Entering the palace, the mourning hall has been decorated.
As the prince, Chen Xiujian and several brothers who also wore sackcloth and filial piety were at the front.
Each one bowed like a puppet under the command of the Ministry of Etiquette.
Chen Xiujian did what he was supposed to do in a disciplined manner, but after quietly looking around a few times, his eyes shone slightly.
Emperor Changxing had many sons.
But usually only the first eight princes "Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum, Aoyou Jianyi" and "Ning" who suddenly appeared later will be remembered.
At this time, apart from himself and the fourth prince, none of the nine princes were present.
As if sensing Chen Xiujian's gaze, the fourth prince Chen Xiuju turned to look.
Even under the candlelight of the mourning hall, his face was still as pale as snow.
Chen Xiujian withdrew his gaze and lowered his eyes silently.
He knows this Fourth Emperor Brother.
Both of them have similar backgrounds. Their mothers are both humble palace maids. It can be said that they have no background at all.
But Chen Xiuju is even more tragic.
His body has been very weak since he was born. It can be said that he is sick for twelve months of the year.
There were even times when he was so sick that he almost stepped into the gate of hell with one foot.
If the imperial doctors had not tried their best to rescue him, this man might have died long ago.
It can be said that he has exhausted all his strength just by being alive and basically poses no threat to anyone.
Chen Xiujian suddenly became worried about gains and losses.
If no one else is here, maybe I still have a chance...
It is a pity that no one in the civil and military circles of the dynasty stands by my side.
I don’t know if my father left any secret edict...
It would be great if the edict said that he would pass the throne to me.
In my wild thoughts, I don't know how long it had passed, but there was a sad voice saying something dryly in the mourning hall.
When he came back to his senses, Chen Xiujian was surprised.
It turned out to be Changlu, the personal eunuch of Emperor Changxing.
With a sad face, he was describing the situation of Emperor Changxing before his death to all the princes and relatives in the mourning hall.
"...In my early years, I inherited the legacy of the late emperor and took charge of the world. For more than thirty years, I have been worried day and night, not daring to neglect, lest I lose the name of my ancestors..."
"Today, our neighbors are in a state of disarray and our borders are unstable. I am worried day and night, unable to sleep or eat well, and my health is deteriorating."
"In this world, birth, old age, illness and death are all natural. I am already old, but every time I think about this, I can't help but feel hesitant in my heart."
"I am not greedy for life and afraid of death, nor am I nostalgic for the mortal world. It's just that the Beihai Pass has fallen into the hands of the enemy, and the empire's territory is incomplete. I am afraid that one day I will be under the Nine Springs and I will not be able to see my ancestors."
"Fortunately, thanks to the meticulous care of the imperial physician and the wonderful rejuvenation of Master Hongguang, I was able to turn the corner..."
snort!
Chen Xiujian was impatient and snorted secretly in his heart.
It's better spoken than sung.
If the danger had really been turned around, that old monk Hongguang would not have had to drag his dying body to Yunzhong County, thousands of miles away, to search for medicinal materials...
"...Now that I heard that the Beihai Pass has been recovered and the empire's territory has been restored to its original state, I am greatly relieved. Even if I die, I can rest in peace."
"His Majesty!"
A mournful cry suddenly sounded in the mourning hall.
boom!
A dull voice sounded.
The white-haired head of the Minister of Rites was knocked heavily on the mat in front of him.
He first rambled on about the great achievements of Emperor Changxing, which made the royal family and relatives in the mourning hall feel drowsy.
A long time passed before Fan Wen coughed and ended his long and smelly statement.
"Your Majesty, you have cared about the country and the people and worked hard all your life. Now that your wish has been fulfilled, your name will go down in history. I wish you a good journey."
Phew~
The old guy finally finished speaking.
Everyone was in great spirits and quickly followed him and knelt three times and bowed nine times.
After kneeling down and worshiping, many people couldn't help but turn their heads and look in the direction of the six ministers and the grand master.
As the saying goes, a country cannot live without a king for a day.
Although the emperor's funeral is important, it has been planned for hundreds of years. The Ministry of Rites and the Clan Mansion will handle it perfectly, and there is no need for people like them to worry about it.
Compared with the state funeral, at this time, the royal relatives in the mourning hall and the civil and military officials outside the hall were more concerned about the candidate of the next emperor.
Under the gaze of everyone, the Grand Master walked out with a calm face.
In his hand was a bright yellow imperial edict, with a golden dragon circling on the back, lifelike.
coming!
No matter whether everyone could see clearly or not, their hearts suddenly rose to their throats.
Wow.
Ren Yi didn't waste any time and gently opened the imperial edict in his hand.
"On the fifth day of the sixth lunar month, Your Majesty felt unwell, so he wrote this edict in the presence of his senior ministers, the six ministers, the Zong Renfu Zong Order, the Imperial Academy's wine offering, and the commanders of the Forbidden Army and Jinlin Guards."
Several people whose names were called stood up to express their agreement.
Seeing that no one had any objections, Ren Yicai lowered his head and looked at the edict.
There are not many words on it, just a few lines.
"I pass the throne to the ninth son of the emperor, Chen Xiuning! This is your honor. It is June 5th, the thirty-third year of Changxing."
The Grand Master's voice was not loud, but everyone could hear it clearly.
Phew~
Everyone inside and outside the mourning hall let out a long sigh of relief.
This posthumous edict is short and has a clear goal of passing on the throne.
Even those who are accustomed to finding faults in eggs will never find any objections or excuses.
it's over.
Chen Xiujian's last hope failed, and his originally straight waist suddenly collapsed.
According to convention, a posthumous edict must go through a series of tests to determine its authenticity before it becomes official.
But with the endorsement of many high-ranking officials mentioned by Ren Yi just now, there is basically no need to argue anymore.
Although Chen Xiujian was heartbroken, he couldn't help but stand up.
cough.
He coughed lightly, quickly turned around and bowed in the direction of the memorial tablet, and then continued.
"Dear members of the royal family, the edict is truly written by my father, and I will abide by it without any objection."
"only……"
He hesitated.
"Yunchui has always had a legacy that women not from her own country are not allowed to be queens. But Princess Ning seems to be..."
Chen Xiujian did not say any more, but everyone inside and outside the mourning hall understood what he meant.
Ha~
Suddenly someone chuckled.
Guanyi, the Minister of War, stood up.
At some point, he also had a file and a map in his hand.
"What a coincidence." Guan Yi raised the thing in his hand, "The day before yesterday, I received an urgent message from the Yancheng Fortress."
"This is a petition. It comes from Tiele Kailun, the current leader of the Kailun tribe. Maybe some of you have never heard of this name. He is the brother of Princess Ning."
"I wonder what is written in the file?" someone couldn't help but ask.
Guanyi did not answer, but opened another map.
"This is the current territory of the Kailun tribe, the area marked in yellow."
Although everyone didn't know why, they still looked up.
The map is very large, and you can see the location of Yankuo Fortress and Dingxi County at a glance.
To the west of them, a vast area shaped like a "7" has been painted yellow.
It reaches Dingxi County in the east, Blood Moon Tribe in the west, and No Return Desert in the north.
At a glance, it is almost five or six times larger than Dingxi County.
"The Kailun tribe yearns for my Yunchui. Since ancient times, they have a tradition of intermarrying with Yunchui and learning our Yunchui culture. Now the clan leader Tiele Kailun has come to join us and voluntarily become a member of our Yunchui, sharing prosperity and stability."