The Red Mansions

Chapter 1719: In the eighth year of Qiande, the ministers persuaded him to ascend the throne

Qiande 7th year, April -

The Han Dynasty recovered the former Han and Tang territories in the Western Regions and renamed it Xinjiang. This vast territory later became the new frontier of the Han Dynasty, and the prestige of King Wei Jia Heng reached its peak.

Since the birth of King Ziwei, Liaodong was pacified, Taiwan, Xinjiang and Tibet were recovered, and Korea and Japan also became vassal states of the Han Dynasty again. It can be said that the four barbarians were submissive.

In the seventh year of Qiande, Prince Jia Heng of Wei proposed that in the next twenty years, the court would build two additional railways in China, from Peking to Guangzhou and from Jinan to Chang'an, which would be called the Cross Railway Hub.

As for the cabinet, the civil servant Lin Ruhai, the chief minister, formulated national policies around the Han Dynasty's transportation infrastructure and coal mining.

When the infrastructure plan was announced, the entire Han Dynasty was shocked by King Wei's ambition.

The people of the Han Dynasty have seen the extensive cement roads and especially the convenience of railways and trains, and have benefited greatly from them, so they are very happy about it.

Ningguo Mansion, Hengwu Garden——

Baochai was wearing a goose yellow pleated skirt, and her lush dark hair was combed into an exquisite bun. At this moment, the beauty was sitting quietly on a warm couch covered with a mattress, and her face, as white as a pear blossom, was plump and smooth as snow.

Under the shining golden sunlight, blush can be seen on both sides of the face, just like the bright peach blossoms in February, glowing like fire.

Aunt Xue was holding her little grandson Jia Zhuo in her arms. The little guy was chubby and had inherited his mother's watery eyes. He had fair skin and was lively and lively.

Aunt Xue had a very happy smile on her face and said, "I heard that the war in the Western Regions has been concluded by the imperial court. Brother Heng will make further progress in a while. I heard that when Brother Heng went to meet the army today, the soldiers who returned were cheering for him."

Baochai Cuiyu frowned, pursed her pink lips and said, "No one outside knows about this yet. We'll see when the time comes."

It seems that the prince's ascension to the throne and abdication is a foregone conclusion. When the time comes, she should also be able to be named Imperial Noble Consort.

Aunt Xue smiled widely and said softly, "It would be great if Heng-ge'er really became the emperor. Your brother would be the emperor's uncle, and this child would be the crown prince."

Qin has no son yet, and Lin is a daughter, so her son Bao has the most honorable status now.

As for the son born to Princess Xianning, she heard people say that he was of the bloodline of the previous dynasty and it was impossible for him to ascend the throne and become emperor.

Under Baochai's bright eyebrows, her watery almond eyes were filled with joy, and she said, "Mom, don't talk nonsense!"

"There are no outsiders here." Aunt Xue smiled and lowered her voice and said, "Qin has never had a child. Precious girl, you must seize the opportunity in the future."

Baochai's face, which was as white as snow and as white as pear blossoms, suddenly changed, and she scolded, "Mom, what nonsense are you talking about? If outsiders hear it, I don't know how much trouble it will cause."

After living a life of luxury for many years, Baochai's speech and behavior became more graceful and elegant. Even an unhappy frown would make Aunt Xue's heart skip a beat.

Aunt Xue smiled awkwardly: "That's just what I said. It's not... for your own good."

Baochai frowned and said, "If you care about me, mother, you must never say such words again."

Aunt Xue looked unhappy.

Baochai said softly, "Mom, bring Zhuozhu here first, let me hold him."

Aunt Xue heard this and said, "I didn't mean anything else. I just thought that Zhuo'er is not young anymore, so I should take care of him."

At this moment, a young and beautiful maid with long black hair came into the room from the outer room and said in a gentle voice, "Madam, the Prince Wei is here."

