The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

The situation seemed to have reached a stalemate for the time being.

Zhu Houzhao asked, "Would it violate ancestral rites and laws for me to raise the son of the Prince of Ning within the palace?"

The two cabinet members refused to respond.

Yang Yiqing stepped forward and said, "It does not violate any rules."

In this way, he set the tone as the head of the civil officials and foreign ministers.

"I know that the selection of close relatives from the imperial clan to come to the capital is necessary, but unfortunately, I have no brothers, and even among the descendants of my father's brothers, there are no suitable candidates for the next generation. If we have to choose based on closeness of relationship, we might not be able to find a suitable child even if we go back several generations, since no one of the Zai generation has been born yet. I am not inferior to them, am I?"

Zhu Houzhao meant that you all think that I, as the emperor, am infertile.

But the problem is, haven't other members of the imperial clan also not been born into the "Zai" generation?

Liang Chu said, "Your Majesty, although there is no suitable candidate among the princes, it does not mean there won't be in the future. Moreover, if Your Majesty really wants to choose, you should not only focus on the Ning family branch. There will always be more suitable candidates. After all, this son has a father and elder brother above him and a younger brother below him, which will cause many problems in the future."

Zhu Houzhao nodded and said, "I know what you are worried about. Are you worried about another incident like the Puyi Incident? I am still young. I will raise the child first. As for what will happen in the future, why worry so much? Fortunately, the child is quite intelligent and brave. I will have someone teach him more about literature and politics so that he can adapt to things better."

Liang Chu thought for a moment, then fell silent.

In fact, the emperor's sudden acceptance of raising a child into the imperial clan was in the interests of the ministers. However, they believed that the child's background was too complicated and inconvenient for them to control.

Whether the child came from the Ning family or the Yan family, it didn't make much difference to the ministers. What they needed to do was to convince the people of the world and ensure the legitimacy of the succession.

Jin Gui said, "Your Majesty, you should take more concubines and get closer to them so that they can give birth to an imperial heir as soon as possible."

"I know, I know, enough with the nonsense. Don't I have an empress? Don't I have concubines? Are those things your business? Don't I want to have offspring soon? Some things can't be rushed!"

Zhu Houzhao would become very impatient when urged by his subordinates.

Zhu Houzhao then said, "Now I'd like to solicit your opinions. You will represent the civil and military officials of the court. On this matter, who among you agrees and who disagrees? Let's start with you, Duke of Ying, to make a statement!"

At this moment, Zhu Houzhao realized that he had gathered this group of people based on their attitude of whether they supported or opposed him.

Since most of you support this, why bother arguing with you?

Wouldn't it be easier to use a simple and direct voting system?

"Your Majesty," Zhang Mao said, turning to look at the civil officials opposite him with a hint of unease, "I support Your Majesty's opinion. Promoting the adoption of sons of imperial princes into the inner court as soon as possible will contribute to the stability of the realm. If Your Majesty has any more children in the future, they can be allowed to return to their original lineage. Even when Emperor Renzong and Emperor Gaozong of Song adopted their sons, they underwent years of observation."

Zhu Houzhao slammed his hand on the table and said, "Isn't that it? Who knows what the outcome will be many years later? Why are we so concerned about which side it came from now?"

Duke Zhu Fu of Cheng did not wait for the civil officials to give their opinions. He immediately stepped forward again and said, "I also agree."

Zhu Houzhao said, "Alright, didn't you already express your opinion? Marquis of Qingyang, you are my father-in-law, you have the right to discuss this matter. What is your opinion?"

Xia Ru stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your Majesty, I was saved by the young prince of the Ning family, and my life was spared. I am deeply grateful for his kindness. If this young man were to be raised in the imperial clan, he would surely be virtuous, filial, and righteous. Although I have no authority to interfere in court affairs, I support this matter in my heart."

Liang Chu and Jin Gui were also surprised that all three people on Wu Xun's side had agreed.

The emperor's decision to send someone was quite targeted.

It's easy to understand why Zhu Fu agreed; he had an exchange of benefits with the emperor.

The Duke of Yingguo and the Earl of Qingyang, aren't they clearly acting out of favor for the Prince of Ning's family? Speaking of which, this favor seems to have come from Tang Yin, not Zhu Yi. Why are they so enthusiastic about this matter? Could it be that the Prince of Ning's family has some kind of leverage over them?

……

……

After consulting with the military officials, Zhu Houzhao was very satisfied and then turned his attention to the civil officials.

"You two Grand Secretaries, please wait a moment," Zhu Houzhao said. "Since you still have objections, why not hear what others have to say? Minister Lu, what do you think?"

The first thing to do is to ask Lu Wan, the Minister of War.

