Yang Yiqing's voice fell, bowed to Song Nan, and said, "Zhenguo Gong, please read out the emperor's edict." ”

Song Nan nodded slightly, his eyes swept over the square full of black pressure, gently tidied up his clothes and hats, looked at Empress Dowager Zhang and said, "Queen Mother, please allow the minister to read out the edict." ”

Empress Dowager Zhang licked her red lips nervously, and said in a dumb voice: "Quasi-Zhenguogong's invitation." ”

Song Nan no longer looked at her, turned around, straightened her chest, held up the edict with one hand, and said loudly: "Holy edict!" ”

The audience knelt on the ground, and tens of thousands of soldiers and hundreds of ministers were prostrate on the ground, listening quietly.

Wan Zhi and Wang Yong assisted Song Nan in unfolding the long silk paper, and Song Nan stroked the edict with one hand and read it aloud.

"I know that the mandate of heaven is not long, when I was dying, I secretly ordered Song Nan, the prince of Zhenguo, to return to Beijing, I took the order of the Ming Emperor, and made this edict, and all subjects obeyed it, if there is a person who violates the rules, regardless of the official, regardless of status, it can be regarded as a great rebellion, and everyone can impeach him."

"Since I ascended the throne, I have experienced a lot, the important ministers of the court have been assisted by their efforts, although the dynasty has been in turmoil, but the country has not been lost, and the ministers are loyal to the monarch and serve the country diligently, which is the foundation of my Ming Dynasty. As far as I am concerned, I have all my merits and demerits, but I have no intention of judging myself, and after I die, I will leave them for future generations to comment. The traces of my heart are all confessed to Song Nan, although there is nostalgia for life and death, there are no regrets in my heart. ”

The ministers knelt on the ground and listened to this passage, thinking in their hearts, according to the meaning expressed in the emperor's edict, the emperor must have had a long conversation with Song Nan before he died. The emperor knew that he would die soon, so he didn't ask the queen mother to speak, he didn't ask the queen to speak, and he didn't call other courtiers, but he just 'dissected his heart' with Song Nan, which shows that the relationship between Song Nan and the emperor has surpassed the relationship between the courtiers and the emperor, and even beyond family affection, and has risen to another level.

"What happened since I became seriously ill made me understand what the human heart is, I have always regarded the words of loyalty and the actions of loyalty to the monarch in the mouths of all people as coming from the heart, but after I became seriously ill, what I heard and saw made me suddenly realize that the unpredictable human heart is not a lie, I understood the unpredictable human heart before I died, although I was a little disappointed, but at least I passed away awake, not blinded to death, so I am still relieved."

"In view of the shape of the court, I have to deal with it, my Daming country was passed into my hands from my father's hands, and I must pass him on safely, any covetousness and danger to the Daming Sheji, I will never allow it, even if it is an important minister in the court, a close relative in the palace, you can be unkind and disloyal to me, but you can't be unkind and disloyal to the Daming Sheji, this is my bottom line, this is my last attitude."

Empress Dowager Zhang's face was pale, she could hear that although Zhengde did not name him, the accusation of unkindness and disloyalty of the so-called relatives in the palace was referring to herself, and tears fell like pearls with broken threads, wetting the silk scarf under her chin. Yang Tinghe and others below also understood who the so-called important ministers of the court were referring to, at this moment they were prostrate on the ground, the panic of the failure of the big event, and the guilt of Zhengde came to their hearts together, and they had mixed feelings in their hearts, and they almost wanted to shout loudly when their feelings fluctuated.

"I have no heirs, so the choice of the emperor's heir has become the first major event in the court, so that the people's hearts in the court are fluctuating and chaotic, and I am responsible for this matter. However, through this matter, it also made the heart of the wolf show to the world; The traitor Zhu Chenhao intended to seek the country and seize the throne, and he almost wanted to succeed, but after the defeat was revealed, he rebelled, which is the best proof. During my serious illness, someone forged the so-called imperial heir's edict under the pretense of me, and this matter was also verified by Song Nan, and I also witnessed a copy of the false edict, which really made me grit my teeth and feel heartbroken. The first thing I did in this edict was to order Song Nan to thoroughly investigate the matter, and find out those who disturbed the government and troubled the court. ”

This is the first time that it has been confirmed from Zhengde's edict that there is a fake edict, and before that, in front of the Yangxin Palace, when most officials heard Song Nan say that the edict in the hands of Yang Tinghe and others was a fake edict, they all had a skeptical attitude. It's not so much that they trust Yang Tinghe too much and won't do such a thing, it's better to say that they actually reject and distrust Song Nan. Even if Song Nan recited the content of the edict with his nose and eyes, many people just regarded this matter as Song Nan's trick. And now, the emperor's edict pointed out this matter, and the officials were shocked, Yang Ting and this perfect person in the eyes of everyone actually did such a rebellious thing, which is really incredible.

