The Good Grandson of the Red Chamber

Chapter 110 Regent Minister

Prince Chung-jang's face was flushed, and his eyes were bright but unfocused, darting back and forth.

He had a slight smile on his face, his facial muscles were tense, he walked unsteadily, and his legs trembled slightly.

He spotted Xia Chengzong at a glance and said, "Brother Zong, your imperial grandfather wants you to come in."

"Yes, Father."

Xia Chengzong entered the palace, walked to the bedside, knelt down, and softly called out, "Grandpa Emperor."

Emperor Yonglong opened his eyes and said, "Zong-ge'er, you've come?"

"Your grandfather asked you, if you were to lead a reform, what would you do?"

This wasn't the first time Emperor Yonglong had asked him this question.

At this crucial moment, he asked again.

This is probably the final test.

Xia Chengzong replied almost without hesitation, "Grandfather, if I am to lead the reforms, I will do three things first."

"The first thing is to control military power; the second thing is to centralize power so that the entire court can only speak with one voice."

"Thirdly, the national treasury must be full and able to withstand turmoil. Even if local unrest occurs, the national treasury should be able to support it."

"Finally, it's about having the determination to go all the way. If you're going to do something, then do it thoroughly."

Emperor Yonglong's positive emotions +10 +10 +10

A satisfied smile appeared on Emperor Yonglong's face.

He smiled and said, "With your words, I can rest assured. I'm afraid my illness won't get better."

"Your grandfather is preparing to pass the throne to your father, and he will then pass it on to you in the future."

"After your father ascends the throne and inherits the throne, he will make you the crown prince in a few months. After you ascend the throne, will you be able to shoulder this responsibility?"

Xia Chengzong said softly but with great determination, "Grandfather, please rest assured. When I inherit the throne, I will dedicate myself wholeheartedly to reform and make our Great Qian Dynasty strong again!"

Emperor Yonglong laughed and said, "Good, very good! You have more courage than your father!"

Xia Chengzong was certainly decisive; he knew the outcome before anyone else.

He can also see the positive emotional value generated by Emperor Yonglong, and know that he has always been very satisfied with himself.

He began, "It's all thanks to my grandfather's excellent teaching; how could I lack confidence?"

Emperor Yonglong laughed and said, "Good, good! Your imperial grandfather has some good things for you. With these, you can be assured of a smooth ascension to the throne."

"They've probably arrived by now. Go and call them in."

"Yes, Grandfather."

This time, Xia Chengzong himself began to feel a flutter in his heart.

What good things did his grandfather leave for him? Something that could guarantee his smooth ascension to the throne?

Many guesses arose in Xia Chengzong's mind.

However, he probably won't be able to get his hands on these good things anytime soon.

Everyone thought that the Emperor would never recover from his illness, and even the Emperor himself thought so.

But in reality, the Emperor will recover soon, creating a situation where both days are suspended in the sky.

This was a great misfortune for the king, but a good thing for him.

His foundation is still too weak. He can take advantage of this time to expand his power.

He knew very well that his father's oath was unreliable.

Even if he is quickly made crown prince, it does not mean that he will be able to ascend the throne smoothly.

Throughout history, how many crown princes actually succeeded in ascending the throne?

Before he knew it, Xia Chengzong had reached the door.

He pushed open the door, a silent chuckle escaping his lips.

It turns out that when the time comes, even he can't calm down.

It's hard to understand this feeling unless you experience it yourself.

Outside the door, Prince Zhongzheng, several princes, and the Grand Secretary were all waiting.

Xia Chengzong said, "Grandfather, please invite the Grand Secretaries in."

Prince Zhongzheng and several Grand Secretaries filed in, but Prince Zhongcheng, Prince Zhongxin, and Prince Zhongkang were stopped by Dai Quan.

"Your Highnesses, please wait. His Majesty did not say that you may enter."

The loyal prince roared, "Insolence! How could my father possibly stop me at the door? It must be you, you dog servant, who has been spreading false imperial edicts! Get out of my way!"

Prince Zhongxin: "Third Brother has already gone in, why can't we go in?"

Prince Chungkang: "Wasn't Father Emperor in a coma? Who issued the decree to stop us? Are you all conspiring to forge an imperial edict?"

Dai Quan stood at the door, about to speak, when Emperor Yonglong's voice came from inside the room.

"You three, get out and wait for me outside."

The last shred of hope in their hearts was shattered by the voice, and they were immediately terrified.

Prince Zhongcheng asked, "So Father has awakened? That's wonderful! I was just about to go in and pay my respects!"

Prince Chungshin and Prince Chungkang also echoed this sentiment.

Emperor Yonglong sneered, "When I was unconscious, why didn't you show any grief? Why didn't you perform your filial duties at my bedside?"

"Now you all remember to be filial? What were you doing just now? Stay outside and wait patiently, there's plenty of time!"

These words silenced all three of them, leaving them speechless.

At this moment, they finally realized what was happening.

It is highly likely that Father Emperor was not truly unconscious just now, but rather testing them.

Unfortunately, all three of them were bewitched and were not around.

However, the third brother took advantage of the situation.

This made the three of them hate the third brother, that sycophant, even more!

They dared not argue further and could only wait obediently outside.

Their minds were wandering, and countless thoughts were arising within them.

They hoped that their father would change his mind, remember their good deeds, and eventually pass the throne to them.

On the one hand, they felt this was unrealistic; they should take this opportunity to launch a palace coup and seize the throne!

Over the years, they have indeed cultivated and won over a number of powerful figures.

They have the ability to launch a palace coup.

Reason told them that this was their closest chance to the throne.

If you miss this opportunity, you may never encounter such a good opportunity again in your life.

They were eager to do it, but when it came to actually doing it, their legs felt like they were filled with lead, and they were filled with immense fear.

Just now, Father was pretending to be unconscious to test them!

Would Father really be completely unprepared for them? Would he make no arrangements whatsoever?

Back then, wasn't Prince Yizhong's power greater than theirs, when he colluded with the Crown Prince?

In the end, what was the result? Didn't it all end in a crushing defeat?

At this moment, inside the room, the four chief ministers, Gao Lian, Tang Jiusi, Song Ziyi, and Qin Xiuyuan, bowed gracefully to Emperor Yonglong.

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects."

Emperor Yonglong said weakly, "Please take a seat, my beloved ministers. Please sit down and let's talk."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After everyone was seated, Emperor Yonglong said, "I'm afraid my illness is incurable!"

"The reason I summoned you here is to determine the successor."

"If something were to happen to me, there wouldn't be any chaos."

"Tell me, which prince do you think will inherit the throne?"

The Third Prince and his son are still inside, so is there any need to ask who should be chosen?

However, these four Grand Secretaries also understood that the Emperor wanted to express his thoughts through their words.

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