"May I ask Your Majesty, who are the members of the cabinet?"
Zhu Di stretched his body and said, "Xie Jin, Huang Huai, Hu Guang, Hu Yan, Jin Youzi, Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong."
"So many?" Li Qing was surprised.
"It's easy to get things done when there are many people, and it's not easy to monopolize power." Zhu Di asked curiously, "You seem to have strong opinions on the cabinet?"
Li Qing smiled bitterly and shook his head, "That's not entirely true. The cabinet still has a great positive effect and can relieve the emperor's worries."
Think about the playful Zhengde, Jiajing and Wanli who did not go to court, especially Wanli, they were all in a state of abandonment, but the Ming Dynasty still ran normally, all supported by the cabinet.
Although they have exclusive power, it cannot be said that they do not do anything serious.
Generally speaking, the establishment of a cabinet has advantages and disadvantages, and it is not all bad.
Thinking of this, Li Qing was no longer so repelled mentally.
After briefly talking about the cabinet for a while, Zhu Di shifted the topic to establishing the crown prince, "To be honest, I want to establish the second son."
"You are the emperor, you have the final say." Li Qing said expressionlessly, "This is your right."
Zhu Di sighed, "It's a pity...he's not the boss!"
Li Qing was speechless: I asked you to say everything, but I still said nonsense.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Zhu Di said again: "Li Qing, tell the truth, which one of them do you think is more suitable to be the crown prince?"
"Boss."
"How about leaving aside the identity of the eldest son?"
"Still the boss." Li Qing said seriously, "Compared to using force to suppress literature, the prince's own ability is more important, isn't it?"
Zhu Di was silent for a long time and nodded slightly: "Yes, the second brother is a fool."
"..." Li Qing advised: "The position of crown prince should not be left on hold for too long. Please make a decision as soon as possible to avoid internal strife."
Zhu Di pondered and said, "Li Qing, you are very smart. Is there any way to get the boss and the general closer?"
"This... really doesn't happen." Li Qing smiled bitterly, "The second prince has been following you in the military camp since he was a child. This is something that the eldest brother cannot compare to;
Especially during the Jingnan War, Zhu Neng, Qiu Fu and other heroes were all comrades-in-arms of the second prince. How can you ask the boss to compare with him? "
Zhu Di said helplessly: "I admit that I am somewhat biased, but you can't blame me entirely!
You also know that the boss is very fat. He can't take a breath after running two steps. I really want to take him to the military camp, but he can't do it. "
Li Qing thought for a while and said, "It would be a good idea for the Emperor to take a generation away from him and focus on training his grandson so that he can get close to military commanders from a young age. In the future, he will also follow when we use troops abroad."
Xiaopang couldn't help him anymore, so he could only help his son.
"Imperial grandson?" Zhu Di's eyes lit up and he nodded, "This is a good idea. It won't be a problem for me to live for another twenty years. Such a long time is enough to train me."
The more he thought about it, the more he realized it was feasible. Raising a grandson from a young age would be more profitable than raising a child half-way through the process, and it would also preserve the ancestral system of establishing direct descendants.
It’s the best of both worlds!
Zhu Di himself was not in the right position, but he respected etiquette more because he wanted his children and grandchildren to be in the right position.
The more a person lacks something, the more he wants his children and grandchildren to have something.
Otherwise, with Zhu Di's temperament, he would not obviously like the second child, but still worry about it.
Zhu Di breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I'll come to you tomorrow morning."
Li Qing's heart moved and he asked tentatively, "The emperor wants to establish a prince?"
"Let's set it up." Zhu Di sighed, "It will save the civil and military officials from wrangling and making noise."
Li Qing smiled and said, "It's better to get established early to avoid internal friction and destroy their brotherhood."
"Um."
We are close to each other in the next generation. Lao Zhu likes his grandson, and Lao Si also likes his grandson.
When he thought of his eldest grandson, Zhu Di couldn't help but grin, "Li Qing, what do you think of my eldest grandson?"
Li Qing wanted to laugh a little, what could a little kid see? But thinking about the rule of Renxuan, he had to admit that this grandson did a good job.
So I borrowed a joke: "What a great saint, the Ming Dynasty will be prosperous for three generations!"
"Really!" Zhu Di grinned happily, and then said displeasedly, "What does it mean to be prosperous for three generations? It must be prosperous for eternity."
Li Qing clasped his fists and said, "I made a mistake with my words. I hope your Majesty will forgive me."
