Having many children brings many blessings; the struggle for power begins with marriage.

Chapter 283 Northern King, what do you mean by this?

Since Emperor Xia fell ill, the struggle among the princes has become increasingly fierce. Although Emperor Xia has temporarily stopped attending court, officials still have to attend the grand court assembly held every few days.

The Grand Court Assembly was usually presided over by Zhao Wenhan and Lin Gaoyuan. Without the Xia Emperor overseeing things, the Grand Court Assembly became a battlefield where various princes' factions attacked each other.

During grand court assemblies, officials in the court can argue from the beginning of the session until the end.

Even though the various factions have reached a point of irreconcilable conflict, Emperor Xia still does not attend court. Now, apart from the Grand Preceptor and the people who serve Emperor Xia, only the two prime ministers can see Emperor Xia after court.

Few people knew the exact condition of Emperor Xia's health; all they knew was that his illness was getting worse and worse, and he was nearing his death.

Xuanzheng Hall.

As usual, the morning court session was extremely noisy. Just then, an official from the First Prince's faction stood up and said to Lin Gaoyuan and Zhao Wenhan, "Prime Minister Zhao, Prime Minister Lin, His Majesty is currently bedridden and there are mountains of state affairs to attend to. It is time to advise His Majesty to establish a Crown Prince."

Upon hearing this, the previously noisy crowd in the hall instantly fell silent, and all their eyes turned to Lin Gaoyuan and Zhao Wenhan.

Currently, only the two of them have access to Emperor Xia in the entire court, and only they know the specifics of Emperor Xia's condition. Even the princes do not know how Emperor Xia's health is now, and Emperor Xia has also made it clear that no prince is allowed to see him.

To establish a crown prince at this time, the only option is for the two prime ministers, Lin Gaoyuan and Zhao Wenhan, to persuade Emperor Xia.

At this moment, officials from the Third Prince's faction also stepped forward, saying, "Indeed, the court cannot be without someone to preside over the overall situation for even a day. If this situation continues, it may cause turmoil. The regional princes are already restless. Establishing a crown prince as soon as possible is to stabilize the foundation of the country."

As soon as this person finished speaking, other officials stepped forward. Regardless of which prince's faction they belonged to, they all hoped to establish a crown prince as soon as possible.

As for who their chosen crown prince is, it is naturally the prince they support, which means that the struggle for the throne has reached its most intense stage.

If Emperor Xia's illness continues to worsen, and the crown prince position is not filled by the prince they support, then they might as well overturn the table.

At this moment, Lin Gaoyuan spoke to the restless crowd, saying, "His Majesty has his own ideas, there's no need for you all to be too anxious."

Zhao Wenhan then added, "I have discussed this with Prime Minister Lin, and we will discuss the matter of establishing a crown prince with His Majesty later."

At that moment, the eldest prince asked, "Prime Minister Zhao, Prime Minister Lin, how is my father's health?"

Zhao Wenhan replied, "Your Highness, there's no need to worry. His Majesty has only caught a slight cold and should recover in a while."

Upon hearing Zhao Wenhan's words, the first reaction of the princes and court officials in the hall was that he was lying. They even thought that Emperor Xia's illness had become more serious.

If it were just a common cold, how could he have missed court for so long? He might have recovered by now.

Zhao Wenhan and Lin Gaoyuan were people who had met Emperor Xia, and as the two prime ministers, they naturally had to stabilize the court. So even if Emperor Xia was really on his deathbed, they would only say that Emperor Xia's health was fine.

The more the two of them insisted that Emperor Xia was fine, the more dire his condition seemed. For a moment, everyone in the court began to ponder what to do next, especially the princes, who could no longer contain their restlessness.

They originally thought that Emperor Xia was in good health and in his prime, and that it would be several decades before they could sit on that position; at most, they could only compete for the position of crown prince.

Even after becoming crown princes, they still had to be extremely careful. If they made even the slightest mistake, they would be attacked by officials from other princes' factions. Lu Shuyun was a prime example of this.

However, if Emperor Xia is nearing his end, then as long as they become crown princes, they will soon become emperors. Once they ascend to the throne, they can use the power of the royal family to purge the other princes, thus securing their positions.

