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Zhu Youlang came full of hope, but Qin Mu didn't even accept his property or beauty.
According to the traditional heirloom system, his father Zhu Changying, King of Gui, was Zhu Yousong's biological uncle and had priority in succession. The problem is that his father is far away in Wuzhou, Guangxi, and is bedridden. There is no maneuverability at all. He can't get over his father and support him.
What's more important is that Qin Mu has other plans and doesn't want to be tied too tightly to these dragons and phoenixes.
Zhu Youlang came here full of hope, but Qin Mu didn't even accept the property or beauty, which was like pouring cold water on him.
"Marquis Huaiyin, the world is in crisis now. Only by establishing a direct heir can we legitimately unite all parties and overcome the national crisis. Marquis Huaiyin is the pillar and mainstay of the country. At this time, only you can help the country from falling." Zhu Youlang is the same age. Qin Mu was about the same, he was quite handsome, but his eyebrows were almost twisted together, which seemed to affect his view.
"What the young prince said makes sense, but the matter of supporting the new king has to be presided over by the princes of Nanjing. I am just the governor of southern Jiangxi, so I have no right to comment."
"Marquis Huaiyin, how long has it been and you are still saying such things? Marquis Huaiyin, don't worry. If my father succeeds to the throne, I will never forget the great contributions Marquis Huaiyin supported."
"My young prince, I can only promise you that I will write to Nanjing to propose the support of His Highness Prince Gui. As for whether it will come true or not, it is not up to me. Now the thieves are preparing to counterattack. I have to rush to Wuchang to mobilize troops and generals. In response to the battle, the Jingxiang army is fierce and dangerous, and the young prince's body is not suitable for staying for a long time. You should go back to Hengzhou first. "
Seeing that Qin Mu issued an order to expel the guests, Zhu Youlang was extremely disappointed, but he had no choice but to do so. Fortunately, Qin Mu did not say anything in vain, which gave him a glimmer of hope.
After sending Zhu Youlang away, the boat sailed twenty miles, and another eunuch named Wan Yuan came after him. He was sent by Han Zanzhou, the eunuch who guarded Nanjing. Qin Mu estimated that he should have sent someone here, and was not surprised by this.
Under normal circumstances, eunuchs don't have much say in who will succeed the throne. The current situation is special. Who to support mainly depends on who has more real power, and whose words will have more weight.
Han Zanzhou, as the eunuch in charge of the Nanjing garrison, in charge of etiquette and supervision, originally had great power, but his power was also attached to Chongzhen, and Chongzhen was gone. His power suddenly became an empty shell, and he had to find someone else to rely on.
Qin Mu asked calmly: "Eunuch Wan, how is the situation in Nanjing now?"
Eunuch Wan carefully observed Qin Mu's expression and said cautiously: "There are great differences in Nanjing now. The Donglin faction believes that King Lu is wiser, so they will appoint King Lu as their leader; I am a direct descendant of King Fu. Eunuch Han sent us here to ask for the Marquis’s opinion.”
Hearing the names of Xu Hongji and Liu Kongzhao, Qin Mu couldn't help but think of Xu Yongshun. These powerful people sent Xu Yongshun to explore the way early, but judging from the fact that they proposed to support the candidate without contacting them, these powerful people did not intend to give up their attachment and let Xu Yongshun come. It's just a way reserved.
"What does Eunuch Han mean?"
"This... Eunuch Han said it depends on what the Marquis wants."
After Wan Yuan hesitated, Qin Mu guessed that Han Zanzhou must have his own tendencies, but he was different from those powerful people, and he needed to rely on a powerful person. That’s why I asked for my own opinion first.
Han Zanzhou has always been close to powerful people such as Wei Guogong and Chengyibo, and his tendency is obvious.
If you really care about Ming Dynasty, in fact, whether the emperor is worthy or not is not the most important thing now. Because he is just a spiritual leader and a symbol, the most important thing now is to elect an emperor who legally leaves all parties with nothing to say, so that the scattered forces can be integrated as soon as possible.
If all parties want to have nothing to say, they can only follow the system of establishing heirs that has been pursued for thousands of years.
Because the Donglin Party was worried about King Fu's retaliation, they put their own interests above the national interests, regardless of the country's actual needs, belittled Zhu Yousong, and made Zhu Yousong look like a fool.
When it comes to virtuous names, King Lu is indeed better than King Fu, but there are so many vassal kings in the world, and there are not many lords who are more virtuous than King Lu. Moreover, this "virtuous" itself has subjective standards. Do you think this vassal king is more virtuous? , I think that talent is good, isn’t it
Does this mean that I can support anyone who I think is virtuous? Wouldn't this be a mess
Qin Mu secretly sneered when he thought of the behavior of people from the Donglin Party.
History has proven that relying on the Donglin Party or soldiers like Liu Zeqing and Gao Jie is a dead end, and Qin Mu is too lazy to care what these people do.
For myself, at this stage, I must insist on fighting against thieves, and the next stage is to fight against the Qing Dynasty with all my strength. If I persist in these two points, I will always be able to hold the banner of righteousness and attract more people with lofty ideals.
Seeing Qin Mu thinking, Wan Yuan didn't dare to disturb him, so he had to wait patiently. The ship goes south along the Han River at a very fast speed, with beautiful green mountains on both sides.
Looking at these beautiful scenery, it is hard to believe that the world is undergoing great changes.
"Eunuch Wan, don't be impatient. When we get to Wuchang, I will send a message to Eunuch Han. This will be much faster than Eunuch Wan going back."
"That's fine. To be fair to Mr. Hou, all the bones in our family are about to fall apart after driving all this way."
This journey was really lively. When the boat arrived at Xiantao County, it was Lu Jiude's turn to greet him. He was the one who surprised Qin Mu the most. Qin Mu had never heard of this person before.