"Okay, okay, I don't have the same knowledge as you." Zhu Di relieved his knot and felt happy, "You should take the time to visit Sanbao, don't just play with women."
"..." Li Qing was speechless, "Your Majesty, there is something I don't know whether to say or not."
"Say it!"
"Can we get some goodies?"
"What do you mean?"
Li Qing said: "For example, give me a salary increase."
"Your salary is not low!" Zhu Di wondered, "Isn't it enough?"
"What the emperor said, are you greedy for the money?" Li Qing said with a serious face, "The main reason is to see if the emperor has a heart for me."
Zhu Di glared at him angrily, "You are the only poor person, so I will give you an additional five hundred dan in annual salary."
After a pause, "Do it well, I won't treat you badly."
Li Qing blurted out: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I will do my job well."
As soon as the words came out, he was stunned. Why is this scene so familiar?
…
The next day.
Li Qing got up before dawn, but when he arrived at Fengtian Hall, it was still a little late, only a little earlier than Zhu Di.
After a while, Zhu Di walked up the jade steps. The officials saluted and the mountains shouted long live.
"Everyone is safe!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The ministers stood up and stood in groups.
Then, Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Household Affairs, came out and said, "Your Majesty, I have this memorial."
"Accurate!"
"The crown prince is the foundation of the country, and the prince has already come of age. I hope that the emperor will appoint a prince as soon as possible."
"I second the proposal." The Minister of Rites immediately left.
Immediately, ministers such as the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of Punishment came out one after another to petition.
"Ai Qing's words make sense." Zhu Di smiled and winked at the eunuch standing beside him.
The latter understood, immediately took out the imperial edict and read out: "The emperor is destined to be carried by heaven, and the edict says:
The eldest son of the emperor is benevolent, filial and prudent. He is the first heir of the clan. He belongs to God's will and obeys the public opinion. I sincerely inform heaven and earth, the ancestral temple and the country to confer a book treasure and establish him as the crown prince.
The second son of the emperor, brave and good at fighting, was named King of Han;
The third son of the emperor, talented and intelligent, was granted the title of King of Zhao;
Announce it to the world, and the envoys will hear about it!
Admire this. "
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
The civil servants knelt down and shouted, their faces flushed with excitement, that the emperor had finally appointed the crown prince, and in compliance with etiquette and law, he had established his eldest son.
This gave them hope again. It was known that the emperor's eldest son was not a martial artist. In the future, when he ascended the throne, the life of civil servants would be much easier.
In comparison, the general's expression was not very good-looking.
Especially Jingnan's generals, they are Lao Er's comrades, and of course they want Lao Er to be the crown prince.
But Zhu Di gave no room for negotiation and issued the edict directly. It was difficult for them to resist the edict, so they had to hold their noses and accept it.
A moment later, Xiaopang, dressed in a prince's uniform, walked tremblingly from the royal road into the main hall.
The prince's suit was so tight that he didn't dare to breathe for fear of bursting.
The little fat man walked to the emperor and stood up straight, with his head held high and his chest high.
"I will see His Highness the Crown Prince." The ministers bowed and saluted.
"No, no courtesy." The fat man didn't dare to make any big move, he just waved his hand gently, suppressing his face to turn red.
Zhu Di looked at the chubby boy with a somewhat disappointed expression. He really didn't like this appearance.
In this era, personal image is very important. When an official becomes an official, he also pays attention to having good facial features. Especially for officials who go to court, almost all of them are handsome, let alone the king of a country.
Xiaopang's appearance is indeed a big plus.
That's all, there is still a grandson to support him... Zhu Di comforted himself and forced out a fatherly smile, "The state affairs are heavy, Gao Chi, you have to share the worries for your father!"
"My son obeys the order." Xiaopang said with a red face.
Zhu Di saw that he was standing upright, with his head held high and his chest held high, without even a hint of courtesy. His smile gradually faded and his eyes became evil.
What's going on? You just became a prince and you fell into disgrace?
Zhu Di lost his temper and stopped performing the canonization ceremony. He flicked his sleeves and said calmly: "Stand down!"
"Yes, I obey my order." Xiaopang reluctantly bowed his hands and left with his head held high.
Zhu Di's face turned dark. It's unreasonable. It's simply unreasonable.
He tugged at the jade belt around his waist, his hands itching unbearably, "If you have a copy of the memorial, please leave it for reading before leaving the court!"
After saying that, he couldn't wait to leave without waiting for the officials to salute.
…
ps: It’s a bit short and I’m still feeling uncomfortable. My dears, please forgive me~
