Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Emperor Ningkang did not live to see Jia Lian's expedition to Japan.

In the first month of the ninth year of Ningkang, the emperor passed away.

He ascended the throne before Jia Lian's death and successfully inherited the throne.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, civil and military officials kowtowed.

Jia Lian, dressed in a black and gold dragon robe and with a mourning sash tied around his head, emerged from the rear hall.

His tall and elegant figure, accentuated by the five-clawed golden dragon robe, exuded a majestic and domineering aura that made people dare not look directly at him.

The white mourning band, inherently sorrowful, added to his solemn and dignified air.

He slowly walked to the dragon throne, sat down majestically, and surveyed the hall with his gaze.

My first impression was that sitting upright like this definitely gave me a much wider field of vision than when I was sitting on a small stool next to him.

Then, a sense of looking down on all living beings and feeling supreme naturally arises.

His gaze passed over the prostrate officials, over the main hall gate, over the white marble steps, and landed on the densely packed officials in the square, whose human forms were indistinguishable.

After a long while, he came to his senses and said softly, "My beloved subjects, rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

All the officials rose, and then the Grand Secretary Zhao Dongsheng stepped forward: "Your Majesty, since Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, you should grant a general amnesty to demonstrate Your Majesty's virtue and to reassure the hearts of all the people."

"allow."

Following Zhao Dongsheng, the Minister of Rites submitted a memorial stating, "Your Majesty, the most urgent matter at hand is to bestow a temple name upon the late emperor."

Jia Lian nodded and asked, "I wonder what temple name you all think the late emperor, with his achievements and virtues, should be given?"

Zhao Dongsheng stepped forward: "Your Majesty, this old minister believes that when the late Emperor was alive, he was diligent in state affairs, widely implemented benevolent policies, treated his ministers as relatives, and loved the people like his own children. He should be called Emperor Renzong."

"Hmm~"

Jia Lian nodded insincerely and continued to look at the other cabinet ministers.

Kong Si said, "In my opinion, the late emperor was upright in his conduct. During his reign, he rectified official corruption and eliminated the malpractices of Emperor Taizong's reign, achieving remarkable results. He should be called Emperor Suzong."

Emperor Renzong and Emperor Suzong are both honorific posthumous titles.

This also proves that the court officials had a high degree of approval for Emperor Ningkang.

Of course, there may be some who are not very satisfied with Emperor Ningkang, but judging from the deep father-son relationship that Emperor Ningkang showed with Jia Lian before his death, none of them dared to express it.

However, Jia Lian did not seem to be very satisfied with either of these temple names.

He looked at Wang Ziteng and addressed him specifically, "Grand Secretary Wang, what do you think?"

Prince Teng stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I believe that the late Emperor rectified official corruption and eliminated malpractices."

Externally, it won wars against the Tatars and the Jurchens.

They had the duty of maintaining the status quo and the merit of expanding territory.

It should be Emperor Shizong.

When Wang Ziteng uttered these words, the officials, who had initially thought it was just a formality and were quite indifferent, were all taken aback.

What is King Sejong?

To put it simply, it means the restorer of a dynasty.

This is already the highest temple name after Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong.

The most famous of them throughout history are none other than Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, and Emperor Shizong of Zhou, Chai Rong.

Seeing the satisfied look on Jia Lian's face, Kong Si hurriedly said, "Your Majesty..."

Jia Lian's expression darkened slightly as he interrupted, "What, Minister Kong thinks Grand Secretary Wang is wrong, or do you believe that the late emperor's virtue and achievements are unworthy of the temple name Shizong?"

"this……"

Kong Si thought to himself, Emperor Ningkang was indeed a wise ruler.

But he was in power for a total of nine years.

For most of that time, he was suppressed by Emperor Taizong and could not fully display his talents.

Giving him the title of Emperor Sukjong is already considered very kind.

King Sejong was indeed...

Seeing that Kong Si was about to anger Jia Lian again, Zhao Dongsheng quickly said, "Your Majesty, this old minister also thinks that what Grand Secretary Wang said is right."

