The Red Mansions

Chapter 1534 Queen Song: Perhaps, wear mourning clothes

Chapter 1534 Queen Song: Perhaps, wear mourning clothes...

Hanyuan Hall, Side Hall

Jia Heng and other ministers sat on the pear wood chairs in the hall to discuss the post-assassination arrangements for the new emperor. After the new emperor was put into the coffin, everyone gathered in a side hall and began to eat.

Since hearing the sad news of the new emperor's death, several cabinet ministers present had not eaten and were now hungry.

Outside the palace, the originally drizzling early summer rain gradually became heavier, with drops of rain as big as soybeans falling on the blue bricks and black tiles of the palace. The rain trickled down, and the raindrops hanging from the eaves were like curtains.

The palace guards outside the hall had mourning cloth wrapped around their foreheads and arms.

At this moment, in Hanyuan Hall, the atmosphere in the warm room of the side hall was a little depressing, and it was clearly suppressed to the extreme at this moment.

No one spoke, just waited for dawn.

Because the new emperor had just passed away, everyone was staying in the palace temporarily to stabilize the situation.

Li Zan picked up the teacup, took a sip, raised his gray-haired head, and looked quietly at the prosperous wind and rain outside the courtyard with his old eyes. The sadness in his heart became more intense at this moment.

The Han Dynasty today, after the deaths of two consecutive emperors, has lost the dignity of the royal family and weakened the imperial power. If things go wrong, powerful ministers will come to power and power will fall into the hands of others.

As an important minister entrusted by the late emperor, what should he do?

On the other hand, the Jinyi Tiqi and the palace guards were dispatched everywhere, searching for the traitors and criminals throughout the city of Shenjing, and a storm was about to come.

At this moment, the eunuchs reported that the new emperor had been put into the coffin, and the cabinet ministers went to the Hanyuan Hall to mourn and keep vigil.

Jia Heng had a blank expression on his face. He stared at the ashen faces and said, "Lord Li, let's go."

Having said that, he stood up, walked out of the door, held up a bamboo umbrella, and went down to the Hanyuan Hall.

There will still be struggles between him and the civil service group represented by the cabinet. If he wants to be conferred the title of prince, be given the nine gifts... or even assist in the administration and completely suppress the cabinet, he still has a long way to go.

However, for his merit in supporting the throne for two consecutive dynasties, he can be conferred the title of prince, which can be carried out after Zhen Qing's son succeeds to the throne.

When Jia Heng arrived in front of Hanyuan Hall, he saw lights on and people bustling about.

As the spring breeze, carrying wind and rain, blew into the empty and gloomy palace, the yellow curtains swayed continuously, and cries were heard all around. At this moment, the atmosphere of sadness filled the entire palace.

Jia Heng and several cabinet ministers hurried into the hall, came to the coffin, and mourned for the new emperor.

Zhen Qing was dressed in heavy white mourning at the moment, kneeling on an apricot-yellow cushion in front of the coffin, holding a silk scarf in her hand, and crying over the new emperor's coffin.

As for Zhen Qing's son Chen Jie, he was too young to withstand the shock of such a sad atmosphere. Otherwise, he would be frightened and become sick and die, so he was not brought over by the nanny.

Tears rolled down Zhen Qing's snow-white face. At this moment, the beautiful woman, dressed in pretty mourning clothes and with a graceful figure, knelt in front of the coffin, wailing bitterly.

The concubines around him... well, the new emperor only had the empress, but the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs were crying.

It was not until the second half of the night that the wailing sounds in the palace finally subsided.

……

……

The Jade Rabbit sets in the west and the Golden Crow rises in the east, and the chaotic night passes quickly.

The next day, the first year of Jianxing, April——

After a night of summer rain in Shenjing, the weather cleared up, and white cloth banners were hung outside the densely packed houses. An extremely sad atmosphere dissipated silently.

Not long after the national mourning ended, a new national mourning came again. In the past one or two years, the Han Dynasty has always been in turmoil.

After the rain, the bluestone streets, which had become wet, could be heard from time to time with the clatter of horse hooves.

The Jinyi Guards, wearing flying fish uniforms and embroidered spring swords on their waists, rode their horses through the streets of Shenjing City with reins in their hands and stern faces, stirring up the thick rain that had accumulated. The people in the shops and taverns everywhere had looks of fear on their faces.

On that day, all the guards from the Capital Army and the Embroidered Uniform Guards went out to search all the houses in the capital, as if they were willing to dig deep into the ground to bring the criminals who tried to assassinate the new emperor to justice.

