The Emperor coughed violently and said to Zhuge Liang,""Prime Minister, I have entrusted everything to you. I hope you will not let me down!”
"I will do my best to assist the Young Lord!" Zhuge Liang said.”
The Emperor smiled slightly." Prime Minister, please go outside and call all the ministers in. I want to say goodbye to them one by one!"”
Zhuge Liang got the order and walked out of the door. Yang Zhen broke out in a cold sweat, and his palms were covered in sweat. The Emperor saw this and said to Yang Zhen,""Zi Yuan, the Prime Minister did not disappoint me, I have no regrets in death.”After the Emperor finished speaking, he took out a gold medal from the inside of the dragon bed. It was exactly the same as the one he had given to Yang Zhen. He handed it to Yang Zhen and said,"Zi Yuan, I still have one more thing to ask of you. Give this gold medal to Wei Yan, the general of the North. I worry about him the most. Tell him that whether I'm alive or not, he's my good general.”
Yang Zhen took the gold medal, knelt on the ground, and said to the Emperor,""I will definitely hand the gold medal to General Wei and not disappoint Your Majesty!”
"Zi Yuan, you completed your mission today very well. Burn the letter I gave you earlier!" the Emperor said. It's not that I don't trust the Prime Minister, but for the sake of the country, I have no choice. Zi Yuan, do you understand?"
Yang Zhen nodded, and the Emperor let Yang Zhen get up.
The Emperor said," Yang Zhen, I promised you. Now that your mission has been completed, it's time to tell you about the enemy who killed your father."”
"Your Majesty, the enemy who killed my father is not important to me. It doesn't matter whether I know or not."”
"No!" the Emperor said. I must tell you, or you will be covered in hatred for the rest of your life. "Actually, I am your kill…" Before the Emperor could finish his words, he knelt on the ground and shouted,"I am your kill!""Your Majesty! Zi Yuan said that the enemy who killed my father is not important to me. It doesn't matter if I say it or not!”
"Zi Yuan, I didn't misjudge you!" the Emperor said.”
In fact, Yang Zhen had long known that the Emperor was his enemy who had killed his father. On one side, Yang Zhen was facing the emperor of his country, the emperor who appreciated him, and on the other side, he was facing the hatred of killing his father. From the moment he knew, his heart had never been calm. Yang Zhen recalled his mother's words. Everyone served their master and was loyal to their master. To him, his father's shadow had long faded. Now, all he had was the heart to serve his country.
Yang Zhen remembered the task the Emperor had given him. It was not because he did not trust the Prime Minister, but because he trusted the Prime Minister too much. Yang Zhen still clearly remembered what the Emperor had said to him that day: "I will entrust my son to the Prime Minister. If he is willing to assist the young master, you must not act rashly. If he is unwilling to assist the young master, you can draw your sword and kill me.”Yang Zhen was greatly surprised by this order that was close to rebellion. It was such a magnanimous emperor. Facing such an enemy who had killed his father and looking at the old man who was about to die, how could Yang Zhen bear to kill him? How could he think of hatred? Yang Zhen stood up and took out the imperial edict from his bosom. He said to the Emperor,""Your Majesty, this imperial edict should not be left in this world. Your Majesty, please take it back and destroy it!
The Emperor said," There's no need. The matter has already passed. The ministers are about to come in. Keep it first. After I die, you can destroy it!"”
The ministers outside the door came in one by one. Yang Zhen stood majestically beside the Emperor. The Emperor glanced at the ministers and first called Ma Dai over. He held Ma Dai's hand and said to him,""Meng Qi entrusted you to me, but I was unable to take good care of you. Now that I am about to leave this world, I can no longer take care of you. Although I am dead, the country still exists. I hope you can continue to lead the Ma Family Army and serve the country.”
Ma Dai was already crying his eyes out. When he heard that the Emperor had not forgotten him before his death, he said,""Your Majesty, please be at ease. Dai will definitely be loyal to the country and will not disappoint Your Majesty.”
