Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 241 Sudden Self
The golden wheat in the fields had already been harvested, and even the scattered ears of wheat were carefully picked up by the farmer's children.

The migratory birds that flew south have disappeared, and the outskirts of Luoyang are filled with a desolate scene as the cold wind rises.

Although the winds are not yet biting cold, the gradual departure of autumn and the imminent arrival of winter is not an illusion.

Sima Yan's ascension to the throne was undoubtedly very successful. Throughout the entire coup, there was no fighting or killing, and the transition from crown prince to emperor was very smooth.

However, in the Jin state after the change of dynasties, the problems inherent in the previous dynasty were not resolved. On the contrary, because more people wanted to rise to power, undercurrents were surging throughout the court and the country.

On the day of Frost's Descent, one of the twenty-four solar terms, Sima Yan finally announced the death of the "Retired Emperor" Sima Zhao at the grand court assembly.

Although this was common knowledge in the court and among the common people, as long as Sima Yan did not announce it, no central minister could mention Sima Zhao's affairs, otherwise it would be an open embarrassment to the emperor.

With Sima Zhao's funeral, the biggest threat to Sima Yan was eliminated, and he was now a legitimate emperor.

After Sima Zhao's seven-day mourning period, the ambitious Sima Yan did not mention the conquest of Wu. Instead, he took advantage of the mourning period to raise a major issue at the court meeting: Should I establish a crown prince?
When this question was raised, the courtiers were all in an uproar!

Sima Yan is only in his twenties now. Even if he lives to the age of Sima Zhao, he still has thirty years to live!

Since they expect to live so long, why establish a crown prince?
Immediately, public sentiment was agitated, and important officials such as Jia Chong, He Zeng, and Xun Yi all submitted memorials to Sima Yan, requesting him to postpone the establishment of a crown prince.

The eldest son is only six or seven years old, why make a crown prince? Let's talk about it in ten years!

However, Sima Yan did not listen; he was exceptionally resolute on this matter.

In short: who to appoint as crown prince is another matter, but the appointment of a crown prince cannot be delayed any longer.

The new emperor had just ascended the throne when he clashed with his court officials over the issue of appointing a crown prince. This situation could not continue.

So the shrewd and resourceful Jia Chong wrote to Sima Yan and asked: "Since Your Majesty wishes to establish a crown prince, you must already have someone in mind. Why not inform us?"
This can be considered as taking a half step back: We will not argue about whether or not a crown prince should be established now, just tell us, who should be the crown prince?
Sima Yan then hesitantly informed Jia Chong, He Zeng, Xun Yi, and others that he intended to make his eldest son, Sima Zhong, the crown prince.

The reason given is simple: the eldest son should be the legitimate heir, and Sima Zhong was both the eldest son currently living and the legitimate son.

If we don't make him the crown prince, then who should we make the crown prince?

Jia Chong did not directly refute him, but instead offered a suggestion:
Choosing a crown prince is no small matter. We all serve His Majesty, offering advice and strategies. Since His Majesty intends to appoint the eldest son of the legitimate wife, we have no objection.

But could you perhaps set aside some time to host a banquet for the Crown Prince, so that we, his ministers, could once again witness his charisma?

If the crown prince is intelligent and well-educated, then there is no problem in appointing him as crown prince now.

Jia Chong's suggestion stumped Sima Yan.

If he were to refuse, the decision to appoint his eldest son, Sima Zhong, as crown prince would never be accepted by his close advisors, and there would likely be even more opposition from the court and the public.

But if he didn't refuse, Sima Zhong would have to step forward and show off his "talents".

This is a very important matter.

Because Sima Yan's eldest son, Sima Zhong, was... mentally challenged!

When he was young, he could be fooled by the excuse that he was ignorant, but as Sima Zhong grew older, the more you looked at him, the more you felt that this child was not very smart.

Not only did Sima Yan think this way, but Empress Yang, Prince Qi Sima You, and even Empress Dowager Wang Yuanji all held the same view.

However, Sima Yan could not back down an inch and had to insist on the eldest son's succession.

Initially, he followed Yang Xiu's advice and repeatedly asked people to plead with Sima Zhao, saying that the selection of an heir should follow the rules and be based on the eldest son of the legitimate wife. After careful consideration, Sima Zhao chose Sima Yan.

The weight of the title "eldest son of the legitimate wife" is undeniable.

So now it's Sima Yan's turn to establish a crown prince, and he can only follow the rules and establish the eldest son of the legitimate wife.

Just do things the way they always have done; only then can we gain the respect of the people.

This is also why Sima Yan was in a hurry to establish a crown prince; he wanted to seize the initiative and appoint Sima Zhong as the crown prince first. Even if the ministers later discovered that Sima Zhong was not very intelligent, it would not be convenient to change the crown prince.

This blocked Qi King Sima You's path to the throne.

Sima Yan's move was certainly well-intentioned, but whether it was effective remains to be seen.

