Do you know: I am Qi Heng

Qi Heng clearly remembered that the Emperor did not agree in court under pressure from the officials.

Although he later relented, it wasn't during the morning court session that he agreed.

Everything has a cause and effect; there must be a reason for the change in the official's attitude.

"His Majesty is already past thirty, and all the officials in the court are urging him to establish an heir, so His Majesty has no choice but to agree." Qi Xuan was not surprised that His Majesty agreed.

Princess Pingning asked, "Has the heir apparent been chosen?"

Once the heir apparent is determined, the matter will be settled, and Qi Heng will no longer need to study at the Sheng family's school; he can continue his studies at the Imperial Academy.

The Great Zhou Dynasty maintained very strict control over its imperial clan. In other dynasties, there could have been some uncertainties before the emperor actually ascended the throne.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, such a possibility was almost nonexistent. If the emperor had several sons and established a crown prince, there might still be a slight chance of unforeseen changes.

In cases of imperial adoption, unless the adopted member of the imperial clan makes a foolish mistake, other members of the imperial clan would have no chance.

"No!"

Qi Xuan shook his head and said, "His Majesty has instructed the Grand Chancellor, the Minister of Rites, and the Imperial Clan Court to jointly select several suitable candidates. His Majesty will then personally examine their character before making a final decision."

Qi Heng felt that things were not that simple; it was certain that the emperor did not want to establish an heir at this time.

The fact that the emperor had people select several candidates from the imperial clan shows that he has no intention of establishing an heir at this time.

With many candidates, the emperor can choose at his own pace. If the officials press him too hard, he can eliminate a few and narrow down the pool of candidates.

The officials were helpless in this situation. They could collectively pressure the emperor to establish an heir, but they could not force him to choose a particular person.

The heir apparent is crucial to the foundation of the nation; even if it were a coup, scholars throughout the land would support them.

However, if it is explicitly stated that the government should appoint someone, that would be tantamount to choosing sides.

If the emperor is forced into a corner and chooses someone else, will the new emperor hold a grudge against them after he ascends the throne?

Therefore, the government can gradually shrink the circle, and as long as there is not only one person left in the circle, it can delay the inevitable.

Although there were some discrepancies between what he remembered and what he thought about it carefully, Qi Heng realized that it didn't seem to have any significant impact.

As long as the emperor does not designate an heir for the time being, he can respond according to the subsequent situation.

Princess Pingning was somewhat disappointed upon hearing this. Since the Emperor had not made a decision, Qi Heng could only proceed with his original plan to study at the Sheng family's school.

After resting in the evening, she talked to her husband about her worries.

"I always felt that the Sheng family had ulterior motives in sending their daughters to school together."

"Madam, you are overthinking it."

Qi Xuan said, "I heard from Madam that the Sheng family is of such high social standing. How could they possibly have such thoughts?"

Even if the Qi family has fallen on hard times, it is still a Duke's mansion. The Sheng family wants to climb up to the Qi family, but even if they build a ladder to the sky, they can't reach them.

Anyone with a modicum of sense would never have such thoughts.

"I hope so."

Princess Pingning said, "Let's see how things develop. Once the Emperor decides on the Crown Prince, Heng'er can return to the Imperial Academy. There's nothing to worry about."

In her opinion, even if the Sheng family had such thoughts, it wouldn't affect anything.

No matter how long the government drags its feet, it should be able to make a decision within a few years.

…………

After the news spread that the Emperor had issued an edict in the court ordering the Grand Chancellor and others to select members of the imperial clan, those members of the imperial clan who thought they had a chance immediately got busy.

For the next few days, the city of Bianjing was filled with discussions about some members of the imperial family.

Some say that Prince Yong is the oldest among the imperial clan members closest to the emperor by blood, and that he should be adopted as the crown prince.

Someone immediately retorted, "He's not a prince, so what's the big deal about age?"

Some say that the Prince of Yan was shrewd and capable, and humble in his dealings with others, making him the most suitable candidate.

Besides these, there are other candidates, each with their own strengths.

Qi Heng couldn't help but laugh when he heard this news.

There were quite a few members of the imperial family in Bianjing, but before that, if you asked ordinary people to name a few, most of them probably wouldn't be able to.

But if you ask the people now, they probably can't even count them on their fingers.

The members of the imperial clan can't even hold substantive positions; I don't know how they were perceived as shrewd and capable.

The Sheng family arrived in Bianjing in early February, while Zhuang Xuejiu arrived at the end of the month.

After Zhuang Xuejiu arrived in Bianjing, the Sheng family sent someone to inform the Duke of Qi's mansion.

Princess Pingning had the tuition fees prepared and took Qi Heng to the Sheng family again.

The earliest form of tuition was the apprenticeship ceremony; there were no academies or private schools before that.

Even when some aristocratic families set up academies and private schools, it was actually to cultivate talent for their families.

To gain admission to a private academy, one had to rely on the other party.

It was only after the Great Zhou Dynasty promoted education that schools, which were truly equivalent to those of later generations, were established.

The government also established county and state schools in various places to cultivate talents.

Children from ordinary families can enter public schools such as county schools and state schools through examinations.

And "shuxiu" has become a synonym for tuition fees.

Qi Heng could not possibly become Zhuang Xuejiu's student; he could only follow him in his studies.

However, one should still be mindful of etiquette.

On the first day of the third lunar month, Zhuang Xuejiu's elementary school officially began classes.

Early that morning, Qi Heng and Buwei arrived at the Sheng family's residence by carriage.

After getting off the car, Sheng Changbai was already waiting at the door.

"Yuan Ruo!"

"Brother Zecheng!"

After exchanging greetings, Sheng Changbai invited Qi Heng inside.

"My family's house was formed by combining two houses, and the front gate of one of them was sealed off. My father renovated the middle courtyard of that house to use as a private school."

Sheng Changbai led Qi Heng toward the private school, introducing it to him as he went.

Because it's an open-plan house, although some renovations have been made, the overall layout is still quite different from that of a detached house.

Both of the Sheng family's residences are three-courtyard structures. The front courtyard of the main residence is where the gatekeeper and servants live, while the middle courtyard is the main hall for receiving guests and some guest rooms.

The backyard was divided into several areas, which were where Sheng Hong's wives, concubines, and children lived.

The other front courtyard was also used as a residence for servants, the middle courtyard was converted into a private school, and the back courtyard was the Shou'an Hall where Old Madam Sheng lived and a small garden.

While Sheng Changbai led Qi Heng to the school, Sheng Sanlan received a series of instructions and admonitions from Sheng Hong in the main hall before heading to the school together.

On the first day of class, all three girls dressed the same: a light green, round-necked, thin satin long coat with apricot-yellow floral embroidery on the chest, and a plain white silk long skirt. Each girl wore a jade lock on her chest.

She wore a gleaming gold necklace around her neck, with exquisitely detailed and beautiful pendants and fine gold threads.

"This gold necklace is quite beautiful. It must have cost Grandmother a lot of money. I must thank her properly when I go to pay my respects later," Mo Lan said with a smile.

Sanlan's gold necklace is exactly the same; it was made by the old lady and was delivered this morning.

Since classes start early in the morning, and Sheng Hong wanted to give them some advice and instructions, Old Madam Sheng excused them from the morning greetings, so she had not yet visited Shou'an Hall.

"It looks nice, but it's not very heavy. I have a gold necklace that weighs more than ten ounces."

Rulan glanced at Molan, as if to say, "You've never seen the world before."