Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 500: The Proposal for the Crown Prince is a Crime of Usurpation
The matter of appointing a crown prince was handed over to the ministers for discussion. After the imperial edict was issued, in line with the principle that the emperor's words are of the highest order and his words are the laws of heaven, the matter seemed to be settled.

There are probably several ways to interpret it.

First, the emperor heard the voices of his ministers, but he had no answer as to who should be the crown prince, so he asked for their opinions.

Secondly, the emperor had no intention of appointing a crown prince, but after his ministers united, he had to make concessions in the face of the growing calls.

Finally, the emperor got fed up and brought up this topic to change the subject and delay time.

Interestingly, the second understanding is the most common, the first is more common, and the last is very rare.

How to explain this matter? There are always some people who mistakenly believe that they have benefited from the dividends of the times, which means they are very awesome.

People always feel good about themselves, especially when there are many people around.

In fact, when there are many people, they are often described as a mob.

But there are very few people who think this way.

The most difficult thing for people is to see themselves clearly.

What’s more, in this era, who among those who can become officials is not an elite?

As an elite, it is normal to be more confident, but many people are inherently conceited.

Jia Lian had no idea about what other people were thinking. When he received the so-called imperial edict, he was a little confused.

The official document was brought back by Cai Shiba and his two companions, who also brought back good news. The three of them drove day and night, along the coastline, taking turns to drive, and returned in twelve days. Well, they stopped in Songjiang and Xiamen during the trip and rested for two nights.

The next test is to sail far away and take a trip to Southeast Asia.

It was dark, and Si Qi came in with a candle, her footsteps were so light that they made almost no sound. Facing the edict jointly issued by the emperor and the cabinet, Jia Lian slowly came out of his daze.

He knew that after leaving Beijing, there were more and more ministers who kept submitting petitions for the appointment of a crown prince, and the momentum was growing. You know, the emperor is only 45 years old this year, which is considered old in ancient times, and in modern times, it is only halfway through life. Besides, there were many emperors in ancient times who lived to 70 or 80.

The emperor always holds power in his hands until his death.

I wonder what’s going on in the minds of these guys who submitted petitions to establish a crown prince?

Based on Jia Lian's understanding of the emperor, the answer is very clear, the emperor is just stalling for time. Logically, Zhang Tingen should also understand, why didn't he stop this imperial edict?
So the question is, we know that the emperor is stalling for time, and we can infer that the emperor wants to see the attitude of his ministers. Assuming that the emperor thinks he has done a good job, will the ministers' request to establish a crown prince cause psychological harm to the emperor? If you, the ministers, can unite today and force me to back down and agree to issue this edict, and really establish a crown prince, will it force me to abdicate?
Even if the ministers did not think that far, so what? This was a very idealistic matter. The emperor did not need evidence, only his own conviction.

After such a series of inferences, Jia Lian's scalp was numb. The depth of Emperor Chenghui's mind could not be seen at other times, but it was the most clear at this time.

"Master, don't you want to eat? Madam, let me ask you something." Si Qi could sense that Jia Lian was in a bad mood, and Bao Chai naturally felt it too. She came several times, but when she saw him sitting there in a daze, she didn't disturb him. Seeing that it was getting dark, she asked Si Qi to ask.

"Ah? I'm really hungry. Let's eat." After Jia Lian figured it out, he stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked out of the study slowly.

Baochai was already showing signs of being pregnant, and she tried to stand up, supporting her waist, but Jia Lian pushed her back, "Sit still!"

In an era that emphasizes hierarchy, only Jia Lian and Baochai are qualified to sit and eat at the dinner table.

After drinking a bowl of soup, Jia Lian ate his meal leisurely. Baochai couldn't help but ask softly, "Did something happen?"

Jia Lian shook his head: "Don't worry about the affairs of the court. If the sky falls, there will be someone taller to hold it up. It's not my turn to worry about it."

After dinner, Jia Lian paced in the backyard, maintaining a leisurely pace. Although he was not in the capital, he had to worry about the capital's affairs.

As far as standpoint is concerned, Jia Lian will not be in any problem. What is feared is that when he is not in the capital, the emperor will be forced into a corner and cause some trouble.

For the throne of emperor, anyone who has the opportunity will do anything.

Guangzhou is still too far away. If something happens and you are not there, you can only wait passively and have no initiative at all.

"We still have to speed up the pace. The strength in our hands is the most reliable. I can do without it, but I can't live without it. Once something happens, I will be one step ahead of others to lead the army north to defend the king."

The worst outcome was to go to the king's service. Jia Lian was used to presupposing the worst outcome. In fact, he knew that this was an extremely small probability. Apart from anything else, the current emperor held the military power very tightly.

