Chapter 1291 Ascending the throne (2)
December 11, Yijing
During this period, under the deliberate guidance of the Coordination Office, slogans such as "The Great Zhou is unkind, the Great Qian should prosper" were circulated everywhere in the streets and alleys of Yijing. And the news that Liangzhen’s camp was persuading the emperor to ascend the throne yesterday afternoon immediately pushed public opinion to the highest point. At this time, both the ordinary people and the well-dressed dignitaries in Yijing seemed to be expecting something.

No one knew where the news came from that Marshal Ye would return to Yijing from the East Gate at noon today. At 1:00 a.m., the East Gate of Yijing was already crowded with people. In order to ensure order and safety, Yijing Prefect Liu Ning immediately dispatched a large number of runners to the East Gate.

However, the officers of the Yijing City Patrol can only be responsible for the outermost defense, while the inner security work is handled by the Royal Guard Battalion, and the plainclothes officers of the Coordination Office are also hidden in the crowd.

Time passed by minute by minute, and soon it was noon. At this time, tens of thousands of people had gathered around the East Gate, and more people in Yijing City were gathering towards the East Gate after hearing the news. However, for security reasons, the Yijing government had banned these people from gathering at the East Gate.

Just when everyone was eagerly waiting for Ye Mingsheng's arrival, Ye Mingsheng's carriage did not show up, but at this moment another convoy appeared on the street.

Looking at the carriage pulled by six horses, there were only four words in everyone's mind - the emperor's ceremonial guard!
The next second, tens of thousands of people knelt down in unison. Although there have been many rumors recently, saying that the Great Zhou was unkind and that the Great Qian should prosper, the three hundred years of the Great Zhou Dynasty were still deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. So even though they knew that the Great Zhou emperor in front of them might not be in power for many days, everyone still had great respect for him in their hearts...

Under the gaze of the people, the young emperor Jiang Cong also walked out of the carriage, and behind him came a group of important officials from the Yijing court, including the Minister of Revenue Cui Shao, the Minister of Personnel Gu Sansi, the Minister of Punishment Li Jian, the Left Censor-in-Chief Chu Zhiyi, the Minister of Works Chen Fu and others.

With Jiang Cong’s appearance, shouts of “Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor! Long, long live the emperor!” suddenly rang out at the scene!

Listening to the deafening cheers and looking at the people kneeling at his feet, Jiang Cong, who was still a child, experienced the beauty of power for the first time.

Jiang Cong's expression was very complicated at this moment. He knew that even though the people and officials in front of him shouted "Long live him", they were not loyal to him, and it would not be long before he would no longer be the one to shout "Long live him"!

At this time, the attendant Zhang Ping saw that Jiang Cong didn't say anything, so he reminded him directly:
"Your Majesty, you should say stand up!"

Listening to Zhang Ping's words, Jiang Cong felt that the word "you" in his mouth was very harsh. He knew very well that although Zhang Ping called himself "Your Majesty", he was actually Ye Mingsheng's lackey. Thinking of this, Jiang Cong immediately felt an impulse in his heart, which was to slap Zhang Ping in the face and let him know what the emperor's majesty was!
Although he had such an impulse, after being taught a lesson by An Miaoyi last time, Jiang Cong understood that if he really did this, he would definitely be punished. Jiang Cong himself was not afraid of any punishment. He was at the age of full of vigor and vitality. Once his blood was high, he was not afraid of death, but he was very worried that it would implicate his family...

When Jiang Cong thought of the warnings given to him by his grandfather, parents and parents when he returned home some time ago, he couldn't help but feel conflicted. At this moment, Zhang Ping didn't know what Jiang Cong was thinking. He thought that it was the first time that Jiang Cong had seen such a big scene, and he was so frightened that he couldn't speak. So he ignored Jiang Cong's arrogance and directly instructed the guards below:
"Your Majesty said to stand up!"

After receiving Zhang Ping's order, the guards also shouted to stand up, and soon the people stood up amid a round of thanks.

Listening to the people's voices of thanks, Jiang Cong's face looked very ugly. He had not expected that a lackey of Ye Mingsheng would dare to ignore him and issue orders on his behalf without authorization. Thinking of this, Jiang Cong looked at Zhang Ping angrily.

Feeling Jiang Cong's gaze, Zhang Ping also whispered:

"Your Majesty, don't forget why you came here today, and don't forget the instructions of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao!"

