Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

"What! His Majesty actually wants to bestow the title of Prince of Xing!"

Upon hearing Yan Song's words, Yan Shifan was also greatly surprised.

"His Majesty has entered the capital to inherit the throne, and the Prince of Xing's residence is indeed empty."

If His Majesty had followed the arrangements made by Yang Tinghe and his associates after entering the capital, recognizing Emperor Xiaozong as his father, adopting him as his uncle, and having his younger brother inherit the title of Prince Xing left by their father, it would have been a reasonable thing to do.

But His Majesty did not recognize Emperor Xiaozong as his father. When he first arrived in the capital, he insisted on using the Daming Gate, which was reserved for the emperor and empress.

They insisted that after Emperor Xiaozong's lineage died out, according to the ancestral system of succession by younger brother, Emperor Xiaozong's eldest younger brother, Prince Xing, should have succeeded to the throne.

His Highness Prince Xing has passed away, and Your Majesty, as the Crown Prince of Xing, is the rightful heir.

The order of succession should be from Emperor Xiaozong to Prince Xing, and then to the Crown Prince of Xing.

This was also the focus of the three-year-long debate on the Great Rites Controversy. His Majesty posthumously honored Prince Xingxian as Emperor Xian, and last September he was given the temple name "Ruizong". At the same time, the spirit tablet of Ruizong was enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, ranking above Emperor Wuzong.

The Xingwang Mansion is a succession of a minor branch into the main branch, not an extinction of the lineage or the end of the kingdom.

After His Majesty ascended the throne, the original fiefdom of Xingguo, Anlu Prefecture, was renamed Chengtian Prefecture, and the Xingwang Mansion was preserved intact.

Prior to this southern tour, His Majesty also ordered the expansion of the Xingwang Mansion according to the regulations of the Imperial Palace. Although the main construction has not yet started, many places have already been decorated with decorations that can only be used in the Imperial Palace and the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

How could the Xingwang Mansion be granted to a vassal king again?!

Even if His Majesty orders the Ministry of Works to demolish the part that was just rebuilt according to the regulations of the Imperial Palace and restore it to the regulations of a Prince's Mansion, it would still be very inappropriate.

Your Majesty was once the heir apparent of the Prince of Xing, and should absolutely not use the title of Prince of Xing again.

For example, the title "King of Qin" was commonly used in all dynasties, but no other title appeared in the entire Tang Dynasty. The only "King of Qin" in the Tang Dynasty could only be Emperor Taizong Li Shimin.

If His Majesty were to truly bestow the title of Prince Xing upon his younger brother, many people would likely harbor inappropriate thoughts.

This is a matter of great importance that could shake the very foundation of the nation, and people like Xia Yan would naturally oppose it.

Father was right not to agree with His Majesty's wishes; this matter should not be done, and His Majesty indeed acted without careful consideration.

"That's what I think too. If we really confer the title of Prince Xing, this prince will be in the eye of the storm."

Yan Song stroked his long beard.

"Unless His Majesty intends to pass the throne to this prince in the future, doing so would be harming him."

Xia Yan and his gang refused to yield an inch in front of His Majesty, which greatly displeased him. Although I did not express my opinion, I could tell that His Majesty was somewhat disappointed in me.

Seeing that none of the ministers agreed, His Majesty put the matter aside for the time being and ordered his father, the Minister of Rites, to draft a few names for His Highness.

After His Majesty dismissed the ministers, he kept his father behind and asked a strange question: "Your Highness, can your name be either 'Chen' or 'Chen'?"

The descendants of Emperor Xian, naturally, belong to the same generation as His Majesty, and according to the royal five elements naming rules set by Emperor Taizu, characters containing the fire element should be chosen.

As your father, I also asked His Majesty, and His Majesty's reason was that this prince had used these two words among the common people, and he hoped that they could be preserved.

As your father, I feel there's something wrong with this whole thing.

"Your Majesty has always been a man of absolute power. Why do you need to consider so many things when it comes to bestowing a name upon your own younger brother?"

There is absolutely no need for Your Highness to make such a request to His Majesty.

