"The reason is simple, seek benefits and avoid harm. For me, it is unlucky to be an emperor for as long as I have." Zhao Jiu sighed and listed all the treasures. "I have calculated that before me, there were only seven emperors who could reign for forty years. Emperor Xiaowu of Han and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang both reached their peak but fell. Emperor Wu of Liang failed miserably before he could even accomplish his achievements. The two emperors of Liao and Emperor Renzong of this dynasty were all chaotic and corrupt in their later years, which laid the foundation for the country's demise. The last emperor of the Han Dynasty was simply the king who lost the country... After being an emperor for a long time, he enjoys his power and wealth for himself and becomes increasingly confused. This is a common sense. You are all well-educated and should know more than me."
That being said, one cannot say that Emperor Zhao will immediately become a tyrant, so everyone came to persuade him.
"This is just one of the reasons. If we talk about it from the new emperor's side, we have no choice but to do it." Zhao Jiu seemed to know what these people were going to say, and quickly waved his hand to stop them, but this caused panic among the crowd.
What is this? Who is going to be Emperor Taizong of Tang?
In a panic, some people even looked at Prince of Wei Yue Fei... Well, Prince of Qin just died, the eldest prince was afraid that he would lose the support of the army, and then the second prince contacted Prince of Wei, is this going to be unscrupulous?
But this is just a thought. It is purely a side effect of the people on this island reading too many books, and everything starts running automatically.
In fact, if you think about it carefully, this is not the right approach at all.
The Privy Councilor Liu Qi was right in front of him, as was Yang Yizhong, who was in charge of the secret memorial system. The military had always been controlled by the emperor himself, and the imperial guards were full of foreign princes and sons. What was going on? Moreover, after the King of Wei retired, he had been focusing on the military and military settlements, and there was no suspicion that he had any contact with the prince.
"Don't think too much." Zhao Jiu gave a direct answer as if he saw everyone's weirdness. "I have read the history books and found that all those who have been crown princes or princes for a long time but have not been able to succeed to the throne have twisted and discordant personalities. If the father has made a little more achievements, there are countless cases of father and son killing each other... The First Emperor had Fusu; Emperor Wu of Han had witchcraft; Emperor Taizong of Tang established the youngest son; Emperor Xuanzong of Tang suspected his son for decades; the most frightening was Emperor Wen of Sui and Emperor Yang of Sui... This kind of thing is human nature. It was like this before and it will be like this in the future. I don't think my sons can transcend it. Instead of having a grudge between father and son, it is better to pass on the throne early to calm people's hearts."
Chen Kangbo had no choice but to bite the bullet and say: "All the princes are kind and filial..."
"Don't talk nonsense." Zhao Jiu finally waved his hand impatiently. "I asked you to come to the island to talk so that you can feel free... The reason is here. If I occupy the throne for a long time, I will definitely be lazy and violent; the princes will definitely be worried and depressed... If you want to refute this reason, it will be hypocritical. In short, neither of them is beneficial to the world. It is better to decide immediately while I am still sober."
Chen Kangbo and the others looked at each other in bewilderment. Helplessly, the prime minister could only grit his teeth and get to the point: "I am ashamed, but I still want to ask the emperor to make it clear. The emperor knows the will of heaven and is still young and strong. Abdicating at this time is certainly a precautionary measure, but is it because we are not governing properly and the prince is already showing signs of competing for power and winning the support of the people, which has made the emperor tired and angry, so why do you do this?"
As he spoke, not only Prime Minister Chen Kangbo bowed his head, but all the ministers around him, including Prime Minister Zhang Jun, Prince of Wei Yue Fei, Privy Councilor Liu Qi, and all the civil and military officials also bowed their heads, with Yang Yi Zhong at the head. The attendants around him also stepped out of their seats, bowed their heads, and waited for Emperor Zhao to give a formal reply.
In fact, Chen Kangbo's question, coupled with Zhang Jun's previous fear that Emperor Zhao was just sentimental and overwhelmed by his emotions, was the key reason why the prime minister and ministers gathered here.
Everyone is not stupid. Emperor Zhao has been the emperor for 36 years. Although it is not a good thing to abdicate to an adult prince, everyone knows the reason and experience. However, the emperor's abdication is the emperor's abdication after all, and it has many and important consequences.
It is not just a matter of one emperor and one minister. That is a matter for the future. The key question now is why Emperor Zhao abdicated. Did he think it over carefully? Well, did he feel disappointed with certain people and things during this deep thought? If so, who is responsible?
If the government affairs are not handled properly, it is the responsibility of the prime minister;
If the behavior of a specific prince makes Emperor Zhao feel disgusted, then that specific prince must be punished!
In a short moment, countless things had already flashed through the minds of everyone on the island... the civil unrest in the Qing Dynasty, the Mongol riots, the Japanese rebellion; the confrontation between the scholars in the north and the south, the dispute over the original school of thought, the discussion on the pros and cons of increasing the household registration, the worry that the six major customs offices would stagnate for ten years after an annual income of 8 million strings of cash... and the arson case in the Suzhou Silk Reeling Mill that led to the downfall of many secret cabinet officials!
Especially the last incident that happened last year. Although the matter was finally handled according to Emperor Zhao's wishes, several strategies from the provincial government and the secret cabinet were rejected by Emperor Zhao. Emperor Zhao himself went to the secret cabinet three times and the public cabinet twice. In the end, Lu You, the then assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Zhang Shuo, the brother-in-law of Concubine Wu, and Liu Gong, the pacification envoy of Zhejiang, were all reprimanded and dismissed from office.
Looking back now, Emperor Zhao’s reaction to this incident was beyond everyone’s expectations.
If Emperor Zhao says that this is the reason, then should all the members of the secret cabinet here resign together?
Emperor Zhao thought for a moment and said solemnly, "There is one thing that really bothers me."
Everyone was shocked and listened attentively.
"That is, the original school of thought is gradually flourishing, but there is a dispute between reason and conscience, which I cannot tolerate." Emperor Zhao responded seriously. "After I abdicate, I will concentrate on this matter."
Everyone felt relieved, yet also somewhat surprised.
Moreover, the struggle between reason and heart within the original school was almost inevitable... In the history of the original world, Confucianism in the Southern Song Dynasty developed greatly and eventually formed the Neo-Confucianism in the original history. In essence, it was a reaction to the Jingkang Shame by Song Confucianists who were originally tasked with building a new Confucianism, so they particularly emphasized integrity and so on. The basic foundation that promoted the prosperity of Neo-Confucianism was also the expansion of the frustrated pro-war ministers through their own students and descendants.
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