Chang'an, November 12, 1728.

Jiawang Qi Weijun's mood seemed to have experienced a thrilling roller coaster in just five days, from the usual calm to the sudden infinite high, and then fell into a depression.

A few days ago, after dealing with many complicated government affairs, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince took the royal attendants and the Praetorian Guards to the outskirts of Chang'an to ride horses and shoot hunts in order to ease his mood.

To everyone's surprise, in the process of hunting, the prince's horse suddenly went berserk, threw the prince off the horse, fell heavily to the ground, and unfortunately hit his head with a solid stone, and immediately bled all over his face, and fell into fainting on the spot.

The royal attendants and the Praetorian Guards hurriedly brought His Royal Highness the Crown Prince back to Chang'an, and admitted to the Royal Academy of Medicine, summoning more than a dozen experts and famous doctors in the hospital to immediately give emergency treatment.

After a day and night of diagnosis and treatment, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince not only failed to wake up, but his breath became weaker and fell into a dying state.

Hearing the news, the prime minister and many ministers had to make a decision to send the news to Nanyu County and inform Emperor Taiping to listen to the holy ruling.

In such a situation, the Great Qi Empire may fall into a crisis of succession!

For more than 90 years, the throne of the Qi State has been inherited for three generations, all of which have been smooth and transitional, and there has been no change.

According to the existing traditional system of primogeniture, every time the emperor of Great Qi succeeds to the throne, the eldest son of the emperor will automatically be established as the crown prince and carefully cultivated.

Taizu called the system, and Taizong was listed as the heir of the empire as the eldest son of the emperor; Taizu abdicated, Taizong succeeded to the throne, and Emperor Taiping was also made the crown prince as the eldest son of the emperor; After Taizong's death, Emperor Taiping was crowned, and the emperor's eldest son, Qi Weiyuan, was officially established as the successor of the empire.

Just when everyone thought that the imperial succession would continue like this and continue to maintain the established smooth transition, they did not expect that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would suddenly encounter an accident. According to the doctor who rescued him, the prince was seriously injured in the brain, and with the current medical methods and technology, he could not be treated at all, and he was pessimistic and predicted that he might not survive three or five days.

You must know that since Emperor Taiping fell seriously ill last year, his body and energy were no longer able to deal with the complicated imperial affairs normally, so he handed over state affairs to the crown prince to temporarily act as a supervisor of the country.

Everyone thought that after the death or abdication of Emperor Taiping, the crown prince would be able to inherit the throne and become the fourth emperor of the empire. With the prince's prime age and his many years of experience in government affairs, it will not be long before he can firmly control the entire situation and ensure that the empire can continue to develop steadily.

But now, the crown prince is dying, Emperor Taiping is sick, and what variables will the imperial succession face?

Although the emperor's eldest grandson is an adult, he is only twenty-two years old, and has almost no experience in handling government affairs except for a pitiful three years of military experience in the navy.

Oh, not really, at least he spent more than three months in the Foreign Affairs Department a while ago, but he didn't get to know the whole picture of the whole ministry.

The question is, there are many imperial affairs, but not only foreign affairs, how can the emperor's eldest grandson and his superficial experience support this huge empire?

So, in order to ensure the development of the empire and the stability of the political situation, can the imperial succession consider temporarily abandoning the tradition of primogeniture and choosing a prince of the same age to succeed to the throne?

How to choose?

Brother to brother?

Or do you choose the meritocracy?

As the second oldest King of Jia, Qi Weijun was suddenly pushed to the forefront, and some cabinet ministers and ministers privately discussed whether the crown prince could consider Lijia as his heir if something happened to him.

Jia Wang once served as a grassroots county official in Daxing Province, and also served as a commissioner in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in the cabinet, and even served as an official in the Ministry of Colonial Affairs. When the crown prince was in charge of the country, he was also appointed to supervise the national tax inspection work of the Directorate General of Taxation, and was highly praised and recognized by the prime minister for his tough attitude and dedication to work.