As he was speaking, the young man in the python robe walked in from outside. The scattered sunlight hit his handsome, fair face, softening the cold lines.

Baochai stood up, raised her eyes to look at Jia Heng, walked quickly to him, and said softly, "Your Majesty."

Jia Heng asked, "Sister Xue, what are you doing now?"

Baochai smiled and whispered, "Brother Heng, talk to Mom."

Jia Heng nodded, turned to look at Aunt Xue beside him, and his heart moved slightly.

Aunt Xue might be trying to instill some idea of ​​plotting against the Eastern Palace into Baochai again.

Aunt Xue stood up, with an eager smile on her face, and said, "You and Bao girl have a good chat here, I'll go outside and take a look."

Jia Heng took the child from Aunt Xue's arms at once, his smile remaining the same, just a little more restrained, and asked, "What did you just say?"

Baochai explained in a softer voice, "I didn't say anything, I just talked about Zhuo'er's affairs."

Jia Heng pinched his son Jia Zhuo's cheek, smiled, turned to look at Baochai, and asked, "Did you mention your sister Qin just now?"

Baochai:"……"

The prince really has a keen insight into people's hearts and knows everything.

Baochai said, "My Lord, I have already scolded my mother."

Jia Heng nodded, handed the child Jia Zhuo to the maid beside him, looked at Baochai, gently put his arm around Baochai's shoulder, and whispered, "This matter will be over, there is no need to worry too much."

Baochai said "hmm" lightly, as if speaking casually, "I heard from outsiders today that the soldiers who were on the expedition to the west shouted "Long live the prince!"

Jia Heng said, "The generals below are eager to gain the credit of supporting the emperor, so they shouted "Long live the emperor" from the bottom of the city gate. I was quite surprised because I had not heard any news before."

Baochai asked, "Does the prince want to ascend the throne now?"

Jia Heng said, "Next year, maybe another year."

Baochai's heart skipped a beat and she asked, "My Lord, is this dangerous?"

"It's hard to say, but now the governors and governors-general all over the country have been replaced by my trusted people, and most of the civil and military officials are also loyal to me. This is the only thing I can do now." Jia Heng picked up a teacup, took a sip and said.

Of course, as time goes by, things will become more natural for him, but his relationship with Luo'er will become more and more difficult.

Baochai's voice was gentle and peaceful with a hint of uncontrollable joy as she said, "Your Highness is a great man of the time, proficient in both civil and military tactics. If you ascend the throne, the people of the world will also be loyal to you."

Jia Heng said: "In recent years, the Han Dynasty has had a good harvest and the people have lived and worked in peace and contentment. As the saying goes, whoever wins the hearts of the people wins the world. Even if the dynasty changes, it will not make any difference to the people."

Unless later, he goes against the grain and makes the people live in misery and complaints, which directly affects the vital interests of the people.

Baochai nodded and said, "Your Highness is right. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Now the Chen Han royal family has lost the hearts of the people. As the saying goes, destiny is eternal and the five elements change. Now is the time for a change of dynasty."

Jia Heng said with emotion: "The innovation of the old begins and ends with the people's hearts. Now that China and the Nine Provinces are at the forefront of history, they should no longer be governed by people from the past."

If the Chinese nation wants to stand tall among nations in the future, and even compete with Western civilization, then the ship of China can no longer be steered by the Chen family.

Even his bloodline doesn't have this vision.

Only he, a person of later generations, can set sail for the great ship of China in the sea of ​​stars in the future and ride the wind and waves.

Baochai hummed softly, held Jia Heng's hand, and said, "Your Majesty."

Jia Heng turned his head and looked at Baochai intently, saying, "Sister Xue, I said I would take you and Sister Lin to Jiangnan last year, but later on, due to various trivial matters, I have not been able to spare any time. It would be nice to go boating in Jiangnan someday."

Baochai hummed, and beneath her emerald black eyebrows, her beautiful, crystal clear eyes were filled with soft ripples.

