Zheng Rong bent down slightly, helped Wang Zhonghai up, and said, "Eunuch Wang is in good spirits. This is really cause for celebration!"
Wang Zhonghai took advantage of the situation to stand up, quietly brushed off the dust on his body, and said with a smile on his face: "Your Highness, aren't you teasing me? I wasn't feeling well a few days ago, and it was thanks to the second prince's sympathy that I received a South China Sea pearl the size of a wine glass, which I ground into powder and swallowed. Hehehehe, I was able to save my life..."
Wang Zhonghai had just said a few words when Zheng Rong asked him out. He was lobbying for the second prince. He felt bored and interrupted Wang Zhonghai, saying, "Thank you, Eunuch Wang, for leading the way."
"This..." Wang Zhonghai swallowed his saliva and said, "Your Majesty, you really make me suffer. I think the emperor is waiting in the Shuli Palace, but these ceremonial guards and attendants..."
"I still understand this rule." After saying this, he turned around and made some arrangements for the attendants, then went into the palace with Wang Zhonghai.
Although Wang Zhonghai was agile, how could he compare to Zheng Rong, the Prince of Youyan, who guarded the northern border and trained the troops every day? In addition, Zheng Rong was very familiar with the layout of the imperial palace since he was a child, and he was unwilling to walk with Wang Zhonghai. After walking a few steps, he left the old eunuch far behind.
The Forbidden City is as majestic and solemn as it was in the past. The stone roads, all made of white marble, connect the huge palaces; the countless bright yellow glazed tiles on the top of the palaces reflect the sun's brilliance, making it difficult to open your eyes; and the tall red-walled palace gates divide the entire imperial city into strips and details, without any transgression. However, in this extremely luxurious and grand palace complex, the place where the emperor personally governs, as the center and focus of power, is a nearly simple hut - Shuli Hall. Emperor Taizu Gao, who pioneered the Han Dynasty, was born in the wild. He rose up because of the tyranny of the previous dynasty. After the founding of the country, in order to warn his descendants not to forget the difficulties of starting a business and the sufferings of the people, he built a thatched hut named "Shuli Hall" after "the common people" as the office of the emperors of later generations.
Although Zheng Rong was walking in front, he did not dare to push the door and enter the palace rashly. He had to wait for Wang Zhonghai to report before he could enter the hall.
When Zheng Rong stepped into the Shuli Palace, it was as if he had entered another world in an instant. The doors and windows of the simple palace were tightly closed, and the thick curtains blocked the invasion of every ray of sunlight and every breeze. In the hot and stagnant air, only a few candles swaying in the turbid air weakly emitted a vague light.
Zheng Rong calmed himself down so that his eyes could adapt to the dim light as quickly as possible. Then he saw Zheng Yong, the current emperor and his brother, trapped in the soft dragon throne.
In the darkness, the emperor's desolate voice came: "Brother, come here quickly and let me take a look."
Zheng Rong heard this and hurried forward to see the emperor's face clearly. The emperor had long hair that was neither black nor white, half yellow and half purple. His yellow face was covered with deep and shallow wrinkles. His shriveled body was buried in an inappropriate Taoist robe. His dull and turbid eyes stared at his brother. Youyan King Zheng Rong and Emperor Zheng Yong, who was sitting powerlessly in front of him, were brothers from the same mother. Zheng Yong was two years older and was not yet fifty years old, but he looked like the elder of this heroic prince.
Seeing his brother like this, Zheng Rong's heart tightened and he called out, "Royal brother!"
The emperor struggled on the throne, as if trying to stand up, but failed. He coughed twice and said, "Someone, come here, why are you letting my brother stand and talk?"
Before he finished speaking, Wang Zhonghai, who was hiding somewhere, floated out from the darkness and brought a chair for Zheng Rong. Zheng Rong nodded slightly and said, "Thank you, Eunuch Wang. Can you light a candle for me?" Wang Zhonghai smiled and raised his hand to call the eunuch to bring a candlestick, which slightly dispelled the disturbing darkness.
Seeing Zheng Rong sitting calmly, the emperor finally took a breath and gently told Wang Zhonghai: "You guys go out first, I have something to say to you, my dear brother." Seeing Wang Zhonghai leading a few young eunuchs reluctantly leaving the palace, Zheng Yong finally put on a smile and greeted: "My dear brother, you have worked so hard to guard the northern border these years. How is the war on the front line of Youyan recently?"
