Chapter 522 A Promise Made
If a wolf becomes too powerful in a pack, it will either bare its fangs and subdue all the other wolves, becoming the new alpha wolf, or it will be completely isolated and squeezed out of the pack.
Qin Mo is now experiencing the feeling of being isolated and ostracized.
Two groups of people entered the Imperial Clan Court last. The royal family members, led by Prince Yan and Prince Chang Le, had clearly gathered elsewhere before coming to the Imperial Clan Court. But yesterday, Prince Yan had sent him directly to the Imperial Clan Court. What did this mean?
The remaining group consisted of civil officials from Xiao Xinyan's faction. They looked at Qin Mo with disdain, perhaps believing that Qin Mo was not qualified to sit with Xiao Xinyan at all.
The main hall was immediately packed with people, except for the seat at the head of the hall where Qin Mo was located, which was relatively spacious, with nine chairs taking up almost half of the hall's space.
Grand Secretary Xiao Xinyan and the Minister of Rites occupied two seats, while those who followed Prince Changle and Prince Yan occupied a total of six seats. Judging from their attire, five of them were princes, while the other was a eunuch who looked to be over forty years old.
Qin Mo stared at the eunuch, and the eunuch looked back at Qin Mo with admiration and a hint of apology in his eyes. The two looked at each other for a moment before simultaneously looking away.
The Prince of Yan did not greet Qin Mo as familiarly as usual, but simply nodded slightly to her, and Qin Mo returned a kind smile.
"Gentlemen, His Majesty has suddenly passed away, and our Great Xia has lost a wise ruler... His Majesty did not leave a will, but... a country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Today, I have dared to gather the nation's key ministers to discuss state affairs!"
Qin Mo thought that the Prince of Yan would preside over the ceremony today, but unexpectedly, the Grand Secretary Xiao Xinyan stood up. He first mourned Emperor Zhaowu with great sorrow, and then talked about the importance of recommending a new emperor as soon as possible. Judging from his later change of expression and his excited and impassioned manner, he must have been enjoying his glorious status at this moment.
"Lord Xiao, you've gathered the most important officials of Qi? I'm afraid a few are still missing today!"
Qin Mo's voice was very inappropriate, but he was unhappy and naturally didn't need to consider other people's feelings.
Xiao Xinyan frowned immediately. Yesterday, his nephew had a minor argument with Qin Mo outside the palace gates, which made him lose face. Just now, he had made a sarcastic remark to Qin Mo.
Of course, writers love to use this kind of subtle satire to satisfy their darker desires. In the eyes of Xiao Xinyan and his colleagues, Xiao Xinyan has already regained the face he lost yesterday.
Xiao Xinyan didn't think Qin Mo would dare to lose her temper with him in this situation. After all, the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Changle would be present, and both princes had previously shown him goodwill. Xiao Xinyan was currently at the peak of his life, and Qin Mo dared to ignore the two princes and cause him trouble? She really didn't know what was good for her.
"I wonder, Your Highness, who do you think is missing today?"
What do you think?
Xiao Xinyan asked Qin Mo with a smile, and Qin Mo smiled back and asked a riddle.
"Hehe, the General is far away in the north and has not yet returned. Does Prince Heng think... that the Empress is missing?"
"Does Lord Xiao think Her Majesty the Empress should not be present?"
Xiao Xinyan smiled without saying a word; he dared not say that Wang Yushi shouldn't be there today.
In the Great Xia Dynasty, after the emperor's death, if the empress had a son, that son would inevitably be the first choice for the crown prince. If the empress had no son, the sons of other concubines who wanted to inherit the throne would have to address the empress as Empress Dowager, and their birth mothers would also be addressed as Empress Dowager or Imperial Concubine Dowager. If a son from a collateral branch was adopted to become the emperor, he would first have to pay homage to his stepmother (empress) and would have to recognize his stepmother as his legal mother.
Therefore, Wang Yushi should be present in this situation. After all, choosing a crown prince is like choosing a son for her, and she should pick one who is pleasing to the eye.
Xiao Xinyan glanced at Hong Yanze, the Minister of Rites, who stood up and said, "Your Highness Prince Heng, let's discuss state affairs first. Once the crown prince is chosen, we will naturally ask the Empress to review his proposal."
"Oh! What if the Empress doesn't like the person you've chosen? Should we choose someone else?"
Qin Mo smiled and said that he had seen this kind of routine many times in his previous life. The unit would hold a public election for group leaders, but the list of candidates would not be the ones you wanted to see. In the end, the candidates were all pre-selected by the leaders. How about that? Are you satisfied? Are you angry?
"I wonder who Prince Heng thinks should be chosen as the crown prince? Could it be that you should choose yourself?" Before Hong Yan could speak, a young man in the hall stood up and questioned Qin Mo in a rather unfriendly tone.
"Who are you?" Qin Mo's face was as cold as ice, and her tone was even colder.
"I, Qin Rui, am here today with all the important officials of the empire gathered here. You, Qin Mo, have the lowest seniority. How dare you be so arrogant?"
"Qin Rui? I don't know him. He's an unknown nobody, probably without any talent or virtue. It's better not to know him!" Qin Mo looked at the Prince of Chang Le with disdain and said, "I won't nominate myself. I'm not that shameless. But... I wonder who will choose a prince with no reputation like you!"
Qin Rui's face immediately turned ashen. Qin Mo's label of "unknown nobody" filled him with immense shame and anger. He knew that the heir apparent had to be both virtuous and talented, and reputation was even more important than cultivation level. Qin Mo's statement that he was an unknown nobody was a veto of his right to participate in the election.
Several years ago, Qin Rui believed that he was the most suitable candidate to be adopted as the crown prince. Prince Chang Le even used all his power to organize a group recommendation by all officials, but in the end, he failed to achieve his goal due to Emperor Zhaowu's strong opposition.
With Emperor Zhaowu's sudden death, Qin Rui saw hope again, because his age, cultivation level, and identity were all suitable.
The emperor cannot be too old. There are plenty of young men in the royal family, so there's no reason to choose an old codger as emperor. What if he kicks the bucket one day?
His cultivation level couldn't be too high, because it would be difficult to have offspring if his cultivation level was too high. Qin Rui's cultivation level at the peak of the Yellow Realm was just right.
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