Chapter 129 – The Sound of Sorrow

The city is full of pigment, a white onyx. As in the September weather under a cold seeping into the bones of the snow, snowflakes scattered around the Imperial City, all over the streets and alleys of the people’s homes, not really snow, just white cloth, white paper, white lights, white hanging, white lanterns.

The white blanket is really clean, clean people will be their own sadness and crying are also suppressed in the lungs, for fear of disturbing the saddest day in the twenty years of the Qing dynasty.

His Majesty the Emperor’s death of the news ultimately can not be kept hidden, especially when the rumors are getting more and more prevalent, the Empress Dowager made the decision on the spot, a little too late to wait for the troops sent to the Great Eastern Mountains to retrieve His Majesty’s body, also can not wait for the continuation of the various investigations, will be this shaking the world’s obituary issued.

The people of Kyoto had already been psychologically prepared, but once they got the confirmation from the court and saw the big white lanterns hanging out of the quadrangle of the imperial city, they were still greatly shocked. People tend to think of the benefits of a person only after his death – no matter what kind of temperament His Majesty the Emperor of Qing was, but at least during the more than twenty years that he ruled over the country, the days of the people of Qing were the happiest they had ever been.

Therefore, Kyoto was filled with sadness in one night.

The Emperor had fallen ill and died on top of the Great Eastern Mountain, and this was the truth that the powerful people of Qing wanted to tell the people of Qing. And as for what the real truth was, perhaps it would have to wait a few years before it was gradually revealed and rushed into the hearts of the people of Qing like a flood. Those powerful people would once again utilize the mourning hearts of the people of Qing to seek their further interests.

It was not yet the day of the national mourning, and Kyoto had already turned into a white world. However, the Minister of Rites and the Minister of the Honglu Temple were supposed to have died with His Majesty at the top of the distant Dadong Mountain, so the implementation of the regulations always seemed to be a bit uneven, like a whimpering piece of music that was always forced to make a few stops in the middle.

It is also because of these not smooth, the dynasty in the palace of the big people in the sadness, more is into some kind of fear and anxiety. His Majesty the Emperor hadn’t made any overly impressive moves over the years, appearing to be somewhat middle of the road and quiet, yet this dead man was, after all, Emperor Qing, the centerpiece of the spirit of the entire nation of Qing!

After getting used to the sadness, all of them began to feel ridiculous, how could His Majesty, who was incomparably talented and brilliant back then, and who had the great ambition of uniting the world in his chest, pass away so silently? It wasn’t that they couldn’t accept His Majesty’s passing, it was just that everyone seemed to be unable to accept this way of passing.

The manner of his passing was too eerie in its quietness.

The ruler passed away quietly, what will …… be the thing that greets the Qing Kingdom?

Is it the collapse after the turmoil? Is it the rebirth of fire after a smooth succession?

Seeking stability out of fear, people’s minds are fixed. All people cast their eyes on the dragon chair in the Taiji Hall, desperately hoping that a prince will hurry to sit his hips on that chair, stabilizing the dynastic government of Qing.

The crown prince was naturally the first choice, no matter from the name, from the relationship with the empress dowager, and from the perception of the ministers, it was only right that the crown prince should inherit the throne. However, it is well known that His Majesty the Emperor’s biggest goal in this trip to East Mountain to offer sacrifices to heaven is to abolish the crown prince ……

Some people thought of something, figured out something, but dared not say anything. Those ministers who entered the palace to cry for the spirit, looked from afar at His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince who was holding the coffin of his clothes and weeping bitterly, their hearts were born with incomparable chills and awe, as if they saw another His Imperial Majesty in his youth, reborn next to the coffin of his bitter tears and caskets.

Among the officials there were rumors circulating about the truth of the matter of Dadong Mountain, which seemed to be related to Lord Little Fan. Some believed it, some did not, but Fan Xian had disappeared, perhaps dying on Daedong Mountain, perhaps fleeing in fear of his crime, leaving his father, his wife, and his child in the womb, and running away to a distant foreign country.

The ministers are clear that if the little Lord Fan does not have the ability to turn over the sky, then in the future, he can only bury his name in the darkness, and the general situation …… has been determined.

The Empress Dowager sat at the door of the Hall of Containing Light, listening to the bursts of weeping coming from the back of the hall, her brows frowned imperceptibly, and a trace of grief flashed in the eyes of the elderly. However, she knew that right now was not the time for her to indulge in her grief, she had to hand over the Kingdom of Qing to the next generation in one piece before she could truly rest.

Outside the door, according to the old custom of the place where the Li Clan’s royal family originated back then, there was a yellow copper basin, in which some paper money used by people in the marketplace was burned. The yellow paper money gradually burned into a piece of ash, as if in a prediction of the impermanence of life, and then how the scenery unlimited life, in the end will only be reduced to a puff of smoke, a land of ash.

