His Majesty has passed away
Outside the palace gate, everyone was stunned by the news.
The bad news came so suddenly.
So much so that when people on horseback ran past them, many people were unable to react.
On the day of the eldest princess' wedding, His Majesty suddenly passed away
The sounds of festive music, firecrackers, and the noisy chatter all came to an abrupt stop at this moment, as if someone had suddenly grabbed their throats.
Everyone froze where they were, like withered trees, unable to believe it.
“Dang-dang-dang—”
The heavy sound of the bell finally brought them all back to reality.
"Your Majesty... has passed away..."
Prince Duan's trembling voice with a crying tone was heard among the silent crowd.
It was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, immediately causing ripples.
Then, other members of the royal family, eunuchs and palace maids who came to welcome the bride, all suddenly burst into tears.
"Your Majesty!"
Prince Duan staggered and rushed towards the city gate crying.
The royal family followed crying.
The people from Lingxiao Sect and other sects had shocked and complicated expressions on their faces. After looking at each other, they immediately followed in.
The people from the Ministry of Rites who were dressed in festive clothes and those who were beating drums and gongs all looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Take off your clothes! Take off your clothes!"
The official from the Ministry of Rites shouted quickly.
A group of people, filled with mixed emotions of shock, confusion, astonishment, and disbelief, cried out in grief and stumbled into the palace.
Snowflakes are still floating in the sky.
In the most central location of the imperial city, above the Yongyan Palace, thick smoke billowed, blackening the sky for half the day.
The huge tongues of fire, like ferocious beasts, roared madly above the ruins of the palace.
All the people in the palace gathered outside the sea of fire.
The whole palace was filled with cries of grief.
The wedding procession that had just arrived, as well as the people from Lingxiao Sect and other sects, were all panicked, terrified and suspicious when they saw this scene.
What exactly happened here
His Majesty passed away suddenly. Was it a sudden illness or...
Prince Duan Nangong Ke grabbed a palace eunuch and shouted, "What happened in Yongyan Palace? How did His Majesty die?"
The young eunuch turned pale and trembled as he said, "Your servant... Your servant doesn't know either..."
"waste!"
Nangong Ke cursed angrily and immediately led everyone to rush to Yongyan Palace.
The walls outside the Yongyan Palace had collapsed long ago, and the once majestic palace inside had now collapsed into ruins, groaning in pain in the terrible sea of fire.
The area was surrounded by royal guards, eunuchs, and palace maids.
And at the front, the figure in a bright red wedding gown, surrounded by guards, was particularly eye-catching.
The Queen Mother was also there, but at this moment she was being supported by Changsun Wan'er and crying her heart out.
When Nangong Ke saw this scene, he immediately shouted to push away the crowd and hurried over. He suddenly burst into tears again and tears immediately flowed down.
"Queen Mother, Huoyue, what happened? How could His Majesty... How could he suddenly pass away? Why did a fire suddenly break out here?"
The other royal family members also asked sadly.
Nangong Huoyue stood there with a cold expression, staring at the flames in front of him, without saying a word.
The Queen Mother almost fainted from crying and was also unable to answer.
At this moment, a tall man wearing armor and with a sword mark on his neck suddenly walked out. He said with a sad face, "Reporting to Prince Duan, Your Majesty was suddenly assassinated by the abbot of Zijin Temple, Zijin Taoist... He was also the one who set the fire..."
When these words were spoken, everyone was shocked and had different expressions.
Nangong Ke looked at him suspiciously and said, "Captain Yuan, why would Taoist Zijin suddenly assassinate Your Majesty? Isn't he extremely favored by Your Majesty and loyal to Your Majesty?"
Yuan Zhong's eyes were red as he said, "That Taoist Zi Jin practiced evil magic. We just found many corpses in the underground secret room. It was horrible to see... Maybe he suddenly became possessed, or was instructed by someone, so he killed them..."
Nangong Ke frowned and looked at the fire in front of him again, then looked at the cold and calm red figure in front of him.
"I knew it a long time ago! I knew that the old Taoist priest was an evil person! I tried to persuade Your Majesty at the beginning, but Your Majesty didn't listen. Alas..."
Nangong Ke suddenly wiped his tears, his face full of grief.
