Chaos of the Three Kingdoms Summons

Chapter 2802 Li Xiang Establishes Heir Apparent, the Throne is Set

Although the Nanjing court only governed the southern regions, it was still under the jurisdiction of the northern court.

However, the South today is quite different from the South that the Nanjing court first established.

After so many years of development, Nanjing has seen rapid growth in agriculture, commerce, and handicrafts, with changes occurring every year.

Furthermore, the South has not yet been fully developed and still has ample room for growth.

The successive ministers of the Six Ministries here have laid a solid foundation.

It can be said that as long as the policies established before them are continued and some minor changes are made in due course, without changing the main body, it is enough to reap political achievements without lifting a finger.

In addition, given the special status of Li Qian's mother's lineage, it still had some use in the South.

Therefore, although he transferred this prince away from his side, this arrangement was actually advantageous to him.

However, Li Xiang clearly favored Li Qian in the allocation of tasks.

However, Li Yan had been raised by the late Empress since childhood, and then spent more than ten years with Li Xiang. Under such influence, he had obviously learned a lot.

In this respect, he is much better than Li Qian, who has not received much attention since childhood.

In addition, although Li Hao was deposed, he still had considerable influence in the court after serving as the crown prince for so many years.

With the team he cultivated in the court over the decades as crown prince, even if countless members were eliminated because of this incident, and many more were even exterminated and their families wiped out.

However, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse, and it can still provide Li Yan with some help.

Although Li Yan was not born of the same mother as him, Li Yan also had a youngest prince, Li Ju, and both of them were entrusted to Wei Zifu for care from birth.

In addition, Li Ju, as the elder brother of the Crown Prince, ultimately bears some responsibility for his current predicament.

Therefore, Li Yan basically inherited the remaining power of the deposed crown prince in the court.

In three years, Li Yan has clearly outperformed Li Qian.

Therefore, three years later, Li Xiang once again leaned more towards Li Yan.

Although the two brothers are twins, whenever Li Xiang sees Li Yan, he will unconsciously think of Li Ju, which makes him instinctively more biased towards Li Qian in this matter.

However, he was still the master of the empire, the emperor of this country.

He has an obligation to choose a more suitable master for this empire, rather than to satisfy his own selfish desires.

"Yan'er!" Li Xiang's voice carried its usual authority. "You have done well these past three years, and the court officials have praised you highly."

Inside the palace, Li Xiang leaned against a soft couch, his white hair as white as snow, and said seemingly casually, "These past two years, my energy has been declining."

Li Yan was secretly delighted, but he remained respectful and said, "Your subject is dull-witted and relies entirely on Your Majesty's excellent teaching. Your subject has only done his best and dares not fail Your Majesty's expectations."

Li Xiang nodded, seemingly satisfied, but his tone suddenly shifted, becoming serious.

"I am old, and this empire must eventually be handed over. I ask you, if one day you inherit the throne, how will you treat your brothers?"

“Especially your twenty-sixth brother?” For the past three years, everyone has known that these two princes will be the next crown princes and the future masters of the empire.

Therefore, during these three years, these two people were each other's biggest political rivals.

Having weathered many storms, Li Xiang knows that politics is cruel; once the winner is decided, the loser rarely has a good ending.

Even if this person were his brother, he might not necessarily leave such an opponent behind!
At this moment, Li Yan was clearly trying to guess the emperor's intention in asking this question. Was it a test of his magnanimity? Or was it an indication that he should treat his brothers well?
No! It can't be that simple! There's no kinship in the imperial family! My twenty-sixth brother has done quite well in the south these past few years, and he's very capable. If he's ever... he'll definitely be a major threat!
Would an emperor like his father have wanted to see an overly benevolent successor?
You should know that although he had not witnessed it himself, he had heard from his older brothers that his father, the Emperor, had played a significant role in the struggle between his elder brother, the Crown Prince, and his elder brother, the Prince of Jin.

This problem is far too risky, especially when you can't guess the emperor's thoughts.

If he goes too far with his answer, what if the emperor doesn't want to see the brothers' relationship become too strained?
What if his response wasn't forceful enough? Wouldn't the emperor think he wasn't qualified for the position? After all, what emperor wouldn't dare to deal with their own political opponents?
"Father! Your son... If that day ever comes, I will treat all my brothers well! Especially my twenty-sixth brother, he is exceptionally talented, and I will certainly give him an important position!"

"If any of my brothers suffer any misconduct, I will try to win them over with virtue and discipline them with propriety. If things go too far, I will even raise an army to punish them. This is to ensure harmony among my brothers and to safeguard the Li family's dynasty forever!"

After a moment's thought, Li Yan gave what he considered to be a sincere answer.

"Alright, I understand. You may leave."

The emperor did not express much opinion on Li Yan's answer.

At the same time, Li Xiang, who was already 85 years old, issued an edict ordering the Prince of Wu to return to the capital from the Nanjing court.

Not long after King Li Qian of Wu returned to the capital, Li Xiang had already issued an edict to summon him.

He asked Li Qian the same question.

However, just as Li Qian left the palace, Li Xiang had already begun writing.

"...The twenty-seventh prince, Li Yan, is exceptionally talented and of noble character... He closely resembles me and is sure to be able to inherit the throne. He is hereby established as the Crown Prince! He shall occupy the Eastern Palace to ensure the continuation of the dynasty for ten thousand years and to unite the hearts of the people!"

After writing, he threw down his pen.

The elderly Li Xiang let out a long sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

Li Qian's answer was actually quite good.

But if he were merely an emperor, he would certainly appreciate Li Qian's answer.

But he was not only an emperor, but also a father.

Therefore, Li Qian's idea was somewhat flawed.

Li Qian was only focused on giving a brilliant answer, but he failed to see through Li Xiang's thoughts after asking the question.

Once an emperor ascends the throne, in a sense, all his ministers will become a different kind of adversary.

If you don't understand people's hearts and just pursue so-called perfection, how can that be possible?
In this world, what answer is truly perfect?

The perfection of left and right is only relative.

For example, what Li Qian considers a perfect answer is, in Li Xiang's mind, imperfect.

Thus, the position of Crown Prince, which had been vacant for more than three years, finally welcomed its master once again, and the second Crown Prince of the Great Jin Dynasty was also freshly appointed.