Great Tang princess

Chapter 157
Almost on the front and back, several brothers and two sisters also brought Pei Qingwan over.

Judging from the slightly darkened eye circles on the faces of several people, although they had rested, they obviously did not sleep well.

Seeing that Li Zhi was gone, the children quickly came over to salute, and became concerned about his condition.

Li Zhi waved his hand and said it was all right, then got up and came to Li Hong's coffin, and sighed deeply.

Looking at his son lying in the coffin, although Li Zhi tried his best to control it, tears still flowed down his face.

Stretching out his hand to gently stroke his son's cheek, the grief in his heart was hard to suppress.

Seeing his appearance, both Wu Zetian and Pei Qingwan began to cry.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the mourning hall became sad again.

Fortunately, Li Zhi was the emperor after all, so he didn't cry for too long. After about five or six minutes, he sniffled and calmed down his emotions.

Then he turned his head and patted his little daughter's head: "Chen'er has been guarding all night, go back and have a rest."

Li Yuechen shook his head: "I'd better wait until nightfall, my child, or I will feel uncomfortable if my habits change suddenly."

"I'm worried that you're tired, after all, you're still young."

"No problem."

Li Yuechen was quite familiar with his own body, knowing that it didn't matter if he stayed up for another day.

Besides, it's really not the time to leave now, it's better to stay one more day to see the situation.

Dad definitely can't stay here all day, the death of the crown prince is not a trivial matter, he still has to explain the situation to the officials.

Seeing that his daughter is so sensible, Li Zhi nodded with special satisfaction.

Especially after I came here in the morning, I heard that yesterday it was thanks to her that she was able to stabilize the situation in the face of danger, and I liked this daughter even more.

After explaining the matter here, Li Zhi and Wu Zetian left first to inform the officials of the death of the crown prince.

The Ministry of Etiquette also needs to prepare for the funeral process immediately.

……

It is difficult to block news of such a big event. The news of the prince's death has already spread throughout the official circles in the capital yesterday.

However, because Li Yuechen asked them to go back and wait, in desperation, most officials could only leave their servants at the gate of the palace to wait for the news, and go back to rest first.

But most officials didn't sleep well all night, thinking about the next problem.

Now that the prince has passed away, the situation in the court is bound to be chaotic, and most people will definitely fall to the second prince's side immediately, and they will be able to play a role in the future.

The officials who were originally on the prince's side are likely to be attacked in the next few days.

If you can't resist, at least you will be demoted, and at worst you will die!

While the officials were eagerly waiting for the news at home, a notice came from the palace suddenly, asking officials at the prime minister level to go to Zichen Hall to discuss matters.

The officials who received the news set off immediately and arrived in the Zichen Palace without stopping.

Except for Li Yuechen's master Liu Rengui who has not yet returned to the imperial court, all the senior officials at the prime minister's level are present.

After the officials came in, they noticed the sad look on the faces of the couple and the red eyes, and they all saluted respectfully.

Li Zhi waved his hands, suppressed his crying, and tried to keep his tone calm: "Don't be polite, come here, and give seats to all the lovers!"

After everyone sat down, Li Zhicai said slowly: "Yesterday the prince was critically ill and died in Shaoyang courtyard... I fell ill and fell into a coma in grief..."

Hearing Li Zhi's explanation of what happened yesterday, the ministers hurriedly stood up and advised His Majesty to mourn.

Li Zhi waved them to sit down, and gently wiped away his tears: "Since the matter is already known, let's go back first, go to court in a few days, and make an official announcement..."

Seeing that Li Zhi issued the order to evict the guests, the officials also got up and left one after another.

The emperor's intention was obvious, let them stabilize the court situation in the past few days, and he wanted to remember the prince.

After leaving the Zichen Palace, all the officials also discussed in low voices.

Xue Zhen was the first to speak: "Now that the crown prince has passed away suddenly, what do you think should be done?"

"Well, speaking of it, the prince's health has not been very good, but I didn't expect..." Gao Zhizhou couldn't help but sighed, his words were full of regret.

"Yes, heaven is jealous of talents..." Liu Jingxian also looked sad.

Although such a reaction did not exceed Xue Zhen's expectations, it still made him feel helpless.

After all, the current situation is not clear, although according to the normal situation, now that the prince has passed away and has no heirs, the second prince Li Xian should take over.

But the problem is that from the founding of the Tang Dynasty to the present, the royal family has been in turmoil for more than fifty years.

Originally, the appearance of Li Hong made them feel that the court situation should be stabilized in the future, but now that the prince died, they were afraid that those behind would start to think about it again.

