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

Chapter 57 Chang Chao's Coup! (4k)

The morning light was faint, and a cold wind was blowing.

Outside the Wende Hall, civil and military officials stood in orderly rows.

Jiang Zhao, dressed in a red robe and holding an ivory tablet, stood in the middle of the civil and military officials, his eyes slightly closed, his mind focused.

Something big is about to happen at this court session!

However, the vast majority of officials are not qualified to know.

Six Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet wished to advise the emperor to establish an heir during the regular court session.

With Grand Chancellor Fu Bi as the main force, five Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet assisting, and the rest of the people were not even qualified to participate.

The ultimate tournament among the ultimate tournaments!

All the players who are qualified to participate are at least in the top ten of the Chinese server!

Moreover, this is not the same concept as the remonstrance given in the Imperial Study last time.

The remonstrances in the Imperial Study were, to put it bluntly, a private remonstrance by the six Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet.

The emperor was furious and summoned dozens of high-ranking officials in purple robes for questioning.

This time, it was six Grand Secretaries who offered their advice during the regular court session!

He offered advice in front of all the civil and military officials.

Calling it a coup would be entirely accurate!

Of course, as the saying goes, things are accomplished in secrecy, and apart from a few officials in purple robes and special figures like Jiang Zhao, the other officials knew nothing about it.

For the vast majority of officials in red robes, this was just a routine court session, nothing special.

Fourth and fifth-rank officials in the capital were neither "decision-making" officials nor core figures of factions; their special appearances at court were merely a formality.

Compared to decision-making, officials of the fourth and fifth ranks were more like implementers who got things done.

Therefore, many officials in red robes continued to speak as usual, and the sounds of their conversations rose and fell, intermittently.

"Oh! I never imagined that Brother Sheng was actually the father-in-law of Reader Jiang! My apologies for my overreaction!"

"How could there be any talk of disrespect? It should be Sheng who is in charge."

Several faint voices of conversation drifted over, startling Jiang Zhao, who turned to look back.

The father-in-law, Sheng Hong, was seen looking around and occasionally talking to several officials in red robes.

He was about to meet the emperor, and he was both excited and apprehensive, with a strange sense of wonder about the event.

Under normal circumstances, this would be a perfectly normal thing.

Unfortunately, not today!

Jiang Zhao strode over.

Upon seeing Jiang Zhao approach, the officials immediately stopped talking and put on smiles.

"A good son-in-law."

A hint of pride flashed through Sheng Hong's mind, and he called out affectionately.

Jiang Zhao stopped and leaned over to give him some advice: "The Emperor has no son, and the ministers have already decided to persuade him to establish an heir. Father-in-law, please remember to speak as little as possible, or not at all, in court."

By now, all the civil and military officials had already lined up, and the matter was already settled, so there was no harm in revealing it.

Or rather, the overall situation was already set from the moment this regular court session was held.

Once the emperor attends court, he is destined to receive advice and remonstrance.

"what?"

Sheng Hong was startled and quickly nodded, saying, "Don't worry, son-in-law!"

With just that one sentence, seven-tenths of his initial excitement vanished, and he became increasingly cautious.

Jiang Zhao nodded and strode back.

The other officials who were nearby also heard what Jiang Zhao said and dared not speak again.

The Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet unanimously advised the establishment of an heir; this was truly a battle of wits!

Even a small ripple could lead to the demotion of dozens or even hundreds of officials, affecting their official positions; therefore, we must not be careless.

Wende Hall.

The gilded dragon candle burns continuously, its smoke curling upwards.

"when!"

At the end of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), the bell tolled for a long time.

"Summon all officials to the palace—"

The sharp voice of the Grand Eunuch in charge of ceremonies rang out, and all the civil and military officials entered the hall to perform the grand ceremony.

"May Your Majesty be well!"

"No gift."

Emperor Zhao Zhen rested his hands on the armrests of the dragon throne, looking straight ahead.

“A few days ago, reports came from the Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Hubei areas that there were sporadic locust plagues. If the locust plague really spreads, then the land will be barren for thousands of miles and there will be no harvest!”

This usually benevolent emperor couldn't help but sigh and asked, "Are there any people from Jiangzhe below?"

Upon hearing this, Sheng Hong's heart sank, and he secretly groaned.

This trip to Beijing is not a major performance test every three years, but rather a minor test every year, resulting in only slight changes in official rank.

Therefore, the number of officials promoted to the capital was undoubtedly much smaller.

He was certainly not the only official from the Jiangzhe region to have come to Beijing, but due to various reasons, the others may not have already arrived.

Even if they enter the capital, they may not be able to attend the regular court session this time.

At the very least, he was definitely one of the earliest officials to enter Beijing.

Sheng Hong observed for three or four breaths, and seeing that no one had stepped forward, he quickly stepped out.

"Your subject, Ren Shenghong, the newly appointed Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"I know you, Jiang Qing's father-in-law, have excellent handwriting."

Emperor Zhao Zhen nodded, "To govern the country and the nation, how many officials are there?"

Unfortunately, he did indeed know Sheng Hong, whose calligraphy was superb, and whose beautiful handwriting had remained unforgettable for twenty years.

