"Your Majesty, please issue an order to summon all the princes back to the capital."
"Your Majesty, please issue an order."
"Your Majesty, please appoint a crown prince as soon as possible."
Two days later, the news of the emperor's hemiplegia finally spread, and everyone who should know knew about it.
The civil and military officials were anxious and angry.
The emperor is suffering from hemiplegia, it’s fatal!
What's more, the prince is not here and the crown prince has not been appointed.
Every civil or military official who worked for the country and the people, or who was opportunistic, was extremely worried and worried about the chaos that might occur in the future.
We cannot allow the emperor to continue to act so willfully.
So, the civil and military ministers rarely joined together and rushed into Xingqing Palace to ask for orders.
It is said to be a request, but in fact it is forcing the emperor to abdicate.
The emperor has hemiplegia and won't live long. Everyone should work hard to ensure the new emperor's accession to the throne.
As for what the emperor sitting on the dragon throne felt, no one cared.
Nothing is more important than appointing a crown prince.
Looking at the sea of heads and feeling the spit of civil and military officials, the emperor's eyes became bloodshot and the left half of his face looked hideous and terrifying.
With the stiff right half of his face, he looked like a vicious ghost, eager to tear every person present to pieces.
The emperor's left hand, which was able to move freely, was tightly gripping the armrest of the chair, with veins bulging and shaking continuously.
The emperor's majesty and autocracy were completely gone at this moment.
Because of hemiplegia, he is no longer the emperor who can scare people to death with just a glare.
Because of hemiplegia, the halo of the emperor around him was dimmed.
In just a few days, not only was he forced to abdicate, but he was also likely to further become one of the countless figurehead emperors in history who were sidelined by court officials.
He doesn't!
The emperor cried out in his heart that even if he died, he would die with dignity and authority.
He still has the final say in this court.
"Shut up, everyone!" The emperor gritted his teeth and spoke word by word.
The originally majestic words were no longer convincing because of hemiplegia.
Look at those civil and military officials who usually act like quails. Look at their eyes. Is there any fear of the emperor in their eyes?
"Your Majesty, please issue an order to recall the princes who are away from home as soon as possible."
"For the sake of the Great Zhou, Your Majesty, please issue an order as soon as possible and do not delay any further."
"Establish a crown prince as soon as possible and reassure the people. Your Majesty, are you determined to watch the capital fall into chaos?"
The court officials were heartbroken.
At this moment, they looked at the emperor as if they were looking at a tyrant.
You have sat on the throne for thirty-seven years. It is time to abdicate and let the new emperor take the throne to usher in a new era.
How long are you going to be willful and irritable?
Do you really want to pass the throne to the two-year-old prince?
It's simply ridiculous.
The looks of the civil and military officials gradually changed from grief to condemnation.
You are clearly a tyrant. You won't even pass on the throne, yet you still dream of immortality. Your great country is about to be ruined!
In the history books of the future, this incident will be recorded in great detail. You will surely be nailed to the pillar of shame as a tyrant.
This is the anger from the civil officials.
They hold the pen, and they want Emperor Kai Yao to bear the posthumous infamy and never be able to turn things around.
Your Majesty, please stop making trouble. The border is unstable! Quickly appoint a crown prince to stabilize the people's hearts.
This is the cry from the generals.
When the old is replaced by the new, unrest is the most taboo.
However, unrest is most likely to occur when the old is replaced by the new.
A mature emperor should have chosen a crown prince early on to calm people's hearts. Then he could close his eyes and die peacefully!
“You guys…”
The emperor raised his left hand and pointed at the crowd of people. "You are going to force... um..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the emperor suddenly felt dizzy and his eyes went dark, and he completely lost consciousness in a short time.
"Oh no! His Majesty has fainted. Call the imperial physician quickly."
"Are you trying to force His Majesty to death? If anything happens to His Majesty, you will be considered traitors."
"You have such a cruel mind that you actually forced His Majesty into unconsciousness."
"Your Majesty has been in a coma for several days. Everyone present will be punished."
