Chapter 067: The Discussion of the Crown Prince

“Royal Princess?”

Li Yongchang stared at Empress Dowager Sun in shock, his mouth agape, unable to close it. The eldest daughter of the current Emperor is only two years old—asking her to marry Yexian, who is over forty, is utterly absurd.

Then it occurred to him: the Emperor’s eldest daughter is the Dowager’s own granddaughter, whom she dotes on dearly. Surely she wouldn't bear to send her two-year-old granddaughter away for a political marriage. The Royal Princess the Empress Dowager referred to could only be one of the three princesses born to the late Emperor.

Counting on his fingers, the eldest daughter, Princess Shunde, passed away in the eighth year of the Zhengtong era; the second daughter, Princess Yongqing, died in the eighth year of the Xuande era. The only one still alive is Princess Changde, now twenty-four years old.

By age, the gap between Princess Changde and Yexian isn’t so vast, but there’s a problem: she married in the fifth year of the Zhengtong era, to Xue Huan, son of the late Duke of Yin, Xue Lu.

Li Yongchang wondered if the Empress Dowager intended to have Princess Changde marry Yexian—but what about her husband, Xue Huan? Would they have to divorce?

“It’s too outrageous!”

Just the thought of it made Li Yongchang feel it was unacceptable. If such a thing were done, not only would the entire court oppose it, but the millions of people of Ming would never agree!

Empress Dowager Sun had no idea what Li Yongchang was thinking. At that moment, a clear plan had already taken shape in her mind.

“Bring me paper and brush!”

Suppressing her excitement, she asked for writing materials, composed a letter at her desk, folded it personally, placed it in an envelope, and had Li Yongchang seal it with wax.

Once sealed, she quietly instructed Li Yongchang, “You must deliver this letter yourself to…”

After hearing her instructions, Li Yongchang was utterly stunned; only then did he fully understand what the Empress Dowager was plotting!

When Li Yongchang left the palace, the Empress Dowager remained uneasy.

Because her son, Zhu Qizhen, insisted on campaigning, resulting in the loss of over two hundred thousand elite troops and more than fifty high-ranking officials, leaving the capital on the brink of disaster, her son was now hated throughout the land.

Although the outer court officials never said so outright, she knew they must be deeply disappointed in the reigning Emperor. In her view, the reason the rescue of the Emperor was progressing so slowly was due to the officials’ resentment: they claimed to prioritize his return, but in reality, their efforts were half-hearted, showing no real intent to save him.

Under such circumstances, rescuing her son became even more difficult.

Yet Empress Dowager Sun refused to give up—for she had only this one son, and she must find a way to bring him back safely.

After much agonizing contemplation, exhausting countless brain cells, she finally devised a plan—a truly effective one: the establishment of a Crown Prince!

Before Zhu Qizhen left the capital, Huangfu Zhonghe observed changes in the celestial signs and suggested in a memorial that, prior to departure, the Emperor should appoint an heir, so that the succession would be secured and the nation safe. Unexpectedly, Zhu Qizhen took this as a curse upon his life, reprimanded Huangfu Zhonghe, and the matter of establishing an heir was dropped.

Now, recalling this, Empress Dowager Sun felt that establishing a Crown Prince might be a brilliant move under the current crisis.

…

After the midday meal, a piece of news spread throughout the court and the capital.

The Empress Dowager intended to appoint the Emperor’s two-year-old eldest son, Zhu Jianshen, as Crown Prince!

At such a critical moment, fraught with internal and external crises, any move was highly sensitive. Upon hearing the news, ministers rushed to confirm it with Prince Cheng.

When they received affirmation, debate erupted throughout the court and the city—how could a two-year-old Crown Prince lead the people through hardship?

Empress Dowager Sun, upon hearing of the opposition, was convinced the ministers were considering installing another ruler, which only strengthened her resolve to make Zhu Jianshen Crown Prince.

Xue Rui was not surprised by this development.

A country cannot be without a monarch even for a day. The Emperor now lay in enemy hands, his life in peril, while national affairs rested in the hands of Prince Cheng, Zhu Qiyu. Given the Dowager’s temperament, it was inevitable she would suspect Prince Cheng of harboring ambitions to usurp the throne.

To prevent such a scenario, establishing an heir was the most effective measure. Once Zhu Jianshen was Crown Prince, should anything happen to the Emperor, Zhu Jianshen would ascend immediately, cutting off any designs others might have.

There was another advantage: with the Crown Prince established, the ministers would be compelled to make every effort to rescue the Emperor. Otherwise, if the Emperor were killed, and Zhu Jianshen became the new ruler, those who had shirked their duties might well be blamed for the Emperor’s death in the future.

To avoid such consequences, the ministers would have to do their utmost, thus making her son’s safety more assured.

Such maneuvering was far too complex for a simple explanation!

In Xue Rui’s mind, the matter of establishing the Crown Prince had little to do with him.

His immediate priority was tomorrow’s Imperial Astronomical Academy exam.

Though the time was tight, Xue Rui felt confident.

Over the past month, he had crammed a great deal of knowledge; with a bit of luck, he might just pass and become a formal student of astronomy.

Becoming an astronomy student was equivalent to securing a formal government post—a guaranteed iron rice bowl. Once his father was rescued in a few days, and with the help of the Duke of England’s mansion to spread the word, his father’s reputation would soar, and the appointment to fill the vacancy would be almost certain.

When the defense of Beijing was over and order restored to Ming, he could finally relax and enjoy the life of a privileged official’s son.

The decadent, idle life of a salted fish was truly enticing!

After work, Xue Rui did not return home with Hu Zhong to study, but instead headed to the grain warehouse his uncle rented in the east of the city.

Since their cart had been requisitioned by the Shuntian Prefecture, the Liu family dared not use animal-drawn carriages anymore and had to hire a dozen laborers to haul the grain by hand.

Human power was far less efficient than animal labor; with a sixty-li round trip, not much could be transported in a day.

Earlier, in his frustration, Liu Ren told Xue Rui that if they couldn't finish transporting the grain, they would have to dig deep cellars to bury it, to prevent it from being seized by bandits.

This was the worst possible solution. A hastily dug cellar would be poor at keeping out moisture and rodents; even if the grain didn’t mold, it would be ravaged by pests.

Moreover, so much grain would make a deep cellar hard to hide; if the Wala army attacked and someone leaked the location, the entire storehouse would fall into enemy hands.

Should the authorities discover this, the Liu family might be accused of supplying the enemy!

Therefore, Xue Rui kept persuading Liu Ren, urging him to burn the grain rather than bury it—losing money was better than losing their lives.

Fortunately, with this note written personally by Yu Qian, the Liu family could reclaim their requisitioned grain cart; all other problems would be solved.

When he arrived at the Liu family's warehouse, Uncle Liu Ren was busy directing the stacking of grain.

Upon seeing Xue Rui, Liu Ren dropped the sack he was holding and walked over, asking, "Rui, what brings you here?"

"Uncle, our grain is saved!"

Xue Rui waved the note in his hand, proudly boasting.