Chapter 428 Liu Dan
If the Seventh Prince and the Ninth Prince still have some chance, then the Fifth Prince and the Eighth Prince, who were directly denied by Liu Jin, have no chance at all.
As a result, the five people from the fifth prince to the ninth prince were not suitable in the emperor's mind.
Only the three oldest princes are left: the King of Jiaodong, the King of Beiyan, and the King of Henan. It is very difficult to choose among these three.
“Ahem.”
Suddenly, an itchy feeling came from the chest, and an uncontrollable heavy cough sounded, one after another, like a broken bellows being pulled, and heavy gasps for breath were heard in front of everyone.
Liu Jin even felt like he was going to cough out his internal organs. He wanted to say something but couldn't. The queen quickly patted him gently, and the ministers exclaimed, "Your Majesty!"
No matter how indecisive he was, Liu Jin knew that he could not hesitate any longer and had to choose an emperor immediately.
After experiencing all that had happened since the defeat of the Southern Kingdom, he wanted to find an emperor for the Han Dynasty who could suppress the military meritorious officials.
"The second son is too soft-hearted and doesn't have the heart of a king. He can't shoulder the heavy responsibility of governing the country. The Jimo Lu family is definitely unwilling to interfere in Chang'an again."
Liu Jin frowned slightly.
The wife's family of the King of Jiaodong is powerful, but the situation is rather special. This lineage is the lineage of Lu Hou, and the former regent empress dowager came from this lineage.
The Lu family was originally quite cautious. After experiencing the Lu family's migration, they realized that the Lu family was still too prominent. The Linzi Lu family and the Jimo Lu family who remained in Qi became more and more withdrawn.
They cultivated the land of old Qi, developed their hometown, and faced changes in the imperial court with caution. Their family creed was that longevity was more important than prominence. In an era of scrambling for everything, they highlighted a peaceful life.
Others are not willing to provoke them casually.
If it is to maintain the rule of the King of Jiaodong or the Han Dynasty on the old Qi land, there is no problem, but if you want the Lu family to fight for the throne of the King of Jiaodong, that is a joke.
The Lu family was once prominent. They had been the number one foreign relative. They had experienced the glory of being either Liu or Lu. The dangers after the glory were also very clear, and they didn't want to get involved in this muddy water at all.
"Old Four."
Emperor Liu Jin pondered for a moment, then shook his head. Under the traditional feudal system, although most of the power was in the hands of county governors and prime ministers, the power of princes was still very large. Moreover, in this era, it was not popular to keep a low profile, but to make achievements to maintain wealth and honor. If a prince did nothing, it meant that he was completely suppressed by the county and state officials.
Liu Jin glanced at the court officials and dukes below, and sentenced the fourth brother to death in his heart.
"Since you are so dissatisfied with my unwillingness to go to war, I will give you an emperor who is willing to fight.
We have to see whether the world will turn out as you wish."
Thinking of this, Liu Jin said directly: "King Tian of Beiyan..."
King of Northern Yan?
Everyone was shocked. Given the emperor's personality, how could he make a choice so quickly?
These three people each have their own shortcomings and advantages, and it is difficult to choose even if the court officials discuss it together.
No one could have imagined that Liu Jin wanted to choose an emperor who could suppress all civil and military officials based on the problems he had encountered during this period.
"His Majesty!"
Several voices suddenly rang out in the hall, full of anxiety.
"Um?"
There was doubt in Liu Jin's voice, and then no one spoke.
This is a very interesting phenomenon. When the imperial power developed to the Ming Dynasty, there was an incident where ministers fought for the throne of the country. On the contrary, before the imperial power was weaker, the crown prince was mainly decided by the emperor, unless the ministers opposed it together. For example, when Liu Bang wanted to change the crown prince, he was opposed by almost everyone.
This actually reflects the power of patriarchal rules. The Ming Dynasty had an extremely clear inheritance law, the Imperial Instructions for Ancestors, so the ministers had the legal basis to oppose the emperor.
This world has a clear system of inheritance by legitimate sons, so Liu Ruyi cannot ascend to the throne.
Although Liu Jin's prestige was damaged, the kings were all illegitimate sons and there was no undisputed heir. Faced with the court officials who were not united, he was still able to decide on the heir.
Seeing that no one spoke, Liu Jin continued, "The King of Northern Yan is a man of great talent and determination, both civil and military, and he is a man who can be entrusted with great undertakings.
Among the sons of the late emperor, the King of Northern Yan is on good terms with me and has made great contributions to the four barbarians. If I do not make the King of Northern Yan the emperor, who else can I make?
"Pass on my decree to establish Prince Dan of Northern Yan as the Crown Prince and summon him to Chang'an immediately to succeed the throne and inherit the Han dynasty."
…
Northern Yan Kingdom.
Faced with the news brought by the court envoy, the King of Northern Yan was ecstatic and immediately summoned his ministers and private army to Chang'an.
"Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Northern Yan is a pure land. Once you enter Chang'an, you will have no choice."
The King of Northern Yan waved his hand and said, "In the past, the late emperor succeeded to the throne as the Prince of Liang. Some people also say that he eventually created the achievements of a sage king.
Now that I am favored by my brother, who has granted me the throne, can't I be like the late emperor?"
When Liu Dan, the King of Northern Yan, was halfway there, another message came from the court, "Your Majesty, the late emperor passed away in Changle Palace. The court officials have given the late emperor a posthumous title, Ding."
"tripod?"
Liu Dan liked military affairs and did not like these twists and turns. The king's ministers explained for him: "Your Majesty, in the interpretation of posthumous titles, Ding has only one meaning, which is to correct past mistakes. It is a medium posthumous title."
"Middle posthumous title?"
Liu Dan was a little surprised, "Revise the past?"
The assessment of this posthumous title made Liu Dan suddenly feel a sense of crisis. His brother's performance as an emperor was indeed mediocre, and it was appropriate to amend his past mistakes.
But Liu Dan felt that the court officials could actually give his royal brother a lower-level posthumous title.
If you want to praise someone, you can always do so, just like praising a woman, from beauty to temperament to fashion sense, there is always a point.
“Can the posthumous title be changed?
My brother has passed the throne to me, which is like a rebirth. Moreover, I have always been close to my brother, just like brothers. A middle posthumous title..."
As soon as he said this, everyone exclaimed in unison: "Your Majesty, you must not do this!"
Wang Taifu even said with cold sweat: "Your Majesty, it's nothing that you don't like to read Confucian and Taoist classics.
But please don’t ever say those words again!
The posthumous title was submitted to the Su Wang Shang Huang, just like a subject submitting a year-end memorial to his lord. How can there be any reason to change the memorial submitted to the Su Wang?"
It was the first time that the King of Northern Yan saw both civil and military officials opposing him together, and with anxious looks on their faces. He knew that this plan might not work, and he had no choice but to accept it.
…
"Your Majesty, the general and the imperial censor have led all the civil and military officials of Chang'an City to welcome you."
When the King of Northern Yan was about to get off the carriage, the Grand Tutor Wang grabbed him and said, "Your Majesty, be careful. A smooth succession is the most important thing!"
Liu Dan's heart trembled and he nodded slowly.
(End of this chapter)
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