Inside the main hall, every eunuch who served the emperor closely pointed at the civil and military officials and cursed them.
The eunuchs worked tirelessly to carry the emperor back to the palace for treatment.
The imperial physician followed closely behind, as if facing a great enemy.
Chen Dachang swept his cold gaze over everyone and left a message, "Call the Jinwu Guards to guard Xingqing Palace. Anyone who dares to trespass will be killed without mercy!"
Inside the palace, the civil and military officials were terrified. They had no intention of forcing the emperor to death.
Who would have thought that the emperor was so angry that he fainted.
The Jinwu Guards arrived quickly.
They are the emperor's henchmen and only obey the emperor.
They were not polite at all and directly drove away the civil and military officials who insisted on staying in Xingqing Palace and refused to leave.
And guard the palace gates tightly.
As for the imperial guards who were previously on duty at Xingqing Palace, they were all disarmed and went to the Jinwu Guard for tea.
Faced with the military power of the Jinwu Guard, the civil and military officials were helpless.
Of course, this doesn't mean they have no solution.
The news of the emperor's hemiplegia was secretly sent out of the capital several days ago and would soon reach the hands of the princes.
Once the princes quietly return to the capital, it will be useless even if the emperor objects.
The most important thing now is to appoint a crown prince.
…
This time, the emperor was not unconscious for long.
Thank God, an hour later, the emperor woke up from his coma.
Only the stroke symptoms were significantly aggravated.
He could express himself quite clearly before, but now his speech is vague and you have to listen carefully to understand him.
Moreover, the emperor's right leg could not move.
The imperial doctors were worried.
If today's situation happens a few more times, they will really be powerless to save the situation, and the emperor will be on the verge of death.
The emperor also felt that his stroke symptoms were getting worse and he could not speak clearly.
The emperor was furious.
The imperial physician hurriedly advised, "Your Majesty, please do not be angry. From now on, it is best for Your Majesty to rest and not interfere in state affairs."
Chen Dachang frowned.
It was a critical moment, so how could the emperor not intervene in state affairs?
Take the appointment of a crown prince, for example. Doesn’t the emperor ask for the opinions of his court officials?
The eldest prince had passed away long ago, and the only legitimate prince was Crown Prince Renxuan, who had also passed away.
Both the eldest and the youngest are gone.
In this case, any other adult prince can be appointed as the heir.
But this "who" is very particular.
If the emperor insists on making the little prince the crown prince, that is not impossible.
They were afraid that once the emperor died, all the other adult princes would rush to the palace and kill the little prince simply and efficiently.
Then the adult princes fought against each other.
No one wants to see this consequence.
It’s too serious!
If this happens, the national strength of the Great Zhou will be severely weakened.
Xiliang and Beirong have wicked ambitions and will definitely take the opportunity to start a war.
By then, there will really be internal and external troubles, the people will suffer, and the country will be in ruins.
"Who does Your Majesty wish to see?"
Chen Dachang leaned over to listen.
The emperor said with difficulty: "Issue an order to summon the princes and return to the capital."
Chen Dachang tried very hard to understand this sentence.
He bowed and nodded, "This old servant will invite the gentlemen in right away."
The emperor nodded and did not object.
Soon, several old gentlemen were invited into the bedroom.
In accordance with the emperor's order, an imperial edict was written to summon all adult princes outside the capital to return to the capital immediately without delay.
After finishing writing the imperial edict, the Minister of the Central Secretariat looked at his own beautiful regular script and felt very satisfied.
If the emperor had done this earlier, he would not have fallen into a coma again.
"Your Majesty, has this old minister used the seal?"
The emperor nodded.
All the adults looked at Chen Dachang.
Chen Dachang took a deep breath, took out the emperor's seal from the bedside, dipped it in ink, and dropped it heavily on the imperial edict.
With this imperial edict, the Secretariat could issue an official decree and summon the princes back to the capital in a legitimate manner.
This is the etiquette of the court, and it is legitimate.
The name is not right and the words are not justified.
The name is right and the words are justified!
Without the emperor's decree, the Secretariat issued a decree, and the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of State Affairs had the right to reject it.
