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

There are countless ways to distinguish between friend and foe, so why bother with a single term?

However, compared to the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Yong, Zhao Zongquan, who had a flawed private morality, was actually alright?

At least he's not a tyrant!

Jiang Zhao shook his head. What kind of ugly and deformed things are they?

All I can say is that this generation's heir to the throne is utterly incompetent!

If we really have to say who is slightly better, it would probably be Zhao Zongquan's son, Zhao Ceying.

At least he has some spirit and lofty ambitions.

He can be described as a weakened version of Emperor Wu.

Even so, he can still be considered a wise ruler.

Jiang Zhao sighed, picked up his pen, and wrote:

"Your Majesty, I, Jiang Zhao, am filled with trepidation and fear, and I humbly submit this report at the risk of my life. Your Majesty is advanced in years, and the fate of the nation is of utmost importance. Yet, no heir has been established, and the people are filled with anxiety."

In the past, when the Duke of Zhou established Luoyi, he prioritized the succession of the dynasty; when Emperor Wu of Han established his dynasty, he also planned for an heir apparent. All of these were for the long-term benefit of the ancestral temple.

There are many virtuous and capable members of the imperial clan who are secretly vying for the throne. If one of them is officially chosen, the infighting among the clan members may lead to internal strife; if a decision is not made in time, the court may be in turmoil and the people's hearts may be unsettled.

Your Majesty, I have heard that wise rulers of old valued impartiality and fairness in choosing their successors, and prevented problems before they arose. I humbly request Your Majesty to establish a secret system for choosing an heir.

Your Majesty may select a virtuous and capable member of the imperial clan to come to the capital for observation over several years. Then, take two imperial edicts, one listing the name of the heir apparent, and place one in the inner palace and the other on your person. When the mandate of heaven has been fulfilled, you may entrust the heir to civil and military officials, and then open the edicts to announce it to the world. All those other than the heir apparent shall be granted official titles and ranks.

If the emperor has a son, the imperial edict will be removed and destroyed, and the matter of establishing an heir will be nullified.

In this way, the dangers of succession disputes can be avoided, and the stability of the state's succession can be ensured. In the past, Zhou Bo secured the Liu family's rule, and Huo Guang assisted in governing, both relying on the strategy of pre-establishing a successor. Now, implementing this method will bring comfort to the ancestral temple above and reassure the people below, truly a benefit for all generations.

Your Majesty, I am filled with utter fear and trepidation, and humbly submit this report at the risk of my life. I humbly beg Your Majesty's wise judgment.

After completing the memorial, Jiang Zhao headed straight for the Han residence.

For something like this, you should get an expert to review it.

Chapter 59 Remarks on the launch

Dear readers, I was wrong! I won't do it again! (Kowtowing) (bang bang bang!)

After writing 170,000 words, it's finally going to be published!

First of all, thank you so much to editor Orange! She's so kind and thoughtful!

Loyal! Sincerity!

Therefore, once a book is on the shelves, it involves the trial process.

To be honest, my previous picture did have quite a few flaws and was a bit weak, I'm very sorry!

This situation will not happen again in the future, so don't worry.

Then, it's about updates after it's released.

As an apology, I estimate there will be about five or six items on the first day of release.

Going forward, the author will try to maintain an update of three chapters at a time (this is really the limit; the author is a physics student, and experiments are such a tedious thing).

I will definitely pay back the three bills I owe everyone.

Kneel again!

It will be available for purchase tomorrow at noon. Please subscribe!

I love you, hmm!

Orz!

Chapter 60: Submitting a Memorial to the Throne!

The study in the Han residence.

Sandalwood curls.

At his desk, Han Zhang held a cabinet decree in his hand, deep in thought.

Jiang Zhao entered and respectfully bowed: "Teacher!"

Han Zhang looked up in surprise, then waved his hand and said, "Zhao'er, sit down."

Jiang Zhao nodded and sat down calmly.

Seeing this scene out of the corner of his eye, Han Zhang put down the government decree in his hand.

In the past, when Jiang Zhao came to the study, he would either find a book to read or practice calligraphy.

Now that he appears so calm and serious, and shows no signs of reading or practicing calligraphy, he must have something to say.

Han Zhang stroked his beard as usual and asked, "Zhao'er, what's wrong?"

Jiang Zhao stood up, walked over, took out the memorial he had just written from his sleeve, and handed it to him: "Teacher, what do you think of this method of establishing an heir?"

Methods for establishing an heir apparent?

"Is this the 'having your cake and eating it too' method that Zhao'er mentioned before?" Han Zhang asked curiously as he took the memorial.

Jiang Zhao nodded: "Exactly."

Han Zhang's interest was piqued, and he began to observe silently.

A secret method for establishing an heir?

The memorial was not long.

Aside from the first few sentences, which are almost formulaic, and the explanation of the necessity of establishing an heir, the real core content consists of only a few sentences.

After reading it, Han Zhang couldn't help but get up and pace around, lost in thought.

The heir was secretly chosen, and two edicts were issued, one placed in the inner court and the other hidden on his person.

In this way, objectively speaking, there was indeed an "orthodox" system, and the concerns of the civil and military officials were dispelled.

As for the emperor, by keeping the selection of the heir apparent a secret, the members of the imperial clan would inevitably doubt each other, thus ensuring the emperor's power.

Most importantly, with each new emperor comes a new set of officials, and the "entrustment of the young emperor" process can safeguard the interests of the older generation of officials.

