Hello Chang’an

Someone from the palace came to the palace of Prince Rong in the capital at night and brought the prince's crown and uniform.

The palace man bowed slightly and said respectfully: "The prince has said that if the prince is ill, he can rest in the mansion tomorrow. The prince will not blame him."

Li Lu smiled slightly: "Please report back to my father. Lu feels that he is in good health. He will definitely be there to celebrate his father at the ceremony tomorrow."

The palace man didn't say much, just responded, bowed and left.

Li Lu's pale and weak fingers gently touched the prince's robes stacked on the red lacquer tray, with a smile still in his eyes.

His father's enthronement ceremony was also a part of his efforts...how could he not be there to witness it.

What an honor it is to appear at the grand ceremony as the son of the new emperor... His father also has a son, that son named Li Cong. He should have come to the capital with the Qianzhong Dao army, but Li Cong is not even qualified to enter the capital. They could only continue to fight for their father outside the city gate.

In comparison, he seems "lucky".

If he were Li Cong, he would definitely hate his brother.

Is this what the father relies on? - Even though he knew that his sons might be dissatisfied, he never worried about endangering his father, because the father firmly believed that their sons would only kill each other and fight for the identity of the father's son to the end.

They are like the domestic dogs raised by their father. No matter how restless they are, they will only bite each other.

The father never worried about the result of their fighting each other. Anyway, the father would have many sons.

But now, this sick dog no longer wants to fight, and he has no life left to fight.

But if he died quietly like this, it would be hard for him to accept it.

One day a few months ago, he wrote a letter to Li Cong, stating the truth that he was not going to die soon.

When a man is about to die, he speaks well - as the elder brother, it is time for him to wake up the younger brother who has fallen into confusion.

Therefore, Li Lu told Li Cong that their father never intended to recognize him, even if it was just for the sake of reputation... The father had denied his relationship with Duan Shiang to everyone. Once he recognized his son, it would be equivalent to admitting the original Instigated Duan Shiang to start rumors of war.

It's not that Li Cong hasn't thought about this, but he still inevitably has some illusions about father-son affection. After all, his father has always been kind and tolerant, and he is willing to indulge in it... And Li Lu clearly stated in his letter that he was weak and ill. The truth was given by their father.

What was said in the letter were all facts. Li Lu had never removed all pretense to show the "truth" to others. At that moment, he felt that he was a pretty good brother.

He, a good brother who was about to die, invited his younger brother to come to Japan and have a secret talk.

He should sit down and have a good talk with Li Cong. He is willing to leave everything he manages in the hands of this younger brother and show his younger brother a "clear path" before he dies.

Yes, to leave a hidden danger for his father and leave unfinished matters in the hands of Li Cong, this is not an earth-shattering revenge. Of course, he also wanted to make something earth-shattering. For this reason, he tried, imagined, and struggled, but in the end he had to face the reality that he alone could not shake anything.

Their father never worried that they would have different intentions. That was precisely because for the father, everything the father allowed his sons to have was within control.

Love and generosity also come from absolute control.

What a wise and sober father.

Li Lu looked at the prince's robe that he had spent everything he had in exchange for it. The patterns on it were so complicated and gorgeous that it gave him the feeling of being worn out.

He twitched the corner of his mouth slightly - under the control of such a wise and sober father, he had such a powerless life, and even death was destined to not stir up any waves of revenge.

Li Lu had to admit that he was very pitiful.

Dragging his weak body, he slowly walked back to the inner room and came behind the same pitiful man.

Ma Wan was sitting at the dressing table combing her disheveled hair.

The maid who had just served her to drink the medicine walked out with the medicine bowl.

Li Lu's gaze lingered on the broken old piano beside him for a moment.

It was one night when Ma Wan suddenly went crazy and broke everything.

The two got to know each other because of the sound of music. She played the piano and he played the flute, and there was a tacit understanding between them.

That night, Li Lu quietly watched Ma Wan destroy the piano almost crazily, and sighed slowly, recalling it with emotion.

That was the last time Ma Wan did something radical. After that, she was forced to take a decoction every day. The decoction could calm her down, and this tranquility gradually turned into numbness.

Nowadays, she always repeats stereotyped actions over and over again, saying repetitive words in a dull manner.

Li Lu took the comb from her hand and combed her hair gently. He still called her Wan'er and said to her: "Wan'er, come with me tomorrow. I feel lonely going alone, but you have to be obedient."

Ma Wan nodded numbly.

Early the next morning, Li Lu personally combed her hair as before, then took her hand, boarded the carriage, and headed towards the Zhuque Gate of the Imperial City.

Li Lu is weak and cannot accompany the whole ceremony. According to the procedure, he will wait at the Ancestral Temple in advance.

The whole process of the ceremony is that the new emperor's ceremonial guard enters from Chengtianmen, passes Chengtianmen Street, enters Zhuquemen, goes east, passes Taichang Temple, arrives at Anshangmen, and then enters the Ancestral Temple.

