Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 406: Apocalypse's Arrangement

According to ancestral rules, Emperor Tianqi actually didn't have much choice.

Because Emperor Tianqi did not leave any sons, one of his three princes was stillborn, and two died young. The same was true for his two daughters, who died in the third and fourth years of the Tianqi reign respectively.

Without leaving any offspring, the only choice for Emperor Tianqi was his younger brother, Prince Xin Zhu Youjian. Although Zhu Youjian and Emperor Tianqi were half brothers, they had a good relationship and Emperor Tianqi still took good care of his only brother.

When he ascended the throne, Zhu Youjian was just a child less than nine years old, and now he is only a teenager of sixteen years old.

Zhu Youjian was a cautious and mature man at a young age. After being named Prince Xin, he lived in seclusion in the palace and rarely interacted with outsiders. This made Emperor Tianqi very relieved about his younger brother.

Originally, Emperor Tianqi planned to wait until his younger brother was older, or he had another son, and then consider letting his younger brother go to the vassal state after his son grew up. But unexpectedly, facing such a situation, Emperor Tianqi had to arrange his own affairs after his death. Regarding the issue of succession, he thought of his younger brother Zhu Youjian.

When he ascended the throne, he was about the same age as his younger brother. He never expected that his younger brother Zhu Youjian would sit on the throne like he did and become the next monarch of the Ming Dynasty.

After determining the successor, Emperor Tianqi began to make arrangements. He first wrote the edict of succession, but did not meet Zhu Youjian first. Instead, he waited quietly for the last day to come.

On August 12, Emperor Tianqi felt that his time was running out, so he met with the cabinet elders and officials in the Qianqing Palace. In front of everyone, he told the ministers that Wei Zhongxian and Wang Tiqian (the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department) were loyal to him and could be entrusted with state affairs. In the future, the cabinet should consult with them on matters, and Wei Zhongxian, in particular, should help shoulder the heavy burden for the country.

Afterwards, Emperor Tianqi issued an edict to confer the title of Marquis of Suining on Wei Zhongxian's nephew Wei Liangqing as a sign of favor.

After issuing the decree, Emperor Tianqi waved his hand and asked everyone to leave. Soon everyone left the Qianqing Palace, but only Wei Zhongxian stayed behind.

“Wei Banban…” Emperor Tianqi said weakly while lying on the couch.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty...I'm here..." Wei Zhongxian knelt down and crawled to the side of Emperor Tianqi. Seeing that the Emperor raised his hand slightly, he hurriedly held the Emperor's hand, with tears streaming down his face.

"Cry... why are you crying!" Emperor Tianqi said unhappily, "I am not dead yet, now is not the time to cry. You are old like a woman, hold back your tears!"

"I...I understand..." Wei Zhongxian raised his hand and wiped his face with his sleeve, but the tears in his eyes still flowed down uncontrollably.

In just a few months, Emperor Tianqi became so seriously ill. Looking at Emperor Tianqi's current appearance, Wei Zhongxian felt as if his heart was being stabbed by a knife.

Although Wei Zhongxian was arrogant in the court, he was the second most powerful person in the Ming Dynasty. He had the highest power as a eunuch and was known as the "Nine Thousand Nine Hundred Years Old". However, Wei Zhongxian was very loyal to the Tianqi Emperor. As a middle-aged eunuch who entered the palace after being castrated, worked hard in the palace for decades, and gradually reached his current status and enjoyed wealth and glory, the Tianqi Emperor was not only his master, but also his benefactor.

Moreover, as he was childless, he had long regarded Emperor Tianqi as his own child. If possible, Wei Zhongxian was even willing to sacrifice his own life in place of Emperor Tianqi, to bear the pain that he was currently suffering in exchange for his recovery.

Unfortunately, all this was just thought. Wei Zhongxian was clearly aware that his master might not have much time left. He summoned the cabinet ministers today to arrange his funeral arrangements. Thinking of this, Wei Zhongxian could not suppress the deep sadness in his heart.

"These years, you... you have done well." With a slight smile on his face, Emperor Tianqi said softly to Wei Zhongxian: "What outsiders say about you, how they evaluate you, I understand in my heart. For my sake, you have been wronged..."

"Your Majesty...!" Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian kowtowed continuously, and the tears that had just stopped falling down his forehead again. For a servant to receive such an evaluation from his master, Wei Zhongxian felt that it would be worth it even if he died now.

"There is no need to do so. You deserve my words." Emperor Tianqi shook Wei Zhongxian's hand tightly and said. Wei Zhongxian nodded vigorously and listened quietly to what Emperor Tianqi continued to say.

Emperor Tianqi said, "I don't have much time left. I have no offspring and no one will inherit the throne. According to the ancestral system, after I am gone, Prince Xin should succeed me. But Prince Xin is young and inexperienced. If he rashly sits on this position, I am really worried whether he can be a good emperor."

"When I close my eyes now, I still remember the scene when I first ascended the throne. The imperial power was changing hands, and there were many hidden dangers. At that time, I had no one to trust and no strong support from outside, so I could only be treated as a puppet by the Donglin Party. Now is different from the past. You are the person I trust the most. You should arrange everything for me and help Prince Xin ascend the throne. After Prince Xin ascends the throne, you must treat him like me, humbly teach him and help him stabilize the government..."

