Several days later.
The coffin of Fan Wuji, Duke of Ying of the new dynasty, was finally transported to Jinling City and temporarily placed in Jiming Temple, a royal temple outside the city. Every day, eminent monks chanted scriptures for him to help his soul pass on.
Also returning to Jinling City with him were Li Zongmin, one of the eight kings of different surnames from the previous dynasty, who later declared himself emperor of Nanyue, Crown Prince Li Shiyu, and a group of royal relatives.
It is worth mentioning that the new emperor Chen Huai'an did not order a public trial and execution of Emperor Tiande and his entourage, but instead confined them to the former prime minister's residence outside the imperial city.
They even dispatched the Imperial Guards to protect Li Zongmin and his entourage, and the Ministry of Rites was responsible for taking care of their food and lodging.
This, in turn, made Li Zongmin and his son Li Shiyu live in constant fear, unable to figure out what the new emperor Chen Huai'an was really up to.
The fear of being executed in the autumn was like a sharp sword hanging over their heads, ready to fall at any moment, making Li and his son live in constant anxiety.
A few more days passed.
Officials from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites of the imperial court finally brought the widow of the Duke of Yingguo, who was living in Longcheng, the fiefdom of the Prince of Jin, to the capital city with the same ceremony as when welcoming a new Duke of the new dynasty.
During their stay in the capital, their food, lodging, and etiquette were all in accordance with the standards for a Duke.
On the 27th day of the ninth month of the previous dynasty's lunar calendar, the funeral of Duke Fan Wuji of Yingguo was finally held solemnly at Zijin Mountain outside Jinling City.
The new emperor, Chen Huai'an, attended the funeral ceremony with his two princesses, showing great respect to the widows of the Duke's mansion.
In addition, veteran generals of the former Polu Army led by Pang Xianchu, deputy marshals of the left and right armies of the Longcheng Army, civil and military officials of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun represented by Prince Wuning Liu Xinwu, governors of the Lianghu and Liangjiang regions, and others all attended to pay their respects.
Of course, these important civil and military officials of the new dynasty did not come specifically to attend the funeral of Duke Fan Wuji of England.
This is because the Emperor will hold his first court assembly since becoming Emperor in the capital city tomorrow.
Therefore, after receiving the imperial edict, the civil and military officials who were qualified to attend the first court assembly of the new dynasty also took the opportunity to pay their respects to Duke Fan Wuji of England, who had died on the battlefield.
In conclusion, the funeral of Duke Fan Wuji of England was almost comparable to a state funeral in later generations.
For Fan Wuji, who had spent his entire life striving and fighting on the battlefield, hoping to one day be ennobled and appointed as a high-ranking official, this was a glorious end to his life.
At the funeral, the new emperor Chen Huai'an publicly announced that Fan Wuji's eldest son would inherit his father Fan Wuji's title of Duke of England upon reaching adulthood.
Once this imperial edict was announced, in addition to the Duke's widow being moved to tears of gratitude to the new Emperor Chen Huai'an, the military generals of the new dynasty who came to offer their condolences were also deeply grateful to the Emperor.
Especially for the veterans of the Polu Army who had followed the late Emperor Chen Polu in fighting for the Great Xin Dynasty, and then followed the new Emperor Chen Huai'an in raising troops to quell the rebellion and finally establish the new dynasty, their worship of the emperor and their determination to serve the dynasty to the death reached their peak at this moment.
After the Duke of England's funeral, the Ministry of War took the lead in handling the compensation and post-war arrangements for the Duke's widow and the fallen soldiers, with the cooperation of the other six ministries.
On the 28th day of the ninth month of the previous dynasty's lunar calendar, the new emperor Chen Huai'an convened the first plenary meeting of his court officials in the Golden Palace in the capital city. This meeting can be considered the first true court assembly of the new dynasty.
Inside the Golden Palace, on the dragon throne.
Wearing a bright yellow five-clawed dragon robe and a crown, the new emperor Chen Huai'an, guided by Cai He, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and under the watchful eyes of the entire court, walked step by step through the vast Golden Palace and ascended the dragon throne that symbolized supreme imperial power.
Then, he sat down calmly in dark colors.
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
Inside the Golden Palace, all the civil and military officials knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" in unison.
Chen Huai'an waved his hand and said calmly, "My beloved ministers, rise!"
After all the civil and military officials rose and took their places in the Golden Palace, Cai He, the "eunuch of four reigns" standing next to the new emperor Chen Huai'an, then, in his shrill voice, announced in accordance with the rules of the court assembly: "If there is anything to report, please do so; otherwise, the court is adjourned!"
"Your Majesty, I, Chang Yuchun, have something to report!"
Upon returning from the southern expedition, Chang Yuchun, the deputy marshal of the right wing army, immediately stepped forward to report to the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, I have been ordered to lead the Longcheng army on a southern expedition to conquer the Nanzhao Kingdom."
"Now, the false emperor of the Nanzhao Kingdom, Murong Fu, has recently been executed, and the neighboring Pyu Kingdom has also expressed its intention to surrender and submit to the Emperor, willing to acknowledge our new dynasty as its suzerain state and pay tribute to the new dynasty annually."
"From this point on, there will be no more war on the southwestern border of the dynasty!"
With that, Chang Yuchun clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, continuing, "Your Majesty, I hereby request that the imperial tally for mobilizing the southern expeditionary force of Longcheng be transferred to the Ministry of War."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, would also like to take this opportunity to retire from the military and return to the countryside, where I can let my horse roam freely in the southern mountains!"
brush!
Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials in the Golden Palace were stunned.
In particular, the generals who still held military power looked at the deputy commander Chang Yuchun in the court with different expressions, their eyes darting around, seemingly lost in thought.
Even Emperor Chen Huai'an, sitting on the dragon throne, seemed somewhat surprised.
Clearly, Chen Huai'an had not expected that Chang Yuchun, the deputy marshal of the army, would voluntarily hand over the military power of the Longcheng Southern Expeditionary Army to him, the emperor, at the first court assembly of the new dynasty.
After a moment's hesitation, Chen Huai'an finally smiled and said, "Vice Commander Chang, now that the empire has just been pacified, you are already eager to let your horse roam freely. This is my mistake!"
"That makes sense. Since Vice Commander Chang joined me in raising the army, he has spent nearly two years either on campaign or on the way to a campaign. It is indeed time for you to rest and recuperate!"
"How about this—"
With that, Chen Huai'an waved his hand and said with a smile, "The military command token for the 500,000-strong army of Longcheng's southern expedition under Vice Commander Chang's command will be temporarily handed over to the Ministry of War for safekeeping."
"However, I am afraid I cannot grant Vice Commander Chang's wish to retire from the military and live a peaceful life in the mountains for the time being."
"You should rest for a while. We'll discuss this matter again after I've completed my enthronement ceremony!"
"My beloved ministers, do you have any other matters to report? If so, please speak them all at once!"
"Your Majesty—"
"Your Majesty!"
"......"
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