Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

The chaos of the night has finally subsided.

Lu Chen lifted the curtain of the elephant-drawn carriage, and the morning sun was slowly rising from the eastern horizon.

The fire at the palace has been extinguished, not put out, but rather it extinguished itself after everything that could burn had been burned and there was no more flammable material left.

The imperial carriage, ceremonial guards, and Taoist ritual robes, crowns, swords, command flags, and tokens carried on this southern tour could not be salvaged and have all been reduced to ashes.

The emperor's dragon robe, everyday clothes, and bedding were almost entirely burned, and the precious gifts or personal playthings he carried with him, such as jade tablets, jade pendants, gemstones, and gold and silver utensils, were also severely damaged.

Those palace servants who failed to escape the palace in time perished in the fire.

After escaping the fire, the exhausted Emperor Jiajing could not find a decent place to rest. He was unwilling to enter the city overnight and instead took a short rest in his imperial carriage, while summoning the imperial physician to examine his body.

Although he wasn't burned, he still inhaled a lot of smoke and dust along the way and has been coughing ever since he escaped danger.

As he approached the edge of the fire, Lu Chen deliberately smeared some charcoal powder on his face.

Previously, his meetings with Xie Pi and Lu Bing were all private occasions, so it didn't matter if he was mistaken for the Jiajing Emperor, since the person in question wouldn't say it anyway.

At this moment, Emperor Jiajing was right behind him. It would be extremely inappropriate for any minister to kneel before him.

Even Lu Bing deliberately reminded himself not to call him elder brother anymore, for fear that the Jiajing Emperor would think he was overstepping his bounds.

How could Lu Chen possibly make the same mistake again?

To announce one's identity, it had to be the Jiajing Emperor himself!

While in the fire, Emperor Jiajing had already seen his own face, and Lu Bing only said one sentence: "We have found the posthumous son of the late Emperor Xian."

Although Emperor Jiajing was very surprised, he still knew what was important and took the initiative to end the conversation.

However, after leaving the fire and the courtiers knelt before the Jiajing Emperor who had escaped danger, the Daoist Emperor did something.

An imperial edict was issued to requisition the royal carriage of Prince Zhu Youpeng, who had just arrived in the area, and bestowed it upon Lu Chen on the spot.

Then, without saying a word, he boarded the imperial carriage to rest.

Lu Chen knew that this was Emperor Jiajing's way of reassuring him.

Tonight, I and Lu Bing rescued the emperor, which is a truly great achievement and will definitely be richly rewarded.

However, his identity was too special. If a close relative of the imperial family suddenly appeared, even if he looked very much like the Jiajing Emperor, he could not admit it directly. His background would definitely be thoroughly investigated.

By requisitioning the Prince Ru's carriage and bestowing it upon him in front of the assembled officials, the Jiajing Emperor was telling him that as long as the investigation results were satisfactory, he would certainly be granted the title of Prince.

The title of Prince is already the highest rank in the Ming Dynasty; at most, some additional royal lands may be granted.

But even without the merit of saving the emperor, as the only younger brother of the Jiajing Emperor, these were originally to be bestowed upon him.

How to reward the meritorious service of saving the emperor has become a difficult problem.

Enjoying the privileges of a prince before being formally conferred the title is also considered part of the reward for meritorious service.

This elephant carriage, originally belonging to Prince Zhu Youpeng, was extremely luxurious, with a carriage bed over three meters high, about two and a half meters wide, and a shaft six meters long.

The exterior is painted entirely red with gold dragon and cloud decorations. The interior is also a large space of more than six square meters, with the floor covered with a red floral carpet that is soft and silent underfoot.

In the center is a red lacquered armchair with a red brocade backrest and cushion.

The chair is surrounded by a skirt and a red silk curtain, which can be lowered to completely cover the seat and create a private couch.

Behind the seat stands a red lacquered screen depicting five mountains, decorated with gilded copper inlaid leaves.

At this time, many people dressed in official robes were already walking towards the imperial carriage not far away. Presumably, Emperor Jiajing had recovered and was preparing to personally handle the aftermath.

Will they summon me to their side?

Lu Chen shook his head slightly. It shouldn't be the case. Right now, what Emperor Jiajing needs to deal with most urgently is the fire at the imperial palace last night.

His own status was too special; if he were summoned, the focus of the court officials would likely shift to him.

Most likely, they will send someone outside the Embroidered Uniform Guard system to find out more about the situation after they have dealt with these matters.

Since the cards have already been played and their testimonies have been rehearsed with Lu Bing beforehand, in order to prevent the Lu family from being implicated, Lu Bing and his mother, Madam Fan, will definitely present an irrefutable piece of evidence to the Jiajing Emperor.

The best way to cope during this period is to do nothing and just wait patiently.

. . .

Inside the imperial carriage.

After several hours of intense work, the Jiajing Emperor finally finished dealing with the aftermath of the fire.

First, he ordered Wang Tingxiang, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, to "inspect and survey the disaster sites" and take stock of the personnel and property losses.

He also accepted memorials of comfort from various officials in the capital and received important ministers.

Then an imperial edict was issued to arrest local officials such as Wang Pin, the prefect of Weihui, and Hou Jun, the magistrate of Jixian. The Imperial Guards were ordered to bind these people in front of the emperor and escort them to Chengtian Prefecture, where they were paraded through the streets and humiliated.

After dealing with these, there is another matter that needs to be investigated as soon as possible.

"Summon Lu Bing to see me."

Emperor Jiajing picked up the hot tea and took a sip.

"Let 'Mrs. Yousheng' come along too."

. . .

An hour later.

"I was jealous back then, which caused the royal bloodline to be lost among the common people. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

After speaking, Lady Fan, known as "Lady Yousheng," bowed to Emperor Jiajing.

"Wet nurse, there's no need for that. What happened back then was all Wang's selfish scheming. You were just being used by her. Ignorance is no excuse."

Emperor Jiajing had a deep affection for this wet nurse and personally reached out to help her up.

"Although it was Wang's selfish motive, my younger brother had a wonderful adventure among the common people and learned excellent martial arts skills."

If it weren't for him carving a path through the fire, I and Wenfu would probably have been trapped in the flames.

Hearing you mention it today has also reminded me of some things from back then.

Is this Wang the beautiful maid who always wore a bright green dress and served as the wet nurse's attendant when she was in Chengtian Prefecture?

Looking back now, it seems she really did disappear some time before the Emperor's death.

"Your Majesty has a truly excellent memory; you remember even a servant so clearly."

Madam Fan quickly replied,

"That Wang Shi did indeed often wear emerald green dresses back then."

"Wenfu, help your mother down to rest."

Emperor Jiajing turned and instructed Lu Bing,

"The wet nurse is getting on in years and her health can't compare to that of a young person. Last night must have been really tough for her. I hope she doesn't get sick from exhaustion."

. . .

I finally passed.

"When His Majesty heard that Lu Chen's birth mother was Lady Wang, a maidservant who served his mother back then, he immediately believed that he was the son of the late Emperor Xian."

Lu Bing turned to look at the imperial carriage and let out a long sigh of relief.

"After all, Lu Chen's face looks so much like His Majesty's when he was young."

"I have a feeling that Your Majesty is acting strangely today!"

Lady Fan also stared at the imperial carriage and muttered to herself.

"My son, you have served His Majesty for so many years, have you ever heard His Majesty mention any of the servants from back then?"