"I have already made a decision on the candidate for the throne, I decided to set up Huaigong King Zhu Zaiku as the crown prince, after my funeral, Zhu Zaiku will inherit the great unification of the world, and the ministers should spare no effort to assist the new emperor, so that my Ming country will be stable and revitalized for thousands of generations."

The ministers finally knew who the future emperor was, although this Huaigong King was unknown, and many people had not even seen him, but once he was established as the future new emperor, many people finally breathed a sigh of relief; The question of the choice of the imperial heir began to be debated and speculated a few years ago, so that it led to a series of bad incidents such as Zhu Chenhao's rebellion, Yang Ting and Jiao Zhao.

No one thinks about what kind of person this Zhu Zaiku is, whether he is mediocre or sage, and no one thinks about why Zhengde will pay attention to him, there are hundreds of vassal kings in the Ming Dynasty, and they will not be surprised that the person on the throne is in the hands of any person. In their bones, these courtiers only know one thing, as long as this person's surname is Zhu and he has the blood of Taizu in his body, then there is nothing to object. What's more, it was announced by the emperor's edict, which is beyond doubt.

Song Nan also secretly paid attention to the reaction of the ministers, Zhu Zaikun's choice was originally a hasty choice between him and Yang Yiqing and Zhang Lun, in the face of the increasingly fierce battle for the emperor's heir, Song Nan had to launch a candidate to participate in the competition, and he didn't have a deep understanding of this Zhu Zaikun at all. It's just that when I went to Jiangxi, I heard Wang Shouren praise the young county king, and after returning to Beijing, when discussing the candidate with Yang Yiqing and Zhang Lun, Song Nan just casually mentioned Zhu Zaiku's name, Yang Yiqing and Zhang Lun thought that Song Nan had an in-depth understanding of the county king, and then solemnly discussed the matter with Zhengde, and Zhengde actually agreed. When Song Nan heard this name before Zhengde died today, he was actually very surprised, but the matter has come to this point, Song Nan can only push the boat with the water, and this Zhu Zaiku has inexplicably become the future emperor, which even Song Nan himself feels is too child's play.

In any case, this matter has been decided, and Song Nan has no time to think about the right and wrong of doing this; But after all, he was a little weak-hearted, so he paid so much attention to the reaction of the ministers. What I didn't expect was that everyone was very calm, as if this Zhu Zaiku should have inherited the throne, which made Song Nan completely relieved.

"In view of the fact that Zhu Zaikun is still young and it is difficult for him to govern the country in person after taking the throne, I made the following arrangements after careful consideration, and appointed Song Nan, Zhang Lun, Yang Yiqing, and Lu Ji as the four ministers of Gu Ming, assisting the new emperor in handling state affairs until the new emperor is in charge of affairs. Tejia Zhang Lun Prince Taibao title, plus Yang Yiqing Wenhua Palace University Scholar into the cabinet. The ministers who care for their lives must teach the new emperor carefully, and Song Nan is responsible for the first minister. Song Nan, the prince of Zhenguo, has worked hard for the Ming Dynasty for many years, and it is rare that he is not arrogant and loyal to me, and he is very comforted; Today, Song Nan is awarded the title of King of Zhenguo County, the Emperor of the Imperial Court, and the title of Scholar of the Heavenly Temple, I hope that Song Nan will remember the words promised me, live up to my trust, and assist the new emperor wholeheartedly, so that my Ming Dynasty will flourish, and I will also comfort my ancestors and ancestors under the spring. ”

There was a gasping sound in the square. When the British Duke Zhang Mao was alive, although he added the titles of Zhuguo and Shaobao, he was posthumously awarded the title of county king of Ningyang until after his death. And now, the twenty-four-year-old Zhenguo Gong has been named the king of the county while he is still alive, which has broken many taboos in the Ming Dynasty. What different surnames cannot be crowned kings, living ministers cannot be crowned kings, and what qualifications and age restrictions are all broken and broken. At the same time, the crowned Taibao is the glory of one of the best ministers of the Three Princes, and the title of Fengtiandian University Scholar is even more imaginative. There has never been a military general who has been given the title of university scholar, and the court has never had the title of Fengtian Temple scholar. Fengtian Hall is the main hall of the hundred officials to worship the emperor, and it is called the title of Fengtiandian University Scholar, which can be called a unique thing in the Ming Dynasty.

