Upon hearing the imperial physician's reply, Emperor Qingyuan's heart sank to the bottom.
The crown prince and several ministers who were accompanying the king were also thrown into a panic.
Although they had made countless predictions about today's events and calculated every possible outcome, they had never anticipated that Emperor Qingyuan would suffer such an unexpected turn of events.
Moreover, poison is an incurable poison. Although Emperor Qingyuan did not drink it directly, it was still absorbed and spread by Consort Chu after being injected into his body.
Moreover, there was no hope of saving them.
This means that things have completely deviated from the original course. In addition to feeling regret and heartache, Han Zhongyu, Pei Ji, and others are more worried about whether there will be turmoil in the court.
After all, the Crown Prince had only recently been appointed. Although the First Prince had committed suicide, the Fifth Prince was still alive, along with several other princes.
If a powerful family wants to support a puppet emperor, the court is very likely to be thrown into turmoil!
Emperor Qingyuan, being a ruler for many years, knew he was going to die. After a brief moment of panic, he quickly calmed down, ordered all rescue efforts to cease, and began to make his final arrangements.
First, he had Eunuch Liu draft an imperial edict, ordering the Crown Prince to ascend the throne immediately after his death.
Secondly, the Fifth Prince was ordered to commit suicide, and both Consort Chu and the Fifth Prince were buried in the imperial mausoleum.
The Crown Prince appointed Han Zhongyu, the Right Chancellor, and Du Yi, the Minister of War, as regents to assist the Crown Prince in handling state affairs.
Finally, he gave the Crown Prince special instructions, urging him to be close to virtuous ministers, stay away from petty people, set an example, and be virtuous and cautious until the end.
The Crown Prince listened with tears streaming down his face, then knelt beside Emperor Qingyuan, earnestly promising that he would not disappoint the emperor's expectations.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Qingyuan finally felt somewhat relieved, and his face, which had been contorted with grief from weeping, softened a little.
In just a short while, Emperor Qingyuan's poison had spread throughout his body, and his face had turned bluish and ashen.
Looking at the Crown Prince kneeling and weeping beside his bed, Emperor Qingyuan patted the prince with rare kindness and then gave him some instructions.
“I know you are a good child. Your master has taught you very well. Being an emperor is not easy. You may lose a lot because of this throne. But always remember that you are the emperor. You bear the responsibility for the livelihood of millions of people.”
In all matters, the affairs of the nation and the interests of the people must be prioritized; this is the foundation for the enduring prosperity of the Great Qi dynasty.
The Crown Prince nodded repeatedly.
"Father, I understand!"
Emperor Qingyuan was already having difficulty breathing, but looking at the people around him, he said to the Crown Prince with great reluctance...
"I thought I could personally guide you for a while, but alas, from now on, the fate of the Great Qi will be in your hands!"
After saying that, he looked at Han Zhongyu, Du Yi, and the others.
"Your Highness, and the Great Qi, I entrust them to you all!"
Han Zhongyu and the others dared not presume, and knelt down in unison, promising, "Your subjects will do their utmost to assist the Crown Prince!"
Emperor Qingyuan also reached his limit, and after a moment he began to gasp for breath. In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, he could no longer breathe.
With Eunuch Liu's cry of "The Emperor has passed away!"
The entire hall was filled with weeping.
Before the Fifth Prince could even be placed in the outer palace, after Emperor Qingyuan passed away, the Crown Prince immediately ordered the Fifth Prince to be sent on his way.
The Fifth Prince was originally sentenced to death. Now that Emperor Qingyuan and Consort Chu have passed away, it's time to send the Fifth Prince to reunite with them.
Also sent on their way were several leaders from the First Prince's faction and the Fifth Prince's faction.
Only after swiftly and decisively resolving all matters within the palace did the death knell officially sound.
The mournful bell tolled forty-nine times, and the capital city was instantly in an uproar.
All officials of the fourth rank in the imperial court rushed to the palace to attend the funeral.
Emperor Qingyuan had been dedicated to developing agriculture and reducing taxes in recent years, which won him the hearts of the people. When the people in the city suddenly heard the death knell, they were all filled with grief. They had finally met a wise ruler, so why did he suddenly pass away?
Many people were both missing Emperor Qingyuan and worried about whether the new emperor would be a wise ruler, and their crying was quite heartfelt.
By the time the court officials arrived at the palace, everything had been settled. The Crown Prince's faction and the royalists had all entered the palace. The palace was guarded not only by the Imperial Guards and the Feathered Forest Guards, but also by the Pei family army. Even if the aristocratic families made some moves, they were directly suppressed.
With the help of Eunuch Liu producing the imperial edict left by Emperor Qingyuan, and with the strong support of Han Zhongyu and others, the Crown Prince was able to ascend the throne smoothly.
Afterwards, he presided over the funeral of Emperor Qingyuan as the new emperor. Forty-nine days later, after Emperor Qingyuan's coffin was buried in the imperial mausoleum, the new emperor officially established the reign title as Jingren.
After the funeral, a three-year period of national mourning began. Xie Yushu felt great regret over the death of Emperor Qingyuan, but there was nothing she could do about it.
The new emperor was very diligent in governing and caring for the people, and he implemented various development plans step by step in a down-to-earth manner.
Han Zhongyu and several other regents in the court were extremely busy.
After the start of spring, the prefectural examination for the Xiucai degree was soon approaching. Xie Yushu waited until Chu Jinyu's examination results came out before leaving the capital and returning to Tai'an Prefecture.
Chu Jinyu successfully passed the imperial examination and ranked fifth. Although he was not outstanding, he was still among the top students.
Xie Yushu was very pleased. Due to the national mourning, a grand banquet could not be held. Instead, a simple banquet was set up at the Princess's residence, inviting the Han family to come and have a meal together. It was all for celebration and also a chance to get together.
Han Zhongyu felt that Chu Jinyu was already a grown-up and a scholar, and should no longer stay by Xie Yushu's side. Instead, he should stay in the capital and learn from him about the ins and outs of officialdom and human relationships.
Xie Yushu thought that made sense. Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles, and traveling ten thousand miles is not as good as meeting countless people. Boys should get more experience outside, so she asked for his opinion.
Chu Jinyu thought about it all night. Although he was reluctant to leave Xie Yushu, he stayed. He wanted to learn more skills, become stronger, and protect Xie Yushu and Yuquan Manor.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
