"If you have merit, you should be rewarded."
Zhu Di spoke slowly, attracting everyone's attention.
They were also wondering, could Zhu Di mention the merits at this time?
Everyone knows that King Qi has merit, not only merit, but great merit.
He destroyed two countries, opened two provinces, fought thousands of miles, prospered wherever he went, and made great achievements one after another.
But just because the credit is so great, you shouldn’t rush to take credit.
Zhu Gaojie is already a prince, and there are only two positions for him to rise further, one is the prince and the other is the emperor. The emperor didn't even have to think about it. Zhu Di hadn't thought about retiring yet. Anyone sitting in this position shouldn't think about retirement, let alone a hero like Zhu Di.
The position of prince, given now?
The power of Prince Qi's palace is getting stronger and stronger, and today's ministers do not think that Prince Qi can be awarded the title of prince. Now that he is just a prince, King Qi is already so powerful. If he is granted the title of crown prince again, wouldn't it threaten the emperor's position?
But it is impossible to ignore King Qi's contribution, that would be too straightforward. According to common sense, we should take off the matter of rewards based on merit and digest it slowly. For example, today we will promote Lu Chaoyang of Prince Qi's Palace to the position of commander of the Jinyi Guards, and tomorrow we will promote Yang Rong of Prince Qi's Palace. He was transferred to the position of chief minister of the cabinet to transform King Qi's achievements.
The words of the crown prince are not very realistic.
Zhu Di said: "I want to make King Qi the crown prince, what do you think?"
boom!
The ministers in the palace were shocked and greatly shocked. They looked at each other and didn't know how to respond.
You, Zhu Di, really dare to do this?
This is something that the ministers will not be able to deal with.
Zhu Gaojie slightly cupped his hands and said: "My son has little talent, little knowledge, and little virtue. He will definitely not be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the crown prince. Please take back his orders!"
"I say you can do it, you can do it."
Zhu Di said solemnly, "Since you took charge of the country, we have won many wars outside the Pass, and the country inside the Pass has flourished, and is deeply trusted by the courtiers. If the Ming Dynasty does not have a crown prince, the country will be unstable. If you are not the crown prince, who should be? Become the crown prince?"
Zhu Gaojie said humbly: "What my father said is reasonable. It is important to establish a throne, but my sons and ministers are frightened and do not dare to take advantage of the throne."
The two of you come and go, and you say goodbye to what you praise, and no one delays the other. What they say goes back and forth, and I still don’t understand what the rest means.
The emperor and King Qi were obviously in cahoots, and they might have reached some kind of deal in private. But now they put it out there and said it was a discussion, but in fact a conclusion has been made.
Zhang Fu, Yang Rong and others didn't say a word, just watching the show calmly.
They didn't speak, which made things difficult for the rest of the people.
None of the core members of King Qi's party came forward. It was obvious that they were forcing the rest of the party to take sides to stabilize the matter and allow all voices to be united.
Reluctantly, someone took the lead and spoke: "King Qi is a virtuous and virtuous man who can obey others. He is the most suitable candidate to be crown prince. Your Majesty has decreed that King Qi should be crowned prince!"
Someone started the conversation, and the rest of the group started to talk and began to play.
"I believe that the crown prince is the foundation of the country. If there is no crown prince, the country's foundation will be unstable and the people's hearts will be shaken. Since ancient times, emperors have succeeded to the throne and set up their own empire to govern the whole region. They must establish a prince of the Yuan Dynasty to maintain the foundation of the country and ensure that the Mianzong Society has no boundaries. Now the three kings of Jiangxi, Han and Zhao have all joined the vassal state, but King Qi has a brilliant appearance and a beautiful talent. If King Qi becomes the crown prince, the people's hearts will be set."
This is what the civil servant said.
"Me too!"
This is what the military commander said.
Seeing that the conversation became more and more lively, Zhu Gaojie finally interrupted: "My lords, there is no need to say any more. I feel that the Crown Prince is too anxious at this time. We will discuss it another day. We will discuss it another day."
Zhu Di nodded slightly: "Well, since you insist on this, let's discuss it another day. King Qi has made a great contribution this time to return to the court. I will hold a big banquet in Fengtian Hall tonight. Please go back and rest early. Retreat from the court."
…
After leaving the court, Zhu Gaojie and Xia Yuanji walked and talked, looking very relaxed.
But the remaining people were not so relaxed. Lu Chaoyang couldn't help but walked over: "Your Majesty, just now His Majesty appointed you as the prince, and all the ministers have already agreed. As long as you agree, the position of the prince will be determined." Oh, why do you keep objecting?"
Zhu Gaojie and Xia Yuanji looked at each other, smiled, and said, "Either you say, Lao Lu, that you don't understand government affairs, but Lao Shangshu Xia is much more knowledgeable than you."
Lu Chaoyang was confused, looked at Xia Yuanji, and asked: "Lv is ignorant, Mr. Xia, can you explain it to me?"
He really didn't understand that any one of the people in the court meeting could have eight hundred opinions, but Lu Chaoyang was a political idiot. How could he understand so many truths.
Xia Yuanji couldn't help but laugh and said: "Lu Chaoyang, Lu Chaoyang, you have a great reputation for murder. You are a good at killing people, but when it comes to discussing government affairs, you are really a blind man walking at night with a black eye."
If Lu Chaoyang is asked to kill people, he can kill them more cleanly than anyone else, but if you ask him to speculate on the affairs of the government and play tricks on you, that will really make things difficult for you.
