Loan Wusheng

Chapter 232: Becoming Emperor!

At the top of Haodu city, the heads of the Bai, Liang, and Wang families, along with other powerful clans from Guanzhong, knelt to welcome the King of Han of the Great Zhou Dynasty and Prime Minister Zheng Jun.

As Zheng Jun stepped through the city gate, his iron cavalry surged like a tide. His Dragon Abyss Blade was still sheathed, yet it already intimidated the entire city, and no one dared to look directly at Zheng Jun.

After entering the city, Zheng Jun reduced taxes in Guanzhong for three years and released conscripted soldiers to return to farming.

The Zhenxi Army was reorganized. Those who wished to stay were incorporated into the new army, the Shence Army, under the command of Wei Quan. Those who wished to leave were given travel expenses and allowed to return to their hometowns.

With the surrender of the powerful clans led by Guanzhong, and the deaths of the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Qin, Guanzhong had no power to resist. The change of power in Guanzhong was naturally exceptionally smooth. Those who surrendered were spared all punishment, while those who resisted were executed along with their entire clans.

Zheng Jun hardly had to deal with the affairs of Guanzhong. After occupying Haodu, appointing Dugu Jing to temporarily garrison Haodu, and Xu Shimao to lead the army to the north to attack Suzhou, Zheng Jun issued an edict to return to the capital to prepare for the enthronement.

As for the matter of Longzhou, Zheng Jun still instructed Zhao Wei's Zhao family to temporarily guard it and be vigilant against Liangzhou and the Western Regions.

After all, such a big thing happened in Guanzhong. Zheng Jun also needs to be wary of whether the Buddhist kingdom in the far west will take this opportunity to move eastward, and what the governor of Liangzhou is thinking.

In short, Zheng Jun has returned to Shenjing from Haodu in the past few days.

The autumn wind is bleak and the waves are surging.

As the seasons change, undercurrents surge within the capital city.

It was late August, at night.

"I, being young and inexperienced, inherited the throne. However, the nation's progress is fraught with difficulties... I, residing deep within the palace, have failed to quell the rebellion, truly ashamed before the spirits of my ancestors and the hopes of the people... Prime Minister Zheng Jun is endowed with divine martial prowess and virtue that aligns with the universe... I, following the example of the ancient sages, will abdicate and immediately relinquish the title of Emperor, abdicating in favor of Zheng Jun..."

In the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace, the Jinglong Emperor, utterly despondent, was drafting his abdication edict, his expression one of deep resentment.

Although he had long known that he was a puppet emperor, and knew that he would have to write the abdication edict sooner or later.

However, based on various historical cases, those emperors at least enjoyed decades or even centuries of imperial life, and some were so lucky that they even died on the throne, without becoming so-called rulers of fallen kingdoms.

But what he didn't expect was...

How could it be so fast?

From his ascension to the throne to his abdication, it took only a little over a year, less than two years.

In such a short time, Zheng Jun had successfully conquered the three royal uncles, the King of Qin, the King of Zhao, and the King of Jin, and conquered a vast territory.

This left Emperor Jinglong with a slight sense of loss and resentment.

He complained, blaming his royal uncle for being so weak, only giving him a little over a year to enjoy the throne.

As for blaming Zheng Jun...

This was something he would never dare to do.

Before Emperor Jinglong, Liu Hu, the Minister of Revenue, smiled and watched the emperor. After the emperor finished writing an abdication edict, Liu Hu immediately stepped forward to correct the error, patiently saying, "Prime Minister, this edict is in accordance with the will of Heaven. It is not sincere enough. Moreover, the abdication edict should indicate that the Prime Minister is the 'King of Han,' so as to show the elegance of the new dynasty..."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jinglong sighed and continued rewriting.

Meanwhile, around the capital, troops were being rotated out, and all the problems were being repaired.

The soldiers have been fighting for years, and money, cloth, and elixirs are being distributed as extra rewards. After all, Zheng Jun is about to become emperor, and everything will be different.

