met free Chapter 946 Discussion in the Mountains
Chapter 946 Discussion in the Mountains
Chapter 946 Discussion in the Mountains
What Wang Shouren talked about is a very realistic and profound issue.
Since ancient times, countless wise sages have considered and chosen the system of primogeniture because it is the least bad system.
The biggest problem with selecting talented people is that there is no visible and tangible standard.
You think the second one is the best? Why? I think the third one is the best!
You mean the third elder? No, no, it's definitely the fourth elder.
This unclear standard will make everyone feel that they have a chance.
Even if someone is chosen as the crown prince, others will not think that he is not virtuous. As long as the old emperor is not dead and the crown prince has not ascended the throne, then I have a chance.
So there will be constant fighting, and in serious cases, blood will be shed. In fact, there is a high possibility that blood will be shed.
Moreover, the ministers and factions in the court also have to choose sides. Sometimes they choose sides because of virtue or vice. For example, the Mei family has nothing to choose from. Even if the eldest and second eldest are fools, they still have to support them.
Therefore, due to the influence of blood ties, closeness of relationships and other relationships, the court would naturally be divided into factions according to the princes they supported, and then they would fight against each other.
The system of primogeniture has advantages in this regard.
Who was born first and who was born later is a fixed thing. You can't just close your eyes and say that the third child is older than the eldest, right?
Now everyone's minds are made up. As for the remaining princes, don't think about it anymore. Just be calm. Even if you want to, the ministers don't want to, and no one supports you. What can you do?
This is how the rules are set.
With rules, there will be a stable political order.
Political order is extremely important to the stability of a country.
However, how could Zhu Houzhao, who had read all the history books, not have thought of such a truth?
"My dear minister, I understand what you said. I have been on the throne for 22 years. All the barbarians have been pacified, the people are living a prosperous life, taxes are light, and commerce is booming. Even if there is chaos, it is only a minor problem. The establishment of a crown prince is indeed the most important thing for this dynasty, and it is also the most important thing for me."
Wang Shouren bowed again, "In this case, please make a decision as soon as possible."
Zhu Houzhao looked at the bustling city of Nanjing at the foot of the mountain. "But I have worked hard for more than 20 years, and finally achieved the current situation with great effort and hard work. When I think of such a foundation, I will be very unwilling if I can't entrust it to the right person. My dear minister, you just mentioned many examples, but have you ever thought about Liu Ciqing's words, 'The one who messed up my family is the prince'?"
Wang Shouren could only sigh.
The so-called Liu Ciqing was Emperor Xuan of Han, who was a very capable and wise monarch. His crown prince Liu Shi was later Emperor Yuan of Han.
This old man was mesmerized by the classics of sacred learning. He was the emperor who truly practiced the policy of abolishing all other schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone. Before him, Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Xuan of Han were just lip service. In reality, they practiced Confucianism on the outside and Legalism on the inside, and practiced both kingship and hegemony.
When Emperor Yuan of Han was still the crown prince, he told his father that he was sometimes too harsh. Why didn't he implement the Confucian benevolent government? Emperor Xuan of Han was shocked and angrily rebuked him: We have our own system in the Han Dynasty. We have always used both the kingly way and the hegemonic way. How can we simply rely on morality to educate people like the Zhou Dynasty did?
Despite this, Emperor Xuan of Han did not depose the eldest son and enthrone the youngest son.
Later, Emperor Yuan of Han was indecisive, lenient and indulgent without any bottom line, and did little politically, which led to the decline of imperial power, chaos in the government, intensified social contradictions, and a series of serious social and political crises such as corrupt officialdom, the dictatorship of external relatives, and the rise of refugees.
The turning point of the Western Han Dynasty's decline was the period of Emperor Yuan of Han.
Wang Shouren had no choice but to say: "The eldest son is far superior to Emperor Yuan of Han. Moreover, deposing the eldest son and enthroning the youngest son is the way to chaos!"
Zhu Houzhao was silent for a while.
He looked down the mountain for a long time without saying a word.
Even Wang Shouren, who knew the emperor's thoughts well, didn't understand what the emperor was thinking at this moment.
In fact, Zhu Houzhao still preferred to establish a virtuous person.
why?
