King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 775 The Last Edict
When the emperor passed away, everyone in the hall burst into tears, especially Zhu Jinghong, who cried the most heartbreakingly.

"Your Highness, please take care of yourself. The Ming Dynasty... all depends on you!"

Chief Minister Zhao Yushan stepped forward to comfort him, and at this time he still addressed Zhu Jinghong as "Your Highness" because Zhu Jinghong had not yet officially succeeded to the throne.

From crown prince to emperor, there are three steps to be completed: persuasion, succession and enthronement. Although these are natural things, they must be completed one by one to be considered complete.

Zhu Jinghong stopped crying and said, "I am deeply saddened. I will rely on you, my dear ministers, for the funeral arrangements!"

The ministers agreed one by one, and then Zhao Yushan said goodbye to Zhu Jinghong and led the ministers out of the hall, because there were two important things to do next.

One was to arrange funeral affairs, and the other was to quickly draft an edict and promulgate it throughout the country to calm people's hearts.

Especially the second one, which was to announce it to the world in the form of an official document, so that Zhu Jinghong's succession would be perfect.

Normally, the first persuasion would be conducted tomorrow, and then again the next day. Only on the third time would Zhu Jinghong "reluctantly" agree.

Only then would he be the new emperor, and the coronation ceremony would have to be held after the funeral ceremony was over, which would conservatively take another month or two.

Fortunately, this kind of thing has been done very well by generations.

Zhu Jinghong had basically nothing to do after that. After changing into mourning clothes, he stayed in the Qianqing Palace. At this time, the eunuchs were already restraining the emperor.

All the concubines, princes and princesses returned to the Qianqing Palace, and the sounds of crying and wailing were heard everywhere.

Ten minutes later, the will was drafted by the cabinet and presented to Zhu Jinghong for review.

It must be said that the three grand secretaries of the cabinet were indeed quite capable, and the edict they hastily drafted was very appropriate.

Even so, Zhu Jinghong simply modified a few words before letting the Cabinet Grand Secretary Zhao Yushan personally lead the meeting and summon royal family military heroes and civil and military officials to read it out in public outside the Chongzheng Hall.

Holding the draft revised by Zhu Jinghong, Zhao Yushan went to a side hall not far away. He wanted to copy the edict onto a scroll so that it would be a formal official document.

The eunuch Lu Tong, who was in charge of the Imperial Household Department, had also brought the imperial seal over. After copying it and checking that it was correct, he could use the seal.

As the chief minister, he naturally didn't need to do the copying himself. At this moment, Zhao Yushan was standing in a side hall, gazing in the direction of the Qianqing Palace in a daze.

At this time, Zheng Zhiqing came up behind him and whispered, "How many words were changed?"

"Yeah!" Zhao Yushan responded.

Zheng Zhiqing looked strange, and then said: "But this..."

Zheng Zhiqing only said two words, but Zhao Yushan understood what he wanted to say.

Simply put, the edict drafted by the two of them was naturally brilliant and flawless. After Zhu Jinghong changed a few words, the level was lowered a little bit.

At this time, Zhao Yushan turned around and said calmly: "That's right... Your Highness has changed!"

With a sigh, Zheng Zhiqing nodded and said nothing more.

Soon the edict was copied, and the eunuch Lu Tong, who was in charge of the seal of the Silijian, and the eunuchs Cheng Ying and Liu Zhong, who were in charge of the writing, checked it repeatedly before using the seal.

The edict was then handed over to Zhao Yushan, who would read it out in public.

Chongzheng Hall is where regular court sessions are held. It is larger than the Qianqing Palace and can accommodate more people.

While the cabinet was preparing the imperial edict, the censor called on officials to wait here. When Zhao Yushan arrived, everyone had already lined up and stood in line.

Also because there were so many officials, the edict was read out in the square outside the palace, and there were already hundreds of people under the imperial steps.

Chief Minister Zhao Yushan, accompanied by two other cabinet ministers and people from the Imperial Household Department, appeared on the imperial steps holding the imperial edict.

The guards held torches and lanterns were lit everywhere, so the scene was quite bright.

"The late emperor's will..."

After reading these four words, the officials present knelt on the ground one after another and then chanted "Long live the emperor".

"The decree says..."

"I, with my humble self, have inherited the great legacy and have been on the throne for more than twenty years..."

"Respect heaven, serve the people, be filial and reasonable, and be vigilant day and night, fearing that I will fail the trust of the late emperor!"

"But now I am seriously ill and can hardly get up. This is the law of life and death, and even the wisest cannot go against it. Since Gu Jitong has found someone, there is nothing to regret!"

After a pause, Zhao Yushan's tone became more profound as he read out, "Crown Prince Jinghong is intelligent, benevolent, and filial, and has both civil and military talents. He shall succeed me to the throne and become the emperor!"

"Chinese and foreign civil and military officials will work together to assist and protect the country for eternity!"

"Funeral rites shall follow the previous emperor's legacy. The mourning period will be changed to the 27th day of the lunar month. This imperial decree shall be passed to all the people of the country so that they may know!"

