"My dear friends, I have one more thing that I need to discuss today. This is a major matter related to our country and the country. I have been thinking about this matter while I am recovering from illness. I believe that you are as concerned about this matter as I am.
Attention. Yes, it is about the establishment of the crown prince, which needs to be discussed today." Guo Chong put down the tea cup and scanned the audience, then slowly said.
The whole place was silent, but everyone's heart was like a storm passing by, and they all thought: "Sure enough, what is supposed to come has come. This is the highlight of today. This is today's early morning court meeting. Let the two princes and many others come."
The reason why the royal relatives are listed in the palace."
The excitement and expectation on Jin Wang Guo Mian's face was beyond words. In his opinion, he might be able to become the prince today. Compared with his excitement, Huai Wang Guo Xu's face was indifferent, too calm.
"I said before that matters related to the stability of the country and the continuity of the country are important matters for the court. Although I have only been on the throne for six years, this matter will eventually be put on the agenda. I also hope that the newly established prince can experience it early.
, so that I can take over this heavy responsibility in the future. Therefore, I issued the prince’s proposal many days ago. I have been ill these days, and you have sent me a lot of information on this matter, but I have not read them one by one.
It was my dereliction of duty. But there is nothing I can do. I am old and in poor health, so there is nothing I can do about it. Fortunately, I have gotten up again. I think it is better to discuss the matter in the hall. If we cannot agree today, we can do it tomorrow.
If the matter cannot be decided tomorrow, it will be discussed again the next day. In short, it will be discussed until it is decided. And if the matter is discussed in the court, it will be more straightforward to express one's opinions and allow everyone to express their opinions. This is a good thing for the country's discussion. Then
, who will tell me first, what to do about this matter?" Guo Chong said slowly.
There was silence in the hall, and everyone was trying to figure out the meaning of the emperor's words. The emperor's words were contradictory. On the one hand, he said that the prince's discussion was a matter of concern to him, but on the other hand, he said that he had not read the memorials of the ministers, and did not know everyone's attitude.
On the one hand, they say that this matter needs to be settled as soon as possible, but on the other hand, they say that today will not become tomorrow, and tomorrow will not become the day after tomorrow. This attitude is really unpredictable.
"What? Don't you want to say anything? It seems that I have to offer some advice first. The two princes under my knees are here. Although Guo Mian and Guo Xu are incompetent, I think they are actually quite well-behaved. They are also very nice to me.
He is very filial, and there is nothing particularly out of the ordinary in his behavior. No matter who of the two succeeds to the throne in the future, I think it is okay. Of course, Guo Mian is my eldest son and the queen's son. According to the rules of establishing a legitimate eldest son
, Guo Mian should be the crown prince. But I cannot generalize. After all, we in the Great Zhou Dynasty do not all establish heirs based on direct eldest son. I establish the prince based on talents, for the sake of the country and the country in the future of the Great Zhou Dynasty. So I hope you will also
You can think about it from this aspect. In short, everyone can express their opinions and I will not blame you. Each of you can give your reasons." Guo Chong said in a deep voice.
There was still silence in the hall, and no one was willing to take the lead. At this embarrassing moment, Prime Minister Lu Zhongtian came out and said: "Your Majesty, I have something I don't know whether to say or not."
Guo Chong said with a smile: "Lu Aiqing will say what he wants. I have said it. Now you can express your opinions freely. I won't blame you."
Lu Zhongtian bowed and said: "Thank you, Your Majesty. The veteran believes that the Emperor is in his prime, so there is no need to rush to discuss the appointment of a crown prince. On the one hand, the two princes are still too immature to be crown princes. On the other hand, our dynasty is undergoing great changes, and we are expert in reform.
There are enemies peeping from outside. At this moment, we should concentrate on dealing with the changing situation. The emperor is discussing the appointment of a prince at this time, which is not the right time. The veteran believes that when the internal and external calms down and the situation is stable, it is not too late to discuss the appointment of a prince. This will avoid the confusion of the whole court.
The controversy over this matter will be detrimental to the situation of the DPRK."
As soon as Lu Zhongtian said this, all the ministers opened their mouths and were extremely shocked. As soon as Lu Zhongtian opened his mouth, they all thought that he was going to recommend King Huai. But they didn't expect that he actually wanted the emperor to terminate the prince's proposal. This was really surprising.
Many officials at the table were asked by Lu Zhongtian to write letters to cheer for King Huai once the crown prince was proposed. At this moment, when they heard what Lu Zhongtian said, they were all confused. They didn't know what Lu Zhongtian was selling in the gourd.
medicine.
Guo Chong was also very surprised. In fact, since his illness improved, Guo Chong regretted proposing the proposal to establish a prince that day. It was indeed forced by the situation and his poor health, so he had to do so. But now, since
Lin Jue's medicine is suitable for the symptoms and his body is recovering quickly. The matter of establishing a prince should wait a little longer. He is only fifty-six years old and has at least ten or twenty years left. Is it possible to establish a prince at this time?
Do you really want to give way to the crown prince? Find a place to retire and wait for death? This is absolutely impossible.
Moreover, Guo Chong himself has experienced what it feels like to be a prince for twenty years. It feels like being frightened and cautious, but also eager to replace him. There were several times in the past that Guo Chong wanted to force his father to abdicate.