The people of Shenjing City were naturally able to keenly perceive the situation around them, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "Since the death of Emperor Shenwu, our Shenjing has never welcomed a proper emperor. Now that the Prince of Han is about to ascend the throne, the people of Shenjing can finally admire the majesty of the imperial family."

All officials, high and low, in the city were like this.

Whether they were surrendered generals or officials, or were minor officials recruited from the common people, they were all filled with emotion. Meanwhile, in the Circular Mound Altar, officials of all ranks from the Ministry of Rites were busy with various tasks.

Shen An, a staff member under the Prime Minister's office, was in charge of the main ceremonial work, with Xiao Yi and Yuan Gong as his deputies.

Shen An was one of the officials at the Tongqiao Realm who helped Zhou Tong open the city gates in the capital. He had served as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites in the previous dynasty, and now that the new dynasty had been established, he, being knowledgeable in etiquette, was naturally transferred to handle the enthronement ceremony.

As for Xiao Yi and Yuan Gong, the former was one of the officers who followed Zheng Jun from Bozhou. After years of fighting, he also became a martial artist who had reached the third level of the Outer Gang Realm. It is said that he had a connection with the Xiao family, the royal family of the Southern Liang Dynasty, and was one of their relatives.

Yuan Gong was also one of the surrenderers from Shenjing, but the difference was that he was a surrenderer from Waigang. He was a member of the royal family of the former Northern Rong dynasty, belonging to the Tuoba clan. After entering the Central Plains, he studied etiquette from a young age and was more like a Central Plains person than the people of the Central Plains. Now he served as the Director of the Bureau of Guests, in charge of the tribute affairs of vassal states.

Since Zheng Jun didn't have many people under his command from the Ministry of Rites, he was put in charge of them as well.

"How are everything prepared?"

Shen An stood nearby, looked at Xiao and Yuan, and immediately asked, "Is everything ready?"

"The musicians are all ready, everything is arranged, and the entourage is fully prepared."

As Xiao Yi spoke, he was filled with emotion: "The matters concerning the founding of the nation were extremely complicated. We martial artists worked tirelessly for more than ten days to finally finish them. It's truly astonishing."

Before Shen An and Yuan Gong could say anything, Xiao Yi continued to sigh, "Six years ago, I was the commander of Changyang County. When the Prime Minister conquered Changyang County, I led my people to surrender. At that time, I only wanted to gain wealth and status so that the families in the south would take me seriously. I never thought that Guanzhong would be under our control and the Prime Minister would be about to establish a new dynasty. Everything in the past seems like a distant memory."

Yuan Gong, standing to the side, nodded in agreement: "I only hope that after the Prime Minister ascends the throne, he will send more soldiers to unify the world, pacify the Northern Hu, Southern Yue, and Western Regions, so that we can earn titles for our descendants."

Upon hearing these words, Shen An chuckled and even teased Xiao Yi, saying, "Once the trip to Jiangnan is settled, Young Master Xiao will likely be employed by the Prime Minister and will finally be able to hold his head high."

Upon hearing Shen An's words, Xiao Yi was also in a good mood and unconsciously hummed a soft hum.

"..."

Inside the palace, candlelight flickered and the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

Zheng Jun stood before the gilded bronze mirror, his black dragon robe with twelve imperial symbols hanging down at his side. Cai Anjun held the twelve-tassel crown in his hands, his fingertips lightly stroking the jade bead tassels, and whispered, "From today onwards, Your Majesty will be the ruler of all under heaven."

Cai Anjun's eyes sparkled, her gaze was intense, and her interest was high.

Although she had known for a long time that her husband was destined for great things, she never imagined that he would ascend the throne and become the ruler of the world in such a short time.

Li Zhaowan picked up the jade belt, her slender fingers looping around Zheng Jun's waist to fasten the gold-inlaid black jade belt hook. Her expression was somewhat strained, a mixture of joy and sorrow unreadable. In the end, she could only sigh softly, "Back in this prefecture, I never imagined that I would be the one to fasten this imperial robe for you..."

As the legitimate daughter of the King of Han, she belongs to the Li family.