After a long pause, Han Zhang nodded and exclaimed, "Brilliant, truly brilliant!"

This method, which benefits both the ruler and his ministers, is truly rare.

Of course, if both the ruler and his ministers benefit, then there must also be those who suffer losses.

Those who suffered losses were undoubtedly the two most popular princes, the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Yong.

Originally, the choice of heir apparent was almost entirely limited to the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Yong.

With this secret method of establishing an heir apparent, several members of the imperial clan can be selected to go to the capital for evaluation, and the two princes will no longer be the only candidates.

The minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor is destined to be the most powerful minister.

The existence of regents once again lowered the "power requirements" for becoming the crown prince, and instead placed more emphasis on the crown prince's personal abilities.

At the very least, after ascending the throne, you must have the ability to transfer power from the regents.

This method is interesting!

"I recall seeing a similar prototype of this method in ancient books," Han Zhang said, his hands clasped behind his back as he recalled.

The advantage of a long history is that no matter how things develop, there are always lessons to be learned.

"During the Han Dynasty, there was the witchcraft accusation. Emperor Wu established Liu Fuling as his heir, but did not publicly announce it," Jiang Zhao interjected, having read almost all the books in the library.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, Crown Prince Liu Ju committed suicide due to the "Witchcraft Persecution," necessitating the selection of a new heir.

The youngest son, Liu Fuling, was intelligent and favored by Emperor Wu.

However, Liu Fuling's birth mother, Lady Gouyi, was young, which can be described as "the master is young and the mother is strong".

The Han dynasty system was a dual-palace system, and it was also influenced by filial piety.

Once Liu Fuling ascends the throne, Lady Gouyi will surely rule from behind the curtain, and relying on her filial piety, she will likely suppress the young emperor for the rest of her life.

Emperor Wu of Han was bullied by his grandmother, Empress Dowager Dou, and his mother, Empress Dowager Wang, both of whom were empress dowagers. This caused Emperor Wu to develop psychological trauma.

Therefore, Emperor Wu decisively "removed the mother and kept the son," and ordered Lady Gouyi to commit suicide.

Furthermore, the heir apparent has not been announced for a long time.

Until his deathbed, he painted "The Duke of Zhou Assisting King Cheng" to imply that Liu Fuling should be the crown prince, and entrusted Huo Guang to assist in governing the country.

This is the closest thing to a "secret succession law".

Later, the Persian dynasty used this method during its succession, and it was a completely secret method of choosing an heir.

The "Biography of the Western Barbarians" in the Old Book of Tang records that when the Persian king first ascended the throne, he secretly selected the most capable son among his sons to succeed him, wrote down his name, sealed it, and hid it away. After the king's death, the ministers and princes opened the seal and examined it together, and the one whose name was written down became the ruler.

However, Persia was a barbarian land and was not recognized by the Central Plains.

The claim that the secret succession system originated in "Persia" is certainly not accepted by scholars and intellectuals.

In the past, there must have been officials who had read the Old Book of Tang, but none of them proposed a secret method for establishing an heir.

This was mostly due to the arrogance of the Central Plains orthodoxy, which led them to disdain using the methods of the small Persian kingdom.

Today, it is said that Emperor Wu of Han created the prototype, but the result is different.

Then came the reign of Emperor Shizong of Jin and the secret establishment of an heir during the Qing Dynasty.

However, neither the Jin Dynasty nor the Qing Dynasty had been established yet.

Once Jiang Zhao put this method into practice, it would be the prototype first created by Emperor Wu of Han, and he would carry it forward and make it more popular.

After Jiang Zhaoyi reminded him, Han Zhang suddenly realized.

Emperor Wu's hints about establishing an heir and the secret method of establishing an heir are indeed very similar.

However, this time it was proposed as a systemic issue.

"In that case, go to the palace and present your memorial." Han Zhang waved his hand and returned the memorial to Han Zhang.

On the one hand, he was not the kind of person who would steal credit from his disciples.

On the other hand, as Jiang Zhao's teacher, if this memorial is submitted, the Emperor will surely remember his contribution as a teacher.

This is similar to how a particularly accomplished son is often posthumously honored for the achievements of his father and grandfather.

Giving birth to this person is a great achievement for you!

Similarly, the significance of this method of establishing an heir is immense, once Jiang Zhao solves the problem that has plagued the emperor for nearly ten years.

As a teacher, Han Zhang has done a great job by producing such a good student!

For Han Zhang, this memorial came at a very opportune time.

The wealthy young master, holding the emperor's robe, advised the emperor to establish an heir, but he was destined to step down.

The position of head of all officials will become vacant sooner or later.

He originally had a good chance of winning the position of Grand Chancellor.

Now, this memorial has been issued.

The position of Grand Chancellor is practically in his pocket.

With this thought in mind, Han Zhang put his hands behind his back, and his demeanor exuded an immense sense of grandeur.

He felt he had the responsibility to oversee the two capitals and thirteen provinces!

Royal study room.

Emperor Zhao Zhen held the scroll in his hand, but he couldn't read it no matter what.

He got up and took a couple of steps, then wanted to sit down again.

I had just sat down, but I felt restless and wanted to get up and move around again.

I couldn't walk, I couldn't sit, I was really restless.

The discord between the ruler and his ministers has far-reaching consequences.

Even the operation of the country and its people has been affected to some extent.