In the tenth year of the Great Zhou Dynasty, on February 23rd, the emperor died in the Funing Palace at the age of fifty-three years.
The Jingyang Bell rang eighty-one times in a row, announcing to the world the end of the Zhou Emperor's life. Civil and military officials from the previous dynasty followed the bell, dressed in mourning clothes, and rushed towards the Funing Palace.
When Han Zhang, Wen Yanchang and the officials from various ministries and colleges rushed to Funing Hall, Funing Hall had been decorated as the Zi Palace of Emperor Daxing.
Looking around, there are mourning flags all over the hall inside and outside the hall, and white paper lanterns are hung everywhere to represent the lake. It is a gloomy and gloomy scene.
Within the curtain, Empress Cao was dressed in plain clothes, with a dazed look on her face. She was still sitting beside the soft couch in a daze, weeping silently.
Seeing this scene, the palace maids and chamberlains beside them couldn't help but choked up as they recalled the kindness the officials had shown them during their lifetimes.
Not long after, Zhao Zongquan came after hearing the inquiry. After seeing the remains of the late emperor, he put on his heavy mourning, knelt beside the coffin and cried heartbreakingly. The cry was so sad that it resounded through the sky. It really saddened those who heard it and those who listened to it. Cry.
When all the ministers in the palace saw the future emperor crying in unison, they all knelt down on the ground and burst into tears. For a while, there were loud cries inside and outside the Funing Palace.
After wailing for a long time, seeing that Zhao Zongquan's voice was almost hoarse from crying, Chief Assistant Han Zhang quickly took out a thin flat wooden box from his sleeve, held it above his head with both hands, and said loudly: "Here is the imperial edict of Emperor Daxing!"
Everyone in the palace knelt down to receive the order. Zhao Zongquan and Empress Cao also stopped crying and turned their heads to look over.
Han Zhang looked solemn, slowly opened the wooden box, took out the yellow silk inside, unfolded it, and read loudly in front of all the important officials in the palace:
"I have been in power in the Netherlands for forty-two years. I have always been afraid of the cold weather in the Philippines...but since spring has come, I have been working hard to make a fortune in Henan. Now that the country is approaching, I am afraid that I will not be able to meet the ministers.
The prince Zhao Zongquan..., I have always been entrusted with the responsibility of inheriting the throne. Isn't it true that I don't obey the wishes of heaven and man? But I am the emperor in front of my coffin.
The queen, with the honor of Kun Yi, bows to me on both sides, is kind and obedient, and is known to the world. It is appropriate to respect the queen as the empress dowager. He should be rewarded by all the armies and punished by his successor.
Mourning clothes are changed by the sun and the moon, and the system of mountains and tombs is based on frugality... All towns and cities along the border should be engaged in gold and leather, and there is no need to mourn.
In the play, at the time of death and life, only the Holy Spirit can achieve its return... How can I hold on to you? "
This edict was drafted when Zhao Zhen was critically ill. When the edict was drafted, all the important ministers witnessed it with their own eyes.
Therefore, when Han Zhang finished reading out the imperial edict, the ministers all kowtowed and accepted the decree, and no one had any objections.
Han Zhang solemnly handed the imperial edict to Zhao Zongquan, bowed down and said with tears: "The country cannot be without a king for a day. Please obey the late emperor's order, put the country and the country first, and assume the throne of emperor in front of the coffin!"
After the words fell, more than a dozen important ministers in the palace lifted their robes, knelt down in front of Zhao Zongquan, and said in unison: "Your Highness, please obey the late emperor's order, put the country and the country first, and assume the throne of emperor in front of the coffin!"
Zhao Zongquan hurriedly waved his hand and refused, saying that he was still immersed in the grief of the late emperor's death and had no intention of inheriting the throne.
The ministers invited him again and again, but Zhao Zongquan just shook his head and refused.
Seeing Zhao Zongquan frequently glance at Empress Cao inside the curtain, Han Zhang and other ministers immediately understood and invited Empress Cao out to persuade her together.
After making three concessions, Zhao Zongquan finally reluctantly agreed and sat on the throne surrounded by ministers.
At the end, Zhao Zongquan also said with emotion: "The ministers have repeatedly expressed their feelings, but they dare not be stubborn and reluctantly obey the invitation."
New emperors have always been so duplicitous when they ascend the throne, as if they don't want to be the emperor. The ministers have long been accustomed to it. In short, the merits of their own persuasion cannot escape, so they can only give the new emperor respectfully. Kowtow, and then the mountains will shout long live.
Although a formal enthronement ceremony has not yet been held, Zhao Zongquan is now the new king in a practical sense, and he naturally has to fulfill his obligations as a new king.
The first thing to do was to appoint the five Shanling envoys and other officials responsible for funeral affairs to manage the funeral for the late emperor.
