From the end of the funeral of Emperor Zhu Cihong to the preparation for the new emperor Zhu Cizhi's accession to the throne, Li Xiao was very busy, and he had to handle all matters. But he was so busy, but he always thought that he would take the time to see the poor Changping princess Zhu Yujiao.

At Zhu Cihong's funeral, Princess Zhu Xiaojiao's resentful eyes and sarcastic words still made Li Xiao sigh.

Perhaps, in her opinion, she should regard herself as the most likely killer to murder Zhu Cihong. And for this point, Li Xiao found that it was extremely difficult for him to completely whitewash himself.

It's just that this matter, although it is difficult to say, although it has to be covered up repeatedly, it is still necessary to explain it clearly to Zhu Yujiao.

After all, she is Zhu Cihong's own sister and her own wife in the legal sense, it is impossible for Li Xiao to turn a blind eye to her, and it is impossible to completely bypass the matter as if nothing happened.

It's just that what Li Xiao never expected was that Princess Zhu Yujiao of Changping had been refusing to see him for various reasons.

Her single room, the narrow threshold, has become an existence that Li Xiao cannot cross.

Li Xiao was troubled, but it was not easy to force himself in, so he could only wait for Zhu Yujiao's mind to change in the coming day, and then meet her to explain.

What Li Xiao didn't expect was that on the evening of six days later, Princess Zhu Yujiao of Changping took the initiative to ask to see her.

Li Xiao, who was discussing in the living room, immediately sent a group of ministers away, and then went out to greet the princess.

He saw from a distance that Princess Zhu Yujiao, the princess of Changping, was wearing no hair accessories, wearing a plain white dress, and came slowly from the door with a calm face.

Under the moonlight, she was white and fresh, with an indescribable bright texture, more like a dust fairy who does not eat fireworks in the world, for a while, Li Xiao was a little stunned.

When Zhu Yujiao approached a little, Li Xiao stepped forward and asked softly; "Princess, you came late at night, but what did you come from?"

Princess Changping was expressionless, as if she hadn't heard Li Xiao's words at all, and slowly walked past him and went straight into the living room.

Seeing her like this, Li Xiao couldn't help but think that she should still be resentful of herself for Zhu Cihong's matter, and she couldn't help but sigh again and again in her heart. He silently followed her and walked with her into the living room.

The husband and wife, in the living room, stood one after the other, breathing each other and hearing each other's breath, but they were both silent.

Li Xiao looked at her fluttering white clothes, and saw the princess of Changping, Zhu Yujiao, who was facing away from herself, and the green silk that hung down from the back of her neck, her heart was full of subtle and complicated tastes.

In the end, it was Zhu Yujiao who took the lead in speaking.

She turned around slowly, her face as pure as jade was like a stream of autumn water, without the slightest ripple, and her voice was even colder: "King Tang, when you come to this palace, you really have something to ask for." ”

"Oh? What words does the princess have, but please tell the husband, why be so polite. Li Xiao felt something strange in his heart, but he couldn't say it clearly, so he could only squeeze out an embarrassing smile on his face.

Zhu Yujiao looked directly at his dodging eyes, and was silent for a while, before finally her lips opened lightly and said a sentence that made Li Xiao almost wonder if his ears had misheard.

"King Tang, the imperial brother passed away at a young age, and the palace was very sad, and he really had no intention of serving his husband again, let alone wasting his time in this red dust. I only hope that my husband will allow me to become a nun. Let this palace be the first emperor, pray for the soul of the imperial brother in the sky, pray for the blessing and confession of sins, and live this remnant. ”

After Zhu Yujiao finished speaking, she bowed down again and made a deep blessing to Li Xiao.

Li Xiao stood in place, with a shocked expression, he looked at Zhu Yujiao with a calm face, as if the woman standing in front of him was a completely stranger who had never known her.

Zhu Yujiao raised her head and calmly looked at Li Xiao.

"Princess, this matter of becoming a monk is so important, but it must not be joked." Li Xiao came back to his senses, and hurriedly avoided her forced eyes, and his words were quite incoherent: "You know that your husband knows that you have a lot of resentment in your heart about the first emperor being bewitched by the ministers and finally dying off the coast of Jiaozhou, and you are even more resentful about your husband's ineffective actions and inability to save the first emperor in time. These things are very understandable to the husband. What's more, over the years, the husband has been busy outside, and he has not taken much care of the princess, and he has even failed to live up to the expectations of Emperor Chongzhen's ministers. It's just that no matter what complaints and anger the princess has, she can vent it to her husband, and she wants to beat or scold, and she will never blame her husband......"

