Chapter 570: You Forced Me Into This!

"His Majesty arrives!" As the eunuch's duck-like voice rang out, the loyal subjects of the Great Ming inside and outside the Hall of Revering Heaven finally breathed a sigh of relief — dawn had broken, everyone's legs were sore from standing, and at last they had waited the Emperor out.

It looked like today's great show wouldn't drag on too long, and everyone could still make it back for supper.

"Long live His Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

When the ministers saw the Chongzhen Emperor striding briskly toward them, they all prostrated themselves with shouts of "Long live!" Then came the Chongzhen Emperor's listless voice: "Rise, rise! Eh, where is the Crown Prince?"

As the Chongzhen Emperor took his seat on the imperial throne, he kept glancing around, but failed to spot the world's foremost filial son, Zhu Cilang.

Today was the auspicious day on which the Chongzhen Emperor would abdicate the throne to Zhu Cilang — how could the man who was about to become emperor be late? That was simply too unprofessional!

While the Chongzhen Emperor was looking around for him, the assembled ministers had already scrambled to their feet and were stealing glances upward. They saw the Chongzhen Emperor in full court robes, seated on the imperial throne, craning his neck this way and that. When he saw the ministers all back in place, he asked in a low voice: "Today We intend to abdicate the throne to the Crown Prince. Why has he not come to court? Where is the Crown Prince?"

Right — where had the Crown Prince gone? Now that it was his turn to become emperor, how could he have vanished without a trace? Could he still be asleep?

Wei Zaode, Chief Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat, immediately stepped out of line and reported with a perfectly straight face: "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Crown Prince heard that you intended to abdicate the throne to him today, and therefore did not dare come to court."

What? Did not dare? The Chongzhen Emperor was stunned too. What did that mean? Now he didn't dare? Back in the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, who was it chasing Us around with a sword?

"This — what is to be done?" The Chongzhen Emperor looked at the assembled loyal subjects of the Great Ming. Most of them were Zhu Cilang's trusted men, though there seemed to be exceptions!

Shi Kefa was here too! You are a loyal subject — hurry up and say something!

Shi Kefa had come to Nanjing with a group of Shandong warlords to congratulate Zhu Cilang on his accession — as a great loyal subject, he understood the Chongzhen Emperor's bitter intentions perfectly!

Reckoning up to the fourth month of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, the Chongzhen Emperor had been emperor for almost exactly seventeen years. What he had made of it, the whole world could see with its own eyes. Had the Crown Prince not stepped forward, the Great Ming dynasty would have ceased to exist. Had it truly come to that, the Chongzhen Emperor would not even have had the chance to be Retired Emperor.

So Shi Kefa fully understood the Chongzhen Emperor's desire to abdicate in favor of a worthier man! An emperor's job he had failed at for seventeen years — now that he had finally found a successor who could do it well, and his own son at that, what reason was there not to yield the throne?

When Shi Kefa caught the Chongzhen Emperor's glance, he understood at once and stepped out to report: "This subject requests that Your Majesty send someone to invite the Crown Prince to the Hall of Revering Heaven to take the throne."

What? You—

The Chongzhen Emperor was so angered by Shi Kefa that for a moment he could not speak. But it did not matter, because even without him speaking, Huang Dabao, the seal-holding eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial at his side, understood his meaning!

"Imperial Father, this slave receives the decree. This slave will go at once to invite His Highness the Thousand Years."

The Chongzhen Emperor was taken aback. Had We issued a decree? It didn't seem so!

While he was still stunned, Huang Dabao had already dashed out of the Hall of Revering Heaven like a gust of wind and headed for the Hall of Literary Splendor. A moment later he was back — just him and two junior eunuchs attending him, no Zhu Cilang.

"Reporting to Imperial Father," Huang Dabao kowtowed to the Chongzhen Emperor and said apologetically, "this slave is incompetent and could not bring His Highness the Thousand Years out. His Highness is a son of utmost filial piety, and therefore refuses to leave the Hall of Literary Splendor. No matter how this slave pleaded, it was of no use."

Huh?

The Chongzhen Emperor was somewhat bewildered. What exactly was this unfilial wretch trying to do?

"Your Majesty," Zhu Yousong, Prince of Fu, stepped out at this moment and memorialized, "perhaps you should allow this subject and Chief Grand Secretary Wei to lead all the civil and military officials to the Hall of Literary Splendor to invite the Crown Prince over."

Wei Zaode added: "Your Majesty, this subject shall go with His Highness the Prince of Fu to invite the Crown Prince."

The Chongzhen Emperor understood now — this was all an act! What was it called, the ritual of yielding?

"Not necessary!" The Chongzhen Emperor had no intention of indulging Zhu Cilang. Being an emperor and still making such a fuss — truly disgraceful!

"We subjects receive the decree!"

The assembled ministers all had their own "scripts," so nothing the Chongzhen Emperor said mattered — everyone simply kept performing according to the script.

