The Good Grandson of the Red Chamber

Chapter 112 Abdication, Emperor Hengchang, lacking an imperial seal.

The crown prince flipped through the memorials, his brows furrowing slightly, unsure how to annotate them.

He asked Xia Shouzhong beside him, "Master, come and take a look. How should we annotate this memorial?"

Xia Shouzhong coughed lightly twice and said, "Your Highness, our Holy Ancestor has decreed that eunuchs are not allowed to interfere in politics. How dare this servant offer any dissent?"

The crown prince said with displeasure, "I didn't ask you to interfere in politics, I just wanted you to come up with some ideas."

"You are my constant companion and the person I trust most. If I encounter difficulties, who else can I turn to for advice if not you?"

The Crown Prince's Palace was sealed off for seven years, and it has maintained a very low profile ever since it was unsealed.

His palace was devoid of a single competent strategist.

Xia Shouzhong was the eunuch he relied on most, so when he encountered problems, he would naturally turn to Xia Shouzhong for help.

Xia Shouzhong was quite embarrassed at this moment. He said in a low voice, "Your Highness, this servant... this servant does not know these things and dares not comment."

The Crown Prince glanced at Xia Shouzhong with disdain, shook his head, and ordered him to carry the memorial to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

He decided to consult Emperor Yonglong.

Although not knowing how to handle memorials might make the Emperor dislike you, handling them poorly would be more than just a matter of dislike.

Before long, the Crown Prince arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Xia Chengchong quietly stepped forward and told Emperor Yonglong that he had already gone to sleep.

The Crown Prince summoned Xia Chengzong to a side room and asked, "Brother Zong, when will your imperial grandfather wake up?"

Xia Chengzong said, "Father, these past few days, Grandfather has been sleeping more than he's awake. He only went to sleep this afternoon, and I'm afraid he won't wake up until tomorrow."

The Crown Prince frowned and said, "What should we do? This is my first time reviewing memorials, and I'm not sure how to handle it."

"I was hoping to ask your imperial grandfather for some advice, but now he's asleep. What can we do?"

"These memorials cannot be left to be dealt with until tomorrow."

Throughout history, there have always been emperors who were lazy in governing.

But it's really unacceptable for him to slack off on his very first day as crown prince.

Xia Chengzong noticed that his father was looking at him frequently. Although he didn't say anything, he seemed to be asking for help, but he was too embarrassed to say it out loud.

Xia Chengzong said softly, "Father, apart from major matters such as border defense, disaster relief, and rebellion, the Six Ministries have their own procedures for minor matters."

"Most of the imperial edicts I've seen indicate that the emperor has already acknowledged the matter and has granted permission."

"If you are really unsure, you can keep it in the archives and summon the Grand Secretary or other officials from various ministries for questioning."

"For those truly important matters, it's not too late to consult the Pope later."

Upon hearing this, the crown prince suddenly realized what was going on.

During his half-year stay at the Hanlin Academy, he read a lot of documents, including those with Emperor Yonglong's imperial edicts.

As a crown prince who was suddenly appointed, he didn't need to have his own will and opinions in the short term; he could just follow Xiao Gui Cao's rules as he pleased.

He should have thought of this earlier, but he panicked and lost his composure. It was thanks to Zong-ge'er's reminder that he was able to act accordingly.

Thinking of this, the Crown Prince patted Xia Chengzong on the shoulder and said, "Brother Zong, you're very good."

Xia Chengzong laughed and said, "How could Father not understand these principles? I am merely using Father's words to express them."

Crown Prince's positive emotions +10 +10 +10

After the Crown Prince left, Xia Chengzong's face showed a thoughtful expression.

Living environment influences one's temperament, and upbringing influences one's physical condition.

Even though his father had only been the crown prince for a day, he already exuded an air of nobility.

Now he speaks as if he were the "I" or "themselves," showing how quickly he has adapted.

From now on, I need to be even more careful and cautious.

Throughout history, it's rare to find emperors who favored intelligent crown princes.

Perhaps Zhu Yuanzhang and his son Zhu Biao were an exception, but they were extremely rare cases.

