The ministers begged me to ascend the throne

Chapter 247

This year's Longevity Day will be very grand because foreign envoys will come to congratulate them.

This is the first time since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty that foreign envoys came to the Great Zhou Dynasty to congratulate them.This is an extremely important matter for Da Zhou.The ministers in the court attached great importance to it, but the emperor, who was the birthday star, didn't care so much.

In the past few days, the ministers have been discussing one thing.That is, on the day of Longevity Day, whether the emperor should go to worship the Confucian Temple.

Foreign envoys worshiped the culture of the Central Plains and respected the two saints of Confucius and Mencius.Before, the eldest prince of Wusun made a clear request to the emperor in advance, hoping that Da Zhou could open an academy in Wusun.

After hearing Wusun's proposal to open an academy, envoys from countries such as Anran and Johor also seconded the proposal, hoping that Da Zhou could also open an academy in their country.

The ministers were very happy and proud to see foreign envoys worshiping the Central Plains culture so much.Therefore, some ministers suggested that on the day of Longevity Day, they would bring foreign envoys to worship the two saints of Confucius and Mencius.

Foreign envoys also want to worship the two saints of Confucius and Mencius very much. It is their honor if they can do so.

Worshiping the two saints of Confucius and Mencius on the Longevity Day has never happened before.Also, it is not every year to worship the two saints of Confucius and Mencius.

When the Great Zhou Dynasty was first established, the emperor and the first emperor worshiped the two saints of Confucius and Mencius.Later, when the emperor ascended the throne, he worshiped again.After that, the emperor never worshiped Confucius and Mencius again.In fact, every year on the birthday of Confucius and Mencius, the ministers reminded the emperor to worship.

The emperor felt that it was too troublesome to go to worship every year, so he asked the prince to take the ministers and students of Taixue to worship the two saints of Confucius and Mencius.

At this time, in the imperial study room, the emperor's feet were resting on the imperial table, and his hands were holding his head behind his head.

"Let the prince go."

When He Xiang and Liu Taishi heard what the emperor said, they were not surprised at all.

"Your Majesty, it is inappropriate for His Royal Highness to worship the two saints of Confucius and Mencius on the Longevity Day."

Taishi Liu agreed: "Your Majesty, you haven't paid homage to the two saints of Confucius and Mencius for many years."

"I didn't worship, but the crown prince does every year." The emperor pouted and said, "I hate such troublesome things."

"This year, foreign envoys will participate in the worship together. It would be better for the emperor to lead the worship in person."

The emperor said impatiently: "It's really troublesome." In fact, the emperor liked the Legalists more than the two saints of Confucius and Mencius. "Whoever suggested that I bring foreign envoys to worship Confucius and Mencius, doesn't he know that I am very busy?"

"It was proposed by Marquis Xuan Ping, and foreign envoys are looking forward to worshiping the two saints of Confucius and Mencius together with you." Seeing the emperor's reluctance, He Xiang persuaded, "Your majesty, if you don't want to, this year you will still go to sacrifice Bye."

"Your Majesty, you should pretend at least." Grand Master Liu said sharply.

The emperor swayed his feet and said reluctantly: "I don't want to pretend." In fact, the emperor was not very convinced of the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, even though people all over the world admired the teachings of Confucius and Mencius. "And on the day of my birthday, I should worship my father and mother, as well as my ancestors. Why should I worship Confucius and Mencius, and they didn't give birth to me?"

"Worshiping the two sages of Confucius and Mencius on the day of your Longevity Day is the only way to respect the two sages." He Xiang said, "Furthermore, the most important festival recently is only your Longevity Day."

"On the Longevity Day, I will only worship the heavens and the earth and the ancestors." People in the world respect Confucianism too much, which is not what the emperor wants to see. "One day in advance, hold a grand worship ceremony the day before my Longevity Day." The emperor deliberately emphasized the word "grand".

He Xiang and Grand Master Liu glanced at each other, then nodded in agreement and said, "That's fine."

Grand Master Liu asked: "Continue to be worshiped by His Royal Highness?"

"No, this time the fourth child will take the lead in worshiping."

Hearing the emperor's words, He Xiang and Liu Taishi were stunned for a moment, and immediately they understood what the emperor meant.

"You might as well let His Royal Highness Daiwang take the lead in worshiping." He Xiang complained unceremoniously.

"I would like to let that brat, my second son, take the lead in worshiping Confucius and Mencius, but is he worthy?" The emperor said with a look of disgust on his face, "If I let him worship, immediately the whole world will think that I have abolished the boss, and immediately The second child is the prince."

Dai Wang is a military general. If he is asked to take the lead in worshiping Confucius and Mencius, the ministers will definitely object.

"You asked the fourth prince to take the lead in worshiping, which pushed the fourth prince to the front." He Xiang frowned slightly and said, "The fourth prince is not yet an adult, is it appropriate for you to let him worship?"