Of course, it was all for the Chongzhen Emperor's own good!

The person with the highest "appearance fee" in the hall today was the Chongzhen Emperor himself! One million taels a year, and if that wasn't enough it could be increased, paid out until his death! In addition, there were three luxurious palaces in Yingtian Prefecture, countless rare treasures (all carted out of the homes of the unlucky Nanjing nobility), and a good number of beautiful women. Moreover, no matter how many sons and daughters the Chongzhen Emperor had in the future, Zhu Cilang would grant each of them wealth and rank.

Watching the ministers stream out in a great rush, the Chongzhen Emperor could only sit dumbly on the imperial throne, his heart filled with boundless desolation.

He had been emperor for twenty years — how was it that he had so few loyal ministers?

After an unknown length of time, the loyal ministers returned — still without Zhu Cilang.

"Your Majesty," Wei Zaode said to the Chongzhen Emperor with a troubled expression, "we subjects are incompetent and truly cannot move the Crown Prince. It seems Your Majesty must go in person to invite him!"

What? The Chongzhen Emperor was stunned by the shamelessness of both the ministers and Zhu Cilang — are you people not afraid of leaving a bad name in the history books by playing it this way?

The Chongzhen Emperor clenched his back teeth, very much wanting to say: We will not go!

But he held it in for a long while, and in the end still did not say it — the throne had to be yielded in the end, and now the entire court, civil and military, was full of that unfilial wretch's people. Even Shi Kefa had gone over. Who could the Chongzhen Emperor still count on?

If he wanted to be a happy Retired Emperor, he had to play the part well!

"Very well!" The Chongzhen Emperor drew a deep breath. "We shall go with you all!"

The great crowd filed out of the Hall of Revering Heaven once more, braving the first-month cold wind of Nanjing, and walked to the Hall of Literary Splendor where Zhu Cilang resided. Because there were too many people to fit inside the main hall, most of the officials had to wait in the courtyard. Only the Chongzhen Emperor, the senior ministers of the two offices, and several great eunuchs entered. The moment they stepped through the door, they saw Zhu Cilang dressed for travel, with a pile of bundles laid out on the table before the throne. Huang Xiaobao was directing several junior eunuchs in packing the bundles into two wooden chests — the very picture of someone about to set out on a long journey.

The Chongzhen Emperor had not seen the "script" and did not know what act Zhu Cilang was putting on. But Wei Zaode and the several Grand Secretaries and guard commanders understood at once, and instantly dropped to their knees in a wave. The other officials, seeing this, all knelt as well.

"We subjects beg the Crown Prince to ascend the throne without delay, to settle the hearts of all under heaven, to protect the altars of the Imperial Ming, and to rescue the countless common people of the northern lands and the Central Plains from fire and water. We beg the Crown Prince to ascend the throne without delay!"

Hearing the ministers shouting at the top of their lungs, the Chongzhen Emperor sighed and said to Zhu Cilang: "Dachun, at this point, what are you still refusing for? If you do not shoulder the Great Ming realm, who else can shoulder it in Our place?"

Zhu Cilang's face was already streaming with tears. He dropped to his knees before the Chongzhen Emperor with a thud. "Imperial Father's high hopes — your son does not dare fail them. But your son is of meager talent and shallow virtue, and fears he cannot bear so great a charge. I beg Imperial Father to retract his command!"

Good! Good!

The Chongzhen Emperor very much wanted to grant Zhu Cilang this small request, but the ministers in the Hall of Literary Splendor had already erupted.

"Why does the Crown Prince say such a thing?"

"Though Your Highness is young, your virtue is lofty and all look up to you. The hearts of the people are with you. How can you not ascend the throne?"

"The Crown Prince is the reincarnation of the Great Ancestor, the Exalted Emperor — how can he not be Son of Heaven?"

"For the countless common people under heaven, we beg the Crown Prince to take the imperial throne!"

Hearing these words, the Chongzhen Emperor could only heave a long sigh and look at Zhu Cilang: "Chun, take the throne. The realm is now handed to you. Do not disappoint your father. You must sweep through the Central Plains at the earliest opportunity, recover the old capital, pacify Liaodong, and exterminate the barbarians!"

Zhu Cilang kowtowed to the Chongzhen Emperor: "Your son respectfully receives Imperial Father's sacred decree!"

Done!

The most important procedure of the succession was complete!

From this moment on, Zhu Cilang could be considered the Emperor of the Great Ming!

Zhu Cilang rose to his feet and let his gaze sweep slowly across the hall. The kneeling ministers below, led by Wei Zaode, Zhu Yousong, Wu Xiang, Zheng Zhilong (he naturally had to attend court), Qian Qianyi, and others, immediately hailed the new sovereign of the Great Ming with shouts of "Long live!"

"Long live His Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

Zhu Cilang nodded, and his tone had already deepened: "Since you, my ministers, insist that We take the imperial throne, then you must obey Our commands."

(End of Chapter)