Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 530: Zhuge Liang's Death

There was another heavy snowfall in Chang'an.

This majestic capital of the Han Dynasty grew old overnight. The howling north wind swept snowflakes across the sky and earth, dyeing the entire world white.

Today is New Year's Eve, but there is not a trace of red to be seen in the whole city of Chang'an. Instead, every household is wearing mourning clothes.

Even the usually bustling brothels and wine houses were all closed today. No one could be seen on the streets or in the alleys, and from time to time, sobbing and crying could be heard coming from nowhere.

The whole city was filled with an indescribable sadness.

On the snow-covered street, an inconspicuous black carriage slowly passed by, and the wheels made a "creaking" sound as they pressed on the new snow.

The carriage drove all the way to the outside of the imperial city.

Outside the imperial city, a young man with a handsome appearance had been waiting there for a long time. Upon seeing the carriage arriving, he hurried forward to greet it.

The curtain of the carriage slowly opened, and an old man with gray hair and holding a feather fan slowly walked out. The young man hurriedly reached out to support him and reminded him, "The ground is slippery, please go slower, teacher."

The old man looked at the young man and said helplessly: "Boyue, as the commander of the palace guards, it is really inappropriate for you to come here specially to wait for me."

The young man's name was Jiang Wei, with the courtesy name Bo Yue.

He is now the commander of the palace guards.

And this old man was naturally Zhuge Liang.

Jiang Wei helped Zhuge Liang get off the carriage and said with a smile, "Teacher, you misunderstood. It was His Majesty who sent me here to welcome you."

"His Majesty said that you are old, and it is snowing outside, so he asked me to be careful when bringing you into the palace."

Zhuge Liang felt relieved after hearing this.

Although Jiang Wei was his student, he held an important position after all. If he came to welcome him without the emperor's order, he would definitely be criticized.

"Teacher, His Majesty and several other university scholars have been waiting in the pavilion for a long time. You should go to the palace quickly and don't let His Majesty wait too long."

Jiang Wei put a cloak on Zhuge Liang, placed a heater in his palm, and whispered in his ear.

Zhuge Liang nodded, and then, accompanied by Jiang Wei, he walked into the palace and headed towards the cabinet.

Soon, the two arrived outside the cabinet.

The heating in the cabinet was burning brightly. As soon as I stepped in, the heat mixed with a faint scent of sandalwood hit me in the face.

At this time in the cabinet, the grand secretaries had already arrived. After hearing the footsteps, they all looked over.

Zhuge Liang walked straight into the cabinet and saluted tremblingly to the figure sitting above him, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

On the main seat, the young emperor stood up, stepped forward to support Zhuge Liang, and said, "Grand Master, why are you being so polite? Please stand up quickly."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Zhuge Liang then stood up. He raised his head and looked at the familiar face of the young emperor in front of him. He was a little dazed for a moment.

Really... similar.

After sighing in his heart, Zhuge Liang collected his thoughts and asked, "Your Majesty, I just learned the bad news not long ago... The late emperor was always in good health, why did he suddenly pass away?"

Just three months ago, he resigned from his positions as Grand Tutor and Imperial College Chief Academician, retired, and planned to return to his hometown in Nanyang to live.

However, only two months later, he received a piece of news - the emperor had passed away.

That’s right, Emperor Liu Xie passed away a month ago at the age of fifty-four.

The person in front of you is the Crown Prince Liu Jue who has just ascended the throne.

Hearing Zhuge Liang's words, Liu Jue's eyes slightly reddened, and he choked up and said, "Father died in his sleep...The imperial physician said that he died of old age."

Zhuge Liang was stunned for a moment, and muttered to himself: "Dying of old age..."

The scene of the late emperor bidding farewell to him several months ago began to emerge involuntarily in his eyes, and his voice, appearance and smile seemed to be still vivid in his mind.

"Kong Ming, you are so cunning. You retired so early, leaving me alone in the palace. I am so lonely."

The elderly emperor held his arm and said with a smile, but his smile was a little lonely, and there was reluctance in his eyes.

"Fengxiao, Wenhe, Fengxian, they have all passed away. The journey is long, you must take good care of yourself."

The emperor stood at the gate of the palace and waved goodbye to him.

And this separation means that we will be separated forever.

Unconsciously, Zhuge Liang's eyes became moist. After a long time, he suppressed the grief in his heart and said to Liu Jue: "Your Majesty, please accept my condolences."

Seeing Zhuge Liang's face filled with tears, Liu Jue also sighed in his heart.

Zhuge Liang was his teacher and one of the few remaining founding ministers in the court. The friendship between him and his father was very deep.

When the late emperor passed away, the grief of these old ministers was no less than his.

