Liu Ping's worries were not unwarranted. The Wanli Dynasty had already had several conflicts over the country. Previously, I had been delaying it through various means, pretending to be dead and never opening my eyes. At the same time, it happened that there were always big things to do in these years, so it was dragged until now and it has not been clear yet.
Now, the Empress has finally given birth to a dragon son. According to the tradition of the Ming Dynasty, this should be the decisive event that finally determines the crown prince's position. From then on, all kinds of disputes should naturally disappear.
However, will things really go so smoothly? I'm afraid not.
There is a term in later generations called sunk costs, and there are also sunk costs in engaging in politics. When people decide whether to do something, they not only look at whether it is good for them, but also look at whether they have already invested in it in the past. People refer to these irrecoverable expenditures, such as time, money, energy, etc., as "sunk costs".
In the interpretation of this word, there is a clear determination that "irrecoverable expenditure has been incurred." However, in reality, people often refuse to believe that the cost invested before is irrecoverable, so they will try their best to continue investing in the hope of reversing the tragic situation of "irrecoverable".
Gao pragmatically regards this kind of mood as the mentality of a gambler, that is, no matter how ugly the situation is, he always believes in the mentality of "I can get back money" or "I can counterattack".
So now, if some people and certain forces who have invested huge amounts in the previous intermittent struggle over the country will really give up because of the birth of the queen's legitimate son? Difficult, difficult, very difficult.
But there is an unavoidable obstacle here, which is the ancestral system and political inertia of the Ming Dynasty.
Everyone can understand the ancestral system, but political inertia requires a little explanation. Political inertia may be related to ancestral institutions, but it may not be directly related. To give the simplest example, the governor system is political inertia rather than an ancestral system - of course, the thing to be emphasized here is that this ancestral system refers to the "Taizu system" established by Zhu Yuanzhang.
As we all know, the succession issue of the Ming dynasty was the most "standardized" compared to all previous Chinese dynasties. There were almost no major disputes, and there were not many weird things like "seizing the legitimate son."
So what is the ancestral system and political inertia regarding the status of the prince in the Ming Dynasty?
The acquisition of human social status can basically be divided into two types: self-induced status and pre-assigned status. Among them, self-acquired status can be obtained through personal efforts; while ascribed status is based on birth and is a social status that is assigned and usually cannot be changed.
The throne is obviously a pre-endowed status. Only when there is a change of dynasty or usurpation of power can someone else ascend to the throne of emperor through their own business planning.
Under normal circumstances, the succession to the throne is limited to the highest ruler of each dynasty, and is determined based on blood relationship, seniority, talent and virtue.
The congenital nature of the throne makes the prince's origin extremely important. The identity of the prince's biological mother and his age are of decisive significance in the qualifications of the heir to the throne. As for his physical fitness, intellectual ability, moral character and other factors, they usually have to be determined. Consider it on the back burner.
Therefore, generally speaking, as long as he has the status of the eldest son, even if he has low qualifications and is mediocre and incompetent, as long as there are no special accidents, he can successfully inherit the throne.
In traditional Chinese society, the selection of the successor to the throne is a major event related to the stability of the country's political situation, which is also the so-called "national" issue. So, whether to adopt the "eldest son system" or the "selection of talents and talents" standard to establish the heir has always been the biggest problem that troubles the supreme ruler.
In the Ming Dynasty, under Zhu Yuanzhang's persistence and personal guidance, the Ming Dynasty's succession to the throne strictly followed the eldest son's succession system, which is the well-known sixteen-character principle: there is a direct line, there is no direct line. , the father dies and the son succeeds, the elder brother eventually succeeds the younger brother.
However, the imperial line of the Ming Dynasty also had some accidents. According to the history of Gao Pragmatic's previous life, among the sixteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial line had changed three times.
The first change was after the Battle of Jingnan, when the imperial line was transferred from the line of Zhu Yuanzhang’s eldest son Zhu Biao and his eldest grandson Zhu Yunwen to the line of the fourth son Zhu Di, starting the Yongle era after the Battle of Jingnan;
The second change of the imperial line was because Xiaozong's son Wu Zong had no descendants to inherit the throne. The imperial line was transferred from Xiaozong's line to his brother Xingxian Wang's line. The son of Xingxian Wang took the throne, namely Emperor Shizong Jiajing;
The third change was due to the death of all the sons of Xizong and no heirs to succeed him. The imperial line was transferred from the lineage of Xizong to the lineage of his half-brother Xinwang, that is, Emperor Chongzhen.
