"Do you think your Majesty really had no other intention when he made His Royal Highness Prince Yu the General of Zhenguan?"
Amidst the noise in the cabinet, this question suddenly popped up.
Swish.
The cabinet fell into silence for an instant, and everyone turned their attention to the person who spoke. Talking about the emperor in an inappropriate manner, even within the cabinet, is considered a crime of disrespect.
That is a special right that only officials who do not hold any real power have.
It would have been fine if he had been a weak emperor, but the current emperor's civil, political, and military skills were among the best among all the emperors in Dali. Even if he is now seriously ill and dying in the palace, his power is still there.
Otherwise, how could a second-rank official with real power at the border allow the emperor to authorize the enfeoffment, and no one raised any objection at the time?
However, after seeing who the speaker was, all the cabinet members understood at the same time.
The person who asked the question was none other than Li Zhengfu who was sitting at the head of the case.
Li Zhengfu, the current imperial court elder and a first-rank official, was one person above ten thousand in the imperial court, standing at the top of all civil servants.
If it is Mr. Li Ge, he is indeed qualified to talk about Tianzi.
However, Li Zhengfu could discuss it, but none of the cabinet members dared to challenge him.
Nonsense, although the members of this cabinet work together, the candidates selected are the result of compromises between officials from various factions in the court.
Normally everyone laughs and chats with each other, but if given the opportunity, they will attack officials from other factions without mercy.
And it is definitely a deadly move. It can cut the grass and roots without leaving any grass clippings.
Now, all the cabinet members' eyes are focused on Li Zhengfu, but their attention is on other colleagues beside them.
They would not pick a fight with Li Zhengfu, but in their hearts they couldn't wait for others to pick a fight, so that they would have a reason to criticize that person.
After all, for every vacant position in the cabinet, the likelihood that an official from one's own faction will take office increases.
I can only say that when a literary person is ruthless, that’s when he really hates it.
However, although the cabinet members wished that someone else would start a fight at this moment, they did not show it at all on the surface.
For a civil servant who can achieve this position, it is the most basic operation to calm down his anger and express his displeasure in front of outsiders.
It's just that although they didn't say it with their mouths, they couldn't help but start to mutter in their hearts the question Li Zhengfu just raised.
Would the emperor's palace in the palace really issue a decree to enfeoff the prince just to protect him from the cruel competition for the throne?
You know, before or after that, the emperor never ennobled any prince for this purpose.
Could it be that there really is some deep meaning in this that they don't know about?
Gradually, everyone frowned.
They were not afraid of the emperor expressing his support for which prince would become crown prince, but they were afraid of the emperor's ambiguous attitude.
The power of God is unpredictable. If you accidentally guess the emperor's thoughts wrongly, especially if it involves matters involving the throne, it is not impossible to see him again in the next life.
But what if?
The cabinet members are all civil servants. Although they belong to different factions, most of them support the eldest prince, His Highness King Cheng, to become the next emperor.
As for the fifth prince, His Royal Highness King Yu, not to mention his cowardly behavior when he was in the capital, his official position as a general of Zhenguan is in the ranks of military generals.
From the beginning, King Yu was automatically classified by these civil servants into the ranks of military commanders and nobles.
As we all know, military generals and civil servants are two groups that have always been in conflict with each other. Except for King Jing, the third prince whose uncle is Wuchenghou, they are also not very supportive of King Yu becoming the next emperor of Dali.
No matter how majestic the emperor is, he cannot be the one who chooses the next emperor.
This is related to the future of Dali and the interests of all the officials in the court. As long as the emperor still wants the court system to operate stably, it is impossible not to consider the opinions of the officials on this matter.
But the emperor's wishes cannot be completely ignored.
In the final analysis, the final decision on who will succeed the crown prince must be made by the emperor himself, not to mention that the current emperor is inherently strong.
Li Zhengfu glanced at the silent cabinet members and sighed in his heart.
The question he asked just now was just something he suddenly felt, and he didn't expect anyone to answer him.
He has also come from that position step by step, so he naturally knows their psychological activities clearly. No one who can sit in the cabinet is stupid and cannot make such a low-level mistake.
And even Li Zhengfu himself would only say such words in this cabinet that were suspected of discussing the emperor. Although not everyone here was from his faction, their status and qualifications were there after all.
And once he leaves the cabinet, he will never mention these words in front of outsiders.
Maintaining the emperor's majesty at all times is also an official's obligation.
Thinking of this, Li Zhengfu remained calm on his face, but sighed again in his heart.
If it weren't for the fact that King Yu made a big fuss at the Ministry of Finance before leaving the capital, his most popular disciple Yang Youxu should have entered the cabinet by now. After a few more years of training, Yang Youxu would be able to take over his job after Yang Youxu is able to take charge of his own affairs.
.
In this way, he can retire in peace and enjoy his old age.
But now, because of the incident two years ago, Yang Youxu had to be released. Until now, he has not found a suitable time for him to return to Beijing.
Li Zhengfu spent his life ups and downs in the officialdom and made countless political enemies. If after his retirement there is no one who has a high enough influence on his confidants in the court, then he will inevitably face the fiercest counterattack after relinquishing power.
Although he is older, he has not lived enough and does not want to spend his old age miserably.
But it is not that easy to train a suitable candidate.
Therefore, if there is anyone in the court who is most dissatisfied with King Yu, it is the cabinet minister Li Zhengfu.
Yang Youxu returns to Beijing to join the cabinet or train another successor. Considering his physical condition, it is not known whether he can persist until that time.
Therefore, he was also the one who least approved of King Yu becoming the crown prince among the officials.
After discovering that Northern Xinjiang had the potential to break away from the imperial control, Li Zhengfu knew that the opportunity had come.
Throughout his life, he knew one thing deeply, that is, the sacred power is inviolable.
No matter whether he is mediocre or capable, as long as he abides by his duties, the emperor will be fine. But if he goes too far and makes the emperor feel danger, then even if he has made immortal achievements, it is equivalent to committing the crime of beheading.
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But the reason why King Yu was sent to northern Xinjiang was the emperor's alone.
So, when King Yu was so high-profile, was it his own intention, or was the emperor secretly supporting it behind his back?