Changshan Prefecture, Prince Wuning's Mansion.
Thanks to its geographical proximity to Jinling City, Prince Liu Xinwu of Wuning received an imperial edict from Jinling City on the fifth day after Chen Huai'an proclaimed himself emperor, announcing to the world that the Prince of Jin had become emperor.
Upon receiving the imperial edict, Liu Xinwu was extremely excited. His hands trembled as he accepted the edict. He then spent time alone in his study, repeatedly examining and deliberating it. He even dug out previous imperial edicts from the Great Xin Emperor to compare the patterns and marks of the imperial seal on them!
After comparison, it is undoubtedly the authentic Imperial Seal of the State.
Liu Xinwu became even more excited.
Who would have thought that after spending half his life on the battlefield, Prince Wu Ning, being stripped of his military power by the Second Emperor Zhao Gan, would be able to experience a second spring in his life?
At this moment, Liu Xinwu, humming a little tune in his study, was glad that he had staked his entire fortune on Chen Huai'an, the Prince of Jin, who was then labeled a "traitor." It was undoubtedly one of the best decisions he had ever made.
The last time he made such a decision was thirty years ago when he staked his entire fortune on Zhao Mang, the founding emperor of the Great Xin Dynasty, who was then just one of the eight rebel kings.
That time, he earned the title of one of the eight kings of different surnames in the Great Xin Dynasty.
Now that Chen Huai'an has ascended the throne and unified the country, where will he place Liu Xinwu in the new dynasty?
He was starting to look forward to it.
"Report—"
"Your Highness, General Xiong Kai, the garrison commander of Youzhou, requests an audience!"
oh?
Inside the study, Prince Wu Ning, Liu Xinwu, raised an eyebrow upon hearing the announcement outside the door and muttered to himself, "That Xiong Lao Er has a really long nose; he came right after smelling the scent!"
As he spoke, he called out to the outside, "General Xiong, please come to the council hall for a short rest. I will be there shortly!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Inside the study, Liu Xinwu carefully put away the imperial edict announcing the Jin King's ascension to the throne, casually tidied his appearance, and prepared to go out to meet Xiong Kai, the garrison commander of Youzhou.
But as soon as he pushed open the door, he was met by Zhuge Yunsheng, the steward of the Prince's mansion, who rushed over to report.
Zhuge Yunsheng said urgently, "Your Highness, the Prefect of Changshan County, He Kuan, requests an audience!"
Um?
Liu Xinwu hesitated for a moment before realizing that these guys must have all received the news of the Prince of Jin's ascension to the throne, which is why they all flocked to the Prince of Wuning's residence.
Most likely, he wants to use his position to secure a good future for himself in front of the new emperor, Chen Huai'an!
Thinking back to when Zhao Gan first stripped me of my military power, all those garrison commanders and prefects avoided me like the plague.
Now, they're all eager to visit.
Isn't this a real-life version of "when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven"?
That's interesting!
Immediately, Liu Xinwu instructed, "Arrange them all to go to the council hall. Any other civil and military officials who come to see me should also be arranged to go to the council hall!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Before long, when Prince Wu Ning, Liu Xinwu, slowly appeared in the council hall of the palace, several civil and military officials from the vicinity of Changshan County had already gathered there.
Upon seeing Prince Wu Ning, the civil and military officials all rose to offer their congratulations: "Congratulations, Your Highness!"
Hahaha!
Liu Xinwu laughed heartily, gesturing for everyone to sit down and enjoy some tea, and said with a smile, "Judging from your expressions, you must have all received the imperial edict announcing the Prince of Jin's ascension to the throne?"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Then, Xiong Kai, the garrison commander of Youzhou, stood up and said, "Your Highness, we rushed to the Prince's residence overnight after receiving the imperial decree to personally congratulate you!"
He Kuan, the prefect of Changshan County, echoed, "Indeed, Your Highness, His Highness Prince Jin has just ascended the throne, which is in accordance with the will of Heaven and the will of the people."
"However, we are of humble origin and cannot offer our congratulations to the Emperor in person. Therefore, we can only humbly request that Your Highness convey our greetings to the Emperor on behalf of us lowly officials when you meet him."
Hahaha!
Liu Xinwu laughed heartily a few more times, waved his hand, and said, "Of course, of course!"
Next, everyone expressed their opinions on the matter of the Prince of Jin declaring himself emperor. They were all nothing but flattering words, which Liu Xinwu was tired of hearing.
Amidst the laughter and merriment, an untimely voice suddenly rang out.
A general said, "After the Prince of Jin became emperor, he postponed the coronation ceremony to the first month of the lunar calendar. I have heard rumors that the emperor postponed the coronation ceremony because he has not yet decided on the empress. I do not know if it is true or not!"
brush!