At this time, other princes, dukes and ministers, upon hearing the news, also hurried over one after another. Looking at the scene before them, they were all shocked and saddened.
"How could this happen... How could this happen..."
"Your Majesty was so young, how could he suddenly pass away..."
"God doesn't bless me, Dayan!"
Everyone was grief-stricken.
At this time, the gray-haired Prime Minister Zuo Zheng wiped his tears and said, "Queen Dowager, His Majesty passed away suddenly, and we are all very sad. However, the country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Please cheer up, Queen Dowager, first establish a new ruler, stabilize the government, and reassure the people."
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Everyone had different expressions, and they raised their heads while crying sadly.
When the prime minister spoke, the other old ministers immediately echoed him: "Yes, Queen Mother, the country cannot be without a monarch for a day. Now the border of Dayan is turbulent, and other neighboring countries are also eyeing it covetously. We must determine a new monarch as soon as possible to reassure the world."
The Empress Dowager Changsun cried for a long time, then raised her head with red eyes. With the help of Changsun Wan'er, she stood up straight and said sadly, "Everyone, please do as you wish. I am just a woman, how can I understand state affairs, let alone appoint a new emperor. If I appoint the wrong person, how can I explain to the late emperor and my poor son?"
Zuo Zheng hesitated for a moment, then said, "Queen Dowager, princes, and colleagues, let's recommend a few today and let the Queen Dowager discuss with everyone. If it's possible, we should establish them as soon as possible."
The others all agreed, "What the Prime Minister said is absolutely right. Such an important matter must be established as soon as possible."
"The Prime Minister is highly respected. Please recommend someone first."
"Yes, let's listen to the Prime Minister first."
Seeing that everyone seemed to have reservations, Zuo Zheng had no choice but to speak up and said, "I think that Prince Duan is extremely intelligent and talented. Although he is playful, he is not an ordinary person. If he can ascend to the throne, he will definitely bring new prospects to Da Yan."
As soon as these words came out, Prince Duan Nangong Ke's face suddenly changed, and he was shocked and angry: "You old man, bah, bah, old Prime Minister, you are joking. I am a stubborn prince, and I am interested in playing chess, calligraphy and painting, and traveling around. I am not qualified to be an emperor. If I harm the country, I will not be able to see my brother. Don't mention this matter again!"
Zuo Zheng looked at him and was about to speak when Nangong Ke immediately said anxiously: "Don't be afraid of being laughed at by everyone. I have a hidden illness and have to run around and play around with women every day. I can't concentrate on handling state affairs at all. I am absolutely not worthy of being an emperor. Even if I become one, I will definitely be a terrible tyrant." After saying that, he secretly glanced at the red figure in front of him.
Seeing that he did not seem to be pretending to refuse and seemed genuinely unwilling to be emperor, Zuo Zheng could only frown and give up.
At this time, Taiwei Wang Fu suddenly bowed and said, "Queen Mother, Prime Minister, and all the princes, this old minister recommends King Tai. King Tai is in his prime, has great martial arts skills, is well-versed in strategy, and is deeply respected by the soldiers. If he ascends the throne, our Great Yan will no longer be harassed by the demons and foreign countries!"
After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.
At this time, Imperial Censor Song Wenbin suddenly spoke up: "The late emperor has many children, all of whom are in the palace. Why bother to go far away? The King of Thailand is still at the border, confronting the demon tribe. How can he come back in time to inherit the throne?"
Wang Fu glanced at him and was about to argue when the Minister of Rites Yan Wenchen suddenly said, "Empress Dowager, I also think that we should choose from the princes of the late emperor. The late emperor has two sons, although they are young, but with the support of the Empress Dowager and me, the government should be able to stabilize soon."
At this time, the Minister of Personnel and the Minister of Revenue both cupped their hands and said, "I second the motion!"
Seeing that everyone had their own candidates and the debate was going on, the Queen Mother wiped her tears with her handkerchief. Just as she was about to speak, a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd: "I think the most suitable candidate is right in front of us. Why bother looking for something far away and trying to catch fish in a tree?"
Everyone turned around to look, but saw a crowded crowd behind them, and they couldn't see the person who was talking at all. The person who was talking suddenly fell silent at this time.
