Long live Emperor Wu!

"Father... Aye!" Prince Li Shan lay on the emperor's body, crying heartbreakingly.

Upon seeing this, the imperial doctor who was standing by quickly stepped forward to investigate and confirmed that the emperor was no longer breathing. Then he knelt on the ground with great grief and declared:

"Your Majesty... has passed away."

For a time, everyone in the room knelt down and cried one after another.

Li Shan couldn't hear anything.

In addition to the heartache of losing a loved one and never being able to see his voice or smile again, he also had an unprecedented panic:
Datang was like a giant warship on the sea. The rudder controlling the direction was suddenly handed over to him.

But his father, who used to stand in front of him, correct his mistakes, and protect him from the wind and rain, was no longer there. He was pushed to the front, alone, facing the very likely coming of strong winds and waves, and the risk of the battleship sinking. …

He was scared, scared...

"Father... wake up and don't leave me alone! Father!... Wuwuwu..."

He lay on the emperor's body and cried for an unknown amount of time.

Suddenly there was a scolding voice beside him:

"Prince!"

Li Shan turned his head and saw his uncle Changsun Wuji kneeling on the ground, with tears on his face and an excited expression. He cupped his hands and said:

"...No, Your Majesty! You are now the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. How can you just cry without any response? Give me an order."

Li Shan's heart jolted, and he pulled his eyebrows in pain.

He sat up straight and looked at Changsun Wuji. His body was trembling slightly, his mind was confused, and he asked subconsciously:
"What purpose?"

Changsun Wuji said anxiously:
"The prince and his majesty are both in the palace, and his majesty suddenly passed away. If the news was known in advance in Chang'an City, it would definitely cause panic.

If the news is unclear, there may be trouble.

What's more, Wu Wang Li Ke is still in Chang'an City. If he takes any action, how passive will His Royal Highness be?The minister suggested that everyone in Cuiwei Palace be brought here to block the news. At dawn, he would take His Majesty’s body, the honor guard, and the Yulin Army back to Taiji Palace, and then announce it to the world and hold the enthronement hall. "

Li Shan's eyes were dim with tears, his throat rolled, and he forced himself to be strong and calm, and said in a gentle and calm voice:
"Okay, just do as Sikong says."

……

……

Wu Rou was called by the chamberlain in the middle of the night, and she and Xu Chongrong and other concubines gathered in a side hall.

I was informed that I would set off back to Tai Chi Palace at dawn.

No one knows what happened, but the only explanation for such a sudden situation is that His Majesty was ill and anxious to return.

Everyone was panicking and whispering, but Wu Rou and Xu Chongrong sat together, each thinking in silence.

The next day, as soon as the sky turned blue, the honor guard and the Yulin Army had already assembled, and Wu Rou and the others were guided out of Cuiwei Palace and onto the carriage.

The long motorcade traveled a long way, and the concubines' motorcade was behind the carriages of His Majesty and the Crown Prince. From the beginning to the end, there was no sign of the Crown Prince or His Majesty.

Before Wu Rou got into the car, she caught a glimpse of Changsun Wuji in front of His Majesty getting out of the car. He was looking up and saying something with a nervous look on his face. Then he hurriedly directed the car to start.

When they arrived at the palace, Concubine Wei and everyone from the harem came to greet her. They all got out of the car and saw the back of the prince getting out of His Majesty's car.

The prince was obviously weak. When he got out of the car, he was supported by someone. He seemed to be in a faint. He swayed slightly before he stood still. Then he said something.Concubine Wei was shocked when she heard this. She got into the car anxiously and drove to check. Then, there was a burst of suppressed and sorrowful cries.

Then, the sound rolled from the front of the car like a wave through the crowd, and the cries of the crowd became louder and farther away.

At that time, Wu Rou was helping Xu Chongrong out of the car. Looking at the loud crying in the distance, they both froze in place, their expressions gradually turning pale...

Only then did they know that the emperor had already passed away while he was in Cuiwei Palace...

……

……

After the death of Emperor Taizong, the funeral was suspended for three months. This was to allow the vassal kings and officials from all over the country enough time to attend the funeral and meet the new emperor.

Naturally, the new emperor cannot stay in the mourning hall all the time. He has to meet with officials from various places and deal with government affairs. He will only come quietly at a fixed hour every day at night to stay for a while.

The rest of the time, the harem concubines and royal family members, wearing sackcloth and mourning, took turns mourning and keeping vigil in accordance with the rules.

On this day, Wu Rou queued up at night.

Two months have passed, and the tears that should be cried have long been dried up. Wu Rou has been guarding for a day, and she is tired and numb. She puts the pieces of yellow paper into the charcoal basin, surrounded by the smoke of incense. , looking at the ignited flames in a daze.

Suddenly, a waiter's voice outside said:
"Your Majesty is here."

At that moment, what appeared in Wu Rou's mind was the figure of Emperor Taizong. She quickly turned around on her knees and bowed behind her.

When he raised his eyes, what he saw was the young figure of Li Shan.

He is 21 years old this year. He has a tall and tall figure. He is wearing a dragon robe. The colorful dragon patterns embroidered on him glow golden under the candlelight. His young and handsome face is full of exhaustion. His gentle and calm temperament is completely different from Emperor Taizong.

Wu Rou was stunned for a moment before she reacted.

The His Majesty she remembered was no longer there. In the coffin of the mourning hall, the current Emperor was the alienated young Prince of Jin and later the Crown Prince Li Shan.

Li Shan looked at her, his eyes stagnant for a moment, with emotions of greed and sadness, but the two quickly looked away.

Li Shan walked forward slowly, lifted the hem of his dragon robe, and knelt in front of the mourning hall.Wu Rou quickly took out four sticks of incense that were placed next to her, lit them on the candle, gently shook off the flames, then bowed, raised her hand, and handed it to him respectfully.

Li Shan's Adam's apple rolled, and he frowned slightly. Holding back his sadness and sorrow, he took the incense calmly, held it with both hands, straightened his arms and raised them in front of his forehead, bowed solemnly four times, and then He stood up and inserted himself into the incense burner in front of him.

At this time, the fourth son Li Tai, who was standing guard on behalf of the prince, cried exaggeratedly:

"Father...Father...why don't you let me come back and see you for the last time."

Wu Rou couldn't help but raise her eyebrows and glance at him.

The fourth prince, Li Tai, still has the broad body and fat look of before, and his face is very similar to a Buddha statue. At first glance, he is very kind, but his eyes are too small, with a slit, and some hanging tail, which makes him look narrow.

In the 22nd year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong was sick and missed his son, so he transferred him back from Shunyang and granted him the title of King Pu. At least the fiefdom was in Yuzhou, which was closer to Chang'an and could be seen occasionally.

Therefore, when Emperor Taizong passed away, he had come a long time ago and should have stayed in the mourning hall intermittently for more than two months.

Now this sudden voice... is a bit fake.

Li Shan ignored him, lit the incense, and knelt directly on the futon specially prepared for him next to him.