Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 481 The New Emperor's First Edict
Three days later, the palace bells tolled endlessly, one toll after another...

It pierces through red walls and breaks through the morning mist, spreading throughout the streets and alleys of the capital.

Emperor Chongzhao passed away peacefully, leaving behind a will to proclaim his death to the world.

In the imperial edict, the emperor deeply repented for his mistakes, writing, "My foolishness has caused loyal officials to be unjustly accused and soldiers to shed their blood. I am ashamed before my ancestors and have failed the people of the world..."

He then issued a decree to pass the throne to Crown Prince Li Zhao.

The emperor's death was a great loss, and the court and the people mourned...

Inside the Zichen Palace, white curtains hung low, white candles burned eternally, and incense burned continuously.

Li Zhao, dressed in mourning clothes, ascended the throne before the spirit of the late emperor and set the reign title as "Yongjing"—meaning the end of war and peace throughout the land.

The enthronement ceremony was held during a period of national mourning, so the ceremonial procession was reduced, but it was still exceptionally solemn.

The new emperor, adorned in his imperial robes, ascended the steps amidst a chorus of shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" from his officials, eventually sitting on the supreme dragon throne and receiving the homage of officials both inside and outside the palace.

No one questioned it, no one resisted it.

He emerged from blood and fire, treading upon the failures and corpses of his father and brothers, and finally firmly grasped the highest authority in this nine-tiered palace—

Conquering the world can happen in the blink of an eye.

"Long live my emperor, long live long live..."

The sound waves surged like a tide, overflowing the golden palace.

Li Zhao's dark eyes were calm as he glanced at the civil and military officials bowing their heads beneath the imperial steps. His young and handsome face showed no emotion, but his demeanor was imposing and dignified, as if he had been born to belong to this place.

"Everyone is safe."

The sound faded into silence, leaving only the soft rustling of fabric...

Li Zhao's fingertips curled slightly, and a soft swallow rose in his throat—

The dust has finally settled.

Next comes settling old scores and consolidating the government.

The first troublesome matter was Prince Duan, Li Huan.

He was defeated and captured in the Zichen Palace, and his crime warranted execution.

But he was a prince, a blood brother. If the new emperor killed him, he would inevitably be branded as cruel and ungrateful, a fratricide. If he didn't kill him, however, he risked future trouble and alienating his followers.

This sparked endless debate in the imperial court.

Led by Qi Mingyang, newly wealthy men from humble backgrounds strongly advocated for execution according to the law as a warning to others. However, established officials from powerful families, such as Lu Kefu, pleaded for leniency, arguing that the emperor's flesh and blood should not be involved in bloodshed.

After the late emperor's death, Empress Dowager Xie fell seriously ill and was in poor spirits.

That day, despite her illness, she insisted on talking with Li Zhao behind closed doors for an hour. Afterwards, she went to see Xue Sui alone. Accompanying her were Princess Xue, the wife of Prince Duan, and Li Huan's youngest daughter, Aning.

No one knows what Xue Sui talked about with them, but soon rumors spread in the palace that Empress Dowager Xie and Princess Duan were begging Consort Xue to spare Li Huan's life.

That evening, after finishing his official duties, Li Zhao went to Pifang Pavilion.

No candles were lit inside the hall, and the twilight streamed in through the windows, making Xue Sui's figure appear even more somber.

"Has the Empress Dowager arrived today?" Li Zhao asked.

Xue Sui was pruning a tuberose branch by the window.

Upon hearing this, she paused slightly in her hand holding the silver scissors, turned her head, and hummed in response.

"I want to persuade His Majesty to pardon Prince Duan."

Li Zhao walked to her side, watching the broken flower branch fall into the celadon vase. "What are your thoughts? If you speak, I will spare his life..."

“Your Majesty is overthinking this,” she said calmly. “I am not a soft-hearted person.”

Li Zhao's eyes darkened slightly: "Are you really going to watch him die?"

“He deserved to die.” Xue Sui put down the silver scissors, looked up, and said with a clear, cold gaze, “Before my mother passed away, she held my hand and said that the Li family had already shed enough blood, and we shouldn’t let His Majesty go too far… If Prince Duan is killed, the imperial family in the capital will definitely panic, and they might even use the ‘Emperor killing his brothers’ incident to make a big fuss…”

After a brief pause, she bent down to pick up the broken branches that had fallen to the ground, crushed them, and threw them into the wastebasket.

