Jinting Han people

Chapter 98 Death of Sima Yan (4k)

This time, the emperor's illness finally reached a point where it was irreversible.

In his youth, Sima Yan was a handsome and elegant young man, as still as a jade tree and as dynamic as a stream. Anyone who interacted with this emperor would feel a genuine sense of comfort, like being bathed in a spring breeze, and could also appreciate the young man's boundless ambition.

But now, he is just an old man with a emaciated body and a haggard face.

As darkness fell, Yang Jun entered Hanzhang Hall. It was deserted, save for him and two guards stationed outside. Yang Jun lit an oil lamp for illumination. The weak flame, pulsing with the dark wind, seemed poised to go out at any moment. The dim light revealed the emaciated figure of Sima Yan, who lay in a coma.

Even after serving Sima Yan for over half a year, Yang Jun still felt terrified every time he saw the emperor's condition. He had witnessed firsthand the power of time: no matter how much power one held, how much wealth one possessed, or how much accomplishment one had achieved, one would always grow, age, and die.

Yang Jun watched Sima Yan gradually lose weight. The emperor's skin gradually became covered with spots, his hair, which hadn't yet turned gray, lost its luster, and after lying down for so long, he developed bedsores. Most terrifying was the erosion of his sanity. This emperor, who once conquered the world and unified the Three Kingdoms, was now often comatose. When he opened his eyes to look at people, he would often be dazed for a long time, and his words were sometimes laughably childish. The aura of death was gradually eroding this unified emperor, gnawing away even his desire to live.

The emperor is also a mortal and will die.

At such times, Yang Jun would feel particularly terrified. He wondered how much longer he could live, considering he was several years older than the emperor. It was said that sacrificing one's life for justice was worse than lingering on, but this lingering on was truly a form of torture.

As a result, he cherishes his health more and values his remaining years more.

But at the same time as he developed this respect, Yang Jun also began to despise the emperor.

During this period, Yang Jun discovered that the emperor was just an ordinary, even prematurely aged, old man.

After issuing the decree to divide the land, Sima Yan gradually lost awareness of the significance of his orders and became a puppet at Yang Jun's disposal. When Yang Jun ordered his diet, he could only eat bland porridge. When Yang Jun ordered him to turn over at midnight, he could only move his fingers the rest of the time. Even when Yang Jun issued absurd decrees, the emperor could only nod vaguely.

Too fragile. Sima Yan was not even sixty years old, so how did he let his body get to this state?

Yang Jun easily came up with the answer: this person was so stupid that he didn't know how to control his desires. He indulged in sensual pleasures during the time when he should have been strengthening his body, and ended up damaging his fundamental vitality.

Was this man truly the grandson of Emperor Xuan, Sima Yi? Yang Jun still remembered Sima Yi's fame in his later years. Even as he grew older and more withered, his body still harbored an incomparably strong will and the wisdom to overcome all odds. This was the reason he could launch a coup at the age of seventy, carrying out a bloody massacre, and he could also quell Wang Ling's rebellion with lightning speed within a month.

In the past, he always thought that only those who fought until their last breath were qualified to hold the divine weapon.

But now, after witnessing Sima Yan's weakness, he realized that it wasn't that difficult. Thinking back on Sima Yan's so-called achievements since he came to power, they seemed unremarkable. With the national strength so far behind, destroying Wu was nothing to brag about. Hadn't he been in charge of the country for nearly seven years, and everything was going smoothly?
Therefore, with this mentality, he began to take advantage of the emperor's coma and replaced all the people in the palace with his own confidants. He also began to blatantly place people in the imperial guards: he appointed his confidant Wang You as the Shizhong, his brother Yang Ji as the General of the Guard, his nephew Duan Guang as the Palace Attendant, his nephew Zhang Shao as the Central Guard General, and his wingman Liu Yu as the General of the Left Army... By now, Yang Jun had almost completely controlled the palace inside and outside.

But in this situation, something happened a few days ago that disrupted his plan, that is, Emperor Sima Yan suddenly showed signs of improvement.

When Sima Yan woke up that day, he saw that there was no one he knew around him. He was so angry that he even had the energy to curse at the maid who was serving him. At the same time, he ordered that General Yang Jun and the Minister of the Central Secretariat Hua Yi be summoned at the same time.

After the two arrived at Hanzhang Palace, he, who had always been magnanimous and kind, guessed Yang Jun's plan and harshly rebuked Yang Jun, saying, "Yang Jun! How could you do this?! There are so many people watching you. You are courting death!"