The late emperor achieved remarkable success in domestic governance.

It included both time-consuming tasks such as rectifying the abuses of the court and policies for national stability and people's well-being such as clearing up land and disbanding the Green Standard Army.

In its early years, it repelled the Tatar invasion and, in alliance with the Oirat, thwarted the Tatars' plot to divide the western border with other tribes in the Western Regions.

Later, they even sent troops to wipe out the Jurchens and recovered over a thousand miles of territory in Jianzhou in one fell swoop.

Furthermore, it helped the vassal state of Korea repel the invasion of the Japanese invaders, thus demonstrating the military might of our Celestial Empire.

Such achievements deserve the title of Emperor Shizong.

In Zhao Dongsheng's eyes, the most important thing was to help Jia Lian stabilize the court and continue to serve as his chief minister.

In any case, temple names are just a summary of the achievements of the previous emperor by the successor. As long as they are not too outrageous, Jia Lian can choose whatever he wants.

Whether later generations will accept it, or whether they will think Emperor Ningkang is a suitable match, is a matter for later generations to decide.

Jia Lian looked at the assembled officials: "What do you all think?"

The assembled officials bowed and said, "The late emperor should be Emperor Shizong."

Jia Lian nodded, waved his hand, indicating that the matter was settled, and the officials took their places.

Following the temple name of Emperor Ningkang, the Grand Secretariat and the Six Ministries each put forward several important matters for public discussion at the Grand Court Assembly.

By the time these topics were settled, it was nearly noon, and it was almost time for the court to adjourn.

Prince Teng suddenly stepped forward and said, "Now that Your Majesty has ascended the throne, you should appoint a Queen Mother as soon as possible to stabilize the harem."

The ministers were taken aback, then they all realized what was happening.

Everyone knows that the Crown Princess is a member of the Wang family, and this old rascal Wang Ziteng is eager to help his niece secure the title of Empress!

Although the Wang family daughter had been reprimanded by the Empress Dowager for lacking virtue, she had always held the position of Empress Dowager since she was promoted from General's wife to Marquis's wife, then Princess Consort, and finally Crown Princess, and had never been deposed.

It's clear that the loving relationship between the couple is genuine and cannot be faked.

So everyone was willing to give Prince Teng and the future empress face and chimed in with their opinions.

Jia Lian looked at Wang Ziteng.

I didn't let him bring this up when we met before.

Clearly, either he was eager to elevate the Wang family's status.

He was either instructed by Wang Xifeng to remove the Empress's position at the first grand court assembly on the day of his ascension to the throne.

Ignoring the advice of his ministers, Jia Lian said calmly, "Now that the late emperor's funeral is imminent, we will discuss this matter later."

After saying that, Jia Lian got up and walked towards the inner hall.

Cao Zhong, who had been waiting nearby and had mentally rehearsed the order countless times, quickly stepped forward and shouted, "Dismiss the court!"

"Respectfully bidding farewell to Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!"

Watching Jia Lian's figure disappear, Wang Ziteng looked up and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

He secretly blamed his eldest niece for being too impatient.

Now things have gotten complicated; His Majesty seems to be angry, which has actually made the simple matter of time more complicated.

However, Prince Teng had no time to regret his actions, as many ministers had already come to talk to him and comfort him.

Clearly, everyone has seen it today: Prince Teng, this relative of the emperor, is Jia Lian's open proxy in the court.

If we can befriend him, we might be able to glean some of the Emperor's intentions from him beforehand.

……

After Emperor Ningkang passed away, Jia Lian carried his imperial coffin back to the palace for the funeral.

After court, Jia Lian changed into mourning clothes and a mourning sash and went to the mourning hall.

"Greetings, Your Majesty..."

Ignoring everyone who bowed to him, Jia Lian went straight to the mourning hall and bowed to the woman at the head of the table, saying, "Greetings, Dowager Consort."

Yuan Chun was dressed in white mourning clothes, and her beauty was captivating.

