Jiuxi

Chapter 767 [Please appoint a crown prince]

The death of the crown prince had originally been settled, and the third prince Wu Yan has been imprisoned in the Youdao until now, and he cannot leave even on a grand festival like today.

However, Emperor Jing's seemingly casual sigh instantly made the atmosphere in the room a little tense.

Perhaps Emperor Jing was just looking at the scene of the princes loving each other and thinking of the crown prince whom he had spent more than ten years cultivating with great effort. He was excited for a moment and did not mean to make any specific remarks. However, when those words fell into the ears of the princes and ministers, there was actually a hint of sarcasm.

The wind was howling and the whole place was silent.

Emperor Jing looked around at everyone and knew very well why they were suddenly quiet, so he smiled and said, "Ah Hu leads it."

"Son... your son is here!"

The eighth prince, Ahudai, woke up from his trance and walked forward in a panic.

Emperor Jing looked at his face, which was very similar to his own, and said in a slow tone, "According to the rules of the past few decades, anyone who wins the Grand Hunting Ceremony can make a request. Tell me, what do you want me to reward you with?"

Some of the princes who were standing respectfully beside him could not help showing envy even though they were trying to control themselves.

Their father is the most powerful man in this land, and his words are law. Today is also an extremely grand festival. As long as the request does not exceed the rules, the father will agree.

At this moment they wished they could replace the Eighth Prince. After all, even a prince like him could not be without desires.

After a brief moment of contemplation, the Eighth Prince was moved and said sincerely, "Father, I wish nothing else, but that the great dynasty will live forever and that you will live a long and happy life!"

Emperor Jing seemed very pleased and nodded with a smile.

Upon seeing this, the Eighth Prince knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I wish you a long and blessed life, a life as long as the heavens!"

"I wish my father a long and blessed life, a life as long as the heavens!"

The other princes knelt in a row and congratulated in unison.

The ministers also knelt down and shouted: "May Your Majesty live a long life, have good health, and prosper the country!"

"No courtesy, stay on your own."

Emperor Jing looked up at the blue sky, then his eyes fell on Qing Yugong, who was not too far to his left, and he shouted, "Give me some wine!"

The Jinglian people love fine wine, which is in their blood, and it comes from the habit of their ancestors who kept themselves warm by drinking wine in the ice and snow. Of course, the nobles of Jinglian today don't live such a hard life, but the custom of loving wine is still passed down. Even the calm and introverted Crown Prince Nalan died suddenly because of his love for strong liquor.

During the Tianqing Festival every year, the current emperor would bestow fine wine here, and everyone, regardless of their social status, would be able to enjoy it.

To demonstrate the emperor's magnanimity in sharing happiness with the people.

Although there was only one lamp per person, it was still a great honor, so everyone looked expectant.

Following Emperor Jing's order, the palace maids came in one after another. They were divided into groups of three, one holding a tray full of golden cups, one holding a tray with two wine jugs, and the third person was responsible for pouring the wine.

At this time, the princes had returned to their seats. The second prince Nagu was the first to take the wine cup handed to him by the maid, and then stood respectfully. The other princes and civil and military officials did the same.

Emperor Jing also held the wine cup, looked at the people below, and said slowly: "I think back to sixteen years ago, when the late emperor was dying, he told me that it was not easy for Dajing to be what it is today, and asked me to remember the difficulties and hardships of my ancestors and not to indulge in pleasure. In the past sixteen years, I have worked diligently and dared not slack off, for fear of disappointing the late emperor's high hopes. Thanks to the support and support of the nobles, Dajing's territory has become more and more vast, and the people can live and work in peace. Although the border wars have not been smooth in recent years, I always believe that this is only a temporary difficulty."

No matter what everyone was thinking, they were all listening very carefully at this moment.

Emperor Jing took a few steps forward, his deep eyes swept across the faces of the princes, without deliberately stopping at any place, and continued: "It is not difficult for people to do things in this world, but it is not so easy to avoid making mistakes, because as long as you do things, you will inevitably make mistakes. This is my deepest feeling. My dear ministers, I know that some of you are resentful. I don't expect you to understand, but I hope you can remember a simple truth. Only when Dajing is always strong can you enjoy everything you have now."

"Let me share these words with you all."

Emperor Jing obviously didn't need anyone's response. He raised the wine cup high and said proudly, "Come, drink this cup to the full! Congratulations to the great Emperor Jing!"

"Congratulations to Da Jing! Congratulations to His Majesty!"

Everyone in the field raised their wine cups, faced the emperor, responded in unison, and then drank the wine in their cups.

The chief on the right, Qing Yugong, seemed to be enjoying the mellowness of the wine, so he did not notice the emperor's gaze looking at him.

Of course, Emperor Jing did not know that under the leisurely appearance, the Prince of Changshan was actually thinking about what he had just said.

"People are bound to make mistakes when they do things. Your Majesty, you are not only giving a simple explanation for the past disputes, but also warning us."

Qing Yugong muttered to himself, wondering how many people besides him could understand the emperor's hidden meaning.

The Fourth Prince sat at the seventh seat on the right. In front of him were the leaders of the five major clans of Jinglian and the Second Prince Nagu. He seemed very satisfied with his position today.

The moment he drank the wine in the glass, his hands trembled slightly, not because of fear, but because of an indescribable excitement.

