"This method might have been useful in the early stages of a locust plague, but now that the disaster is severe, I fear... I fear that it will lose the support of scholars across the land."

After careful consideration, Yi Youwei put forward his own views.

Yao Tianzheng and Zhuang Qishi echoed this sentiment, also believing that the approach was somewhat hasty.

Emperor Ganwu sighed deeply. He was well aware of the drawbacks of this matter, but time was running out, and he had to act expediently in this way to pave the way for his successor.

"Alright, let's put this matter aside for now. We still have a few days. Let's summon Sun Jian tomorrow and discuss it further!"

Emperor Ganwu shrugged and finally decided to think it over again to see if there was a better way.

The discussion on Sun Jian's matter ended there, and Emperor Ganwu began to discuss other matters with his senior officials.

The Lin family and the Second Prince Li Chengru are unavoidable topics here.

The only forces capable of hindering or threatening the smooth succession of imperial power, besides the lineage of the fourth prince who commands troops in the field, are the fourth prince's faction.

Only the Second Prince and Lin Xuanfu remained.

Emperor Ganwu felt helpless and powerless regarding the Second Prince and Lin Xuanfu, but he had no choice but to find a way to deal with the current situation.

Emperor Ganwu put forward many ideas for weakening the Tu tribes. There were only three solutions: first, to strip them of their military power; second, to strip them of their official authority; and third, to break up their respective forces and then defeat them one by one later.

The three ministers unanimously agreed that, in addition to the transfer of military power and the arrangements made in the court, the governors of the other four prefectures, besides Yao Tianzheng, should also be transferred.

Aside from the border troops, the only other force with significant military power was the governor of these four prefectures.

During periods of imperial power transition, they must also be restrained.

Having said all that, the next event was the wedding of Crown Prince Li Gancheng.

According to the laws of the Great Gan Dynasty, preparations for the Crown Prince's wedding must begin a year in advance. Half a year ago, Emperor Ganwu had already chosen a Crown Princess for the Crown Prince. The Crown Princess was the daughter of Li Ke, the Governor of Ji Province, and her name was Li Wugou.

The original plan was to get married in six months, but now that Emperor Ganwu is nearing the end of his life, the matter will probably have to be put on the agenda.

This might raise suspicions about the motives and reasons behind it, but there's no time to worry about that now. Only after the Crown Prince gets married can he truly inherit the throne and rule over all the people.

Furthermore, the crown prince is getting on in years, and this matter cannot be delayed any longer.

On this point, the three ministers, after careful consideration, unanimously agreed. They even found a suitable reason and excuse for the Crown Prince's marriage to silence any criticism and suspicion from inside and outside the court.

That is, the locust plague has just passed, and the heavens are blessing us with great efforts. We can use this as an excuse to devise a new plan.

This matter was of utmost urgency, and Emperor Ganwu immediately ordered the drafting of an edict, commanding them to complete the marriage in three days.

The Crown Princess and the Governor of Jizhou will be coming to court tomorrow, so the timing is perfect!

"Your Majesty, who do you think would be the most suitable person to preside over the Crown Prince's wedding?"

Zhuang Qishi turned to ask Emperor Ganwu for his opinion.

Since ancient times, royal weddings have involved extremely complex procedures and steps.

The person in charge is extremely important. They not only have to manage the affairs before and after the wedding and preside over the various wedding ceremonies, but also have to teach the prince how to have sex and how to engage in sexual relations.

She was practically the one who handled everything about the wedding.

Its role is also very important.

Throughout history, the people in charge of the wedding of the crown prince were basically his trusted ministers who had served in his former residence before he ascended the throne.

Emperor Ganwu was an extremely intelligent man. Even though he was on his deathbed and in imminent danger, he instantly understood that Zhuang Qishi's question meant that he already had someone in mind. Emperor Ganwu also had a suitable person in mind, and he wondered if the emperor and his minister had the same idea. So he immediately went along with it and asked.

"Does Minister Zhuang have any suitable candidates?"

"General Fenwei, Marquis of Hanting, Sun Jian!"

Zhuang Qishi cupped his hands in greeting and directly stated Sun Jian's name.

Emperor Ganwu managed a weak smile, then turned his gaze to Yao Tianzheng and Yi Youwei, wanting to hear their thoughts.

At that moment, Yao Tianzheng and Yi Youwei exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.

In fact, that was what they were thinking too. Rather than demoting Sun Jian to another state and imprisoning him, and then having Li Gancheng pardon him in the end, it would be better to give the position of the person in charge of the Crown Prince's wedding to Sun Jian. Sun Jian and Crown Prince Li Gancheng were both teacher and friend, and were like brothers.

By becoming the person in charge of the Crown Prince's wedding, Sun Jian and Li Gancheng's relationship and feelings will be brought closer. How could Sun Jian not be loyal to him to the death in the future?

Moreover, Sun Jian had such high prestige, so overall it can be considered a beautiful story.

Emperor Ganwu nodded in agreement, though in his heart he was also thinking of Sun Jian.

Originally, he planned to have Li Ke, the governor of Ji Province, officiate at the wedding and demote Sun Jian to another province. In this way, the soldiers of Ji Province, together with Yao Tianzheng's soldiers of Yong Province and the Longxiang Camp of the Prince of Kaoshan, would become a great help to the crown prince in the future.

Finally, Sun Jian was reinstated to his original position, and his Tiger Warriors were brought under Li Gancheng's command.

Even if Lin Xuanfu, the Second Prince, and the Fourth Prince rebelled at the same time, it wouldn't necessarily lead to the loss of imperial power and a major crisis.

Since the three trusted advisors currently disagree with Sun Jian's demotion, we might as well do what Yao Tianzheng and others suggested and do them a favor to bring the two of them closer together.

After this matter was settled, Emperor Ganwu immediately ordered people to draft an imperial edict, appointing Mi Zhu, Minister of Revenue, and Lin Jingsi, Minister of Rites, to assist Sun Jian in presiding over the wedding, and then immediately sent word to them by fast horse.

The wedding is in three days, so time is still very tight.

Having arranged everything, Emperor Ganwu let out a sigh of relief, his face showing signs of exhaustion.

"Alright, the three of you, go your separate ways and do what we've decided for today. Remember, keep this secret and don't let any word get out."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The three ministers have become regents, so how could they not do their utmost?

Before leaving, Yao Tianzheng left Emperor Ganwu a prescription, claiming it might be useful.

After receiving the prescription, Wang De immediately instructed the Imperial Medical Academy to prepare it.

And so, the three chief ministers, their expressions complex, slowly withdrew from the inner hall. After they left, Emperor Ganwu was like a deflated balloon, collapsing completely. The weariness and vicissitudes on his face made him look like a completely different person from the domineering figure he had been during the morning court session.

————

Eight or nine imperial edicts were issued in quick succession, keeping the entire Directorate of Ceremonial and the Imperial Household Department busy.

The most tragic figures here are Crown Prince Li Gancheng and Sun Jian. After court, they both thought that the locust plague had just ended and there wasn't much to do right now. Plus, they had been working hard for so many days, so they could finally get some rest.

With this thought in mind, the two did not rush back to their residence after the morning court session. Instead, they leisurely sat in the carriage and chatted idly.