At the residence of Cabinet Minister Li Zhisheng, he summoned the old Confucian officials and went to the study to discuss matters.
He sent some officials to guard outside the house and forbid anyone to come near the room.
They seemed extremely nervous, fearing that spies from other forces would find out what they were discussing.
The old Confucian sect has been suppressed by various forces many times, and they can no longer afford heavy losses.
Li Zhisheng had also taken action to suppress the Old Confucian sect before, but he never expected that he would become the leader of the Old Confucian sect due to the changing world.
The Dahua Empire is now divided into three large official factions, two large and one small.
The most powerful faction is the Neo-Confucian sect.
Wang Zhongce established a new sect of Confucianism based on the study of mind.
After Wang Zhongce resigned as prime minister, this faction could not produce a heavyweight.
The second largest faction is the Industrial and Commercial Faction formed by Wei Shiming and a group of people.
Behind these people are the big aristocrats and big factory owners.
They were just a small force before. Who would have thought that industry and commerce would develop so rapidly.
The third largest faction is their old Confucian sect, which believes in the remnants of Confucian Neo-Confucianism, but a skinny camel is bigger than a horse.
In addition to these three major factions, the Dahua Empire also has some ideologies or small factions in the main city.
Before, Li Zhisheng only formed a small circle with his fellow villagers.
He knew that His Majesty hated cliques for personal gain and had never expanded his small circle.
Li Zhisheng failed in his bid to become prime minister. He believed that the reason why he lost to Wei Shiming was because he did not form a party and pursued personal interests, and was not as powerful as Wei Shiming.
He saw the power of the industrialists behind Wei Shiming and realized that he could no longer fight against Wei Shiming and others by fighting alone.
If you don’t take action, you will even be surpassed by others.
After that, Li Zhisheng actively recruited old Confucian officials who had no masters due to the turmoil in Shandong's officialdom.
These old Confucian officials may have some negative effects, but they can indeed enhance his power.
The old Confucian officials were leaderless at that time. When they saw the recruitment of cabinet minister Li Zhisheng, they immediately chose to join forces.
Jin Yin Hua, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, is incompatible with the old Confucian officials.
He was not an imperial examination official. As a medicine boy, he was promoted to officialdom by Li Zhisheng.
But he was the Minister of Industry, a second-rank official of the Great China Empire, and a direct descendant of Li Zhisheng.
He is also considered the number two figure among the old Confucian sect.
This was also the choice Li Zhisheng made in order to balance the power of the old Confucian school.
Honeysuckle took a sip of coffee, an exotic drink that had just become popular.
He said in a serious tone: "Everyone should have heard of the rumors that started circulating in the capital yesterday."
Many officials listened to Honeysuckle's questions, but they remained silent.
Of course these people know what rumors are currently circulating in the capital.
Meng Wencheng, a member of the Ministry of Household Affairs, saw that many important people were silent.
He said anxiously: "My lords, this is a golden opportunity.
His Majesty is not happy with our Confucian Neo-Confucianism. We have tried hard for so many years but have not been able to change His Majesty's views.
We take this opportunity to guide most officials to act together, and once we succeed in supporting the crown prince.
Everyone knows what kind of benefits they will get. "
Honeysuckle looked at Meng Wencheng, the descendant of Mencius, the self-proclaimed sub-sage.
Among the old Confucianists, Meng Wencheng is usually the one who dares to break the deadlock first.
There are many words that others cannot say easily, but he can say them directly.
Everyone present understood what Meng Wencheng did not say.
Once the emperor and the courtiers are together, the bet can really be successful, and the recommended prince will become the crown prince.
Their family and their descendants will reap endless benefits.
Once the bet fails, the family will not be able to turn around for two or three generations, even without losing their lives.
Betting on the crown prince is an action with great risks and greater benefits.
It is second only to the benefits that can be obtained by following the founding emperor in rebellion and achieving success.
When Li Zhisheng heard Zhang Wencheng's words, he put down his coffee cup, sighed and said: "We really want to get involved in the Lichu turmoil.
Once you take this step, there will be no room for maneuver.
Our future rise and fall will be closely bound to the prince. "
Ma Fengzhao, the left minister of household affairs, said in a serious tone: "Our faction has been secretly suppressed by His Majesty, and other factions will also fall into trouble.
Every year, some members defect to the Neo-Confucian or Industrialist factions.
After many suppressions, our old Confucian sect has since taken refuge with Mr. Li.
There is no shortage of officials above the third rank, and there are also many officials below the seventh rank.
But the number of officials above seventh rank and below third rank is really too small.
Our old Confucian school has a serious shortage of middle-level officials and has no potential for development.
I think we must get involved in establishing a reserve.
Our current situation is irreversible.
Even if His Majesty suppresses us because of this matter, we have nothing to lose.