So they don't dare to express their thoughts at present, for fear that they will accidentally stand on the wrong team.

……

After announcing the matter, the couple came to Shaoyang Yard again, and planned to keep the spirit for their son.

Li Yuechen was a little worried about Li Zhi's physical condition: "If Grandpa wants to guard the spirit here, don't get excited, you must..."

Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Li Zhi: "Don't worry, Chen'er, I know! I just want to see more here."

Both Li Zhi and Wu Zetian are extremely determined people.

Even if my heart is sad, but when it comes to control, I can still control my emotions.

Seeing the firm expressions of the two, Li Yuechen didn't say anything more, but just embraced the two with open arms: "Now that the elder brother is leaving, my daughter doesn't want her parents to have problems with her."

"Chen'er don't worry, I'm much better than you think!" Li Zhi nodded and chuckled.

Wu Zetian also raised his arms to hug his daughter and gently wiped away his tears: "My mother won't make Chen'er worry, don't worry."

Seeing that both of them were fine, Li Yuechen also nodded, feeling relieved.

In order not to make the two of them feel too depressed, Li Yuechen took the initiative to ask about Li Hong before he was born, and tried to guide them to say something happy.

It doesn't matter even if you cry, the key is not to keep pressing, otherwise it's really easy to get sick.

The couple nodded, and while wiping away tears, they told him many things about Li Hong from childhood to adulthood.

The brothers and Pei Qingwan were crying while listening, and Li Yuechen wiped away the tears several times and let them continue talking.

As long as you say it, you will feel much better in your heart.

Seeing the family sitting and chatting together, Zhang Chengxin and others who were serving beside him secretly wiped away their tears from time to time.

Although the atmosphere is generally sad, when it comes to interesting things, the family will cry and laugh at the same time, which can also relieve some emotions.

At night, Li Yuechen felt sleepy, and Li Zhi asked her to go back and rest.

Li Yuechen didn't intend to endure it, so he nodded his head in agreement, then turned his head and said, "Second brother, stay vigil here tonight, and tomorrow, third brother, then..."

For her arrangement, several brothers have no opinion.

Li Lun opened his mouth, thinking that he would be a little scared to watch the night alone.

But when I think about it carefully, my younger sister has taken the initiative to watch all night. If she is afraid, it would be too embarrassing.

So in the end, Li Lun still didn't say what he said.

As soon as she brought Xiao He and Fu Lai back to Chengxiang Palace, Shangguan Wan'er trotted out all the way.

Seeing Li Yuechen's slightly red and swollen eyes, she felt a little uncomfortable: "Your Highness, please express your condolences, don't be too sad, or your body may not be able to support it..."

"Well, thank you!" Li Yuechen forced a smile and patted her on the shoulder.

Shangguan Wan'er wanted to say something, but was held back by Mrs. Zheng next to her: "I heard that His Highness has not closed his eyes since yesterday, so let's go and rest."

Li Yuechen nodded, turned his head and waved to Fulai and Xiaohe: "Okay, you two have stayed with me until now, go and rest."

Without waiting for the two to answer, they nodded to Mrs. Zheng: "You can deal with the matter here first. If there is something wrong, please wake me up."

"Your Highness, don't worry, the servant will take care of it." Zheng promised.

Li Yuechen nodded, and then dragged his slightly tired body back to the inner hall.

Xiao He helped her take off her clothes and waited for her to fall asleep before turning and leaving.

……

In the next few days, Li Yuechen and his brothers took turns to guard the spirit, and the two elder sisters also stayed with Pei Qingwan all the time, never leaving.

Li Zhi and his wife would come to see them every day, but their emotions had stabilized a lot.

Li Hong's first seven days happened to be the day of going to court, Li Yuechen originally didn't plan to go today, but Li Zhi said that he wanted to announce something in the court, and asked her to follow along.

So Li Yuechen came to the passage to listen as usual, and Shangguan Wan'er was still sitting behind the desk preparing to record.

The officials also knew that the emperor must have something to say today, so they didn't play other messy things, just waiting for the emperor's order.

Zhang Chengxin read aloud with an imperial edict next to him: "Crown Prince Hong, who knows the nature of birth, but only a few of his nature. Zhicheng congratulates him, and respects him in the three dynasties..."

Li Yuechen and all the court officials listened quietly, and as Zhang Chengxin read back, they all felt something was wrong.

"My unkindness will last forever forever. The nature is so heavy that it is choking with nostalgia. It is advisable to apply for the fate and honor the name. The posthumous posthumous name is the trace of deeds; Filial piety', never forgetting the king, saying 'Jing', the posthumous posthumous title is filial piety to the emperor!"