At this point, Zhu Jinghong's identity as the new emperor has been made clear, and the remaining procedures have to be followed step by step.

After the edict was read, all civil and military officials should return to their posts. Those who should go to work tomorrow should go to work, while those who do not go to work should observe mourning and offer sacrifices. Some of them should also participate in "persuading the emperor to ascend the throne."

Only members of the royal family and other noble ladies were required to enter the palace to keep vigil during funeral ceremonies, after all, they did not have any official jobs.

As everyone was dispersing, Prince Gongshun Zhu Jingyuan arrived. At this time, half an hour had passed since the emperor's death.

Normally, he should have gone to the Qianqing Palace first after entering the palace, but he came to the Chongzheng Hall first.

"Did the emperor leave any will? Who is here to hear it? Who drafted the will?"

As soon as Zhu Jingyuan arrived, he said such inappropriate words, which shocked everyone.

Zhu Jingyuan had lost his mind, but the officials present were not stupid. They avoided him as if he were the plague god, and rushed towards the Qianqing Palace. They were anxious to meet the new emperor.

The imperial edict was read by people from the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and Chen Yuntai was also present.

He immediately gave orders to control Zhu Jingyuan and not let him make any rash moves again.

"Let me go. I want to see the late emperor. I want to see the late emperor..."

"You have something wrong in your heart, so you dare not let me go..."

"You dared to stop me from going to see the late emperor... I don't want to live anymore!"

Chen Yuntai ordered his men to block Zhu Jingyuan's mouth, and then ordered him to be taken away for custody, and asked Zhu Jinghong for instructions on how to deal with him.

A few minutes later, Zhu Jinghong, who had met with several generals, learned what had happened in Chongzheng Hall.

Zhu Jinghong had a guess that Zhu Jingyuan was late on purpose to give himself an "alibi" and then use it to question the legitimacy of his throne.

This trick is of course ridiculous, but it is indeed disgusting.

What made Zhu Jinghong most unhappy was that many officials heard it tonight, and there was no guarantee that no one of them would spread something unfounded.

At this moment, there was almost no hindrance, and Zhu Jinghong felt murderous in his heart.

In the side hall of the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Jinghong looked sad and said slowly: "The late emperor passed away, and Prince Gongshun fainted from grief. He is allowed to return home to recuperate and pay tribute!"

"Yes!" Chen Yuntai replied.

In other words, Zhu Jingyuan is now under house arrest and will be absent from the subsequent funeral ceremonies.

After such treatment, it does not mean that the matter will be over. Zhu Jinghong will settle all the new and old accounts with him.

However, the late emperor's body was still warm, and it would be too embarrassing to attack him, so Zhu Jinghong could not deal with him for the time being.

"Brother Thirteen..."

Zhu Yunsheng's voice was heard outside the hall. She had heard about what was happening outside, so she came over to inquire about the situation.

"Yeah!" Zhu Jinghong responded. "Thirteenth brother, I heard that Sixth brother is here, why don't I see him?"

With a calm expression, Zhu Jinghong replied: "He was too sad and fainted. I have ordered someone to send him back home!"

Zhu Yunsheng wanted to ask a few more questions, but when she saw her brother's stern expression, she swallowed her words back.

Just at this moment, Gu Cheng came over with a stack of seals. These were the things that Zhu Xianming had not finished reading, and new ones would be delivered tomorrow.

There was no other choice but for Zhu Jinghong to return to his desk, pick up his red brush and start reviewing.

Standing there, looking at his brother who was so close to him, although there was only a desk between them, Zhu Yunsheng felt that he was extremely far away.

Her father passed away, and she had endless grief and wanted to talk to someone. Originally, her brother was the best person to talk to, but now...

Zhu Yunsheng left the hall quietly, and Zhu Jinghong didn't even notice. He was concentrating all his energy on writing the memorial.

In the past, the memorials he had read were all archived after the emperor's approval, just for him to learn from the experience.

But now, every memorial needs to be reviewed and decided by him personally, and the differences are huge.

With a red pen in his hand, dominating the people of the world, Zhu Jinghong felt a great sense of responsibility.

Fortunately, all memorials had the cabinet's draft opinions, so he only had to circle them, and the processing speed was not slow.

In general affairs, what he really needs to pay attention to is what is said in the memorial and which places and people are involved.

Only in major matters does he have to focus on decision-making, but fortunately there are not many such matters.

Here, Zhu Jinghong was busy reading the memorial, while inside the prince's palace outside the palace wall, Baochai had already directed everyone in the mansion to begin mourning for the late emperor.

Not only them, but all the civil and military officials and royal family residences in the capital are now in mourning for Zhu Xianming. No one dares to be negligent in such a matter.

After everything was arranged, Baochai called Yang Jingting and Daiyu.

"I will go to the palace soon, and the affairs of the mansion... will be entrusted to Sister Ting!" Baochai said calmly.

Yang Jingting quickly stood up and said respectfully, "Don't worry, your Majesty, I will take care of it!"

The reason why the affairs of the mansion were handed over to Yang Jingting was because Daiyu had not been in good health in recent days.

