My son, Fusu, please abdicate the first emperor!

Chapter 716 Court Discussion
In the first year of the Second Emperor’s reign, during the last ten days of the twelfth lunar month, the eve of the Spring Festival Ceremony.

The struggle between political power groups within the upper echelons of the Qin Empire is finally coming to an end.

Many people thought that everything would be peaceful once Fusu ascended the throne, but the opposite was true.

It took Qin Shihuang twenty-seven years from the time he became King of Qin to the year he abdicated.

Twenty-seven years is not a short time; it is enough to completely affect three generations of a family.

Under the guidance of Qin Shihuang's policies, there were two main groups of people who benefited from the Qin Empire. One group was the common people who were promoted through military merit; the other group was the Qin official group.

Rule the country by law and support war with war. The Qin Empire has been attacking for decades, and the number of beneficiaries has reached nearly 100,000 people.

As a result, Qin Shihuang's prestige reached an unprecedented high.

However, there are always two groups of people lurking in the center of power. One group is those who have gotten on board, gained wealth and glory, and then want to cut the rope and not let others get on board.
Simply put, this type of people prefer to oppress others and hope that more people will serve them rather than enjoy the same social benefits as them.

The first wave is those who have already boarded the bus and see many people running away behind them, some even running alone and dragging their whole family with them. Their consciences are not seduced by wealth and beauty, and they insist on pulling the people who got on the bus behind them.

This type of people is more interesting, because they not only have to fight with their opponents, but also with themselves. They already have royal power and wealth, but they want to seek benefits for the common people who have nothing to do with them. If they are not firm in their minds, it will be terrible. They have to fight wits and courage with their opponents, and also have to fight with themselves.

This is too difficult.

Moreover, letting others get on board does not mean simply providing policies to allow others to have opportunities for class mobility. In fact, they have to give up their own vested interests to help those who have no power.

Therefore, when two groups of people fight in a car, they often get bloody and bruised, and they don't even recognize their own parents. Because there is a group of people in the car who want to beat them up for no reason, the opponents will be scared by them.

Generally speaking, there are these two groups of people, and they started fighting probably since the beginning of Ying Zheng's accession to the throne.

When Ying Zheng wanted to gain power, it was those who wanted to pull others on board who were given important positions. They had power, and the empire reached its peak.

Then after Ying Zheng became the first emperor, this king who once wanted to bring the common people on board and eliminate the oppression of the aristocracy began to degenerate, gradually became completely disconnected from the grassroots life of the people, and made wrong decisions again and again.

In the later period of his depravity, he fostered a large number of treacherous villains.

This group of people are not bad, they just prefer to help beautiful women, the prime minister, Zhao Gao and other dignitaries solve their problems; as for the poor and humble, they will not help them.

This resulted in the Qin State's originally promising political environment being turned into a mess by Qin Shi Huang himself.

When the Second Emperor ascended the throne, the political ecology of the Qin Empire was still hindered by a large number of evil spirits, which made it impossible for the Qin Empire's highly developed and efficient centralized system to operate normally for a long time, and unable to promote social development and improve people's lives.

Both sides felt that the other was powerful, but with the rise of Qin II, he clearly suppressed and excluded the faction that was only interested in self-interest.

This led to the ultimate duel between the two groups.

Both sides knew that this time, whoever lost would have to withdraw.

The two groups of people who have already gotten on board certainly have their own concerns. One group is worried about their own future and wealth, while the other group is worried that they will not be able to defend the political achievements that the veterans once worked hard to defend.

It is relatively easy for a villain to take a position of power. All he needs to do is to form a group and flatter his superiors.

In order to take a position of power, gentlemen are unwilling to please their superiors or form cliques, and they have made many sacrifices for this. At the same time, they are also highly regarded by the "gentlemen" of the previous generation, simply because they have the same aspirations, so they give important positions to people they had never met in the past, and cultivate and support them.

The fact that gentlemen are able to hold high positions in the court is due to the efforts of so many people.

Just because Xiao He insisted on distributing the precious land of Xianyang to the common people, the attitudes of the ministers became completely polarized.

One group of people fully supported Xiao He because he was bold and selfless. To be honest, those high-ranking people who claimed to be gentlemen had been in high positions for a long time and were not necessarily as selfless as Xiao He. It was like being in a dark room and finally seeing a ray of sunlight, so everyone naturally supported him wholeheartedly.

