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

A full incense stick's time passed.

"when--"

Another bell rang.

"Go up!"

As the bell tolled, a sharp voice, even that of a eunuch, rang out.

Led by the six Grand Secretaries and the Duke of England, civil and military officials entered the hall in an orderly fashion.

Nearly four hundred civil and military officials were housed in the Wende Hall.

Because of his low official rank, Jiang Zhao was less than ten feet away from the palace gate.

Even so, he was still someone who entered the Wende Hall.

Inside the Wende Hall, twelve massive pillars made of golden nanmu wood stand majestically, their surfaces painted vermilion and adorned with gilded dragon reliefs, exuding grandeur and magnificence.

Emperor Zhao Zhen sat upright on the dragon throne, wearing a crimson gauze robe embroidered with cloud and dragon patterns, a crown reaching to the sky with twenty-four beams, and a wide belt, leather belt, and sash, exuding an aura of majesty and solemnity.

The bronze crane incense burner has ambergris swirling between its pillars.

The chief eunuch, holding a whisk, swept his gaze across the officials and announced in a shrill voice:

"His Majesty is holding court—"

"May Your Majesty be well!"

All the officials performed a grand salute.

After the formal ceremony, the next step was to present memorials and discuss matters.

The Three Departments and Six Ministries each had matters to report to the emperor.

However, none of this involved Jiang Zhao.

The saying goes, "Discuss important matters less, and discuss minor matters more thoroughly."

Even if there were truly important matters, the decision was usually made long ago after discussions among several senior officials.

The so-called court deliberations were more like issuing government orders and notices.

If the people below don't react much, it's basically a sure thing to pass.

Even so, some trivial government affairs reports took nearly an hour to process, and there was still no sign of them ending.

Jiang Zhao squinted.

Holding an ivory tablet, he would stand in one place for one or two hours at a time.

Attending court is actually a physically demanding task?

It's not fun at all!

Another half hour passed, and the pace of the performance slowed down considerably.

Just as Jiang Zhao thought the first court assembly was about to end, a person walked out, and Jiang Zhao's heart skipped a beat.

Han Zhang!

"Your subject, Han Zhang, Minister of Rites, has a memorial to present." Han Zhang, holding his official tablet, bowed deeply.

On the dragon throne, the emperor nodded.

"Your Majesty, I humbly report: Your Majesty has ascended the throne and your long life is ever-growing. Today, on this auspicious occasion of the centennial celebration, I request that you follow the old customs and hold a grand ceremony to offer sacrifices and toasts. I plan to select an auspicious day and lead all officials to the southern suburbs to offer sacrifices to Heaven, praying for the prosperity of your imperial lineage and the eternal continuation of the dynasty. The details of the ceremony and expenses have been instructed to be carefully planned by the Ministry of Rites and submitted for further review."

Jiang Zhao knew what it was about before the teacher even finished speaking.

Happy Birthday!

June 26th is the Emperor's birthday.

Conventionally, the emperor's birthday is celebrated once a year.

However, perhaps the emperor was somewhat sensitive and annoyed by the officials' advice to adopt a son from the imperial clan, and there had been no major birthday celebrations for five years.

However, Han Zhang submitted his memorial as usual.

The emperor may refuse to offer birthday greetings, but the Ministry of Rites must still submit the required memorial to the emperor.

"A birthday greeting?" Emperor Zhao Zhen closed his eyes slightly, resting his hands on the throne, and remained silent.

Ok?

Something is wrong!

Jiang Zhao was somewhat surprised.

Birthday celebrations aren't like the throne, so there's no rule about declining three times.

If the officials truly wished to refuse, it would only take a single word.

What, does this mean they need to consider it?

Jiang Zhao looked ahead.

As expected, many high-ranking officials in purple robes were also somewhat surprised.

quite a while.

"Prelude!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Grand Chancellor Fu Bi immediately bowed and congratulated the Emperor, saying, "May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace!"

With the head of the officials taking the lead, all the civil and military officials quickly said in unison, "May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace!"

As a result, the most important thing these days has naturally become the Emperor's birthday celebration.

After a moment's thought, Jiang Zhao guessed why.

The root cause is still the issue of imperial succession.

Now, the emperor is old and still has no son.

This is no small matter.

Whether officials or ordinary citizens, they all share a concern:

Can I still have children?

Officials' offspring were already few and far between, and now that they are all old, can they still have children?

Not sure!

Not only were his ministers unaware of the situation, but even Emperor Zhao Zhen himself was probably unaware.

Furthermore, throughout history, emperors in their forties or fifties have been considered long-lived, and no one knows how much longer Zhao Zhen can live.

If Zhao Zhen were to encounter an unexpected situation and had no heir, it's possible that another palace coup would occur.

