Chapter 6: Who can be the successor to the Ming Dynasty?
Although the civil and military officials in the Fengtian Hall were divided into two groups, they still couldn't stop their gossiping hearts.
Even if you are far away from the hall, you can still hear the noisy sound inside.
The only question they were discussing was why His Majesty suddenly convened a court meeting?
Since the death of Crown Prince Zhu Biao, they have finally had some leisurely days.
Although I have to go to the East Palace to worship every day, at least I don’t have to get up early to attend court as usual.
Originally, they thought that today was just a formality, a visit to the palace, and when the emperor announced the cancellation of the morning court, they would go back to their homes and find their mothers.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they entered the palace, they heard the bad news that the emperor was about to come to court!
Although the emperor's sudden arrival disrupted some people's plans.
But it must be said that the officials of the Hongwu Dynasty had good working abilities. They filled their respective tablets with writing in almost the blink of an eye.
Although there are a lot of shitty things above, it’s better to write them down than not to write them down.
Because it's a matter of attitude.
Our Ming Dynasty Emperor Zhu can tolerate officials’ incompetence, but he will never tolerate their improper attitudes!
After everyone finished their homework, they felt relaxed and were in the mood to chat.
Although everyone tried to lower their voices and spoke in a low voice, there were too many people.
Hundreds of people were crowded in a large hall. Even a hundred wasps could make the buzzing sound of a tractor.
"Lord Zhao, why do you think His Majesty suddenly came to court today?"
"Logically speaking, Your Majesty should not be in the mood to attend court right now, as he has not yet recovered from the grief of losing his beloved son..."
Upon hearing this, the Minister of Rites Zhao Mian shook his head in a mature and prudent manner.
"We, the officials, only need to obey the law and abide by the court system. We must not make irresponsible comments on the royal family's affairs, and we must not speculate on your majesty's intentions..."
When the people around heard this, they all turned their heads and pouted.
The Minister of Rites who had just asked the question wanted to slap himself in the face. Why did he ask such an old-fashioned question?
Although Zhao Mian strictly abided by the code of conduct of a subject, the fire of gossip among the people would never be extinguished so easily.
Zhan Wei, the Minister of Personnel and Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, muttered in a low voice in his own small circle.
"Perhaps he is worried about the successor to the crown prince..."
As soon as these words were spoken, the east side of the Fengtian Hall fell silent. Only the military attachés standing on the west side were still talking loudly, discussing issues that they themselves did not understand.
However, the silence on the civil service side only lasted for a while. After being shocked, everyone immediately began to discuss who was most qualified to be the successor.
"In your opinion, Minister Zhan, who will His Majesty appoint as the heir?"
"Should I appoint the eldest son or the most virtuous one?"
In ancient times, there were basically two ways to inherit the throne: one was to establish the eldest son as the heir, and the other was to establish the so-called virtuous one.
Although the system of primogeniture has many criticisms, it has one greatest advantage, which is its indisputability.
Because the eldest son is determined according to the order of birth, it is easy to tell who is the eldest and who is the youngest.
As for the so-called appointment of talented people, that’s a bit nonsense.
Because officials in ancient times were not qualified to recommend a crown prince, a certain emperor of the Qing Dynasty did this once, and the officials seriously recommended Eight Wise Kings, but they were rejected by the emperor again.
Therefore, the vast majority of "virtue" depends on which son the old emperor likes.
If they met a reasonable emperor, the officials would still fight against the system of primogeniture, citing several examples in ancient times where the country was in turmoil due to the abolition of the eldest son and the enthronement of the youngest son.
But when facing an emperor like Zhu Yuanzhang who will be remembered forever, no one in the court dared to advise him.
When Zhan Wei heard everyone's questions, he shook his head helplessly.
Because this kind of thing is too sensitive, one could end up in fatal trouble if one is not careful.
When everyone saw that Zhan Wei didn't say anything, they began to let themselves go, clamoring that His Majesty might make the eldest son the heir, and gave examples of suitable candidates.
"The King of Qin is the oldest and the leader of all the kings. Perhaps Your Majesty is interested in him?"
Zhan Wei listened to everyone's discussion in silence, without any intention of speaking. However, Zhao Mian, who had just solemnly refused to gossip, suddenly spoke up.
"King Qin Li..."
Zhao Mian's sudden words made everyone speechless.
Everyone silently thought about the bad things that Prince of Qin Zhu Shuang had done over the years, and the fact that the Crown Prince had been bedridden since returning from Xi'an, and they simply gave up on this guy in their hearts.
It is already very difficult for officials like them to serve Zhu Yuanzhang. If a bastard like the King of Qin comes along, how can they survive?
Besides, although Emperor Zhu of the Ming Dynasty treated his subjects harshly, he at least had some sense. If it were a tyrant like Qin Wang Zhu Shuang, they would really have to write a suicide note before leaving the house every day.
Since the eldest son is not an option, then the only option is the most capable one?
As a result, everyone's attention was focused on the prince under the King of Qin.
"Prince Jin is also good at governing his country, and has a good reputation. He is also the legitimate son, so there is a certain possibility."
"The Prince of Yan has repeatedly defeated the Northern Yuan Dynasty and has the most outstanding military achievements among all the princes. It is very likely that he will be enthroned."
When the military officers heard the words "Prince of Yan", they also joined in and unanimously agreed that Prince of Yan was the most virtuous.
Although there was a lot of discussion in the hall, most of them were from insignificant minor officials. The real big guys would not easily express their opinions.
Just when everyone was discussing happily, a shrill voice rang out.
"Your Majesty has arrived, all officials kneel to welcome you!"
As the emperor arrived, the musicians behind the pillars on the left side of the hall began to strike bells and drums, adding a solemn atmosphere to the morning court.
However, the sound of bells and drums not only sets the mood, but also serves as the rhythm of square dancing.
Without the prompt of the music rhythm, it would be difficult to achieve a uniform effect in this large-scale kowtow performance with more than a hundred people.
Amid the melodious music, Old Zhu sat upright on a sedan chair, carried by sixteen Jinyiwei from the Danchi into the main hall. Under the gaze of all the officials, he got off the sedan chair and sat on his dragon throne.
Then all the officials paid homage and kowtowed three times.
After the ceremony, everyone stood up and secretly looked up at the dragon throne. After not seeing him for many days, the emperor looked much more haggard and thinner. But his majestic expression and eagle-like sharp eyes did not change at all, as if he could still look directly into people's hearts and make them feel nowhere to hide.
Old Zhu automatically ignored the offense of his officials and called out their names one by one.
Every official who was named would come out of the line, walk up the west steps, and stand next to Lao Zhu to report on his work.
Old Zhu made decisions on the spot without any delay, and his administrative efficiency was extremely high.
The morning passed in a flash, and Lao Zhu dealt with hundreds of things on the spot.
From big things like a disaster in a certain place to small things like a department buying some paper, he takes care of every detail.
This is Lao Zhu’s daily life, busy and fulfilling.
However, today was a little different from usual. When the court was about to end, Old Zhu picked out a few mature and steady people from among the officials.
There are six ministers of ministries, plus nine ministers in the court.
"We have a difficult matter to decide. Please discuss it with us."
"It has been a long time since our emperor passed away. May I ask you who in our Ming Dynasty can be the successor?"
When Lao Zhu said this, everyone present exclaimed in their hearts.
This moment has finally come!