Taishi Liu could see the emperor's intention, "The real purpose of the emperor is not to push out the fourth prince, but to improve the status of the Li family."

He Xiang understood now when he heard Grand Master Liu say that.

"Your Majesty, where did you put the Kong family in this way?"

The emperor smiled casually: "It's not death." Although the reputation of the Kong family among the scholars of the world has decreased because of the matter of the head of the Confucius family in the previous dynasty, the status of the Confucius family in the hearts of the scholars of the world is still very high. high.Even though the status of the Li family among the literati and students in the world has been getting higher and higher over the years, it is still not as good as the Kong family. "Let the fourth child go, so as to save the crown prince from fighting with the second child."

"Your Majesty, are you sure?" He Liang frowned slightly, and said with a serious expression, "The Fourth Prince is not a legitimate son."

Grand Master Liu suggested: "Let the fourth prince and Li Pushe take the lead in worshiping the two sages of Confucius and Mencius, and do so in the Taixue. By the way, let foreign envoys see the style of our Taixue, and let the Taixue Students show the demeanor of my Da Zhou students in front of foreign envoys."

With a snap, the emperor clapped his hands vigorously, and looked at Taishi Liu with eyes full of admiration: "Lao Liu, you have a good idea, so I will do as you say."

He Xiang also felt that Grand Master Liu's proposal was good, he nodded in agreement and said, "If the fourth prince and Li Pushe worship together, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Dai Wang, and other ministers will have no objections."

"Didn't the foreign envoys want us to open academies in their countries, just to let them see the majesty of our Taixue." Taixue is the highest institution of Dazhou, and it is the most important place to worship the two saints of Confucius and Mencius in Taixue. suitable.

The emperor laughed and said, "Old Liu, you still have the brightest mind."

He Xiang said: "Since the worship is held in Taixue, let the fourth prince and Li Pushe handle this matter."

The emperor nodded, and immediately asked Sun Kui to call the fourth prince and Li Pushe.

The fourth prince went to the imperial study room before Li Pushe, and when he heard that the emperor was going to entrust him and his grandfather with worshiping the two saints of Confucius and Mencius, he was very shocked and also very excited.

Of course, he shirked it first, saying that he was too young to undertake such an important matter, and asked the emperor to choose other people to worship the two saints of Confucius and Mencius with Li Pushe.

The emperor said that he believed that the fourth prince could handle this matter well, and asked him and Li Pushe to handle this matter well, so that foreign envoys could experience the long-standing culture of Zhou Yuanyuan.

Seeing that the emperor trusted him so much, the fourth prince did not shirk.He promised the emperor that he would handle this matter well with his grandfather.

After Li Pu shot into the palace, the emperor told him again what he had said to the fourth prince.

Li Pushe did not shirk, he solemnly stated to the emperor that he would definitely hold this ceremony together with the fourth prince.

The emperor asked Li Pushe to find the fourth prince, and the two of them had to make preparations for the worship in these two days.

Every year, Li Pushe brings Taixue students to pay homage to the two saints of Confucius and Mencius, and he is familiar with this matter.

Because he had to pay homage to the two saints of Confucius and Mencius, the fourth prince had to move to Taixue to prepare for the worship together with Li Pushe, so he was temporarily unable to compile history in the History Museum of Lanyuan Pavilion.

Soon, all the civil and military ministers of the Manchu Dynasty knew that the fourth prince and Li Pushe worshiped the two saints of Confucius and Mencius. They were very surprised at first, and then felt that it was reasonable.However, this is not a good thing for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness Daiwang.

In the East Palace, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not understand why the emperor suddenly arranged for the Fourth Prince to prepare worship together with Li Pushe. You must know that every year he and Li Pushe brought the Taixue students to pay homage to the two sages of Confucius and Mencius.

"Father, what do you mean by this?" His Royal Highness frowned, and said dissatisfiedly, "What's the matter with letting the fourth brother go to worship, what kind of person is the fourth brother."

The eighth prince probably guessed the emperor's purpose, but he couldn't tell His Royal Highness the prince.

"I go to worship every year. Why is it changed to the fourth brother this year?" His Royal Highness said with displeasure, "Father wants the fourth brother..."

"Brother, the fourth brother is not yet of age, even if the father wants the fourth brother to be the leader, he will not choose this time." The eighth prince is not speaking for the fourth prince, but he can't let the fourth prince be feared by His Royal Highness.His purpose is to make His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness Daiwang fight to the death.

His Royal Highness thinks about it too, there are still two years before the Fourth Prince reaches adulthood.

"Then why do you think the father suddenly asked the fourth brother to worship?"

"It's very simple. The fourth brother is the grandson of Li Pushe." The eighth prince explained, "Taixue is the highest school in the Great Zhou Dynasty. In front of the courtiers, we will show the demeanor of our Dazhou students."

"Although the fourth brother is the grandson of Li Pushe, the fourth brother is just an ordinary prince after all." His Royal Highness still thought it was right for him to worship Confucius and Mencius together with Li Pushe. "Father asked the fourth younger brother to worship, isn't this nonsense?"