Once we succeed, we will stand up and call the shots and suppress the Neo-Confucianists and industrialists. "
Most officials of the old Confucian school supported Ma Fengzhu's opinions.
Since the outbreak of the Yellow River Project in Shandong, a large number of colleagues were demoted to overseas governor-general offices such as Cochin and Siam.
Their old Confucian sect has never recovered, and they still need the support of Li Zhisheng. If they want to restore their past glory, they can only find another way.
Li Zhisheng also hesitated in his heart whether he wanted to get involved in this matter.
But remembering the regulations of the Dahua Empire, official positions have expiration dates.
He could not remain a cabinet minister for long.
The current Prime Minister Wei Shiming is younger than him and entered the cabinet later than him.
Even if he had to go through qualifications, he couldn't survive Wei Shiming.
If Li Zhisheng chooses to maintain the status quo, the best he will end up with after resigning as cabinet minister is to go to the parliament to wait for his retirement in the Yamen.
He was silent for a moment, but still said hesitantly: "The establishment of the crown prince is indeed an opportunity for us to turn around.
I now have some doubts. The letter written by King Zheng to His Majesty will definitely be kept highly confidential.
Why did the content of this letter spread throughout the country?
I'm afraid that this is a huge conspiracy, and someone is going to use this conspiracy to catch us all. "
Li Zhisheng was puzzled by the fact that the members of the Palace Telegraph Bureau were all Emperor Su He's confidants.
How could the letter written by King Zheng be leaked so easily.
Could this be Emperor Su He's method to lure the emperor into a trap and catch them all in one fell swoop?
With Emperor Su He's control, there could be no traitors in the palace telegraph office.
The palace telegraph office was out of control. If they had the ability to send letters, they dared to issue imperial edicts randomly through telegraphs.
Li Zhisheng knew that this situation would never have happened during the heyday of the Great China Empire.
Honeysuckle, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, has been thinking about this matter.
Hearing Li Zhisheng's concerns, he analyzed: "I don't think the news came from the palace telegraph office.
Everyone knows the importance of the Palace Telegraph Office.
If some of them disobey the orders, that is more dangerous than if the General Secretary loses control.
I don't think this will happen, and the speed of information transmission also supports my speculation.
The information that really came from the palace telegraph office could not spread so fast, and the content of the spread did not change.
The Holy Spirit has a delicate mind, and he will not deliberately let the Palace Telegraph Office leak the news.
The palace telegraph office is not very strict, and there are no secrets in the palace.
If the Holy One does this, it will cause random speculation among civil and military officials, which will not be beneficial to the court.
I think the leak of King Zheng’s letters has something to do with King Zheng.
Think about it, who wants this letter to spread in the capital the most, and who can easily do it. "
When the officials heard the analysis of Jinyinhua, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, they all fell into deep thought.
Ma Fengzhao, the left minister of the household department, said in surprise: "The person who leaked the news must be Wang Zhongce, King Zheng.
Prince Su Shu is the oldest, and he is also the eldest son.
Once there are officials in the court who promote the establishment of a crown prince, Prince Su Shu is the best person to do so.
Prince Zheng and Wang Zhongce went overseas again, even if this matter was exposed.
Your Majesty will not go to war. "
As soon as Ma Fengzhao's words came out, all civil servants understood the cause and effect of this matter.
They believe that the biggest risk in promoting the establishment of a reserve bank has disappeared.
Li Zhisheng also recognized the analysis of Honeysuckle and others.
The possibility that this matter was the work of Emperor Su He is extremely low.
This matter is also very different from Emperor Su He's usual behavior.
Li Zhisheng said firmly: "At the next court meeting, we will unite and ask the emperor to establish a crown prince. For the sake of the stability of the country, it is time to establish a crown prince.
Let's discuss the most important thing now, which prince should be appointed as the heir apparent. "
When Ma Fengzhao heard that Li Zhisheng was going to discuss this issue, he immediately became excited and said loudly:
"Do we still need to discuss this issue? As the old Confucian sect, we must support the prince of Su Shu.
As the eldest son, he is in line with Confucian tradition.
We must unite to let the emperor establish his eldest son as the crown prince and form a system to pass on. "
Other officials of the old Confucian sect immediately supported Ma Fengzhu's opinion.
Confucianism reached its peak in the Ming Dynasty, and they always insisted on establishing the eldest son as the crown prince.
Even when Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty wanted to make his beloved son Prince Fu the crown prince, he was blocked by the officials at the time.
Li Zhisheng had known for a long time that this would be the result.
He immediately discussed with everyone what they should do during the court meeting, and strive to make things perfect.
…………………………
Many people gathered at Prime Minister Wei Shiming's house.
Most of them represent the interests of emerging industrial and commercial capital and are called industrialists by outsiders.
In the Great China Dynasty, they were a force that could compete with traditional officials.
Wei Shiming was born as a blacksmith. His ability to climb to the position of prime minister shows how powerful this force is.
