Chapter 936 Regent Prince of Great Yan!

The Emperor led Zheng Fan into a side hall, where a reclining chair was placed.

As if afraid someone would snatch it from him, the Emperor strode forward and sat down, leaning back and gently rocking the chair back and forth.

Immediately afterward,

The Emperor pointed to a hanging cradle swing next to him,

and said,

"Sit there. It's made according to the layout of your room when I stayed at your house before, but it doesn't feel as comfortable to sit in. If you sit too deep, your feet won't touch the ground."

Zheng Fan walked to the cradle swing,

stood there,

reached out,

and pushed the cradle;

The cradle swung back and forth,

forward,

backward,

forward,

backward.

The Emperor, watching him from the reclining chair, revealed an incredulous expression and couldn't help but curse:

"Zheng, you son of a bitch, you really are something!"

The Prince of Pingxi said calmly,

"Only those with bad backs can't handle it."

"Bullshit!"

"If your back is good, anything is possible. Everything can be relied upon, and support can be found everywhere in the world. There's only what you can't do, not what you can't imagine."

"..." The Emperor.

Eunuch Wei brought over a chair, and Zheng Fan sat down as if he owned the place.

At this moment,

several palace maids and eunuchs walked to the Emperor's reclining chair with what appeared to be rouge and powder and began to apply makeup to the Emperor.

At first, Zheng Fan thought this was so the Emperor could look radiant at the upcoming banquet, but he slowly realized that wasn't the case.

The Emperor's face was deliberately painted pale, and even the skin outside the dragon robe was deliberately touched up to make him look...older, down to the fingernails.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't you Zheng have spies planted in the capital?" the Emperor retorted.

"What's the point of going to that trouble?"

"Really don't?"

Zheng Fan pointed to Eunuch Wei standing on the side:

"Eunuch Wei."

"..." Eunuch Wei.

The Emperor laughed and said, "Ever since it was confirmed a couple of months ago that you were coming to the capital, I've tried to reduce the number of times I show my face. Even when I do, I deliberately dress up.

In the eyes of many close officials, I, am on my last legs.

This rumor should have spread by now, but it hasn't reached the common people yet.

This time you've come to the capital, in the eyes of many important officials, it means I'm entrusting the future to you.

In short,

it's arranging things for after I'm gone."

"A lot of fuss over nothing."

Blindman had assured Zheng Fan that the surgery would be very smooth and the risks could be minimized, so in Zheng Fan's mind, this was just going through the motions.

"I'm the Emperor, I have to be responsible. If I don't lay the groundwork in advance, what if something really happens? How will the situation be handled?

By spreading rumors early that my health is failing, and that you, Zheng Fan, are the person I've personally appointed to entrust the future to, then whatever you want to do will be justified."

"Alright, alright." Zheng Fan waved his hand. "Eunuch Wei, where's the tea?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Eunuch Wei immediately served the tea.

Zheng Fan took a sip,

put down the teacup,

closed his eyes, seemingly resting;

but still spoke, "It's hard on you too."

Things had reached this point, and it could no longer be said that the Emperor was deliberately putting on an act for the sake of "friendship." Or rather, when he had already given everything and bet everything, whether he was acting or not no longer mattered.

Throughout history, there probably wasn't another emperor like Ji Lao Liu who could be so candid and trustworthy when it came to power and the dragon throne.

Of course, there were also factors that made him different from those powerful officials, but essentially, Ji Chengjue had indeed inherited the heart and spirit of the late Emperor.

He deserved to be called the prince who most resembled his father.

The Emperor was still having his makeup applied,

and said,

"Zheng, do you think I'm a good emperor? I mean, if we include what we're going to do in a few years."

"It's too close, you can't see clearly. Distance creates beauty."

"A good line."

The makeup was finished, and the Emperor fell asleep.

The Prince of Pingxi, sitting in his chair, also fell asleep.

Eunuch Wei picked up an imperial blanket and gently covered the Emperor, then took another blanket and covered the Prince of Pingxi.

Then, Eunuch Wei walked to the door and stood there.

Half an hour later,

the time was almost right;

Eunuch Wei walked back, and was about to wake the Prince of Pingxi first when he saw that the Prince had already opened his eyes and uncovered the blanket.

He stood up, walked to the reclining chair, and looked at the Emperor lying in the chair, looking "sickly."

Suddenly,

there was a sense of unreality.

When they parted ways in Jindong half a year ago, the Emperor, sitting in the carriage, had said:

"I don't believe in fate, because I think the so-called Mandate of Heaven is not as wonderful as you, Zheng!"

