Chapter 4144 See the New Emperor
The sky was getting brighter, and the rain finally subsided a little. The rain washed the inside and outside of Wude Hall clean and brand new. The chamberlains and guards were busy replacing the white flags that were damaged by the rain last night. The entire Tai Chi Palace was completely deserted.
The emperor's relatives and dignitaries were waiting outside the Wude Hall. Hundreds of people had been here since before dawn, and the cries of sobbing and choking never stopped.
Although His Majesty Li Er is a noble person, he has always been friendly to others, open-minded, and accepting of advice. He has a good relationship with everyone, both inside and outside, and he is doting on his children. Countless people are grateful for the kindness and kindness in the past, and they are naturally sad and emotional.
If it weren't for the fierce fighting outside the palace at this time, and all the inner sanctuaries in Chang'an were closed and no entry or exit was allowed, the common people would spontaneously walk out of the inner sanctuaries and gather near the palace, and the whole city of Chang'an would be filled with tears.
The common people respect and love His Majesty Li Er, and few ancient emperors can match it...
Li Chengqian appeared at the door of the hall wearing a prince's robe and a golden crown. The crying stopped a little. Li Ji, Li Xiaogong and Li Yuanjia lined up on the left and right, protecting Li Chengqian and turned around and walked into the hall.
The sky was cloudy and rainy, and the hall was brightly lit with candles.
There is a huge coffin parked in the main hall, and behind the coffin are one hundred and twenty sets of emperor's robes, neatly arranged and divided into categories. These will be buried with the emperor in the future. On one side of the coffin, there are jade bis, jade congs, jade guis, jade ambers, jade zhangs, and jade huangs placed on the tables. This is a ritual vessel for offering sacrifices to the four directions of heaven and earth, that is, using bi to offer sacrifices to the sky, using congs to offer gifts to the earth, using gui to offer gifts to the east, using amber to offer gifts to the west, using zhang to offer gifts to the south, and using huang to offer gifts to the north.
Outside the palace gate, monks and Taoist priests each held musical instruments, and the music was melodious and sad.
In the palace, Li Chengqian, served by Li Yuanjia, Wang De and others, first cleansed the face of Emperor Daxing, and then placed six jade articles in the coffin. Sixteen strong chamberlains stretched the quilt under Emperor Daxing. Straight, slowly put it into the coffin, and then Li Chengqian covered it with a brocade quilt embroidered with the sun, moon, stars, rivers and mountains.
Sixteen chamberlains struggled to lift the heavy coffin lid and slowly closed it.
In the palace, ministers, military generals, chamberlains, palace servants, princes, princesses, ministers and their families...weeping loudly, shaking the heaven and earth.
A generation of heroes, with illustrious achievements and great power in their lives, but they are no match for the fate of their destiny and their longevity. This is the end of the coffin.
Several drums sounded, and the crying gradually stopped, and then the crown prince personally recited the sacrificial inscription. Although he had not officially ascended the throne, from the moment the sacrificial inscription was recited, the status of the monarch and his ministers was determined, and it was already a matter of time before he ascended the throne.
Li Chengqian walked slowly to the side of the coffin, took the memorial text from Li Xiaogong, unfolded it, and read it aloud.
"In the seventeenth year of Wei Zhenguan, I was in Guimao, and in the seventh month, I saw that the emperor was ill and the medicine was ineffective..."
The voice became louder and louder, and the crowd kneeling in the rain outside the hall could hear it clearly.
"...On behalf of Heaven, he managed things, nurtured Qian and Li, Yilun cultivated narratives, put ropes in wells, opened things and accomplished things, and his benefits lasted for eternity... Today, the Crown Prince pursues Mingde, serves Heaven to care for the people, prospers and honors, and will be relied on for eternity. , use prayers and blessings to keep your family and your country forever, and live in peace with the heavens! ”
Li Yuanjia on the side was holding a handful of paper money, standing on the stone steps in front of the palace, struggling hard, and the paper money was fluttering in the rain.
Under the service of officials from the Ministry of Rites and Zongzheng Temple, the prince took off his princely robes and put on a mourning robe made of raw rags, expressing his unadorned mourning for three years.