For example, after Grand Marshal Yuan Xi learned the news of the late emperor's death, he cried so hard that he vomited blood and passed out in his house. He is still recovering from his illness.

"Your Majesty, let's discuss business first."

At this time, a somewhat inappropriate voice was heard. Zhuge Liang and Liu Jue looked and saw that the person who spoke was Sima Yi.

After so many years, Sima Yi looks a lot older, but his spirit seems to be much better than Zhuge Liang's.

He is two years older than Zhuge Liang and is now fifty-six years old.

Since Zhuge Liang resigned from his duties as the chief minister of the cabinet, he became the new chief minister of the cabinet and the head of the civil officials.

"Well, that's fine too."

Liu Jue did not deny it. He returned to his seat and when he looked at everyone again, he had regained the dignity of the emperor.

"The late emperor passed away. Today, I have summoned all the great scholars here to discuss the late emperor's posthumous title and temple name."

"Please express your opinions, Grand Masters."

The current cabinet ministers are Sima Yi, Yang Xiu, Xu Shu, Pang Tong, Fa Zheng, Lu Su and Xun You.

Guo Jia died twenty years ago, and Jia Xu also died five years ago. The two vacant seats were filled by Xu Shu and Pang Tong.

As for Xun You, it took him a long time to rise to power.

After all, he was once a traitor.

However, because Liu Xie chose to forgive these criminal ministers, he was able to continue to stay in the court. Finally, with his own abilities, he successfully entered the cabinet after Zhuge Liang retired.

The topic we are going to discuss today is the posthumous title and temple name of the late emperor.

In fact, officials from the Ministry of Rites have been arguing about this issue for a long time, but have never been able to come to a conclusion.

After all, the achievements of this emperor were so great that he not only restored the Han Dynasty, but also created the prosperous Jian'an Era. Both his civil and military achievements were unparalleled.

Therefore, how to formulate posthumous names and temple names is a rather difficult task.

Moreover, this concerns the emperor's reputation after his death, so he must be cautious.

Xun You pondered for a long time, then slowly said, "Your Majesty, the late emperor's posthumous title is still under discussion, but for the late emperor's achievements, the four major temple names of 'Taizhong' and 'Shi' can include the word 'Zhong'."

“Zhongzu refers to the leader who inherits the past and opens up the future and revives the ancestral temple. His virtue is enough to carry on the work of his ancestors and his achievements are enough to revive the declining dynasty, so he is called Zhongzu.”

"Therefore, I think it is most appropriate to name the late emperor Zhongzu."

"Taizhong" is one of the four top temple names, among which the two temple names "Tai" and "Gao" can only be owned by the founding emperor.

The temple name "Shi" is often given to the ruler of a revival, such as Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu, who was called Shizu.

The temple name "Zhong" is the most rare, because it requires the country to prosper and rise again after two declines, which is also most consistent with the achievements of the previous emperor Liu Xie.

Therefore, in Xun You's opinion, there is no more suitable temple name than Zhongzu.

Xun You's proposal was approved by several other grand secretaries. Lu Su, Fa Zheng and Yang Xiu all felt that this temple name was not controversial.

"Master, what do you think?"

Liu Jue looked at Zhuge Liang and asked him.

Zhuge Liang pondered for a moment, then slowly said: "Your Majesty, with the merits of the late emperor, he is naturally worthy of the temple name of Zhongzu."

"The key is the posthumous title. What should it be?"

It is easy to decide on a temple name, but it is difficult to decide on a posthumous name.

Upon hearing this, Pang Tong said, "These are the several posthumous titles proposed by the Ministry of Rites. Please have a look at them, Grand Master."

As he spoke, he stood up and handed a piece of paper to Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang looked down and saw that it was written "Zhaowu", "Xuanwu", "Wenzhao" and so on.

At this time, Xu Shu said, "I think the word 'Zhaowu' is more appropriate."

"Your Majesty has quelled the rebellion, brought order to the country, and instituted new policies, making our Han Dynasty unprecedentedly powerful. For such saintly virtues, you should be posthumously named 'Zhao'."

"What do you think, Grand Master?"

The word Zhao means "the saint is well-known and reaches all corners of the country", which means that the monarch has broad wisdom, outstanding reputation, and can spread his virtues and policies to all directions.

The "Explanation of the Posthumous Titles" in the "Book of the Later Zhou" mentions "the sage heard about the Zhou dynasty and was called Zhao", emphasizing the far-reaching influence of the monarch on the philosophy of governing the country and moral education.

Wu represents "to quell rebellion" or "to be powerful and virtuous", that is, to quell rebellion and maintain national stability through force.