From what Brother Heng said, they will go to the south of the Yangtze River at that time.

……

……

Grand View Garden, Xiaoxiang Pavilion——

On the southwest side of the courtyard, the bamboo forest rustles, the cool breeze blows, and the blue waves form waves.

Daiyu was holding her daughter Jia Ru in her arms, with a rattle in her hand. The little girl's rosy face was full of smiles.

At this moment, Daiyu was chatting with Zijuan.

Zijuan came closer and said, "Miss, everyone in the mansion is saying that the prince is going to become the emperor."

When Daiyu heard this, her eyes, which seemed to be shining brightly under her eyebrows, seemed to reflect Zijuan's figure. She whispered, "This matter has been spreading in the mansion for a long time."

Zijuan said, "Miss, Ru'er has been born for two years. When will you give birth to a boy for the prince?"

Daiyu sighed and said, "I think so, but I'm not the only one who thinks so."

Zijuan nodded and said softly, "Master, it's strange, both the eldest and second grandmothers have children."

Daiyu's eyes were filled with a hint of shame and annoyance, as she said, "I'm afraid only other people's wives have children."

As Jia Heng's power gradually became more stable, matters in the harem became more focused on trivial matters.

At this moment, Xiren walked quickly into the room and said, "Miss, the master is here."

Daiyu was delighted to hear this. She turned her head with long black hair and looked in the direction of the voice. She saw the young man in the python robe step over the threshold and walk quickly towards her from the outside.

Daiyu stood up and called out, "Brother Heng."

At this moment, Jia Ru, who had pigtails, stretched out her two soft little hands and called out to Jia Heng, "Daddy~"

Jia Heng smiled and came forward, picked up his daughter Jia Ru, and with a "baji" sound, he turned his eyes to Daiyu and asked, "Sister Lin, how have you been these days?"

"That's it. I'm just taking care of my daughter and staying alone in my empty room. Not many people come here." Daiyu frowned, her eyes sparkling, and she said, "Brother Heng, where are you from?"

Jia Heng paused for a moment and said, "From Hengwu Garden."

Daiyu snorted softly, her bright eyes sparkling, and her tone was inexplicably shy and annoyed: "As expected."

Isn't it just because Sister Bao gave birth to a son and she gave birth to a daughter that this person looks up to Sister Bao?

While speaking, Jia Heng reached out and gently put his arm around Daiyu's shoulder, whispering, "Sister Lin, what are you thinking about now?"

Daiyu said, "I didn't think about anything. I just remembered that it has been more than ten years since I first met Brother Heng. At that time, Brother Heng said that he would go to Jiangnan when he had free time."

Jia Heng smiled, gently put his arm around Daiyu's shoulders, and said, "Yes, but didn't we get engaged in Jiangnan? We have been there before, and this time I brought Ru'er with me."

As he spoke, he looked at his daughter standing beside him, his mind a little dazed.

In a blink of an eye, it has been more than ten years. Time flies.

……

……

Time flies, years pass like songs, and before I knew it, half a year has passed like water.

Winter passed and spring came. The seventh year of Qiande passed and the eighth year of Qiande quietly arrived.

This year is the fifteenth year that Jia Heng has come to the world of Red Mansions, and Jia Heng has also reached the age of thirty.

From the 14th year of Chongping to the 19th year of Chongping, and then through the first year of Jianxing and the eighth year of Qiande, Jia Heng worked in this world for nearly 15 years. It can be said that he made the national power of the entire Han Dynasty flourish.

In particular, the promotion of cement official roads and the supervision of railway construction completely changed the backward appearance of the entire Jiangnan region.

In the eighth year of Qiande, on February 2, the dragon raised its head.

Today is the first day of the first lunar month in the Han Dynasty. On the white marble square outside the hall, Han officials dressed in blue and purple can be seen lined up on both sides. Under the supervision of the Imperial Censor, they enter the Hanyuan Hall in a mighty procession.