At this moment, Li Fang, a scholar from the Hanlin Academy, suddenly said, "Well said! I also think that the most suitable candidate is right in front of us!"
After saying that, he suddenly looked at the red figure standing closest to the sea of fire, bowed, and said loudly: "Queen Mother, I think Her Royal Highness the Princess is the most suitable candidate!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expression changed.
The Queen Mother even trembled.
Unexpectedly, Li Fang knelt down directly and said passionately: "Your Highness has made great contributions and the people are loyal to him. Your talent in governing the country is obvious to all! You should ascend the throne and make more contributions to the prosperity of our Great Yan and the peace and prosperity of the country!"
Then he shouted loudly: "Long live His Majesty! Long live His Majesty! Long, long live His Majesty!"
There was sudden silence in the field.
But this silence only lasted for a few breaths, and the Minister of Rites, the Vice Minister of Rites, and the left and right censors all knelt down one after another and said loudly: "I second the motion! Your Highness has made great contributions and the people are loyal to him. You should ascend the throne as emperor!"
Then they all shouted in unison: "Long live His Majesty! Long live His Majesty! Long, long live His Majesty!"
The Queen Mother's face was pale, her body was trembling slightly, and the nails in her sleeves slowly pinched into her palms.
The other royal family members, ministers, and guests standing not far away all had complicated expressions and were silent.
At this moment, Prime Minister Zuo Zheng suddenly pointed at the courtiers kneeling on the ground with a red face and shouted angrily: "Ridiculous! Ridiculous! How can the eldest princess, a daughter, ascend to the throne of emperor! Are you crazy?"
Taiwei Wang Fu also immediately said with a gloomy face: "It's ridiculous! The eldest princess has indeed worked hard and made great contributions, and her ability to govern the country is obvious to all, but she is a girl after all. Our Great Yan has been established for many generations, how can a daughter be the emperor? It's simply ridiculous!"
Wei Gong, the Minister of Revenue, also sneered, "Who bribed you guys? Did you rehearse in advance? You are deliberately putting the princess on the spot! Now that His Majesty has just passed away and the cause of death is unknown, you are so eager to jump out and speak nonsense, and actually let the princess, a woman, ascend the throne? How do you want the world to view the princess?"
The field suddenly became quiet.
Wei Gong sneered and was about to speak, but the red figure standing in front of the sea of fire suddenly turned around, looked at him and said, "Master Wei, are you hinting to everyone that the assassination of the emperor is related to me?"
Wei Gong's eyes flashed, and he bowed his head and said, "Your Highness, please forgive me. I never meant that. It's just..."
"Kill him."
Nangong Huoyue suddenly spoke in a calm voice.
When everyone was in astonishment, Yuan Zhong, the leader of the Imperial Guards who was standing next to Wei Gong, suddenly drew out the knife from his waist with a "clang" sound, and then a cold light flashed, and Wei Gong's head fell to the ground!
Everyone was shocked!
At this moment, Yuan Zhong suddenly put away his sword and knelt on the ground, shouting to the red shadow in front of him: "Please, Princess, ascend the throne! Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor! Long, long live the emperor!"
As soon as the words fell, the two thousand imperial guards standing outside all knelt on the ground and shouted in unison: "Please ascend the throne, Princess! Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor! Long, long live the emperor!"
The cheers were like thunder, deafening and resounding throughout the entire imperial city!
The city gate guards and soldiers in the distance all knelt on the ground and shouted in unison: "Princess, please ascend the throne! Princess, please ascend the throne!"
“Bang!”
The headless body of the Minister of Revenue Wei Gong fell to the ground, spurting blood.
The other ministers all turned pale and trembled.
Prince Duan Nangong Ke suddenly knelt on the ground with a plop, bowed his head to the red figure in front of him, and shouted excitedly: "Please let the princess ascend the throne!"
When he knelt, the other members of the royal family were all embarrassed and frightened. Without any hesitation, they all knelt down and said in unison: "Please, Princess, ascend the throne!"
"Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor! Long, long live the emperor!"
On the sixth day of the first lunar month, the eldest princess got married and the emperor passed away.
On this day, people inside and outside the entire imperial city could hear that thunderous voice:
"Please invite the eldest princess to ascend the throne!"