Chapter 311 The Selection of the Crown Prince
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, as soon as night falls, colorful lanterns are hung in the streets and alleys of Beijing, decorating the city with colorful lights.
Emperor Ming of Qi hosted a grand banquet for his ministers in the Yanhe Hall, attended by the Empress and Xiao Beiheng and his wife. The Emperor issued a decree that all ministers could speak freely tonight, and that everyone, both host and guests, should enjoy themselves and not stop until they were drunk.
Seeing the emperor's order, the court officials took the opportunity to eat and drink to their heart's content.
After drinking more than a dozen cups of imperial wine, the prime minister, not knowing whether he was drunk or confused due to old age, proposed to Emperor Ming of Qi in front of all the civil and military officials that Your Majesty should appoint a crown prince.
Emperor Ming of Qi played with his empty wine glass thoughtfully. He did not respond to the prime minister, but instead cast his eyes on the two empty seats.
Xiao Zhuo and Shen Yuexi were supposed to be there. However, a rebellion broke out in Jingzhou, and Xiao Zhuo led his troops to suppress it. Meanwhile, Princess An's wife, Shen Yuexi, was pregnant and vomiting violently, so she couldn't come.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is supposed to be a time for family reunions, but these accidents happened, which is a pity.
Song Zhen, who was sitting at the bottom, stood up and said to the Prime Minister, "Your Excellency, I believe that Your Majesty has made his own decision on the matter of appointing a crown prince, and we, as ministers, should not rush him."
When Emperor Ming of Qi ascended the throne, his subordinates also rose to prominence. He became Vice Minister of War. His rival, Lin Kui, was Vice Minister of Personnel. Their positions were similar, both serving as deputies to the Shangshu. But in reality, Song Zhen held more real power.
After hearing this, the Prime Minister's face flushed red as he said to Song Zhen, "Minister Song, since ancient times, the dethronement and enthronement of the Crown Prince has been the most important matter. If there is any hesitation, chaos will surely ensue, which is a recipe for disaster."
Song Zhen was about to refute, but several ministers stood up to support the prime minister, including Lin Kui.
"The Prime Minister is right. The world is peaceful now. Although there is a rebellion in Jingzhou, it is not a threat." After Lin Kui finished speaking to the Prime Minister, he turned to Emperor Ming of Qi and bowed. "I dare to ask Your Majesty to consider the issue of appointing a crown prince as soon as possible."
Song Zhen looked at them one by one and found that most of those who spoke were supporters of Xiao Beiheng.
He was a smart man and understood the reason after a little thought.
Xiao Beiheng took advantage of Xiao Zhuo and Shen Yuexi's absence to get the ministers to push Emperor Ming of Qi to appoint a crown prince. In this atmosphere, even if he spoke bluntly, considering that everyone had been drinking and the emperor had decreed that everyone could freely express their opinions, he naturally wouldn't blame them.
But the matter of establishing a crown prince was directly related to Xiao Beiheng, so it was inappropriate for him to remain here. He would definitely have to leave next.
As Song Zhen expected, Xiao Beiheng stood up and said to Emperor Ming of Qi: "Father, I am very drunk and will take my leave first."
Emperor Ming of Qi approved the request, and Xiao Beiheng took Su Mo away from Yanhe Palace.
As soon as Xiao Beiheng left, the ministers' chatter intensified. Several military officers, led by General Zhao Mu, supported Song Zhen, saying the matter should be left to His Majesty. The civil officials, led by the Prime Minister, denounced Zhao Mu and his men as simple-minded military men who had no idea how to govern.
The civil servants were all trained professionals, not only sharp-tongued but also able to cite classics and offer eloquent arguments. The military generals who supported Song Zhen couldn't even speak coherently, let alone refute their arguments. They were criticized from head to toe, completely defeated and in a state of disgrace.
Emperor Ming of Qi held his forehead with his hand, said nothing, and just listened to his ministers' debate.
When everyone had calmed down a bit after talking until their mouths were dry, Emperor Ming of Qi stood up and said, "My lords, I am a little drunk. I will go to rest first. You can continue to drink your wine."
The ministers were originally speaking to Emperor Ming of Qi, but as soon as he left, they lost interest in arguing and had to continue drinking.
After two more rounds of drinking, a eunuch came over and whispered in Song Zhen's ear, "Minister Song, His Majesty has summoned you in the Imperial Study."
Song Zhen didn't dare to neglect the matter. He stood up, said goodbye to all the officials, and left Yanhe Hall. The eunuch led him all the way to the imperial study in Yangxin Hall. The eunuch stopped at the door and said to Song Zhen, "Mr. Minister, His Majesty only invites you in."
After the eunuch finished speaking, he opened the door for Song Zhen.
Song Zhen entered the imperial study, walked around the screen, and saw a bookshelf against the wall. There was a square table in the middle of the room. Emperor Ming of Qi was painting with an ink pen at the table. The painting seemed to be of a woman.
"Your Majesty, I, Song Zhen, have come here upon your summons." Song Zhen saluted and stood aside.