At this moment, Lin Gaoyuan said, "If none of you have any other important matters to report today, then let's adjourn the court. Zhao Xiang and I are going to report to His Majesty on recent events."

After finishing speaking, Lin Gaoyuan glanced at the people in the hall. Seeing that no one continued to speak, he said, "Then let's leave it at that."

After saying that, Lin Gaoyuan turned and walked towards the side hall, with Zhao Wenhan following closely behind.

Seeing that the two prime ministers had left, the officials in the hall looked at each other and then left the hall one after another. However, on their way out, the officials mostly followed in groups, with the officials from the prince's faction following the prince.

Lin Xiuming felt somewhat embarrassed at this moment. He looked around and found that almost all the ministers in the court had chosen sides, even the military generals. As a result, he, the only military general, was walking at the back.

As the commander of the Qilin Army, he was naturally courted by princes.

He is Lin Gaoyuan's son. Winning him over is essentially the same as winning over the entire Lin family and Lin Gaoyuan, the Left Prime Minister.

Lin Xiuming thought to himself, "Even military generals have chosen sides. I'm afraid the capital is about to descend into chaos."

Military generals generally do not easily choose sides. If a military general expresses a political stance, it means that the princes have military power. If every prince has military power, then in the struggle for the throne, there will inevitably be a bloody battle.

Just then, an official from the First Prince's faction approached Lin Xiuming and said, "His Highness Prince Qin is hosting a banquet at Chunyue Restaurant this noon and hopes that General Lin can attend."

Hearing this, Lin Xiuming smiled. Now they were openly recruiting people. In the past, the prince would never have dared to host a banquet for a general who had troops under his command, as it would have made people think they wanted to rebel.

Lin Xiuming then said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but I have other matters to attend to at noon today, so I will not be able to go."

Hearing this, the official was not surprised. Lin Xiuming's identity was rather special, and it was not easy to win him over.

The official then returned to the Crown Prince's side. "Your Highness, General Lin said he has business to attend to at noon and won't be coming."

The eldest prince said calmly, "It's already this late, and the Lin family hasn't taken sides. Could it be that Prime Minister Lin is waiting for the results to be announced before making a choice?"

At this point, the eldest prince chuckled, "What a cunning old fox, but a fence-sitter will never be truly trusted."

The eldest prince didn't think much of it. He considered the Lin family to be opportunistic, and that Lin Gaoyuan had no intention of choosing any prince.

Lin Gaoyuan's opportunism also has certain advantages for him. If Lin Gaoyuan is an opportunist, it means that Lin Gaoyuan will neither choose him nor side with other princes, and will not increase the power of other princes.

Lin Gaoyuan, the Left Chancellor, has a certain prestige in the court. He has his own faction. If Lin Gaoyuan clearly indicates that he is siding with a certain prince, the officials in Lin Gaoyuan's faction are likely to also side with that prince.

Now that Lin Gaoyuan has not explicitly stated which side he is on, the eldest prince has an opportunity to win over officials from Lin Gaoyuan's faction.

at the same time.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Emperor Xia lay on the bed, his face pale and bloodless, looking as if he was about to die.

Lin Gaoyuan and Zhao Wenhan stood outside the dragon throne, reporting on recent events.

At this moment, the Xia Emperor spoke up, asking, "What's going on in the north?"

Upon hearing Emperor Xia ask this question, Zhao Wenhan and Lin Gaoyuan naturally knew that Emperor Xia was asking about the actions of the Northern King. Zhao Wenhan replied, "Your Majesty, I have heard that the Northern Kingdom is currently discussing a trade cooperation agreement with the Great Wu Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xia suddenly coughed violently, as if he had been angered.

Seeing this, Zhao Wenhan and Lin Gaoyuan said in unison, "Your Majesty, please take care of your health!"

After coughing twice, the Xia Emperor said, "I'm fine."

At this point, Emperor Xia snorted coldly and continued, "Signing a trade cooperation agreement—what's the difference between that and Great Wu establishing separate diplomatic relations? That rebellious son is increasingly disregarding me!"

The Xia Emperor asked again, "Have all the soldiers from Jiangnan been transferred to Qi?"

Zhao Wenhan replied, "I've been transferred to the border of Qi State. I'll be able to enter Qi State territory in a few days."