"Your Majesty must not tolerate evil. Not only must Li Huan be killed, but he must be killed cleanly and thoroughly. Everyone in the Prince Duan's residence involved in treason must be exterminated..."

Li Zhao stared into her eyes for a long time before finally curving his lips into a smile.

"Very well, I understand your intentions."

That night, the candles in the imperial study burned all night.

Li Zhao sat alone at his desk.

A gentle breeze outside the window stirred up the faint starlight, which fell onto the blank imperial edict.

As dawn broke, he let out a low laugh that sounded both mocking and sighing.

Ping An knows him too well...

Li Zhao picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote down his thoughts.

"Prince Duan, Li Huan, was stripped of his title and reduced to a commoner. He was confined to a separate courtyard of the Imperial Clan Court and could not leave unless he died."

Later historical records refer to this as "the first edict in the early years of Yongjing".

In just twenty-one words, Prince Duan, Li Huan, who once held immense power and enjoyed the emperor's favor, was completely erased from the imperial genealogy.

As for Prince Chun, Li Qian, he was simple-minded and weak-willed and had never participated in court struggles. Li Zhao bestowed upon him a generous reward, increased his fief, and allowed him to live a life of wealth and leisure as a prince.

Prince Li Yan of Wei, Princess Ruihe, and others who were imprisoned were not released despite the new emperor's amnesty upon his ascension to the throne. They remained under strict surveillance and were not allowed to communicate with the outside world.

The most unexpected one was Prince Li Shao, who was far away in Dianzhou.

Upon hearing the news, he immediately submitted a memorial requesting to go to the capital to attend the funeral, presented a letter of submission, and expressed his respect and sincerity. He also requested to reduce the number of guards in the Prince's Palace and return the military tally to show that he had no disloyal intentions.

Li Zhao granted him permission to go to the capital, and while rewarding and appeasing him handsomely, he transferred some of his generals to other posts. In accordance with the promise made to him in Dianzhou that day, he ordered him to permanently govern southern Yunnan as the supreme military and political governor. This both gave him face and eliminated any possibility of him seizing power.

After settling the late emperor's funeral and the affairs of the imperial clan, the new emperor issued a series of new policies, demonstrating a governing style completely different from his father's.

Internally, the court rectified official corruption; externally, it pursued appeasement and border security. Redundant officials in the Six Ministries were dismissed, and all those found guilty of embezzling silver, regardless of rank, were handed over to the Court of Judicial Review for investigation. Simultaneously, the court formally fulfilled its promise to the thirty-six villages of Yunling, opening trade and officially appointing Hachi as their chieftain.

These measures were swift and decisive, directly addressing long-standing problems, and were all decided unilaterally by the new emperor, with no one having a say.

The undercurrents between the court and the public gradually subsided. After the busy period of governing in the early years of his reign, some veteran officials could not contain themselves and raised the issue of the vacant harem and the selection of concubines to continue the imperial line in court.

After hearing this, Li Zhao simply said, "I know what I'm doing," and then changed the subject, proposing to make Xue Sui his empress.

Although some court officials had reservations about Xue's background, none dared to contradict them.

Even the late emperor's wedding on the day of his death couldn't be stopped, so who would dare to stop him from establishing an empress?
However, inside the Pifang Pavilion, Xue Sui refused.

"Let's wait a little longer," she said softly, her gaze falling on the newly blooming spring flowers outside the window. "His Majesty and I are still in mourning. Holding the coronation ceremony now would be too ostentatious... It would be against the rules of etiquette and would also unsettle the people."

Looking at her serene profile, Li Zhao knew that her inner turmoil was unresolved. After a moment of silence, he finally nodded and smiled.

"Whatever you say. Whatever you say..."

Xue Sui looked up at him, her tone calm: "A mere formality in the harem is not a long-term solution. Has Your Majesty considered..."

Li Zhao snorted, interrupting her: "Is Ping An advising me to follow those old ministers, to expand the harem, to fill the inner palace, and to select concubines?"

Xue Sui lowered his eyes.

"Isn't this true of all emperors throughout history?"

“I am different. You are different too.” Li Zhao held her hand, forehead to forehead, his gaze intense. “I have said that you are the only one in my life. I was not joking.”

Xue Sui's fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly, but he ultimately remained silent.
-
A month or so later, it was already summer.

The grand sacrificial ceremony to vindicate the old mausoleum will be held in front of the Martyrs' Shrine.

On this day, the sky was a clear blue and the sun was shining warmly.

In front of the Martyrs' Shrine, officials stood solemnly according to their rank, a dark mass of people, completely silent.

