Chapter 492 - 406: Please Ascend the Throne, Your Majesty
Chapter 492: Chapter 406: Please Ascend the Throne, Your Majesty
Following the death of the Sovereign of Qin, the toll of a bell rang out from the Imperial Palace, echoing throughout the Imperial City.
This bell would only ring upon the death of the Sovereign of Qin, and it tolled exactly nine times.
Upon hearing the bells from the Imperial Palace, the common people looked at one another, their eyes filled with disbelief.
’His Majesty has always been in good health. How could he have passed away so suddenly?’
But the tolling of the bells couldn’t be a mistake. To ring them without cause was a crime punishable by the annihilation of one’s entire clan.
"Your Majesty!"
Once they accepted the reality of the situation, some of the people in the Imperial City, their eyes red with grief, spontaneously knelt in the direction of the Imperial Palace.
To the common folk, Qin Shengtian was undoubtedly an enlightened ruler. In their hearts, he was revered second only to the founding ancestor of the kingdom.
When the officials in their manors heard the bells, they were stunned at first, wondering if they had misheard. But soon, they came to their senses and rushed toward the palace.
The Sovereign was dead.
This was a monumental event, and it had happened far too suddenly.
No one could have imagined it. Just days ago, His Majesty had been so full of life, yet today his spirit had ascended to the heavens...
Most critically, His Majesty had passed away without naming a successor to the throne of Qin.
Of all the princes and princesses in the palace, only the Third Princess remained...
’What was to be done?’
It was highly likely that the entire Qin Kingdom would be thrown into turmoil.
At the same time, Prime Minister Li, Baili Xi, and Uncle Jian also hurried into the palace.
Although ministers were forbidden from entering the inner palace without the Emperor’s command, the situation was urgent, and they had no time for such protocols.
The three men arrived at the courtyard of Empress Shi’s residence to find the Sovereign of Qin sitting on a stone bench, with the Third Princess, Qin Siyao, keeping watch by her royal father’s side.
Prime Minister Li and the other two knelt before the Sovereign of Qin and bowed deeply.
"Princess, please try to restrain your grief. The most urgent matter now is to retrieve His Majesty’s final decree and stabilize the Imperial Court," Prime Minister Li Ge said to Qin Siyao.
They knew the Sovereign of Qin’s death was a devastating blow to Qin Siyao. In her place, anyone would find it difficult to focus on other matters.
However, this was a matter of state, and there was not a moment to lose.
"A final decree?" Qin Siyao turned, suppressing her sorrow as she looked at the three men. "But my royal father never mentioned a final decree to me."
"There is one."
Baili Xi sighed and shook his head.
"His Majesty once summoned the three of us to the Imperial Study. He told us he had written a final decree and gave each of us a token. He said that with these tokens and the Jade Seal, the decree could be retrieved. However, His Majesty never told us where he placed it. He only said that when the time came, you, Princess, would surely know. Do you have any idea where it might be, Princess?"
"What do your tokens look like?" Qin Siyao asked.
The men presented their tokens.
Looking at the tokens, Qin Siyao thought for a moment, and her eyes brightened slightly. "Perhaps I do know where it is... I will go with you to retrieve it."
"Yes, Princess," the three men replied, bowing in unison.
After moving her father’s body into her mother’s bedchamber, Qin Siyao followed Prime Minister Li and the other two men to the Imperial Study.
On Qin Siyao’s desk, there were precisely four indentations.
Qin Siyao had never paid these four indentations any mind, having always assumed they were just part of a peculiar design.
But now, seeing that the size and shape of the four indentations matched their tokens almost perfectly, Qin Siyao understood.
Qin Siyao had Baili Xi and the other two men place their tokens into the indentations on the desk, after which she took the National Seal of Qin and set it in the last one.
Instantly, the desk began to vibrate. A moment later, a jade panel in the center slid open, revealing a Holy Decree.
"The civil and military officials should all be gathered in the main hall by now. We beseech you, Princess, to take His Majesty’s final decree and accompany us to proclaim it," Baili Xi requested, making a deep bow.
"I understand."
Qin Siyao nodded, picking up the Holy Decree and clutching it tightly to her chest.
...
「In the Main Hall of the Imperial City of Qin.」
Nearly all the civil and military officials had gathered. Every one of them wore an anxious expression.
If His Majesty had already appointed a Crown Prince, the situation would have been simple.
But now, with the position of Crown Prince vacant, they were at a loss.
Just as the ministers were murmuring amongst themselves,
Li Ge, Baili Xi, and Uncle Jian walked into the main hall.
Leading them was the Third Princess—Qin Siyao.
Upon seeing the four of them, the ministers quickly cleared a path. They returned to their designated places and fell silent.
The eyes of every minister fell upon the Holy Decree clutched in the Princess’s arms.
Qin Siyao stopped and turned to face the assembly.
Li Ge and the other two men led the cry, "We beseech the Princess to proclaim His Majesty’s final decree!"
The other ministers, following their lead, cried out in unison, "We beseech the Princess to proclaim His Majesty’s final decree!"
Qin Siyao nodded. She unrolled the decree and began to read, her voice clear and melodic as it echoed through the hall:
[Since ascending the throne by the Mandate of Heaven, I have been vigilant day and night, never daring to forget the profound responsibility of the ancestral temples and the state.
I took the throne in my youth, and more than a hundred years have passed since that day.
Though I may lack the virtue of the sage-kings of old, I have striven to govern diligently and care for my people, never daring to be remiss in my duties.
Several years ago, I forced a breakthrough to the Jade Realm. Alas, my foundation was unstable. My true essence suffered a backlash, ravaging my internal organs and destroying my meridians.