royal palace.
Chongde Hall.
Emperor Yu held a grand banquet. Now that the new year has passed, the atmosphere in the city is still filled with joy. With the return of the soldiers from the Western Expedition, this joy seems to have been washed away.
A hundred thousand men in the Western Region returned home with withered bones, and the city was filled with pickaxes and plain clothes, and their red makeup was replaced with white.
With a shout of "Long Live Long Live", the ministers sat down, with Ning Fan sitting at the head, followed by the kings, civil and military ministers.
"His Majesty."
"In this battle in the Western Region, I, Dayu, wiped out a total of 500,000 enemies. It was a great victory!"
"Congratulations on that day!"
Ji Sui stood up first, and in front of the ministers, once again reported the results of the battle in the Western Territory, and also explained the cause and consequences of the rebellion of King Huai.
"The case of King Huai's rebellion will be tried from now on by Jin Yiwei, and jointly by the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple!"
"Although King Huai has already been executed, he can be severely punished according to the laws of my Dayu as soon as he responds to his followers!"
"According to the order!"
Jiang Wei, Cai Ji, the Minister of Punishment, and the Minister of Dali Temple came out together and bowed respectfully. Lin Qiushi suddenly strode out: "Your Majesty, I think this case is very involved and has a strong response among the people, so it should be justified." A highly respected person is nominated for trial!”
"Um!"
Emperor Yu nodded lightly, glanced at Lin Qiushi, and said softly: "Who does Mr. Lin think is the most suitable person to preside over the trial?"
"Your Majesty, I believe that the fourth prince Ning Shu has good conduct and has been in power for many years. He is the most prestigious. It is most appropriate for him to take charge of this case!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of all the ministers below changed slightly, and Ning Shu's eyes showed a hint of surprise. He took a deep breath and strode out: "Father, if you leave this case to your ministers, you will definitely live up to your destiny! "
"In that case, let you handle the case!"
Emperor Yu's face was extremely calm, and his tone was without any waves. After his eyes swept over Ning Shu's body, he looked at Lin Qiushi: "You have reminded me that Shu'er has been in power for many years due to the frail health of his mother and concubine. Now that he has passed this year, It’s time to go and have a good time.”
"Yes, His Royal Highness has served Concubine Qing for many years and his filial piety is commendable, but we cannot delay it any longer."
"Your Highness, the Fourth Highness, has long passed the age of indifference, right?"
"Now that the new year has passed, it's really time to give up."
There was a discussion among the ministers. The joy on Ning Shu's face did not disappear, but immediately froze. It was replaced by a gloomy look on his face, and there was a trace of cold sweat on his forehead.
"What a good old fox!"
Guo Jia and Chen Gong looked at each other. It seemed that the old guy didn't know the news of King Sheng's death in battle. Now His Majesty deliberately blocked it. Except for a few veterans of the Western Expedition, everyone in the civil and military dynasties was kept in the dark.
"Sh'er, your mother's health has dragged you down over the years. When this case is over, just go away!"
"Father, son and minister... the mother and concubine have not recovered yet, and the son and minister still want to serve by the mother and concubine's side, please allow the father to grant me permission!"
"Well, in that case, I allow you to leave the capital with your mother and concubine and go to Jiangnan to rest!"
"father……"
Ning Shu's face fell instantly, a sad smile appeared on his face, and he kowtowed respectfully.
The officials all changed their expressions. They did not expect His Majesty to be so tough this time, leaving no room for King Changyang. Could it be that he already has a candidate in mind?
Now the third prince has been absent for three years, the fourth prince is about to leave the capital, the sixth prince also left the capital a year ago, and the remaining fifth prince has been studying abroad.
Could it be the second and seventh princes?
The eyes of many ministers fell on Ning Fan and Ning Yu, and their expressions changed. Lin Qiushi suddenly said: "Your Majesty, Your Highness Prince Sheng has been guarding the border for many years. The Duke of Zhen and Princess Changning are guarding the western border. Why not pass it on?" Recall Jing!"
