Ci Jinzhi

Chapter 426 Etiquette

Xinyou walked slightly behind Emperor Xingyuan, and the palace attendants who followed him fell some distance behind when Emperor Xingyuan signaled.

“Ayou, have you heard about the recent proposals made by the ministers?”

Xin You paused slightly and did not pretend to be confused: "Your Majesty, are you talking about establishing a heir apparent?"

What Emperor Xingyuan liked was Xin You's directness, which other children did not have: "Well. I want to hear your opinion."

Xin You lowered his eyes and said in a cold tone: "I have no opinion."

 If you want to ask her her true opinion, she thinks she is the most suitable person.

 But regardless of her knowledge or talent, even if she is a newborn baby, as long as she is a male, she will completely lose.

　　No, in the eyes of the world, she has never been on the table, so there is no talk of winning or losing.

A sneer flashed across Xinyou's eyes, and the heart that had just been shaken by the pie drawn by the person in front of her became firm again.

 Power and freedom, this biological father who believed that he had a deep affection for his mother and was very partial to her, was reluctant to give them both.

“Ayou, are you blaming me?”

Xin You shook his head: "I don't dare. The prince is the foundation of the country. His Majesty has made his own decision in his heart about who to appoint as the crown prince. I have no qualifications to point fingers."

Emperor Xingyuan fell silent.

 Ayou was indeed blaming him.

　　But Ayou is a woman, and no matter how much he values ​​her, there is no way he would choose her as his heir. If he really wants to do this, even if he is the founder of the country and has enough prestige in the hearts of the officials, those ministers would rather die than accept the advice.

 “I’ve met my father, Sister Xin.”

A childish voice came, breaking the silence between father and daughter.

Xinyou raised his eyes and looked over.

 The thirteen-year-old third prince looks taller than the last time we met, but his face is still childish.

Emperor Xingyuan was a little surprised: "You'er, why are you here?"

By the time the third prince was born, Emperor Xingyuan had already accepted Queen Xin's departure. The atmosphere in the harem was no longer clouded. The relaxed atmosphere made the third prince less cautious when facing Emperor Xingyuan than King Xiu was.

He smiled and said: "My son went to Ganquan Palace and folded some camellia flowers for his mother and concubine."

 The result of a father being lukewarm towards his children is that most of the children become closer to and more dependent on their mother.

Looking at the red flowers in the hands of the third prince, Emperor Xingyuan felt a little uncomfortable.

 Every one of them is filial to their biological mother.

 “Go.”

 The third prince did not leave immediately, but glanced at Xin You.

"how?"

“Father, can my son have a few words with Sister Xin?”

"Um."

The third prince took a few steps closer. He was a little restrained by the presence of Emperor Xingyuan, so he lowered his voice unconsciously: "Sister Xin, I've finished reading "Journey to the West". Will Qingsong Bookstore publish any news stories?"

"It will work out." Xin You already had a good impression of the third prince. When the palace was in danger before, Concubine Xian secretly helped him, so he had an even better impression of the mother and son.

 “What’s that story?”

 "A strange story similar to "Painted Skin"."

The third prince looked happy: "Sister Xin will tell me when the new book comes out."

"good."

 The third prince bowed his hand to Xinyou, and then saluted Emperor Xingyuan: "Father, my son has resigned."

Emperor Xingyuan nodded, and when the third prince walked away, he smiled at Xin You: "The third prince is still like a child who has not grown up."

Xin You's tone became calmer: "I'm just a child." Emperor Xingyuan saw that Xin You really didn't want to say anything about establishing a prince, so he stopped pushing.

 Father and daughter each had their own thoughts, and they parted ways.

 The next day at court, many ministers urged the establishment of a prince.

After the dispersion of the dynasty, Emperor Xingyuan summoned more than 20 important civil and military ministers to continue discussing the matter in Qianqing Palace.

“Those present are all my ministers, and I want to hear what they think.”

