Chapter 1553: The Death of Emperor Jian Shi

Emperor Jian Shi is dead!

He died on a morning in early spring of the eleventh year of the Jian Shi era.

When he died, he couldn't even close his eyes.

The imperial princes and lords knelt before the bed, weeping bitterly, calling out "Father Emperor!"

The Prince of Shun wept the most extravagantly of all, one moment "how Father Emperor was this and that," the next "how this son of yours was this and that!" Opening his mouth again, he said eldest brother would shoulder the heavy burden, letting Father Emperor depart in peace.

Wang De strained to close Emperor Jian Shi's eyes, listened to the Prince of Shun's wailing, and suddenly snapped irritably, "Prince of Shun, don't be in such a hurry to weep. For matters of state, there are my lords and the Prince of Duan to take charge."

The Prince of Shun's crying stopped instantly, his face blank with disbelief. He looked around, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the officials in the Zhengshitang.

"Is Eunuch Wang joking? Third Brother, he…"

"Ahem…"

Xie Changling, as Left Chancellor, was the first to step forward. "Your Majesty has departed. My lords, please contain your grief. His Majesty left behind an edict of succession beforehand. My lords, please receive the decree!"

No time for rage, no time for feelings, no time for anything…

The lords all knelt together on the ground.

Xie Changling produced the sealed succession edict. The moment he read that the Prince of Duan would inherit the great throne, the Prince of Ning and his two brothers all changed color at once.

When Xie Changling reached the words "Respect this," the Prince of Shun was the first to leap out. "I don't believe it! You are clearly forging a decree! How could Father Emperor possibly not choose eldest brother. What right does Wei Wei Laosan have…"

"Watch your tongue!" the Prince of Ning roared at the Prince of Shun. "Shut your mouth! What kind of place is this? Is it your turn to talk nonsense?"

The Prince of Ning's face was ashen, fire blazing in his eyes. Yet the edict had already been issued, the outcome was set, and there was nothing to be done.

Even if he wanted to erupt, he couldn't give others a handle against him.

At this moment, the Prince of Duan, as heir apparent, felt a bit awkward.

He had been ready to receive the imperial decree, but the Prince of Shun had suddenly leapt out to question him, and publicly so, before everyone. Furious at heart, he pressed down his anger and asked Xie Changling, "Lord Xie, this prince wishes to take a look at the succession edict. I trust my other brothers feel the same."

Xie Changling swept his gaze over all the imperial princes without betraying a flicker of emotion, and nodded. "It should be so!"

At this moment, Wang De spoke up: "The decree was written by Minister Xu himself, witnessed by the lords of the Zhengshitang, and stamped by this old servant! This is His Majesty's decision! I hope my lords will work together with one mind and first see to His Majesty's funeral rites!"

The Prince of Duan finished reading the edict, then passed it to the Prince of Ning for his inspection. He then nodded in agreement with Wang De. "Eunuch Wang speaks reason! Right now, Father Emperor's funeral is what matters most! However, regarding the Ministry of Rites, what do my lords have to say?"

Because of the Sacrificial Heaven Earthquake Case, several hundred people in the Ministry of Rites, from top to bottom, were confined within their offices and not allowed to leave until the investigation was concluded.

Yet Emperor Jian Shi's funeral could not proceed without the Ministry of Rites to manage it. So many rules and rites, others couldn't make head or tail of them—only the Ministry of Rites could take charge!

"Keeping the Ministry of Rites under siege is no solution either. I wonder what the lords think?" Xie Changling wanted to take the chance to weigh the Prince of Duan's mettle.

The Prince of Duan was brimming with confidence at this moment. As heir apparent, he had not yet formally ascended the throne, yet he could already feel the allure of power.

In the past, on such weighty matters, it was never his turn to voice an opinion.

"The case must be investigated, and the Ministry of Rites must be used. I trouble my lords to devise a plan that neither delays Father Emperor's funeral and the subsequent grand ceremonies, nor hinders the Three Judicial Offices in their investigation."

He was in a hurry to ascend the throne.

Whether it was the Emperor's funeral, the enthronement ceremony, or the subsequent investitures, none could do without the Ministry of Rites.

The Ministry of Rites appeared critically important at this moment!