Emperor Ming of Qi looked up at Song Zhen, nodded, dipped his brush in some ink, and continued painting. He said, "Today, all the ministers are urging me to appoint a crown prince. What do you think, my dear minister?"
Song Zhen said, "Your Majesty must have already made up his mind. I dare not speculate on your Majesty's intentions."
Emperor Ming of Qi smiled and shook his head, saying, "My dear minister, I have summoned you here to hear your opinion. Do not be ambiguous."
Song Zhen blushed, it seemed that he could not push the matter out, so he had to bite the bullet and said:
"Your Majesty, I believe the Prime Minister has a point. Your Majesty is in good health, but there are unpredictable events. If an unexpected event occurs and the crown prince is not appointed, disaster will surely ensue."
"So, you agree with the Prime Minister?" Emperor Ming of Qi put the pen on the pen holder, picked up the painting and admired it under the light.
"I simply believe that Your Majesty has made his own decision on this matter, and we, as your subjects..."
"Then who do you think I should enthronize?" Emperor Ming of Qi put down the painting, put his hands on the table, and looked straight at Song Zhen.
Song Zhen was not expecting Emperor Ming of Qi to ask this question. He was speechless and stammered, "Your Majesty, how dare this humble servant speak rashly about the matter of appointing a crown prince?"
How could he dare to answer such a question casually? This was absolutely no joke. The decision on whether to dethrone or appoint a crown prince was made by the emperor alone. As a minister, he could only urge him on. How could he possibly tell the emperor who to appoint or dethrone? Unless he really wanted to save his own head.
Emperor Ming of Qi seemed to know that he didn't dare to answer this question. He sighed, put his hands behind his back and walked slowly for a few steps before saying:
"The palms and backs of my hands are all made of flesh. I am also in a dilemma."
Seeing that Emperor Ming of Qi had softened his tone, Song Zhen finally calmed down a bit and continued, "Prince Ping and Prince An are both unrivaled heroes. As your subjects, we have no objection to your Majesty's choice of crown prince."
"At first, I had made a decision," Emperor Ming of Qi seemed to be talking to himself, but also to Song Zhen. "But when I went to Shengjing, the granddaughter of Ji Taifu came to see me and told me something very important. At first, I didn't believe what she said, and I specially sent someone to inquire..."
Song Zhen was stunned.
Ji Zhong's granddaughter had previously visited Emperor Ming of Qi, a fact unknown to him; it appeared to be a private meeting. Emperor Ming of Qi was vague about what Ji Zhong's granddaughter had said, and he had no idea what it specifically was. However, it was likely directly related to the succession, as the main topic of the Emperor's discussion with him was the succession.
"A few days ago, envoys from Beidi came to congratulate me on my ascension to the throne. They also sent me a personal letter from the Beidi Grand Marshal, reminding me of something very important..." Emperor Ming of Qi changed the subject and began to talk about Beidi again.
Song Zhen became even more confused after hearing this.
He also knew that the Northern Di envoy brought a handwritten letter from the Northern Di Grand Marshal, but Emperor Ming of Qi did not disclose the specific content.
Unexpectedly, this was also related to the succession. Both Xiao Zhuo and Xiao Beiheng had dealt with the Northern Di before. What important news could the Northern Di Grand Marshal have to remind Emperor Ming of Qi?
Emperor Ming of Qi had already mentioned two very important things. However, he did not elaborate on either of these two things. It felt like he was not speaking to him, but rather talking to himself.
"With these two things happening, I don't know how to make a decision now," Emperor Ming of Qi looked at Song Zhen. "You were once a subordinate of Prince An, and later of Prince Ping. You are familiar with both of them, and your opinion is very important to me."
Song Zhen probably understood what Emperor Ming of Qi meant.
Emperor Ming of Qi had already decided on the Crown Prince candidate, but two things happened: one was related to Ji Zhong, and the other was related to the Northern Di Marshal. These two things made Emperor Ming of Qi hesitate.
He thought about it again and again and finally came up with an excuse to respond.
"Your Majesty, since ancient times, there have been rules for emperors to follow when appointing a crown prince. The eldest son should be appointed as the heir, not the youngest; the legitimate heir should be appointed as the heir, not a concubine's son. Your Majesty should act according to the ancient rules, and there is no need for me to make irresponsible remarks."
In fact, he said a correct piece of nonsense. It seemed that he expressed his own opinion, but in fact it was the same as saying nothing.
Xiao Zhuo was considered Emperor Ming of Qi's eldest son, and he should have been made Crown Prince. However, Emperor Ming of Qi and Pei Jingyun were not engaged, and the marriage was not formally arranged. Therefore, Xiao Zhuo was not considered a legitimate son, but only a bastard's. Xiao Beiheng should have been made Crown Prince.
Emperor Ming of Qi seemed to see through his tricks and said with a smile:
"My dear minister, I will not trouble you. I will pass my instructions to all the ministers. I will announce the selection of the crown prince at tomorrow morning's court."
Song Zhen opened his eyes wide in surprise. Emperor Ming of Qi had finally made a decision.
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