Chapter 725: Hint of Ascension
Chapter 725: Hint of Ascension
Although Xiao Xia's family had lived in Jiangdu Palace, everyone was still stunned when they entered the Luoyang Palace. The size and magnificence of the Luoyang Palace was beyond everyone's expectations.
Emperor Yang Guang's generosity and luxury were fully reflected in the imperial palace.
Any small palace area is larger than the back garden of Jiangdu Palace, not to mention there are hundreds of such palace areas, with various pavilions and towers, magnificent and gorgeous. Each building is magnificent, which makes everyone amazed.
Moreover, there are gardens and lawns between the buildings, as well as patches of woods, winding rivers, exquisite bridges, and groups of elk grazing leisurely on the grass. The entire palace is like a huge garden, as if people are walking in a painting.
When they arrived at Ningbi Pond, everyone's eyes lit up. A vast lake with clear green water appeared before them. Suddenly, the children screamed in excitement. They saw schools of foot-long fish swimming in the water.
What is even more exciting is that there are two small islands in the lake. The islands are covered with dense shade and each has a palace and attic, just like the Penglai Fairy Island. One of the islands is very large, with a narrow tree-lined driveway on each side connecting to the land.
It was Empress Dowager Xiao who led the way. This place was once her home and she was familiar with everything here. She saw that everyone liked the fairy island in the lake, so she smiled and said, "The fairy island in the lake is habitable. It is very cool to live on the island in the midsummer. Especially in the summer in Luoyang, it is not stuffy and humid. It is indeed a good place to escape the summer heat."
"Will there be a lot of mosquitoes in summer?" Lu Xieting asked.
Empress Xiao nodded. "This problem was already taken into consideration when the island was first built. Many plants on the island are mosquito-repellent. There are a large number of fish in the surrounding water, so mosquito larvae cannot survive. In addition, the island is strictly managed and there are no puddles. So in the summer, when the windows are opened for ventilation, there are basically no mosquitoes coming in."
At this time, Cui Yu said: "My dear mother, His Highness wants us to live together as a family and not separate. I think Cuijing Terrace by the lake is nice, so let's stay there first!"
Empress Dowager Xiao nodded, "Okay, you decide for yourselves. I've always lived in Anfu Palace and I'm used to it. It's only one mile away from Cuijing Terrace, so it's convenient for us to travel back and forth."
Empress Dowager Xiao was a smart person. She would not seize the leadership of the palace from Princess Cui Yu. She had her own territory, so she took her eldest son Yang Zhao and three grandsons to Anfu Palace.
Xiao Xia and his family moved into Cuijingtai, which is also a palace complex, covering an area of dozens of acres. The main building is called Cuijingtai, a six-story octagonal pavilion. It looks quite similar to the Yellow Crane Tower, but is larger and more magnificent. There are auxiliary buildings around it, and hundreds of auxiliary rooms. It is a completely independent living residence.
Of course, many rules changed after moving into the palace. The former butler, groom, coachman, gardener, pageboy, and more than 20 other male servants as well as maids, cooks, and healthy women did not move to Beijing. Cui Yu gave each of them a generous severance pay and helped them find other jobs. Butler Tian also went to live with his son to live out his retirement.
A hundred female guards and a hundred palace maids followed them into the capital, and personal maids also came to the palace.
Considering that the whole family was unfamiliar with the palace, Cui Yu followed her husband's arrangement and the whole family moved into the main building of Cuijingtai, with each person having a floor and each floor having more than a dozen rooms.
Cui Yu stood in front of the window on the fourth floor, looking at the lake and feeling the breeze on his face, and couldn't help feeling relaxed and happy.
"His Highness is here!" a maid reminded in a low voice.
Cui Yu turned around and saw her husband coming in. She smiled and said, "This building is very nice, with beautiful scenery. I like it very much!"
Xiao Xia also smiled and said, "I also fell in love with this place at first sight. I think you will definitely like it, but this is only temporary. After a few months, when you are familiar with each other, you should slowly disperse. There are many small palaces around, and they are very close. If everyone has a small palace and their own territory, it will definitely be more comfortable."
