Chapter 137: Hearts and Minds in Turmoil

The news of Emperor Tianyuan's death spread, the entire capital was shaken, and all officials rushed to the palace.

A total of two problems were placed in front of the group of officials: the funeral and supporting the new Emperor to succeed.

"The country cannot be without a ruler for a day; I urge Your Highness to succeed to the throne early!"

Zuo Guang'en took the lead and said.

After this beginning, the group of officials followed suit to persuade.

Emperor Tianyuan left a will to support the Prince of Fu to the top, without any political risk.

The merit of supporting the top delivered to the door, don't take it for nothing.

Countless officials had already greeted Zuo Guang'en's whole family in their hearts.

You have become a supporting minister, and you still run to grab the merit of supporting the top; the way of eating is too ugly.

Unable to care about the thoughts of outsiders, Zuo Guang'en now has bitterness that he cannot tell.

Becoming one of the eight Guiding Ministers, in the eyes of the outside world, he is still high and powerful.

But Emperor Tianyuan didn't give a ranking to the eight Guiding Ministers, and theoretically, everyone's power is the same.

For Zuo Guang'en, who controls the inner court, it is undoubtedly a major blow.

Relying on him alone, the inner court wants to be on par with the outer court, almost without any possibility.

In the division of duties, Emperor Tianyuan also gave a boundary: internal affairs listen to the Cabinet, and military affairs listen to the Left and Right Governors.

The arrangement for him, the eunuch leader, is—the knife in the hands of the new Emperor.

Whether the Prince of Fu listened to Emperor Tianyuan's entrustment, he doesn't know.

The only thing that can be determined is that the Prince of Fu's trust in him cannot catch up with Emperor Tianyuan.

A knife that has lost the Emperor's trust, he, this Guiding Minister, is much emptier than the other seven.

In this background, wanting to keep his power, he must strive for the new Emperor's support.

Facing the persuasion of the group of officials, the Prince of Fu's response was a burst of howling crying.

His brother just passed away; at this time, he must perform well in front of the group of officials.

As long as there is a trace of impatience to get to the top, it may trigger an unpredictable political storm.

The first round of persuasion failed, and the group of officials didn't feel surprised.

Three resignations and three concessions, this is the old tradition of the Great Dayu Dynasty.

After pausing for a while, changing a reason, the second round of persuasion started again.

Tossing until dawn, the Prince of Fu, who finished the process, completed the succession in front of Emperor Tianyuan's spirit.

The process was indeed a bit hasty, but there is no way; this is the brother-to-brother succession that must be fast.

If it drags on for a few days according to convention, after the news spreads, who knows what reaction the vassals in various places will have.

In case a certain silly vassal seizes the opportunity to claim the Emperor, then the fun will be big.

Similar things, it's not that they haven't appeared in history.

Once involved in the orthodox dispute, there will be no winner.

Pushing the new ruler up early and cutting off the thoughts of vassals in various places is the best choice.

As for the enthronement ceremony, such a festive day, it must wait until the mourning period ends.

Confucianism advocates governing the world with filial piety, and the Emperor must set an example.

Emperor Tianyuan has no sons; Ji Ji Zhao Shun immediately expressed mourning for three years, which immediately won the praise of the group of officials.

The Emperor mourns by days instead of months; the so-called mourning for three years is actually only 27 days.

"Your Majesty, it's time for a meal!"

Su Haoyu stepped forward to remind.

The Emperor died, and there are a lot of things to deal with.

As the new ruler, Ji Ji Zhao Shun is not idle for a moment.

Although there are eight Guiding Ministers to assist, in the issue of the funeral, several people tacitly threw the decision-making power over.

The people below can't figure out the Emperor's temper, and everything, big or small, is reported to ask for instructions.

Ji Ji Zhao Shun, who had just grasped great power, enjoyed this feeling very much, and the speed of approving the memorials was very fast.

