Chapter 997 Establishing an Heir
Nie Xuan stood in the crowd in disbelief. There was no rebuttal as he had expected, and there was no imperial censor who should have stepped forward to question the emperor's will and asked how dare the princess act like a national treasure.
Listening to the sounds that were getting louder and louder in my ears, and looking at the Wei officials kneeling on the ground in an extremely obedient manner.
For the first time, Nie Xuan felt so clearly the gap between him, the Emperor of Southern Qi, and the Emperor of Wei.
If it were him today, and he were to confer the title of princess on a princess in such a casual manner during the ancestral worship ceremony, I'm afraid those old stubborn people and clan officials in the court would tear the roof off the Southern Qi Temple.
Xiao Yan, standing at the head, turned his head and said, "Kong Xun."
Kong Xun was startled and quickly stepped forward, holding the yellow book beside him and bowing: "Accompany the ceremony and enter the temple."
"The eldest daughter of the Emperor, Xie Junxi, is a man of extraordinary talent and exceptional beauty. Following the teachings of our ancestors and obeying the decree of Your Majesty, she is entered into the Imperial Family's Jade Book and recorded in the Imperial Book!"
…
The ancestor worship ceremony ended very quickly. It was not as long and complicated as usual, and there were not too many procedures. It only took about half an hour from start to finish.
After the former emperor and empress left with the newly-born Princess Zhaochen, the court officials standing below still looked dazed.
"Your Majesty deliberately moved the day of ancestor worship to today. Could it be just for the little princess?" someone in the crowd suddenly spoke up.
Everyone around had different expressions. Some pedantic people wanted to say it was impossible, but when the words came to their lips, they couldn't say it when they thought about what had just happened. Today's so-called "ancestor worship" was a special event for the little princess from beginning to end, except for His Majesty and the Queen burning incense at the tablet in the Taimiao.
As soon as Kong Xun came down from the stage, he was surrounded by the crowd below.
"Master Kong, have you known about His Majesty's canonization of the princess for a long time?"
"Yes, Lord Kong, you are being disrespectful. You haven't even said a word about such a big thing."
Kong Xun folded his hands, looking at the crowd of people staring at him with a calm expression: "Your Majesty's intentions, how can we, the ministers, know? Besides, the Ministry of Rites is only arranging the procedures for today's ancestral worship, but do you think Your Majesty has followed them? Your Majesty's will is beyond our ability to guess."
The people around couldn't help but sneer when they heard this. Kong Xun was simply cunning. Even if His Majesty didn't follow the ancestor worship process, the Ministry of Rites couldn't have been unaware of the princess's canonization. Otherwise, why would Kong Xun carry the yellow book with him? Besides, the canonization order would have to go through the Ministry of Rites in the end, so it would be strange if Kong Xun didn't know about it.
Liang Guangyi stood aside and frowned: "What do you think your Majesty means?"
Your Majesty loves the Empress and dotes on your eldest daughter. It is not impossible to hold a grand ceremony to confer the title on the princess and have her name recorded in the imperial canon. However, today's event cannot be described as grand. This scene inexplicably reminded him of the scene when Emperor Taizu conferred the title on the Crown Prince.
"Your Majesty, do you think too highly of Princess Zhaochen?"
Cao Dejiang was calm beside him: "She is your Majesty's eldest daughter. If your Majesty doesn't value her, who else would he value?"
Liang Guangyi turned his head and said, "You know what I'm talking about."
Seeing his frown, Cao Dejiang laughed, "No matter what you want to say, Princess Zhaochen's future is not up to you or me."
"You are well aware of His Majesty's temperament. He has his own rules for doing things. The decision he made today is a result of long-term preparation. You and I are old, and we can only take care of the current affairs. The future of the court and the prospects of the country are to be left to these young people to worry about."
Across from them, Qian Baokun and Feng Qiuli were talking side by side, while on the other side, Di Tao was clinging to Qi Cheng's shoulders and laughing. Fu Laiqing, Li Chi, He Jin and the others were quietly heading outside. Next to them, a group of young people in their twenties were following them, their faces full of the same childishness as when they were just starting out.
Whether it was Qian Baokun and his group, or Di Tao and his group, they were like new blood flowing in to wash away the corruption and obsolescence in the court.
Cao Dejiang looked at them as if he had seen the future of the Great Wei, with a relaxed and casual look in his eyes.
Seeing Liang Guangyi's serious expression beside him, he spoke leisurely, "Prime Minister Liang, considering we have been colleagues for decades, I want to remind you that some matters are beyond our control. Don't offend His Majesty."
Liang Guangyi's heart skipped a beat when he met Cao Dejiang's understanding eyes. It turned out that not only he noticed it, but this old fox surnamed Cao also felt it.
Your Majesty's move today is to establish a successor.
Princess Zhaochen's name and the titles she enjoyed were no different from those of a crown prince, except for the title of "Crown Prince". Moreover, when she entered the temple palace before, the princes and princesses should have been ranked separately, but the eldest princess was listed as the "eldest son" in the prince's album.
Your Majesty actually wants a woman to inherit the throne? !
Liang Guangyi gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty has gone mad, and you didn't even bother to stop him?"
Cao Dejiang looked at him and asked, "Then why didn't you try to dissuade him just now?"
Liang Guangyi choked and his face turned pale.
Cao Dejiang laughed: "See, you also know that you can't persuade him."
"Your Majesty is not the deposed emperor. He has his own agenda. Princess Zhaochen's affairs, regardless of your Majesty's intentions, are the royal family's affairs. We should fulfill our duties as subjects. You cannot and will not interfere with other matters. Otherwise, your Majesty will not show leniency to anyone just because of nostalgia."
Fu Laiqing and Li Chi said something to each other, then turned and waved at him, "Uncle!"
Cao Dejiang responded and said to Liang Guangyi, "The foreign envoys are still here. There's a banquet being held in the palace tonight. His Majesty is going to reward the generals who won the battle in the northwest and also host a hundred-day banquet for Princess Zhaochen. I have to go back and exchange a gift, so I won't say any more."
Seeing Cao Dejiang walking leisurely to Fu Laiqing with his hands folded, and knocking on the head of the noisy young man, Fu Laiqing immediately covered his head and called out "Uncle", then muttered something but couldn't hide his intimacy. Cao Dejiang scolded him for something, and the young people next to him laughed.
Liang Guangyi pursed his lips and cursed "old bastard", but he couldn't hide his envy.
There are some outstanding people among the Liang family's nephews and nieces, but they are hindered by their aristocratic families and cannot inherit his position. His Majesty will not allow the Liang family to produce another prime minister. Once he retires, the aristocratic families will have no one to support them, and they will have to rely on themselves for the future.
Thinking of this, Liang Guangyi couldn't help but sigh. He should indeed do as Cao Dejiang said, fulfill his duties as a subject and do less unnecessary things.
This throne and this country are no longer something he can have a say in.
…
The New Year's Eve palace banquet was extremely grand. Starting from noon, all civil and military officials above the fourth rank in the capital were allowed to bring their female relatives into the palace. The entire palace was decorated with lights and was very lively. The hall where the banquet was held was also brightly lit early in the morning, and was filled with tables with fruits and wine.
After the ancestor worship, the first ceremony to begin was the hundred-day celebration for Princess Zhaochen. The palace was warm and the baby's swaddling clothes had been removed a little, revealing her rosy little face.
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