Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 928 Abdication
News of Su Chen's capture of Bianjing quickly reached the capital of Wu. Yang Ling'er, Han Xizai, and others learned of this good news at the court meeting, and the Golden Palace erupted in cheers.

“The Prince of Pingnan has truly accomplished it.”

Gao Yue exclaimed in amazement: "After three years of training and building up our strength, we accomplished this feat in less than two years of the Northern Expedition. It's unbelievable!"

Xu Xuan exclaimed, "Indeed, last year we marched to conquer Jiangbei and Huainan, and this year we entered Huaibei, cutting straight into the Central Plains and recovering Kaifeng. In just two years, we defeated the Song Dynasty and captured Bianjing. How magnificent!"

"It's a reality! In my lifetime, I have finally witnessed the unification of the North and South, facilitated by our efforts!" Han Xizai's eyes were filled with tears; at the age of seventy, he was incredibly gratified and happy.

At his age, he could have retired and returned to his hometown, but he couldn't bear to, because he wanted to see Su Chen defeat the Song army, destroy the Song state, and witness the rise of a wise ruler.

Now that Su Chen has achieved this great undertaking, Han Xizai wants to see him ascend the throne as emperor. Han Xizai is essentially the emperor's tutor, because he discovered, nurtured, and supported Su Chen all the way.

In terms of status, position, and seniority, Han Xizai felt that he was the emperor's tutor, and at this moment, he was especially happy.

It's a pity he didn't have a suitable granddaughter to marry off; otherwise, he would have definitely chosen one to marry into the palace as a concubine, which would have brought even greater glory to the Han family.

The entire court assembly was in an uproar, everyone was overjoyed, this was a great joy!

Yang Ling'er was also overjoyed. He was her sworn brother, with whom she had spent many years together. They were childhood sweethearts and had been taken in by Su's father as a child bride. He had a complicated relationship with Su Chen.

Later, as Su Chen became more and more powerful, Yang Ling'er's feelings for her sworn brother also changed. Gradually, she no longer wanted to be just a sworn sister.

In this ancient era, a woman's only path to marriage was to become a nun. Even princesses and wealthy heiresses could only remain unmarried by becoming nuns; otherwise, they would face criticism and gossip.

Yang Ling'er is temporarily the King of Wu, but this cannot last long unless she wants to become an empress like Wu Zetian. However, she still needs to support her child to become emperor, but that is too unconventional, and Yang Ling'er does not have that ambition or aspiration.

All she wants now is to head north as soon as possible, abdicate the throne to Su Chen, and then let Su Chen become emperor. This would be a natural progression and become a legendary tale in history.

After the succession, if Yang Ling'er wants to stay by Su Chen's side, she will need another identity. If she is just a younger sister, she can only be a princess at most. In the end, she will still have to get married. Only if she marries Su Chen can she live peacefully by his side.

Some ministers and advisors from Yang Wu's former subordinates, while acknowledging Yang Ling'er's abdication, all put forward a condition: that Yang Ling'er herself become empress, so that her children with Su Chen would be legitimate and could inherit the throne in the future.

Yang Ling'er tacitly agreed to this, though she felt a little embarrassed, it was also what she wanted.

"My lords, in two days, I will personally lead all civil and military officials north to Bianjing City to promulgate the new policies."

"As you command!" the civil and military officials shouted in unison. They had been waiting for this day for a long time. Some of them had migrated from the Central Plains in the north. Due to the chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, this was a triumphant return to their homeland.

Moreover, they were well aware that this trip to the Central Plains to witness Su Chen's ascension to the throne was a momentous event. If they didn't participate, how would they advance their careers? Only by going and demonstrating their loyalty could they receive new rewards.

Therefore, after Yang Ling'er made the announcement, everyone was overjoyed and very enthusiastic.

Two days later, Yang Ling'er, along with hundreds of civil and military officials, crossed the Yangtze River under the escort of 50,000 imperial guards, and then headed towards Bianjing City.

The scenery along the way was all northern, and many southern officials were entering the Central Plains for the first time, so they were quite excited.

"Haha, we've attacked from Jiangnan."

"Those fierce and ruthless armies in the north can't stop our mighty lions of Jiangzuo now!"

Some ministers made numerous jokes along the way, feeling that their shared glory was a source of immense pride.