At the same time, everyone also understood the intention of the edict, which allowed Song Nan to have the identity of a lord and a military general, and a civil minister at the same time, that is to say, Song Nan will be able to lead the ministers and give orders, regardless of whether the military officials are still clan lords.

Before the new emperor ascended the throne to the pro-government, Song Nan would be the head of the ministers of the Ming Dynasty, or it can even be said that before the new emperor pro-government, Song Nan was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, a real invisible emperor with supreme power.

The ministers don't know what kind of feeling in their hearts, Song Nan's ability is well known, with him, the future of the Ming Dynasty will be prosperous, except for him, no one can control the current situation, but after all, this is the decline of imperial power, which has a faint sadness in the hearts of many courtiers.

In addition to sorrow, there are also hidden worries. The new emperor is obviously assisted by Song Nan to ascend the throne, although there is no dispute when the emperor is young, but in the future, when the emperor is old and wants to govern in person, it is a question whether Song Nan will be willing to transfer power to the emperor; At that time, will it set off another storm in the Ming Dynasty? Will the Ming Dynasty experience another power catastrophe, will Song Nan have controlled all the power of the Ming Dynasty by then, will he abolish the monarch and stand on his own, will he be indulged in power and cannot extricate himself? No one can give an answer.

The reading of the edict continued, and Song Nan's voice was still echoing in the square, clearly sending it to the ears of the ministers and tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians.

"I am about to pass away, and the government affairs of the DPRK and China are presided over by Song Nan, Yang Yiqing, Zhang Lun and others, I am relieved, and I also believe that Song Nan and others will not live up to my expectations; For Daming Sheji, I can rest assured. The only things I can't feel at ease are the Queen Mother and Corning; In the past few years, the Queen Mother's actions have made me extremely disappointed, although some people use the Queen Mother to achieve personal goals, and there is a suspicion of being bewitched, but the Queen Mother violated the ancestral training harem to participate in politics, which caused a catastrophe to the imperial court, and made the position of the emperor's heir almost fall into the hands of wolves, and I am really sad. ”

Empress Dowager Zhang stood in the darkness on one side with a pale face, her body was shaky, and Kang Ning on the side reached out to help her, but she shook her hand and broke free, and stood stubbornly in place.

"However, even if there is a big mistake, she is also my mother, and the mother's fault is my fault, although I am sad, I can't bear to punish her. I have made a testament here, from now on, no one in the harem will be allowed to participate in government affairs, and if there is a violation, it will not be tolerated. The queen mother's fault should also be punished slightly, after I passed away, I asked the queen mother to move to the Xiyuan Jiefu Hall to live, from then on not to ask about government affairs, not to set foot in the palace, in addition, should be provided and served as usual, not slack. ”

The ministers were silent, Mrs. Zhang's face was pale, and tears rolled out; She understands that she will spend her whole life in the Jiefu Palace on the island in the heart of Xiyuan Lake, she is crying not because she will spend the rest of her life in the cold palace, she regrets her stupidity, she can't see the situation clearly, and is used by others, when her son is dying, she is still jumping up and down to contribute to Yang Tinghe and others, so that the emperor did not get comfort when he was dying, and also lost his maternal love for her. There is no kind of pain that can be compared with being abandoned by his son, although Zhengde's edict does not have many fierce words, but it is this indifference that makes Empress Dowager Zhang taste Zhengde's disappointment in herself.

"In addition, the only person I don't care about is Princess Kangning, the imperial sister is delicate and simple, never competes with others, when I am alive, although I can bless the imperial sister to live a stable life, but when I am gone, the imperial sister is lonely, kind and kind, I am afraid that she will be bullied, and my heart is very uneasy. The royal sister is old and unmarried, and she is also in the year of marriage, and her future is the most worrying thing in my heart. In the early years, someone took a private walk between the imperial sister and Song Nan, and although I strictly stopped it, I couldn't help but have different tongues, and Yu Lie became more and more serious. For the sake of the future of the imperial sister, and at the same time to quell the nonsense of the outside world, blocking the mouth of everyone Shuojin, I asked Song Nan for his intentions, and made the following decisions, quasi-Song Nan's request, the Zhenguo County Mansion was authorized to set up the position of the left and right wives, and the quasi-Song Nan was invited to marry Princess Kangning, and entered the Zhenguo County Mansion as Mrs. Zuo, from now on, Song Nan shouldered the responsibility of taking care of Kangning for me, and must love and respect him and take care of him; The royal sister herself also needs to be filial piety and respect for the elders, abide by the women's morals, husbands and children, and not be arrogant and domineering in the royal body, and be the first model of women's morality in the world. ”

