The moment the new posthumous title was announced, the Empress Dowager fell silent, and the court officials standing behind her followed suit.
Zhu Qiyu let out a breath of relief.
The new Emperor ascended the throne on the first day of the tenth month, changed the era name to Jingtai, and decided to begin using the new era name at the start of the new year.
On the second day after his accession, the new Emperor formally issued an edict honoring Pan Yun, a Daoist of Mount Sanqing, as Imperial Preceptor. He ordered her to perform rites for the late Emperor's passage and pray for blessings upon the realm.
No one had expected that the Emperor's first edict after ascending the throne would not reward meritorious officials, nor deal with the officials who had accompanied the imperial campaign, much less confer the title of Empress. It was to appoint an Imperial Preceptor.
Even Yu Qian had not expected it.
He had thought the Emperor would at least wait until the matters at hand were settled and the court had stabilized before bestowing honors upon Pan Yun.
If the court were stable, why would I need to appoint Pan Yun?
It was precisely because the court was unstable, the former court and the inner palace were locked in endless disputes, and Zhu Qiyu was becoming Emperor for the first time with both eyes in the dark that he needed to rely more heavily on Pan Yun.
Since Pan Yun had foreseen that he would become Emperor, could she not foresee other things as well?
Foreknowledge could help one avoid many mistakes.
At first, Zhu Qiyu had feared that Pan Yun might use him for selfish gain. Yet ever since she entered the palace, she had rarely taken the initiative to discuss