"King Tang, there is no need to say more." Zhu Yujiao squeezed out a wry smile on her face, but there were crystal tears dripping from the corners of her eyes: "Everything in the past, like a dream, is just a passing cloud, this palace has long been ignored, why should King Tang mention it." During this period of time, I have often read Buddhist scriptures, and I am very tired of all kinds of life and death struggles for power and profit in the world, and I just want to avoid them. Now I have no nostalgia for everything in the world, and I only want to sit in front of the ancient Buddha of the green lantern, recite scriptures, repent of sinful karma, and eliminate cause and effect. This palace has this heart, its intention is resolute, and it is hoped that the Tang King will be fulfilled. ”

"Nope! Princess, listen to me! Li Xiao saw that Zhu Yujiao's words were slight but firm, so he hurriedly said: "Princess, you are determined to become a monk, and this king will not dare to stop you." It's just that although the first emperor was a guest, now you still have your relatives, the younger brother Yongwang, and the younger Princess Zhaoren! They are also your relatives, and they are still young, so how can you bear to leave them? What's more, King Yong is about to ascend the throne as the emperor and rule the world, how can you abandon the red dust and practice in such a glorious season? ”

Hearing this, Zhu Yujiao laughed miserably, her eyes suddenly began to redden, and two lines of tears rolled down: "King Tang, this palace has said that all the appearances in the world are vain, even if you have younger brothers and sisters, I am afraid that it will be difficult to accompany each other." Rather than facing it again in the future, that life and death parting again, it is better to cut off the dust now, and find a quiet place to practice, in order to eliminate disasters and karma, and pray for good fortune in the next life, which is a better ending. ”

Speaking of this, Zhu Yujiao's voice began to tremble, sobbing and sobbing, almost silent, she stared at the nominal husband opposite, suddenly pounced, and knelt down in front of him.

"King Tang! I know very well that King Tang has always taken good care of his concubine, and he only hates himself and can't repay him. If she can become a nun, the concubine will also pray for the Tang King every day, praying that the Buddha and the Bodhisattva will bless the Tang King with good health and prosperity. My brother King Yong and my sister Princess Zhaoren are entrusted to King Tang, hoping that King Tang can treat them well, even if they are not, they can also show mercy to them, so that they can die well and live this life in peace. The concubine is here, and she thanked King Tang again. ”

When Zhu Yujiao said this, she was already crying again and again, crying like pear blossoms with rain, and her whole person was trembling constantly, as if she would faint at any time.

Hearing that this princess, who has always been arrogant, called herself with the humble term of concubine, and saw that she moved her true feelings in front of her, she was so sad that she almost fainted, Li Xiao's heart was like a knife.

He hurried forward and helped her up.

"Princess, get up quickly, you are going to be a husband for this great gift." Li Xiao's eyes were filled with tears, and a smile appeared on his face and said, "Princess, since you are resolute, how can this king not obey your wishes." When the princess decides to become a monk and where she goes, the king can make arrangements for you. ”

"I want to leave tomorrow, I don't want to delay it too long." Zhu Yujiao stopped crying, and resumed that cold and quiet tone: "The place of monkhood is just in the Yuanjing Nunnery outside Jinan City, the palace has sent someone to talk to the abbot of the temple Lao Ni about this, and she has agreed." ”

After listening to the princess's words, Li Xiao's heart sank again. His eyes were filled with tears, and he was silent for a long time, and then Fang whispered to Zhu Yujiao: "Princess, you can rest assured, King Yong and Princess Zhaoren, this king will do his best to protect them in everything, and will never let them have any mistakes." This king wants to tell you that including this Ming Dynasty, this king will also do his best to protect its national worship and not cut off. ”

Hearing Li Xiao's firm promise, the crystal tears in Zhu Yujiao's eyes rolled down like broken pearls.

She didn't speak again, and returned to Li Xiaofu with a blessing, and left in a hurry.

Li Xiao was the only one, standing in the living room, stunned.

The next day, Li Xiao personally sent the princess Zhu Yujiao to the Yuanjing Nunnery outside the city to shave her ordination.

Outside the Yuanjing Nunnery, the emperor's younger brother Yongwang Zhu Cizhi and the imperial sister Princess Zhaoren each held one of Zhu Yujiao's arms, and they were all crying into tears, refusing to let go.

Zhu Yujiao was also sad, hugging and crying with the two. And Li Xiao, who witnessed this scene, was also sad, he secretly turned around and wiped away the tears oozing from the corners of his eyes.

In the end, Zhu Yujiao said goodbye to King Yong and Princess Zhaoren, and after saying a lot of words of comfort and encouragement, she walked into the nunnery without looking back.

Li Xiao noticed that before Zhu Yujiao entered the nunnery, she didn't look at herself from beginning to end, as if she was just a transparent existence.

Li Xiao couldn't help but sigh lightly in his heart.

