Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 159 The Crown Prince Ascends the Throne? All Officials Are Shocked!
Bianjing (Kaifeng)

Chang Chao.

Civil and military officials stood in orderly rows.

Compared to the past, it's a bit noisier now.

There was no one on the imperial steps.

To the left, several elderly men dressed in brocade sashes, jade rings, and jade bracelets all frowned, their faces solemn.

"My lord?"

Grand Secretary Wu Chong, holding his imperial tablet, called out in a deep voice: "Your Majesty has suffered a stroke and has not attended court for ten days, has he?"

A few days ago, when the emperor was receiving the homage of the officials at court, he suddenly convulsed uncontrollably, his mouth became crooked, and his speech became slurred.

Officials were terrified, and the people were filled with anxiety.

Several Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet entered the palace to inquire about the patient's health, but only Grand Chancellor Han Zhang was summoned.

"Both Emperor Taizong and Emperor Zhenzong suffered from this ailment."

Han Zhang remained calm and unmoved: "According to the imperial physician, the symptoms have been temporarily brought under control."

That's enough!

For Han Zhang, as long as the emperor didn't die, it wasn't a big deal.

Even if the emperor were to die, he could still keep the officials in check for a short period of time.

Of the six cabinet seats, two are held by people from the Korean faction; they're not just decorative objects.

As the head of all officials who ruled the country for nine years, he was certainly not a piece of wood made of clay.

Moreover, the Emperor is unlikely to pass away anytime soon.

In his later years, Emperor Taizong suffered a recurrence of his arrow wound and a stroke. The two tormented him, and he was unwell for nearly half a year before finally passing away.

Emperor Zhenzong suffered a stroke and was bedridden for two years before passing away.

Several emperors in a row suffered from strokes, and the imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Academy had become very experienced in treating strokes.

With the medical skills of the imperial physicians, they could at least keep the emperor alive for a year or two.

"It's enough for the Grand Chancellor, but not enough for the officials." Wu Chong said with a worried expression, "Let alone whether the Emperor's stroke has truly been brought under control, the matter of establishing an heir is still unclear!"

The secret succession system, where the heir apparent is announced on the deathbed and remains hidden during the reign of the monarch, helps an aging ruler consolidate his power.

There was nothing to worry about.

When the emperor was on his deathbed, he simply took the two imperial edicts and combined them into one.

Unexpectedly, the government has recently been focusing on cultivating the "saint's grandson" generation, which undoubtedly raises many doubts.

Should we choose one of the five older members of the royal family or one of the younger generation's grandsons? There has to be some explanation.
Han Zhang shook his head and closed his eyes slightly.

"Not urgent."

“The day before yesterday, I went to the palace to inquire about the emperor’s health and mentioned the matter of establishing an heir.”

Wu Chong's expression darkened slightly, and he was about to question her further when a sharp shout rang out.

"Upon—"

Before the words were finished, a figure in a dragon robe slowly stepped inside.

The court fell silent immediately.

The officials were startled and bowed in unison, saying, "May Your Majesty be well!"

"Be flat!"

On the steps of the imperial palace, Zhao Zhen pressed his hand down.

The officials rose, secretly startled.

Looking up, one could see that Emperor Zhao Zhen's temples were gray, his lips were pale, and after only a few steps, his face was covered in cold sweat, and he appeared to be inexplicably weak.

This 57-year-old man was very old.

Fortunately, the official was still able to walk and talk, proving that the stroke was under control.

This alone is enough to reassure people.

"Instruct the Ministry of Rites to set up a high altar for sacrifices, in accordance with the rites for the adoption of the Crown Prince." Zhao Zhen did not inquire about the memorial, but instead directly made the arrangements.

"Adopting the Crown Prince?"

All the civil and military officials were shocked.

Even though there were already speculations, it was still surprising to hear these words actually come from the emperor's mouth.

Were the five senior members of the royal family really just a facade?

"In the fifth year of the Jiayou era, I read the Book of Han and the old stories of Emperor Zhao and Emperor Cheng. I was worried, so I privately summoned the Duke of Lu."

Jiang Zhao resigned to attend to his ailing father, and since he held no official title, Zhao Zhen referred to him as "Duke of Lu."

"When the Duke of Lu heard this, he suggested that I adopt one of my sons to be the heir apparent to the King of Wei." In short, the throne was originally intended to be passed to the five older members of the imperial clan, but the Emperor was uneasy and changed his mind.