While Jia Heng was speaking, he quickly came to Hanyuan Hall. At this moment, all the ministers in the hall were waiting in the hall and bowed to the new emperor Chen Luo who was sitting on the dragon throne in the hall.

Chen Luo is now ten years old, which is the age of youth as described by the ancients. At this moment, he is wearing a dragon robe and sitting on a gilded dragon throne, looking curiously at the ministers who are lined up below with their hands clasped.

"Gentlemen, please stand up." Chen Luo's face was as calm as water as he spoke in a low voice, but his voice was clear and pleasant like the sound of metal and stone.

Upon hearing this, all the ministers thanked him.

Jia Heng was in the imperial court ranks, and he paid homage to Chen Luo along with the other ministers.

Chen Luo spoke in a clear and passionate voice, and said gently: "My Lords, if you have anything to say, please report it. If not, please leave the court."

A young official suddenly stepped out of the court and said in a voice as clear as metal: "I, Lu Yanmei, the Minister of Criminal Affairs, have reported to Your Majesty that Your Majesty is now ten years old and is capable of ruling the country. I think that if we ask the Prince Regent to return the government to the current emperor, it will calm the people of the world."

As soon as these words were spoken, all the ministers in the hall looked at each other in bewilderment, their hearts filled with inexplicable shock.

Who on earth is so bold as to seize the power of Prince Wei to assist in governing the country?
Chen Luo's face became serious, and he quietly observed the expression of the young man in the python robe, with a hint of trance in his eyes.

This is his father, but he is also a powerful official with utmost power in the court. Can he still be the emperor?

The military minister Xie Zaiyi came out and scolded him: "Nonsense, the court is in full swing now, how can we leave Prince Wei in charge of the overall situation?"

At this moment, in the court where the Censors of the Metropolitan Censorate were, a young Censor, who was seven feet tall, stepped out of the line, holding an ivory jade tablet in his hand, and said, "Your Majesty, I respectfully report that the affairs of state are now complicated and cannot be separated from the King of Wei for even a moment."

Chen Luo's expression remained unchanged. He glanced at the young man in the python robe, and a feeling of worry surged in his heart.

Now, almost all the civil and military officials in the court, from cabinet ministers to censors, are his people. Is abdication and enthronement a foregone conclusion?

Jia Heng was now standing among the ministers, listening quietly to their arguments, and a strange feeling inevitably arose in his heart.

The child has really grown up and started to have his own ideas.

No one knows where these censors came from, but they are trying to fight for power for themselves.

In fact, with the court's emphasis on new learning in recent years, especially the recruitment of many officials with a background in engineering, the interests of Confucian officials have been seriously infringed.

The New Party, with Xu Guangqi as its core, gradually gained a place in the court.

In the imperial court, there were also some upright civil officials who began to feel dissatisfied with the current state of the Prince of Wei's governance.

However, due to the prestige and power of Jia Heng, the Prince of Wei, the civil officials in the court and the country did not dare to say anything about Jia Heng. However, as the new emperor gradually came of age, some of the civil officials in the court gradually became more active.

Can we place our hopes of changing the world on the little emperor?

Judging from some palace rumors, the little emperor's bloodline seems to be... problematic.

The cabinet chief Lin Ruhai straightened his face and stepped out of the court, saying in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, although the world is peaceful now, all the new policies of the court in the past two years were planned by Prince Wei, and the people of the world have benefited from the new policies. The court and the people are indispensable to Prince Wei every day."

The cabinet chief spoke, and cabinet minister Zhao Yi followed closely behind him, quickly leaving the court, looking solemn, and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Wei is the one who first proposed all the new policies, and the court cannot be separated from Prince Wei for a moment."

Afterwards, several cabinet officials came out of the court to report.

The meaning is basically the same, that is, King Wei is the backbone of the Han Dynasty and cannot be left behind at all.

