If he were the emperor, he would have made the same choice.
But power is intoxicating; who would willingly accept another mountain weighing on their head? Especially a mountain that is deep-seated, ruthless, and merciless.
Ever since Zhang Tingyu suffered at the hands of Sun Miaoqing, he had been secretly keeping an eye on any news related to her.
Even those who are not prepared can figure out the tricks of the trade over time. When these women get ruthless, they're no match for them.
Nowadays, the money earned from maritime shipping is not much different from the taxes collected each year.
Compared to this immense wealth, what do those few who disappeared matter? You say they died unjustly and tragically, but who saw it?
Furthermore, the methods used to deal with those small foreign countries seem benevolent, but upon closer inspection, they are simply another way to exterminate their descendants.
When it came to the Japanese, they didn't even bother with shame, just covering themselves with a fig leaf. Although he had no evidence, who else could it be but Sun Miaoqing?
If such a vicious woman were to actually be put in charge of the government, would they still have a good life?
Empress Lü and Empress Wu Zetian serve as cautionary tales!
Zhang Tingyu said, “Your Majesty is wise. The Third Prince is already an adult, and the Fourth Prince is of marriageable age. Although the Fifth Prince is intelligent, he is still young.”
"I have no intention of interfering in the matter of choosing an heir, but the country relies on an older ruler. The Fifth Prince is too young and is easily influenced by his mother."
The chubby orange said, "To be honest, although the Third Prince is the eldest son, his talent is limited. Even if he were to become a ruler who maintains the status quo, it would be wishful thinking. I have never thought of making him the heir apparent."
"The Fourth Prince is older, but Consort Yu and Consort Cheng have a good relationship, and Hongli has grown up by Consort Cheng's side all these years."
"If Hongzhou is easily influenced by Consort Cheng, wouldn't Hongli be too?"
Zhang Tingyu said, "The Fourth Prince is older, so naturally he won't be as attached to his mother as the Fifth Prince."
"Moreover, Consort Yu is virtuous and respectful of etiquette, and never oversteps her bounds, so there is naturally no need to worry about any interference in politics by the inner palace."
"Your Majesty, if you insist on making the Fifth Prince the heir apparent, you might as well follow the example of Emperor Wu and establish the son before removing the mother, just in case."
Big Fatty Orange was unhappy, feeling that Zhang Tingyu was oblivious to subtle cues. He had said countless times that he had agreed to Consort Cheng reading the memorial to him.
Is the reason they keep harping on this issue because they want you to take their place, or because they want to work him out so they can replace him with a younger, more easily fooled new master...?
As for emulating Emperor Wu of Han, what was the result?
After the ministers vied for power, Huo Guang eliminated Shangguan Jie and others, thus gaining absolute power.
In order to ensure that his granddaughter, Empress Shangguan, would be the sole favorite of Emperor Zhao and give birth to a prince, he forbade the concubines in the harem from serving Emperor Zhao.
Fearing an affair between Emperor Zhao and a palace maid, the emperor had a son first and ordered the maids to wear "qiongku" (a type of underwear with a front and back crotch and many ties, making it very inconvenient to untie).
He would be utterly foolish to actually believe the nonsense spouted by these ministers.
The chubby orange said, "As I said, I only asked Consort Cheng to read some greetings and to critique the linguistic errors in them."
Zhang Tingyu lowered his head and remained silent. The chubby orange cat felt dizzy again and had no energy to talk to him, so he gave a perfunctory reply.
"I am aware of this matter. You may step back and allow me to consider it carefully."
Zhang Tingyu replied, "Your subject obeys the decree."
When Su Peisheng came in, the chubby orange cat was sitting behind the desk. One hand was propped on the table, and the other was rubbing the Jingming acupoint between his eyes, clearly very tired.
"Your Majesty is tired. Let me help you to rest for a while."
Big Fat Orange rubbed its eyes and nodded slightly. Although it was tired, it was not sleepy at all while lying on the bed.
He opened his eyes and stood there, lost in thought.
Su Peisheng asked, "Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell? This servant will summon the imperial physician immediately."
The chubby orange cat said, "No need, I'll be fine after a rest."
"My health is failing, and these ministers have also started to have their own agendas. Do they think I'm senile and can't see what they're thinking?"
Su Peisheng said, "His Majesty is wise and powerful; how could he be deceived by their petty tricks?"
"You need to rest well; you have a long life ahead of you."
The chubby orange closed its eyes and sighed, "In the end, man can't fight against fate. I really was worked to death."
Su Peisheng was terrified. Why would the emperor say that? Did he have someone calculate it beforehand?
Why didn't he know anything about this!
Su Peisheng looked at the big fat orange, thinking of saying a few more words, when he realized that the emperor had fallen into a deep sleep at some point.
Su Peisheng secretly put his finger under his nose and breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, his breathing was steady, so he seemed to be alright.
As for what Zhang Tingyu said in the hall, he had vaguely heard the gist of it. The Emperor disliked the Third Prince, and disliked the Fourth Prince even more.
Even ten fingers can be of different lengths, and emperors can also be biased, hoping that their favorite son will inherit the throne.
If there were no Fifth Prince, or if the Fifth Prince were a few years younger, and Consort Cheng were the Fifth Prince's birth mother, the Emperor might have had reservations.
But the Fifth Prince was at least older than the late Emperor when he ascended the throne. Since the Consort was not his biological mother, if she wanted to live the life of a proper Empress Dowager, she had to protect the Fifth Prince.
Even though she was separated from the Empress Dowager by a layer of skin, the Imperial Concubine still had to consider their relationship and dared not offend the Fifth Prince too much.
Since the Fifth Prince was not the imperial son, he would not allow the Consort to do whatever she wanted. She might tolerate it once or twice, but if it happened repeatedly, their relationship would not last.
The ministers wouldn't allow the Imperial Concubine to overstep her bounds, creating a system of checks and balances. It was like a balance scale; whichever side the Fifth Prince leaned towards even slightly, that side gained weight.
Zhang Tingyu's attempt to steal a chicken backfired spectacularly. He had already suffered a loss before but hadn't learned his lesson. He'll be punished sooner or later.
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