Chapter 83 I have an idea
The news of the late emperor's death spread quickly, and Empress Dowager Zhang ordered the three Yangs of the cabinet, Hu Yi, and Duke Ying of Ying Zhang Fu to be brought into the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
All five knew it was late and were very nervous, but when they saw that Empress Dowager Zhang looked calm and organized, and that the Empress, Crown Prince, and Princess were standing by her side, they knew that the situation was stable.
Empress Dowager Zhang brought the edict and read it herself, then said, "The late emperor has appointed you as ministers of state to assist the new emperor."
The five people understood that this was the trust of the late emperor, and immediately knelt down and kowtowed.
Wang Jin handed the will to the five people. The three Yangs present had all seen Zhu Yuhuan's handwriting and immediately realized that the will was written by Zhu Yuhuan himself. They were a little surprised.
But on second thought, Princess Shunde was treated specially and was deeply loved by the late emperor. She was even present when the emperor dictated the will. So it was reasonable for Princess Shunde to copy the will. What's more, the empress dowager was present, so the authenticity of the will was self-evident.
Empress Dowager Zhang took her grandson's hand and said to him, "You have met these five gentlemen. They have been appointed to assist you in ascending the throne. In the future, you should learn from them how to govern the country."
Zhu Qizhen thought of his promise to his father, nodded vigorously, and said, "Grandson understands!"
Yang Shiqi, the chief minister of the cabinet, hurriedly said, "The late emperor treated the whole court with great courtesy, and we, the ministers, have been deeply blessed by his grace. How dare we disobey the late emperor's will?"
Empress Dowager Zhang then said to Yang Shiqi, "Please check if there is anything else that needs to be added or revised."
Yang Pu said respectfully, "The late emperor's will is complete and correct. It only requires a few minor revisions. We will make a few changes and ask the Empress Dowager to review them."
Hearing Yang Pu's words, Empress Dowager Zhang nodded gravely and said, "I have already ordered people to go to Fengtian Hall to offer sacrifices to the ancestors and notify the princes of all regions." She looked at Zhang Fu and said, "Duke Ying, the eunuch Liu Yongcheng of the Imperial Horse Guards and the imperial son-in-law Song Ying will be in charge of martial law in the Imperial Palace. The garrison in the capital will be under the command of you and the imperial son-in-law Jing Yuanlai. We will gradually relax the guards after the mourning period ends on the 27th."
When Zhu Zhanji summoned Liu Yongcheng back to Beijing, Zhu Yuhuan had already anticipated this. Now, after hearing Empress Dowager Zhang's instructions, it seemed that Zhu Zhanji had long anticipated that this day would come, so he brought Liu Yongcheng back to ensure the absolute safety of the palace.
After all, Concubine Sun and the Crown Prince had previously had a disagreement over the Imperial Stables, and it was possible the Imperial Stables harbored resentment. Liu Yongcheng, on the other hand, was a staunch supporter of Emperor Taizong, highly respected among the eunuchs, and mentor to the new emperor's sister, possessing close ties to the imperial family. He was the perfect person to ensure the new emperor's smooth succession to the throne.
Empress Dowager Zhang's arrangements were mainly divided into reliable ministers and imperial concubines. In this way, there were both reliable ministers who could handle various affairs and royal relatives who could closely monitor the movements of these people. Princess Jiaxing's imperial concubine Jing Yuan could also learn from Zhang Fu. It can be seen that Empress Dowager Zhang spent a lot of thought on the selection of candidates.
Upon hearing Empress Dowager Zhang's arrangement, everyone quickly responded, "Yes."
The next step was to arrange various funeral affairs. Empress Dowager Zhang was familiar with the funeral ceremonies and took charge of them, while Hu Shanxiang assisted and took care of the details. Although Zhu Zhanji's death was a bit sudden, the first day could be considered smooth.
Because Empress Dowager Zhang was busy, Zhu Qizhen was handed over to the Kunning Palace, or more accurately, to Zhu Yuhuan.
Empress Dowager Zhang thought about Concubine Sun's appearance that day and really didn't want her grandson to get too close to his biological mother. However, as his biological mother, Hu Shanxiang still had to manage the daily funeral, including five bows and three kowtows, changing into plain clothes and mourning clothes, not to mention that she needed to command everyone in the palace. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were both very busy, one inside and one outside. Empress Dowager Zhang could only entrust Zhu Qizhen to Zhu Yuhuan.
After the funeral process ended on the first day, Zhu Qizhen followed Zhu Yuhuan and Zhu Youtong sisters back to Kunning Palace. Zhu Yuhuan urged the two children to have a good rest.
Zhu Youtong was okay, after all, she had experienced Zhu Gaochi's funeral. She followed the process and returned to the palace with a sad face. She closed the small door and fell asleep, just treating the next 26 days as a holiday. Anyway, she had her sister's ginger handkerchief, so she was not afraid of not being able to cry.
