Chapter 482: Strange Happenings in the Great Qian Dynasty

Li Li Liangcheng was so angry his chest ached in waves.

Yu Yu Zhaoan quickly steadied him. "Li Xiang, you must hold on! The court cannot do without you, the realm cannot do without you."

"Li Xiang, you absolutely must hold on."

"You madmen, shut your mouths and stop talking nonsense. His Majesty is about to be coffined. All of you, withdraw at once." Yu Yu Zhaoan put on the bearing of the Right Chancellor and snapped out a rebuke. He ordered the guards to throw Zhao Mingqiao and his whole group out—out of Taiji Palace, out of the Imperial Palace.

With the Emperor's passing, the three great camps continuing to surround the Imperial Palace had lost all meaning. It was time to arrange for the three great camps to withdraw from Jingcheng.

Regarding the subsequent selection of the imperial successor, Yu Yu Zhaoan's brows swept faintly; lowering his gaze in thought, he pondered how exactly this article ought to be written.

Li Li Liangcheng was arranged to go down and rest.

Palace attendants stepped forward to coffin the old Emperor.

The consorts and concubines of the inner palace, hearing the tolling of the bell, hurried over one after another, only to be stopped outside the hall doors. They were told that once dawn came they should go straight to the mourning hall to weep for the deceased, and need not gather at the bedchamber.

The consorts were not convinced.

But then again, none of them belonged to the sort of person whose words truly carried weight.

The old Emperor had been obsessed with cultivating immortality and had not set foot in the inner palace for years. Even when he did enter the inner palace, it was only to take a meal or stroll about; he had long since abstained from the company of women. All matters of the inner palace had always been handled through a few consorts deliberating together, and to this day no one had sorted out who ranked above whom.

Most crucially, every prince and imperial prince seemed to have a chance at the throne. At a moment like this, if a prince's mother consort stepped forward, one careless move could only add obstacles to her son's bid for the great seat.

After years in the inner palace, there were no fools. After a moment's thought, the consorts gave up their squabbling and decided to first follow the ministers' arrangements, hold their forces still, and wait until the situation clarified before making their move—it would not be too late then.

In any case, as things stood, the chances looked equal.

Better to stay still than to move!

When the ministers considered the imperial successor, they would naturally not overlook so important a factor as the maternal relatives.

The maternal clans, the consorts of the inner palace—sometimes they were the decisive factor between victory and defeat.

"Minister Yu has not yet rested?"

"How could I possibly sleep tonight? A thousand tangled threads—I must think them through carefully."

Yu Yu Zhaoan looked at the uninvited Chen Chen Guanfu. "Young Heir Chen, not sleeping at this hour—what for?"

"This humble official has come to find Minister Yu on the matter of the three great camps' withdrawal. On this matter, I am willing to step forward."

"It ought to be you who steps forward." Yu Yu Zhaoan was very straightforward, and at once approved the document. Once dawn came, Chen Chen Guanfu could take the approved official paper and leave the palace.

Chen Chen Guanfu gave a string of assurances, swearing he would see the matter handled properly.

Then he hesitated a moment. "His Majesty's sudden passing caught everyone unprepared. The throne hangs vacant—if the imperial successor is not settled early, I fear Jingcheng will be hard to stabilize."

"Oh! From that tone, Young Heir Chen, surely you already have a proposal?"

"A proposal would be too strong—merely a humble opinion."

"Let's hear it." Yu Yu Zhaoan also wanted to see what Chen Chen Guanfu could come up with.

Chen Chen Guanfu weighed his words. "These past few days, this humble official has been turning it over. Within two years, Jingcheng has been shaken time and again, and behind every shock lies the matter of legitimacy. Once legitimacy breaks, the people's hearts scatter. Once the people's hearts scatter, chaos follows. Now that His Majesty has passed, I believe the court ought to set things right and re-establish legitimacy."

Yu Yu Zhaoan was somewhat surprised. "Is this your father Marquis Pingjiang's meaning, or your own idea?"

Chen Chen Guanfu said softly, "At this moment I speak for Hou Fu."

The implication being that his meaning was Marquis Pingjiang's meaning, and the collective will of the noble houses.