As it happens, Jiang Zhao is a genius at coming up with ideas.

So, the emperor arranged for a member of the younger generation of the imperial clan to be adopted by his eldest son, the Prince of Wei, who had died young.

This led to the grandson of the emperor succeeding to the throne.

The entire court, filled with officials in high rank, was in uproar.

Young Grand Secretary, you have this trick up your sleeve?
In the fifth year of the Jiayou reign, the imperial clan had been in the capital for just over a year.

To date, the five members of the imperial family have only been in the capital for eight years.

In other words, this secret was kept hidden for seven years?
Even the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet all looked surprised.

All of them were newly appointed to the cabinet, and in the fifth year of the Jiayou reign, some of them did not even hold positions in the capital.

Therefore, the only time they truly witnessed the young Grand Secretary's power was during the last disaster relief effort in Huainan, when the people from Huaidong attacked the people from Fujian.

Young Grand Secretary!
He certainly had the air of a high-ranking official, exceptionally elegant.

But this is hidden way too well, isn't it?
And
Secretly establishing an heir, the grandson's succession, Xihe's training, and instructing members of the imperial clan.

The young Grand Secretary influenced the selection of the heir apparent at least four times.

This means that the person who ultimately rose to power owed favors to the young Grand Secretary four times.

This?
The Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet looked at each other in bewilderment.

This is going to produce a favorite minister of two dynasties!

The key point is that the young Grand Secretary is only twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old.

So he's a true evergreen in politics?

Amid the debate among the officials, Zhao Zhen remained unconcerned and continued, "I have already decided on the person to be adopted as the Crown Prince, and in accordance with the secret method of establishing an heir, I have signed two copies of his name, one hidden in my possession and the other placed behind the plaque."

As soon as these words were spoken, all the officials immediately understood the situation.

Need to complete the necessary procedures!
The adoption of the grandson of the emperor and the adoption of a member of the imperial clan differ in two aspects: the procedures are different, and the elders adopted are different.

The adoption of the crown prince meant that he was to be adopted by the King of Wei, and a new sacrificial ceremony had to be held.

"Your humble servant obeys the decree." Minister of Rites Sun Bian bowed.

Compared to the shock of the officials, he was more pleased.

After all, his youngest daughter was already engaged to Jiang Zhao's younger brother, Jiang Xu.

The more capable Jiang Zhao is, the more the Sun family will benefit.

After giving the main instructions, Zhao Zhen's expression softened: "Recently, I have been unwell. Therefore, all government affairs, large and small, shall be temporarily handled and approved by the Grand Secretariat, and then discussed and shown to the officials in court. If there are no objections, they may be issued and implemented. If there are any memorials that cannot be decided, they shall be submitted again."

"Yes." Han Zhang nodded.

All the officials remained silent, not daring to utter a sound.

Generally speaking, the process for handling government affairs involves submitting documents to the Cabinet, which then provides comments and suggestions before submitting them to the Emperor for final approval.

Nowadays, it is no longer necessary to present it to the emperor; it can be issued after discussion during regular court sessions.

This means that some of the emperor's power was delegated to the cabinet and the regular court.

Even though the court was filled with arguments and conflicts, it cannot be denied that the monarch's power had indeed declined.

The official's health is indeed quite poor.

"Let's disperse."

Zhao Zhen waved his hand.

Ningyuan Hou Mansion.

The main hall was guarded by dozens of servants, and strangers were not allowed to enter.

Gu Yankai hunched over, occasionally letting out a few low breaths.

"How's the marriage process going?" Gu Yankai asked.

"The betrothal gifts have been given, it will be soon," Gu Tingye replied hastily.

The process involves several steps: betrothal, asking the name, accepting auspicious gifts, presenting betrothal gifts, setting the wedding date, and the wedding ceremony. Among these, the three steps of betrothal, asking the name, and accepting auspicious gifts can be completed in about half a month.

The process of presenting betrothal gifts, or giving them as part of the engagement, often takes about two months to prepare.

Now, we've reached the point of tax collection in just one month, which is quite urgent.

Gu Yankai leaned against the wooden chair, looking rather weak: "I can still hold on for a while longer."

"With my passing, the livelihood of dozens of people in the Gu family will rest on your shoulders. Remember, since you rose to power because of the young Grand Secretary, you must stand firm and obey his every command..."

Gu Tingye nodded in agreement.

……

(End of this chapter)