Half a month later, the team finally arrived outside Bianjing City. Su Chen personally led the Wu generals and Northern Song officials out of the city to welcome them. In the past half month, Su Chen had governed well, sending out orders to various occupied areas and dispatching some local officials, but it was still not enough. He needed to continue using the previous local officials and wait until next year to replace them.

As long as the local areas of the Northern Song Dynasty obeyed the new court's orders and were willing to submit, Su Chen would still give them a chance to continue serving as officials.

For those prefectures and counties that had not yet been conquered, Su Chen first sent people to deliver letters of surrender, and then Lin Renzhao and Pan Mei led troops to sweep through them. They were unstoppable and quickly took over many prefectures and counties in the southwest and northwest.

"Greetings to the King of Wu! Long live the King of Wu!"

Su Chen, along with his civil and military officials, paid homage to Yang Ling'er, as the King of Wu held the highest position and the most prestigious status at that time.

"My lords, you may rise and dismount!"

Yang Ling'er sat on the high carriage, calmly receiving the greetings from hundreds of civil and military officials outside the city.

"Greetings, Prince Pingnan! May you live a thousand years!"

Similarly, the civil and military officials of Wu also bowed to Su Chen, none of them daring to be negligent.

"My lords, there's no need for such formalities." Su Chen spoke politely, maintaining an approachable attitude even under the watchful eyes of everyone. This was part of his public image, something he valued highly.

"King Wu has come from afar and must be tired from his journey. Let's hurry into the city."

Su Chen smiled gently at Yang Ling'er.

Yang Ling'er hadn't seen Su Chen for a long time, so she was naturally very happy to see him this time. She nodded slightly, her face full of smiles and tenderness.

"I will follow the Prince of Pingnan's arrangements."

Yang Ling'er lowered the carriage curtain, preparing to board the carriage and enter the city.

After Su Chen turned around and everything was settled, the main force entered the city together. The main streets were lined with people who welcomed them. As everyone knew, His Majesty the King of Wu had come to Bianjing. Soon, the Wu court would promulgate new policies and usher in a brand new dynasty.

After entering the city, Yang Ling'er went directly into the palace and sat on the throne in the Golden Palace. The imperial censors in the palace began to arrange the civil and military officials in rows, with half of them being military officers and the other half being civil officials.

The civil service area involved officials from the Northern Song Dynasty and the Wu Kingdom, thus separating the areas.

At this moment, Wu officials such as Han Xizai, Xu Xuan, Gao Yue, Xu Kai, Zhang Yi, Pan You, and Zhu Kuangye all wore happy expressions, and their gazes towards the surrendered officials of the Northern Song Dynasty carried a hint of arrogance.

Yang Ling'er sat on the steps, her fair hand holding the jade seal high. Her voice was clear and firm, echoing between the vermilion pillars: "My lords—today, the land is reunited. The credit goes to the nation, to the soldiers, and to—Prince Pingnan, Su Chen!"

She turned slightly to the side, her gaze falling on the tall figure below the steps, revealing a hint of tenderness.

"From the founding of the Wu Kingdom and the pacification of the Southern Han, to the change of flags in Bianjing and the return of the world's hearts, it was only a few years." Yang Ling'er said in a voice like striking jade, "If it weren't for Su Chen's strategic planning and bravery, how could we have achieved what we have today? Among the famous generals of the past, none surpassed Han Xin and Li Jing; among the founding emperors, none surpassed Guangwu and Taizong. Yet Su Chen's achievements still surpass them."

She suddenly stood up and announced loudly: "I, along with my ministers, have decided that from this day forward, the throne of the King of Wu shall be abdicated to Su Chen, the Prince of Pingnan! An auspicious day will be chosen for him to ascend the throne and become Empress, by the mandate of Heaven, to forever govern this vast land!"

The hall fell silent for a moment, as if even breathing had stopped. No one expected Yang Ling'er to be so direct and quick to express her intention to abdicate, without any hesitation.

Suddenly, Han Xizai led the way with a loud shout, and all the officials knelt down in unison, shouting, "The King of Wu is wise! Long live the King! Long live the King! Long live the King!"

The roar was like a tidal wave, causing the roof beams of the palace to tremble slightly. This was the main event of the Wu Kingdom officials' northward journey.