Zhu Qizhen was still a child after all, and the funeral ceremony was physically and mentally exhausting. Zhu Qizhen no longer had the energy to play with Zhu Yuhuan. After returning, he was very tired and went to bed early, which made Zhu Youtong, who was worried that Zhu Qizhen would pester his sister, breathe a sigh of relief.
Han Guilan helped Zhu Yuhuan change his clothes, then said distressedly: "Your Highness has been troubled. The kitchen has prepared some vegetarian snacks and a simple soup for you to fill your stomach."
Although Zhu Yuhuan was also a little distressed by the whole day of funeral ceremonies, she was not a child after all, and had relatively plenty of energy. She had some spare time at this moment, so she said, "Okay." When the palace servants brought the food, Zhu Yuhuan looked at Han Guilan. She had been with him and was also tired after a day. Zhu Yuhuan said, "Huai En has also been transferred to help mother. Now there are only two of us in the room. Sit down and have some snacks with us."
Han Guilan was a little hesitant, but seeing that Zhu Yuhuan looked a little tired, she sat down obediently, picked up a piece of dessert and slowly started eating.
Zhu Yuhuan's thoughts were in a mess and he was in no mood to eat. He just held his forehead with one hand and began to review the events of Zhu Zhanji's death.
Zhu Zhanji knew that Zhu Yuhuan was different from ordinary girls who were content to marry. In order to test Zhu Yuhuan's loyalty, he deliberately forged the imperial edict. After all, Zhu Yuhuan had few options after receiving the imperial edict. Even if she didn't take it out, it would be inappropriate for her to keep it privately, especially at such a special time as Zhu Zhanji's death. Such an act was not only treasonous, but also close to it.
Zhu Zhanji did not misjudge whether Zhu Yuhuan had ambitions, he just underestimated Zhu Yuhuan's intentions.
She wanted to trick Zhu Yuhuan into taking the bait for such a small profit, but her father looked down on her as always.
Zhu Yuhuan thought he had given a perfect answer yesterday. After all, only Empress Dowager Zhang and Zhu Zhanji were in the palace at the time. If Zhu Zhanji had asked about it after waking up, Empress Dowager Zhang would have known nothing. Even if Zhu Yuhuan hadn't produced the imperial edict, it would have been difficult for him to show up again like he had in the past few years during the Xuande reign.
Empress Dowager Zhang was no fool. Zhu Yuhuan had concealed even the imperial edict, so what else could he not conceal? Therefore, handing the imperial edict over to Empress Dowager Zhang was the best option.
Although the imperial edict was fake, it was written by Zhu Zhanji himself and had certain legal effect in the Ming Dynasty. To some extent, it was also a proof of Zhu Yuhuan's ability, and it would come in handy in the future.
The only drawback is that the seal on it is wrong, but this is actually the smallest problem. We can just find a way to re-stamp it. Anyway, there is no means to test the composition and age of the ink in this era.
Unfortunately, the harm caused by keeping this thing in his hands at this moment was too great, so Zhu Yuhuan could only return it with regret.
However, given the personalities of Empress Dowager Zhang and Zhu Zhanji, they were most likely like Zhu Yuhuan, thinking that this imperial edict might come in handy someday, so they would not destroy it.
As long as the thing is still there, it will eventually return to her hands.
So what Zhu Yuhuan has to consider now is to continue to implement his ideas and plans. When the empress dowager and the regent ministers jointly support the emperor, Zhu Yuhuan has only one way, which is to gain the trust of these six people.
The relationship between Empress Dowager Zhang and Zhu Yuhuan was no longer just a simple grandmother-grandson relationship. Especially since Zhu Zhanji had passed away suddenly and Zhu Qizhen was still young, Empress Dowager Zhang must have been wary of Zhu Yuhuan.
It is indeed not an easy task to get closer to Empress Dowager Zhang just by relying on family ties.
But apart from anything else, Zhu Yuhuan knew something about Empress Dowager Zhang and her children, and that was that their interests were absolutely paramount.
As long as it can bring them practical benefits, even if they cannot enter the core circle, at least they will not be excluded.
Zhu Yuhuan happened to have some ideas about this.
Han Guilan saw Zhu Yuhuan was lost in thought, but he finally revealed his usual calm demeanor. She finally breathed a sigh of relief. She finished the snack in two or three bites, quickly pushed the plate over, and said, "Your Highness, please try it."
Zhu Yuhuan turned around and looked at the snack crumbs at the corner of Han Guilan's lips. She couldn't help but laugh. She picked up a piece of snack and tasted it, then said, "I have something to say to the others."
Han Guilan was slightly stunned, then she straightened up and said, "I understand."
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