Chapter 1255: Angered into Becoming the Late Emperor

Everyone going off to become Indians together — what a wonderful ideal that is!

These grandees of the Shun dynasty, who had at some unknown point lost their goal to strive for, had now finally found an ideal that could unite them and let them advance together.

If Li Zicheng had a spirit in heaven and could see this scene, how happy he would be!

Old Li up in heaven is happy, and Li Jicheng down on earth is happy too!

He had now returned home in glory, and had moreover become the center of everyone's attention. One look at how Old Master Liu's wrinkled face was creased with smiles told you how popular he was. It seemed Li Jicheng's position as heir apparent was secure.

No, just being heir apparent wouldn't do — the title of "Army Supervisor" had to be added on.

These days, an heir apparent who didn't supervise the army just didn't look the part!

Surrounded by the crowd, Li Jicheng walked up the steps leading to Wuhua Palace.

The layout of the Shun's southern capital Kunming was a bit peculiar. Not only did it lack the "chessboard layout" most common to Shun dynasty cities, but the palace city had also been built outside the city on Mount Wuhua. However, Mount Wuhua was not far from Kunming city — it was almost right against the city's north side. Between Wuhua Palace and the Victory Gate at the north of Kunming city, a walled passage had also been built. And on Mount Wuhua, layer upon layer of walls had been constructed, turning Wuhua Palace into a mountain fortress with a certain defensive capability.

Li Guo's imperial palace, Li Laiheng's Eastern Palace, and Li Jicheng's Heir-Apparent Residence were all on Mount Wuhua. After going up the mountain, Li Jicheng first went to his own Heir-Apparent Residence, which was actually just a small courtyard next to the Eastern Palace. Because Wuhua Palace had been designed with defense in mind, it did not occupy much land, and after the imperial palace, the Eastern Palace, and the Feathered Forest Army camp had taken up most of the area, the space available for building the Heir-Apparent Residence was extremely limited.

However, Li Jicheng had his own estate on the south side of Kunming Lake, and had also bought a residence within Kunming city, so his whole large family had places to stay and did not need to crowd in with him at the Heir-Apparent Residence.

After settling Aishwarya and the attendants who had come up the mountain with him at the Heir-Apparent Residence, he then went with the high officials and dignitaries who had greeted him outside Wuhua Palace to Wuhua Palace itself.

By this time he had already learned from the steward eunuch at the Heir-Apparent Residence that his grandfather was nearing his end, so he could not chat and laugh with others — he had to put on a sorrowful look. He was a filial grandson, after all. With his imperial grandfather about to pass away, how could he not be grieved and heartbroken?

The Shun was not like the Zhu Ming. Here in the Shun, fathers were truly kind and sons truly filial.

In particular, Li Jicheng's grandfather Li Guo was the foremost filial son of all time! From childhood, Li Guo had been filial to his father Li Zicheng. He had even fed his father Li Zicheng with his own hands, taken him out to play, helped Li Zicheng's father watch over Li Zicheng so he wouldn't get lost, and taught Li Zicheng to speak. What a filial son!

That so-called "Twenty-Five Filial Sons" business of Zhu Cilang's simply couldn't compare!

When the Chongzhen Retired Emperor was a child, Zhu Cilang hadn't even been born yet, so it was simply impossible for him to have been filial to Chongzhen.

Before going to Wuhua Palace to see his grandfather, Li Jicheng changed his clothes — he took out a blue cotton robe that he had deliberately washed until faded and treasured in his Heir-Apparent Residence. This was his court attire, worn only when having an audience with the sovereign.

Li Guo was a rather nagging grandfather, and also especially stingy, unable to bear seeing his grandson eat well or dress well. If Li Jicheng were to go to the audience in bright silk and satin clothes, with a Hu beauty covered in gold jewelry at his side, he would certainly be cursed to a bloody pulp by the old man, and might even be dragged out and beaten. So he had to dress plainly.

Having put on his cloth clothes, Li Jicheng switched to a grief-stricken expression and, leading a crowd of Shun grandees who wanted to become Indians, entered the imperial palace.

The interior of the imperial palace was not luxurious. It could not compare at all with Zhu Cilang's Old Mountain Palace or East Lake Palace — it was just a somewhat spacious landlord's compound. The place where Li Guo lived was called the Hall of Hanging Robes — meaning to govern with folded hands, that is, that he, the emperor, did not have much power.

He had just entered the courtyard of the Hall of Hanging Robes when Li Jicheng heard someone sobbing!