The Emperor nodded and called his two sons over. He instructed,""Zhen is about to pass away. The three of you brothers must serve the prime minister as your father in the future. Remember not to betray him!”The King of Lu, Liu Yong, and the King of Liang, Liu Li, cried bitterly and kowtowed to Zhuge Liang."Prime Minister!" Zhuge Liang was already so touched that he didn't know what to do. When he saw the two kings kowtowing to him, he quickly helped them up and knelt in front of the Emperor at the same time."Your Majesty! I have received Your Majesty's great kindness, and I will certainly repay you with my dogs and horses!”
"Zilong," the Emperor called again,"Uncle has arrived.”
Zhao Yun and Chen Dao quickly walked over and knelt on the ground, saying,"Your Majesty, I'm here, I'm here!”
The Emperor grabbed Zhao Yun's hand tightly and said to Zhao Yun and Chen Dao,""I have been through thick and thin with the two of you for many years and have never betrayed you. Now that I am about to die, I hope that the two of you will do your best to assist the young master and teach him sooner or later.”Zhao Yun and Chen Dao replied at the same time,"Your Majesty, please be at ease. I will definitely do my best."”
The Emperor took out an imperial edict from the inside of the dragon bed and handed it to Prime Minister Zhuge Liang. He said,""Prime Minister, after I die, all major matters will be decided by the Prime Minister. This is my last decree. I hope the Prime Minister will not disobey!”After saying that, he turned to the officials and said," I have already entrusted the Crown Prince and the state affairs to the Prime Minister. You all need to do your best to assist the Prime Minister and restore the Great Han Dynasty!”
"We have received the decree!"”
The Emperor laughed thrice and lay flat on the dragon couch. He looked out the window and saw the two of them standing outside the window. The Emperor shouted,""Second brother, third brother, I'm here!”
As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, the left hand holding Zhuge Liang suddenly dropped. Zhuge Liang was shocked. Yang Zhen quickly looked over and saw the Emperor lying peacefully on the bed with his eyes closed and a smile on his lips. Then, Zhuge Liang let out a heart-wrenching scream,""Your Majesty!"
The ministers had already realized it and all knelt on the ground, crying together,"Your Majesty!"
Yang Zhen fell to his knees with a thud. Looking at the white-haired Emperor with his eyes closed peacefully, his heart shattered.
Zhuge Liang shouted,"His Majesty is dead!"”
On the tenth day of the sixth month of the third year of Zhangwu of the Great Han Dynasty (223 AD), Emperor Liu Bei of the Great Han Dynasty died in Yong 'an Palace at the age of 63. He was known as Emperor Zhaolie in history.
When the emperor died, Prime Minister Zhuge Liang led his ministers to carry the coffin west to the capital to mourn. According to the will of the late Emperor, the Prime Minister left Li Yan and 50,000 soldiers to guard Yong 'an. The rest of the civil and military officials followed the Prime Minister back to the capital.
Yang Zhen was the commandant of the central army, but he still commanded the White Ears under Chen Dao. The White Ears were the Emperor's personal guards, and they followed Zhuge Liang back to the capital. The road from Yong 'an to Chengdu was difficult, but the Prime Minister ordered the ministers and the army to travel day and night. They finally returned to Chengdu five days later.
When they arrived in Chengdu, the Crown Prince had already led the officials who stayed behind to welcome the coffin. They placed the coffin in the main hall and officially held the national funeral. After the ceremony, Zhuge Liang read out the edict,"When I first got sick, I only had diarrhea. After I reincarnated, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to help myself. I've heard that fifty years old is not considered a short life. Now I am more than sixty years old. What regret do I have after death? I just miss you and your brother. Work hard! Work hard! Do not do evil because it is small, and do not do good because it is small. Only the wise and the virtuous can convince others. Your father's virtue is not enough to imitate. You and the prime minister are engaged in business, serve him like a father, do not slack off! Don't forget! Your brothers ask for more advice. Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
After reading the edict, Zhuge Liang led his ministers to kowtow to the Crown Prince and said in a clear voice,"The previous emperor has passed away, and the entire country is in pain. However, the country cannot be without a master for a day. Crown Prince, please ascend the throne today to continue the Han Dynasty!”The ministers all said in unison,"Your Highness, please ascend the throne today to continue the Han Dynasty!"”
