Chapter 712: My Turn!

Wei Zhonghe and Lu Bing remained kneeling there.

In truth, this was the first clash between the new sovereign and the old order.

For the two of them, the task was simple in principle: hold fast to their loyalty toward the late Emperor and their feelings for Great Yan, and ensure the Dragon Throne changed hands smoothly.

Had this been any other request, any other imperial decree, they would have carried it out without the slightest discount.

But this particular decree forced them to hesitate.

Because obeying it would introduce uncertainty and instability into what had otherwise been an exceptionally smooth imperial succession.

Yet Lu Bing, for all that he ordinarily called himself a minister, was in truth no different from Wei Zhonghe.

Both were household slaves of the Son of Heaven.

That identity meant they could never behave quite like outer-court ministers, rigid and unyielding to the end.

This was not weakness of character.

It simply meant that before imperial power, they did not possess the same moral imperative to die rather than flatter or yield.

Their bottom line... was defined by the Son of Heaven himself.

And once the new sovereign revealed that his will would not bend... their choice became singular.

"This minister obeys the decree."

"This slave obeys the decree."

Ji Chengjue nodded in satisfaction and rose.

"Continue dressing Us."

...

Zheng Fan wandered through the imperial garden for a while.

Then he saw the imperial carriage emerge from the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Ji Chengjue sat inside, dressed in a black dragon robe.

The sight made Zheng Fan's mind blur for an instant.

It was as though time had suddenly been wound backward five years... to the first time he had met the late Emperor.

To say a son resembled his father did not merely mean in temperament, personality, or methods.

At the most immediate and literal level... it meant father and son looked alike.

Marquis Zheng understood perfectly well that being "buddies" with a creature called an Emperor was no different from walking a tightrope.

But he rather liked the feeling of feeding a lion.

It was thrilling.

And he also understood that Ji Chengjue probably enjoyed that same thrill.

Everyone knew the saying about taking history as a mirror.

Yet everyone also believed they themselves would be the special exception.

That was a form of self-satisfaction.

And in this case... it also improved their quality of life.

After all, neither of them had worried about food or drink for a very long time.

The imperial carriage stopped.

Ji Chengjue looked at Zheng Fan.

Cleared his throat.

Zheng Fan ignored him.

Ji Chengjue sighed and waved for the carriage to be lowered.

He climbed down himself.

"Come on. Eldest Brother is waiting ahead."

"Mm."

Below the great hall, the First Prince stood waiting.

When he saw Ji Chengjue approaching in a dragon robe, a smile first appeared on his face.

Then... he knelt.

"This minister greets Your Majesty! Long live Our Emperor, long live, long live ten thousand ten thousand years!"

They were brothers.

But beginning today... they were sovereign and subject.

When the First Prince saluted, Zheng Fan shifted slightly to one side.

Ji Chengjue walked forward personally and helped his eldest brother rise.

"Eldest Brother, from now on we brothers must continue supporting one another and create a better future for Great Yan."

"Your Majesty may rest assured. For Great Yan and for Your Majesty, this minister would die ten thousand deaths without regret!"

Ji Chengjue patted his elder brother's hand.

The required exchange between brothers came to an end.

Then...

Ji Chengjue walked at the front.

Zheng Fan and the First Prince followed slightly behind on either side.

Wei Zhonghe gave a long cry:

"Silence!"

The Golden Hall, which had been filled with low conversation, instantly fell quiet.

Then...

Ji Chengjue entered with the two Marquises.

Among the hundred officials and hereditary nobles lining both sides, some showed delight.

Some shock.

Some disbelief.

Some simply released a long breath.

At last... the situation had settled.

But what any of them thought at this moment... no longer truly mattered.

Yanjing had already fallen firmly into the hands of the Sixth Master's faction.

Both military and civil power were under control.

Even the Crown Prince stood there quietly and said nothing.

If the Crown Prince himself had already conceded... no matter how dissatisfied the Crown Prince's faction might be, they could no longer stir up any waves.

Besides... within the court itself, the Sixth Master's faction had already surpassed the Crown Prince's.

The Dragon Throne in the Golden Hall was larger and more imposing.