She returned the greeting, glanced awkwardly at Sister Feng and the others beside her, and then said, "Your Majesty is burdened with state affairs. We women can handle things here. Why did Your Majesty come here personally?"

Jia Lian shook his head: "As a son, one should naturally fulfill one's filial duties."

After saying this, he lit three incense sticks in front of the coffin, kowtowed nine times, and then said to Yuan Chun, "I still have some matters to attend to today, so I will trouble the Dowager Consort to take care of things here."

The Empress... who is now the Empress Dowager, is quite old and her health has deteriorated due to emotional distress.

Therefore, many affairs of the inner palace are temporarily entrusted to Yuan Chun.

"Since Your Majesty is busy, please go ahead."

Jia Lian nodded, glanced at Daiyu and the other two beside him, and then turned and left.

Because Emperor Ningkang had just passed away and Jia Lian had just ascended the throne, everything seemed rather rushed.

Therefore, none of Jia Lian's women have moved into the palace yet.

After all, Emperor Ningkang's women still live in the harem, such as the Empress Dowager, who still lives in Kunning Palace.

To make it easier for them to enter the palace to observe mourning every day, the three women temporarily stayed in the mansion in the imperial city.

Ever since she learned about the morning's grand court assembly, Sister Feng had been filled with anxiety.

She wanted to find out more from Jia Lian, but the funeral procession for the late emperor was complicated and solemn, so she couldn't move around in the palace.

Secondly, she also learned that apart from going to the coffin to kowtow, Jia Lian basically stayed in the South Study meeting with ministers and had no chance to see her at all.

Seeing her like this, Ping'er said, "Grandma shouldn't have let Uncle do that. The Emperor just ascended the throne today, and there are countless things to deal with."

When Uncle brought this up at this time, Grandpa inevitably suspected that it was Grandma's idea, and naturally he was unhappy.

Sister Feng scolded, "What do you know?"

Your lord is the emperor now, and there will be many women surrounding him in the future.

"If I don't settle this important matter now, am I supposed to wait until your master changes his mind and then cry about it?"

Ping'er looked at Feng Jie silently, thinking to herself that perhaps this is a case of those involved being confused while bystanders see things clearly.

She saw it very clearly: as long as her second mistress behaved well and didn't make any major mistakes, the position of empress was definitely hers.

But she herself can be quite paranoid at times.

Perhaps in her heart, she not only considered her position as empress, but also wanted to establish her son's position as crown prince as soon as possible.

It's precisely because it's such a big deal that Second Madam is overthinking things.

"Grandma knows how much Grandpa has cared for her all these years."

I'll just say one thing: no matter what Grandma thinks, don't bring this up again.

It won't work even if someone else brings it up.

Grandma probably doesn't really want to upset Second Master, does she?

Feng Jie listened to Ping'er's advice.

She pouted: "Who would dare to make him angry now? Haven't you heard of the saying that when the emperor is angry, something about a million dollars?"

"You...you need to think of a way to appease your master."

Jia Lian is already busy, and if he's holding a grudge, he probably won't see her for many days.

She couldn't stand it.

Seeing that Sister Feng had changed her mind, Ping'er smiled, leaned close to her ear, and whispered some advice.

Upon hearing this, Sister Feng spat in Ping'er's face: "Shameless hussy! If you had no ideas, no one would force you to say such shameless things!"

Ping'er shrugged and said cheerfully, "Anyway, I've already told you the method. Whether you believe it or not is up to you."

Seeing that Sister Feng hesitated, Ping'er added in a low voice, "Grandma, you know that little hussy Qingwen is always up to no good and makes Second Master angry."

But every time, Second Master's anger would subside very quickly. Do you know why?

Hehe, I finally managed to get this out of her, believe it or not.

Sister Feng blushed and fell into deep thought.

She wasn't one to hesitate, and quickly made up her mind.

in the palace.

Jia Lian plans to keep vigil for Emperor Ningkang tonight.

