Li Qiong came to see Mr. Zhu and Hua Manman almost every day, to see if they were awake
However, three days later, the two are still in a coma.
It seems that there is no sign of waking up at all.
To make matters worse, battle reports continued to come from the front, and the rebel army led by the regent Li Ji was attacking the city and occupying territory all the way.
Li Qiong was so anxious that he had to pretend to be calm and composed, trying his best to stabilize the people in the court.
In a blink of an eye, it was the day of the emperor's funeral.
Funeral is a major event, even if the enemy is present, this matter cannot be omitted.
As the prince, Li Qiong must stand up and preside over the overall situation at this time.
He forcibly suppressed the uneasiness in his heart, put on a luxurious and solemn crown robe, and led his ministers to escort the emperor's coffin out of Beijing.
All the city was under martial law, and the people were ordered to stay at home and not to go out behind closed doors.
The long street is quiet and quiet.
The funeral procession moved slowly.
The accompanying concubines, civil and military officials all cried heart-rendingly, and the sky was dark.
No matter what they think in their hearts, even if they squeeze at this time, they still have to cry to show their loyalty to the emperor.
The place belonging to the emperor has long been reserved in the imperial mausoleum.
After a series of tedious procedures, the emperor's coffin was buried in the tomb, and Prince Li Qiong personally wrote an inscription on the tombstone, writing the emperor's posthumous title, name, and the date of death.
After all the ceremonies were over, everyone exited the mausoleum.
The mausoleum was closed and completely locked.
Today's weather is very bad, with dark clouds in the sky, and the air is very stuffy, as if there will be a heavy rainstorm at any time.
Just like everyone's mood at this time.
The emperor is dead, the crown prince is still young, and the regent is eyeing him.
I don't know how long the Great Zhou Dynasty can last
Li Qiong returned to the palace in a carriage.
Obviously the body is very tired, but the mind is still thinking about things.
He first went to see Mr. Zhu and Hua Manman, and was very disappointed to see that they were still awake.
Then he summoned the left and right prime ministers to ask how the counter-insurgency was going.
Although Mr. Zhu said that he could use Hua Manman's identity to threaten Li Ji to surrender, but this approach is too base, especially after listening to what Hua Manman said, Li Qiong was stimulated and did not want to use a woman As a shield.
In the end, according to the original plan, he dispatched a veteran to lead the army to counter the rebellion.
To be on the safe side, Li Qiong almost brought out all the people he could mobilize this time, hoping to take advantage of the number of people and take Li Ji down in one fell swoop, without giving him a chance to turn the tables.
Prime Minister Zuo reported the truth.
"The counter-insurgency army is still on its way to the front line, and it will take about five days to confront the rebel army. Please be patient, Your Highness."
Prime Minister You continued.
"Now that the first emperor has passed away, the country cannot be without a king for a day. The courtiers are all waiting for the new emperor to ascend the throne. They also hope that His Highness the crown prince will succeed as soon as possible, so as to stabilize people's hearts."
Li Qiong was brought up as a prince since he was a child, so he naturally knew the rules of succession.
He couldn't agree directly, but put on a humble appearance, expressing that he was still mourning the death of his father, and had no mind to think about anything else for the time being.
The two prime ministers on the left and right expressed their comfort in a very polite manner.
Li Qiong never let go.
Until the next morning, the left and right prime ministers led civil and military officials to kneel at the gate of the Prince's Mansion, begging His Royal Highness to ascend the throne as soon as possible.
Li Qiong refused repeatedly, but was forced to agree.
This picture of harmony between the monarch and his subjects was recorded by the historian, and it will be recorded in the annals of history in the future and become a good story.
The new emperor's crown clothes have been prepared long ago, the size is very suitable, and the things needed to ascend the throne have also been prepared long ago. Li Qiong will be able to ascend the throne just waiting for an auspicious day selected by Honglu Temple. .
Everyone in the palace was very busy with this.
The Queen Mother suddenly found Li Qiong at this time.
She came this time to remind Li Qiong of one thing.
"Your royal father has already been buried, so should Concubine Zhen go out of the palace too?"
Li Qiong didn't want to send his mother and concubine away, but he had promised him a long time ago, he couldn't go back on his word, he could only accept it unwillingly.
"Thank you for reminding me, grandma. My grandson will send my mother and concubine out of the palace tomorrow."
The queen mother said: "Aijia sees that the weather is still early today, and the weather outside is not bad, so there is no need to delay until tomorrow, let's send people out today, and when they are gone, you can concentrate on preparing for your enthronement. "
Li Qiong was very annoyed in her heart, why the emperor's grandmother was so unfeeling, and she refused to let it go for a day!
He pursed his lower lip: "Grandmother is right, grandson will arrange it now."
The goal was achieved, and the Queen Mother left with satisfaction.
Li Qiong put down what she was doing and went to Yufu Palace in person.
He looked at the plainly dressed mother and concubine, opened his mouth, and wanted to say something, but his throat seemed to be blocked by something, and he didn't say a word for a long time.
In the end, it was Concubine Zhen who spoke first.
"I know what you want to say. Going to the nunnery to meditate is my own choice. You have done your best to do your best, and you don't need to blame yourself for it."
