The sky was getting brighter, and the rain finally subsided a little. The rain washed the inside and outside of Wude Hall cleanly and made it look brand new. The servants and guards were busy replacing the white flags that were damaged by the rain last night. The whole Tai Chi The palace is pure and plain.
The emperor's relatives and dignitaries were waiting outside Wude Hall. Hundreds of people had been here since before dawn, and the cries of sobbing and choking never stopped.
Although His Majesty Li Er is a noble person, he is always friendly to others, open-minded, and accepts advice. He has a good relationship with everyone, both inside and outside, and he is doting on his children. Countless people are grateful for their kindness and kindness in the past, and it is difficult to suppress their sadness and emotions.
If it weren't for the fierce fighting outside the palace at this time, and all the inner sanctuaries in Chang'an were closed and no entry or exit was allowed, the common people would spontaneously walk out of the inner sanctuaries and gather near the palace, and the whole city of Chang'an would be filled with tears.
The common people respect and love His Majesty Li Er, and few ancient emperors can match it...
Li Chengqian, dressed in princely robes and wearing a golden crown, appeared at the door of the hall. His crying stopped slightly. Li Ji, Li Xiaogong and Li Yuanjia lined up on the left and right, protecting Li Chengqian and turned around and walked into the hall.
The sky was overcast and rainy, and the candles in the hall were brightly lit.
There is a huge coffin parked in the main hall, and behind the coffin are placed one hundred and twenty sets of emperor's robes, neatly arranged and divided into categories. These will be buried with the emperor in the future. On one side of the coffin, on the table Jade Bi, Jade Cong, Jade Gui, Jade Hu, Jade Zhang, Jade Huang. This is a ritual vessel for worshiping the four directions of heaven and earth, that is, using bi to worship the sky, using Cong to worship the earth, using Gui to worship the east, using amber to worship the west, and using Zhang Give homage to the south, and give gifts to the north.
Outside the palace gate, monks and Taoist priests each held musical instruments, and the music was melodious and sad.
In the palace, Li Chengqian, under the service of Li Yuanjia, Wang De and others, first cleansed the face of Emperor Daxing, and then placed six jade articles in the coffin. Sixteen strong servants stretched the quilt under Emperor Daxing's body. It was straight and slowly put into the coffin, and then Li Chengqian covered it with a brocade quilt embroidered with the sun, moon, stars, rivers and mountains.
Sixteen chamberlains struggled to lift the heavy coffin lid and slowly closed it.
In the palace, there were ministers, generals, chamberlains, palace people, princes, princesses, ministers and their families...the cries shook the heaven and the earth.
A generation of heroes, with illustrious achievements and great power in their lives, but they are no match for destiny and their lifespan is passing away. This is the final conclusion.
Several drums sounded, and the crying gradually stopped, and then the crown prince personally recited the sacrificial inscription. Although he had not officially ascended the throne, from the moment the sacrificial inscription was read, the status of the monarch and his ministers was determined, and it was already a matter of time before he ascended the throne.
Li Chengqian walked slowly to the side of the coffin, took the memorial text handed over by Li Xiaogong, unfolded it, and read it aloud.
"In the seventeenth year of Wei Zhenguan, I was in Guimao. In the seventh month, I saw that the emperor was ill and the medicine was ineffective..."
The voice became louder and louder, and the crowd of people kneeling in the rain outside the hall could hear it clearly.
"... on behalf of Heaven, he nurtured Qian and Li, and Yilun cultivated narratives, and established wells and ropes, opened things and accomplished things, and his benefits lasted for eternity... Today, the Crown Prince pursues Mingde, serves Heaven to care for the people, prosperes and honors, and will depend on it for eternity. , use prayers and blessings to make your family and country prosper forever, and keep your chastity and peace in mind, so that you can be at peace with the heavens! Shang Xin!"
Li Yuanjia on the side was holding a handful of paper money, standing on the stone steps in front of the palace, struggling hard, and the paper money was fluttering in the rain.
Under the service of officials from the Ministry of Rites and Zongzheng Temple, the prince took off his princely robe and put on a mourning robe made of raw rags, showing no embellishment to express his mourning. He served for three years.