Then he turned to Hua Yi and said, "Draft an edict for me to summon Sima Liang, the Prince of Runan, back to the capital. After my death, let the Prince of Runan and the General of Chariots and Cavalry jointly assist in governing the country!"

But the emperor's spirit could only last for a while. After saying this, Sima Yan felt tired again and fell into a deep sleep.

This episode caused great trouble for Yang Jun. Sima Yan had no idea that Sima Liang had not left the capital. If the imperial edict were to be spread, Sima Liang would take the opportunity to enter the palace and lead the troops, and the good situation that Yang Jun had carefully planned for several months would be ruined!
However, for Yang Jun now, he no longer feels that deceiving the emperor is such a difficult thing.

On the day Hua Yi wrote the edict, according to procedure, he should first submit it to the Secretariat. After the Ministry of Personnel approved it, it could be officially implemented. However, Yang Jun stopped him and said, "Lord Hua, don't rush to pass the edict. His Majesty should review the edict first. Once there are no problems, then go to the Secretariat for discussion."

Although he had already taken control of the three provinces, Yang Jun could have rejected the edict, but in order to make his title of assisting in the administration more legitimate, Yang Jun did not even want the existence of the edict to be known to others, so he planned to snatch the edict away directly.

Hua Yi was over seventy years old and dared not argue with Yang Jun. After nodding in agreement for a few words, the imperial edict fell into Yang Jun's hands and there was no further news.

Today, after Yang Jun stopped giving the emperor medicine for a few days and waited until the emperor was unconscious, he came to the palace to visit the emperor again in order to change the edict.

Yang Jun was just the first one to arrive at Hanzhang Palace today, and there were others behind him.

Next, General Zhenbei Yang Ji, Shangshu Ling Yang Yu, Zhongshu Ling He Shao, and Zhongshu Jian Hua Yi all arrived one after another, but no one acted rashly. They kept their heads down, waiting for the most important person to arrive.

The last to arrive was Queen Yang Zhi.

As the current Empress, daughter of Yang Jun, Yang Zhi was now thirty-three, a charming and captivating age. She wore a gorgeous blue silk and purple gauze dress, her hair tied in a cloud-like bun, adorned with gold and jade hairpins, which accentuated her already beautiful features and made them even more noble. Beneath her plump cheeks, the Empress possessed a pair of hazy, unwavering eyes, making her resemble a lotus flower emerging from the water, gorgeous yet untainted by worldly desires.

Sima Yan liked this and made Yang Zhi the queen.

Now, Yang Jun simply said to his daughter, "Please persuade His Majesty and help him to explain the will. Father will definitely do his best to support the Jin Dynasty."

He said it very casually, as if he was kicking a stone off the roadside.

The queen nodded and went to visit the emperor. After taking a few steps closer, an embarrassment appeared on her face, because the emperor had been drinking the medicine for a long time and his whole body exuded a bitter taste, which made her frown.

As Sima Yan's second empress, Yang Zhi did not have a very deep relationship with the emperor. Of course, the fault was not hers. The emperor had been hanging out with the palace maids over the years, and often slept with the empress for no more than twenty days a year, which led to the fact that the couple did not develop a deep relationship at all.

Moreover, the two were already twenty years apart in age, making it difficult for the Empress to develop feelings of admiration for the Emperor. Therefore, even after more than sixteen years of marriage, the Empress still relied on her father, not her husband.

Now, Yang Zhi didn't feel much concern when she was asked to help her father and seek power for her husband.

She finally overcame the smell of the medicine and gently shook Sima Yan's weak body, calling out "Your Majesty" over and over again. Finally, the emperor woke up slowly and opened his confused eyes again.

"Your Majesty, are you okay?"

"..."

Sima Yan could no longer discern the voice's owner. He strained to focus his gaze on the figure before him. Empress Yang Zhi continued, "Your Majesty, several doctors in the palace have told me that your illness may only last for the next day or two..."

"..."

When Sima Yan heard the news, he still did not make a sound. He lay motionless on the bed, only his chest was still rising and falling slightly, which was proof that he was still alive.

The Queen covered her face with her hands and sobbed until the Minister of State Yang Yao repeatedly said "Queen, accept my condolences." Only then did she stop and wipe her tears for a long time before saying:
"Your Majesty, if you pass away and the Crown Prince is unable to rule, who will be entrusted with the rule of the Jin Dynasty?"

"Ho..."

At this point, the seriously ill emperor finally showed some reaction. He tried to open his mouth and squeeze out something from his heart, but it became a futile struggle and in the end he could not utter a word.

