northernbook Chapter 111 The new emperor ascends the throne
Chapter 111 The new emperor ascends the throne
Inside the imperial palace in the capital, a solemn and tense atmosphere reigned. Yunxi and the prince stood in the square outside the palace, surrounded by groups of ministers and numerous palace maids and eunuchs.
Yunxi was wearing a plain palace dress. The material of the dress looked unremarkable, but it was well-cut.
Her face was fair, but her brows were furrowed and her eyes were solemn.
She raised her head slightly and stared at the towering palace eaves, her lips tightly pursed, not knowing what was going on in her heart.
As for the prince, he stood straight and looked quite majestic in his court robes.
His brows were furrowed so tightly that they could kill a fly, his eyes were full of worry, and he paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.
At this moment, a burst of sad cries suddenly came from the palace, and the cry was heart-wrenching.
Everyone knelt down in unison. "The Emperor has passed away!"
A eunuch shouted in a shrill voice, and the sound was particularly harsh in the quiet square.
When Yunxi heard this voice, her body couldn't help but tremble slightly and she almost fell down.
The prince was quick to reach out and gently hold her hand, his grip neither too strong nor too weak, as if to say, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Yunxi turned her head to look at the prince, moved her lips but said nothing.
The prince nodded slightly at her, his eyes firm.
The ministers around him lowered their heads and dared not breathe.
The palace maids and eunuchs were also trembling with fear, and some were even shaking like sieves.
The square was so quiet that you could hear the sound of the wind. Yunxi and the prince just stood there, holding hands tightly, as if they had found a trace of support in this chaotic situation.
Immediately afterwards, all matters in the palace began to be prepared intensively.
Officials from the Ministry of Rites were busy setting up the mourning hall and arranging the funeral ceremony.
Yunxi and the prince followed the crowd into the palace, only to see the emperor's body lying quietly on the dragon bed, surrounded by white curtains.
The prince pursed his lips tightly, his brows twisted into a knot, his eyes staring straight at the body on the dragon bed, his hands unconsciously clenched into fists.
Yunxi bit her lower lip lightly, her eyes were slightly red, and her eyes were full of sadness and worry.
She trembled slightly and stretched out a hand to tightly grasp the corner of the prince's clothes.
"What should we do?" a minister whispered, his face full of anxiety.
The minister was thin, his eyes were rolling around, and he kept rubbing his hands.
"The new emperor has not yet ascended the throne, and the situation is unstable." Another minister echoed.
The minister was a big, fat man, with the fat on his face shaking as he spoke, and his brows were furrowed so tightly that they could kill a mosquito.
Yunxi listened silently to the ministers' discussions, feeling very worried.
She couldn't help but raise her head, looked at the prince, and whispered, "Prince, how are we going to live from now on?"
The prince patted her hand gently and said, "Don't be afraid, there is always a way to deal with it."
A few days later, the day of the new emperor's coronation finally arrived. The palace was decorated with lanterns and colorful lights, yet exuded an unusual solemnity.
Yunxi and the prince arrived at the coronation ceremony early. Yunxi saw that the palace maids and eunuchs were all nervous and hurried.
Some palace maids were holding things in their hands and were running breathlessly, with beads of sweat on their foreheads.
The eunuchs bent their waists and trotted all the way, fearing that something might go wrong.
The new emperor, dressed in a gorgeous dragon robe, stepped onto the throne step by step surrounded by the crowd.
His face was solemn and majestic, and the gold thread on his dragon robe sparkled in the sunlight.
But Yunxi still caught a hint of nervousness in his eyes.
The new emperor's steps were a little stiff, and he seemed to take every step with extreme caution.
"Long live our emperor!" the ministers shouted in unison.
Yunxi and the prince also knelt and saluted. The prince lowered his head but stood straight.
Yunxi lowered his head slightly, placed his hands in front of him, and appeared very respectful.
After the coronation ceremony, the new emperor sat on the dragon throne and began to handle state affairs.
"My dear ministers, the late emperor has passed away, and the country cannot be without a ruler for a single day. I have just ascended the throne, and I hope that you will all work together to ensure the prosperity of our dynasty."
The new emperor said this. His voice was loud and clear, and his eyes swept across the crowd with determination.
At this time, an old minister stood up, cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, this old minister will serve you with all his heart and soul, until his death."
This old minister has gray hair, a flowing beard, and a face full of loyalty.
Another young minister said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to go through fire and water for you. I will do anything for you."
The young minister had bright eyes and was full of energy.
The prince also stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I will assist you with all my strength and will not slack off in the slightest."
Yunxi stood behind the prince and watched all this quietly.
"We will do our best to assist Your Majesty." The ministers expressed their opinions one after another.
