Do you know: I am Qi Heng

Outside the Longtu Pavilion, dozens of officials knelt.

"My lord, it seems the Emperor is determined not to establish an heir for the time being. Perhaps we should wait a little longer."

"Yes, Grand Chancellor, the Emperor has already neglected state affairs. Our kneeling here is only detrimental to the court."

The emperor is soft-hearted. Usually, if they speak in a strong tone, the emperor will make concessions, even if he does not completely compromise.

They thought that this kneeling plea would quickly soften the emperor's attitude, but after kneeling for so long, the emperor still showed no intention of making a move.

They were all used to being pampered and couldn't stand kneeling for so long.

The Imperial Censor scoffed, "If you want to leave, just leave! Why drag the Grand Chancellor along as a fig leaf?"

These people were advising Han Zhang simply because the news of his kneeling plea had already spread.

Now that so many scholars have gathered in Bianjing, if the competition ends in a whimper, once the imperial examinations are over and those scholars return to their hometowns, the news will spread throughout the land.

How will scholars across the land view them at that time?

But if Han Zhang, the Grand Secretary, takes the lead, it will be a different story. When scholars all over the country start to discuss this, they will also talk about Han Zhang.

Nobody else really cared.

"That's enough!"

Han Zhang turned to look at the crowd: "I don't want to do this either, but the scholars who have come to the capital for the imperial examinations are now divided into two factions. If we let them continue arguing, there may be a problem of factional strife in the future!"

Don't think of this as just a struggle between scholars who haven't yet become teachers.

Those who could participate in the imperial examination were the best of the best from various regions, and all of them had a certain reputation in their localities.

It would be fine if the succession were decided early on, but if it is delayed indefinitely, the views and ideas of these scholars will influence the local scholars after they return to their hometowns.

Such a struggle will only escalate rather than subside.

So-called partisan strife is not formed naturally, but rather gradually forms a group due to various different opinions and viewpoints.

When people are arguing about something, they tend to try to win over more supporters.

Over time, a leader will emerge during the struggle.

When a matter remains unresolved for an extended period, it can spill over into other areas.

Once they experience the benefits of forming cliques, they will continue to do so when they enter officialdom.

Of course, this is only a possibility.

But even if things don't develop that way, we can't let these scholars keep fighting.

The only way to quell the turmoil is to determine the heir apparent.

With the heir apparent chosen, there was naturally no more debate.

"Gentlemen!"

At this moment, Eunuch Li walked over, smiled, and bowed.

"His Majesty is overjoyed that the Empress is pregnant and has no time to see you officials. Your Majesty, please return home first."

Han Zhang and the others were all overjoyed to hear that the Empress was pregnant.

They're kneeling here just to get the emperor to establish an heir and quell the turmoil, aren't they?

Once the news of the Empress's pregnancy is released, most of the turmoil will subside before the baby is born.

However, Han Zhang soon had a doubt: could this be a ruse put out by the Emperor to quell the unrest?

After thinking it over carefully, Han Zhang dismissed the idea; this kind of thing couldn't be delayed for long.

A few months later, if Empress Cao's pregnancy did not become apparent, the truth would be revealed, and it would not be of much significance.

Han Zhang was the first to stand up and said, "Please trouble Eunuch Li to convey my congratulations to His Majesty!"

The others also spoke up, and then left with Han Zhang.

Soon, the news spread throughout Bianjing, and the debates vanished without a trace.

…………

The main hall of the Prince of Yan's residence

Seeing his father's gloomy face, Zhao Min suggested, "Father, should we consult with someone?"

"What are you discussing?"

The Prince of Yan sneered, "A rebellion, is it?"

"Father, be careful what you say!"

Zhao Min comforted her, saying, "Even if the Empress is pregnant, it may not be a boy; there's still a chance. I think we should summon the officials who support Father and discuss how to proceed."

Do you think those people will still pay any attention to me?

The Prince of Yan sneered, "Even if the Emperor favors the Prince of Yong, they will still help me. Once the Prince of Yong becomes the Crown Prince, they will not have a good time."

But the exception is when the emperor has sons; if the emperor has sons, he will not investigate these matters at all.

In other dynasties, even if the emperor had sons, he would still be somewhat wary of the Prince of Yong and the Prince of Yan.

The Great Zhou Dynasty was too strict in its control over the imperial clan, making it virtually impossible for them to successfully rebel.

Neither he nor the Prince of Yong were formally adopted, so they posed no further danger.

In this situation, the government wouldn't target them, let alone those officials who previously supported them.

Those officials who support them will naturally not follow them down the same path.

At this point, it's too late to sever ties; how could I possibly offer him advice?

"So, how does Father intend to deal with this?" Zhao Min asked.

The Prince of Yan pondered for a moment and said, "From this day forward, I will be unwell and will remain secluded at home, and will not see any guests!"

"Father, you mustn't!"

Zhao Min said anxiously, "If we do that, only Prince Yong will be in court. What if the First Lady doesn't give birth to a boy? Wouldn't we lose our advantage?"

"Oh."

The Prince of Yan sneered, "Now that the Emperor has a bloodline, he certainly doesn't want me and the Prince of Yong to continue participating in politics."

But since the baby hasn't been born yet, it's still unknown whether it's a boy or a girl, so the officials can't just say it directly.

I would love for him to stay in the court; the Emperor will surely be dissatisfied with him.

Even if the Empress Dowager gave birth to a princess, he still wouldn't have the upper hand!

The Prince of Yan's move was a strategic retreat. He asked himself if he were the emperor, and he wouldn't want to see him and the Prince of Yong continue to participate in politics at this time.

However, the question of who will be the crown prince remains until it is determined whether it will be a prince or a princess.

Therefore, the government could not directly revoke their eligibility to participate in politics.

It's better to voluntarily withdraw due to illness than to leave the officials with a grudge.

If the Prince of Yong had followed suit, that would have been fine.

If the Prince of Yong makes a foolish mistake, the contrast between the two situations will win him the Emperor's favor.

…………

"Your Majesty, please don't keep staring at me. It makes me feel uncomfortable!"

At Yanfu Palace, after examination by several imperial physicians, it was confirmed that Empress Cao was pregnant, and the Emperor was overjoyed.

The usually frugal emperor was unusually generous in rewarding the imperial physicians, and even gave money to the palace maids and eunuchs of Yanfu Palace.

Then he stayed by Empress Cao's side, his eyes fixed on her, as if afraid she would disappear in the blink of an eye.

Empress Cao knew that the Emperor was agitated, so she didn't say anything. But seeing that so much time had passed and the Emperor was still like this, she couldn't hold back any longer.

"Alright, alright, I won't keep an eye on you."

The Emperor laughed and said, "This old lady He's medical skills are indeed superb; I will reward her handsomely!"

"His Majesty once said that the doctor's skills were not good enough," Empress Cao joked.

"I was just saying that in anger."

The official didn't seem to mind and smiled.

"Old Madam He has done a good job and deserves a reward."

Empress Cao said, "But I think Pingning and Hengge'er deserve more rewards."

"Don't worry, I won't forget Pingning's contribution. If she hadn't brought Old Madam He to examine your pulse, I wouldn't have known there was such an extraordinary person!" the Emperor said with a smile.

"Your Majesty is unaware of this."

Empress Cao said, "It was Heng'er who suggested that Pingning invite Old Madam He. If we're talking about merit, he deserves the most credit!"