For someone like Yue Qi, even if he had a hundred times the courage, he would not cause trouble.

Jia Lian couldn't help but laugh at himself. His mumbling just now was actually a manifestation of his lack of security.

Back in the study, Xiren and Qingwen were there. Jia Lian spread out paper and pen and sat on a chair, closing his eyes and making a draft in his mind.

【I suddenly saw the imperial edict, and I dared not believe it. I read it again and again. Your Majesty has worked hard to govern the country since he ascended the throne, and has achieved remarkable results. Now there are signs of peace and prosperity at home, and foreign powers are coming to pay tribute. I can't help but feel suspicious. These people jointly petitioned to establish a crown prince, and it seems that they are dissatisfied with Your Majesty. I think that Your Majesty's many reforms have hurt these people, so they have formed a group and forced the palace by relying on the law that does not punish the majority. I can't help but worry about Your Majesty's safety. Your Majesty's edict, I dare not disrespect it, my one-sided view will make you laugh. In my opinion, the matter of establishing a crown prince, when and who, should be decided by Your Majesty alone. Any minister who interferes in the throne is guilty of usurping the throne...】

Well, Jia Lian holds to a central idea that as a minister, one should not say too much about the heir to the throne, and anyone who likes to say too much on this matter is overstepping his authority.

In the later period of Confucianism's development, it talked about the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues. It was definitely right to put the hat of usurpation on it.

Jia Lian had been in the capital for a long time, so he naturally knew that the reason why such a big fuss could be created was only because of those who supported Li Yuan. From this perspective, it might not be a good thing for Li Yuan to get more support from his ministers.

Jia Lian wanted to write a letter to Li Heng, but after thinking about it, he decided not to do so. Once a letter is written on paper, it will be used as a handle in the future. At this critical moment, Li Heng can only rely on himself.

In short, Jia Lian made his position clear, and it can be summed up in one sentence: To appoint a crown prince? Are the officials qualified to make decisions on the appointment of a crown prince? Those who submitted the memorial were overstepping their authority.

In essence, the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues developed to an extremely strict level, and its original intention was for the emperor to centralize power and maintain stability. But this thing is very harmful, especially in this era. In real history, the Qing government took centralization to the extreme, and it really couldn't do without the help of the Neo-Confucianists. Of course, the Qing Dynasty should bear the main responsibility. After all, encouraging widows to remain chaste was something that was promoted in the Qing Dynasty. Looking back at the dynasties before, there are really more and more chastity arches.

In such a dynasty, time-travel dramas are surprisingly popular. Countless women envy the heroine for getting to play palace fighting and have a strong sense of immersion.

Similar costume dramas are really hilarious and sad to watch.

After writing the memorial, Jia Lian put it away and prepared to rest.

Turning around, I saw that it was Si Qi who was fanning the mosquitoes. I couldn't help but ask, "Why is it you?"

"It's not convenient. Let Bizi take over."

Jia Lian nodded. There were actually mosquitoes in Guangzhou at this season, which was unimaginable in the north. The key point was that there were many flies here, and the rats and cockroaches were big.

(PS: I suddenly remembered some rhymes from my childhood in Hainan: three mosquitoes and a plate of vegetables, three mice and a sack, and others, I forgot them.)
Jia Lian certainly knew what it meant by inconvenient, but he didn't expect that they would happen at the same time. Would such things affect each other?
Maybe the smell of blood does attract flies.

The next day, another clipper left the port. This time it was a bigger one that could carry six people. Anyway, we tried every level.

Fortunately, there are no typhoons in this season, otherwise we would not be able to travel by sea and would have to take the land post route.

The next day, Jia Lian summoned the officials of the three ministries, handed them the imperial edict, and ordered people to copy it and send it to various places.

Jia Lian also told everyone in advance not to discuss with each other and to write down what they think. As the governor, Jia Lian's memorial has been sent out first, so everyone should not ask about his attitude.

This move made the three departments a bit embarrassed, especially the governor. He wanted to call together officials to discuss the matter, but Jia Lian took precautions in advance, so they had to give up on the surface and try to collude with each other in private.

After entering the twelfth lunar month, memorials from all over the country gradually gathered in the capital. Jia Lian's memorial was not the fastest and took half a month to arrive.

At this time, a pile of memorials from officials from several nearby provinces had already been sent in.

After the Zhongshu Sheren made the classification, he discovered that most officials in each province had the same opinion.

For example, in the nearby provinces of Zhili, Henan, Shandong, and Liaodong, whether they supported or opposed the establishment of a crown prince, the majority of people agreed with the governor and the three officials. A few people held different views.

