Chapter 531 Please make your Majesty the Crown Prince
Chapter 531 Please establish a crown prince (Part 1)
At the residence of Cabinet Minister Li Zhisheng, he summoned the old Confucian officials and went to the study to discuss matters.
He sent some officials to guard outside the house and forbid anyone from approaching the room.
They seemed extremely nervous, fearing that spies from other forces would spy on what they were discussing.
The old Confucian sect has been suppressed by various forces many times, and they can no longer afford heavy losses.
Li Zhisheng had also taken action to suppress the Old Confucian sect before, but he never expected that he would become the leader of the Old Confucian sect due to the changing world.
The Dahua Empire is now divided into three large official factions, two large and one small.
The most powerful faction is the Neo-Confucian sect.
Wang Zhongce established a new sect of Confucianism based on the study of mind.
After Wang Zhongce resigned as prime minister, this faction could not produce any heavyweights.
Our future rise and fall will be closely bound to the crown prince."
His Majesty's thoughts have not been revealed at all.
Meng Wensheng, a member of the Ministry of Household Affairs, saw that many important people were silent.
The Holy Spirit has a delicate mind, and he will not deliberately let the Palace Telegraph Bureau leak the news.
He immediately discussed with everyone what they should do during the big court meeting, and tried to make things perfect.
Instead, it emphasizes that Su Shu and other princes have excellent moral character and are smart."
Wei Shiming saw the expectant and nervous eyes of everyone.
I think we must get involved in establishing a reserve.
The current interests of the imperial court have been divided up by various major forces.
Before, Li Zhisheng only formed a small circle with his fellow villagers.
But the number of officials above the seventh rank and below the third rank is really too small.
They cannot use ethics to restrain the emperor to prevent self-defeating.
Yu Wenhe, the Imperial Academy's minister of wine, and Han Cuibai, the Minister of Rites, discussed countermeasures in a secret room.
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When the officials heard the analysis of Jinyinhua, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, they all fell into deep thought.
Many officials listened to Honeysuckle's questions, but they remained silent.
As the eldest son, he is in line with Confucian tradition.
If this matter goes a step further, the newly developed Neo-Confucian sect will fall apart.
The information that really came from the palace telegraph office could not spread so fast, and the content of the spread did not change.
Ma Fengchu, the left minister of the Ministry of Revenue, said in surprise: "The person who leaked the news must be Wang Zhongce, Prince Zheng.
Other officials of the old Confucian sect immediately supported Ma Fengzhu's opinion.
Han Cuibai saw clearly that Emperor Su He was disgusted with the ethics.
I don't think this will happen, and the speed of information transmission also supports my speculation.
The generals control the army. They participate in establishing the prince and show their loyalty to the prince. The emperor will feel like a thorn in the back.
But I remembered that under the regulations of the Great China Empire, official positions have expiration dates.
Li Zhisheng also hesitated in his heart whether he should get involved in this matter.
But he was the Minister of Industry, a second-rank official of the Great China Empire, and a direct descendant of Li Zhisheng.
In the Great China Dynasty, they were a force that could compete with traditional officials.
He saw someone's eagerness to try and thought these people were immature.
He is also considered the number two figure among the old Confucian sect.
He said anxiously: "My lords, this is a golden opportunity.
That means you cannot see yourself clearly and overestimate your abilities.
If they develop steadily, their power will gradually grow and they will become a group of people who influence the national policy of the Great China Empire.
You have an idea, what should we do?"
These old Confucian officials may bring some negative effects, but they can indeed enhance his power.
After that, Li Zhisheng actively recruited old Confucian officials who had no masters due to the turmoil in Shandong's officialdom.
Their generals must stay far away.
I think the leak of King Zheng’s letters has something to do with King Zheng.
Honeysuckle looked at Meng Wensheng, the descendant of Mencius, the self-proclaimed sub-sage.
Yu Wenhe sipped tea and said slowly: "The major events happening in the capital now should be the work of the prince.
Why did the content of this letter spread throughout the country?
Among the old Confucianists, Meng Wensheng is usually the one who dares to break the deadlock first.
This matter is also very different from Emperor Su He's usual behavior.
He was silent for a moment, but still said hesitantly: "The establishment of the crown prince is indeed an opportunity for us to turn around.
Your Majesty is not happy with our Confucian Neo-Confucianism. We have tried hard for so many years but have not been able to change His Majesty's views.
Most officials of the old Confucian school supported Ma Fengzhu's opinions.
This was also the choice Li Zhisheng made in order to balance the power of the old Confucian school.
Most of them represent the interests of emerging industrial and commercial capital and are called industrialists by outsiders.
The two of them were discussing, what should they do if someone pushed for the imperial court to establish a crown prince?
Yu Wenhe suggested: "Your Majesty will establish a heir, it will be a matter of time.
Whichever force wants to occupy more interests, the crown prince is an unavoidable link.