Among them, the Shanling Envoy has always been in charge of the overall situation, and it has always been held by the Prime Minister. In this position, Han Zhang is naturally responsible for it.
As for the etiquette envoy, as the name suggests, it is generally held by the Minister of Rites or the Hanlin bachelor who is proficient in etiquette.
However, this time Zhao Zongquan did not choose Tian Dongsheng, the Minister of Rites, or Liu Tingxi, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy. Instead, he directly named Shen Weizhong, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, and asked him to serve as the etiquette envoy.
When Xu Mu died, the position of Longtuge Grand Scholar was vacant. Zhao Zhen had instructed Zhao Zongquan to recommend a candidate. The person Zhao Zongquan liked was none other than the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, Shen Weizhong.
Zhao Zongquan had no choice. He had been in Yuzhou for more than 20 years, and his foundation in the court was too shallow. Not to mention Longtuge Grand Master, Zhao Zongquan had not had much contact with officials at the level of minister, so he thought There is no one to promote even if you promote yourself.
After picking and choosing, among the ministers who were qualified to join the cabinet, only Shen Weizhong was originally from Yuzhou and was somewhat related to Zhao Zongquan, so Zhao Zongquan had no choice but to choose him.
Although Shen Weizhong is qualified to join the cabinet, he is ranked very low among the candidates. If ranked by seniority, he will have to wait at least ten more years before he has the opportunity to join the cabinet as a bachelor.
Serving as the Five Envoys of Shanling is the best way for courtiers to mix their seniority and accumulate merit.
Zhao Zongquan asked Shen Weizhong to serve as the ceremonial envoy, which saved Shen Weizhong many years of hard work. When Shen Weizhong becomes a bachelor of Longtuge in the future, how can he not be grateful to Zhao Zongquan for his kindness today? Naturally, I want to repay you with all my heart.
After the envoy of etiquette, Zhao Zongquan recommended Wei Chen, the young master of Zhan Shifu and a lecturer of the Imperial Academy, as the envoy of Lubu, Shen Congxing, the Marquis of Yu, the prefect of the palace, as the envoy of honor guard, and Gu Tingye, a member of the Ministry of War, as the envoy of Qiao Daodun.
After hearing the candidates proposed by Zhao Zongquan, all the ministers in the palace also thought about it. It seems that the new officials have made up their minds to use this opportunity of appointing Shanling Five Envoys to cultivate their own confidants in the court. .
But this is what it should be. There are still three things to do when a new official takes office, let alone when a dignified king of a country takes over? Naturally, if you promote a few of your own people, things will go smoothly.
None of the ministers said anything, but Empress Cao, who had been promoted to the Empress Dowager, was a little unhappy.
The five envoys of Shanling only have five carrot pits in total. Except for the envoy of Shanling, who has long been determined to be the first assistant, Han Zhang, the other four envoys are all people who are favored or close to Zhao Zongquan. How can this be possible!
Empress Dowager Cao immediately raised objections and recommended Tian Dongsheng, the Minister of Rites, to be the envoy of etiquette, and Tang Mi, the prefect of Kaifeng, to be the envoy of Qiao Daodun.
Although Zhao Zongquan was a little dissatisfied with Empress Dowager Cao's move, after all, he had just ascended the throne and did not want to really fall out with Empress Dowager Cao, so he had to pretend to be magnanimous and give in, handing over the post of Qiao Daodun to Empress Dowager Cao's choice. Tang Mi, the prefect of Kaifeng.
Speaking of which, Zhao Zongquan was originally at fault. The other positions are just that. The Qiao Daodun Envoy is responsible for the transportation and logistics support from Kaifeng to the imperial mausoleum, and the general affairs involved are very complicated.
Gu Tingye had not been in office for a long time, and he had not yet been a people-friendly official. He lacked experience and was not suitable for this position at all.
Now that Empress Dowager Cao has proposed it, Zhao Zongquan naturally has no reason to push Gu Tingye to the position. He has no choice but to choose Tang Mi, the more suitable prefect of Kaifeng, just to show his generosity and give Empress Dowager Cao face.
Not long after the death of the late emperor, the new emperor and the queen mother had a bad relationship because of the appointment of the five envoys of Shanling. Although on the surface they were a loving mother and a filial son, the ministers all saw the clues and secretly had their thoughts.
At this time, Han Zhang suddenly discovered that the Queen Mother and the new monarch had been arguing for a long time. Shen Weizhong's ceremonial envoy, Shen Congxing's ceremonial envoy, Gu Tingye's Qiao Daodun envoy, and the Queen Mother all had doubts. Only Wei Chen's Lu Bu envoy , the Queen Mother did not say a word, obviously she recognized Wei Chen's ability and character just like the new king.
Thinking of this, Han Zhang couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly and thought to himself: "The struggle between the emperor and the empress has begun to take shape. This guy is having both sides. I don't know which side he will be on in the future..."
