The general's wife knows medicine

Chapter 208: The 5th Prince Ascends the Throne

The twenty-eighth year of Yuanchang.

After cleaning up the battlefield, the emperor summoned all officials of the fourth rank and above to enter the palace for an audience with him.

The ministers were all hiding in their homes, waiting for the final verdict.

The shouts and cries that had just been heard gradually calmed down.

Some braver ministers were about to open the door a little to see how the battle was going when they received the emperor's summons.

They all returned to their rooms, changed into court robes as quickly as possible, and headed towards the palace.

Tang Peipei took the emperor's pulse again and gave him acupuncture.

After what happened today, even with Tang Peipei's presence, the emperor could only barely speak. His body was already riddled with wounds and he was at the end of his strength.

When the ministers arrived, they saw that the emperor, who used to be full of energy, was now listless and looked as pale as paper.

"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you. Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor, long, long live the Emperor!"

The emperor sighed as he looked at his ministers who were showing great respect to him.

These were his ministers. When he was betrayed and almost died at the hands of the rebels, not one of them came to rescue him.

Come to think of it, I seem to have been a complete failure as an emperor.

Never mind, there's nothing to worry about.

He didn't want to clean up the remaining mess, nor did he have the ability to do so.

When Lao Wu takes this position, if he is capable, he will slowly take care of things himself.

"My dear ministers, please stand up." Then he looked at Eunuch Du standing beside him.

Eunuch Du took the imperial edict and walked forward in two steps.

"It is God's destiny, the emperor decreed:

I have heard that the evils sent by heaven can be avoided, but the evils brought upon oneself cannot be escaped. It is because of my own bad conduct and inability to discipline and educate, that my son has become rebellious and has caused great disaster. I feel ashamed of my ancestors and feel deeply saddened. Now I am issuing a self-blame edict to make my heart clear.

Since I ascended the throne, I have worked hard to govern the country, hoping to make it prosperous and pass it down through the generations. However, I failed to detect my son's change of heart and failed to correct his mistakes in time, causing him to go astray and commit a serious crime. This is my fault, not the fault of others.

I know very well that as a ruler of a country, I should set an example, be strict with myself and lenient with others. However, I failed to do so, doting on my son and indulging him in his willful behavior. This is my fault, not the fault of others.

I now repent and make a fresh start. I vow to correct my mistakes, govern strictly, and rectify the government. At the same time, I will also strengthen the education of my children so that they can be well-educated, distinguish right from wrong, and never repeat the same mistakes.

I know that this edict of repentance is not enough to atone for my sins, but I sincerely repent and would like to use this to show the world my determination. May the spirits of our ancestors in heaven protect our Bai family and ensure that our country will be forever stable and our descendants will prosper.

"I admire this"

Eunuch Du closed the imperial edict with a heavy face.

The ministers below were all shocked. They did not expect that the emperor would be willing to issue a self-criticism edict for this matter at this time!

"Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long, long live the emperor!" The ministers paid homage once again, and their hearts were more or less touched.

A young eunuch walked quickly to Eunuch Du and handed over the imperial edict in his hand. Another young eunuch handed over another imperial edict.

Eunuch Du opened it and continued, "The Fifth Prince receives the order."

The fifth prince walked to the front and knelt down.

"My sons and ministers accept the order."

"It is God's destiny. Emperor Zhao said:

My fifth son is gifted, intelligent, and dignified, and I love and expect of him. I am very pleased to see him gradually mature and steady, and deeply loved by the people.

In view of the prosperity of the country and the peace of the country, we need a wise ruler to succeed the throne and accept the will of heaven. After careful consideration, I have decided to make my son the crown prince to inherit the throne.

The crown prince is the foundation of the country and the hope of the people. I hope that after the crown prince inherits the throne, he will be diligent and prudent, work hard and love the people, and carry forward the foundation of our Bai family.

I also know that the position of Crown Prince is not easy to obtain, and it is not something to be taken lightly. The Crown Prince must always remain humble and cautious, listen to wise advice, distinguish right from wrong, and rectify the government.

I have appointed a crown prince for the long-term interests of the country and the well-being of the people. I hope that after the crown prince inherits the throne, he will unite his brothers, work together for national affairs, and achieve national prosperity.

"I admire this"

The fifth prince kowtowed heavily and said in a firm tone: "I will not let my father down. I will put the welfare of the people first and the well-being of the country as my responsibility. I will cherish it."

Eunuch Du personally delivered the imperial edict to the fifth prince.

Then, imperial edicts came one after another, and the court officials were overwhelmed.

The third prince plotted treason, was betrayed by his own people, and died, so the blame ended with him.

All the servants in the Third Prince’s mansion were executed.

The third prince had not yet married, and there were only one or two concubines in his mansion. They had no children, and they were all executed.

Wei Lan followed the third prince in a rebellion, but in the end she killed the third prince and committed suicide after surrendering. Her family was not guilty, but she did embark on the path of rebellion after all.

The emperor was merciful and spared Wei Lan's family, but forbade Wei Lan's family to serve as officials in the court for ten years. All their property was confiscated and deposited into the national treasury.

All the cronies around the third prince were dismissed from their official positions, had their property confiscated, were exiled, or beheaded.

At this point, the third prince's rebellion came to an end.

After reading the imperial edict, Eunuch Du retreated to the emperor's side, waiting for the emperor's next instructions.

But after a long while of not seeing the emperor move, he mustered up the courage to look at the emperor.

But the emperor sat there with his eyes closed, his body relaxed and motionless.

Eunuch Du quickly looked towards Tang Peipei.

Tang Peipei went forward to check, then shook her head at Eunuch Du.

Eunuch Du suddenly fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably.

"emperor!"

Upon hearing Eunuch Du's cry, all the ministers began to whisper to each other, some of them unable to believe it.

Eunuch Du wiped his tears.

He still has some things to do now, and he has to complete this last task for the emperor, otherwise how can he be worthy of the emperor's kindness.

"The emperor has passed away!" The voice echoed throughout the entire palace, and one by one, it spread to every corner of the imperial city.

The bell of Shanglong rang, the ministers cried loudly, and the people of the whole city knelt on the spot, mourning the death of a great emperor!

Eunuch Du assisted the fifth prince in handling the emperor's funeral, which was held in a grand manner.

Although the emperor did not accomplish anything great that would be remembered for generations to come, he was conscientious and hardworking. When faced with major disasters, he would do everything he could to resettle the people and provide them with a chance of survival.

He can be considered a good emperor.

The fifth prince, together with several other princes, personally kept vigil for the emperor for three days and three nights.

Officials of the fourth rank and above and their families also entered the palace to keep vigil for the emperor for seven days.

However, the officials and their wives took turns guarding the palace.

On the fifth day, court officials reported to the emperor that the country could not remain without a ruler for a day, and requested that the fifth prince ascend the throne.

The fifth prince originally wanted to bury the emperor before ascending the throne.

But suddenly there was a battle report from the border, that Chen State was making a comeback and was about to capture the border town.

The emperor's funeral had to be hastily concluded and he was buried in the imperial mausoleum.

The second day after the emperor was buried, the fifth prince ascended the throne.

Xuan Mu Jintang entered the palace, and the two had a secret conversation.

The emperor issued an edict, appointing Mu Jintang as the Marshal of National Defense and ordering him to lead an army of 200,000 to the border for support.