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"I won't underestimate Lin'er, and you'd better not underestimate her either."
Among Emperor Xingwu's five children, no one doubted Princess Qingyang's unique qualities as a wise ruler. Princess Qingyang's offspring would inherit the imperial surname and still belong to the royal orthodoxy. In addition, Emperor Xingwu made this choice not because he hoped to make the Qin dynasty last for thousands of years, but for the benefit of all people. His selflessness was unprecedented. With these three points, more than a dozen important ministers had no reason to object. Even the Imperial Censor Nie Ao and the Minister of Rites Xie Xunwen, who were usually the most strict adherents to the court rules and regulations, knelt down and praised our emperor as the most wise and enlightened ruler of all time.
In addition to the support of the ministers, the candidate for the crown prince should also be recognized by the royal family. Although Emperor Xingwu has the power and prestige to make decisions on his own, he called Prince Yong and Prince An here today to give respect to the royal family of the Qin family.
Qin Hong had supported his sister early in the morning and knelt down earlier than the ministers, so at this time only King Yong was still standing.
Of course, Prince Yong was not happy to let his little niece be emperor. It had nothing to do with the ambition of his son Qin Liang. Even if he had no son, Prince Yong would not support his little niece to be emperor. Even if his three nephews could not be wise rulers, even if his three nephews would cause chaos in the country after inheriting the throne, the country still belonged to the Qin family. His nephews' sons might produce another wise ruler like his eldest brother. What was the point of giving it to his niece? Even if his niece's descendants had the surname Qin, they were still the descendants of the Zhang family!
But the eldest brother did not listen to him. It was as if he had drunk a magic potion from his niece and he was determined to make her the heir. The eldest brother was staring at him with eyes like knives. None of the civil and military ministers dared to stand with him. They were all spineless. Prince Yong knew that this matter was already decided. If he objected again, the eldest brother would never let him off easily. No matter how tough his bones were, the eldest brother could break them!
There was no other way, so King Yong knelt down feeling extremely aggrieved.
Emperor Xingwu looked at this group of people indifferently.
This was all within his expectations. After all, his daughter's wisdom and military skills could shut these people up. After all, he was still alive and no one dared to openly disobey him.
What really worried him and gave him headaches, what he really wanted to help his daughter with but was unable to do, all happened after his daughter succeeded to the throne.
"Lin'er is the second-generation wise ruler in my eyes, but I know how much unrest a female crown prince would cause in the court and among the people. So I will give you two more days. If you can find a reason why I shouldn't appoint Lin'er as the crown prince, feel free to tell me. As long as you can convince me, I will accept your advice."
"If you can't find her within two days, or if no one can convince me with reason, it means that Lin'er is indeed the chosen second-generation wise ruler of Da Qi. Then I will issue an edict at the morning court on the ninth day of the first lunar month. At that time, you will become the first group of loyal ministers to defend and support Lin'er. When Lin'er is the crown prince, you should help her to block out the world's criticism and contempt. When Lin'er is the emperor, you should assist her to create a prosperous Da Qi, just as you assisted me."
"Today, I treat you as old friends and open my heart to you. If other ministers have tried to dissuade me in the past two days, or if any rumors about this secret meeting have affected your public spirit, I..."
Emperor Xingwu looked at the faces of each person in front of him one by one and said bitterly, "I will be very disappointed. Very disappointed."
Qin Hong felt like crying for no apparent reason, and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will keep my mouth shut until Your Majesty issues an order."
Yang Zhimin really cried, and choked up as he promised not to tell anyone.
Yan Xizheng and others made promises one after another, and Emperor Xingwu finally looked at his younger brother.
King Yong saw the bloodshot in his eldest brother's eyes, and also saw the expectations and threats in his eldest brother's eyes. His eldest brother was always like this. He wanted to use him but was afraid that he would mess things up. When he did a good job, his eldest brother would praise him and smile with great satisfaction. If he messed up because of some of his bad habits, his eldest brother would be particularly angry and would beat and punish him with red eyes.
The eldest brother really treats him as his younger brother, but he will never show mercy when it is time to be ruthless.
King Yong raised his right hand and swore to the sky that he would keep the secret.
Emperor Xingwu: "Okay, everyone go back to work."
Yan Xizheng did not leave, Nie Ao did not leave, Yang Zhimin did not leave, and Zhang Jie, one of the military officers, was still kneeling on the ground without moving.
Prince Yong paused when he saw this, and Emperor Xingwu glared at him: "If all you can say is that name-calling nonsense, then get out of here as soon as you can!"
Prince Yong: “…”
With a twitch of his lips, Prince Yong walked away with an unwilling look on his face.
