Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 399: Pillars of the Ming Dynasty
Wan'an was summoned to the inner hall of the Qianqing Palace alone.

When he saw the personnel configuration, the first thing that came to his mind was... Is the emperor going to entrust his son to someone else before his death? Is he asking for my opinion?
What should I say?
Then he realized that the way he was thinking about the problem was wrong.

As long as the crown prince has not been deposed, it seems that no one will ask him who will inherit the throne. In general... you are just an executor, not a decision maker, and you only need to support him!

"I am your servant, and I pay my respects to Your Majesty...Long live Your Majesty!"

Wan'an knelt down and kowtowed.

The title of Long Live the Emperor is not for nothing. When meeting the Emperor, one must first kneel down and shout "Long Live the Emperor". As for doing things like that, that is secondary.

Zhu Jianshen glanced at Wan'an without saying a word, his eyes full of emptiness.

Queen Mother Zhou waved her hand and said, "Wan'an, get up."

"Thank you, Queen Mother."

Wanan stood up, looking respectful.

Queen Mother Zhou asked coldly, "Your Majesty fell asleep, did you see it?"

"is it?"

Wan'an turned around and glanced at the emperor. The emperor had his eyes open and was looking at him earlier, so why did he close his eyes when he turned his face away?

"Let me ask you a question."

Queen Mother Zhou said, "Your Majesty is now unable to govern the court. According to the rules, what should we do?"

Wan An said: "In response to the old ancestor, the crown prince should be the regent."

Queen Mother Zhou was a little surprised when she heard this. She thought, "Is Wan'an so sensible now? You don't even need me to say anything more and just speak according to my expectations?"

Queen Mother Zhou asked, "Then I want to ask you, who should draft the imperial edict?"

"It should be drafted by the Hanlin Academy."

Wan An replied first, then glanced at Zhang Luan and continued, "Since I am here, I can draft it."

Queen Mother Zhou was very satisfied with Wan'an's answer. She looked at Wei Tai and asked, "Wei Tai, what do you think?"

"This……"

Wei Tai naturally couldn't find any fault with it, but he was still a little worried, "Should I wait until His Majesty wakes up and then ask His Majesty what he thinks?"

Queen Mother Zhou frowned and scolded: "You are going backwards as you grow older! It's my family's own business. My son is ill. Can't I, as a mother, make the decision?
"Humph, my son is already in this state, and you still insist on listening to his advice! He probably doesn't even recognize who you are, so what advice can he give you?"

"Your Majesty, calm down."

Wei Tai also followed Wan'an's example and knelt down to kowtow and admit his mistake.

Queen Mother Zhou said angrily, "Is there nothing to worry about? Draft it immediately!"

Wei Tai trembled and suggested: "Then... Queen Mother, should we also call in Minister Li of the Ministry of Personnel and ask him what he thinks?"

Queen Mother Zhou stepped forward and kicked Wei Tai, cursing angrily, "You ignorant servant! I can't make the decision now, right? Then can we call the Queen?"

Wei Tai lay on the ground with a look of despair on his face, looking very innocent.

The emperor was not dead, or even in a coma. He could wake up occasionally. Even if he was a little confused, he was not completely confused.

Now the emperor hasn't said to let the prince be the regent. You, the empress dowager, just asked for a "good" response from the emperor and want to usurp the power of the Ming Dynasty?
Wan An was very relieved when he saw this, and said, "Eunuch Wei, this is your fault! His Majesty is seriously ill, and now the Queen Mother wants to stabilize the country and settle the people. Of course, the Crown Prince should come forward to preside over the overall situation, which is also to prevent the scoundrels from having any ill intentions.

"The Empress Dowager has devoted all her energy to the affairs of the court and has taken the trouble to come here to preside over the overall situation. Are you still going to cause trouble for her?"

At this time, Wan'an was like a pillar of the Ming Dynasty who was impartial and his words were powerful.

Queen Mother Zhou felt very comfortable with the flattery, but after careful consideration, she wondered why Wan'an had changed his personality today? Why was he a little different from the one I knew before?

It seems that my eldest nephew is still capable!
He subdued Wan'an right at the start. No wonder he was able to transform from a powerless father of the Crown Princess to a top figure in the court in just half a year. He really had real ability.

Queen Mother Zhou said, "Wan'an, thank you for your hard work. Go and draft the edict immediately."

"I will be right there."

Wan'an rolled up his sleeves and walked straight to the desk in front of the window.

……

……

An imperial edict appointing the crown prince as regent was written in this way.

"Use the seal."

Queen Mother Zhou gave the order.

Wei Tai, who had just crawled up from the ground, could only take out the emperor's seal angrily and use it on the edict.

Queen Mother Zhou walked to the bed and said to her son, who was sleeping or resting with his eyes closed, "My son, you are not in good condition right now. Let the crown prince govern the country. Is that okay for you?"

There was no echo.

Wei Tai even pricked up his ears to listen.

"As long as Huang'er thinks it's okay."

Queen Mother Zhou actually answered her own question, as if she really heard what her son said, and nodded, "Call the others in."

"Yes."

Then Wei Tai went out and called in Li Zisheng, Li Yu and several people from the Imperial Hospital.

When Queen Mother Zhou saw everyone, she frowned and said, "Are your ears not working well? I said to call everyone in! If the Crown Prince doesn't come in, who will read the imperial edict to?"

Wei Tai was stunned.

Still want to call the Crown Prince? Then should Concubine Shao be called?

Will the Queen scream?
But now he has given in. After all, he was kicked by Queen Mother Zhou. Although he thinks that the old lady is too much, he dare not complain when he thinks that the old lady has the most say in the royal family. This is mainly because Wei Tai has never held power alone. He was just a follower of Huai En and Qin Chang before.

