Chapter 48 The Final Imperial Edict
The sky seemed to pause for a moment, and taking advantage of this opening, the emperor said to Huai Leju, "Take control of the Prince Su's residence."
Huai Leju was still somewhat dazed when he heard this, but he immediately came to his senses and took the order.
Apart from the palace guards, only a few relatives and friends were present.
After dealing with Prince Su, the emperor took a moment to ask the fourth prince again: "You and Prince Su jointly owned a bookstore, and you completely ignored everything from beginning to end?"
The fourth prince shook his head vigorously, like a rattle-drum: "We really don't care."
"You really don't know anything about Mingzhan's affairs?"
The fourth prince wished he could cut out his heart and liver to show him: "Your subject is innocent!"
For some reason, the emperor was somewhat disappointed.
"Besides saying you're innocent, what else can you say?"
"..." The fourth prince remained silent for a long time, then stammered out, "Someone must have framed me!"
He looked up and saw Zhou She in front of him, and seemed to finally understand something: "Zhou She! You framed me!"
Zhou She: "..." Idiot, I can't be bothered with him.
The emperor roared, "Enough!"
His son, in that crucial moment, was truly able to remain completely oblivious. Framed, he stared at him with foolish eyes.
The emperor knew, of course, that his fourth son wouldn't leak the exam questions. It wasn't that he trusted his son that much, but rather... given his intelligence and abilities, it would probably be quite difficult for him to do so.
The emperor nearly had a heart attack, and after finally catching his breath, he said, "Go back and reflect on your mistakes behind closed doors. Don't get involved in these matters anymore."
The fourth prince lowered his head resentfully and unwillingly: "...Yes."
Compared to his brothers, the Sixth Prince was actually a rare normal person.
The fourth prince, who had just stood up, froze again.
Is he abnormal?
The emperor glanced silently at his two sons.
That's definitely not normal.
The Sixth Prince was somewhat timid, but very astute. Upon meeting his uncle, his first reaction was to acknowledge Emperor Zhongzong's high political standing in upholding the late emperor's authority. His second reaction was to affirm the necessity of Zhongzong's actions; in other words, if you're willing to spare my life, then you are the legitimate heir, without a doubt!
Emperor Zhongzong agreed, and the conversation proceeded in a remarkably harmonious atmosphere. He promised to ensure the Sixth Prince lived a long and peaceful life until his death. Thus, the Sixth Prince, filled with unease and anxiety, fled to Suzhou.
On the sky, the sixth prince was escorted into the government office.
He tried his best to remain calm, looked up and saw the four large characters "法平如水" (meaning "the law is as fair as water") hanging outside the main hall, and slowly stopped in his tracks.
Huai Leju stood solemnly, quietly standing behind the Sixth Prince.
"His Majesty."
With a series of hurried footsteps, a young man emerged from the bamboo forest in the distance, still dressed in his familiar close-fitting clothes.
He strode up to the sixth prince, took a step back, and made a gesture as if to kneel.
The Sixth Prince dared not let him kneel down, and quickly reached out to stop him. Due to excessive tension, his voice sounded somewhat sharp: "General, there is no need for such formalities."
Emperor Zhongzong stood up and his gaze fell on the sixth prince. The uncle and nephew even had a slight resemblance in their eyes and brows.
"Your Majesty has had a long and arduous journey south. Tonight, we will host a welcome dinner for Your Majesty." He softened his voice. "However, Suzhou has not yet been completely cleared. We apologize that Your Majesty will have to stay behind the government office for the time being."
Behind the government office were the families of the local officials. The Sixth Prince hesitated, "Is Madam Gu here? Is it appropriate for me to be here..."
“She’s busier than me, no need to worry.” Emperor Zhongzong shook his head, a slight smile in his eyes, and extended his hand. “Let’s go.”
The two entered the inner hall and dismissed the others. The Sixth Prince walked to the head seat, but did not sit down. Instead, he said to Emperor Zhongzong, "General, you have done a great deal for the Ning Dynasty by supporting the country."
Two cups of hot tea were placed beside each other.
The young man lowered his eyes and took a sip of tea: "Your Majesty is of the late Emperor's bloodline, and this is my duty. Protecting Your Majesty is naturally also my duty."
The sixth prince's expression changed, and he walked up to Emperor Zhongzong in a few steps.
“General, there’s no need to address me as Your Majesty.” He lowered his eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks. “We are family. I have no doubt about your loyalty to the royal family, but unfortunately, the world is in chaos... I can only rely on you.”
