Chapter Twenty-One: The Yellow Robe Bestowed
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“Protect His Highness! Quickly, protect His Highness!”
The eunuch’s shrill cry threw the entire procession into confusion.
Yet, strangely enough, not a single person stepped forward to stop Minister Ru Chang, who was about to “commit murder.”
How bizarre!
Watching from a distance, Chen Kan was thoroughly entertained, desperately suppressing his laughter.
This was simply hilarious. Every one of them was an award-winning actor, putting on the performance of a lifetime.
“Hmm. The young eunuch is overacting a little. His expression is far too exaggerated, but there’s not quite enough in his eyes. Poor performance!”
“Oh? The Great Scholar Xie has struck exactly the right balance of panic. The little golden statue is yours for the taking.”
“Hmm. The Prince of Yan’s performance today is rather underwhelming. You’re a peerless warrior, after all. Whom are you trying to fool with that helpless expression? Far too fake!”
“Li Jinglong, throw him out!”
As Chen Kan watched the civil and military officials “frantically” protect their lord, he shook his head and offered one critique after another.
At last, Ru Chang, his stout little legs pumping furiously, broke through the “layers of obstruction” and reached Zhu Di’s side.
Taking advantage of the moment when Zhu Di had “not yet recovered,” he draped the bright yellow robe in his hands over Zhu Di’s face, which wore an expression of “astonishment.”
Then, without the slightest hesitation, he dropped to his knees with a loud thump.
Kneeling before Zhu Di and prostrating himself fully, he cried out, “Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long, long live the Emperor!”
The moment Ru Chang spoke, the “panicked” civil and military officials fell silent as if by prior agreement.
The entire scene became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Zhu Di was “furious.”
“Ru Chang, are you trying to cast me as a disloyal and unrighteous traitor?”
Ru Chang was so frightened by Zhu Di’s sudden thunderous rage that he trembled like a leaf.
Even so, he remained kneeling and refused to rise.
With his head bowed, he shouted, “Your Highness has followed the example of the Duke of Zhou, answered Heaven’s call, pacified the disorder, and purged the treacherous ministers. Never since ancient times has there been a prince so virtuous.
“Alas! The Cheng Emperor was benighted and set himself ablaze, leaving the imperial throne vacant.
“As the saying goes, Heaven cannot be without the sun for even a day, nor can a nation be without its sovereign for even a day. The Cheng Emperor has burned himself to death, and the imperial throne stands empty.
“Your Highness has answered Heaven’s call, pacified the disorder, swept away the treacherous ministers, and proved himself accomplished in both letters and arms, bringing glory to our illustrious ancestors.
“For the sake of the people under Heaven, and for the sake of the Great Ming realm, I humbly implore Your Highness to inherit the great throne and ascend as Emperor.
“Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long, long live the Emperor!”
The moment Ru Chang finished speaking, the civil and military officials and the imperial guards at the scene seemed to have rehearsed it together.
Like a tidal wave, they fell to their knees and cried out, “For the sake of the people under Heaven, and for the sake of the Great Ming realm, we humbly implore Your Highness to inherit the great throne and ascend as Emperor.”
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“Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long, long live the Emperor!”
“You... you... what are you trying to do?”
The sudden turn of events left Zhu Di utterly flustered.
The assembled officials did not answer. They merely repeated, “For the sake of the people under Heaven, and for the sake of the Great Ming realm, we humbly implore Your Highness to inherit the great throne and ascend as Emperor.”
“You... you must not force me.”
Zhu Di was both embarrassed and furious, yet he had no idea how to retreat from the situation.
“Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long, long live the Emperor!”
Another thunderous chorus of “Long live the Emperor!” rang out and shook the heavens.
Zhu Di instinctively took several steps backward. Pointing at the assembled officials, he rebuked them furiously, “You... you mean to force me to become a treacherous usurper who plots to overthrow the dynasty?”
“Tsk. Why does that line sound so familiar?”
Chen Kan had naturally knelt as well, but unlike the other officials, he did not perform the full prostration.
Instead, he kept his head lowered and stole glances at Zhu Di from the corner of his eye.
Just then, something unexpected happened.
