Do you know: I am Qi Heng

Whoever the emperor chooses can be directly brought into the palace and groomed as his successor.

The emperor didn't even have a son, so how did things end up with the Prince of Yong and the Prince of Yan vying for the crown prince position?

Given the official's delay in making a decision, it's understandable that some members of the imperial clan who believe they have a chance might secretly manipulate public opinion to increase their chances of being selected.

In reality, however, it has evolved into a binary choice.

It seems the emperor can only choose one of the two; whoever surpasses the other will definitely become the crown prince.

Qi Heng, having absorbed the original owner's memories, knew that although the Emperor had no brothers, the late Emperor had quite a few.

The officials had even more uncles and brothers, so if they were to choose one of their nephews to adopt, there were many candidates.

Based on the future development of the situation, Qi Heng came to a conclusion.

It's normal that the emperor is unwilling to establish an heir; after all, the emperor is only human.

Ordinary people, even those who are so poor they can't get enough to eat, all dream of having a son to carry on their bloodline; how much more so an emperor who rules the world.

For example, Liu Bei had no sons in his early years, so in order to keep people's hearts at ease, he had to adopt one.

Later, when a son was born, the adopted son's position became very awkward.

Although the adopted son was eventually executed for a reason, his threat was an important factor.

In ancient times, adopted sons also had the right to inherit.

Although Liu Bei designated his own son as his successor, most of his subordinates would not support a stepson.

The problem was that Liu Shan was young at the time, and Liu Bei didn't know whether Liu Shan would be able to grow up by the time he died.

If he were to die young and Liu Shan were deemed unfit for important positions, his stepson might receive some support.

This would not only threaten his son's position, but also affect internal stability.

The same applies to officials. He's already over forty; if he were to adopt a son later, there's a high probability he wouldn't live to see his son reach adulthood.

He was different from Liu Bei. Liu Bei could find an excuse to kill his stepson, but he had adopted his own nephew. With so many people watching, he naturally couldn't kill him.

To prevent this situation, he would certainly be unwilling to establish an heir unless he was certain that he would not have a son.

But the officials disagreed. What if the emperor suddenly died one day, without a son or an heir? Wouldn't that cause great chaos?

Under pressure from the officials, the emperor finally had to compromise and agree to select an heir from the imperial clan.

But the officials were certainly unwilling, so they could only try to delay the inevitable.

The officials did not advise the emperor to select a member of the imperial clan, examine his character, and establish him as the crown prince.

The official simply selected two people, and testing their character naturally took time.

This led to the later situation where the Prince of Yong and the Prince of Yan were locked in a zero-sum game.

Princess Pingning frowned and said, "This matter is sensitive; it must not be spoken of carelessly!"

She didn't care who inherited the throne, since it belonged to the Zhao family anyway.

Whoever inherits will be adopted by the emperor, and they will maintain a superficial politeness towards her, who is a princess personally appointed by the emperor.

Qi Heng didn't say anything more after hearing this. The reason he said these things was that if things developed as he predicted, Princess Pingning would definitely remember what he had just said.

If you want Princess Pingning to change, it's not enough for him to just act like he's about to go crazy.

The country is easy to change, but the nature is hard to change.

Over time, Princess Pingning might realize that he didn't actually have that much psychological pressure.

Moreover, Princess Pingning might compromise on some minor matters, but she will still be stubborn on important ones.

Only by making her realize that Qi Heng is mature and doesn't need her, his mother, to arrange everything can she truly let go of that controlling desire.

Many parents want to arrange everything for their children, believing that everything they do is right.

It's because they always treat their children like children, and under their upbringing, the children may not necessarily become overgrown babies.

It's also difficult for them to prove themselves and reassure them to let go.

The Duke of Qi's mansion was not far from the palace, and it didn't take long to reach the side gate of the palace.

Because the Empress granted Princess Pingning special permission to enter the palace at any time, the imperial guards at the palace gates did not stop her and allowed her to pass after inspection.

The carriage stopped at the palace gate, and Qi Heng followed his mother out of the carriage. Led by palace eunuchs, they headed to the inner palace.

The Empress resided in Yanfu Palace, the front hall Renming Palace was where the Empress received guests, and the rear hall Ciyuan Palace was her residence.

The eunuch who led the way brought Qi Heng and Princess Pingning to Yanfu Palace, handed them over to the eunuchs there, and then left.

The two were led to Renming Hall by a eunuch from Yanfuqi Palace.

If Princess Pingning came alone, the eunuch would lead her directly to Ciyuan Palace.

But Qi Heng was, after all, a man, and even though he was still young, he could not go to the Empress's bedchamber.

"Your Highness, please rest for a moment."

The eunuch who led the way bowed and withdrew, and soon a palace maid served tea.

After a short while, Empress Cao, supported by palace maids, entered the palace through the back door.

Princess Pingning and Qi Heng quickly rose and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Empress Cao stopped in front of the phoenix throne, raised her hand and said, "No need for formalities, please sit."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After expressing their gratitude, the mother and son sat down.

"Heng-ge'er hasn't been to the palace for some time. I heard from your mother that you are studying at the Imperial Academy, where you are humble, receptive to instruction, and diligent in your studies, earning praise from many teachers."

"Your Majesty, those are all compliments from the teachers. There are countless people with both virtue and talent at the Imperial Academy, and I can only strive to be more diligent."

When Qi Heng replied, he secretly glanced at Empress Cao. She was not the Emperor's first empress. The Emperor was only in his forties, and she looked to be in her thirties. She was not particularly beautiful, but she had a very gentle temperament.

However, her face was pale and she looked very haggard.

"hehe."

Empress Cao smiled slightly and said, "Diligence is good. Study hard so you can serve the country in the future!"

"Your Majesty's teachings will certainly be remembered!" Qi Heng said.

Princess Pingning smiled and said, "Heng'er heard that Your Majesty was not feeling well and insisted on coming to visit, so I brought him along."

"Thank you for your thoughtfulness." Empress Cao nodded with satisfaction.

She had no children, so when Princess Pingning was in the palace, she was raised by her.

Actually, she was only seven or eight years older than Princess Pingning.

To please Empress Cao, Princess Pingning chatted about gossip from the powerful families of Bianjing.

Because Qi Heng was present, the conversation mostly revolved around the children of powerful and wealthy families.

Qi Heng didn't care about these things; instead, he was thinking about whether Empress Cao still had the possibility of having a child.

Personally, he actually hoped that Empress Cao would have a son.

The Qi family's wealth and prosperity were due to Princess Pingning, and also because of her relationship with the palace.

Qi Heng's maternal grandfather died saving the emperor, and he only had one daughter, his mother.

That is why she was taken into the palace to be raised.

Because Princess Pingning was unable to inherit the title, the Emperor bestowed upon her the title of Princess.

Princess Pingning was raised by Empress Cao and had a very good relationship with her.

Once the emperor has a son, especially one born to Empress Cao, then the Qi family's future wealth and honor will be guaranteed.

Most importantly, this can prevent future crises from occurring in the Qi family.