"Father! You must help me!" Zhao Ji cried so miserably in Zhao Kai's office.
Recently, His Royal Highness has basically no supporters in the court. A prince who has lost the support of important ministers in the court is definitely in a very dangerous position.
Zhao Kai was also aware of this problem, but for him as the emperor, his perspective on things was completely different from that of the prince.
As an emperor, he does not want the prince he has chosen to be too arrogant and jump out of the way. Because if the prince is too strong, he will challenge the imperial power of the emperor.
If the prince formed gangs, bought people's hearts, and got involved in the army in his early years... Zhao Kai would definitely destroy the prince Zhao Ji and replace him with a more obedient being.
But if a prince behaves too much in the process of fighting for the heir apparent, then as an emperor, he will start to worry about whether the heir he chooses has abilities.
A weak prince is not reassuring. The emperor will worry that after he ascends the throne in the future, he will become the puppet of an important minister, lose the authority of the imperial power, and lose control of the court.
Therefore, choosing a prince has always been the most difficult thing for an emperor: conversely, being a prince is not an easy task either.
In addition to the two balances of not being too strong and not being too incompetent, as a prince, he also had to do what he wanted, strive to be loved by the emperor's father, and play his emotional cards well to stabilize his position.
Fortunately, Zhao Kai's eldest son Zhao Ji is very talented in this area. After he was established as the crown prince, he has been performing well and is deeply loved by Zhao Kai.
Zhao Ji first got the support of the Ministry of Justice, which was not particularly sensitive, within Zhao Kai's tolerance range, and then stabilized himself, showing his magnanimity without any ambition.
This kind of political consciousness made Zhao Kai very comfortable, so the emperor Zhao Kai himself was very satisfied with the prince Zhao Ji.
On the other hand, Zhao Ji and Zhao Kai have shown a high degree of consistency in many political decisions. This clever way of flattering also made Zhao Kai like his son very much.
Work-wise and emotionally, Zhao Ji is very talented at licking and making Zhao Kai comfortable, so in theory, Zhao Ji's position as crown prince should be as stable as a rock.
However, the actual situation is that another prince, Zhao Yu, has now become the second emperor of the Great China Empire. He has controlled many departments at once and won the support of many local officials.
In just a few months, Zhao Kai found that he, as a father, was no longer able to suppress his son Zhao Yu.
A few months later, Zhao Kai was surprised to find that not to mention suppressing Zhao Yu, even the throne under his butt seemed not so secure.
As a result, he supported his good son Zhao Ji even more firmly - there was no way, if he didn't unite everyone he could, he would no longer be sure to compete with his son Zhao Yu, who had become a popular figure in the court.
The debate in the court of the Dahua Empire about how to deal with the relationship with the Tang Empire has been settled. In this debate, Zhao Kai and Zhao Ji failed completely and almost lost their underwear.
Zhao Yu, who held high the banner of comprehensive friendship with the Tang Empire, brought benefits to the people, tax revenue to the country, and huge prestige to himself.
But in this process where everyone seems to have gained benefits, no one cares about what the Great China Empire has lost.
Zhao Kai looked at his sobbing son and sighed helplessly: In fact, his situation was much better than Zhao Ji's, but Zhao Ji's son's situation made him a little unwilling.
Yes, that's right, it's not more about feeling distressed, but about being unwilling to do so. He just couldn't reconcile himself to the fact that he couldn't do whatever he wanted when it came to establishing a prince...
Zhao Kai, who has been emperor for decades, is somewhat aware of the positions and thoughts of some ministers in the court. For example, Prime Minister Chu Muzhou actually has no problem with his loyalty.
Zhao Kai can be very sure that Chu Muzhou will most likely not betray him as the emperor. Shen Chuan, Minister of the Ministry of War, is also in a similar state.
But when it comes to the preferences of the crown prince, they are actually beginning to favor Zhao Yu - unless he, the emperor, personally comes to support Zhao Ji, it will be difficult for the "emperor faction" like them to change their stance.
But if he, the emperor, ends in person, then things will be said to have completely erupted: the thriving economies of various places may be affected, and diplomatic relations with the Tang Empire will also be turbulent.
This is tantamount to sending a signal: the emperor and the prince are preparing to counterattack and overturn the previously established long-term national policy of "defending the East and Tuxi". I'm afraid it involves a series of chain problems, and even he, Zhao Kai, can't guarantee that he can eliminate the impact of the changes.
If you think about it for a moment, this is not a small trouble: just look at a corporate financing method that has appeared in the Dahua Empire in the past two years, a new thing called stocks. If the situation is unstable, the emperor Zhao Kai will lose money. Quite a few.
