12dz Chapter 124 The dust has settled
Chapter 124 The dust has settled
Wang Qin opened the secret decree and was about to announce it, but when he saw the name on it, he couldn't help but widen his eyes and looked at Jingqin in disbelief.
Prince Kang grew impatient and asked, "Eunuch Wang Qin, how long are you going to watch?"
Wang Qin quickly retracted his gaze and said calmly, "The Emperor has issued a personal decree stating that the eldest daughter, Jingqin, is a person of noble character and has been well-trained and successful, and is suitable to inherit the throne."
The hall was quiet for a moment, but soon there was a ripple again.
Liu Tongxun was the first to object, saying, "Impossible! How could the Emperor pass the throne to the eldest princess? The eldest princess is a woman! How can a woman inherit the throne?"
Jingqin also looked incredulous.
Wang Qin had no choice but to turn the secret decree over and show it to everyone. The secret decree indeed had the name Jingqin written on it, as well as the characters of the three ethnic groups: Manchu, Mongolian and Han.
Prince Kang also objected, "Could it be that Eunuch Wang Qin and Princess Yongle colluded and deliberately switched the secret decree?"
Wang Qin quickly explained, "My Lords, I just opened the secret box in front of you all. How could I have the opportunity to change the secret order? I am innocent!"
"Your Highness, you and the noble ministers all went with me to the side hall of the Yangxin Palace to retrieve the secret box. I absolutely did not have the opportunity to take action!"
Although Yu Hu was also stunned by the contents of the secret decree, she recovered and defended Wang Qin, saying, "I have been watching closely. Wang Qin has no chance to change the secret decree."
Prince Kang: "Humph, who knows if you guys are in cahoots?"
Jingqin seemed to have come to her senses and scolded, "Prince Kang, be careful with your words. How could I possibly bribe someone in the Imperial Court? If you don't believe me, feel free to take a closer look and see if this is truly the Emperor's handwritten decree."
Wang Qin hurried forward and handed the secret decree to the Minister of Rites.
Minister of Rites Tonggiya Alinga took the secret decree and paused. Princess Hengti and Zhaqing were in love with each other, and Tonggiya was also very satisfied with Princess Hengti as his daughter-in-law.
Although Hengti is a Princess of the First Rank, she has a kind and gentle temperament and does not have the arrogance of a princess at all. Princess Changle also helped a lot with Princess Hengchu's previous affairs. Hengti even begged him to help if Princess Changle got into trouble.
But how could he have imagined this! If he helped, wouldn't the Qing Dynasty fall into the hands of a woman?
Alinga was still hesitating, but Zhaqing nodded behind him and said, "It is indeed the emperor's handwriting."
This traitor!
Alinga didn't want to slap his son in public, so he nodded and said, "It is indeed the emperor's personal decree."
Alinga gave up struggling and handed the secret decree to the Minister of Punishment, Fucha Fuheng. Fuheng was too lazy to pretend and directly handed the secret decree to the Minister of War, Niuhulu Aligun.
Aligun took it and nodded, saying, "It is indeed the emperor's handwriting."
Then he handed it to Gao Bin, the Minister of Works.
Gao Bin pretended to examine it for a long time, then slowly said under everyone's gaze, "I don't see anything wrong with it."
Then he handed it to the Minister of Revenue, Zhang Jia Agui. After a moment of silence, Agui nodded and said, "It is indeed written by the emperor himself."
The secret decree was then handed to the Minister of Personnel Liu Tongxun. Seeing that so many of his colleagues agreed, Liu Tongxun could not say anything more and just kept insisting that Jingqin was a woman.
Jingqin could no longer bear it and said in a deep voice, "Since the Emperor has written my name on the secret decree, it proves that the Emperor approves of me. So what if I'm a woman? What Qing Dynasty rule says that women cannot be emperors?"
Liu Tongxun was stunned. Although the Qing Dynasty had never said that women could not become emperors, there was no precedent for this in the past!
Fu Heng, who had been silent the entire time, spoke up. "Lord Liu, since the Emperor has already decided to pass the throne to the eldest princess, what's the point of arguing about this? The Emperor thinks the eldest princess can succeed him. Can you really make the decision for him?"
Prince Kang, who had been silent, also spoke up: "Since the emperor has made his decision, I naturally have nothing to say. I respectfully invite the new emperor to ascend the throne."
After saying this, Prince Kang led the clan members to kneel down.
Wu Yazhaohui led the others in a formal ceremony and said, "This humble official respectfully invites the new emperor to ascend the throne!"
However, some concubines and princes were still dissatisfied. The sixth prince Yongrong was about to step out of the line, but was held tightly by the third prince Yongzhang.
The Third Prince, Yong Zhang, whispered, "Yong Rong, calm down. Things have come to this point, there is no point in saying more."
The eldest prince, Yonghuang, stepped out and shouted, "The Emperor still has a son, how can he allow the princess to ascend the throne?"
