eurekapd Chapter 326: Successor
Chapter 326: Successor
In October, Yongyan led a huge army and finally slowly entered the capital.
At this time, Yan Wan had been waiting in the palace for a long time. Her anxiety and expectation turned into a bright color between her eyebrows, and she was just waiting for his return.
Those who served in the emperor's presence were sent away early for failing to provide adequate care.
Jinzhong, who had enjoyed such a glorious time in front of the emperor in the past, was now confined to the Old Summer Palace, serving as an ordinary eunuch who swept the floor.
Although he was reduced to the lowest-level servant, he was able to do it because of Yanwan's order.
Everyone in the Old Summer Palace, from top to bottom, knew that there was someone behind him. They all treated him like an ancestor and served him carefully, not daring to neglect him in the slightest.
"Greetings to the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager."
Yongyan's voice was clear and powerful, and the long journey had not left any trace of fatigue on him.
The young man stood tall and straight, and although his gorgeous clothes were a little dusty, they did not diminish his brilliance at all. He strode forward and saluted everyone respectfully, his demeanor calm and royal.
As soon as Yongyan stepped into the hall and raised his eyes, he was met with the solemn and dignified gazes of the crowd. The oppressive atmosphere enveloped him in an instant.
Yongyan had just returned to the Forbidden City and had barely found his feet when he was hurriedly summoned to the Qianqing Palace.
Along the way, he was full of doubts but had no clue.
It was not until he stepped into the palace that he saw the plaque "Zhengda Guangming" hanging high above the ceiling, and the stern expressions of several important officials in the court sitting in the hall.
In an instant, he vaguely guessed the deeper meaning of this summons.
"Good boy, get up quickly."
The Queen Mother's voice sounded at the right time, breaking the silence in the hall.
She looked at Yongyan with gentle eyes, and her face, which was full of wrinkles from time, showed a bit of kindness, as if it was just an ordinary reunion between grandparents and grandchildren.
But she was old after all, and had difficulty moving around, so she could only sit upright on a sandalwood chair beside her, with Yanwan standing gracefully beside her, serving her attentively.
"Thank you, Grandma Huang."
Yongyan bowed respectfully, with an upright posture and sincere words.
"I, your son, have faithfully followed the orders of the Emperor and led this Autumn Hunt. I have fulfilled my duty and have successfully completed all the tasks assigned by the Emperor... But why is the Emperor not here?"
After saying this, his bright eyes quickly scanned the solemn hall.
Without seeing the familiar and majestic figure in dragon robe, the worry in my heart instantly flooded over my brows like a tide, twisting them into a deep "chuan" character.
The Queen Mother sighed slightly, raised her hand and gently stroked the dragon-headed cane, and spoke slowly.
"I'm sure you can guess why I summoned you here today. Your Royal Father has been in poor health lately, his energy declining. He is currently recuperating in the Imperial Gardens. In his early years, he had already reserved the title of Crown Prince behind the plaque "Zhengda Guangming." Now that he is no longer in good health and unable to personally manage state affairs, it has been decided that the Crown Prince will temporarily handle court affairs on his behalf..."
These words were like a huge rock falling into water. In an instant, there was an uproar in the court, and the officials were whispering to each other and discussing the matter.
No one had expected that after just a routine autumn hunt, when they returned they would be faced with a major change: a crown prince was about to be appointed and the prince would become regent.
You know, a new emperor appoints new ministers. Everyone in this world knows this. When a new emperor ascends the throne, there will be a major reshuffle in the court. What should these old ministers who hold high positions and great power do?
When Yongyan heard this, his breathing suddenly stopped. In that instant, it seemed as if everything around him was muted.
Everything was silent, except for the sound of my own increasingly heavy and rapid breathing, rumbling in my ears.
He knew clearly in his heart that if the Empress Dowager really wanted to appoint a crown prince, the fact that she only summoned a prince like him to come to the Qianqing Palace at this moment was self-evident.
"Cough cough..."
An old and weak cough suddenly broke the whispers of the court officials.