Then the officials delivered the filial piety clothes they had prepared earlier to everyone present one by one. According to the distance, they were given the "Five Clothes" of Zhansei, Qixi, Da Gong, Xiao Gong and Qi Ma respectively.
Everyone burst into tears, and all the concubines and the princess were heartbroken. They lay down on the muddy ground and tried to get closer to the hall. They didn't care that their clothes were stained with mud, and their delicate makeup was blurry and ugly. The palace people around them quickly grabbed hold of them. , whispering comfort.
Heaven and earth share the same sorrow.
King Qi, King Shu, King Jiang and other princes knelt in the courtyard, enduring the dampness and coldness of their clothes due to the rain. They raised their heads slightly and looked at the prince who had recited the sacrificial inscription at the entrance of Wude Hall and put on coarse linen mourning clothes. Envy, but also worry, thinking about the fierce battle still raging outside the Tai Chi Palace at this moment, and wondering whether the young slaves will be able to break into the Tai Chi Palace in the end, and whether the prince can hold it, his thoughts are all over the place, and it is complicated and difficult to understand.
Prince Hejian, King Han, Li Ji, Fang Jun, Cen Wenwen, Liu Jie, Ma Zhou and other clan members and important officials from the imperial court all came to the foot of the stone steps to tidy up their clothes. Regardless of the drizzle, they all bowed to the ground. , said loudly: "I, ministers, please see your Majesty."
Although the enthronement ceremony has not yet taken place, the crown prince has been officially promoted to the emperor at this moment, and his powers are no longer restricted. The only thing left to do is to confirm the reign name, award meritorious officials, and grant amnesty to the world during the enthronement ceremony.
In front of the palace, hundreds of relatives of the emperor, court officials, and family members of the prince all bowed to the ground and shouted loudly: "See your majesty!"
Li Chengqian straightened his chest and raised his head with a solemn expression. When he raised his hands, he waved his sleeves and said solemnly, "My dear friends, please stay safe!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Then, the drum music started to play loudly.
The ceremony is completed.
…
Li Zhi stood at the entrance of the camp with his hands behind his hands, looking at Chang'an City through the rain. He could not hear the music of the bells and chimes ringing in the Tai Chi Palace, nor could he hear the calls of civil and military officials, relatives of the emperor to see the new emperor, but he You can feel the indescribable sadness that fills the world.
It is the sorrow of my father and the sorrow of myself.
How did you get to where you are today?
My father does not need to live a hundred years, he only needs to live a few more days. The process of abolishing the throne is about to begin. The momentum is unstoppable. I will be canonized as the crown prince and become the legitimate heir of the empire, not now. He wanted to rush into the Taiji Palace and seize the throne from the prince as if he was a treasonous person.
How could he not know how risky this approach is?
But when he was just one step away from that position but couldn't get it, the coveting heart was like maggots on the tarsal bones, gnawing at his heart all the time, leaving him with no way to retreat and unwilling to give in!
Xiao Yu came over and stood behind him, also looking in the direction of Chang'an, and said in a deep voice: "At this time, His Highness the Crown Prince must have already recited the sacrificial inscriptions and accepted the worship of all officials."
Li Zhi turned his head, stared at Xiao Yu, and said slowly: "But what I want is for my father to be buried. He commits suicide and will never see his face again in the world. As a human son, I can't send my father on his last journey. I feel so guilty that I wish I could follow my father under the Nine Springs to fulfill my filial piety!"
People can pursue fame and fortune, but they cannot only focus on fame and fortune. Otherwise, how are they different from animals?
Xiao Yu didn't expect Li Zhihui to say such words. Looking at his expression, he knew that he was very dissatisfied that at this time, he was thinking that the prince was about to ascend the throne instead of that the late emperor had been buried.
He had no choice but to bow down, bow his hands to the ground in the direction of Chang'an City, and say in a trembling voice: "When I die, if I can be buried beside the Zhaoling Mausoleum and follow the late emperor under the Nine Springs, this life will be enough."
Li Zhi then turned around, still staring blankly at the rain curtain in front of him and Chang'an in the distance.