In addition, there were two twists and turns between Yingzong and Emperor Jing. In the "Tumu Incident", Zhongyingzong was captured, leaving the Ming Dynasty without a leader, and the situation was extremely critical. King Ye, who was ordered to supervise the country, was proclaimed emperor by his ministers, respected Yingzong as the Supreme Emperor, and changed the title of his son to prince. The imperial line was transferred from the Yingzong lineage to the Jingdi lineage.
However, God's will played a trick. Emperor Jing's son died young, and the Yingzong returned to the country. Taking advantage of Emperor Jing's illness, he successfully restored the throne and regained the throne. He established his eldest son Zhu Jianshen as the prince, and the imperial line returned to the Yingzong lineage again.
Despite these accidents, during these three changes in the imperial line, the succession of Sejong and Sizong followed the principle of "brothers succeeding brothers", and there were emperor's edicts or empress dowager's decrees, so their successions had procedures or rituals. The legitimacy of his rule was sufficient from the moment he ascended the throne.
Zhu Di, the founder of the throne, seized the throne by usurping power, but he finally won legitimacy through his extraordinary perseverance, iron-blooded methods and real achievements.
Emperor Jing ascended the throne under a special background, but the legitimacy of his power was actually based on the Yingzong's agreement to abdicate the throne. However, the problem was that he overstepped his duty by appointing a prince, and the premature death of his son Zhu Jianji It is also understood as God's punishment for his transgression.
Therefore, when the Yingzong was restored later, the ministers showed a high degree of consistency in the restoration, that is, there was almost no objection. It can be seen that in the minds of the ministers, even though Yingzong once carried out civil engineering changes, he still had real legitimacy. His restoration was to return the imperial line to orthodoxy, which was natural and unquestionable.
Although on the surface, the identity of the succeeding emperor in the Ming Dynasty was sometimes complicated, in fact, the succession of each emperor actually followed the regulations of Taizu.
Emperors Hui, Renzong, Xuanzong, Yingzong, and Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty succeeded to the throne as the eldest sons, Xianzong, Guangzong, and Xizong succeeded as the eldest sons without direct eldest sons, and Xiaozong, Muzong, and Shenzong succeeded as the de facto eldest sons. , as for Daizong, Shizong, and Sizong, they succeeded to the throne in accordance with the principle of "brothers shall succeed their brothers".
It can be seen that the concept of succession to the throne by the eldest son was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people during the Yuming Dynasty. From the emperor's officials to the common people, everyone recognized this concept and actively and resolutely maintained this concept.
Because of this, the selection of the successor to the throne of the Ming Dynasty was very certain, and people knew very well who the successor to the throne should be in the future. Even if the emperor does not formally issue an edict to confer the title of crown prince on the throne, people can still predict the candidate for the crown prince.
When the emperor, who has the power of life and death, has a more favorable and favorite heir to the throne among the princes, and is unwilling to make the emperor's legitimate son or the emperor's eldest son the crown prince, and wants to break the tradition and replace him with his beloved son, ministers will often come forward. The principle of eldest son inheritance and traditional customization, which are the core of the patriarchal system, are two powerful supports to compete with the emperor.
Even though the emperor "spoke of the constitution of heaven and followed the law in his words," he could not defeat the administrative execution power actually controlled by civil and military officials and the huge power of public opinion of the people all over the world. In the end, he had to act in accordance with the ancestral law.
Why did the Ming Dynasty form such a strong restraint on national issues? This is probably a kind of "causing mistakes from those who have gone before, and learning from those behind". In the Yuan Dynasty, there was no fixed national law to clarify the successor to the throne, which led to various forces supporting different successors to the throne, resulting in fierce internal struggles, which greatly accelerated the decline of the Yuan Dynasty.
Under such lessons, both officials and common people in the Ming Dynasty believed that there must be a standard system for the succession of the throne, and this system must be clearly and firmly implemented.
The vast, brave and warlike Mongolian and Yuan dynasties ruled the Central Plains for less than a century before falling apart. The struggle for imperial power within the ruling class was undoubtedly an important reason. Therefore, the bloody lessons of the Yuan Dynasty's demise naturally made Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang deeply aware of the importance of achieving a smooth transition of imperial power, avoiding fratricide, and maintaining basic political order.
Therefore, Emperor Taizu clearly stipulated at the beginning of the founding of the country that "if there is no prince in the court, the elder brother must be the last brother. If there is a prince, the aunt must be established in the place of the legitimate mother, and the concubine's place cannot be established even if she is long."
Although many of the ancestral rules and regulations formulated by Taizu were reduced to a piece of paper in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. In this time and space, due to the high pragmatism, there are even fewer ancestral rules that have been ignored in practice. However, this rule of succession to the throne has become a golden rule. , is always strictly enforced.
