Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

The emperor, Zhao Zhen, was furious and angrily opened the memorials and documents.

Without exception, none of the officials in the imperial study chose not to establish an heir.

Even Wang Qinruo and Pang Ji have entered the fray.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. From ancient times to the present, the matter of imperial succession has always been a matter of national importance. The Great Zhou has not had a prince for nine years, let alone a crown prince."

In my humble opinion, it would be safest to adopt a member of the imperial clan and establish him as a prince.

Grand Chancellor Fu Bi stepped forward, showing no intention of backing down.

As the head of all officials, and having never had a son, he showed no fear whatsoever when it came to advising the king on establishing an heir.

For officials, all they want is a good reputation and a place in history.

He hoped that the matter of the emperor not establishing an heir could be resolved within the timeframe of his term as the head of all officials.

Zhao Zhen stood up and, seeing that the Grand Chancellor showed no sign of backing down, angrily rebuked him: "Confucius' father, Shuliang He, was seventy years old before Confucius was born. I may very well be able to have another prince!"

"Ke Shulianghe also had an eldest son named Mengpi. Although he was disabled in the leg, he did not die out."

Fu Bi argued his case logically and spoke very frankly.

Confucius was born at the age of seventy, but he was not the eldest son. Even if Confucius had not been born, his father, Shuliang He, would have had a son.

Even though Mengpi has a leg disability, he can still be considered an heir.

"You have no son either." Zhao Zhen's eyes reddened slightly, and he sighed deeply. "Minister Fu should be able to understand my difficulties!"

The emperor played the emotional card.

"I have no son, so I can better understand the pain of childlessness and the importance of having an heir."

Fu Bi slammed his fist on the door: "My son's lack of a son is a matter for my family, but Your Majesty's lack of a son concerns the entire country. It is imperative that a member of the imperial clan be adopted!"

"Peng!"

Playing the emotional card was useless, and he couldn't win the argument, so Zhao Zhen slammed his fist on the table in anger.

It was a mixture of anger and resentment.

He was angry that Fu Zhou, who also had no children, did not understand him, and he was also angry at the injustice of Heaven.

As emperor, Zhao Zhen was actually aware that he was unlikely to have any more sons.

He is already forty-seven years old!

However, even though he knew the truth in his heart, it didn't stop him from hoping for the best.

Deep down, he was truly unwilling to accept it.

This is the throne, the supreme position!

"Ugh!"

Zhao Zhen sighed deeply, leaning against the throne in a somewhat dejected manner, remaining silent for a long time.

"Go down!"

"I will consider the matter of succeeding a member of the imperial family."

This benevolent official, having no other choice, resorted to the shameless tactic of stalling.

The Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet exchanged glances, and then Grand Chancellor Fu Bi stepped forward: "Your Majesty, the matter of the Crown Prince concerns the stability of the nation. I implore Your Majesty to establish an heir as soon as possible for the sake of the people!"

After saying that, he knocked on the door again, this time with a heavy thud.

Zhao Zhen waved his hand, rubbed his temples, and remained silent.

After nine months of recuperation, the people's determination to establish an heir was no longer what it used to be.

"We take our leave!" Fu Bi stood up, bowed again, and retreated.

The other dozens of high-ranking officials followed suit, bowing and leaving one by one.

For the first time in nine months, six Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet have stepped forward to advise on the establishment of an heir!

Jiang Zhao glanced at it briefly.

The days ahead are unlikely to be peaceful!

Chapter 54: Perhaps we can make a fortune off the emperor?

The study in the Han residence.

Han Zhang, Jiang Zhao, Wang Yaochen, Zhang Fangping, Zhang Heng, Su Shi, Su Zhe, and Zeng Bu gathered together to discuss calligraphy and painting.

Among them, Han Zhang, Wang Yaochen, and Zhang Fangping are core figures of the older generation in the Han faction.

The so-called key figures often refer to officials of the third rank or above.

Seven core figures from the older generation of the Korean faction have all been demoted due to the Qingli Reforms.

Since Han Zhang entered the cabinet, the others have also successively entered the capital.

Just like the position of Right Vice Censor-in-Chief that was left vacant after Jiang Zhi's retirement, it was filled by an elderly man from the Han faction named Wu Zhongfu.

This man was also a former censor who was demoted for impeaching Liu Hang and Liang Shi.

Jiang Zhao, Zhang Heng, Su Shi, Su Zhe, and Zeng Bu are all from the younger generation.

Among them, only Jiang Zhao can be considered a core figure, as he is being groomed as the next party leader.

The rest are barely considered "semi-core" figures, belonging to the group of young people that the Korean system is focusing on cultivating.

These individuals, including Su Shi and Su Zhe, were recommended by Zhang Fangping and thus joined Han's faction.

In the first year of the Jiayou era, Zhang Fangping was still serving as the prefect of Yizhou.

At that time, Su Xun had taken Su Shi and Su Zhe to visit Zhang Fangping. The two had been recommended by Zhang Fangping and had some contact with him since then.

After Su Shi and Su Zhe passed the imperial examinations, and were recommended by Zhang Fangping to meet Han Zhang, they became members of Han Zhang's faction.

Zhang Heng's success was due to his uncle, Zhang Dexiang.

The six chairs in the Bianjing cabinet were all inherited from the reigns of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong.

Yan Shu and Han Zhang both inherited their lineage from the famous prime minister Kou Zhun.

Zhang Heng's uncle, Zhang Dexiang, also came from the lineage of the famous prime minister Kou Zhun and was once a party leader.

