Chapter 166 Crown Prince
For a moment, Zhao Xiao even wanted to take Song Yuzhu away from here and go to a remote and deserted place to spend the rest of their lives together.
No matter whether other people live or die, what does the court have to do with him? No one can compare to Song Yuzhu in his heart!
But Zhao Xiao knew in his heart that Song Yuzhu would not abandon the people, nor would he abandon the country he had built.
Song Yuzhu looked at her lover's red eyes and her heart suddenly ached.
"Yutong is still too young. We have to wait until she comes of age before passing the throne to her."
Zhao Xiao raised his head in surprise, "You...are you willing?"
Song Yuzhu nodded: "I have been working hard to train Yutong over the years. Isn't it to pave the way for her to take my place?"
He was not from this era, and having too many advanced ideas was not necessarily a good thing. In addition, his sudden slumber made him more determined to abdicate.
The existence of the system has its pros and cons. I don’t know when the next maintenance will be. In case I really fall into a long sleep, the country will have to continue to keep it running.
"What time is it now?"
Zhao Xiao shouted, "Li Dehai, what time is it?"
"General, it's just past Chen... Your Majesty has woken up!" Li Dehai was surprised and happy, and he knelt beside the bed and cried bitterly.
"Oh my Lord, you scared me to death!"
"Okay, I'm fine."
Li Dehai wiped his tears and said, "Do you know how we have been living these past few days? We have been so worried that we can't sleep. Please don't scare us like this anymore."
How could he not be afraid? To put it bluntly, Song Yuzhu was alive and he was the chief steward of the inner palace. If he died, his good days would probably be over. Besides, they had been together as master and servant for so many years, so eight out of ten of his worries were genuine.
"It's still early. I'll take a rest first. After noon, I'll summon the six ministers, the five ministers, the cabinet officials, and all ministers above the third rank to the palace."
"Yes!" Li Dehai stepped back.
Zhao Xiao helped Song Yuzhu lie back on the bed. He had been drowsy for the past seven days. Even though the old ginseng was keeping him alive, his body was still very weak. After saying these few words, he was so tired that he broke out in a sweat.
Zhao Xiao ordered the eunuch to prepare hot water, help him take a bath, and change into clean clothes.
The imperial kitchen also sent over some simple porridge and side dishes. My stomach was weak after I had just woken up, so I couldn't eat greasy food.
"Did my parents know about my coma during these few days?"
"I don't know. I didn't dare tell them."
"That's good." Song Yuzhu didn't want to worry her parents, especially Jiang Rong, who had been getting older and in poor health in recent years. If she knew about this, she would definitely be worried.
"Yutong came several times, but I didn't let her see you. I guess she guessed you were sick."
As he was speaking, the attendant outside the door reported in a low voice: "Your Majesty, Princess Changle is here again."
Song Yutong stood at the door, thinking that she would be turned away as usual. Unexpectedly, after waiting for a while, the eunuch told her that she could go in.
Song Yutong walked in in surprise and saw her brother eating on the bed. Her nose felt sore and her eyes instantly turned red.
Song Yuzhu waved at her, "Come here quickly, is it cold outside?"
"It's not cold. Brother, are you well now?" Song Yutong came over and sat beside him, pretending to be calm.
Song Yuzhu helped her untie her cloak, "Okay, I'm sorry to have worried you these days."
After all, Song Yutong was still an eleven-year-old girl and could not hide her emotions. When she heard her brother's comfort, tears instantly welled up in her eyes and fell down.
"They won't let me come to see you, but I miss you."
Song Yuzhu rubbed her sister's hair and said, "Okay, you are a grown-up girl now, stop crying. Have you eaten yet? Let Zhao Xiao make you a bowl of porridge."
Song Yutong had already eaten at home, but still took the porridge handed to her by Zhao Xiao and drank a bowl with Song Yuzhu.
After dinner, Song Yuzhu felt better. "Have you read books well these days? Have you reviewed the memorials?"
Song Yutong nodded obediently: "I study with the Grand Tutor in the morning and review memorials in the afternoon."
"Tell my brother what major events have happened recently in the court?"
Song Yutong cleared his throat and recounted the events in the memorials over the past few days: "The case in Suzhou has been resolved. All 1,300 students involved were exiled to Beidi. They are now almost near Chuzhou. Prime Minister Xu has kept Li Jie in Suzhou and appointed him as the prefect temporarily."
"This year, the Beiguan army has been reduced by 300,000, and the military budget has been reduced by 300,000 taels compared to previous years. The Ministry of Revenue allocated 1 million taels of silver the day before yesterday and has already sent it to the Beiguan."
Song Yuzhu nodded slightly. Downsizing was a relatively big move this year.
Beiguan is the place where Daqi and the Jin Kingdom are connected. Fifteen hundred thousand troops were stationed there before to prevent the invasion of the Jin people.
Today, Daqi's army is developing rapidly and has great deterrence. It no longer needs too many soldiers to garrison there. Besides, maintaining an army is a very expensive thing. It would be better to lay off some people and reduce military expenditure.
"There is also a snowstorm in Liangzhou, and sixteen counties there are affected. The Ministry of Revenue has allocated funds for disaster relief, but the court has not yet selected officials to lead the relief efforts."
Song Yuzhu asked: "Do you have any candidate to recommend?"
Song Yutong thought for a moment and said, "Lord Xia, the Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, is a good person. His hometown is in Liangzhou, so he should be familiar with the local customs and practices. He has also presided over the relief work for the flood in Zhongzhou before, so he should be very familiar with this matter."
