marquis of jingan

Chapter 1519: The Great Change in the Imperial Ancestral Temple

Chapter 1519: The Great Change in the Imperial Ancestral Temple

His Majesty the Emperor walked up all the steps of the Taimiao with a light but extremely firm step.

As Shen Heng presided over the beginning of the sacrificial ceremony, His Majesty the Emperor, along with a group of princes, civil and military officials, and court nobles, knelt before the spirits of their ancestors in the Taimiao.

Those who could not kneel inside the Taimiao knelt outside the Taimiao main hall.

The two princes, Shen Yi and Li Mu and Li Yu, knelt behind the Emperor, ready to respond to any emergency at any time.

Sweat was already oozing out of the emperor's forehead.

He took out the document drafted by the Ministry of Rites, first knelt on the cushion and kowtowed, then held the document in both hands and tried to make his voice as loud as possible.

"My ancestors are on top."

"Unworthy descendant Li Xun..."

He looked up at the tablets of gods in the Taimiao, and a force seemed to surge in his body, making all the fatigue disappear, and his voice unconsciously became louder.

"Sacrifice to the spirits of our ancestors in heaven."

"It was difficult for our ancestors to start their business, and it is not easy to pass it down from generation to generation."

"I was given the throne when I was ten years old, and I have been carrying on the legacy of my ancestors. I have been trembling with fear for more than thirty years. For the past thirty years, I have worked day and night without a single day of slacking off."

"Thanks to the blessing of my ancestors and the protection of God, I have been able to have many talented people in my court and to recover our country. People at that time praised me and called me the revival of the country."

"Last time, I appointed Crown Prince Li Rong to manage government affairs, but the Crown Prince has been immoral and has harmed the country. I have thought about it again and again, and for the sake of our ancestors, I cannot tolerate this."

“Today, I offer sacrifices to the spirits of our ancestors in heaven…”

"Depose Crown Prince Li Rong and appoint fourth son Li Jian as Crown Prince. I hope that the ancestors will grant your approval."

At this point, His Majesty the Emperor was already somewhat excited.

He knelt down and kowtowed three times with great respect. When he was helped up by the eunuchs, his face was flushed.

But after standing up, I couldn't even stand steadily.

After the new Crown Prince Li Jian kowtowed to the Emperor to express his gratitude, all the civil and military officials also knelt and kowtowed.

"My ministers, please pay homage to your Majesty. Long live your Majesty. Long live your Majesty."

"Greetings to His Royal Highness, may His Royal Highness live a thousand years..."

After a thunderous cheer, Emperor Hong De showed a gratified smile on his face. He glanced at Shen Yi with a look of joy in his eyes.

Shen Yi understood the meaning of his words.

See, I didn't screw up.

Mr. Shen took a deep breath and relaxed a lot.

His Majesty the Emperor glanced at his ministers and was about to say something, but suddenly he felt a black screen in front of his eyes, raised his head and fell backwards.

Mr. Shen had already noticed something was wrong. He was closest to the emperor, so he stood up almost immediately, took a step forward, and supported the fallen emperor.

Seeing that the Taimiao was about to become chaotic, Shen Yi turned his head to look at everyone and shouted in a low voice: "Everyone, be quiet!"

Lord Shen's majesty was second only to the emperor. Even the prince was frightened and dared not speak.

Shen Yi looked up at Shen Heng and said in a hoarse voice: "Zi Chang, announce the end of the ceremony."

Shen Heng swallowed his saliva, walked forward, threw the sacrificial text into the brazier and burned it, then sang loudly.

"The ceremony is completed——"

Shen Yi looked at Crown Prince Li Jian, who then understood and hurried forward to support his father.

Shen Yi lowered his voice.

"Your Highness, please close the gate of the Imperial Ancestral Temple."

At this moment, those standing in the Taimiao were all important officials of the court, while most of the officials were actually outside the main hall.

The Crown Prince then stood up and tried to keep his voice calm: "Close the door!"

As the gate of the Imperial Ancestral Temple closed, Shen Yi looked at Song Yuan and the others again, took a deep breath, and said, "Prime Minister Song, there are several imperial edicts today, and the Secretariat has stamped them, which means you have all read them. Now I want to read them out. Is there any problem?"

Song Yuan was also supporting the emperor at this moment. Hearing this, he quickly shook his head and said, "No problem. Please ask Eunuch Xiao and the others to read it out."