Because establishing the eldest son as the heir gives him a sense of powerlessness, he has to accept his fate and see how his luck will turn out for the future.
In fact, problems have always been the norm for a country. Even if civil unrest is avoided, there will be other problems. How can a monarch be incompetent at this time?
Those who support the eldest son simply exaggerate the consequences of the conflict among the princes and ignore other issues in state governance.
It is true that establishing a virtuous person will have the bad consequences that Wang Shouren mentioned, but if a relatively capable monarch comes to power, he can at least suppress all kinds of evil spirits.
The biggest fear is that a general will be picked among the short people, which means the country is on the verge of destruction and there is no hope for recovery.
Ultimately, there is no perfect system, only a suitable system.
Zhu Houzhao believed that he had led the Ming Dynasty onto another path, and if the successor was not suitable, the dynasty would easily end with the death of the leader.
Moreover, we are currently in an era of great strife, which is a critical juncture. If the Ming Dynasty can have two or three generations of emperors who are relatively reliable, then the achievements it has made and the foundation it has laid for the Han nationality will be very powerful.
After a while, the general Xu Jin, who was in charge of the guard, came to report, knelt on one knee and said: "Your Majesty, it is getting dark, it is not suitable to stay on the mountain, please return to the palace as soon as possible."
"understood."
Zhu Houzhao stood up, waved to Wang Shouren and said, "Come on, my dear, accompany me for a walk along the mountain road."
"Yes."
Wang Shouren's health is not very good, but lying down all the time will only make things worse. It would be better if he could move a little and walk slower.
This picture of the emperor and his subjects getting along well looks quite harmonious.
"At the end of last year, the third brother returned to Beijing and said he came to visit you. He admired you very much."
"Your Highness, you are too kind to me. I am just a humble person."
"After returning to Beijing, he filed a complaint against the boss." Zhu Houzhao said in a flat tone, as if he was talking about an ordinary matter.
Wang Shouren was slightly stunned. He did not expect that the emperor would tell him such a secret. "Alas. If we talk about virtue, this is always unavoidable. The emperor will always be more tired. I, an old minister, cannot bear to hear this."
"It's okay if I'm a little tired." Zhu Houzhao walked slowly, talking as he walked, and the guard general followed far behind him, "My dear minister, I understand what you mean. After the eldest prince is deposed and the youngest prince is enthroned, it will cause disputes among the princes. As long as the eldest prince is not enthroned, then whoever is enthroned will create a common enemy, and the prince will be attacked by everyone like a target."
"Indeed."
"Then I will not announce the candidate for the crown prince. No one will know, is that all right?"
Wang Shouren was shocked. "Your Majesty, the crown prince is the foundation of the country. It is related to the survival of the royal family and the stability of the country. If the crown prince position is left vacant for a long time, I am afraid that something unbearable will happen."
"No, no, no, I'm not saying I won't appoint a crown prince. I will, but I won't announce who it is. This way, there won't be a target. In other words, the crown prince will be appointed in secret."
"Secretly appoint a crown prince?" Wang Shouren frowned.
These four words would cause chaos as soon as they were announced.
There are huge implications here.
First of all, it is not in line with moral ethics. The Han emperors have never done this. Not only did they not appoint the eldest son as the heir, but they also secretly appointed the heir. Who knows what kind of accusation will be put on them at that time. The word "chaos" cannot be escaped, especially since morality and principles are a very important part of the national system.
Secondly, it is not in the interests of all the ministers, nobles, and concubines.
Because it will increase their risks infinitely, which is like gambling with their entire fortune.
If the emperor appointed a crown prince, like Zhu Di appointed Zhu Gaochi, then all the civil and military officials in the court would not have to think too much. This is the future emperor, and you just have to obey him.
How safe is this?
If you lick it early enough, you can even get the credit for following the dragon.
But once the succession is secretly appointed, it will be troublesome.
The ministers will be confused, not knowing which prince will become the emperor in the future. What if they get close to one person and another person becomes the emperor? Will they still have a way to survive in the next dynasty?
There is no need to think too much about anything else. Even those ministers who are now close to the eldest prince, such as Jiang Yong and Jiang Mian, will definitely oppose it with all their might.