Without the Ministry of Rites, if any mistakes occurred in the rules and rites, the lightest consequence would be the new emperor landing himself in an awkward, embarrassing position; the heaviest would damage the empire's dignity, incite certain ambitious schemers to stir, inflict fresh wounds upon the Jiangshan of Great Qian, and leave the empire tottering on the brink of collapse.

"The Prince is wise!"

"His Majesty's funeral must be hurried along, and the Prince's enthronement ceremony cannot be slighted. As the saying goes, a state cannot go a single day without a ruler! In my view, release the people of the Ministry of Rites first. The case can be investigated anytime, but the pressing matters at hand cannot wait."

The Prince of Duan swept his gaze over the assembled ministers; the ministers voiced their stance—release the people of the Ministry of Rites first, put them to use.

The Prince of Duan readily followed good counsel. "Then let it be done as my lords suggest. Let the Ministry of Rites first finish handling the matters at hand. The case can be set aside for now!"

"Your Highness is wise!"

And so the matter was settled!

The other lords watched this scene—how blinding to the eye!

Wei Wei Laosan had nothing but the advantage of being born of the principal wife; he had never won Father Emperor's favor since childhood. Now, with a single transformation, he had become the heir apparent of Great Qian, the next sovereign.

Unconvinced, unreconciled…

Especially the Prince of Ning and his two brothers.

The Prince of Shun showed it most openly.

The other lords still knew to mask their inner feelings, but the Prince of Shun was on the verge of bursting with rage. Had the Prince of Ning not held him back, he would have rushed out to make a scene, ensuring Emperor Jian Shi had no peace even after death. The Prince of Duan could have seized the chance to pin him with the crime of being unfilial and lacking brotherly love, and dealt with him.

That he didn't make a scene left the Prince of Duan rather regretful.

What a fine opportunity.

Yet at the critical moment, the Prince of Shun managed to hold his tongue.

He looked toward the Prince of Ning.

The Prince of Ning wore a meek, accepting expression, yielding to reality, with not a single crack to be seen.

The Prince of Duan stepped forward and said in a low voice: "This prince has learned that Father Emperor left a separate decree for you and your mother."

"What does Your Highness mean?" The Prince of Ning would not give anyone a handle. He had once called him Third Brother; now he switched at once to "Your Highness." Once the other party ascended the throne, he would switch again to "Your Majesty."

"Keep your man in check! I do not wish for rumors of discord among brothers to surface during Father Emperor's mourning."

"Your Highness may rest assured. I will keep the Prince of Shun in check and not let him act rashly."

"That would be best!"

Xie Changling stood to one side, watching coldly the undercurrents flowing between the Prince of Duan and the Prince of Ning.

To him, these were not the main issues at hand.

On the Marquis Pingjiang's side—matters there were far more important than theirs!

If the Marquis Pingjiang's problem was not handled well, once the new emperor ascended the throne, he would become an ant on a hot pan.

The four of them—Noble Consort and her three sons—combined were not worth a single finger of Marquis Pingjiang.

"My lords, please move to the Piandian!"

While the body is still pliable, hurry and place Emperor Jian Shi in his coffin, transfer him to the Hall of Ancestral Worship, and set up the mourning hall!

There are many things to busy themselves with afterward; there's no time, nor any mind, to sort out the princes' conflicts.

Chen Chen Guanlou found Sun Sun Daoning. "I'm taking Old Mu out of the palace. Write me a pass."

One cannot wander about the palace at will.

Sun Sun Daoning slapped his own head. "Right, we should hurry out of the palace. Your Majesty has just passed on, and there are a thousand loose ends. I'll be so busy from here on I won't touch the ground."

He took out a waist-tally and handed it to the other man. "Remember, keep your mouth shut, say nothing about anything. The palace hasn't formally announced Your Majesty's passing yet. Even if you have to pretend, act as if you don't know."

"How long do you plan to delay the announcement?" Chen Chen Guanlou asked curiously.

"Wait a bit first, push it back an hour or two. We'll definitely strike the bell today!"

The bell-striking time has to be pushed back, and they still have to deal with the consorts in the inner palace. There are also several edicts waiting to be read aloud.

They must first stabilize the imperial palace, stabilize Jingcheng, get the troops in position, before formally striking the bell and announcing to the world the death of Emperor Jian Shi!