General Qin

After the First Emperor finished speaking, there was silence in the hall.

Even though Zhao Tuo was used to fighting and intrigues on the battlefield, he still felt numb when faced with the question of the First Emperor.

If your emperor wants to establish a prince, then he can establish a prince. Why do you come to ask me?

Establish a reserve.

It has always been the most sensitive issue in the world and the one that can easily lead to death.

In the thousands of years of Chinese history, countless people have lost their lives because of the dispute over the prince.

What about the Nine Dragons seizing the direct descendants, what about the changes in the Xuanwu Sect.

If nothing else, just look at how many people in the Li family of the Tang Dynasty died because of this matter, and you will understand the fatality of the battle for the crown prince.

Zhao Tuo was well aware of the sensitivity of this matter. When he first entered Qin, he did not want to get involved in this matter at all.

It was only when he married the princess and became the brother-in-law of the eldest son Fusu that he had no other choice. He can only really devote himself to it and more or less give guidance and help Fusu secretly.

But this was only done in private, and Zhao Tuoke never expressed his support for Fusu's ascension in a big way.

Who knew that the First Emperor would suddenly ask this question at this time.

To make Fusu the crown prince, Zhao Tuo naturally raised his hands to support him. He wanted to jump up and say: "Okay, okay, give me your full support!"

But in fact, he didn't dare to talk nonsense on this matter.

In this kind of thing, a wrong expression or demeanor on your part may arouse the fear of the monarch.

If the First Emperor saw that Zhao Tuo was very enthusiastic, he might start to feel suspicious in his heart.

Why are you, Zhao Tuo, so happy? Do you still want me to die early so that Fusu can succeed?

Faced with this dangerous question, Zhao Tuo bowed down and gave a standard answer as a courtier.

"This is a family matter of the Emperor, and His Majesty Fu Wei has decreed it."

"Hmph, don't say such lies in front of me. I'm asking you today, just tell me what you think."

The First Emperor snorted coldly, his eyes bright, and further threatened Zhao Tuo.

Zhao Tuo smiled bitterly to himself. The First Emperor had already said this, how could he refuse?

In fact, the First Emperor's attitude on this matter has been clearly expressed.

He had previously asked his eldest son Fusu to take charge of the migration to observe his son's ability and attitude towards the nobles of the six countries.

Today, I summoned all the young masters for examination and comparison to see if there are any talents that I have missed among the other sons.

The performance of the young masters at the family banquet made the emperor make a complete decision. I just don’t know why he asked Zhao Tuo on this sensitive topic.

After all, Zhao Tuo was a battlefield warrior. Seeing that the emperor was determined to ask his opinion and couldn't avoid the topic, he stopped evading and expressed his views on Li Chu on the spot.

"I will report to Your Majesty the death of a prince. The crown prince and the prince are the foundation of a country. Since the founding of the Qin Dynasty, princes have often established eldest sons. When it comes to the ancestral system, the eldest son should be the first."

Zhao Tuo said this very wisely.

Since the Zhou Dynasty destroyed the Shang Dynasty, all princes in the world have followed the Zhou people's eldest son inheritance system.

To set up a direct descendant is to grow up, not to be virtuous; to set up a son to be noble, but not to grow up.

For the position of crown prince, priority will be given to the legitimate son.

If there is no legitimate son, then the eldest son will be established.

The rules and levels of this system are very strict, so that there will be no disputes and problems in the succession of the throne, and the smooth transfer of power will be guaranteed to the greatest extent.

Although since the Spring and Autumn Period, the Zhou Dynasty has declined, rituals have collapsed, and music has collapsed. Many vassal states have not paid much attention to this system. Many monarchs have taken the lead in destroying it, abolishing the elders and establishing the younger ones.

But in Qin State, this system is still followed.

For example, in the past, Duke Xiao of Qin was not the eldest son of Duke Xian of Qin. He had the eldest son of a concubine, Gongzi Qian. However, in accordance with the principle of establishing a son based on honor rather than longevity, Qin Xiaogong, as the legitimate son, had higher inheritance rights than Gongzi Qian, who was the eldest son of the concubine, and became the legitimate king of Qin.

Another example is how did the father of the First Emperor, Yiren, stand out from the many sons of An Guojun and was finally established as the crown prince?

It was because An Guojun's wife, Mrs. Huayang, had no son at that time, so Lu Buwei spotted this opportunity and used tricks to make Mrs. Huayang recognize a stranger as her son, becoming a legitimate son beyond the order of eldest and youngest.

