Zhen Ding
When Shen Zhangwu received the decree, his eyes were still red, like a wronged yet stubbornly strong little animal.
He kowtowed respectfully, his voice muffled: "This humble general obeys the order and will certainly not fail in his mission, delivering all the supplies to... Your Majesty."
The word "Your Majesty" still sounded unfamiliar, causing Wei Jin's heart to ache slightly.
However, just as Shen Zhangwu stood up, preparing to leave resolutely, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
As if he had made a tremendous decision, he suddenly turned around, rushed back down the steps, and amidst the astonished gazes of the surrounding eunuchs, opened his arms and awkwardly hugged Wei Jin's waist, burying his head in the front of his dragon robe, his voice choked with emotion as he whispered quickly and urgently:
"Father...please take good care of yourself! You...you will always be the best father!"
After saying that, before Wei Jin could react, as if afraid he would regret it, he suddenly let go of her hand, turned around and strode out of the hall, the sound of his armor rubbing against each other echoing with an unwavering determination.
Wei Jin stood frozen in place, his dragon robe still seemingly warmed by the boy's scalding heat and dampness.
His fingertips unconsciously brushed against the slightly damp spot on the dragon robe, which was so similar to the sweat stains left by young Shen Yu clutching the hem of his clothes on a rainy night in his memory.
He stared blankly at the empty palace gates for a long time, until a deep and complex smile slowly crept onto his lips. The desolation in his heart was shattered by this impulsive embrace, replaced by a bittersweet and warm current.
It turns out that this seemingly most straightforward and foolish little bull had already "betrayed" them.
He wasn't distancing himself; rather, he was clumsily showing his love and care for his father and mother in his own way.
very nice!
Wei Jin took a deep breath, a breath that seemed to completely wash away the gloom and loneliness of the past few days. He turned back to his desk, his gaze sweeping over the mountain of memorials, especially those that subtly urged the selection of concubines to continue the imperial line, or openly and secretly discussed the Empress's childlessness and her departure. His eyes suddenly became sharp as knives.
It's time—
The atmosphere at the morning assembly the following day was as usual.
After discussing the provisions for the southeast and the trivial matters of border defense, just when the ministers thought the court was about to adjourn, the emperor on the throne spoke calmly, dropping a bombshell.
"Since the selection of candidates has already been delayed, there's no need to continue. I have already reviewed the list of the remaining candidates; they are all virtuous and capable women." Wei Jin's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority. "The Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department shall immediately draft decrees to betroth Lady Wang to the heir of the Marquis of Jing'an, and Lady Li to…"
He named several members of the imperial family or sons of high-ranking officials, arranging marriages for the last batch of women to be selected, a process that was astonishingly fast.
The entire court was stunned.
That's... all?
The imperial concubine selection was a flop; His Majesty didn't keep a single one? What about the heirs? What about the crown prince?
Before they could even process this first shock, Wei Jin's second decree, like a thunderbolt from the heavens, exploded fiercely in the Hall of Supreme Harmony!
"As for the matter of the crown prince, I have already made a decision."
Wei Jin's gaze swept over the imperial relatives below who had instantly held their breath, especially those whose faces had changed drastically. His tone was as cold and hard as iron, "The Empress and I have raised twenty-three sons, all of whom are the fruit of our hearts and the flesh of our hearts. We have treated them as our own children. They are skilled in both literature and martial arts, and are loyal and filial. They are the candidates to succeed me!"
"Your Majesty! No!"
The most senior prince stepped forward first, his voice trembling, “This is against propriety! It is against the law! How can the royal bloodline be confused? How can a son of another surname inherit the ancestral temple of the Wei clan?! This is an act that shakes the very foundation of the nation, Your Majesty!”
"Confusion?"
Wei Jin sneered, abruptly stood up, and with a flick of his dragon sleeve, his voice shook the palace, "What is this confusion? I raised them with my own hands and taught them personally. They call me 'Father,' and I regard them as my own flesh and blood! Isn't this more genuine and closer than those so-called 'relatives' who have blood ties but no affection, and who even harbor ulterior motives?!"
His gaze was like lightning, piercing fiercely at the group of princes and dukes who were in an uproar.
“Your Majesty! The ancestral rules cannot be violated! The empire must belong to the Wei family!” Another senior official of the imperial clan knelt down and kowtowed, almost bursting into tears.