In fact, Zheng Fan also felt that if there were no Ji Chengjue in this world, many things would seem meaningless.

Even the future destruction of Qian by Pingchu would no longer be exciting.

When a man toils outside, sweating and earning a sum of money, what he seeks is the hot meal waiting for him when he returns home, and the sense of satisfaction and pride when he hands the money over to his wife. Apart from that, no amount of hardship matters.

If it wasn't Ji Chengjue sitting on the dragon throne behind him when he went to war in the future, but Ji Chuanye, it seemed like he would lose that anticipation, and the thought alone was boring.

The Emperor was sleeping soundly;

There was something that Zheng Fan didn't know, but the Empress knew;

That was, whenever Zheng Fan stayed at the royal palace when he came to the capital, or when the imperial family went to the Prince of Pingxi's manor in Jindong, the Emperor always felt very at ease and slept soundly;

Looking at the Emperor sleeping so sweetly,

Zheng Fan couldn't help but be touched by a hint of tenderness;

Eunuch Wei stood beside him, paying attention to the expression on the Prince of Pingxi's face, and thought to himself, this must be the true friendship of non-brothers who were better than brothers.

His Majesty and the Prince were indeed...

Immediately afterward,

Eunuch Wei was stunned,

because he saw the Prince of Pingxi squat down,

approached the sleeping Emperor,

and suddenly let out a loud cry:

"Ah!"

"Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!"

"Thump!"

The Emperor was so frightened that he rolled directly off the reclining chair.

You had to know that the palace was usually very solemn and quiet. Palace maids and eunuchs were not even allowed to play around, and Eunuch Wei would always stand guard at the door whenever the Emperor rested;

So, this was the first time the Emperor had been "startled" like this while sleeping.

The Emperor got up from the ground,

and cursed at Zheng Fan:

"Zheng, are you sick!"

The Prince of Pingxi didn't show the slightest awareness of disturbing the Emperor, and instead asked:

"Look at you, the makeup on your face has been stained by your own drool. It's good to scare you like this, just treat it as touching up your makeup."

"Zheng, I'm going to fight you!"

The Emperor pretended to pounce over, and Eunuch Wei hurriedly stepped forward to hug the Emperor:

"Your Majesty, calm down, Your Majesty, calm down!"

On the other side,

the Prince rolled up his python sleeves and cracked his knuckles;

In the world, a Fourth-Rank martial artist could be called a grandmaster. Starting a sect was not a problem. They were rare, but definitely not unheard of;

But looking throughout history,

how many Fourth-Rank martial artists had the opportunity to beat up the current Emperor?

"Come, come, let's add some more color makeup, it's best to create some internal bleeding, then we can create the illusion of reality."

"Zheng Fan, damn you!"

...

The banquet began.

The dining table had always been the place where rules were most emphasized.

Which official rank sat where, which yamen sat where, which noble sat where, which member of the royal family sat where, had all been allocated and arranged in advance.

The wine and dishes had already been served, but very few people would touch their chopsticks. Palace banquets were never a place to eat your fill. Everyone had already filled their stomachs at home before coming.

Next,

the grand secretaries of the Inner Cabinet entered the hall.

Mao Mingcai, who had previously served as the prefect of Yingdu, was now the Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet. Behind him were a total of six grand secretaries and important officials.

After the new Emperor ascended the throne, he made many changes to the court. The most important one was the establishment and modification of the Inner Cabinet.

Now, the Six Ministries had almost become assistants to the Inner Cabinet.

The civil and military officials all rose to greet the grand secretaries, and everyone exchanged greetings in a friendly manner;

After the grand secretaries were seated,

Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan of Great Yan, Earl Min'an, Ji Chenglang, arrived with his brothers.

The Emperor had shown great generosity in how he treated his brothers.

The First Prince was now leading troops in Nanwang City, practically in charge of the entire defensive line in southern Great Yan. Even Li Liangshen could only serve under the First Prince;

The Second Prince, who was now Earl Min'an, and formerly the Crown Prince, the title of Zongzheng (Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan) and the earldom revealed the Emperor's ridicule of this former rival;

But despite the ridicule, the Emperor had not deliberately caused any trouble in the few years since he ascended the throne. The grievances of the past had been written off.

The Fourth Prince, Ji Chengfeng, was now working in the Ministry of War, but it was a sinecure. The Emperor would often order people to bestow some books on him, meaning that he should cultivate his character more.

The Fifth Prince, Ji Chengmin, was currently the Vice Minister of Works, thanks to his merits in building dikes a few years ago.

