pertwk Page 426
Page 426
"We believe that the world will be at peace for a while..."
"The demon race traveled by water to the northern border without harassing any coastal towns of the Ming Dynasty along the way, which proves that they are still wary of His Majesty's military power. There should be no more than two demon kings going to the northern border this time."
"Given the capabilities of the Jurchens, they should be able to contend with the demon race for a considerable period of time, which should be enough for Li Chengliang to complete the deployment of the border."
"With the firearms donated by Qi Jiguang's army, Your Majesty need not worry about the northern border for the time being."
"It is the quietness over in Mongolia that is making this old minister a little worried."
Chu Yang couldn't help but show a hint of surprise. Ever since he appeared in this world, he had never heard of the Mongols. He thought there were no Tatars or Oirats in this world.
Zheng Dongliu glanced at Chu Yang's expression and smiled, "It's not surprising that Your Majesty is unaware of the situation in Mongolia. In fact, since the late Emperor ascended the throne, they have been embroiled in a long period of internal strife, with large and small tribes fighting each other. They have no time to have conflicts with us."
"Not to mention Your Majesty, even I haven't heard any news from Mongolia for one or two decades."
Chu Yang pursed his lips.
We still can't look at this messy martial arts world from a normal historical perspective; the Mongols didn't even get a chance to appear.
Zhuge Zhengwo said, "It is beyond reproach for Your Majesty to send the Imperial Guards to reinforce the North and South, but we should still plan ahead and not ignore the situation in Mongolia."
Chu Yang said, "Let's take it one step at a time. Let's deal with the situation in the south first, and send the Dragon Guard Manor to gather intelligence on the Mongolian side."
"Also, we need to find out where the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons is as soon as possible. I want to know why the demon race launched a full-scale invasion of Japan, and what exactly happened there?"
When the topic turned to the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, Zheng Dongliu and Zhuge Zhengwo looked worried. The source of this chaos must have an astonishing secret.
Two days later.
The capital city, which had been deathly quiet, suddenly became lively.
Today is the day the new emperor ascends the throne.
……
"Hehe, Lu Xiaoji, you're dressed really bright red today. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were getting married!"
Sikong Zhaixing mocked Lu Xiaofeng's attire with ill intent.
"Monkey, don't be so smug. If you lose the bet next time, see how I deal with you!"
Lu Xiaofeng's face turned ashen. He had originally intended to have some fun on the joyous occasion of his friend's ascension to the throne, but he never expected to lose so humiliatingly.
"What a pity, what a pity, I couldn't see Brother Lu get married in person."
Hua Manlou said "what a pity" twice, teasing Lu Xiaofeng with a smile on his lips.
"It doesn't matter if you can't see me get married, as long as you can hear others paying homage to His Majesty," Lu Xiaofeng said with a smile, stroking his beard.
As one of Chu Yang's few friends, Lu Xiaofeng felt that Hua Manlou should come to the capital to congratulate Chu Yang in person, so he wrote a letter and invited him to the capital.
Hua Manlou never expected that the world would change so drastically in such a short time, with a new master taking over without a word, and the news of the emperor's death had only just reached Jiangnan.
However, before this, he had a strong premonition that Chu Yang would become emperor in the future, but he did not expect that day to come so soon.
Upon arriving in the capital, Lu Xiaofeng recounted the events that had transpired, making Hua Manlou regret not having witnessed the duel at the Forbidden City.
“It feels like a lifetime ago,” Hua Manlou sighed. “When we first met His Majesty, we didn’t even know he was a prince. Even now, I still feel that his words and actions are not those of a prince.”
"His future actions will likely not resemble those of an emperor as understood by the world."
Just as he finished speaking, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside.
"You're absolutely right. His Majesty announced a major event right after ascending the throne today."
Li Gexiao appeared before them with a strange expression.
"Where did this news come from that spread so fast?" Lu Xiaofeng asked curiously.
Li Ge sighed and said, "My master said so. He just came out of the palace and looked very angry."
Sikong Zhaixing asked impatiently, "What exactly happened?"
Li Ge said with a wry smile, "His Majesty said that starting today, he will no longer attend the morning court session. He said he has a bad temper when he wakes up and can't get out of bed in the morning, so he told the ministers to go home and sleep."
Lu Xiaofeng and Sikong Zhaixing suddenly widened their eyes, while Hua Manlou stood there stunned with a look of astonishment.
Isn't this familiar style still the wise king's?
...........................
The late emperor's funeral was kept simple, and the new emperor's ascension to the throne was also kept simple.
Even the ritual of offering sacrifices to Heaven, Earth, and ancestral temples, and informing oneself that one is ordained by Heaven and one's ancestors, has been cut.
In the end, Chu Yang simply sat in the main hall wearing a dragon robe, receiving the congratulations of the officials. Then everyone played music and danced together, and the event ended hastily.
The newly appointed Grand Secretary Xu Jie reminded Chu Yang to remember the general amnesty, but Chu Yang gave him a thorough dressing-down.
"What pardon?!"
"Those who deserve to be beheaded, behead them quickly! Let them live through the New Year!"
"They grant amnesty to the whole country so easily, but do you know how hard the frontline law enforcement officers work every day?"