Of course, Daiyu was not too idle either, so Baochai entrusted her two sons to Daiyu's care.

After arranging all this, Baochai set out to rush to the imperial city. At the same time, women of the third rank and above from all the mansions were also going to the palace. They were there to observe mourning for the late emperor.

All the way into the palace, Baochai was surrounded by many people, and she could hear endless flattering words.

Like Zhu Jinghong, Baochai also felt the changes in the world on her journey to the palace, but she did not notice the changes in her own mentality.

When he arrived at the Qianqing Palace, he saw that the mourning hall had been set up in the main hall and the emperor's coffin had been placed. All the concubines, princes' wives, princesses and their husbands were kneeling on mats in an orderly manner.

As for the royal family members below the rank of prince, they could only guard on the Danchi outside the palace, and other foreign officials could only stay further away.

Seeing Baochai coming, people along the way bowed to her.

Entering the main hall of the Qianqing Palace, the princes and princesses, princesses and their husbands, and even the concubines of the late emperor, all came one after another to pay their respects to Baochai.

But Baochai's gaze was directed towards the front of the late emperor's shrine, where there was an empty cushion, which was obviously prepared for Zhu Jinghong.

"Where is His Highness?" Baochai asked.

At this time, Princess Xu of Qingyang replied: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is in Hongde Hall!"

Hongde Hall is a side hall on the east side of the Qianqing Palace, where Zhu Jinghong reviewed memorials.

After nodding, Baochai continued to walk inside and came to the back of Zhu Jinghong's cushion.

Behind the cushion, a female official had prepared a new cushion, and another female official handed over some good incense.

After paying respectful tribute and kneeling three times and kowtow nine times, Baochai handed the incense to the female official and then burst into tears in front of everyone, her words filled with endless sorrow for the passing of her loving father.

To be honest, this scene looked quite funny, but no one at the scene could laugh, and they all started crying.

Baochai's arrival was like a tear gas bomb exploding, triggering wailing in the Qianqing Palace, while the crying was also spreading outside the palace.

After crying bitterly, Baochai stopped crying only after being comforted by Xu, Zhao, and Concubine Jia.

This also relieved the pressure on everyone present. After all, crying along with others was quite tiring, especially since no one had rested tonight.

Baochai became quiet, but cries could still be heard from time to time in the hall, mainly to maintain the atmosphere of mourning. This was an unspoken understanding among everyone.

After staying in front of the coffin for a while, Baochai stood up and went west to Hongde Hall.

After she left, everyone relaxed, but they all remained silent, each thinking about family matters and matters in the court.

When Baochai entered the Hongde Hall, she saw Zhu Jinghong still reading memorials, which seemed to be the last few.

At this moment, a memorial that was beyond Zhu Jinghong's expectations was placed in front of him.

The memorial was submitted by the Andong Xingdusi, in which the commander-in-chief Geng Zonggui impeached his subordinate Sun Shaozu, saying that he was arrogant and illegally harmed local people, and did not respect his superior enough.

The next memorial was written by Sun Shaozu himself, saying that Geng Zonggui had a close personal relationship with the Korean royal family and had suppressed his subordinate who was dedicated to suppressing the bandits.

The two memorials contain completely different things, and how to deal with them is a test of art.

The matters these two people mentioned were not trivial, so the cabinet was very cautious in its opinion and planned to let the Southern Pacification Office and the Liaodong Censorate investigate.

There was certainly no problem with this, but Zhu Jinghong added a sentence to the draft.

"As per the previous document, another order is issued to the Ministry of War to issue a letter to reprimand Geng for his ties to foreigners and Sun for his rebelliousness!"

Zhu Jinghong had received many reports about North Korea, and he had a general understanding of the relationship between the two men.

At this moment, he had an idea that instead of letting these two people dislike each other, it would undoubtedly be better to transfer Sun Shaozu to Japan.

After putting the two memorials aside, when Zhu Jinghong picked up the last one, he saw Baochai walk into the hall.

The last book was a question book from the Ministry of Industry, which talked about the acceptance inspection for the expansion of the workshop. After reading it, Zhu Jinghong drew a circle, which meant he knew what he was doing.

After reviewing all the memorials, half an hour had passed. Looking at Baochai who was approaching, he asked, "What time is it?"

Baochai replied: "It is already the hour of Yin!"

It was around four o'clock in the morning, and it would be dawn in about an hour.

Standing up, Zhu Jinghong walked towards the hall and sighed, "This night... is really tiring!"

Baochai replied: "With such a heavy burden on my shoulders, how can I not be tired?"

Zhu Jinghong added: "In the future, there won't be so much free time. It makes me feel uncomfortable just thinking about it!"

"I heard that Lao Liu..."

Zhu Jinghong looked serious and said in a low voice: "He is talking nonsense. I had someone send him back to avoid any more trouble!"

"You say...is he crazy?" Baochai asked again.

This is a question and a statement at the same time. It all depends on Zhu Jinghong's choice.

Zhu Jinghong replied: "Of course he is not crazy, he is just too stupid!"

He didn't know why Lao Liu did something stupid, and he couldn't stop him from doing stupid things.

(End of this chapter)