roccoschili Chapter 5504 The Crown Prince's Crisis
Chapter 5504 The Crown Prince's Crisis
Chapter 5504 The Crown Prince's Crisis
The Eastern Palace.
A gentle autumn breeze caressed the ground, and golden leaves fluttered down in the garden, covering the blue bricks and the lawn in the corners with a thick layer. The pomegranate trees, laden with fruit, swayed in the wind.
Empress Su, dressed in a light-colored palace gown, sat by the window of a side hall. Her hair, styled like that of an ordinary woman, was without any gold hairpins. Her features were delicate and graceful, and the years had left no trace on her smooth, fair face. She picked up a teacup with one slender hand and took a sip. She was dignified, elegant, serene, and peaceful. Only when she caught sight of Crown Prince Li Xiang, who had finished his lessons, running happily into the garden did she reveal a bright and cheerful smile.
Li Xiang rushed in, panting, and sat down at the tea table. He took the cool tea his mother handed him and drank it all in one gulp. Then he looked up and asked, "Is the Grand Commandant a treacherous minister?"
Empress Su was slightly taken aback, her pretty face tightened, and she asked in a clear voice, "What makes Your Highness say this?"
Li Xiang hesitated and could not answer.
Empress Su's beautiful eyes flickered, and she knew it must be something the teacher had said during class. So she asked, "Was it the Duke of Yan?"
Li Xiang could only nod, and said cautiously, "I promised to keep it a secret for the Duke of Yan, so please don't blame me, Mother."
Empress Su lowered her eyes, took a sip of tea, and asked, "What did he say?"
Li Xiang claimed he would keep Yu Zhining's secret, but in front of his mother, he readily betrayed Yu Zhining: "The Duke of Yan said that the emperor reigns supreme over the nine provinces and rules the world. His imperial power is ordained by Heaven and is supreme. His words carry the mandate of Heaven and are law. Anyone who tries to obstruct the imperial power is a traitor and a rebel."
This is the most popular saying among officials and the public at present, causing much controversy and uproar.
However, there is also a division within Confucianism. Some people, like Yu Zhining, believe that only by maintaining the legal system and consolidating the doctrine of the interaction between Heaven and Man can Confucianism continue to monopolize political resources. Others believe that the supremacy of imperial power is not so perfect. The emperor has the power of life and death over everyone, and the promotion and demotion of officials and the policies of the court are all at the emperor's discretion, which has too many drawbacks.
The two factions were deadlocked.
After Fang Jun first proposed the theory that "the earth is round," he ceased his efforts. The "investigation of things" school stopped participating in the debate and focused on scholarship and practical work. On the contrary, the Confucian school itself began to disagree due to the need for future benefits...
Seeing Empress Su fall silent, Li Xiang pressed on, "Does Your Majesty agree with what the Duke of Yan said?"
Empress Su put down her teacup and said softly, "First of all, Your Highness must understand that many things in this world are not simply right or wrong, black or white. In many cases, we are actually in a gray area because everything has two sides. As the saying goes, 'A fine sword has two edges.'"
Li Xiang was bewildered; this philosophy of life was beyond his current understanding.
Empress Su raised her hand to touch the Crown Prince's hair bun and said with a smile, "This is not a question you need to worry about, because you are just the Crown Prince, not the Emperor."
If you want to pay attention to this issue, you first have to become the emperor.
If you are deposed halfway through, you will not even be able to protect your life and property. What else is it to you?
Li Xiang thought for a moment and then realized something: "The Analects says, 'If you are not in a position, do not meddle in its affairs.' Is this what it means?"
Empress Su said with satisfaction, "Your Highness is indeed exceptionally intelligent."
As Li Xiang poured tea for his mother, he asked, "Does the saying 'the emperor's power is supreme' also have two sides?"
Empress Su was overjoyed: "My son has the makings of a wise ruler!"
She explained with a smile, "The Grand Commandant had already articulated this point. He believed that the most important reason for the rise and fall of empires and the change of dynasties throughout history was the 'supreme imperial power.' Who wouldn't yearn for and aspire to such power? People would be willing to take any risks for it, even if it meant destroying the entire country. But if imperial power were to be restricted, and no longer supreme and holding the power of life and death, then there would be very few people who would rebel, kill the emperor, or commit regicide, because the difference between risk and reward would be too great, and no one would do something that would be a losing proposition."
Seeing that Li Xiang was listening attentively, he continued, "The saying goes, 'One person's skill is limited, but two people's skill is superior.' Even the most brilliant and capable person has a very high probability of making mistakes. On the contrary, the chance of making mistakes is much smaller when the wisdom of several people is combined. This was also the original intention of Emperor Taizong when he established the Council of State Affairs, to use the wisdom and ability of the ministers to assist the emperor in governing the country and to minimize the chance of making mistakes."
She paused here, stroked the crown prince's hair, and said softly, "You don't need to know these matters of governing the country right now, because these are things that can only be done after you ascend the throne."
Li Xiang's face visibly fell cold, and he looked ashamed, drooping his eyebrows as he mumbled, "Oh."
Although he was young and did not yet have a clear understanding of the power struggle, the people around him were always talking about topics such as "imperial power" and "change of heir." Even if he was ignorant, he had some understanding of these topics and knew that this was a huge crisis for him.
Although he didn't understand why his father wanted to depose him, the tragic fates of the deposed crown princes in history terrified him...