Under Wei Zhonghe's guidance, Ji Chengjue climbed the steps.

He turned before the throne.

Swept his gaze over those below.

Then sat.

The assembled ministers did not react.

This was not because they had already decided to show the new sovereign an attitude.

At this point... they no longer possessed the right to show one.

From the perspective of an ordinary minister, there were two simple reasons.

First, everyone had long grown accustomed to the succession struggle between the Crown Prince and Sixth Master.

Whoever lost, whoever won, whoever ascended... none of it would have been especially strange.

Second... the Northern and Southern Princes were still in Yanjing.

With those two stabilizing pillars present, who could possibly create chaos?

Moreover, before the Departure Bell rang yesterday, the Grand Secretariat had already sent out notice that a court audience would be held today.

The notice had not directly said the Emperor was about to die and a new sovereign would ascend.

But it might as well have written the words openly.

After the Departure Bell rang today... it was difficult not to assume this had all been part of an arrangement made in advance.

If everything had already been arranged... what disorder could still occur?

And who would dare create it?

The waters of Yanjing had remained clear from beginning to end.

Zhao Jiulang stepped out.

"Gentlemen. We will now proclaim the late Emperor's sacred decree."

Every minister and noble straightened.

The Crown Prince walked out holding an imperial edict.

He opened it.

And began to read:

"By Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:

"Crown Prince Chenglang, eldest legitimate son by birth and heir apparent by station, has nevertheless followed crooked paths and kept upright men at a distance. We selected men of honored name and virtue to serve as his tutors and protectors, and chose upright gentlemen to hold offices within the Eastern Palace, still hoping that a middling nature might be elevated and gnarled timber shaped into something useful.

"Yet long afflicted by deep-rooted defects, he has feared deposition, accepted perverse counsel in defiance of Our command, harbored heterodox suspicions toward his brothers, offended the rites, and shocked all who see and hear of it.

"How can such a man guard the sacred vessel, inherit the imperial line, and bear the weight of the ancestral temple?

"We decree Chenglang reduced to commoner status and hereby strip him of the position of Crown Prince.

"Respect this."

The Crown Prince personally finished reading the decree that deposed him.

Then... he handed it to Zhao Jiulang.

Afterward, he removed his cap.

Removed his outer robes.

And at last... dressed entirely in white, he knelt in the Golden Hall.

The ministers of the Crown Prince's faction, who only days ago had been practically "dusting their caps in celebration," went blank.

This... this... they had lost just like that?

The ministers of the Sixth Master's faction, who only days ago had been hanging their heads in defeat, went blank too.

This... this... they had won just like that?

The succession struggle that had raged spectacularly for two full years... ended with almost insulting simplicity.

So simple that even Great Yan's hundred officials were caught unprepared.

But the facts stood before them.

The Crown Prince had not been coerced.

He was right here.

The Chancellor was here.

Eunuch Wei was here.

Everyone who ought to be present was present.

The Jingnan troops inside the palace had been seen by the officials when they entered, yes... but those troops had only arrived later.

Every man in the hall understood that this was not some bloody coup.

Nor was it a scene where troops and blades forced the civil and military officials to submit.

As for the accusations written into the deposition decree... no one especially cared.

They had all risen and fallen within officialdom.

Naturally, they understood that an imperial edict contained the words suitable for the public face of events.

You said them.

You listened.

And that was enough.

The reasons for deposing the Crown Prince amounted to no more than poor learning, failure to show brotherly affection, favoring petty men, and distancing worthies.

Naturally, the decree would not say:

The Crown Prince wanted to rebel.

Or:

The Crown Prince had been beaten so thoroughly by his brother's faction that he could no longer remain in office.

Or:

We simply disliked the Crown Prince and wanted him gone.

Then...

Zhao Jiulang produced another imperial edict.

Everyone already knew what it contained.

Had the main figure not already changed into a dragon robe and sat upon the Dragon Throne?

"The late Emperor's final edict!"

For the previous edict deposing the Crown Prince, the ministers had not knelt.

This time... every minister dropped to his knees.