The Seventh Prince, Ji Chengsou, had grown up a lot and currently held no official position. Moreover, the Emperor had personally said to the outside world that his seventh brother was too calculating.

The Yan court, after the late Emperor's massive purge of the aristocratic families, and with the continuous foreign wars in recent years, a large number of local officials with military merits began to enter the capital. The atmosphere in the court was still very good.

Moreover, the Yan people didn't have the hypocritical behavior of the Qian people, who liked to have their cake and eat it too.

The Emperor's six brothers, except for the First Prince, who was a military marquis, were all earls because the deposed Crown Prince, the Second Prince, was ennobled as an earl.

The courtiers were very happy to see this happen. The imperial court's finances had been tight in recent years, so cutting expenses on the royal family was naturally welcomed.

The Emperor's rebukes and demands of his brothers, even the most prestigious veteran officials pretended not to see. Those who should be rebuked were rebuked, and those who should have their careers and political influence cut off were cut off directly, so that everyone wouldn't have any trouble in the future.

Moreover, the Emperor already had two princes, so the foundation of the country had been established. It was best for the members of the royal family to stay as far away as possible...

However, although that's what they thought in their hearts, everyone greeted this group of the Emperor's brothers with great enthusiasm when they entered.

Next, the Crown Prince and the Heir Apparent of Jingnan entered together.

"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand of years!"

"Greetings to His Highness the Heir Apparent, may Your Highness have happiness and prosperity!"

At Zheng Fan's enfeoffment ceremony, the Emperor issued an edict adopting the Heir Apparent of Jingnan as his adopted son, and ordered the Crown Prince to address him as elder brother. So, strictly speaking, Tiantian was not only the Heir Apparent, but also half a member of the imperial family.

However, everyone knew that the Heir Apparent was able to walk in side-by-side with the Crown Prince today not only because of the legacy of Jingnan, but mainly because he was the "eldest son" of the Prince of Pingxi.

Everyone knew that the Prince of Pingxi loved this adopted son the most!

After that,

the Empress and the Princess of Pingxi entered the banquet together, followed by the Princess of Zhenbei and the Princess of the Zhenbei manor.

Logically speaking,

the Empress should have walked in front, and Si Niang should have walked with Yiguna.

But the Empress held Si Niang's hand and walked together, and Si Niang did not decline. To a certain extent, she knew the strength of Jindong better than her own man.

The Princess wasn't qualified to walk together, and Yiguna consciously followed behind.

"We, your servants, pay our respects to Her Majesty the Empress, ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand of years!"

"Rise, my beloved subjects."

"Greetings to the Princess of Pingxi, may the Princess of Pingxi have happiness and prosperity."

Si Niang responded with a smile.

After a series of formalities, everyone began to wait.

Since the Emperor didn't enter with the Empress, it was clear that the Emperor must be entering with the Prince of Pingxi as a pair.

In fact, there should have been a Prince of Zhenbei behind them;

But the Prince of Zhenbei had long been ignored by everyone.

When it came to reality and petty calculations, the street vendors were not even fit to carry shoes for the court bigwigs!

...

"Why not conceal the Prince of Zhenbei's situation at all?"

"There's no need to conceal it. What does it matter if they clearly know that I'm pretending to be sick? During the day, the decree to transfer Li Chenghui's troops to Jindong has already been issued to the Inner Cabinet. Once the Inner Cabinet knows, those who should know in the court will definitely know.

At that time, the civil and military officials will only know that I'm drawing blood from the Zhenbei manor to replenish you, the Prince of Pingxi, and that you're the minister I've designated to entrust the future to.

The Zhenbei manor can only pretend not to know anything. They don't dare to argue or make a fuss.

Li Fei and Li Qian aren't stupid either.

What will happen to them if they shout that this is a play that I'm putting on with you?

They'll only be seen by the world as the Zhenbei manor refusing to accept the arrangement and trying to find an excuse to start a rebellion. Then it'll be easy for you to deal with them, won't it?"

"Heh heh."

In front, Li Fei stood there.

The Emperor and the Prince of Pingxi naturally stopped chatting.

Li Fei was stunned when he saw the Emperor lying on the dragon litter. You had to know that everyone had been soaking in the hot springs together in the afternoon, so how had he suddenly become someone who had to be carried?

And when he got closer, he could clearly see the Emperor's "sickly" appearance.

This was...

"Li Fei."

"Your servant is here."

"My health is not good."

"Yes..." Li Fei immediately realized, "Please take care of your health, Your Majesty."

"Mm." The Emperor nodded in satisfaction.

