Chapter 312 Succession Before the Spirit Tablet
The Crown Prince has arrived?
Most officials were surprised but also felt relieved.
It would be better if the Crown Prince were present in this situation.
Prince Fu's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes held an inscrutable look as he met Prime Minister Zhu's gaze.
Zhu Xiang's face turned pale, and his mind was in turmoil.
How come the Crown Prince is alright?
The messenger was his man; that much time was enough for him to go to the Eastern Palace and read out the imperial edict. Why didn't the Crown Prince die?
The Crown Prince has defied the imperial decree!
Realizing this, Prime Minister Zhu's expression turned even uglier.
The Crown Prince, who was always obedient, actually had the courage to defy the imperial decree?
Impossible, impossible!
Zhu Xiang refused to believe it, staring intently at the palace gate.
The crown prince strode in amidst the eerie silence.
Zhu Xiang's pupils contracted.
It really is the Crown Prince!
"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince." All the officials bowed in unison.
The Crown Prince's gaze slowly swept over the crowd, his forced composure vanished, and tears streamed down his face as he wept bitterly: "My lords, there's no need for such formalities. I heard... I heard that my father... has passed away..."
He quickened his pace and grabbed Prince Fu's hand: "Uncle, is this true?"
Prince Fu, whose hand was being held tightly by the Crown Prince, was stunned for a moment, and his eyes also reddened: "Your Highness, please accept my condolences. His Majesty... His Majesty has passed away..."
The uncle and nephew held hands, choking back tears. Prince Fu glanced at Prime Minister Zhu with a questioning look in his eyes.
Everything was arranged perfectly, how could such a mistake have occurred?
Zhu Xiang had no words to say.
"Uncle, where is Father?" The Crown Prince held onto Prince Fu's hand tightly, looking quite dependent on him.
"The current emperor has been placed in the rear palace."
"I must go see my father..." The crown prince stumbled and ran toward the inner palace, and soon his cries of pain could be heard.
"Father, I'm late! Father, wake up!"
"Your son is unfilial; I was not by your side during that time..."
Several influential ministers followed and offered words of comfort to the crown prince.
"Your Highness, please accept my condolences. Now that you have ascended the throne, you must take good care of yourself."
"Yes, Your Highness, only when you are well can people's hearts be at ease."
The Crown Prince wept even more bitterly: "The thought of being separated from my father forever breaks my heart. Father, how could you leave your son and my younger siblings like this..."
The officials outside the side hall, hearing the crown prince's cries, also began to weep.
Xue Han stood among these people and quietly patted Zhu Qiang, the Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guard.
Zhu Qiang looked puzzled.
Xue Han lowered his voice: "Now that His Highness the Crown Prince is present, he may very well ascend the throne before the coffin. Whether it goes smoothly depends on Commander Zhu."
Zhu Qiang's eyes narrowed, and his voice lowered even further: "What do you mean by that, Lord Xue?"
Xue Han's voice was barely audible: "There was a pool of blood in the main hall, which means something must have gotten out of control. I'm afraid that if one thing happens, another will follow."
Zhu Qiang's expression changed, and he nodded slightly.
Xue Han's tense nerves, which had been taut since leaving Changchun Garden, finally relaxed a little.
While all the ministers were focused on the Crown Prince as he entered the main hall, he quietly inquired and learned that Yang Zhen, the Deputy Commander of the Palace Guard, had killed the True Man Miaoqing.
Yang Zhen's actions were clearly an attempt to silence witnesses.
The imperial guards stationed at Changchun Garden obeyed Yang Zhen, but even more so Zhu Qiang. Zhu Qiang, the commander of the palace guards, had served on the border for many years, and was loyal to the emperor and loved his country. With him keeping Yang Zhen in check, the safety of the crown prince could be guaranteed.
A transfer of supreme power is too dangerous for the crown prince who is not in the palace.
The crown prince knelt before Emperor Jingping's corpse and cried for almost half an hour before he was persuaded to stop. His eyes were swollen like walnuts.
Zhu Xiang saw this and felt a chill in his heart.
The crown prince had clearly received the imperial edict ordering his execution, yet he acted as if nothing had happened and even wept so bitterly…
They underestimated the Crown Prince's ambition.