The ministers were quiet at first and observed that the emperor was in a very calm mood. Then the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs said tentatively: "It is a long-standing tradition to establish a direct descendant and an elder. I believe that the eldest prince should be established as His Highness the King Xiu."

 “I second the proposal.”

 “I also second the proposal.”

 …

 As the Minister of Civil Affairs opened his mouth, several officials stood up one after another.

Emperor Xingyuan's expression did not change. After listening quietly, he turned his eyes to An Guo Gong and asked, "What do you think, An Guo Gong?"

An Guogong said: "I am a rough man, and I don't know much about the tradition of establishing an elder without direct heir. In my opinion, except for the queen's son, there is no difference between the other princes. Which prince is appointed as the crown prince depends on your majesty's plan..."

Emperor Xingyuan smiled unconsciously.

 The other ministers saw this and their hearts skipped a beat: It seemed that the emperor’s favorite prince was not King Xiu.

Among the more than 20 ministers present, some were dedicated to observing etiquette and others were dedicated to listening to Emperor Xingyuan. After making this judgment, some ministers immediately stood up and echoed An Guogong's words.

The newly appointed Minister of Rites couldn't stand listening anymore: "If there is a direct descendant, there is no direct descendant. This is the orthodox etiquette. Do you want to establish a son out of love if you ignore the orthodox law and do not abide by it?"

The so-called setting up a son out of love means establishing whichever one the emperor likes. In the minds of the scholar-bureaucrats, this is almost like a secret curse for a foolish king.

Emperor Xingyuan looked at the newly appointed Minister of Rites and said in a cool tone: "Which prince do you think I prefer, Minister Shi?"

The Minister of Rites was immediately asked.

 Honestly speaking, the emperor has not shown any particular affection for any of the princes. Before King Qing made a mistake, hundreds of officials believed that King Qing was more likely to become the crown prince, not because the emperor loved King Qing, but because he was too cold towards King Xiu.

 To be too indifferent to King Xiu—the Minister of Rites suddenly felt discouraged when he thought of this.

The age gap between King Xiu and the three younger princes made them forget that the emperor had never liked King Xiu.

 The Minister of Rites could think of it, and other ministers could naturally think of it, and the atmosphere suddenly became subtle.

 It seems that the emperor is interested in the third prince.

The ministers made various speculations, but Emperor Xingyuan did not reveal the candidate in his mind. He only said that we would discuss it another day.

The matter of establishing the crown prince affects the hearts of the former harem, and countless eyes are paying attention to this matter. There is a rumor that Xin You went into the palace yesterday and met with the third prince.

In the palace of Prince Xiu, several staff members gathered in the study room, and the atmosphere was solemn.

"The emperor values ​​Xin You and will probably ask her opinion on the matter of establishing the crown prince. The third prince was once rescued by Xin You. When Xin You was in danger in the palace, the wise concubine invited the queen mother. The two of them had contacts and the relationship deepened. Your Highness, please don’t be careless about this.”

King Xiu looked calm: "My father is the founder of the country, he is wise and powerful, and I believe in my father's choice."

“Judging from the rumors, the emperor may prefer the third prince—”

 “Sir, don’t speculate on the holy will.”

The lights in Prince Xiu’s study were not turned off until late at night.

In the Ganquan Palace, Emperor Xingyuan screened the palace guests and asked Concubine Xian, who had been promoted to a noble concubine: "If you were the queen, how would you treat Ayou?"

The imperial concubine's heart was beating wildly and she clenched her fists hard: "Ayou saved You'er's life, thanks again and again. No matter who I am, I will never forget it."

 “My beloved concubine, please remember what you said today.”

Emperor Xingyuan took a deep look at the imperial concubine, turned around and left.

 The next day, all the ministers gathered at Qianqing Palace again. What they were waiting for was not the candidate for the crown prince, but the news that the emperor wanted to appoint a successor.