Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand again, and all the palace people in the garden retreated. The guards, twenty steps away, held down the handle of their swords and stared around.
Looking at Liu Sanwu in front of him, Zhu Yuanzhang said solemnly, the position of crown prince!
Liu Sanwu's heart skipped a beat. After the Prime Minister was abolished, he, the scholar in Zhongshu, became the head of the civil service of the Ming Dynasty. It was not surprising that the emperor asked about the crown prince, but he was inevitably a little uneasy in his heart.
The crown prince is the future emperor. Now the emperor is old, the prince is new, and the undercurrents of the Ming Dynasty are surging.
There was anxiety, fear, and inexplicable worry in my heart.
The emperor had many sons, all of whom were brave and powerful, and held heavy troops.
However, the righteousness of the scholar in my heart and the responsibility as the chief minister gradually suppressed these emotions.
Liu Sanwu stood up, bowed and said, Your Majesty is asking me about establishing a heir apparent!
Exactly! Zhu Yuanzhang continued to say in a deep voice, the prince suddenly left, and we feel empty in our hearts. The title of prince is related to the country of Ming Dynasty. You are a learned person, let me chat with you first!
After Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, Liu Sanwu straightened his clothes and robes, and knelt down solemnly.
Your Majesty, please forgive me for speaking frankly!
What are you doing? We asked you to come here just to let you talk. Why are you kneeling?
Liu Sanwu was still kneeling, looked up at Zhu Yuanzhang and said seriously, "My lord, please make the emperor's grandson the emperor's grandson!"
The emperor's grandson?
Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to help Liu Sanwu's arm but stopped.
He asked solemnly, why?
After the death of the father, the son succeeds, and human ethics are consistent. Moreover, the emperor's grandson has grown up, so the prince is the legitimate son of the Ming Dynasty. It is necessary to establish the emperor's grandson as the heir, who will inherit the throne in the future and become the king of the Ming Dynasty!
After saying this, kowtow again.
Zhu Yuanzhang in front of him did not speak for a long time and fell into silence.
Zhu Yuanzhang was not hesitating. To be honest, he also wanted to establish an imperial grandson.
But as an emperor and a father, facing his sons with outstanding military exploits, these words could not come out of his mouth. He could only find his ministers and hope to get them out of their mouths.
Now that the minister has spoken out, he doesn't know why, but he feels a little uncomfortable in his heart.
Establish an imperial grandson?
Zhu Yuanzhang hesitated for a moment and pondered, why? Although the prince is gone, we still have other sons. He paused and said, although our sons on the border are not as good as the prince, they are not bad either.
Having said this, Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and clasped his hands behind his back, walking forward slowly, just like King Yan. Our fourth son led the frontier army in Peiping. He has made many military exploits and has a resolute and courageous personality. Is he also a good candidate?
If Your Majesty establishes King Yan, where will the two kings of Qin and Jin be? Liu Sanwu said loudly.
King of Qin, King of Jin.
Zhu Yuanzhang's second son and third son.
According to Confucian etiquette, heirs must be arranged in an orderly manner, so how could they skip the two older brothers and establish the fourth prince, King Yan?
Moreover, what Liu Sanwu said also contained a secret from the Ming Dynasty royal family.
In fact, King Zhu Di of Yan was not the son of the late Empress Ma, so he was not Zhu Yuanzhang's legitimate son.
But not many people know about it. Those who do know don’t dare to say anything.
With the two older legitimate sons here, there was no reason to choose Zhu Di.
Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang was still silent, Liu Sanwu continued.
The King of Yan was in charge of the frontier army in Beiping, and the King of Qin and King Jin also had heavy troops. If Your Majesty insists on establishing King Yan, if a hundred years later, the two kings of Qin and Jin refuse to accept it. Liu Sanwu looked at Zhu Yuanzhang's back. Don't you know, Your Majesty, in the Han Dynasty?
The Seven Kings, and the Rebellion of the Eight Kings of the Jin Dynasty?
Bold! Zhu Yuanzhang turned around and became furious. Are you saying that after my death, our sons and descendants of the Zhu family will fight each other?
Liu Sanwu was unafraid and kowtowed, I am just telling the truth and using history as a mirror!
Hey! Zhu Yuanzhang laughed angrily.
In fact, he also thought of everything Liu Sanwu could think of.