Xiao Xia said it very subtly. The key point was that "everyone has their own territory", which reminded Cui Yu. Cui Yu nodded. She understood what her husband meant. She would be the queen in the future, not the mistress.
"My dear husband, I want to ask you, should the late emperor's mausoleum be moved back?"
Yang Guang's remains had been brought back to Jiangdu by Xiao Xia for burial. Xiao Xia pondered for a moment and said, "His remains have been moved once, so don't disturb them again. Building a mausoleum for him in Luoyang will make it last longer." Yang Guang's tomb was excavated by archaeologists in later generations, and his bones were still preserved. The key point was that he was buried simply, with almost no burial objects, so tomb robbers were not interested. Compared with the ancient emperors' tombs where no remains were left, Yang Guang was still lucky. Xiao Xia decided to keep the mausoleum in Jiangdu.
In the afternoon, the whole family had a happy dinner together, which was considered as a welcome dinner for moving to the new home.
Xiao Xia moved the ruling center back to Luoyang, especially moving his entire family into the palace. This was actually a kind of usurpation, but what? The emperor was dead, and they did not recognize the emperor in Chang'an. The Sui Dynasty currently had no nominal emperor, but there was an actual emperor, that is, the regent Xiao Xia.
Therefore, Xiao Xia's family moving into the palace was itself a test. Once no one objected, it would mean that everything would be done smoothly.
The next morning, Xiao Xia invited Xiao Cong to the temporary government office. Xiao Xia smiled and asked, "Are you satisfied with the new house, Mr. Prime Minister?"
Xiao Cong's mansion was his official residence when he was prime minister in Luoyang. Xiao Xia returned it to Xiao Cong.
Xiao Cong quickly bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your careful arrangements. This has allowed me to live in my old house again. I am very satisfied."
Xiao Xia nodded and asked with a smile: "My family has also moved into the palace. Is there any discussion outside?"
Xiao Cong waved his hands and said: "Your Highness is popular and no one will criticize you. Please rest assured, Your Highness!"
Xiao Xia groaned for a moment and said, "That's what I said, but it still doesn't make sense!"
Xiao Cong finally understood that the Prince of Jin wanted to ascend the throne and wanted him to propose this matter. He cursed himself for being so confused. He thought for a moment and said, "Does Your Highness have a timetable?"
Xiao Xia said slowly: "I plan to go to Hedong next month to seize Hedong Road and destroy the Wagang Army. I will prepare for it for a few months here and do something big by the end of the year. The time is just right."
Xiao Cong immediately found Gao Jiong, who was also moving. When he heard that Xiao Cong had an urgent matter to visit him, he quickly asked the housekeeper to invite Xiao Cong to the VIP hall. Not long after, Gao Jiong hurried over.
The two sat down, and Xiao Cong smiled bitterly and said, "We didn't realize it yet. His Highness has let his family live in the palace. He wants to take the throne."
Gao Jiong was old, almost eighty years old, and he no longer had the energy to handle government affairs, but Xiao Xia treated him well and still gave him the treatment of a prime minister. He also gave him the title of Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion, which actually meant he was the emperor's staff advisor.
The same is true for Xiao Cong. He is also nearly seventy years old and is also named Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion.
Gao Ying responded quickly, "Has His Highness come to see you?"
Xiao Cong nodded, "Just now, he hoped to live in the palace legitimately, asked me to propose it, and then gave me a timetable. He wanted to lead the army to conquer Hedong, and hoped to ascend the throne by the end of the year."
Gao Jiong was overjoyed. He had long ago advised Xiao Xia to ascend the throne. He hoped to see the revival of the Sui Dynasty during his lifetime so that the efforts of him and the previous emperor would be worthwhile.
"It seems that Your Highness wants to use the seizure of Hedong Road to prove that he is the common ruler of the world. Tomorrow, our Council of State will hold a special meeting to discuss this matter and prepare for the coronation ceremony."
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[An elder relative from my hometown will come to Suzhou tomorrow. I will pick him up in a car and have a meal. I will take one day off at noon. I really have no choice. Please understand. I will update twice today! ]
(End of this chapter)