After the head of the Imperial Court, Wang Fugui, used his old and sharp voice to read out the imperial edict that the Zhao family had just drafted for less than two hours, Shi Shouxin and the other six who had already stepped out to stand in front of the throne room did not show any displeasure when they saw that their official positions had been removed and demoted. -∑，▽x.
On the contrary, when the six of them thought of being conferred the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households or Marquis of Thousand Households in their lifetime, they already felt that their trip to this world had not been in vain. Immediately, they all bowed to the Zhao family, who was sitting on the dragon throne, and cupped their hands in gratitude. After the Zhao family waved their hands to indicate that they were free from formalities, they all returned to their respective battle formations with lingering fear.
After regaining his military authority from Shi Shouxin and the other six, the Zhao official, who was in a good mood, raised his tiger eyes and swept his gaze over the civil and military officials standing in two rows. He cleared his throat and coughed twice before continuing,"Since no one has any objections to the matter of rewarding the six generals just now, then we will do it according to the imperial edict that zhen has drafted. The first problem was solved. Then, the second thing, I want to confer my fourth son, Defang, the title of King. What do you think? I've called all the ministers here today to hear their opinions on this.”
"In the official's words, since the Fourth Prince is already sixteen years old, he can be considered an adult. Since when the government established our Song Dynasty, it was decided that any prince who reached the age of sixteen would be crowned king. Today, His Highness the Fourth is just sixteen years old. As the saying goes,'A ruler does not joke.' This old official thinks that His Highness the Fourth should be crowned as king.”As soon as Zhao Guan's voice fell, Prime Minister Zhao Pu, who was standing at the head of the officials on the right, held his board with both hands and expressed his agreement righteously.
Seeing that Prime Minister Zhao Pu, whom he relied heavily on, was the first to stand up and support his fourth son, Defang, to be crowned king, the Zhao family was greatly gratified. They felt that Zhao Pu was indeed worthy of being one of the few trusted ministers. Although Zhao Guanjia was extremely happy in his heart, he had to pretend to be ordinary on the surface.
"Imperial brother, this minister's younger brother has a different view on this. No, I don't know if I should say it.”Prince Jin Zhao Guangyi, who was standing at the front of the row of officials on the left, had originally planned to wait and see. What he did not expect was that the usually experienced and prudent Zhao Pu could not hold back his anger and expressed his stance. Naturally, he did not dare to be negligent. He immediately stood out and held his board with both hands. He slightly lowered his head towards his royal brother Zhao Guanjia, pretending to be hesitant to speak and said noncommittally.
On some important military matters, Zhao Pu, the Prime Minister, and Zhao Guangyi, the King of Jin, had always held opposing political views. However, what the Zhao family did not expect was that when it came to conferring the title of King to his fourth son, Zhao Defang, which was a good thing for the Zhao family, his brother, who was deeply related to him, actually opposed it. This was indeed unexpected.
In just a few moments, the shrewd Zhao family only thought for a moment and remembered that this brother of his was on the side of the King of Wei, Zhao Dezhao, or the Fourth Prince, Zhao Defang, in the matter of the Crown Prince. Thus, a few traces of displeasure appeared on his face. However, it flashed past in a barely noticeable manner and was not seen by the ministers in the throne room.
"Jin Wang, if you have something to say, just say it. If your words are offensive, Zhen will pardon you.”However, in a flash, Zhao Guanjia's expression returned to normal. He smiled as he looked at Prince Jin Zhao Guangyi, who was standing in front of him with his head lowered and his hand holding the board. He waved his hand and said with a pleasant expression.
Since he had removed his worries, Prince Jin Zhao Guangyi naturally did not have any burden on his mind. Therefore, he continued to hold the board with his head lowered and said,"Replying to Imperial Older Brother, Chen Younger Brother thinks that De Fang has grown up in the Palace for many years and has almost zero experience in participating in politics. On the matter of enfeoffing a king and participating in politics, he could not be too hasty. He should be mysterious and gradual. Right now, it was enough for the King of Wei to assist his Imperial Brother in handling some court affairs. If he arranged for the inexperienced Fourth Prince to participate, he was afraid that it would backfire and backfire. My brother's words are from the bottom of his heart. Please enlighten me, brother.”Zhao Guangyi, King of Jin
Pretending to be sincere from the bottom of his heart, he expressed his thoughts to the Zhao family's official who was sitting on the dragon throne, the smile on his face almost frozen.
