Chapter 629

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“Yes, this subordinate will go back and arrange this matter.”

Fei Ji’s eyes held a hint of a smile, a self-satisfied smile that came from his suggestion being taken seriously.

On the matter of the powerful families, his suggestion had gained Xiao Ming’s approval, which for Xiao Ming, was undoubtedly a recognition of his ability.

From serving Xiao Wenxuan to serving Xiao Ming, the person he served had changed, and he naturally wanted to prove his extraordinary talent to Xiao Ming.

Xiao Ming nodded upon hearing this. He said, “The enthronement ceremony will be one month from now. This month is enough time for you to spread the news of my ascension to the other vassal princes. We can use the enthronement as an opportunity to test their reactions.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Pang Yukun and Fei Ji both nodded. Before the enthronement ceremony, they still had many matters to handle.

Having finished speaking, the two were about to leave. At this moment, Fei Ji suddenly remembered the matter of the King of Chu. He said to Xiao Ming, “Your Highness, a strange thing happened before I came to Qingzhou.”

“Tell me about it,” Xiao Ming was in a good mood these past two days.

“The King of Chu’s fleet once appeared outside Jinling City, and on the ships, we also saw Western missionaries,” Fei Ji said.

“Western missionaries?” Xiao Ming showed an interested expression. He said, “Wang Xuan said that the King of Chu had contact with the French. Now, it seems this contact is quite deep.”

“The King of Chu’s army has occupied Guangzhou. It is said that many Western merchants and missionaries live in Guangzhou. Perhaps these are not Frenchmen,” Fei Ji mused.

“No matter where these missionaries are from, in any case, this is not a good thing for us.” Xiao Ming frowned. In Xiao Ming’s opinion, the King of Chu’s acceptance of firearms surpassed that of other vassal princes.

Just as the Qing Dynasty was severely taught a lesson by Western powers, the King of Chu was also severely taught a lesson by the Dutch. Now, it was unknown what psychological changes the stimulated King of Chu would undergo.

In other words, the current King of Chu might be more willing to accept change. This was also a habit he had developed from dealing with the Dutch. And it was precisely because of this habit that he probably established relations with the French so quickly, instead of putting on airs of a celestial empire and cursing them as barbarians.

Now, with the north unsettled, and the state unable to look south, Fei Ji frowned and said, “Your Highness, I believe that Prince Zhao is a threat, and now it seems that the King of Chu is also not simple.”

Xiao Ming looked south, his gaze profound. He wasn’t worried about the King of Chu causing too much trouble.

Because now, even with French assistance to the King of Chu, Chu would not be able to catch up with Qingzhou’s level of industrialization, and the essence of war in the Age of Exploration was nothing more than a competition of industrial capability.

Moreover, if the French participated in the Great Yu Empire’s internal strife, he would then have a reason to deal with Annam.

“The King of Chu in the south, Prince Zhao in the north. Imperial Mother said Imperial Father always had reservations about them. Now it seems that’s true. But even if the King of Chu cooperates with the French, he won’t rashly tear up the alliance. He still has many goods he hasn’t received. While this is happening, I must unify the north as quickly as possible,” Xiao Ming said calmly.

“Your Highness, as long as you adhere to the policies towards the powerful families in Wei, then once the armies of Prince Yan and Prince Liang are defeated, the powerful families of Yan and Liang will rush to pledge their loyalty to Your Highness,” Fei Ji said confidently.

Xiao Ming nodded. Fei Ji’s idea was tantamount to reducing the difficulty of unification from high to low. Of course, everything comes at a price, and in this way, the problem of the powerful families remained.

After discussing the situation in Wei, Xiao Ming began to discuss the details of the enthronement ceremony with the two. A prominent issue now was that Qingzhou had no imperial palace.

And building an imperial palace in a month was clearly impossible. The three discussed and decided to hold the enthronement ceremony at the Qingzhou government office.

Compared to Prince Qi’s mansion, the Qingzhou government office was much larger and divided into front and back halls. The back hall could be used as a temporary court.

Besides the court for political discussions, there were also various troublesome issues like arranging for the late emperor’s concubines. Xiao Ming was also at a loss about this and simply handed the matter over to Imperial Concubine Zhen.

These concubines, relying on their seniority, might be somewhat dissatisfied with his arrangements, but with Imperial Concubine Zhen personally handling it, they would have to endure even if they had opinions. After all, Imperial Concubine Zhen would become the Grand Empress Dowager after he ascended the throne.

Having settled these detailed matters, the two left the princely estate.

Fei Ji, being proficient in the procedures of the enthronement ceremony, would be responsible for arranging the entire sequence of the enthronement during this month, while Pang Yukun would only be responsible for conveying the news of Xiao Ming’s enthronement to the other vassal princes.

…

Five days later, Jizhou.

Prince Yong fell silent after seeing off the envoy from Qingzhou.

Princess Yong, seeing Prince Yong’s state, asked in confusion, “Your Highness, what on earth happened?”

“Xiao Ming is preparing to ascend the throne. The Imperial Brother really gave him the imperial edict,” Prince Yong sighed slowly.

Princess Yong gently shook her head. She said, “During the chaos in Chang’an, I already said that His Majesty would surely pass the throne to Xiao Ming. Now, which other imperial prince in this world can turn the tide?”

“Princess Consort has always been intelligent, and she guessed right again this time. If it weren’t for Princess Consort’s help all these years, with my reckless nature, I would have lost my life long ago,” Prince Yong said, his eyes filled with affection as he looked at Princess Yong.

Princess Yong showed a faint smile. It was widely known that Prince Yong had a volatile temper, but what others didn’t know was that he exclusively doted on her.

“Then what does Your Highness plan to do?” Princess Yong asked.

Thinking of this, Prince Yong’s face showed a hint of fear. “The Third Imperial Brother is already dead, and he was no match for Xiao Ming. How could I be Xiao Ming’s match? Moreover, I promised Imperial Brother that no matter who ascended the throne, I would be loyal to the imperial family.”

“Your Highness is absolutely right,” Princess Yong held Prince Yong’s hand. “In that case, we might have to make a trip to show our sincerity when Xiao Ming ascends the throne this time.”

Prince Yong nodded. “Now that Xiao Ming has Wei, plus my own state, he essentially occupies half of the northern territory. This makes stabilizing the north much simpler.”

“Your Highness, you are mistaken. Is not the King of Kang’s state also in Xiao Ming’s hands? Now, Xiao Ming commands the strength of four states,” Princess Yong said with a smile.

At the same time, the envoy from Qingzhou was driven out of Bozhou City by Prince Yan.

Inside Prince Yan’s mansion, Prince Yan was furious.

“Xiao Ming, you little brat! Do you really think this world still belongs to the Great Yu Empire? Do you think this realm will forever be dictated by your Xiao family?” Prince Yan roared.

The officials and generals in the princely mansion were all silent, no one daring to provoke him at this moment.

After venting his anger, Prince Yan sneered, “He wants to ascend the throne, doesn’t he? I will give him a surprise. Generals, listen to my command! Immediately gather the army! It’s clear that Xiao Ming isn’t prepared to hand over Wei. I don’t believe he can stop the allied forces of Yan, Zhao, and Liang.”