But the more this is the case, the higher the frequency of asking for instructions below, making him, this Emperor, busier than the people doing the work below.

"Put it there; wait until I finish approving the memorials before eating!"

Ji Ji Zhao Shun waved his hand and said.

Determined to be a diligent and good Emperor, he cannot degenerate so quickly.

After opening a memorial, Ji Ji Zhao Shun frowned.

After the Emperor passed away, it is necessary to summarize and evaluate his behavior during his lifetime.

According to convention, the posthumous title and temple name of the late Emperor need to be determined after the court discussion.

"Su Haoyu, what do you think is appropriate for the late Emperor's posthumous title and temple name?"

Hearing the question, Su Haoyu was startled.

He was very speechless in his heart; he was just a eunuch, and discussing this topic was really inappropriate.

But the Emperor asked, and he couldn't not answer.

"Your Majesty, the slave is shallow in knowledge and doesn't know how to choose."

"The late Emperor was wise all his life; I think the group of officials will give an objective evaluation."

Su Haoyu reminded tactfully.

Knowing that his master was dissatisfied with some of the late Emperor's behaviors.

But now is not the time to express dissatisfaction; Ji Ji Zhao Shun's throne was designated by Emperor Tianyuan.

Just for this point, Emperor Tianyuan must be a beautiful posthumous title, and the temple name cannot be bad.

Even if he turned against the group of officials, he must strive for it with all his strength.

"The Cabinet's opinion is that the posthumous title should be chosen from Jing or Yi, and the temple name should be chosen from Xianzong, Xuanzong, or Jingzong."

"The opinions of the Left and Right Governors are that the posthumous title should be chosen from Xuan or Xiang, and the temple name should be directly Shengzong."

"The opinion of the Ceremonial

Everyone's opinions are not unified, and it is difficult for me to choose!"

Ji Ji Zhao Shun shook his head and said.

It is truly not that he wants to make trouble; even if he is unhappy with his brother's behavior before his death, he would not make an issue of his brother's funeral affairs.

The civil and military officials all see how the Tianyuan Emperor treated him.

How could one do ungrateful things while the late Emperor's bones are not yet cold.

The problem now is that he cannot make the decision.

Selecting the posthumous title and temple name is easy, but whether it can pass in the court is an unknown.

Frankly speaking, the eight regents did not give the Tianyuan Emperor a low evaluation.

The posthumous titles all used beautiful posthumous titles, and the temple name used was also upper-middle.

Among them, the Directorate of Ceremonial performed the most prominently; the posthumous title went directly to the height of a civil and military emperor, and the temple name also highlighted a virtuous master.

This kind of crazy flattery and final conclusion, I guess the Tianyuan Emperor himself would not dare to admit it.

If it were truly given, it would become a joke.

If, according to the plan, the external troubles around were swept away, that would be about right.

The nobles' opinion leans toward the restorer of the dynasty.

Although the Tianyuan restoration was not thorough, compared to the performance of the previous few emperors, it is still worth praising.

It is slightly lacking in meaning, but if the new emperor intends to promote it, the hundred officials guess they would just admit it.

It is very clear that Ji Ji Zhao Shun is not willing to do so.

His brother is the restorer of the dynasty; what will he do in the future?

One cannot have one restorer of the dynasty followed by another.

Entering the middle-to-late stage of a dynasty, the highest historical evaluation is the restorer of the dynasty.

In Ji Ji Zhao Shun's view, his own brother is most appropriately called Su Zong, wanting to restore the Great Yu but failing.

He himself takes over the great cause of restoration, which is a proper historical beautiful story.

What is awkward is that not a single minister understood his meaning, or rather, they deliberately didn't buy it.

Even the temple name given by the civil officials has both merits and demerits, but overall, the merits outweigh the demerits.

It clearly means that the Emperor was able to reach this point, and everyone is satisfied and dare not hope for more.

"Your Majesty, since you can't make up your mind, then just choose the best one.

