On June 21st, officials returned to court after their rest period.
The officials today were especially diligent, arriving at the main hall a quarter-hour, even two quarter-hours earlier than usual.
Even after arriving, they didn’t enter, but stood at the palace entrance in groups of two or three, whispering to each other.
They urgently wanted to know whether the rumors that had been circulating wildly these past few days were true.
If not, had the Grand General already run out of patience and wanted to force the Emperor to abdicate, so she came up with this scheme to pressure him through public opinion?
Those with such speculations were mostly officials from the Zhao faction and the neutral faction—the latter worried, the former excited beyond measure.
When Xiahou Ren, Wei An, and others arrived one after another, they became the focus of attention.
Everyone had already found out that these people had been present that day, so under everyone’s watchful eyes, Xiahou Ren, Tao Wu, and Wei An were surrounded by three groups of court officials, squeezed to one side and asked: “Did His Majesty truly speak of abdicating to the Grand General that day?”
The court officials shifted their feet slightly, ears pricked up to listen.
Xiahou Ren showed little expression, trying to push them away. “When the time comes, you’ll naturally know…”
“Brother, that’s not very kind. Whether it is or isn’t, even if you don’t speak, you could at least nod or shake your head.”
Xiahou Ren now didn’t dare move even his neck, afraid they would misunderstand.
Although it was “true,” who knew if the Xun brothers had changed their minds?
He didn’t dare leak information. Who could have known that someone with such a big mouth would go out and talk? Didn’t they know that if this matter wasn’t handled properly, people could die?
The officials with big mouths silently lowered their heads and entered the hall. They had only disclosed it to their brothers, close friends, or brothers-in-law—after all, they were family and should be informed in advance, otherwise how could they avoid suffering losses at court?
Who knew they would leak it?
As Xiahou Ren stood frozen, not daring to move, someone shouted, “The Grand General has arrived—”
The court officials immediately released those they had been holding and stood respectfully.
Zhao Hanzhang ascended the steps, swept her gaze over them, and frowned. “His Majesty is about to arrive. Why are you all still outside the hall?”
The officials then made way for Zhao Hanzhang and rushed into the hall in a flood, quickly finding their positions.
Fu Tinghan stood beside Zhao Hanzhang, watching all this in astonishment. He had returned late the day before yesterday, and Zhao Hanzhang had only told him one sentence: “The little Emperor wants to abdicate to me.”
Fu Tinghan had been prepared for this and wasn’t surprised. He just nodded to show he understood and asked her, “Does this mean we’ll have to move into the palace from now on?”
Zhao Hanzhang nodded. “Yes.”
Fu Tinghan: “Living in the palace would be convenient for going to the observatory and the Ministry of Works, but leaving the city would be more troublesome—we’d have to pass through two more city gates.”
He had thought the abdication was already settled, that everyone knew, and it would be a smooth transition. He hadn’t expected that most of the court officials still hadn’t received definite news and were still in the speculation stage.
Fu Tinghan turned to look at Zhao Hanzhang. “What about my parents…”
Zhao Hanzhang: “I sent Ji Yuan over. They didn’t come looking for you yesterday, which means they’ve accepted it.”
Fu Tinghan nodded and entered the hall together with Zhao Hanzhang.
Inside the hall, all the officials had already lined up. Fu Tinghan walked to his position, while Zhao Hanzhang stepped up onto the platform.
On the left side of the platform, below and to the left of the dragon throne, was a set of desk and cushions. Zhao Hanzhang had always sat there.
She walked to this spot now. All the officials below the hall raised their heads and looked at her with bright eyes. Seeing that she didn’t take an extra step toward the dragon throne, or even glance at it, feeling something between excitement and disappointment, everyone silently withdrew their gazes.
Before they could bow in salute, they heard the inner attendant loudly announce that the Emperor had arrived.
