Fu Shanhe

Chapter 136 Eight Ministers of State
The capital is the official residence of Chengguo.

"Brother Zheng, are you sure His Majesty had an accident?"

Jing Guoliang asked nervously.

This involves the emperor's safety, and is a huge event that could break the sky.

The change of imperial power is always bloody.

Especially since Emperor Tianyuan has no son and has not yet established an heir.

Once the news spreads, anyone in the royal family who has a bit of ambition will be unable to resist having ideas.

What's more, at this moment Dayu was still at war with the Northern Tartars. The news of the emperor's death at this critical juncture was too much of a blow to morale.

Not only will it affect the war on the front line, but the surrounding neighbors may also take advantage of the situation to loot.

With internal and external troubles, big things will happen if we are not careful.

"Brother Jing, how dare I say such things.

His Majesty suddenly fell into a coma yesterday afternoon, and Zuo Guangen ordered the palace to be sealed off.

The Queen Mother was worried about an accident, so she sent someone to pass on the message last night and asked me to come to you to discuss countermeasures."

Wuyang Marquis Zheng Ruitao said affirmatively.

Although he was a royal relative, he did not have the courage to spread rumors about the emperor's safety.

If the person who delivered the message was not his sister's confidant, he would not have believed that Emperor Tianyuan's health would fail so soon.

"This matter is extraordinary. I believe that Your Majesty is blessed by heaven and should be able to survive this disaster.

Let's wait and see for a day, and tomorrow at this time, we will bring our ministers to the palace to see the emperor."

Jing Guoliang said slowly.

The emperor's life or death will directly affect their next decision.

From the perspective of the nobles, they naturally hope that Emperor Tianyuan can survive.

Even if he really couldn't hold on, he should at least leave a will in front of all the ministers.

Without this thing, no matter who is put in power, there will always be people in the world who will be dissatisfied.

Dayu cannot withstand the turmoil. Once civil unrest breaks out, the consequences will be disastrous.

The merit of supporting him that others coveted was of no significance to Jing Guoliang, who was a high-ranking official.

"Brother Jing, you are not kidding me, right?
If Zuo Guangen has any idea, we will be caught in a trap!"

Zheng Ruitao immediately objected.

This kind of operation is too risky, as it completely relies on the other party's moral integrity.

If the emperor really passed away and the parties failed to reach an agreement on the issue of succession, people would die.

"Don't worry, Brother Zheng, the eunuchs are not as powerful as you think.

Not all people in the palace are his. In addition to eunuchs and palace maids, there are also a large number of guards.

Just because these people are called Jinyiwei doesn’t mean they are actually Jinyiwei.

The personnel appointments of the palace guards are all selected by His Majesty himself, and no one else can interfere.

What's more, there is the Beijing camp outside, so Zuo Guangen dare not act recklessly.

Even if he wanted to support a new king, he would at least have to unite with one side in order to control the situation.

Given the reputation of the eunuch party, do you think the civil servants in the court would dare to join forces with Zuo Guangen?"

Li Yuan on the side added.

The confidence of the noble group comes from the fact that they have people inside the palace and troops outside the palace.

Even if the eunuchs want to cause trouble, they have to consider how to control the situation.

It would be impossible for them to control the situation in the capital after seizing power with only the factory guards in their hands.

Unless they can join forces with the civil service group and use the greater good to suppress the nobles, they will not dare to overturn the table easily.

There is no doubt that this is impossible.

The power of the civil servants in the court was torn apart by Emperor Tianyuan.

These political factions fight among themselves from time to time, and it is impossible for them to reach a unified position.

Choosing to cooperate with any faction will lead to crazy resistance from other factions.

In this context, even if the eunuchs wanted to support a new monarch, they had to resolve the legal issues first.

……

Pang Mansion.

"Sir, the Director of the Imperial Hospital, Lord Yuwen, sent someone to deliver a secret letter to you."

Upon receiving this news, Pang Hengsheng's face changed instantly.

By chance, he grasped Yu Wenfeng's lifeblood.

From then on, there was an extra hidden player in the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Considering the special nature of the Imperial Medical Service, the two sides had no contact for ten years.

He rose rapidly all the way and reached the high position of Prime Minister.

I originally thought that this hidden chess piece would never be of any use, but I never expected that the other party would contact me so soon.

After opening the letter and translating it into the corresponding code, it turned out to be "The palace urgently summons all imperial doctors to enter the palace."

There is no doubt that this is a typical case of seeking medical help in desperation.

If you really want to see a doctor, just choose one or two people with excellent medical skills.

All the people were gathered together at once, and even though a group of imperial doctors got together, they were unable to prescribe any medicine.

Even if we can barely reach a consensus, it will be a safe solution.

I don’t know whether it can cure the disease, but at least I can clear myself of any responsibility.

"Send someone to check whether the palace is under martial law!"

Pang Hengsheng said after thinking about it.

The person who was worth making such a fuss must be an important figure in the palace who had a health accident.

There are a limited number of masters in the palace, and only the emperor, empress, and queen mother are worthy of this treatment.

I have never heard of the Empress and Empress Dowager having any hidden illnesses, so the person with the problem is most likely the Emperor who is in poor health.

Whenever he thought of the horrific consequences of Emperor Tianyuan's death, the worry on his brow could no longer be dispelled.

……

Late at night, in the palace.