This led to an increasing frequency of memorials from retired officials, hoping that the emperor would adopt a member of the imperial clan as the crown prince as soon as possible.

In this way, it can be considered to have "orthodoxy".

Zhao Zhen naturally refused the offer of adoption by a member of the imperial family and the gift of the empire.

If the emperor refuses, then offer advice.

As a result, the pressure from his subjects was increasing.

Even the Grand Chancellor Fu Bi offered his advice.

Even today, although the famous scene of "officials forcing the emperor to abdicate" has not yet occurred, it is not far off.

With the prime ministers and high-ranking officials all willing to offer their advice, the process of giving advice is bound to be accelerated considerably.

Emperor Zhao Zhen, who ruled the country for over thirty years, also understood this principle.

As the officials get older, they must be feeling quite anxious.

However, he still wanted to take a gamble, just in case he gave birth.

Therefore, Zhao Zhen finally made a decision.

Happy birthday and good luck!

Once this birthday celebration and auspicious occasion occur, the officials will likely give it some time to observe the effects of the remedy.

This period can last anywhere from three to five months to a year and a half.

Since the death of the third prince Zhao Xi eight years ago, voices of advice have gradually emerged.

After eight years of development, this voice has become politically correct.

Nowadays, a birthday celebration can buy you a year or two of relaxing time, which is quite rare.

Of course, the relaxed time gained from celebrating a birthday and bringing good fortune is like a pent-up flood; if it cannot be successfully resolved, then the voices of advice will be like a bursting flood, unstoppable once they begin.

At that time, it is estimated that even the Grand Chancellor Fu Bi will step in and remonstrate with his life.

The fact that Emperor Zhao Zhen approved the birthday celebrations greatly surprised the civil and military officials.

However, the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet remained calm, as if they had been prepared all along.

The people in the imperial court are all shrewd and astute; once things calmed down, they all understood the emperor's meaning.

Many people looked at the party leader at the top, exchanged glances, and agreed not to submit another memorial requesting an heir.

"The Ministry of Rites shall be in charge of the affairs, with the Ministries of Works and Revenue assisting, to jointly prepare for the grand celebration of the Emperor's birthday. All officials shall gather to present congratulatory memorials at the southern suburbs, and respectfully offer sacrifices to Heaven, humbly requesting Heaven's mercy so that the imperial line may continue and the dynasty may be long-lasting."

To avoid some people pretending to be ignorant and submitting memorials, Zhao Zhen simply spoke his mind directly.

They gathered congratulatory petitions from all the officials, offered sacrifices to Heaven, and prayed for Heaven's mercy so that the country could continue.

Celebrating a birthday is all about wishing for the birth of a child!

Upon hearing this, even some slow-witted officials understood the emperor's meaning and began to discuss it amongst themselves.

After a good dozen breaths, seeing that the chatter showed no sign of abating, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, acting on Zhao Zhen's orders, shouted in a shrill voice, "Silence—"

"Gentlemen, is there anything else you wish to report?" Zhao Zhen asked, going through the motions.

In the past, to avoid delays, memorials and remonstrances were usually submitted after the discussion.

Now that there is a tacit agreement between the monarch and his ministers, the voices advising against establishing an heir have naturally been silenced.

From now on, for at least three to five months, there will be no voices of remonstrance in court.

Many officials thought the court session was about to end, and their behavior became much more relaxed.

Even Emperor Zhao Zhen seemed to be getting up.

Unexpectedly.

"Your humble servant, Huang Jing, a secretary in the Ministry of Rites, has a memorial to present!"

The sound was so loud that it echoed throughout the palace.

All the civil and military officials looked toward the source of the voice.

As we all know, the louder the sound, the bigger the matter at hand.

But what important matter could a mere fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Rites possibly have?

Jiang Zhao's spirits lifted, and he looked towards Huang Jing.

He was an elderly man with a beard that was a full foot long, and he looked to be around fifty years old.

In this day and age, although men grow beards, they usually take care of them and don't let them grow too long.

Huang Jing's beard is about a foot long, making him quite recognizable.

Zhao Zhen was somewhat surprised, but still patiently asked.

What do you wish to report?

Huang Jing strode forward and solemnly said, "Your Majesty has reigned for three decades, yet the position of Crown Prince remains vacant. In the past, Emperor Wen of Han established Emperor Jing in his pre-heaven residence, and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang established Emperor Suzong in the Green Palace."

Halfway through his sentence, many people's expressions changed slightly.

Even Emperor Zhao Zhen's face darkened considerably.

We just made an agreement, and now you're going to submit a report?

Huang Jing solemnly submitted his memorial, "Among the members of the imperial clan, only the Prince of Yong of Zhuozhou is the oldest and has a large and prosperous lineage. If he were to succeed to the throne..."

"presumptuous!"