He quietly ordered to transfer the money in the house and build this Yuanjing Nunnery on a large scale, so that this nun temple would become the largest and most luxurious temple in Jinan. And any expenses of the princess in the nunnery should be supported by the best supply.

After finishing the princess's ordination, Li Xiao began to prepare for the new emperor's enthronement ceremony again.

Tang King Li Xiao, first according to the ritual system, to Zhu Cizhi on the persuasion of the ceremony, the table wrote, I hope that King Yong will take the family and the country as the most important thing in the world, and ascend the throne as soon as possible, and then a number of officials in Jinan City also went to the throne ceremony.

Such a ritual is called persuasion.

And Zhu Cizhi, the nine-year-old Yongwang, also replied according to etiquette after receiving the "Persuasion Table" from the ministers. Of course, this reply does not have to be written by him when he was still a child, but has already been written by Chen Zilong on his behalf, and the approximate content is: "...... Reading the notes of the office, seeing the Qing and other worries about the country, taking into account the grief and the matter of maintaining the unification, how can I bear to hear it, and I am not allowed. ……”

Shirk here, persuade there, so after three persuasions and three resignations, Zhu Cizhi reluctantly agreed, so far, the persuasion was finally declared successful.

This kind of persuasion, although empty and hypocritical, must be carried out meticulously in order to conform to the law. This performance, which has already specified the content of the program, everyone has to pretend to be in place.

"Qing and other words have been expressed to the third time, and they have been faithful. The heavenly position is the most important, the people have been looking forward to it for a long time, it is difficult to be honest for a long time, and the situation is bowing to the end, and they dare not be stubborn, and they reluctantly obey what they are invited. ”

According to the etiquette system of the Ming Dynasty, after Zhu Cizhi persuaded and resigned three times before agreeing, he had to choose an auspicious day for enthronement by Qin Tianjian. It's just that at this special time, it is impossible to find the officials of Qin Tianjian at all, and everything is arranged by Li Xiao.

Things went very smoothly, so on the day of Li Xiao's ascension to the throne, on the temporarily built enthronement altar outside the city gate of Jinan, Zhu Cizhi sat on the temporary pure gold dragon chair and accepted the bow and salute of various local officials in Jinan headed by Li Xiao.

First of all, Zhu Cizhi was ordered to pay tribute to the two emperors on the altar of Chongzhen and Chongxing, and then put on the crown to tell the heavens and the earth and the ancestors.

Then, the ceremonial officials recited the praise of the enthronement, announced the official accession of the new emperor to the entire Ming Empire, and announced the name of the new emperor in public, as well as the appointment of important officials.

For Zhu Cizhi, who is still a child, the so-called enthronement ceremony is actually very boring and boring, but he has to stick to it, after all, the etiquette system stipulated in the Ming Dynasty cannot be easily violated and changed.

So, at this time, under the instructions of the ceremonial officer, his face suddenly became solemn, and suddenly his face smiled, like a puppet controlled by someone, completely helpless.

In the end, when the enthronement ceremony was about to end, Zhu Cizhi, under the guidance of Chen Zilong, personally announced that he would ascend to the throne and become the new monarch of the Ming Dynasty, with the year name Anping.

Because this year is almost the end of the year, Li Xiao decided that this new era name will be implemented from next year, and the only two months left this year will still be the second year of rejuvenation.

This era name, of course, was also drafted by Li Xiao, and its meaning is that it is peaceful and quiet, and it means that it is gentle and obedient.

Li Xiao's intentions are like this, and he hopes that the newly enthroned Zhu Cizhi will not follow Zhu Cihong's old path and eventually kill himself. This is still an ignorant child, Li Xiao sincerely hopes to ensure that he has a safe life.

Next, Anping Emperor Zhu Cizhi announced that he would give the Tang King Jiuxi to show his honor, and allowed Li Xiao to call himself a lonely, in order to show his high power, and his son Li Chengke was a hereditary prince of the Tang Dynasty, forever, to show the emperor's grace and glory.

Subject to Jiuxi, he is called lonely, even if he is a stupid official, he understands what Li Xiao's true intentions are.

Li Xiao solemnly bowed, pushed and gave three concessions, and then accepted the official appointment of the new emperor. After he received the emperor's edict of appointment, all the officials and onlookers were thunderous, and the scene was warm and happy.

Chongxing Emperor Zhu Cizhi personally helped Li Xiao up, and then said softly: "King Tang, my world will be entrusted to you." ”

Li Xiao solemnly bowed again, and replied loudly: "Please rest assured, Minister Li Xiao, you will be dedicated and dedicated, and never live up to Your Majesty's trust!" ”

In the 11th lunar month of 1645, Yongwang Zhu Cizhi officially ascended the throne in the suburbs of Jinan to proclaim the heavens and the earth, and spread the word to the world.