The Queen Mother raised her chin slightly, her eyes suddenly became as sharp as an eagle's, and her fierce eyes seemed to be real as she slowly swept over the crowd. Wherever she went, everyone was silent.
In the huge palace, one could hear a pin drop, and there was only deathly silence.
Her eyes slowly swept across the faces of the ministers one by one, and finally, her gaze settled steadily on Yongyan.
"This arrangement is all the Emperor's will. As early as three years ago, he had already weighed the pros and cons and finalized the selection of the crown prince. The secret decree is now placed behind the plaque of 'Upright and Honest'."
The Queen Mother paused slightly and looked around majestically.
"Everyone present here is a pillar of the court, loyal to the emperor and patriotic. I firmly believe that no matter who ultimately becomes crown prince, you will remain loyal and assist the crown prince with all your heart and soul, and together we will protect the glorious empire of the Qing Dynasty."
As soon as the Empress Dowager finished speaking, several court officials reacted first. In unison, they lifted the hems of their court robes, knelt on both knees, and shouted in unison: "We, your servants, will faithfully obey the Holy Order and live up to the Emperor's earnest instructions. We will devote our utmost to assisting the Crown Prince. May the Emperor live long, ...
After saying this, they all prostrated themselves on the ground and kowtowed with the utmost piety.
Seeing this, the empress dowager nodded slightly, then looked at Yongyan again, her eyes seemed to have deep meaning, and she spoke softly but without any doubt.
"In that case, let's get started. Let's take a look at who this highly anticipated candidate for the crown prince is."
After saying this, a well-trained palace servant quickly brought a vermilion lacquer ladder.
The ladder was set up steadily, and the palace servant climbed up quietly. As everyone looked up and the whole place was silent as death, he carefully took down the exquisite box hidden behind the plaque of "Zhengda Guangming".
Under the gaze of countless pairs of eyes, the box was solemnly handed to the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother reached out her slightly trembling hand and gently brushed away the thin layer of dust that had accumulated on the lid of the box. With a creaking sound, she pulled out a yellowed sheet of paper with slightly curled edges.
The imperial edict, which had been sealed three years ago, was slowly unfolded.
Everyone held their breath, stared with wide eyes, and stared at the paper that gradually revealed its true appearance.
There were a few large characters written in cinnabar red ink on it, which were extremely eye-catching - pass the throne to the emperor's fifteenth son, Yongyan.
The Queen Mother took a deep breath, raised her voice slightly, and read out the contents clearly word by word under the interweaving gazes of the crowd.
"The throne will be passed on to the fifteenth son, Yongyan..."
The old voice echoed between the beams and pillars of the palace, determining the future direction of the Qing Dynasty.
Immediately, the empress dowager handed the paper in her hand to the eunuch serving beside her and nodded slightly.
The eunuch understood what he meant, took it with both hands, held it respectfully, and walked slowly along the line of court officials, presenting the paper to each minister one by one.
"My dear ministers, you have served the Emperor for many years and must be familiar with his handwriting. Today, I would like to trouble you to carefully examine the words on this note and verify whether it is indeed written by the Emperor himself."
The Queen Mother looked at the ministers quietly with a calm gaze and an unquestionable tone.
The thin yet heavy piece of paper was slowly passed around among the ministers.
The ministers all looked solemn, some leaned in to take a closer look, some squinted their eyes slightly to identify it, and whispered to each other. In the end, they all nodded slightly in unison.
"Replying to the Queen Mother, this handwriting is undoubtedly the Emperor's."
A senior minister stepped forward first, bowed and reported, and the other court officials echoed him.
"In that case, let's follow the Emperor's wishes."
The Queen Mother closed her eyes slightly and spoke softly to make the final decision.
After he finished speaking, the leading eunuch immediately understood what he meant. He solemnly took out a bright yellow imperial edict from his arms, cleared his throat, and read it aloud on the spot.
The drawn-out tone of the shrill voice instantly resounded throughout the entire hall.
"It is destined to be blessed by heaven, the emperor decreed..."