Then the officials delivered the filial piety clothes they had prepared earlier to everyone present one by one. According to the distance, they were given the "Five Clothes" of Zhansei, Qishi, Dagong, Xiaogong and Ma.
Everyone burst into tears, and all the concubines and princesses were heartbroken. They lay down on the muddy ground and tried to get closer to the main hall. They didn't care that their clothes were stained with mud, and their delicate makeup was blurry and ugly. The palace people around them quickly grabbed hold of them. , whispering comfort.
Heaven and earth share the same sorrow.
Princes such as King Qi, King Shu, and King Jiang knelt in the courtyard, enduring the cold and wet clothes soaked by the rain. They raised their heads slightly and looked at the prince who had recited the sacrificial inscription at the entrance of Wude Hall and put on coarse linen mourning clothes. Envy, but also worry, thinking about the fierce battle still raging outside the Tai Chi Palace at this moment, and wondering whether the young slaves will be able to break into the Tai Chi Palace in the end, and whether the prince can hold it, he has all kinds of thoughts at the moment, and it is complicated and difficult to understand.
Prince Hejian, Prince Han, Li Ji, Fang Jun, Cen Wenwen, Liu Jie, Ma Zhou and other important officials from the clan and court all came to the foot of the stone steps to tidy up their clothes. Regardless of the drizzle, they all bowed to the ground. He said loudly: "I, your Majesty, please see me."
Although the enthronement ceremony has not yet taken place, the crown prince has been officially promoted to the emperor at this moment, and his power is no longer restricted. The only thing left to do is to confirm the reign name, award meritorious officials, and grant amnesty to the world during the enthronement ceremony.
In front of the palace, hundreds of relatives of the emperor, court officials, and family members of the prince all bowed to the ground and shouted loudly: "See Your Majesty!"
Li Chengqian raised his chest and raised his head with a solemn expression. When he raised his hands, he waved his sleeves with dignity and solemnity: "My dear friends, stay safe!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Then, the drumming began.
The ceremony is completed.
……
Li Zhi stood at the door of the camp with his hands behind his hands, looking at Chang'an City through the rain. He could not hear the music of the bells and chimes ringing in the Tai Chi Palace, nor could he hear the calls of civil and military officials, relatives of the emperor to see the new emperor, but he You can feel the indescribable sadness that fills the world.
It is the sorrow of his father and the sorrow of himself.
How did you get to this point?
My father does not need to live a hundred years, he only needs to live a few more days. The process of abolishing the throne is about to begin. The momentum is unstoppable. I will be canonized as the crown prince and become the legitimate heir of the empire, not now. He wanted to rush into Taiji Palace and seize the throne from the prince as if he were a treasonous person.
How could he not know how risky this approach was?
But when he was only one step away from that position but couldn't get it, the coveting heart was like maggots on the tarsal bones, gnawing at his heart all the time, leaving him unable to retreat and unwilling to give in!
Xiao Yu came over and stood behind him, looking in the direction of Chang'an, and said in a deep voice: "At this time, His Royal Highness must have read the sacrificial rites and accepted the worship of hundreds of officials."
Li Zhi turned his head, stared at Xiao Yu, and said slowly: "But what I want is for my father to be buried. He commits suicide and will never see his beauty in the world again. As a human son, I cannot send my father on his last journey. I feel so guilty that I wish I could follow my father under the Nine Springs to fulfill my filial piety!”
People can pursue fame and fortune, but they cannot only focus on fame and fortune. Otherwise, how are they different from animals?
Xiao Yu didn't expect Li Zhihui to say such words. Looking at his expression, he knew that he was very dissatisfied that at this time, he was thinking that the prince was about to ascend the throne instead of that the late emperor had been buried.
He had no choice but to bow down, bow his hands to the ground in the direction of Chang'an City, and say in a trembling voice: "When he dies, if he can be buried beside the Zhaoling Mausoleum and follow the late emperor under the Nine Springs, this life will be enough."
Li Zhi then turned around, still staring blankly at the rain curtain in front of him and Chang'an in the distance.