You guys, think about it, throughout thousands of years of history, what was the fate of all the generals who dared to interfere with the emperor’s appointment of princes?”
Li Zhisheng also recognized the analysis of Honeysuckle and others.
Your Majesty will not go to war."
Prince Su Shu is the oldest, and he is also the eldest son.
Even in the early Ming Dynasty, Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang did not need to ask the civil officials for their opinions on who he wanted to make the crown prince.
The second largest faction is the Industrial and Commercial Faction formed by Wei Shiming and a group of people.
Our old Confucian school has a serious shortage of middle-level officials and has no potential for development at all.
Only when it is determined who the prince is will the various forces place heavy bets on cultivating a prince who is close to them."
Honeysuckle, Minister of Industry, has been thinking about this matter.
In addition to these three major factions in the Dahua Empire, there are also some small factions based on various ideologies or in the main cities of the same country.
Han Cuibai and Yu Wenhe discussed plans to deal with various emergencies.
Wei Shiming understood Emperor Su He, and even if the Manchu Dynasty civil and military objected to something he believed in.
When Li Zhisheng heard Zhang Wensheng's words, he put down his coffee cup, sighed and said, "We really want to get involved in the Li Chu turmoil.
If you read more history books, you will be able to see the possible risks involved in this matter."
Their old Confucian sect has never recovered and still needs the support of Li Zhisheng. If they want to restore their past glory, they can only find another way.
Li Zhisheng had known for a long time that this would be the result.
Ma Fengzhao, the left minister of the household department, said in a serious tone: "Our faction has been secretly suppressed by His Majesty, and other factions will also fall into trouble.
Many people gathered at Prime Minister Wei Shiming's house.
Han Cuibai looked at Yu Wenhe. They were both confidants of Prince Zheng and Wang Zhongce, the backbone of the New Confucian sect, and great masters of mind science.
Jin Yin Hua, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, was incompatible with the old Confucian officials.
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The Grand Governor Feng Sanqiu summoned all the first and second-rank officials of the Grand Governor's Mansion together.
Han Cuibai sighed. He felt that Prince Zheng and Wang Zhongce had left them in a very difficult situation.
The current Prime Minister Wei Shiming is younger than him and entered the cabinet later than him.
When Ma Fengzhao heard that Li Zhisheng was going to discuss this issue, he immediately became excited and said loudly:
"Do we still need to discuss this issue? As the old Confucian sect, we must support the prince of Su Shu.
No matter which prince ascends the throne, he cannot ignore the tens of millions of taels of silver coins in business taxes every year.
He nodded and said: "The signs I have observed are that there are several forces that want to promote the establishment of a reserve bank.
Hearing Li Zhisheng's concerns, he analyzed: "I don't think the news came from the palace telegraph office.
I have contacted many officials, and they are all worried about the danger of the vacant crown prince.
The third largest faction is the Old Confucian sect, which believes in the remnants of Confucian Neo-Confucianism, but a skinny camel is bigger than a horse.
Think about it, who wants this letter to spread in the capital the most, and who can easily do it."
Li Zhisheng said firmly: "At the next court meeting, we will unite and ask the emperor to establish a crown prince. For the sake of the stability of the country, it is time to establish a crown prince.
He knew that His Majesty hated cliques for personal gains and had never expanded his small circle.
Once we succeed, we will stand up and call the shots and suppress the Neo-Confucianists and industrialists."
He could not remain a cabinet minister for long.
Civil servants can get involved in the matter of the emperor appointing a heir apparent.
The palace telegraph office is not very strict, and there are no secrets in the palace.
Li Zhisheng knew that this situation would never have happened during the heyday of the Great China Empire.
He said in a serious tone: "Everyone must have heard the rumors that started circulating in the capital yesterday."
Wei Shiming was born as a blacksmith. His ability to climb to the position of prime minister shows how powerful this force is.
What's more, Emperor Su He is not bound by clan etiquette at all, and his ideas are even more unconstrained.
As soon as Ma Fengzhao's words came out, all civil servants understood the cause and effect of this matter.
Once you take this step, there will be no room for maneuver.
I really think that the current situation is the same as that of the late Ming Dynasty, with the emperor's power reduced to an extremely low level.
Their family and their descendants will receive endless benefits.
The old Confucian officials were leaderless at that time. When they saw the recruitment of cabinet minister Li Zhisheng, they immediately chose to join him.
Could this be Emperor Su He's method to lure the emperor into a trap and catch them all in one fell swoop?
If his performance is too outstanding at this time, if he presses the wrong prince, the end will definitely be extremely miserable.
If your Majesty does this, it will cause random speculation among civil and military officials, which will be of no benefit to the court.
If Li Zhisheng chooses to maintain the status quo, the best he can end up with after resigning as cabinet minister is to go to parliament and wait for his retirement in the Yamen.
Li Zhisheng was puzzled by the fact that the members of the Palace Telegraph Bureau were all Emperor Su He's confidants.
