Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 685 Receiving the Imperial Decree and Returning the Seal
After the imperial edict was read aloud, its lingering sound echoed throughout the beams.

Whether they were senior officials who could understand Chinese or lowly clerks and eunuchs who could not, they were all overwhelmed by Yuan Keli's imposing aura.

Sweating profusely, the deposed King Li Hui gasped for breath, his ears ringing like thunder. His seemingly solid mental defenses had long since crumbled under the overwhelming pressure. He couldn't even hear Yuan Keli finish reading his condemnation before he could hear anything else.

In the two hundred years since the founding of the Republic of Korea, when has it ever received such a ruthless imperial edict?!
For no apparent reason, Yi Hun recalled the two-hundred-year-long debate over lineage. Back then, in order to remove the label of "son of a usurper" from the founding monarch Yi Seong-gye, the Joseon Dynasty stubbornly fought the case from the Hongzhi era until the publication of the "Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty" in the fifteenth year of the Wanli era.
It's over, it's over! The final verdict is in!
From this day forward, it seems that Yi Hun will become the most infamous and tyrannical ruler of Joseon, even more notorious than Yeonsangun!

His ingratitude and disgrace will be etched across the land, his reputation ruined. As long as the world remains the Ming Dynasty and the emperor remains a descendant of the Taichang Emperor, this condemnation of ingratitude and depravity will forever be branded on his head and engraved on his tombstone.

Li Hui looked dejected and trembling, as if he were walking on the execution ground. He lay shakily on the ground, trying to concentrate, but he couldn't bring himself to say the words of accepting the imperial decree.

But holding the imperial edict, Yuan Keli, who was the emperor incarnate, could not hesitate: "Li Hui, now that the emperor's will is clear, hurry up and accept the decree!"

"The Emperor's majesty is near, yet I, a sinful subject, am condemned."

Boom!
"I bow my head." Li Hui's forehead struck the ground with a dull thud. "By imperial decree!!"

Yuan Keli blinked and looked at Li Chu. Just as he was pondering whether to confiscate the royal seal first or let Li Chu continue receiving the decree, Li Hui suddenly looked up, his eyes brimming with tears:

"Your Majesty, you have accused me of being two-faced. I, your subject Hui, would rather die ten thousand deaths than defend myself. Yet, back then, the Japanese pirates ravaged the eight provinces, leaving the capital in ruins and the ancestral tablets lying in the dust. I dare not forget the great grace of Your Majesty's restoration, but the nation's situation was dire and precarious, like a pile of eggs. The Japanese invaders threatened us with weapons, and our envoys coerced us into giving away three heads every ten days or so. I am not disloyal, but the enemy is gnawing at my bones, and there is no way to escape!"

Li Hui became more and more agitated and aggrieved as he spoke, until he choked up and broke down in tears in the Muhua Pavilion.

Yi Cho was immediately moved by his father's grief and soon burst into tears. The Korean officials kneeling behind them also fell silent one after another, deeply moved. Only a few quick-witted officials chose to remain silent after seeing Yuan Keli's cold and stern face.

Yuan Keli did not intend to respond to Li Hui's explanation, nor did he plan to sternly stop the scene of weeping that shook the palace. He simply stood there quietly, gazing at the scene without joy or sorrow, waiting.

"Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs; the sage is ruthless, treating the people like straw dogs."

Looking at Yuan Keli's aloof and independent demeanor, Luo Yangxing, who was lying on the ground, suddenly thought of this sentence.

--------

Even if grief cannot be healed, emotions will eventually pass. After the crying subsided, the incessant chirping of cicadas took over once more.

Yuan Keli looked down at Li Hui, his brows stern, his tone as imposing as ever: "Li Hui, now that your crown and robes have been taken away, and your rank and title stripped, you shall return the royal seal and reclaim the royal power!"

Li Hui, the "disgraced official," choked several times before finally managing to utter, "Yes, sir!"

"Your Highness, please!" As soon as Li Hui finished speaking, Li Erzhan crawled to Li Hui's side, carrying the box containing the royal seal.

"Ha!" Li Hui slumped, head hanging low, his eyes devoid of any light as he glared at Li Erzhan. "Since you're so impatient, then open it for me."

"Your Majesty, I am filled with trepidation!" Li Erzhan knew that no one would like a senior official who disrespected the former emperor, so he still put on a show of being trembling with fear.

Stop pretending and open it now.

"Yes." Li Erzhan removed the lock, lifted the box lid, and the silver back of the tortoise-shaped seal, symbolizing longevity, stability, and the eternal prosperity of the vassal state, was immediately revealed.

Li Hui gazed down at the silver seal, a look of lingering reluctance quickly appearing in his eyes. Even though he had long since resigned himself to his fate, deep down, he still didn't want to return the silver seal!