The footsteps faded away, and Emperor Xingwu asked Yan Xizheng and three other civil officials to wait outside the hall first.
After the three men left, Emperor Xingwu asked Zhang Jie to stand up and speak.
Zhang Jie insisted on kneeling, saying, "The first ancestral precept of the Zhang family is loyalty to the emperor and to the country. As long as the emperor is on the throne, my family is loyal to him. Once the emperor chooses a crown prince, no matter who becomes the crown prince, my family will be just as loyal to the new emperor as we were to the emperor. The selection of the crown prince has nothing to do with me, but I am grateful for the emperor's kindness in marrying my son to Princess Qingyang. Today, the emperor has chosen the princess. Although I have no intention of rebelling, I am deeply terrified by the rumors that will ensue."
Emperor Xingwu leaned back in his chair and addressed the carved beams and painted rafters overhead, saying, "I understand. If I choose Lin'er, I'm worried about the people criticizing me for being insane in my old age. Furthermore, your Zhang family is doomed to be suspected by the people. But I still say that Lin'er is the only wise choice for a wise ruler. If I choose someone else out of fear, it would be unfair to Lin'er and even more so to the people of Great Qi."
"So, no matter how difficult the battle, it must be fought; no matter how difficult the decision, it must be made. I am apprehensive, but I have a clear conscience. You, the Zhang family, are apprehensive, but as long as you have a clear conscience, no matter how much suspicion the world may have, it will be nothing but idle gossip that you don't need to pay attention to. The historians will record your words and deeds, and whether they are merits or faults, history will bear witness, and future generations will have their own judgment."
Zhang Jie understood and kowtowed, saying, "The Zhang family's ancestral precepts dictate loyalty to the emperor and the country. Any descendants who violate this precept will be executed. Your Majesty, please rest assured. There has never been a traitor in the Zhang family, and there will never be one in the future."
He was a surrendered general of the previous dynasty, but not a rebel, because before surrendering, he and his father and brother had been loyal to the court and resolutely resisted the army of Emperor Xingwu. It was the tyrant emperor of the previous dynasty who believed the slander of treacherous ministers and blamed the defeat on the battlefield on the Zhang family's betrayal. It was the tyrant emperor who ordered the execution of more than a hundred members of the Zhang family, and his father and brother were killed by the new generals sent by the court. Only he, who was leading troops outside, and his wife and children who returned home to visit their relatives were spared from death.
As the emperor said, whether Zhang Jie was a traitor or not is proven by history.
When Zhang Jie left, He Yuanjing, in accordance with the emperor's wishes, brought Yan Xizheng, Nie Ao, and Yang Zhimin in.
The attendant was still there, writing furiously. The emperor and his ministers spoke quickly, so he wrote more slowly.
Emperor Xingwu looked at the three ministers, each with a different expression, and said with a smile, "I suspect you three have similar things to say. Then, let Nie Ao speak. Our Imperial Censor has always been upright and honest, not afraid of offending anyone. Even if the Left Prime Minister and Zhongwen spread your harsh words, you wouldn't be afraid, right?"
Nie Luo straightened his chest and said, "I'm not afraid of others knowing if I dare to say it. I didn't say it just now because I was afraid of implicating others."
Yan Xizheng and Yang Zhimin reiterated that they are not the kind of gossipers. With such personal integrity, they have to keep their mouths shut for the sake of their reputation as founding heroes, otherwise there will be a stain on their history.
Emperor Xingwu took a few sips of tea to moisten his throat, and then let Nie Ao speak his mind.
Nie Ao: "In terms of talent alone, Princess Qingyang possesses both civil and military prowess, making her the Emperor's only choice for the crown prince. However, not everyone in the imperial clan shares your broad-mindedness and indifference to allowing Princess Qingyang's lineage to inherit the throne. After the princess ascends the throne, she will be criticized by the imperial clan for being presumptuous and then vying for power. When her offspring succeed to the throne a hundred years later, there will be not only the worry of imperial clan members seizing the throne, but also the worry of relatives from the Zhang family, and even the worry of future new emperors plotting to return the throne to the Zhang family. Does the Emperor have a way to prevent all these problems? If not, once the imperial clan turns against each other, treacherous ministers and foreign enemies will surely seize the opportunity to profit, leading to war and chaos. In the end, it will be the people who suffer, and the Emperor will bear the stigma of having made the wrong choice of crown prince."
Yan Xizheng lowered his eyes and Yang Zhimin sighed.
