Chapter 22: Zhao Ziheng Returns to Zhao State (3)
——Zhao State——
【Prince Ling’s Palace】.
"That's ridiculous. Those stubborn old guys said they would only let me succeed to the throne if I found the 'Fire Soul Jade'!!!"
Zhao Zixi angrily swept away everything on the desk.
"Your Majesty, the 'Fire Soul Jade' is a sacred object passed down among the emperors. Even if you have seen it, you may not know whether it is real or not. Why don't we -"
An elderly and experienced man offered a suggestion.
"You mean you want to pass the fake off as real ?"
"That's right, we just need to make a fake one and then pretend it's real. Why didn't we think of such a simple truth?"
"Master Zhong, are you kidding me?"
Unexpectedly, someone's suggestion was met with Zhao Zixi's cold stare.
"I wonder what your Majesty means?"
The old minister Zhong Li had originally intended to give Zhao Zixi suggestions in order to please him, but unexpectedly, not only did he fail to please him, but he was scolded instead?
"The Fire Soul Jade is a sacred object of our Great Zhao. Not to mention Prime Minister Wang, the old ghost who has been a minister for three generations, even Grand Secretary Lin and the ministers in the court have seen the true form of the Fire Soul Jade with their own eyes. If I really forge it and they find out, then wouldn't all my efforts these days be in vain? They will definitely not let me ascend the throne."
"I deserve to die, Your Majesty, please forgive me—"
"Okay, you mean well, I won't blame you--"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"snort!!"
Although Zhao Zixi forgave Zhong Li's words and actions, he still couldn't hide his displeasure.
"Your Majesty, I have a plan, but I don't know if I should tell you."
The middle-aged minister who had been sitting and watching suddenly interrupted.
"Master Liu, please speak your mind. We are all in the same boat now. There is no need to be cautious."
"Yes, now Prime Minister Wang and Grand Secretary Lin both intend to let the third prince succeed to the throne, but he is suppressed by us because of his lack of ability, and the news of the former king's disappearance and death has more or less leaked out. At present, the small countries that were suppressed by us in the past have all defected to new masters, or have taken actions to get rid of our control. In particular, the alliance between the Great Zhou and the Xia Kingdom has just been concluded, which poses a considerable threat to our Great Zhao. In addition, we have had a conflict with the Great Zhou because of the matter of the former crown princess. If the fact that the former king died and there is no new king on the throne, it is likely that the worst situation will occur. For this reason, I have a plan that I must tell you-"
"Then speak quickly, and stop talking a bunch of useless nonsense!"
"Yes, then I will speak frankly. I think the marriage between the Great Zhou and the Xia Kingdom has given us a good inspiration. We can follow their example and marry a princess from a country as powerful as ours. It just so happens that the prince has not yet appointed a principal wife!"
The person who made this suggestion, Liu Cheng, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, was younger than other ministers, but he had considerable strength and ambition, which enabled him to climb all the way to the position of Minister of the Central Secretariat. To many people, he was a threatening figure!
"Then according to Lord , which princess is the most suitable?"
Another minister asked, and it seemed that he was more in favor of this proposal, but he seemed to have some reservations?
"I have thought deeply about this, and I think Princess Xin, the first princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the daughter of the former King of Zhou, and the younger sister of the current King of Zhou, is the most suitable candidate!"
"Princess Xin of the Great Zhou? But given our current situation with the Great Zhou, it doesn't seem feasible, right? The Great Zhou cannot escape its involvement in the death of our emperor in the Gray Valley, and the court officials are also brooding over this matter. If we let the prince marry the princess of the Great Zhou now, it will surely attract unnecessary criticism, right?"
"Lord He is wrong. It is said that the death of the emperor in the Gray Valley was caused by a third party and had nothing to do with the Zhou Kingdom. Although the relationship between the two countries has been affected by the Gray Valley incident, it is precisely because of this that if we take this opportunity to let the prince marry Princess Xin as his consort, it will just happen to completely mend the relationship between the two countries. If the relationship between the two countries is restored to the past, not only will the countries that were suppressed by us and are ready to make trouble be completely stabilized, but no one will dare to act rashly again. Moreover, if the prince can ascend the throne smoothly with the influence of the Zhou Kingdom, the princess will become the queen of Zhao. I believe that the Zhou Kingdom will certainly agree, and the friendly relations between the two countries can be better than before!"
