Chapter 81: The Last Will and Testament
Zhu Yuhuan took Zhu Qizhen's hand and walked into the hall, while Wang Jin followed them.
Zhu Zhanji tried hard to keep his eyelids open, waved to his son, and said, "Zhen'er, come forward."
Although Zhu Zhanji was not so sick that he was emaciated, his complexion alone showed that he was seriously ill.
Zhu Qizhen had never seen his father like this before. He was stunned on the spot. Zhu Yuhuan, who was standing next to him, reached out and patted Zhu Qizhen on the shoulder, signaling him to come forward. Zhu Yuhuan said gently, "Brother Zhen, Daddy is calling you over."
Zhu Qizhen finally reacted. He walked to Zhu Zhanji and asked cautiously, "Dad, how are you..."
Zhu Zhanji reluctantly patted his son's head. Looking at Zhu Qizhen, whose hair had already begun to grow, his eyes were filled with nostalgia. He said, "Dad is fine. It's just that I can't watch you grow up and become a responsible and wise ruler..."
Zhu Qizhen clutched his father's hand, his face revealing confusion and fear of the unknown. He said, "Dad, you promised me that you would take me on border patrols and hunting... Are you going to break your promise?"
Empress Dowager Zhang, who was sitting nearby, could no longer hold back her tears when she heard this, and turned her head away and sobbed softly.
Zhu Yuhuan also wiped his red eyes with a handkerchief, looking like he was about to cry.
Zhu Zhanji smiled helplessly and said, "Zhen'er, you have grown up and will take over your father's responsibilities. Not only must you be a good grandson, be filial to the Queen Mother on your father's behalf, be a good brother, and take good care of your younger brother, but you must also shoulder your father's hopes for you and be a good emperor. Remember?"
He probably had no strength left, and his speech was weak and unclear.
Hearing this, Zhu Qizhen immediately nodded vigorously and said, "I have remembered everything Dad said. I will definitely not let you down."
Zhu Zhanji knew that he had little time left, so he said to Wang Jin, "Grind the ink and have Princess Shunde draft the edict."
As soon as he said this, the people around him paused. Zhu Yuhuan was the first to speak, "I believe the three Mr. Yangs will be able to enter the palace soon..."
Zhu Zhanji shook his head and said, "I don't know if I can catch up. Besides these three, there are also Zhang Fu and Hu Yi..." He watched Wang Jin quickly spread out paper and grind ink, then he warned his son, "Zhen'er, these five will be your teachers from now on. You must learn a lot from them and handle state affairs well. If you don't know anything in your daily life, ask your eldest sister more often. The foundation of our ancestors was hard-earned, so you must not act recklessly..."
Zhu Qizhen nodded repeatedly and said with a sob: "I remember everything."
Zhu Zhanji saw Wang Jin standing quietly to one side while Zhu Yuhuan had already walked to the table. He took a deep breath and finally spoke, "I am terminally ill. Unfortunately, God has not given me much longer. This is my fate. I order my eldest son, Crown Prince Qi Zhen, to inherit the throne. All the princes and royal family members must follow the ancestral teachings and guard the vassal state with all their heart. The heir is young, and I only hope that the Holy Mother Empress Dowager will teach him day and night. You, the civil and military ministers, will provide your dedicated guidance. Important matters of family and state must be reported to me. The Empress Dowager and the Empress will perform funeral rites on a daily basis..."
Zhu Yuhuan listened to Zhu Zhanji's last words of his life word by word, but his hands did not hesitate at all as he copied them down word by word.
Zhu Zhanji glanced around at the people around him and continued, "I, humbled as the heir to the throne, have worked diligently and diligently, not slacking off in the slightest. It has now been eleven years, but I feel ashamed that I have not been able to bring the benevolence of the Great Ming to the world. As I lay dying, I realize even more that life and death are the natural order of life and death, and that I cannot carry on the great work of the great emperors and receive the care of the Holy Mother Empress Dowager. This thought lingers in my heart, and even in death I cannot rest in peace... My eldest son, Crown Prince Qi Zhen, is of pure nature, benevolent, wise, and upright. When he succeeds to the throne, the civil and military officials in the court should work together to assist the new emperor and provide for the people. They should not act on their own and disrupt the rules of order. All important matters of state must be reported to the Empress Dowager..."
