At the beginning of the Dayu Dynasty, in order to avoid the tragedy caused by the struggle for power among the princes, Emperor Taizu established the rule that the eldest son of the legitimate wife should be chosen as the heir.
The eldest son is chosen as heir, not the most virtuous; the son of noble birth is chosen as heir, not the eldest.
The first child born to the principal wife is often the eldest son of the legitimate wife and the undisputed heir apparent.
However, not every empress can produce offspring. In such cases, the eldest son is given priority, or if the legitimate son is extremely young, the eldest son of a concubine will still be chosen.
This was a loophole that was gradually discovered by the favored concubines as the times progressed—it turned out that as long as they gave birth to the eldest son in advance, and then made the empress either without a legitimate son or with a young legitimate son, they could compete for the right of succession.
Consort Ju was able to give birth to the eldest prince smoothly, while the second prince was of extremely low status, the third prince was just a princess, and the fourth prince was disabled, which shows how favored she was.
However, the fifth prince's legitimate son still outweighs the eldest prince's position.
When the legitimate heir is alive, the eldest son is not respected; when the legitimate heir dies, the eldest son takes precedence.
Empress Yan's death may have been due to her own inner turmoil, but Chang Yan's departure was definitely not accidental. A young boy alone in the deep palace might not have been able to survive, and being away from home might have given him a better chance of survival.
But he disappeared too completely.
So much so that they completely disappeared from the bustling world, and in the eyes of some powerful families, they were no different from the dead, and gradually faded out of the center of power.
Even if he returned in a sickly state, the legitimate heir, lacking both ability and support, could not withstand the overwhelming power of the illegitimate heir and his determination to obtain the position of crown prince.
In the eyes of the Ju family, the imperial family should indeed establish a crown prince, but the request to establish a crown prince should have been made by the Ju family or the Min family, not by the Jiang family, the Dou family, or others.
Looking at the ministers bowing in the arena, most of them were from opposing camps. Unless the head of the Ju family was completely stupid, he would have noticed something was wrong.
In a moment of quick thinking, he stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty is wise. It is time to establish a mature and steady Crown Prince to share Your Majesty's burdens, bring blessings to the people, and contribute to the country."
These three expressions sound nice on their own, but the phrase "mature and steady" takes on a different meaning.
The fifth prince, being the legitimate heir, is only fourteen years old, while the eldest prince is already eighteen. If judged solely by age, most people would consider the eldest prince to be more mature and composed.
The emperor on the dragon throne raised the corners of his mouth, oblivious to the mockery or coldness.
Jiang Jizong didn't care about all that and sneered, "Is Patriarch Ju recommending the eldest prince? At eighteen years old, he is indeed mature and steady. Just a few days ago, he had an unpleasant argument with Miss Min in the street. I heard it was related to a pregnant concubine in the prince's residence."
Before the legal wife entered the household, the concubine was already pregnant.
Reputable families would never allow such a thing to happen. Even Consort Ju only dared to get pregnant and give birth to the eldest prince, Zhu Changhong, after she became a concubine in the imperial genealogy.
Now, in the next generation, they're getting more and more backward.
Add to that the argument between his fiancée and his future wife in the street, and he truly embodies "mature and composed" from head to toe.
The Ju family head's face immediately turned as black and purple as a boiled pig's liver, yet he couldn't refute it.
When scholars argue in the imperial palace, their sharp and precise exchanges are always so steady, accurate, and ruthless.
"You...you must have seen wrong." After a long while, the head of the Ju family finally managed to utter a sentence, "The First Prince and Miss Min are getting along well. If you don't believe me, you can ask Vice Minister Min."
The Min family head, who had been dragged into this situation without even realizing it, was speechless.
Regardless, the Min family is currently on the First Prince's side, so he could only lower his eyelashes and utter indistinct sounds.
It looked like a nod, but also like a shake of the head.