Jingqin raised her eyes and smiled, "I don't know either. Why don't you go to the Emperor's bedside and serve him attentively? Ask him what he is thinking? Why didn't he let the prince ascend the throne, but instead passed it on to me?"
Yonghuang was choked and was about to retort when the fifth prince, Yongqi, stepped forward and interrupted, "Your humble servant respectfully invites the new emperor to ascend the throne!"
Yonghuang couldn't believe it and turned to stare at Yongqi.
The seventh prince Yongyu (birth mother Bai Ruiji) and the eighth prince Yongxuan (birth mother Lu Muping) gave up the idea of succeeding to the throne early on and knelt down with Yongqi.
Yong Zhang pulled Yong Rong to kneel down. When the ninth prince Yong Qiong saw his two brothers kneeling down, he knelt down as well.
The tenth prince Yonghu (his biological mother Yihuan) and the eleventh prince Yongyan were still young and were still being led by their biological mothers. They were ignorant of all this.
Upon seeing this, Concubine Yu E Yinzhu quickly knelt down and shouted, "Your Highness respectfully invites the new Emperor to ascend the throne."
Princess Yongle is from Mongolia, if she doesn't agree, who will?!
Concubine Yan Lin Ruoyao was unwilling to be outdone. Although it was a pity to lose the opportunity, after hesitating for a while, she hugged Yongyan and knelt down to pay her respects.
Hongli's accident happened too early, and the ruler was young and the country was in doubt. Even if her Yongyan was a prince, he was far less popular than several adult princes. She might as well support Jingqin, who had the best relationship with her.
The concubines followed suit and knelt down to pay their respects. Although Su Lujun still wanted to struggle, she accepted her fate and knelt down to pay her respects after seeing her sons' choice.
Jingqin's succession was now public knowledge. Satisfied, she nodded and said, "Everyone, please stand. The enthronement ceremony will be organized by the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department and will be held in half a month."
Everyone: "Yes, long live our emperor."
Jingqin: "Everyone go down first. Fuheng, Agui, Aligun, Gao Bin, Zhaohui, Liu Tongxun...stay."
Everyone: "Yes."
After everyone left, only a few ministers remained in the hall.
Jingqin: "The Emperor has suffered a stroke. Now his limbs are weak and he can't speak. I intend to have him move to the Old Summer Palace. The Old Summer Palace is quiet and suitable for him to recuperate."
Fu Heng nodded and said, "Your Majesty is benevolent and filial, and brings blessings to all people."
The ministers did not expect Fuheng to come so quickly, and they were all shocked.
Fu Heng remained expressionless, as if he was saying something insignificant.
Jingqin nodded in acceptance and said, "You are all the emperor's trusted ministers. I hope you can treat me the same way you treat the emperor."
This hinted that there would be no replacement, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, especially Liu Tongxun who had just strongly opposed it and Yi Jishan who had pretended to be dead and kept silent.
Jingqin: "But if I discover anyone has ulterior motives, don't blame me for being merciless."
Ministers: "We obey your order."
Jingqin: "Everyone go down, uncle stays."
Ministers: "Yes."
After the ministers left, Jingqin looked at Fu Heng and said, "Uncle, how many soldiers does the Fucha family have now?"
Fu Heng: "Twelve thousand people."
Jingqin: "I have five hundred men in my palace and over nine thousand in the enclosure outside the city. I will transfer my private soldiers to the Forbidden City. Uncle, you will send ten thousand men to garrison the various city gates. The remaining two thousand will provide support at the passes."
Fu Heng: "Yes."
……
Prince Kang's Palace
Prince Kang paced back and forth, glaring at Song Jingyan, who knelt before the hall, and asked, "What are you trying to achieve by instigating this prince to pretend to agree to Yongle's ascension to the throne?"
Song Jingyan flattered, "Your Highness, calm down. Think about it, Princess Yongle, a woman, ascending the throne, will inevitably cause turmoil in the court. Why don't we take advantage of the situation? If the prince really succeeds, how can we have such a good opportunity?"
Prince Kang's eyes lit up.
Song Jingyan continued, "Your Highness is a royal relative, a wise and powerful man. Would you be willing to be a subject and submit to him? Why not take this opportunity..."
Although Prince Kang was somewhat moved by what he said, he still hesitated and said, "But it's neither right nor proper, what on earth is it..."
Song Jingyan: "Today in the palace, the princes seemed very dissatisfied with the princess's succession to the throne. Why don't you pretend to support a certain prince to take the throne, and then..."
Prince Kang: "Then I will replace him at the last moment."
Song Jingyan knelt down and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your Majesty is wise."
Prince Kang laughed heartily and said, "Get up! It's worth it that I took a liking to you the first time I saw you."
Song Jingyan stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I will never forget your kindness."
Song Jingyan was originally of Han descent. After studying hard for more than ten years, he finally passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi five years ago. Although he passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, Song Jingyan, a Han Chinese with no background, was quickly drowned in the crowd and was only appointed as the head of the Ministry of Rites (sixth rank).