The mouths of the ministers were open and closed, and the emperor's edict openly allowed Song Nan to set up the position of left and right wives, just to marry Princess Kangning to Song Nan. The Da Ming Decree stipulates that men in the Ming Dynasty are only allowed to have one wife, and Song Nan is allowed to set up left and right wives, that is, let Song Nan have two wives, and do so without amending the Da Ming Order, which is a blatant violation of the Da Ming Order. Some courtiers who are familiar with historical allusions can't help but think that only Jia Chong, a powerful minister of the Western Jin Dynasty, has done this kind of thing, and Jia Chong has done something rebellious and murderous, but I don't know if the emperor has any deep meaning in doing this.

These people have too big brains, but in fact, Zhengde's intentions are not so difficult, Zhengde doesn't know what Jia Chong has done at all, he spent most of his short life eating, drinking and having fun, and how much of the rest of the time goes to study and study history, this is the grace of Mrs. Zhengde, Zhengde is just to let Kang Ning marry Song Nan justifiably, and he doesn't even know much about violating the Ming order. Although Song Nan knew that something was wrong when he recorded it at the time, he would never remind Zhengde that this matter was inappropriate, and Song Nan made up his mind that when the shape was stable, he revised the Daming Decree and authorized the duke and above to set up left and right wives, so as not to make boring people noisy.

People's eyes converged on Kang Ning, who was kneeling on the side of the Queen Mother, Kang Ning hung her head, her body trembled slightly, and tears were already flowing down her face.

Years of long-cherished wish finally came true today, when the emperor was dying, Song Nan finally obtained his permission and properly arranged her future, her face was tears of joy; But at the same time, I was already mourning the emperor's funeral, and I heard that the emperor arranged himself so carefully, which added to the pain in my heart, and the tears flowing on my face can also be said to be tears of grief; Tears of joy and grief mingled as Corning fell to the ground and kowtowed slightly.

"Cabinet Yang Ting, Liang Chu Feihong and others, made me extremely disappointed and angry, during my serious illness, concealed my party and plotted to bewitch the Queen Mother, misbehaved, and lost my favor to them, I was going to punish them severely, but I was worried that Yang Tinghe and others had also worked hard for the country, and I was really embarrassed to think of this. People are about to die, and their words are good, and this matter is handed over to Song Nan to deal with according to the law, but Song Nan needs to remember everyone's past merits and do it as appropriate, but it is not unforgivable to know that he can change his mistakes and try his best to serve the court in the future. I will soon be in the world, I hope that you will not live up to my trust, for my Ming Society to continue to do their best, in the future you will see me under the spring, you and I when the monarch and the minister meet and smile, I hope you can say that I have done my best, I am not ashamed, it is enough. Chin this! ”

"Long live my emperor, long live!" The ministers kowtowed to the ground and shouted loudly. This long edict was finally read, everyone's hearts were churning and difficult to calm down, everyone understood that this edict announced the arrival of a new era, not only the new emperor's upcoming change of dynasty, but also the era when Song Nan was in charge of the government, from now on, Song Nan is the first person in the actual sense of the Ming Dynasty, Zhengde clearly established this in the edict.

Many people secretly sighed, the emperor was actually confused before he died, so who could curb Song Nan's power in the future? But they are only sighing and worried, and at this time, no one will come out to point this out, it is simply self-defeating. And Song Nan's qiē is justified, every qiē comes out of Zhengde's mouth, it seems that Song Nan is just a passive recipient, and there is no way to accuse him of anything.

Song Nan gently closed the edict and walked to the ministers, walked to Yang Ting, Fei Hong and others in the surprised eyes of everyone, presented the edict, and said in a low voice: "Yang Shoufu, you are still the first assistant of the cabinet at the moment, I ask you to check the authenticity of this edict, the emperor is still kind to you in his heart, I hope you have not lost your last loyalty, take a good look, and then tell everyone, is my part true, or your so-called edict is true." ”

Yang Tinghe's face was tired, his skin and flesh were relaxed, and overnight, the first assistant of the Ming Dynasty seemed to be more than ten years old, he trembled his hands and finished the edict, read it carefully, carefully looked at the signature of Fang Zhengde when he was dying, and said in a dumb voice for a while: "This edict ...... It is true. The old minister has failed the holy will, the old minister should die, and the edict I held before was fake. ”