyun. There must be no mistakes."
Ah Bao silently repeated it to himself, and then immediately went to do it.
"Yuling, go and wake up Granny Chen. Change all the brightly colored things in the mansion and put out everything that was prepared beforehand," Yihua instructed methodically.
Just as Yi Hua finished changing her clothes, a commotion arose outside. It turned out that Madam Li had arrived.
Yi Hua looked at Li Shi's excited expression with some surprise. Fortunately, she still knew to dress simply, but the gold bracelet on her wrist that couldn't be hidden was really an eyesore.
"Fujin, is our Prince...?" Li Shi couldn't suppress her excitement. If the Prince ascended the throne, she would be an imperial concubine, and maybe even a noble consort. This assumption made her unable to wait a moment longer, and she wanted to find Yi Hua to confirm that she was not dreaming.
"Shut up." Yi Hua snapped, "The Emperor has passed away. We should just follow the imperial decree. These are turbulent times. Go back and stay here peacefully for a few days."
"Put away all your jewelry. You are a concubine, after all. You should set a good example for the princesses below you."
Yi Hua was too lazy to argue with someone who couldn't understand, so she simply gave her a few instructions and sent her back.
Li Shi still refused to leave. She was like a child who had suddenly received a candy as tall as a person and didn't know where to start eating it. However, Yi Hua poured cold water on this joy.
Yi Hua stared at the sky outside, wondering if everything was going well for Yin Zhen at this moment.
At this moment, Yinzhen, whom Yihua was thinking about, was in the spotlight.
After Liang Jiugong cried out "The Emperor has passed away," everyone began to weep in grief. It was Prince Yu who spoke up: "According to the Emperor's decree, please have Grand Secretary Zhang and I present the Emperor's last edict."
Zhang Tingyu had obviously known about this all along. The two of them bowed to Prince Yong and then signaled Liang Jiugong to bring out the last imperial edict from Emperor Kangxi.
Zhang Tingyu inspected the box containing the imperial edict and found it to be well-sealed and undamaged. Prince Yu, who could read quickly, recognized the contents of the edict; he had been present when Kangxi wrote his will.
Liang Jiugong announced the contents of the imperial edict: "Prince Yong, the fourth son of the Emperor, Yinzhen, is of noble character and closely resembles me. He will surely be able to inherit the throne. He is hereby appointed to succeed me and ascend the throne as Emperor. He shall immediately follow the rites and observe mourning for twenty-seven days. After the mourning period, the announcement shall be made throughout the country and beyond so that all may know."
After Liang Jiugong finished reading the imperial edict, the hall was quiet for a few seconds.
Yinzhen was the first to kneel down and say, "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"
Upon hearing this voice, everyone snapped out of their daze and immediately knelt down, shouting, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
Yinzhen became the only person kneeling in the hall. He looked at the emperor, who was no longer breathing, breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and raised his hand: "Rise."
This sound ended Kangxi's reign and ushered in the Yongzheng Dynasty.
Before Yinzhen could fully savor the joy of victory, several people burst into the main hall.
When Yinzhen looked up and saw Consort De, he was not surprised: "Your Highness, what urgent matter brings you to the place where the council is held?"
Granny Green wanted to speak anxiously, but felt the occasion was inappropriate and couldn't bring herself to open her mouth.
Seeing that the situation was not right, Prince Yu spoke first: "His Majesty has business to attend to, so we shall take our leave."
Consort De, finding courage from who-knows-where, stopped Prince Yu: "You all can serve as witnesses. I wish to see the imperial edict with my own eyes. After all, they are homophones but different characters. I wonder which 'Zhen' is on the edict?"
"Mother!" Prince Yinzhen, the Fourteenth Prince, spoke first with a frown. "What nonsense are you talking about? Are you still asleep? Green Granny, Mother is ill. Why did you let her out? Quickly help her back."
"I am not ill. After all, it is the Emperor's decree, and it cannot be conveyed incorrectly. Fourteenth, you will come with me to see it." Consort De insisted.
Yinzhen laughed in exasperation: "It's not impossible for Your Majesty to see the imperial edict, but I just remembered that Father Emperor has decreed that his beloved concubines should be buried with him. I was originally struggling to decide which of my mothers could take on this important task, but now I don't need to choose anymore."
Consort De's face paled slightly, but a resolute glint flashed in her eyes. Yinzhen hadn't even officially ascended the throne yet, and he was already threatening to be buried alive with the late emperor. If he were to secure the throne, she would have no status whatsoever.
"Your Majesty! Since ancient times, the names of monarchs or honored relatives have been avoided from being used repeatedly. Your humble servant humbly requests Your Majesty to bestow a name upon me!"
Fourteen Prince cursed the head of the Wuya family in his heart. If he could get out of here alive, he would definitely put the entire Wuya family in sacks and beat them up.
Prince Yu forced himself to speak: "Your Highness, I swear on my life that the contents of the imperial edict are correct. Since you are delirious from illness, you should go back and rest."
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