I'm tired of waiting, and I'm tired of being cautious for fear of taking the wrong path and saying the wrong thing. It feels really bad. If you judge others by yourself, no matter whether Guo Mian and Guo Xu are the princes, they will all go through the suffering they have experienced.
, which not only made them uncomfortable, but also added instability to the court.
However, Guo Chong could not pretend that he had not issued the decree to establish a prince. He had to mention this matter in the morning, even if it was just a pretense. But he also
He made up his mind that this matter must be postponed and undecided until the day when he thought it was time to make a decision. Before that, it was all empty talk. However, what surprised him was that Lu Zhongtian actually said such words
, this gave Guo Chong a feeling of being penetrated into his heart. Did Lu Zhongtian test himself deliberately, or did he really think so? This was really unexpected.
"Lu Aiqing, the matter of establishing the crown prince is a major matter of the country, and it will be decided sooner or later. Although I am currently in good health, I still want to decide this matter as soon as possible so that the people of the world can feel at ease. As for what you said, I, Da Zhou
The major internal and external matters we are currently facing are very urgent, and it is not unreasonable. However, I think that this does not have much conflict with the prince's proposal. Well... what do you think?"
Guo Chong had to put on a show. He wanted to say, 'In that case, the prince's discussion will be postponed for the time being.' But that would seem to be too obvious.
"What the emperor said is true. Stabilizing the foundation of the country and reassuring people's hearts are the top priorities for all dynasties. Once the heir of the country is determined, the situation will be stable. Even if something unexpected happens, the situation will not be disrupted. The emperor said,
The veteran agrees with both hands. The veteran believes that this matter should be settled." An old man with white hair and beard came out to report.
Everyone knows this person. This person is Su Quan, a scholar of the Imperial Academy and a great scholar of the Jixian Palace. This person is a veteran of the Three Dynasties and has a good reputation. He is a great Confucian of the Zhou Dynasty and has high moral and prestige. He was already an official, but because of his virtue, he has a high reputation.
, still in charge of the Imperial College, cultivating reserve talents with both virtue and morality for the Zhou Dynasty. When he came out to say this, he represented the opinions of not only himself but also a large number of Confucian scholars and officials.
Guo Chong nodded and said: "Su Aiqing's words are very much in my opinion, and I think so too. But who of the two princes do you think can be the prince?"
Su Quan said tremblingly: "Your Majesty, in the opinion of the old minister, the eldest prince is open-minded and straightforward. Although there are some frivolous remarks, he does not lose the royal dignity and has a kind temperament. The second prince has a calm temperament and behaves in an orderly manner.
Organized, restrained and calm, benevolent, wise and courageous. Although some do not like reading and like military, horse riding and shooting, they are still decent. Alas, if the two princes can become one, they will be versatile in both civil and military affairs.
It’s great to have a neutral temperament.”
Everyone rolled their eyes and thought: Isn't this old man talking nonsense? I want you to tell me who is more suitable. You say hello, and the two become one. Should we establish two princes?
But I heard Su Quan continue: "... However, I know that this is impossible. If I can only choose one from the two princes to establish a prince, I think... it is natural to establish the eldest prince. It is not that the second prince is not suitable, but
The eldest prince is the eldest son. Our court respects Confucianism and Taoism and pays attention to the order of ethics. The eldest prince is the eldest son of the emperor and is the son of the empress. He has moral character and talent and is qualified for the job. Therefore, it is in line with ethics and ethics to establish the eldest son.
The sequence is also."
Su Quan Fusu shook his head and expressed his opinion. As a great Confucian of the Zhou Dynasty, his words represented the voices of many people. The Great Zhou respected Confucianism and naturally valued the order of ethics the most. Su Quan himself studied under the great Confucian Cheng Yunzhi of the previous dynasty, and Cheng Yunzhi
He once wrote several books on Neo-Confucianism, delved deeply into Confucianism, and formed a school of Neo-Confucianism with far-reaching influence. The principles and ethics he spoke of gradually became deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and have been adopted as orthodox Neo-Confucianism. As a disciple of Cheng Yunzhi, Su Quan proposed the establishment of a eldest prince
The reason for becoming the prince is actually not surprising. The moment he stood up, many people knew who he was going to recommend.
"What Mr. Su said is true. Our dynasty has always adhered to Confucianism and Taoism. Since the founding of the country, the succession of the throne has also followed the principle of establishing the eldest son first, followed by the virtuous. This is the fundamental order. If the establishment of heirs does not follow the eldest son and the youngest son,
The order of concubines will bring chaos to the world. I second my opinion!"
"I second the proposal."
"I also second the proposal!"
Su Quan started, and suddenly a group of officials came out to talk, talk eloquently, and echo his opinions.
Guo Mian's eyes shone with excitement. Although he tried his best to restrain himself, he could not hide his joy. He held his hands together and rubbed them back and forth. Guo Xu was not as angry as he imagined, and his attitude was surprisingly calm. It seemed that nothing happened at all.
It's not about yourself.
Guo Chong frowned slightly, nodded and said: "Well, I understand what you dear ladies said. However, does anyone else have any different opinions?"
Wu Chunlai wanted to come out to speak, but Lu Zhongtian grabbed him by the corner of his clothes. Wu Chunlai was very puzzled. When he looked at Lu Zhongtian, he found that Lu Zhongtian had an indifferent expression on his face. Wu Chunlai didn't know what he meant, so he had to hold back for the time being.
