183. Chapter 182 Candidates for the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace!
183. Chapter 182 East Palace changes position! New candidate for the crown prince!
Author: My heart is still the same
Chapter 182 East Palace Change! New Crown Prince Candidate!
For Jiang Xinghe, today's court meeting was a complete surprise.
Indeed, he was the one who secretly awakened everyone's memories and spread the truth about the natural disaster.
Through the officials in the East Palace who shared weal and woe with him, he spread the truth about the natural disaster to the entire capital.
All the officials in the East Palace admired, were nervous, and were afraid at the same time.
Because in the eyes of these people, the prince did this because he planned to force the palace to seize the throne.
However.
Not only did Jiang Xinghe have no intention of seizing the throne, he had never even thought of causing the same turmoil as Du Qianchuan.
After all, things have happened, whether it is natural disasters over the years or Du Qianchuan's death, these things cannot be reversed.
In his view, seizing the future is far more important than dwelling on the past.
He just wanted everyone to know and remember this.
In this way, the damage caused by natural disasters to Daqing and the people will be minimized.
In fact, there is a bit of his own selfishness in it.
He is afraid.
I am afraid that my father will once again use natural disasters to harm the people.
He is even more afraid that after he ascends the throne, he will become like his father.
As he told Xu Chong before, at least for now, he is still the prince.
While I still want to do something, I will completely block the crooked path that my father is taking and that I may take in the future.
This is his ultimate goal.
He could not have expected that Hou Rang would stand up so strongly.
He could not have expected that so many people followed him.
But he could not have expected that his father would kill him without any guilt.
As for the end, Lou Youzhi's eloquent plan was far beyond his imagination.
At this point, he knew that he could not let the situation continue to get out of control.
"Father."
Jiang Xinghe laughed loudly. "You misunderstood Mr. Luo Ge. This incident was all caused by my son. Not only Mr. Luo Ge didn't know about it, but these petitioners were also coerced by my son and had no choice but to do it."
."
!!!
Prince?!
All the officials were shocked and stunned.
Not only the officials who were still in the queue, but also those who participated in the impeachment, such as Hou Rang and Shi Zheng, were like this.
"you?"
Emperor Yongtai's voice turned cold, "Why?"
Obviously, he did not expect this situation.
"Father, Emperor."
Jiang Xinghe cupped his fists and bowed, "My son, remembering what Du Qianchuan did, I can't sleep day and night, and I don't think about food or tea."
"Just like Du Qianchuan said."
"First, those who love Daqing are all Daqing people."
"Those who were born in various provinces and died from natural disasters thought that they were Qing people and people of Daqing until their death."
"But Daqing wants its own people to die. What's the point?"
"Secondly, all my Daqing people should be rewarded for their merits and punished for their transgressions."
"Did Du Qianchuan have merit?"
"uncertain."
"But has he?"
"Or is it just a matter of pleading the grievances of the refugees?"
"All of us, the people of Daqing, should complain about injustice and fight against injustice!"
"If this is true, why did Taizu write this article into the imperial edict?"
Having said this, Jiang Xinghe straightened his back and looked directly behind the curtain, "Could it be that Taizu's great edict has been abandoned by my father?"
"presumptuous!!!"
An angry roar came from the back hall.
This is the voice of Emperor Yongtai.
Whether Lou Youzhi or Dou Tianyuan, even the more senior Lu Zhong and King Qian, this was actually the first time they had seen Emperor Yongtai lose his temper like this.
"Let's not ignore Taizu's great edict for now."
Emperor Yongtai's tone was full of suppressed rage, "You said, these people were all coerced by you?"
At this time, Hou Rang and others fell to their knees as if they were waking up from a dream.
"This matter has nothing to do with His Royal Highness!!"
"We all did it spontaneously and were not coerced by anyone!"
"..."
More than forty people spoke one after another, and the scene was once chaotic.
This made the remaining people confused.
Is it related to the prince?
"Shut up!"
Jiang Xinghe turned around suddenly and looked at everyone coldly: "You have no place to speak here."
"..."
Hou Rang and others suddenly choked and were at a loss.
