The struggle for the throne among nine princes—I really don't want to be the crown prince.

Chapter 421 Under Imperial Power, There Are No Fathers and Sons

While the Fourth Prince and Shen Ye were chatting enthusiastically, Emperor Qianxi was not idle either—

He was holding a memorial about the Debate on Heaven, reading it with great interest.

Emperor Qianxi attached great importance to this debate on the heavens.

Why? Because it concerns the stability of the crown prince's position!
If the position of crown prince is unstable, then there will be big problems.

Originally, Emperor Qianxi thought that the Crown Prince would find a group of eloquent and persuasive people to have a heated debate with the ministers.

The results of it?
The crown prince didn't play by the rules at all. He seized on the phrase "heaven is round and earth is square" and rattled off a series of statements, managing to prove that "the earth is round".

With this proof, wow, the claim that the Taishan earthquake was caused by divine wrath is completely refuted, shattered into nothingness.

The Crown Prince won with absolute ease and pleasure!

When Emperor Qianxi saw this result, he was a little incredulous: "This... this is how we won? I'm a bit confused, but it seems to make a lot of sense."

He thought the debate on the heavens had ended pleasantly, but little did he know the Crown Prince wasn't satisfied and had a follow-up plan—

Taking advantage of the situation, the Crown Prince actually brought up the "Empire on which the sun never sets" and pulled out a "Map of the World"!
This picture is now laid out before Emperor Qianxi.

Emperor Qianxi stared at the territory of the "empire on which the sun never sets" on the map, and recalled the history of how it grew step by step as described by the crown prince in the memorial. Suddenly, alarm bells rang in his heart: crisis!
That's right, it's a crisis where the dragon throne is shaking.

As an emperor, Emperor Qianxi's strategic vision was no joke; it was certainly beyond the reach of ordinary people.

He immediately realized:

Since the British Empire was able to manage India, it certainly wouldn't ignore the Great Zhou in the future.

The reason it doesn't dare to attack the Great Zhou right now is simply because it hasn't accumulated enough strength yet.

However, given their ever-expanding momentum, the British Empire and the Great Zhou Dynasty will inevitably clash sooner or later.

However, more than his concerns about the British Empire, Emperor Qianxi was intrigued by the Crown Prince's mention of the Americas.

If we could establish a few provinces there!

If we could acquire a few territories there... although direct administration would be a bit troublesome, paying a fixed amount of money every year would be fine.

After looking at the "Map of the World" for a long time, he suddenly turned to Liang Jiugong and said, "Your Highness, this debate on the heavens was premeditated!"

"Not only did they overturn the table right from the start, directly disrupting the rhythm of the Imperial Observatory team, but they also shifted the blame eastward, drawing everyone's attention to the new land."

"It's gotten to the point where some people know exactly what he's up to, but they can't stop him."

Liang Jiugong said with a smile, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince was able to resolve this crisis so easily, which is ultimately due to your excellent teaching!"

Emperor Qianxi smiled, his face clearly saying, "Of course."

Although Emperor Qianxi was well aware of Liang Jiugong's habitual flattery, what he said wasn't entirely wrong—

The Crown Prince was personally taught by Emperor Qianxi from a young age, and he certainly put in a lot of effort.

"Liang Jiugong, do you think we can successfully expand our territory overseas?" Emperor Qianxi stroked his chin, looking very serious.

Liang Jiugong understood instantly: the reason why Emperor Qianxi asked this question was because he was interested, but he was not sure about the matter.

Thinking of Emperor Qianxi's personality, Liang Jiugong respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, if Westerners can accomplish this, I believe that with the strength of our Celestial Empire, how could we possibly lose to them? How could we possibly fail?"

"Besides, didn't the Crown Prince also suggest that we send some people to try it out first?"

Emperor Qianxi waved his hand, stared at the "Map of the World" and fell into deep thought.

……

Although the Debate on the Heavens has passed, the shockwaves it generated were like a "cognitive bomb" dropped in Beijing.

When everyone got together, the thing they talked about most was that the ground beneath their feet was actually round!

Although many people find this claim hard to believe, the facts proven by foreign voyages are difficult to refute.

Although some people were heartbroken and vehemently opposed, denouncing it as "fallacies and heresies," a deliberate attempt by foreigners to mislead the public, and a conspiracy, they could not produce any evidence.

They had no choice but to bite the bullet and stubbornly stick to their guns.

However, the focus of the discussion among the high-ranking court officials, especially those from military families, had long since strayed from the main topic!
Their concern was the expansion of overseas territories.

The prince talked about shipbuilding and how the British Empire, by establishing overseas territories, had brought back ship after ship of gold... Who wouldn't be tempted by that?
After all, a military family that hasn't fought a war can't just live off its past achievements.

The only way to get rich is to expand one's territory.

If large overseas territories could be established, the potential profits would be enormous.

Compared to Yunnan and Guizhou, those overseas territories were truly far from the reach of the emperor.

If, as the Crown Prince said, as long as tributes are paid regularly, one can be appointed governor-general, then money will no longer be a problem.

The emperor is far away and the land is vast, and gold is piled up like mountains... Who could resist such a sight?

Therefore, in the past few days, the Crown Prince's Yuqing Palace has been flooded with various memorials.