Emperor Xia said, "I have heard rumors circulating in the capital that Zhuge Chongguang has not actually broken through to the Celestial Realm. I wonder if any of you have heard of this rumor."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wenhan and Lin Gaoyuan exchanged glances. They wondered why the Emperor Xia was asking this at this time. Could it be that the Emperor Xia was planning to take action against the Northern Kingdom?

Should we make a move now?

The Xia Emperor himself was seriously ill in bed, looking like he was on the verge of death, yet he still wanted to eliminate the Northern Kingdom?

Zhao Wenhan then said, "I have indeed heard about this, but I believe it is a rumor that has been deliberately spread in order to make the court relax its vigilance."

Emperor Xia said, "Regardless of whether it's a rumor or not, make sure the soldiers at the front are ready to quell the rebellion at any time."

Zhao Wenhan and Lin Gaoyuan replied in unison, "Yes, Your Majesty."

At this moment, Zhao Wenhan spoke up, saying, "Your Majesty, recently there has been unrest in the court, and some ministers have suggested establishing a crown prince as soon as possible to stabilize the court."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xia coughed violently again. Seeing this, Zhao Wenhan was about to say something when Emperor Xia angrily said, "Establish a crown prince! Establish a crown prince! All you think about is establishing a crown prince! Little Eight just rebelled, and now you want me to establish a crown prince? Do you all want me to die sooner?!"

Zhao Wenhan immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, that's not what I meant. I'm just worried that if the court continues to be in chaos, it will cause even greater disasters."

Upon hearing Zhao Wenhan's words, Emperor Xia snorted coldly, "Trouble? What trouble? Does someone intend to rebel?"

"You two go back and tell those ministers that I am not dead yet and will not establish a crown prince so soon. Tell them to give up their little schemes."

Zhao Wenhan and Lin Gaoyuan both replied simultaneously, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Emperor Xia waved his hand, "If there's nothing else, you can leave."

"We take our leave!"

After Lin Gaoyuan and Zhao Wenhan finished speaking, they turned and left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Watching the two figures leave, Emperor Xia said coldly, "Finally, someone can't sit still anymore. I want to see how many people will jump out at this time."

……

Within the territory of the Great Xia Dynasty, the capital of the Zhao State.

A man sat on the throne in the great hall, listening to the report from the soldiers kneeling before him, and then revealed an arrogant smile.

"Hahaha, my good brother is finally done for. He's sat on that throne for so many years, it's time for him to give it up."

"Give the order to Qin Feng to immediately assemble a large army. I am going to the capital to see my good brother, the Emperor."

At this moment, a minister in the hall hurriedly reminded him, "Your Highness, you must not! The situation is still unclear. No one knows if His Majesty is really on his deathbed. If we send troops now, we may fall into the court's trap."

Upon hearing this, King Zhao said nonchalantly, "A trap? What trap could there be? The court's elite soldiers have all been transferred to Qi to defend against the northern kingdoms. If we don't seize this opportunity to take the capital now, and other vassal kings get there first, I'm afraid that position will have nothing to do with me."

The minister continued, "Your Highness, there have been rumors lately that the palace has experienced the same strange phenomena as those in the Northern Kingdom, and that a Celestial Realm expert has been born within the palace. If this is true, with that Celestial Realm expert present, even if we enter the capital, it will be very difficult to defeat him!"

Upon hearing this, King Zhao scoffed, "A Celestial Realm expert? Ha! You don't actually believe that a Celestial Realm expert has been born in the capital, do you?"

"This is clearly a false message spread by my royal brother. He is already dying and is afraid that the vassal kings will rise up in rebellion, so he naturally has to fabricate the lie that the royal family has produced a Celestial Realm expert to intimidate the various vassal states."

"I know him too well!"

"The Celestial Realm isn't as common as cabbage; it's not that easy to break through to the Celestial Realm!"

"Moreover, if a member of the royal family really breaks through to the Celestial Realm, it can only be one of those old guys in the royal family. Those old guys don't care who the next Xia Emperor is. As long as the Xia Dynasty is still ruled by the Lu family, they won't interfere. Back then, my brother killed many brothers and sisters to fight for that position, and those old geezers didn't show up."

