Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 506 Changing the Emperor
And at this moment, it stood quietly in front of Emperor Longwu!

But then, Emperor Longwu unceremoniously sat down. Raising his head slightly, he saw a whole group of court officials kneeling before the throne!

Then, Emperor Longwu gave a look to the eunuch standing at the edge of the Sumeru pedestal, and the little eunuch, with his keen eyesight, immediately understood!

"His Majesty the Dragon Emperor decrees: All of you, rise!" The little eunuch then loudly announced to the assembled courtiers beneath the Sumeru throne.

"Thank you, Your Majesty the Longwu Emperor!" Upon hearing the eunuchs' voices, the assembled court officials rose after expressing their gratitude and respect. Their demeanor was so respectful that even the Yongle Emperor himself might not have acted with such deference!

"Speak up if you have something to report!" After the ministers stood up, the little eunuch shouted loudly, urging them to start reporting their matters immediately!

"Hehe, no need to be so formal!"

Although I was once a prince of my great Ming Dynasty, I am not the emperor of the great Ming Dynasty!

"Now, I am the Dragon Emperor of the Dragon Kingdom, all of you need not be so reserved!" Seeing the solemn expressions of the ministers beneath the throne, the Dragon Emperor spoke directly before they could even speak. Clearly, these words were intended to silence any ulterior motives on the part of certain individuals.

"Qi Yu, come to my side!" Immediately afterwards, Emperor Longwu beckoned to Prince Zhu Qi Yu, who was sitting on the Sumeru Throne, signaling him to come up to the Sumeru Throne!

At this moment, facing his second uncle's invitation on the Sumeru throne, Prince Zhu Qiyu of Cheng felt his heart race!

At the same time, the court officials in the Hall of Supreme Harmony also sighed softly. Everyone present was a shrewd person, so how could they not know what Emperor Longwu was thinking at this moment?

"Qi Yu, you are the son of Emperor Xuanzong, and now you are the Prince Regent of the Ming Dynasty. What are you afraid of?"

"Come here! Come up to this Sumeru pedestal!" Seeing the somewhat nervous look on Prince Cheng, Zhu Qiyu's face, Emperor Longwu knew that the child's timidity had not completely disappeared.

"Yes!" With Emperor Longwu's encouragement, Prince Cheng, Zhu Qiyu, mustered his spirits and carefully stepped onto the Sumeru pedestal.

Then, encouraged by Emperor Longwu's gaze, Prince Cheng, Zhu Qiyu, quietly stood to the left of the dragon throne—the position of Crown Prince!

"Outside Beijing, the battle between the Ming Dynasty and the Oirat Mongols continues."

"Today, I will only say one thing!" Looking at the court officials with their varied expressions, Emperor Longwu did not give them a chance to say anything incoherent. He simply stated that there was a war going on outside and he did not want to say more. He would only say one thing and then adjourn the court.

"Please give your instructions, Your Majesty the Dragon Emperor!" Yang Shiqi sighed inwardly after hearing the Dragon Emperor's words, then stepped forward and bowed to the Dragon Emperor on behalf of the many ministers.

A country cannot be without a leader for even a day!
My Great Ming Dynasty rose from humble beginnings to sweep across the world! More than sixty years have passed since then.

Now, the legitimate emperor has been defeated and captured, which is a disgrace to our great Ming Dynasty!

Although I have established a kingdom outside the borders, I am still a descendant of the Zhu family and a prince of the Ming Dynasty!

I hereby propose that Zhu Qiyu, the son of Emperor Xuanzong and Prince of Cheng, be established as the new emperor of the Ming Dynasty!

"Who agrees with this statement? Who disagrees?" Emperor Longwu didn't waste any words and directly declared in public that he had also established a new emperor for the Ming Dynasty!
As for what to do with the captured emperor, Emperor Longwu didn't say, and none of the court officials dared to ask! They weren't fools; they naturally knew that since Emperor Longwu didn't mention it, the throne was naturally out of his reach!
"Second Uncle, I..." Upon hearing Emperor Longwu's words, Prince Cheng, Zhu Qiyu, who had been standing beside him, froze on the spot! Although Zhu Qiyu had thought about becoming emperor, he never expected it to happen so suddenly and so directly!

"Qi Yu, you have no say in this matter now!"