As for the earthquake in Mount Tai, no one mentions it anymore, as if it never happened at all.

However, disaster relief efforts around Mount Tai are still ongoing!

The fourth prince also led his men to Mount Tai for disaster relief!
Yang Fenggu's death was also completely silent, as if Yang Fenggu had never existed in this world.

Mingzhu's mansion was brightly lit with countless lamps even in broad daylight.

Mingzhu is playing chess at this moment!

His opponent is Mr. Liu Tao!
"Your mind is in turmoil!" Mingzhu said, placing a chess piece in the corner of the board and casually capturing all of Mr. Liu Tao's dozen or so black pieces. A large dragon was cut in two.

Facing the severed dragon, a hint of shame flashed in Mr. Liu Tao's eyes: "Master Dong, I am truly incompetent!"

Mingzhu patted Mr. Liu Tao on the shoulder and said, "Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war; don't worry too much about temporary gains and losses."

"It is precisely in times like these that you must remain calm and composed, otherwise you will only make more egregious mistakes!"

Mingzhu picked up the tea beside her, took a sip, and said leisurely, "Now that things have come to this point, the most important thing is to clean up the mess properly."

"As long as we clean up the mess, we still have a chance to turn things around."

Mr. Liu Tao quickly replied, "Don't worry, Master, I have already made arrangements."

"Although there are quite a few people keeping an eye on the Yang family, I have already had those who frequently contact Yang Fenggu dealt with."

"Even the Yang family wouldn't be able to find out the slightest clue."

Mingzhu said, "In matters like this, it's always a matter of man proposes, God disposes!"

"The sky is round and the earth is square!"

"The things our ancestors have said for hundreds of years are almost all theorems, but who would have thought that the problem lies here?"

At this point, Mingzhu's expression became slightly excited.

He said with deep emotion, "Although I have some opinions about the Crown Prince, I have to admit that he said something very true, and we should learn more from it."

"Those foreign devils do have some merits."

Mr. Liu Tao lowered his head!

He was always arrogant, but at this moment, he was powerless to refute what Mingzhu was saying and could only listen quietly.

"My lord, what should we do next?" Mr. Liu asked softly after Mingzhu's expression calmed down.

Mingzhu sighed and said, "For the time being, we don't need to do anything."

"Your Majesty is wise and powerful, with a resolute character, and is in the prime of his life. Who can say for sure what will happen in the future!"

Just as Mr. Liu Tao was about to speak, Kui Xu strode in.

"Greetings, Father!" Kui Xu bowed respectfully to Mingzhu.

Mingzhu didn't particularly like this son, but his favorite son had passed away, so he felt closer to Kuixu.

"What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?" Mingzhu asked with a hint of reproach.

"Father, news just came from the Hot Spring Palace that Consort An is pregnant." Kui Xu's face showed a hint of joy.

Consort An was a relative of Mingzhu, and according to seniority, she should address Mingzhu as Uncle. She was only eighteen years old.

After entering the palace, she was greatly favored by Emperor Qianxi.

Upon hearing the news, Mingzhu immediately beamed with joy.

His joy wasn't because this unborn child could compete for the throne.

The fact that Emperor Qianxi was still able to be a father shows that he was in excellent health.

How could such an energetic and capable emperor easily relinquish his throne?
He immediately ordered, "Prepare a batch of rare treasures and send them over, please ask Consort An to take good care of her pregnancy."

Kui Xu respectfully replied, "Your son obeys!"

Mingzhu was very happy that Emperor Qianxi had become a father again, and Emperor Qianxi, as the person involved, was naturally overjoyed.

After bestowing many gifts upon Consort An, he said to Liang Jiugong, "Liang Jiugong, it seems that our ancestors still feel that I do not have enough offspring and wish for more filial children."

"Your Majesty, Consort An's pregnancy with the imperial child is a blessing from the late emperors, but this servant believes it is even more due to Your Majesty's vigorous spirit!"

This flattery wasn't very clever; in fact, it was rather blatant.

But Emperor Qianxi felt very comfortable hearing this.

The greatest skill in flattery is knowing when to say the most appropriate thing at the right time.

Liang Jiugong's words struck a chord with Emperor Qianxi.

After chatting with Liang Jiugong for a few minutes, Emperor Qianxi suddenly said to Liang Jiugong, "Make arrangements for the Southern Study to prepare the memorials that the Crown Prince has approved."

“My fast is about to end. Have them send these documents to me for me to see.”

Looking at the composed yet impatient Emperor Qianxi, Liang Jiugong knew perfectly well what was going on:
Emperor Qianxi couldn't relinquish his power!

With two days left in the fast, he was already eager to reclaim the power he had relinquished!
If they're already so wary of the Crown Prince, I'll have to be even more careful in the future.

Liang Jiugong agreed and prepared to make the arrangements, but Emperor Qianxi suddenly said, "Now that the Crown Prince's regency is over, he should get some rest."

“These days have exhausted him.”

Liang Jiugong kept his mouth tightly shut and didn't say anything, as if he hadn't heard anything at all.

Although he couldn't believe it, he knew very well that this was Emperor Qianxi's way of taking back the power of regent that had been entrusted to the crown prince.

Not a single bit was left for the Crown Prince!

　The second update for today is here! Please support me, everyone, and vote for me!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)