Seeing him like this, Empress Su felt a surge of affection and embraced Li Xiang, saying softly, "So don't worry about those things. Just know who among the civil and military officials, the imperial family and nobles will wholeheartedly and effectively protect your position as crown prince, and then listen to him and follow him."
Li Xiang's spirits lifted, he raised his face, and said firmly, "It is the Grand Commandant!"
Empress Su smiled gently and nodded, saying, "Your Highness is truly intelligent!"
But my heart is full of worries.
Those people are no longer satisfied with just standing on His Majesty's side against the Crown Prince; they have even made thorough preparations—even if His Majesty fails to change the heir and the Crown Prince ascends the throne smoothly in the future, they have already planted a thorn in the Crown Prince's heart.
The current crown prince can ignore all the rumors and gossip and wholeheartedly follow Fang Jun to secure his position as heir apparent. But when he ascends the throne, how can he escape the temptations of those people and part ways with Fang Jun because of imperial power, or even turn against him completely?
Even now, if they are misled by them and express dissatisfaction or hostility towards Fang Jun, they are very likely to be abandoned by Fang Jun...
A group of scoundrels who spout benevolence and morality but are actually only after their own interests. They only care about whether they can continue to monopolize political resources, whether they can rule the country for generations, and whether they can depend on the country for generations to feed on its blood and flesh. They wave the banner of "loyalty to the emperor" but don't care who the emperor is or even the rise and fall of the country.
So what if the emperor changes?
What if the country falls?
At worst, we can change our ways and choose a new ruler; someone always has to govern the world.
Their reliance is that they, and only they, can govern this country.
*****
"Is there some kind of ferocious beast lurking in this Eastern Palace that even the Grand Commandant, whose bravery surpasses that of the three armies, fears like a tiger? Otherwise, why would he not come for so long, and even when he does come, he only gives a lecture to the Crown Prince before leaving in a hurry?"
After appeasing the Crown Prince, Empress Su sent someone out of the palace to summon Fang Jun. The Confucian action was meant to serve as a warning to Fang Jun, to make him more careful, since the life and death of her and her son now rested on Fang Jun's shoulders.
But upon meeting, she couldn't help but first complain coquettishly...
Looking at the beautiful and dignified Empress Su's slightly angry expression, Fang Jun couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. He smiled wryly and said, "The so-called 'do not look at what is improper' is a matter of personal moral standards, but this humble servant is not well-mannered and I am afraid of offending the beauty and making a fool of myself."
Upon hearing this, Empress Su blushed and spat, "You never come here normally, but today you're all talk and no action. You're no good person!"
Being praised by this guy as "wanting to see even though it's not proper to look," whether true or not, made her heart flutter...
Fang Jun smiled and said, "A good person with good intentions may not necessarily do good deeds. For the Empress, good or bad people are irrelevant. As long as your needs are met, you can be treated as an honored guest."
Empress Su could no longer bear it. Her jade-like face flushed crimson, and she said in shame and anger, "You have spoken without restraint! What is your punishment?"
Fang Jun coughed twice and admitted his mistake, saying, "It was this humble subject who offended the Empress. Please forgive me."
Empress Su covered her face with her jade-like hand and scolded, "Shut up!"
"Your humble servant will obey Your Majesty's decree."
"..."
The two of them picked up their teacups and drank water, and the ambiguous atmosphere gradually dissipated.
Empress Su then expressed her concerns: "Those people are only interested in profit, and they've already started targeting the Crown Prince. You must be careful. Should we vet and dismiss some of the teachers who are lecturing His Highness?"
Fang Jun didn't seem to care: "There are only a thousand days of thievery, how can there be a thousand days of guarding against thieves? They want to plant thorns in Your Highness's heart, not just during lectures. As long as Your Highness comes into contact with outsiders, it's impossible to guard against it. We can't just keep Your Highness in captivity, can we? Besides, I only oppose the dominance of Confucianism, and I have no intention of disparaging Confucianism's teachings on self-cultivation, governance, and conduct."
The crown prince is still young, and isolating him from the outside world may prevent problems, but he will still inevitably be indoctrinated with Confucianism when he comes of age. So in the end, it depends on whether the crown prince can realize the danger of "the supremacy of the monarch" and whether he is willing to make certain sacrifices for the country.
Empress Su understood Fang Jun's implied meaning and became somewhat nervous: "His Highness is young and inexperienced, and is inevitably influenced by the outside world. You are the Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince and also the Crown Prince's teacher, so you must patiently teach him."
Although she didn't quite understand the political disputes in the court today, she knew that Fang Jun's lifelong political ideals were all entrusted to the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince was obsessed with "the supremacy of imperial power" and developed a sordid relationship with Fang Jun, it would be extremely dangerous.
Given Fang Jun's character and morals, it's unlikely he would murder the Crown Prince, but it's not impossible that he would imprison him after the Crown Prince ascends the throne.
Even if she, as the Empress, were willing to endure humiliation and abuse for the sake of the Crown Prince, Fang Jun, that scoundrel, might not even want to touch her.
After all, this guy's greatest preference is for "good princesses," and he clearly doesn't think much of her as the empress...
Thinking of this, she felt a pang of bitterness. As the Empress, the mother of the nation, with such a noble status, she had repeatedly hinted that she could offer herself to him, but he had always disdained to do so.
This is absolutely outrageous!