After all, Zhu Yuanzhang was a brilliant and ambitious founding emperor who had absolute confidence in himself.

He had a very deep father-son relationship with Crown Prince Zhu Biao.

Aside from this father and son pair, it would be extremely difficult to find another pair.

My father will probably become the emperor soon, so I should probably keep my talents hidden.

The prince adapted quickly, and within a few days, he was doing a very good job.

All the civil and military officials were very satisfied with the crown prince, after all, this crown prince had no will of his own.

He followed all of Xiao He's rules and regulations, and ruled by doing nothing.

-

The civil and military officials practically wished the crown prince would ascend the throne immediately, and this state of affairs continued thereafter.

In this way, the emperor and his ministers will get along well, and the crown prince, the future emperor, will surely leave a very good reputation in the history books.

Labels such as benevolence, leniency, and enlightenment are bound to appear; the assessment of a benevolent ruler is unavoidable.

Meanwhile, Emperor Yonglong's condition was worsening day by day.

The time I am awake each day is getting shorter and shorter, and the time I am in a daze is getting longer and longer.

Five days later, while Emperor Yonglong was still lucid, he summoned his senior officials and announced that he would abdicate the throne to the Crown Prince.

The Ministry of Rites selected an auspicious day and prepared to hold the abdication ceremony fifteen days later.

This news was unexpected, yet also quite reasonable.

Emperor Yonglong's move earned him a flood of praise.

The succession of the throne from father to son is a rare occurrence throughout history.

One advantage of passing the throne from father to son is that the succession to the throne is absolutely legitimate, the transfer of power is smooth, and there is no chaos in the court.

The minds of the civil and military officials, however, became active.

A new emperor brings a new court, and now they've begun to ponder the crown prince's character.

After a change of dynasty, they could also try to curry favor with the new ruler.

Before long, half a month had passed, and the day of abdication had arrived.

Emperor Yonglong, whose health had been deteriorating, miraculously recovered on this day.

He was originally bedridden, but today he was able to get up and walk on his own.

Everyone thought it was strange, but they also knew in their hearts that Emperor Yonglong was probably just having a brief moment of lucidity before his death.

I fear that after passing the throne to the crown prince, he will not live much longer.

Everyone felt a deep sense of sorrow.

Only Xia Chengzong knew in his heart that his grandfather's condition was not a temporary resurgence, but a genuine recovery.

On this day, the new emperor declined the offer three times. The retired Emperor Yonglong threw a nine-dragon white jade tablet at the new emperor's shoulder, angrily shouting, "Do you intend to make me like Li Yuan?"

In the end, the new emperor tearfully agreed.

-

The abdication ceremony was held in the Hall of Central Harmony, where the retired emperor ascended the throne and the new emperor stood facing west inside the hall.

Officials from the Court of State Ceremonial led the ministers in performing the nine-kowtow ceremony, and the Zhonghe Shao music was played, accompanied by the performance of "The Chapter of Yuanping".

When the music stopped, whips were cracked three times below the steps, and grand music was played on the imperial steps, with the "Chapter of Celebrating Peace" being performed.

The new emperor led his officials to kneel, and the official in charge of presenting memorials read them aloud.

The retired emperor personally bestowed the imperial seal upon the new emperor, who knelt to receive it. The Grand Secretary of the Right knelt to receive the seal and placed it on the right table.

The new emperor returned to the capital to pay homage. Music was played, and he led his ministers in performing the nine-kowtow ceremony. After the ceremony, the whip was cracked.

The retired emperor returned to the palace and received congratulations and greetings from members of the royal family in the inner hall.

After a series of ceremonies, the new emperor officially ascended the throne, taking the imperial title Hengchang, and setting the first month of the following year as the first year of Hengchang.

Even into the night, Emperor Hengchang still felt a sense of unreality, as if in a dream.

From this day forward, am I the emperor?

By the way, there are two imperial seals in total. My father only gave me one, and he never gave me the other one!

But it doesn't matter, Father's health probably won't hold up for much longer.

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