Therefore, Prince Liu Chan ascended the throne and became emperor. He changed the year title to Jianxing and granted Prime Minister Zhuge Liang the title of Marquis of Wuxiang and concurrently served as the herdsman of Yizhou. He buried the late emperor in Huiling and gave him the posthumous title of Emperor Zhaolie. Empress Wu was honored as Empress Dowager, Mrs. Gan was posthumously named Empress Zhaolie, and Mrs. Mi was also posthumously named Empress. He rewarded his ministers and granted amnesty to the world.
Yang Zhen had no complaints because the former emperor often served around him before his death. The new emperor ascended the throne and was appointed as a lieutenant of the central army because of his merit.
During the first month of the national mourning period, Yang Zhen often led the White-Eared Soldiers to guard the palace. During the morning court session, he often lined up in the main hall with his squad, and many of the civil and military officials saw him. Yang Zhen often observed the officials, but he had never heard them talk about Wei Yan. One morning, he suddenly heard the Prime Minister say,""Your Majesty! Wei Yan, the general of the North and the prefect of Hanzhong, has been guarding Hanzhong for several years. He has worked hard and made great contributions. I hope Your Majesty will issue an edict to reward him!”
The Emperor said," Prime Minister, you're right. But I don't know how to reward Wei Yan. Please decide!"”
Zhuge Liang said,"He can be conferred the title of Marquis of Duting and given a hundred taels of gold to show his merit."”
"We'll do as Prime Minister says," the Emperor said. Wei Yan, the general of the North town, has made great contributions to guarding Hanzhong. He is specially rewarded with 100 taels of gold and granted the title of Marquis of Duting.”
Zhuge Liang said,"Your Majesty, Hanzhong is far from the capital. We need to send a minister to issue an edict to show Your Majesty's great kindness!"”
"Prime Minister, you have a point," the Emperor said."I just don't know who to send."”
"You can send…" Zhuge Liang replied.
"Your Majesty! I'm willing to go!" Before Zhuge Liang could finish his words, he was interrupted by someone. The Emperor and Zhuge Liang both glanced at the person. It was Yang Zhen, the lieutenant of the Central Army who was standing not far from the Emperor's right.
A person walked out of the official seats and pointed at Yang Zhen angrily."How dare you! How dare you, petty officials, interrupt the Prime Minister's words!”
Yang Zhen looked over and recognized this person. It was Ma Su, who was now General Fuyuan. Yang Zhen hurriedly kowtowed to the Emperor and said," Your Majesty, you are wise. This humble subject has no such intentions. I hope Your Majesty will understand!"”
"General Ma," the Emperor said,"Lieutenant Yang blurted out in a moment of desperation. He is proud and courageous. His spirit is commendable." Father Xiang, what do you think?"
Zhuge Liang smiled and said," Your Majesty, since Commandant Yang is in a hurry, I won't pursue the matter. It's just that this is the only time.”
"I'll do as you say, Prime Minister!" the Emperor said. Yang Zhen!"
"Your humble subject is here!" Yang Zhen said.
The Emperor said," Since you have volunteered, I will grant your request. I order you to bring my edict to Hanzhong to issue the decree. There must be no mistakes!"”
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Yang Zhen kowtowed.”
The Emperor asked Yang Zhen to stand up and ordered a chamberlain to pass the imperial edict to Yang Zhen. He immediately ordered Yang Zhen to set off.
Yang Zhen took the imperial edict and bid farewell to the Emperor and Zhuge Liang. He glanced at Ma Su and saw him glaring at him. Yang Zhen ignored him and strode out of the hall. Yang Zhen carried the emperor's order and asked for horses from the army. He immediately set off, leaving Chengdu in a flash and heading for Hanzhong.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。