Perhaps it was because of everyone’s prayers that Emperor Tianyuan, who had been in a coma for a day and a half, suddenly opened his eyes.

The people gathered around the bed all perked up.

It was worth their while to come and take care of the sick emperor. The emperor finally woke up. "Send an order to summon all the ministers, the left and right governors and Prince Fu to come to the palace to see me!"

As soon as the emperor opened his mouth, all the concubines lost hope.

According to the rules, ministers are not allowed to enter the palace late at night.

Gathering everyone here at this time is clearly to make arrangements for the aftermath.

Queen Mother Zheng was the first to hold back her tears, followed by the Queen and all the concubines.

The eunuchs and palace maids nearby also followed suit, crying more sadly than the other.

The most amazing thing is that while everyone was crying, they were trying hard not to make any sound.

Seeing this scene, Emperor Tianyuan became more and more annoyed.

"Don't cry, I'm not dead yet!"

No one would feel good if they were mourned while they are still alive.

But his current physical condition does not allow him to lose his temper.

It's really tiring.

If he didn't have something to finish, he really wanted to have a good sleep.

"Your Majesty, this is soup, please have some first!"

Zuo Guangen cleverly brought a bowl of soup.

Last night, he had secretly convened the core members of the eunuch party to discuss the matter.

With their current strength, they are simply not enough to forcibly support a new king.

The probability of success is too low. Everyone has a family and a career, so they can't give their all and take a risk.

Since his own people don’t support him, even if Zuo Guangen has ideas, he can’t do anything.

The action of persuading the queen was half completed, but unfortunately she was also unwilling to take the risk.

From the queen's point of view, she has no son anyway, so it doesn't matter who the throne falls on.

If the new monarch has any dignity, he must treat her, the widow of the previous emperor, well.

After a lot of trouble, Zuo Guangen, who was unable to deal with all parties, could only pin his life on Emperor Tianyuan.

As the person closest to him, he knew very well what Emperor Tianyuan was thinking at this moment.

For the sake of the country, the conditions for establishing a young ruler are not in place at this time, and passing the throne to his younger brother, Prince Fu, is the best option at the moment.

Since we can't stop it, then find a way to join it.

The first thing to do is to secure a position as a regent.

With this title, even when the new emperor comes to settle accounts, he cannot be easily touched.

Even if he wanted to kill him, he had to consider the reactions of other ministers.

"Ok!"

He forced himself to support his body and accepted the food from Zuo Guangen.

Deep down in his heart, Emperor Tianyuan's thoughts at this moment were also very complicated.

Can my younger brother shoulder the heavy responsibility of managing the country?

He thought about this question countless times but still couldn't find the answer.

Under the current situation, regardless of whether Prince Fu can support the country, he can only let Prince Fu succeed to the throne.

If other members of the royal family were to be replaced, the inherent order of succession would be broken and they would not be able to gain the support of the officials at all.

Besides, there were not many members of the royal family that he could take a liking to.

Rather than letting those guys come up, it’s better to let my younger brother take advantage of it.

It's all about time. If he had a few more years and eliminated the external threats, the situation would have been completely different.

As time went by, Emperor Tianyuan's mental state became worse and worse, and even the soup in his mouth spilled.

"Your Majesty, the ministers are here!"

Hearing this familiar voice, Emperor Tianyuan smiled slightly, and finally he managed to hold on until this moment.

What if he died first and left no will?

Even if Prince Fu could succeed to the throne, it would be difficult for him to convince all parties.

“It’s good that they’re all here!

Draft decree: After I am gone, Prince Fu will inherit the throne.

The seven of you plus Zuo Guangen, a total of eight people, will serve as regents to assist Prince Fu in handling state affairs.

After I am gone, all my affairs should be kept simple.

Palace maids and concubines were allowed to return home and remarry.

If you choose to stay in the palace, my dear brother should treat you well.

My dear brother, listen carefully, when it comes to government affairs, ask for the opinions of the wise ministers in the cabinet.

When it comes to military affairs, the left and right generals should be regarded as the right-hand men.

To intimidate all officials, Zuo Guangen was used as a sharp weapon.

Remember, an emperor should not have a knife in his heart, but he must have a knife in his hand.

Mother, I am an unfilial child... I must go first..."

Emperor Tianyuan collapsed before he could finish speaking a lot.

There was a sudden cry in the imperial court, and Prince Fu, who had just been confirmed as the new emperor, had a buzzing head.

He thought that his brother would pass the throne to him, but he never expected that he would leave him eight ministers to advise him.

They were indeed taken care of, but as a fresh and innocent young man, he was no match for these old foxes.

If you are not careful, you will be sidelined by these people.

The depression deep in my heart was completely covered up by my crying.

Zuo Guangen, who was standing by, suppressed his grief and shouted:

"His Majesty is dead!"

As if it had been rehearsed, the entire palace was filled with crying for a moment.

In a flash, eunuchs brought the mourning clothes that had been prepared long ago and distributed them to everyone.

"Your Highness, the late emperor died young, and you should shoulder the heavy responsibility!"

Pang Hengsheng stepped forward and reminded.

From being the chief minister of the cabinet to being a regent, he did not feel a trace of joy in his heart, but instead, endless sorrow gathered between his brows.

The eight regents are the familiar checks and balances of power.

(End of this chapter)