Yunxi and the prince looked at each other and understood in their hearts.
A new situation is about to unfold.
At this moment, a thin minister with a goatee stepped forward. He took two steps forward, clasped his hands in a salute, and said in a resounding voice, "Your Majesty, the situation at court is extremely complicated, like a tangled mess. We must quickly stabilize the government!"
The new emperor nodded slightly, his face somewhat solemn. "I understand. What good advice do you have, my dear ministers?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a burly minister with a red face shouted at the top of his voice: "Your Majesty, I think the most urgent thing is to rectify military discipline. The laziness in our barracks is terrible!"
As he spoke, he waved his sleeves vigorously.
"No, no!" another tall, thin minister retorted, shaking his head. "In my opinion, we need to sort out the tax issue first. The people are almost unable to make ends meet!"
Everyone was talking at once, and for a moment, the court was extremely lively and noisy, just like a market.
Yunxi watched quietly from the side, frowning slightly, his eyes moving from one minister to another, thinking about the future of the Marquis' Mansion.
"Madam, don't worry too much." The prince turned his head and spoke softly to Yunxi.
Yunxi turned her head to look at the prince, only to see that the prince had a calm face and a firm look in his eyes.
Yunxi sighed softly, "I just hope the new emperor can be a wise ruler."
After leaving the palace, Yunxi and the prince took a carriage back to the Marquis' Mansion.
The carriage bumped along the way, Yunxi's body swayed, and her face was full of fatigue.
The prince straightened his back and looked straight ahead.
Inside the carriage, Yunxi said, "Your Highness, I wonder what impact the new emperor's ascension to the throne will have on the Marquis' Mansion."
Yunxi's voice was filled with worry, and her brows were tightly furrowed.
The prince held Yunxi's hand, holding it a little harder, and comforted her, "No matter what, we just need to be careful."
When they returned to the mansion, the butler Li Fu was already waiting at the door. Li Fu was a middle-aged man with a round face and eyes that narrowed into slits when he smiled.
Seeing the prince and his wife get off the carriage, he hurried to greet them, "Prince, Madam, everything is fine in the mansion."
The prince nodded and asked seriously, "Has there been anything unusual in the mansion these days?"
Li Fu shook his head and replied respectfully, "Your Highness, everything is normal.
Everything in the mansion is proceeding according to plan, and nothing has gone wrong."
However, the peaceful days did not last long.
One day, Yunxi was walking in the garden when her maid Xiaocui came running in. "Madam, something bad has happened. There's news from the palace that the prince is coming to discuss important matters."
Yunxi's heart tightened, "Do you know what's going on?"
Xiao Cui hurriedly shook her head and stamped her feet anxiously, "I don't know, they just said it was an urgent matter."
Yunxi's face changed slightly, and she hurriedly sent someone to find the prince. She paced back and forth in the room, her heart in her throat.
Not long after, the sent servant had just run out when Yunxi felt something was wrong. He chased him to the door and shouted at the top of his voice, "Run faster! Don't delay!"
This wait lasted from the time the sun was high in the sky until the time it set in the west. Yunxi couldn't sit or stand, and from time to time she would lean on the window to look out, her eyes filled with anxiety.
Finally, the prince entered the palace and did not return until late at night. Yunxi heard the noise and hurried out to greet him without even bothering to put on her shoes.
The prince looked tired, his eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like an eggplant hit by frost.
Seeing the prince so exhausted, Yunxi hurried forward to support him and asked distressedly, "Prince, what happened?"
The prince sighed deeply, sank down on his chair, rubbed his temples and said, "The new emperor has just ascended the throne, and various forces are ready to make moves. Now the situation in the court is becoming increasingly complicated."
Yunxi frowned and said worriedly, "Then what should we do?"
The prince was silent for a moment, then clenched his fists and said, "Let's see what the situation is first. We must not act rashly."
Since then, the prince has been entering the palace almost every day, and everyone in the marquis's mansion has been in a panic.
The maids no longer worked with the same efficiency as before, and the servants were whispering to each other and discussing things in private.
One day, Mrs. Liu from the kitchen was muttering loudly in the yard: "How can we live like this? We never know when disaster will strike!"
The groom, Old Sun, also echoed: "Who says it's not true? We are so worried every day."
When Yunxi heard this, she hurried over and shouted, "Shut up!
The Marquis' Mansion hasn't collapsed yet, what are you all yelling about?
Seeing Yunxi's anger, everyone was afraid to say anything. Yunxi softened his tone and said, "The prince will handle these matters himself. Let's all just do our own work quietly and don't cause any trouble!"
Yunxi tried hard to calm everyone's emotions, and at the same time, she silently prayed in her heart that the Marquis' Mansion could safely overcome this difficult time.