"After all, I, the Crown Prince of Dayu, have not yet been established..."
As soon as Lin Qiushi said this, all the courtiers also agreed, especially Zheng Xuan, the Minister of Civil Affairs, who couldn't wait to come out: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, King Sheng is both civil and military. He has guarded the western border for these years and made great achievements for me, Dayu! "
"I have the courage to ask your majesty to appoint you as the heir apparent!"
"Your Majesty, please appoint a crown prince!"
More than ten ministers came out one after another. Emperor Yu's face gradually darkened, and he said calmly: "Today is to celebrate the achievements of the soldiers of the Western Expedition. The appointment of the heir apparent is a matter of merit. Let's discuss it later!"
"this……"
As soon as Lin Qiushi hesitated, the courtiers behind him also advised again: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is my future for Dayu. I can inherit the ancestral legacy and inherit the imperial power. There is no room for delay!"
"This matter is of great importance. Your Majesty, please make a decision as soon as possible."
Emperor Yu's face gradually showed a cold look, he stood up slowly, walked up to Lin Qiushi and other senior ministers, and said softly: "Is Prime Minister Lin planning to lead his ministers to force the palace?"
As soon as these words came out, Lin Qiushi's expression suddenly changed, and he quickly took three steps back and knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, I am also thinking about my ancestral temple and the country of Dayu. Please atone for your sins!"
"His Majesty!"
An old man who was not upright but well-built suddenly came out of the queue, cupped his hands slightly and said: "I think that the invitation from all the ministers is very reasonable. Our Zongzhengfu invites your majesty to establish a heir apparent!"
Seeing the elders of the Zongzheng Mansion come forward, Emperor Yu's face turned ugly again. If a group of courtiers asked for orders, he could use his power to overwhelm them, but the people of the Zongzheng Mansion...
The Zongzong Palace of Dayu was established by Emperor Taizu of Dayu and was in charge of many affairs of the ancestral temple. Although it did not have much real power, Zongzheng was usually held by respected elders of the royal family.
For example, even Emperor Yu would call him uncle!
"Um!"
"I have recorded this matter, but today's occasion is not appropriate to discuss this matter!"
"After I think about it, we will discuss it again!"
Emperor Yu once again passed him by, and Lin Qiushi and others also stepped back wisely. The seventh prince Ning Yu sat silently in the corner, looking at Ning Fan with a sneer on his face, as if to say: "Did you see, I have to Even if you get it, you won’t get it!”
Ning Fan glanced at him as if he were an idiot, and then looked elsewhere.
"Your Majesty, in this battle, hundreds of thousands of men were killed at Xuanjian Pass in our western border. In the subsequent battle, the Zhenbei Army and the Zhenguo Army also suffered casualties, and they have all been recorded now."
"Ministry of Industry, the Martyrs Cemetery has been completed."
"The pension for soldiers will wait for funeral arrangements and wait for the Ministry of Household Affairs to review the appropriation."
In just one day, Right Minister Shen Li compiled a list of all the 'sequelae' of the Western Expedition, and now presented them all to Emperor Yu.
"Um!"
After Emperor Yu looked at it carefully, he sighed with regret and his tone became very low: "Tomorrow, I will personally lead all the civil and military officials to invite the heroic soul of Yu the Great to enter the mausoleum!"
"According to the order!"
Shen Li also looked a little more disappointed, and said in a deep voice: "In this battle, although I, Dayu, defeated the greater number with less, it cannot be called a great victory."
"After years of hard fighting, my male population in Dayu has dropped sharply, while my female population has flourished. But in Dayan, the country is rich and the people are strong, and the population is prosperous!"
"There is less land and more people. For them, fighting in all directions and reducing the population will not only not lead to the decline of people's livelihood, but will also reduce their burden!"
"It won't be long before we can still raise an army of half a million people, but as for me, Dayu..."
…
