The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

In front of the Qianqing Palace.

The ministers arrived upon receiving the imperial edict.

In addition to the Duke of Yingguo Zhang Mao, Duke of Chengguo Zhu Fu, Earl of Qingyang Xia Ru, Minister of Personnel Yang Yiqing, Minister of War Lu Wan, and Minister of Revenue Wang Qiong, whom the emperor specifically invited, two cabinet ministers, Liang Chu and Jin Gui, were also invited, as well as Liu Chun, Minister of Rites, who was required to attend.

The emperor had arranged to meet with several people, but he himself was late in arriving.

Even as the sun began to set, the group remained waiting. None of them expressed any opinion on any court affairs. In their view, it was already good enough to see the emperor in the inner court; they could not hope to meet the emperor to report on other matters.

When Zhu Houzhao arrived late, he even took the initiative to greet the group at the door.

"My lords, I apologize for keeping you waiting. I have some matters to attend to."

Although Zhu Houzhao was unreliable, he was very polite, making him a "uniquely incompetent ruler." There has never been an emperor in history who was as playful and fond of fun as him.

The ministers entered the Qianqing Palace together.

Two people stood to the left and right of the emperor: Liu Yong, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and Zhang Yong, the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration. Qian Ning, who had always accompanied the emperor, was not among them.

Liu Yong began today's topic: "His Majesty has summoned all the officials here to discuss a matter, which is to adopt the third son of the Ning Prince, a member of the Zhu clan, into the main lineage. He will be raised by the Empress and carefully nurtured by the Court of Imperial Sacrifices."

Zhu Houzhao nodded and said, "That's the matter. I'd like to hear your opinions. Grand Secretary Liang, you are currently the chief minister, so you should speak."

He didn't ask Yang Yiqing or Zhang Mao for their opinions, but instead went to ask Liang Chu, as if he really wanted the support of the cabinet ministers on this matter.

Liang Chu said, "I do not know why this discussion has arisen."

Zhu Houzhao sighed, "I have been childless for a long time. Without an heir, I cannot establish an heir, and the Ming Dynasty will have no foundation. If this continues, it will inevitably lead to more criticism from the world. I also want to put the people's hearts at ease."

He said that, but in his heart he was thinking, "I just want to raise an adopted son so that you can let me go to the Northwest to lead the army and fight."

Liang Chu said solemnly, "There is a reason for the adoption of princes, but Your Majesty should not adopt someone from the Ning Mansion as your heir. This would cause much criticism from the world. You should choose from among the close relatives of the imperial family."

Zhu Houzhao said, "I also think so, but among my close relatives and princes, are there any suitable candidates?"

"We should consider this carefully," Liang Chu replied decisively.

You're adopting a child, not because your lineage has died out like Emperor Gaozong of Song, forcing you to find a new one from another lineage. There are so many people eyeing this position right now. If you just randomly pick someone from the Ning family to be your adopted son, won't that make all the members of the imperial family think you're acting recklessly?

Zhu Houzhao sighed, "I had considered this issue before. If we were to choose from the Zai generation, a situation would inevitably arise: even if we adopted them in the next few years, they would be too young. It would be too early to expect them to truly understand things and whether they have the ability to assist me in managing state affairs. It would probably take more than ten years to determine the outcome. But what if, after more than ten years, we find they are no longer suitable? Should we choose again?"

Liang Chu said, "Multiple sons can be adopted at once, and a selection can be made from them. This has been the case since ancient times when monarchs adopted sons of the imperial clan."

Zhu Houzhao shook his head and said, "It's too troublesome. I'm just thinking of adopting a child to see if he's really capable. I haven't said I have to make him the crown prince. This matter is still a long way off. Even if I adopt a stepson who's almost twenty, it will take time to raise him, let alone find a young child."

"This..." Liang Chu was also in a dilemma.

Clearly, he did not have a strong desire to oppose the emperor on such an important matter.

After all, these matters were previously handled by Yang Tinghe, and now that Yang Tinghe is in mourning and not in court, the cabinet will be in a passive position in some matters, feeling as if it lacks a backbone.

Jin Gui immediately stepped forward and stated, "Your Majesty, if we truly intend to adopt Ning Fan's son into the legitimate line, under what pretext can we appease the hearts of the many princes of Yan? Has Your Majesty considered the consequences and the reactions of these princes upon hearing this news?"

Zhu Houzhao said, "I'm not afraid of their strong reactions, but rather I'm afraid of things going awry. If I've already made a decision, there's really no need to ask you all. The reason I asked is to ensure that all procedures are in accordance with law and reason, so that no one can find fault with them. If everything is in accordance with law, then tell me, are those princes going to overturn the discussions between me and you ministers?"

Jin Gui said, "Then it should be decided by the court, not by a meeting of the inner court."

The implication is that it's too hasty of you to invite us to discuss this matter. Regardless of whether it's feasible or not, you should at least bring in all the ministers you can from the court.

Is it necessary to restore the court council?