The twelve-year-old boy deliberately put on a pitiful look and spoke with utmost sincerity.
Upon seeing this, Emperor Zhongzong quickly and cautiously replied, "The late emperor's benevolence extended to the world; this is what I should do."
The sixth prince stared at him, then suddenly turned from sorrow to joy, pulling a bright yellow scroll from his sleeve.
The bright yellow was so eye-catching that Emperor Zhongzong, caught off guard, suddenly opened his eyes wide.
The sixth prince opened the scroll with one hand and read it very carefully, almost word by word: "In fact, before Father Emperor passed away, he left a final imperial edict, saying that if Fifth Brother is not up to the task, then please, General... take his place."
Emperor Jungjong paused for a moment, then looked him up and down again with an expression that suggested he had never met him before.
His face was clearly young, yet he possessed a maturity beyond his years; however, the hand that presented the imperial edict was still trembling slightly.
"Your subject...accepts the decree." Emperor Zhongzong knelt down and accepted the imperial edict.
He stood up, holding the imperial edict: "Thank you, Your Majesty. As long as I live, I will never let He Zhao and the others take you away."
The sixth prince nodded, his eyes filled with tears.
As the only prince to live to a ripe old age, the Sixth Prince has chosen the right side this time. Although everyone laughs at him for only knowing metaphysics, so what? He's having a great time!
He doesn't have to work and can do what he likes every day—it's reasonable to suspect that Lao Liu's act eventually came true, with all his burial items being mystical and superstitious things. No wonder he's Ning Dynasty's number one mystical warrior!
Everyone had only one thought in their minds: this Sixth Prince was indeed very sensible.
No wonder he became the longest-living person; knowing how to behave is a skill in itself.
Although the Sixth Prince was a puppet emperor, he was still the son of the late emperor and the successor of the Ning Dynasty. His arrival had its own political significance.
The imperial edict he brought was of great significance; it was enough for him to immediately declare himself emperor and, as the legitimate ruler, denounce everyone else as traitors and rebels.
However, the imperial edict shown in the drama has always been highly controversial. Many people believe it was fake, a forgery by the Sixth Prince, because it clearly doesn't match Emperor Hong'an's handwriting.
"?" Emperor Hong'an recalled his son with teary eyes in the sky.
His sons are all quite unique!
After thinking for a long time, he managed to squeeze out an adjective from his chaotic mind: quite adaptable.
Sigh, what principles are they? They're nothing but air when your life is threatened.
It's hard for us to judge Emperor Hong'an's true thoughts. In the thirty-first year of Hong'an, Emperor Zhongzong was falsely accused and imprisoned. The imperial edict he carried when he left the capital also stated, "He is of pure nature and will support the young emperor..." Well, we don't know how the fifth emperor was considered a young emperor, but perhaps he was mentally immature.
Most importantly, there is a sentence in it: "If he is not up to the task, I hope you will put the world first, temporarily take over the government, and find another wise ruler to return the throne to you."
What does this mean? Although the old emperor was barely alive every day, he had a basic understanding of the fifth prince's abilities. It's just that since it wasn't happening to him personally, he still clung to a last shred of hope.
But what if things really go wrong? Then we'll find someone to keep him in check, and that person will be the future King Jungjong; the general idea is to make him regent.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Hong'an finally understood.
A huge weight was lifted from my heart.
It turns out that my future self vaguely foresaw what would happen later, but in the end, I just couldn't bring myself to be ruthless.
A regent is almost identical to an emperor, bearing the same responsibilities, but with far greater risks.
His confused mind found its direction at that moment.
Zhou She understood. The imperial edict given to him by the Sixth Prince was deemed a forgery, while the imperial edict given to him by the Emperor only stated that he would "temporarily assume the administration of the court."
His generation did indeed establish a wise and virtuous ruler, and that was none other than himself.
Now that things have settled down, with the dragon back in its place, Emperor Zhongzong immediately began to use the late emperor's name to proclaim his own righteousness to the world, and incidentally, he solemnly launched his brand-new creation—the newspaper.
Of course, the newspapers at this stage couldn't be called newspapers; they should be called flyers. At Emperor Zhongzong's command, the logistics department immediately began producing these junk ads, ranging from "The Emperor is in my house, I am the Emperor's loyal subject" to "I am related to the Emperor, my heart is forever devoted to the Ning Dynasty." They'd also squeeze in some descriptions of their own virtuous policies, guaranteed to sway you! These were randomly posted on telephone poles—no, on nearby walls.
