pjbooks Chapter 213
Chapter 213
The grand morning assembly of the Qing Dynasty was unusually lively.The ministers whispered among themselves from time to time, their eyes all drawn to a certain spot near the front.
Jiang Yeli knew these people were looking at him. He hadn't wanted to come either.
He was dead tired.
Jiang Yeli couldn't help but let out another yawn.
Catching sight of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye, he threw himself straight at him.
"Grandpa Zhou, I'm so sleepy. Let me sleep for a bit." With that, he hugged Zhou Bowen's thigh.
Zzz... He fell fast asleep.
Zhou Bowen reached out to pick him up, but Jiang Yeli was rather chubby from eating so well; he was too heavy to lift.
He let the boy sleep clinging to his leg. To make the child more comfortable, he had a nearby young eunuch fetch a blanket to pad under Jiang Yeli's bottom.
He couldn't let his pseudo-grandson catch a cold.
Those who didn't recognize him asked, "Whose child is this, running into the grand assembly?"
Those in the know replied, "This isn't just any child. He is the newly appointed Earl of Suyan."
"Did something happen to Lord Jiang?"
"No. Lord Jiang just didn't want to be an earl anymore. He passed the earldom to his biological son and took his wife back to Jiangcheng."
"Giving it to his biological son? Didn't his stepson make a fuss?" someone followed up.
"Making a fuss would be useless. Who would pass a hard-earned earldom to a stepson instead of their own flesh and blood?"
"I heard it was the stepson who didn't want it."
"That's just what they say to outsiders. If you were offered an earldom, would you refuse?"
"Of course I'd take it. It's an earldom—a single step to the heavens."
"Lord Jiang is truly generous to let it go. He only held the title for seven years before passing it to his youngest son?" Some among them were already seventy and still couldn't bear to pass their titles to their sons.
Without the title, one was no longer the head of the family.
And no one would listen to them anymore.
"Lord Jiang doesn't care about these things. Before he even married his wife, he gave all the shops he owned to his stepson."
"Lord Jiang is truly magnanimous." That was the polite response. What they actually thought was: Jiang Mingzhe is such a fool.
"The Emperor arrives—"
A eunuch's shrill voice rang out from outside.
The ministers returned to their respective positions.
Jiang Yeli was jostled a bit, but he didn't wake up.
"Mother, let me sleep a little longer, I'm sleepy~" Jiang Yeli's voice was very clear in the quiet assembly hall.
The Emperor looked at Zhou Bowen, who had a child clinging to him.
"Answering Your Majesty, this is the newly appointed Earl of Suyan, Jiang Yeli," Zhou Bowen introduced.
The Emperor recalled Jiang Mingzhe's previous letter of resignation.
He really knows how to enjoy a life of leisure.
Looking down at his own sons standing below, he wondered: when would he ever get to rest?
The grand assembly first went over a few trivial matters.
Then came the most important issue: the matter of the heir.
The Emperor was growing old, and the princes were grown; it was time to establish the Crown Prince.
Every prince had their supporters.
The arguments over the position of Crown Prince turned the hall into a chaotic uproar.
It was at this moment that Jiang Yeli woke up, listening to the endless clamor that sounded just like a vegetable market.
"They are all good. If you can't choose, just draw lots and see whose luck is better."
The distinct tone of a child's voice brought a sudden silence over everyone in the great hall.
The Emperor looked at Jiang Yeli.
"Earl of Suyan, tell us your thoughts."
Jiang Yeli looked left and right. Who was he talking to?
Zhou Bowen lowered his voice and reminded Jiang Yeli, "He's asking you."
"Asking me?"
"He's asking you, the Earl of Suyan, about choosing the Crown Prince." Zhou Bowen shot Jiang Yeli a look, signaling him not to speak out of turn.
Jiang Yeli stood up straight and bowed to the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, I am just a child. I'll listen to whatever you adults say."
"I want to hear your opinion. Speak freely." The Emperor wasn't going to let Jiang Yeli off the hook, insisting he give a proper answer.