Many powerful people have invested their money in this new thing called stocks. It is said that because of good relations with the Tang Empire, stable international relations, and generally optimistic market prospects, everyone has made a lot of money in stocks.
But if Zhao Kai rushes to support Zhao Ji, causing others to misunderstand something, and the situation becomes unstable, causing everyone's wealth to shrink... then there may be big trouble.
"Son, it's not that I don't want to help you, but in this situation, if I take action rashly, it will only make the situation more dangerous." After sighing, Zhao Kai, who was quite irritable, opened his mouth to comfort his son.
"I still think more highly of you than your bastard brother! This will not change now or in the future!" He paused, as if he felt that the strength was not enough, and clarified Zhao Ji's status.
After hearing his father's support, Zhao Ji actually cried much less. What he doesn't know is that Zhao Kai still supports him now, entirely because if he doesn't support him anymore, Zhao Kai's own position will no longer be stable.
The reason why I didn't expect this relationship is because just yesterday, one of Zhao Ji's most capable counselors died in his lover's home.
When they were discovered, the door was locked, and various strange utensils were thrown next to the bodies of the two people. The silver tray was filled with a black plaster called Yinlong.
The results of the autopsy conducted by the Ministry of Punishment were that the two died of an overdose of Yinxian ointment. It is unclear whether it was an accident or suicide. However, according to the results of the on-site investigation, the possibility of homicide is unlikely.
Without his most important adviser, Zhao Ji's political sensitivity immediately dropped a notch. If the counselor was still there, it would be impossible for him to be so confused as to run to Zhao Ji and cry bitterly.
"But! Father! They even dare to kill my guests! Bao Changshi..." Zhao Ji had no other choice, so he ran over in a panic and told Zhao about the unknown death of his adviser. Kay.
Zhao Kai interrupted Zhao Ji impatiently: "I've asked the people below... your long history is extremely abominable! It's not clear why you committed such atrocities and died, it may not be someone else's fault."
Everyone knows that this kind of catch-and-shoot thing cannot be used as an offensive weapon to attack the opponent. If it is used forcefully, it can only be used to add insult to injury after the dust has settled.
It is absolutely useless to attack Zhao Yu with an idiot who died of drug addiction. Even if Zhao Yu did it and he admitted it personally, the most he could do was fine him.
Why? Is it possible to disregard the stability of the empire for the sake of a dead Chang Shi? Is it possible to cause a storm in the empire's court just for the sake of a dead man?
Stop it, you are kidding me.
What's more, as long as Zhao Yu doesn't admit it personally, without evidence, let Zhao Kai convict a prince against the pressure of the ministers? This idea is too stupid.
That's a prince! It's not like a cat or a dog... You, Zhao Ji, are my Zhao Kai's son, aren't you Zhao Yu?
Glancing at Zhao Ji who was crying next to him as if he was an angry little wife, Zhao Kai couldn't help complaining in his heart: If he didn't dare, even if he gave the position of prince to Zhao Yu, it wouldn't be negotiable...
Yes, he just doesn't dare! He was afraid of Zhao Yu's power in the court, which was the most fundamental reason why he firmly supported the weak prince Zhao Ji.
As an emperor, Zhao Kai certainly hopes that his successor will be stronger and be able to continue the empire, and even run it better and reach higher heights.
Therefore, when choosing a prince, ability is actually a very important item in the assessment. Obviously, from any aspect at present, Zhao Yu's ability exceeds Zhao Ji.
But as an emperor, Zhao Kai did not dare to make Zhao Yu the prince immediately. He was afraid of Zhao Yu's "ability" and that he would replace him.
Therefore... the choice that best suits Zhao Kai's interests is actually to go to Zhao Ji first to withstand Zhao Yu's pressure and delay the matter. Until he was about to die, he deposed Zhao Ji and handed the throne to Zhao Yu.
In fact, Zhao Kai already has ideas in this regard - but now, he must stabilize Zhao Ji no matter what. This is the first step of the plan.
"Then...Father, what should we do next?" Zhao Ji still doesn't know that in the heart of his father, Zhao Kai, he has now become a bargaining chip to check and balance Zhao Yu.
"Come here! Summon Zhao Chen and Zhao Jie to the palace!" Zhao Kai's face was gloomy and he was ready to ask the two royal ministers for their opinions.
This also felt really bad, which made Zhao Kai feel very uncomfortable: after getting rid of Feng Kezhi, the power he held in his hands seemed to be... not very firm.
——
The supplement will be sent tomorrow morning... Yes, Long Ling stayed up late again...
(End of chapter)
