Chapter 470 Who is the crown prince?

After a period of recuperation, Li Chengqian's condition has improved, but his spirit is not as good as before.

Li Chengqian summoned the prime ministers of the three provinces, including Li Ke, and some ministers to the Purple Palace to discuss who should be made the crown prince.

"You all tell me which of my sons is suitable to be the crown prince!" Li Chengqian asked.

"Your Majesty! According to the patriarchal system, the eldest son should be made the crown prince. This can avoid brothers and relatives from killing each other and ensure the stability of the situation." The prime minister who supported the eldest son as the heir saluted and said.

"Your Majesty! I think the crown prince should choose a wise prince from among the older princes as the crown prince." A minister saluted with his hands crossed.

In fact, everyone knew that Li Chengqian did not like the old way of succession, which meant that other princes had more chances to inherit the throne.

This would easily lead to fights among the princes, and many uncertainties would ensue, and even hidden dangers would emerge.

This made some ministers choose a prince they were satisfied with from among the princes to support him as the crown prince or even the emperor.

Li Chengqian's treatment gave other princes more chances to seize the throne. When Zhangsun Wuji was alive, he also advised Li Chengqian many times.

When Zhangsun Wuji was alive, he said to Li Chengqian: "The crown prince is the heir! He is the one who will take charge of the government if something unexpected happens. Why does the patriarchal system make the eldest son the heir?" "

It is to ensure the smooth succession of power and to avoid internal strife and bloodshed. Once the patriarchal system of establishing the eldest son is broken, something bad will happen!"

"You mean to choose one of my three oldest princes to be the crown prince of my Tang Dynasty? Then who do you think is suitable to be the crown prince?" Li Chengqian asked. "I

think Xu Wang Li Sujie should be made the crown prince. Xu Wang is the most wise among all the princes and can be entrusted with important tasks." The minister said that he supported Li Sujie.

"No! Since ancient times, deposing the eldest son and enthroning the youngest son has been the key to chaos! Yuan Shao of the Three Kingdoms period was destroyed because he deposed the eldest

son and enthroned the youngest son." "The same is true for Liu Biao. After his death, he did not make his eldest son his heir. It was also because he deposed the eldest son and enthroned the youngest son that Jingzhou eventually fell into the hands of others."

"Didn't Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty eventually lead to the demise of the entire Sui Dynasty because he deposed the eldest son and enthroned the youngest son? Your Majesty! Deposing the eldest son and enthroning the youngest son is the way to chaos!" The Minister of Rites stepped out and saluted with his hands crossed. He was a supporter of Li Jue.

"Minister of Rites, this is wrong! Didn't Emperor Jing of Han, Liu Qi, also depose the eldest son and enthronize the youngest son? He deposed Crown Prince Liu Rong and enthroned Liu Che, the Prince of Jiaodong, who later became Emperor Wu of Han, as the crown prince! Didn't Emperor Wu of Han also become a great ruler?" The Minister of Revenue stepped out and saluted, retorting.

He was a supporter of the eldest son of the emperor, Li Xiang. If the eldest son of the emperor was really enthroned, then how could Li Xiang, whom they supported, have a chance to become the crown prince?

"You are talking about an isolated case. From ancient times to the present, how many people can be as successful and famous as Emperor Wu of Han?"

"Others deposed the eldest son and enthroned the youngest son, such as Yuan Shao and Liu Biao, because of deposing the eldest son and enthroning the youngest son, they fought against each other, destroyed their own family business, and were infamous forever."

"Now that the Tang Dynasty is rich and powerful, the people live and work in peace and prosperity, and they need a more wise prince to protect the country of the Tang Dynasty." The Minister of Rites retorted.

People talked about it and argued endlessly, and no one could convince anyone.

Li Chengqian was so annoyed by their quarrels. He didn't expect that enthroning a prince would cause these people to argue endlessly, and they were almost going to fight.

"Shut up, all of you. You keep quarreling all day long. What a disgrace! Don't you see where this is? Is this a place for you to make a fuss?" Li Chengqian shouted angrily.

All the ministers were silent! The Purple Palace suddenly fell silent.

Li Chengqian looked at Li Ke, Xu Jingzong, Di Renjie and others. They were the quietest and didn't say a word from the moment they entered the palace.

"Li Ke, Xu Jingzong, Di Renjie, everyone is discussing the selection of the crown prince, but you haven't said a word. Why?" Li Chengqian asked.

"Your Majesty! Selecting the crown prince is your Majesty's family affair. Why do you need to ask me? Your Majesty already has a candidate in mind." Xu Jingzong said.

"Xu Jingzong, what nonsense are you talking about? Who is the crown prince? He is the heir to the throne! He is the person who will become the emperor in the future. That is a national affair, a major event. How can it be said to be your Majesty's family affair?" As soon as Xu Jingzong finished speaking, someone retorted. "

This is naturally your Majesty's family affair. Your Majesty is not only the emperor, but also a father. A father chooses a successor from among his sons. It is a family matter. It should be solved behind closed doors. Why should outsiders interfere?" Xu Jingzong retorted. "

Alright! Stop arguing and listen to Li Ke and the others' opinions!" Li Chengqian interrupted them and said.

If they were not interrupted, who knows how long the argument would have lasted.

It's just to establish a crown prince! Is it necessary to make such a fuss?

"Your Majesty! I still hope that Your Majesty can choose a crown prince according to the family rules of our ancestors. Perhaps this will help stabilize the situation." Li Ke expressed his opinion.

He also supported the patriarchal system, which established the eldest son as the heir. His Prince Wu chose his eldest son as the crown prince.

This can indeed stabilize the situation in the family, and there will be no situation where his brothers will kill each other because of deposing the eldest son and establishing the youngest son.

Li Chengqian looked at Di Renjie.

Di Renjie crossed his arms and saluted, "I think your majesty should know better than us who should be chosen, who should not be chosen, and who is suitable to be the crown prince. No matter which prince is chosen as the crown prince, the other adult princes must stay away from the capital and return to their respective fiefdoms to avoid causing trouble in Chang'an." "

Since the crown prince has been chosen, if the other adult princes still stay in the capital, it will give them a false impression that they still have hope to compete for the crown prince, which will eventually lead to tragedy."

"Your majesty should make a decisive decision on how to choose, otherwise, the world will be in turmoil." Di Renjie said.

"Okay! Let's talk about this today. I have already made an idea of ​​who to make the crown prince, and I still need to consider it carefully. You can leave first!" Li Chengqian said.

"I'll take my leave!" The ministers bowed and left the Purple Palace.

"Wang Quan, who do you think is more suitable to be the crown prince of our Tang Dynasty among Li Xiang, Li Jue and Li Sujie?" Li Chengqian asked.

"Your Majesty! I dare not criticize the crown prince!" Wang Quan knelt down hurriedly and said.

"All right! Get up! I know what I'm doing." Li Chengqian sighed.

The next morning, Li Chengqian issued an edict to make his eldest son Li Jue the crown prince. Li Xiang and Li Sujie left Chang'an and returned to their respective fiefdoms.