On this day, the courtiers gathered outside the palace gate early because they had received the news one after another.
Yesterday, there was so much commotion in the palace. Carloads of corpses were pulled out of the palace and taken to the mass graves. It was difficult for them not to know.
That night, I closed my door and lived in fear, fearing that the fire would burn me.
When I woke up in the morning, I got the order to attend the crown prince's coronation ceremony as scheduled.
Things have changed in the Xizhao Kingdom. Prince Rui died, and General Xu Guang also died. Now, only King Xian and Prime Minister Li are left.
The crown prince ascended the throne today, just as Prime Minister Li wanted. From now on, the life of the wise king will be difficult.
The courtiers were in twos and threes, exchanging the news they knew. They waited for a long time to enter the palace, but they never saw the wise king and Prime Minister Li.
It makes sense to say that the wise king was angry and did not come to attend the crown prince's enthronement ceremony. It is really unreasonable for Prime Minister Li, the beneficiary, not to show up early to enjoy his achievements.
The courtiers waited until the time came, but King Xian and Prime Minister Li never showed up.
Just when they were already a little uneasy, they received Xilingyu's order.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has issued an order to invite all courtiers to move to the capital city gate."
The courtiers looked at each other, all confused.
"Go to the city gate? What are you doing there? Aren't there people outside the city who are victims of the disaster?"
"Isn't today the crown prince's enthronement ceremony? Why, none of the prince, the wise king, and Prime Minister Li came?"
"Did they all go to the city gate?"
The courtiers talked a lot, but few of them moved. Until the commander of the imperial army came forward with all the imperial troops and politely asked:
"My lords, please obey His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's order and go to the city gate."
The ministers did not know the situation and could not directly attack the commander of the imperial army, so they had no choice but to set off and follow the orders to the city gate.
The majestic march all the way stunned everyone in the capital.
There were also people joining in the fun and following along, wanting to see what big events would happen today.
When the ministers all arrived at the city gate and got off the carriage, Xiling Yu appeared in the sight of the courtiers, but he was only wearing ordinary clothes and did not change into the emperor's court uniform.
Beside him, there was a pair of young men and women of heavenly appearance, dressed in noble clothes, not inferior to Xiling Yu. The three of them stood side by side.
The courtiers began to whisper among themselves again.
"Who are those two people? Why are they side by side with the prince?"
"I haven't seen you before. Why haven't King Xian and Prime Minister Li arrived yet?"
"Why doesn't the prince change into court clothes?"
Only the ministers asked questions, but no one gave them answers. Until Xilingyu said loudly:
"Open the city gate!"
"No, Your Highness, there are disaster victims outside. Once the city gate is opened, how can we ensure your safety?"
Immediately, some ministers objected, and other ministers responded one after another. In fact, they were even more worried about their own safety.
Unfortunately, their words had no effect. Wu You and Wu Lu had already gone to open the city gate in person.
The moment the city gate opened, the victims outside helped them to their feet and looked in.
They didn't expect to see the civil and military personnel of the Manchu Dynasty here. Such a huge battle frightened them for a while.
They thought that the imperial court was going to send troops to exterminate them. They were so frightened that they all backed away.
Xilingyu said loudly:
"The two people beside me are the new emperor of Yunxiao Kingdom and the empress. They are the distinguished guests I have invited. My lords, please bow."
His words were heard not only by the courtiers, but also by the victims.
The new emperor and queen of Yunxiao Kingdom came to their Xizhao Kingdom together?
The courtiers were extremely shocked at first, and then extremely surprised. Their Xizhao Kingdom was now in a pile of mud. If they could get help from the Yunxiao Kingdom, they would be able to recover quickly.
Not to mention how young the new emperor and empress are, since they are here, they cannot do nothing.
"See the Emperor and Queen of Yunxiao Kingdom!"
The courtiers all paid homage, but they didn't know who invited these two important figures. Maybe it was Prime Minister Li? But where was Prime Minister Li?
Hopes suddenly rose in the hearts of the victims. Could it be that Yunxiao Kingdom was going to rescue them?
Before anyone could figure it out, Xilingyu said again:
"My father died young and my mother was forced to be buried."
Jun Lingyun and Chu Yunxi looked sideways at him. This was the first time for them to hear Xilingyu mention his mother, and they did not expect that it would turn out to be another human tragedy.
After establishing a great country, my mother was forced to bury her in the grave! This is unprecedented in history.
The courtiers bowed their heads and the queen was buried. It was not that no one objected.
King Kerui and King Xian, two royal men, personally facilitated this matter, claiming that the queen had a deep love for the late emperor and volunteered to be buried with her. Who dares to really touch an egg against a stone?
Now that I heard the little prince say the word forced, I couldn't help but feel a little bit wrong.
The victims did not understand the important affairs of the court, but they also understood one thing. The child who spoke was the young prince, and the young prince's mother was forced to die. It turned out that she was also a poor child.
Xilingyu clenched his fists and his voice trembled slightly.
"Nowadays, Xizhao Kingdom is in a precarious situation, the people are miserable, civil unrest is everywhere, and foreign enemies are at hand! I know that I am still young and cannot take on the important responsibilities of the country."
What does the prince mean? The courtiers began to speculate, does the prince not want to be Prime Minister Li's puppet and wants to pass the throne to the wise king?
Could it be that Prime Minister Li was trying to fetch water from a bamboo basket in vain? But didn’t King Xian and King Rui kill the crown prince’s mother and queen?
The victims wiped away their tears. Yes, they were miserable and couldn't live anymore! I didn't expect that this young prince was actually a good person. So, would he save them?
Xilingyu calmed down and continued to finish:
"Today, I, Xilingyu, represent the Xizhao royal family and voluntarily hand over the territory of Xizhao to the management of His Majesty the Emperor of Yunxiao Kingdom in exchange for a way for the people of Xizhao to live!"
The courtiers immediately went into a rage.
"This, how can this be done?"
"Your Highness, please think again. How can anyone entrust the inheritance of their ancestors to the hands of others?"
"Yes, our Xizhao Kingdom is in trouble today, and the Yunxiao Kingdom comes to help us. When we calm down, we can repay the favor to the Yunxiao Kingdom. Why hand over the country?"
The victims asked each other:
"Are we saved? Are we saved?"
Xilingyu ignored the courtiers' words and turned around, facing the victims outside the city.
"I am the Xizhao royal family. I am sorry for the common people of Li. Emperor Yunxiao and the queen are both righteous people and will definitely give you a stable life."
The victims were simply overjoyed. Finally someone took over. Has anyone taken charge?
Among the courtiers, most of them expressed opposition.
Will the Emperor of the Yunxiao Kingdom transport all the food from the Yunxiao Kingdom to Xizhao for disaster relief? Shouldn't it be distributed to the victims from the hands of those who have food?
"Prince, how can you be worthy of your ancestors by doing this? Have you discussed this with Prime Minister Li and the wise king?"
Only then did Jun Lingyun speak calmly:
"There is no need to discuss it. The wise king and Prime Minister Li you mentioned were unfortunately killed on their way to comfort the victims yesterday."