Picturesque Rivers and Mountains in the Red Chamber

Chapter 494 6.65 Inheriting the throne, Ziyang is the most suitable candidate

Volume VI

6.65 For the inheritance of the throne, Ziyang is the most suitable candidate

On the morning of April [-]th, Cining Palace.

"What's going on?" Zhou Yang took Princess Yongjing and Xue Baoqin and entered the main hall of the palace almost unimpeded. In addition, there was no one in the yard. He yelled as soon as he entered, but at He was obviously taken aback when he saw the people in front of him. Not to mention the Queen Mother and Princess Yongchang sitting on both sides, sitting in the middle seat was the Supreme Emperor who had been unable to leave the Dragon Head Palace for a long time.

The Emperor Wu, who had ruled the world for fifty years, had only lived for less than half a year, and he seemed to have aged more than ten years. His originally well-maintained face was now covered with wrinkles, there were many age spots, and his beard and hair had changed. He was completely white, and his whole person seemed to have lost all energy; Xia Shouzhong, the "internal minister" who had served him all his life, was even more waning at this time, as if he would pass away if he was not careful.

"I have met the Supreme Emperor, the Queen Mother, and the Princess!" Seeing that not only "his own people" were present, Zhou Yang had no choice but to greet the two girls behind him and salute according to the procedure. What are your orders?"

"Okay!" The Queen Mother glared at him angrily, and there was no point in trying to cover it up based on what someone yelled when he first entered the door. "Come and sit down by yourself, will you take a look at this?"

Zhou Yang first waved his hand to Princess Yongjing and Xue Baoqin, and asked them to sit down under Princess Yongchang, who had a gloomy face. He then glanced at the Supreme Emperor in the center and found that he was too lazy to say anything, so he stopped covering his ears and sat down directly. On the chair below the Queen Mother, I received an eight-hundred-mile expedited memorial and began to read it. After just a moment of browsing, my expression changed drastically.

"Queen Mother, this is serious." Zhou Yang raised his head stupidly.

"Last night, the news I received was a step ahead of this memorial, and the contents are basically the same." Princess Yongchang sighed quietly, and then raised her head, "I am afraid no one would have thought that the Zhou Dynasty would be where it is today. , in less than half a year, two generations of emperors passed away in this way. I don’t know how to arrange it in the history books.”

On the ninth day of April, Emperor Changxing took his people to a mountain forest less than [-] miles outside Shengjing City for hunting. In order to have fun, he left his two thousand-household imperial forest troops outside, with only a few personal guards around him. Unexpectedly, the news He was ambushed and shot in the chest by the rebel leader Aisin Gioro Yongyan. Although the assassins were all killed in an instant, they could not be saved.

Emperor Changxing was subsequently treated by the imperial physician with all his strength, but it was soon discovered that the injury from the arrow in his chest was not serious, but the arrow was poisoned. However, because there was no assassin left, there was no way to know the type of poison. This man had only been on the throne for less than half a year. The young emperor died in a coma and high fever in less than three days. He could not leave a word. The Eight Hundred Miles Expedited Memorial was jointly sent by Niu Jizong and Wen Fu.

"What does the Queen Mother mean?" Zhou Yang was also dumbfounded, because this was completely beyond his expectations. Even though he was a modern man, he had already thought of "this is what a man should do", but it was definitely not the current situation. Guo Kai This death doesn't matter, but it also means that for the time being, the royal lineage has been severed. Once the new king comes to power, will he still be as comfortable as he is now?
"Rong'er, tell me!" The Queen Mother showed sadness and waved her hands in a bitter tone. This means that she has been in a high position for many years and has a certain resistance to such tragedies. Otherwise, if she were an ordinary pregnant woman, under the huge impact, It's hard to say whether the child can be saved.

"Nowadays, the Zhou Dynasty is in continuous turmoil and can no longer withstand any major changes." Princess Guo Rong of Yongchang said with a wry smile, "Originally, if it had been a few more months, the little guy in the emperor's wife's belly could still bear it, but Under the current circumstances, if this is really announced to the world, I am worried about whether the two of them can survive until the child is born."

"Your Majesty, I don't know -" Seeing that Guo Rong didn't continue, Zhou Yang had no choice but to change the subject of inquiry. In this case, there was no way to get past this person.

"Kuni Lai Changjun." The Supreme Emperor's gaze dazzled, as if he had regained the majesty of Emperor Longwu, but he quickly calmed down again, but looked at Zhou Yang with a very complicated expression, "I have no objection to Rong'er and the fourth family. mean."

"Now that the country is in turmoil, we need a strong and wise emperor. After repeated discussions with the emperor's wife, I feel that Ziyang is the most suitable person to inherit the throne." Guo Rong spoke in a very difficult tone, which completely confused Zhou Yang. "The royal family can no longer withstand any impact, but there is no other candidate after Kai'er. Is God really going to destroy our Guo family?"

"Emperor Sister, what are you talking nonsense!" Princess Guo Xuan of Yongjing saw that Zhou Yang was speechless and hurriedly looked at her own sister, "How can Ziyang take over the throne if his surname is not Guo? This news is usually spread out , what do you want him to do."

