The atmosphere suddenly became tense. Lu Wenfu was not irritated by the other party's words, but he had to have a reply to the other party's words, otherwise it would inevitably arouse everyone's suspicion.
"Master Ning, please pay attention to your words. It is His Majesty's arrangement to see Master He. As for the reason, I don't think I need to explain to you. As you said, since it is a critical situation now, don't you Do you know how much turmoil your proposal will cause? I can't understand your thoughts, and I believe everyone here can't understand them either." Lu Wenfu replied calmly.
"Humph, His Majesty has already gone. It's up to you to decide at this time. The selection of the new emperor is a major matter of the country, can't it be decided? If a civil war breaks out, who should bear this responsibility?" Ning Yuan Wang snorted disdainfully before saying: "I don't want to say more about other reasons. Whoever your Highnesses decide will inevitably cause turmoil in the imperial capital and even the empire. Therefore, we must be extremely cautious and strive to obtain the unanimous opinions of the vast majority of people. We were able to stabilize the situation just now. I think this reason is sufficient, right? If anyone here thinks that he has the ability to ensure that the new emperor chosen will not cause turmoil, I naturally have nothing to say."
Ning Yuanwang's words are indeed very powerful. Everyone knows that not only do the several highnesses have their own power in the court, but what is even more troublesome is that they control a very powerful army in the empire. At present, the new imperial minister Ji Lin has no way to If the emperor's army can be controlled and mobilized, these armies have actually gradually evolved into the private armies of several princes. What he said is indeed quite reasonable. No one in the empire can control this situation at the moment. If there is any trouble, it will probably cause chaos immediately.
"Don't you think Master Yi Ning's suggestion won't cause turmoil?" Lu Wenfu knew that in terms of rhetorical skills, it would be difficult for him to defeat this guy who started his career as a talker, but if he didn't explain it clearly, I'm afraid it would be difficult for everyone to understand him. to the urgency of the current situation.
"I dare not say this, but at least we can win more people to support our final opinion. In this way, no matter which prince ascends the throne, will it be fair? Will it also make it fairer for those who have no chance to ascend the throne? The highnesses who have ascended the throne have a calmer state of mind, and they have nothing to say?" Ning Yuanwang talked eloquently, giving full play to his ability of speaking like a lotus flower, and everyone in the palace felt that it was indeed reasonable.
But Lu Wenfu knew that what the other party said was just talk on paper and purely idealistic. Under the current situation, even if there is only a glimmer of hope, I am afraid that these highnesses will flee back to their hometowns, and what they are about to face will be A full-scale civil war broke out, but now who would support him, and some would even say that he has selfish motives.
"Master Ning, what you said is probably just a beautiful fantasy. Once His Majesty's death is known to the world, what will happen to your Highnesses? I dare not say, but the Kaman people and the Machihan people are still Have you considered what the Taiping Sect will do? Once there is a change, and there is no king in the court, who can take charge of the overall situation? Have you considered it?" Lu Wenfu had to give advice based on threats from the outside, hoping to win over other ministers support.
"Mr. Lu, I think you are overthinking it. The Kaman people are not bordering the empire-controlled area. If they want to attack the empire, they must first pass through the Jerok and Taiping areas controlled by the people. Otherwise, they can only attack the northwest. I think No matter which path they choose to take, it will not have much impact on the empire for the time being. You don’t have to worry unfounded. By then, there will naturally be people who are more anxious than us. As for the Machi Khans, the river network in Wuhu County is dense, and the water flows criss-cross. The superior strength of the Khans cannot be used there at all. They are already struggling to survive in Baling, not to mention the Taiping people. As long as Yusuf's city guard regiment and the third and fourth regiments work a little harder, they will be able to survive. The official is thinking that the Taiping people have been driven out of Heshuo long ago."
I have to admit that Ning Yuanwang's eloquence is unparalleled. Although he is talking on paper, he speaks clearly and logically. No matter what he says, on the surface, several major threats to the empire are eliminated by him in a few words. Lu Wenfu I don’t know how the other party came to the logic that the Machikhans were just hanging on and the Kamans had to attack the Taiping people if they wanted to go south. But the other party’s goal was obviously achieved. None of these people are military generals at the moment, except for the Guards Corps, which has never spoken. A long horse ride away.
Lu Wenfu didn't want to get entangled with the other party on this matter. If this continued, he was afraid that the other party would have more reasons. Of course, some of the situations the other party said were indeed true, but they did not represent the entire situation.
"I disagree with Master Ning's views, but I don't know what the other adults think?" Lu Wenfu bypassed Ning Yuanwang, hoping to gain support from other colleagues.
Foreign Minister Salidon, who originally supported the immediate selection of the new emperor, was a little undecided after hearing what Ning Yuanwang said. He turned his attention to Finance Minister Tian Yi beside him, trying to tell from his expression. But the calm-looking Chancellor of Finance didn't seem to be very interested in this matter. Instead, he was more interested in the wooden floor underground, staring down intently.