Wang Dagang, the right minister of the Ministry of Industry, an official with a background as a miner, asked loudly in his rough voice: "Old Wei, the letter written by Wang Zhongce has spread throughout the capital.
Many forces are secretly working together, and they all have their own ideas.
You have an idea, what should we do? "
Wei Shiming saw the expectant and nervous eyes of everyone.
He said in a stern tone: “We will not get involved in this matter.
In our current situation, we should try not to come forward on such a sensitive matter.
No matter which prince ascends the throne, he cannot ignore the tens of millions of taels of silver coins in business taxes every year.
Those of us officials who know how to engage in industry will not be eliminated at any time.
His Majesty's thoughts have not been revealed at all.
If his performance is too outstanding at this time, if he presses the wrong prince, the end will definitely be extremely miserable.
If you read more history books, you will be able to see the possible risks involved in this matter. "
Prime Minister Wei Shiming did not want to get involved in this matter.
He saw someone's eagerness to try and thought these people were immature.
If they develop steadily, their power will gradually grow and they will become a group of people who influence the national policy of the Great China Empire.
Once you don't recognize your own position, you want to participate in establishing a reserve.
That means you cannot see yourself clearly and overestimate your abilities.
I really thought that the current situation was the same as that of the late Ming Dynasty, with the emperor's power reduced to an extremely low level.
Even in the early Ming Dynasty, Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang did not need to ask the civil officials for their opinions on who he wanted to appoint as prince.
What's more, Emperor Su He is not bound by clan etiquette at all, and his ideas are even more unconstrained.
Wei Shiming knew Emperor Su He well, and even if the Manchu Dynasty was opposed to something he believed in, it would be civil and military.
Emperor Su He would only change the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty.
…………………………
Yu Wenhe, the Imperial Academy's minister of wine, and Han Cuibai, the Minister of Rites, discussed countermeasures in a secret room.
Yu Wenhe sipped tea and said slowly: "The major events happening in the capital now should be the work of the prince.
I have contacted many officials, and they are all worried about the danger of an empty crown prince.
This turmoil should push the emperor to face up to the matter of establishing a prince. "
Han Cuibai looked at Yu Wenhe. They were both confidants of Prince Zheng and Wang Zhongce, the backbone of the New Confucian sect, and great masters of mind science.
He nodded and said: "The signs I have observed are that there are several forces that want to promote the establishment of a central bank.
The current interests of the imperial court have been divided among the major forces.
Whichever force wants to capture more interests, the crown prince is an unavoidable link.
Only when it is determined who the prince is will the various forces place heavy bets on cultivating a prince who is close to them. "
Han Cuibai sighed. He felt that Prince Zheng and Wang Zhongce had left them in a very difficult situation.
If this matter goes a step further, the newly developed Neo-Confucian sect will fall apart.
The two of them discussed what they should do if someone pushed the court to establish a crown prince?
Yu Wenhe suggested: "Your Majesty will establish a heir, it will be a matter of time.
We are not in a hurry when His Majesty will appoint the Crown Prince.
But we must ensure that the crown prince is the daughter of Queen Wang Wenjun.
Most of us have been labeled as members of the Wang family, and it is difficult for us to change families. "
When Han Cuibai heard what Yu Wenhe said, he nodded and agreed: "We don't have to worry, we can observe the wind direction in the court and adapt accordingly.
But I think we should not emphasize the concept of legitimate son.
Instead, it emphasized that Su Shu and other princes had excellent moral character and were intelligent. "
Han Cuibai saw clearly that Emperor Su He was disgusted with the ethics.
They cannot use ethics to restrain the emperor and prevent self-defeating.
Han Cuibai and Yu Wenhe discussed plans to deal with various emergencies.
…………………………
The Grand Governor Feng Sanqiu summoned all the first and second-rank officials of the Grand Governor's Mansion together.
His eyes were red and he said angrily: "I found that some people have been a little restless recently, and this should be related to that rumor.
If you think about it carefully, are there things that our generals can interfere with?
His Majesty the Emperor has emphasized many times that the duty of a soldier is to obey orders.
Think about it, throughout thousands of years of history, what was the fate of all the generals who dared to interfere with the emperor’s appointment of princes? "
Feng Sanqiu was going crazy with these colleagues.
Civil servants can get involved in the matter of the emperor appointing a heir apparent.
Their generals must stay far away.
The generals control the army, and if they participate in establishing the prince and show their loyalty to the prince, the emperor will feel like a thorn in his back.
The prince has not been on the throne for a day, so they should not show their loyalty.
Feng Sanqiu believes that a military commander who lives a long life must have basic qualities.
That is to swear allegiance to the emperor, whoever the emperor is loyal to.
Some generals were soaked with sweat when they heard Feng Sanqiu's roar, and they were almost doomed.
】
