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At this moment, the atmosphere in the side hall of the Imperial Palace was far from good.
The Empress Dowager, Fourth Prince Song Mo, Second Prince, Third Prince, as well as members of the royal family and civil and military officials were all present.
“I am very doubtful, Prince Gong, you said that the late Emperor wanted to make Fourth Prince Song Mo the new Emperor. But isn’t Song Mo only fourteen years old this year? He is neither the eldest son nor the legitimate heir, still not even of age, what virtues and abilities does he possess? If the late Emperor wanted to appoint a young successor, why not choose Prince Song An, the son of the Crown Prince? They are both young, but wouldn’t it be more appropriate to choose Song An?” Prince Jin, who was the Third Prince, questioned.
Facing Prince Jin’s skepticism, Song Mo remained expressionless. His late father really did him no favors by leaving him in such a predicament!
Prince Jin’s question was reasonable.
“What about Wei Zili? Let him come out, the late Emperor should have left other instructions, let’s ask him!” suggested a minister.
Wei Zili and Lu Desheng were burning incense for the late Emperor in the main hall, while the concubines were mourning and crying. They paid no attention to the commotion in the side hall.
Until Wei Zili was summoned over.
“Wei Zili, did the late Emperor leave any instructions for the Fourth Prince to ascend the throne?” Prince Jin asked eagerly.
Wei Zili replied with lowered eyes, “The Emperor left behind three secret decrees, once these three decrees are revealed, the succession will be legitimate.” The secret decrees were now referred to as testaments.
Upon hearing this, everyone realized that one of the testaments was in the hands of Prince Gong. But who held the other two?
“Who has the other two secret decrees?” Song Mo directly asked Wei Zili.
Wei Zili shook his head, “This servant does not know.”
In other words, two testaments were in the hands of other officials.
The three princes at the top silently assessed the officials below, while the officials also evaluated each other.
Song Mo spoke loudly, “Officials, who among you holds the testaments? Please present them.”
No one moved.
“A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Officials holding the testaments, do not delay such an important matter for the nation,” Prince Gong urged.
Fourth Prince Song Mo’s heart stirred, and he looked at a eunuch beside him, “Go to the main hall and bring Lu Desheng here.”
Everyone involuntarily thought of Lu Desheng. Could one of the testaments be in his possession?
In fact, they held great admiration for Lu Desheng. How many officials did the late Emperor take with him this time? Everyone thought he would be taken too, considering how much the late Emperor favored him. But he managed to escape the fate of the others.
Thinking about the testament he likely held, each of them felt a twinge of jealousy. How much did the late Emperor favor Lu Desheng? He provided him with one assurance after another, even giving him a pardon, and now a testament… Was he afraid that Lu Desheng might accidentally bring about his own demise, or was he worried that he might not live long enough?
Before long, Lu Desheng was brought to the side hall.
He entered unsteadily, his eyes red and swollen, his voice nasal from crying.
Lu Desheng, with eyes as red as a rabbit’s, said, “Testament? What testament? I have no idea.” He had been kneeling and burning incense for Emperor Kang Cheng just now, and now he could barely walk straight.
Looking at him like this, the ministers felt awkward. It’s as if you are the only pure and virtuous minister, while they are all deceitful and selfish?
The princes were also uncomfortable. With Lu Desheng acting like this, it made them seem very unfilial.
The Empress Dowager spoke impatiently, “Lu Desheng, if the testamentary edict is in your hands, bring it out. Don’t hide it and delay the important matter of the country’s inheritance. Can you bear the responsibility?”
The Empress Dowager was in a very bad mood. The late Emperor passed away without leaving her a decree to bestow additional honors! She was his own mother, yet he treated her like this! Unfilial son! Moreover, he took his uncle away and left this annoying Lu Desheng behind to bother her!
Lu Desheng protested, “Empress Dowager, I really don’t remember anything about this.” Hmph, so what if I don’t bring it out?
“Why don’t the Empress Dowager and the three princes ask the other ministers? If there’s nothing else, I would like to return to the main hall to continue mourning for the Emperor.” In fact, he should have referred to the late Emperor, but calling him “Emperor” felt more intimate, as if the Emperor was still alive.
The Empress Dowager couldn’t stand his attitude and coldly said, “If you are so unwilling to part with the Emperor, and the Emperor favored you the most when he was alive, why don’t you go down and accompany the Emperor in burial?”
Wei Zili, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, “Empress Dowager, the late Emperor left a decree. After his passing, no one is allowed to use the pretext of accompanying him in burial to execute any ministers!”
The ministers:…
The Empress Dowager was left speechless.
The Empress Dowager was embarrassed, and the ministers quickly lowered their heads: The decree probably meant that the people the late Emperor wanted to take with him have already been taken away by himself. After his passing, if you want to kill someone, go ahead, but you can’t use the excuse of accompanying him in burial to do so. This blame is not on me!
The late Emperor was indeed well-prepared before his departure.
The Empress Dowager, in a fit of anger and shame, said, “Go, go and mourn for the Emperor!”
Lu Desheng quickly left and returned to the main hall. He immediately lit three sticks of incense for Emperor Kang Cheng and silently prayed, ‘May the Emperor bless and protect.’
The princes and the ministers let Lu Desheng leave the side hall without hindrance, as he clearly stated that there was no testamentary edict and refused to cooperate. They couldn’t use force to compel him, could they?
Since it was known that one of the testamentary edicts was in his hands, it was more urgent to find the other one.
Song Mo lowered his eyes and could only privately inquire about his demands.
The Second and Third Princes exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with an unclear meaning.
Unfortunately, no matter how much they inquired, the other testamentary edict did not appear. As a result, the situation entered a delicate stage.
However, despite the absence of the two testamentary edicts, the legitimacy of the Fourth Prince’s succession was not confirmed. With the endorsement of Prince Gong and the Empress Dowager, the funeral arrangements for the late Emperor could proceed. The funeral would be presided over by the Fourth Prince, with the assistance of the Second and Third Princes.
Chang’an Prison
After Lin Ran and the others sent the Qin family members to the Dang’an Prison, they left. Sheng Huaixing left a little later, exchanging a greeting with the Lord Wang Yuan of the Da Li Temple.
Later, the Qin family members were divided into two groups of men and women and detained in the two adjacent cells at the far end, relatively quiet and clean. The jailer even brought them two bundles of straw.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Lu Songli knew that someone had taken care of them.
“Let’s try to clean this place up,” Lu Songli suggested.
She was well aware of the importance of hygiene; in a dirty and messy environment, people are most likely to get sick. Especially considering the women here: the elderly, the young, and a woman who had just given birth.
Upon hearing her suggestion to clean up, the jailer even brought them a broom.
Lu Songli didn’t let the others do the work. Among the women, Madam Qin was in poor health and had probably been frightened today. She was now pale and weakly holding her newborn granddaughter. Lu Songli certainly wouldn’t let Nie Yunniang, who had just given birth, do any work either. Qin Jia was very sensible, holding her younger sister Qin Zhen.
Lu Songli first cleared out a relatively dry area, spread some straw over it, and let Nie Yunniang and Madam Qin sit down to rest.