"Must the surname be Wei?"
Wei Jin descended the imperial steps, approaching the enraged imperial relatives. His voice suddenly rose, carrying an almost maniacal resolve and mockery, "Fine! Fine, so you must bear the surname Wei! Then I'll tell you—"
"My heir apparent, who will inherit the throne in the future, shall report to Heaven and Earth, be admitted to the main lineage, change his surname to Wei, and inherit my ancestral lineage. That is all! What is meant by confusion? I have given him blood (the grace of nurturing), the ancestral law (changing his name to be admitted), and the empire! This is far more legitimate than those of you who only have blood but lack talent and virtue!"
"boom--!!!"
The entire court was in complete uproar! It was like boiling oil being poured into ice water, sending everyone's souls flying!
Change your surname?
The successor to the throne changed his surname to Wei?!
An unprecedented and astonishing event! Utterly absurd!
This is simply trampling and crushing the patriarchal system and its associated rituals!
"Your Majesty! This proposal is absurd! It must not be allowed!"
"This is blasphemy against our ancestors! It is a violation of human ethics!"
"We swear we would rather die than obey the imperial edict!"
Wei Jin's words, "Just change your surname to Wei!" were like a meteorite crashing into a deep pool, creating not ripples, but a devastating tsunami.
Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, time seemed to freeze for a moment.
Immediately, the clan camp erupted in chaos!
"Your Majesty! You are so foolish! This is a sign of the downfall of the country!" An old prince with white hair beat his chest and stamped his feet, almost fainting.
"The laws of our ancestors! Is Your Majesty betraying the teachings of our forefathers?!"
"We swear to never tolerate this! Unless you step over our dead bodies!" The radical young members of the royal family were red-faced and had veins bulging on their foreheads. They knelt down and kowtowed, making loud thuds. They were ready to die for their cause, even if it meant blood splattering five steps away.
There was also an uproar among the civil officials, but unlike the intense reaction from the imperial relatives, it was more of a shock and confusion, with people whispering among themselves and looking bewildered. The Minister of Rites was deathly pale, his hand holding the imperial tablet trembled violently, and his lips trembled, but he could not utter a single clear syllable.
However, at the height of this chaos, some astute individuals noticed an unusual silence—coming from two crucial directions.
One was the group of upright civil officials led by the head of the Hanlin Academy.
They neither joined the clamor nor stepped forward to echo their relatives. Several elderly ministers with white hair and beards subconsciously exchanged glances, their eyes filled with complex emotions: shock, confusion, but deeper still, an indescribable weighing of options and... an eerie silence.
Their gazes, intentionally or unintentionally, swept across the southeast direction several times—
An imperial censor, known for his uprightness and outspokenness, moved his lips, but ultimately let out a silent sigh, firmly suppressing his thoughts of impeachment. He recalled Shen Yu's various initiatives in the southeast, which were truly practical measures for governing the country and improving its people, far superior to the empty talk of the imperial clan members who only knew etiquette and law.
Shen Yu.
That once-in-a-millennium "Triple Crown Scholar" was exceptionally talented in literature, insightful in political views, and, most importantly, upright in character, almost perfectly embodying all the Confucian ideals of a crown prince. He was privately admired by the literati as a beacon of hope for the revival of Chinese culture.
More importantly... some elders who are at the core of power and in charge of the classics all harbor an unspeakable secret: deep within Shen Yu's bloodline flows a branch of the legitimate Wei royal family. This is unknown to the present day, but Shen Yu himself knows it.
Is Your Majesty's action madness, or... an extreme calculation?
If it is Shen Yu in the end... then "changing the surname" is just a formality; bloodline and lineage are all in him.
Thinking of this, the Grand Academician took a barely perceptible deep breath, slowly closed his eyes, and fell into complete silence. His closing of his eyes was like a signal; the Hanlin censors behind him, who followed his lead, also lowered their eyes, some studying the patterns on their official tablets, others staring at the tips of their boots, and not one of them uttered a word of objection.
This silence is more suffocating than the clamor.
Another silence came from the ranks of military officers.
Unlike the complex thoughts of civil officials, military officers reacted much more directly.