Since this ancestral system cannot be avoided or bypassed at all, why are even people like Liu Ping so cautious and careful when mentioning this matter? Naturally, it is related to the special circumstances of the current Wanli Dynasty.
The queen's legitimate son was born too late!
It is now the end of the twenty-sixth year of Wanli, and the New Year is coming soon, and we are about to enter the twenty-seventh year of Wanli. It has been nearly thirty years since Emperor Wanli Zhu Yijun ascended the throne. His wedding took place in the fifth year of Wanli, so about twenty-two years have passed.
Twenty-two years! Queen Wang was only fourteen years old when she got married, and is now thirty-six years old. In this era of the Ming Dynasty, she was completely an advanced maternal age. As a matter of national importance, it is already bizarre enough that the issue of the crown prince can be dragged on until now.
Of course, having said that, in the original history, when the emperor's eldest son Zhu Changluo was officially appointed as the crown prince, it was already the 29th year of Wanli, which was two years later than now.
Although Zhu Yijun was able to delay this in the original history, because the courtiers did not know the "original history", most people today believe that the most critical factor in why this matter took so long, besides the emperor's own wishes, was Highly pragmatic attitude.
Yes, it is precisely because Gao Pragmatic insisted from beginning to end that he must wait for the Queen to give birth to a legitimate son before heirs could be established. How could things be delayed until now?
The theory that Gao Pragmatic has always insisted on is: "If the prince is established first and then the queen has a direct descendant, should the prince be abolished? If he is abolished, the prince has no fault, how can the emperor tolerate it? And the ministers are trapping the emperor's father and son in human relations. What a tragedy, shouldn’t his crime be punished!
If it is not abolished, the Taizu's law of determining heirs will become an empty document. From now on, the imperial line will no longer be determined, and everyone in the world can compete for the king. This is the way to create chaos! "
If you want to say whether Gao Pragmatic's words are reasonable, they certainly are, but of course the opponents have to put forward their own opinions to refute it, so they asked: "The delay in determining the foundation of the country has caused turmoil in the world, but what about the Queen?" Who can predict when the baby will be born?"
It is said that who knows when the Queen will give birth to a baby, but the real meaning is of course "Who knows whether the Queen will be able to give birth to a son in the end?" If after waiting and waiting, the Queen did not give birth to a son in the end, then this Will the crown prince never be established?
It is true that the "de facto eldest son of the emperor" can also inherit the throne, but there is another tradition in the Ming Dynasty, that is, the education system of the prince "going out to study" is not the same as the education system of other princes.
Well, this can be understood as the "prince leaving the court to study" is like the elite education for the children of the elite class of the later generations of the Mi Empire, and the education system of the princes is the "happy education" for the children of the ordinary families of the Mi Empire.
The former really requires hard work and hard work. Not only is the book knowledge rich and deep, but also all kinds of skills require specialized learning; the latter simply means that the teacher teaches casually and the students learn casually. Anyway, the exam is so easy that Dayang The Chinese students on the other side think it is an insult to their IQ, and they can sum it up in one sentence: just hang out and be done with it.
Of course, the courtiers follow the Confucian tradition and believe that the future emperor should receive a good education so that he can govern the country well. But the other princes... they will all be "raising pigs" in the future anyway. It doesn't matter whether they study or not, and even if they don't study, they will Simple and easy to manage. Therefore, the fight for the kingdom was largely due to the fact that the emperor's eldest son was getting older, and waiting for the queen to give birth to a legitimate son would delay the emperor's eldest son's study time.
There is another problem that cannot be discussed here, that is, the longevity of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty was somewhat problematic, and not many lived long. God knows when your Majesty will rule the world, and then the eldest son of the emperor who cannot read a few words will be left to take the throne. Will the world be in chaos?
Of course, no matter what, this matter has been postponed until now. The problem is that Gao Pragmatic, the "procrastinator", has not invested much money for such a long time, but other people from other factions... they have invested too much, and many people have even made it clear that they have taken sides several times.
This is very critical, because on the issue of the prince's succession, since you took sides today, it is impossible for you to say tomorrow that I drank too much yesterday and that taking sides was not my intention.
This kind of thing is often done without turning back. Today, the eldest son of the emperor stands in the same circle. Basically, he can only stand in this circle for the rest of his life. It is almost impossible to regret and jump into another circle.
However, now that the Queen's legitimate son has really been born, the Emperor's eldest son sees no hope of succeeding. If we don't want the early investment to turn into a sunk cost, what is the feasible solution? Obviously, it is not necessary to continue the debate and forcefully argue that the eldest son of the emperor should succeed, because that is simply impossible to succeed.