The whole palace is busy, busy in the oppressive tension. The inner palace wall is not very high, and the pole ends of the white streamers picked up by the inner court can be seen faintly, running hurriedly along the wall, heading in the direction of the former palace. Inside the Hall of Taiji, a matter that would determine the future direction of the Kingdom of Qing would take place today, and all eyes were stuck there.

In contrast, here in the Hall of Containing Light was instead a bit cold. The Empress Dowager withdrew her cloudy gaze from those white streamers and said in a slightly sandy voice, “The court cannot be in chaos, so there is no harm in having some chaos in the palace today.”

Then she looked back at the old minister beside her and said in as gentle a tone as she could, “You are a senior minister and highly trusted by His Majesty, at this juncture, you should consider for the court.”

Shu Wu half ricked his body, his old and tranquil eyes looking at the flames gradually dying out in the yellow basin, and said in a suppressed voice, “The old minister understands, however, His Majesty’s posthumous edict is here, and I don’t dare to disobey it.”

The Empress Dowager’s eyes flashed with a hint of jumping flames, which immediately went out after a moment, gently reaching out, she threw the unopened letter in her hand into the copper basin, and the paper money in the copper basin that was about to be extinguished suddenly burned a little bit more.

That letter written by the Qing Emperor the night before he was assassinated, designating the heir to the throne of the Qing Empire’s posthumous edict, just like this gradually turned into a useless paper money to pay homage to himself.

Shu Wu stared at the letter in the copper basin for a long time without saying anything.

“Since the person has already gone, what he once said is no longer important.” The Empress Dowager suddenly coughed, coughed very hard for a long time before she calmed down her rapid breathing, looked at Shu Wu, with an extremely sincere look, with a hint of a gentle tone that should never be there, “For the sake of the future of the Qing Kingdom, what the truth is, never matters, doesn’t it?”

Shu Wu was silent for a long time before shaking her head, “Empress Dowager, I am only a scholar, I only know that the truth is the truth, the holy will is the holy will, and I am His Majesty’s subject.”

“You have done your best.” The Empress Dowager looked at him calmly, “You have done your duty as a vassal. If you have the chance to see Fan Xian again, remember to tell him that I will give him a chance to clear his name, as long as he comes forward.”

A chill surged through Shu Wu’s heart, knowing that if Lord Little Fan had really entered the palace last night to meet with the Empress Dowager, he would only have become a prisoner by now, officially becoming the real culprit in His Majesty’s assassination, and the salute that was fired before the Crown Prince ascended to the throne.

He bowed to the ground and respectfully said, “I will go to the Taiji Hall.”

The Empress Dowager smiled and shook her head, “Go, know that everything is fated. Since there is no way to change it, and any attempt to change it will only make things worse, why bother changing it?”

Shu Wu is the oldest minister of Qing, with a respected position in the hearts of the people, and his disciples and old friends are all over the court, but this person was born with a stubborn nature, and today, when it is the ceremony of the Crown Prince’s ascension to the throne, he even disregarded his life and death, and forcibly sought to see the Empress Dowager, with the intention of changing this matter.

Only this old minister is qualified to do this thing, if replaced by other officials, I’m afraid that at this time has already become a wisp of ghosts under the palace wall. Emperor Qing’s new mourning, the crown prince ascended to the throne, at this juncture, the Empress Dowager all to stabilize the main, will not be too forced on this old minister.

However, Shu Wu can’t change anything, if he is smart, he will quietly wait for the crown prince to ascend the throne, and then immediately beg the bones, return to his homeland.

Shu Wu walked alone and forlornly to the door of the Taiji Hall, and simply could not hear the officials in plain clothes beside him to greet, and did not hear the sound of Eunuch Hou passing on the Prince’s will and inviting the Grand Maester to enter the hall. He just stood at the door of the hall somewhat blankly, looking at the square in front of the hall somewhat disorganized sacrificial procession, looking at those straight erected white streamers, looking at the imperial city above those vigilant looking around the forbidden army officers and soldiers, listening to the gusts of firecrackers in the distant neighborhoods, the mournful ringing of whips outside the palace gates, he suddenly felt a burst of hot blood rushing into his head, letting his own head dizzily up.

From this moment onwards, Grand Maester Shu’s head had been so faint that he walked into the empty Taiji Hall like a wooden man, standing in the second position in the line of civil officials in a muddled manner, and his entire being was a bit confused.

He did not hear the Empress Dowager behind the beaded curtain by the dragon chair say something in a slightly sad voice, nor did he hear the emotional weeping of the Crown Prince’s eldest prince, the second prince, the third prince, these dragon’s sons and grandsons, nor did he hear the cries of the ministers of the Qing Kingdom that echoed within the palace.

Just occasionally there are a few words drilled into his ears, such as Fan Xian, such as treason, such as wanted, such as a copy of the family ……

Senior scholar Shu muddled along with the ministers fell to their knees, and then muddled to stand up again, standing aside quietly. The Grand Maester Hu in front of him glanced at him with concern, conveying a reminder and caution with his eyes, but hiding the chill within himself extremely well.

