Prime Minister Xiao smiled politely, feeling that it was all thanks to his soft and hard persuasion.

He picked up the teacup, looked at the tea leaves floating in the water, sniffed the tea fragrance, and his thoughts went back to that day.

That day he caught a cold and took sick leave to recuperate at home. King Kang came to visit him in person.

At that time, Prime Minister Xiao knew that Prince Kang must have come to show his goodwill to him and the aristocratic families.

Since Prince Kang had taken this crucial step, Prime Minister Xiao took the opportunity to give Prince Kang a way out and gave him some kind advice, using history as a mirror for the present, talking about how the aristocratic families had prospered for several dynasties, the bloody changes of dynasties, and the miserable end of those royal children in the previous dynasties who had failed in their bid for succession.

The aristocratic families and the royal family have been competing in various forms in the past five or six hundred years. The aristocratic families will not perish in the change of imperial power, but once King Kang is defeated, his fate will be either death or imprisonment.

At that time, Xiao Shoufu asked Prince Kang: "Prince, are you really willing to let others manipulate your fate?"

King Kang was silent for a long time. Finally, he just avoided answering the question and told Prime Minister Xiao to take good care of himself, saying that the court still relied on him as the prime minister.

From those few words, Prime Minister Xiao had keenly noticed that Prince Kang was indeed shaken.

They had been ignoring King Kang for so long, but it was not in vain after all.

The smile on Xiao Shoufu's lips deepened, and he added politely: "It is also thanks to my nephew who negotiated with King Kang."

"Not at all." Yuan Zhe smiled slightly, a humble smile on his face, and his attitude of respecting the elderly and the virtuous was just right.

Pei Wenrui and Wang Kangyin exchanged glances.

Among all the people present, Yuan Zhe is the youngest and appears here representing the Yuan family.

The Yuan family is the Queen Mother's maternal family and Prince Kang's uncle's family. Their position is different from other aristocratic families and they serve as a bridge between the aristocratic families and Prince Kang.

It is conceivable that once Prince Kang comes to power, the biggest beneficiary will naturally be the Yuan family, and the Yuan family will naturally stand on the side of Prince Kang.

Pei Wenrui sighed softly, rubbed the bridge of his nose between his eyes with his fingers, and said slowly: "Young people always have to fall down before they know how powerful they are."

He did not name anyone, nor did he say that the "young man" referred to Chu You or Yuan Zhe.

Several people in the hall smiled knowingly and sipped their tea elegantly.

To put it bluntly, King Kang had a very smooth life. When the late emperor was alive, he had always been protected by the late emperor.

Even after the death of the previous emperor, during the first half year after the current emperor ascended the throne, the ministers were still not optimistic about whether the current emperor could sit firmly on the throne. At that time, everyone thought that the eldest prince would not be able to return safely from Nanyue, and they also thought that with the current emperor's frail and sickly body, he would not be able to hold on for a few more years.

Unexpectedly, since the eldest prince returned to the country, the political situation has undergone earth-shaking changes.

After this incident, Prince Kang should now know his own weight. Without the protection of the late emperor, the queen mother and the aristocratic family, he is simply unable to compete with the current emperor and the eldest prince.

Yuan Zhe politely bowed to Pei Wenrui and said, "Thank you for your hard work these days, Master Pei."

During this period, the Ministry of Rites has been busy like a top for the issue of establishing a crown prince. As the Minister of Rites, Pei Wenrui is naturally very tired, but he has to do his best. Only in this way can he put pressure on Prince Kang and force him to make a choice.

In the hall, the aroma of tea wafts through the air, blending with the faint scent of incense.

The atmosphere seems peaceful and calm, but in fact there are undercurrents.

Prime Minister Xiao blew on the tea soup and took a few sips. He seemed to be tasting the tea, but in fact he was observing the reactions of everyone in the hall. His every move and gesture showed a bit of the arrogance that is unique to the children of aristocratic families.

Chief Minister Xiao smiled complacently and smoothed things over with appropriate words: "King Kang is just young and frivolous. He has the blood of an aristocratic family, so he knows what's important."

Prince Kang has already reached adulthood, and many people present at his age have already become fathers, so he can't be called young. But since Prime Minister Xiao said so, others will not continue to hold on to the issue of Prince Kang marrying Li Yunmeng.

After a pause, Xiao Shoufu continued, "Prince Kang did a great job this time and was sincere enough."

On the day when Prince Kang came to visit the patient, he told Prime Minister Xiao about the agreement he had secretly reached with Baili Yin, which also included the marriage between the two countries.

The two had a heart-to-heart talk for two full hours. Prime Minister Xiao told them about their family's expectations for King Kang, and King Kang expressed his concerns and his determination to go all out.

Before leaving, King Kang promised him personally that if he could ascend the throne one day, he would marry a legitimate daughter of an aristocratic family as his empress, just like the previous emperor married Empress Dowager Yuan.