According to the late emperor's life achievements, the posthumous title of "Zhaowu" is quite appropriate.

But in fact, the most appropriate word is "Guangwu". However, there is already an Emperor Guangwu in the history of the Han Dynasty, so we cannot give him the same posthumous title.

Before Zhuge Liang could speak, Fa Zheng shook his head and said, "It is inappropriate to use 'Zhaowu' as the posthumous title. It emphasizes the military achievements of the late emperor too much and ignores his achievements in civil administration."

"The late emperor not only loved his people like his own children and implemented benevolent policies, but he also created the imperial examination system, established the Imperial Academy and the Military Academy, and laid the foundation for the eternal prosperity of the Han Dynasty!"

"In my opinion, the late emperor's achievements in civil governance are better than his military achievements, so the title 'Wen Zhao' is the most appropriate."

Fa Zheng and Xu Shu held completely different opinions. Fa Zheng was more inclined to give the late emperor a posthumous title that would highlight his achievements in civil administration.

His opinion was also unanimously recognized by Yang Xiu, Lu Su, and Pang Tong, who all nodded in agreement. Wen has always been higher than Wu, and Wen Zhao is definitely higher than Zhao Wu. This is also a posthumous title recognized by many ministers in the court.

Emperor Liu Jue nodded slightly upon hearing this. He also thought that "Wen Zhao" was good, so he looked at Zhuge Liang, who had not expressed his opinion, and asked, "What do you think, Grand Master? You may as well speak frankly."

The other university scholars also looked at Zhuge Liang.

Although Zhuge Liang has retired, his prestige and qualifications are still very high. He assisted the late emperor for decades with great diligence and dedication, so much so that he became ill and had to retire early.

But his contributions to the Han Dynasty are indelible.

The reason why the new policy can be implemented smoothly and the Han Dynasty can become as strong as it is today is that this old man has made great contributions.

Even their colleagues respect and recognize him.

"Wen Zhao?"

Zhuge Liang seemed to be thinking about other things just now, but he came back to his senses after hearing this. Seeing that the emperor and everyone were looking at him, he lowered his eyes, pondered for a long time, and then slowly spoke.

"Your Majesty, it is good to give you the posthumous title of 'Wen Zhao', but... I think this is still not enough to show your Majesty's achievements."

After hearing what Zhuge Liang said, everyone, including the emperor, was stunned.

Isn’t “Wen Zhao” enough to highlight the achievements of the late emperor?

You must know that "Wen" is the highest posthumous title!

Liu Jue asked, "What posthumous title do you think is most appropriate for our father?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhuge Liang said without hesitation: "He should be given the posthumous title of 'Shengwu'!"

Everyone was stunned when they heard this.

Holy martial arts?

Zhuge Liang's cloudy eyes lit up with a different look at this moment, and his originally hunched back straightened up. He said in a loud voice: "The late emperor wiped out all the rebels and pacified the chaotic world in just seven years; in ten years, our great Han Dynasty has been peaceful and prosperous!"

"The late emperor's virtues matched the heavens, and his military strategies were unrivaled. Only by giving him the posthumous title of 'Shengwu' can we highlight his achievements!"

Throughout history, no emperor has ever been posthumously named "Saint", because this word is too big, who can be worthy of it?

But in Zhuge Liang's view, their predecessor definitely deserves it!

This emperor who revived the Han Dynasty three times, wiped out rebels, created the imperial examination system, implemented new policies, and loved his people like his own children, was destined to surpass Emperor Wen!

How can such an emperor who is unprecedented in history not be called a "saint"? !

Looking at Zhuge Liang, whose face was slightly red due to his excitement, several university scholars sighed in their hearts. After exchanging glances, they finally spoke together under the leadership of Sima Yi.

"I second the proposal."

Although the posthumous title of "Shengwu" is very unusual and unprecedented, there is nothing wrong with it if the person using this posthumous title is the previous emperor.

Seeing that all the cabinet ministers agreed, Liu Jue nodded and said, "In that case, let's use 'Shengwu' as the late emperor's posthumous title."

"Your Majesty is wise——"

All the ministers bowed and praised him.

After the posthumous title was decided, Liu Jue felt relieved. He asked several other university secretaries to continue handling government affairs in the cabinet, and then invited Zhuge Liang to the Greenhouse Hall alone.

"Taishi, please take a seat."

The emperor wanted to personally help Zhuge Liang to sit down.

In front of Zhuge Liang, he always behaved like a disciple, both when he was a prince and now as an emperor.

He has great respect for the teacher who has taught him since he was a child.

Zhuge Liang cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is now the emperor, so this is against the rules."

Even so, he still couldn't persuade the emperor and had to sit down.