Those who do not plan for the future will have immediate worries. The emperor's three sons are useless. It seems wise for the emperor to choose Princess Qingyang, but the family property of ordinary wealthy businessmen is still fought over by their descendants. The emperor and the princess can suppress the four princes today, but the princes will have descendants. Can these descendants who claim to be the "orthodox bloodline of the Qin family" be willing to let the "bloodline of the Zhang family" enjoy the country conquered by the Qin ancestor Emperor Xingwu?
Nie Ao's words were too sharp, and speaking in front of Prince Yong and Prince An seemed like a provocation, but it was a concern that the emperor had to consider.
Emperor Xingwu was silent for a long time, so long that the attendant had to catch up with the speed of the emperor and his ministers, and finally had time to raise his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
After taking another sip of tea, Emperor Xingwu asked Nie Ao, "Who do you think would pose the least risk if I enthroned him?"
Nie Ao looked around. Although he was straightforward, he was not stupid. Since Yan Xizheng and Yang Zhimin also stayed, they must have their own ideas.
No one in this position is a fool. Understanding Nie Ao's meaning, Yan Xizheng said with drooping eyelids, "I think that childbirth is extremely difficult for women. Since the princess is the crown prince, rather than risking her life, it is better to choose a virtuous person from among the royal family's sons and nephews to succeed her. That way, the princess can enjoy peace and focus on governing the country during her reign. After the princess, the king will still be a member of the Qin clan, and the rest of the clan will have no reason to disobey."
Emperor Xingwu laughed. "I've only heard that emperors without children would choose a crown prince from the imperial clan. My son has practiced martial arts since childhood, and his physique far surpasses that of an ordinary woman. My Imperial Hospital also gathers the most skilled imperial physicians in the world. It doesn't make sense for my son to be put in danger while giving birth. If, as the Left Prime Minister said, the emperor still has to choose a virtuous son or nephew to succeed him even though he already has children, then why not choose a nephew from Prince Yong today to prevent my country from being destroyed by my unworthy children and grandchildren sooner or later?"
Yan Xizheng, Nie Ao, and Yang Zhimin all knelt down, saying, "We have absolutely no such intention. We beg Your Majesty to calm down!"
Emperor Xingwu tightly grasped the tea bowl in his hand. After a long pause, he stared at Yang Zhimin and asked, "The Left Prime Minister gave me a bad idea. Yang Zhimin, do you have any good ideas?"
Yang Zhimin pressed his forehead to the ground and said in panic, "I have no good plan. I am just worried. If I perceive the hidden danger and do not alert the emperor, it would be disloyalty!"
Yan Xizheng burst into tears: "I know that what I said is unfair to the princess, but this plan can at least ensure that the princess succeeds to the throne smoothly and that the national policies and decrees of the princess' reign are smoothly implemented. Otherwise, all the royal family members are eyeing the throne and will definitely find ways to discredit and obstruct the national policies implemented by the princess. I am really worried about the princess!"
Nie Ao: "What the Left Prime Minister worries about is also what I worry about. I hope Your Majesty will reconsider."
Emperor Xingwu dropped the tea bowl in his hand, stood up with his sleeves swung, and said to the three people with his back to them, "Do you really think I am old and confused? What you can think of, I can't think of?"
The three of them bowed their heads and waited for the emperor's answer.
Emperor Xingwu gazed at the map of Great Qi before him, at the vast empire he had conquered with his own hands. Struggle and determination alternated in his eyes. Finally, he clenched his fists, and veins bulged in his forehead. "I too have royal family members, treasonous generals, corrupt officials with ulterior motives, and treacherous ministers. Who has come to compete with me for the throne? Who has actually taken it from me?"
"Because I have prestige, the royal family dare not deceive me. Because I have ability, those who plotted rebellion have become dead souls in my hands."
"As I said, I won't live that long, nor can I govern that far. I'm passing the throne to Lin'er. If she's capable, she'll sit there until she's old. If she's not, she'll be driven out. If any member of the royal family can replace Lin'er, I won't be angry, I'll look up to him. If any minister has this ability, I'll respect him!"
"But I have to say this beforehand. My son is no pushover. If any member of the imperial family were to die at his hands for committing treason, no matter who it was, I would applaud from the depths of my grave."
After saying this, Emperor Xingwu turned around and earnestly warned the three ministers who had made long-term plans and offered loyal advice to the Great Qi: "I will not underestimate Lin'er, and you'd better not underestimate her either."
Worrying about yourself is due to your own incompetence, and worrying about others is sometimes out of concern and sometimes out of contempt.
No emperor likes to be looked down upon. Those who want to be loyal ministers should eliminate evil and abuses for their emperor and go through fire and water for him.
【Author’s words】
Here they come, 100 little red envelopes, see you in the second update tonight!
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