In other words, Zhang Dexiang, Yan Shu, and Han Zhang were all from the same lineage.

However, Zhang Dexiang was not a particularly strong advocate of politics.

Neither conservative nor reformist.

Before the Qingli Reforms were officially launched, the new political party had cracked down on officials with conservative views, including Zhang Dexiang.

At that time, officials of the new government said that "Zhang Dexiang's entire clan and relatives were suppressed and not allowed to advance."

As time went on, Zhang Dexiang faced increasingly severe suppression, and gradually withdrew from officialdom.

With Zhang Dexiang gone, Yan Shu took over.

They were in a sequential relationship, and even internal party struggles occurred.

Of course, internal party struggles rarely go too far and usually stop at the transfer of power.

People may have different political views, but Zhang Dexiang's experience did not prevent Zhang Heng from being recognized by the Han-Zhang lineage.

The remaining one was Zeng Bu.

Compared to the recommendations Su Shi and Su Zhe received, and the influence of Zhang Heng's uncle, Zeng Bu entered the Han faction through the recommendation of Jiang Zhao.

Originally, Zeng Bu was not a member of the Han faction.

His elder brother Zeng Gong was a disciple of Ouyang Xiu, the Minister of Justice, who in turn was a disciple of Fu Bi, the Grand Chancellor, and was a descendant of the famous Chancellor Lü Duan.

In theory, due to the influence of his elder brother Zeng Gong, Zeng Bu had no right to choose a faction and could only blame the lineage of Fu Da Xiang Gong.

However, this is only in theory.

In fact, Zeng Bu had a choice.

This is because Zeng Gong was not a core figure in the lineage of Fu Da Xiang Gong!

Generally speaking, key figures are subject to a principle of "implicate".

That is, the fathers, brothers, uncles, nephews and nieces of the core figure, who are relatively closely related by blood, will be influenced by the core figure and have no right to choose a faction. They are born to belong to a certain faction.

Marriage, for example, is a derivative of the principle of "involvement".

If the sons or nephews of a key figure in a faction are successful and intend to pursue a career in government, they must never marry the daughters of key figures in other factions.

This is because marriage alliances are also a form of factional choice.

Influenced by their elders, they were born with a faction to choose from. If they then chose another faction through marriage, it was inevitable that they would try to please both sides. In the end, they were disliked by both sides and their careers were ruined.

Of course, if one doesn't care about their career, then it doesn't matter.

Originally, if Zeng Gong had been a junior scholar, he would have been one of the key young men cultivated by the lineage of the wealthy and powerful.

Thus, Zeng Bu could only be "implicated" and become a member of the Fu Da Xiang Gong faction.

However, Zeng Gong did not perform well in the imperial examination.

The upper limit for the third-class Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) was almost fixed. Even with the kindness of being taught and mentored, Zeng Gong could not possibly be one of the core figures in the lineage of the wealthy and powerful.

Furthermore, neither Zeng Gong nor Zeng Bu had any particularly prominent ancestors, nor did they belong to any faction "predetermined" by birth.

In this way, Zeng Bu had more options.

Therefore, after consulting Zeng Bu's opinion, and through Jiang Zhao's recommendation to Han Zhang, Zeng Bu became a member of Han's faction.

It's practically BOSS Zhipin!

study.

The group nodded slightly as they looked at the calligraphy that Su Shi had written.

To be fair, Su Shi did indeed have the talent to become a "great Confucian scholar".

"Beautiful handwriting!" Jiang Zhao praised without reservation.

"Haha!" Su Shi laughed as he picked up his brush, then waved it away: "The calligraphy is not important; what matters is the commotion in the court."

These individuals were either top scholars or junior scholars, all of whom were being groomed as key members of the younger generation in the Korean system.

They were among the first to know about the advice given by the six Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet.

Last year, the Emperor gathered congratulatory messages from all his officials to bring good fortune. Several Grand Secretaries tacitly chose to let the Emperor try to have another prince.

The usually taciturn Su Zhe shook his head and said, "It is said that Consort Rong is favored every day, but there is no sign of pregnancy in her womb."

"Six Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet are all offering their advice!" Zeng Bu said solemnly.

When the six Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet are of one mind, it means that all officials are of one mind.

They can even sideline the government!

Storm is coming!

"Who would have thought it would come so fiercely?" Zhang Heng shook his head.

The officials advised against adopting members of the imperial family, and the group discussed and predicted the consequences, even considering the fate of the six Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet.

However, it was still surprising when all six Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet appeared on stage without any warning.

“This has caused such a big commotion that it probably won’t end so easily.” Su Shi looked at the group and interjected, “The memorials of remonstrance have been blocked for so long. If we want to satisfy the people, the only way is probably to establish an heir.”

"Establish an heir?" Zhang Heng shook his head and said, "Let's not even talk about who to establish. If an heir is established, where will that leave the emperor?"

Once a crown prince is chosen, all the officials will rush to curry favor with him, and the emperor will eventually be sidelined.

Who would dare to follow an elderly emperor who has no son?

Wang Yaochen put his hands behind his back and sighed, "Officials want to be orthodox, but the emperor has concerns. How can we have both?"

From the perspective of the nation and its people, the minister's choice was undoubtedly the right one.

If something were to happen to the emperor suddenly, and there were no legitimate reasons for it, it could very well lead to a "Xuanwu Gate Incident".

It is even possible that members of the royal family in various regions could rise to power.

For the emperor, the lack of an heir caused him both grief and concern about the future of the monarchy.