allonlinenovel Chapter 238 Ascending the Throne
Chapter 238 Ascending the Throne
Chapter 238 Ascension to the throne
Yinreng's coronation ceremony will be an event that people will talk about for decades to come. After all, strictly speaking, the last person to abdicate was Zhao Gou, the founding emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty, which was hundreds of years ago.
On the first day of December in the forty-third year of the Kangxi reign, in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, under the gaze of all civil and military officials, Kangxi stood at the top and personally presided over the succession ceremony of Yinreng. This was also the last time Liang Jiugong read out the imperial edict: "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor, I proclaim: Emperors have always regarded respecting Heaven and following the example of their ancestors as their primary duty in ruling the country. The essence of respecting Heaven and following the example of our ancestors lies in being gentle to those far away while being able to be near, in nurturing the people, in sharing the interests of the four seas for our own benefit, in sharing the common interests of the world for our own, in protecting the nation from danger and ensuring order before chaos. I have worked diligently day and night, never resting from sleep or day, for the long-term national interests, so that they may be achieved. Now that I am over fifty years old, I should know that the Mandate of Heaven is not to be disputed. My forty-three years on the throne are truly due to the silent protection of Heaven, Heaven, and the ancestral society, not to my own poor character.
Looking back through the annals of history, from the Jiazi year of the Yellow Emperor to the present, over 4,300 years have passed, with a total of 301 emperors. Very few have reigned as long as I have. When I reached my twentieth year on the throne, I dared not anticipate thirty. When I reached my thirtieth year, I dared not anticipate forty. Now it has been forty-three years. In these years, I have fulfilled the mandate of Heaven. I have enriched the world, have over a hundred descendants, and the world is at peace. My blessings are indeed great. Even if unexpected events arise, my heart remains at peace. Since ascending the throne, although I dare not claim to have transformed customs and established a well-off society, emulating the wise and virtuous rulers of the Three Dynasties, I have striven diligently, with care and prudence, working tirelessly day and night, without a single slack. For decades, I have devoted my heart and soul, as if every day were a single day. This cannot be simply described as hard work.
Emperors of past dynasties sometimes died young, and historians generally attributed their short lives to alcohol and sex. This is all due to scholars' penchant for criticism, finding flaws in even the most perfect rulers. Let me speak frankly on behalf of past emperors: it was primarily due to the sheer volume of worldly affairs and their exhaustion. Zhuge Liang, for example, declared himself devoted to his duties until his death. Among ministers, only Zhuge Liang could embody this. The emperor's responsibilities are immense, undeniable. How can a minister compare? Ministers serve when they can, and retire when they can. In old age, they retire to enjoy the company of their children and grandchildren, still enjoying a leisurely life. A ruler toils throughout his life, never resting. Shun, for example, was known for his rule of inaction, yet he died in Cangwu. Yu, after four years of toiling, toiled until his death in Kuaiji. Such individuals were diligent in government affairs, traveling extensively, never finding a moment to rest. How can they be said to have advocated inaction and tranquility? The six lines of the Dun hexagram of the Book of Changes never mention the affairs of the ruler, which shows that the ruler has no place to rest or retreat. To devote oneself to one's work is truly what this means.
"I have over a hundred descendants. I am already fifty years old. The kings, ministers, officials, soldiers, civilians, and even the Mongols have all cherished my advanced age. Although I abdicate now, I am pleased... Prince Chenyuan's second son, Yinreng, is the legitimate son of me and Empress Yuan, and the former Crown Prince. He is a man of noble character, a true reflection of me... I now preside over a grand ceremony to appoint Yinreng as the Emperor... This announcement shall be made to the whole world, for all to know. I decree this."
After the imperial edict was read, everyone knelt on the ground to receive the order: "Your Highness, we receive the order. Long live the emperor."
This was an uncontroversial abdication, with no one to blame, and Yinreng's succession was the universal consensus. Kangxi personally took the long-prepared dragon robe from the plate in front of Liang Jiugong and placed it on Yinreng himself, with He Zhu helping him. Kangxi then took out his imperial beads and placed them on Yinreng, finishing with the red Dongzhu hat he had treasured for many years.
Kangxi's movements were slow, but no one interrupted or urged them. They just watched the father and son's movements quietly until Yinreng, holding the imperial seal, stepped onto the throne step by step and sat down steadily under the gaze of everyone. Everyone knelt on the ground again and saluted: "Congratulations to our emperor. Long live the emperor."
