Amidst the turbulent undercurrent, King Duan finally issued an edict to ascend the throne, announcing it to the world.
Of course, he would not admit that he had usurped the throne. He only said that there was a fire in the palace, the prince died in the flames, and the emperor suffered a heart attack and died without treatment.
It's just that he committed a crime before and was deprived of his title. Even if he came out with a disguised edict, no one would believe it - everyone is not a fool. The emperor also has several princes. Even if something happens to the prince, it won't be his turn.
As soon as the news came out, the whole world was in an uproar.
At first, the literati criticized him verbally and in writing, and then the governors from various places refused to obey the edict, causing an uproar.
"It's fake, it must be fake!" At the tea stall, a scholar slammed the table angrily, "He previously killed a general in the court. Although Your Majesty did not issue an explicit order, everyone knew that it was treason! Now Your Majesty will pass the throne to him
?This is regicide! This is usurpation!"
"Everyone knows what you said. Your Majesty and the Crown Prince must have been harmed by him. Alas, your Majesty, out of consideration for brotherhood, only seduced him and imprisoned him. Unexpectedly, he caused a big disaster for himself."
"A treasonous criminal dares to be called a loner, and the loyal and righteous people in the world should attack him!"
As soon as these words were said, someone poured cold water on him: "Of course King Duan deserves to die, but is it so easy to conquer him? Don't forget the Green Forest Rebellion."
In recent years, the prestige of the imperial court has gradually weakened, and people do not shy away from discussing political affairs.
The scholar shouted: "Shouldn't we attack him and let this traitor who killed the king and killed his brother sit on the throne?"
"No one says it should be, but it doesn't matter what you and I say about this kind of crusade! If we adults decide to go on a crusade, we need to collect food and grass, right? We need to rectify our armaments, right? We need to recruit young people, right? What will our Nanyuan be like then?
What does it look like? Besides, others may not be of the same mind as us, so why should someone cause a stumbling block?"
The scholar felt guilty after what he said, and his momentum weakened. He managed to say: "We can organize a large army to attack! For example, Guanzhong, Qijun, Jiangbei..."
No one objected to this, but some people thought: "Come to think of it, haven't those powerful people expressed their stance yet?"
"Well, most of those who clearly refuse to obey the imperial edict are governors who are far away."
"Our lord has not expressed his position yet! Do you think your lord will refuse to obey the imperial edict?"
"I guess so? Our Lord has always been loyal to His Majesty."
"Well, the situation is difficult now. You have to protect so many people in Nanyuan. It is not easy to make any decision..."
Upstairs in the teahouse, Xu Yin put down his tea cup, stood up and put on his power shield: "Go back!"
The people of Nanyuan are stable, which is the confidence for the future. As for the next step, let's wait for someone to succeed!
…
"Clang——" The sharp sound of broken porcelain sounded from Mingguang Hall.
The people in the inner chamber shivered and fell to their knees on the ground.
King Duan was so angry that he did not stop until he had swept away all the furnishings on the desk.
"Rebellious ministers, these are all rebellious ministers! What qualifications do they have to make irresponsible remarks to me? Gao Hui himself picked up the throne. If things hadn't happened to his brothers, would it have been his turn? Not to mention what he has done over the years.
It’s a mess, the administration is dirty, and the court is corrupt! How am I not better than them?”
"Perhaps His Majesty is too strong?" A voice suddenly sounded, and then a scribe appeared at the door, smiling and saluting King Duan, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, please forgive me."
Seeing him, Prince Duan's expression softened and he sat back on the throne: "Mr. Jiang is here! I have allowed you to walk around the palace as you please, so why forgive me?"
"Your Majesty's generosity is a holy gift, and I must not lose this etiquette." The scribe said with a smile and stepped into the palace.
King Duan glanced at him: "What are you still doing? Clean up and show Mr. Jiang his seat."
"Yes." The people in the inner palace responded. Some moved chairs, some collected things, and soon the palace returned to its original state.
King Duan waved them away, and he and Mr. Jiang were the only two people left in the palace.
He asked in a consultative tone: "Mr. Jiang, there are now seven people who refuse to obey the imperial edict. What do you think I should do?"
Mr. Jiang held the tea cup and said calmly: "Your Majesty, you don't have to do anything."
King Duan's eyes narrowed.
But I heard Mr. Jiang continue with a smile: "These people's territory is remote, and their refusal to obey the imperial edict is just because they have made up their minds that it will be difficult for Your Majesty to attack them, so they are just trying to win over the people. Don't worry about them. There are only a few of them that you really need to care about."
.”
King Duan thought thoughtfully: "The first one is Guanzhong. They are close to each other and have strong soldiers and horses. Then there are Qijun, Dongjiang, and Yuzhou..." After thinking about it, he added, "The actual situation in Chu is now
It's in Xu Huan's hands, and we have to take a look at his attitude."
Mr. Jiang nodded: "None of them expressed their opinions. Your Majesty really doesn't need to care."
King Duan was comforted, exhaled, and then asked: "What if they never express their stance? Isn't it the same as not obeying the imperial edict?"
Mr. Jiang spoke earnestly and thoughtfully: "Your Majesty, you were deprived of your title by the late emperor before you succeeded to the throne. No one in the world will believe you no matter what. You know this, and it will not be easy to be recognized by the world."
Prince Duan frowned: "According to what you say, there is no other way to think of it? Then what does it mean for me to be the emperor?"
Mr. Jiang smiled slightly: "There is nothing that can't be done in the world. It's just patience. It's a fact that you are sitting on this throne now. As long as you have the capital completely in your hands, those people's shouts will not change anything. In the future
You can slowly reveal some old things..."
King Duan understood: "Expose the shameful things that Gao Hui has done one by one, and make them believe that I am the one who is destined to die!"
As for what those things are, he is the one sitting on the throne now, so he will naturally have a way to figure it out.
Mr. Jiang nodded approvingly: "Your Majesty, welcome."
After King Duan settled his mind, he saw a chamberlain standing at the door, hesitant to speak.
"What's the matter?" he asked proactively.
The chamberlain came in, glanced carefully at the side, and Prince Duan said directly: "If you have anything to say, just say it. Mr. Jiang is not an outsider."
He received permission and reported: "Your Majesty, General Hu is back."
This General Hu was originally a close guard of King Duan and was responsible for pursuing Princess Changning.
King Duan nodded: "Please come in."
"yes."
Not long after, a young general walked in quickly, knelt down and saluted: "See you, Your Majesty."
King Duan waved his hand: "Where is Changning? Were you captured, or were you killed on the spot?"
The general looked troubled and lowered his head: "I am incompetent and failed to capture the princess."
King Duan was displeased: "What's going on? Didn't you say that you have to see people in life and see their corpses in death?"
Princess Changning has a special status and is a witness to his regicide conspiracy. If she falls into the hands of others, there may be some trouble.
"Your Majesty, forgive me!" The general leaned down, "I chased the princess all the way south, and wiped out the guards around her one by one. I was about to catch the princess, but I met the Lord of Yongjia County..."
"Mr. Yongjia County?" Prince Duan frowned, "You mean, Changning is currently in Nanyuan?"