Zhu Houzhao shook his head and said, "I don't understand. Don't your opinions represent the court? Is there something I've overlooked among those I've consulted? There are military officials and relatives of the empress here. The Earl of Qingyang is my father-in-law. Is it inappropriate to invite him? Or do you officials feel that everyone must be present to represent the imperial family and the court? Isn't this my family matter?"

They are still locked in a standoff with Jin Gui.

Zhu Houzhao preferred to reason things out, which is why he was always hampered in various ways.

What he meant was, it's my family matter, I can adopt whomever I want, and it's already a big favor for me to ask you all to come and discuss it, so don't be so shameless.

"Is this what you mean, that your cabinet does not support this matter?" Zhu Houzhao asked sternly.

His gaze swept over everyone present.

Actually, he himself was under some pressure.

You clearly found some people who seemed to support this, and even had Qian Ning go and give them a heads-up beforehand, so why are you all silent at this crucial moment? Or is it that none of you want to be the bad guys?

Jin Guidao said, "I also believe that we should consider this matter at a long-term perspective."

Without explicitly opposing or supporting it, the approach is always to let the matter settle down first.

In name only, the ministers were very concerned about the affairs of the royal family and repeatedly petitioned the emperor to visit the harem more often so that they could have children soon.

In reality, the ministers had their own calculations. If there were to be another crown prince, he would still be born to the emperor, which would involve a huge change in the power structure. They were very reluctant to disrupt the current balance.

To put it bluntly, what business is it of ours whether the emperor has any offspring or not? What we need is for you not to disrupt the delicate balance between the emperor and his subjects!

This time, Zhu Houzhao no longer only asked for the cabinet's opinion. He seemed to have known all along that the cabinet and the Ministry of Rites would not support him. He then said, "Speak freely about your opinions."

The words fell.

The scene was quiet.

Not a single person came out to express their opinion.

Clearly, Liang Chu and Jin Gui represent the most core viewpoint in the court: one should not rashly adopt the sons of imperial relatives, especially those from distant relatives.

Then a man stepped forward; it was none other than Duke Cheng, Zhu Fu. He spoke as if he were an opportunist: “Your Majesty, I agree with this proposal. As far as I know, this member of the imperial clan is both brave and resourceful. He personally killed a barbarian in the battle of Zhangjiakou. Such a valiant child, who is upright and dedicated to serving the country, will surely be able to assist Your Majesty in maintaining the stability of the Ming Dynasty.”

Liu Chun glared at him, as if warning Zhu Fu.

But Zhu Fuquan pretended not to see it.

The emperor has promised me that as long as I support him this time, I can replace the Xu family and continue to guard Nanjing. So why wouldn't I work hard?

"He is indeed quite brave," Zhu Houzhao nodded with a smile. "That's what I value in him. I even asked Zhang Yong, and he said that this young man personally killed the Tartars, as he witnessed it with his own eyes. Zhang, is that right?"

"Your Majesty, that's right. Speaking of which, he even saved my life. At that time, the Tatars entered the city with their brave and armored warriors. The guards everywhere could not get close to them, and even firearms could not penetrate their armor. But this little prince took the lead and led his men to attack and save me and Mr. Tang. Many soldiers in the army witnessed this."

Zhang Yong also knew how to adapt to changing circumstances.

Previously, I did not support the emperor adopting sons of the imperial clan, but now... I have had contact with Zhu Yi and found that Zhu Yi and Tang Yin are quite sensible and can be befriended.

That's a different story.

What the emperor's close advisors feared most was a sudden change in the power structure, and since the emperor never designated an heir, the risk of such a sudden change always existed.

What they want is a potential heir apparent who is obedient and under their control.

Of course, Zhang Yong also knew that it was still a long way from Zhu Yi being made crown prince.

Jin Gui stepped forward and questioned, "Eunuch Zhang, you'd better not speak falsely."

Zhang Yong wasn't annoyed at all, and even spoke in a gentler tone than before: "There's really no need to make any falsehoods. This is also thanks to the improvement of the new firearms. Speaking of that kind of musket, the people in the army also studied it later. There's no need to use the method of opening the fuse; it can be ignited with just a flint. The same iron plate that the previous divine musket couldn't penetrate, this kind of musket can."

Jin Gui frowned and said, "You mean, this boy is using a new musket?"

"Yes," Zhang Yong said frankly. "There are only ten in the army. They were a tribute from the Prince of Ning's mansion. Originally, no one believed in their power, but after this battle, everyone knows how good they are. His Majesty is also preparing to have the Ministry of War supervise the manufacture of a batch for the Shenji Battalion to test and use in war preparations."

Jin Gui was at a loss for how to respond.

Originally, the civil officials did not believe that a prince could lead the troops and have merit in killing the enemy.

But Zhang Yong spoke so vividly, and Zhang Yong was someone who came out of the scene. To question Zhang Yong is to deny Zhang Yong's connections and reputation in the court over the past ten years.