Meanwhile, considering that compulsory education was only implemented in northern Xinjiang, he also created a service specifically for the illiterate: a performing arts troupe.
The emperor was still in a bad mood. Listening to the voice from the sky, he began to nitpick at Zhou She: "What kind of 'bragging advertisement' did you make... what is it?"
"Your Majesty, to spread the word widely is to make it an advertisement; I think it should be something like a proclamation."
It's just a vernacular version, yet it can be posted everywhere, forcing everyone to read it.
"What exactly is a cultural troupe?"
Zhou She: "..." I know it's unreasonable!
Under the emperor's death stare, Zhou She feigned deep thought and speculated, "Perhaps it's the intention of the cultural work group."
The cultural troupe members were quite well-educated, and their work was simple: to conduct ideological education. Ideological education couldn't be done in a rigid, formulaic way, so the cultural troupe was created, and they even wrote many skits that were popular with the masses.
Some of these are quite classic, such as "Master Zhou's Anger at He the Skinflint," "The Rich and Ruthless Man's Clever Way to Distribute Grain to the Gentlemen," and "Re-examining a Wrongful Case to Calm the People's Hearts." The Grand Theatre recently had performances of these.
He Jingcheng: "?" What is that? He's He the Skinflint? And who is Zhou She?!
Bai Jisong: "..." Is this referring to the retrial of his family's wrongful conviction?
Duan Mingyuan: "." Never mind, I'll just split the money to keep myself safe.
The name was simple and direct, but its effect was remarkable. The performing arts troupe embarked on a grand tour, gaining immense fame, and many people became aware of Emperor Zhongzong's reputation. He Jingcheng, belatedly realizing the truth, hastily began spreading rumors: He massacred the city! He killed people! He imposed heavy taxes!
But it was too late; no one believed him. In neighboring cities like Suzhou, people were constantly sneaking out at night. The garrison commander, left with no other option, began implementing a policy of lenient entry and strict exit: "Want to leave the city? We'll investigate your entire family history!"
The emperor was somewhat tempted: "This cultural troupe sounds no different from an opera troupe. The opera troupes in the capital sing love songs all day long, which is of no use. It would be better to bring them here to promote the prestige of our Great Ning Kingdom."
Your Majesty, what about national prestige?
Zhou She pretended not to hear the emperor's intermittent bursts of energy.
Others focused on the "easy entry, strict exit" approach and strongly disagreed: "What's the use of strict control? If you really don't want people to leave, being kind to them is better than anything else."
Some people sneered inwardly. What a joke! If they really wanted to benefit the people, would they be pretending now? Taking a step back from the suffering would be worse than killing them.
These defensive measures had some effect, but not much. After the first wave of people flooded into Suzhou, they were overjoyed to find themselves in a paradise, ready to go home and immediately write a record of their paradise. Emperor Zhongzong also seized the opportunity and introduced a brand-new decree: recruit people. A reward of silver was given for each person recruited, doubling for each additional person recruited, and doubling again for each additional person recruited.
The very next evening, as soon as the policy was announced, people arrived at the government office with their entire families, followed by a huge crowd—practically an entire village—stammering and asking if they could get reimbursed.
A village?
Everyone was stunned. Those who knew how to do math started calculating, while those who didn't began making wild guesses: "How much money is this?"
"That should be enough to feed them for at least a year, right?"
"I think it's more than that; it might be enough to last for ten years."
How much money would that cost...? Could this decree be issued now so they can bring their families over immediately?
Money is hard to earn!
Emperor Zhongzong was completely taken aback by the speed and efficiency of the arrival. After all, with all the cities now heavily fortified, bringing so many people here was no easy feat.
Of course, he was surprised, but he still had to pay. He waved his hand, and someone came carrying the money, even kindly helping him deliver it to his home.
Who wouldn't be tempted by this?
Although the garrison is on high alert, can they really control people's hearts? At worst, it just takes a little more effort; if someone wants to escape, they can still do so.
Population loss is no laughing matter.
Upon hearing this news, He Jingcheng was so angry he nearly died on the spot. After regaining his composure, he began to berate Emperor Zhongzong: "He has no martial virtue! This guy actually poached our man!"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhongzong immediately retorted: "You are neither talented nor virtuous, what empty fame are you vying with me for? Nobody likes you; you should go home and look in the mirror. Your demeanor is laughable. Alas, I am ashamed to even speak with you."
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