……

……

Daming Palace, Hanyuan Hall

Jia Heng knelt in front of the coffin, listening to the crying sounds coming from all directions. He was completely infected by the sad atmosphere, and his heart was shrouded in a sad atmosphere.

At this moment, a young eunuch with a white face and no beard came forward and whispered, "Prince Wei, Lord Li has something urgent to ask you to come over."

Jia Heng nodded, picked up a piece of silk scarf, gently wiped a few drops of "crocodile tears" from his face, and then without saying anything else, he quickly walked towards the side hall of Hanyuan Hall.

In the side hall——

Li Zan was sitting and chatting with Gao Zhongping, Qi Kun and others. A steaming teacup was placed on a small red date-colored lacquered wooden table, and the atmosphere was a little dull for a moment.

Li Zan looked at Jia Heng and said, "Prince Wei, how should we view the arrangements for the new emperor's funeral?"

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then said, "Everything will proceed as usual."

Li Zan was silent for a moment, then asked, "Prince Wei, the crown prince is still very young, when will he take the throne?"

Jia Heng's cold eyes flashed under his sword-like brows, and he said, "The renovation of the Imperial Ancestral Temple will be completed in ten days. Once the Imperial Ancestral Temple is completed, the succession ceremony can be held."

After all, the King of Chu did not make it to the succession ceremony.

Li Zan nodded and said, "That won't take long."

Jia Heng looked at the ministers and said, "My dear ministers, the search for the traitors by the Beijing Camp and the Jinyifu Guards still requires my personal presence and deployment. The affairs of the palace will be left to you ministers to take care of."

Li Zan said, "Prince Wei is going to get busy."

After Jia Heng left, Gao Zhongping looked at Li Zan, who was twisting his beard with his hands, frowning like a "川" character, with a thoughtful look on his face. He looked deeply and said, "Lord, the Prince of Wei..."

Li Zan was silent for a moment, then said, "A few months ago, the Wei and Liang clans were plotting a rebellion, and it was Jia Ziyu who turned the tide and supported the new emperor. His loyalty to the country is evident to all."

Gao Zhongping raised his sword-like eyebrows, his eyes covered with a layer of gloom, and said: "At that time, Cao Mengde's lifelong wish was only to become the general of the Western Expedition of the Han Dynasty, and he had no intention of replacing the Han Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Li Zan was speechless for a moment.

Lu Jiang's elegant, fair face was filled with worry. He said, "Lord, the officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp have gathered in the capital with their battle-hardened troops. How can we not be terrified?"

Li Zan shook his head and said, "Lord Lu is overthinking. Jia Ziyu is loyal to the country and serves the emperor wholeheartedly. He will not have any other thoughts."

At this time, Jia Heng can only be restricted by the moral principles between the ruler and his subjects and the invisible power of the people's hearts. When the young master grows up and Jia Heng enters middle age, his ambitions will be reduced, and the world will be settled from then on.

Lü Jiang said coldly: "When Wang Mang was humble and had not yet usurped the throne, Duke Zhou was afraid of rumors. If he had died at that time, who would know the truth about his life?"

Li Zan showed a resolute look on his face, and said in a low voice: "We were entrusted by the late emperor to assist the new emperor in governing the country. Now the new emperor has passed away, and the young ruler is in power. Even if we die, we must stabilize our Han country and prevent treacherous officials from disrupting the government."

Gao Zhongping's face was slightly shocked, and he said in a deep voice: "What Yuanfu said is very true. The late emperor has been so kind to us. It is time for us to devote ourselves to our cause until our death."

Qi Kun had a stern expression on his face, and said, "The dynasty has nurtured scholars for a hundred years, and loyal officials and righteous men are everywhere in the court and the country. How can we allow traitors to take over and usurp the sacred artifact?"

Just as men can easily see through the emptiness of love but cannot see through the emptiness of ideas, women are just the opposite. They sneer at ideas that are recorded in history but cannot see through love.

Several cabinet ministers present were all famous ministers of the time. When the Chen and Han dynasties were in turmoil and the country was in turmoil, they developed an endless sense of mission and responsibility in their hearts.

Under Lu Jiang's thick eyebrows, his eyes were deep as he stared at the scene, but he didn't say anything.

Lin Ruhai sighed inwardly.

Zi Yu is loyal to his country and serves his emperor wholeheartedly, so why should he be suspected like this?

……

……

Palace Garden, Funing Palace

It was early summer, and the morning sunlight was quiet and soft, shining into the hall through the carved window lattices.

Queen Song was wearing a plain dress, her black hair tied up in a beautiful bun like a waterfall. She was sitting on a soft couch covered with a mattress in the hall, teasing her daughter Qianqian.

