Chapter 56: Taking the Grand Duke to Rest

Following the grand enthronement ceremony, there was still a series of rituals required by protocol: sacrificing to Heaven and Earth, reporting to the ancestral temple, and banqueting the officials.

However, Yuyang Commandery was not An Province; it had no Imperial Ancestral Temple or Altar of Heaven, so these steps were kept as simple as possible.

After receiving the congratulations of the civil and military officials in the main hall, Emperor Liu Ji moved to the side hall according to the pre-arranged schedule to change his clothes and dine.

Taking advantage of the transition between rituals, Zhou Ming quickly withdrew to the outside of the side hall and had the Imperial Guard commander under him review the internal defense of the Imperial Palace from top to bottom once more.

All the eunuchs, palace maids, and servants were the Eldest Miss's people, and even the cooks lighting the fires in the Kitchen were transferred from the Begonia Court.

The new emperor had ascended the throne, and the era name was Yongchang.

Once the news spread from the main hall of the Imperial Palace, the commoners waiting on both sides of the official road erupted in earth-shaking cheers.

On the afternoon of the new emperor's ascension, Zhou Ming became so busy again that his feet barely touched the ground.

The first order of business was to proclaim it to the world, and this matter had to be handled with the utmost urgency.

He had the imperial edict of enthronement copied, stamped with the Heirloom Seal of the Realm, and dispatched to all provinces and commanderies via carrier eagles.

The contents of the edict were written in grand, high-sounding terms: Emperor Zhengde of the Great Xia had died for his country, and the state could not go a single day without a ruler; the 9th Prince, Emperor Liu Ji, had received the mandate of Heaven to succeed to the throne, changing the era name to Yongchang, establishing Yuyang as the capital, and calling upon all provinces and commanderies across the land to quickly come to pay homage.

Regardless of whether the various provinces and commanderies believed it to be true or false, or whether they would obey the edict or not upon receiving it, they had to secure their legitimate status first.

The second order of business was to announce the funeral of Emperor Zhengde.

Zhou Ming personally drafted the obituary, characterizing it as 'dying for the country.' Emperor Zhengde had died amidst the chaotic army when An Province fell, so saying he died for his country was fitting enough.

The wording of the obituary was filled with the utmost posthumous honor, depicting this old emperor—who in his later years had been muddle-headed, favored treacherous ministers, and sat idly by during the great chaos of Cang Prefecture—as a heroic ruler who fought unyieldingly to the end and perished with the state.

Only the third order of business was to heavily reward the officials who had supported the enthronement.

With the new emperor on the throne, everything was waiting to be rebuilt, and there were almost no usable people in the imperial court.

It wasn't that there were no loyal ministers willing to flee all the way from Qing Province with the 9th Prince, but their numbers were pitifully small.

Their quality was even more uneven, and most of them were old subordinates Grand Duke Su had gathered along the way.

Currently, from the Ministers of the Six Ministries to the Directors of the various courts and the censors, eighty percent of the positions in the imperial court were vacant.

Bestowing rewards was both a way to reward merit and to fill the imperial court.

The first two matters were easy to handle; Zhou Ming called his subordinates over, explained them in a few words, and someone would naturally take care of them.

Only the third matter, the list of rewards and appointments, was tricky.

This was not something he could decide on his own.

But he held a list that Empress Su Mingyue had left for him before she departed.

It detailed who would occupy which position, from the Three Ducal Ministers and Nine Ministers to the commandery governors, and from the commanders of the border armies to the commanders of the Imperial Guard. Behind each name was a brief resume and the reason for their appointment or dismissal.

Zhou Ming had read through this list no less than ten times, and could practically recite it backward.

However, Grand Duke Su had no idea this list existed.

At this moment, he was in Qianyuan Hall, sitting face-to-face with Emperor Yongchang, Emperor Liu Ji. A blank sheet of Xuan paper was spread between them as they discussed the rewards and candidates for various posts.

Every time Grand Duke Su mentioned a name, Emperor Liu Ji would nod in agreement, and when he mentioned another, Emperor Liu Ji would agree again.

The old Grand Duke's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable certainty, as if he were arranging the stewards and managers of his own estate rather than deciding the political landscape of a Dynasty.

He probably truly believed he was qualified to arrange all of this for his grandson.

After all, during Emperor Zhengde's reign, he had been a Grand Duke for decades, with disciples and former subordinates spread across the land, and he had even gathered several people during the flight from Qing Province—all of whom were old acquaintances he trusted.