"Xuan'er, don't worry, that's what I mean." However, the Supreme Emperor sighed, helped Xia Shouzhong stand up reluctantly, and said with a bitter expression, "What's more, our Guo family in Dazhou does have this precedent, and Ziyang is still our own family after all. Son-in-law, the original Emperor Sejong (later Zhou Shizong Chai Rong) was only an adopted son, so he should also inherit the great line?"

When Emperor Taizu of the Great Zhou Dynasty rebelled against the Qing Dynasty in Jinling, the banner he used was "A side branch of the Guo (Wei) family of Taizu of the Great (Later) Zhou Dynasty". Fortunately, Guo Wei, the founding emperor of the Later Zhou Dynasty, had no heirs to pass on. Otherwise, they would definitely say it was "direct inheritance" until This kind of record is now used in royal genealogy, and what the Supreme Emperor said is theoretically good.

only--

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty, I really can't agree." Zhou Yang was stunned for a long time, and now he came to his senses, but still insisted on his own thoughts, "Wei Chen is the only one in the Zhou family. The principle of elimination of heirs; what's more, the record handed down now about the Emperor Sejong mentioned just now is also 'Chai Rong' instead of 'Guo Rong', does the Supreme Emperor really not mind?"

This is not because Zhou Yang is being pretentious, but because he has fully understood that the [-]-mile express delivery was delivered last night. It was obvious that the three royal descendants had already discussed it and approached him because they had no better choice; although There is a saying of "adoption" in this era, but he is a modern time traveler and has no interest in changing his surname.

This problem is not complicated. The Supreme Emperor, or Emperor Longwu, had many sons, but because he only recognized Prince Yi Zhong, the eldest son of the Yuan Dynasty, at first, the most important thing was that this heir was so outstanding that the other sons were completely Without a chance, most of them just lay down and get things done, so that after the "Military Remonstrance Incident" occurred and Prince Yohitada died in depression, he almost lost his heir.The late Emperor, or Emperor Yonghe, was actually just a "general chosen from among the cripples". This was mainly because he had been fully cooperating with Prince Yi Zhong before. If he could not win the throne, he was determined to be a wise king who would go down in history. This was used as a starting point for training. He developed good abilities, and secretly calculating and seizing the throne was something that happened later. Fortunately, he was qualified after he ascended the throne, and his abilities were not bad at all.

But other than that, the other words can really not be simply described by the word "crotch pulling". Prince Zhongshun is relatively good. In charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and in front of Da Zongzheng, he can be regarded as "somewhat" "Capable but not much", the rest are basically excrement-making machines, reproductive products, things that waste air when alive and waste land when dead. Letting them ascend the throne as emperor is equivalent to announcing a change of dynasty.

Of course, when the three people in front of them were discussing candidates, they actually selectively ignored one with better abilities and a more suitable background, that is, Guo Xi, the already imprisoned King of Yizhong County, because he can indeed guarantee the inheritance of the dynasty, but he can even more guarantee the succession of the dynasty. The Emperor, the Queen Mother, and Princesses Yongchang and Yongjing went below in advance to reunite with Emperor Yonghe and apologize to Prince Yi Zhong.

What, the Guo family has a branch?For example, Prince Leshan, who also has friendship with the Jia family, can't the family find a suitable candidate?Sorry, but anyone with a little experience in society knows that "internal problems have higher priority than external pressure." Guo Xuan is also a direct descendant of the royal family, and her blood relationship with Zhou Yang's son is also better than those who have been in the fifth server. The "same race" is much closer!

Alternatively, wouldn't it be okay to find a suitable one from the side branch and adopt him as the crown prince?This involves another issue. The "Great Gift Controversy" between the former Ming Emperor Jiajing may have been fine while the Emperor and the Queen Mother were still there. Once the real royal lineage is gone, this new one in the name of "adoptive" Will the emperor still respect his direct descendants?His biological father and brothers are all here!
Common people all know that it is difficult to find one generation of relatives, two representatives, three generations and four generations. The Zhou Dynasty has been in existence for hundreds of years, and so far only the officially inherited emperors have passed through four generations, and many of the side branches have reached the sixth generation. Such "tribesmen" , even more unreliable than "outsiders", at least outsiders have no right to directly compete for the family property and inheritance of the direct lineage!

Therefore, the result of the discussion between the three people was that they would rather give up part of the issue of "pure blood" and find a candidate who is more convenient for them. After the compromise between the two parties, Zhou Yang, a person who was completely impossible in theory, was almost confirmed. There is a chance that the child he and Yongjing Princess Guo Xuan will have will be a prince, a pure half of the old Guo family.

"The matter of 'Guo Rong' and 'Chai Rong' is just a trick played by the weak Zhao family of the Song Dynasty to hide their ears and steal the bell." The Supreme Emperor said coldly, "After adoption, they become biological children. There is no problem in inheriting the surname. The Zhao family deliberately placed it in the history books The record of "Chai Rong" in the media is just to cover up the despicableness of the family, bullying orphans and widows, and taking away the Guo family's kingdom - since the Chai family can take over the Guo family's kingdom, why can't the Zhao family?

