If you die, I will be able to inherit your cultivation.

The enthronement ceremony was followed by a series of rituals according to regulations, including offering sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, reporting to the ancestral temple, and feasting the officials.

However, Yuyang County is not Anzhou, so it has neither the Imperial Ancestral Temple nor the Temple of Heaven, and all these procedures are simplified.

After receiving the congratulations of the officials in the main hall, Liu Ji moved to a side hall according to the pre-arranged procedures to change clothes and have a meal.

Taking advantage of the break between ceremonies, Zhou Ming quickly retreated to the side hall and had his Imperial Guard commander review the palace's defenses from beginning to end.

All the eunuchs, palace maids, and servants were the young lady's people; even the cooks who tended the fire in the kitchen were assigned from the Begonia Garden.

The new emperor ascended the throne, and the reign title was Yongchang.

After the news spread from the main hall of the imperial palace, the people waiting on both sides of the official road erupted in thunderous cheers.

On the afternoon of the day the new emperor ascended the throne, Zhou Ming was busy again, barely having time to breathe.

The first thing to do is to announce to the world that this matter must be handled as soon as possible.

He had the edict of accession copied, affixed with the Imperial Seal, and sent by hawk to various prefectures and counties.

The edict was written in a grand and solemn manner, stating that the Zhengde Emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty had died for his country, and that the state could not be without a ruler for even a day. The Ninth Prince Liu Ji had received the Mandate of Heaven and succeeded to the throne, changing the era name to Yongchang and establishing Yuyang as the capital. He called on all prefectures and counties in the country to come to court as soon as possible.

Regardless of whether the imperial edicts received by various prefectures and counties are genuine or not, or whether they obey or not, they must first secure their official status.

The second thing was to hold a funeral for Emperor Zhengde.

Zhou Ming personally drafted the obituary, characterizing it as "dying for his country." Emperor Zhengde died in the chaos of the army when Anzhou fell, so it was quite appropriate to say that he died for his country.

The obituary was written with the utmost solemnity and honor, portraying the old emperor, who had become muddle-headed in his later years, favored treacherous ministers, and stood idly by while Cangzhou descended into chaos, as a heroic ruler who fought bravely and was willing to live and die with the nation.

The third thing was to reward the ministers who supported him.

With the new emperor ascending the throne, everything was in disarray and there were almost no capable people left in the court.

There were loyal ministers who were willing to follow the Ninth Prince all the way from Qingzhou, but their numbers were pitifully small.

The quality varied greatly, with most of them being former subordinates recruited by Su Mubai along the way.

Currently, 80% of the positions in the imperial court, from the ministers of the six ministries to the chief ministers of various courts and the censors, are vacant.

Rewards were not only a way to reward merit, but also a way to enrich the court.

The first two things are easy to handle. Zhou Ming called his men over, gave them a few words of explanation, and they would naturally take care of them.

The third thing is the list of those awarded.

This is not something he can decide.

However, he had a list that Su Mingyue had left for him before she left.

It listed who was in what position, from the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers to the prefects of various counties, from the commanders of the border armies to the commanders of the imperial guards. Each name was followed by a brief resume and the reason for their appointment or dismissal.

Zhou Ming had read the list more than ten times and could almost recite it from memory.

However, Su Mubai was unaware of the existence of this list.

He was currently in the Qian Yuan Hall, sitting face to face with Emperor Yongchang, Liu Ji. A blank sheet of Xuan paper was spread out between them as they discussed the bestowal of titles and the selection of personnel for various positions.

Su Mubai would mention a name, and Liu Ji would nod in agreement; if he mentioned another name, Liu Ji would nod in agreement again.

The old Duke's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable certainty, as if he were instructing the stewards and managers of his own household, rather than deciding the court structure of a dynasty.

He probably genuinely felt he was qualified to arrange all of this for his grandson.

After all, he had served as a Duke for decades during the reign of Emperor Zhengde, and his protégés and former officials were all over the country. Moreover, during his escape in Qingzhou, he had gathered several people, all of whom were old acquaintances he trusted.

Zhou Ming sat inside the Wuying Hall, but his divine sense was constantly spreading throughout the palace.