Jiang Xinghe turned around and said calmly: "I would like to report to the emperor, Hou Rang, Shi Zheng and others. They were all forced by their sons and ministers. In order to save the lives of the whole family, they had to risk their lives to report."
silence.
The entire Tianji Palace fell into a deathly silence.
At this point, everyone actually understood what was going on.
Was the prince involved in this?
Maybe.
At least, it might be the prince who awakened everyone's memory.
But Hou Rang and others' impeachment of the late emperor was definitely not at the prince's instigation, let alone coercion.
The reason why the prince took the whole matter into his own hands was probably to protect the more than forty people and to prevent the conflict between the Prime Minister and His Majesty.
only……
It’s okay for others to do this, but you are the prince!
How could you do this???
All the officials were in disbelief.
Sure enough, Emperor Yongtai spoke again: "Do you know what price you have to pay for taking on this matter?"
"Of course I know."
Jiang Xinghe gave a long laugh, "Natural disasters are merciless, but people are merciful."
"So, Du Qianchuan will sacrifice his life for the injustice."
"So, Gu Chengren would abandon his official position because of Du Qianchuan's injustice."
"That's why I coerced Hou Rang and others into repeating Du Qianchuan's behavior."
"Yes!"
“There is no mercy under the law of the country!”
"My sons provoked Hou Rang and others to impeach the late emperor. They were disloyal to the monarch and unfilial to their ancestors. They are actually unfaithful and unfilial people."
"But Taizu's imperial edict stated that the crown prince of Daqing should not be the prince unless he possesses both loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness."
After saying that, Jiang Xinghe lifted up his clothes, slowly knelt down and put his forehead to the ground: "My son, I am willing to plead guilty."
!!!
The whole place was silent.
Once again, Jiang Xinghe shocked everyone.
Willing to plead guilty?
How is this a confession!
This is clearly asking for dethronement!
Hou Rang's blood suddenly rushed to the top of his head.
However, just when he was about to speak, Shi Zheng held him back.
"His Royal Highness, what he did must have a deeper meaning that we don't know about."
Shi Zheng's face was stern and his tone was solemn, "Our actions have already harmed him so far, so don't continue to cause trouble."
"But the prince..."
Hou Rang's face was extremely pale.
"Let's see what His Majesty says."
Shi Zheng sighed and looked behind the curtain.
"Okay, okay, okay!"
Emperor Yongtai said three good words in a row.
Everyone could hear that His Majesty was extremely angry.
"From now on!"
"Deposed Prince Jiang Xinghe, imprisoned in Keji Hall to repent!"
"All the ministers of the Eastern Palace, who failed to remonstrate and teach effectively, will be immediately imprisoned and handed over to the Clan Mansion and the Sanfa Division for negotiation and conviction!"
"In addition, the Imperial Family Mansion will supervise the imperial heir examination to determine the position of crown prince!"
"Retreat!"
All the officials looked at each other and began to retreat in order.
He even said he was going to withdraw from the court, which shows that his patience has been reduced to the extreme. It is better to walk faster to avoid bad luck.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
Hou Rang stood up and staggered to Jiang Xinghe.
"I am no longer the prince, please don't call me that again."
Jiang Xinghe smiled.
"Too...why is your highness like this? Why is it like this!"
Hou Rang's hands and feet were cold.
He was dethroned as Crown Prince and imprisoned in the Hall of Self-denial.
For a prince, this is almost the highest level of punishment.
The former means that the East Palace will change its owner, and it will be extremely difficult to restore it in this life.
And the latter...
The Hall of Self-denial is located in the most desolate northwest corner of the imperial city. Although it is said to be a hall, it is actually only the size of a tile-roofed house and is surrounded by prisons.
Regardless of official history or unofficial history, no royal family imprisoned in Keji Palace has ever been released while alive...
In other words, Jiang Xinghe is likely to be imprisoned like this until his death.
And those who stirred up trouble were not punished in any way...
This made Hou Rang, an official from a poor family, feel ashamed.
"It's no use talking anymore, let's go."
Jiang Xinghe shook his head and walked out of the hall.
Hou Rang, Shi Zheng and others all looked extremely ugly and hesitated to speak.
"Blood bravery is not a bad thing, but it must be used in the right place... You can think about it carefully when you go back."