To put it in extreme terms, if you force these people into a corner with no way out, they will rush forward, put a yellow robe on the prince, and then possibly overthrow Zhu Houzhao.
This was also Zhu Houzhao's purpose in suppressing the eldest son.
Therefore, Zhu Houzhao's decision to let him be regent this time was just a superficial effort, and in reality he would not be given any power.
To directly depose or kill him, or suddenly demote him to a commoner, that is unlikely, as it would require committing a serious crime.
After all, he is his own son.
The mistakes he made in Jiangnan this time were not a big deal in the eyes of the ministers who supported him, and a slight punishment would suffice.
So they tried to find a way to exonerate him since before the grand court meeting.
Despite the warmth of family affection, at this point a situation similar to that of the emperor guarding against the crown prince has emerged.
This is the inevitable result of thousands of years of court politics.
Nothing will change just because Zhu Houzhao is a time traveler.
It doesn't mean that they can avoid this just because they have a good relationship.
The situation of Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao is very rare, and Zhu Biao is also a rare prince who can hold power. And the extremely rare cases are not of reference value.
Wang Shouren added: "If the emperor is the only one who knows about the appointment of the crown prince, then in the future all the princes can forge the imperial edict. If the emperor tells others about it, he will give up the power to depose and appoint the crown prince."
"I will not tell anyone. I will write two edicts to establish the crown prince. One will be kept in my bedroom. I think no one will dare to steal it. Even if someone steals it, it will be fine. I will put the other one behind the plaque in Fengtian Hall. If I die suddenly and don't have time to pass down my will, I can take out these two edicts to establish the crown prince and the throne will be decided."
Secretly appointing a successor is indeed a solution.
But the reason why Zhu Houming was still troubled even after knowing Emperor Yongzheng's method was because the secret appointment of the crown prince was actually not a perfect solution.
Moreover, after the Qing Dynasty implemented the secret succession policy, there were not many emperors. The only four emperors who were actually used were Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Xianfeng. Without enough samples, it is really unknown whether there will be new problems.
Some people even believe that it was the period from Daoguang to Xianfeng that actually had an impact.
Because when Qianlong was a prince, most people knew it was him, after all, Emperor Kangxi liked him.
Emperor Jiaqing abdicated the throne to Emperor Qianlong while he was still alive.
As for Daoguang, he was also loved by Emperor Qianlong when he was young. In addition, in the 18th year of Jiaqing, the Forbidden City was attacked. Emperor Jiaqing was in Rehe at that time, while Daoguang and several other princes were studying. When he heard about this, he issued several orders in succession, including reporting it quickly, closing the city gates, leading people to fight back, and sending his younger brother to protect the queen every step of the way.
In fact, he didn't show any remarkable military talent, but at least he could deal with it calmly!
Emperor Jiaqing was a very traditional emperor, always holding himself to the standards of a Confucian sage. He worked hard for 18 years, but the Forbidden City was attacked. Has there ever been such a thing in the past thousands of years? It was not very harmful, but extremely insulting, and Jiaqing was so angry that he almost vomited blood.
During this process, the outstanding performance of Emperor Daoguang was naturally his "lifeline" and the only consolation. Afterwards, he also rewarded his son greatly.
At this point, what's the point of keeping it a secret?
What really mattered was whether Daoguang chose the fourth son Yizhu or the sixth son Yizhu as his successor. As a result, Daoguang made the wrong choice in this crucial decision.
Although the later Emperor Xianfeng was not a tyrant, he was in poor health and always asked Cixi to help him handle government affairs. The root of the disaster was planted here.
Another direct consequence of poor health is that the successor emperor must be very young and has to rule the country from behind the scenes.
It would be different if the sixth emperor was chosen. Regardless of the cunning mind behind the title of Guiziliu, at least he lived until 1898. Emperor Daoguang died in 1850, a half century in between. If it was a relatively mature and longer-lived emperor, at least the central power would have been stable.
Therefore, there is a fatal flaw in the secret succession.
That is, it completely depends on the emperor's personal choice, and people make mistakes.
There are even some bastards who are stubborn and refuse to repent. They know they are wrong but still make mistakes. For example, if they are bewitched by a favorite concubine, they want to make the concubine's child the heir. At this time, it has nothing to do with virtue or not.