The news of Zheng Jun's ascension to the throne naturally left her with mixed feelings, a mixture of joy and sorrow.

Zheng Jun raised an eyebrow but did not answer. Yang Xiao had already knelt down, holding the crimson shoes with cloud and dragon patterns, and helped him put on the boots. At the same time, she secretly looked at Li Zhaowan, not wanting her close friend to do anything inappropriate.

Lu Qingyi emerged from behind the screen, a knee-covering embroidered with mountains and rivers draped over her arm. Her fingertips brushed away non-existent dust from Zheng Jun's shoulder as she spoke softly, "Your Majesty's divine might extends to the world. Replacing the Zhou with the Han is in accordance with the principles of Heaven."

After saying that, she also took care of Zheng Jun's clothes.

Zheng Jun himself, meanwhile, was deep in thought about his journey to become emperor.

To be honest, I was a little anxious.

His rise to power was too short, and he had almost entirely surrendered men and generals under his command, with no one of his own.

Now, ruling over vast lands, there are no satisfactory ministers at all. The governors and magistrates of the six ministries in the central government and the prefectures and counties in various prefectures must all be selected from among the surrendered officials and from powerful families.

This is very bad according to the usual practice of a normal dynasty.

However, it didn't matter to Zheng Jun. He could simply declare himself emperor; there was nothing more to say about it.

He was already a Yuan Dan Martial Saint, and at the very least, he still had more than four hundred years to live. In this vast period of time, he could slowly cultivate his own subjects and replace these surrendered people and generals.

In the harem, his four concubines naturally regarded Cai Anjun as Empress, who then took charge of the harem.

The other three were all imperial concubines.

After all, they all come from respectable backgrounds, and there might be opportunities to meet again in the future, so it's natural to save face for them.

In Zheng Jun's mind, everything was about to come to an end.

The auspicious time has arrived.

"It's time to ascend the throne."

Outside the imperial city, the carriage was already prepared, and palace servants and eunuchs were waiting on either side. When Zheng Jun came out of the hall, they all bowed their heads.

Zheng Jun boarded the imperial carriage, and the large entourage set off from the imperial city towards the Circular Mound Altar in the southern suburbs.

……

September begins, at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM).

With everything in place, Zheng Jun's trusted troops, the Cangdao Army and the Xiaoguo Army, had already been stationed nearby, numbering over 100,000, exuding a fierce and imposing aura.

People from all the prefectures of Zhili and the capital city flocked to watch, full of curiosity.

After all, such a founding event only happens once every few centuries, so it naturally arouses curiosity and joy among the people.

On the altar, officials from the Ministry of Rites had prepared offerings to worship Heaven and Earth.

When Emperor Yongchang and Emperor Jinglong ascended the throne, they both performed this ritual, except that they worshipped the ancestors of the Zhou family, including the founding emperor of the Great Zhou, Emperor Shenwu.

For the new emperor, the only deities to worship are Heaven and Earth and the ancestors of the Zheng family.

As for offering sacrifices to the founding emperor?
Zheng Jun himself was the new founding emperor!
As time passed, the first rays of sunlight shone down upon the land. From the direction of the imperial city came the sound of an imperial carriage. All the officials and soldiers straightened up and stood at attention on either side. The sunlight grew increasingly bright, and at that moment, the imperial carriage stopped. Zheng Jun, wearing a twelve-tassel crown and a black dragon robe, stepped out of the carriage, radiating brilliance and exuding a magnificent aura.

Everyone was drawn to Zheng Jun's imposing presence, and thousands of eyes turned to him.

There was excitement, awe, joy, and resentment.

Zheng Jun sensed every single look in Zheng Jun's eyes.

Upon seeing this, Wei Quan's eyes also welled up with tears.

He fought desperately, dominating the battlefield, all for this day.

Seeing Zheng Jun ascend the throne as emperor was Wei Quan's greatest wish in his life.

However, to his surprise, this wish was fulfilled so smoothly, and Wei Quan was slightly disappointed.