Seeing that Li Hui was hesitant to make a move, Li Erzhan gently pushed forward to urge him on.

After a while, Lee Hun finally frowned, turned his head away, and carefully took out the seal of the King of Joseon, which was engraved with the nine-fold seal script, from the box.

“No need to take it out,” Li Hui was about to get up when he heard Yuan Keli’s voice drifting down from above. “Just return it along with the box.”

"Yes, yes," Li Hui could only be like a puppet, putting the silver seal back into the box, and then carrying the whole box to the table where the imperial edict was kept.

"Put it down," Yuan Keli ordered calmly.

"Yes." Li Hui put down the seal box, returned to his original position, and knelt down heavily, his whole body like an empty shell that had lost its soul.

"Regent, please accept the decree." Yuan Keli turned to look at Li Chu, his tone and words clearly showing respect.

"Your subject Li Chu raised his tearful eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing several times before he finally managed to utter a barely comprehensible sentence: "Your subject Chu obeys the decree."

"Hoo," Yuan Keli let out a long breath, and the imposing aura he had exuded gradually dissipated. Holding the imperial edict, he quickly walked to the table. Seeing that the long table was piled with miscellaneous items and could not be laid out flat, he habitually looked at Lu Wenzhao, who was standing to the side: "Commander Lu, please move these things to another place for the time being."

"Yes!" Lu Wenzhao immediately led several Imperial Guards over and moved the incense burner, the imperial edict, and the precious seal box that Li Hui had just placed there all at once.

The desk was lifted into the air, and Yuan Keli bent down to place the imperial edict flat on it. Then, he retreated to the open space between the desk and Li Hui and his son, flung the hem of his flying fish robe, and slowly knelt down.

"Your subject, Yuan Keli, respectfully receives the imperial edict. Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

"Your subject Shen Yourong respectfully receives the imperial decree. Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!" Standing beside the King and his son, Shen Yourong was already prepared to receive the decree. Before Yuan Keli could finish speaking, he ran over and knelt down in front of the bright yellow scroll.

"What are you standing there for? It's our turn, say something." Li Erzhan turned his head and looked at the dazed Chief State Councilor Park Seung-jong, urging him in a low but urgent voice.

"Oh!" Park Seung-jong suddenly realized, and with a heart full of trepidation, led the group of North Korean officials to kowtow and shout, "Your Majesty, we respectfully receive your decree. Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

———————— Muhwa Hall was the place where the Ming Dynasty envoys were greeted by the Joseon king and his officials before entering Hanyang, but it was not the place where the Ming Dynasty envoys stayed.

For over a century, Ming Dynasty envoys stayed at a embassy called Taipingguan in Hanyang.

Taiping Pavilion was under the overall management of the Provincial Governor's Office, which had six departments and various offices responsible for the daily life of the envoys. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Works and other departments were responsible for the finances, security, repairs and supplies of Taiping Pavilion.

This system had been functioning very well. Unfortunately, the Imjin War broke out, and like most palace buildings, the Taiheigwan was destroyed by fire and could not be rebuilt.

Therefore, for a long period after the end of the Japanese pirate raids, the Korean side used the remaining royal residences as lodging places for Ming Dynasty envoys.

A few days ago, Shen Yourong led his troops into Hanyang. The Joseon court originally intended to arrange for them to stay at the Gyeongdeok Palace, the "Western Gate" built in the 44th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, as was customary. However, Shen Yourong himself preferred the relatively smaller Gyeongun Palace. The reason was simple: there were several ready-made military forts near Gyeongun Palace, which at first glance even resembled military camps. All that was needed was to expel the Joseon soldiers stationed there, and the Ming army could move in directly.

Deep down, Crown Prince Regent Yi Cho was reluctant to allow the Ming army to occupy Gyeongun Palace. After all, it was a former royal palace, the place where he grew up. Let alone directly refusing Shen Yourong's request, Yi Cho and his ministers were so afraid that Shen Yourong would seize on this as leverage that they didn't even dare to tell the veteran general that Gyeongun Palace was a royal palace.

Thus, the Ming army unwittingly used this former royal palace as a temporary base.

At 9:00 AM, the procession led by Yuan Keli, amidst cheers from the Korean soldiers and civilians lining the streets, marched magnanimously from Daianmen into Gyeongun Palace. Meanwhile, the royal officials, led by Yi Hun and his son, only continued along the official road towards Changdeok Palace after the rear of Yuan Keli's procession had completely disappeared.

"Is this the main hall of Qingyun Palace?" Yuan Keli stepped down from the blue-curtained sedan chair and looked at the "Jizu Hall," which seemed even smaller than the main hall of Shuntian Prefecture, and felt a sense of disorientation.

