Thief Emperor

Chapter 1029: State Affairs and World Affairs

Du Xiangong looked up at the emperor, and the emperor also looked up at him.

The two exchanged glances, and His Majesty the Emperor stood up, tugged at his sleeve, and pulled him to sit down on a chair used for discussions.

Li Yun sat down next to him and asked, "Brother Shouyi, you refuse?"

Du Qian shook his head slightly. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, I only have one question."

Why do this?

Du Qian looked at Li Yun, took a deep breath, and said, "Does the Crown Prince... still need some kind of test?"

Throughout history, it is difficult to find a crown prince whose position was more secure than that of Crown Prince Li Yuan.

He was born to the emperor's first wife, making him both the legitimate son and the eldest son, and he was even made crown prince at the beginning of the dynasty.

Given his status as the eldest son of the legitimate wife, the civil officials would all support him.

Moreover, he was Empress Xue's legitimate son, and most of the military generals supported his ascension to the throne.

It can be said that with his status and position, as long as he is not a fool and does not rebel against his father, the position of Crown Prince is as stable as Mount Tai, and no one can shake it.

It could even be said that the biggest obstacle, or the only obstacle, to the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne was Emperor Li's own lifespan.

After all, the father and son were only about twenty years apart in age. If His Majesty the Emperor had lived longer…

Even in Du Qian's view, the current political situation is already very stable, and the emperor should not casually test or examine the crown prince.

After all, the crown prince is already eighteen years old.

In this era, he was already an adult, and adults naturally have their own minds. As the crown prince, with an extremely powerful father, he was already living in constant fear and walking on thin ice. If this emperor father also wanted to test him, or even put him through a direct examination, then he would be in even greater danger.

The crown prince would inevitably wonder if his father was already considering deposing him.

Over time, a rift may develop between father and son, and even if no problems arise in the short term, it could sow the seeds of future trouble.

Li Yun poured Du Qian a cup of tea, then poured one for himself. He lowered his head, took a sip, and remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, "Brother Shouyi, do you think this matter is inappropriate?"

"inappropriate."

Du Qian shook his head and said, "In my opinion, doing so would be entirely detrimental and not beneficial at all. Passing the imperial examination would not be of any help to His Highness the Crown Prince."

"If it doesn't work."

Du Qian said in a low voice, "On the contrary, it will attract gossip and rumors."

"Moreover, His Highness the Crown Prince has not made any mistakes since he took office."

Li Yun put down his teacup, his expression calm: "There are more than twenty officials in the Eastern Palace, all of whom are learned men. With them around, how could anything go wrong?"

Du Xiangong looked at Li Yun, then glanced around to make sure no one was watching before whispering, "I don't understand, what exactly is Erlang trying to do?"

"To see what the future holds."

Emperor Li was also looking at Du Qian. He said in a low voice, "I want to see if the Crown Prince is paying attention to the new learning, and in order to see if he can inherit the new laws of the Zhangwu Dynasty in the future."

At this point, His Majesty the Emperor continued, "If he does well in the exam, the Ministry of Rites can make his case file public, so that he can no longer be separated from the practical learning of this dynasty."

Minister Du frowned, thought for a long time, and then shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince is only eighteen or nineteen years old, and you are in the prime of your life. This matter cannot be rushed, nor should it be rushed."

“At his age, his thoughts are not stable. I think it’s better for him to stay calm and steady.”

He looked at Li Yun and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty is not yet forty years old, and is still full of vigor and vitality. Why the rush?"

Emperor Li frowned and said, "I am not in a hurry."

"I just want to train the crown prince."

Upon hearing this, Minister Du sighed deeply.

Throughout history, founding monarchs, whether they were the first to establish a dynasty or those who brought about its founding or restoration, often possessed extremely strong personalities due to their great achievements and the power they held.

This domineering attitude, when manifested between fathers and sons, naturally leads them to want to mold their sons into like them.

Because he is a success.

After thinking for a long time, Prime Minister Du said to Li Yun, "Your Majesty, we cannot be too hasty in everything. Didn't Your Majesty tell me a few years ago that future generations have their own ideas, and we, this generation, cannot and should not interfere with them?"

"He has his own ideas, I don't care."

Emperor Li looked down at his palm, then at Prime Minister Du, and said quietly, "But I always want to leave something behind for this world. I can't let the world return to the state of the old Zhou dynasty the moment you and I are gone."

Upon hearing this, Minister Du's expression changed drastically.

He had already sensed some of the Emperor's resolve.

Originally, in the imperial era, each emperor had his own ideas and governing philosophy, so each dynasty was different from the previous one.

One emperor and one courtier.

This is a natural phenomenon.

However, His Majesty's current inclination is that if he determines that the Crown Prince will inevitably overthrow his rule, then perhaps... perhaps...

Thinking of this, Minister Du felt a chill run down his spine.

If the crown prince were to be changed, it would be a tremendous upheaval for the court, and many people might even die in this massive upheaval.