Marquis Zheng stood on a platform one level beneath the Dragon Throne, opposite the First Prince Ji Wujiang.

Seeing the reaction below, Marquis Zheng could only marvel.

Any official capable of entering the Golden Hall truly possessed astonishing instincts for reading the wind.

Zhao Jiulang opened the edict.

And read:

"By Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:

"Since ancient times, Emperors inheriting Heaven and establishing the supreme order over the realm have first established the principal heir and strengthened the foundation of the state, thereby extending without end the blessings of the ancestral altars.

"We inherited the great succession and have labored day and night in reverence. Looking upward to the shining plans and achievements of Our ancestors, We know the trust placed upon Us is weighty. The continuation of the ancestral sacrifices and the extension of dynastic blessing rest upon choosing the foremost worthy.

"Our Sixth Imperial Son, Ji Chengjue, bears an extraordinary countenance and possesses a pure and excellent natural endowment.

"We solemnly report this to Heaven and Earth, the ancestral temple, and the altars of state, and confer upon Sixth Imperial Son Ji Chengjue the investiture book and seal.

"We establish him as Crown Prince, seat him properly in the Eastern Palace, give weight to the imperial line of ten thousand years, and bind the hearts of all within the Four Seas.

"Respect this."

This was not an edict proclaiming who would become the new Emperor.

It was an edict establishing a new Crown Prince.

First... depose the existing Crown Prince.

Then... establish a new Crown Prince.

On the surface, it looked almost absurdly redundant.

In truth... it contained the late Emperor's deepest protection for his successor.

What Emperor on the verge of death would suddenly depose his Crown Prince and point at some other imperial son to inherit the throne?

Either the palace had been forced.

Or the old Emperor had gone mad.

Write it that way in the histories and, even if nothing suspicious had actually happened, later generations would still smell ghosts in every shadow.

The proper sequence was simple.

Depose the original Crown Prince.

Establish a new Crown Prince.

Then the Emperor dies.

Then the new Crown Prince inherits.

That was correct.

Proper in name.

Bright in procedure.

And clean in the historical record.

Zhao Jiulang finished reading the edict.

Then raised it high.

"The late Emperor has returned to Heaven. According to Great Yan's ancestral institutions, the new sovereign must first be established before the state funeral may be conducted. A country cannot go a single day without a ruler.

"Fortunately, the national foundation stands before us. The sacred vessel may pass from one hand to the next, sun and moon may revolve in proper order, and the state altars may remain secure for ten thousand years.

"Ministers of the realm... follow this Chancellor... and together pay homage to the new sovereign."

With that...

Zhao Jiulang knelt toward Ji Chengjue on the Dragon Throne.

Below him, the hundred officials cried out together:

"This subject greets Your Majesty! Long live Our Emperor, long live, long live ten thousand ten thousand years!"

"This subject greets Your Majesty! Long live Our Emperor, long live, long live ten thousand ten thousand years!"

Even Marquis Zheng and First Prince Ji Wujiang, standing on the platform beneath the throne, knelt and cried ten thousand years.

Marquis Zheng lifted his head slightly.

Then... to his surprise... he discovered that Great Yan's new Son of Heaven, who was currently receiving the worship of the entire court... had deliberately lowered his gaze.

And was staring at him.

As though seeing Zheng Fan kneel brought him more pleasure than the obeisance of all the ministers combined.

Fine.

Today... he would indulge the bastard.

After this day, regardless of whether the new sovereign granted him some privilege exempting him from kneeling before the throne, Zheng Fan had no intention of kneeling again.

Kneeling a little when he was young had been nothing.

Now he was getting older.

His waist was bad.

He could no longer afford all that kneeling.

The court finished its homage.

Ji Chengjue raised one hand.

"Beloved ministers. Rise."

"We thank Your Majesty for your boundless grace!"

"We thank Your Majesty for your boundless grace!"

Everyone rose.

Ji Chengjue gestured toward Eunuch Wei standing beside him.

Wei Zhonghe stepped forward.

