Chapter 497: Chapter 245: The Fall of Yue Country_2

Even without being an emperor, they would still be noble aristocrats capable of holding powerful positions in the court, enjoying wealth and influence without reduction.

Given that.

Then for ordinary members of the Xiao clan, or for those of Emperor Hongdao’s lineage, why should they follow a puppet emperor who is about to abdicate for the sake of a false name and put their lives at risk?

Isn’t it better to maintain the current convention?

Even if they abdicate today, they will still have opportunities in the future to regain the throne.

As long as the younger generation of the Xiao family can produce a transcendent figure who can command the world, like their founding ancestors or Shen Qiu today.

Then, it would be easy to repeat today’s story, ask the six surnames and seven families to elect a new leader, and re-ascend the throne.

Isn’t it better for everyone to play the game of election system among aristocratic families in a harmonious way, rather than stubbornly holding the position and making everyone uncomfortable?

Moreover, if the Xiao family really clings to the position, it would break the rules and tacit understanding among the coastal aristocratic families, touching the interests and bottom lines of everyone.

Throughout history, those who go against the interests of most people rarely have good outcomes.

If the Xiao family really does this, do they truly believe that other desperate aristocratic families won’t resort to violence and directly annihilate the Xiao clan?

In the more than two thousand years of history of the Coastal Noble Family, there have been such cases.

There are naturally those within the Xiao family who read historical records diligently and take them as warnings.

So when Emperor Hongdao’s desire to sell out Yue Country in exchange for the continuity of his throne was revealed, actions were taken inside the Xiao clan before the other coastal aristocratic families could react.

Xiao Wen, the head of managing the imperial family, led several princes of the Xiao clan to meet with Emperor Hongdao face to face.

It was rumored that during the meeting, Xiao Wen and the princes directly accused Emperor Hongdao of sacrificing their family’s survival for his own self-interest.

Emperor Hongdao, in turn, blamed them for only considering themselves, disregarding the two-hundred-year foundation of the Xiao family, and violating the principles of loyalty.

Xiao Wen then mocked him directly, asking, was the two-hundred-year foundation more important, or the two-thousand-year foundation? Leaving Emperor Hongdao speechless.

After a heated debate and a big fight, both sides parted ways in anger.

Xiao Wen and other relatives of the Xiao clan, seeing they couldn’t persuade Emperor Hongdao, went straight to General Shen Qiu’s mansion after leaving the palace and met him in person.

Several representatives of the Xiao clan and Shen Qiu, who was about to usurp the Xiao clan’s foundation, had a secret discussion overnight, and no one knows what agreement was reached.

Until the second day.

The news came from the palace that Emperor Hongdao had suddenly fallen ill during the night and was bedridden, unable to attend to affairs.

Xiao Yuanyi, the king of Hailing, was put in charge of the affairs of the entire country.

Xiao Yuanyi was the late emperor’s fifth legitimate son and was appointed as the king of Hailing during his father’s reign.

Theoretically, Xiao Yuanyi’s legitimacy for inheritance was not much weaker than Emperor Hongdao’s.

The clear message from the Xiao clan and Shen Qiu was that if he wouldn’t drink the toast, they wouldn’t hesitate to offer a penalty.

Everyone had already lost patience with this person who wouldn’t abide by the rules.

They prepared to give Emperor Hongdao a dignified end and let him exit gracefully.

As expected.

Less than half a month after Xiao Yuanyi started to govern the country, bad news came from the palace: a plague had broken out in the palace, and several of Emperor Hongdao’s direct descendants had been infected and died in the chaos.

After this plague, Emperor Hongdao’s throne lacked a successor.

Two days later, word came from the palace again that due to the death of his sons, Emperor Hongdao had fallen into severe depression and had been infected with the plague.

The ministers were all shocked when they heard this.

Regent Xiao Yuanyi, ignoring the danger of the plague, personally entered the palace to meet the emperor. When he came out, he confirmed that the emperor had indeed been infected with the plague.

Xiao Wen, the chief of the imperial clan, ordered the imperial physicians to save the emperor at all costs upon hearing the terrible news.

However, the epidemic was truly dangerous. Among the doctors who risked their lives to treat the emperor, two died from contracting the plague.

In the end, they could not save Emperor Hongdao.

On the 5th day of the eighth month in the ninth year of Hongdao’s reign, Emperor Hongdao, who had been bedridden for half a month, passed away in the Hall of Cultural Virtue before the new Mid-Autumn Festival.

This Witchcraft Emperor, who came to power by killing his father through witchcraft, ultimately died of the plague, and his bloodline was cut off without leaving any descendants.

It can’t be denied that this is the retribution of heaven’s cycle; retribution is inevitable.

No one knows how future historians will evaluate this Witchcraft Emperor, who lost four counties of the country and nearly half of the territory during his reign and saw five foreign-ruled feudal states emerge under his rule?

No matter how he is evaluated, one fact is certain.

Emperor Hongdao will bear the blame for the decline and fall of Yue Country.

The Heavenly Son has died, and the people mourn the loss of the nation.

However, there can be no day without the sun, nor a nation without a ruler.

After Emperor Hongdao’s passing, officials grieved incomprehensibly, but Yue Country cannot be without an emperor.

However, due to the recent plague in the palace, all of Emperor Hongdao’s sons had died. After his demise, no one could be found to inherit the throne.

With no other choice, the city officials had to consult with the Xiao clan’s relatives and eventually nominated King Hailing, who was known to be prudent, studious, benevolent, and well-mannered, to be the new emperor.

So on the 6th day of the eighth month in the ninth year of Hongdao’s reign, Xiao Yuanyi, the king of Hailing, officially ascended to the throne in the Jianji Hall and changed the era name to Chengyou, becoming the eighth emperor of Yue Country, Emperor Chengyou.