Lu Zhongcheng spoke up: "A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. I propose that His Highness the Crown Prince ascend the throne before His Majesty today."
"Isn't this... a bit too hasty?" Zhu Xiangqiang protested.
Lu Zhongcheng looked at Zhu Xiang with suspicion in his eyes: "A vacant throne is a great taboo for the country. The important ministers, members of the imperial family and nobles are all here. His Highness the Crown Prince's enthronement before the coffin in the presence of all the ministers is entirely in accordance with the rites. What is so hasty about it?"
Zhu Xiang clenched his fist, his palms sweating profusely: "In my opinion, it would be more appropriate to bring the Emperor's remains back to the palace and hold the enthronement ceremony the following day, rather than here in Changchun Garden, where bloodshed has taken place. What does Your Highness think?"
An unwritten rule dictates that one should repeatedly decline offers of succession or reward to demonstrate humility. Zhu Xiang's move to pass the buck to the Crown Prince was a prelude to the Crown Prince's refusal to ascend the throne at Changchun Garden.
Prince Fu, having planned for so long, is certainly unwilling to let his efforts go to waste. As long as the Crown Prince does not immediately ascend the throne, he, who is on the same boat as Prince Fu, still has hope.
The crown prince closed his eyes and wept, "I have no heart to think about these things..."
Zhu Xiang paused, as if he were seeing the Crown Prince for the first time.
Is this still the humble and polite Crown Prince?
The crown prince neither refused nor agreed, and the question returned to the ministers.
As Zhu Xiang and Lü Zhongcheng argued, Tao Shumi spoke up: "I agree with Lü Zhongcheng's proposal. The current emperor was harmed by a sorcerer, and the people are in a state of panic. We should support a new emperor as soon as possible to stabilize the people's hearts."
Upon hearing Tao Shumi's statement, Zhu Xiang immediately lost ground and couldn't help but look at Prince Fu.
Prince Fu shook his head slightly.
All the officials knew that he was benevolent and kind, and he had just shared a deep bond with the Crown Prince. So, his opposition to the Crown Prince's immediate succession, given that both Vice Minister Lü and Privy Councilor Tao had expressed their support, would arouse suspicion.
The problem was that before they could persuade the emperor to order the crown prince to commit suicide, the emperor died in front of the ministers, ruining their plans.
He then hastily attempted to trick the Crown Prince into committing murder by forging an imperial edict, but failed. Similarly, because he did not expect his elder brother to have an accident at the banquet, and the guards stationed at Changchun Garden were not all replaced with Yang Zhen's men, he was unable to seize the throne by force.
Where exactly did things go wrong? My elder brother's body could have held on for a while longer, so why did he suddenly die today? But with the death of Master Miaoqing, there are no answers.
"I think the proposals of Vice Minister Lü and Privy Councilor Tao are reasonable."
Zhu Xiang's heart sank completely.
The fact that the Crown Prince is here means the messenger has surely been detained. Once the Crown Prince ascends the throne and there's time for interrogation, the messenger will definitely implicate him…
what to do?
Zhu Xiang's face was deathly pale, and he felt that the weather at the end of April was colder than the dead of winter.
“A country cannot be without a ruler for a single day. I humbly request Your Highness to assume the throne as soon as possible to reassure the hearts of your subjects.” Vice Minister Lü knelt down first.
Seeing that the four regents had reached a consensus, the ministers all knelt down and said, "We humbly request Your Highness to assume the throne as soon as possible to reassure the people."
At this point, the Crown Prince had to refuse: "I am deeply grieved, and this matter will be discussed later."
"Your Highness, please consider the well-being of the nation and its people."
The crown prince wept bitterly and refused again.
For a moment, Zhu Xiang wanted to jump up and say it was better if he didn't succeed to the throne, but he wasn't crazy, so he had to hold his nose and join the other ministers in pleading with the crown prince to succeed to the throne again.
The crown prince, looking helpless, choked back tears as he agreed: "You all hold the nation and its people in high esteem, how dare I disobey your command..."
Upon hearing this, Qiu Heng's eyelashes trembled, and tears silently rolled down her cheeks.
The new emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty has arrived.
(End of this chapter)
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