As soon as he stopped talking, Zhu Yuhuan's pen also paused slightly.
Zhu Zhanji then continued, "Everyone must report this to the Empress Dowager, and then it will be implemented both inside and outside the country. Officials, both high and low, must perform their duties, be loyal to their posts, and assist the new emperor. The funeral system must comply with the imperial father's will of May of the first year of the Hongxi reign. The mausoleum must not be moved, and diligence and frugality are paramount. The princes of the imperial clan and the vassal states have heavy responsibilities and must guard their fiefdoms with utmost care. The generals and garrison officers, as well as the garrisons, prefectures, and counties, must do their utmost to appease the military and civilians and not leave their posts without permission. Those who go to the imperial court to pay homage should be assisted by their assistants or sent on their behalf. Officials below the seventh rank in Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou are exempted from paying homage. Therefore, this imperial edict is hereby issued for your general knowledge."
Zhu Yuhuan sneered inwardly, and when he had finished copying everything, he presented it to Zhu Zhanji and Empress Dowager Zhang, saying, "I have excerpted all of Daddy's words. Please review them and fill in any gaps."
Although she wrote quickly, her handwriting was quite neat, and she could not make a single mistake when transcribing Zhu Zhanji's words.
Zhu Zhanji's head was splitting, and his eyes could barely see the words on the paper. He could only look at Empress Dowager Zhang, feeling as if he had returned to his childhood, relying on his mother. Seeing Empress Dowager Zhang nod in confirmation, Zhu Zhanji was relieved to take the hands of the two siblings and fold them together, saying, "Good... very good..."
He glanced at the two of them for a long time, and finally thought of something. Just as he was about to speak, a palace servant came in. It turned out that the invigorating medicine was ready.
Zhu Zhanji felt a huge weight lifted off his chest, and even his persistent headaches were somewhat alleviated. He didn't want to drink any more, but Hu Shanxiang beside him said, "Your Majesty needs to rest up. I've sent someone to summon the Imperial Concubine. I'm sure she'll be here soon."
Zhu Zhanji didn't expect that the first sentence Hu Shanxiang said to him was about Concubine Sun. He was stunned for a moment, and then his eyes lit up.
He knew that his mother probably would not allow the imperial concubine to come to the Palace of Heavenly Purity. If Hu Shanxiang was also unwilling, he was afraid that he would have no chance to see the imperial concubine Sun again. He did not expect that Hu Shanxiang would actually take the initiative to bring this up.
Empress Dowager Zhang, who was standing beside her, wiped away her tears and said, "The Queen was afraid that you were thinking about the Imperial Concubine, so she told me when you were taking a nap. But the imperial edict is more important..."
Zhu Zhanji looked at Hu Shanxiang, and showed her a rare gentle expression. He said, "Thank you for your help, Queen."
Hu Shanxiang simply said respectfully, "This is the Queen's duty."
Zhu Zhanji looked at her, smiled, and said, "Shanxiang, you are still exactly the same as you were on your wedding day..." Having said that, he was silent for a long time, and said, "Empress, I trust the most... I trust your magnanimity the most. The imperial concubine is shallow-minded and not steady enough. In the future, I'll trouble you to take good care of her and the prince as you did before." He rarely had such a pleasant expression, and even used the word "thank you" twice in a row.
Zhu Zhanji knew that his concubine was at odds with him because of Princess Shunde, but at this point, he no longer had the energy to comfort her. The ancestral foundation was the most important thing. He was not only the concubine's husband, but also the master of the world, and he had to prepare a good home for this world.
Before Hu Shanxiang could say anything, Zhu Yuhuan had already asked the palace servant to hand the medicine bowl to Zhu Qizhen, indicating that Zhu Qizhen should feed the medicine to Zhu Zhanji personally.
No matter whether the medicine is effective or not, just drink it first! It’s fine if you don’t drink it, but it’s even better if you drink it!
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