Disappointingly, the Prime Minister did not choose "Wei" as the name of the state to restore the Great Wei, but instead chose "Han" from the royal title as the founding name of the state.

After all, in Wei Quan's mind, Zheng Jun was just like him, a descendant of the royal family of the previous Wei Dynasty, who had to change his surname to avoid disaster for various reasons.

After all, if it weren't for that, how could Zheng Jun have used the supernatural power 'Floating Shadow Life', which only members of the Wei royal family could understand?

"..."

Before the altar, Zheng Jun slowly ascended the platform.

As Zheng Jun stepped onto the stage, the golden sunlight broke through the dawn, shining down and converging on him.

Everything was like a miracle.

Shen An stood to the side, kneeling on the ground, holding a bronze cauldron containing sacrificial wine, and respectfully said to Zheng Jun, "Please, Your Majesty, hold this cauldron and bow."

"Whom do you worship?"

Zheng Jun asked with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Shen An was taken aback for a moment, and then said, "Worship Heaven and Earth."

"can."

Zheng Jun nodded slightly, accepted the bronze cauldron, symbolically bowed towards the heavens above the high platform, and then poured the wine onto the ground.

Upon seeing this, Shen An was taken aback.

According to custom, one should prostrate oneself on the ground, bowing one's head respectfully, to show respect to the emperor.

This……

Although Shen An felt this was completely against etiquette, he dared not contradict Zheng Jun in this situation, and could only nod and say, "Your Majesty's sacrifice to Heaven and Earth should be carried out!"

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

The officials below the altar bowed down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

"Flat body."

Zheng Jun turned around, looked at the assembled officials, and immediately opened his mouth.

Upon hearing Zheng Jun's words, the courtiers rose to their feet.

Meanwhile, Shen An, who was standing to the side, seemed to want to say something but hesitated.

In this segment, it wasn't the new emperor's turn to speak yet.

This is a ceremony where officials worship Heaven and Earth; logically, it should be I, the official in charge of rites, who should be the one to speak...

However, as always, with Zheng Jun present, Shen An dared not utter a word.

After the officials rose, Shen An could only continue, "Please come with me, Your Majesty..."

He was afraid that he might have done something that was not in accordance with etiquette.

Fortunately, Zheng Jun did not act recklessly afterward, but cooperated with the master of ceremonies to continue the ceremony.

Zheng Jun had previously disrupted some methods, but he was simply demonstrating to the world that he, the new emperor, was different from the previous ones. He was an emperor who was unwilling to follow the rules of etiquette, and that between divine authority and monarchical authority, monarchical authority was the greatest!
After all the ceremonies were completed, Zheng Jun stood on the high platform, facing south towards the assembled officials, slowly unfurled the edict before him, and began to read it aloud.

"The emperor is destined to be carried by heaven, and the edict says:"

"I have heard that the Mandate of Heaven is not constant, but only virtue can assist it; the imperial regalia has its rightful owner, which cannot be contested by human power. Since the Great Zhou lost its way, the feudal lords have risen up one after another, the smoke of war has obscured the sun, and the common people have suffered terribly. I was originally a commoner, rising from humble beginnings, but I have received the Mandate of Heaven and followed the people's wishes to punish the guilty. After six years of conquest, I have brought peace to the world. Now the King of Jin and the King of Zhao have been executed, and Guanzhong has submitted. The general situation of the world has been settled."

"Emperor Jinglong was virtuous and humble, deeply understanding the difficulties of the times, and wished to follow the example of Yao and Shun by abdicating the throne to me. I declined repeatedly, but my ministers and the people humbly requested that it be the mandate of Heaven, and I dared not refuse!"

"Now I hereby accept the great mandate, ascend the throne as emperor, establish the dynasty name 'Han,' grant a general amnesty, and change the era name to 'Wude.'"

After reading the last word, Zheng Jun's emotions began to stir.

Starting from his position as a lowly clerk, he fought his way up from Heishan County, through Pingzhang County, Kangle County, Lanzhou City, Guanzhong, Haodu... leaving his own footprints at every step.