After much thought, Zhu Houzhao still considered this method.
In fact, there was a reason in his heart that he could not tell, even to Wang Shouren.
He was thinking about this during the silence just now.
Just to be realistic,
Whether the eldest son or the most virtuous one is appointed as the heir, how many reliable emperors can there be? How long can the country be guaranteed to be stable? Is it true that each generation is stronger than the previous one?
Forget it, no matter what system you use, after three or five generations, it will definitely become weak and chaotic.
Everything that rises must fall, this is the law.
The year is now 1527. If we give the Ming Dynasty another years, that would be enough.
It is a highly difficult operation for an emperor to rule the country and fight against the whole world alone. It is a rare phenomenon to be able to play it well.
So, instead of doing this, Zhu Houzhao might as well pick the best among his sons and grandsons, so that the three generations of grandparents and grandchildren together can create a stable period of sixty to eighty years.
Let’s take a look at these glorious decades first.
Moreover, with a few decades of time, at least all the old-fashioned people can be killed off, and people born in the new era can grow up to become the backbone, so that the country will not undergo a drastic change.
Then, given the size, scale and heritage of the Han nationality and China, they will always rise again.
Even if it loses everything around it, as long as the Central Plains is unified, its powerful force will radiate to the surrounding areas again. Then the new dynasty will have to follow Zhu Houzhao's path again. Why?
Because that is Han Ming’s hometown.
Because you can't be more powerful than the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, you have no reason to replace him! Even if you survive temporarily, the internal unstable factors will always resist and force the new emperor to do so.
This is the problem with the Han people. They want to be number one in the world. Whoever is in power has to raise this goal. If you say we don't do those things, we can't be number one under the current conditions.
That's easy.
You come down and let me take over. Just because you can’t do it doesn’t mean I can’t do it.
We will always find the right person and move forward under his leadership.
Wang Shouren frowned. There were no heated words between him and the emperor. It was just a statement of interests. After the statement, who could change whom?
"Has the emperor really thought it through? Once this happens, there will be chaos in the court!"
Zhu Houzhao sighed. Although he was the emperor of the country, he had no way to deal with the chaos and fighting after the secret appointment of the crown prince. "I don't want chaos, so I have delayed it until now."
Wang Shouren understood, and he suddenly asked another question, "Your Majesty, do you believe that fate is not determined by heaven?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the emperor stopped and stood still. He looked at Wang Shouren with a serious look, and the old man bowed his head and saluted without saying anything more.
"As the saying goes, being too smart can lead to failure. If you weren't so smart, maybe you could live to be seventy."
Wang Shouren smiled and said, "To be fifty is already a blessing from heaven."
Emperor Zhengde, worthy of being Emperor Zhengde, the meaning behind his words was also understood.
In fact, establishing a virtuous person requires the prince to rely on his acquired efforts, which has a bit of a "reactionary" flavor.
In ancient times, there were sayings that the king's power was granted by God or by man. No matter which one it was, the king was a kind of destiny. In order to maintain its rule, the feudal court promoted the theory of natural bloodline.
Your father is a king, so you are born nobler than the common people, and the common people have to accept this. Why are you suffering? Because you were not born into a good family.
Only when everyone accepts their fate can society be stable.
If fate can be changed the day after tomorrow, then the emperor will take turns to sit on the throne, and this year it is my turn, so why can't I do it?
So Wang Shouren wanted to tell the emperor that appointing talented people would also bring about this kind of deep-seated change in concepts.
Zhu Houzhao thought for a while and said, "Are kings, princes, generals and ministers of different species? As early as the Qin Dynasty, people have been saying this. I am not a tyrant and a traitor to the people, and I don't want my descendants to become tyrants and traitors to the people. They must understand the powerful voice of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang that has been passed down for thousands of years."
"Even so, I still think the eldest son should be enthroned. Although Prince Fu has made some minor mistakes, he was able to correct them. Without sufficient reasons, it would be difficult for the emperor to convince the people of the world if he wanted to depose the eldest son and enthronize the youngest son."
Zhu Houzhao accepted everything he said. After this conversation, his mind actually became much clearer.
"Let's wait and see."
Rather than lying down and dying according to the rules, Zhu Houzhao chose to have a qualified successor to continue his glory for a few more decades.
