unclear

Chapter 875: Worrying

"Brother Li Qing, His Majesty is determined not to appoint a crown prince, and you are unwilling to submit a petition together. Why is that?"

Standing outside Deshengmen, watching the Warriors Battalion escorting the imperial carriage gradually walk away, Yuan Yingtai quietly pulled Yuan Keli's sleeve, and the two of them walked a few steps to the side, leaving the team of officials who were seeing them off and started whispering.

Supporting the emperor to lead the army in person was from the bottom of my heart, but I was also worried about the emperor. We all grew up eating grains, so who can be free from illness and disaster?

As the saying goes, swords have no eyes! On the battlefield, even if the warrior battalion and the army can fight ten enemies at once, there is always a chance that one of them will make a mistake.

According to the court officials, it would be better for the emperor to decide on the position of crown prince before leaving. There was no need to worry about not having an heir, as he still had three younger brothers: Prince Duan Zhu Changhao, Prince Rui Zhu Changrun, and Prince Gui Zhu Changying.

Zhu Changying, in particular, was brought up by the empress since childhood and received a very systematic education. He was familiar with the Five Classics and the Four Books and was influenced by the new learning. Now he has joined the Ming Army. Even if he has never really been on the battlefield and has only been stationed in Nanjing, he has been experienced.

If the emperor is willing, most court officials are willing to follow his orders. First, Zhu Changying should be made the crown prince. In case of an accident, the Ming Dynasty will not be leaderless, and the new policy will not be abandoned halfway. This should be a very safe strategy.

"King Gui is not suitable!"

Yuan Keli basically did not participate in the court officials' secret actions to select a crown prince for the emperor, but as a top-ranking official, it was impossible for him to avoid it. Now that he was being questioned by Yuan Yingtai, who was also a pillar of the royalist party, he could no longer dodge and had to tell the truth.

"...Could it be that Your Majesty is interested in Prince Duan or Prince Hui?" This answer made Yuan Yingtai confused and he couldn't understand it.

Prince Duan and Prince Hui were several years older than Prince Gui. They began to receive traditional education before Emperor Jingyang ascended the throne. They were not forced to learn new knowledge, nor did they show any talent for governing the country.

"Dalai, in your opinion, who among King Rui, King Hui and King Gui can inherit your majesty's mantle?"

Yuan Keli seemed reluctant to talk about this topic, but he couldn't just walk away, so he simply pulled Yuan Yingtai toward his carriage, intending to avoid the vague attention from the people around him.

"…Your Majesty is gifted, diligent, self-disciplined, experienced, and self-taught. You are a rare talent that is hard to come by in the history of the world. Others are not as good as you. But the country cannot be without a ruler for a day. It is better to be safe than sorry!"

This question made Yuan Yingtai frown. It was nonsense. If there was someone who was as capable as the emperor, the court officials wouldn't have to worry about it. There was nothing they could do. They could only choose the general from the short ones.

"I can assert that once His Majesty fails, no matter who inherits the throne, they will not be able to control the overall situation. Even if you and I, together with the Li brothers, assist us with all our strength, it will still be useless. At most, we can only survive for a few years.

Your Majesty's actions may seem simple, but they are actually difficult and dangerous. There is no room for deviation, and everything must be planned for the long term. Even if the person who takes over cannot completely imitate it, he must know the general direction and ultimate goal.

I want to ask you, do you know what your majesty is going to do next and how to do it? How to govern and manage after conquering the Western Regions? The Western Regions alone cannot open up the trade route. There are several countries in the west that are blocking the way. How to deal with them?
For so many years, you and I have only been following in His Majesty's footsteps, and we still feel exhausted. If it were up to you and me to decide where to go next, I am sorry that I am stupid and cannot obey you!"

Sitting in the carriage, Yuan Keli's expression finally relaxed a little, but his attitude was still very conservative. In the end, he was making one thing clear: no matter who is chosen as the crown prince, no one can inherit the emperor's governing philosophy and direction, and it is impossible to follow the rules of Xiao and Cao.

The reason is simple. The emperor did not complete the rules. It seems that he only made a beginning and could not follow it. And looking at the court and the public, no one was capable of carrying on the tradition.

"...Brother Li Qing's words make sense, but why has Your Majesty never mentioned this matter, and why hasn't he ever worried about not having an heir?"

Yuan Yingtai was not unfamiliar with the emperor. As the saying goes, "If you care too much, you will be confused." Yuan Keli analyzed it and immediately realized that this was the case. However, he still couldn't help but care about the successor issue. This was not because he had other ideas, but a common problem among the ancient scholar class.

If they didn't have a wise emperor, they would be anxious, always hoping that a wiser emperor would come. If they had a wise emperor, they would still be anxious, fearing that the next one would not be wise enough. Anyway, they were not suitable, and they could not help but feel uneasy.