With the Great Dao Martial Arts Manual in hand, destiny has been bestowed upon them.

Who else in this world can compare to me?

"Long live my emperor!"

The courtiers shouted in unison.

"Your Majesty is victorious!"

The soldiers shouted.

"May the Emperor enjoy boundless blessings!"

The people live in harmony.

Standing on the high platform, Zheng Jun chuckled upon seeing the cheers.

"I have inherited the Mandate of Heaven and rule over all lands. I remember the late Emperor Jinglong, Li Yue, who was respectful, frugal, benevolent, and kind. He abdicated the throne to secure the country. His virtue is commendable, and his heart is pitiful. Following the ancient sage kings' system of preserving the extinct and continuing the interrupted, and treating the predecessors with respect, I demonstrate the benevolence of the new dynasty and also comfort the hopes of the people."

"Hereby, Li Yue is hereby conferred the title of Duke of Xuanle, granted a residence in Xuanling, and given an annual stipend of rice, to enjoy eternal honor. His ancestral temple sacrifices shall continue according to the old rites, with the relevant officials providing provisions as needed. His descendants shall inherit this title, generation after generation, without interruption!"

Upon hearing this edict, Emperor Jinglong... Duke Xuanle Li Yue immediately breathed a sigh of relief and was extremely excited.

Unexpectedly, I could even receive the title of Duke of the County!

He thought that the highest rank he could achieve was a county marquis!

"Long live my emperor."

Li Yue immediately bowed deeply.

Upon seeing this, Zheng Jun couldn't help but chuckle.

Zheng Jun was not as magnanimous as Cao Pi in his treatment of Li Yue, allowing him to continue living with the rites due to an emperor in his fiefdom.

As long as we can continue the ancestral temple sacrifices, that's good enough.

I wasn't of much help.

After doing all this, Zheng Jun said, "I have been granted the mandate of Heaven to ascend the throne and rule over all the lands. The most important thing in governing the inner palace is to establish the Empress in her proper position to demonstrate the virtues of the Empress. The selection of concubines should also be based on their virtues and in order of rank. Now, in accordance with ancient rites, I hereby issue this decree to establish the system of the six palaces."

"I hereby confer upon Lady Cai the title of Empress, and bestow upon her a golden book and golden seal. The Empress is of virtuous and gentle nature, and has assisted me in my time as a prince, being diligent and frugal, and her virtue matches that of the Emperor. Now she is enthroned in the Imperial Palace, serving as the mother of the nation, governing the six palaces, and assisting in the administration of domestic affairs!"

"I hereby confer the title of Imperial Concubine on Lady Li, Lady Yang, and Lady Lu, and bestow upon them golden edicts. The Imperial Concubines are of gentle and virtuous character, possessing both talent and virtue. They have served me for many years with diligence and without slackening. Now, I promote them to the rank of Imperial Concubine to recognize their virtue."

"The Empress should lead the six palaces and guide the inner palace; all the Noble Consorts should strictly abide by etiquette and assist the Empress. All the ladies of the court, both inside and outside the palace, should respect and serve her, so as to create a harmonious and peaceful atmosphere."

After the empress was officially appointed, the coronation ceremony was almost over.

However, Zheng Jun did not immediately descend from the altar. Instead, he stood on the high platform, gazing eastward.

An emperor from a foreign land ascended the throne in the capital, and the Han Dynasty came to rule the world, sweeping across the land.

Judging by their strength on paper alone, they are already number one in the world.

Today, the Han Dynasty has expanded across Bozhou, Xuanzhou, Lanzhou, Guanzhong, and Longzhou, becoming the strongest nation in the north. However, Zheng Jun is well aware of how much of this is merely a facade.

Although he has ascended the throne, his greatest enemy is still in the East.

The Central Plains must be taken!
However, Zheng Jun needs to digest the current results.

He also absorbed the four Yuan Dan realm demon king inner cores he obtained from the Great Zhou Treasury, and at the same time, he began to create a divine ability of his own.

(End of this chapter)