Thief Emperor

Chapter 1084 The New Heir
The next day, His Highness the Crown Prince, His Highness the Prince of Yue, and the Third Prince all went to Beiman Mountain and the tomb of the Prince of Nanyang to pay their respects to Master Xue, who had passed away a year earlier.

The fact that Master Xue's tomb is located in Beiman and was not transported back to his hometown for burial means that the entire Xue clan will eventually settle in Luoyang.

After all, the Xue family was not just any ordinary maternal relatives; they could be considered founding heroes of the nation.

After paying their respects at Prince Xue's tomb, the three brothers returned to the capital and entered the palace.

After entering the palace, the three brothers went into the Ganlu Hall together. Once inside, Prince Yue, Li Zheng, and the third prince, Li Cang, simply bowed to Li Yun as a greeting before going to the inner palace to find Consort Liu and Consort Qin.

His Highness the Crown Prince remained in the Ganlu Palace. Looking at Li Yun, who was reviewing documents, he took a deep breath and bowed, saying, "Father."

Li Yun gestured to him and said, "Sit down, sit down."

The crown prince sat down opposite his father and took a deep breath.

I just got back yesterday, and everything was lively and bustling. My father didn't spoil the mood and hardly mentioned anything about "work." Everyone had a happy day.

But today, in the Ganlu Hall, in a private meeting, His Highness the Crown Prince knew in his heart that his father's real test was about to begin.

He couldn't help but feel uneasy.

This is not a simple exam, but rather an assessment of the future successor by the ruler of a country, or even the world.

Although His Highness the Crown Prince was well aware that, given his status and position, even if he failed his father's test this time, it wouldn't significantly affect his position as Crown Prince; at most, it would just mean that his "score" was a little lower.

However, I still couldn't help feeling nervous.

After Emperor Li finished reviewing a document in his hand, he looked up at Li Yuan and then said, "For the past year, my son, the Jiangdong government, and Zhang Sui have sent me a document almost every few days."

"Overall, the new policies in Jiangdong have been quite effective this year, with good results in all aspects, however..."

The emperor looked at his son, sighed, and said, "After you leave, next year may be quite different. I wonder what percentage of this year's harvest will be left."

"Father."

His Highness the Crown Prince hurriedly said, "Your subject... Your subject absolutely did not falsify any number."

"It's not that you falsified the numbers."

The emperor looked at him and shook his head, saying, "It is officials and gentry from many places who want to curry favor with you, and also with their father."

"However, government policies are only effective if they are actually implemented. That's why I said yesterday that the trial period should last for five years, not a single year less."

His Majesty the Emperor paused for a moment, then continued, "Maritime transport in Jiangdong has improved this year. The number of ships that have set sail cannot be faked. This is very well done."

His Majesty the Emperor suddenly changed the subject and said, “The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites was implicated in last year’s assassination plot. Although he was not directly involved, he has been dismissed from his post. If there is a suitable candidate among the officials under the Crown Prince, you can recommend him to the Ministry of Personnel.”

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince bowed deeply and said, "Your subject obeys."

His Majesty the Emperor looked at him again and said quietly, "I'm preparing to replace you with a new Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. What do you think?"

The Crown Prince's Chamberlain was a third-rank official.

With the Three Masters and Three Juniors all becoming nominal positions, this position was essentially the highest-ranking official among the officials of the Eastern Palace, almost equivalent to the "Prime Minister" of the Eastern Palace's mini-court.

Once the Crown Prince ascends the throne, even if the Grand Tutor of the Eastern Palace cannot immediately become the Chancellor, he will be promoted to the position of Chancellor and enter the Hall of State Affairs to become the Prime Minister.

Compared to the positions of Zhongshu Xingxing or Zhengshitang Xingxing, this was the real "Chancellor of the Heir Apparent," only the conditions for becoming the Chancellor of the Heir Apparent were somewhat stringent.

However, His Majesty the Emperor is in his prime, and it is unlikely that Yang Hong, who is currently serving as the Grand Tutor of the Eastern Palace, will be promoted to the official position. Therefore, when Li Yun mentioned the transfer, the Crown Prince could only immediately bow his head and say, "This is a matter of state, Father Emperor, please make the arrangements."

"Alright, let Yang Hong go home and wait for his post. Then you can choose another official from the Crown Prince's staff and recommend him as the Vice Minister of Rites."

The crown prince was taken aback and asked, "Didn't Father Emperor intend to transfer Yang Hong to the position of Vice Minister of Rites?"

"No."

Li Yun shook his head slightly, frowning as he spoke, unwilling to continue the topic. Instead, he said directly, "Alright, that's settled then. No need to say more. Let's continue discussing the new policy."

