Chapter 40: Car Collapse

Palace of Heavenly Purity.

Jun Zechen stood quietly outside the bedroom of Emperor Jingsheng, his posture upright yet revealing a solemn look.

Doctor Qin stood aside, his face full of sorrow and worry.

"Doctor Qin, is there nothing else that Father can do?"

Jun Zechen looked extremely serious, with sorrow on his handsome face and his eyes filled with grief and regret.

Doctor Qin remained silent and nodded heavily, his movement seeming to carry a thousand pounds of weight.

At this time, Eunuch Dehai walked out slowly and said softly, "Your Highness, His Majesty wants you to come in."

Jun Zechen took a deep breath, trying to calm his inner turmoil, then stepped firmly into the bedroom.

Emperor Jingsheng lay weakly on the bed in bright yellow pajamas, his face as pale as paper, and his former majesty was gone.

At this moment, he is just a dying man whose life is about to come to an end.

Jun Zechen walked slowly to the bedside and knelt in front of his father with heavy movements.

"Father, your son is here."

Jun Zechen's voice was low and hoarse, filled with deep sorrow.

Emperor Jingsheng opened his eyes with difficulty and effort, and looked at Jun Zechen with his cloudy eyes with effort.

The skinny hand trembled as it tightly held Jun Zechen's hand, as if it had used up all its strength.

"Prince, you are my most outstanding son. I am relieved to leave the kingdom to you. But do you still remember the ancestral teachings I told you before?"

Emperor Jing Sheng's voice was extremely hoarse, and every word he spoke was filled with a deep sense of powerlessness.

"I remember."

Jun Zechen looked at Emperor Jingsheng with a firm gaze.

But deep down in his heart, he didn't want to be like his father.

He really didn't want his son to experience the same brutal fighting as he did.

Emperor Jingsheng looked into Jun Zechen's eyes with great difficulty, his cloudy eyes seemed to be filled with the last rays of light.

Using all the remaining strength in his body, he spoke word by word: "I want you to swear."

Jun Zechen frowned tightly, his eyes full of confusion and unwillingness, and he pursed his lips in silence.

It was a long time before he slowly spoke.

"Why does your Majesty want the princes to fight each other so brutally? I am confident that I can train an excellent successor with my own abilities."

“Ahem.”

When Emperor Jingsheng heard his words, he became so angry that he started coughing violently, and a flush of anger appeared on his face.

"Prince, you can train an excellent heir, but can you guarantee that every generation after you can successfully train an equally excellent heir?"

Although Emperor Jing Sheng's voice was weak, it carried unquestionable majesty.

"Our ancestors learned from history and selected the most suitable successor through competition and fighting among the princes. It is for this reason that our kingdom has survived ten generations and has become increasingly powerful."

Emperor Jingsheng paused and continued.

"As long as you break this rule, all your descendants will become difficult to control. Not to mention the cold-bloodedness of the emperor. How can you cultivate him simply through training?"

How can one have such a profound understanding without experiencing it personally? All the talk on paper is nothing but empty words and illusory fantasies.

Jun Zechen slowly lowered his eyelashes, his expression extremely solemn.

He knew that what his father said was right. Ever since he had killed his eldest and second brothers with his own hands, he had never had any expectations for royal family affection.

If there were other brothers blocking his way, he would eliminate them without hesitation.

Only after experiencing life and death, one finally knows that all interests should be put first, and all emotions can be abandoned in front of oneself.

"Father, I swear that I will follow our ancestors' teachings and make our kingdom last forever."

Emperor Jingsheng looked at him with sharp eyes, and after he finished his oath, he breathed a long sigh of relief, as if a huge stone in his heart had finally fallen to the ground.

"Okay, I believe you, help me up." Emperor Jingsheng said.

Jun Zechen hurried forward and carefully helped Emperor Jingsheng off the bed.

Emperor Jingsheng walked towards the innermost wall of the bedroom with light but firm steps.

Walking to the wall, Emperor Jing Sheng turned a hidden switch with great effort. With a "click" sound, a groove instantly appeared before his eyes.

Emperor Jingsheng walked over slowly and took out the thing inside with trembling hands. It was a jade box with exquisite ancient patterns. He held it in his arms.

Afterwards, Jun Zechen helped Emperor Jingsheng to walk to the dragon throne in the main hall of the Palace of Heavenly Purity and sat down. His body was trembling slightly, and his body at the end of the chair carried a lifetime of vicissitudes and fatigue.

At this time, many ministers had already arrived in the hall. They were all summoned by Eunuch Dehai in accordance with the oral order of Emperor Jingsheng.

The head of the civil officials, Shangshu Ling, Shangshu Su, had a solemn look on his face. The head of the military generals, the Grand Commander, had an upright and majestic figure. Also, the Prince's Junior Tutor, Junior Preceptor, Junior Protector, and other ministers of the six ministries were all there.

"Prince, listen to my order."

Emperor Jing Sheng's voice still had a stern tone, but the weakness in it was also clearly palpable.

Jun Zechen stood upright in the hall. The moment he heard these words, he immediately knelt down. The ministers behind him also knelt down in an orderly manner.

"My son, Crown Prince Jun Zechen, today, I will pass on the imperial seal to you."

Emperor Jingsheng's gaze slowly swept across the crowd, finally settling on Jun Zechen, his eyes filled with expectations and trust.

"This is a national treasure, carrying the glory of our ancestors and the key to the country.

Since I ascended the throne, I have experienced many ups and downs and am well aware of the difficulties of governing a country.