Lu Wan said, "Selecting members of the imperial clan to raise children in the inner court has been a practice since ancient times. I believe this is also a preventative measure. There may still be some controversy regarding the selection of candidates, but that does not affect the fact that this matter should be implemented as soon as possible."

Zhu Houzhao nodded and said, "What you say makes sense, but didn't you also raise the question? Do you have better candidates? If we only discuss the feasibility of this matter today but can't find suitable candidates, won't this matter fall into another stalemate?"

Lu Wan immediately said, "Since the son of Prince Ning is able to stabilize the people's hearts, perhaps we can examine him."

"Of course. Not to mention assessments, even for routine matters, I will have people teach me. You can also supervise me regularly. Do you think I'm the kind of stubborn emperor who insists on using others as his sons?"

Zhu Houzhao was already quite impatient.

Actually, he wasn't in a hurry to choose a son for himself, especially since this child was still a bit old.

He never even considered passing the throne to Zhu Yi. Choosing an adopted son was more about appeasing the ministers and making it easier for him to travel.

Lu Wan said, "I second that proposal."

There's no need for further explanation; just express your opinion. Lu Wan himself has intricate connections with the Ning Prince's Mansion, so of course he won't object anymore.

Zhu Houzhao asked, "Where is Minister Wang of the Ministry of Revenue?"

Now they asked Wang Qiong for her opinion.

Wang Qiong said, "I second that opinion."

There wasn't a single superfluous word, and he stopped participating in the discussion, directly stating his own attitude.

Wang Qiong was more direct in this matter.

This put the three opponents, Liang Chu, Jin Gui, and Liu Chun, in a very passive position. They had thought that today's inner court meeting would be dominated by opponents, and they had even planned how to engage in a verbal battle with Yang Yiqing.

Who would have thought that before Yang Yiqing had even made a move, all the other ministers had already agreed?

"Minister Liu, what do you think?" Zhu Houzhao coldly sized up Liu Chun, the Minister of Rites.

After pondering for a while, Liu Chun looked at Liang Chu and Jin Gui and found that neither of them had given their opinion. He could only bite the bullet and say, "I believe that even if we are to choose this son, we should select one or two more members of the imperial clan for comparison."

"good!"

Zhu Houzhao readily agreed.

I'm afraid you won't agree!

Since you've agreed to let Ning Fan be adopted, and even said you'd adopt a few more, what else can I, as the emperor, say?

I'd love for you to let me choose more, so that even if one of them gets into trouble, there will be others to take over!

Jin Gui frowned and looked Liu Chun up and down, as if to say, "Are you crazy? To say something like that to the Emperor? Didn't you see how excited the Emperor was when he heard your suggestion?"

As the Minister of Rites, you can't afford to make mistakes in etiquette, can you?

How distant has the relationship between Ning Fan's son and the current main lineage become?

"Mr. Yang, what do you think?" Zhu Houzhao asked Yang Yiqing with a smile on his face.

Yang Yiqing said, "This old minister also believes that one or two more members of the imperial clan should be selected. As for the other candidates, they should also be discussed again. The Ministry of Rites can submit a proposal to His Majesty for review soon. If there are any more suitable candidates, then we will discuss it separately."

"Hmm." Zhu Houzhao nodded slightly. "You two Grand Secretaries, you were opposed from the very beginning. After listening to their opinions, has your viewpoint been shaken?"

Liang Chu said, "I believe that we should raise this child in the inner court for the time being, without giving him the status of a prince, and then make a decision when the time is right."

Zhu Houzhao asked, "Since it was an adoption, shouldn't he be made a prince?"

Zhu Houzhao was, after all, an emperor who liked to adopt sons. In his view, raising a godson was no big deal; it was just a matter of whether or not the son originally bore the surname Zhu.

Qian Ning, Jiang Bin, and Xu Tai now also bear the surname Zhu. Does this affect the succession of the royal family?

He can still figure things out in this kind of situation.

Liang Chu explained, "Both Emperor Yingzong and Emperor Xiaozong studied in the inner court for more than twenty years before they were made princes and then crown princes when they were over thirty! Your Majesty is still in your prime, so this is just a precautionary measure."

"Oh, is that so?"

Zhu Houzhao nodded in understanding, "Establishing a prince means you're about to establish a crown prince, right? I understand. Just raise him in the palace for now, without giving him princely status. That should be alright, right?"

"Can!"

Liang Chu also made a compromise.

Jin Gui immediately reminded him, "Will His Majesty then select suitable sons from among the imperial clans to enter the capital?"

"Of course," Zhu Houzhao said. "You still need to discuss who is suitable. But I remind you that when choosing a potential prince, in addition to being of good character, he must also be brave and resourceful. Being too hasty will not do."