Lou Youzhi said, taking one last look at the curtain, and walked out of the hall.
When we got out of the palace gate, there were already eunuchs and armored soldiers waiting for us.
Jiang Xinghe was waiting there in plain clothes except for his crown and python robe.
"Your Highness."
Lou Youzhi walked over and bowed his hands.
"In Xinghe's eyes, Mr. Ge is the most wise man in Daqing."
Jiang Xinghe's expression was slightly puzzled, "But why are you so unwise today?"
"It's not necessarily a wise person, and it's not necessarily an unwise person."
Lou Youzhi shook his head.
"Does Mr. Ge not know that once those words are fully spoken, the royal family, which has remained silent so far, will completely side with the father?
Jiang Xinghe asked again.
The royal family has always been a group that is valued in terms of status but ignored politically.
As a member of the royal family, Jiang Xinghe fully understands how much influence the royal family will have if they become one.
Lou Youzhi's ability to climb all the way to become the most powerful minister in the history of Daqing is certainly due to his own skills, but more importantly, it is because of Lou Youzhi's attitude.
From the beginning to the end, Lou Youzhi maintained a high degree of respect and submission to the royal family and His Majesty.
In the eyes of the royal family, Lou Youzhi can only be regarded as a capable minister, not a powerful minister.
Those who are given power by the emperor are called capable ministers.
Those who seize the emperor's power are called powerful ministers.
Therefore, the royal family, which was scattered into countless factions, did not resent the existence of Lou Youzhi.
Until the last incident with Du Qianchuan.
Because of that incident, many members of the royal family were already dissatisfied with Lou Youzhi.
But there was no concrete evidence, and Lou Youzhi still maintained respect and surrender, so the royal family didn't pay much attention to it.
But today is different.
Lou Youzhi's words, if said in full, should be: 'His Majesty is ill and should no longer be involved in government affairs. From now on, the court meeting will be banned. All matters of all sizes and any memorials will be submitted to the cabinet.'
To put it bluntly, no one is allowed to come to the Tianji Palace from now on, and no matter in any government office is allowed to be reported directly to the emperor or to the cabinet.
This is a seizure of power.
Whether it is court deliberation, chief assistant, drafting edicts, approving red papers, or sealing seals, these are all the powers granted to Lou Youzhi by Emperor Yongtai.
Even if Emperor Yongtai is unable to take back this authority now, no one can say anything about it.
But the meeting is different.
The court meeting is a power that belongs and always belongs to the emperor.
Once Lou Youzhi dares to seize this power, he will be a naked power official.
By then, the scattered royal family will surely unite to fully support Emperor Yongtai.
Jiang Xinghe didn't believe that Lou You knew this.
really.
Lou Youzhi nodded: "Of course I know."
"Then why are you still so impulsive?"
Jiang Xinghe stared at Lou Youzhi closely, fearing that he would miss the answer.
"Because it doesn't matter."
Lou Youzhi said calmly.
Jiang Xinghe's pupils shrank suddenly.
"If you want to continue to be the crown prince..."
Lou Youzhi pointed to the eunuch who was following Jiang Xinghe and continued: "He will help you put on the robe again."
Hearing this, the eunuch bowed down and held the folded clothes in front of Jiang Xinghe's eyes.
This scene attracted the attention of those who were still lingering outside the temple.
In an instant, the expressions of these people became extremely wonderful.
Just like Jiang Xinghe.
"...It turns out that Mr. Pavilion has already laid out the layout here. The word "building phase" is just right."
After a long time, Jiang Xinghe slowly exhaled a breath, then smiled and said, "But, no need."
Lou Youzhi raised his eyebrows.
"Elder Ge said it doesn't matter. He is probably not afraid of confronting the royal family, but he has not already won over the royal family, right?"
Jiang Xinghe asked a question, and without waiting for Lou Youzhi's answer, he said to himself: "Once the dispute starts, the government will inevitably be in chaos, and the local people will suffer in the end. There is no need for that."
"That's fine..."
Lou Youzhi did not refute, but turned to look at the eunuch, "The previous rules of Jiji Hall are invalid, you can decide what to do."
"I understand and will not let His Highness suffer."