Although he also received a message from Sister Feng, asking him to return to the Prince's Mansion tonight if he had time, as she had important matters to discuss with him.

He ignored it.

Because if there were anything truly important, given Sister Feng's personality, she would have rushed to the South Study to find him in the afternoon.

It must still be because of the Empress's position!

Upon arriving at the mourning hall, Jia Lian noticed that the Fourth Prince and the others appeared somewhat listless, so he told them to go back and rest, leaving the rest to him.

Unlike during the day.

Inside and outside the mourning hall at night, apart from the princes, there were only women and eunuchs, creating a frighteningly gloomy atmosphere.

Originally, this was nothing unusual. Jia Lian had experienced similar situations far too many times and was already very familiar with them. He was unlikely to be swayed by external circumstances.

The only exception is that Yuan Chun's bright figure always appears before one's eyes, making one's heart itch like a cat scratching.

Yuan Chun was very thoughtful in handling matters.

Because it was early spring, keeping watch at night was hard work. Therefore, she led the people of Fengzao Palace to prepare midnight snacks and hand warmers for the concubines, princes, princesses and others who were on night watch.

Once everything was arranged, she prepared to return to the palace for a short rest.

Unexpectedly, a chief eunuch came to announce that the Emperor had something to discuss with her and asked her to move to a side hall.

The order itself is not problematic.

He and Jia Lian had a good relationship to begin with, and they usually addressed each other as brother and sister.

Moreover, she now represents the Empress Dowager in full charge of matters concerning the inner palace. The inner and outer palaces cannot be completely separated, so it is normal for Jia Lian to consult her about funeral arrangements.

However, as she dismissed the others and walked towards the side hall with only Baoqin, Yuanchun still felt her heart beating a little faster.

"Why has Your Majesty summoned me here?"

Upon reaching the side hall where Jia Lian was resting, Yuan Chun asked him questions in a seemingly generous manner.

Jia Lian, who was lying on his desk, looked up at her upon hearing this, but said nothing. He first gestured for Cao Zhong and the others to leave.

This single detail confirmed Yuan Chun's suspicions to some extent, making her feel somewhat uneasy.

"Sister, come take a look. These are the adjustments I've made to the funeral arrangements. Can you take a look and see if there's anything inappropriate?"

Upon hearing Jia Lian bring up serious matters, Yuan Chun became more serious, walked to the desk, and leaned down to look at the booklet in Jia Lian's hand.

She found that it was indeed some process improvements. She nodded and was about to speak when she suddenly felt a warm touch on her hand.

Looking down, she saw that it was indeed Jia Lian's large hand pressing down on her palm, which was resting on the table.

"It's still so cold, why aren't you wearing more clothes? Look at your hands, they're so cold."

Yuan Chun was embarrassed: "Let go. What are you doing? What kind of behavior is this if people see us like this..."

Jia Lian smiled and gestured towards the outside of the hall: "Look, besides you and me, who else is here?"

Yuan Chun looked back and, sure enough, apart from a few lamps swaying in the courtyard, there wasn't a single ghost in sight.

Everyone knew that Jia Lian had premeditated this.

My heart was racing uncontrollably, and my mind was filled with a whirlwind of thoughts.

She genuinely hadn't realized that Jia Lian had those feelings for her.

Even when she first returned home to visit her family, Jia Lian secretly hugged her when no one was around.

But at the time, she just thought that Jia Lian missed her cousin too much, so she didn't take it too seriously.

Later, as Jia Lian rose through the ranks, her relationship with him transformed from that of siblings to that of allies who supported each other both internally and externally.

Jia Lian supported the family outside, providing a foundation for her to gain a foothold in the palace.

She provides informational support when necessary.

Everything was fine at first.

Even after she later discovered that Jia Lian was not her brother, but a member of the royal family.

The bond between the two has become deeply ingrained.

After Jia Lian became the crown prince and officially took over the reins of government, residing in the palace daily, the situation seemed to change somewhat. (End of Chapter)