This draws a red line.

Being smart or having good character is something that can be worked out, but you also need to be "courageous and resourceful," which makes the choice more difficult.

This Zhu Yi has been on the battlefield; according to frontline reports, he even personally killed a Di barbarian.

No matter how powerful other members of the imperial family are, can they be this powerful?

Even if they really had the courage to fight in the Northwest, a battle like the one in Zhangjiakou was a rare opportunity. Without the chance to be brave, you wouldn't be able to kill the enemy with your own hands!

Jin Guidao said, "Benevolence and filial piety should be the top priorities."

Knowing that this one is inferior, we must eliminate it first.

Zhu Houzhao waved his hand and said, "If he's just someone who can read books, what difference does it make to me whether he's there or not? I want him to step up in crucial moments!"

In short, this revealed the emperor's true thoughts.

Only then did everyone realize that the main reason the emperor favored this member of the Ning family was the same as the emperor's favor towards Qian Ning, Jiang Bin, and Xu Tai.

It is because this child is able to go to the battlefield and possesses the "martial virtue" that the emperor favors.

The emperor himself wanted to go to the northwest to lead troops into battle, but he was also afraid that he would sometimes get tired of it. So when he returned to the capital, he could send his son to the northwest to lead troops in his place.

How could he trust someone with no battlefield experience?

Therefore, Zhu Yi was very suitable because he was both prestigious in the army and had good relations with the military officials around him.

……

……

The emperor's words changed the atmosphere once again.

Even Yang Yiqing and Wang Qiong started to have some doubts.

Isn't the emperor clearly looking for a potential substitute commander on the battlefield? Someone to lead troops in battle for him at crucial moments, or even to die for him?

This motive is clearly impure.

Zhu Houzhao, seemingly unaware of his slip of the tongue, said, "Since we've discussed this to this extent, I won't say anything more. I will issue an edict to change his clan name to that of a member of the imperial clan, and nominally place him temporarily under the care of the inner court. In the future, we will decide whether to establish him as a prince. What do you all think?"

No one stepped forward to make the final decision.

At this time, Liang Chu missed the days when Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe were still around, at least he could still deal with the emperor.

As for myself...

The will is willing, but the ability is insufficient.

"Why are you all silent?" Zhu Houzhao asked, frowning.

Zhang Mao said, "Your Majesty, I offer my congratulations."

"What's there to congratulate? He's not even my son yet, just temporarily being raised. Save the nice words for later!"

Zhu Houzhao said, "Since none of you are speaking, I will take it as your agreement! In addition, I will inquire with Tang Yin again about the movements of the Tatars. If there are any new signs of Tatar activity, I will deploy troops according to his prophecy. Do you have any objections?"

Liang Chu questioned, "Since when has the military and political affairs of the Ming Dynasty been adjusted based on the prophecies of a hermit? Won't this disrupt the order of the military and political affairs in the Northwest?"

Zhu Houzhao shrugged and said, "Don't you think his prophecy is quite accurate? I know what you're worried about, but then again, didn't the wise and virtuous emperors who founded the Ming Dynasty also like to employ recluses? Are you criticizing Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong?"

"This..." Liang Chu was speechless for a moment.

Both the Ming Taizu and Taizong emperors favored employing mysterious and eccentric figures. Although they were skilled at devising strategies, numerous legends suggest that they were divinely aided.

It was an important support for the two emperors, Taizu and Taizong, to achieve great things.

If this had happened in the mid-Ming Dynasty, when civil officials held full power, they certainly wouldn't have allowed such a person to exist.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the emperor still held absolute power, and civil officials were practically powerless. Back then, the emperor could appoint whomever he wanted, as long as it was effective! What right did civil officials have to criticize?

Zhu Houzhao said, "Think more before you speak or act! I adopted Tang Yin's strategy because his predictions on several matters were very accurate. Even the improvement of telescopes and muskets was promoted by him. Such a person is a capable ruler, and I will not allow you to criticize him for the time being."

The emperor was also very cautious.

It can only be said that criticism is not allowed for the time being.

It is because Tang Yin's predictions up to this day have all been remarkably accurate.

If you want to criticize him, shouldn't you wait until his predictions fail, or, as you say, wait until he truly disrupts the order in the Northwest before you speak up?

"Alright, let's leave it at that for now."

Zhu Houzhao said, "The Ministry of Rites should submit the list of eligible members of the imperial clan as soon as possible. I also hope to find a suitable one. Oh, and by the way, he shouldn't be too young, not even an infant. He must demonstrate... both courage and wisdom!"

A single baseline effectively blocked the entire imperial family of the Ming Dynasty!