What was going on? Had Grandfather passed away? Li Jicheng thought to himself: that crying voice has gone hoarse! Father is truly heartbroken!

At that thought he looked left and right and found that the ministers who had just been cheerful had all switched to sorrowful, grieving expressions.

Seeing everyone so sorrowful, Li Jicheng felt he ought to be even more sorrowful, and wailed: "Grandfather, your grandson has returned..." His body swayed, as if he were about to faint.

Liu Zongmin beside him reacted quickly and hurriedly supported him. "Heir Apparent, restrain your grief and accept what must be!"

"Heir Apparent, restrain your grief!"

"Heir Apparent, your health is what matters."

The others also began to speak up one after another to comfort Li Jicheng, and several elderly princes and marquises stepped forward to support him. Then, weeping and wailing together, they surged into the Hall of Hanging Robes. There were eunuchs guarding outside the Hall of Hanging Robes, but when those eunuchs saw a crowd of princes, marquises, generals, and ministers surging in with the Heir Apparent, all weeping and wailing, they were completely dumbfounded.

What had happened? Had someone died, or had the Zhu Ming's bandit troops attacked?

Their moment of stunned hesitation meant they did not stop them, and let Li Jicheng and the others enter the great hall.

Though it was called a great hall, it was actually not very large. Because the imperial physicians feared Li Guo would catch a chill, the windows had been shut, so the hall was somewhat stuffy, and the smell of Chinese medicine floated in the air.

The one crying inside the hall was not the filial son Li Laiheng, but the mortally ill Li Guo. Li Laiheng, somewhat at a loss because of his own father, suddenly heard footsteps. He turned to look and found a large crowd surging in around his son Li Jicheng, whom he had not seen for a long time — and Li Jicheng was being supported by people!

What was going on? Li Jicheng was built like an ox — did he need people to support him? And one of the people supporting him was Liu Zongmin...

At that moment Li Jicheng also saw his father Li Laiheng and his grandfather Li Guo, who was sitting on the bed shedding tears — if he could sit up, that meant he had not passed away!

He quickly pulled his arms back from the hands of those supporting him. Most of the others also realized that Li Guo was still alive, except for Liu Zongmin, Prince of Han, who was a bit muddled and had not grasped the situation, and began to wail loudly.

"Your Majesty! How could you have passed away? The hard days had only just ended, and your grandson had just returned from the land of India with mountains of gold, mountains of silver, famous horses, and Hu beauties to honor you — how could you have died! How could you be gone! You hadn't even enjoyed enough good fortune!"

"Liu Zongmin! What nonsense are you spouting?" Li Guo roared.

Liu Zongmin still had not grasped the situation, and actually said: "Aiya, isn't that His Majesty's voice? Could it be a corpse come back to life? What do we do?"

"Liu Zongmin, I'm not dead yet!" Li Guo was about to die of rage!

It was not, in fact, the muddled old Liu Zongmin who was angering him, but rather that Li Jicheng who had been "carried" in like the moon surrounded by stars.

Although Li Jicheng was putting on an innocent and pure look at the moment, Li Guo, through his blurred vision, saw him being surrounded and supported by the crowd, and knew that everyone had been bewitched by the mountains of gold, mountains of silver, famous horses, and Hu beauties he had brought back.

By now Liu Zongmin also knew he had said the wrong thing, but he still did not shut his mouth, and continued to speak nonsense.

"Your Majesty, it's wonderful that you're still alive. Your grandson has made something of himself. This time he went to India and seized goods worth over ten million taels to honor you, and he also plans to take the younger generation to India again to seize more..."

Li Guo said coldly: "Li Jicheng, is what he says true?"

Li Jicheng had not figured out what Li Guo was thinking, and actually nodded, saying: "Grandfather, the land of India is truly a fine place — weak soldiers and much money, far easier to deal with than the Zhu family. This time we seized no less than ten million taels. Next time we'll aim for twenty million. With money, we won't fear the Zhu family's troops! I've already arranged with the Dutch that once we've seized the money, we'll buy more flintlock muskets from them."

"Shut your mouth! You unfilial grandson!" Li Guo roared, raising one arm and pointing tremblingly at Li Jicheng, a flush of red rising on his sallow face.

He had originally had a bellyful of words to say, but when the words reached his lips, he suddenly could not speak! Not that he did not know what to say, but his mouth would not obey him. Then everything went black before his eyes, and his whole body went limp and collapsed onto the dragon bed.

Li Guo had actually passed away!

Angered to death by his own filial grandson, becoming the Shun's Taizong Emperor.

(End of Chapter)