In fact, sometimes you had to admire the wisdom of those three from the previous generation, especially Li Liangting.

The current generation should manage the affairs of the current generation. How much goodwill the next generation could inherit, frankly speaking, depended on their "self-awareness" and "duty."

Jindong had Zheng Fan's foundation as its backing, so it naturally had the power to stand up.

The Zhenbei manor, after the old Prince passed away, could only fulfill its duty. This wasn't admitting defeat, it was recognizing the times. The general trend was like this.

The new Emperor resembled his father, but wasn't he only similar to the late Emperor in appearance? Didn't the new Emperor possess the late Emperor's skills and ruthlessness?

It's just that some words would hurt feelings if they were said openly. Unless it was absolutely necessary, everyone preferred to make money peacefully.

At the entrance, Lu Bing was waiting there.

Lu Bing, who was now in charge of two yamen, could be called the number one person under the shadow of Great Yan.

"Your servant kowtows to His Majesty, ten thousand years!"

Lu Bing knelt down.

The Emperor smiled

and said,

"There's still one more."

Lu Bing moved his knees and kowtowed to Zheng Fan: "Kowtow to Prince of Pingxi."

For Zheng Fan, this was a very sure surgery, but for the Emperor, he had to arrange his "funeral affairs" well.

"Go in, and meet...my subjects."

"Yes!"

Lu Bing replaced the two eunuchs in front and lifted the dragon litter.

Originally, Lu Bing had deliberately left a handle position open for the Prince of Pingxi;

But the Prince of Pingxi stood there, seemingly admiring the moonlight.

At this moment, Li Fei walked over and lifted the other handle.

The procession

began to enter the banquet.

When the Emperor was carried in lying down, the whole place was in an uproar.

The fact that the Emperor's health was failing was no longer a secret.

The Crown Prince went to welcome the Prince of Zhenbei when he entered the capital a few days ago, and the Crown Prince also went to welcome the Prince of Pingxi when he entered the capital today. Why didn't the Emperor go in person?

Naturally, it was because his health couldn't withstand it.

"We, your servants, kowtow to His Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand of years!"

"We, your servants, kowtow to His Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand of years!"

Everyone present knelt down.

"Beloved subjects...rise...cough cough..."

"By His Majesty's decree, all ministers and officials rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The Emperor was carried in like this, from the outside to the inside.

Many ministers had tears on their faces, and some even cried out in pain.

Was there an element of performance?

Yes, definitely.

But inside, most people's tears were real.

Everyone knew that the Emperor had a mean streak, but compared to the late Emperor's time, the Emperor was actually very easy to get along with.

And unlike the late Emperor, who launched large-scale conquests, the Emperor had been constantly working to start anew with the people. One good policy after another had finally given the people of Great Yan a chance to breathe and recover.

Although the new Emperor had not been on the throne for long, the ministers knew best that this Emperor was a wise ruler.

The Emperor was carried to the front of the stage, which was the very center and highest point of the banquet, where an extremely large dragon throne was placed.

The Emperor turned his face to look at Zheng Fan standing on the side and said:

"Zheng, carry me up."

Zheng Fan turned his head to look at him;

The Emperor said in a low voice:

"It's acting, don't feel disgusted, right? Cough cough..."

Zheng Fan was helpless

and walked to the dragon litter.

Wei Zhonghe helped the "seriously ill" Emperor lean on the Prince of Pingxi's back.

Next,

the Prince of Pingxi carried the Emperor up the high platform.

The Emperor put his hand on the Prince of Pingxi's shoulder,

and said;

"Zheng, I suddenly feel so weak."

"You're too into the role."

"Isn't it good to be dedicated?"

"If you feel nauseous again, I'll throw you down."

"Heh heh."

Zheng Fan placed the Emperor on the dragon throne.

After the Emperor sat down,

he leaned to the side of the dragon throne, looking very weak and listless.

The crying of the ministers below began to subside.

Many people had already turned their gazes to the "Earls", who were the former princes, standing in the front row.

But these former princes didn't feel any joy or encouragement when they were subjected to these gazes. All they felt was fear.

They didn't know that the Emperor was pretending to be sick. Very few people knew about the Emperor's pretense;

Only the Prince of Pingxi's family and the Prince of Zhenbei's family, and those eunuchs and palace maids, were under Wei Zhonghe's control and wouldn't be talkative.

Logically speaking, if there was a problem with the new Emperor's health, it seemed to imply that their opportunity had come again, because the Crown Prince was still young, wasn't he?

