The emperor's death
Chapter 97: The Emperor's Death
Compared with the complicated situation faced by the King of Zhenbei in the north, the court that moved its capital to Jianye seemed to have smooth political affairs and the people were stable.
The emperor's cold hasn't healed yet.
Eunuch Quan hurried to the emperor's bed.
"Ahem, what's the matter?"
The emperor had been awake for half an hour. Now, whenever he was awake, he would look out the window or out the door and think deeply.
"Your Majesty, I heard from my servants that Prince Xian appeared in the Zhenbei Palace and participated in the planning of many political affairs."
"Ahem, that's impossible. A few days ago, people from Longzhou sent a message saying that Prince Xian likes to brew wine for fun."
Eunuch Quan stepped forward and gently helped the emperor up. With a glance, a servant immediately brought a cup of warm tea, placed it to the emperor's mouth, and slowly fed it to him.
The emperor didn't believe it, because his trusted aides clearly sent messages every month.
"Your Majesty, please take care of yourself. These are all trivial matters. Prince Xian can't do anything about them."
The emperor understood the implication of Eunuch Quan's words: Prince Xian didn't have many years left to live, so there was no need to care about a dying man.
But how could he not care? The appearance of Prince Xian in front of the world meant that more people would criticize him behind his back.
Ever since he became emperor, he has been diligent in his work, loved his people, and implemented benevolent policies. How could his image be ruined by the appearance of this person?
The emperor's eyelids were half covered, making it impossible to see the emotions in his eyes, and his wheezing sounded like an old bellows.
Eunuch Quan kept helping the emperor to calm down, caressing his chest and patting his back, being extremely considerate.
It took a long time for the emperor's breathing to calm down. Eunuch Quan then carried him back to the bed, covered him with a quilt, and stood aside, waiting for the emperor to fall asleep.
The emperor slept extremely restlessly. In his dream, the eldest prince, who had died of a stroke two months earlier, walked towards him with a bloody face, shouting, "Father, save me, save me."
When he was about to touch his dragon robe, his body suddenly disappeared again. Only the three words "save me" kept ringing in his ears until he woke up.
The emperor's face was covered in cold sweat and his eyes flickered.
"Your Majesty, you are awake."
After Eunuch Quan left, Eunuch Xiaoquan stayed by the emperor's bedside.
Eunuch Xiaoquan picked up the handkerchief and carefully wiped the emperor's body, then helped him change into a set of underwear.
"Xiao Quanzi, the Third Prince will come to see me soon."
"Yes, your majesty."
There are always more than a dozen people standing in the bedroom, more than a dozen people like wooden statues.
After waiting for half an hour, the third prince appeared in the emperor's bedroom on time.
"I, your son, am here to pay my respects to your Majesty. Are you feeling better today?"
The third prince still had a gentle expression, with some concern in his eyes, looking like a filial son.
"Third Prince, please have some tea."
Eunuch Xiaoquan skillfully poured tea for the Third Prince, then stepped back and stood beside him.
"Father, do you not even want to talk to me now?"
The third prince picked up the teacup and took a sip slowly.
"I have nothing to say to a traitor like you."
The emperor had only said half of this when the eunuch Xiao Quan behind the third prince pulled out a sharp hairpin from his sleeve and stabbed it straight into the back of the third prince.
"call out-"
A short arrow pierced Eunuch Xiaoquan's wrist, and in the process neutralized his attack.
The wooden man in the dormitory quickly stepped forward and controlled Eunuch Xiaoquan.
The third prince smiled at the emperor.
"Father, even in your current situation, there are still people willing to risk their lives for you. This is truly touching."
"You beast, you bribed Quan Wang to poison me! Do you really think I don't know?"
"Oh, so Father knows. But you are wrong about one thing. Eunuch Quan has always been mine."
As he was speaking, Eunuch Quan came into the room and bowed, then stood behind the Third Prince, looking at the child he had raised with a complicated expression.
"This little Quanzi, I'm afraid it was the emperor who took the initiative to send him to Eunuch Quan. Eunuch Quan is good in every way, but he can't get rid of that kind heart."
The third prince looked at the current situation and could guess about 70% of it without the emperor's explanation.
The emperor lowered his eyes and said nothing.
Xiao Quanzi looked at the man he had called godfather for more than ten years, and every moment of their past interactions came to his mind.
Ever since he was rescued by Eunuch Quan under the arrangement of the emperor, he has been under the protection of Eunuch Quan. It would be a lie to say that he has no feelings.
The moment he learned that his godfather had poisoned the emperor, his inner torment was no less than that of the emperor.
The road will eventually come to an end.
"Godfather, take care."
Xiao Quanzi opened his mouth and said a few words before being dragged out.
"My father has passed away. Prepare for national mourning."
After the third prince finished speaking, he walked out of the bedroom without looking back.
"Rebellious son! Traitor! You shall not die a good death!"
The emperor's hoarse voice echoed in the bedroom.
Eunuch Quan took out a packet of medicine powder from his bosom, dissolved it in water, and walked towards the emperor with a teacup.
"Your Majesty, it's time for you to go."
"You slut!"
Several people gathered around and held the emperor's limbs down. Eunuch Quan hugged the emperor's head and forced the tea into his mouth.
When the emperor finally stopped struggling, he ordered his men to change and dispose of his wet clothes.
"Someone, come quickly, His Majesty has passed away!"
Eunuch Quan walked out shouting, and soon the sound of the funeral bell spread throughout Jianye.
An hour later, the entire Jianye was covered in mourning cloth. The court officials had already begun making preparations while the emperor was still in bed.
