The dust has settled
After Fu Yunjin's matter was settled, Huang Yuandao began to take action as requested by Cui Shenzhi.
He instructed his disciples to intentionally or unintentionally steer the conversation toward the topic of "father and son" during their lessons, mentioning "like father, like son" at appropriate times, while looking troubled but offering no explanation. Only when someone repeatedly inquired did he, in a manner that avoided being noticed, say with concern that although Choi Shin-ji seemed fine now, he was still carrying the blood of Choi Suk-gong, and his future was uncertain.
At the same time, he arranged for storytellers to spread the stories he had already made up in various restaurants.
For example, if the father is uneducated and incompetent, the son may be exceptionally intelligent in his early years, but he forgets everything as he grows up and becomes an uneducated playboy. Or, if the father is lustful, the son may be devoted to studying the classics in his youth, but later become addicted to wine and women and spend his days in brothels.
In addition, he had the slum children who had received kindness from Choi Shin-ji dress up as little beggars and spread gossip about Choi Shin-ji in the streets and alleys.
In addition, he instructed his disciples, who had never appeared in public and were unknown to the outside world, to join forces with ambitious and powerful individuals, subtly inciting their disloyalty as retainers, and thus getting them involved in the siege against Cui Shenzhi.
Seeing the situation becoming increasingly chaotic, he personally intervened and had a "big argument" with Cui Shenzhi in the Qianqing Palace. He then returned home sighing all the way. When someone came to ask, he bluntly told them that Cui Shenzhi had fallen in love with a girl and was completely obedient to her. This made him worry that Cui Shenzhi might become the next Cui Sugong.
After this series of actions, public discussion about Fu Yunjin's case grew louder, and opinions on Cui Shenzhi quickly split into two camps.
One faction consists of those who have received favors from Cui Shenzhi, such as the people of Nanzhou. They firmly believe that Cui Shenzhi is different from Cui Sugong. After all, they have witnessed Cui Shenzhi's actions and believe that Cui Shenzhi would never become a tyrannical ruler like Cui Sugong.
The other faction had ulterior motives, such as those who had been incited to rebel. They cited various examples of emperors throughout history who were wise at the beginning but became senile in their old age, such as Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, and asserted that Cui Shenzhi would be one of them.
Cui Shenzhi ignored both opinions. No matter how many memorials the ministers submitted asking him to intervene, he kept them to himself without responding or uttering a word, which led to the disputes among the people escalating.
With his passive response and Huang Yuandao's encouragement, the latter's voice gradually overshadowed the former. After some people began to take advantage of the chaos to start uprisings and attempt to seize territory and become kings, Cui Shenzhi felt that the time had come.
*****
It was time for the morning court session again. As usual, Ping An stood in the Qianqing Palace like a well-behaved young wife, intending to see Cui Shenzhi off. However, Cui Shenzhi led her to the Taihe Hall.
Upon seeing the sudden appearance of Ping An, all the ministers simultaneously recalled Huang Yuandao's words and immediately felt alarmed.
Cui Sugong married Fu Yunjin first, and then took Shen Meiwu as a concubine. So Shen Meiwu was just a concubine. What does Cui Shenzhi mean by this? Does he intend to directly establish an empress? Although the empress's birth is not a problem, the timing is not right.
The people are already quite critical of him for his inaction lately, and now he not only ignores those important matters, but also wants to make some unknown woman his empress? Has he gone mad?
Just as the ministers were puzzled, Choi Shin-ji spoke up.
"You must all be wondering why I have ignored the rumors circulating among the people during this time. That's because those words have nothing to do with me. I... am not the child of the Emperor Emeritus and the late Empress. Rather, the child of the princess was taken from the common people by the Emperor Emeritus after he was worried that the throne would fall into the wrong hands and had his entire family wiped out. Ping An, who is by my side, is the real daughter of the Emperor Emeritus and the late Empress, a genuine princess."
Upon hearing this, all the ministers were stunned.
What is Choi Shin-ji saying? That the person they've meticulously trained for years, perfectly embodying the image of a wise ruler, has no royal blood at all? Is the reason Choi Suk-gong fears the throne will fall into the hands of someone else? And that Choi Suk-gong even wiped out Choi Shin-ji's entire family? Choi Suk-gong wiped out Choi Shin-ji's entire family, yet abdicated the throne to him? Has Choi Suk-gong gone mad? What is Choi Shin-ji trying to achieve by saying all this? Is he trying to change the dynasty?
Just when the ministers were unsure whether they should pay homage to the 'founding emperor of the new dynasty' and swear allegiance, or denounce the 'last emperor of the previous dynasty' as incompetent and die for their country, Choi Shin-ji made the decision for them.
"Logically speaking, given the current situation, the throne should be inherited by a qualified and capable member of the royal family. However, due to the years of persecution by the retired emperor... I'm sure you all know what the situation is with the royal family; there's simply no one to choose from."
The ministers fell silent, thinking about the group of royal relatives who were either physically or mentally disabled. Then they all frowned and looked at Choi Shin-ji with probing eyes.