"His Majesty decrees:

"Commoner Ji Chenglang is Our closest flesh-and-blood brother. He has rendered service to the state and shown kindness to the people. Therefore We enfeoff commoner Ji Chenglang as Count Min'an, with a fief of eight hundred households, and appoint him Grand Director of the Court of the Imperial Clan.

"Respect this."

Ji Chenglang, dressed in white and kneeling below, kowtowed.

"This subject thanks Your Majesty for your boundless grace!"

The civil and military officials remained calm.

The hereditary nobles inside the hall, however... all released a collective sigh.

The Crown Prince had been deposed.

Then granted title and honor afterward.

That was expected.

Political struggles still required some dignity once they ended.

But everyone remembered that in earlier reigns, before the old Emperor died, imperial brothers commonly held princely rank.

After a new Emperor ascended, those brothers might petition to surrender their princely titles, but they would generally fall only one grade, from Prince to Duke.

During the reign of the last Emperor, the one who had just died... that had already become Marquis.

And now?

The new sovereign was even harsher.

Directly to Count.

On the surface, this looked like suppression of his own brother.

In truth... it was also a weather vane for the entire imperial clan and hereditary nobility.

Combined with the infamous coldness of this father and son... the imperial relatives understood perfectly well.

The days ahead... were likely going to be very difficult indeed.

At that moment, Zhao Jiulang brought out another edict.

The late Emperor's Edict of Self-Reproach.

In Great Yan tradition, every Emperor's death was followed by such an edict.

Usually, however, it was not truly written from the dead Emperor's heart.

It functioned through the principle that policies died with the man who made them.

It gave the successor a proper and legitimate way to revise mistakes.

After all, barring accident, the successor was the late Emperor's son.

For a son to overturn his father's policies directly damaged filial propriety.

It lacked both proper name and moral standing.

So instead, the late Emperor's own mouth was borrowed.

He condemned himself.

Criticized himself.

Corrected his own errors.

That gave the state a chance to revise and repair itself.

This time, however... the Edict of Self-Reproach had very clearly been written personally by the Emperor of Yan before his death.

Was he sincere?

Probably not.

The Emperor of Yan had been far too proud a man to sincerely lower his head and admit fault.

But to give his successor stronger prestige and greater room to act... he had been willing to gather every curse onto his own name.

"The late Emperor's Edict of Self-Reproach."

The Chancellor opened the decree.

The ministers knelt once again.

When the Son of Heaven issued an Edict of Self-Reproach, how could a subject still have the face to remain standing?

The Son of Heaven did not make mistakes.

Even if the Son of Heaven had erred, that meant the ministers had failed to remonstrate properly.

Everyone shared the guilt.

No one was clean.

Yet just then... the new sovereign seated on the Dragon Throne spoke.

"Chancellor."

Zhao Jiulang stopped.

Turned toward the Dragon Throne.

And bowed.

"Your Majesty."

"There is no need to read the Edict of Self-Reproach."

"Your Majesty, this is one of the late Emperor's final edicts. This subject must obey and proclaim it."

By both emotion and ritual... the late Emperor stood above the new sovereign.

"Us said there is no need to read it."

"Wei Zhonghe."

"This slave is here."

"Bring Imperial Father's Edict of Self-Reproach to Us."

"This slave... obeys."

Wei Zhonghe descended the steps and came before the Chancellor.

Zhao Jiulang did not hesitate.

He handed the edict over.

Wei Zhonghe accepted it.

Then climbed the steps again and presented it to Ji Chengjue.

Ji Chengjue took the decree in one hand.

He rose from the Dragon Throne.

His gaze swept over the ministers still kneeling below.

Then he spoke.

"The late Emperor spent his life first trampling the great aristocratic clans beneath cavalry hooves and opening a road for men of humble birth. Then he pacified and absorbed the lands of the Three Jin, expanding Great Yan's borders. In the campaign against Qian, our blades reached the walls of Shangjing. In the campaign against Chu, Ying Capital was burned in a single stroke. The snowfields submitted. The Barbarians bowed their heads. Great Yan became supreme in every direction.

"He labored with utmost diligence for his entire life and never shamed the name of a sacred and enlightened sovereign.

"If the late Emperor had any crime... then it was only that he accomplished too much... and accomplished it too well.

