On the fifth day of April 17th year of Chongzhen, three days earlier than the original history, Huai'an Governor Lu Zhenfei received a report from Tang, and Shenjing fell.

After discussing with Zhu Cixuan, Lu Zhenfei announced the news to local officials and gentry and informed officials from the six ministries of Nanjing.

Originally, Lu Zhenfei wanted to block the news, so he just asked his servants to go to Nanjing News and Shi Kefa, but was rejected by Zhu Cixuan.

Since the Shenjing has fallen, it will be a matter of time before the news reaches the south. At this time, blocking the news is not only useless, but will instead make local officials and gentry afraid and cause many unnecessary troubles.

A few days later, news came that Emperor Chongzhen had hanged himself in Coal Mountain, and the royal family such as Yong and Ding were also captured by the thieves. Fortunately, His Highness, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, successfully crossed south and had arrived in Huai'an.

The news was also spread out in a key way, which made the officials of the six Nanjing ministries in despair see a glimmer of hope.

Zhu Cixuan was mentally prepared for the news that Shenjing fell and Chongzhen had committed suicide, but Lu Zhenfei and others were unable to accept it for a while. If they had not been in charge of the overall situation, they would have collapsed.

It happened that at this time, King Fu Zhu Yousong, King Lu Zhu Changxi, King Zhou and King Heng fled to Huai'an and temporarily lived in Xihuzui, Huai'an city. Zhu Cixuan summoned them to discuss the matter of ascending the throne in Nanjing.

These vassal kings were all surprised to learn that the East Palace was in Huai'an. The two popular candidates of the historical relay regime, Zhu Yousong, and Zhu Changqing, both firmly supported the prince's succession to the throne, without the face of political speculators.

Zhu Cixuan issued another order, ordering people to send them to Nanjing and hand them over to Shi Kefa.

As the Minister of War in Nanjing, Shi Kefa was the highest-ranking civil servant among Liudu. Zhu Cilang wanted to go to Nanjing to reign, so he naturally wanted to find him.

Shi Kefa was so excited when he received the order from Zhu Cilang. He was originally an advocate for the prince's reign. Now that the prince is really moving south, he will naturally support him without hesitation.

Shi Kefa immediately convened officials from six ministries to discuss the specific plans and details of the prince's visit to Nanjing.

Until this time, Ma Shiying, the Governor of Fengyang, had just learned that the prince was in Huai'an.

He couldn't help but be furious and was very dissatisfied with Lu Zhenfei's "deception" behavior.

However, the prince was quite dependent on Lu Zhenfei at this moment, so he didn't want to say much, so he just clicked some satellites to come to Huai'an to protect his car at night.

Ma Shiying, who had achieved success in history through the achievements of the decision-making strategy, could not even drink soup. The Minister of War Shi Kefa and the Minister of Rites Wang Duo took the lead and arrived in Huai'an on April 13th, while Ma Shiying arrived outside Huai'an on April 14th.

Zhu Cilang has no good feelings for this political speculator, but he can't even say he hates it.

Some people say that Ma Shiying is a eunuch party, and it is labeled as a big eunuch party. In fact, this is the result of the political struggle. It is too forced to say that Ma Shiying is a eunuch party.

But since Ma Shiying has been labeled as a eunuch party, Zhu Cixuan can use this to check and balance the court.

After all, the background of the Lin Dang, the middle east official of the six officials of Nanjing, was too strong, so there was still some balance.

On April 15, accompanied by Shi Kefa, Minister of War, Minister of Rites, Wang Duo, Governor of Fengyang, Ma Shiying, and Governor of Huai'an, Zhu Cixuan officially set off from Huai'an for Nanjing.

On April 18, the prince's boat arrived at Yanziji outside Nanjing. All the left-behind officials and gentry from Nanjing were present to welcome him.

Zhu Cixuan did not go directly to the city, but went to pay homage to Xiaoling first.

The Jiashen Kingdom changed, and the emperor hanged himself in Coal Mountain. At this time, the prince's visit to Xiaoling Mausoleum naturally had a different meaning.

The officials and gentry with a keen sense of smell all felt that His Highness the Crown Prince had a strong murderous intent, and I am afraid that Nanjing City will not be calm in the near future.