He will make the family glorious again! Thinking of this, Xiao Shoufu slowly put down the teacup, looked at Yuan Zhe in front of him, and thought about the candidate for the next queen: the next queen cannot have the surname Yuan.

He stared at Yuan Zhe with deep eyes for a long time, which made Yuan Zhe feel a little uncomfortable. But then Chief Minister Xiao suddenly raised his hand and made a gesture. His eyes calmed down and became exceptionally sharp.

The next moment, the servants and old women who were serving tea in the hall retreated silently, not daring to even breathe. The servant cautiously stood guard under the eaves outside the hall.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Prime Minister Xiao who was sitting at the top.

Prime Minister Xiao cleared his throat and said in a sincere tone: "The emperor chose the crown prince this time by relying on the influence of the Grand Princess Fengyang, but if the crown prince is determined, it will be difficult to depose him in the future."

Everyone felt sad and their hearts sank. They couldn't help but recall that the late emperor had fallen into a coma before his death, and had repeatedly called out King Kang's name while he was sick. It was obvious that the late emperor regretted his whole life.

It is difficult to appoint a crown prince, and even more difficult to depose him. This has been the case throughout all dynasties.

Wang Kangyin sighed and said with regret, "What a pity! It is clear that King Kang is far superior to the emperor in terms of talent, martial arts, temperament, and ability to deal with people. However, because the emperor took the title of elder brother, the late emperor never got what he wanted."

"The eldest prince is the emperor's only son. Once he is named the crown prince, it will be even more difficult to depose him."

"Alas, the Emperor and the eldest prince have always been wary of the noble families. It is really difficult for such a jealous person to take on such a big responsibility!"

Wang Kangyin's words were also the thoughts of the others present, and everyone nodded slightly.

Several people showed disdain on their faces, with resentment and anger hidden in their expressions.

During the twenty years of the previous emperor's reign, their family had worked tirelessly to ensure the prosperity of Dajing, and they had managed to hold on to this territory despite the covetousness of Nanyue. However, as soon as the current emperor ascended the throne, he wanted to get rid of them. He also kept saying that the imperial examination was a national policy and that talents were not restricted by family background. It was clear that he wanted to suppress their family.

The current emperor calls himself a benevolent monarch, but in fact he clearly wants to be an absolute monarch. He is afraid of the aristocratic families sharing power and being constrained by them.

But this great scene does not belong to just their Chu family!

A cold light flashed in Xiao Shoufu's eyes. He slowly skimmed off the foam with the tea lid and suddenly asked, "Nephew Yuan, what do you think?"

Then, everyone's attention turned to Yuan Zhe again.

All the people present were powerful officials of the dynasty, came from prominent families, and were well-educated. Even if they did not speak, they had a natural aura of noble family dignity.

"Or should we just bow to the emperor, behave ourselves, and hope that the emperor will tolerate our family?"

"What do you think?"

Yuan Zhe looked around at everyone slowly with a calm and composed gaze, waiting for their decision. His joystick was as straight as pine or cypress, and he was unusually steady.

The grievances and hatreds between their family and Emperor Taizu could not be told in three days and three nights. The family had gone through several dynasties and had never suffered the kind of oppression and neglect that they experienced during the reign of Emperor Taizu.

They certainly didn't want to repeat the same mistake, and that was why they were so opposed to Prince Kang's insistence on marrying Li Yunmeng. They could support Prince Kang, but he couldn't trample on the bottom line of the aristocratic family.

This is the consensus of all the families present.

An old man with gray hair called him by his name in a bad mood, "Yuan Zhe, why do you have to ask when you already know the answer? If we were going to bow down to the emperor, why would we be here today?!"

Their family has its own centuries-old character and certainly will not bow down to imperial power.

If there really was no chance, it would be fine. They could lie dormant and wait, but now that King Kang was on the right track, the opportunity was right in front of them...

Wang Kangyin slapped the coffee table with his palm, shaking the teacup and fruit bowl on it. Several loquats on the fruit bowl fell to the ground and rolled everywhere.

Wang Kangyin gritted his teeth and said resolutely: "King Kang now has the help of Yue State. When it is time to fight, we still have to fight!"

"That's right!" another voice echoed excitedly, "Opportunity is now or never."

"We are not the kind of people who are timid!"

What the aristocratic families needed was an emperor who could rule the world with them in order to continue the glory of the aristocratic families over the past hundreds of years.

Everyone present had their blood boiling, their eyes burning, and they all echoed the sentiment.

Yuan Zhe smiled slightly, and stared at Xiao Shoufu quietly for a while. Seeing Xiao Shoufu nod, he continued: "Tomorrow, the Yue envoy Dou Zixiang will ask the eldest prince to go to Yue to welcome the bride on behalf of King Kang..."

Everyone's pupils shrank. At this moment, a cool breeze suddenly blew into the hall, blowing away the tail end of their words.

