Chapter 88 Chapter 88 People and things are all the same.

==Chapter 88==

In the imperial study, when Emperor Wenyuan summoned Gu Yu, it was an ordinary day for all the officials in the court.

No one expected that the weather in Otsu Dynasty would suddenly change on this day.

Emperor Wenyuan once again asked Gu Yu, "Who among my sons do you think is most worthy of the position of crown prince?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Yushi opened his robe and knelt down:

"What grave crime have I committed that deserves death?"

When would it be his turn to decide the position of Crown Prince? The so-called Crown Prince, the future Emperor, would be his sovereign. How could he, a subject, choose the sovereign?

There was a moment of silence in the hall, and Emperor Wenyuan directly took the cake at hand and threw it at him:

"Get up, I told you to speak, so just speak."

Gu Yushi stood up, still refusing to speak. He was as stubborn as a stinking stone in a toilet. Emperor Wenyuan was almost amused by him. "Are you going to disobey my order?"

Emperor Wenyuan knew what his concerns were. After a pause, he snorted coldly:

"Only you and I know what happened today. I forgive you."

After saying this, Emperor Wenyuan felt a little angry again, and pointed at Gu Yushi: "Even the ministers don't have this blessing. Don't be so ungrateful after getting such an advantage."

Gu Yushi is a little hard to describe.

Cheap?

He didn't believe that the emperor would be completely unbiased. In this case, if he misjudged the emperor's intention, it would be difficult to end it.

Even if I were to be crowned as a senior official today, I would not be able to speak frankly when facing His Majesty's question.

Gu Yushi did not answer first, but asked first:

"Has His Majesty decided to appoint a crown prince?"

Emperor Wenyuan was silent for a long time before he responded. His voice, full of vicissitudes of life, spread throughout the hall. He said, "I am old now. I must think about who I will pass on this family business to."

Gu Yushi was helpless. Emperor Wenyuan was sometimes very rogue. When he said it was a family business, he was also hinting that he should relax and speak boldly.

"The crown prince has always been the eldest son or the heir apparent."

Emperor Wenyuan frowned.

His eldest son and legitimate son were the same person, Prince Wende, but Prince Wende was already dead.

The third prince is of no use and there is no need to mention him at all.

The second and fourth princes were also demoted to commoners. Next in line were the fifth and sixth princes. Forgive Gu Yushi for being frank, but he actually didn't think either of them was better.

But he couldn't say this so bluntly: "Now that His Majesty has no legitimate heir, we can only rely on our reputation for virtue."

He didn't mention his eldest son at all, and Emperor Wenyuan knew the reason.

To put it bluntly, based on the team that Emperor Wenyuan has built for the crown prince, as long as the future emperor can be a ruler who maintains the status quo, it will make no difference whether the fifth prince or the sixth prince is enthroned.

In terms of reputation alone, the Sixth Prince is barely better than the Fifth Prince.

Gu Yushi tried to guess what the emperor was thinking, and he must be a little disdainful of these useless sons.

Otherwise, the emperor would have issued an edict to appoint a crown prince as early as when the sixth prince was brought back.

Perhaps, in the emperor's heart, these sons are ultimately no match for the outstanding Prince Wende. It's a pity that the father and son have ended up like this today.

Emperor Wenyuan was a little dazed.

Gu Yushi glanced at him, wondering if Emperor Wenyuan was regretting it. Perhaps if he hadn't pushed Prince Wende so hard back then, he wouldn't have reached that point. However, the struggle for power was not limited to the monarch and his subjects, or brothers, but also between fathers and sons.

After a long while, Emperor Wenyuan sighed and said:

"That's all."

In the autumn of the 32nd year of Wenyuan, the long-lasting throne struggle finally came to an end:

The sixth prince was made the crown prince, and the sixth prince's wife was made the crown princess. Cheng Yuanze, the Minister of Rites, was made the crown prince's secretary, Gu Yushi was made the junior secretary, and several other officials including the prefectural chancellor were appointed.