"Therefore, I, Shenzhi, have decided to do my best to seize the throne. However, my lords, please rest assured that I have no intention of changing the dynasty. After all, it is true that the Emperor Emeritus is the one who killed my family, but I am also the son of the late Empress, and I have benefited from the protection of the late Empress and the care of all of you. If I were to just abandon everything like this, I would not only be letting you down, but I would also cause turmoil in the world and be sorry to the people."
“But I have no connection with the royal family after all. It’s not quite right for me to sit on the throne like this. So…” Cui Shenzhi looked at Ping An, who seemed a little lost, and smiled reassuringly. “So I’ve decided to marry Ping An and temporarily assume the role of emperor as a royal son-in-law. When our children grow up and are able to govern the country, we will pass the throne down to them.”
Hearing this, I don't know what the others thought, but Ping An only had one thought in his mind: Cui Shenzhi has gone mad. After all, there has never been such a thing in history. Not only would the people be in uproar, but the ministers would also not agree to it.
Then she saw several ministers successively express their agreement.
Ping An now felt that not only Choi Shin-ji had gone mad, but also that the ministers had gone mad.
*****
The ministers were certainly not crazy; the problem was that they had no better choice than to accept it.
Most of them participated in forcing Choi Suk-gong to abdicate in the name of virtue. Although a significant part of their reason for doing so was that they believed Choi Shin-ji was Choi Suk-gong's only son and the undisputed future emperor, the reality was that Choi Shin-ji was not.
Choi Shin-ji was not only not Choi Suk-gong's only son, but he wasn't even Choi Suk-gong's child.
This made things awkward.
They became traitors, serving the Cui family and enjoying their salaries, yet aiding others in dethroning the Cui family. The best solution to avoid this infamy would naturally be to select a more capable member from the Cui family's clan and promote them to the new position, but the Cui family's relatives…
It's better not to say anything.
The second option is to reject the proposal, rebuke Cui Shenzhi, and then leave to choose another wise ruler, or become a wise ruler himself and vie for the world.
The problem is that this is not a chaotic time. Prince Cui Shenzhi has taken deep root in the hearts of the people and is the only wise ruler they recognize. Under these circumstances, whether they find someone else or take the position themselves, it is no different from courting death.
Besides these two paths, the only remaining options are to retreat to the mountains or accept Choi Shin-ji's proposal.
—Of course, they would not choose to retreat to the mountains.
So what Ping An thought would inevitably cause great chaos ended in a very lighthearted, almost joking manner.
After an ordinary morning court session, her status as a princess was made public and announced to the world.
When the people learned of this, they were initially confused and bewildered, since no one had expected that Choi Shin-ji, the only son of Choi Suk-gong, who was known to everyone, was not actually Choi Suk-gong's son. However, it didn't take long for everyone to realize what was going on.
So what if Choi Shin-ji isn't Choi Suk-gong's son?
Or rather, wouldn't it be better if Choi Shin-ji wasn't Choi Suk-gong's son?
Who is Cui Sugong? He is a notorious scoundrel.
At the beginning of his reign, he wanted to demote Fu Yunjin from his wife to a concubine and went against the ministers in court. After being rejected by the Huang family, he began to frequently skip court and spend his days indulging in illicit affairs with Shen Meiwu in the harem. Only after he caused Fu Yunjin's death—meaning she lost her fertility—did he barely become a qualified emperor.
It's just acceptable.
It's barely passable.
He simply stopped opposing the ministers, but he still indulged in all sorts of extravagant lifestyles and procrastinated on government affairs whenever possible. If it weren't for Crown Prince Choi Shin-ji standing in the way, the country would have been in chaos long ago.
Isn't it a good thing that Choi Shin-ji isn't the child of such a scoundrel?
As for Cui Shenzhi, who has no bloodline in the Cui family, yet sits on the throne of the Cui family, this seems like a big problem, but upon closer examination, it is not really a problem. The reason is not because Cui Shenzhi said that the throne would be passed on to him and Ping An's child, but simply because it is not a problem.
Judging from the current situation, Cui Shenzhi could choose to change the dynasty. After all, his ability to govern the country is evident to all, and his prestige among the people is unparalleled. He doesn't need to be controlled by the Cui family. He can create a new dynasty and become the founding emperor. Isn't one of the great privileges of the founding emperor that he can do whatever he wants? Now he doesn't want to wage war or waste resources on the people. He's just an emperor who is married into the family, so it shouldn't be a problem.
There were some greedy people among the common people who wanted to take a gamble, but as Lu Fengping said, they were just minor disturbances and couldn't make a ripple. The overall situation remained stable, as if it were perfectly normal for an emperor who was a son-in-law to sit on the throne.
Seeing this, Ping An felt that the world had probably gone mad.
But whether the world is crazy or not, this is the reality she faces.
Cui Shenzhi remains the emperor, and is also the well-known royal son-in-law. She regains her princess status. After marrying Cui Shenzhi, she may retain her princess status, become empress, or even become queen. However, matters of the court will still be decided by Cui Shenzhi.
Ping An has no objection to this.
She was self-aware. The reason the world seemed peaceful now was mostly because the people were willing to believe Cui Shenzhi, the man who had made a promise worth a thousand pieces of gold for them, not because of her, this princess who had appeared out of nowhere. If she were to cause trouble and fight for the right to attend court, she would likely lose her head before she even got the power.
Therefore, she cannot do that.
—At least not now.
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