The reason why he didn't retreat was not only because of his coveting of the throne that kept him going forward, but also because of his father's expectations for him! He would rather abolish the elder and establish the younger and suffer the misfortune and slander of the people in the world, but also establish him as the crown prince. This is
What kind of love and trust?
When the Guanlong clan rebelled, Changsun Wuji and his son went to the Jin Palace to depose the prince and make him the crown prince, but he refused. At that time, he said to Changsun Wuji, "The throne belongs to the emperor, and the emperor did not give it to him."
"I, I can't rob you." This was indeed his inner voice.
But the situation now is completely different from that at that time. Everyone knows that the father has already made up his mind to pass the throne to his youngest legitimate son. All that is left is just an edict. As long as the father is not dead, this edict will be issued sooner or later.
He, Li Zhi, is his father's favorite successor.
How can you ignore your father's wishes just because he didn't leave a single edict?
Since my father wanted to give the throne to me, but was unable to do so due to his longevity, of course he would go all out to seize the throne to appease his father's spirit in heaven!
Chu Suiliang walked quickly from the heavy rain and entered the camp to salute. Regardless of the fact that his lower body clothes were soaked, he reported: "Your Highness, the news just sent is that His Highness the Crown Prince has been reciting sacrificial inscriptions in the Wude Hall.
'It has also been completed, and hundreds of officials paid homage to the prince outside the palace... In addition, the Duke of E sent a battle report. The six leaders of the East Palace resisted tenaciously, and the right Houwei made unfavorable progress and suffered heavy casualties. The Duke of E organized an advance camp at Chunming Gate in order to
Attack Tai Chi Palace."
Li Zhi stood with his hands behind his hands, looking through the rain curtain in the direction of Chang'an City. After a long while, he slowly said: "Why do you have to do something forcefully when you know you can't do it? These soldiers and generals are all loyal ministers of the father and the emperor, and they would rather die than do it."
In order to maintain my father's legacy, I cannot let them die in vain under the Chengtian Gate. I sent an order to the Duke of E, ordering him to withdraw the Youhou Guard troops from the city, retreat to Tongguan with me, and wait for reinforcements."
"Your Highness, no!"
Xiao Yu hurriedly spoke: "At the moment, only the Sixth Army of the East Palace is fighting to the death, and the other sixteen guards are standing still and waiting to see what happens. This is the best time to capture the Taiji Palace. Since the prince has recited the sacrificial inscription and has been recognized by all the officials, it is
The legitimate Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, once we retreat and give him time to slowly put pressure on the Sixteenth Guards Army, more and more people will definitely defect to him, and one will go away and the other will go up. If we want to counterattack Chang'an again, it will be as difficult as ascending to Chang'an.
Oh my God!”
Li Zhi, who had always accepted advice humbly, shook his head: "How stupid is it to do something you know you can't do? Now that the prince has ascended the throne, there is no need to risk his life to storm Taiji Palace. Now the military equipment in Guanzhong is depleted, or there are insufficient troops.
Major General, if we are short of baggage and have broken weapons, how much combat power can we have even if we hurriedly raise more than 100,000 troops? However, the reinforcements in Shandong and Jiangnan are strong and strong. We only need to defend Tongguan until the reinforcements arrive. The time, place and people are favorable.
It’s all in my hands, so why worry about not succeeding?”
The Right Houwei is the unit he relies on most at the moment. If they are all destroyed outside the Taiji Palace, are they all counting on reinforcements from the powerful families in Shandong and Jiangnan?
Even if Xiao Yu, Cui Xin and others were loyal to him and had no other intentions, but all the soldiers under his command were from these two powerful families, what would happen even if he successfully succeeded in seizing the throne and ascending to the throne?
Power and power all depended on people and were completely ignored. The emperor was nothing more than a puppet.
If there is no check and balance between Youhouwei and the Guanlong clan, everything depends on the clans of Shandong and Jiangnan. How can I have a chance to keep my word? All success and failure depend on the thoughts of others. If the situation goes bad, behead others.
It is not impossible to send him to the prince to ask for credit and reward...
A gentleman would not stand under a dangerous wall, let alone put his life and death in the hands of others?