But the Prince of Pingxi was standing there,

he was just standing there;

That kind of power,

that kind of silent warning,

was enough to prevent these brothers of the Emperor from having the slightest delusion.

The Emperor had obviously noticed this detail as well;

At this moment,

Eunuch Wei stood at the edge of the high platform and began to announce the imperial edict:

"By the decree of the Emperor, who is blessed by Heaven: Since I ascended the throne, I have been deeply afraid of failing the high expectations of my ancestors, failing the grace of the late Emperor in passing on the throne, and failing the people of Great Yan...

...But heaven has unpredictable storms, and man has misfortunes that may occur at any time;

I originally wanted to use my life's efforts to seek great governance for Great Yan and the unification of the Xia, but alas, heaven does not grant me the years.

Now that my health is failing, I fear that the situation will be turbulent. I do not seek complete security for the country, but seek reliance for the people."

Reading to this point,

Eunuch Wei pursed his lips,

and continued:

"The Prince of Pingxi is calm, reserved, with outstanding talent, and refined character. Although his fate has been full of twists and turns and suffering, he still conducts himself as a man, embracing the saying that 'Heaven sends down great responsibilities', respectful and admired, accepting them with pleasure, with a broad mind, loving the country and cherishing the people, conscientious and diligent, which deeply comforts my heart.

I now specially issue this decree, appointing him as Regent Prince, hoping that he will not forget the country and the people in the future, and not forget the admonitions of the past.

By Imperial Decree!"

For a time,

the courtiers were in an uproar.

But the members of the Inner Cabinet seemed to have expected it.

Although everyone had been deceived, the degree to which they had been deceived was different.

In the eyes of the grand secretaries, if the Emperor's health was really failing, the best way was not to immediately block and suppress the Prince of Pingxi, because everyone knew that this would only lead to a great civil war in Great Yan, and there was no other outcome.

The best way was to invite the Prince of Pingxi from his fiefdom to the capital, so that he would be far away from his fiefdom, while suppressing him in the name of righteousness, in order to transition the imperial power and hope that the Crown Prince would come of age and rule in person.

This was...the best way, and the only way at the moment.

Therefore,

the grand secretaries first stepped forward and knelt down:

"We, your servants, pay our respects to the Regent Prince."

Immediately afterward,

Li Fei stepped forward. Although he was full of doubts, he still knelt down:

"Pay our respects to the Regent Prince."

At this time,

the Crown Prince walked onto the high platform,

and knelt down to Zheng Fan;

"Chuanye pays respects to Uncle, the Regent Prince!"

The Emperor's brothers also stepped forward and knelt down at this time:

"We, your servants, pay our respects to the Regent Prince."

The bigwigs and the members of the royal family had taken the lead, and many ministers also knelt down with tears in their eyes.

Of course, there were also many ministers who began to shout:

"This is not allowed, absolutely not allowed, Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, how can this fiend usurp this position!"

"Your Majesty, the empire of Great Yan is not safe!"

The ministers who shouted these words were immediately and forcibly escorted out by a group of eunuchs, very quickly.

This was the Emperor's will.

When the Emperor sent the most powerful feudal prince of Great Yan to the position of Regent, it was really difficult for resistance to form. This was probably simpler and more convenient than Zheng Fan leading his troops into the capital.

After all, you couldn't let everyone ask: Why is Your Majesty rebelling?

At the same time,

the various garrison troops of Great Yan would also receive secret edicts from the Emperor.

An Emperor

had paved the way for a powerful minister to usurp the throne in a stable manner, and even planted flowers on it;

Zheng Fan was still standing, even as the voices of countless people kneeling and paying homage to the "Regent Prince" continued to come from below;

The Emperor, leaning on the dragon throne,

reached out and grabbed the sleeve of Zheng Fan's python robe,

and tugged lightly,

no reaction,

tugged again,

Zheng Fan turned his head;

The Emperor reached out,

and gently patted the empty space on the dragon throne beside him,

and said;

"Sit."

Once, when there was no one around, the newly enthroned Emperor had secretly pulled Zheng Fan to sit on the dragon throne and asked him how it felt;

This time,

in full view of the public, under the watchful eyes of everyone, the Emperor once again extended an invitation.

Zheng Fan took two steps back

and sat down

on the dragon throne.

That night,

above, under the vast dome of the sky, the solitary moon hung high;

below, on the dragon throne of Great Yan, two figures were present.

Leaning on the dragon throne,

the Emperor, with a "sickly" expression on his face,

suddenly said:

"Zheng, I suddenly feel that whether this disease is cured or not doesn't matter so much."