Chapter Twenty-Four Prologue

  Just as Li Xuan was hesitating, the warm pavilion inside suddenly made a sound of pearl curtains, followed by a moving figure. It turned out that Crown Prince Zhu Youxiao walked out slowly, and in front of him was the eunuch who was responsible for guarding him. However, at this time, the eunuch had already turned pale and was trembling all over, because a sword was placed on his neck. The crown prince's face did not change at all, and Li Lan also followed behind the prince slowly, step by step.

  Both Wang An and Li Xuan were stunned by the scene in the warm pavilion. They knew the Crown Prince very well, having watched him grow up. No matter what, they never thought that the Crown Prince would have the guts to pick up a sword and prepare to kill someone. In their impression, this Crown Prince was always timid and incompetent, afraid of things, except for doing excellent woodworking, everything else was useless.

  "What are you doing? Do you know where this is?" Suddenly enraged, Li Xuan's expression changed, this eunuch was her confidant, otherwise she wouldn't have let him take care of Zhu Youjian.

  "Does the princess not know? What crime is it to abduct the crown prince? Now that the emperor has just passed away, someone is already eyeing the throne of the Great Ming. This palace is a descendant of the Zhu family, and the blood flowing through my body is that of Taizu's lineage. When Taizu rose up in arms back then, he may not have thought he would become an emperor; perhaps it was just to restore the Han people's world. He was a hero of the Han people. Taizu had a strict edict: no surrender, no ransom, no cession of land, no tribute. The Son of Heaven guards the country gate, and the king dies for his country. As a descendant of Taizu, with heroic blood flowing through my veins, how could I be threatened by you?" The crown prince looked coldly at Li Xuan, his face full of bravery and not a hint of cowardice as before.

  In fact, these words were not spoken by the Crown Prince to Li Xuan's servant girl. This woman would not change her mind because of her own preaching. But it was said to Wang An and the ministers kneeling outside that they should know that this crown prince is not a decoration, first to give them confidence, and secondly to deter the villains. This is the Crown Prince's first step in establishing his authority.

  After finishing speaking, the prince suddenly exerted force and pulled the sword in his hand backward. The eunuch's throat immediately gushed with blood. Without even letting out a miserable cry, he covered his neck and slowly fell to the ground. Picking up the precious sword in his hand, there wasn't a single drop of blood on it, its surface smooth as a mirror. The prince couldn't help but loudly praise: "The precious sword left behind by Emperor Taizu is truly a treasure, sharp enough to cut hair, killing people without seeing blood, excellent!"

  After putting the treasure sword back in its scabbard, the prince turned his gaze to the palace maid and eunuch in the warm pavilion and said: "Take good care of Li Xuan's servant, otherwise you will end up like him." After finishing speaking, he walked to Wang An's side, patted his shoulder and said: "You're not bad, worthy of being by Father Emperor's side. Take me to see the ministers."

  Although he knew that the person in front of him was the crown prince, Wang An still felt a bit unreal. Was this really that weak and timid crown prince? Not only was he calm and composed, but he could also wield a sword and kill people.

  Without noticing Wang An's daze, the crown prince lifted his legs and walked out of the warm pavilion. At this time, the ministers outside were still kneeling there, but their mood was completely different now. They had all heard the crown prince's words just now, and they did not expect that the crown prince who had been silent and timid for a long time would actually do such a thing.

  The crown prince has come out, and the ministers outside immediately became very taciturn, all performing the grand ceremony of three bows and nine knocks, shouting loudly: "Long live my emperor, long live my emperor, long live my emperor forever."

  Listening to the shouting outside, Li Xuan's servant suddenly sat on the ground, dazed and confused, and then his expression became extremely ferocious. He quietly ordered a palace maid beside him for a few sentences. When no one noticed, the palace maid turned around and left.

  Taking a glance at the person kneeling below, the prince's heart felt a sense of relief. After such a long time of endurance, after such a long time of hiding his light and nurturing himself in obscurity, this moment had finally arrived, he had finally waited until now.

  "Everyone, please rise. The courtesy is unnecessary. I am the Crown Prince, how can you use this 'Wan Sui' title to address me?" Although he was very pleased in his heart, he couldn't show it at this time, and the prince could only say so.

  "Your Majesty, the previous emperor has passed away, and the state is on the verge of collapse. There are treacherous consorts and corrupt officials who want to usurp the throne of our great Ming dynasty. This is a matter of life and death. Your Majesty is the eldest son of the previous emperor, although you have not been appointed as the crown prince, you still have the status of the imperial grandson. At this time, you should abandon etiquette and accept the mandate of heaven to inherit the throne and stabilize the state." Yang Lian was overjoyed in his heart at this moment, seeing decisiveness and stability in this crown prince, with a hint of a great ruler's demeanor, it seemed that he could now fulfill his ambitions and revive the great Ming dynasty.

  Following Yang Lian's shout, all these officials loudly shouted: "Inherit the great unity and stabilize the society."

  He gently pressed his hand, signaling the ministers to be quiet. After no one spoke, the Crown Prince said: "Since all of you have said so, I will accept the mandate of heaven, inherit the great tradition, and bring peace to the altar of society."

  "Long live the Emperor, may he live forever."

  The crown prince's words had just fallen when the shouting started again.

  "All of you, withdraw. Chancellor Fang, what should I do next?" The Crown Prince slowly asked, looking at the Chief Minister, Fang Zongzhe.

  "Your Majesty, at this time you should go to the Wenhua Hall, gather all civil and military officials, and hold a grand ceremony of ascension to the throne." Fang Congzhe glanced secretly at the warm pavilion, his expression anxious as he spoke. Once this ceremony is held, then that person will be the real emperor, and there will be no way to change it.

  "Alright, let's do it!" The prince nodded and turned back to say: "Wang An, find a few of your trusted men to spread the imperial edict. Say that the coronation ceremony will be held at the Grand Temple, and summon all civil and military officials. Also, send an edict to Liu Shouyou, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, to immediately lead his elite troops to guard the Wenhua Palace. Send an edict to the Eastern Depot's supervisor eunuch to strictly guard the palace gates, and execute on the spot any eunuchs or palace maids who harbor treacherous intentions. Send an edict to the Military Command Center to strictly guard the four gates, and capture anyone who deliberately tries to cause chaos."

  Listening to the new emperor's edicts, these ministers were all stunned. This new master is not simple, really not simple. Once these edicts are issued, Beijing will definitely be in an uproar and the petty thieves will definitely go into hiding.

  Yang Lian was extremely excited at this time. The new emperor could make such arrangements at this time, and it was really in command.

  "Yes, Your Majesty, I won't bother with it!" Wang An seemed to see the future of the Great Ming at this time and walked away excitedly.

  "My dear ministers, this matter will be settled only when we arrive at the Wenhua Hall. Now, follow me to the Wenhua Hall." I watched as Wang An departed and waved my hand at the officials, proceeding towards the Wenhua Hall.

  They had just walked out not far when this group of people was surrounded by a group of eunuchs again. The leader shouted loudly at the group: "Where are you going to take the crown prince?" As he spoke, he waved his hand and the eunuchs behind him rushed up, trying to snatch the crown prince away.

  Thank you for reminding me, dear tourists and book friends. The name of the British public Zhang Weixian has been changed. I hope everyone will leave their opinions in the review area, thank you. Also, don't forget to collect and recommend!

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