The older the ginger, the spicier. The hidden Prince of Jin, Zhao Guangyi, tactfully expressed his disapproval of the eagerness to confer Zhao Defang the title of king. At the same time, he also seized the opportunity to praise the Prince of Wei, Zhao Dezhao. He must have wanted to achieve a double meaning with his words. These words were not only for the Zhao family sitting on the dragon throne to hear, but also for his colleagues standing around him to hear. This was to express that he was standing on the side of the King of Wei from the beginning to the end.
"Prince Jin's words are not without reason. However, I am the ruler of a country, and I am not joking. Since I said at the beginning of the founding of the country that all my princes would be crowned kings after they turned sixteen, I will not allow them to do so. Now, my fourth son, Defang, has just turned sixteen. If I don't make him king, won't I go back on my word?”Sitting on the dragon throne, the Zhao family's official swept his gaze over the officials standing below. His face was filled with worry as he spoke in a somewhat troubled manner.
Since this matter made the Zhao family worry, as a subject, he naturally had to share the worry for the Zhao family. As soon as Zhao Guanjia finished speaking, the officials standing on the left and right of the throne room stepped forward one after another to express their stance on this matter.
In just an hour, more than ten ministers stood out from the queue to express their views. In conclusion, the number of ministers who supported Zhao Defang being crowned king and the number of ministers who opposed Zhao Defang being crowned king were evenly matched.
Although they all said that they were speaking from the bottom of their hearts, the Zhao family was clear in their hearts. The instigators behind this must be Prime Minister Zhao Pu and Prince Jin Zhao Guangyi.
However, no matter what, he had to confer the title of King to his fourth son, Zhao Defang. But now, seeing that the entire court was practically a pot of porridge, the ministers could not reach a consensus at all. This indeed caused the Zhao family, who was sitting on the dragon throne, a headache.
But then again, the Zhao family was the ruler of the Great Song. When it came to the matter of making his fourth son, Zhao Defang, king, he only needed to issue an imperial edict. He did not need to listen to the opinions of these quarreling officials.
However, the reason why the Zhao family did not do this was because in his opinion, he wanted Zhao Defang to be crowned king and obtain the support of the court officials. This way, the Wang family would not be conferred in the future. However, the ministers of the imperial court ignored Zhao Defang, who had just entered politics.
There was another more important reason. The Zhao family also wanted to use this matter to see how many officials in the court were here to support the fourth son. In the future, if he really wanted to pass the throne to his fourth son, Zhao Defang, who would have to be entrusted with heavy responsibilities and who would have to be removed from office? Today, after this matter, Zhao Guanjia probably had an idea in his heart. In that case, his goal would be completely achieved.
"Ministers, listen to me first.”Seeing the ministers from both sides arguing until their faces turned red, Zhao Guan, who was sitting on the dragon throne, could not stand it anymore. After he stood up from the dragon throne with a "leap", he spread his hands and pressed them down. He blurted out this sentence without anger.
As soon as Zhao Guanjia finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent again. If a strand of hair fell to the ground, it would be clearly audible.
"Ministers, if you continue to argue like this, I'm afraid you won't be able to come up with an answer for some time. Just now, the Prime Minister and the King of Jin made sense. I have decided to confer the title of King on the Fourth Prince today. However, he will not be allowed to participate in the government for the time being. I will only confer him an official position after the Fourth Prince has practiced hard and is familiar with the government. I wonder if any of you have any objections to my idea?”Standing up, Zhao Guanjia walked down the steps of the throne room. With his hands behind his back, he walked to the wide aisle between the two rows of officials on the left and right. As he spoke, he looked around with his sharp eyes.
The officials who had been standing in their original spots, silent as cicadas in winter, saw Zhao Guan walk down from the throne room and heard the tone in which he did not allow anyone to refute him. They were all terrified and their faces were filled with fear. After a long while, no one dared to stand up and object.
