With an extremely vigilant mood, Chen Chong officially started the first Taiwan meeting after his resurrection. Because it was an emergency period for the country, all participants had been notified, so they all arrived. Even though Liu Bao, the young master, was old and sick, and suffered from old injuries, he was still carried by his family on a carriage.
There were only about ten people in attendance, and they could be said to be the core members of the imperial court's ruling class.
Since it is not a serious court meeting, most of the dignitaries are dressed in ordinary clothes. They may wear turbans, buns, or hairpins, wear long-sleeved robes with wide collars, belts or belts around their waists, and may kneel or sit cross-legged. On the mat.
Prime Minister Chen Chong, dressed in plain Confucian clothes and wearing a turban on his head, sat in the middle with his head raised.
The others sitting at the top are:
Marshal Guan Yu, Shaofu Liu Bao, Taifu Zhongyao, and Taiwei Fazheng.
Those present are:
Shangshu Ling Huanjie, imperial censor Yu Fan, general Wei Yan, chief minister Nong Mengda, secretary supervisor Wei Xi, Zhongshu supervisor Pang Tong, Henan Yin Yangdan, Tingwei Shangguan Sheng.
In addition to these people, there were several palace officials in the audience. After the results of the Taige deliberations came out, they immediately forwarded the contents to the emperor and the queen mother. After all, now that the emperor was seriously ill and unable to attend to affairs, the queen mother had to intervene in political affairs. . There were still several guards standing at the door of the Chancery, all holding broadswords, vigilantly maintaining order around them.
The meeting was naturally chaired by Chen Chong. But after everyone sat down, they all noticed that the atmosphere in the pavilion was a bit awkward. Except for a few people such as Wei Xi and Shangguan Sheng, everyone is basically an old acquaintance who has worked together for many years since Liu Bei's time. However, since Liu Xie came to the throne, everyone has different attitudes towards the emperor, resulting in divergent positions. Some people are very No contact for a long time. For example, Meng Da and Fazheng have not had contact with Chen Chong and Guan Yu for several years. There are also some people, such as Xun You and Duan Xuan, who have died of illness.
But Chen Chong tried his best to ignore this disharmony, and first asked Huan Jie to briefly introduce Wu Jun's crossing of the river and the confrontation with Sima Yi. After a while, Chen Chong brought out several policies he had discussed with Kong Ming yesterday, and briefly described the ideas and reasons for his design. Chen Chong knew that these policies would not be easy to pass, but he still said sincerely: "In these extraordinary times, we are also closely related to the country's fortune and misfortune. This is like branches and leaves and the foundation. Only with a strong foundation can the branches and leaves flourish. I hope you can still consider it in the long term." .”
However, when the words fell, there were only a few echoes. Except for Guan Yu, Pang Tong, and Yu Fan who spoke in agreement, everyone else remained silent. After a while, Meng Da said slowly: "Prime Minister, these things are not trivial, and they are very difficult to implement. It is better to wait until the court meeting, we ask the opinions of the officials, and then decide according to the situation. If it is not careful, the envoy I'm afraid it's not good for the country if people are alienated. Everyone, what do you think?" Fazheng, Huanjie, Liu Bao, and Yangdan all agreed, while the rest continued to remain silent.
Although Chen Chong had been mentally prepared for this situation, his eyebrows jumped involuntarily when he saw this situation, and then he looked around with gloomy eyes and looked at everyone's expressions. But everyone is an old man who has been in the political arena for decades. They are very sophisticated, and there is no change in the expression on their faces. But how could Chen Chong not understand what they were thinking: The Shangshutai is the place where the general outline of policy is confirmed. If the general outline of policy cannot be confirmed and is handed over to the court for debate, it will inevitably become an endless and meaningless debate. Just a quarrel. Meng Da made this statement simply because he was against Chen Chong, but he didn't want to express his stance directly. The remaining people remained silent, apparently neither wanting to offend Chen Chong nor supporting Chen Chong's resolution.
Fortunately, Chen Chong had already made plans before entering Taiwan. He knew very well that these people had no real reason to oppose him. As long as he forced them to express their stance, the resolution would still be passed.
Just as he was about to continue hosting, Zhong Yao suddenly coughed twice, attracting everyone's attention. He turned his head and said slowly to Chen Chong: "Ting Jian, what you said is indeed true, but it is not the top priority right now, at least not for the moment. Now that we are here to discuss matters, we first need to discuss an urgent matter , it is an urgent matter that cannot be delayed, and it is also a matter of great significance to the future."
Chen Chong stared at Zhong Yao for a moment and asked: "But I don't know what Yuan Chang said?"
Zhong Yao replied: "Although this statement was not made by my ministers, I have to say it for the sake of the Sheji Ancestral Temple. It is urgent for the country to establish a heir apparent!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Chong could hardly believe it. As if he had gotten to know Zhong Yao again, he unconsciously straightened his back and clenched his fists, looking at his long-time friend with a new look. But in officialdom, dignity is more important than human relations. Even if there are thousands of waves in his heart, he must suppress them.
Although the emperor is seriously ill, he is still young, only thirty years old. Although his body is weak, it cannot be called a terminal illness. As long as he takes good care of himself for a period of time, the possibility of recovery is very high. But at this time, Zhong Yao, as the head of the country, suddenly said that he wanted to establish a heir apparent. Who should be appointed as the reserve? The emperor's only prince had died, and there was no suitable heir. Moreover, this is unreasonable. Emperor Xiaohuan had no children and had no intention of establishing a heir apparent. No matter how unwilling Chen Fan and others were, they could only obey the will and wait for his death before appointing a new emperor. At present, Liu Xie has also not issued an edict, and Zhong Yao proposes to establish a heir at this time, which is simply ridiculous.