The eunuch bowed in response.
Lou Youzhi nodded, waved his robe sleeves, and walked away with his hands behind his back.
Jiang Xinghe, on the other hand, walked to the northwest corner of the imperial city under the explicit invitation of the eunuchs and soldiers.
The next day, Hou Rang gave a memorial, and the news spread that the prince was deposed.
Under the control of thoughtful people, the entire court meeting details were displayed in front of the people as much as possible.
Did the prince take the initiative to be deposed?
To avenge the souls of those who suffered natural disasters?
The Du Qianchuan incident, which had been well known to the public before the union, finally began to shake the people's faith.
At the same time, Xu Chong, who was disguised as Fang Leshan, also learned about the matter one step behind the court.
Almost instinctively, he felt something was wrong.
So after leaving behind a phantom, I found Dou Tianyuan and asked about the complete and detailed process.
"Something's wrong, something's still wrong..."
Xu Chong frowned tightly.
"What's wrong?"
Dou Tianyuan asked, "Do you suspect that Lou Heizi is spreading suspicion?"
"No."
Xu Chong remembered the news that had been circulating in the East Palace for a long time, and shook his head: "The attitude of Prime Minister Lou has almost been made clear. There is no need to do this... What I said is wrong, I mean the prince."
"How to say?"
Dou Tianyuan's eyes flashed.
"The prince's response was too radical."
Xu Chong thought about it and said: "It feels to me like he is deliberately getting rid of the position of prince."
"You really think so too."
Dou Tianyuan nodded, "Let's go together with Lou Heizi."
"Um?"
Xu Chong raised his eyebrows, "What does Mr. Lou have to say about this matter?"
"He believes that the impeachment of Hou Rang and others was indeed an accident."
Dou Tianyuan replied, "But the prince did seize this accident. On the one hand, he was to stop the conflict between Lou Heizi and the royal family, and on the other hand, he was also deliberately using this to get rid of his position in the East Palace."
"What does he want to do?"
Xu Chong was puzzled, "Whether he really cares about the world, or is he just as inconsistent as Emperor Yongtai was, he won't give up the throne, right?"
"It's probably not that you want to do something, but that you really want to get rid of the position of the East Palace."
Dou Tianyuan shrugged, "After all, no matter what he wants to do, after losing his identity as prince, he can only rely on himself. This is unreasonable... but why he wants to get rid of it, we don't know for the time being."
"All right."
Xu Chong nodded thoughtfully.
"Don't talk about this."
Dou Tianyuan waved his hand and asked, "How are you doing there?"
"No progress."
Xu Chong replied, "The head of the Fang family suddenly asked us not to return to the Spring and Autumn Tombs or the Louzhou. Fang Lezhong and I are still staying here in the capital."
"No wonder you got the news about the court meeting so quickly..."
Dou Tianyuan twitched the corners of his lips, "I don't want you to go back because I'm afraid that you might have some tricks arranged by the imperial court?"
"That's what Fang Lezhong told me, but I don't feel like it."
Xu Chong frowned, "If we are just not allowed to go back, there is no need for Fang Lezhong to drag me to continue to guard the capital, as if waiting for orders... This is more like the Fang family deliberately leaving two masters outside.
Always ready to do anything.”
"What needs two Zhongdao and Three Realms to go out together?"
Dou Tianyuan was a little surprised.
"I don't know the details. We have to wait for news from the Fang family."
Xu Chong shook his head.
"Is this so..."
Dou Tianyuan pondered for a moment and said: "Anyway, you are waiting for news in the capital. If there is anything you can't do, just come here to find me. Now that the prince has been deposed, I have nothing to go out for the time being."
"good."
Xu Chong smiled, pushed the door open and left.
Dou Tianyuan looked at the action that was exactly the same as his own, and couldn't help but grin with a look of disgust.
…
The third day.
The imperial examination was held on the auspicious day.
I have to say that the Zongren Mansion moved too quickly.
It was so fast that no one could react.
At this time, most of the officials in Zhan Shifu were imprisoned awaiting trial, and they could not find enough manpower to run the assessment, so they had to select people from the Imperial Academy.