"Okay, I'll do as you say."
*
It was almost noon, and all the third-rank officials in the court were already waiting at the palace gate.
The weather is rare to be nice today. Although it is the coldest time of the year, the sun is bright and makes people feel warm. We don’t feel cold at all.
The snow on the palace walls sparkled with colorful light when the sun shone on them, which was truly pleasing to the eye.
However, no one had time to appreciate these things. The emperor had not attended court for seven days, which made the officials nervous. This was the first time he had rested for such a long time since he ascended the throne.
The most important thing is that there was no news from the palace before. They didn’t know what disease the emperor had, nor did they know how his health was now. Now that they were suddenly summoned to the palace, they were afraid that something bad might happen.
Among these people, only Xu Bing and Liu Lin knew the truth, and they were both worried because they didn't know whether the emperor was awake or not...
After waiting for a while, the palace gate opened and more than thirty officials lined up to walk in. The eunuchs took them to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
When Xu Bing entered the palace and didn't see the emperor, his heart skipped a beat and he stumbled.
Liu Lin was quick to support him and whispered, "Prime Minister Xu, are you okay?"
Xu Bing barely stood up straight, "It's okay."
Qin Fengtu, who was standing behind, noticed something and his expression changed instantly. He clasped his palms nervously.
A few days ago, he and Zhang Qi entered the palace to see His Majesty, but were turned away. At that time, they both had bad suspicions in their hearts. Now looking at Xu Bing's expression, it is almost certain that the emperor must be not well...
Although he was an old official of the previous dynasty, there is no doubt that Song Yuzhu was definitely the best emperor he had ever assisted. He was frugal and loved the people, worked hard to govern the country, appointed virtuous people to make reforms, and understood the people's grievances...
Because of such a good emperor, Daqi was able to develop so quickly. The people no longer suffered from the hardships of war, and all the people in the world could have enough food and clothing. Such a peaceful and prosperous era deserves the reputation of a wise ruler!
Emperor Changzhi is only 27 years old after the New Year! How come he suddenly... His eyes were hot and his chest was stuffy and he couldn't breathe.
Princess Changle is still young now, and it is hard for her to imagine what Daqi will become if the emperor is gone.
The atmosphere in the Yangxin Palace was very depressing. Even the usually taciturn Shen Lun sensed that something was wrong. Although he was not a third-rank official, he was called into the palace as the head of the scientific research department.
At first I didn't understand what was going on, but now seeing the worried faces of the people around me, I suddenly understood. An indescribable sadness surged in my heart, and tears fell down.
Just as these ministers were feeling sad, Zhao Xiao and Song Yutong walked in from outside the door, supporting Song Yuzhu.
"I'm sorry to have caused you worry these past few days."
"Your Majesty?!" All the officials were surprised and delighted, staring at him intently.
Song Yuzhu joked: "Do you think I am still intact?"
Xu Bing said with red eyes: "I'm glad that your Majesty is alright!"
Zhao Xiao helped Song Yuzhu sit on the throne.
Song Yuzhu said softly, "I have not been feeling well these past few days, so I have not been attending court. I am very pleased that you have done a good job in court affairs."
"Your Majesty is terrified - Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long, long live the emperor!" The ministers knelt on the ground and said in unison.
"Everyone get up." Song Yuzhu coughed lightly a few times, and Zhao Xiao, who was standing next to her, immediately looked over nervously.
"I called you here today to tell you ministers that I am fine now, so you don't have to worry."
"Secondly, I also have something very important to announce. I intend to make Princess Changle the crown prince."
Song Yuzhu's voice was not loud but it was resounding, like thunder, which made the officials below dizzy.
There was a moment of silence in the hall, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Song Yutong, who was standing next to Song Yuzhu, pursed his lips and looked at the ministers sharply.
Time passed little by little. The ministers below were nervous, and Changle above was even more nervous. Although her brother had discussed this matter with her before coming, she was still worried in her heart, afraid that she would not be recognized.
After a while, Xu Bing was the first to stand up and express his opinion: "Princess Changle is virtuous, upright, talented, humble and kind, and she deserves to be the crown prince."
Liu Lin then said: "That's right, although the princess is young, she handles government affairs in an orderly manner, just like your majesty!"
The new ministers headed by Xu Bing all nodded in agreement. Even though some people felt that it was inappropriate, no one dared to deny it.
However, the group of old ministers headed by Qin Fengtu have not yet expressed their stance. Everyone is waiting to see who will take the first step.
Not long after, Qin Fengtu also stepped forward and said, "I...have the same idea as Prime Minister Xu. Your Highness will surely be able to work hard and love the people like Your Majesty!"
Song Yuzhu finally smiled, "Okay, the Ministry of Rites will prepare for the crown prince ceremony after the new year."
The Minister of Rites said, "As you command!"
Just when everyone thought that this matter was a done deal, someone suddenly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I don't think it's appropriate!"
“No matter how good Princess Changle is, she is still a woman. There is no precedent of letting a woman become an emperor in all dynasties throughout history. This is not only a pity for the family, but also a curse for the family!” This person was none other than the councilor Lin Haiqiong.
Song Yuzhu said, "According to what Lord Lin said, what should I do?"
"Your Majesty is in the prime of life. You should recruit concubines and give birth to a son to inherit the throne as soon as possible. This is the right way."
Zhao Xiao's eyelids twitched, revealing a murderous look.
(End of this chapter)
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