Furthermore, Sheng Hong is Jiang Qing's father-in-law, which makes him even more memorable.

Sheng Hong was startled; he truly hadn't expected the Emperor to know about him.

This is a great thing!

Just as Sheng Hong was about to reply, Han Zhang, dressed in a purple robe and brocade sash, interjected, "Ducks and egrets can handle the locust plague."

"Your Majesty, this old minister has something more important to report."

Ok?

Zhao Zhen's expression changed slightly, and he suddenly felt annoyed: "Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and the two lakes have suffered from disasters. This time, we should only discuss the locust plague. Don't cause any trouble."

Such words, which are almost a warning, coming from the mouth of a monarch, would make even high-ranking officials in purple robes retreat.

Unfortunately, this person was Han Zhang.

Han Zhang showed no sign of backing down. He took a step forward and climbed up the ladder of Zhao Zhen's words: "Your Majesty, all things in the world have branches and branches. Where do they come from? Nothing more than reproduction and succession."

Zhao Zhen waved his hand and shook his head, saying, "If it is a matter of internal affairs, you may come to the study to report it."

At this moment, he still harbored a sliver of hope, believing that this was merely a simple matter of offering advice.

"Your Majesty! A few days ago, this old minister and several Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet requested an audience with Your Majesty in your study, and Your Majesty said that you would consider it. But about a month has passed, shouldn't there be some progress by now? Your Majesty keeps delaying, and this old minister is extremely anxious and can no longer care about appearances!"

All civil and military officials, those in the left-hand position, the most powerful and influential among them, stepped forward.

Grand Chancellor Fu Bi!

Seeing Fu Bi walk out, Zhao Zhen's sense of relief vanished completely, and his face darkened.

He is the head of all officials and frequently offers advice and remonstrance during court sessions!

"It takes ten years to grow a tree, but a hundred years to cultivate a person. Your Majesty would be wise to adopt a son from the imperial clan as soon as possible!"

Han Zhang did not back down in the slightest and spoke frankly in his remonstrance.

The succession to the throne is crucial to the safety and stability of the country. The emperor has been childless for nine years, and the country has been without an heir for nine years, let alone a crown prince.

If none of them advised the emperor to establish an heir, centuries later, both the emperor and his ministers would likely leave a "thick mark" on history books.

At the same time, led by the other four Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, all the officials of the third rank and above in purple robes bowed down.

When the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet bowed to officials of the third rank and above, the rest of the civil and military officials were flustered and also hurriedly bowed, not daring to move.

Having anticipated this, Sheng Hong glanced at his son-in-law and, seeing that Jiang Zhao had already bowed, quickly followed suit.

Furthermore, the scepter in his hand did not fall.

For a moment, apart from Zhao Zhen, no one else stood up.

There wasn't even a single minister who remained neutral!

In the past, some self-proclaimed clever ministers would intentionally flatter the emperor in order to gain his favor.

But now, there isn't a single person left.

For nearly ten years, the monarch had no heir, and even among the common people, there was constant controversy. If any scholar dared to "flatter" him, he would be labeled a "traitor" or "sycophant," and would be ostracized by the civil and military officials, thus ruining his career.

Apart from the scholars, none of the military officers were standing when they hurriedly bowed.

On his throne, Zhao Zhen slowly rose, glanced at the six Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet who showed no sign of backing down, and then at the civil and military officials who were all bowing down. He felt a silent sorrow in his heart.

When did he reach the point where civil and military officials were forcing him to abdicate?

"Are you trying to force me to abdicate?"

Even in its twilight years, the mighty tiger still retains its kingly aura.

Let alone an emperor who ruled for more than thirty years?

This is a scathing remark!

"boom!"

The sound fell like a thunderclap, and the civil and military officials bowed even lower.

Some minor officials even started to tremble, their hands and feet shaking, and they dared not move.

Even high-ranking officials of the third rank or above, clad in purple robes, were all sweating profusely and filled with fear.

Such words of persuasion would have made several Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet back down in the past, and the remonstrance would have ended there.

Unfortunately, with no imperial heir for nearly ten years, both officials and ordinary people had long since run out of patience.

Zhao Zhen also underestimated the determination of the Grand Chancellor.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. These are merely the shallow opinions of your ministers. Your Majesty's loss of your young son is a pain you share with your ministers; Your Majesty's pain for your young son is a pain for the nation! For the sake of the country and its people, we beg Your Majesty to adopt a member of the imperial clan, examine his character, and select him as your successor."

Even when the emperor spoke words that struck at the heart, Grand Chancellor Fu Bi did not back down in the slightest.

As a childless man, he has already cut off his lineage, so what is there to be afraid of?

Whether it was fate or not, the king had no son, and neither did the head of the officials.

There really is such a person in the world who is suitable to advise others on establishing an heir!

"Are you trying to completely break ties with me?"

"Still saying this isn't a coup?" came a furious roar.

Zhao Zhen felt both grief and anger.

A childless emperor, how tragic!

"Even without a son, I still attend court and govern. You ungrateful scoundrels dare to threaten me in this very hall! Cough cough—"

Zhao Zhen was furious, and his words became somewhat hurried.