As one of the very few Zhanshifu officials who had not been replaced, Xu Chong was not present and even presided over one of the most basic assessment contents.
This big test was conducted for the purpose of establishing a reserve.
The selection scope was the thirteen sons and nine daughters of Emperor Yongtai... No matter the Qinglu, Taizu Dagao, or the royal clan, there was no requirement that the crown prince or the emperor must be a man.
Xu Chong only learned this after taking up the post of horse wash.
But what’s interesting is that although royal princesses participate in every major exam to establish a crown prince, no ‘empress’ has ever been born in Daqing’s history…
The Tianxuan Chronicle of the Fang family has records for every Qing Emperor, and Xu Chong remembers them all.
It's like these royal princesses are just running around.
I don’t know if it’s a qualification issue or an unwritten rule.
As for the content of the major exam, there are many aspects.
First of all, the first level is the cultivation qualification of Zhengyang Jin.
This is more interesting.
The princes and princesses who had not awakened their bloodline memories and gained Zhengyang strength from them were all deposed at this stage and were directly declared to have no chance of joining the East Palace.
The remaining people are not simply judged based on their level of realm.
Instead, it is calculated from the day when you start practicing Zhengyang Jin. The shorter the time spent and the more cultivation you improve, the higher the rating you will get.
The second level is to test Taizu's imperial edict.
Xu Chong looked at the list in his hand, and the young figure involuntarily appeared in his mind - Princess Jun'er.
I have to say, it's very possible.
But the evaluation of this girl in the first level is...a top grade?
According to the evaluation rules of the first level, A, B, C and D, the upper, middle, lower, fourth and other twelve levels, starting from the end of D, each level up will count one more vote.
In other words, Jiang Shengjun received twelve votes in the first level.
Let’s look at the other princes and princesses who passed the first level, Bing Mo, B Shang, D Shang... the highest one is A Jia Mo, which counts ten votes.
Regardless of the difference between just two votes, in the subsequent assessment, the weight of the votes will be far less than that of the first level.
For example, in the second level of the exam he took, the only rules were A, B, C, D, E, W, etc.
Those who recite Taizu's Great Edict in full will be awarded five votes for the first grade.
Every additional error or omission will be counted as one less vote.
If there are more than five places, the votes will not be counted.
Maybe it's because there are differences between princes and princesses, or maybe it's because Taizu's imperial edict is not that important in establishing a crown prince. The most you can get in the second level is five votes.
In the next level of the royal clan, there are only three levels, A, B, C, and the highest three votes.
"If this Jiang Shengjun is really Jun'er, he is only six or seven years old now, seven or eight years old, right?"
A bold idea came to Xu Chong's mind, and the corners of his mouth slowly raised, "It would be fun if she could win to the end."
--when!
A gong sounded outside the house.
The second level of assessment has begun.
"Second Prince, Jiang Xingtian."
Xu Chong began to name names.
A middle-aged man who looked much younger than Jiang Xinghe stepped in, his expression full of distress and depression.
"Why is your highness so frowning?"
Xu Chong asked with a smile, without the slightest solemnity that should be expected in the examination of the crown prince.
"Forehead……"
The second prince was stunned by this attitude, but he immediately relaxed and said, "You don't know something. The eldest brother became the prince very early. After so many years, all the brothers and sisters have already given up their thoughts."
...Who has nothing to do to memorize Taizu's imperial edict?"
Xu Chong thoughtfully raised his eyebrows and asked, "So, you don't know how?"
"Taizu Dagao is basically understood, but there may be mistakes. As for the following patriarchal laws, Qinglu..."
The second prince said depressedly, "How can such a long thing be memorized in one night?"
Xu Chong suddenly clapped his hands and said with great joy: "This is really great."
"What?"
The second prince was stunned.
"Um, it's nothing..."
Xu Chong touched his nose, "I mean, if you don't know it, others won't either, so don't take it too seriously."
"Well, what you said makes sense."
The second prince suddenly became enlightened and said with joy, "In that case, shall I start?"
"please."
Xu Chong raised his hand to indicate that he was listening carefully.
However, in my heart, I have already begun to figure out how to handle the second level of assessment.
Tsk tsk tsk.
Cheating in the imperial examination can lead to failure.