Chapter 391 The Emperor Has Passed Away
The court officials argued back and forth about establishing a new Crown Prince, yet failed to reach any conclusion.
In the court, the Emperor vomited blood once more and fainted, forcing the matter to be postponed for later discussion.
Everyone in the palace knew the Emperor's health was deteriorating further... Establishing a Crown Prince had indeed become the most urgent priority.
Yun Chu sat in the Office of the Crown Prince's Household, quietly waiting.
Before long, those who had finished court assembled here to discuss matters, with Yun Ze being the first to arrive.
The key figure in assisting the Crown Prince, Lord Lu, did not come. Only Lord Nie, Lord Xiang, and several other deputy envoys of the Office were present.
Yun Chu understood Lord Lu's choice. Lord Lu could pledge loyalty to the former Crown Prince, to Chu Yi, and equally to a new Crown Prince—he was a man devoted solely to the court.
As for Lord Nie and Lord Xiang, they had been personally promoted by Chu Yi from among the Six Ministries. Besides serving as Junior Tutor and Junior Guardian, they held positions in the Six Ministries and were truly high-ranking officials of the second rank with real power.
"Lord Nie, Lord Xiang." Yun Chu stood and bowed slightly to them, then glanced at the others present. "Thank you all for coming."
"Crown Princess, you speak too formally," Lord Xiang hurriedly replied with a cupped-hand salute. "We were promoted by His Highness the Crown Prince, so we are his people. Even though His Highness has passed away, we still bear heavy responsibilities. That is why we have come specifically to discuss important matters with you, Crown Princess."
Yun Chu's expression tightened.
Lord Nie spoke: "Now that His Majesty wishes to establish a new Crown Prince, the most suitable candidate is the Seventh Prince. However, Consort Shu's maternal clan is too weak. Consort Shu herself avoids contention, and the Seventh Prince is unwilling to involve himself in this turmoil. If the Seventh Prince becomes Crown Prince, he would either die at Chu Rui's hands or become Chu Rui's new puppet... As for the Ninth Prince and Tenth Prince, they are even younger and need not be considered at all. Last night, Lord Xiang and I talked through the night. Our opinion is to support the Imperial Grandson as the new Crown Prince!"
As soon as he finished speaking,
the other deputy envoys of the Office spoke up one after another.
"The Imperial Grandson is worthy of being Crown Prince!"
"With the Crown Princess protecting him and the Yun family as his backing, the Imperial Grandson will surely secure the position of Crown Prince!"
"Only in this way can we break free from Chu Rui's control!"
"We beg the Crown Princess to grant your approval!"
Yun Chu looked up at the crowd and uttered one word, firm and resolute: "Good."
Chu Rui was a man who hid his depths well, ruthless and vicious. To legitimately ascend the throne, he would surely kill all other heirs one by one.
It was better to face the challenge head-on and confront Chu Rui directly—first, to protect Yu Ge'er, and second, to avenge Chu Yi...
"Good!" Yun Ze declared. "Chu Rui is a venomous insect who has turned the Emperor into a puppet and caused the Emperor's Dragon Body to decline daily. If Chu Rui does not die, the imperial family of our Great Jin Dynasty will surely fall into chaos... Since we intend to support the Imperial Grandson as Crown Prince, then we must first eliminate that scoundrel Chu Rui. I can step forward to persuade the commander of the capital's garrison to lead troops and surround the imperial city..."
Lord Xiang was greatly alarmed: "Th-this is no different from rebellion!"
Lord Nie shook his head: "That is not correct. This is clearly about cleansing the Emperor's entourage, removing the vile individuals around His Majesty to safeguard the prosperity and golden age of our Great Jin Dynasty!"
"What a fine 'cleansing the Emperor's entourage'!" Yun Chu said slowly. "However, our numbers are still too few. Before we act, we must..."
Before she could finish her sentence,
suddenly—
deep, powerful bell tolls rang out.
"Clang—clang—!"
"Clang—clang—!"Everyone present was stunned, their mouths agape in astonishment as they all turned to look in the direction from which the bell tolled.
Since ancient times, the bell only tolled when the highest ruler passed away.
"His Majesty... His Majesty has passed away?" Yun Ze's face was full of disbelief. "How could it be? How is this possible..."
Just an hour ago, during the court assembly, although the Emperor's body was frail, he did not appear to be on the verge of death. How could it happen so suddenly...
Yun Chu lifted her skirt and rushed toward the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Before she even entered the hall, she heard mournful weeping—the cries of the imperial consorts and the princes and princesses.
Entering the courtyard, she saw it filled with kneeling eunuchs, palace maids, and ministers, all prostrated on the ground, weeping bitterly.
A cloud of sorrow hung over the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Step by step, Yun Chu walked toward the main hall. The closer she got, the clearer the heart-wrenching sobs became. The imperial consorts, now without support, cried as if their hearts were breaking.
She crossed the threshold and finally reached the inner chamber.
There, she saw Chu Hongyu and Chu Changsheng weeping bitterly by the Dragon Bed.
They had just returned from the Imperial College when they heard the bell toll. Though they didn't understand its meaning, they followed the crowd heading to the Hall of Mental Cultivation...
"Grandfather is gone..." Chu Hongyu threw himself into Yun Chu's arms, his voice choked with sobs. "Mother, how could Grandfather be gone..."
Chu Changsheng also buried herself in Yun Chu's embrace. "Mother, I'm so sad..."
Yun Chu gently stroked their hair and signaled for Ting Shuang to comfort them.
Then, she approached the Dragon Bed.
Standing beside it, she saw the Emperor's face—ashen gray tinged with black, with dried black bloodstains on the beard around his lips.
Four palace maids knelt by the Dragon Bed, cleaning the Emperor's face, preparing him, and changing him into his Dragon Robe...
Above the Dragon Bed stood Regent Chu Rui.
"It was you!"
Yun Chu strode forward and grabbed him by the collar.
She truly wished she could kill the man before her.
"The Crown Princess is too emotional. I will overlook her discourtesy." A faint smile curled at the corners of Chu Rui's lips. "When news of the Crown Prince's death arrived yesterday, you weren't this distraught. Does that mean there wasn't much affection between you and the Crown Prince?"
Yun Chu's chest heaved violently.
She pressed her lips together, forcefully suppressing her emotions.
Since this was the reality, anger and fury were pointless. She needed to calm her mind and ponder why Chu Rui had suddenly killed the Emperor...
She knelt before the Dragon Bed.
Tears naturally streamed down her cheeks.
Though she wept, her thoughts never ceased churning...
Chu Rui's eyes were shadowed with gloom.
He had used that fool Li Jingshu to administer Gu poison to the Emperor, intending to exploit the situation long-term.
Unexpectedly, due to Chu Yi's death, the Emperor was overwhelmed with grief and had been vomiting blood incessantly... This morning, Chu Rui had activated the Gu worm to force the Emperor to muster enough strength to attend court, originally intending to establish a new Crown Prince. He never imagined the Emperor would collapse right in the court. After returning to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Emperor continued vomiting blood—all of it black—until gradually, he breathed more out than in...
The last time he had forcibly roused the Emperor, it had cost him twenty years of his own lifespan. The Emperor's health had likely begun its rapid decline from that point onward...
Dead, then so be it.
It just made room.
Chu Rui lifted his gaze and looked at the ministers kneeling in the hall."Before the Emperor passed away, it was we who accompanied him by his side," a minister from the Grand Secretariat raised his head. "Knowing his end was near, the Emperor orally decreed the imperial edict, designating the successor to the throne. In the presence of the Emperor's remains, we proclaimed the edict. We request all present to receive the decree!"
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