Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 541: Procedures to be Followed
Jinyong City.

After the court assembly, Yuan Baoju issued an edict of abdication and sent it to Jinyong Palace.

Li Shuang showed little interest in the imperial edict, glancing at it before tossing it aside.

"I am of humble origin and of meager virtue. How could I possibly bear the responsibility for the country and its people? I beg Your Majesty not to have any doubts!"

After Li Shuang finished speaking, the eunuchs in the inner palace were stunned and stood there, at a loss for what to do.

Clearly, the eunuch was unfamiliar with this procedure.

Hou Jing smiled and invited the eunuch to the side, then, seeing the eunuch's bewildered expression, said something.

roll!
Upon hearing this, the eunuch scrambled away with his men.

Hou Jing returned to the palace, complaining.

"Now that the palace is full of such people, the Yuan dynasty's rule is doomed."

Li Shuang listened and asked:
"How is the city?"

"After the court session ended, some officials, seeing that things were not going well, tried to flee the city, but the men I had arranged earlier captured them. Others gathered in their residences in small groups, making a lot of noise and slandering Your Majesty! Some even shouted in the street, saying that they were waiting for Your Majesty to come and kill them."

Li Shuang smiled and said:
"Looks like he's really angry."

Hou Jing, with a hint of anger on his face, said:

"Your Majesty, I led my men to capture and execute them all!"

Li Shuang waved his hand and said:

"How can someone be executed without a crime!"

"Then, Your Majesty, what should we do?"

"Liaodong has just been recovered, while Yinan has been lost for a long time. We should report to the Emperor and transfer these court officials to Liaodong, Yuexi and other places. The world is vast enough to accommodate them and their families."

His casual words seemed to determine the fate of all the officials in the Luoyang court.

"promise!"

……

Xianyang Hall.

At this hour, when the moon is high in the sky, Yuan Baoju would normally have already returned to the inner palace to retire.

But for the past few days, he has been staying in Xianyang Palace.

Upon hearing the news brought back by the eunuch, Yuan Baoju, sitting on the throne, seemed lost in thought.

"Three refusals and three concessions, just as I expected!"

Muttering to himself, Yuan Baoju seemed to have lost something in his heart.

After all, he had been sitting in that chair for many years, and now that he was being asked to get down, one can imagine how he felt.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is outside requesting an audience!"

Gao Cheng's voice came through.

This handsome man has now replaced Yuan Zan and taken over the defense of the Forbidden City.

But the more Yuan Baoju looked at him, the more annoyed he became.

"not see!"

After Yuan Baoju finished speaking with a hint of irritation, Gao Cheng stood still, motionless.

"I've already said, I won't see him!"

Gao Cheng remained calm and bowed, saying:
“The Prime Minister is one of the Three Dukes. His coming here so late at night must be for important matters. Your Majesty is the ruler of the world. How can you not see him? Wouldn’t that be letting down the people of the world?”

"you……"

Yuan Baoju stood up and glared at Gao Cheng. Just then, Hu Sichun walked in shakily.

Entering the palace without being summoned is extremely impolite.

"you……"

However, Hu Sichun was completely unaware of this and took out the memorial from his sleeve.

"Your Majesty, the Governor of Henan reports that several high-ranking officials have acted arrogantly and shouted in the streets, which is unbecoming of officials. They should be demoted to other prefectures or counties to demonstrate the dignity of the court."

The atmosphere was awkward. The eunuch hesitated before stepping forward and taking the memorial from Hu Sichun's hands.

Before Yuan Baoju could even take a look, Hu Sichun pulled out another memorial from his sleeve.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Guard has reported that several high-ranking officials have been acting suspiciously and have secretly left the city. They must be up to no good. For Your Majesty's safety, they should be demoted to prefectures and counties to prevent them from causing trouble."

Yuan Baoju looked at the first memorial handed to him, which was more of a long list with dozens of names than a memorial.

The second portion was even longer, containing over a hundred pieces.

Yuan Baoju glared fiercely at Hu Sichun and roared:

"What did these people say while shouting in the street?!"

Yuan Baoju wanted to annoy Hu Sichun, but the other party remained unmoved. "What nonsense is this, you bunch of scoundrels!"

"Humph!"

Yuan Baoju snorted coldly, waved his sleeve, and tried to display a non-existent authority.

Hu Sichun didn't look well; she coughed a few times and her body swayed slightly.

Gao Cheng stepped forward to help her up, but Hu Sichun just smiled.

"Zihui, let me stay with His Majesty for a while."

Gao Cheng was well aware that Yuan Baoju was unwilling to comply, and the matter was at a stalemate, making it difficult to resolve.

If one is not careful, it could be seen as a subject forcing his ruler, which would not sound good if word got out.

Hu Sichun's decision to let Gao Cheng leave was clearly a favor he was doing him.

"Prime Minister, I shall take my leave!"

After Gao Cheng left, Hu Sichun stopped coughing and looked at Yuan Baoju.

"Your Majesty, my old illness has relapsed, and I fear I do not have much time left."

Yuan Baoju couldn't figure out what Hu Sichun wanted to say for a moment, so he didn't answer. But Hu Sichun's next sentence made Yuan Baoju's heart waver.

"But His Majesty has a long life ahead of him!"

This sentence was not as aggressive as Hu Sichun usually was; instead, it sounded like an elder admonishing a younger person.

"Prime Minister, what do you wish to say?"

"Your Majesty is a foolish ruler, and I am a treacherous minister. Wouldn't it be better to leave some matters unresolved between us, this foolish ruler and treacherous minister?"

This man, who was once full of vigor but is now teetering on the brink of collapse, surprisingly uttered a few words of truth.

Yuan Baoju squinted at Hu Sichun and asked in return:

"Are you a treacherous minister, and am I a foolish ruler?"

"If I'm not confused, how can I send these tens of thousands of people to the border regions?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Baoju laughed, but his laughter was utterly pathetic.

"I never imagined you were so loyal."

Hu Sichun cupped his hands and said:
"We are merely performers on stage; we have no say in what should be done."

A faint smile lingered on Yuan Baoju's lips, but his face was etched with sorrow. This mixture of joy and sorrow made Yuan Baoju's expression look somewhat strange.

"What is your purpose in telling me all this?"

"When a man is about to die, his words are good."

After saying that, Hu Sichun stopped speaking and waited quietly.

Yuan Baoju looked at the two memorials, and finally took out the imperial seal and stamped it on.

……

"Grandpa, they're arresting someone!"

Lu Wenwei rebuked his son Lu Huaidao for his words.

"Go back to sleep!"

Lu Huaidao did not expect Lu Wenwei to react this way.

“But Grandpa, we are from the Lu family of Fanyang…”

"so what?"

At this moment, Lu Wenwei was clearly more out of control than usual, and his usual composure in the face of danger was gone.

"Are we just going to stand by and watch someone die?"

"Save them, how can we save them?"

Lu Wenwei asked in return. He hadn't expected Li Shuang to be even more ruthless than he had anticipated.

"You're still alive, I'm still alive, what more do you want!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Huaidao turned deathly pale, speechless, and left in a daze.

At night, only Lu Wenwei remained in the empty study.

From within the neighborhood, faint shouts and pleas for mercy could still be heard.

Lu Wenwei closed his eyes, trying not to pay attention, but the sound wouldn't go away.

In the darkness, Lu Wenwei's blood boiled, and he cursed:
"Li Shuang, you tyrant!"

……

(End of this chapter)