Only then did Xiao Huai take the imperial edict, walk out of the Taimiao and read it to all the officials.

The content of the imperial edict was very simple. It was the document that formally conferred the title of Crown Prince, and the document that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would get married on the twenty-first day of the twelfth lunar month.

When the eunuchs read the imperial edict, Master Shen's voice was already trembling slightly: "Go call the imperial physician!"

No one knew who he was growling at, but everyone present, including the Crown Prince, was startled. In the end, Shen Heng lifted up his robe, strode out, and called in the imperial physician.

Among the imperial physicians, there were two who specialized in treating the emperor, called Fengyu. The two Fengyu ran over in a panic, and after taking the emperor's pulse, their expressions changed drastically. The two old men looked at each other. One of the imperial physicians gritted his teeth, took out a small porcelain bottle from his arms, poured out a pill, fed it to the emperor, and then took out a silver needle and gave the emperor more than ten injections. Only then did the emperor's breathing stabilize a little.

The two guards looked at each other and said, "My Lords, His Majesty needs to go to a quiet place to recuperate immediately. Can he wake up..."

"It depends on God's will."

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince pulled the arm of one of the guards, his face full of shock: "You said my father..."

The imperial physician knelt on the ground and bowed his head and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty is almost at the end of his life."

"Even if I wake up, I might...maybe..."

"Not much time left."

Upon hearing this, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince suddenly became a little panicked.

Firstly, he was naturally sad that his own father suddenly became like this, and secondly, he was a little panicked because of his sadness.

He raised his head and looked at Shen Yi for help.

No matter what he really thought in his heart, if the emperor suddenly passed away at this time, then he, the crown prince, might not be able to sit firmly on the throne.

After all, many things have not been done yet, such as his marriage to the Queen, and how to deal with the old Crown Prince...

These things are very troublesome.

Master Shen said silently: "Your Highness, immediately and secretly bring His Majesty back to Deqing Palace."

"Please take good care of His Majesty. I and the prime ministers will handle the aftermath."

The prince wiped his tears, bowed to Shen Yi, and then bowed to the prime ministers: "Uncle, gentlemen, the affairs of the court are entrusted to you."

After that, he, along with several imperial doctors and eunuchs, escorted the Emperor back to Deqing Palace through the back door.

The chief eunuch Gao Ming, the chief eunuch Xiao Huai, Lu Sheng and others also accompanied him along the way to protect His Majesty the Emperor.

Gao Ming, in particular, stayed by the emperor's side all the time.

Mr. Shen stood there, his hands tucked into his sleeves. He looked at Song Yuan and said, "Prime Minister Song, this matter... it's fine to tell the people in the Imperial Ancestral Hall, but don't tell anyone outside the hall."

"As for those who just witnessed this incident, I hope everyone can keep their mouths shut."

"This is the most critical moment."

Mr. Shen said in a low voice: "The court cannot be in turmoil."

Several prime ministers looked at each other, and Song Yuan lowered his head and said, "Of course, we will follow the Marquis's method."

He glanced at his four colleagues and said, "Gentlemen, each of you should take care of your own students and old officials."

"Everything is based on the stability of the court."

Prime Minister Zhou Yuanlang, who had just returned from the Tatar tribe, also frowned. He looked at Shen Yi, lowered his head slightly and said, "My Lord, should we dispatch the imperial guards into the city?"

When these words came out, everyone was stunned.

Shen Yi frowned and said, "I can't mobilize the imperial guards."

Zhou Yuanlang looked at Song Yuan and bowed his head and said, "Prime Minister Song, the Secretariat can draft the imperial edict on your behalf..."

"Then report to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for his decision."

Song Yuan looked back at Zhang Jian and asked, "What does Prime Minister Zhang think?"

Zhang Jian sighed softly: "This is of course the safest way to do it, but at this moment..."

"Has it really come to this?"

Everyone's eyes turned to Shen Yi at the same time.

Obviously, at this time he, the "second emperor", was needed to take charge and make the final decision.

Mr. Shen frowned slightly and said, "Mobilizing the imperial guards into the city at this time will actually increase instability. I mean, let's wait and see."

The old prince has been in charge of government for so long, no one would believe him if he said he had no contact with the imperial guards.

Therefore, at this time, no matter what you do, you must be cautious.

Mr. Shen glanced at everyone.

"Don't worry, everyone."

He spoke in a deep voice.

"The capital city will not be in chaos."

(End of this chapter)