Leave the rest to the hundred officials to discuss; no matter what the final result is, everyone won't be able to pick faults."

Su Haoyu proposed following the trend.

Giving a reliable choice is difficult for him, but he is a professional at muddying the waters.

Not choosing the right one, only choosing the good one, is brotherly affection.

Brotherly friendship and respect conform to the mainstream of the era and will certainly not go wrong.

Nanjing City.

Receiving the news of the Emperor's passing, Li Mu was stunned.

The Tianyuan Emperor clearly did not die at a good time; the Liaodong battle is at a critical moment.

The death of an emperor at such a time will be a major blow to the morale of the front line.

The worst thing is the human heart!

Everyone's focus has shifted to the change of imperial power, and the Liaodong war has suddenly been relegated to a secondary status.

In this era of rule by man, attention means resource input.

Previously, the Emperor and court ministers were staring at the front line, and the officials responsible for logistics had to work harder, even if there was embezzlement, it would be much less.

Once the gaze above shifts, don't expect the people below to work hard.

In this kind of replacement of old and new, everyone first thinks of their official career, and secondly their own "money path."

The war on the front line is tense; what does it have to do with the civil officials in the rear?

"Husband, it's time to eat.

No matter what happened, you must take care of your health."

Jing Yaqing advised.

Since receiving the letter from the capital, Li Mu has been sitting blankly for an hour.

"Hmm!

Pass down the order to prepare mourning clothes.

From today on, all banquet activities in the mansion are stopped."

For a normal change of imperial power, the court will announce the mourning to the outside world as soon as possible.

Official documents will be at most a day or two late; preparing in advance is definitely not wrong.

If, when the news arrives, one is holding a grand banquet, that would be a political accident.

As he spoke, Li Mu handed the letter to his wife.

"The Emperor has passed away, Prince Fu has ascended the throne, and eight regents have been appointed..."

The political sensitivity of noble children will not be low.

In an instant, Jing Yaqing realized something was wrong.

The family produced two of the eight regents; no matter how you look at it, the family is a big winner in this political reshuffle.

Moreover, her husband has a past with the new emperor, and there are gifts exchanged during festivals.

But Li Mu's performance had absolutely no joy of a winner.

"Husband, is there a problem behind this?"

Jing Yaqing asked cautiously.

"No!

I am just worried about the war on the front line.

With this kind of change, the court will be in chaos for a while, which is very likely to affect the front line."

Li Mu shook his head immediately.

The truth cannot be told.

In the eyes of the outside world, Prince Fu's performance is still quite good.

Just based on previous contact, suspecting that he cannot be a good emperor is too far-fetched.

Frankly speaking, these rewards are not high, and can even be said to be shabby.

"Teacher, our opportunity has come!"

Seeing his student's excited performance, Yin Zhiming's complexion changed, and he scolded unpleasantly.

"Zhongyang, how many times have I told you.

Be steady when encountering things!

Even if..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yin Zhiming was stunned by the content of the official document.

The Tianyuan Emperor has passed away, and Prince Fu has ascended the throne.

The great change in the court that he had been waiting for so long had finally come.

A new emperor, a new set of ministers; the new emperor's ascension will definitely promote new people.

As the Emperor's teacher, his return to the court is only a matter of time.

The only thing that gives him a headache is that the Tianyuan Emperor appointed eight regents before he died.

With these stumbling blocks, even if he returns to the court, there is no position for him above.

Fortunately, the new emperor is no longer young, and these regents cannot hold great power for a long time.

At worst, wait a year or two, and after the emperor takes personal control, come out to seize power again.

"Quick, send someone to invite Mr. Zuo to the mansion for a talk!"

Yin Zhiming said with an excited expression.

Such a major event is not something he can complete alone.

After leaving the court for so many years, how many of those former students and subordinates still buy it is completely an unknown.

At such a time, he must pull in his ally Zuo Hongjiang to plan together.

(End of chapter)