The officials quickly composed themselves and waited. They saw Xun Fan supporting the Emperor as they walked out step by step from the rear hall, approaching from the side to sit on the dragon throne.
Why was Xun Fan here? Wasn’t he injured and recuperating at home?
Looking at how steadily he walked, had he recovered?
As this thought flashed through their minds, they saw Zhao Hanzhang turn sideways toward the Emperor and bow with cupped hands as usual. The officials also quickly composed themselves and knelt to pay their respects.
After the inner attendant called for them to rise, they stood up with bright eyes looking at… the steps, and some bolder ones swept their gazes directly over the Emperor, occasionally glancing at Zhao Hanzhang.
They all felt that something momentous was about to happen.
Xun Fan didn’t walk down the steps to his position, but stood beside the dragon throne. He nodded encouragingly at the little Emperor.
The little Emperor cleared his throat, his voice trembling slightly. Although he was the Emperor, this was the first time he actively gave an opening speech at court. “I… I…”
The words he had thought of before ascending the platform vanished in an instant. His mind went blank. The little Emperor panicked and looked helplessly at Xun Fan.
Xun Fan frowned, quite disappointed that he wasn’t living up to expectations. He was the Emperor and was often questioned by Zhao Hanzhang in the hall. Although he was also nervous, he never became so speechless. This time he only needed to make an opening statement—how could he stutter?
If the officials saw this scene, wouldn’t they think Zhao Hanzhang was forcing them to do this?
What if Zhao Hanzhang also suspected they were deliberately putting on a show…
As the thought crossed his mind, he heard Zhao Hanzhang calmly take over. “Do any officials have matters to report? If there are matters, report them. If not, you are dismissed.”
With someone giving him an opening, the little Emperor instantly knew how to continue. He immediately said: “I have matters!”
Under the gaze of all officials, he took a deep breath and said: “Since I ascended the throne, war has ravaged the land and nearly destroyed our nation. It was the Grand General who saved me and saved the people of the world. Last year, when peace first came to the land and north and south were unified, I thought the realm could be at peace. Though there were still lost territories beyond our borders, given time, Great Jin would surely recover the lost lands. But this year, right after the spring festival, there was a solar eclipse, followed by three months of continuous rain. Not only Luoyang, but Yuzhou, Jizhou, and Qingzhou all suffered disasters, and even Jiangnan was troubled by floods…”
The little Emperor’s voice fell low. “Although the Grand General says this is a natural disaster unrelated to me, I think that since Heaven has given this warning, clearly I have not done well. Today I issue an edict of self-reproach. All troubles under Heaven are my fault. If there must be punishment, I beg Heaven to bring it upon me and not harm the people.”
Zhao Hanzhang looked at the young-faced little Emperor and bowed with cupped hands. “Your Majesty, this is indeed a natural disaster. The fault truly does not lie with you.”
The officials knelt down one after another, saying in unison: “We are terrified!”
The little Emperor shook his head slightly. “I know that the stability of this realm relies entirely on the Grand General. I am not a good emperor. Furthermore, because of the faults of our ancestors, the world has descended into such chaos. We descendants who inherit the legacy of our ancestors should also bear the sins of our ancestors.”
“Today, with all officials present, I will abdicate this throne to the General, and hope the Grand General will bear the weight of this realm in my stead.”
Zhao Hanzhang quickly knelt and kowtowed. “I am terrified.”
Xun Fan then stepped forward with a prepared imperial edict to read it aloud. The general meaning was similar, but his writing was much sharper. He didn’t say it was the little Emperor’s fault, but basically placed it on the heads of the Eight Princes who had rebelled, arguing that they had caused chaos in the realm, the people’s resentment was difficult to calm, Heaven and Earth were enraged, and the Mandate of Heaven no longer rested with the Sima family, so the throne should be passed to Zhao Hanzhang.
After hearing the edict, Zhao Hanzhang refused to accept it, expressing that she would wholeheartedly assist the Emperor and govern the realm together.