All of the courtiers hid it extremely well, with only sad faces and no movement.

Shu Wu frowned, unable to hear any sound in her ears, looking at her normally familiar colleagues in the queue, but at this moment, they actually felt so strange. Especially in front of his own Hu Daoshi, the two of them are close friends, although from last night until now, there is no time to say something, but today outside the palace, he once hinted to Hu Daoshi.

Why is Dr. Hu so calm?

Shu Wu’s frown is getting deeper and deeper, suddenly his body trembled a little, deaf for a long time ears in this moment suddenly returned to hearing, heard the sound of gongs and drums outside the Taiji Palace.

He opened his mouth, which realized that the things that should be said have been finished, and the crown prince …… is going to ascend the throne!

Shu Wu s unusual situation today fell in the eyes of many people. But the ministers in the court are clear, the late emperor and Shu Wu has always been the king and his subjects, suddenly heard the news of his majesty’s death, the old maester can not withstand the emotional impact, some lost soul is also natural, so not many people suspect.

However, sitting behind the curtain next to the dragon chair, the empress dowager, but has been coldly staring at Shu Wu’s every move, her eyes turned a turn, a eunuch went to the back of Shu Wu, ready to help the old bachelor first to rest a little.

The Crown Prince’s gaze landed on Shu Wu’s body, and said with a forced concealment of his sadness, “The old maester goes to the side hall to rest for a moment.” Then he no longer glanced at the crowd, nor did he look at those brothers at the bottom of the steps, calming himself and marching in the direction of the dragon chair.

Standing in front of the dragon chair, the Crown Prince looked down at his brothers and subjects who had fallen to their knees, knowing that when he sat down, he would become the fifth monarch since the founding of the Kingdom of Qing, the ruler who controlled the lives and deaths of hundreds of millions of people in his hands.

This is the goal he has been struggling for a long time, for this one goal, he was once terrified, cynical, debauched, however, finally learned his father’s patience, calm, waiting …… for ruthlessness.

When such a goal is suddenly close at hand, Prince Li Chengqian’s mood is so calm, calm so that he himself feel a trace of strange.

The crown prince’s gaze slightly drooped, looking at the second brother below, looking at the second brother’s face that wipe of calm and gentle expression, somehow, then remembered Fan Xian who has secretly infiltrated into the Kyoto.

The news that Fan Xian was alive came back last night from the direction of Dongshan Road. The crown prince’s heart felt like a sugar thorn had been born, sweet and painful. For some reason, knowing the news that Fan Xian was alive, he was instead relieved, and for the following …… second brother? A cold smile flashed through the crown prince’s heart, the Ye family’s army was not even far from the capital, and second brother’s heart was still so not easily calmed.

“Please Emperor ascend the throne.”

“Please Emperor ascend the throne.”

Such as this person three times, Crown Prince Li Chengqian bowed three times to show his reverence for heaven and earth, then he straightened up, looking at the group of ministers kneeling and crouching under the hall, it seemed that he saw billions of people under the whole sky were kneeling to himself, a sense of satisfaction of controlling the world with his hands came to life, however, it disappeared without a trace after a few moments, and he only felt that the matter was very uninteresting, so uninteresting that it was a bit tiresome.

“Perhaps he himself is the only emperor who frowned and sat on the dragon chair.”

Li Chengqian thought this and sighed somewhere in the corner of his heart, turned back to the Empress Dowager and respectfully bowed, then he was going to sit on the dragon chair.

Shu Wu felt that he really fainted, in such a solemn and sorrowful, full of the dynasty are quiet, ten thousand ministers kneeling moment, he even kneeled on his knees, traveled two steps outside, came to the dragon chair under, kowtowed to the ground, loudly shouted: “Can not!”

As soon as the word “must not” came out, everyone in the courtroom was horrified. Behind the beaded curtain the Empress Dowager’s face sank, and several eunuchs began to walk towards Grandmaster Shu’s direction, but instead it was the Crown Prince who was preparing to sit in the dragon chair who breathed a sigh of relief, as he finally understood what his earlier doubts were.

Yes, ascending the throne could not be so smooth, there would always be some twists and turns.

Shu Wu, on the other hand, got out of those dizzy states after shouting those two words, and the old maester took a deep breath, feeling clearer than ever as he knew what he should do.

Little Lord Fan wanted to borrow his bones for a while, so he threw these old bones out, and it was a way of repaying His Majesty’s kindness of knowing him for many years, and the people of the Kingdom of Qing had placed their trust in the official.

Shu Wu did not even look at the eunuch to help himself a glance, straight body, looking at the bead curtain behind the empress dowager, the crown prince in front of the dragon chair, exhausting the whole body strength, spell will be a life of honor and disgrace, but spell but the whole family life and death, sad and melancholy call.

“On the occasion of His Majesty Bintian, left a posthumous edict, the crown prince …… shall not succeed the throne!”

A palace is quiet, no one speaks.