"If it's elder brother you go to worship, the person acting as the king will definitely not like it. If you go to worship on behalf of the king, your people will definitely object." The eighth prince helped His Royal Highness analyze, "Father probably doesn't want our people and The people who acted as kings quarreled and simply let the fourth brother go to worship."

His Royal Highness felt that the eighth prince's analysis made sense, "You are right."

"Brother, as long as you don't pay homage on behalf of the king instead of the father." The eighth prince comforted His Royal Highness and said, "Whether it's the fourth brother or the third brother, they can't pose a threat to you, brother, if they go to worship instead of the father." .”

The dissatisfaction in the heart of His Royal Highness was wiped out by the Eighth Prince's words.His complexion changed a lot in an instant, "You are right, as long as it is not acting king."

"Brother, you don't need to take this matter to heart." The eighth prince continued to comfort His Highness, "This worship is not an important one. You see, the emperor deliberately held it one day earlier in order to Make a show and let the foreign envoys take a look."

The eighth prince suddenly asked: "Brother, didn't you see it?"

"See what?" His Royal Highness asked with a puzzled expression.

"Father doesn't want to hold this ceremony." The Eighth Prince really guessed it right.

When His Royal Highness heard the words, he asked in surprise, "Eighth brother, why do you say that?"

"If the emperor really wanted to hold this memorial ceremony, he would definitely choose it on the Longevity Day, and the emperor would worship in person, but the emperor did not." The eighth prince really knew the emperor very well.

After listening to the Eighth Prince's analysis, His Royal Highness showed a dazed look on his face: "It's true."

"So, brother, you don't need to care about this sacrifice." The eighth prince said, his face suddenly became serious, "Brother, what we need to pay attention to now is the princess who is approaching Annan Kingdom on behalf of the king. On the Longevity Day, the acting king will propose to the emperor to marry the princess of Annan Kingdom as the side princess."

After hearing this, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not show anger or sarcasm, but said very calmly: "Uncle guessed it."

"Then what is Duke Zhen planning to do?" The eighth prince asked curiously, "Stop acting as the king?"

"No, uncle said that he will become the king of the whole generation."

"Fulfill the acting king?" The eighth prince looked surprised, "Brother, if the princess who went to Annan Kingdom as the acting king is the side princess, then the acting king will have an extraordinary relationship with the royal family of Annan Kingdom, which is not good for us."

His Royal Highness was not worried at all.He said calmly, "It's useless."

Seeing His Highness the Crown Prince's calm expression, the Eighth Prince hurriedly asked: "Brother, what exactly are you and Lord Zhen Guo going to do to King Dai?"

"Uncle didn't tell me, but he said that on the day of the Longevity Day, let me rush in front of the acting king and propose to the father that the acting king marry the third princess of Annan Kingdom as the side princess." His Royal Highness smiled and said, "Listen to Uncle, you are right."

"Duke Zhen said so, then there must be no problem." The Eighth Prince smiled and said, "Then wait for the Longevity Day."

"Eighth brother, do you know that Annan has iron and gold mines?" His Royal Highness asked suddenly.

The eighth prince nodded slightly: "I know, I read in the book that there are copper mines and silver mines in An Nanguo."

"You said that if we get the iron ore and gold mines of An Nanguo, will Dai Wang still be our opponent?"

"Of course not the opponent." The eighth prince said in his heart, and sure enough, Lord Zhen and the others also took a fancy to An Nanguo's iron and gold mines. "Brother, what are you and Duke Zhen going to do?"

"We intend to assist the eldest prince to ascend the throne."

"Brother, the eldest prince is the heir of An Nan Kingdom."

"However, the king of Annan Kingdom prefers the second prince, just like me and the acting king." The prince said here, with hatred flashing across his eyes, "My uncle and I plan to support the eldest prince to ascend the throne, so that we can make Annanguo The royal family is in our hands, and the iron mines, gold mines, copper mines and silver mines of Annan Kingdom will all be ours."

"Of course, the army of Annan Kingdom is also ours, and then we don't have to be afraid of Daiwang's army."

"That's a good idea." Sure enough, Lord Zhen wanted to control the entire An Nan Kingdom, but his thinking was too simple.

"Someone in the court has already proposed to the emperor to set up a Protectorate in Annan, but I intend to oppose it." The prince said with a deep expression, "If the Protectorate is set up in Annan, the royal family of Annan will be controlled by the court. , so that we cannot get good things from An Nanguo."

"Brother said yes."

Duke Zhen is really daring.

It's a pity that neither Lord Zhen Guo nor the elder brother expected that all of this was a scheme of the father.

Zhen Guogong really underestimated his father.

　I have been in Xi’an for the past few days, and I have no time to code during the day, so I can only come back to code at night, so I can only update one chapter.

　　When I go back from Xi'an, I will reply to the previous two updates.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)