So there was something he had to do.
He has not yet decided who to choose because he needs to consider his grandchildren comprehensively.
……
……
Most of the concubines in the harem were visiting the Nanjing Imperial Palace for the first time.
It is easy for women to chatter when they get together, and Zhu Houzhao was no exception this time. Fortunately, everyone said it was good and no one dared to complain.
As for the things mentioned, the scope is also very wide, from climate to flowers and plants to food to customs to accents to... the different streets in Nanjing.
In order to fulfill his filial piety, Zhu Houzhao visited the Empress Dowager more often after arriving in Nanjing, for fear that she would not be able to adapt.
As for what I really want to say, it’s nothing, just chatting about family matters.
Queen Xia, on the other hand, considered it carefully.
In the Cining Palace, she said, "Mother, Your Majesty, it's winter now and the New Year is coming soon. After this year, Zaiji will be sixteen years old and Zaizhen will be fifteen. Shouldn't we find a marriage for them?"
Empress Dowager Zhang narrowed her eyes and smiled, "What does the emperor think?"
Zhu Houzhao was not in a hurry before, thinking that he could keep her in the palace for a few more years, but now he changed his mind, "Marrying a wife and having children is the right thing to do. Mother, I think it's all right. It would be best if you all had more children, so that all the great-grandchildren would gather around you and call you great-grandmother."
Queen Xia then said happy words, "Not only that, Zai'e and Zai'e both have sons. When they grow up and get married, there will be five generations living under one roof. Let's all be filial to our mother."
"Hahaha." Empress Dowager Zhang laughed. "This is a big deal. We can't take it lightly. We have to choose the candidates carefully. Oh, time flies so fast. Those two little guys are about to leave the palace and start their own families."
"It is necessary. Even if I am busy with state affairs and neglect it for a while, the Queen will definitely remember it. Concubine Shun, Concubine Jing, the Queen Mother made the decision on this matter, and you should thank her."
After hearing this, the two men bowed and expressed their gratitude.
Since there was nothing else to do, Zhu Houzhao stayed in the harem with them for a while longer.
Listening to Concubine Shun telling a few jokes, she has always been bold, and because she is favored by the emperor, she has not changed her habits for decades. It is also thanks to her that she told some strange words that she heard from somewhere, which made the old lady happy.
Of course, Concubine Ning and Concubine Zhao always had gloomy looks on their faces because of Zai'e's mistake.
Zhu Houzhao saw that the two sisters looked very pitiful, so he went to their palace to stay overnight.
When they arrived, the atmosphere was a bit depressing and they didn't dare to speak much.
Just quietly doing the work of serving him.
Finally, Zhu Houzhao couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Although Zai'e made a mistake, you don't have to be so scared."
When Concubine Ning saw that the emperor had mentioned it, she immediately expressed her gratitude, "This time, I am fortunate that the emperor has shown me grace. I, your concubine, am deeply grateful."
"No need to say more. Remember when you first entered the palace, I said that in the harem, we are husband and wife, and I have always only wanted to treat you as my wife, but the royal family is special... It's not your fault now, as long as... just follow the rules. When you see Zai Yao, you should always teach him this.
Now there are many people and things to do in the harem. If we want to keep the peace like now, we can only make the rules clear. And I am the emperor, I cannot take the lead in breaking the rules of the palace, so it is better to keep things stable. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, it will be difficult for me to maintain it even if I want to. "
The two bowed their heads at the same time, "I understand, thank you for your teachings, Your Majesty."
"Well, it's over now. Don't mention it again. Anyway..." Zhu Houzhao pulled their hands one by one, "We have been married for 20 years. We are still family. I still like you two to serve me together."
Speaking of this, Concubine Ning smiled secretly, while Concubine Zhao was still a little shy.
Although they are not that young, they are well maintained and there is not a single wrinkle on them. But when they are fully mature, they become more attractive, especially with more exaggerated body curves, which is the beautiful mountain scenery that the emperor cannot find in his young concubines.
"Your Majesty, it's getting late. Can I and your sister change your clothes for you?"
When Zhu Houzhao saw this, Huaiyan's eyes began to become blurry.
(End of this chapter)