This was unexpected, but it was reasonable. The third prince and Prince Jing had never been the candidates in the emperor's mind, so only the eldest prince and the second prince were left.
The second prince is the direct descendant, and the empress is still alive. It is indeed reasonable for the emperor to choose the second prince.
As for why the emperor thought so highly of the eldest prince before but didn't choose him now, Gu Chengyu didn't bother to guess.
Who cares whether the emperor was trying to conquer the east or west, or whether he finally reached an agreement with the queen? This has nothing to do with him as a sesame official.
It makes no difference to him who will be the emperor in the future. It is unfounded for him to worry about these things now. It is his duty to do his own duty first.
Seeing that Gu Chengyu was not surprised, Zhang Hai narrowed his eyes slightly.
Did Gu Chengyu know the inside story before? Zhang Hai remembered that the emperor had summoned Gu Chengyu once before. Was it that time that Gu Chengyu was exposed?
It seems that the emperor still values Gu Chengyu. It is impossible to say that the position of serving as a lecturer is really in Gu Chengyu's pocket.
Gu Chengyu didn't know what Zhang Hai was thinking. He understood why Zhang Hai called him over. He thought it was because of the Holy Edict.
"Everyone else in the Hanlin Academy is very busy. Now you only have the task of dividing the ceremony into volumes. I will leave this edict to you, and the Japanese officials will have to present it to the emperor tomorrow."
Gu Chengyu frowned, it was almost noon now, and he only had one afternoon.
However, when he was sorting out books in Wenhua Pavilion before, he saw the imperial edict of this dynasty among them.
When the late emperor was still alive, there was an edict to establish a prince. Gu Chengyu only needed to apply this model and modify it.
"Although time is tight, I will definitely try my best to hand over the Holy Oracle to you for review before the end of the meeting tomorrow!"
Seeing that Gu Chengyu did not refuse, Zhang Hai was relieved.
"Go and read the records of the late emperor when he was still alive, but you can only learn from them, not copy them."
When Gu Chengyu returned, Qiu Yifan didn't know where he had gone.
He thought about the fact that Zhang Hai had told him about establishing a crown prince, and maybe Qiu Yifan would have first-hand information now.
There is someone in the court who wants to be an official, so someone should be here to deliver the news.
Sure enough, not long after Gu Chengyu sat down, Qiu Yifan entered the room.
"Jin Yu! Mr. Zhang has sent you another job?" Qiu Yifan looked at Gu Chengyu, his face looking a little ugly.
Qiu Yifan's father-in-law, Bian Shengrong, is a member of the eldest prince's party. The news that the second prince has become the crown prince is indeed not good news for Qiu Yifan, a member of the eldest prince's party.
"Exactly, the emperor has issued a decree to establish the second prince as crown prince. Mr. Zhang called me over to compile the edict."
After Qiu Yifan heard Gu Chengyu's words, his expression froze.
"Master Zhang values you and entrusts you with such an important job. You can't let Master Zhang down! If you need help, just ask."
Qiu Yifan rolled his eyes, and then his face was filled with a smile, and his tone was much more enthusiastic than before.
Gu Chengyu smiled and said, "I can handle it for the time being. If there is anything I don't understand, I will ask you for advice later!"
He said a few polite words and declined politely.
If it is a matter of compiling the canon, it would make sense for Qiu Yifan to help.
But for such an important matter as writing an edict, Gu Chengyu didn't dare to do it for others. Even if he helped find relevant books, he wouldn't worry.
"I seem to have seen relevant records in Wenhua Pavilion before. I plan to go there first to read them."
Gu Chengyu stood up, told Qiu Yifan, and then left the room.
Qiu Yifan looked at Gu Chengyu's back, his face suddenly darkened.
The second prince became a prince, and after the canonization ceremony, the emperor would soon make the other princes kings and drive them back to their fiefdoms.
The eldest prince has lost power, so what will happen to the officials of his lineage?
My father-in-law is probably worried about his hair turning gray now, but he is more anxious than his father-in-law at the moment.
The eldest prince has no chance of becoming the crown prince, so does he still have hope for the position of serving as a bachelor?
Qiu Yifan couldn't control the anxiety in his heart and walked back and forth in the house.
The other ministers said that he was not worried, as none of them were as senior as him. Moreover, although the eldest prince had lost power, his father-in-law was still the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Personnel could always give his father-in-law some thin noodles.
A while ago, he also asked his wife to give a pair of mutton-fat jade Pixiu to the residence of Chen Simiao, a doctor in the Ministry of Official Affairs. Chen Simiao had a wide network of contacts in the Ministry of Official Affairs, and he and Chen Simiao belonged to the same lineage of the eldest prince.
Originally, with Chen Simiao helping in the staff department, there was a great chance of promotion, even if it was not a sure thing.
Who would have thought that today we would get the news that the emperor has appointed the second prince as the crown prince. The officials in the Ministry of Personnel are all quick-witted, so I don't know if Chen Simiao can succeed.
As for Gu Chengyu, Qiu Yifan frowned.
Master Zhang seemed to take special care of Gu Chengyu. He let Gu Chengyu complete such an important matter as compiling the edict, which shows how much he valued Gu Chengyu.
If Mr. Zhang takes this opportunity to say a few nice words for Gu Chengyu in front of the emperor, wouldn't he be drawing water from a bamboo basket in vain?
Thinking of this, Qiu Yifan simply couldn't sit still.
Regardless of the previous tea tax, salt tax and the current Hejian Mansion case, it can be seen that this person is a capable minister.
This time the Hejian Mansion case involved so many officials, Gu Chengyu's contribution is not insignificant. The emperor still hasn't given an explanation, maybe he just wants Gu Chengyu to be promoted!
Because he could no longer rely on the eldest prince, Qiu Yifan began to worry about gains and losses, and he was already in chaos.
He cast his eyes on Gu Chengyu's seat, and then a bold idea emerged from his heart.
"Gan Dianji!" As soon as Gu Chengyu entered the Wenhua Pavilion, he saw Gan Dianji writing furiously.
He took the tooth tag off his waist and placed it on the table.
"Ah! It turns out to be Mr. Gu!" Gan Dianji looked up and saw that it was Gu Chengyu, and couldn't help but be overjoyed.
Gu Chengyu rarely comes to Wenhua Pavilion recently, and he is not on duty every day, so it is naturally difficult for the two of them to bump into each other.
"I haven't seen you for many days. How are you doing?" Gan Dianji put down the brush in his hand and saluted Gu Chengyu.
"It's true that we haven't seen each other for several days. Let's have a drink together when we have free time someday." Gu Chengyu pointed to the dental plaque on the table and signaled the other party to do business first.
Gan Dianji smiled sheepishly when he saw this, took the tooth tag over and prepared to register it in the register.
"It's better to choose a different day than to hit it. Why don't I let the lower official serve as host now and invite Master Ye and others to Zhihe Zhai for dinner in the evening."
Gan Dianji never found an opportunity to be a host. As a lower official, how could he be so indifferent and let the superior official invite him?
Favors must come and go, otherwise it is no longer a favor.
"I'm afraid we won't be able to do it today, so we might as well try another day!" Gu Chengyu wanted to go to his senior brother's house to inquire about the details of the crown prince's appointment later. 14