Concubine Duanrong was also sitting not far away, hugging a little guy, who was Queen Song’s son—Chen Luo.

Queen Song asked, "Sister, why is the front hall crying now?"

"The late emperor will be buried in a while." Concubine Duanrong said softly with no makeup on her face and eyes as bright as water.

At this moment, a female official entered the palace, her face paused, and she said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, I have already found out that the new emperor was assassinated last night and has passed away."

Queen Song raised her eyebrows, her expression changed, and she asked, "What...what's going on?"

The beauty said this in astonishment, and on that bright face that was as beautiful as a lotus, there was a smile that could not be concealed at the corners of her eyes and eyebrows, and the smile at the corners of her mouth was even harder to suppress than AK's.

That damned vassal is finally dead. It's truly a blessing from heaven and the gods.

It won’t be long before her Luo’er will be able to ascend the throne.

The little fox did not lie to her.

Upon hearing this, Concubine Duanrong was startled. Her graceful and beautiful face showed a hint of doubt. She asked softly, "What's going on?"

Even though she had no feelings for the new emperor, the King of Chu, Concubine Duanrong was still somewhat shocked at this moment.

After all, what a big deal this is?

"It was said earlier that it was the remnants of King Zhao and the White Lotus demon who attempted to assassinate the new emperor last night." The nanny said in a low voice.

Queen Song's beautiful eyes, which were as clear as water, showed concern under her beautiful eyebrows. She asked in surprise, "What about the throne? Did they say which prince would succeed to the throne?"

The nanny was stunned for a moment, and said, "The palace didn't say anything about this."

From last night till this morning, various major issues are still being discussed in the cabinet and there is indeed no conclusion yet.

At this moment, Queen Song's beautiful and bright face was filled with disappointment.

Didn’t the cabinet say that her daughter Luo’er should succeed to the throne?

Concubine Duanrong's bright and beautiful face showed a hint of surprise, and she said in a deep voice: "Sister, doesn't the new emperor have an heir? Of course, he will pass the throne to the East Palace."

"Absolutely impossible! The Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace is too young, and the country has no permanent ruler, which will lead to internal strife. The cabinet will not agree to it." Queen Song said firmly, her beautiful eyes flashing coldly under her green eyebrows.

After all, Li Ren had been queen for twenty years.

Under Concubine Duanrong's delicate, straight nose, her pink lips moved, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself.

Some people wanted to say that this might not be the case, but seeing that Queen Song's face was as cold as frost, and that there was hostility in her eyes and brows, it was not easy to say anything else for the moment.

When Queen Song spoke, her dark green eyebrows knitted together, her eyes flickered slightly, and she said in a cold voice: "Send someone to ask Jia Ziyu to Funing Palace and tell him that I have something to ask him."

Did the promise she made to let Luo'er ascend the throne still count?

Thinking of this, he cast his cold and bright eyes towards his son, Chen Luo, who was holding a rattle.

Luo'er, mother will definitely send you to that position and let you rule the world from now on.

Your father will build a great empire for you.

Queen Song's eyebrows were curved, and her beautiful eyes were as clear as water. She said, "Go and invite Jia Ziyu over. I have something to ask him."

The nanny responded and then turned and left.

Concubine Duanrong frowned and said, "Sister, Ziyu should still be busy with the affairs of the previous dynasty. It won't be too late to invite him over later."

She knew that her sister was forced to abdicate because the King of Wei forced her to abdicate while Zi Yu stood idly by, so she couldn't help but feel resentful.

After all, the mother-in-law feels sorry for her son-in-law. At this moment, Concubine Duanrong spoke for her son-in-law.

Queen Song's eyebrows were curved like crescent moons, her eyes were as bright as water, and she looked at Concubine Duanrong and said, "Shouldn't you discuss such a big matter with the two of us?"

Concubine Duanrong was silent for a moment and sighed softly.

Queen Song lowered her voice and said, "Now that the country has no permanent ruler, in terms of the closeness of the lineage, whether it is Luo'er or Ze'er, they are both worthy of the throne. Why doesn't the cabinet choose one of them as the ruler?"

Concubine Duanrong's eyebrows were curved, her beautiful eyes seemed to be glittering and as soft as water. She whispered, "This... the new emperor has a crown prince. According to the etiquette, it should be the son of the new emperor who ascends the throne."

Queen Song's beautiful eyes, as clear as water, were filled with coldness beneath her brows, and she said softly, "Although the new emperor has established the Crown Prince, he has not held a succession ceremony himself, and died suddenly, allowing a baby in swaddling clothes to ascend the throne. This is a disaster, not a blessing, for the Han Dynasty."