The only situation that can change the current passive situation is the early death of the queen's legitimate son. As for how this child died young...the process is not important, the result is.
This is a very extreme possibility, and generally speaking, civil servants from the outer court cannot extend their hands into the palace. Even if he is highly pragmatic, he can only have a certain influence on the palace. This influence usually seems not small, but it may not affect the security situation in the palace.
Since Gao Pragmatic's close relationship with the inner court, especially when Chen Ju and other big officials were his connections for many years, it was not enough to accomplish "certain big things" in the palace. So in theory, how could the civil servants of the outer court, especially the civil servants of the Xinxue school who had clearly sided with the eldest son of the emperor in the past, be able to do such a thing as "let the queen's legitimate son die young"?
But things are indeed not that simple, because the people who also have to face the threat of "the queen's legitimate son" are not just the court officials of the Xin School, but at least... Concubine Zheng and his son Zhu Changxun.
Zhu Changxun actually had an older brother, Zhu Changxu, and a younger brother, Zhu Changzhi, but the former died soon after birth, and the latter also died young, less than one year old when he died, so Zhu Changxun, as Zhu Yijun's third son, Concubine Zheng’s biological second son is actually Concubine Zheng’s only son.
The emperor's eldest son Zhu Changluo was born in the tenth year of Wanli, and Zhu Changxun was born in the fourteenth year of Wanli. The former is now eighteen years old, and the latter is fourteen. According to regulations, men in the Ming Dynasty reached adulthood at the age of sixteen, so Zhu Changluo was actually considered an adult prince now, while Zhu Changxun was still a little short of that.
In fact, in the original history, Zhu Yijun appointed Zhu Changluo as the crown prince in the 29th year of Wanli. One of the big reasons was that Zhu Changxun came of age in this year - Zhu Changluo had no problem in becoming a vassal when he came of age, because he was the eldest son of the emperor. However, when Zhu Changxun came of age and refused to be crowned king, the outer court refused to agree.
Although Liu Ping's questions were confusing, why didn't Gao Pragmatic know a few of the key points? The primary issue at the moment is to ensure that the queen's legitimate son survives safely, and the second is to crown the emperor's eldest son as king as soon as possible and send him out of the capital to let him rule his country.
But even if these two things are accomplished, it is not yet complete, because according to previous precedents, the crown prince is usually not appointed too early - the main reason is the fear of premature death. The Ming Dynasty has now gone through thirteen emperors. Judging from the age at which he became crown prince, the earliest one was Emperor Wuzong Zhengde, who was only two years old at the time.
However, the incident of Emperor Zhengde was actually a bit special, because his father, Emperor Xiaozong, only loved Empress Zhang throughout his life, and he never even took in a concubine. Empress Zhang only gave birth to two sons, the second of which died young, so the emperor felt that there was no other candidate for the prince anyway, so it would be better to establish him early and settle down.
Zhu Yijun's situation is of course different from that of Emperor Xiaozong. Although he favored Concubine Zheng the most, he never wavered in the status of the queen. This meant that since the queen's legitimate son was born, the position of the prince was actually determined. .
The only, no, the only two problems are to make sure that the prince survives the most dangerous period when he is most likely to die prematurely, and to ensure that the third son Zhu Changxun, who was previously the most favored, is allowed to return to the country.
From the current point of view, these two things are just right in terms of time: Zhu Yijun can use the time when Wu Zong was established as a precedent to consider naming the crown prince after the emperor's legitimate son is two years old, and two years later, Zhu Changxun will come of age and can be crowned. The throne and its kingdom.
Therefore, Gao Pingshi knew that the most critical time period now is the two years from now. I am afraid that what Liu Ping wants to ask is exactly: "What should we do in these two years?"
The people of the Xin School must not be able to let the emperor's legitimate son die young, but Concubine Zheng may not be able to do it.
"This matter is serious. You will find a way to contact Chen Zhangyin later and ask him to find a time to meet you at my house."
Gao Pragmatic's face was more serious than Liu Ping's, and he warned: "Remember, when you are not in the palace, you must arrange the people around the empress and the emperor's son in a safe manner. You must ensure that everyone They are all absolutely trustworthy people, and there can be no omissions."
Thanks to book friend "Cao Mianzi" for your reward and support, thank you!
Thanks to book friends "Cao Mianzi", "anor00", "kikikai", "Book Friends 20220616172751099", "Liu Guang Jian Yu", and "First Login" for their monthly ticket support, thank you!
Thank you to the book friend "Book Friends 20210814005313245" for your support with 14 monthly tickets, thank you!
ps: I have paid off 1k in debt and still owe 6k.
