Ci Jinzhi

Chapter 427: Establishing the Queen
In this sensitive time of establishing a heirloom, the biggest advantage of Xiuwang is his age. Many ministers may not necessarily be on good terms with him in private, but they will support him unconditionally just because he has the "long" character.

What they support is not the King of Shows, but the rules and etiquette.

It is self-evident what it means for the emperor to choose to appoint a successor now.

"The throne has been vacant for many years. The noble concubine of the Zhou family is from a well-known family and is respectful and virtuous. I want to make her my queen. What do you think?"

When Emperor Xingyuan asked this question, all the ministers had different expressions.

Of course, those who supported Emperor Xingyuan unconditionally would not object. Those who valued rules and etiquette had already asked for help many times due to the vacant post. Those who sincerely supported Emperor Xiu wanted to object, but had no reason to object.

There is no master in the harem, so it is natural for the emperor to establish a queen. However, the birth, status, and virtue of the biological mother of the third prince are hard to find fault with, so it can be said that there is no dispute about her being the queen.

The ministers who supported King Xiu secretly exchanged glances, but no one dared to say a word.

You can't say that the third prince's mother-in-law, the imperial concubine, is not suitable, but King Xiu's mother-in-law, An Bin, is suitable, right?

You must know that Concubine An was ignored by the emperor for many years. It was not until King Xiu left the palace and opened a palace at the age of fifteen that he was promoted to concubine. They said An Bin was suitable, but they couldn't even pass this test themselves.

Emperor Xingyuan looked around at the ministers and nodded with satisfaction.

"Since the ministers have no objections, let's choose an auspicious day and perform the ceremony of enthroning."

As the ministers left the palace, news spread that the third prince's biological mother, Concubine Zhou, was to be appointed as his successor.

Xin You was sitting in the office, and saw a few people in Hua Daizhao poking their heads, but they were hesitant to speak.

She walked out and asked a few people what was going on.

"Xin Daizhao, is there anything going on behind the Yamen? If nothing happens, let's get together." Hua Daizhao's tone was quite natural, but his eyes were a bit cautious.

Xin You knew that the imperial concubines had heard that the imperial concubine was to be granted the title of queen, and thought she was unhappy, so they asked her to have a drink to relieve her mood.

"Unfortunately, something happened today. I'll invite some brothers over to you another day."

Hua Daizhao saw that her expression was calm and her eyes were calm, and she didn't look particularly sad. He smiled and said, "Well, we are free every day. Xin Daizhao, please be busy, we have also returned to the west hall."

Xin You watched several people enter the waiting room, turned around to look at the clean and quiet office, and simply walked outside the Hanlin Academy.

Along the way, I received countless strange looks.

Not long after leaving the Hanlin Academy, Xin You saw He Qingxiao standing under a tree by the roadside.

She walked over and asked, "Are you waiting for me?"

He Qingxiao nodded calmly.

"Why don't you ask the doorman to send me a message? If I come out of the office again, I'll have to wait for a long time." Xin You walked up to him, and the two of them walked forward together.

"I have nothing to do today, so I'll just pass the time while I wait." He Qingxiao looked at her expression.

"I'm not sad." Xin You guessed what he was worried about and spoke directly.

He Qingxiao paused and looked deeply into her eyes.

Xin You raised his head slightly and did not hide his emotions in front of him: "It seems that everyone knows the news about the appointment of a successor. Maybe everyone thinks that I am unhappy."

She took a few steps forward, and someone in the distance looked over curiously.

"I don't feel anything when other people get things that my mother doesn't want."

It just further allowed her to see that person's decision clearly.

Instead, she was curious about how King Xiu felt after hearing about it.

King Xiu was currently surrounded by his staff in the study, facing anxious and solemn faces.

"Your Highness, once the ceremony of enthroning the queen is officially held, the third prince will have the status of his legitimate son!"

King Xiu looked at the speaker.

When a prince leaves the palace and opens a palace, he will arrange a team. These subordinate officials are destined to suffer losses and prosper with him. He understood the mood of these people, but he no longer had the strength to care about their mood.

"Your Highness—"

King Xiu looked over with cold eyes and said in a cold tone: "Do you want Xiao Wang to tell my father not to appoint a successor? If Xiao Wang's words are useful, then my father will not appoint a successor at this time."

Several staff members were silent.

Originally, the eldest prince and the third prince had a lot of advantages in the fight. It can be said that it was natural for the ministers to make the eldest prince the crown prince. Even if the emperor favors the third prince, there will be a lot of resistance.

But the emperor did not mention the establishment of a third prince at all, and did not give the officials a chance to argue. He instead established one first and then the other.

This is tantamount to pulling out the fire and blocking the way for the eldest prince.

One of the staff sighed.

Being an official of the prince is actually not bad, but His Highness is obviously the most suitable candidate and has the greatest chance. Such a result is really unacceptable!
"Gentlemen, please go out. Xiao Wang is tired."

Several people stood up, saluted, and left silently.

King Xiu sat motionless in his study.

It was getting dark little by little, and there was no lamp in the study. King Xiu closed his eyes, and a tear fell quietly, hidden by the darkness.

Later, Qin Tian Jian wanted to choose an auspicious day, and some yamen, mainly the Ministry of Rites, regarded this as a top priority and began to prepare.

Generally speaking, it takes at least a month to prepare for such a ceremony, and the auspicious date given by Qin Tianjian is just over a month later.

When Xiu Wang went out again, he saw that everyone was busy with the ceremony of conferring the queen, and everyone was talking about the ceremony.

"I have met His Highness King Xiu." The two officials who were talking noticed that King Xiu was passing by. They stopped in a hurry and saluted nervously.

King Xiu nodded and walked over, hearing a voice of relief coming from behind him.

In just a few days, the most powerful competitor for the crown prince became a pitiful person in the eyes of hundreds of officials and nobles.

In the palace, Emperor Xingyuan asked about King Xiu's reaction.

"His Royal Highness Xiu Wang seems a little depressed, but he has not expressed any dissatisfaction."

Emperor Xingyuan nodded after hearing this and asked Xinyou how he was doing.

"Princess Ayou, everything is business as usual."

Emperor Xingyuan didn't believe it and was too embarrassed to summon Xin You into the palace. He ordered Sun Yan to send many rewards to Xin's house.

The third prince has the title of crown prince, and Xin You has the favor. This contrast makes King Xiu even more pathetic.

However, King Xiu returned to normal after being depressed for a few days. He was gentle and humble when dealing with the ministers, which was secretly regrettable.

The third prince still couldn't see that King Xiu was kind and gentle, and it was good to be a loyal king.

It's a pity that no matter what the officials think, the preparations for the ceremony are proceeding step by step and will not stop because of the regrets of some people.

One day before the registration ceremony, Honglu Temple set up a festival register treasure case in Fengtian Hall. On the same day, all the officials kowtowed, and after the queen's registration was completed, they thanked the queen mother and received congratulations.

The next day, according to the regulations, the prince entered the palace to celebrate.

There was only one prince in the court, King Xiu, so he led all the princes to pay homage to Queen Zhou.

The etiquette officer asked the queen to ascend her seat. King Xiu knelt down and said, "My dear Chen Ping, I would like to lead all my brothers to congratulate Her Majesty the Queen Mother."

One bow, and then another. King Xiu bowed eight times before getting up with several princes. After that, Princess Xuan and her two younger sisters bowed eight times to the new queen.

King Xiu watched silently as his three sisters kowtowed to the queen, but Xinyou was not among them.

As she was not recorded in the royal jade certificate, she avoided such an occasion as expected.

He looked at the third prince Chen You with his peripheral vision.