Du Xiangong stood there, stunned, and didn't move for a long time.

His Majesty the Emperor looked at him and sighed, "It was just a test of his knowledge. He wasn't nervous at all, but Brother Shouyi is quite nervous."

Prime Minister Du came to his senses and said with a wry smile, "Your Majesty, you are now the supreme ruler. Your family affairs are no longer just family affairs." "They are also national affairs, affairs of the world."

He said seriously, "And it is a matter of utmost importance concerning the foundation of the nation."

Upon hearing this, Li Yun rubbed his temples and remained silent for a while before sighing, "Alright, alright, then this time, I won't let him take the unified exam with those students. When the exam questions are set, I'll have him come to Ganlu Hall."

“I watched him myself.”

His Majesty the Emperor took a deep breath: "Just consider it a test of knowledge between father and son."

Du Qian also breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, bowed to His Majesty the Emperor, and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Emperor Li frowned and remained silent.

After a moment's hesitation, Prime Minister Du continued, "His Majesty once told me that the most important thing for our generation is to do a good job in the Zhangwu era, and as for the future, we should leave it to the successors."

"The Crown Prince was also personally raised by His Majesty, who also taught him many principles. He is most likely to succeed the Zhangwu Emperor."

Du Qian only said half of his sentence; he didn't finish it if he couldn't inherit it.

Emperor Li rubbed his temples, thought carefully, and nodded silently, saying, "Brother Shouyi is right. Now, all we can do is persevere and live a few more years."

He looked at Du Qian and said slowly, "Create a prosperous era for Zhangwu, and let the policies of the Zhangwu dynasty be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people."

"Thus, it will remain unchanged for all eternity."

Du Qian nodded, and the two discussed for a long time until Du Qian left. Only then did His Majesty the Emperor sit silently in the main seat, looking at the documents in front of him.

After a long while, he sighed: "It's not just the old learning, but also the thousand-year-old patriarchal system."

Frankly speaking, even for a founding emperor like Li Yun, who was decisive and autocratic, it wouldn't be easy for him to change the heir apparent now.

After sitting in silence for a long time, Li Yun finally sent someone to summon Meng Hai to the palace. By the time Meng Hai entered the Ganlu Hall, it was already late at night.

Emperor Li gestured for him to sit down, then patted him on the shoulder and gave him a few words of advice.

Sweat beaded on Meng Hai's forehead. He looked up at Li Yun, stammering slightly.

Emperor Li said silently, "Just do what I tell you to do."

"This is my thought, it's none of your business."

Meng Hai then bowed his head deeply, looked at Li Yun, and asked, "Your Majesty, should this matter be reported to the Chief Justice?"

Li Yun thought for a moment and then said, "I will talk to him. You just do your thing."

Meng Hai then bowed his head deeply and replied with a "Yes."

As Meng Hai bowed and took his leave, Emperor Li stretched lazily, put his hands behind his back, and walked towards the inner palace. Halfway there, he looked around and muttered to himself.

"Some principles are easy to understand, but extremely difficult to put into practice."

He shook his head and sighed.

"To put knowledge into practice is extremely difficult."

…………

The next day, the weather was fine.

Good news came from Youyan: Zhao Cheng had completed some strategic arrangements against the Khitans in the north.

Aside from these matters, there were no other political affairs. Emperor Li then left the Ganlu Hall and went to the back garden.

Today, he invited the Duke of England and his family to the palace for a small gathering.

The family of the Duke of Ying here includes not only Liu Bo's concubines and his legal wife, but also his two sons and one daughter brought back from the Khitan tribe, as well as several Khitan women.

Liu Bo's Khitan descendants arrived in Luoyang three days ago, but Emperor Li has been busy with other matters and has not yet had a chance to meet them.

In the morning, Liu Bo led his family members, guided by Gu Chang, to the back garden, where they met His Majesty the Emperor.

At this moment, His Majesty the Emperor was playing in the back garden with the Third Princess Li Ling and the Fourth Princess Li Ying.

Liu Bo stepped forward from a distance and bowed to Li Yun, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

He bowed his head and knelt down. Emperor Li rose to greet him, then looked at the seven or eight people behind him and said in a daze, "Old Ninth, your family can be considered quite prosperous."

Princess Afu and Princess Caimei both recognized Liu Bo and stepped forward with smiles, calling him Ninth Uncle.

The Duke of England, with a smile on his face, squatted down to look at the two sisters and said with a laugh.

"Third Princess, Fourth Princess, it's been a while since I last saw you, you've grown taller again."

Emperor Li patted the head of the fourth princess, Li Ying, and said with a smile, "This girl is beautiful. She's already taller than her older sister. She'll probably be just like me and grow up to be very tall."

Liu Bo looked back at his sons and said with a smile, "Both princesses will definitely be great beauties in the future."

Emperor Li glanced at him and grunted.

"Where are your two sons from beyond the Great Wall?"

"Bring it up."

His Majesty spoke leisurely.

"Let me take a look."

(End of this chapter)