More importantly, King Jia's sons and daughters are He Guangyue, the Minister of General Armament of the Army and General (Lieutenant Admiral) of the Navy Zhenguo, and from this point of view, he can also get a certain amount of military support.

After the prince fell from his horse and was seriously injured, Qi Weijun, the king of Jia, was first shocked, then sad, and then faintly learned that he had the slightest chance of obtaining the heir of the empire, and he was immediately excited.

Since he was a child, he has become the first spare tire of the crown prince and the second heir of the empire, and he also has some expectations in his heart. But when the crown prince became an adult and gave birth to several imperial grandchildren one after another, his hopes began to gradually shatter.

Obviously, after the crown prince succeeds to the throne, he will definitely follow the system to appoint the emperor's eldest grandson as the heir, even if something goes wrong with the emperor's eldest grandson, there are still a few imperial grandsons, no matter what, it will not be his turn to be the spare tire that is constantly ranked behind.

But who would have thought that the crown prince would suddenly encounter an accident before he succeeded to the throne, and some cabinet ministers and ministers were actually considering appointing an older prince with more political management as the new imperial heir.

This time, the mind that had been cooled suddenly warmed up again.

If the father emperor wanted to ensure the smooth transition of the empire, in order to control the domestic situation faster after him, maybe he would really be able to establish him as the crown prince according to the thoughts of the cabinet ministers and some scholars, and eventually inherit the throne of the emperor.

So far, my royal family has not set a precedent for the imperial grandson - well, the history of inheritance is a little shorter, because this is not a good sign, and the old matter of Zhu Mingyong's happiness will probably make everyone jealous.

The Lord Shaoguo is suspicious!

Of course, the children of our Great Qi clan have not yet had a feudal state in their homeland and surrounding overseas territories, so there will not be a so-called "battle of appeasement".

But that emperor's eldest grandson is too young, can he control the situation of such a large empire with him?

Three days later, the prince finally died.

Just when the king of Jia, Qi Weijun, was in frequent contact with cabinet ministers and military generals as the second prince, on the second day of the death of the crown prince, a telegram from the southern capital of Emperor Taiping came from the southern capital, canonizing the emperor's eldest grandson as the grandson, and in the future, they would return to Chang'an by train together.

Qi Weijun was suddenly struck by lightning, and he could only smile bitterly when he closed the door in the mansion.

The inheritance of the eldest son is a gift that cannot be abolished!

It is conceivable that after the grandson succeeded to the throne of the emperor, he would not let him go easily when he learned of his actions during the prince's serious illness and death.

Although there has not been a murder of the children of the clan in our Qi country, just because he dares to seek the throne, he will definitely be feared and disposed of by the new emperor.

Even if you don't kill him, finding a deserted overseas territory and sending him over to seal the foreign domain is probably a high probability of happening.

I'm so willing!

From the rich and prosperous Hanzhou mainland, it is so sad to throw it into an overseas territory where birds don't.

Just when Qi Weijun, the king of Jia, was feeling sorry for himself and panicking in the Chang'an mansion, Emperor Taiping and his grandson had taken the train and continued to march towards Chang'an City from the southern frontier of the empire.

On November 14, Emperor Taiping's special train arrived in Linzi City, and at the same time issued an edict ordering the Chang'an garrison and the Praetorian Guard to impose a limited curfew in Chang'an, and after 8 p.m. every day, all entertainment service shops would cease to operate, and residents would not go out at will.

On November 15, the emperor's special train arrived in Daxing, and dozens of military and political officials, including the prime minister, the chief of the army staff, the commander-in-chief of the army, the commander-in-chief of the military police, the chief of the polling office, and the general system of the black guard, greeted Emperor Taiping at the railway station.

At four o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, the special train entered the Chang'an Railway Station, and then under the escort of hundreds of Praetorian Guards and military police, Emperor Taiping returned to the Taichu Palace with his grandson.