Hearing Zhang Ping's threat, Jiang Cong was unwilling in his heart, but he had no choice but to turn his head away. At this moment, a convoy appeared outside the east gate. Realizing that Ye Mingsheng was about to appear, the crowd waiting around the east gate immediately became agitated.

Under everyone's attention, the convoy slowly drove into Yijing City from the east gate. At this moment, no matter whether it was the common people, the guards in charge of security, the runners, or the officials, everyone held their breath, opened their eyes wide, waiting for the appearance of a tall figure...
The crowd did not have to wait too long. Soon, under everyone's attention, Ye Mingsheng, dressed in military uniform and looking dusty, came out riding a tall horse, surrounded by guards.

As Ye Mingsheng appeared, the crowd burst into cheers and shouts again.

"Marshal Ye is mighty! The Fengwu Army is mighty!"

"Long live Marshal Ye!"

Amid the endless slogans, Ye Mingsheng frequently waved to the people around him, and the scene was very lively for a while. However, in this lively scene, Jiang Cong, the emperor, looked at Ye Mingsheng with a very cold gaze.

He was already sensible at his age, so even though Ye Mingsheng had never hurt him and treated him well on weekdays, in Jiang Cong's eyes, Ye Mingsheng was still his sworn enemy. During many days and nights in the Ye Mansion, he had dreamed of killing Ye Mingsheng with his own hands and using Ye Mingsheng's head to sacrifice to the ancestors of the Jiang family.

After waving his hand, Ye Mingsheng came to Jiang Cong. Under the gaze of tens of thousands of people, Ye Mingsheng, who maintained his image as a loyal minister, knelt on one knee in front of Jiang Cong.

"Your Majesty, I, Ye Mingsheng, pay my respects to you! I am extremely terrified that you, Your Majesty, have come to greet me when I return from my southern tour. Your Majesty, I can only repay you by devoting myself to your service!"

As soon as Ye Mingsheng said this, the people immediately started talking about it, praising Ye Mingsheng as a loyal minister and a pillar of the court who saved Da Zhou. However, Ye Mingsheng’s impassioned speech was extremely hypocritical in the eyes of today’s other protagonist, Jiang Cong. He really wanted to unveil the hypocritical veil of Ye Mingsheng, the treacherous minister, right at this moment, in public...

However, Zhang Ping's sharp gaze behind him was constantly reminding Jiang Cong what the consequences would be if he really did this!
When he thought about being at the mercy of others, Jiang Cong couldn't help but sigh in his heart, then he forced a smile on his face, helped Ye Mingsheng up from the ground, and then said insincerely:

"Thank you for your hard work, Marshal Ye!"

"This is all my duty!"

After Ye Mingsheng finished speaking, Jiang Cong seemed to want to say something, but Zhang Ping on the side looked at him again. At the same time, a guard at the side also brought the jade seal over.

Seeing himself like a puppet, with his every move restricted by others, a feeling of humiliation spread in the heart of this teenage boy.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Cong took the jade seal from the guard beside him, and then knelt down in front of Ye Mingsheng in front of tens of thousands of people.

"Since the day I ascended the throne, I have known that I have no talent or virtue, so I am always worried. Although I am fortunate to have Marshal Ye's assistance, I deeply feel that I am not the one chosen by God. Now Marshal Ye has eradicated the traitors, annihilated the foreign enemies, enhanced our country's prestige, and saved the people from the water and fire. Therefore, I want to follow the example of Yao and Shun and abdicate the throne to Marshal Ye. Marshal Ye, please do not refuse!"

Jiang Cong used all his strength to recite the words that An Miaoyi asked him to memorize. Although he had made a lot of mental preparations, Jiang Cong’s heart was full of shame and humiliation when he said this. He felt that he had let down the ancestors of the Jiang family and was a sinner of the Jiang family. Even the water of the Nanjiang River could not wash away the stigma on him, Jiang Cong...
As Jiang Cong knelt, Cui Shao, Gu Sansi, Li Jian, Chu Zhiyi, Chen Fu and other ministers also knelt down and said in unison:

"Please do not refuse, Marshal Ye!" Thousands of people were watching this scene in an uproar. Everyone's eyes were once again focused on Ye Mingsheng. At this time, Ye Mingsheng seemed to have not expected this scene to happen. After a moment of stunned silence, he quickly knelt down and said loudly:

"Your Majesty, this is absolutely not allowed!"