When this news came out, the whole court was shocked, but it was also expected.

Some people couldn't help but look at Gu Yushi. Before the emperor appointed the crown prince, he only summoned Gu Yushi. For a moment, everyone was confused.

The crown prince.

If His Majesty had not been in poor health, the court officials would not have been in a hurry to appoint a crown prince. After all, the Sixth Prince is already twenty-six years old this year. If His Majesty could hold on a little longer, who knows if the so-called crown prince might be the next Prince Wende?

Regardless of what he thought in his heart, the prince's faction was rising in power, and the court officials were respectful to him, but they were not close enough to him.

Ultimately, the real power was in the hands of Emperor Wenyuan. Nearly half of the concubines in the harem were of humble origins, and the influence of the foreign relatives was weak, so they could not be of much help to the crown prince. In addition, the cabinet and the Hanlin Academy only listened to the emperor, and the court officials all had their own plans. Even if the crown prince was enthroned, it would be difficult to get the approval and support of all the officials in the court.

When Gu Yushi received the invitation from the prince, his first thought was that the prince was a little overwhelmed.

Sudden power would inevitably make a calm person lose his mind. Gu Yushi did not make any comment on this. He was the Crown Prince's Junior Secretary, and it could be said that he was completely tied to the Crown Prince.

But he still declined the invitation and did not attend the banquet.

"I have not yet completed the tasks entrusted to me by His Majesty. I am so busy with state affairs that I cannot spare any time. Your Highness, please forgive me."

With this simple message, the Crown Prince suddenly came to his senses. A wave of fear spread through his heart. He and the Crown Princess shook their heads and said, "I lost my sense of proportion."

He has just been named the crown prince. Will his father pay attention to his every move?

Prince?

If it can be established, it can also be abolished.

The eldest brother was so favored back then, and was praised by all the civil and military officials in the court, but didn’t he still have a bad end in the end?

Feng family, old house.

In the study, the second generation of disciples of the Feng family who stayed in Beijing gathered together. An imperial decree made the study silent for a long time. Song Zuoliang counted the chess pieces on the chessboard, with his eyelids drooping, and remained silent.

Lord Feng drank his tea sip by sip.

It was Feng Rongyu who spoke first: "It's actually Cheng Yuanze."

This time, the emperor's appointment of the crown prince had almost nothing to do with the Feng Party. The Prime Minister was very powerful. Even though Cheng Yuanze was also a member of the cabinet, he had a higher rank and could dominate people. He still had to be respectful in front of the Prime Minister.

However, once this decree was issued, the Cheng Party and the Feng Party could completely compete with each other.

After many twists and turns, the trend of the Feng family's hidden power was balanced again.

It can be said that in the matter of the crown prince's enthronement, except for Gu Yushi, the Feng party only occupied a few insignificant positions.

Feng Wenzhou was also in the study. He drank tea as if it had nothing to do with him, and fiddled with the chess pieces intermittently. He was not an official, so no matter what happened in the court, it really had little to do with him.

After a long while, Lord Feng finally spoke, his expression unclear:

"Young Master of the Imperial Secretariat, rank four."

These six short words brought silence back to the study.

Among the third generation disciples of Feng Dang who have entered officialdom, the most outstanding one is none other than Xie Zhujing. However, despite his outstanding abilities and the support of Feng Dang, Xie Zhujing is only a fifth-rank official now.

The fifth level seems to be a hurdle.

For rank five and below, one may be able to achieve it through hard work and qualifications, but it is difficult to advance above rank five. Sometimes it requires not only outstanding talent but also the right time and place.

Besides, how old was Gu Yushi? Only twenty-three.

Feng Rongyu was speechless for a moment. He was nearly forty years old when he took the position of Minister of Personnel, a fourth-rank official.

Being young is not the most terrifying thing.