Imperial Concubine Duanrong's eyebrows were curved, and her charming eyes flickered. Her gaze was as bright as water, and she whispered, "Sister, what happened to the new emperor being assassinated? Why was he assassinated out of the blue?"

Queen Song raised her eyebrows, her beautiful eyes flashing with coldness, and she said sternly: "What else can we do? Those who do evil will eventually perish, and the bad guys will be punished by heaven."

Isn't it that the little fox asked her to wait and see, and it turned out to be waiting for her here?

When she comes back, she will have a good talk with him.

Maybe, just put on mourning clothes and serve him for once.

……

……

On the other hand, Jia Heng hurried out of the palace and not far away, he saw Chen Xiao who had just entered the palace to pay his respects.

Chen Xiao looked concerned and asked, "What does the cabinet say?"

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then whispered, "I will allocate the Beijing Camp and Jinyifu to hunt down the criminals who are trying to assassinate the new emperor."

Now he is still discussing with several cabinet ministers, and they are more concerned about the table manners, or in other words, to clear the suspicion that the King of Chu was assassinated.

Otherwise, he would not need to discuss with the cabinet at all. He could directly dispatch soldiers to surround the Daming Palace and take over the government. In the eyes of the people of the world, it would be him, Jia Heng, who was the mastermind behind the new emperor's death.

Therefore, this matter cannot be rushed, but needs to be handled slowly and calmly.

At least the assassination of the new emperor had nothing to do with him.

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, his eyes flickered, and he whispered, "Follow me to Jinyi Mansion to arrest Qiu Liang."

Chen Xiao nodded and responded, then accompanied Jia Heng and said in a deep voice: "Qu Lang and Liu Jixian have led the Beijing Camp Guards to the official hall."

Because the new emperor was assassinated last night, Jia Heng decisively took down Qiu Liang after discussing with the cabinet.

Jinyifu, government office, back office

Qiu Liang sat behind a lacquered wooden table, wearing a bullfighting suit with exquisite embroidered patterns. He looked extremely dejected and his eyes were cold.

A centurion in brocade uniforms stood tall and walked over quickly. His voice was a little panicked as he said, "Commander, the officers of the Beijing Camp Guard Battalion have arrived."

Qiu Liang's face changed slightly and he felt his hands and feet were cold.

At this moment, in the Jinyifu official hall, a Jinyi captain looked at the ferocious and vicious soldiers of the Beijing camp outside and said, "What are you going to do? This is where the emperor's personal army is. How can we allow you to act so recklessly?"

Qu Lang was wearing the robe of a fourth-rank lieutenant general, with a goose-feather sword across his waist. He looked heroic and said in a deep voice, "I am following the order of Prince Wei to arrest Qiu Liang!"

At this moment, the Jinyi Qianhu saw that the person coming was Qu Lang, his expression suddenly changed, he was surprised and asked: "Commander Qu, it's you."

"Captain Zhao, I am no longer the commander of the Jinyi personal army." Qu Lang said in a deep voice with a face as hard as steel. He waved his hand and shouted, "Come here, put down their weapons!"

Captain Zhao's face changed drastically, and he argued forcefully, "What right does Prince Wei have to interfere in the affairs of the Imperial Guards?"

Anger surged on Liu Jixian's rough face, and he said in a cold voice: "Prince Wei is the commander of the Jinyi Guards, an important minister who is entrusted with the imperial edict, and he has the right to allocate Jinyi Guards! Come on, take them down!"

The soldiers from the Beijing camp behind him drew out the goose-feather swords from their waists and surrounded the officers in brocade uniforms.

Qu Lang's resolute and calm face showed a surge of anger. He said in a deep voice, "The emperor was assassinated. On the day of the assassination, Qiu Liang sent a card to ask for an audience. He is highly suspicious. I have been ordered to arrest Qiu Liang. Come, arrest Qiu Liang and his accomplices."

At this moment, many of Qiu Liang’s former subordinates were in the Jinyi Mansion’s official hall. When they saw this scene, they were filled with worry.

It was really a changing world. In just a few months, Qu and Liu returned to the Jinyi Mansion.

Qu Lang's sword-like eyebrows slanted into his temples, his eyes were filled with coldness, and he said in a deep voice: "Come here, search!"

The soldiers scattered like wolves and tigers. A team of soldiers went towards the study. After a short while, they held Qiu Liang down and came out of the study.

Qu Lang sneered, his eyes flickered, and he whispered, "Commander Qiu, long time no see."

When he was the commander of the Jinyi Guards, he was driven out by this person.