But the other side is different.

When Xiao He came to Xianyang, he neither bullied his subordinates nor flattered his superiors.

To treacherous ministers, they are already aliens.

This time, he clearly had the power to distribute the land, but he chose to distribute it to the common people instead of giving it to those in high positions to curry favor with them.

Those who fawned on those in high positions and those who were fawned on seemed to be severely humiliated by Xiao He at that moment.

Based on this small incident, the old nobles thought that "Xiao He has no future."

"I don't understand your expression."

"Distributing the land of Xianyang City to unrelated common people is a sin."

"Hypocritical and fake."

Insults like these are what Xiao He has been enduring for more than a month.

As a result, Xiao He endured the pressure and the obstacles put in place by the villains and insisted on distributing the land.

Next, he will clear the cases and send those unlucky people who were wrongly convicted back home.

Everyone can see that Xiao He dared to do this because he had the support of Qin II behind him.

So, this time, the two groups of people had a complete falling out.

In the past, they could still shake hands and talk after a wave of struggle, continue to pretend to be in the court, and live their lives.

But this time, the parasites of the empire were really scared. Now, the knife was in the hands of the enemy, and they were like fish on the chopping board.

Everyone was very nervous during the court meeting that day.

Feng Quji actually made a prediction as to who would win today.

Wang Wan looked at his graying hair in the bronze mirror, the horizontal lines on his forehead, and touched the crown on his head. He had never expected that after being invited back, he would have to face a more intense political struggle, and the two sides had reached a life-and-death struggle.

If he made the right choice, he, Wang Wan, would be remembered for all eternity; if he made the wrong choice, he would most likely be wiped out from history by his opponents.

Isn't that what history is all about?

How many people can remember the name of a good person?

The names of the losers are buried underground.

People of humble status are not even worthy of having their names recorded in the face of history.

Wang Wan only felt that his breathing became heavy, and every step he took was heavy.

He looked up at the winter sun in Xianyang City.

Xianyang, "Xian" means capital, and Xianyang means Yang on all sides.

This city, which had the best name meaning in the world during the Warring States Period, is ushering in a historic moment today.

In history books, it will only receive a passing mention.

But for the people of this time and space, its significance is greater than the succession of Qin II to the throne.

The pursuit of fairness and justice is the foundation of the common beliefs of all people.

Throughout history, those who know how to occupy and deprive have always gotten more.

Fusu, when he became the highest authority in the empire, naturally looked at things differently from the past.

Because, when he sat on the throne, he began to think about how he could keep his throne; this matter was more urgent to him than reducing the burden on the people.

To his surprise, the people's expectations and calls for him were higher than he had imagined, and his ministers also had high hopes for him.

At first, Fusu thought that he would let the old ministers of Ying Zheng behave themselves and turn a blind eye as long as they did not do anything particularly bad. However, Xiao He, Zhang Cang and other common intellectuals united in the court and took the initiative to launch a confrontation.

What happened next was something that made Fusu laugh and cry.

Everyone ran to Zhangtai Palace to inform him, telling him that the ministers were going to take action and force him to appoint a crown prince.

Look, what the ministers consider a matter of life and death is actually just a group of people messing around in the eyes of those in higher positions.

Because they are unable to see the overall picture, they are limited to their own one-sided views and positions.

Fusu did not intend to do anything, and as a result, both sides began to panic and see enemies everywhere.

This forced Fusu to be ruthless and make some choices and decisions.

Ministers have their own concerns, and kings have their own opinions.

The ministers are numerous but have little power; the king is only one person but has supreme power.

The contradiction between the monarch and his subjects has now been triggered by the differences in ideas among the subjects.

Do you know how Fusu felt when he learned that Feng Quji, Yao Jia and others were standing together to force him to appoint a crown prince and teach him a lesson?

Feng Wuzhe had just restored Feng Quji's image in his mind a little, but Feng Quji came to destroy his place.

He even made a fuss about the extremely sensitive issue of abdication, which shows that he really cannot accept forcing his father to abdicate.

Before going to court, Feng Wanwan, who had just given birth to Fusu's second son, ignored her own health and insisted on meeting Fusu in person.

Because the ministers contacted and colluded with each other, a small matter turned into a big one, which alarmed the concubines in the harem.