"Master Tian, Master Ning and Master Lu have expressed their opinions just now. What do you think?" Salidon had to ask the other party directly.
Tian Yi, who originally wanted to pretend to be a fool, cursed this meddlesome old man in his heart. This kind of thing is obviously a thorny matter that cannot be thanked by both sides. Whichever side he supports may bring unpredictable troubles. It is not for him to express his position clearly. He was roasting himself on the fire, but when he saw Ning Yuanwang and Lu Wenfu's eyes falling on him, they obviously attached great importance to his opinion as the finance minister, and he also knew that he would never be able to avoid this. , then he pretended to ponder for a moment and then said: "The opinions of the two adults just now are both reasonable. What needs to be done now is to deal with His Majesty's funeral affairs while ensuring the stability of the empire, but also to ensure that the empire The situation is stable. I think we need to stabilize the situation in the imperial capital first. We can ask Ma Yuan to take charge of this matter. Your Highnesses cannot leave the capital for the time being, at least until the new emperor ascends the throne. In addition, the war situation in various parts of the empire is controlled by the military. The ministry ordered that the status quo be maintained for the time being. No provocation at will but no show of weakness. In short, try to maintain stability. As for the candidate for the new emperor, I believe that it can be determined by all the ministers on the basis of consulting the Queen Mother and Your Majesty. Today we will I wanted to make sure that it was indeed a bit hasty.”
Although Tian Yi's words were impartial, they actually vetoed Lu Wenfu's proposal. He only made a few indifferent requirements on the surface. This was actually a disguised agreement with Ning Yuanwang's opinion. He couldn't be sure. Which side Ning Yuanwang supports, but he knows that Lu Wenfu is a gentleman. Even if he does not support his opinions, he will not do anything. But it is hard to say for the sanctimonious Ning Yuanwang.
The meeting at Jixian Hall ended without any results, and this was also the beginning of the empire's descent into chaos. In this debate, the attitude of Ma Yuanwang, the commander of the Guards Corps, should be said to have played a decisive role. It was precisely because of his silence that Ning Yuanwang had the capital to play, and finally rejected Lu Wenfu and Sali's decision to board the horse. To determine the opinion of the new emperor, in the words of later historians, if he had sided with Lu Wenfu in this debate, he could easily support anyone with the internal affairs power controlled by Lu Wenfu and the imperial guard regiment he controlled. If a prince ascends the throne, even if it is not the ninth prince Situ Lang as originally imagined, but any of the other princes, he can still firmly control the political situation in the imperial capital and avoid the de facto division and melee of the empire later on. Although it may not be able to change the fate of the glorious empire's rise, it can at least avoid the huge war trauma that the Tanghe Empire suffered at that time.
But it was his strange silence that made Ning Yuanwang see hope, and because of Ning Yuanwang's outstanding eloquence, many people including Finance Minister Tian Yi, Foreign Minister Sariden, Military Affairs Minister Ji Lin, Imperial Gendarmerie Commander Sun Chengxiu and several others None of the officials present could come up with a decisive opinion, which resulted in an unclear conclusion to the Jixian Hall meeting that was supposed to determine the future fate of the empire. In the end, it was only concluded that the imperial guards would temporarily control the four gates of the imperial capital, and any princes It is a worthless opinion not to leave the capital without authorization and deal with His Majesty the Emperor's funeral first.
Within less than an hour after everyone left Anfu Palace, almost all well-informed people had learned the shocking news. His Majesty the Emperor had passed away, and the candidate for the new emperor was still being considered! A temporary military and political decision-making committee was formed in the empire, composed of Vice Minister Ning Yuanwang, who presided over the work of the General Administration, Interior Minister Lu Wenfu, Military Affairs Minister Jilin, Finance Minister Tian Yi, and Foreign Minister Saliden, responsible for temporarily handling urgent official affairs.
After Situ Lang learned the news for the first time, he concluded that something was wrong with Ma Yuanqing, the commander of the Guards Corps. Although on the surface the empire was controlled by the so-called military and political decision-making committee at this time, Lu Wenfu had already arrived the day before yesterday. I have clearly conveyed my father's opinion here, and I am ready to take over the position of Dabao. As long as Ma Yuanwen expresses his support, the General Administration of Internal Affairs and its subordinate forces controlled by Lu Wenfu can easily control the entire imperial capital, and everything will be fine. Things were going well, but without the support of the Imperial Guards, Lu Wenfu's internal power would be useless.
Situ Lang immediately sent someone to convey his order outside the city, ordering the third and fourth legions to enter the city immediately. Unfortunately, it was half a step too late. The Guards Corps had fully taken over the city gate defense, and everyone's eyes were focused on the Guards Corps. Move towards the body.