Zhou Ming sat inside Wuying Hall, but his Divine Sense remained spread throughout the Imperial Palace.

Scanning the sight of this old and young pair in Qianyuan Hall solemnly discussing over a blank sheet of paper, he could not help but laugh to himself several times.

By the time Grand Duke Su and Emperor Yongchang finally finalized the list, dusk was already approaching.

There were about thirty or forty names listed on the paper, most of whom were surnamed Su or related to the Su Family.

Emperor Yongchang personally supported his maternal grandfather as they emerged from Qianyuan Hall. The two walked along the palace path toward the exit, discussing the specific procedure for announcing the reward list during tomorrow's morning court as they went.

Just as they reached Yongning Gate, Zhou Ming stepped out from the shadows.

Zhou Ming was still wearing his navy-blue commandery governor's robe, which fluttered loudly in the north wind.

He did not bring any Imperial Guards with him, strolling out from the shadow of the gateway all by himself.

"Is the Grand Duke heading back to rest?" He cupped his hands, his tone impeccably respectful.

Grand Duke Su glanced at him.

Those bright eyes beneath his old, graying eyebrows swept over Zhou Ming from head to toe. Then, he let out a snort from his nose without even opening his mouth.

In his eyes, this sharp-chinned, monkey-faced Kitchen steward by Empress Su Mingyue's side, even if temporarily acting as the commandery governor, was ultimately nothing more than a family slave raised by the Marquis's estate for generations.

A family slave had no right to speak to him.

"It is late, and it is not very safe outside. I must ask the Grand Duke to rest inside this imperial palace tonight."

Zhou Ming maintained his smiling demeanor, his voice neither high nor low, as if he were speaking of an extremely ordinary matter.

Grand Duke Su whipped his sleeve, the long sleeve of his Python robe carving a dark pattern in the twilight.

"What a joke! In this Yuyang Commandery, is there anyone who would dare to lay a hand on me, the Grand Duke?"

"There are things the Grand Duke may not know. With the new emperor's ascension, Zhao Chongyuan and Yuwen Shuo must hate the Grand Duke to the bone. They might very well send assassins."

"As the minister with the greatest merit in supporting the new emperor, if anything were to happen to you at this critical juncture, how could I account for it to the Eldest Miss?"

"For the sake of the Grand Duke's safety, please remain here."

Zhou Ming's tone remained polite, but there was no longer any room for negotiation in his words.

"Men, take the Grand Duke to Wenhua Hall to rest. Guard the Grand Duke's safety well; do not let even a single mosquito in or out."

As Zhou Ming's voice fell, a squad of Imperial Guards suddenly emerged from beneath the eaves on both sides of Yongning Gate.

This squad numbered about seventeen or eighteen men, each clad in light armor with a short saber hanging at their waist. Their steps were orderly, making it clear they had been lying in ambush in the dark for a long time.

Leading them was a captain in his thirties, his face as dark as iron that had been weathered by the winds and sands of the Northern Frontier for years.

He quickly stepped in front of Grand Duke Su, cupped his hands in salute, and said in a stiff tone, "Grand Duke, pardon the offense. Please."

Grand Duke Su's face darkened instantly.

He was no fool. If he could not see by now that this was a trap set by Empress Su Mingyue, then he would have spent his decades navigating the imperial court in vain.

He whipped around to face Zhou Ming, the sharp light in his eyes almost turning tangible as he roared in anger:

"How dare you! A mere family slave, yet you dare to rebel against your superior..."

Before he could finish, several men had already grabbed his arms from both sides.

Grand Duke Su still wanted to struggle, but as a sixty-year-old man with a frame as thin as a bamboo pole, how could he break free from the arms of several Peak Skin Refining Realm Martial Artists?

Zhou Ming did not even spare him another glance. He simply waved his hand to the captain, and the Imperial Guards escorted Grand Duke Su toward Wenhua Hall.

Grand Duke Su's angry curses echoed a few times in the corridor before being swallowed by the high walls.

Emperor Yongchang stood to the side, watching his maternal grandfather being carried away. His lips twitched, but in the end, he did not make a sound.

His fingers gripping his folding fan turned slightly white. Zhou Ming bowed deeply to him:

"Your Majesty, please return to Qianyuan Hall. It is getting late." Emperor Yongchang looked at the figures gradually receding in the direction of Wenhua Hall.

Then he looked at Zhou Ming, and in the end, without saying a word, he turned and walked back into Qianyuan Hall.