Having grown up among commoners, His Highness needs a name befitting his royal status to be recognized as he is now part of the royal family. Retaining his original name from his commoner days would offer no benefit whatsoever.

Yan Shifan frowned.

"It is probably His Majesty's own wish to retain the character '辰' or '尘'."

The names of royal children strictly follow the Five Elements, but they are not necessarily based on the Five Elements radicals.

For example, the character "照" in Emperor Wuzong's name belongs to the fire element in the Five Elements theory.

"The character '尘' has the earth radical, which is self-evident. The character '辰' doesn't have any elemental radicals. Father, I am not very knowledgeable. What element does the character '辰' belong to?"

"Chen represents a water reservoir and belongs to Yang Earth."

As the Minister of Rites, Yan Song's talent and learning were quite outstanding.

The character "辰" also belongs to the Earth element in the Five Elements theory.

"They both belong to the element of earth. Perhaps Your Majesty's actions have a deeper meaning."

Yan Shifan pondered for a moment,

"When naming children of the Zai generation, the character 'zai' must include the character 'earth' (土). For example, the character 'rui' (壡) in the Crown Prince's name, the character 'ji' (坖) in the Prince Yu's name, and the character 'zhen' (圳) in the Prince Jing's name all contain the character 'earth' (土)."

His Majesty actually wants his own brother's name to include the radical for earth!

Could it be that I wasn't wrong before, that this prince is actually His Majesty's son?!

"Your Majesty is the supreme ruler; if it is your own offspring, you can simply announce it directly."

Yan Song shook his head.

"Why must Your Highness be declared to be the son of Emperor Xian?"

"Father, the more I think about it, the more uneasy I feel."

Yan Shifan stood up.

"Your Majesty is exceptionally wise. How could you not have foreseen that bestowing the title of Prince of Xing upon your younger brother would shake the very foundation of the nation?"

But if it's the eldest son of the emperor, then it's different.

The prince's birth mother was a maid of "Lady Yusei," so it's quite possible that she knew the royal naming rules. Her choice of the name Obito for her son likely had a deeper meaning.

From the day we crossed the Yellow River, His Highness separated from the southern tour group and kept a distance from the main group for a day.

We are currently staying at Fengle Post Station, which is 60 miles north of Chengtian Prefecture, and have not entered the city.

This is completely contrary to His Majesty's great affection for him.

Now that his son thinks about it, perhaps His Majesty deliberately kept his distance from His Highness to avoid a clash of their "dragon auras"!

On the day of the fire at the Weihui Imperial Palace, His Majesty summoned the old Taoist priest Tao Zhongwen for a private conversation that lasted for almost an hour. When Tao Zhongwen left the imperial carriage, there was a large bloodstain on his chest, which many people saw.

Perhaps it was because His Majesty ordered him to peek into the secrets of Heaven that he was punished by Heaven's will.

Your Majesty is a devout follower of Taoism. The Taoist priest Tao accurately predicted the fire at the imperial palace and even used magic to protect Your Majesty. Your Majesty must have a deep belief in his words.

His Majesty's strange behavior now might be the result of Tao Laodao's instigation.

According to his theory that dragon energy clashes and two dragons should not meet, the eldest son of the emperor, who has come of age, naturally has a strong dragon energy. If he were to be recognized by His Majesty, his dragon energy would be even stronger and would clash with His Majesty.

By enfeoffing him as a son of Emperor Xian in Chengtian Prefecture, using the land of the hidden dragon to suppress the aura of the hidden dragon, wouldn't that perfectly justify the situation?

His Majesty's wish for Your Highness to use "辰" or "尘" was spoken to his father separately.

The son believes that His Majesty is deliberately leaking information to Father, hoping that you can devise a solution that satisfies both sides and alleviates the Emperor's burdens.

"Now that you mention it, I also feel that His Majesty's actions have a profound meaning."

Yan Song was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.

"Over the years, my father has always put His Majesty first and helped him solve his problems."

All the ministers oppose this matter. Your Majesty, you still place your hopes on your father. We must handle this matter well!

"Donglou, you've always been quick-witted, and you're not as pedantic as those who came from the traditional imperial examination system. Do you have any good ideas?"