As a member of the royal family, Prince Kang had many dealings with the Ministry of Rites. Song Jingyan quickly caught Prince Kang's eye with his abilities and was highly regarded by him. After marrying a member of the royal family from a side branch, he was promoted to the Ministry of Clan Affairs by Prince Kang.
Originally, Song Jingyan was not qualified to stand among the clan members today, but Song Jingyan was highly regarded by Prince Kang, and the clan members, led by Prince Kang, tacitly approved of Song Jingyan's appearance.
However, even if Song Jingyan was highly regarded by Prince Kang, he was not qualified to stand in the front row. He could only have the opportunity to step forward and persuade others when the secret decree was circulated among everyone.
Song Jingyan and Prince Kang smiled at each other, and everything was said without words.
Grand Prince's Mansion
Yonghuang returned home with a gloomy face. Seeing Yonghuang's appearance, the first wife took the eldest princess and went back to her room. The concubine's courtyard was far away and she didn't know what had happened.
Yonghuang entered the room and slammed the inkstone bestowed by the emperor on the table to the ground, breaking it into pieces.
Yonghuang looked at the shattered inkstone, squatted down, and said sadly, "Why would the emperor choose to pass the throne to my elder sister instead of even looking at me?"
Yonghuang was grieving for a long time. Then there was a knock on the door. The person outside whispered, "My Lord, Prince Kang invites you to have a chat at Manchun Tower at 12:00 PM."
Yonghuang raised his head.
……
The Third Prince's Mansion
Yong Zhang whispered to the furious Yong Rong, while a young eunuch came in to report, "Lord Beile, Sixth Beile, Prince Kang invites you to a chat at Manchun Tower tomorrow at noon."
Yong Zhang frowned and asked, "What's the matter, Prince Kang?"
The young eunuch hesitated and said, "This... Prince Kang's entourage didn't say anything."
Yong Zhang pondered for a long time, but his IQ was not high enough to make any conclusion. Worried about his brother, he waved his hand and said, "This prince is busy, please refuse."
Little eunuch: "Yes."
Yongrong looked up and said, "Wait..."
……
Several adult princes were invited by Prince Kang. Yongqi and Yongyu went but refused to listen; Yongzhang was dragged along by Yongrong but was skeptical; Yonghuang went and was ecstatic, believing he was the true emperor.
Yonghu, who was frail and young, was also targeted by Prince Kang. Taking into consideration that Yonghu was still a minor, Prince Kang sent someone to secretly deceive Yihuan.
Chuxiu Palace
Yihuan was writing a poem for Yonghu's portrait in the main hall when a maidservant beside her exclaimed, "Your Highness, is the Tenth Prince that big now?"
Yihuan frowned and asked, "Are you new here?"
Palace Maid A: "Ah? Master, I have been in Chuxiu Palace for two years."
Yi Huan said calmly, "Yong Hu has always been like this."
(In my mother’s eyes, the baby is still small~)
Palace Maid A: ???
Palace Maid A didn't know how to respond, so she could only bite the bullet and say, "Prince Yonghu is still young, but Your Majesty should have made plans for him long ago."
Yi Huan asked doubtfully, "Plan?"
Palace Maid A continued, "Yes, now that the eldest princess has ascended the throne, how will Prince Yonghu cope?"
Yi Huan: "Yong Hu is still Princess Chang Le's brother. As long as the Emperor is still around, Princess Chang Le will not ignore Yong Hu."
Yihuan's good mood became depressed again after mentioning Hongli. She was no longer in the mood to write poetry. She picked up the imperial poems on the table and started reading them again.
Palace Maid A: "But Princess Changle is a woman after all, and her succession to the throne is not legitimate. Your Majesty doesn't want Prince Yonghu to take another step forward?"
Yihuan was truly angry this time. She put down the imperial poem and retorted, "Princess Yongle's succession to the throne was personally approved by the Emperor. How can it be said that it is not legitimate?"
Palace Maid A was frightened by Yihuan's sudden anger and stammered, not daring to speak.
Yi Huan: "You are so conceited that I cannot keep you in this palace. Go back to the Imperial Household Department by yourself."
Palace Maid A knelt down and cried, "Your Majesty, I was wrong. I shouldn't have said anything too much. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
He Xi heard the sound and came in, lifting the curtain and asking, "Master, what's wrong?"
Yi Huan frowned and said, "This palace maid is too talkative. Take her to the Imperial Household Department."
Then Yihuan ignored him and picked up the imperial poem to read.
He Xi sighed and whispered, "Do you want to leave by yourself, or do you want me to ask someone to pull you out?"
Palace Maid A didn't dare to beg for mercy anymore, so she stood up and followed He Xi out.
He Xi said as they walked, "Her Majesty has finally been cheered up a little by Concubine Qing these days, so why are you being so nosy?"
Palace Maid A hadn't expected this to happen. She had just wanted to bring it up when Concubine Shu was in a good mood, but who could have imagined that she would hit a wall? Palace Maid A cried and wiped her tears, not daring to say anything more.
He Xi sighed and hurried away with his men.