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墨書 Inktalez
They had already lost interest in the Unworthy Youngster, but on the surface, they still had to be polite. Behind the scenes, they were insincere, exchanging a few sarcastic remarks when gathered together. The Xuande Emperor was relentless in his urging, while Mingze remained calm and even listed the strengths and weaknesses of each prince, discussing them one by one with the Xuande Emperor.
At first, the Xuande Emperor showed some interest, but after discussing just one prince—a mere three-year-old—his face darkened completely. "Shi Yun, you might as well say it outright: none of my princes are worthy of the throne!"
"Your Majesty, you can't say that. Although the Second Prince has many shortcomings, he does have some potential," Shi Yun replied.
The Xuande Emperor nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. That old rascal knew exactly where to poke! "Am I unaware that the Second Prince is the most capable among them?"
However, concerning the face of Great Jing, the new emperor could not be someone who was unwell. "Shi Yun, you really are starting to disregard me more and more!"
"Your Majesty, selecting a new ruler involves the fate of the nation; it cannot be taken lightly. Evaluating the crown prince is indeed disrespectful to officials, but during such extraordinary times, I cannot afford to be overly concerned about that. I hope Your Majesty can understand."
The Xuande Emperor kicked away the small tea table that held the evaluation records. "What a bothersome thing; it's better not to look at it."
"Shi Yun, has your heart already swayed towards the Sang Family?" he asked.
"Your Majesty, my loyalty is solely for this land of Great Jing," Shi Yun replied earnestly.
"Oh? And what about me?"
Shi Yun looked puzzled. "I thought Your Majesty and I shared the same grand aspirations. Is that not so?"
"Ha! What a clever Shi Yun," the emperor chuckled. How could he dare to say otherwise?
Calculating the days, Shi Yun had already dragged out two months' worth of time by using various excuses for ten days. The Xuande Emperor could no longer wait. "If you can't choose based on merit, then let's just appoint someone directly."
This decision was expected, and Shi Yun readily agreed, which made the Xuande Emperor glance at him sideways. "How long will it take to prepare for the coronation ceremony?"
"At least six months."
"Alright then, I'll wait here for you."
"Shi Yun," the emperor continued, "you've already delayed the matter of appointing an heir for ten days. Now you're saying at least six more months? Are you stalling for the Sang Family?"
Shi Yun reminded him, "Your Majesty, you might have forgotten that the Grand Temple is currently under repair after its damage. The ancestral rites at the Grand Temple are one of the most important parts of a new emperor's ascension. Six months is precisely how long it will take to complete those repairs."
"Then send more workers!"
"The Grand Temple is a royal site; its repairs cannot be taken lightly. Especially for the main hall section, it must be restored with one-to-one accuracy according to historical records. Talented workers capable of this task are already scarce and recruiting them is extremely difficult."
The Xuande Emperor slammed his hand on the table, exclaiming, "Then tell me, what should we do? If you can't even solve this minor issue, what use do I have for you?"
After a moment of silence, Shi Yun finally spoke up. "There is a method."
"Speak!"
"We can transfer workers from the Royal Tomb."
The Lei Family had previously sent word that due to a shortage of labor, the Xuande Emperor had secretly ordered them to increase their workload. Although this was merely a drop in the bucket for the overall project, the Emperor seemed to feel more at ease knowing that others were working themselves to exhaustion.
However, this had led to dire conditions at the Royal Tomb. The Lei Family was considering their options, and it just so happened that they had a solution.
"Then let’s proceed with the transfer!"
"I understand your urgency, Your Majesty," Shi Yun continued. "After discussing with the Lei Family, they calculated that in order to meet deadlines and ensure quality, we would need to transfer almost all the workers from the Royal Tomb. But this would mean temporarily halting work there."
"It's just a few buildings that have issues! Do we really need to transfer so many people?"
"Your Majesty, it's not just the buildings. The disturbance was so great that even the foundation has been compromised. The Lei Family conducted an inspection and found significant cracks in the foundation—some as wide as an arm's breadth."
The Emperor certainly did not want the Grand Temple to collapse on the day of the new emperor's ascension.
"Is the situation really that severe?"
The Lei Family had never missed such details.
After much deliberation, the Xuande Emperor finally conceded. "Fine, we will do as you suggest. First, bring everyone back; as for when they will return... that's hard to say."
With everything going wrong, the Xuande Emperor sulked for a while before adding, "Let’s also take care of appointing an empress."
"Appoint an empress? Is it really that complicated? You have so many officials; can't you manage this?"
"Please clarify who you have in mind for the empress position."
Feeling guilty, the Xuande Emperor replied, "In order to eliminate misunderstandings between the Sang Family and the Qin Family and promote peaceful coexistence, I intend to grant the position of empress to show my sincerity. What do you think?"
"It’s not a good idea; it only complicates matters further. You think you can stabilize the Qin Clan by offering them an empress? You’re using a tone of benevolence without considering whether the Sang Family even desires this!"
"Your Majesty," one official interjected, "the Great Ancestor once instructed that there should be no members of the Sang Family in the harem. This was a strict requirement emphasized by our Great Ancestor. Previous monarchs have adhered to this principle; it cannot change now."
"This is a different time," another official argued. "The Qin Family may be weaker but has many offspring, while the Sang Family is strong yet dwindling in numbers. This arrangement could allow both families to complement each other and fulfill our Founding Emperor's wishes—unifying both families for a stable Great Jing."
"Speechless. Why is the Sang Family's lineage dwindling? Don't you have any awareness of this? Dare you say it again in front of the Sang Family?"
"The Emperor intends to betroth a daughter of the Sang Family to the new emperor. As far as I know, there should only be one unmarried daughter left, Sang Qingxiao. Are you suggesting that the Emperor wishes to choose her?"
"If you truly decide this way, what will become of the Yongxin Marquis?"
"Shi Yun, there is no longer a Yongxin Marquis in Great Jing! A commoner has no right to marry a daughter of the Sang Family. I sincerely offer her the position of Empress for the new emperor; how could Sang Qingxiao not be tempted?"
"Tsk, the more you speak, the more confident you become. Are you trying to hasten your own demise?"
"Mother's Command, Matchmaker's Words—if Sang Bai Jue does not nod in agreement, then this matter is settled."
"Mingze is not her, right?"
"Shi Yun, let me remind you that Sang Qingxiao bears the surname Sang. Her name does not appear in the Ming Family Genealogy; the Ming Family cannot claim her as their own!"
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