What makes people fearful is that Gu Yushi is deeply favored by the emperor and is now tied to the crown prince's boat. He is destined to be the confidant of the future new emperor. As long as he does not make any mistakes, his future official career will be smooth.

Feng Wenzhou felt a little annoyed by what he heard. The emperor's order this time was very clear.

To pave the way for the prince and not allow one family to dominate, the safest strategy is for the Feng family to keep a low profile and be at peace.

Emperor Wenyuan isn't dead yet, why are you in such a hurry to appoint a crown prince?

To put it bluntly, after the prince ascended the throne, it was rare for him to abandon the cabinet?

The one who is worried now is not the Chu family, but the prince. How to make the Feng Party work for him? He needs to show his talents and make all the officials convinced and recognized him.

Since ancient times, situations where the ruler is weak and the ministers are strong have not been uncommon.

Feng Wenzhou said without even looking up, "You went to great lengths to get A-mei involved with him, all for this day."

Gu Yushi is the son-in-law of the Feng family. Who can say that he is not half a Feng party member?

Feng Rongyu coughed lightly, but Feng Wenzhou didn't care. He didn't say anything else, asked for a bunch of policy papers, and left a little impatiently.

Song Zuoliang took it all in and raised his eyebrows slightly:

"The young master is of true character."

fine.

After all, the future new emperor is not yet thirty years old. Perhaps he will rely on calm and steady ministers, but such young people will always appreciate their peers who are full of vigor and vitality.

Feng Rongyu shook his head: "With such a temper..."

Halfway through his speech, Feng Rongyu glanced at the old man and refused to say any more.

What was he going to say? That it was the old man who spoiled him?

Song Zuoliang smiled:

"Junior brother, you are asking too much. Sometimes, having everything be good is bad."

Lord Feng didn't say anything, but Feng Rongyu paused. He seemed to be thinking about something and immediately understood the meaning of these words.

No one mentioned the prince anymore, and Feng Wenzhou didn't stay in the old house for long. He returned to the Minister's Mansion and sent all the policy papers to Mingxinxuan.

Feng Wenyu was surprised and asked, "You're back so early?"

Feng Wenzhou put it succinctly:

"It's just that little thing."

Feng Wenyu flipped through the policy papers, which she had never read before. She was a little confused: "Did your uncle give you these?"

She recognized Song Zuoliang's handwriting.

Feng Wenzhou frowned. Song Zuoliang was an important official in the dynasty, so he was too busy to write any policy papers. Feng Wenzhou flipped through the policy papers for a long time, then pursed his lips.

“Maybe some people are imitating it on purpose.”

He often went to the old house to get these things. Almost everyone in the old house knew about his habit. With a little inquiry, they would know the purpose of his coming there to get these things.

Some people want to cater to others' preferences.

Feng Wenyu also heard it. The fingers pressing on the paper paused slightly, and she pursed her lips imperceptibly.

She read policy papers to kill time. The less she understood, the more she needed to put her mind to it. By the time she came to her senses, time had already passed. She used this to calm her temper.

But does she enjoy watching it?

Actually, not entirely true.

She preferred reading storybooks, but later, whenever she thought of storybooks and travelogues, she would inevitably recall her past as a boudoir user. As if out of spite, she never touched that kind of stuff again.

And now…

Feng Wenyu's gaze shifted. There were two storybooks on the desk. The handwriting on them was extremely neat, as if one could see through the words the person was thinking hard as he wrote.

The policy paper in her hand became a little hot, and she said reluctantly:

"From now on, Second Brother, you don't have to get policy papers for me anymore."

Feng Wenzhou also followed her gaze and asked in an unclear tone, "Are you into storybooks again?"

Feng Wenyu was a little confused for a moment whether his second brother had a specific intention or not.

But Feng Wenzhou just said disapprovingly:

"It's just something to kill time. Watch whatever you like."

People and things are the same.

Feng Wenyu covered his face.

She was sure that her second brother had something else in mind.