Jiang Jizong suddenly beamed with joy, “So the Ju family head really is recommending the eldest prince. However, the Dayu Dynasty has always prioritized the eldest son of the legitimate wife when establishing a crown prince. If there is a legitimate son, he will be appointed; if there is no legitimate son, the eldest son will be appointed. The eldest prince will probably be ranked after the fifth prince.”
"The affairs of the nation are of utmost importance, and this old minister dares not make a recommendation lightly." The head of the Ju family reacted quickly. "As for Vice Minister Jiang, could he perhaps have some connection with the Fifth Prince? I haven't noticed it before."
This is an implication that the Jiang family is having an affair with the legitimate prince.
The Ju family is the maternal family of the eldest prince, and the head of the Ju family is also the eldest prince's maternal uncle. It is understandable that he would help his nephew.
However, the Fifth Prince has no connection with the Jiang family. Secretly contacting him is tantamount to forming a clique for personal gain, which could be considered a crime if necessary.
The head of the Ju family was frantically calculating in his mind: This fifth prince, who had kept a low profile, had actually managed to get in touch with the Jiang family, one of the four great families, and with the Yao family as an vassal, his chances of winning were probably no less than those of the first prince.
If he were to look up, he would see the pity in Jiang Jizong's eyes, the indifference in Tianjia's eyes, and even the interaction between Dou Weiming and Jiang Jizong.
The reasons behind the establishment of the crown prince, and who exactly was chosen as the crown prince, were known only to the imperial family and Jiang Jizong in the entire Golden Palace.
Dou Weiming was completely bewildered, but he had a close relationship with the Jiang family, and the two of them were standing close together, so he secretly raised his eyebrows and asked: Is it really going to be the crown prince this time?
Jiang Jizong nodded without looking away.
Dou Weiming's expression was solemn: Establish the heir apparent?
Jiang Jizong continued to nod in response.
Dou Weiming straightened his back and glanced at the location of the imperial family: Did he know that too?
Jiang Jizong nodded in response.
Dou Weiming was now in a bit of a predicament, seemingly not understanding why they would put on such a show if everything had already been decided beforehand.
Once they saw the way the head of the Ju family was looking around, the answer became clear—establishing a crown prince was of paramount importance; the court officials had to be convinced, and the world had to be given an explanation.
Perhaps this also contains the selfish motives of an old father—if only the Ju family could see the situation clearly, the eldest prince could live a peaceful and carefree life as a wealthy and leisurely man.
"Your Majesty, the Jiang family has no private dealings with the Fifth Prince," Jiang Jizong said, bowing. "The Jiang family will always support orthodoxy and the rules left by our ancestors."
According to the rules of succession, the eldest son of the legitimate wife should be chosen, which means it could only be the fifth prince.
The Ju family head's face darkened again. "Your Majesty, these princes have all grown up under your watchful eye. You should know better than anyone which one is capable of shouldering such a great responsibility."
This is a subtle reminder to the imperial family of the deep bond between father and son.
Jiang Jizong curled his lip in disdain, but before he could speak, Dou Weiming stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the founding emperor did indeed say that the eldest son of the legitimate wife should be the heir, and the eldest son should be the heir."
With both the Jiang and Dou families siding with the Fifth Prince, the Ju family's chances of winning dwindled.
Before the Ju family head's expression could grow even more somber, the Sun family head stepped forward and said softly, "Your Majesty, it is indeed true that the eldest son of the legitimate wife is the firstborn son, and the legitimate son takes precedence over the eldest son."
If the previous request was merely a convenient one to establish a crown prince, then this is a matter of choosing sides.
Without further hesitation, the head of the He family stepped forward and said decisively, "The eldest son takes precedence over the eldest son."
The head of the Yao family also cupped his hands in acknowledgment, saying, "The eldest son takes precedence over the eldest son."
The ministers who had previously expressed their willingness to invite the Crown Prince all stepped forward in turn, but the most surprising one was the Crown Prince's family, who said, "Your Majesty, the legitimate heir is indeed superior to the eldest son."
The Fourth Prince... he actually sided with the Fifth Prince.
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