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

Anyway, since his teacher Han Zhang is the head of all officials, he is destined to have no shortage of opportunities to be reinstated.

Perhaps it was a meeting of minds, but the old emperor granted his request to resign and attend to his ailing wife without even asking the reason.

After this incident, once the old emperor passes away, the new emperor will certainly be eager for him to come to the capital.

For an emperor to maintain power, he needs subordinates.

He, Jiang Zhao, is a capable person most familiar to several members of the imperial clan!

Stretching, Jiang Zhao went back to his study and took out a list.

Song Huai was a very sensible man, and he submitted some official positions in Huainan East Circuit that could be adjusted.

Among them were positions such as prefectural governor and assistant prefect, as well as positions such as chief official of a prefecture.

The pacification commissioner was about to retire and wouldn't be involved in much affairs; he was essentially a part-time pacification commissioner.

Jiang Zhao glanced at it twice and made some gestures.

As the sun sets in the west, weary birds return to their nests.

Pushing a wheelchair, watching the sunset at dusk.

Lately, both the grandfather and grandson have been doing this.

He would push the wheelchair around and chat with the passengers from time to time.

However, perhaps it was the invention of the "wheelchair" that allowed the elderly to avoid walking, but gradually two more elderly people ended up with it.

Zhang Lin, Chen Yi.

Of the three elders—Jiang, Zhang, and Chen—Jiang Zhi is the oldest, at seventy-five.

The remaining two, Zhang Lin and Chen Yi, are both around sixty-six or sixty-seven years old.

The wheels made a soft whirring sound; the sound arrived before the person.

"Huaiyuan, you're not dead yet?" A slow, deep voice came.

After about ten breaths, two elderly people with deep wrinkles, pushed by two teenagers, slowly stepped forward.

Even with new clothes, there was still a faint, indescribable, peculiar smell.

Among them, Zhang Lin had lost all his hair, and his every move revealed his weakness and decay.

"Uncle." The two boys bowed in unison.

Uncle?

Jiang Zhao was taken aback and waved his hand.

I'm getting old!

“If you’re not dead, then I certainly won’t be either,” Jiang Zhibin said with a broad smile.

In this generation, the older generation has lived relatively long lives.

However, I estimate that's where it will end.

Recently, all of them have been suffering from serious illnesses.

If they hadn't been carried in sedan chairs and pushed into the mansion in wheelchairs, they would never have had the chance to reunite.

"Brother, thank you for your trouble." Chen Yi bowed with his bare hands.

Even though it wasn't explicitly stated, everyone knew what it meant.

Jiang Zhao's meteoric rise benefited both the Chen and Zhang clans considerably.

Many successful candidates in the imperial examinations and those who passed the county-level examinations went to work in Xihe Road.

In recent years, Jiang Zhong has been appointed as the Education Commissioner of Huainan East Road, and Chen and Zhang, both in their prime, have also entered the fifth rank.

The three tribes looked out for each other and grew stronger day by day.

“Jiang, Chen, and Zhang have always been of one mind.” Jiang Zhaoping smiled gently.

Chen Yi nodded and said nothing more.

Given Jiang Zhao's status, anything he says would seem meaningless.

"Let's see the sun."

Chen Yi sighed, "Every time we meet, it's one less time we'll see each other!"

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 someone to be the heir apparent of the King of Wei."

In short, the throne was originally intended to be passed on to five senior members of the imperial family, but the emperor felt 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.