He looked around quietly and found that all the princes, nobles, civil and military officials, and even the warriors who were guarding the surroundings had drunk the cup of wine for universal celebration.

As the focus of everyone's attention, the emperor would naturally not miss it.

The Fourth Prince suddenly exhaled, and then heard a light cough behind him, so he immediately perked up.

There were several followers standing behind him, one of whom had his head lowered the whole time and looked a little thin. He was the middle-aged scholar who had always been well protected by the Fourth Prince.

That light cough came from his mouth. Although he could only see the Fourth Prince's back, he seemed to be a worm in his stomach and knew everything about him.

After reminding the Fourth Prince, the scholar was also thinking about what the Emperor had just said.

Thinking of the bet before the results of the big hunt came out, this unremarkable middle-aged man had a deep look in his eyes, and seemed a little disappointed and melancholy.

At this moment, the peaceful voice of Emperor Jing came from a distance: "Everyone, please sit down."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

All officials performed the ceremony as per etiquette.

Then the eunuch shouted, "Begin the feast!"

Today's banquet is unique. In front of each person is a table with the same dishes on it. These are four famous dishes that have been passed down by the Jinglian clan for hundreds of years.

There were only twelve dishes placed on the long table in front of Emperor Jing.

In such a harmonious atmosphere, Emperor Jing and his ministers listened to elegant music and tasted fine wine and food, which was quite interesting.

After half an hour, Emperor Jing put down his cup first, and all the civil and military officials who had been paying attention to him immediately stopped what they were doing.

Emperor Jing looked at the civil officials headed by Zhao Siwen on his right and said with a smile: "My dear ministers, today is such a grand event. Do you have any good words to record?"

The Jinglian nobles lost interest immediately after hearing this. Even Qing Yugong, who was recognized as a man of both civil and military talents, was not good at this. However, they knew that the emperor highly respected the culture of the Qi people and had spared no effort to promote it in the country over the years. There were more than ten Tongwenguan in Dadu. Therefore, no one came out to talk nonsense, but just looked at the civil officials opposite with dissatisfaction.

Zhao Siwen said respectfully: "Your Majesty has ordered us to obey. If we talk about brilliant writing, I am far inferior to Minister Liu."

He was referring to the Minister of Rites Liu Yuan, a great scholar in the northern literary world who came from the Dingyuan Liu family.

Zhao Siwen was not stage-frightened, but was used to keeping a low profile in front of the emperor. In addition, Liu Yuan was a recognized master of poetry and prose in the court. He had always been obsessed with books and etiquette and never fought for power. Zhao Siwen was of course happy to maintain a humble image in front of the emperor, as this was the demeanor of a top civil official.

Liu Yuan, the Minister of Rites who was sitting next to him, slowly stood up, bowed in the direction of the emperor, and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, before the banquet, I had an idea and wanted to write a long article to record this grand event of our dynasty. However, I just thought of something that may add more glory to the event, so I dare to make a suggestion to Your Majesty."

Emperor Jing looked thoughtfully at this old minister who always presented himself as a great scholar, and said with a smile: "Minister Liu, please feel free to speak."

Liu Yuan coughed lightly. When the noble Jinglian opposite him thought he was going to give a long speech, he said solemnly, "Your Majesty just mentioned the current situation facing Dajing. I think that in addition to dealing with external enemies, the stability of Dajing is equally important. Your Majesty is wise and brave, and you will surely make Dajing the most powerful dynasty in the world. The only thing that worries me is that the Eastern Palace has been vacant until now."

There was a moment of silence in the room.

Zhao Siwen suppressed his shock, and Qing Yugong narrowed his eyes slightly.

The princes all lowered their heads to avoid attracting the emperor's attention at this time.

Emperor Jing looked at Liu Yuan with a half-smile and said leisurely, "Go on."

Liu Yuan couldn't help but feel a little nervous, and he mustered up his courage and said, "I know that my words are not taken seriously, and it would be a bit overstepping my authority to make such a suggestion. However, as the Minister of Rites, I am afraid that I will fail your Majesty's trust."

Emperor Jing said, "Then according to Minister Liu's opinion, which prince should I appoint as the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace?"

Liu Yuan immediately said in panic: "The decision on the foundation of the country should be made by your majesty, how dare I speak rashly?"

Emperor Jing shook his head and said meaningfully, "Since the crown prince is related to the foundation of the country, all ministers have the right to make suggestions. I will not blame you. Today, all officials are here, and it is a grand event of Fengtian Qingjie. It is the right time for you to speak freely. Minister Liu, is it possible that he just wanted to bring up this topic and has no plan in mind?"

Liu Yuan sensed the emperor's slightly stern gaze, and he began to feel fear in his heart, but he could not turn back after taking this step, so he could only bite the bullet and bow and say: "The crown prince is a public tool for the whole world. In times of peace, the eldest son should be given priority, and in times of national crisis, the one who has made contributions should be given priority. If he fails to do so, the whole country will be disappointed, which is not a blessing for the country."

The ministers had different thoughts, and some couldn't help but look at the Fourth Prince Hai Ge.

Emperor Jing looked at Liu Yuan's hunched body, suddenly laughed softly, and then repeated the last sentence.

"It is not good for the country...You are right."

(End of this chapter)