If you don't take action, you may even be surpassed by others.
Many forces are secretly working together, and they all have their own ideas.
Honeysuckle took a sip of coffee, an exotic drink that had just become popular.
He said in a stern tone: "We will not get involved in this matter.
If you think about it carefully, are there things that our generals can interfere with?
How could the letter written by King Zheng be leaked so easily?
Even when Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty wanted to make his beloved son Prince Fu the crown prince, he was blocked by the officials at the time.
Everyone knows the importance of the Palace Telegraph Office.
Confucianism reached its peak in the Ming Dynasty, and they always insisted on establishing the eldest son as the crown prince.
His Majesty the Emperor has emphasized many times that the duty of a soldier is to obey orders.
There is no shortage of officials above the third rank, and there are also many officials below the seventh rank.
Most of us have already been labeled as members of the Wang family, and it is difficult for us to change our family."
Prince Zheng and Wang Zhongce went overseas again, even if this incident was exposed.
In our current situation, we should try not to come forward on such sensitive matters.
They were just a small force before. Who would have thought that industry and commerce would develop so rapidly.
He saw the power of the industrialists behind Wei Shiming and realized that he could no longer fight against Wei Shiming and others by fighting alone.
Feng Sanqiu was going crazy with these colleagues.
Once the emperor and the courtiers are together, the bet can really be successful, and the recommended prince will become the crown prince.
I now have some doubts. The letter written by King Zheng to His Majesty will definitely be kept highly confidential.
He was not an imperial examination official. As a medicine boy, he was promoted to officialdom by Li Zhisheng.
Even if he had to go through qualifications, he couldn't survive Wei Shiming.
Everyone present understood what Meng Wensheng did not say.
Our current situation is irreversible.
The palace telegraph office was out of control. They had the ability to send letters, but they dared to issue imperial edicts randomly through telegraphs.
After many suppressions, our old Confucian sect has since taken refuge with Mr. Li.
Let’s discuss the most important thing now, which prince should be appointed as the heir apparent.”
Betting on the crown prince is an action with great risks and greater benefits.
Everyone knows what kind of benefits they will get.”
If some of them disobey the orders, that is more dangerous than if the General Secretary loses control.
Wang Dagang, the right minister of the Ministry of Industry, an official with a background as a miner, asked loudly in his rough voice: "Old Wei, the letter written by Wang Zhongce has spread throughout the capital.
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But we must ensure that the crown prince is the son of Queen Wang Wenjun.
It is second only to the benefits that can be obtained by following the founding emperor and rebelling successfully.
Those of us officials who know how to engage in industry will never be eliminated at any time.
We must unite to let the emperor appoint his eldest son as the crown prince and form a system to pass on."
Of course these people know what rumors are currently circulating in the capital.
When Han Cuibai heard what Yu Wenhe said, he nodded and agreed: "We don't have to worry, we can observe the wind direction in the court and adapt accordingly.
Once the bet fails, even if the family does not lose their lives, two or three generations of the family will not be able to turn around.
Behind these people are the big aristocrats and big factory owners.
We take this opportunity to guide most officials to act together, and once we succeed in supporting the crown prince.
Emperor Su He would only change the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty.
His eyes were red, and he said in an angry tone: "I found that some people have been a little restless recently, and this should be related to that rumor.
Prime Minister Wei Shiming did not want to get involved in this matter.
I'm afraid this is a huge conspiracy, and someone is going to use this conspiracy to catch us all."
Every year there are members who defect to the Neo-Confucian or industrial groups.
Even if His Majesty suppresses us because of this matter, we have nothing to lose.
But I think we should not emphasize the concept of legitimate son.
With Emperor Su He's control, there can be no traitors in the palace telegraph office.
They believe that the biggest risk in promoting the establishment of a reserve bank has disappeared.
Li Zhisheng failed in his bid to become the Prime Minister. He believed that the reason why he lost to Wei Shiming was because he did not form a party for personal gain and was not as powerful as Wei Shiming.
There are many things that others find difficult to say, but he can say them directly.
Once there are officials in the court who promote the establishment of a crown prince, Prince Su Shu is the best person to do so.
Since the Shandong Yellow River Project case broke out, a large number of colleagues were demoted to overseas governor-general offices such as Cochin and Siam.
The possibility that this matter was the work of Emperor Su He is extremely low.
Once you can't figure out your position, you want to participate in establishing a reserve.
This turmoil should push the emperor to face up to the matter of establishing a crown prince."
We are not in a hurry when His Majesty will appoint the Crown Prince.
If the prince has not ascended the throne for a day, they should not show their loyalty.
Feng Sanqiu believes that a military commander who lives a long life must have basic qualities.
That is to swear allegiance to the emperor and whoever the emperor is loyal to.
Some generals were soaked with sweat when they heard Feng Sanqiu's roar, and they were almost doomed.