"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The new Emperor has ascended the throne. From this day forward, a general amnesty is hereby granted. Except for those guilty of the ten unpardonable crimes and those who have committed rebellion against the Emperor, all others shall be pardoned and allowed to repent and reform."
The government reduced or exempted taxes for the people of Xiaoyue for three years, allowing them to recuperate and thrive. It also encouraged agriculture and sericulture, ensuring that the national treasury was full and the people had a secure livelihood.
To recruit talented individuals, in addition to the imperial examinations, all those with insight, regardless of their background, who possess outstanding abilities or have made significant contributions to the country and its people, may recommend themselves to the court to share my burdens and serve the nation.
We must rectify official conduct and severely punish corruption. All officials should be honest and dedicated to serving the people. Anyone who embezzles, accepts bribes, or exploits the people will be severely punished without exception.
May our subjects unite as one to build a prosperous era.
So be it.
"Your Majesty, we obey! Long live the Emperor!"
After the officials rose, the chief eunuch read out the second imperial edict:
"Wu Rou'er, the daughter of the Wu family, should have been a model for the country and set an example for the harem as she was the Empress Dowager. However, she committed rebellious and immoral acts, causing chaos in the harem. She had an affair with someone and had a child. She then usurped the throne and ascended the throne. She deserves to be executed. However, considering that she was the Empress of the late Emperor, I hereby strip her of her title of Empress Dowager, demote her to a commoner, and imprison her in the Cold Palace for the rest of her life."
Ji Yanzhuo was not the son of the late emperor. He changed his name to Gao Zhuo, was demoted to a commoner, and banished from the palace. He was forbidden from ever setting foot in Longxiao City again.
Wu Xiong, a general, should have been loyal to the emperor and served the country, defending the territory and borders. However, due to his own selfishness, he colluded with the empress dowager, plotting to seize the throne and committing a heinous act.
According to the law, Wu's entire clan should have been executed. However, now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, he is unwilling to engage in excessive killing. Therefore, Wu Xiong is stripped of his generalship and sentenced to beheading, and his general's mansion is confiscated.
All members of the Wu clan, regardless of their official positions or titles, were demoted to commoners and exiled to the cold northern lands, never to return.
The men of the nine clans of Wu were forbidden from serving as officials in the imperial court for generations, and the women were forbidden from marrying into official families for generations.
......
So be it.
In fact, Yuan Hong had consulted Su Ruojin and Xiao Yanchu when he was drafting the imperial edict.
At that time, Su Ruojin told him, "Yuan Hong, you are now the emperor, and you must learn to make your own decisions on many things. No one will say anything if the Wu family commits the crime of rebellion and their entire clan is executed. You must learn to decide the severity of the punishment yourself."
In retrospect, Yuan Hong was lenient towards the Wu family; exile was a much lighter punishment than the extermination of nine generations of their family.
As for Empress Wu and Gao Zhuo, if Yuan Hong really wanted to kill them, the court officials wouldn't object. One was a woman who brought chaos to the harem, and the other was a lowly child; they were simply dead.
But Yuan Hong still spared their lives.
However, Wu Xiong was sentenced to beheading, the entire Wu clan was exiled, and Empress Dowager Wu was imprisoned in the cold palace, leaving Gao Zhuo without anyone to care for him.
A seven-year-old boy named Chao Xiong was driven out of Longxiao City. Given his personality, it would be difficult for him to survive in the beggar community.
Empress Wu has countless lives on her hands, and many of the concubines she harmed in the past are still in the Cold Palace. Now that she has been thrown into the Cold Palace as a commoner, how could those women possibly let her go?
Other officials involved in this matter, except for those sentenced to immediate execution for the most serious offenses, were mostly demoted, flogged, or exiled.
Immediately following was the third imperial edict.
This imperial edict was a reward for the meritorious officials. Lu Hong was granted the title of Duke of Protector of the Nation, Lu Junyuan was appointed as Vice Minister of Works, and Liu Jing was promoted to Commander of the Imperial Guards.
Other officials also received rewards of varying degrees.
The fourth imperial edict: Princess Xiyue is granted the title of Virtuous and Elegant, Princess Chang Le of the Great Chu, Su Ruojin, is granted the title of Princess Xiaoyue Taikang, and Dapu is granted the title of Marquis Zhongyong.
Logically speaking, there is no precedent for a princess from another country to be granted the title of princess of her own country.
But Lu Hong and other important officials all knew what Su Ruojin meant to the emperor. It could be said that without Su Ruojin, there would be no new emperor of Xiaoyue today.
Furthermore, Su Ruojin is not only the Princess of Chang Le of the Great Chu, but also the Regent's Consort of the Great Chu. Being on good terms with her can only benefit Xiaoyue.
Not a single court official objected.
Next came the gifts presented by foreign envoys who came to offer their congratulations, mostly gold and silver jewelry, rare treasures, and the like.
It wasn't until Xiao Yanchu came out, bowed slightly to Yuan Hong who was sitting in the superior position, and announced the congratulatory gift from Great Chu.
The entire regime was shaken!
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