In this way, the succession ceremony was considered a success. Yinreng signaled He Zhu to read out the first imperial edict after his succession, naming Emperor Kangxi as the Supreme Emperor, the former Empress Dowager as the Grand Empress Dowager, and changing the next year to the first year of Kaiyuan.
The second imperial edict was to enthrone Prince Chenyuan's wife, Ulanara, as empress, and to reside in Kunning Palace.
The third imperial edict named the former crown prince Hongye as the crown prince, living in Yuqing Palace, named Jingyi as Princess Gulun Yuanhe, living in the Princess Mansion, and named Hongchang as Beizi, living in the Nansan Residence.
The fourth imperial edict stated that because the new emperor’s brothers had just been promoted, no additional titles would be given to them this time. However, each of them would be rewarded with 50,000 taels of silver as a token of favor.
Everyone went from taking it for granted at the beginning to being stunned in the end. They really couldn't understand the new emperor's style of doing things at all. How could he announce several imperial edicts at once just after ascending the throne? Moreover, on the same day, he named the Supreme Emperor and the Empress, and directly decided on the position of Crown Prince. This made all the ministers of His Majesty the Grand Harmony unable to react for a long time.
Yinreng didn't care. He said, I am the wind of freedom that you will never understand. I am in power and I don't want to listen to you chattering about my family affairs every day. I don't rely on you to get to where I am today. There is no need to give you so-called face. Just do whatever you want.
The imperial edict had already been announced, and even the retired emperor hadn't objected. What could the ministers do? They could only silently swallow their objections and kneel down obediently when He Zhu announced the adjournment of the court.
Returning to the Qianqing Palace, Kangxi saw that everything had changed. Not only was this no longer his territory, but many of the familiar decorations had also been replaced. As the saying goes, a new emperor appoints new ministers. This was the residence of the new emperor and had nothing to do with him, the retired emperor.
Kangxi: "You are already the new emperor, shouldn't you be very busy? Why did you keep me here?"
He was very confused because he had originally planned to return to Changchun Garden after retiring from court, but was stopped and forced to stay in the Qianqing Palace.
Yinreng waved his hand: "I am not an emperor to work overtime every day. There is no end to the work. Besides, what are those ministers in the court for? Aren't they used to share my worries? With them around, I can still be busy later."
Kangxi narrowed his eyes and looked at his son in front of him, with a thousand "fuck"s in his heart. Since you don't want to do the emperor's job, why were you so anxious to force me to abdicate?
When Yinreng saw the expression on his royal father's face, he immediately knew what he was muttering in his heart. They were both foxes who had been together for a thousand years, so how could they not understand each other?
Yinreng: "It's not that I can't wait, it's just that you stretched your hand too far. I thought that if I didn't tell you, you and I would have reached a tacit understanding and stopped probing. What happened? If the secret guard hadn't told me, would I have had to wait until I lost the Queen to discover this problem?"
When Kangxi heard Yinreng say this, he was too guilty to even look at him. "I was indeed wrong in that matter. You have also dealt with all those people. From now on, I can only stay in Changchun Garden. Isn't this enough punishment?"
Yinreng: "Oh, Royal Father, just because you don't tell me doesn't mean I can't find out. You still often instill some ideas into Hongye, don't you? I advise you to give up. Hongye not only grew up by your side, but he is also the son of me and the Queen. Tell me, if I tell him that you once planned to get rid of his mother, will he still be willing to see you?"
Kangxi was completely panicked and admitted defeat. Although he seemed to dislike this and could give up that, as the emperor of Hongye, he really loved his eldest grandson. It could be seen from the fact that his name contained "Ye" and he had taught him the imperial mentality several years ago.
If his eldest grandson knew that he had once suspected his mother because of those maps and even wanted to get rid of her, Hongye would definitely not forgive him given his personality.
Yinreng also knew to stop while he was ahead. Anyway, Buerhe had never been threatened from the beginning to the end. When Kangxi had this idea, he immediately took measures to stop it. What he said now was just a threat to Kangxi not to make trouble again.
Yinreng said, "Let's forget about the past. Today, we're mainly discussing the future of the ladies in your harem. You'll need someone to accompany you while you recuperate in Changchun Garden. Which ladies do you think should be sent there?"