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墨書 Inktalez
"Ashe," she said, feeling utterly embarrassed, "What nonsense are you spouting? Whether you keep your virtue or not has nothing to do with me."
The Barbarian King was jolted awake by Ashe's sharp reprimand and instantly realized his blunder. He awkwardly replied, "It was just a moment of excitement; I couldn't help myself."
Everyone burst into laughter; the Barbarian King was simply too amusing.
After the laughter subsided, no one brought up the topic again. They all held a certain admiration for Zhao Xin, the grandson of Zhao Yun.
At least from his performance earlier, despite his young age, he already displayed impressive strength. Given time, he would undoubtedly become a legendary figure.
Just as everyone was preparing to leave the square and return to the palace, a messenger hurriedly approached Liu Shan and reported, "Your Majesty, Zhuge Liang has returned to the capital. The army is now outside the city. Would you like to meet with him?"
Liu Shan glanced at Ashe, seemingly waiting for her decision. After all, they had already agreed that persuading Zhuge Liang was Ashe's responsibility.
Ashe nodded calmly and said in a serious tone, "Alright, I'll go speak with him. You all head back to the palace and prepare for the Abdication Ceremony; I'll handle the rest."
Master Yi asked in confusion, "Isn't this a bit rushed? It might not be good."
"We don't need to make a big fuss; we must swiftly resolve the Abdication. While Cao Wei and Sun Wu haven't reacted yet, we have our chance," Li Hong replied solemnly.
There was no other choice; after all, it was their ascension to the throne. A grand ceremony would have been ideal, but given the significant drawbacks of such an approach, they had to forgo it.
Once they had settled on their plan, Ashe led Liu Shan toward the city gates. She needed to represent the Old Liu Family in front of Zhuge Liang, as any opposition from him would render their discussions meaningless.
Upon entering the palace, the eunuchs and maidservants were already bustling about. The grand hall had been solemnly decorated for the occasion.
After all, it was a simplified version of the Abdication Ceremony, so there weren't many steps to follow. As long as the ministers were summoned later and Li Hong donned the imperial robe for the ritual, it would signify the completion of the ceremony.
In fact, there wasn't much to fuss about. According to Li Hong's thoughts, these formalities could be discarded. After all, the Old Liu Family had no objections; whether or not this ceremony took place was of little consequence to them. However, given that this was the Three Kingdoms World, these tedious procedures were still regarded as quite important.
If it weren't for the unanimous opposition from everyone, this ceremony could have dragged on for several nights. Now, only summoning the ministers and performing the ritual remained, which was already extremely simplified.
Soon, Zhuge Liang entered the grand hall wearing a scholar's robe and holding an eagle feather fan, his expression dim. It was evident that he was quite dissatisfied with the situation, but since this was a suggestion from the Old Liu Family, he felt powerless to change it.
Currently, Zhuge Liang only hoped that Li Hong, this new Boss, would be more capable and not as ineffective as Liu Shan had been. He couldn't expect much more than that.
Upon seeing Li Hong seated high on the Throne, Zhuge Liang reluctantly nodded without offering any greeting.
Li Hong had no objections either; it was already a pleasant surprise that Zhuge Liang tacitly accepted his usurpation. He certainly couldn't expect him to immediately switch sides.
Shortly after Zhuge Liang's arrival, the ministers of the Shu Kingdom followed closely behind into the grand hall.
Compared to others, these individuals were completely unaware of what was happening. So when they entered the hall and saw Li Hong sitting on the throne, they nearly fainted from shock.
If it weren't for seeing Zhuge Liang and Liu Shan standing in the hall, they might have collapsed right then and there.
"What is going on here?"
"Why has His Majesty changed?"
"……"
The ministers murmured below, pointing at Li Hong.
After all, Zhuge Liang was the foremost civil minister, and as the Chancellor, he needed to step forward to support his new boss and maintain some semblance of order.
"Silence! The court is in chaos; what kind of decorum is this?"
Zhuge Liang's long-standing authority took effect immediately, and the ministers fell silent in an instant.
However, despite the silence, confusion and disbelief were evident in the eyes of the officials. Li Hong observed everything happening in the hall.
But he did nothing; it was not yet his time to speak.
Soon, when all the court officials had gathered, Zhuge Liang stepped out of the line and proclaimed loudly, "Today, Emperor Liu Shan of Han feels unworthy and lacking in virtue. Fearing that the Three Kingdoms will descend into chaos and that the people will suffer, he has chosen to retreat to Chengdu for contemplation and prayer. This position shall be passed on to Li Hong. Let all bear witness: Great Han of Abundant Blessings!"
Zhuge Liang recited a chaotic proclamation, leaving the ministers stunned and trembling. They looked at Zhuge Liang with disbelief, unable to fathom that the esteemed Chancellor would make such a jest.
Once Zhuge Liang finished his proclamation, Emperor Liu Shan—oh no, the former Emperor Liu Shan—began to endorse everything Zhuge Liang had said. In Li Hong's words, Liu Shan had decided he no longer wished to play; it was up to them how they wanted to proceed!
Overall, Li Hong's summary was quite accurate; after all, Liu Shan was an incompetent individual who could only come up with such statements.
As soon as these words were spoken, the ministers were taken aback. The emperor himself had acknowledged this matter; it was clear that this was no joke.
However, what puzzled them was why a stranger like Li Hong was ascending to the throne. Liu Shan’s abdication seemed reasonable enough; after all, he had inherited his position from his father Liu Bei and had the support of various ministers from the Shu Han court. Coupled with his identity as a descendant of the Han royal family, he could also garner support from the populace. This indicated that Liu Shan's abdication was not forced like that of Han Xian Di by Cao Pi but rather a voluntary decision.
What schemes lay behind this situation? Even if they racked their brains, they could not figure it out.
Unable to comprehend the reasons behind the abdication, they could only speculate about Li Hong's background.
Li Hong's ascension to the throne left them incredulous. Even if Zhuge Liang had risen up and seized the Liu Clan's empire, these ministers would not have been as shocked. Yet, it was not Zhuge Liang or Fa Zheng who took the throne, but a complete stranger who had never appeared in the Shu Han court. This was remarkable! The ministers were utterly baffled.
However, it didn't matter that they were confused; each of them was astute enough to sense that there were unspeakable secrets at play. Since the decision had already been made, their objections would hold no weight, so it was better to remain silent.
That said, these ministers did harbor grievances. "Damn it, an abdication is an abdication, yet you just accepted it? Isn't this supposed to involve three refusals and three invitations? You just agreed without a second thought, making us feel utterly insignificant!"
"The ministers have no objections, so from today onward, I shall be the Seasonal Han New Emperor," Li Hong declared.
This had all been prearranged; after all, Li Hong didn't understand the intricacies and was just going along with it. Anyone who dared to voice dissent would be dragged out and executed. Once a few were executed, no one would dare oppose him anymore.
However, what Li Hong did not anticipate was that these individuals were all cunning and shrewd; no one stepped forward to object. It left him in an awkward position where he couldn't even carry out his threat of execution!
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