"This Edict of Self-Reproach was written by the late Emperor for Our sake.

"But as a son, why should We require Our own father to stain his sacred name in order to shelter Us?

"And as a sovereign, why should We bend Our knees in order to purchase the reputation of a benevolent new reign?

"The Son of Heaven of Great Yan... the Emperor of Great Yan... must possess the courage to inherit the past and open the future.

"He must also bear the weight of the realm and the state altars.

"Though the sages say that merits and faults across the ages are for the ages to judge... today... here before every minister of this court...

"We will say it plainly.

"The achievements of the late Emperor shine beside the sun and moon.

"The virtue of the late Emperor towers above the stars.

"If We lack the courage even to acknowledge the achievements of those who came before... how could We possess the spirit to inherit their ambitions?

"This Edict of Self-Reproach...

"We accept it.

"We will keep it within Our sleeping palace and look upon it day and night.

"The late Emperor left the descendants of the Ji Clan and the people of Yan only one command:

"All people of Yan... never forget the unification of all Xia!

"Here and now...

"We call upon every minister before Us to strive together!"

The next instant... the hundred officials bowed low.

Even Zhao Jiulang gave a bitter smile and knelt with them.

"This subject is willing to follow Your Majesty and unify all Xia!"

"This subject is willing to follow Your Majesty and unify all Xia!"

...

Court was dismissed.

But this was only a beginning.

The state funeral that followed, together with the new sovereign's formal enthronement ceremonies, would inevitably become an enormous undertaking.

And the personnel changes that would follow were equally important.

The men of the new sovereign's faction would naturally be rewarded and promoted for their support during the succession struggle.

No one needed to deliberately persecute the former Crown Prince's faction.

Even so... the new sovereign would certainly use this opportunity to rearrange official positions and shape the new order he wanted to see at court.

The Blind Man had once said that once the Emperor of Yan died, no matter who became the new sovereign, imperial authority's practical influence over the outer regional military powers would decline.

That was inevitable.

But here in Yanjing... imperial authority could still borrow the late Emperor's lingering might and maintain an absolute advantage.

After all, even before becoming Emperor, the new sovereign had never been an easy man to deal with.

His ability in civil administration was exceptionally strong.

The ministers left the great hall like a receding tide, each carrying his own thoughts as they headed toward the palace gates.

As Marquis Zheng walked out, he saw Chancellor Zhao Jiulang standing nearby.

When Zheng Fan approached...

Zhao Jiulang gave him a slight nod.

Marquis Zheng smiled.

"Lord Chancellor."

"Marquis Zheng."

Zhao Jiulang smiled as well.

"The late Emperor is gone, but this Chancellor remains full of confidence in Great Yan's future. His Majesty is a dragon among men, and with a heroic talent like Marquis Zheng at his side, Great Yan's realm may truly be called secure as bedrock."

"Lord Chancellor praises me too highly. Serving the sovereign loyally and sharing his burdens is no more than a subject's duty."

"Good. This Chancellor must go to the Imperial Study and discuss several arrangements with His Majesty. In a few days, I would like to invite the Marquis to my residence. I wish to understand more about the situation in Chu."

"At your command. This junior will come whenever summoned."

Zhao Jiulang turned.

And walked toward the other side of the great hall.

Marquis Zheng watched his departing figure.

The smile remained at the corner of his mouth.

"In a few days?

"A few days?

"Will you even see tomorrow's sun?"

Below the great hall, Marquis Zheng spread both arms.

And stretched without the slightest restraint.

Naturally... no one dared impeach him for lacking decorum inside the palace.

As the joints throughout his body cracked softly... the image that surfaced in his mind... was Old Tian's head of white hair.

A realm secure forever.

The state altars stable and eternal.

To me... what the fuck does any of that matter?

You people care.

I sure as hell don't.

Marquis Zheng's gaze instantly sank.

He turned his head.

Looked back at the great hall atop the steps behind him.

"All right.

"Your business... is finished."

He rolled one wrist.

Then tilted his neck from side to side.

And said:

"Now it's my turn."

[End of Chapter 712]