Any official in the court can act without following orders.
This is checks and balances.
At this moment, checks and balances are still playing their due role.
The imperial edict has been issued, and the order to summon the princes back to the capital was sent out of the capital as quickly as possible.
I hope that when the decree is delivered, the princes will just be returning to the capital.
The emperor slowly closed his eyes.
Chen Dachang immediately said, "Your Majesty is tired and needs to rest. My lords, please return. The court is waiting for you to stabilize the people's hearts."
"Your Majesty, please take care of yourself. I, your humble servants, will take care of the affairs of the court."
…
After the decree was issued, the court officials did not disturb the emperor anymore.
The emperor rarely had a few days of peace and quiet, so he followed the doctor's advice and took good care of himself, and his stroke symptoms were slightly alleviated.
At least his speech was clearer than when he woke up from the second coma, enough for people to hear what the emperor was saying.
Every autumn rain brings a chill.
Winter is coming, and the weather is getting cold early this year.
The emperor was cold, so the Xingqing Palace had lit up the floor heating early and it was very warm.
The emperor cannot sit still when he has energy.
He first summoned several meritorious and senior officials, and then summoned several civil officials.
No one knows what was said between the king and his ministers.
This time, it was rare that no one revealed a word afterwards, and the confidentiality measures were taken to the extreme.
Immediately afterwards, the emperor began to summon the eldest grandsons of the royal palaces and princes' mansions.
Liu Zhao and King of Chu are both on the list.
Liu Yi is not the eldest son and is not on the list.
The moment he got the news, Liu Yi crushed the teacup in his hand.
The broken porcelain pieces pierced into his palm and blood gushed out.
The servants and eunuchs around him were extremely panicked and quickly asked the imperial physician to treat Liu Yi.
Upon learning that Liu Yi was injured, Pei hurried to the west courtyard.
"You're fine, how come you're injured?"
The wound had been bandaged, but there was a pool of blood on the ground that had not yet been cleaned up.
Seeing so much blood flowing, Pei was heartbroken.
"Is it because the servants are not serving properly?"
"Mother, please calm down. This has nothing to do with the servants. I accidentally hurt my hand."
Pei frowned and looked at the broken teacup on the ground. She seemed to know why.
She waved her hand and told the servants to leave, even Xiao Qin'er was driven out.
Only mother and son were left in the study.
"Is it because His Majesty summoned your elder brother that you are unhappy?"
Liu Yi lowered his head and smiled, his eyes cold.
After a moment, when he looked up, everything returned to calm.
"What are you thinking, mother? I am only happy for my elder brother that he has been summoned by the Emperor."
How could I not know about my own son?
Pei sighed, "The situation is unclear right now. You brothers must not quarrel among yourselves. If there is anything, wait until your father returns to the capital."
Liu Yi nodded and smiled brightly, "Don't worry, mother. I know the seriousness of the matter."
Pei was truly worried. "You need to be more open-minded. His Majesty has limited energy and can't possibly meet with every one of the dozens of grandchildren. Summoning only the eldest sons of each family is a last resort."
Liu Yi smiled and said, "I know everything. I didn't think too much about it. Mother, don't worry about your son."
Pei looked at the glaring bloodstains and broken porcelain pieces on the ground, and felt extremely worried.
"This is all an accident." Liu Yi bent down and picked up the largest piece of debris.
"My son was so excited thinking about his job at the government office that he accidentally hurt himself. I promise it won't happen again."
Pei nodded. "I'm glad you figured it out. His Majesty summoning the eldest sons of each family doesn't mean anything. The most important thing now is to appoint a crown prince."
"My son knows."
Pei didn't continue nagging. She gave Xiao Qin'er a few words of advice and then left the west courtyard with her people.
Xiao Qiner came in with her maid.
The maids quickly cleaned the floor as if nothing had happened.
"Cousin, are you okay?"
Liu Yi raised his lips and said, "Prepare a table of wine and food tonight, and you will have a drink with me."
"The imperial physician said that my cousin has an injury on his hand and cannot drink alcohol."