In this way, relying on the patriarchal system, Yiren surpassed many brothers and became the true heir.

Now the First Emperor has not established a queen, and legally speaking there is no legitimate son to inherit the throne.

Then we should settle for the next best thing and confirm the candidate for the crown prince in the order of eldest and youngest. This is the inheritance system of Qin State.

Fusu, as the eldest son, is the first heir.

Zhao Tuo moved out of the patriarchal system and cleverly avoided his own subjective opinions.

He stood up for Fusu not because Fusu was wise or because he was his brother-in-law, but because of the ancestral system.

The First Emperor stared at Zhao Tuo.

Zhao Tuo looked calm. In fact, the toes in his shoes had already begun to grip the ground.

After a long time, the First Emperor said: "I understand, you can go back."

"only."

Zhao Tuo felt relieved, hurriedly bowed his hands and backed away slowly.

Before leaving the palace, he glanced at Zhao Gao, the minister of the Central Chemistry Palace who was standing in the palace.

Zhao Gao sensed Zhao Tuo's gaze and nodded slightly to him.

Seeing Zhao Tuo's figure disappear outside the palace, the First Emperor sitting on the throne burst into laughter.

"This kid is really smart."

The First Emperor shook his head. He asked Zhao Tuo this sensitive topic because he really wanted to see Zhao Tuo's reaction.

If Zhao Tuo really used this incident to praise Fusu greatly, the emperor's thoughts would definitely be different.

If Zhao Tuo deliberately said something bad about Fusu in order to avoid suspicion and suggested that the emperor observe more, it would seem deliberate and would make people feel hypocritical.

Who in the world doesn’t know that you, Zhao Tuo, have a good relationship with Fusu?

Therefore, the question of the First Emperor is really difficult to answer.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Tuo was not very old, but his speech was impeccable. He relied on the patriarchal inheritance system to answer questions. He not only expressed his thoughts, but also appeared impeccable in all aspects.

The First Emperor closed his eyes and thought in his mind again.

"That's fine. Zhao Tuo and Fu Su are the same age. If we can support them, I think the world will be stable for a long time."

The First Emperor was a pragmatic man. Although he was on the path of cultivating immortality, he hoped to achieve immortality and rule the world forever.

But at the same time, he was also making arrangements for funeral arrangements in case of unexpected events.

The construction of the imperial mausoleum has never stopped, which shows that he is ready to die and return.

Now that you have decided to establish a reserve, you must take everything into consideration.

The reason why the First Emperor chose Fusu was that no one among the princes could compare with him in terms of ability. The important point was that Fusu could win the popularity of his ministers.

Tingwei Li Si is his father-in-law, and martial arts lord Zhao Tuo is his brother-in-law. He also worked with Meng Tian to build straight roads. These are advantages that other princes cannot compare with.

This happens to involve an important issue.

Even at a young age, the martial arts lord Zhao Tuo had made great achievements in battle and shocked the world. He also had a very high title and a great reputation. He could be said to have reached the pinnacle of a courtier.

The First Emperor was here, so he could naturally restrain Zhao Tuo.

But what if the First Emperor is no longer around?

Except for Fusu, the other princes are all younger than Zhao Tuo, with lower seniority and little prestige and experience.

If these young masters ascend the throne and become emperor, won't they be suppressed to death by Zhao Tuo?

In order to avoid this situation, the First Emperor may have no choice but to take other measures, and he might even take Zhao Tuo away with him.

But if it was Fusu Lai who succeeded him, there would be no such problem.

Fusu is the same age as Zhao Tuo, and is Zhao Tuo's elder brother in terms of seniority, so he can suppress Zhao Tuo in all aspects.

If Fusu succeeds to the throne, Zhao Tuo will naturally have no objections.

Only the monarch and his ministers can achieve success.

"Furthermore, Zhao Tuo has fought in all directions and has suffered injuries and illnesses. In addition, he was injured by the elixir before. His longevity may not be as long as my son's. With Fusu on the throne, he can also die a healthy life."

The First Emperor considered all the circumstances.

I feel that whether it is for the sake of the world or for the relationship with Zhao Tuo, making Fusu the crown prince is the best and only choice.

Now that the decision has been made, the First Emperor's resolute character will no longer delay.

He turned his head and looked at Zhao Gao, who was standing by his side.

"Draft an edict for me and read it out to the court tomorrow."

"I will make the eldest son Fusu the crown prince."