When Zhu Jingkun arrived at the Palace of Heavenly Purity, he saw his father and mother discussing something with serious expressions. "Your son pays his respects to Imperial Father and Imperial Mother!
"My son is here! No need to be so polite. Can I have breakfast?”When Tian Zi saw Zhu Jingkun, he gave him a kind look.
"Thank you for your concern, Imperial Father. Your son has already eaten.”
Empress Wang also said,""That's good! My son is still growing, so he must eat his three meals on time. Quickly come and sit beside mother. Let mother see if my Kun 'er has grown fat!”
Zhu Jingkun didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Under Empress Wang's doting expression, he obediently sat down beside her and allowed her to pull him into her embrace, her hands constantly rubbing his little face.
"Yes, my Kun 'er has indeed gained weight. Look, there's more flesh on his face than before!”
Zhu Jianyi, who was watching this scene from the side, was extremely gratified. However, when he thought of what he wanted to say today, he said seriously,"My son, today, my father will pass a heavy responsibility to you. I wonder if my son is willing to accept it?”
Hearing these words, Zhu Jingkun was slightly stunned. Although he was not sure what was going on, he said seriously,"Your son is willing to share Imperial Father's worries!"
Obviously, Zhu Jianyi was very satisfied with his son's attitude. Then, he nodded slowly with a serious expression and said,"I believe that my son also knows that my Great Ming has been passed down for twenty-four generations. If we look at the history of the country, it is only second to the Eastern and Western Zhou Dynasties. Your Imperial Father, including the late High Emperor and Retired Emperor, has always been a single heir. Thus, to avoid unnecessary trouble, your mother and I have decided to officially establish the Eastern Palace and make you the Crown Prince!
Zhu Jingkun was stunned. He had never thought that his father would make him the Crown Prince.
"Imperial Father, isn't this a little too early? You are in your prime and should have a long life. Why should you consider this matter so early? It's not too late to discuss this matter in the future.”
At this moment, the Empress added," Kun 'er, you don't have to decline. Your father's health is no longer the same as before due to the toil of the state affairs for more than 20 years. Kun' er, you are naturally intelligent. Although you are only four years old, you are not inferior to a 20-year-old man. Therefore, you should take on the position of Crown Prince and share your father's worries!”
Zhu Jingkun was not only frightened but also excited. Although he was the only son of the current emperor, he was still young and had a bad reputation. There were many things that he could not let go of. He could only do it in secret. Now, being conferred the title of Crown Prince was equivalent to having a political status second only to the Emperor and possessing his own power in the Eastern Palace. This was a political team that was modeled after the system of the Imperial Court. More importantly, he could openly form a private guard similar to the Emperor's Imperial Army, the Crown Prince's Commanders. Of course, the number was strictly limited. Moreover, the Six Commanders of the Eastern Palace were stationed far away in the outskirts of the capital, and there was no decree from the Emperor. Even the Crown Prince did not have the right to transfer them…But no matter what, at least he had a nominal private army. This way, he could use the Eastern Palace and the Crown Prince to exert influence on the court and the army, and establish his own power as soon as possible…
Zhu Jingkun was somewhat uneasy as he calculated the relationship between the two. Zhu Jianyi thought that his son was shocked by this sudden news. After all, he was not even five years old. When he suddenly heard that he was going to be conferred the title of Crown Prince, he must be nervous, so he said in a gentle tone,"My son, I know this a little too early, but you are naturally intelligent and knowledgeable. I believe that you can shoulder this heavy burden.”
Zhu Jingkun, who had reacted, hurriedly borrowed the donkey to go downhill. He had a determined expression on his face that said,"If I don't go to hell, who will?" However, he was ecstatic in his heart. He stood up and bowed."Imperial Father, your son is willing to shoulder this heavy responsibility!”
Looking at his son's determined expression, Zhu Jianyi comforted him,""Good, this is my royal son, this is the descendant of my Zhu family.”
……
The next day, the Emperor summoned all the officials and announced to the Imperial Palace that Prince Zhu Jingkun would be crowned Crown Prince and that the coronation ceremony would be held in half a month.
Once this matter was out, the ministers were in an uproar. Other than the Emperor's trusted aide, General Qi Jisheng, Minister of War Zhao Ze, and a few other military bigwigs, the other ministers, especially the civil officials, were all shocked.
It was too sudden. The crown prince was appointed! This was a matter of national importance. The Emperor had actually made a decision on his own without informing the court officials beforehand. However, after thinking about it, he immediately understood. Although the Emperor's announcement was a little rushed, as the only heir of the current Emperor, who else could be conferred the title of Crown Prince other than Zhu Jingkun? The ministers who had long known this would not shout out stupid words asking the Emperor to think twice.
Thus, everyone bowed to the emperor and said,""Your Majesty is wise. We agree to make the eldest son the crown prince!”
Gao Hai, who was standing beside the emperor, narrowed his eyes and said," Finally, they had arrived. Then, my plan could begin.
From then on, the Ming Dynasty issued a world announcement: "The Emperor of Great Ming has officially conferred his eldest son, Zhu Jingkun, as the Crown Prince of Great Ming. The official ceremony will be held in Beijing in half a month. At that time, all countries are invited to attend the ceremony and announce it to the world!”
Holy Britannia Empire, Pandraken, Palace of Aries. A boy and a girl were surrounding a young woman, playing with the baby in the woman's arms. The surrounding servants stood respectfully on both sides of the four of them. One could tell that they were of noble status.
At this moment, the steward of the Palace of Aries came to the four of them and bowed respectfully."Greetings, Your Highnesses!"
Then, he said to the young woman,"Your Highness, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has just sent news from the Ming Kingdom. The emperor will officially confer the crown prince on the eldest son of the emperor in half a month's time. At that time, all countries will be invited to attend the ceremony.”
The young woman was Mariana. She was holding Lelouch, who had just turned one month old. After hearing the butler's words, she teased,"I see! However, I heard that the prince is only five years old. He was already crowned Crown Prince so early.”
A girl who was teasing Lelouch raised her head and said,""Big Ming, it seems that their emperor only has one prince. He's so pitiful! I don't want to have so many brothers and sisters to play with.”
Another little boy also replied,"Yeah, why didn't Tian Zi give birth to more children?”
Mariana didn't know whether to laugh or cry when she heard the innocent words of the two little fellows."Now, Cornelia, Clovis. The scene of the Ming Country's royal family having only one heir had always been a topic of discussion around the world.”
It turned out that these two children were the Empire's second princess," Cornelia Li Britania ", and the third prince," Clovis La Britania ". Compared to most of the other royal families who were biased against Aries, these two royal family members were very fond of Mariana, who was born as a commoner.
Mariana smiled as she dealt with the two little guys and asked,""Mr. Edward, I wonder who the Empire will send as an envoy to Great Ming?”
"Your Highness, I don't know about that. However, I heard from other nobles that His Majesty seems to be interested in sending Your Highness Schneizer to the Federation.”The butler bowed again and told him what he knew.
"Schneizer!" Mariana frowned when she heard the name.
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