"It's really boring."
Liu Yi looked dissatisfied and said, "For the next few days, I will stay in the upper room."
Xiao Qin'er was inexplicably surprised, and then overjoyed.
"Are you serious, cousin?"
Liu Yi smiled at her and said, "Of course it's true. It's time to give Big Brother a younger brother."
Xiao Qin'er nodded frequently, almost crying with joy.
After all, her cousin was on the same page with her.
Liu Yi reached out his hand and hugged her, "Why are you crying, cousin?"
"I'm so excited." Xiao Qin'er cried with joy.
Liu Yi raised his hand and wiped her tears with his sleeve. "Don't cry. Let's try to have more children."
"I always listen to my cousin."
Xiao Qin'er fell into Liu Yi's gentle trap again.
…
In Xingqing Palace, more than a dozen imperial grandchildren stood in a row so that the emperor could see each of their faces clearly.
The person in the middle is naturally the King of Chu, who has been granted the title of king.
The King of Chu remembered the advice and instructions given to him by Fang Shaojian before entering the palace, so he tried his best to remain calm and restrained.
He secretly glanced at Liu Zhao, then at the eldest son of King Zhao, and subconsciously straightened his back.
The emperor leaned against the head of the bed, his eyes sweeping across the faces of each of the eldest grandsons.
Then start asking questions.
The emperor's questions were very simple. He just asked about family matters and what the emperor's grandchildren were busy with recently.
Finally, he assigned a policy proposal and asked the emperor's grandchildren to go down and think about it.
In this way, all the emperor's grandchildren were sent away.
The bedroom became quiet again.
After a long time, the emperor opened his eyes and asked, "How is the progress of the renovation of the three main halls?"
"Your Majesty, it will be completed in another year or so."
"Is there enough money?"
"The budget submitted by the Ministry of Industry is more than enough. Maybe there's even some left over."
The emperor looked at his bedroom, but unfortunately he might not be able to see the renovated three main halls.
The emperor then asked, "Have all the refugees outside the South City Gate been properly resettled?"
"With Madam Zhao's intervention, Your Majesty need not worry about the refugees freezing to death or starving."
"Why did I hear that tens of thousands of refugees have poured into the capital area?"
Chen Dachang wondered who had secretly told His Majesty about this.
Regardless of his inner thoughts, he remained silent. "It's true that tens of thousands of refugees have poured into the capital, coming from all directions. But don't worry, Your Majesty. Madam Zhao has already sent people to gather these refugees and relocate them near the Shili Pavilion outside the South City Gate. The Ministry of Revenue has also provided sufficient food and fodder to help them through the winter."
The emperor nodded slightly, "In recent years, the number of refugees has increased."
"It's all God's fault. Your Majesty has done his best. Natural disasters and man-made disasters are inevitable." Chen Dachang comforted.
The emperor wanted to laugh, but couldn't.
The right side of my face is so stiff that it has affected the left half of my cheek.
The emperor did not make things difficult for himself.
At least he can speak clearly now.
The imperial physicians in the Imperial Medical Bureau at least have some skills.
"Go call Gu Jiu here. I want to ask him about the resettlement of the refugees."
Chen Dachang was obviously stunned for a moment, obviously not expecting that the emperor would summon Madam Zhao at this time.
So unexpected!
So unusual.
He accepted the order and immediately sent someone to Prince Ning's Mansion to invite Gu Jiu into the palace.
…
Not only Chen Dachang was surprised, Gu Jiu was more surprised than anyone else.
What is the purpose of Your Majesty summoning her at this time?
Are you really asking about the resettlement of refugees?
In fact, if you want to know the situation of the refugees, you can also ask the Ministry of Household Affairs.
The Ministry of Revenue has complete data.
Xu Yousi asked, "Madam, should we go to the palace later and talk about it after the young master returns home?"
Gu Jiu shook his head. "The eunuchs are waiting outside. How could they allow me to delay for no reason? Qingmei, prepare some purses and banknotes and follow me into the palace."
"I obey your command!"
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
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