Upon hearing this, the once noisy council hall of the Prince's mansion fell into complete silence.
The marriage alliance between the Prince of Wuning's Mansion and the Prince of Jin's Mansion was already an open secret.
Princess Shujun has even moved to Prince Jin's residence to live.
However, news of when Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin and Princess Liu Shujun would hold their wedding ceremony has yet to be heard.
There are even rumors that Princess Yue Qiluo of the Uyghur Khanate, which controlled the land Silk Road and was the leader of the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions, also moved into the Prince of Jin's residence.
These matters were well known to all the civil and military officials.
However, this was the first time that the news of the struggle for the future empress of the new dynasty had been brought up in public, in front of Prince Liu Xinwu of Wuning.
As the atmosphere at the scene turned icy, the outspoken military officer seemed to realize that he had said the wrong thing.
He immediately stood up awkwardly, forcing a smile, and said, "Your Highness, this humble general... this humble general only heard rumors from the streets. This humble general just doesn't keep his mouth shut. Please, please just pretend I was talking nonsense..."
Hahaha!
Suddenly, Liu Xinwu, the Prince of Wuning, whose expression had been frozen, regained his composure and burst into hearty laughter.
He continued, "General Li is right. The Emperor's postponement of the coronation ceremony must also be due to the fact that he has not yet appointed an empress."
"After all, the selection of the Empress, who will be the mother of the nation, requires the Emperor to make a decision after careful consideration of all aspects."
hehe!
Prince Wu Ning laughed self-deprecatingly, making no attempt to conceal the matter, and said, "As you all should know, my youngest daughter, Shujun, was engaged to the current Emperor."
"It is only because the Emperor has been busy with war that the marriage has been delayed."
After a pause, Liu Xinwu continued, "Now that His Majesty has just ascended the throne, there are many important matters to attend to. Even I don't know when His Majesty will be able to marry my daughter."
"I am even less certain whether my daughter, with her talents, is capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility of being the mother of the nation!"
"Your Highness, in my humble opinion, Princess Shujun is the only suitable candidate to be the Empress of this new dynasty!"
At this moment, Xiong Kai, the garrison commander of Youzhou, suddenly stood up and said indignantly, "Under the whole heaven, who doesn't know how much effort and dedication the Prince has put in so that the Emperor could successfully quell the rebellion?"
"Putting everything else aside, the fact that she helped the Emperor conquer the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun without shedding a drop of blood is arguably the greatest achievement in the Emperor's successful campaign against the rebellion. Based on this achievement alone, it is enough to elevate Princess Shujun to the position of Empress!"
"Yes, General Xiong is absolutely right!"
He Kuan, the prefect of Changshan County, also rose and echoed, "In my humble opinion, the reason why the Emperor has been unable to marry Princess Shujun is all due to the interference of that Western Region demoness, Yue Qiluo."
"I've heard that this Western Region demoness is most skilled at bewitching people. His Majesty must have been bewitched by her, which has led to this situation!"
brush!
These words opened the floodgates of conversation among the civil and military officials in the council hall.
Those qualified to sit in the council hall of the Prince's Palace today are all staunch loyalists of Prince Wu Ning, Liu Xinwu, mainly civil and military officials from the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun.
These sixteen prefectures of Youyun were originally the base of power of Liu Xinwu, the Prince of Wuning.
Therefore, if Princess Shujun could be placed on the throne as the new dynasty's empress, it would be a major event for these staunch supporters of the Prince of Wuning's mansion!
With the connection to Prince Wuning, and the possibility of Princess Shujun being made empress, they would have more say in the new dynasty's court.
This is why all the civil and military officials gathered in the Prince's Palace Council Hall.
One of them was to congratulate the Prince of Jin on his ascension to the throne.
Secondly, they hoped to come up with a plan as soon as possible to put Princess Shujun on the throne as empress.
Some people said, "This Western Region demoness Yue Qiluo is simply fanciful. Doesn't she know that throughout history, when has our Han dynasty ever made a woman of a foreign ethnicity its empress?"
Even if Yue Qiluo has the support of all thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions, that cannot be the basis for her to attempt to seize the position of Empress!
"If you ask me, granting her the title of Imperial Concubine would already be an immense favor!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Immediately, someone else stepped forward and said, "If it is inconvenient for Your Highness to personally handle the matter of appointing the new dynasty's empress, the civil and military officials of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun can jointly submit a memorial to the Emperor, requesting that Princess Shujun be appointed as the new dynasty's empress."
"Your Highness, this matter should be addressed sooner rather than later. The news of the Prince of Jin's ascension to the throne will likely reach the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions within ten to fifteen days."
"By then, those barbaric Western Region people will surely unite and do everything in their power to place that vixen Yue Qiluo as the empress of the new dynasty, in order to secure more benefits for the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions."