His current dilemma is either to break ties with powerful ministers like Jia Chong and force Sima Zhong to become crown prince, or to publicly display Sima Zhong to persuade the ministers to accept him as crown prince.

Between two evils, choose the lesser. Turning against him is out of the question. If Sima You finds an opportunity to rally the ministers to unite and force him to abdicate, that would be disastrous.

Sima Yan then declared: "Three days from now, a banquet will be held at the Eastern Palace, where Sima Zhong will attend and be examined by the court officials."

Upon receiving this reply, Jia Chong and the others said nothing more and readily agreed to the plan. This was considered a compromise by both sides, maintaining a facade of unity.

Three days later, in the main hall of the Eastern Palace, Sima Yan sat next to a six or seven-year-old child, in the seat of honor.

Jia Chong, He Zeng, Xun Yi, and others sat at tables on the west and east sides of the banquet hall. Even Pei Xiu, who had been imprisoned, was present at the banquet.

Pei Xiu has been reinstated, and perhaps Sima Yan is secretly grateful to him. If it weren't for the auspicious omen at Phoenix Mountain, Sima Zhao might still be emperor, and Sima Yan would have been born someday.

The new emperor must have been grateful to Pei Xiu.

As for Empress Dowager Wang Yuanji and Prince Qi Sima You, they were seated next to Sima Yan. They both wore smiles, as if they were attending a family banquet.

But what those smiles truly mean is hard to say; after all, you can't see into someone's heart.

Everyone noticed that the boy named Sima Zhong was sitting blankly beside Sima Yan. His gaze was unfocused, never looking at anyone, and he wasn't sweating profusely from nervousness.

Rather than calm, he was more like dull.

For a moment, Jia Chong and the others couldn't figure out what kind of child he was.

However, this did not delay the start of the banquet.

Soon, a variety of colorful, fragrant, and delicious dishes were served and distributed to small plates by eunuchs in front of everyone, and then delivered to the tables in front of the guests.

Sima Yan's face was tense, somewhat worried that Sima Zhong would make a fool of himself.

Empress Dowager Wang Yuanji and Prince Qi Sima You were in high spirits, eager to see the "charm" of Sima Yan's eldest son, Sima Zhong.

However, Sima Zhong seemed relatively calm, at least he didn't cry. He simply ate with Sima Yan, taking a bite after Sima Yan took a bite.

The banquet proceeded smoothly, and at least Jia Chong and the others did not notice anything unusual.

Sima Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

After several rounds of drinks, the ministers all put down their chopsticks without prior arrangement.

Jia Chong suddenly coughed lightly and looked at Sima Yan, asking, "Your Majesty, I wonder if your eldest son has been given a courtesy name? Minister Pei is skilled in this, why don't we let him show us his talent?"

Jia Chong tossed a ball out.

Sima Yan smiled and waved his hand, saying, "It is not too late to decide this matter after the coming-of-age ceremony."

He was startled, thinking that Jia Chong had come to question him on behalf of the court officials.

Compared to Jia Chong, He Zeng, Xun Yi and others, Sima Yan was born a generation lower. What if these people said: "When I was giving advice to your father, you were still breastfeeding in your mother's arms!"

What should he say?
Sima Yan still needs time to build his own team. Jia Chong smiled and nodded, then subtly gave Xun Yi a wink.

Xun Yi understood and looked at Sima Yan with a smile, asking, "Your Majesty, I have a question I would like to test the Crown Prince with. I wonder what Your Majesty thinks?"

He directly addressed Sima Zhong as "Crown Prince," so what could Sima Yan say?

Although Sima Yan looked embarrassed, he still pretended to be calm and said, "Minister Xun, please ask, since you are the Crown Prince, you certainly cannot avoid the questions of your subjects."

Upon hearing this, Xun Yi laughed heartily and said, "Your Majesty is too kind. This is just a private banquet. How could I possibly be testing the Crown Prince? I was merely asking an interesting little question to add some elegance to the banquet."

After saying that, he put away his smile and said seriously, "Your Highness, please listen to the question. Your humble servant is about to begin."

Sima Zhong, sitting next to Sima Yan, remained unmoved, as if he hadn't heard anything.

Sima Yan grew impatient, placing a hand on Sima Zhong's shoulder and looking at him to remind him, "Minister Xun is going to test you, so answer carefully!"

His tone was very stern, seemingly frightening Sima Zhong. After a moment of silence, Sima Zhong asked tremulously, "Minister Xun, please ask."

Xun Yi smiled slightly and said, "May I ask Your Highness, the pagoda in the White Horse Temple is five stories high. How many floors do you have to climb to get to the top?"

Upon hearing this question, Sima Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, this problem is quite simple; it should be fine.

However, after waiting for a long time, Sima Zhong did not speak, but instead counted on his fingers.

