But as he lived longer, the people below him could no longer hold back and started to urge the prince to fight for the throne.
At first, the Prime Minister and several veteran officials suggested to Xu Jing that he should appoint a crown prince as soon as possible. During the court meeting, they secretly tried to test Xu Jing's preference on which prince he really liked, and then brought out the princes from their own team to test Xu Jing's attitude.
Every time Xu Jing opposed the prince, he avoided talking about it, which made the internal struggle among the ministers more intense.
Apart from the royalists, the other three factions quarreled every day over the issue of appointing a crown prince. The situation escalated and eventually turned into a struggle between the three princes.
Seeing the three people fighting like black-eyed chickens, Xu Jing also realized that one cannot define a person's personality from the beginning.
He thought Huaiying was a coward and incompetent, but it turned out that he was very sinister and vicious behind his back, and had secretly framed his two younger brothers several times.
Huai'an has a hot temper, but he's straightforward and doesn't go around in circles. He's not suited to being an heir, but rather to military training.
Xu Jing was also a man of action. That night he threw the man into the military camp and handed him over to General Jin Zihan for instruction.
The other two princes saw that they had lost a threat and the struggle became more intense. No longer satisfied with the struggle, they even started to poison Xu Jing in order to ascend the throne as soon as possible.
There is no father-son affection in the imperial family. As long as it involves matters related to interests, even the emperor has to kneel.
Xu Jing remained silent and continued to watch the two men make trouble.
Raising a prince is no different from raising a poisonous insect. You have to let them fight each other to know who is the most suitable one.
Huaiying and Huaishen had been battling each other openly and covertly for five years, during which time they had killed many people. It was a fight that left both sides devastated, with neither of them suffering a good fate.
On the contrary, Huai'an made many remarkable achievements following Jin Zihan. As a prince, Xu Jing had high hopes for him early on and named him King of Xiang when he was fifteen years old.
After he was crowned King of Xiang, the situation became more serious. Huaiying and Huaishen then realized that they were not enemies, but Huai'an, who had made many military achievements, was the stumbling block on their way to the throne.
So both sides sent martial arts masters to intercept and kill Huaian, but Huaian restrained them and killed them in return.
Huai'an relied on his own abilities to return to the capital step by step. After he restrained his temper, he really grew up to be the person Xu Jing expected.
Huai'an was not as good as Huaishen in both military and literary skills, nor as cunning as Huaiying. But his love for his country and his people was genuine.
From the letters Jin Zihan sent, Huai'an had grown from the arrogant and domineering boy he once was into a man of integrity. He showed no mercy to his enemies and was humble and courteous to his friends. Other shortcomings could be temporarily remedied, but a selfless heart was the only thing that could not be filled. The country needed an emperor who worked for the country and the people.
Xu Jing spent ten years training a successor. Although it was a little late, fortunately the outcome was good.
After Huai'an returned to the capital, Xu Jing announced at the court meeting that Huai'an would be crown prince. He also gave Song Jiahui, the daughter of Song Yongzhen, the Minister of Revenue, to Huai'an as his consort.
Huaiying was named Prince of An and granted the fiefdom of Langya. Huaishen was named Prince of Yong and granted the fiefdom of Yong'an. Both princes were to move to their fiefdoms within one month and were not allowed to return to the capital without being summoned.
After training the prince for five years, the prince had mastered all of Xu Jing's methods and abilities. Xu Jing willingly abdicated and became the emperor, starting a leisurely life as the emperor.
In the fifth year of Yonghe, the retired emperor died in Shoukang Palace at the age of sixty-five. He was known in history as Emperor Wu.
Looking back on Emperor Wu's life, he achieved national reunification and national rejuvenation. During his reign, the country was peaceful and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. Nations came to pay tribute, pushing Southern Liang to another peak and becoming a world-class power.
Furthermore, the majority of the civil and military officials came from the reign of Emperor Wu. For example, Prime Minister Zhou Siheng implemented the New Deal, which significantly boosted economic and agricultural development and provided valuable lessons for later generations. Another example was the agriculturalist Feng Ke, who increased national grain production and significantly promoted agricultural development.
The economy also saw further improvement, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent prosperity. The military reached its peak level at the time, and the Jin family army led by Jin Zihan would continue to terrify the enemy and make them flee in fear for decades to come.
After Emperor Wu's death, the entire nation mourned. Countless people came to see him off, some even erecting shrines in their homes, offering daily incense. After the new emperor ascended the throne, he commissioned craftsmen to carve a statue of the deity and place it in the Huguo Temple for worship by the imperial family. Even after the fall of the Southern Liang Dynasty, the temple continued to be worshipped.
The few words in the history books record the emperor's eventful life. Although he dies, his name will live on in the history books for future generations to study and learn from, forever.
Xu Jing's life was really tiring. Whether he was a prince or an emperor, he never stopped worrying about the country.
There are so many things to do every day that I wish I could tear myself into pieces. Not to mention sightseeing, even getting a little extra sleep is a luxury.
If Zhou Siheng hadn't helped him deal with most of the things, he would have been exhausted to death long ago and would not have been able to hold on to the end.
After finishing the task, Xu Jing didn't even bother to check his salary with 021. He went straight to the dormitory, took a shower, and had a good sleep.
After waking up, Xu Jing went to the company cafeteria for lunch. While ordering, he ran into Meng You and immediately stopped him. "Manager Meng, can you guys have dinner together?"
"Okay." Meng You glanced at the dishes he ordered and saw that they were all meat dishes, not a single vegetarian dish. He smiled and said, "Are you fleeing back from war?"
"It's all thanks to you that I spent half my life on a mission."
"I see you're living well." Meng You looked at him boldly and said with a smile, "You look more energetic than before."
"I'm alive, but a lot of my brain cells have died." Xu Jing rolled his eyes, found a nearby seat to sit down, and concentrated on eating.
Halfway through the meal, the hunger in his stomach also disappeared. Seeing Meng You still eating slowly, Xu Jing said, "Hey, Manager Meng, can you take pity on me and arrange a vacation for me?"
"Young people, you should work hard and not just play around. Besides, your bonus this time is quite substantial. One task can be equivalent to half a year's work for others, so why not do it?"
Xu Jing's eyes nearly rolled to the sky. It sounded nice, but the reality wasn't quite right. He spent as much time on one task as others did on three. So, he was at a disadvantage.
"I'm going to take some time off to adjust."
"Okay." Meng You always turned a blind eye to outstanding department employees, trying his best to satisfy their wishes. "I'll have 021 notify you when there's a suitable assignment."
"Okay, I'll go first."
Xu Jing checked his phone and saw a 150,000 yuan deposit in his bank account. It seemed like only money could temporarily ease the pain in his heart.
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