When the second prince received the news, he seemed sad, crying, and relieved. The best outcome for him was to be imprisoned for life like Prince Xian. Of course, his life was much worse than Prince Xian's, as his father had not yet had the time to make him a king and grant him land.
The second prince knelt before the emperor's spirit and cried sincerely.
The eldest prince's wife knelt behind him, expressionless. Her child had died a month after the eldest prince's death.
harem
Eunuch Quan personally carried a tray and walked up to Concubine De.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty said he wants you to accompany him."
Since arriving in Jianye, the emperor had not favored anyone. The court was in turmoil, and the harem was shrouded in gloom.
"Thank you, Eunuch Quan, for making the trip."
After hearing the news of the sudden death of the eldest prince, Concubine De Zhao Jingshu suddenly aged by ten years. Her originally black hair has now turned gray.
She sat quietly in the main seat, looked at the tray that was brought to her, and chose a bottle of poison.
There was no fear of death on his face as he drank the bottle of poison in one gulp.
She placed the empty bottle gently on the coffee table, with one hand resting on the handle, just like the relaxed look the emperor had when he talked and laughed with her in the past.
Eunuch Quan turned around and went out to give instructions.
"Upon hearing the tragic news, Consort De has passed away along with Your Majesty."
-
The third prince took great care in handling the emperor's funeral. He cried heart-wrenchingly when the emperor was buried in the mausoleum, and only stopped crying after the court officials had tried to persuade him.
Three days later, court officials began to petition the Third Prince to ascend the throne, arguing that the country could not be without a ruler for a single day. The Third Prince refused, citing the recent death of the previous emperor and the three-year mourning period as a prince.
The court officials submitted a petition, but the Third Prince refused eight times before he finally agreed to officially ascend the throne at the beginning of the next month.
When the news of the emperor's death reached Chu Huaibei's ears, her hand that was reviewing the memorials paused for a moment.
"Huzhi, he's dead."
Sun Mingsi was accompanying her to review memorials, and they each had a desk, sitting side by side.
"Well, he finally died at the hands of his son."
Sun Mingsi's face remained calm, and the joints of his hand holding the brush were slightly white.
Chu Huaibei leaned over, took the brush out of his hand and put it aside.
She took his hand and interlocked her fingers with his.
The two of them just held hands silently without doing anything.
Until Qin Feng came over.
"Your Majesty, have you approved the memorial?"
"Um, ahem, I'll come back later."
Qin Feng came and left quickly, turning on his toes and disappearing from their sight.
Qin Feng faced the wall, leaned his head against it, and stood there for a long time.
He also held the prince's hand in his dream, but it was just a handshake between men, not an interlocking of fingers.
He had never even experienced the feeling of holding hands, so how could he dream about it?
Ever since some elders knew Sun Mingsi's identity, they knew by guesswork that the Prince of Zhenbei was a girl.
It's just that no one dared to point it out, and the current situation was not suitable for pointing it out. Even if there was some discomfort in their hearts, they would mentally prepare themselves. Even the punch as big as a sandbag from the King of Zhenbei could not be withstanded by themselves, so why bother to embarrass themselves.
-
beginning of the month
The Ministry of Rites had already made preparations for the new emperor's ascension to the throne.
Sun Zehao, wearing a dragon robe, went through the process step by step under the guidance of the Ministry of Rites. When he stood on the top floor of the temporary Temple of Heaven and prayed to the heaven, completing the last step of the process, he was now the true emperor of Daxia!
"May Your Majesty be blessed with peace and prosperity!"
Watching the court officials kneeling and worshipping at the Temple of Heaven, the feeling of standing high above and overlooking the world is fascinating.
"My dear ministers, please stand up!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Sun Zehao had been planning for this moment for twelve years.
On the second day after the new emperor ascended the throne, the three ministers collectively submitted a memorial to retire and return home.
Except for Emperor Han Zheng's two words of persuasion, the memorials from Li Min and Zhao Zhengyuan were approved on the same day.
In the end, Han Zheng did not stay, and the position of the Three Dukes became vacant.
The new emperor appointed former Minister of Works Zhou Zhili, former Minister of Revenue Xu Mingda, and former Minister of Punishments Qi Ying as the new cabinet, with Zhou Zhili as the chief minister.
The remaining officials were all transferred to different positions, and a new policy was introduced to increase the salaries of the original officials by half. The government was willing to use high salaries to maintain integrity and not worry about the trivial matters in the hands of the people.
The court officials excitedly knelt to thank the emperor for his grace and followed the right master, who took them to eat meat and drink soup.
Just as the whole country was celebrating the new emperor's ascension to the throne, merchants from the south gradually migrated to the territory of the King of Zhenbei.
Since the King of Zhenbei started the business economics examination, there was also a decree to reduce or exempt business taxes: the original three levels of business taxes were reduced to two levels to encourage people to engage in business.
Don't underestimate the tax on one level. When your business grows bigger, this level will not be a small amount.
Mr. Tang, whose farm was taken away, secretly sold his belongings and took his family to the north.
Another thing is that his daughter inherited his talent for business, so he wanted to go to the north to set up a female household for her, give her some of the family property so that she could start her own business, and in the future, the brothers and sisters could take care of each other.
The new emperor ordered that every checkpoint be strictly guarded and no one be allowed to pass. However, the King of Zhenbei did not require the migrants to provide household registration, and would directly establish a new one.
The migrating people tried every possible way to sneak across the river through small roads. The King of Zhenbei even arranged Zhenbei Army guards at each ferry to protect the migrating people.
This information slowly spread privately, and the people rarely united on this issue, so much so that officials only discovered after two or three years that the number of people under their rule was gradually decreasing.
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