When His Majesty delivered that earth-shattering decision, almost all the armored generals' first reaction was not to look at the Emperor, nor at their quarrelsome relatives, but rather, whether openly or cautiously, to turn their gazes to the figure standing at the forefront of the military officers—
Shen Xiao.
He stood tall and straight like a pine tree, dressed in military uniform, with a stern face. As the de facto eldest son of His Majesty and Empress, with numerous military achievements and holding a portion of the military power in the capital region, his attitude, to some extent, represented the most tangible strength of the military.
At this moment, Shen Xiao's face showed no emotion whatsoever.
He was neither as excited as his relatives nor as conflicted as the civil officials.
He simply stood there calmly, as if His Majesty were discussing not the revolutionary succession law, but rather what the weather would be like tomorrow.
However, upon closer inspection, one could see that his jawline was extremely taut, and the knuckles of his hand, resting on the hilt of his sword at his waist, were slightly white from the force. His gaze calmly swept over the group of agitated relatives, like a hunter assessing the threat level of his prey. The coldness in his eyes caused those who met his gaze to unconsciously take a half step back.
His silence was a powerful signal in itself.
The generals exchanged glances, and the previously restless ranks of military officers quickly quieted down. They might not understand the intricate etiquette, but they recognized the leader of the army. If Shen Xiao didn't move, they wouldn't move either.
If Shen Xiao finally approves... then His Majesty's will will be the path they need to forge forward with their swords.
For a moment, a strange scene unfolded in the Hall of Supreme Harmony: the imperial relatives cried and wailed, threatening suicide; the civil officials and the gentry collectively fell silent, as silent as mountains; and the military officials focused their attention on Shen Xiao alone, observing the situation quietly.
From his throne, Wei Jin took in all of this.
He sneered inwardly, but knew the time was right.
He ignored the wailing of his relatives, his gaze instead falling on the silent civil and military officials. His voice, steady yet carrying an undeniable resolve, drowned out all the clamor:
"It seems that you ministers are not entirely opposed. This matter concerns the foundation of the nation, and I am not in a hurry to make a decision. However, my mind is made up, and all my sons are eligible. Ancestral rules may be discussed, but new regulations should be established! Court adjourned!"
Having said that, he didn't give his relatives another chance to cause trouble. He turned around, flicked his sleeves, and left.
The crowd in the hall was left dumbfounded.
The relatives were as if they had been choked, their cries and shouts were cut short, and their faces turned red.
They had anticipated all forms of resistance, but they never expected His Majesty to completely ignore their fervor. Instead, he found an excuse in the silence of the civil and military officials that they were "not entirely opposed" and forcibly put the matter on the agenda!
The civil officials looked at each other, their undergarments soaked with cold sweat.
The military officers then looked at Shen Xiao again.
Shen Xiao slowly released his grip on the sword hilt, turned around expressionlessly, and strode out of the hall. The generals immediately followed silently, their armor clanging, forming a silent yet powerful current that surged out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
A storm powerful enough to overturn the imperial court has come to a temporary end in such a bizarre situation that one side is furious, the other is silent, and the other is watching coldly.
But everyone knew that this was just the beginning.
Wei Jin did not leave immediately from the back of the hall. He looked coldly through the gaps at the group of dejected, resentful, or fearful officials in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, especially the group of imperial relatives who looked like their spines had been removed.
The eunuch asked in a low voice whether they should return to the palace, but Wei Jin waved his hand and a roguish smile appeared on his lips.
He straightened his robes, which had been slightly disheveled from his excitement, then turned around and strode back into the main hall!
The ministers, who had been buzzing with discussion or preparing to leave dejectedly, suddenly froze, as if they had been frozen in place. They looked at the emperor, who had returned, with surprise and uncertainty, wondering what this ancestor was up to now.
Wei Jin strolled back to the steps, but did not sit down. Instead, he leaned against the armrest of the dragon throne, his posture somewhat reminiscent of his lazy days in the streets of Linshan County. Yet, his eyes were sharp as an eagle, scanning the entire scene.
“Oh, right,” he said, as if he had just remembered something, his tone light but sending chills down everyone’s spine, “I haven’t finished speaking yet.”
He paused, appreciating the deathly silence below.
“I said that all the children I raised are qualified. That’s true.” He changed the subject, his voice tinged with amusement. “However, I’m not the kind of blind and willful tyrant who closes his eyes and ears to reason.”