Zheng Rong raised his hips, leaned forward slightly, and replied, "My royal brother, you are too kind. Thanks to the great blessing of Your Majesty, the soldiers on the front line have devoted themselves to the frontier, and the soldiers and civilians in the reclamation have worked tirelessly inside, and finally the northern border will be safe and sound."
Zheng Yong changed the subject and said, "I am old and weak. Although I am interested in state affairs, I am unable to do so. Fortunately, you, my virtuous brother, are guarding the border for me. I am relieved."
"Why does your Majesty say this? I am deeply terrified!"
The emperor waved his hands and went straight to the point, "I know my own health condition... But to protect the foundation of our ancestors, I should have appointed a crown prince early. I have two sons. The eldest son is loyal and mature but cowardly and hesitant, and is truly not a talent for a monarch; the second son is impatient and frivolous but intelligent and capable, and should be a ruler who can be assisted. For the sake of the country, I want to depose the eldest and appoint the youngest. What do you think, my dear brother?" After a few words, Zheng Yong was actually a little out of breath, and lay on the dragon chair, gasping for breath.
"Well..." On the way to Beijing, Zheng Rong and military advisor Zhongli Kuang discussed the issue of the crown prince countless times - in terms of the situation in the court, the power of the eldest and second sons should be equal, otherwise if one side has an absolute advantage, there will be no dispute over the crown prince; under this situation, the forces that have not yet expressed their opinions and can play a decisive role are nothing more than the emperor's mind and the attitude of the foreign vassal. Therefore, as long as the emperor and the vassal kings support one side at the same time, that person will surely ascend the throne. Based on this, Zhongli Kuang's idea to Zheng Rong was: let the emperor express his attitude first, and then follow the emperor's will. When the crown prince ascends the throne, Zheng Rong will have the merit of protecting the emperor and the heavy responsibility of entrusting the emperor with his life, so his power will naturally be greater.
This is indeed a perfect plan, but Zheng Rong has other ideas in his mind. After hearing the emperor's opinion, he pondered for a while and said solemnly: "Your Majesty consulted me on the important matters of the country, and I should also report it truthfully without any bias. The order of seniority is the way of heaven and the precedent of Taizu. Everyone knows it, whether they are saints or common people. Nowadays, we have not heard of the faults of the eldest son, nor have we seen the ability of the second son. If Your Majesty insists on abolishing the eldest son and enthroning the youngest son, it will be against the will of heaven, against ethics, and against human nature. It is not good for the country, the new monarch, the officials of the court, and the common people. I hope Your Majesty will think twice..."
"I understand this truth, but the second prince has the support of the eunuchs and the imperial guards, so I'm afraid we can't act rashly."
Zheng Rong heard this, his eyes lit up with a terrifying light, and he said: "Brother, don't worry too much. If you are worried that the second prince will become too powerful, I am willing to retire and give up the throne of Youyan to the second prince. I am not talented. I have managed for ten years and have only accumulated 100,000 elite soldiers and 100 good generals. I only know how to defend my country and don't know how to rebel. I am enough to resist the enemy..."
As he listened, Emperor Zheng Yong's thoughts couldn't help but go back to twelve years ago.
Emperor Jing ascended the throne at the age of 30 and reigned for another 20 years. He was over 40 but did not look old. However, justice was not easy, and the ministers in the court urged to appoint a crown prince. Emperor Jing was energetic and had 13 sons, known as the "Thirteen Taibao". In particular, the four previous sons Zheng Yong, Zheng Rong, Zheng Hua and Zheng Gui were all over 28 years old and could be appointed as crown prince.
The eldest son, Zheng Yong, was honest and kind, and had the demeanor of an elder. The second son, Zheng Rong, was both civil and military, broad-minded, and had friends but no party. He had the greatest reputation in the court and was considered to be a ruler like Yao and Shun. The third son, Zheng Hua, was weak and sickly since childhood. He knew that he could not compete with his brothers, so he devoted himself to academic studies and did not care about politics. He was the most knowledgeable. The fourth son, Zheng Gui, was quite skilled in martial arts and was good at calculating. He won people's hearts everywhere and was the most favored by Emperor Jing. He wanted to compete with his eldest and second brothers.