The next day, the prime ministers, the ministers, the senior generals of the army, and the royal family gathered in the Yongchang Hall of the Taichu Palace, and the Taiping Emperor officially announced the canonization of the emperor's eldest grandson, Qi Zexuan, as the grandson, and the commander-in-chief of the Praetorian Guard, the governor of the Privy Council, and accompanied the emperor to listen to political deliberations on a daily basis.

On November 17, Yin Chu Chengwei of Chang'an Prefecture was transferred to Dongzhou (present-day New Zealand and surrounding islands) as governor of the region. Zheng Shiliang, the former governor of Handong Province, was transferred to the right Shangshu of the Ministry of Officials, and also served as Yin of Chang'an Mansion.

Teng Xiguang, former deputy chief of general staff of the Praetorian Guard and general Guangwei (major general), was promoted to general (lieutenant general) of the army Zhenguo and transferred to the chief of the general staff of the army. He Guangyue, former chief of the army's general armament and admiral of the navy, was transferred to the post of commander of the South Pacific Fleet.

The Cabinet of Ministers, Colonial Affairs Scholar Peng Fuxian, was transferred to the Governor of Luzon, and his post was taken over by the Governor of Northridge Province.

The Ministry of the Interior elected Shi Langzhong Pan Jixuan to be appointed acting governor of Handong Province.

Wang Bingsen, the former chief of the Public Opinion Polling Office, was transferred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where he was in charge of the national reserves, the police department, and local township soldiers.

Luo Kangning, the former chief of the royal family, was transferred to the head of the poll office.

……

This dazzling personnel transfer involved many officials from various ministries, as well as princes of one side, and even army generals, some through cabinet decrees, and some directly from the emperor's decrees, which made people stunned.

However, the discerning person tasted a hint of unusual flavor from the process of the transfer of these officials and military generals.

His Majesty the Emperor is enthroned for the crown prince and has begun to readjust the domestic political landscape!

This personnel change should be just the beginning, far from the end. Perhaps, in the end, there will be some changes even in the cabinet ministers and the highest echelons of the military.

After all, the imperial grandson is too young, and without the support of His Majesty the Emperor, he may not be able to hold the political situation of the empire!

"Are you afraid?" Emperor Taiping sat tiredly on the soft collapse, closed his eyes slightly, and asked softly.

"My grandson has some ...... Afraid. Qi Zexuan took a deep breath and looked at Emperor Taiping with a worried expression.

An unprecedented burden weighed heavily on his slightly immature shoulders, and if there was no panic and worry, it would naturally be a lie.

"Don't be afraid, everything is still with me!" Emperor Taiping felt dizzy in his head, and couldn't help biting his lower lip, trying to cheer himself up as much as possible, "In addition, we have to thank Emperor Taizu for the political structure he has established, even if there is an accident in the imperial family, relying on the cabinet can support the empire to continue to operate." ”

"The grandson is worried, and he will ...... in the future If you don't do it well, you will live up to the expectations of the emperor's grandfather, and you will be ashamed of your ancestors. Qi Zexuan said in a low voice.

"Hehe......" Emperor Taiping opened his eyes and looked at this grandson lovingly, "It's okay, in this life, there is a time to do everything for the first time." At first, we have no experience, so let's learn and ponder. Do you remember what I told you a dozen days ago? At that time, you just need to sit in that seat and quietly watch the actions of the cabinet ministers. If you do a good job, you will not hesitate to praise and reward, and if you do not do well, then look for an opportunity to change to a more capable cabinet. At the beginning, if you don't understand anything, you don't have any experience, and you may not be able to accurately grasp the context of the government, so you should observe the government with your heart, appreciate the decrees issued by the cabinet with your heart, and observe the public opinion in the country with your heart, as well as the development situation in various places. Taking a step back, sometimes, an emperor who doesn't toss much, although he is not a Ming monarch of the past and the present, is definitely not a faint monarch. ”

"My grandson wrote it down."