Yu Yu Zhaoan curled a finger and tapped lightly on the table. "Duke Zhang and the others, they feel the same?"

"More or less. Everyone firmly believes we must seize this chance to re-establish legitimacy, restore the realm's confidence, let all under heaven see the court's resolve—the resolve of the new dynasty."

"This…" Yu Yu Zhaoan did not rush to take a stance. "I need time to consider this matter."

"As is only proper." Chen Chen Guanfu, having finished his business, immediately rose and took his leave.

Once the man was gone, Yu Yu Zhaoan muttered to himself, "How very interesting. The noble houses refused to protect Zhongwangdian back then, and now they've turned around and want to step out on his behalf. The way they're playing this hand—are they deliberately trying to stir things up?"

Within and without the court, who could be called by the word 'legitimate'?

Only His Highness Zhongwangdian, the former Crown Prince.

He was the rightful, unimpeachable legitimate heir.

Son of the primary wife and empress, the old Emperor's only legitimate son. From childhood he had received a ruler's education, and was praised by many great Confucian scholars, who lauded his upright character, his kindness, his willingness to accept remonstrance, his solid learning, his concern for those beneath him, his understanding of the common people's suffering. They wished they could heap every laudatory word upon him.

Yet this very Crown Prince, raised by so many great scholars, without having committed any great error, was deposed just like that. Deposing a Crown Prince was simple enough; it was the destruction of legitimacy that was the great matter.

Over this past year, countless people had kept the word 'legitimacy' close to their hearts. Now, seeing the old Emperor pass and legitimacy restored, countless people could no longer contain themselves, itching to make a great move.

……

Chen Chen Guanlou, while resting in the Heaven Prison, suddenly heard the bell tolling from the direction of the Imperial Palace, and sprang upright in bed in one swift motion.

Without a word to his subordinates, he vaulted straight over the rooftops and sprinted toward the Imperial Palace.

The Emperor had passed!

The Emperor was actually dead!

He hid in a corner of the Imperial Palace, watching the palace fully rouse itself, watching Taiji Palace ablaze with light.

The bastard Emperor had died way too suddenly.

Could it be that Pan Pan Niangzi's poisoning had worked.

After observing for a while and seeing nothing specific, he decisively returned to the Heaven Prison.

The Heaven Prison guards had all been startled awake by the bell. Gathering in twos and threes, each face was a complicated mix—they did not know whether to rejoice or grieve.

His Majesty was dead!

The old Emperor, whom the ministers had been cursing for years, had just suddenly passed.

"My lord, what should we do now?" A few shift leaders crowded forward, asking for instructions.

Chen Chen Guanlou deliberated a moment. "Until the three great camps formally withdraw from Jingcheng, everything continues as before. His Majesty has passed, and soon a new Emperor will ascend. No matter who becomes Emperor, the first thing will be to investigate the altar explosion case—there must be an answer given to all under heaven. Be prepared; the Heaven Prison is about to face a great wave."

"His Majesty never named an heir, did he."

"The Crown Prince was already deposed—what heir could there be?"

"Then who becomes Emperor?"

"Who becomes Emperor is still uncertain—they definitely won't settle it in a day or two. Whether the Three Great Camps will withdraw from Jingcheng is anyone's guess."

The jailers buzzed with discussion, beginning to speculate which Imperial Prince or lord might have a chance to seize the throne and inherit the great treasure.

When Xiao Jin asked Chen Chen Guanlou who would become Emperor, Chen Chen Guanlou casually said, "It's possible that His Highness Zhongwangdian could turn things around this time and become Emperor."

"How could Zhongwang possibly? He's already been deposed."

"Only deposed for a year—plenty of people in court still support him. If today Zhongwang had already been deposed for eight or ten years, I could say for certain the throne has nothing to do with him. Just one year—countless people are still immersed in the grief of his deposition. Actually, this is the best time to fight for it. The timing and the people are both there; only the favorable terrain is missing. Those Eastern Palace officials, plus the court ministers, will naturally step in to fill that missing piece for him."

"Can it really be played this way? I've never heard of a deposed Crown Prince making a comeback."

"Ha ha, every dynasty has its own strange tales. The Daqian Dynasty creating a few oddities is hardly surprising, wouldn't you say."