It was not difficult for Chen Chong to guess that if Zhong Yao dared to raise this matter at this time, he must have the support of the nobles and the Queen Mother Liu Jia. I am afraid that he had hinted it to the emperor before. No wonder Ajian is so depressed! Chen Chong let out a breath and thought over and over how to deal with this matter. He looked at Guan Yu aside. The two looked at each other and understood. They planned to wait for Zhong Yao to finish his words before trying to counterattack.
Zhong Yao continued: "Although His Majesty is still young, he has no heirs after all, and the court has been worried about this for a long time. Now Guang Ji is unlucky, so that her post is vacant, and she has nothing to do. Now she is suffering a big defeat, so the so-called Chi County waits and sees , the suspicion between the north and the south is nothing more than this. If the name and succession cannot be determined early, the rumors will be rampant and the heroes will be shaken. Therefore, regardless of public or private palaces, it is necessary to establish heirs now without delay." After saying this, he He also looked around and said to the palace people who were watching: "This is also what the Queen Mother agreed to after I discussed it with the Queen Mother, don't you think so?"
After seeing the palace maid over there nodding, everyone began to express their opinions. Fazheng, Meng Da, Liu Bao, and Yang Dan immediately agreed, saying that it was indeed the case. Huan Jie, Wei Xi, Yu Fan, Wei Yan, and Shangguan Sheng hesitated a little and could not find any reason to shirk, so they said they could discuss it. Only Pang Tong and Guan Yu looked at Chen Chong, ready to advance or retreat with him.
Chen Chong took one look at the situation and knew that Zhong Yao had already made up his mind before taking action. He had calculated well before launching an attack today. Even if he objected, he could not stop this issue, so he simply went along with the flow and asked without changing his expression: "I don't know. Who does Yuan Chang intend to elect as the crown prince?"
Zhong Yao has completely taken over the right to speak at this time, as if he is the host. Zhong Yao said: "Your Majesty has no children at the moment, so naturally he has to choose from his direct brothers, and they are nothing more than King Pingyang and King Zhao. Both of them have their own strengths. King Pingyang is a good man, and King Zhao is a good man. Talent. But I think it depends on everyone’s opinion as to who is the best.”
Almost without any hesitation, Fazheng stood up and said: "What is there to say? In terms of age, King Pingyang is older than King Zhao. In terms of talent, King Pingyang is virtuous, clear, loyal, sincere, and talented. He is so popular in the capital, how can King Zhao compare with him? If we want to choose between two people to establish the throne, King Pingyang should be the best candidate."
After he finished speaking, the others agreed again. After all, anyone with a discerning eye could see that Liu Dan was much better than Liu Cheng in terms of his conduct as a person, his writing skills, and his military strategy. Taking Liu Dan as the crown prince was logical and reasonable, and there was no way to object to it. of.
However, Chen Chong remained silent, and Guan Yu was also silent, causing Shangshu Taichung to fall into an extremely awkward silence. Chen Chong could not make a conclusion, and no one else could say whether the meeting was passed. For a moment, everyone stared at Chen Chong, wondering what he meant.
When the rest of the people became a little anxious, Chen Chong said slowly: "Yuan Chang said that he would establish a crown prince. I have no objection."
Everyone was relieved, thinking that Chen Chong was also planning to compromise on this, but unexpectedly he continued: "But whether it is to establish King Pingyang or King Zhao, I think it is not appropriate."
Meng Da immediately questioned loudly: "Prime Minister, the so-called distinction between concubines and concubines and the order of superiority and inferiority are known to the whole world. However, King Pingyang and King Zhao are the direct bloodline of the late emperor. How can they be abandoned and established separately? This is a disorder of destiny!"
But Chen Chong, sitting upright like a mountain, questioned: "Does Zidu mean to exterminate His Majesty?"
This sentence was like thunder striking through the night sky. Mengda was shocked when he said it. He hurriedly denied: "Where did the Prime Minister's words come from? I am also a public-spirited person, so I said that I will establish a direct descendant. Your Majesty has no heirs, and it is known to the whole world. , as the Prime Minister intended, could there be other heirs?"
Chen Chong said: "Because your Majesty has no heirs, as ministers, we should not cause your majesty to die. Although your majesty's condition is serious, it is not terminal. Since we have established a heir, we must consider it for your majesty. Of course, it must be from the clan. Choosing virtuous people and adopting them as His Majesty's legitimate sons can not only establish the throne of the emperor, but also comfort the Queen's spirit, and prevent her from being left with no one to support her. We ministers have fulfilled our duty as ministers. Points, isn’t it?”
Zhong Yao and others were stunned by what they said. They didn't expect it at all, but when they wanted to refute it, they found that their words were impeccable. Guan Yu stood up at the right time and said loudly to everyone: "What my brother said is true. If a minister cannot consider the monarch, he must have selfish motives. I will fight him to the death!" After that, he raised his eyebrows and looked to the left and right. , no one dared to look at him.
Chen Chong took advantage of the situation and said: "Then the matter is settled. Let's discuss it again after Zong Zheng (Liu Qi) and I look through the documents to see which candidates are suitable."
In this way, the first intra-Korean meeting after Chen Chong's resurrection ended in discord.