The more she said that, the more ashamed Li Qiong felt.
He knelt down and bowed his head solemnly.
"It is because of my son's incompetence that my mother and concubine have suffered so much. It is because of my son's unfilial piety. When my son is established in the future, I will definitely bring you back as soon as possible, so that you can enjoy your old age as the empress dowager."
Concubine Zhen stretched out her hand to help him up.
She bent down and helped him wipe off the dust on the hem of his clothes.
The movement is very skilled, as it has been done countless times before.
She smiled softly and said: "No one knows what will happen in the future. I don't want too much, I just ask you to promise one thing."
Li Qiong hurriedly said: "You said, as long as I can do it, I will definitely try my best to do it for you!"
Concubine Zhen: "That maid named Hongdou should still be in your hands, right? I hope you let her go."
Li Qiong was stunned.
He never thought that the concubine mother would make such a request.
But thinking about the truth that red beans are flowers, Li Qiong soon understood what the concubine mother was thinking.
He couldn't help asking: "Mother Concubine has already known that Hongdou is the regent princess, right?"
Concubine Zhen's expression was very calm.
As early as when Li Qiong came to her to find out if Hua Manman had come back to life, she had already guessed that Li Qiong might know Hongdou's true identity.
What Li Qiong said at this time only further confirmed her guess.
Concubine Zhen said unhurriedly: "It doesn't matter who she is."
Li Qiong: "How can it be unimportant? She is Li Ji's wife. Li Ji has rebelled now. If I let her go, it will be like letting the tiger go back to the mountain!"
Concubine Zhen: "Then what do you want to do? Use Hua Manman as a hostage to force Li Ji to surrender?"
Li Qiong turned his head and remained silent.
Concubine Zhen slowed down her tone, and persuaded softly: "Manman is Li Ji's reverse scale, whoever touches it will die, if Li Ji knows that you have detained Manman, not only will he not surrender, but he will quickly attack the sky regardless of the land price. Beijing."
Li Qiong gritted his teeth and said, "If he dares to invade Tianjing, I will kill his wife!"
Concubine Zhen: "If Li Ji is a mad dog, Man Man will be the chain that locks him. Once you cut off the chain, the mad dog will completely lose control, and he will drag the entire Tianjing city to be buried with Man Man. "
Li Qiong said angrily: "How dare he?!"
Concubine Zhen looked at him calmly.
Facing the eyes of the mother and concubine, Li Ji's mind quickly cooled down and regained his composure.
He thought of Li Ji's behavior style, this person has always been moody, he can do whatever he wants, he only wants to please himself, he never cares about other people's feelings, his arrogance is unbearable.
It is difficult for others to do things like massacre a city, but it is not necessarily the case for Li Ji.
He was a born evil star, and his hands were stained with countless blood.
To him, murder was nothing more than routine.
Li Qiong said slowly: "Thank you, Concubine Mother, for your reminder, I will not touch Huamanman until it is absolutely necessary."
Concubine Zhen: "You should let her go."
Li Qiong wanted to say it was impossible.
Hua Manman is his hole card, an important weapon he uses to deal with Li Ji.
Unless Li Ji dies, it is impossible for him to let Hua Manman go.
But rationality told him that these words cannot be told to the concubine mother, otherwise she must find a way to save Hua Manman from leaving.
So Li Qiong pretended to be obedient, and responded obediently.
"Well, she is the concubine's sister and my aunt. I will definitely not harm her. I will have a good talk with her later. If she agrees to help persuade Li Ji to withdraw, I will let her go. .”
What he said was sincere and reasonable, Concubine Zhen believed it was true and smiled gratifiedly.
"In this way, I can rest assured."
That afternoon, Concubine Zhen was sent out of the palace in a carriage to the nunnery outside the city.
When the queen mother heard about this, a big stone fell from her heart, and her mood became much more comfortable.
So what if Concubine Zhen's son becomes emperor? In the end, wasn't he kicked out of the palace in despair
In this palace, she is always the only most honorable woman.
No one can surpass her!
Five days later is the auspicious day selected by Honglu Temple.
On this day, Li Qiong put on the luxurious royal gown representing the emperor, and under the watchful eyes of civil and military officials, he slowly climbed the stairs and sat on the supreme throne.
The officials knelt down and nodded, shouting long live.
He wore a heavy crown on his head, and the bead curtains hung down. When he looked down, all he could see were the figures of the courtiers kneeling on the ground.
This was the first time he was at such a high place, and it was also the first time he looked down on sentient beings from this angle.
At this moment, he suddenly felt a sense of trance.
It was as if he had already stood on the top of a high mountain, and everything in the world was just ants crawling at his feet.
No wonder everyone wants to be emperor, no wonder so many people are desperate to gain power.
This feeling of power is indeed intoxicating.
Li Qiong spoke slowly.
"Everyone loves you in peace."
After a rustle of clothes and fabrics rubbing against each other, all civil and military officials stood up.
After ascending the throne, it is the canonization of the former harem.
This is a link that everyone loves to hear and see, and the hall is filled with joy.
However, at this moment.
An urgent report was sent in and handed over to Li Qiong.
(end of this chapter)