"Master Zhong is right!"
"Yes, that's right. This is the best way to restore the relationship with Zhou Kingdom!"
“That’s right, that’s right—”
"No!"
Several ministers discussed the feasibility of the matter. Just when everyone almost reached a consensus, Liu Cheng, who made the suggestion, interrupted it!
"What do you mean, Lord Liu? Isn't it Lord Liu who thinks Princess Xin is the most suitable candidate?"
Zhong Li, who had been scolded by Zhao Zixi before, had finally tried to reestablish his prestige but was blocked by the person involved. Of course he would be unwilling to accept this.
"Master Zhong, and all the other masters, I really don't know what's in your heads to have climbed to your current position?"
"you--"
"Shut up, everyone!"
Just when Zhong Li was about to quarrel with Liu Cheng , Zhao Zixi stopped him in time!
"If you want to argue, wait until the matter is done. The most important thing now is to let me ascend the throne!"
"yes--"
Zhao Zixi's words immediately quieted everyone down.
"Okay, Lord Liu, let me hear your final opinion. I believe you also know that I already have candidates for the princess and queen in my mind. If the situation is not different now, I will still stick to my own opinion. If your choice is not acceptable to me, I will not let you go!"
"certainly!"
Zhao Zixi's stern threat and Liu Cheng's confidence made everyone present inexplicably silent. "Then tell me!"
"Yes, although I did think Princess Xin was the most suitable candidate, the Prime Minister and his men would not agree. Instead, we would get a result that none of us want. Therefore, I think the most suitable candidate should be Princess Quan, the jewel in the crown of the King of Han!"
"Princess Quan?"
"Isn't that the only heir to the King of Han?"
Liu Cheng's words immediately caused a commotion among the ministers, and they believed that this princess was no ordinary person.
"That's right. I'm talking about the princess who is the only descendant of the King of Han. As everyone knows, the King of Han favored his queen, Lu Ji, who was the most beautiful woman in the world in his previous era. Lu Ji only gave birth to a princess, so the Han royal family only has this princess. She has the legitimate right to inherit the throne since birth. The princess should have just turned eighteen this year, so it's natural for her to get married. If you're going to propose marriage, I'm sure he'll agree. The King of Han has always doted on the princess. Of course, my title as the Princess of Zhao and the future Queen Mother will not lose the princess's status. There's no reason for the King of Han to disagree with this marriage, right?"
"That's right. The power of Han is equal to that of Zhao. If we talk about marriage, it is even better than that of Zhou and Xia. If the prince marries the princess, even without the 'Fire Soul Jade', he can ascend the throne smoothly with the power of Han. Lord Liu's proposal is indeed the best choice—"
“That’s right—”
"Master Liu is right—"
"You can even take these into consideration. You are worthy of being called Master Liu—"
Liu Cheng's proposal convinced everyone. Even Zhong Li, who was unhappy, had nothing to say. Everyone quickly reached a consensus and agreed with Liu Cheng's proposal. Now only Zhao Zixi agreed!
In fact, Zhao Zixi didn't disagree, but he was worried about something else. After struggling with his heart for a while, Zhao Zixi sat down and looked forward with a cautious attitude...
"It seems that Your Highness has come up with an answer after some thought. I wonder what Your Highness thinks of this humble servant's proposal?"
Liu Cheng seemed to have seen the moment when Zhao Zixi had made his judgment, and he asked Zhao Zixi for the answer at the right time. Since they were in the same boat, if Zhao Zixi became emperor, he would naturally be able to have what he wanted.
"... Humph, now that you've said that, do I have any other options?"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
It seems that Zhao Zixi also agreed with Liu Cheng's proposal.
An unknown storm is about to hit.