"In the past few days, in addition to the daily observation of political affairs, those "Political Affairs Records" need to be studied by good students, especially the words and deeds recorded by Emperor Taizu, and they must be carefully understood. After reading and writing, I submitted it to me for review. ”

"Yes, Grandpa." Qi Zexuan.

Since Emperor Taizu, several kings have had the habit of recording political records, and have their secretaries and supervisors record many important affairs in detail, including the background of the affairs, the considerations of the decisions made, and the evaluation after the fact, so as to provide the necessary reference and basis for the latter's similar affairs.

Well, it's also the emperor's work log.

More than 90 years, three generations of emperors, the "Political Affairs Record" has recorded more than 10 thick books, under the collation and induction of the secretary and supervisor, according to the political, economic, military, diplomatic, official promotion, appointment and dismissal, people's livelihood and welfare, as well as overseas colonial affairs, war decisions, Qin policy, and so on.

This is equivalent to providing a full and detailed "post operation guide" for the later emperor.

In the future, if there is no more intelligent and appropriate decision-making in such matters, it should be effective.

"Zexuan, what do you think of your Uncle Jiawang's actions a few days ago?" Emperor Taiping asked calmly.

"The desire of the Ninety-Five Emperor is very tolerable."

"What about you?"

"My grandson also thought about it." Qi Zexuan replied honestly: "But my grandson thinks that there are still more than 20 years to consider this matter, and the only thing to think about in my heart is to have more experience and increase my experience in general affairs, thinking about the future." ”

"Yes, no one would have expected that your father would suddenly be unexpectedly pushed into this position in advance." Emperor Taiping looked a little depressed and a little helpless.

The inheritance of the empire is by no means smooth sailing, and it is stable and stable!

"What do you want to do with your Uncle Jiawang?" Emperor Taiping held his spirit, and his eyes were firmly fixed on Qi Zexuan.

"There is a reason for the incident, not for usurpation, but for ...... Feudal overseas. ”

Emperor Taiping looked at Qi Zexuan and was silent.

"Don't your grandchildren want to be troubled forever?"

"My royal family has always been merciful and murderous, and I have never murdered the clan, and my grandson doesn't want to make an exception." Qi Zexuan looked at Emperor Taiping calmly.

"Among your many uncles, there are many people who covet them."

"Grandpa Huang also said that my imperial family of Daqi relies on the system of the clan made by the two emperors Taizu and Taizong, and there is also a political system composed of the cabinet, the Imperial Court and the military to check and balance each other and check each other.

Emperor Taiping nodded slightly, waved his hand and let Qi Zexuan go by himself, while he closed his eyes and prepared to recuperate.

On November 25, the crown prince was mourned, and Chang'an City was in a state of silence.

On December 10, the Prime Minister and all his ministers asked the Emperor to resign. After Emperor Taiping stayed for three times, he dissolved the cabinet and the Imperial Court and the Senate nominated the new prime minister.

On December 26, Han Qingsan, former vice prime minister and secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (great-grandson of Han Won-ri, the former chief minister of the Ministry of Home Affairs during the founding of the People's Republic of China), was elected as the new prime minister, and a new cabinet was formed.

On December 28, Qi Weijun, the king of Jia, was crowned King Chen, and the state of Chenzhou (that is, the island of Newfoundland and Arcadia ceded by the Kingdom of England) was enthroned.

On the sixth day of the second month of the twenty-fifth year of Taiping (1729), Emperor Taiping dragged his sick body and struggled to help protect his grandson to deal with many government affairs of the empire, and finally ran out of oil and died in Taichu Palace.

Under the unanimous support of many important ministers in the cabinet, royal relatives, and senior generals of the navy and army, the grandson Qi Zexuan succeeded to the throne of the emperor and changed his name to Yonglong.

A new era is about to begin.

(End of chapter)

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