Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5311 Drawing fire from the bottom of the cauldron
Rain and snow dripped from the eaves, a continuous, pitter-patter that sounded like war drums beating in everyone's hearts, filling them with fear and deafening noise.

"Prosperous fortune" and "exceptional talent"—are these the words that can be used to describe a prince born out of wedlock?
If this is applied to princes born out of wedlock, where does that leave the crown prince?
Liu Ji looked bewildered, Li Ji hesitated to speak, while Pei Xingjian straightened his back...

Ma Zhou, who had always been reluctant to get involved in various struggles, was unfazed. After a brief moment of contemplation and seeing that no one else had expressed their opinion, he spoke out in a resounding voice: "The Mandate of Heaven has its own destiny, and the social order is in place. Now that the foundation of the nation is stable and the empire is prosperous, we, as his subjects, should assist His Majesty in creating an unprecedented golden age, and be loyal to His Majesty, the Crown Prince, and all the people."

Pei Xingjian also said, "The birth of a prince is a cause for celebration throughout the land. We can simply order the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs to select a good name and record it in the Imperial Records. There is no need to make a big fuss."

Liu Ji exchanged a subtle glance with Li Ji, both remaining silent, neither echoing Ma Zhou and Pei Xingjian nor flattering the Emperor.

The successor to the Crown Prince has already been decided, and all the subjects of the land follow suit. Even though those who support the Crown Prince now are all from Fang Jun's faction, it is not so easy to seize power and suppress Fang Jun's faction by changing the heir.

After all, as a subject, loyalty is paramount; one must be loyal not only to the emperor but also to the crown prince.

The crown prince is also a ruler.

Success is of course the best outcome, but if things fail, the consequences are something no one can bear.

Even if I had my own reasons, I would never dare to show them to anyone...

Li Chengqian's face was gloomy as he slowly nodded: "Good, good, good."

He said "good" three times in a row, then stood up, turned and left, leaving the four important ministers bewildered and looking at each other in dismay.

Ma Zhou looked at the other three, his gaze lingering especially on Li Ji and Liu Ji, and said in a deep voice: "We, as subjects, must uphold the proper order and moral principles. We must never harbor any opportunistic or selfish intentions, otherwise we will shake the foundation of the country and bring chaos to the nation, and our crimes will be condemned for generations to come!"

He rose, bowed, and strode away.

Pei Xingjian followed closely behind.

Li Ji glanced at Liu Ji, shook his head, and sighed softly.

Ma Zhou had clearly discerned their wavering stance on supporting the crown prince, which is why he disregarded all restraint and was unafraid of angering His Majesty, uttering such harsh words in the Imperial Study.

Liu Ji smiled bitterly, glanced around, and said in a low voice, "It is truly a great injustice. If His Majesty is determined, how can we, his subjects, possibly influence him?"

Li Ji left the imperial study without saying a word.

In the Tang Dynasty, the will of the emperor was not necessarily the golden rule.

Emperor Gaozu personally appointed his heir apparent, but on the night of Xuanwu Gate, the prince rebelled and usurped the throne, thus establishing the "Reign of Zhenguan"; Emperor Taizong intended to change the heir apparent several times, and on several occasions he even made preparations and was on the verge of taking action, but in the end he failed...

The position of crown prince in the Tang Dynasty has been a vortex of power and a precarious situation since the founding of the country, where changes of the world and destruction are possible at any time.

It remains to be seen whether the current Crown Prince will stand firm amidst the turmoil like His Majesty, or fall suddenly like Li Jiancheng, who enjoyed widespread support but ultimately met a tragic end.
*****
In the main hall of Li.

Today, rain and snow fell, and the air was damp, cold, and sticky. After having lunch, Empress Su took a hot bath in the back hall and changed into a set of ordinary clothes. At this moment, she was lying on the chaise longue, sipping hot tea. Her beautiful body was wrapped in a crimson long dress, and her curves were breathtaking. Her bare feet, which were crossed under the hem of the dress, looked even more delicate and white.

Her face was as beautiful as a painting, without any makeup. Her eyebrows were like spring mountains, and her eyes were like autumn waters. Her neckline opened and closed slightly with the movement of her arms, and her fair breasts could be faintly seen...

She was naturally beautiful, with a face like a flower, and with the added privilege of being an empress, the young woman exuded a captivating charm, a blend of elegance and languid nobility amidst her jade-like beauty.

"Your Highness the Queen!"

A slender, ancient-looking female official strode in from outside and bowed respectfully before the Empress.

Empress Su put down her teacup and raised her eyes: "What is it?"

The lady-in-waiting did not answer, but gestured for the maids serving her to leave. Then she took two steps forward to the Empress's side, bent down, and whispered in the Empress's ear, which was hidden by her dark hair, that she was reporting...

"Um?!"

The Empress raised her eyebrows, her pretty face frosty. She sat up straight from the chaise longue, her bare feet touching the carpet, and said indifferently, "Bringing up old grievances again? You really haven't given up! Do you really think I can't do anything to that vixen?"

The lady-in-waiting was startled and quickly advised, "Your Highness, you must not be rash!"

There is actually a way to solve this problem once and for all: put Consort Shen to death. A prince who has lost his mother will inevitably be raised under the Empress's care.

With the Empress having a legitimate son who has already been named Crown Prince, a prince who has lost his mother and wants to surpass the Crown Prince to become the heir apparent will inevitably bear the infamy of being "unfilial and disrespectful to his elders." This will not only lead to a life-or-death feud with the Empress but also incur the opposition of the entire nation.

This completely eliminates the possibility of the young prince becoming the crown prince.