Based on the memorials received so far, the majority of people support the appointment of a crown prince as soon as possible. This could not help but cast a cloud over Emperor Chenghui's heart.

For this reason, Emperor Chenghui called Zhang Tingen to talk to him alone.

"Among the memorials sent to the capital so far, 80% support the early establishment of a crown prince, which is beyond my expectations." Emperor Chenghui took the initiative to speak, and the subtext was: I thought I was doing a good job, and most of the ministers are satisfied.

Zhang Tingen felt very uncomfortable when he heard what the emperor said.

The reason is actually very simple. Who are the officials in the court? They are all masters. How can they like an emperor who holds a whip in his hand, leads a vicious dog, and forces everyone to work?

When he first took office, Zhang Tingen held high the banner of the performance evaluation system. Wasn't it just to shield the emperor from the dissatisfaction from those below?
Let's put it this way, you are a civil servant, and in the past, if you delayed doing something for three to five days, no one would care. Now, the higher-ups stipulate that you must finish it within one day. If it were you, would you be happy?

People are lazy. In the past, people could come to work late and leave early. Now, someone is enforcing attendance. Do you hate the person who made the rules or the person who enforces them?
Who were the people whose interests were harmed by the three major policies launched by Emperor Chenghui? They were all officials! Which of the Audit Law, Budget Law, and Performance Evaluation Law was not aimed at governing officials?
"When I was a county magistrate, I was only busy during the summer and autumn tax seasons. The rest of the time, I had to try cases every few days, and I had three or four days every month to go out and play. Even so, I was already the most diligent county magistrate among the surrounding counties at the time." Zhang Tingen said this after a slight hesitation.

Emperor Chenghui didn't know how to respond. Zhang Tingen was already very polite. If he was not polite, he would have added something else, such as: I am not greedy, I don't take advantage of others, and I don't take advantage of others.

"Yes, if not, why would I bother to rectify the administration of officials? By letting the ministers express their suggestions, I am like asking a blind man for advice." Emperor Chenghui was quite emotional, knowing that Zhang Tingen had seen through his thoughts.

"Look at the attitudes of the ministers, they are not bad either. This fully demonstrates the necessity for Your Majesty to launch a new policy. If no changes are made, this dynasty will only last a hundred years before it falls into a cycle of order and chaos. If we are unlucky, there will be a natural disaster or man-made disaster, perhaps even sooner. The Ming Dynasty has taught us a lesson not far away."

The Great Zhou would certainly cite the recent Ming Dynasty as an example. The biggest problem in the middle and late Ming Dynasty was the central finance problem, not taxation.

The reason why taxes could not be collected was not just land annexation, but a more serious problem, which was that power at the grassroots level was in the hands of the gentry.

If officials want to collect taxes, they must collude with the gentry and work together to squeeze the people below.

"In that case, I cannot retreat! If I retreat now, these people will surely think that I have no choice but to retreat because of my superior numbers." Emperor Chenghui fell into a state of talking to himself.

Zhang Tingen could only wait calmly and be a qualified listener. In fact, he knew very well that the emperor did not need his opinions, but he was under too much pressure and wanted to find someone to share it with.

"By the way, has Jia Lian's memorial arrived?" Emperor Chenghui asked abruptly. Zhang Tingen was stunned for a moment, and then he couldn't help but feel jealous. With such a prominent cabinet minister in front of him, His Majesty actually wanted to listen to Jia Lian's advice. How angry!

"Lingnan is far away. We won't be able to get there in a short time. It should be on the way."

As they were talking, Qiu Shian appeared and poked his head in, "Your Majesty, Jia Lian's memorial has arrived. Please order it to be presented immediately."

Emperor Chenghui and Zhang Tingen looked at each other and smiled. This person can't stand being talked about.

"It only took about a month. This is too fast." Zhang Tingen couldn't help but exclaimed. Emperor Chenghui nodded: "That clipper ship is not simple!"

After Qiu Shi'an presented Jia Lian's memorial, he stepped back and looked at the memorial wrapped in oil paper. Emperor Chenghui opened it and started reading it first, appearing impatient.

Zhang Tingen observed the changes in the emperor's expression and found that when he was watching and laughing, he muttered in his heart, "You little rascal, you always touch the heart of His Majesty."

After reading it, Emperor Chenghui handed it to Zhang Tingen and said, "My dear, please take a look!"

Zhang Tingen took it and read it carefully. He was moved. He was indeed his student. Their views were very consistent. It seemed that his previous worries about Jia Lian were unnecessary. He would not make such a simple mistake.

(End of this chapter)