Following Zhang Chengxin's last sentence, all the officials in the court raised their heads in disbelief.

The emperor who is still in power actually wants to posthumously make the late prince emperor, which has never happened since ancient times!

Surprisingly, however, no one stood up and spoke out against it.

Because this is an edict, not a discussion!
In other words, Li Zhi had no intention of discussing this matter with them at all, but an order issued by the emperor's absolute authority, which is absolutely not allowed to be changed!
Besides, Li Zhi is in grief now, and no one is willing to come out to touch this bad luck.

Including even Yushitai, who was in charge of confronting the emperor on weekdays, was quiet, without any refutation.

Seeing that no one objected, Li Zhi also seemed to feel a little unexpected, and was stunned for a few seconds on the dragon chair.

He was already prepared for Yu Shitai to come out and scold him, but he didn't expect it to be so quiet.

However, he quickly reacted, and then ordered all officials to mourn for 36 days, and the Ministry of Rites was responsible for the docking and preparation for the funeral.

Since he was posthumously named emperor, he would naturally be buried with the emperor's etiquette.

Li Hong's body needs to be stored for a longer period of time, at least until the place is confirmed and the tomb is built before it can be buried.

There is no need to worry about the decay of the corpse. The high-standard coffin has two layers, the inner coffin and the outer coffin. The airtightness is very good, so there is no need to worry about the smell.

The emperor issued an order, and the officials agreed one after another, and they began to deal with it immediately after retiring from the court.

The Ministry of Rituals was in charge of the burial, and Taishi ordered Li Yan to find a suitable burial place and calculate the burial time according to his birthday.

……

After the court, Li Zhi and his wife came to the passage and went back with Li Yuechen.

On the way, Li Zhi asked, "Is Chen'er curious?"

"There are some. But my son understands." Li Yuechen nodded sensibly, "These two adults have heard a lot about the elder brother's life these days, and my son thinks that the elder brother can afford it."

Li Zhi nodded, touched his daughter's head, and went to look at his son lying in the coffin.

After seeing it today, the coffin must be sealed, otherwise the corpse will rot, which is not a good thing.

The whole family gathered in the mourning hall, watching the coffin lid slowly close, shed tears one after another, and Pei Qingwan wailed even more.

At night, Li Zhi and his wife were sitting in the Hall of Yanying, neither of them spoke first.

After a long silence, Li Zhi wiped away his tears: "Now, I still have to seriously consider the matter of the crown prince. I still want Chen'er to be the crown prince. What does Mei Niang think?"

Wu Zetian was silent for a few seconds, but still shook her head: "She is not suitable, I still say the same thing, she is not the kind of person who can lift a knife. Once the childish slave gives this order, it will really cause chaos in the world!"

"If His Majesty clears the way for her, it will leave her with eternal infamy..." Wu Zetian advised, "Not only Your Majesty, but also Chen'er."

Hearing these words, Li Zhi also fell silent for a moment.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. In the future, Chen'er will definitely cooperate with the emperor to govern the Tang Dynasty in an orderly manner. As long as you don't sit on the throne, even if you have great power, outsiders can't say much. Chen'er has always known the importance, so naturally he can Take care of the rest."

Hearing his wife's advice, Li Zhi nodded.

Although he did have the idea of ​​making his daughter the crown prince, there was one more problem that lay ahead.

Once the daughter becomes the emperor, she will inevitably die alone.In this era when patrilinealism is the mainstream thought, Li Zhi would never allow his ancestors to be handed over to outsiders.

Therefore, if you want your daughter to be the emperor, you must not marry for the rest of your life. At that time, you will choose one of the brothers' heirs to adopt your name and train them to become the heir.

Not only he himself thinks so, but people all over the world think so.

"Meiniang, I'm going to do an experiment to see what the ministers think..." Li Zhi said suddenly.

……

On the other side, in the mourning hall of Shaoyang Academy, it was Li Yuechen's turn to watch again tonight.

After the brothers left, the two sisters also took Pei Qingwan back to rest first.

Li Yuechen came outside the hall and waved to Lu Sheng: "What are your plans for the future?"

Perhaps guessing that the princess had something to say, Lu Sheng said respectfully: "Your Majesty, servant, it's all up to His Highness to arrange."

　Thanks to 【Mae Cicada under the Tree】 for the 500 starting coins!
　　Thank you [Hot and Sour Casserole Noodles] for the 100 starting coins!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)