Yang Zhi continued, "Your Majesty said before that after a hundred years, I would let my master assist in governing the country. Is that right or not?"

Yang Ji then said, "This is a well-known fact in the court and the country. Why does the Queen need to mention it now?"

"..."

Sima Yan stared at the queen with his bulging eyes wide open, like a dead ghost, which scared Yang Zhi.

Yang Zhi glanced back at her father, calmed down a bit, and then looked at the seriously ill emperor again. She felt that there was nothing to be afraid of, so she continued:
"My Lord, he is deeply apprehensive, but upon careful consideration, he has no better choice. However, matters like this require more than words; a concrete imperial decree is needed."

"I have a humble request. I ask Your Majesty to reiterate this matter in front of Lord Hua and Lord He."

"..."

The scene fell into an awkward silence. The emperor could not say anything and even moving his fingers was difficult. How could he reiterate this matter?

At this moment, the Queen suddenly said, "Your Majesty, you just nodded. Do you agree to issue the edict?"

The emperor nodded? Hua Yi and He Shao were surprised. They were not far away, but they didn't see the emperor make any moves at all. Could it be that their eyesight was poor and they missed it?
Before they could even think about it, General Yang Jun knelt down and said with tears in his eyes, "Your Majesty, I will never forget your grace! I will wholeheartedly assist the Crown Prince and contribute my utmost to the cause of the country and to promote Your Majesty's great virtue!"

Yang Yu and Yang Ji also followed suit and cried out, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" They seemed to have seen Sima Yan die, and they couldn't help crying.

Yang Jun then fought back tears, his entire body trembling as he turned to Hua Yi and He Shao and said, "Your Majesty's time is running out. Since you've already given the nod, please hurry up and bring out the edict for Your Majesty's review!"

After saying that, he immediately sent someone to lead them to the side room, where everything was available, including pens, ink, paper, and inkstone, and even the ink for stamping was ready.

Hua Yi and He Shao looked at each other at first, then smiled bitterly and got ready.

In this situation, it no longer mattered to the two high-ranking officials of the Secretariat whether the emperor nodded or not. What mattered was that they wanted to get out of here alive, and the emperor had no choice but to nod.

The two wrote quickly. After all, they had already written a will that allowed Sima Liang and Yang Jun to assist in the administration, so they had experience with it. Now it was just a matter of removing Sima Liang and rewriting it.

In just two quarters of an hour, a new imperial edict with the seal of the Minister of the Secretariat was handed to Yang Jun.

Seeing the imperial edict appointing him as Grand Tutor, Grand Commander-in-Chief, and Imperial Guardsman, with the power to manage government affairs and all officials, Yang Jun was quite satisfied. He suppressed his sorrowful expression, smiled at the two men, and handed the edict to the empress, asking her to read it word for word to the emperor.

The edict was not long, and even though the empress spoke very slowly, she finished reading it quickly.

"Is there anything else you would like to change, Your Majesty?"

"..."

Sima Yan looked at his wife silently. The emotions in his eyes could no longer be described in words. They were finally condensed into endless sorrow, causing his chest to heave violently.

The Queen felt a little ashamed and uneasy when she saw this scene. She turned around to look at her father, and Yang Jun said:
"It seems that His Majesty has no objection. Hurry and hand over the imperial edict to the Ministry of Shangshu and the Ministry of Palace Affairs so that they can make early preparations."

After saying this, he waved his hand, and everyone in the hall dispersed like a tide. In just a moment, in the huge Hanzhang Hall, except for a few palace maids, only Sima Yan was left alone, lying on the cold sickbed.

In such silence, he finally coughed, opening a brief channel for his language, and asked, "Where is the King of Runan?"

The voice echoed in the wind, but no one could answer him.

Sima Yan already knew his answer. He stopped talking, no longer caring whether anyone else was in the hall. He looked up at the rooftop, waiting for the final moment. The dim candlelight flickered, illuminating his skinny figure and dry, sallow face.

The founding emperor lay in darkness, even more lonely than an old man waiting to die. No one knew what flashed through his mind in his final moments.

In the first year of Taixi (290 AD), on the rd day of the fourth month, Sima Yan died in Hanzhang Palace at the age of . He was buried in Junyang Mausoleum. His temple name was Shizu and his posthumous title was Emperor Wu.

Yang Jun announced the death immediately and made it known to the world.

Crown Prince Sima Zhong succeeded to the throne and, in accordance with Sima Yan's will, promoted Yang Jun to be the Grand Tutor, in charge of all internal and external affairs.

This year, Liu Xian was eighteen years old.

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(End of this chapter)