Besides, don’t you have a wife named Lin?How come there is no single heir?I can agree to let the descendants of the Lin family continue to be named Zhou, and Xuan'er's descendants will inherit the surname Guo. Isn't this enough?Do you really think that there is nothing you can do if I agree to the idea of ​​these two women?It’s not like I don’t have a son! "

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I don't believe that even now, you still can't guess that I don't have any brothers at all." Zhou Yang said speechlessly, "What's more, if I can pretend to agree for the throne today, you won't worry about me in the future. Did the Zhou family clear the obstacles and do something unspeakable?"

"Okay, I'll give in one more step. Can't you even agree to the two concubines of the Zhao family and let the heirs take the mother's surname?" The Supreme Emperor was silent for a moment and said helplessly, "The child who will inherit the throne from now on must be Xuan'er. , and you have to take your mother’s surname, plus the Lin family inherits the surname Zhou, continuing the Zhou family lineage, is this okay?”

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, I don't want to make any more promises that I don't want to make today." Zhou Yang thought for a moment and shook his head - just kidding, it's one thing to promise a child to take his mother's surname, but it's his own child anyway, but If you become the emperor, but then your surname is passed down to someone else, wouldn't that be a fart?

As for why he has the courage to be so stubborn, it is very simple. On the one hand, he is absolutely confident in his own strength and can guarantee that he will take down the two hostages of the Queen Mother and the Supreme Emperor before "breaking the cup as a sign." He has gone through the full training of the Shenji Battalion, and now whenever he goes out, he has a general guard with him. They are now outside the palace gate and can take action at any time upon receiving the signal. When the time comes, he will be able to use the Shenji Battalion as his backing. Using the training situation as a starting point, try to convince the grassroots of the Royal Forest Army. Even if it fails, it will be enough to delay time.

Of course, the most important point is that no one in the royal family is stupid. They understand that no matter who ascends the throne, they cannot stand the support of the Shenji Battalion. The most important thing is that even if they try their best to solve Zhou Yang, no matter what the reasons for the Shenji Battalion are They will all consider solving the problem of the royal family, because these more than 2 absolutely elite firearms troops were trained and promoted by someone from top to bottom. No matter how many conditions the royal family promised, this completely closed new force must be cleaned in the future. Anyone in their right mind knows this.

For example, in real history, the last five towns of the Beiyang New Army led by Yuan Datou single-handedly, even though the Qing court kicked him out of the court to "recuperate" for several years, he was still unable to command at the critical moment. This army was branded by the Yuan family from top to bottom. We have elite soldiers, and finally we have to invite Yuan Datou back!
"You——" The Emperor was obviously angry.

"I have long said that Ziyang cannot agree." Princess Yongchang sighed softly, with a look of helplessness on her face, "Father, forget it, at least I will leave the Guo family with wealth for generations. If we continue to argue, , if it is really replaced by one of my brothers, I am afraid that it will be an extravagant hope to last until another generation."

"If I agree, how about continuing the old customs of Cao Wei's Xiahou and Cao families in the future?" Zhou Yang thought for a while and gave in - Cao Cao's original surname was Xiahou. His father, Cao Song, was adopted by the eunuch Cao Teng as his adopted son, so he changed his surname to Cao. However, during the Wei Dynasty, the Xiahou family and the Cao family were merged into the royal family, and the two families had been friendly for generations.

"How do I know if you will do the old thing of weak Song Zhao family again?" The Supreme Emperor said angrily - after Zhao Kuangyin usurped the country of Later Zhou Dynasty, he vowed to treat the original Chai family of Later Zhou royal family well, but what happened next was unknown to everyone. You know, the Zhao family not only failed to treat her "kindly", but they also kept making excuses to persecute her.

"The Supreme Emperor, that's it." The Queen Mother said weakly, "There are indeed many uncles nowadays. In addition to Guo Lin, the brother of the loyal king, there are dozens of them, including Guo Zhang, Guo Huang, Guo Xuan, Guo Lu, etc., but only the first uncle. Some of them are of some value, but the rest may not even be able to survive three to five years.

The inheritance of the Great Zhou Dynasty has only lasted a hundred years, and it cannot be cut off in our hands. Although letting Ziyang take over will indeed end the Guo family's status, it can still preserve the wealth and wealth for generations. If it is really allowed to be inherited by the few people I mentioned, the Supreme Emperor will I am afraid that we can all see the days when the Zhou Dynasty was in turmoil and even changed dynasties. "

"It's up to you!" The Emperor hesitated for a while, then helplessly helped Xia Shouzhong get up and leave. He suddenly stopped halfway and stared at the Queen Mother's belly with a complicated expression for a while before saying, "If you can agree to let him."

"The Supreme Emperor, his surname can only be Zhou!" Is there anything else to hide at this time?
"Humph!"

(End of this chapter)