"If this merchant ship voyage goes well, we can set up another Maritime Trade Office in the south of Jiangdong Road, for example, in Fuzhou, next year."

His Majesty the Emperor stroked his chin and said, “Back when I was in Jiangdong, I had a group of people specifically responsible for building warships. Now that warships are not needed for the time being, these people can be transferred to the Jiangdong coast to establish a shipping company responsible for building large merchant ships.”

He looked at the Crown Prince and asked, "Is there a suitable person in the Eastern Palace who can manage this matter?"

The Crown Prince thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Father, the officials in the Eastern Palace are all scholars. I'm afraid... I'm afraid they won't be able to do these things well."

The emperor looked at him and said in a daze, "I'm afraid you're a scholar who doesn't want to lower yourself to run a shipping business?" "Very well, since you pushed this yourself, I'll find someone else to do it. Don't complain in the future."

The crown prince lowered his head and replied, "Yes."

His Majesty the Emperor tapped the table and began the next topic.

That day, the father and son talked for more than an hour in the Ganlu Palace. By the time His Majesty the Emperor had finally finished asking all the questions, the Crown Prince's back was soaked with sweat.

The emperor looked at his son, unable to bear asking any further questions, and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, that's enough for today. Go back and rest, and take a good look at my grandson."

"You should take a good rest during the year. After the New Year, you can go back to work at the Political Affairs Hall. Starting next year, I will instruct the Political Affairs Hall to gradually entrust some political affairs to you."

"You need to put in more effort, learn more, and ask more questions."

The emperor earnestly advised: "Don't let your court officials look down on you."

The crown prince knelt on the ground and bowed deeply, saying, "Your son obeys!"

Having said that, he carefully left the Ganlu Palace.

Emperor Li stopped looking at the documents on the table and silently watched his eldest son leave. After the Crown Prince had gone far away, the emperor lowered his head to pour himself a cup of tea and said with a smile, "These political affairs are quite boring, aren't they?"

Behind the screen, the Empress, looking exhausted, strolled out and sat down beside the Emperor, letting out a soft sigh: "It is indeed a bit boring."

As she spoke, she looked at Li Yun and complained, "The child has only been back for a short time, and you've been questioning him like this for over an hour. It's not good to waste your energy like this."

His Majesty the Emperor glanced at his wife and said with a smile, "The one who sets the questions puts in far more effort than the one who answers them. My wife dotes on our son, but doesn't she care about me?"

Empress Xue stood up, walked behind Li Yun, and massaged his head. While massaging his temples, she asked, "Husband, is Yuan'er... alright?"

"very nice."

His Majesty the Emperor smiled and said, "Although he is not as good as your husband was when he was young, he is already quite good for his age. Next year he will begin to formally handle state affairs. As long as he learns diligently from the prime ministers, he will be a good emperor in the future."

"That won't be difficult."

Empress Xue looked at Li Yun and said with a smile, "My husband is still so young. Who knows when he will truly become emperor? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Emperor Li looked up at his wife and said with a smile, "Do you really think your husband will work his way up to the throne until he dies?"

These words stunned Empress Xue, and she looked at Li Yun.

"My lord, the emperor has never always been..."

Li Yun pulled her to sit next to him and said with a smile, "If he can succeed, there won't be any problems in any aspect. When he's in his thirties or forties, we might as well just let him have him. Otherwise, if I don't die, I'm afraid we won't even be able to be father and son in the end."

"That way, when I'm relieved of my duties in the future, I can have a few years of leisure."

Empress Xue was somewhat shocked, and it took her a long time to process the information in Li Yun's words. She looked at Li Yun and murmured, "My husband is already making preparations for this?"

"Ah."

Emperor Li said quietly, "These past few years have been spent preparing for this. This is our eldest son. We can't let him turn against us in the end, can we?"

As he spoke, Emperor Li glanced at Empress Xue's still-flat belly and said softly, "What I just said, Madam, you can tell him next time, just say that I said it in private."

"That way, when he finds out about the child in your womb, he'll worry less."

It is now the end of the tenth year of Zhangwu. About three months ago, Empress Xue finished her nine-month "mourning period". Coincidentally, she is now pregnant.

This news has not yet been released.

If word gets out, won't the Crown Prince have something to say about it?

The Crown Prince must be overthinking this.

Her parents had been married for twenty years without having a second child, so how could she suddenly become pregnant again at the age of forty?
Empress Xue touched her belly, looked at Li Yun, and sighed softly: "Why don't you say these things to your son yourself?"

“I told him.”

Li Yun shook his head and said silently, "He most likely won't believe it."

Upon hearing this, Empress Xue sighed deeply, looked down at her belly, and...
"I hope it's another daughter."

(End of this chapter)