He glanced at the old man and the young man in the Qian Yuan Hall, who were discussing something seriously over a piece of white paper, and couldn't help but chuckle to himself several times.

By the time Su Mubai and Emperor Yongchang finally finalized the list, it was nearly dusk.

The paper listed about thirty or forty names, most of whom were surnamed Su or related to the Su family.

Emperor Yongchang personally helped his maternal grandfather out of the Qianyuan Hall. The two walked along the palace road towards the outside of the palace, discussing the specific procedures for announcing the list of conferments at the morning court the next day.

Just as they reached Yongning Gate, Zhou Ming emerged from the shadows.

Zhou Ming was still wearing his dark blue official robe, which fluttered in the north wind.

He walked out of the shadows of the doorway alone, without any imperial guards behind him.

"Is Your Excellency going back to rest?" He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, his tone impeccably courteous.

Su Mubai glanced at him.

Those bright eyes swept over Zhou Ming from head to toe beneath his graying eyebrows, then he snorted through his nose without even opening his mouth.

In his view, the weasel-faced kitchen manager next to Su Mingyue, even if he was temporarily acting as the prefect, was ultimately nothing more than a servant raised by the Marquis's mansion for generations.

A servant has no right to speak to him.

"It's getting late, and it's not very safe outside. Please, Your Highness, stay here in the palace for the night."

Zhou Ming still had that same smiling expression, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, as if he were talking about something extremely ordinary.

Su Mubai flicked his sleeve, and the long sleeve of his python robe drew a dark pattern in the twilight.

"What a joke! In Yuyang County, who would dare to lay a hand on a Duke like me?"

"Your Excellency is unaware of the situation. With the new emperor's ascension to the throne, Zhao Chongyuan and Yuwen Shuo will undoubtedly harbor deep hatred for you, Your Excellency, and may very well send someone to assassinate you."

"As the most meritorious minister in supporting the new emperor's ascension, if something were to happen to you at this crucial juncture, how would I explain it to the young lady?"

"For the sake of the Duke's safety, please wait."

Zhou Ming's tone remained polite, but his words left no room for negotiation.

"Someone, take the Duke to the Wenhua Hall to rest. Protect the Duke's safety and don't let a single mosquito in or out."

As Zhou Ming finished speaking, a squad of imperial guards suddenly emerged from under the eaves on both sides of Yongning Gate.

The group consisted of about seventeen or eighteen people, each clad in light armor, with short swords at their waists, and marching in unison, clearly having been lying in ambush for some time.

The leader was a captain in his thirties, his face as black as iron polished by the northern winds and sands for years.

He strode up to Su Mubai, clasped his hands in a respectful bow, and said in a curt tone, "Your Excellency, please forgive me. Please."

Su Mubai's face suddenly darkened.

He wasn't stupid. If he still couldn't see that this was a trap set by Su Mingyue at this point, then all his decades of hard work in the imperial court would have been for nothing.

He abruptly turned to Zhou Ming, his eyes gleaming with an almost tangible light, and roared:

"How dare you! You lowly servant, how dare you defy your superior..."

Before he could finish speaking, several men had already grabbed his arms from both sides.

Su Mubai tried to struggle, but as a sixty-year-old man with a body as thin as a bamboo pole, he couldn't possibly break free from the arms of several peak-stage Skin Refining Realm martial artists.

Zhou Ming didn't even glance at him again, but simply waved to the captain, and the Imperial Guards escorted Su Mubai toward the Wenhua Hall.

Su Mubai's angry curses echoed in the passageway for a few moments before being swallowed up by the high walls.

Emperor Yongchang stood aside, watching his maternal grandfather being carried away. His lips twitched, but he ultimately remained silent.

His fingers, gripping the fan, turned slightly white. Zhou Ming bowed deeply to him.

"Your Majesty, please return to the Qian Yuan Palace. It is getting late." Emperor Yongchang glanced at the figures gradually disappearing in the direction of the Wen Hua Palace.

He glanced at Zhou Ming again, then said nothing and turned to walk back to the Qian Yuan Hall.