Inside the ancestral hall, the memorial tablets are neatly arranged in dense rows, silently telling the story of past injustices and tragedies.

Lu Jing stood at the very front. Upon seeing the new emperor's arrival, he quickly led all the officials to kneel in welcome.

Li Zhao was dressed in full court attire to show his respect and grief.

Xue Sui accompanied him, dressed only in a simple and dignified dark robe, her hair loosely tied up, with no other ornaments except for a boxwood hairpin. Her features were devoid of makeup, exuding a cool and aloof elegance that made her even more stunningly beautiful.

Li Zhaoxing arrived at the ancestral hall, gazed at the endless array of memorial tablets, personally offered incense and paid his respects, bowed three times to the ground, and then spoke in a deep voice, his voice clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"My lords, your loyal souls are not far away. Today, I and the Great Liang court have finally restored your innocence. Your unwavering loyalty is witnessed by heaven and earth, yet you have suffered injustice for decades. This is the fault of the court and the fault of the Li family. I hereby swear that Great Liang will take this as a lesson, govern with integrity, treat meritorious officials well, and never let your loyal souls weep again in the afterlife. Your families will be well cared for by the court, exempted from taxes, and generously rewarded, so that the heroes will not be disheartened. From this day forward, your names will be etched in history, and you will enjoy eternal offerings—"

His voice was deep and powerful, echoing inside and outside the ancestral hall.

Upon hearing this, many of the bereaved family members couldn't help but cover their faces and weep...

The grief and grievances that had been suppressed for more than 30 years were finally released at this moment.

The sobbing sounds drifted away on the wind; they were both sorrowful and exhilarating.

“Your Majesty…” Laifu bowed and handed over another incense stick.

Li Zhao did not take it, but turned around and looked at Xue Sui.

Xue Sui stepped forward slowly, took the incense, and stood before the thousands of memorial tablets and officials.

The warm sun shone on her, as if coating her with a halo.

Her eyes were clear as she slowly spoke.

"I, Xue Sui, stand here today not in the name of an imperial concubine, but as a survivor of the Old Mausoleum Swamp, to vindicate my two hundred thousand comrades and to comfort their souls."

She bowed respectfully three times and inserted incense into the burner.

"...For decades, the injustice was buried deep, and the bones of the dead covered the fields. The blood and tears have finally been redressed, and the loyal souls can rest in peace. Today, the injustice is vindicated, the deceased are comforted, and life is restored, and the world is at peace."

Wisps of smoke rose and spiraled upwards.

With a resounding voice, she bowed deeply to the countless memorial tablets of loyal souls.

The mountain wind ruffled her clothes and hair; her figure was slender yet resolute.

At this moment, she was not a woman relying on the emperor, but a vindicator who had cleared her name and stood up to clear her name.

Li Zhao watched from the side, his gaze deep, and said in a low voice, "Please accept my condolences."

Xue Sui nodded slightly, without saying anything more.

Between them, formalities were no longer necessary.

Li Zhao knew she needed neither comfort nor protection. She didn't need to be a delicate flower hidden away in the palace, but rather a tall tree that could stand shoulder to shoulder with him…

How could such a woman be confined to the small confines of the palace, sharing a husband with another?

The ceremony concluded in a solemn and respectful atmosphere.

On the way back to the palace, Li Zhao held Xue Sui's slightly cool hand: "Are you tired?"

Xue Sui shook her head, leaned on his shoulder, and said softly, "It just feels like we've traveled a very long way to get here."

She faced life-or-death situations and overcame countless dangers along the way, finally achieving her goal...

Unfortunately, justice has been served, but the person is gone.

The price was ultimately too heavy.

Li Zhao put his arm around her shoulder and whispered to her.

"I'll walk with you on the road ahead."

Xue Sui did not answer, but simply closed her eyes and let him pull her into his arms.

The threat of the Love Silk Gu hangs like a sword of Damocles, and the whereabouts of my fellow disciples are unknown. Can all those grudges and entanglements truly vanish with a single decree of vindication?

The imperial carriage rolled along the dusty official road, slowly making its way towards the majestic city gate.

On the distant hillside, new buds were just beginning to sprout in the elm forest. A figure silently watched the emperor's procession gradually disappear into the distance, his gaze calm and still for a long time.

A gentle breeze blew by, lifting the hem of his plain white robe, making him appear like a lone crane in the wind, filled with loneliness...

　Li Zhao: Dear readers, are you satisfied with my wedding?

　　(End of this chapter)