"I understand. I swear to heaven that I will not let the emperor down, and will ensure that His Royal Highness Prince Xin inherits the throne and stabilizes the government! If anyone obstructs or harms His Royal Highness Prince Xin, I will protect His Royal Highness Prince Xin with my life!" Wei Zhongxian agreed without thinking. In Wei Zhongxian's heart, Emperor Tianqi was his heaven. Let alone such a thing, even if Emperor Tianqi asked him to die now, he would never frown. "Okay!" After hearing Wei Zhongxian's answer, Emperor Tianqi smiled. He shook Wei Zhongxian's hand again and said softly: "I will tell Prince Xin to treat you well. As long as you live up to my trust, I will not let you down. It is also my attitude to give your nephew the title of Marquis of Suning today. Don't worry about it."

"Your Majesty has treated me so well that I would never be able to repay you even if I were to die!" Wei Zhongxian could not help crying again. In fact, when Emperor Tianqi suddenly issued an edict to confer the title of Marquis of Suining on Wei Liangqing, everyone knew that this was an advance arrangement made by Emperor Tianqi to appease Wei Zhongxian.

The nobles of the Ming Dynasty would rest in peace and prosperity together with the country. This was a rule set by Zhu Yuanzhang. After the Jingnan Rebellion, Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di conferred titles on a group of nobles who had participated in the Jingnan Rebellion. The titles of these nobles have been passed down to this day. Although the real power in the hands of the nobles was not as great as before after the Battle of Tumu, and the civil service group is now in power in the Ming Dynasty, the nobles' special status in the Ming Dynasty still remains.

By rewarding Wei Liangqing in this way, Emperor Tianqi was telling everyone that he trusted Wei Zhongxian. As long as Wei Zhongxian lived up to him and did not rebel, the Wei family would be able to live with the country by virtue of their noble status. As long as the Ming Dynasty existed, the nobles would exist, and the prosperity and wealth of the Wei family would be guaranteed. Wei Zhongxian was a eunuch without children, and rewarding Wei Liangqing as his nephew further demonstrated this attitude.

The seriously ill Emperor Tianqi was in very poor health. He had met with the cabinet ministers today and talked to Wei Zhongxian. He was in very poor spirits. After saying all this, he fell into a deep sleep. When he looked up, he saw that the Emperor Tianqi had closed his eyes. Wei Zhongxian stared at the Emperor for a moment, kowtowed respectfully, and then got up from the ground.

After getting up, Wei Zhongxian wiped his tears and quietly left the bedroom. When he got outside, he called the eunuchs who were guarding him. Wei Zhongxian gave them a few stern instructions, asking them to take good care of Emperor Tianqi. He also asked about the situation of the imperial physician on duty. After making all these arrangements, Wei Zhongxian left the Qianqing Palace.

A quarter of an hour later, Wei Zhongxian came to a courtyard located on the other side of the Cabinet. This was the office of the Cabinet and the Imperial Household Department. Although it was close to the palace, it did not belong to the inner palace but was close to the inner palace, making travel very convenient.

"father!"

Wei Zhongxian walked into the yard and came to the wing room in a few steps. The two people who were sitting and talking heard the footsteps, looked up and saw Wei Zhongxian coming, and hurriedly stood up and saluted.

"Please sit down." Wei Zhongxian waved his hand and walked straight forward to sit in the main seat. The two men waited until Wei Zhongxian took his seat before sitting down on his left and right respectively.

The two men were Cui Chengxiu and Tian Ergeng, one was the leader of the Five Tigers and the other was the leader of the Five Biao. One was a civil official and the other was a military official. They were Wei Zhongxian's right-hand men, both were Wei Zhongxian's godsons and the people he trusted the most.

Everyone knew that Emperor Tianqi was seriously ill. As his condition worsened, the morale of court officials became unstable, and the same was true for the eunuch party. Cui Chengxiu and Tian Ergeng in particular knew very well that their power and wealth came from Wei Zhongxian, and Wei Zhongxian's power came from Emperor Tianqi. Once anything happened to Emperor Tianqi, it would inevitably have a huge impact on them.

Today, Emperor Tianqi suddenly summoned the ministers to the Qianqing Palace, and Cui Chengxiu and Tian Ergeng got the news at the first time. They already knew what happened before, but after the summons, Emperor Tianqi deliberately kept Wei Zhongxian. The two of them did not return to the government office immediately, but found a place here to wait for Wei Zhongxian to come. They waited for a long time. Now Wei Zhongxian finally came. Seeing that Wei Zhongxian's face was a little bad, the two of them were also a little uneasy.

"Dad, the emperor...?" Tian Ergeng couldn't help but ask when he saw Wei Zhongxian sitting there without saying anything.

"Alas..." Wei Zhongxian sighed softly, "The emperor is in a bad condition. I'm afraid his death is imminent..."

"Is that true? Is it impossible to save him?" Tian Ergeng was shocked. Although he had expected this, hearing these words from Wei Zhongxian still made him uneasy, and he couldn't help but ask more questions.

Shaking his head, Wei Zhongxian told them that the Emperor Tianqi's illness was terminal and incurable. The Imperial Hospital had no hope and they could only rely on tonics to keep him alive. The Emperor Tianqi's days were numbered and he might pass away at any time.

"Dad, the emperor asked you to talk today. Did he tell you about the succession to the throne?" Compared with Tian Ergeng, Cui Chengxiu was much calmer and asked the key question immediately.

Emperor Tianqi doesn't have much time left, so the next biggest and most critical issue is the issue of succession.

Wei Zhongxian nodded.

Cui Chengxiu hurriedly asked: "Does the emperor mean to pass the throne to Prince Xin?"

"Of course. Prince Xin is the emperor's younger brother. The emperor has no sons, and according to the ancestral system, the younger brother should succeed the elder brother." Wei Zhongxian replied as a matter of course.

After hearing this, Cui Chengxiu frowned, and a look of worry appeared on his face for a moment.

(End of this chapter)