"You're telling me to speak?" Jiang Yeli confirmed.
"I am telling you to speak. You may say whatever you wish."
"Alright, I'll speak." Jiang Yeli straightened his clothes and cleared his throat, pretending to be an adult.
"What is there to fight over for the throne? From the beginning of the year to the end, there is no time to rest." Jiang Yeli's single sentence left everyone in the court dumbfounded.
The ministers: ...Is that something one can say out loud?
The Emperor laughed. "The Earl of Suyan is quite right. Continue."
Encouraged, Jiang Yeli got fired up and spilled everything he had heard from his three older brothers.
"Being the Emperor, the supreme ruler, deciding a person's life or death with a single word—it sounds enviable. But the Emperor has to attend court every day, review memorials, and even distribute his favors equally among the harem.
Simply put, he has to wake up earlier than the roosters, go to sleep later than the dogs, and routinely go to the backyard to sow seeds. And he can't have even a little bit of fun. If he indulges slightly, the imperial censors will impeach him for neglecting the nation.
If there's any disaster or calamity in the world, he has to issue an edict of self-blame, saying it's all his fault.
But what did he do wrong? If the heavens don't rain, it's the heavens being unreasonable. What does that have to do with the Emperor?
...
In short, being a wise ruler is difficult. Being a foolish ruler means an easy life while alive, but going down in history in infamy." Jiang Yeli offered this final summary.
His little face plainly read: The emperorship is such a miserable chore, why fight over it? Shouldn't they be trying to push it onto someone else?
As the people in the court listened to Jiang Yeli's words, some laughed at him for being a child who understood nothing.
But others felt that Jiang Yeli made an excellent point.
The Emperor looked at Jiang Yeli and burst into laughter. "Well said! That was exactly my thought when I was young. All my brothers were fighting for the throne, but I didn't want it. I just wanted to travel around, see beautiful sights, taste delicious food, and meet beautiful women."
The Emperor sighed at this point. "My brothers fought until they were red-eyed; they ended up dead or injured.
I was the only one left alive and well, and at just the right age, so I was forced to inherit the throne.
From then on, I haven't had a single day of rest. I'm tired in the morning and tired at night. I can't even get a moment of peace and quiet to myself."
Saying this, the Emperor looked at his six sons.
It wasn't that he didn't want to establish a Crown Prince or pass on the throne.
It was that all six of his sons had flaws.
The eldest son was too jealous and wouldn't allow anyone to be more capable than him.
The second son was suspicious by nature, always believing others were trying to harm him or plot against him.
The third son was reckless and impulsive, hitting people at the slightest disagreement. Hardly any of the maids or eunuchs around him were without injuries.
The fourth son had a gentle disposition and was very good at his studies, making him highly favored by the civil officials. But he found military generals crude and looked down on military officers.
The fifth son was quite excellent in all aspects, but he had no interest in women.
The sixth son was also good in every way. The only problem was that he had been corrupted by Jiang Mingzhe. He was entirely obsessed with money; in his eyes, everything could be measured in coins. If something couldn't be done, it just meant he hadn't paid enough.
Six sons, all with glaring flaws.
No matter how the Emperor chose, he couldn't pick one that would put his mind at ease.
Having their flaws aired by the Emperor in front of all the ministers, except for the Fifth and Sixth Princes, the older four princes did not look too good.
At the same time, they were alarmed that the Emperor knew their situations like the back of his hand.
They also worried whether their petty behind-the-scenes maneuvers had been discovered.
The court fell silent once more; those who had previously taken sides were now especially quiet.
They hadn't expected the Emperor to know so much.
"Before this? I worried that I had no suitable successor. But seeing the Earl of Suyan gave me an idea. If I cannot appoint a Crown Prince, I will appoint a Crown Grandson."
If the sons won't do, cultivate a grandson.
With one sentence, the Emperor severed the six princes' direct path to the heavens, yet simultaneously gave them hope.
If they themselves couldn't make it, they could let their sons take the stage.
A grand and vigorous selection of consorts began.