After visiting Xiaoling, Zhu Cilang entered the city from Chaoyangmen on April 20 and was grandly welcomed by the people of Nanjing.

The fall of the Shenjing, and the news of the emperor hanging himself one after another, and countless hazes gathered in their hearts. The arrival of the prince of the East Palace was like a beam of sunshine, dispelling all the hazes.

Zhu Cilang's arrival was too timely. He gave them hope at the most vulnerable moment of the people in Nanjing, allowing these poor people to find their backbone.

For these people, it would be good if there is one person who can stand up and lead them, let alone the Prince of the East Palace with the status of MSI.

Zhu Cixuan originally wanted to live in the inner garrison palace first, but with the insistence of Shi Kefa and others, he moved into the Forbidden City.

He walked through Chengtian Gate and Duan Gate along Qianbulang to the Meridian Gate, and then entered the Meridian Gate through the Meridian Gate under the escort of the Han General.

Most of the civil and military officials who accompanied him stopped here, while the six important officials of Shi Kefa and other ministries detoured by the Donghua Gate. There was no way to do this. The Meridian Gate only serves the emperor and the prince to travel. Except for the special circumstances, most civil and military officials come in and out of the East and West China.

Zhu Cilang intended to summon Shi Kefa and others in Wenhua Palace, so it was the most convenient for them to enter the palace from Donghua Gate.

The construction of the Forbidden City in Nanjing was during the Hongwu period. Later, Chengzu Zhu Di launched the Jingnan Dynasty and seized the country of his nephew, Emperor Jianwen, and moved the capital to Beijing.

Nanjing became a politically frustrated official and a place for eunuchs to retire as a place for politically frustrated officials.

There are still people working in the six government offices in Nanjing, but the Forbidden City is undoubtedly free. Over time, the wind and rain are not under maintenance, and most of the palaces and pavilions in the Forbidden City have become dilapidated.

These include the three halls of Fengtian Hall, Huagai Hall and Jinshen Hall.

This is also the reason why Zhu Cixuan decided to convene Shi Kefa and others in Wenhua Hall. Wenhua Hall is relatively dilapidated and not as obvious as the three major halls, and there is no need to repair it for the time being.

All the officials who were summoned by Liudu were important officials. They had previously understood the spirit of Shi Kefa and knew that the Crown Prince's meaning was to keep everything simple in the throne ceremony.

But as ministers, they could not make the new emperor's ascension ceremony shabby.

As soon as they entered the Wenhua Hall, they pushed the Jinshan Mountain and fell down their jade pillars and knelt down, crying loudly and begged the crown prince to hold the throne ceremony according to the customs of the ancestors.

Zhu Cilang looked at Shi Kefa, and when he saw that he was silent, he understood that Shi Kefa thought so.

Zhu Cixuan knew that these civil servants regarded Taoism more important than anything else and would never give in to the throne ceremony, so he agreed to the plan they designed in advance.

On April 25, Zhu Cilang held a ceremony of ascension in Fengtian Hall, officially ascended the throne, and changed the next year to the first year of Hongye. He ordered the subjects across the country to mourn for twenty-seven months according to the ancestral system. Zhu Cilang appointed Shi Kefa, the former Secretary of the Ministry of War of Nanjing, as the Grand Secretary of the Zhongji Hall, and the chief assistant of the cabinet. Zhang Shenyan was the Minister of Personnel, Liu Zongzhou was the Minister of Rites, Gao Hongtu was the Minister of Works, Wang Duo, the former Secretary of Rites, Ma Shiying, the Governor of Fengyang, as the Minister of Justice, and Jiang Yueguang, the former Secretary of the Zhanshifu, as the Minister of Revenue. Jiang Yueguang, and Liu Zongzhou all added the title of Grand Secretary of the Dongge to the cabinet to handle affairs.

There was no objection to these personnel appointments. What surprised the ministers was that the former governor of Huai'an Lu Zhenfei was appointed as the Minister of War by the new emperor, and the Grand Secretary of the East Pavilion was appointed as the cabinet for services.

Lu Zhenfei's strong rise also caused the originally calm court to surge undercurrents.

......
Chapter completed!