Lu Jiude was pressed for time. When he saw the rightful owner, he only flattered Qin Mu for his feat of raising an army to fight against thieves, and then directly explained his intention. Qin Mu was even more surprised when he heard that he was here to canvass votes for Zhu Yousong.
Those Donglin Party members in Nanjing were belittling Zhu Yousong. Now it seems that Zhu Yousong is much smarter than them. At least His Royal Highness Prince Fu knows the truth about how political power comes from the barrel of a gun.
"Master Hou, the Donglin Party members call themselves gentlemen in vain. They ignore the country and the country of the Ming Dynasty for their own selfish interests. When Shenzong originally intended to make Prince Fugong his heir, they insisted on establishing a direct heir, which caused a big commotion and a stalemate between the king and his ministers. In the past few years, the government has been in ruins and the whole country is restless... Now, why don't they insist on establishing a direct heir
These people act according to the prevailing situation, saying one thing and doing another. They are complete hypocrites. As the saying goes, the strong wind knows the strong grass, and the rough and turbulent know the loyal ministers. At this critical moment concerning the survival of the country, the Marquis resolutely raised troops to fight against the thieves. This sentiment is greatly admired by the people of the world;
It’s just Mr. Hou. Now the top priority is to support a new king as soon as possible. Lord Marquis, His Highness Prince Fu is definitely not as unbearable as Dong Lin said. I hope that for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, Prince Fu will stand up and support Prince Fu on the throne. With the help of Long, His Highness Prince Fu will be less worthy of Master Hou in the future. What about yours? "
Qin Mu replied calmly: "To be honest with Eunuch Lu, the second son of King Gui also came to see me..." Qin Mu paused after saying this, and Lu Jiude couldn't help but feel nervous. .
Qin Mu secretly smiled and continued: "As the saying goes, if you are not in the position, you will not seek the government. It is basically not my job to support who is elected. Xiangyang is the strategic point of Jingxiang, and now it has been stolen by the bandit army. I am worried. , By the way, has Eunuch Lu ever heard of Xu Yingjie?”
Lu Jiude was a bit unable to turn around. If Huitong Bank made a big move last year, how could Lu Jiude not have heard of Xu Yingjie's name? Xu Yingjie transported money and food to Jiangxi in big ships. Who could he hide this from
Qin Mu would never mention Xu Yingjie for no reason. Lu Jiude's heart was pounding, and he quickly figured out the key, and quickly promised: "Don't worry, Lord Marquis, our family can promise this for His Highness Prince Fu. If His Highness Prince Fu succeeds to the throne, he will definitely provide some convenience to Xu Yingjie. "
"Don't get me wrong, Eunuch Lu. I don't want to make any conditions to His Royal Highness Prince Fu, but I still owe Xu Yingjie a favor. I always feel uncomfortable if I don't repay a favor to others, so I couldn't help but mention it casually. ." Qin Mu quickly clarified. I was afraid that Lu Jiude would misunderstand.
"What the Marquis said is true, and so does His Highness Prince Fu. Favors owed to others must be repaid."
Lu Jiude persisted in the misunderstanding, which made Qin Mu helpless.
"Haha, His Royal Highness Prince Fu is indeed a very human being. To be honest with Eunuch Lu, I also want to do my best to help His Royal Highness Prince Fu successfully succeed to the throne. However, Xiangyang is now in a dangerous war with fierce soldiers. Once I withdraw, I am afraid that the thieves will attack in large numbers. Down below, Huguang is in danger, and half of the south of the Yangtze River is in danger. By the way, Eunuch Lu... "
"The Marquis's literary and military skills are unmatched by others. What's even more rare is that he cares about the country and is loyal to the country. He can be a model for the world. With the Marquis here, the Li thieves will be defeated and the capital will be recovered soon. What difficulties does the Marquis have, but It doesn’t matter, I believe His Highness Prince Fu will give the Marquis his full support.”
Lu Jiude was not stingy about flattery, he came here eloquently, for his own future, for Qin Mu, don't go to Donglin or King Gui, for... well... well, in the end, he had to do it for the country of Ming Dynasty. Bar.
Now why not agree to Qin Mu's conditions first? Anyway, it will be very miserable for King Fu to ascend the throne without the throne, because he is the heir, and if someone else succeeds, he will definitely regard him as the biggest threat.
King Fu knew this very well, and now he should wait until he successfully inherits the throne before discussing anything else.
Qin Mu said with a worried face: "I am currently engaged in a fierce battle with the bandit army. I urgently need a group of skilled craftsmen to repair the damaged ordnance with the army so as not to affect the soldiers' operations. In addition, the Jiang defense must be prepared as soon as possible and some warships must be built in advance. Just in case, it’s just not easy to find this craftsman now. I can’t sleep at night because of this matter.”
Lu Jiude thought Qin Mu would want some high-ranking official and generous salary. After hearing Qin Mu's words, he could hardly believe his ears. In his opinion, what kind of condition could this be? Aren't they just some lowly craftsmen
"Master Marquis, please tell me." Lu Jiude concluded that Qin Mu must have other requests.
"I've finished speaking." Qin Mu seemed not to understand what Lu Jiude meant.
"Does the Marquis want these?" Lu Jiude finally couldn't help but asked directly.
"This is what I need most urgently right now."
Qin Mu sneered in his heart, Zhu Yousong should save his own life first before talking about high-ranking officials and generous salaries.
As long as I keep my money and food, and then grab the corresponding talents, that's enough!
For the rest, you can grab whatever you like.
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ps: Thanks to book friend jasontsai11 for the generous reward. Farewell, Haoyuan. Thank you.
.(To be continued...)
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