But if we do that, where does that leave His Majesty?
Husbands and wives turn against each other, fathers and sons become enemies, brothers fight amongst themselves...

The consequences are too serious.

Empress Su took a deep breath, her bosom heaving beneath her robes, and said coldly, "Go and invite Princess Chang Le to the Eastern Palace as a guest."

She was somewhat flustered. Now that Fang Jun was not in Chang'an, only Princess Chang Le was someone she could trust and who was worth consulting.

"Here."

The female official agreed and quickly turned to go to Taiji Palace to invite Princess Chang Le.

……

Princess Chang Le entered the palace and allowed the female officials to remove her cloak. Then, Empress Su pulled her hand and sat her on the chaise longue.

The bright-eyed empress's eyes instantly reddened, and she said resentfully, "I really don't know why the crown prince is so unappealing to him? He suffered so much hardship and pain when he was disliked and hated by Emperor Taizong, how can he now feel at ease inflicting the same suffering on his own son?"

Princess Chang Le already knew the reason. She sighed and comforted him, saying, "His Majesty is not only a father, but also an emperor. Every decision he makes has its own considerations."

Empress Su gripped Princess Chang Le's hand tightly, tears streaming down her face, yet she still tried to widen her beautiful eyes: "And what about me? Back then, Emperor Taizong repeatedly tried to change the heir apparent, and the entire Eastern Palace was in turmoil and suffered endless criticism. I was the one who stayed by his side through those difficult years of uncertainty. Now that he has ascended the throne and reigns supreme, does he treat me like trash?"

Princess Chang Le was speechless, because changing the heir was not as simple as deposing the crown prince and establishing a new one.

With the Empress Dowager in power and the Crown Prince being the legitimate heir, how stable was the foundation?

It is permissible to depose the crown prince, but the newly established crown prince must be raised under the empress's care... You have deposed someone else's son and now you want to take over his title. How can the empress allow this to happen and live peacefully with the new crown prince?
When the crown prince ascends the throne, how will he get along with the empress?
If the new emperor and empress are not on good terms, how can the country be stable?
Therefore, if the crown prince is to be deposed, the empress must be deposed first...

Gently stroking the Empress's chiseled shoulders, Princess Chang Le said softly, "Er Lang is the Crown Prince's tutor and has always doted on the Crown Prince. His support for the Eastern Palace is well-known and unwavering. With him here, the Empress need not worry."

Empress Su wept, saying, "That scoundrel is indeed thoughtful, but he is currently far away in Jiangnan commanding the war. Once His Majesty summons his senior officials and great scholars to name the young prince, the momentum will be there. Won't all those who pursue fame and fortune and try to guess His Majesty's intentions flock to him? By the time he returns, it will probably be too late."

Princess Chang Le: "..."

That tone sounds a bit strange.

It doesn't seem like they're counting on a pillar of the Eastern Palace, a key figure in the palace, but rather like they're accusing a heartless person who started something and then abandoned it...

But there was no time to think about it at the moment. Instead, he offered a suggestion: "It will be difficult to stop Your Majesty from doing this. As a dignified emperor, if you want to name your newborn prince, countless Confucian scholars will flock to you. However, Your Majesty's intention is not to name him, but to create momentum. Since it is to create momentum, naturally there must be people of sufficient weight to support you... Although the Tang Dynasty is full of talented people and has produced many famous scholars, there are actually only a few who can be called truly influential."

The Sui and Tang dynasties produced many renowned Confucian scholars, but only a few are still alive today: Kong Yingda, Linghu Defen, Cui Renshi, Yan Qinli, Yu Zhining, Wei Anren, Li Yanshou, Fang Xuanling...

Among them, Kong Yingda was a scholar of profound learning, with numerous writings and a distinguished family background, truly deserving the title of "the greatest Confucian scholar in the world"; Fang Xuanling, although slightly lacking in the interpretation of the classics, was highly respected and famous, and his compilation of the dictionary was renowned throughout the world, making him a leading figure in Confucianism; after Yan Shigu's death, his younger brother Yan Qinli continued the legacy of the "Langya Yan Clan"... These were all sages of Confucianism in the world, and all had close relationships with Fang Jun.

Empress Su's eyes lit up: "Why don't I invite these gentlemen to the Eastern Palace to give lectures in the name of the Crown Prince, and strike at their root?"

As long as these individuals come to the Eastern Palace, even if they are only nominally appointed as tutors to the Crown Prince, then no matter how many people His Majesty gathers to promote the young prince, the results will be much less effective.

Without a great Confucian scholar in charge, the world would laugh at us...

Princess Chang Le scolded, "Are you confused? To speak so directly to His Majesty's face is just asking for trouble."

The Empress snorted and said, "He wants to depose my son and me and drive us to our doom. Do I care if he's angry or not? Our marital bond ends here."

Princess Chang Le said softly, "After all, we were once a loving and harmonious couple. How could we be so resolute? Prime Minister Fang is currently at home in retirement and is working on compiling a dictionary. The workload is enormous, requiring countless classics, books, and historical records. It also needs the assistance of many outstanding individuals. It would be perfectly normal to invite several great scholars to stay at our residence and work together on compiling the dictionary."

While expressing one's attitude and stance to His Majesty, one should try to be tactful to avoid direct conflict. After all, even a great Confucian scholar is not an otherworldly being, and no one wants to directly offend imperial power.

If Fang Xuanling could invite everyone to stay at his door under the pretext of compiling a book, it would be a reasonable excuse for the great scholars to refuse His Majesty's summons—compared to naming a little prince, everyone is more concerned with compiling a monumental work so that they can be remembered in history.

As for such a trivial matter as naming the child, let someone else handle it...