Chapter 532: Chapter 357: Temporary Regency

The Emperor has passed away, the dragon has ascended to heaven.

The sound of the departure bell rang nine times, clearly audible throughout the entire Yan Capital.

Song Zhi, in a daze, released his grip on the collar of the Second Prince, Rong Qijun, his handsome face turning deathly pale.

It was as if a knife had split open his chest, draining all the blood from his body, leaving him devoid of any strength.

Rong Qijun, reeking of alcohol, collapsed to the ground like a heap of mud.

The cold, hard ground made him shiver all over. Slowly, he propped himself up on his arms, looking around in confusion:

"What is that sound?"

As he listened, it seemed familiar. Memories from the past surged forth, yet, in his drunken state, he couldn’t quite remember.

Tan Ce murmured softly: "The departure bell... it’s the departure bell... nine times in total, the Emperor has passed away."

The departure bell is only rung when an extremely important member of the Imperial Family dies.

When the Empress Dowager passed away outside the palace last time, it was awkward indeed, so the bell was not rung. Prior to that, because Prince Rui’s death was faked, Xie Yun persuaded Rong Jing not to ring the bell.

Such a bell had not tolled for many years.

Rong Qijun drunkenly lifted his head, gazing at the dome of the pavilion, and said: "Is that so? I thought... it was New Year’s Eve, Commander Song. Look, the sky is dark."

He remembered. He had indeed heard such a sound before.

But,

It was ten years ago.

"Yes... the sky has darkened," Tan Ce said, crying.

"Thump—"

Song Zhi’s tall frame fell to the ground, his bloodshot eyes staring in the direction of the Imperial Palace, laughing and crying: "Rong Zhongxu, you’ve deceived me again."

*

Outside Qianyuan Hall, the cold wind howled past, raising the slightly tattered flags in the hands of the Dingyuan Army.

No matter how the world changed, that Black Dragon Flag remained fluttering firmly in the skies above Dayan.

The bitter cold pierced to the bone, casting a desolate shine upon the bright sunlight, while gold, silver, and jade artifacts, symbols of the Emperor’s authority, fell into the dust and turned to waste.

Rong Heng descended the steps of jade and walked to Gu Lan’s side. His expression remained as usual, as if the person who just announced the Emperor’s demise was not him.

And just a quarter of an hour ago, under the watchful eyes of the public, Prince Xiang had personally killed the Emperor.

The next moment, Princess Ning’an, Rong Miaoyan, knelt in submission before him.

Immediately after, Qin Zhenghu, Geng Gong, Su Zixiao, and Prime Minister Lu Bingxin... all the officials and soldiers who had stormed the palace gates and gathered outside Qianyuan Hall today, except for Gu Lan, slowly knelt before him.

In the distance, faint cries from the palace concubines and eunuchs could be heard, with some palace attendants heartbroken, "following the Emperor in death."

As a matter of principle, when the Emperor dies, all officials should weep loudly.

However, they... couldn’t cry.

Yet fortunately, in this situation, it seemed that not being able to cry didn’t matter.

Gu Lan narrowed her eyes slightly, recalling a similar scene from the original book.

[The myriad schools of thought revealed their blades in the courtyard, saying: "The army has no leader, Dayan cannot be without a sovereign. We are willing to propose that the Regent King become the Emperor."

Rong Heng had no time to respond before being draped in imperial yellow robes by all the generals, and everyone knelt, acclaiming, "Long live our Emperor."]

In the original book, Rong Heng was already appointed as the Regent King of Dayan before returning to the capital. She did not remember how Rong Jing died; the author merely mentioned he perished in the flames of war.

But she remembered that after Rong Heng quelled the palace chaos, he was clothed in imperial yellow by the generals, and with the Crown Prince and the Second Prince nearly incapacitated, treacherous, and rebellious, he was forced to become the Emperor of Yan Country.

And now... everything was different!

Miaoyan lowered her lashes slightly, her voice upright and respectful, the words clear, audible to all present:

"Minister Rong Miaoyan pays respects to the Prince. Now that the former Emperor, in the prime of life, has suddenly passed away, at this time of heaven’s collapse, I fear the situation will be turbulent. As the fifth son of the former Emperor, Prince of Dayan Xiang, I ask the Prince to temporarily govern the affairs of the state for the people of the world, and the subjects of Dayan, to stabilize the nation."

"Minister Lu Bingxin requests the Prince to temporarily govern the affairs of the state to stabilize the nation!"

Lu Bingxin firmly knelt on the ground, his voice solemn and hoarse.

Miaoyan and Lu Bingxin, one being the Princess Ning’an of Dayan, also serving as the Overseeing Ministry of Revenue with the responsibility of supervising all officials;

The other, the Prime Minister of Yan Country, holding a position of unrivaled power below only one.

Once the two spoke, the Yan Capital could not descend into chaos, and their requests would become the request of all officials.

Su Zixiao knelt among them, raising his head to look at Rong Heng, whose Mang robe was stained with blood, and the words "Long live our Emperor" were forcibly swallowed back into his throat.

He couldn’t help but look around, coincidentally meeting the gaze of General Mu Jun, the Commander of the Dingyuan Army, both sharing the same helplessness in their eyes.

Just a little more, and what Rong Miaoyan and Lu Bingxin would say while kneeling before Rong Heng would not be asking the Prince to govern temporarily, but... asking the Prince to ascend the throne!