In the Ancestral Temple, the ancestors of heaven and earth are worshiped. After completing the rituals, the new emperor will lead all the officials back to the Hanyuan Hall, practice Zuo in the main hall, be awarded the talisman seal, and accept the worship of the officials. At this point, he will immediately ascend to the throne and can officially declare The world becomes a legitimate emperor.

At this moment, Li Yin's ceremonial guard was slowly passing through Chengtianmen Street, and the entourage was heading towards the Ancestral Temple.

Everything had been prepared as early as dawn. Before that, Li Yin stayed up all night. After making sure that the situation was controllable, he handed over all matters to his confidant Han Di, who commanded the Imperial Guards.

The process of the enthronement ceremony was complicated and no interruptions were allowed in the middle. During this period, Li Yin could not interfere with the affairs. If anything happened, Han Di would be needed to make a decision.

Han Di did not dare to be careless at all. He summoned the generals and commanders of the guards in Beijing to distribute affairs and repeatedly confirm all matters.

Others will be responsible for matters outside the city, and his task today is to ensure that nothing goes wrong inside the capital.

The commanders of each guard came down and left one after another.

Han Di ordered a lieutenant general to step forward: "Lu Chong!"

Lu Chong bowed his head and clasped his fists in salute.

Han Di looked at him and said, "You will patrol the imperial city with me today!"

Lu Chong served in the imperial army. During the reign of Emperor Shengce, he served as the general of Zuotunwei. After Bian's army broke through the city, he barely managed to save his life.

Afterwards, Li Yin entered the capital, and the imperial troops were reactivated. He also returned to Zuotunwei, but the position of general Zuotunwei was replaced by Li Yin's confidant, and he temporarily returned to the little Zhonglang general he once was. .

No matter how much the Forbidden Army changes their blood, they still need to retain some experienced people to slowly replace them. Han Di checked Lu Chong's background and found that his family background was very poor and his interpersonal communication was also very simple, so Han Di kept him there. The men do the work. Lu Chong acted steadily and well, and Han Di still valued him. Today's patrol of the imperial city was a top priority, and he needed such powerful people to keep an eye on him.

Lu Chong followed Han Di and led a forbidden army towards Anshangmen.

Everyone in the palace was solemn and solemn, everyone was in their own place, and the palace people walked in an orderly manner on the palace roads with their heads bowed, accepting the scrutiny of the patrolling imperial guards.

The city is also under martial law, and the Forbidden Army can be seen everywhere.

On such critical days, there was reportedly a military turmoil outside the city. In the teahouses and restaurants, the people did not dare to show too much enthusiasm. They only discussed in low voices and subconsciously cast their awe-inspiring eyes in the direction of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

At the same time, countless eyes were looking in the direction of the Ancestral Temple.

Qiao Yubai, who had stayed in the Imperial Academy since returning from Luoyang, sat in the study, staring closely at the drip under the window sill, his palms already soaked with cold sweat, but his eyes did not flinch at all.

Outside the window, the sky is clear, the wind is light and the clouds are light, and there is a peaceful atmosphere between heaven and earth.

The sacred Zen bells rang slowly in the Ancestral Temple.

Li Yin, dressed in military uniform, stepped into the gate of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, accompanied by officials from the Six Ministries and Taichang Temple. Luo Guanlin followed closely behind, his face solemn.

An altar was set up in the Ancestral Temple, and Master Chu, who was responsible for officiating the ceremony, had been waiting here for a long time.

Taifu Chu stood next to the sacrificial table, with hundreds of officials and clan members standing in awe below him. As Li Yin came and heard the singing of the chamberlain, the clan and officials stepped aside one after another to both sides, stood in an orderly manner, bowed their heads and saluted respectfully.

Zhan Mian, the accompanying priest, also followed suit, but from the corner of his eye, he did not see the teacher beside him bowing.

His teacher is the chief priest, the head of the hundred officials, and the person least likely to make mistakes in etiquette.

Zhan Mian subconsciously turned his gaze slightly, but was surprised to see the old man beside him raise his hand upright, but instead of saluting, he took off his official hat.

The Taifu did not squint his eyes and put his official hat aside.

Zhan Mian was puzzled and almost screamed out in surprise. Only because he abided by the ceremony's etiquette, he did not dare to make any noise to disturb him.

However, the next moment, the old man made an even more astonishing move. He took out a piece of burlap filial piety cloth from his sleeve and tied it around his forehead in an upright manner.

"...Teacher?!" Zhan Mian couldn't help it anymore and finally exclaimed in surprise.

Everyone still bowed their heads and saluted, and no one looked left or right at each other. It wasn't until Zhan Mian lost his voice that any official turned around to look.

Surrounded by the crowd, Li Yin just walked to the altar and before he could climb the steps, he saw this scene and slowly stopped.

Everything suddenly became noisy.

Countless pairs of eyes were fixed on that old figure.