"Your Highness, we absolutely cannot let those Western Region barbarians seize the initiative!"
"Your Highness, please make a decision quickly!"
In an instant, in the vast council hall, all the civil and military officials shouted in unison, asking the prince to make a decision.
Liu Xinwu's thoughts were also affected by the noise, and his mind was in complete chaos.
But one thing he was very clear about was that in this struggle for the empress of the new dynasty, the interests of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, which he represented, and even the entire interest group of the old and new officials, must not lose!
After pondering and hesitating for a moment, Liu Xinwu finally made up his mind and said, "Lord He, let's proceed according to your suggestion!"
"Remember this, I am unaware of this matter!"
"Everything was your own spontaneous action, do you understand?"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
......
In fact, the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions learned of the King of Jin's ascension to the throne only two or three days later than the civil and military officials of the Wu Ning Prince's Mansion and the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun.
Although the imperial edict announcing the King of Jin's ascension to the throne was still being sent to the Western Regions by express courier.
However, the envoys from the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions who were stationed in Longcheng, the fiefdom of the Prince of Jin, sent the news back to the Western Regions overnight by express courier, after attending the banquet held at the Prince of Jin's palace.
Furthermore, envoys from the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions even participated in the ancestral worship ceremony of the new emperor Chen Huai'an the following day.
Therefore, when the old and new officials represented by Prince Wu Ning, Liu Xinwu, were trying their best to push Princess Shujun, Liu Shujun, to the position of Empress of the new dynasty;
In the capital city of Harabalgas, the capital of the Uyghur Khanate, which was the most powerful of the thirty-six kingdoms in the Western Regions, six thousand eight hundred miles away, in the royal palace of the Uyghur Khanate.
Princess Bilge's biological father, the mighty Khan Moyanchuo of the Uyghur Khanate, also convened an emergency meeting with envoys from various Western Regions countries stationed in the Uyghur Khanate.
The only topic of discussion was how to ensure that Princess Yue Qiluo, who had married far away to Longcheng, would be chosen as the new empress of the dynasty at the enthronement ceremony held in the first month of the lunar calendar after the Prince of Jin became emperor.
Princess Yue Qiluo of Bilge is no longer just a princess sent to marry into the Uyghur Khanate, but also a representative of the interests of the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions in the new dynasty.
We all share in the same fate, whether it be prosperity or adversity.
Inside the royal palace, the valiant Khan Moyanchuo, dressed in magnificent robes, sat unceremoniously on the throne in the center of the palace. Sipping fine wine, he addressed the envoys of the thirty-five kingdoms:
"Gentlemen, His Highness Prince Jin has now ascended the throne, becoming the founding emperor of the new dynasty. This is an exciting and celebratory event for both this Khan and the leaders and kings of the Western Regions."
"This is enough to prove how fortunate it was that the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions surrendered to His Highness Prince Jin."
After a pause, Mo Yanchuo continued, "With the protection of the powerful dynasty established by His Highness Prince Jin, the kingdoms of the Western Regions have enjoyed at least a century of peace and prosperity."
"Let's raise this glass together to celebrate the Prince of Jin's ascension to the throne! Cheers!"
"cheers!"
Inside the palace, envoys from various Western Regions countries, seated on either side, raised their cups in celebration, cheering for the King of Jin's ascension to the throne.
After downing a glass of wine, the conversation began to flow more freely.
Unlike Liu Xinwu, the Prince of Wuning, who was reserved, his straightforward personality meant that he would be more proactive in the matter of establishing the new dynasty's empress.
Mo Yanchuo cut to the chase: "Gentlemen, I have invited you here today for two reasons, firstly to celebrate the Prince of Jin's ascension to the throne, and secondly—"
Then, Mo Yanchuo changed the subject, saying, "As you all probably know, in order to cultivate good relations with His Highness Prince Jin and prevent further conflict in the Western Regions, my only daughter, Princess Bilge, volunteered to go to Prince Jin's fiefdom of Longcheng for a marriage alliance."
"Although Princess Pijia has already moved into the Prince of Jin's residence, she and the current emperor have yet to be married!"
"The reason for this is all due to the machinations of Liu Shujun, the daughter of Wu Ningwang, a remnant of the Da Xin dynasty. This Princess Liu Shujun had already been betrothed by Emperor Zhao Gan of Da Xin'an to my Uyghur Khanate for a political marriage."
"At this moment, it has become a stumbling block on our Princess Bhikkhu's path to becoming the empress of the new dynasty!"
After a pause, Mo Yanchuo looked at the envoys from various countries in the hall with a sinister gaze, and asked them, word by word, a soul-searching question: "Gentlemen, what do you think we should do about this matter?"
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