"All the hard work of the past year has been wiped out by your general amnesty!"
"Isn't it irresponsible to the people to release those criminals who deserve to be beheaded back into society?"
"Pardon my ass!"
The new emperor had a rather volatile temper and would criticize anyone he encountered. Xu, the Grand Secretary, who had finally risen to power at an advanced age, was nearly berated to the point of having a heart attack and retreated to his position with a livid face.
Seeing the newly appointed Grand Secretary get humiliated, the other civil officials dared not speak up. At this moment, they missed the late emperor; although he was inactive, at least he didn't curse...
At this moment, Zhuge Zhengwo stepped forward and spoke to Chu Yang in a gentle and pleasant manner for a long time. In the end, the two of them each took a step back.
Some criminals with minor offenses may be pardoned, but death row inmates do not receive this treatment; those nearing the end of their sentence must be beheaded immediately, without exception!
The first and last morning court session after the new emperor's ascension to the throne ended hastily amidst the helplessness of the court officials.
Royal study room.
Chu Yang felt awkward sitting in that chair, so he asked Cao Zhengchun to leave. He then joined the others around the incense burner in the center of the room, creating a rather eerie scene.
He didn't care, but the others felt terrible, unsure whether to stand or kneel.
Besides Zhuge Zhengwo and others, Zhang Juzheng and Hai Rui were also present in the room. Zhang Juzheng was now the Second Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, while Hai Rui was the newly appointed Minister of Justice.
"Lord Guo intends to return the Six Doors to the control of the Ministry of Justice. I wonder what Lord Hai thinks?"
Chu Yang glanced at the absent-minded Guo Bujing.
"inappropriate."
Hai Rui slowly shook his head. Under normal circumstances, it would be a good thing for the Six Doors to return to the Ministry of Justice, but not now. Recently, the security situation in both the Central Plains and other places has been declining.
Most of the prisoners were sorcerers and evil martial artists, which was the perfect time for the Six Doors to exert their power.
"Did you hear that? If they don't want your Six Doors, then stop trying to give them away all day long."
Chu Yang patted Guo Bujing on the shoulder. The former hero Guo had been somewhat depressed lately, as he was now engrossed in "tata-kai" with the demon race.
Once again, his hopes were dashed, and Guo Bujing sighed deeply, his face full of sorrow.
Zheng Dongliu said softly, "Why is Lord Guo so concerned? The late emperor's death was not your fault, so you don't need to worry about it so much."
Guo Bujing remained silent.
Chu Yang also found it difficult to persuade him, after all, a person's values will not change because of a few words from others, especially someone as steadfast as Guo Bujing.
Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit dull, Zhuge Zhengwo changed the subject and said, "Yesterday, when I was sorting through the secret prison of the Dragon Guard Manor, I discovered a strange person. He is Gu Santong, the undefeated rascal who defeated the eight major sects in the past."
Yu Huatian reminded him, "Lord Shenhou, His Majesty said that Gu Santong was framed by Zhu Wushi."
Zhuge Zhengwo chuckled and said, "That's why, after Gu Santong learned that His Majesty had defeated Zhu Wushi, he insisted on seeing His Majesty in order to repay His Majesty's kindness."
"To repay a debt of gratitude?" Chu Yang's lips curled up, and he shook his head, saying, "I guess he probably wants to trick me into going there to play a trick on me. Playing a trick on an emperor would give him more satisfaction than any of his previous tricks."
Zhuge Zhengwo nodded repeatedly, "That's what I thought too, so I ignored him."
Cao Zhengchun whispered in Chu Yang's ear, "Your Majesty, you have already ascended the throne, you should refer to yourself as '朕' (Zhen)..."
Chu Yang rolled his eyes and said, "I don't even attend the morning court session, so what kind of emperor am I?"
Cao Zhengchun retreated to the side, feeling sullen.
However, thinking of Gu Santong, Chu Yang suddenly became interested in him, wanting to meet this invincible young man from the teleportation, and even more so, to witness the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill.
"Since he's so eager to play a trick on me, then I'll go over and let him do it."
Chu Yang grinned and strode out.
Zhuge Zhengwo's smile froze. He had only said it to lighten the mood, but he didn't expect Chu Yang to actually go to see Gu Santong.
Chu Yang found the emperor's elaborate processions annoying, so he had Cao Zhengchun bring over a few horses, and together with Zhuge Zhengwo and the others, they rode to the Dragon Guard Manor.
He walked out of the palace gate wearing a dragon robe, and the streets immediately became lively.
As the most famous person in Beijing over the past two decades, he was easily recognized by the people. However, nowadays, no one dares to make fun of this number one playboy in Beijing.
Many people were even filled with fear and unease, recalling their past disrespect towards the new emperor, which, in today's terms, would not be an exaggeration to condemn their entire family to death.
The excitement didn't last long; everyone fell silent. Chu Yang and the others took in their expressions, feeling a mix of emotions. This wasn't the scene he wanted to see.
While it is true that emperors must maintain their dignity, some dignity is rooted in the fear of the people, while other dignity comes from entirely different emotions.
Chu Yang remembered the "Umbrella of Ten Thousand People" that Qi Jiguang had given him.