At this point, King Zhao said firmly, "You don't need to say anything more; just do as I say!"

Seeing that King Zhao was so firm, the other ministers in the hall said nothing more.

Immediately, the State of Zhao began preparations, not only violating the military restriction order by expanding its army on a large scale, but also constantly raising grain and fodder.

The actions of the Zhao state were too significant, and the other vassal states noticed what they were doing. Seeing that the Zhao state was reinforcing its troops, the other vassal states instantly understood what the Zhao state intended to do.

Since Zhao has expanded its army, wouldn't they be missing such a good opportunity if they didn't? The vassal kings of various countries believe that even if the Xia Emperor is not in trouble, he will not punish them. After all, the law does not punish the masses. So many vassal kings have expanded their armies. The Xia Emperor cannot possibly dismiss all the vassal kings, can he?

If the Xia Emperor really did that, then the entire Xia Dynasty would probably fall apart.

Of course, the main idea behind the expansion of the vassal kings' armies was not simply to increase their numbers. They also wanted to try to seize the position in the capital. Who wouldn't want to be the emperor? That was the supreme position.

In a short time, the actions of the regional vassal kings became increasingly aggressive, and the Great Xia Dynasty was on the verge of collapse. However, the Xia Emperor remained completely silent. He not only failed to appoint a crown prince, but also failed to issue any orders to the regional vassal kings to stop expanding their armies, as if the Xia Emperor's illness had become so severe that he was no longer able to issue any orders.

Some people even suspect that the Xia Emperor is too ill to speak, otherwise, given his temperament, it would be impossible for him to allow those vassal kings to act so recklessly.

……

The Northern Kingdom, the Hall of State Affairs.

Today is the day that the Northern Kingdom and the Great Wu Dynasty sign a trade cooperation agreement. At this moment, Wu Ming, sitting next to Wu Yunwan, was a little excited. The people in the Great Wu delegation had finally agreed to the Northern Kingdom's conditions. He thought that the credit for this mission to the Northern Kingdom was about to slip away from him.

Thinking of this, Wu Ming slightly turned his head and glanced at Wu Yunwan beside him out of the corner of his eye. A smug smile appeared on his lips. However, at that moment, Lu Chen suddenly spoke up, "Since the Princess has no objection to the terms of the trade cooperation agreement, then please sign it!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the soldiers in the hall placed the scroll of the trade agreement in front of Wu Junwan.

Upon seeing this, Wu Ming was stunned.

What's going on?

Didn't the Northern King promise to let me sign it?

After regaining his senses, Wu Ming was immediately filled with rage. He couldn't hold back and directly questioned, "Northern King, what do you mean by this? Didn't you say you wanted me to sign? Why are you changing your mind now!"

Lu Chen smiled and said, "Your Highness Wu Ming, I am truly sorry, but the terms of this trade cooperation agreement were mainly discussed between me and the Eldest Princess, and have little to do with you. Considering this, I believe that it is only effective if the Eldest Princess signs it."

Upon hearing this, Wu Ming knew exactly what was going on. Clearly, Wu Yunwan and the Northern King had reached some agreement in private, which was why the Northern King had temporarily changed the designated signatory.

Thinking of this, Wu Ming turned to look at Wu Yunwan, his heart filled with rage.

That wretched woman! The credit for this mission to the Northern Kingdom was originally mine, but she stole it from me!

No, we can't just let it go like this!

Since Wu Yunwan was able to use various methods to prevent the signing of the trade cooperation agreement from the beginning, why can't I do the same?

Thinking of this, Wu Ming said at this moment, "I have objections to the terms of the trade cooperation agreement!"

"I believe that some of the terms in the trade agreement seriously harm the interests of the Great Wu Dynasty, and further discussion is needed."

As soon as Wu Ming finished speaking, Wu Yunwan, who was reviewing the trade agreement, said expressionlessly, "Third brother, don't be ridiculous!"

Just as Wu Ming was about to continue speaking, the old man next to him said, "Your Highness, since this trade cooperation agreement was jointly drafted by the Eldest Princess and the Northern King, there should be no problem. I believe the Eldest Princess will not betray the interests of Great Wu."

(End of this chapter)