At this moment, a supervisory censor from the Metropolitan Censorate came out of the court, his face solemn, and said: "Your Majesty, I think that for the sake of the millions of people in China, Your Majesty should also abdicate the throne to Prince Wei."

When these words were spoken, it was like a bolt from the blue. All the ministers in the palace were immediately in an uproar. Even the scolding of the Imperial Censor Jiuyi was of no use at all.

How did the situation change from personal rule to the abdication of Prince Wei? Yes, was this a show directed and acted out by Prince Wei himself?
Jia Heng had a blank expression on his face, and seemed to be indifferent to what was being discussed in the hall, as if he were an outsider.

Perhaps, it is time to ascend the throne and abdicate.

When Chen Luo saw this scene, his heart sank, and his clear eyes like rainbows suddenly fell on the young man holding an ivory jade scepter below.

The man had a dignified and indifferent face, with a light beard under his chin, cold eyebrows and eyes as sharp as a sword.

Could it be that he couldn't wait to become emperor?
When the ministers in the hall heard this, they also felt a little moved.

They thought to themselves that if the King of Wei wanted to ascend the throne, they could persuade him to do so, and then they could become his loyal subjects.

As the Grand Councilor Xie Zaiyi left the court, Prince Beijing Shui Rong also stepped out of the court and said, "Your Majesty, since the first year of Qiande, when Prince Wei assisted in the administration, eight years have passed in a flash. The Han Dynasty is thriving, and peace and prosperity are flourishing. We have made many achievements in the sea and border areas."

At this moment, all the ministers in the palace were listening to Prince Beijing's impassioned speech praising Prince Wei's merits, and they felt somewhat reassured in their hearts.

It seems that King Wei no longer intends to wait and is preparing to establish his own kingdom in place of the Han Dynasty.

Then, cabinet minister Zhao Yi came out of the court, holding an ivory jade tablet, and said, "Your Majesty, I think that Prince Wei is a model of heaven and earth, and the spirits of all spirits are outstanding. All the people in the world are loyal to Prince Wei. Please abdicate."

At this moment, among the cabinet ministers, the Minister of Rites Liu Zheng also came out of the court and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, I think that the Prince of Wei should receive the Mandate of Heaven, open up a new dynasty, and carry on the past and open up the future."

The other two cabinet ministers, Liu Zhen and Tan Jie, were stunned for a moment, and also held an ivory jade tablet in their hands, walked out of the court line with other officials, and reported the matter to Chen Luo who was sitting on the golden chair.

Chen Luo's voice was obviously a little flustered. He looked at Jia Heng and asked, "What does the King of Wei mean?"

Jia Heng had just bowed and had not yet left the stage to utter any words of refusal.

At this time, Xie Zaiyi came out of the court and said, "Your humble servant asks King Wei to obey the will of heaven and accept the mandate of heaven to rule the world."

With the "persuasion" of Xie Zaiyi, the most trusted general under King Wei, the curtain was raised again for the tide of persuading the king to ascend the throne among the ministers in Hanyuan Hall.

At that moment, all the ministers in the hall came out to persuade him to ascend the throne. No matter what, the atmosphere was indeed set just right.

At this moment, Chen Luo was sitting in the extremely spacious hall, his eyes wandering around. All the ministers in the hall were kneeling to "persuade" Chen Luo to ascend the throne, except for one person who was standing there. His face was as calm as dark water, as if he regarded the voices of persuading him to ascend the throne as a gentle breeze blowing on his face.

Chen Luo's clear voice was trembling a little. After all, he was only a ten-year-old child. He said, "Prince Wei, what do you think?"

Jia Heng bowed and said in a clear voice: "I am extremely terrified. Now the world is just beginning to be settled and the great cause is just beginning. I am assisting in the administration. I know that I am not virtuous enough and have little talent to shoulder the heavy responsibility of governing the country."

Well, that’s the first of three refusal and three concessions.