If he were asked to take the lead now, he would know that he does not have the ability to do so.

……

……

Not long after, Zhu Youtang finally saw his old father whom he had been missing for a long time.

"Father!"

Zhu Youtang rushed to the couch and knelt down with a plop, his expression full of sincerity and affection.

And no one doubted Zhu Youtang's performance.

Almost everyone present questioned Zhu Youtang's ability and worried whether he could fulfill his duties as the crown prince. However, no one would criticize his filial piety...

Have you ever seen such a stupid and foolish child being unfilial?
When Zhu Jianshen heard the voice, he just opened his eyes and looked at his son, nodded slightly, as if to say, "I heard it," and then closed his eyes again.

Empress Dowager Zhou said, "Don't disturb your father's rest... My dear grandson, your father is seriously ill and unable to govern the country, but court affairs cannot be delayed. So... your father has given you an imperial decree, asking you to serve as regent first. In the next few days, you will handle all court affairs in Wenhua Palace."

"Grandmother, I don't think I have the ability to do that."

Zhu Youtang politely declined.

Queen Mother Zhou shook her head and said, "You are the crown prince, the person your father relies on the most...your father is seriously ill now, and you don't come out to take care of him. Do you want your father to not even be able to recover from his illness?"

"Grandson obeys."

Zhu Youtang’s main character is an obedient and sensible person.

If you ask me to do something, I will say I can't do it, but if you insist, I will listen to you.

Who made me have no opinion of my own?

Empress Dowager Zhou said, "In the past few months, your father probably considered that some things would happen sooner or later, and in order to train you, he sent you to the Wenhua Palace to listen to government affairs early on. Now you have some experience... Wan'an, you can assist the prince well, right?"

"I will do my best."

When Wan'an heard this, he was so excited.

There are two people in the cabinet, and only let me assist the prince, but did not invite Liu Ji. This means that from the empress dowager to the new emperor, everyone is planning to drive Liu Ji away. Then I must be the number one regent.

Even though I was on the wrong side before, I'm back now and I'm still respected.

Queen Mother Zhou frowned and said, "But, I am a little worried... My son, can you hear me? Give me an idea, who should be asked to cooperate with Wan'an and help the prince? After all, they are all helping you to relieve your worries so that you can rest assured and recover from your illness."

Zhu Jianshen didn't open his eyes.

"You, the ministers, should have seen the emperor's situation, right?"

Queen Mother Zhou asked, "Zisheng, what do you think?"

When Li Zisheng heard this, he was surprised that the government was not asking me to assist in the government affairs, but asking for my opinion?

I can't recommend myself, can I?

This is very obvious...

The old lady is also a smart person. Since she asked for my opinion, she must have already arranged what I should say. Could I choose any other words?
Li Zisheng said respectfully: "In reply to the Queen Mother, I can now sincerely help the Crown Prince, and I am organized and can enter the palace at any time. I can help the Crown Prince ask for His Majesty's opinion, and I can take care of the Crown Prince's wishes at any time..."

Hearing this, everyone was confused. Why are you, Li Zisheng, so long-winded now?

But Li Zisheng was talking there, saying, "I think that Zhang Luan, the Imperial Academy's Attendant Scholar, has performed his duties conscientiously, taking care of Your Majesty's health and presiding over the treatment of illnesses at the bedside, and he should be the one to assist Wan'an."

"This……"

Queen Mother Zhou frowned, seeming to be dissatisfied with this choice.

Li Yu beside him said hurriedly: "The Queen Mother is wise. The matter of assisting the government should be undertaken by ministers with rich experience in the court. Zhang Luan was born as a student of the Imperial Academy, not even a candidate for the Imperial Academy, but just a tribute from the countryside. If he is to assist the Crown Prince, I am afraid that it will cause slander and criticism from the court officials, which will make people feel uneasy."

Queen Mother Zhou was just pretending, but now she was unhappy and had to look at Wan An and asked, "Wan Qingjia, do you think Zhang Luan has the ability?"

Originally, Queen Mother Zhou had a prejudice against Wan'an, but now that the two important ministers in the court had different opinions, she had to ask Wan'an, and she felt that Wan'an should know which side to take now, right?
really.

Wan An said without blushing or panting, "Although Zhang Luan has been in the court for a short time and is only a tribute student, as long as he has the ability, he should do more for the court.

"I am not qualified to decide who will join the cabinet, but working with the Crown Prince is just a pretext, not a specific official position. Do I need someone's permission to move around the Crown Prince?"

Queen Mother Zhou nodded and said, "That does make sense. It's just that I let my nephew walk around the prince. He is the prince's father-in-law. When the prince is at a loss, it's not wrong to have his relatives by his side to help him. Grandson, what do you think?"

Zhu Youtang was also puzzled when he heard the conversation among the people present.

How does this involve my father-in-law?
Zhu Youtang said: "My grandson will obey the orders of my royal grandmother."

"You are the crown prince... The crown prince is also the king. Logically speaking, I am also your subject. Whatever you say is what goes, and you don't have to listen to me."

Queen Mother Zhou made her attitude clear.

The sky is the eldest, the emperor is second, and the prince is third.

Who says you should listen to me, the royal grandmother?

It’s up to you to decide whether to use Zhang Luan or not.

Zhu Youtang glanced at Zhang Luan and said, "Father-in-law is a cautious man with outstanding abilities. If my grandson encounters any problem, he is willing to discuss it with him."

"Then don't wait any longer."

Queen Mother Zhou said, "Come and take orders to work with the Crown Prince."

(End of this chapter)