Sima Yan was about to speak up to remind them when he saw that Jia Chong and the other ministers were all staring intently at them, their gazes full of deep meaning, no longer as gentle as they had been during the previous banquet.

It was even somewhat...cold and solemn.

Sima Yan immediately swallowed the words that were already on the tip of his tongue.

"Yes, I want to go up to the sixth floor."

Much later, after counting on his fingers, Sima Zhong answered somewhat hesitantly.

Sima Yan's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, shattered upon hitting the ground.

Jia Chong and the others were so shocked that they were speechless.

Generally speaking, climbing four floors out of a five-story building, whether you say four or five floors, is normal.

However, Sima Zhong's answer was somewhat puzzling.

Is he genuinely stupid, or is he pretending? If he's pretending, then his acting skills are simply unparalleled.

Empress Dowager Wang Yuanji, who was standing to the side, also froze on the spot with a smile.

She glanced thoughtfully at Sima Yan, who looked so embarrassed he wanted to disappear into a hole, and sighed silently.

This prince doesn't seem very bright!

There were only rumors before, but the child was still young, and Wang Yuanji felt that everything would get better as Sima Zhong grew up.

I never expected this, it's absolutely outrageous!

Xun Yi then asked, "Many years ago, someone presented the emperor with an elephant, but the elephant was too big, and there was no scale large enough. May I ask the Crown Prince, how should this elephant be weighed?"

Sima Zhong looked completely bewildered, as if he hadn't understood the question at all.

Naturally, he couldn't answer that question. Perhaps even the word "elephant" was unknown to him, let alone how to weigh it.

"Humph!"

Sima Yan snorted coldly, stood up with an unhappy expression, and left without even saying goodbye.

It's unclear whether he was angry at Sima Zhong, who didn't seem very bright, or at these veteran officials for not giving him, the new emperor, any face.

"Gentlemen, His Majesty has returned to the palace on business. The banquet is over. You may leave now."

Wang Yuanji also stood up and gave an instruction, then led Sima You to follow behind Sima Yan. Sima Zhong, who was sitting there blankly, seemed to sense that something was wrong, but did not understand what had happened.

Afterwards, Sima Zhong was taken away from the Eastern Palace by the eunuchs who served his daily life, and a farce that was not really a farce came to an end.

Only a group of ministers remained, stunned and still savoring the moment.

It doesn't seem like a fortunate thing for such a prince to be made crown prince.

Those present recalled what Sima You must have looked like at that age. For one thing, he was already capable of writing letters for Sima Zhao.

Not to mention Cao Chong, who was also a teenager when he came up with the idea of ​​weighing the elephant. Comparing these two examples, you can see how absurd it was for Sima Zhong to be made crown prince.

After the banquet ended, late that night, Jia Chong hosted a dinner party at the Jia residence. Almost everyone who had attended the banquet at the Eastern Palace that day was present.

In a study in the Jia family mansion, Jia Chong looked at Xun Yi and asked, "His Majesty is young and impetuous, so he should be given some face. If you ask the Crown Prince such a question, His Majesty will naturally lose face."

He appeared to be blaming Xun Yi, but in reality, he was merely recounting past events.

Xun Yi smiled wryly and said, "Jia Gonglu, is the question I asked really that difficult?"

He was the one who was truly speechless.

The story of Cao Chong weighing the elephant was an easy question, since it was an old tale. Sima Zhong could answer it in one breath whenever he heard it mentioned.

However, this person did not understand.

As for the question about going up a few floors, is that even a question?
If this isn't stupid, then what is?
Pei Xiu also sighed and said:
"Jia Gonglu, you should stop talking."

Do you think we don't know what the Crown Prince's situation is?

"It's not like the Crown Prince tripped and fell today; he's always been like this. His Majesty has always covered it up with the excuse that he's still young."

The study was filled with a sense of dejection. Everyone seemed to understand why Sima Yan was in such a hurry to establish a crown prince!
If we don't establish him now, how will he be able to stand firm when Sima Zhong gets older?

If such a foolish crown prince were to appear openly in the Eastern Palace, the central court officials would go crazy!
Suddenly, He Zeng, who had been silent until now, looked at Jia Chong and asked, "I've heard that the Prince of Qi is your son-in-law?"

Those present were all shrewd old foxes; He Zeng's question immediately made them understand what he meant.

That foolish crown prince is unreliable, but the "Imperial Prince Brother," who has been intelligent since childhood, is far more reliable.

Rather than letting the foolish crown prince ascend the throne in the future, it would be better to leave an opening for succession by brothers.

After all, a fool doesn't know what's good for him. It's like an ignorant child taking a big knife into the street. He doesn't care if you have a good relationship with him or not, and he might just stab you.

Even if we take a step back and assume that fools don't cause trouble, they will inevitably be manipulated. And do you think those people won't cause trouble?

The study was eerily quiet, and suddenly everyone felt that the fine wine in their glasses no longer tasted good.

(End of this chapter)