“Don’t think it’s too small.” Shen Yourong threw down the reins and walked to Yuan Keli’s side. “This is already the second largest place in the entire Hanyang.”

“It’s not that I think it’s too small, I just feel that this place doesn’t feel like a ‘palace’, but rather more like someone’s private residence. The main gate doesn’t face the courtyard gate, and there are corridors all around, with plants and trees as soon as you enter the courtyard.” Yuan Keli looked around and then took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead. “Even the county government office is more orderly than this ‘palace’.”

“You were absolutely right!” Luo Yangxing said, leaning closer. “According to Princess Jeongmyeong, who lives here, this Gyeongun Palace used to be the private residence of a woman named Li Ting. After the Japanese invasion, the Korean palaces were all burned down, so the late king occupied this place as a temporary palace.”

"The imperial palace." Yuan Keli's first reaction was that living in the former imperial palace might not be a good idea, but the next moment, his attention drifted to something else: "Was Vice Commissioner Luo just talking about Princess Zhenming?"

“Yes.” Luo Yangxing’s expression was somewhat subtle. “You’ve heard of her too?”

“When I was in Zhenjiang, I met the imperial envoy sent by Li Hui to the capital for the Emperor’s birthday celebration. Among them was a man named Liu Yingyuan. After learning my true purpose, Liu Yingyuan caught up with me. On the way south to Hanyang, he told me many things,” Yuan Keli explained. “One of them was about Princess Zhenming.”

“I see,” Luo Yangxing nodded, tugging at his collar and blowing a few gusts of air into his chest and abdomen. “What did Liu Yingyuan say?”

“He said that Yi Hun had repeatedly mobilized his ministers to try to demote Princess Jeongmyeong to a princess or an ordinary palace maid. All of this was in order to depose his stepmother, who is…” Yuan Keli pondered for a moment before remembering the title of the Grand Queen Dowager, “…Grand Queen Dowager Jeongyi. However, because this Grand Queen Dowager had been conferred an honor by our dynasty, it was necessary to report to the Ministry of Rites before she could be formally deposed, so it had been delayed.”

“What we’ve heard is similar to what you’ve heard,” Luo Yangxing said, glancing at Shen Yourong.

"Gentlemen," Shen Yourong glanced subconsciously in the direction of Xi Yutang, "the sun is blazing, let's not talk here."

“Alright.” Yuan Keli nodded and gestured for him to proceed. “I’m not familiar with this place, so please lead the way.”

"Let's go to Junming Hall over there to talk." Jizu Hall is right in front of us, but we have to turn another corner to get to Junming Hall. However, Shen Yourong can't just take Yuan Keli to Jizu Hall for a meeting.

"Ji Zuo" means to ascend the throne. If he doesn't even have this basic political acumen, he shouldn't be an official anymore.

In fact, from the moment Shen Yourong entered the courtyard and saw the plaque, she had already begun to consider moving away from Qingyun Palace. It was Luo Yangxing, a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who gave her a break.

"As Vice Commissioner Luo just mentioned, Princess Zhenming used to live in Qingyun Palace," Yuan Keli asked Luo Yangxing. "Now that you two are using this place as your residence, where did she go?"

Luo Yangxing smiled. "You misunderstand, I never said the word 'once'."

"She's still here!" Yuan Keli exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes.” Luo Yangxing stopped, turned around, and pointed to the only two-story building in Qingyun Palace. “She is in that former imperial hall.”

"Why?" Yuan Keli asked.

“There’s no particular reason,” Luo Yangxing said. “She was already there when we arrived.”

“What I mean is,” Yuan Keli’s brows furrowed slowly, “since the Regent’s heir has entrusted this place to you as your base, why are you leaving her here?”

“It wasn’t handed over,” Shen Yourong said awkwardly, scratching her head and rubbing her hands until they were sweaty. “I actually asked him for this place on my own initiative.”

"want?"

“Aren’t there several towers and forts around here?” Shen Yourong said with an embarrassed smile. “I saw them when I first entered the city. I thought the location was pretty good, so I mentioned it to the Regent’s heir on the way. He didn’t object, so we moved in.”

"So it was your Embroidered Uniform Guard who forcibly kept the princess here?" Yuan Keli looked at Luo Yangxing.

"It can't be called forcing her to stay; we just didn't actively ask her to leave," Luo Yangxing said.

"Didn't the Regent's heir send anyone to pick her up?" Yuan Keli immediately understood Luo Yangxing's meaning.

“No,” Luo Yangxing said quietly, his eyes slightly narrowed. “The Regent’s heir might not even know she’s still alive.”

(End of this chapter)