If you are not careful in choosing the crown prince among the kings, there will be a civil war in the Ming Dynasty in the future.
None of his sons are economical. It would be strange if his son, Zhu Yuanzhang, doesn't even dare to think about this position.
Zhu Yuanzhang continued to ponder, and then said, if you say that you want to establish an imperial grandson, will the kings be convinced? As he said, he sighed, we are old, and the loess is buried in the chest. What if we establish a grandson in the future?
, If you can't control his uncles, why don't you go to war?
If the kings have different intentions, the central government will send troops to kill them. The emperor's grandson is the grandson of His Majesty, so the son of the prince has a reputation for righteousness and is an upright teacher. Liu Sanwu continued, and besides, the righteousness of the court is there, even if the kings are not convinced in their hearts,
But who dares to resist?
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.
There is some truth in this statement. Righteousness is the truth in this era.
If the king of Yan is established, then the king of Qin and the king of Jin will definitely use the distinction between elders and younger ones and concubines, and the country will definitely be unstable.
However, in addition to King Yan, although King Qin and King Jin were also qualified vassal kings, they were not necessarily qualified emperors.
The kings of Qin and Jin fought well, but they were often arrogant and lawless. They had perverse personalities, loved pleasure, and lived luxuriously.
Zhu Yuanzhang sighed in his heart, it's difficult, it's difficult, it's difficult.
At present, it seems that if there is no viable heir among the sons, then the only option is to establish an imperial grandson.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang turned around and sat down on the stool.
Among the prince's sons, which one do you think can be the emperor's grandson?
I don't dare to speak nonsense! Liu Sanwu can say that he will establish an emperor's grandson, but it is his duty as a minister, he cannot and does not dare to say which one to establish.
Look at you, I'm not letting you say it. You said what you should and shouldn't say, regardless of whether we were angry or not. Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and pulled Liu Sanwu up and continued, when you were asked to say it, you pretended to be deaf.
Dude. What we dislike the most about you scholars is your hesitation. Tell me, there are only you and me, the monarch and your minister, here. I will forgive you for whatever you say.
While Zhu Yuanzhang was speaking, Liu Sanwu was thinking about the prince's sons.
The oldest is none other than the second son, King Huai Zhu Yunwen.
One year younger than Zhu Yunwen was the crown prince's legitimate son, King Wu Zhu Yunxi.
Zhu Yunwen was quite wise. He was as familiar with Confucian classics as the prince, and he had a tolerant and kind personality.
Although King Wu Zhu Yunxi is the legitimate son, but...
Liu Sanwu was a great Confucian of the time. In addition to his official position of being a scholar, he was also in charge of the Great Hall, the place in the palace where the princes and grandsons studied.
When he thought of the Wu King's lessons, Liu Sanwu suddenly found it difficult to speak.
Talk, are we waiting? Zhu Yuanzhang asked.
I thought that the prince's eldest son, Huai Wang Zhu Yunwen, was diligent and studious, and had the style of his father. As he said that, Liu Sanwu secretly took a look at Zhu Yuanzhang's expression. Seeing that the other party had no reaction, he continued, he can be made the emperor's grandson!
After speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent for a long time.
When he was speculating in his mind, he heard Zhu Yuanzhang sigh and say, although King Huai is good, he is not his legitimate son?
This...Liu Sanwu was shocked.
Although Huai Wang Zhu Yunwen was a concubine, he was the eldest son, and a son was more valuable than his mother.
Her mother is already the concubine of the Prince's East Palace. Although she is a concubine, she can also be called a legitimate wife.
Thinking about it, my mind suddenly turned around. Could it be that Your Majesty is interested in King Wu?
Thinking about Zhu Yunxi who dozed off at school, Liu Sanwu suddenly felt a big headache.
If you choose him, why not choose King Yan?
But he felt that King Wu was extremely naughty? Zhu Yuanzhang laughed out loud and said, Liu Aiqing, you have made a mistake!
Liu Sanwu was puzzled.
Just listen to Zhu Yuanzhang continue to say, King Wu's character seems to be cowardly and naughty on the surface. In fact, my Zhu family is a thousand miles away! After the crown prince's funeral is over, you can teach him well in the university hall!
As he said that, he looked at Liu Sanwu quietly. Do not tell any third person what happened today!