However, I see that you are intelligent, insightful, have lofty ambitions, and have the talent to lead the world.

Now I pass the throne to you, and I hope you can carry out my will, take the lives of all people as your concern, take the country as your priority, govern diligently, and expand the territory.

Make our dynasty's rule everlasting and the people live and work in peace and contentment.

Please do not let me down, and do not let down the people of this world.

By accepting this imperial seal, you are shouldering this heavy responsibility. I hope you can become a wise and enlightened ruler and go down in history."

Jun Zechen knelt respectfully, his face tense, his hands raised steadily above his head with piety and awe.

"Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your kindness and for entrusting me with such an important task.

As a son, I must carefully follow the teachings of my father, take the foundation laid by our ancestors as our root, and take the people of the world as our foundation.

I will definitely devote all my energy and work diligently on government affairs, live up to the trust of my father, and live up to the importance of the imperial seal.

I, your son, will do my utmost to make our dynasty prosperous and peaceful forever, in order to repay my father’s kindness and comfort the spirits of our ancestors.”

Jun Zechen's voice was firm and powerful, echoing in the hall.

After he finished speaking, Eunuch Dehai took the imperial seal from Emperor Jingsheng and placed it in the hands of Crown Prince Jun Zechen under the solemn and dignified gazes of the ministers.

Emperor Jingsheng looked at the Crown Prince below with loving and gratified eyes, and a look of peace gradually emerged on his face.

He finally completed his life's mission.

Then, he slowly closed his eyes.

Eunuch Dehai returned to Emperor Jingsheng's side. When his eyes met Emperor Jingsheng's closed eyes, his heart suddenly jumped and his face turned pale instantly.

His lips trembled slightly as he called softly, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty." His voice was filled with uncontrollable fear and uneasiness.

However, Emperor Jingsheng did not react at all, as if he was sleeping.

De Hai trembled as he put his hand close to the nose of Emperor Jing Sheng, but found that Emperor Jing Sheng was no longer breathing!

Eunuch Dehai's body suddenly became paralyzed, and grief overwhelmed him like a tide.

He fell to his knees with a thump, his voice hoarse as he croaked, "Your Majesty, drive away! Your Majesty, drive away!"

When Jun Zechen heard the voice, he suddenly raised his head in shock and stared blankly at his father who had a calm expression and closed his eyes.

His body shook violently as if hit by an invisible force. Grief and sorrow instantly filled his eyes, and his face became as solemn as if shrouded in frost.

Even though his heart was as hard as iron, he still felt heartbroken when his father passed away.

After a while, he managed to squeeze out a few words from between his teeth: "Your son... respectfully bids farewell to your father."

The other ministers also said in unison, "Your Majesty, we respectfully bid you farewell!"

In a monarchy, after the emperor's death, his body would remain in the palace for twenty-seven days.

During this period, a posthumous ceremony must be held, funeral arrangements must be made, the funeral procession must be suspended, and finally the burial must be completed.

Twenty-seven days later, the new emperor ascended the throne and a grand coronation ceremony was held.

Xiyan Palace.

Su Jingyao sat on the couch with a gentle smile on her face and the child in her arms.

After more than an hour, Xingxing's delicate little face turned rosy, just like an exquisite porcelain doll.

A pair of big, black eyes are clear and bright, like two sparkling black gems.

The little nose was slightly curled up, and the cherry-like mouth was smacking from time to time, which was very cute.

Perfectly inherited the advantages of his parents.

Su Jingyao's slender fingers gently teased the child's pink cheeks, and the child giggled.

Suddenly, a series of ringing bells rang out, as if they were about to break through the sky.

Su Jingyao remained calm, but there was a barely perceptible ripple deep in her eyes.

She sighed softly, with a hint of disappointment.

Such a bell would only ring when the emperor passed away.

When the emperor passed away, 10,000 bells would be rung in the imperial palace, and 30,000 bells would be rung in all the temples in the kingdom.

Su Jingyao's gaze slowly moved outside. The pure white snowflakes were fluttering down, like pieces of pure white thoughts.

The life of a wise ruler came to an end quietly in the midst of falling snow.

And Jun Zechen is about to become the next supreme emperor.

"Master, I will take the grandson away with me. I will ask Miaoxia to change your clothes quickly. The queen will gather everyone in the harem to mourn the death."

Miaoyun had a serious expression on her face and her voice was a little low.

Su Jingyao nodded slightly, handed the star in her arms to Miaoyun, then took Miaoxia into the bedroom and began to change clothes.

Miaoxia carefully removed all the pearls and jade from her head, then slowly took off her gorgeous clothes and dressed her in mourning clothes.

This was prepared early by the Ministry of Internal Affairs under the arrangement of the Empress.

"Master, you have to be careful about this funeral. An Liangdi and Tang Fengyi may take some action."

Miaoxia said softly as she carefully tidied her appearance.

"News from the people in Xiyun Palace?" Su Jingyao raised her eyebrows slightly.

"Yes, but our people have not found out their specific plans."

Miaoxia answered softly without stopping her hands.

"Are the two of them on the same front?" Su Jingyao asked with a hint of thought in her voice.

"No, it should be just a temporary collaboration." Miao Xia answered affirmatively.

Su Jingyao nodded gently.

They are really brave.

However, with high risks come high rewards.

If they succeed in making trouble in front of the late emperor's mourning hall, not even the crown prince will be able to save Ling Yue, and the empress will be furious.

Su Jingyao casually took off the gemstone ring on her finger, and Miaoxia quickly took it and put it into the jewelry box.

In order to save his own life, Tang Fengyi really became a lot braver.