"Since I, Ye, am a minister of the Great Zhou, I have no second thoughts. Since I started my army in Liaoyang, I have only thought about supporting the Great Zhou, assisting Your Majesty, and saving the millions of people in the Great Zhou. I have never had the slightest selfish motive. Your Majesty, please take back your order!"

"Your Majesty! You are really embarrassing me!"

In order to make his image as a loyal minister more deeply rooted in people's hearts, Ye Mingsheng also kowtowed to Jiang Cong. Under the instruction of Zhang Ping's eyes, although Jiang Cong wished that Ye Mingsheng would kowtow to death on the ground, he immediately stopped Ye Mingsheng's action, and then suppressed the nausea in his heart and said:

"Marshal Ye, I really feel that I am not qualified for this position. This position must be held by someone like you who is highly respected and has made great contributions to the country and the people. Please do not refuse!"

At this time, Cui Shao also spoke:

"Marshal Ye, please don't refuse. His Majesty is sincere. All officials and common people hope that you can stand up!"

As soon as Cui Shao finished speaking, deafening cheers immediately rang out from the crowd.

"The Great Zhou is unkind! The Great Qian should prosper! Long live Marshal Ye! Long live! Long, long live Marshal Ye!"

"The Great Zhou is unkind! The Great Qian should prosper! Long live Marshal Ye! Long live! Long, long live Marshal Ye!"

･･･････
･･･････
Hearing the overwhelming slogans, Ye Mingsheng felt that the situation was almost over, but he knew that at this time, he still had to decline three times before he could reluctantly accept the abdication and ascend the throne to become emperor, otherwise he would easily be criticized in history books.

Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng waved his hand and said:

"Minister Cui! Stop talking! I, Ye, have made up my mind. As a minister of Zhou, I will never have second thoughts. I will assist Your Majesty well!"

"Your Majesty, please go back to the palace and have a good rest!"

After saying that, Ye Mingsheng knelt on the ground and said nothing else. He kowtowed to Jiang Cong again, then turned and left.

Seeing that Ye Mingsheng so resolutely refused to abdicate, the crowd burst into warm cheers again, and everyone looked at Ye Mingsheng with admiration.

"It is such an honor to ascend the throne and be crowned emperor, but Marshal Ye actually refused. Marshal Ye is truly a loyal and righteous man of our Great Zhou!"

"I was so blind! I thought Marshal Ye was just like the traitor Shangguan, both treacherous officials plotting to usurp power!"

"Marshal Ye refused to abdicate! His name will be recorded in history and praised by generations to come!"

Watching Ye Mingsheng's departing back, Minister of Industry Chen Fu, who was not a member of the core circle of the court, did not understand Ye Mingsheng's arrangements. Therefore, like many ordinary G members, he was also very surprised to see Ye Mingsheng leave like this, and asked Cui Shao puzzledly:

"Minister Cui, why did the Marshal leave?"

Cui Shao glanced at Chen Fu's surprised expression, then stood up and said to everyone in a deep voice:

"The Marshal is a loyal minister of the Great Zhou, but the emperor's words are golden, so since we have made up our minds, we should stick to it to the end. The same applies to being a minister. We will jointly write a letter to Marshal Ye, and we want Marshal Ye to know the public opinion of the world!"

As soon as Cui Shao said this, he immediately aroused unanimous praise from everyone.

"This is highly commendable, Minister Cui! I, Gu Sansi, will be the first to second the proposal!"

Seeing that the first prize was snatched by Gu Sansi, Li Jian was unwilling to fall behind and quickly said:

"I, Li Jian, second the proposal! Your enthronement as emperor is what everyone wants. The people of the world are all looking forward to this moment!"

"I, Chu Zhiyi, second this proposal!"

"I, Chen Fu, second the motion!"

"I, Zhang Xiong, second the motion."

············
············
The little emperor Jiang Cong, looking at the ministers, censors, and vice ministers in front of him, who were vying to support Ye Mingsheng, could no longer pretend and a sarcastic smile immediately appeared on his face. However, before he could say anything, Zhang Ping immediately arranged for the guards to take him away and prepare to send him back to Ye's mansion.

Jiang Cong was very resistant to Zhang Ping's move. He kept struggling to break free from his control, but unfortunately, the guards of the Ye Mansion were all highly powerful and his struggles were of no use at all.

(End of this chapter)