The reason why he didn't retreat was not only because of his coveting of the throne that kept him moving forward, but also because of his father's expectations for him! I would rather dethrone the elder and establish the younger and suffer misfortune and slander from the people in the world, but also support him as the crown prince. How much love and trust is this?
When the Guanlong clan rebelled, Changsun Wuji and his son went to the Jin Palace to depose the prince and make him the crown prince, but he refused. At that time, he said to Changsun Wuji, "The throne belongs to the emperor, and the emperor did not give it to him." I, I can’t rob him,” this was indeed his inner voice.
But the situation now is completely different from that at that time. Everyone knows that the father has already made up his mind to pass the throne to his youngest legitimate son. All that is left is just an edict. As long as the father is not dead, this edict will be issued sooner or later. He, Li Zhi, is his father's favorite successor.
How can you ignore your father's wishes just because he didn't leave a single edict?
Since my father wanted to give the throne to me, but was unable to do so due to his longevity, of course he would go all out to seize the throne to appease his father's spirit in heaven!
Chu Suiliang walked quickly from the heavy rain and entered the camp to salute. Regardless of the fact that his lower body clothes were soaked, he reported: "Your Majesty, the news just arrived is that His Majesty the Crown Prince has been reciting sacrificial inscriptions in the Wude Hall. 'Also finished After the ceremony was completed, hundreds of officials paid homage to the prince outside the palace... In addition, the Duke of E sent a battle report. The six leaders of the East Palace resisted tenaciously. The right Houwei made unfavorable progress and suffered heavy casualties. The Duke of E organized an advance camp at Chunming Gate in order to storm the Taiji Palace. .”
Li Zhi stood with his hands behind his hands, looking through the rain curtain in the direction of Chang'an City. After a long while, he slowly said: "Why do you have to do something forcefully if you know you can't do it? These soldiers and generals are all loyal ministers of the father and the emperor, and they would rather die than do it." dimension It was my father's will, but I couldn't let them die in vain under the Chengtian Gate. I sent an order to the Duke of E, ordering him to withdraw the Youhou Guard troops from the city and retreat to Tongguan with me to wait for reinforcements. "
"Your Highness, no!"
Xiao Yu hurriedly spoke: "At the moment, only the Sixth Army of the East Palace is fighting to the death, and the other sixteen guards are standing still and waiting to see what happens. It is the best time to capture the Taiji Palace. Since the prince has recited the sacrificial inscription and has been recognized by all the officials, it is Justified The emperor of the Tang Dynasty, once we retreat and give him time to slowly put pressure on the Sixteenth Guards Army, more and more people will definitely defect to him, and one will go down and the other will go up. If we want to counterattack Chang'an again, it will be as difficult as ascending to Chang'an. Oh my God!”
Li Zhi, who had always accepted advice humbly, shook his head: "How stupid is it to do something you know you can't do? Now that the prince has ascended the throne, there is no need to risk his life to storm the Taiji Palace. Now the military equipment in Guanzhong is depleted, or there are insufficient troops. Major General, either the baggage is short of ordnance. Even if we hurriedly raise more than 100,000 troops, how much fighting strength can we have? However, the reinforcements in Shandong and Jiangnan are strong. We only need to hold on to Tongguan until the reinforcements arrive. We have the right time, place and people in our hands. What can we do? Worrying about big things? ”
The Right Houwei is the unit he relies on most at the moment. If they are all destroyed outside the Taiji Palace, are they all counting on reinforcements from the powerful clans in Shandong and Jiangnan?
Even if Xiao Yu, Cui Xin and others are loyal to him and have no dissatisfaction with him, but the soldiers and generals under his account are all from these two places, what will happen even if he succeeds in seizing the throne and succeeds in seizing the throne?
Power and power all depended on people and were completely ignored. The emperor was nothing more than a puppet.
If there is no check and balance between Youhouwei and the Guanlong clan, everything will depend on the Shandong and Jiangnan clans. How can I have a chance to stick to my word? Success or failure all depends on one person's thoughts. If the situation goes bad, it is not impossible to cut off his head and send it to the prince to ask for credit... A gentleman would not stand under a dangerous wall, let alone hang his life and death in the hands of others?
(End of chapter)