"Your Majesty was once a crown prince, and you know that for a crown prince, his uncle is the most reliable."

"I only hope that Your Majesty will think twice before acting."

Even if all preparations were made, the queen would still intervene in the matter.

The nature of things has changed.

Only then did Fusu realize that he could not do as he pleased when dealing with some matters.

"Don't worry, I will take care of it."

"Your Majesty, I think there is still room for maneuver in this matter."

Fusu frowned, wondering why the Queen wanted to get involved and make such a big deal out of it.

"Go back to the palace. The results will be out soon. Don't worry, I'm here, you and the child will be fine."

Feng Wanwan frowned, "Your Majesty doesn't understand. What I am worried about is not myself and Yao, but my father."

Fusu's face darkened, "I understand, that's why I advised you to go back."
-
Half an hour later, Fusu and the ministers were sitting in the Da Zheng Hall.

Both sides have their own thoughts.

The ministers were as quiet as kittens and didn't say a word.

Zhou Qingchen lowered his head, thinking, if he made the emperor angry, would he kill himself directly, or should he stay angry for a while and give other ministers a chance to restrain him?

Zhou Qingchen hesitated, worried and afraid.

I don't know who pushed me from behind, but I rolled off my seat.

The tablet in his arms also fell out.

"Your Majesty, Doctor Zhou has something important to report."

"Play."

Zhou Qingchen looked around, but no one gave him any attention, so he had no choice but to go ahead.

"Your Majesty, I, Zhou Qingchen, report this to you."

"The most important affairs of a country are sacrifice and war. Your Majesty's decision to cease fire will benefit the country."

"It's just that there is something lacking in the aspect of sacrifice."

"Since our ancestors made the law, the establishment of a crown prince and the worship of the ancestral temple have been used together. The establishment of a crown prince not only ensures the inheritance of imperial power, but also carries the tradition of respecting and worshipping ancestors."

"Especially since your Majesty's descendants are all very smart and outstanding, not all of them are qualified to be deacons."

Zhou Qingchen was actually afraid of Fusu, as Fusu had few sons, so he simply changed the story to his son being very smart.

When Shangqing Yao Jia heard that what Zhou Qingchen said was different from what had been agreed upon before, he began to frown.

Why is Zhou Qingchen so cowardly at this moment? He doesn't even show the courage to challenge the emperor.

I don't know what's the point of letting him go up there.

You loser, be careful or you'll mess up your plans.

"Usually, the emperor is the chief priest and the prince is the assistant priest, in order to show the ancestors that there will be successors to the throne and ensure the continuation of the royal bloodline."

"The Spring Festival Ceremony is approaching. This is the first grand ceremony held since your Majesty ascended the throne. Now that your Majesty has appointed a queen, it stands to reason that the eldest son born by the queen should be the legitimate eldest son."

"That is to say, the most suitable candidate for the position of crown prince of our Great Qin Empire has been found—the eldest son Yao. He should be made the crown prince and serve as the assistant priest."

As Zhou Qingchen recited the poem, sweat poured down his back, soaking his collar.

Meng Yi couldn't help laughing when he saw his legs trembling, and he whispered sarcastically, "You're getting scared now."

Fusu looked calm, "So it's about the important matter of appointing a crown prince."

Feng Quji and Wang Wan both lowered their heads and looked at the table.

"In our Great Qin, the left is the most respected, and the right is second. What do you think, Prime Minister Zuo?"

When Feng Quji heard this, he was so scared that goose bumps appeared all over his body.

It has only been a year or two since Ying Zheng privately complained that he had too many chariots and horses.

Unexpectedly, this time Qin II actually talked about his private affairs directly in the court.

This is definitely not a coincidence. There is a spy in the Prime Minister's Mansion who specifically informs the emperor.

Feng Quji swallowed with fear.

"Your Majesty, the most important affairs of the country are sacrifice and military affairs. The matter of appointing a crown prince is related to the stability of the country and the continuation of the ancestral temple."

"Your Majesty, please appoint a crown prince as soon as possible."

"What's more, the appointment of Prince Yao as the crown prince was an order personally issued by the Supreme Emperor when he abdicated."

"Now that your majesty has ascended the throne, it is reasonable and logical to appoint a crown prince."

(End of this chapter)