Qiu Fu and Zhu Neng, who had been kneeling not far from Zhu Di, suddenly rose. Before Zhu Di could react, they hoisted him bodily into the air.
At the same time, Zhu Gaochi arrived with a squad of imperial guards. No one knew when they had managed to carry the enormous dragon throne from the Hall of Heavenly Veneration to this place.
“What are you doing? What are you trying to do?”
Zhu Di “panicked.” He flailed his arms and kicked wildly, but still could not escape their clutches.
The two men carried him to the dragon throne and set him down before it, then seized him and forced him into the seat.
They took one step back and bowed before him.
“Long live our Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long, long live the Emperor!”
Shocked and enraged, Zhu Di pointed at Zhu Neng, who stood at the front, and stammered incoherently, “You... you... you’ve truly... made a terrible mess of my life...”
“Long live our Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long, long live the Emperor!”
The officials’ perfectly synchronized voices rang to the ends of the earth.
“Ah, you truly have made a terrible mess of my life.”
Zhu Di let out a helpless sigh.
“Enough, enough. All of you, rise.”
With the hearts of the people already united behind him, Zhu Di had no choice but to accept reality.
Two palace attendants hurried forward and dressed him in the bright yellow dragon robe.
Zhu Di put up a feeble struggle twice, but when he saw that he could not possibly resist them, he could only let them do as they pleased.
Once the attendants had finished dressing him, Fang Xiaoru rose and cupped his hands.
“Your Majesty, the capital has suffered through days of warfare. Now the people throughout the realm yearn for stability, while the accumulated affairs of state have piled up like mountains. We humbly ask Your Majesty to return to the palace as soon as possible and take charge of the empire. There is no reason to waste any more time here.”
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With Fang Xiaoru taking the lead, the assembled officials cried out in unison, “We implore Your Majesty to return to the palace and take charge of the empire!”
“Ah... you people...”
“Enough. We shall do as Minister Fang advises.”
Sullenly, Zhu Di beckoned to the palace attendant beside him.
The attendant understood at once and shouted at the top of his voice, “Prepare the imperial procession! Return to the palace!”
...
The staged spectacle of the yellow robe being placed upon Zhu Di left Chen Kan thoroughly delighted.
The people of Great Ming truly were a nation of extraordinary talents.
Still, Zhu Di had specifically named Chen Kan as one of those who were to accompany him today. Could it be that he had summoned him merely to watch him perform?
Carrying a heart full of doubts, Chen Kan dutifully followed at the rear of the procession.
Whatever Zhu Di’s purpose might be, they would have to return to the palace before discussing it.
The journey from Xiaoling back to the capital was far faster than the morning trip from the capital to Xiaoling.
After all, this visit to Xiaoling had merely been a political performance orchestrated by Zhu Di.
Now that the show was over, who would want to remain halfway there under the blazing sun?
It was June, after all. A June in Jiangnan could practically roast a man alive.
Besides, Zhu Di was in a hurry to return to the palace and clean up the disaster left behind by the Cheng Emperor.
Ascending the throne was not as simple as staging a ceremony in which one was draped in the yellow robe and, after three refusals and three reluctant acceptances, finally took the throne.
Zhu Di’s banner was that he had answered Heaven’s call to pacify the disorder and restore the institutions of the ancestors.
Since he intended to restore the ancestral system, many of the decrees issued during the Cheng Emperor’s reign would have to be reviewed anew.
A review did not mean that all of them would be rejected. They would have to determine which policies benefited the state and which harmed it.
The harmful ones would be abolished. The beneficial ones would continue under different names.
There were also many former officials of the Cheng Emperor’s reign. Some would have to be stripped of office to make room for Zhu Di’s own administration, while others would need to be entrusted with important positions in order to keep this vast empire functioning normally.
And, of course, there was the most important matter of all: how to reward the meritorious officials and generals who had rendered service during the pacification campaign.
How should their positions at court be arranged?
How should the vacant shares of power be divided, and who should receive them?
Every one of these matters, large and small, required the attention of Zhu Di, the new helmsman of the Great Ming Empire.
According to Chen Kan’s calculations, Zhu Di would need at least three to five months before he could even begin to sort through it all.
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