The two sat down, Liu Jue personally poured a cup of tea for Zhuge Liang, and then asked: "Grandmaster, you will not leave again after coming back this time, right?"

Zhuge Liang said: "Your Majesty, I will return to Nanyang when the mourning period for the late emperor is over."

He has retired and lived in seclusion. If it weren't for the major changes in the court, he would not have come back.

Liu Jue was immediately disappointed when he heard this, and couldn't help but say, "The Grand Master is old and in poor health, why doesn't he stay in Chang'an to retire?"

"Besides, I have just ascended the throne, and I need someone to assist me in stabilizing the government."

Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I am a country man. Country life is more suitable for me."

"As for assisting Your Majesty... With the cabinet ministers here, why would you need an old minister?"

He knew that the emperor was just looking for an excuse to keep him.

Although the previous emperor passed away suddenly, the succession of the throne was very smooth, and there was no turmoil in the court at all.

A trace of embarrassment flashed across Liu Jue's face. He knew that his clumsy excuse could not convince Zhuge Liang in front of him, but he still wanted to give it a try.

"But Nanyang is far from Chang'an. It is extremely difficult for me to meet the Grand Tutor."

Liu Jue said, with a look of reluctance in his eyes, "Grand Tutor Guo has long passed away, and my father has also passed away... I only have you, Grand Tutor, left now."

The emperor's tone was inexplicably sad.

Guo Jia was his first teacher, but this teacher died young. Since then, Zhuge Liang has been teaching him carefully and has spent as much time with him as his father.

To him, Zhuge Liang was both a teacher and a father.

This feeling is hard to describe.

Looking at the young emperor in front of him who looked reluctant to leave, Zhuge Liang said softly: "Your Majesty...I am old."

One sentence full of fatigue.

Liu Jue stopped talking.

He understood that the old man in front of him had devoted his life to the Han Dynasty and had used up all his energy, just like a candle that was about to burn out.

He couldn't be selfish and keep the old man anymore.

Neither of them spoke any more, just drank their tea in silence until the tea in the cup was gone.

Zhuge Liang put down his teacup, stood up tremblingly, and bowed to the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, it is getting late. I will take my leave first."

Liu Jue did not dissuade him. He knew that Zhuge Liang must be very tired from the journey, so he stood up to see him off.

The king and his minister walked all the way to the gate of the imperial palace. Liu Jue sent Zhuge Liang to the carriage, still reluctant to leave.

"Teacher... take care."

The emperor held Zhuge Liang's hand and said this with a sincere look on his face.

Zhuge Liang smiled with relief, bowed meticulously to the emperor, then turned around and got on the carriage.

Soon, the carriage moved farther and farther away in the heavy snow.

The emperor stood there for a long time, and did not leave until he saw the carriage disappear around the corner.

"Your Majesty, it's cold outside, you should return to the palace early."

Jiang Wei on the side reminded in a low voice.

The emperor withdrew his gaze, sighed, and turned back to the palace.

……

Zhuge's residence.

After returning home, Zhuge Liang did not rest, but stood in front of the study window, watching the heavy snow flying outside.

He was thinking.

The previous emperor passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne.

Although this young emperor was benevolent and wise, very much like the previous emperor, and had been carefully taught by him, he still couldn't help but feel a little worried.

Son of Heaven, can you lead the Han Dynasty towards a more powerful path?

Can he shoulder the burden of this vast empire?

He wanted to accompany, he wanted to witness, he was worried, he...

old.

Zhuge Liang stood in front of the window in deep thought for a long time, and finally walked back to the desk, spread out paper and ink, and began to write furiously.

"I am a commoner, tilling the land in Nanyang. The late emperor did not regard me as humble..."

After an unknown amount of time, the oil lamp on the desk burst into a spark, and Zhuge Liang put down the brush in his hand.

He dried the memorials written on the desk, folded them, put them in an envelope, and placed them in front of the desk.

After writing this memorial, he seemed to feel a lot more relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face.

At this moment, Zhuge Liang felt his eyelids heavy and a feeling of fatigue suddenly came over him, so he lay down on the table and fell into a deep sleep.

The oil lamp on the table gradually went out.

Outside the window, it is snowing heavily.

……

The first year of Zhaoming in the Han Dynasty.

Zhuge Liang, former Grand Secretary of the Kirin Pavilion, Prime Minister of the Cabinet, Grand Tutor, head of the civil officials, Chief Academician of the Imperial College, and Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, died in his dream at the age of 54.

The emperor wept bitterly, personally carried the coffin, buried it with the rites of the princes, and enshrined it in the Taimiao.

Posthumous title: Wen Zheng.

(End of this chapter)