Emperor Xuanzong only had two sons! Now, the legitimate emperor has been captured and is being humiliated by barbarians outside Beijing!

Because of him, the morale of the soldiers, officials, and people of the Ming Dynasty has plummeted to rock bottom, and the Ming Dynasty is now in danger of national extinction!

Under such circumstances, how could he possibly win the hearts of the people if he remained emperor?

In ancient times, there was the humiliation of the Jingkang Incident! Now, the emperor is knocking on the door!

What a disgrace for all time! When Emperor Longwu said he wanted to establish Prince Cheng, Zhu Qiyu, as emperor, he wasn't discussing it with his court officials, but rather informing them of it!

In an effort to silence some of his court officials, Emperor Longwu went so far as to compare Zhu Qizhen's summons to the Jingkang Incident of the Song Dynasty with the humiliation of the Song Dynasty.

"..." For a moment, after hearing Emperor Longwu's words, the court officials in the Taihe Hall were speechless. After all, the current situation of the legitimate emperor was truly shameful!
To the surprise of the court officials, Emperor Longwu actually compared the actions of Emperor Zhengtong to the Jingkang Incident! With this accusation, all the court officials knew that Emperor Zhengtong would never be able to recover his reputation!

After all, the Jingkang Incident was far too famous and far too shameful! And the emperor who could be ranked alongside the Jingkang Incident would definitely be infamous for eternity!

He is a prime example of a tyrannical ruler who will be infamous for all time!

"Since no one has any objections, let's get started. Issue the edict as soon as possible and establish a new emperor! To salvage the image of the Ming Dynasty!" Seeing that no courtiers voiced any objections, Emperor Longwu didn't mince words and made the decision directly!

Faced with this, the court officials could only helplessly purse their lips. As for speaking out in opposition?

Sorry, but they wouldn't want to offend Emperor Longwu at this time! They still want Emperor Longwu to save the Ming Dynasty from its crisis!
Moreover, didn't you see that even the Empress Dowager avoided Emperor Longwu's sharp edge today?! How could these court officials dare to go against Emperor Longwu!
Yes, in the hearts of the court officials, the fact that the Empress Dowager did not come to court today meant that she did not want to have a conflict with His Majesty Emperor Longwu over the matter of establishing Prince Cheng as emperor. That is why she sent her maid to deliver a message saying that she was frightened yesterday and was not feeling well, so she should not attend court.

Of course, Emperor Longwu was unaware of what his courtiers were thinking at that moment. Even if he did know, he would only say that it was all a beautiful misunderstanding!

At this moment, Emperor Longwu is the one in charge, because Empress Dowager Sun is the one who refuses to get out of bed!
One can imagine that if the Sun family knew what Emperor Longwu was thinking and doing at this moment, they would probably fight Emperor Longwu to the death on the spot!
"The fighting is still going on outside the city. Let's not waste any more time. Let's adjourn the court!" After finishing his business, Emperor Longwu rose directly from his throne and prepared to leave.

"Your Majesty Longwu!"

"I have something to say!" Seeing that Emperor Longwu was about to leave, Yang Shiqi gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and said to Emperor Longwu.

"Is there something you need, Grand Secretary Yang?" Emperor Longwu, who hadn't yet stepped off the Sumeru Platform, turned to look at Yang Shiqi after hearing his words. He was very curious about what Yang Shiqi would say at this moment!
Meanwhile, the court officials stared blankly at Yang Shiqi, waiting to see what would happen next.

"Your Majesty Longwu, please allow me to report:"

Lord Tuolong hasn't eaten since yesterday!

"I wonder if we need to do our bit of help?" After a moment of thought, Yang Shiqi finally asked the question of whether the alligator dragon needed to eat, amidst the disappointed gazes of everyone.

"Oh~?!
Grand Secretary Yang's reminder was quite accurate!

"Qi Yu, come here!" Upon hearing Yang Shiqi's question, Emperor Longwu was immediately stunned, and instantly understood Yang Shiqi's intention!

Yang Shiqi wanted Prince Zhu Qiyu of Cheng to make contact with the alligator dragon to increase Prince Zhu Qiyu's prestige when he ascended the throne. Emperor Longwu didn't mind. After all, Prince Zhu Qiyu was indeed somewhat timid. And the alligator dragon certainly wanted a good meal!

(End of this chapter)