A faint glimmer of hope suddenly ignited in the eyes of the clansmen.
Then Wei Jin slowly said, "Among the Wei clan, if there is truly such a brilliant and outstanding talent, whose literary and military skills far surpass those of my sons, who can win the hearts and minds of all the civil and military officials, and who can bring peace and prosperity to the people of the world... a peerless genius."
He deliberately emphasized the words "peerless genius," with obvious sarcasm.
"It's not that I can't consider it."
He shrugged, appearing very magnanimous. "After all, in this country, the capable should be in charge. We have to choose the best, right?"
These words seemed to offer the clansmen a way out, but in reality, they led them to a complete dead end!
Far surpassing Shen Yu, Shen Xiao, Shen Xing, Shen Chen... and that group of prodigies?
And how can we win the hearts and minds of all the officials and ministers? How can we ensure that the people of the land live in peace and prosperity?
These conditions are so demanding, it's practically an impossible task!
This effectively dashed any hopes that the clansmen might have of promoting their mediocre sons to compete for the position!
These words, spoken while still alive, are even more absolute than words spoken while already dead!
Seeing the slight glimmer of hope in the eyes of his relatives quickly fade away, Wei Jin smiled with satisfaction.
Immediately, the smile on his face vanished, and his entire demeanor turned sinister and dangerous. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze like a cold blade, scraping across the faces of each of his relatives. His voice was extremely low, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly, carrying a chilling malice:
"But..."
"You'd better pray to the gods and Buddhas to bless me with a long and healthy life."
"Do you hate me now? Do you think I've gone mad? Do you wish I would just die suddenly so you could have the chance to overturn my decree today?"
He bluntly and brutally tore open everyone's most secret and even unacknowledged thoughts, laying them bare in the sunlight.
The courtiers were terrified and cried out, "We dare not!"
Wei Jin scoffed, not believing it at all.
"Dare not? I bet you dare!" His voice suddenly turned stern. "Then you'd better think it over! What if I really 'accidentally' die today..."
His gaze turned extremely deep, but a cruel smile played at the corners of his mouth.
"Guess what? My sons who are cutting down Japanese pirates in the southeast like slicing melons, my son who just brought the latest military supplies as the 'Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Palace,' and my son who... holds the reins of the capital's troops in his hands..."
With each "son" he mentioned, the faces of the relatives below paled a little more, and their bodies trembled a little more violently.
"Will they obediently listen to you 'uncles and grandfathers' and sit down to reason with you according to your rules?" Wei Jin's voice was like a devil's whisper, "or will they... directly lead their troops back to the capital to ask how their 'Emperor Father'... exactly died?"
“At that time,” Wei Jin slowly straightened up, looked around at the silent, pale-faced officials, especially the relatives who were almost slumped on the ground, and said, word by word, “will your current arguments about ancestral rules, bloodlines, and changing surnames still have any meaning?”
"I'm afraid that at that time, the only way to cleanse this Golden Palace will be with blood."
“So,” he concluded, his tone regaining its chilling ease, “hate me? Then just bear with it. Want me dead? You’d better think twice about whether you can bear the consequences of my death.”
"Dismiss the court."
This time, he's really gone.
The courtiers were left in a deathly silence, each one drenched in cold sweat, as if they had just escaped from the gates of hell.
Those relatives were even more ashen-faced and ice-cold. Wei Jin's last words were like a poisoned dagger, precisely piercing the depths of their deepest fears.
They suddenly realized with absolute clarity that the man sitting on the dragon throne was no longer an emperor they could easily bind with patriarchal rituals. He was a father, a madman who had grown up in the common people in the most forceful and unconventional way, paving the way for his pack of wolf cubs, and risking his own life and the lives of everyone else...
Rebel against him?
We might really need to prepare ourselves for being torn apart by those little wolf cubs.
At this moment, after the extreme anger, what surged up was an even more extreme fear and powerlessness.
Wei Jin's political wisdom lies in the fact that while he smashed the old table, he used stronger military force and harsher conditions to block everyone's path to rebuilding it. His inherent roguishness and ruthlessness allowed him to lay bare the most brutal threats, terrifying everyone into immobility.
He knew that rules are rigid, but people are flexible.
The living are most afraid of death.
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