In the eyes of the Zhao family, if Prime Minister Zhao Pu and Prince Jin Zhao Guangyi had no objections, then the other officials would naturally have objections. Therefore, he took the initiative to seek their opinions.
Prime Minister Zhao Pu and Prince Jin Zhao Guangyi were both experienced politicians. They were good at observing people's expressions. Seeing the unquestionable stance of the Zhao family, if they continued to be stubborn, they would probably make the Zhao family furious. Naturally, they did not dare to go against the emperor's will and all nodded in agreement.
In fact, this result was already considered to have achieved each other's goals.
For example, Prime Minister Zhao Pu had always hoped that the Zhao family would follow the tradition of the " eldest son system ", which was to confer the title of Crown Prince on the only son of the Empress, Zhao Defang. Now, he could be conferred the title of King first and then slowly participate in the government in the future. He could still accept it.
As the saying goes, this old chicken soup with a fresh taste must be stewed slowly over a low fire. If he was too eager for success, the effect would be counterproductive.
As for Prince Jin Zhao Guangyi, his original goal was to first support the Prince of Wei, Zhao Dezhao, whom he regarded as a " puppet." After the Zhao family abdicated, when the time was ripe, he could find a reason to oust the puppet emperor, Zhao Defang, from the throne. Then, he could replace him.
However, this Empress Li and her son, the Fourth Prince, had always been a thorn in his side. Now, if Zhao Defang was conferred the title of king and participated in the government, coupled with the secret support of Prime Minister Zhao Pu, the position of Crown Prince would probably really fall into the hands of the " eldest son," Zhao Defang.
At present, although the Zhao family had conferred Zhao Defang the title of King, they would temporarily not allow him to participate in the government affairs and cut off his chances of having too much contact with the ministers who supported him in the court. They would try their best to delay as long as possible. In his opinion, this was probably the only way to prevent Zhao Defang from seizing the position of Crown Prince.
"Since none of you have any objections, then I will announce to the world that the fourth prince, Zhao Defang, will be crowned king.”The Zhao family official who sat back on the dragon throne said in a clear voice.
As soon as he finished speaking, he swept his tiger-like eyes across the civil and military officials standing below. His gaze searched among the officials as if he was looking for something. In just a few moments, he finally found the Fourth Prince Zhao Defang at the end of the line of officials on the right.
"My son De Fang, quickly come out and listen to the decree.”When Zhao Guanjia saw his fourth son standing at the tail of the official team on the right, he felt angry and amused. However, a few traces of joy flashed across his face. He stretched out a hand and pointed at the position of the palace door as he announced in a clear voice.
As soon as Zhao Guanjia finished speaking, all the civil and military officials looked in the direction of his finger. Pairs of surprised eyes were cast towards the entrance of the hall. They saw a handsome young man wearing bright yellow casual clothes, looking up at the painted beams and carved pillars on the roof of the Purple Mansion Hall as if nothing had happened. Those officials who did not know who the Fourth Prince Zhao Defang was were all shocked when they saw Zhao Defang's attire. They felt that it was unbelievable.
"I, Defang, await Imperial Father's orders.”After being called out by the Zhao family's official, Zhao Defang, who was looking around just now, quickly withdrew her gaze and stood out. Facing the kind Zhao family's official sitting on the dragon throne, she lowered her head and bowed, cupped her hands, and bowed in response.
"My son, Defang, listen to the decree. I confer you the title of King of Qin. From today onwards, the Eastern Palace will be changed to King of Qin Fu. Without my permission, the King of Qin Defang cannot participate in court affairs. He should study hard, read more books of sages, and practice more methods of killing enemies. A month later, I will personally evaluate him. Only after passing the assessment could they participate in court politics and lead troops to war. Qin Defang, do you understand?”Zhao Guanjia, who was sitting on the dragon throne, had a solemn expression as he announced to Zhao Defang with a dignified expression.
"Your son has received the decree. Your son understands.”Zhao Defang, who was standing on the spot and waiting for orders, quickly lowered her head and bowed when she heard that she had been conferred the title of King Qin. She cupped her hands and thanked him excitedly.
Immediately after, all the civil and military officials in the court sang in unison,"The government is wise, the government is wise!"
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