If he had understood these tricks, he would not be the only one left to die in the Guangxi Lu family.
Lu Chaoyang said helplessly: "Old Minister Xia, please stop making fun of Lu."
"Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore." Xia Yuanji said seriously, "The position of the crown prince is of great importance. Do you really think that such a major matter can be decided in a simple court meeting?"
Lu Chaoyang was puzzled: "If that's the case, then why did your Majesty bring this matter up at the court meeting?"
"Of course I have to mention it, but this time it's just foreplay."
Xia Yuanji said calmly, "This time His Majesty brought up the matter of establishing a crown prince at the court meeting. Firstly, he wanted to see the attitude of the ministers. Secondly, he wanted to warm up in advance and prepare for the actual appointment of the crown prince. At present, it seems , when the prince is actually established as the crown prince, it will not be long, it may be a year and a half at most, or a month or two at least. Anyway, it will not take too long. The longer it is delayed, the more changes will happen. Your Majesty is free to make up his mind. , he will naturally not let the matter of establishing a new crown prince drag on for too long."
Zhu Gaojie said: "Now you understand, if I had agreed at the court meeting just now, it would have seemed too utilitarian and too embarrassing. I don't care about attracting criticism. There are so many people criticizing me." , mosquito bites won’t hurt anymore. In my position, the wind and waves will never be peaceful. But if someone criticizes Your Majesty, it will be self-defeating. "
After hearing this, Lu Chaoyang suddenly realized: "So it turns out that there are so many secrets behind a seemingly simple thing. Alas, Lu is a fool and has never read any books. If it weren't for the prince's blessing, Lu would I’m afraid I don’t even know how I died.”
When he was young, Lu Chaoyang didn't understand the world and was full of passion. He drew his sword to help when there was injustice. In the end, the Lu family that was implicated was destroyed by the enemy. After the fall of the Lu family, Lu Chaoyang seemed to have changed into a different person, from a righteous hero to an executioner who drank blood like water.
His hands are covered with blood debts, and his bones are cold and dark, but he is still a decent person.
If King Qi is kind to him, he is willing to risk his life for King Qi.
"Your Majesty, please continue chatting with Mr. Xia, I will take my leave first."
"Um."
Xia Yuanji looked at Lu Chaoyang's back and couldn't help but sigh: "Lu Chaoyang has a really big brain."
"It has its own advantages. If he were the kind of transparent person who is smart and smart, I would not let him sit in this position." Zhu Gaojie said lightly, "There are many transparent and ruthless people in the court, you Why do I prefer him, Lu Chaoyang? Lu Chaoyang is a first-class talent in terms of ability and ferocity. Although he is lacking in human sophistication, I feel that no one is suitable for taking charge of Jinyiwei. He is the only one in my heart. No grudges whatsoever.”
"Yeah, sometimes it's not a good thing for people to live too transparently." Xia Yuanji said with emotion, "The people who have controlled the Jinyiwei in the past are all shrewd and cunning smart people. When a slow person like Lu Chaoyang controls the Jinyiwei, it makes them People feel a lot more at ease.”
Zhu Gaojiu raised his eyebrows and said, "Old Minister Xia, you made a mistake."
Xia Yuanji was a little confused: "Oh, where did I say something wrong?"
"Lu Chaoyang is not a slow person. If he were a slow person, he would not be able to control Jin Yiwei."
The corners of Zhu Gaojie's mouth raised slightly, "He just doesn't want to put his mind on calculations. There are many relatives in Chao Zhongxun who are illiterate, but each of them is better at calculations than the other. Is it possible that these people are born to scheme against others? "
Xia Yuanji was thoughtful.
Zhu Gaojie said: "Don't think about Lao Lu, talk about your own affairs."
Xia Yuanji was stunned for a moment: "Me? What can happen to me?"
He has been serving as the Minister of the Ministry of Finance for fourteen years. He has already adapted to this kind of life. Nothing happened during this period. The only incident was probably the large amount of silver that King Qi sent to the capital from the Yingzhou silver mine. The Ministry of Revenue's finances have become much more abundant.
Zhu Gaojie had a gentle smile on his face: "Why, you, Mr. Xia, don't even care about your own career?"
"Your Highness, you are joking. I, Xia, am already the Minister of Household Affairs. What else can I be promoted to? Three Gongs and Three Solitaries?" Xia Yuanji thought King Qi was joking.
Zhu Gaojie coughed lightly and said, "Old Minister Xia, do you still remember what I said to you on the Qinhuai River Boat?"
Xia Yuanji's heart moved, and memories came flooding in.
At that time, King Qi told him that he wanted to reform the Ming Dynasty's officialdom, but the reform would require bloodshed, and someone had to stand up.
It was the conversation that night that made Xia Yuanji determined to join the Qi Wang Party.
Mr. Xia Lao Shangshu chuckled lightly: "Mr. Hengqu of the Northern Song Dynasty once said, establish a heart for the world, establish a destiny for the people, carry on the unique knowledge for the saints, and create peace for all generations. Mr. Hengqu has four sentences, and I, Xia, only have one. Well, why should we fear death?"
Zhu Gaojie nodded slightly: "Old Minister Xia, when I become the crown prince, it will be time to rectify the administration of officials. At that time, I will be the powerful one and you will be the prime minister and assistant!"
Xia Yuanji raised his head and looked at the sky: "The sky will be clear soon."