Although each of these four people has his own merits, the second son Zheng Rong is the most powerful among them. In the early years of Emperor Jing, the Turks tore up the agreement and began to harass the Han Dynasty, robbing property and invading the population. In order to fight back against the encroachment of the Turks, the court often sent a large army to fight, and since the 15th year of Emperor Jing, the commander-in-chief has always been the second son of the emperor, Zheng Rong. Through successive battles, Zheng Rong gradually promoted a group of generals, and his prestige in the army was unmatched by others. In the 20th year of Emperor Jing, there was a severe drought in the northern desert, and no grass grew. The Turks were unable to move south, so they marched east to Bohai, a vassal state of the Han Dynasty, and occupied Liaodong, becoming more powerful. In response to the changes, the court established a new governor of Youyan Road to command the military and political affairs of the entire road, and the only choice was Zheng Rong. Since then, Zheng Rong has not only held military power, but also managed government affairs, and can appoint and dismiss subordinates. Although he lives in the capital Luoyang, he is like a local lord.
In the winter of the 24th year of Emperor Jingdi's reign, the usually healthy Emperor Jingdi suddenly suffered a stroke and fell ill, making the appointment of a crown prince imminent. For a time, the court and the people were not concerned about the people's livelihood, but only about the appointment of a crown prince, and the political situation became extremely complicated.
Under such circumstances, the situation took an unexpected turn. Zheng Rong, the second son of the emperor who had the greatest hope of becoming the crown prince, suddenly wrote a letter to the emperor, requesting that his elder brother Zheng Yong be made the crown prince, and that he himself would rather lead troops to guard the northern border. After a very short period of silence, the court and the public realized that it was an indisputable fact that the eldest son Zheng Yong would soon be made the crown prince, and would become the emperor in the future, and would also gain the support of the powerful second prince. The aggressive fourth son Zheng Gui had no choice but to take the initiative to submit a petition to guard Nanyue. The third son Zheng Hua had no intention of seizing the throne, nor did he need to protect himself, so he continued to sit in his study.
After the beginning of spring, Emperor Jing passed away, and Crown Prince Zheng Yong ascended the throne smoothly. The first edict issued by the new emperor was to confer the title of King of Youyan on Zheng Rong; the second edict was to confer the title of King of Heluo on Zheng Hua and the title of King of Lingnan on Zheng Gui. The subtle difference in the order of the procedures was obvious to anyone with a discerning eye - the new emperor Zheng Yong had recognized his second brother Zheng Rong's status as "second only to the emperor and above all others".
Whenever he thought of this, Zheng Yong, who was now on the throne, was filled with emotion. Therefore, no matter how the ministers and trusted attendants in the court advised against the Prince of Youyan from gathering troops and becoming powerful, the supreme emperor always ignored it and said, "My brother has not failed me, and I will not fail my brother either."
Thinking of this, Zheng Yong couldn't help but let out a long sigh, as if he had thrown a small stone into a pool of stagnant silence, causing ripples.
Zheng Rong looked up at his brother and sighed secretly. After thinking for a while, he had nothing to say. He could only stand up, bow and say goodbye: "I dare not disturb the emperor's meditation, so I will take my leave..."
When Zheng Yong saw his brother was about to leave, he quickly stood up to keep him. However, as soon as his buttocks left the dragon throne, his weak legs made their owner sit down heavily again.
Zheng Rong was filled with grief when he saw this. He stepped forward again and blurted out, "The golden elixir is originally ethereal and illusory. I would like to advise Your Majesty not to take it anymore. It is the right thing to do to take good care of your body!"
Zheng Yong narrowed his eyes and looked at his brother, and finally replied softly: "I understand, my dear brother, please leave first." Zheng Rong then clasped his fists and slowly left the Shuli Palace.
-------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------
PS. The dream of becoming an emperor may be a dream that every Chinese man has. So what will you dream of if you really become an emperor? You will dream of immortality. The temptation of immortality is too great, even the wise emperors of Qin and Han could not escape it. But if you think about it carefully, which of the Taoists and alchemists who claim to be able to achieve immortality can actually do it? It is nothing more than a pipe dream. (To be continued)