"I want to remind you, don't think too much about this matter, and don't mention it to His Majesty in person, it will do more harm than good. As for what His Majesty thinks and what plans he has, let His Majesty make his own plans. You and I just need to follow closely, and maybe we can really see a grand occasion that hasn't been seen in a thousand years in this life." This sentence touched Yuan Keli's sore spot. In the past few years, he was more enthusiastic about the emperor's offspring than Yuan Yingtai, but it was useless. The emperor took in two more concubines, but the prince was still nowhere to be seen.

It is said that from then on, except for sleeping in the Cining Palace for a night every few days, the emperor rarely went to other palaces and spent most of his time in the Yangxin Palace.

Why was this so? Yuan Keli found it too incredible and even wondered if the emperor might have a preference for male favorites. It was not until he went to the palace to say goodbye before Wang An left for Nanjing that he finally got an ambiguous answer.

Wang An left himself three sentences, which were the essence of his decades of service to the emperor:
First of all, don't ask about or think about the emperor's family affairs. It's best not to even think about it. If you can't do this, it's best to resign and go home to protect yourself and your family, otherwise you will definitely end up in a bad way.

Secondly, do not fool or deceive the emperor. Even if you mess up, as long as you do not deliberately violate the emperor's will and report truthfully, you will not be punished too severely. This is his and the eunuchs' personal experience and understanding, which is really true.

The emperor's style of doing things may seem ruthless and a little bit cruel, but in fact he values ​​affection very much and keeps his word. It is in how he defines affection that he is particularly different.

Finally, don't be indecisive, and believe in the emperor's decision even if you don't understand it. If you can't do it, you should resign and go home as soon as possible.

This was also what he felt sincerely. Leaving the Imperial Household Department to hold the seal and go to Nanjing to serve as the Governor-General of Jiangnan was a warning from the emperor. If he could not follow closely, he might have to leave the center of power next time.

But he was a eunuch and a close companion of the emperor. As long as he did not rebel, he could be exiled to a shrine supervisor or guard the imperial mausoleum. As a court official, especially an important official, he probably had no way out. Whether he could be demoted to a commoner and return home to retire was a big question.

Don't forget that the emperor's style of doing things is characterized by decisiveness and ruthlessness. If this attribute is really forced out, I'm afraid no one will plead for mercy.

Yuan Keli did not think that the reason why Wang An came to tell him this was simply because of the friendship they had worked together for many years. He thought that the short figure with the silly smile was probably still standing behind him. It was very likely that the emperor was using Wang An's mouth to remind him.

Now I have to remind Yuan Yingtai that after so many years, the two of them, one civil and one military, have developed a tacit understanding and have similar ideas. I really don't want anything to change because of this matter. It's not good for him, for myself, for the emperor, and for the country.

"...Alas, I may have been a little too impatient. Well, I will listen to Brother Li Qing and never mention it again! I don't need to thank you for your kindness, so I'll say goodbye now!"

Seeing Yuan Keli being so serious, Yuan Yingtai could sense the danger even if he didn't understand. After a little thought, he decided to listen to the advice and eat his meal. He clasped his fists, bowed, and turned to get off the car.

"Dalai, today the Navy General Staff sent a basket of South Sea lobsters, each one is about a foot and a half long. If you are not busy, why not go to Qipan Street to find a restaurant to cook them while drinking. Although we are officials in the same court, we are always busy with official duties. We come and go in a hurry. We haven't had a long talk for a long time."

"Tsk tsk tsk... I appreciate Brother Liqing's kindness, but it's a pity that I can't obey your orders. The officials who were laid off in Nanjing go to the Ministry of Personnel every day to inquire about their assignments, and they keep nitpicking, which is so annoying.

However, Your Majesty has ordered the Ministry of Personnel to divide Zhili into regions and try out the small province system. I really don't know where to start. Your Majesty will be gone for three to five months at most. When you return to the court, you will definitely ask about it. I dare not delay!"

Yuan Yingtai had lived in Guangzhou for several years and had a special liking for seafood. Since he was transferred back to the imperial court, he often craved the taste of fish and shrimp. Although there were fish and shrimp produced in the north, the size and taste were different from those produced in Southeast Asia that he was used to, which was a pity.

Now, when he heard that it was a lobster produced in Southeast Asia, he couldn't help but smack his lips and look yearning, but he looked embarrassed and finally refused on the grounds of work.

"Well, speaking of the small province system, I can't leave now. Your Majesty has talked about it before, but he has never elaborated on the pros and cons. Today is a good time to ask for advice while eating, and we must get it clear!"

As a result, this excuse not only did not work, but instead aroused Yuan Keli's strong interest. Without saying a word, he held Yuan Yingtai down with one hand to prevent him from getting up, and with the other hand, he hit the roof twice, and the carriage started immediately.

(End of this chapter)