The thin old man was dressed in a crimson official uniform, but because the official hat was removed, his silver hair was revealed and his forehead was tied with a mourning cloth, which was incompatible with the atmosphere of the grand celebration around him.

The wind blew over the mourning cloth hanging behind his head. He stood upright and proud, standing next to the altar. Even though he didn't know the reason, he gave people a sense of loneliness. , very much like an old knight.

Luo Guanlin shouted in a low voice to silence the chaotic noise, and immediately ordered people to maintain order.

Li Yin buried all his thoughts under confusion. He first raised his hand and saluted Master Chu. Just when he was about to ask, he saw the old man raised his hands towards the heaven and earth above and said in a loud voice: "As the witness of the God of Heaven and Earth, Chu Hui Today, we are here for a grand funeral!”

The old voice is loud and clear, and seems to be more solemn than the sound of bells and chimes.

The word "mourning" caused silent shock and shock in everyone.

Li Yin narrowed his eyes slightly for a moment. He could clearly conclude that Chu Hui, who was under the surveillance of the capital, had no chance of knowing the news of Li Suining's return... So, what was the other party's plan?

Everyone looked at him, but Li Yin's expression did not change. He only asked respectfully: "I wonder why Taifu said this? Why did he hold a funeral?"

Taifu Chu looked back at him without flinching, and said steadily to everyone:

"Rong Wang Li Yin deceived the world and stole his reputation, harbored the heart of a wolf, and committed hundreds of sins that cannot be forgiven. Allowing such evil thieves to inherit the throne will be a disaster for the common people and the country, and a great mourning for the country!"

Li Yin's eyes changed slightly.

There was an uproar everywhere.

Luo Guanlin took a step forward, his eyes like daggers: "...The prince treated the Taifu with every possible courtesy and entrusted him with important tasks and trust, regardless of the previous grudges! However, the Taifu uttered filthy words during this ceremony, disturbing the Li family's divine master. I don't know who he was influenced by. Drive!”

"The master is old and has been working very hard recently..." Li Yin sighed and said tolerantly: "Come here, please go to the palace to rest, and ask the doctor to see the master."

"Your Majesty, you can't!" Luo Guanlin asserted and stopped him: "Today is the new emperor's succession ceremony. The Li family's divine masters are at the top, and we officials are at the bottom. How can we allow such unclear words to ruin the reputation of the prince!"

"Although Taifu is highly virtuous and highly respected, the law cannot tolerate mercy, and the power of God cannot be slandered!" Luo Guanlin raised his hand to salute and solemnly asked: "Please, Your Majesty, please punish me, otherwise it will be difficult to convince the public!"

He is the most loyal supporter of the imperial power, not to mention that on such an important occasion, he naturally refuses to give in.

This statement immediately made Zhan Mian and others feel like they were facing a formidable enemy. There were many students of the Taifu present. Zhan Mian had already stopped in front of the teacher and hurriedly interceded for the teacher.

The teacher is very old. Not to mention the slightest punishment, even if he is just forcibly taken to prison, half of his life may be lost!

And in this short gap, Taifu Chu spoke again, his voice strong and angry: "Li Yin's first crime was for killing the former prince seventeen years ago!"

Zhan Mian, who was standing in front of the teacher, was shaken. He immediately felt that the teacher was probably mentally disturbed. Not to mention other things, it seemed that it had been twenty years since the death of the late Prince Xiu, right?

Zhan Mian turned around with a pale face and raised his hand to help: "Teacher, you..."

However, Grand Tutor Chu suddenly raised his hand and pointed at Li Yin: "It was Li Yin who ordered the poisoning of the late prince!"

"This statement is ridiculous!" A senior official came to his senses and immediately retorted: "When the former Prince Xiao passed away, a medical officer examined him and confirmed that it was due to illness! What the Grand Tutor said was referring to the fact that the former Prince's mother Ming Hou , and the officials in the DPRK and China are all pretending to be deaf and dumb!”

"You said that Li Xiao, who died of illness twenty years ago, was not the real first prince!" The old man said in a high voice: "Li Shang, the eldest princess of Chongyue who died in Beidi seventeen years ago, was the real first prince!"

What nonsense is this?

Before anyone could refute, the old man shouted loudly: "The former Crown Prince Li Xiao in the eyes of the world has always been Li Shang pretending to be Li Shang! Since she was eight years old, she has taken on the identity of her twin brother, walked in front of people, made meritorious deeds, and was granted the title of Crown Prince. !”

"From the beginning to the end, my father-in-law, the late prince, has always been Li Shang!"

"My most outstanding student, the late Crown Prince Xiao as you call me, has always been a girl!"

“…”

This statement stirred up a thousand waves, even a hundred times more shocking than "Li Yin poisoned the late Crown Prince Xiao".

The first prince was originally a daughter? ! This, how is this possible!

Luo Guanlin's head was also buzzing and he couldn't believe his ears. (End of chapter)