The sun outside was suddenly half-obscured by dark clouds, and the sky became dark and dim, adding a bit of coldness and solemnity to the hall inside and outside, revealing an unsettling feeling of depression.

The news that Prince Kang was going to marry Princess Ximing of Yue State quickly spread throughout the capital and became a hot topic among the people, but the emperor did not respond for a long time.

After waiting for two days, everyone couldn't bear it anymore.

Therefore, everyone from Chief Minister Xiao, Yuan Zhe, Wang Kangyin to several royal relatives came to the palace to persuade him:

"Your Majesty, the war between Yue and Jing has been going on for nine years. A marriage will surely help the two countries put aside their hostility and turn hostility into friendship."

"Your Majesty, please consider the overall situation and allow King Kang to marry the princess of Yue so that the two countries can become friends."

"Your Majesty, the country is the most important thing. A marriage between the two countries will bring a hundred benefits to Dajing and no harm at all!"

"Yue State is now sincerely befriending our Dajing State. If we anger Yue State, it will provoke disputes between the two countries. By then, it will be too late to regret!"

The implication of these people's words was that if the emperor did not agree to Prince Kang marrying the princess of Yue, Dajing would be destroyed.

After repeated attacks from these officials, the emperor finally gave in and reluctantly agreed to the marriage. He again summoned King Kang and Dou Zixiang, the envoy from the State of Yue who was temporarily staying in the post house, to express his agreement to the marriage between the two countries.

Dou Zixiang immediately entered the palace, but did not see King Kang. King Kang's cousin Yuan Zhe sighed and said that King Kang accidentally fell off his horse yesterday and injured his legs and feet.

Dou Zixiang sympathetically expressed his condolences to King Kang, and then made a request: "Your Majesty, our sage is now seriously ill and cannot get up. He only hopes that his most beloved daughter, Princess Ximing, can get married as soon as possible, so that he can rest assured and smile in his grave."

"Now that King Kang has fallen off his horse and injured his leg, I'm afraid he can't go to Yue in person. After much thought, I think the only option is to let your eldest prince go to Yue to marry King Kang, to show your sincerity towards this marriage."

"Princess Ximing is the legitimate daughter of the Saint. She must marry in a dignified manner in order to appease the people of Yue."

"Please grant me your permission, Your Majesty!"

Of course the emperor was against the eldest prince going to the Kingdom of Yue and almost stormed out, but was persuaded by officials including Chief Minister Xiao.

Dou Zixiang stated righteously that their Yue State was sincere about this marriage and was willing to let the noble Princess Ximing become King Kang's concubine, just so that the two countries could form a friendly relationship. He also hinted explicitly and implicitly that the sage of Yue State did not have much time left. For this reason, the Yue State's national teacher set an auspicious day nearby, which was twenty days later, hoping that the eldest prince could set off for Yue State immediately.

The emperor still felt that it was inappropriate, but Xiao Shoufu and others advised the emperor again, saying that the eldest prince was the future crown prince and should share the worries for his father and the country.

What Xiao Shoufu and others said sounded high-sounding, but in fact they were threatening the emperor with the ceremony of enthroning the crown prince. Their aristocratic families had cooperated with the emperor in establishing the crown prince, so the emperor should also give something in return.

After a heated exchange of words, the emperor had no choice but to take a step back and reluctantly agreed.

Dou Zixiang completed his task and left with satisfaction, but the emperor and his ministers still had more things to discuss.

Originally, the Ministry of Rites had decided that the eldest prince would go to the imperial mausoleum to worship the ancestors on behalf of the emperor. If the eldest prince were to go to the Kingdom of Yue to marry, then he would not be able to go to the imperial mausoleum, so the ministers started arguing again:

"Sacrificing to the imperial mausoleum is also a national event. It has been announced to the world and cannot be cancelled without reason."

"Your Highness the Crown Prince is of noble status, and you can't just find someone to replace him. Why don't you let Prince Li go on his behalf?"

"Not appropriate. Sacrifices to the imperial mausoleum have always been presided over by the emperor and the crown prince."

After some discussion in the Ministry of Rites, the emperor finally decided that he would go to the imperial mausoleum to offer sacrifices in person, and all the voices completely ceased.

The imperial edict was issued on the same day, and the Ministry of Rites and the Taichang Temple hurried to prepare for related matters. After all, the ceremonial procession of the emperor's travel was very different from that of the princes. Fortunately, the crown and robes that the emperor would wear for sacrifices did not need to be made on the spot. Only the crown and robes worn for the New Year's sacrifice to heaven needed to be slightly modified.

For two consecutive days, the sky in the capital was a little dark, and the sun was always hiding behind thick clouds.

Even the air in the Gu Mansion was a little depressing, the kind of depression before a storm.

Although the weather was neither too cold nor too hot, and the mansion was full of greenery, everyone in the mansion felt restless.

Gu Yuan will soon accompany the emperor and go to the Kingdom of Yue with the eldest prince.

The State of Yue is the old enemy of the Gu family!

(End of this chapter)