Chapter 664: A Skilled Warrior
Chapter 664: A Skilled Warrior
"His Highness the Crown Prince, your humble servants Su Chengsheng and Ma Chengen request an audience..."
To be a servant of the imperial family, addressing oneself as 'humble servant,' was a position many in the Great Qian Dynasty could only dream of. After all, this was a feudal society where survival was a constant struggle.
"Come in."
Fang Xing nodded.
The chief eunuch of the Emperor, Su Chengsheng, entered with his close companion, Ma Chengen. It was immediately clear that something was amiss.
"Speak."
Fang Xing held a teacup in one hand and used the lid to scrape the surface of the tea, his tone casual but authoritative.
"Humble servant, appointed by the Late Emperor to oversee the Imperial Guard, presents this roster for Your Highness's review..."
Su Chengsheng knelt and held the ledger high above his head.
The Imperial Guard, akin to the Brocade Guard, answered only to the Emperor and had the authority to investigate and apprehend. They were often despised by the nobility and officials.
If the new Emperor did not accept them, their fate would be dire.
"Ma Gonggong, what about you?"
Fang Xing turned to his chief eunuch, sighing.
"Humble servant also serves as the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard... please forgive me, Your Highness."
Ma Chengen prostrated himself repeatedly.
"Father..."
Fang Xing sighed deeply: "Truly, he planned for the long term, even ensuring that the companion who grew up with me was part of the Imperial Guard..."
"Humble servant would die a thousand deaths, but the Late Emperor only wanted to protect Your Highness. Your Highness is filial, and humble servant has wronged you..."
Ma Chengen was in tears.
As a spy on the Crown Prince, he knew most of the Crown Prince's secrets, but there was no sign of rebellion. The Emperor's sudden death had nothing to do with the Crown Prince.
He could only say he was unlucky. He had thought the Emperor was in his prime and that he would die before both the Emperor and the Crown Prince, but fate had other plans.
"You two, your lives are spared, but you will serve as guards for the Late Emperor's spirit."
Fang Xing waved his hand, a show of mercy.
"Your Highness..."
Ma Gonggong was overwhelmed with emotion, having thought he was doomed, but now he had a glimmer of hope. Unbeknownst to him, he was the Crown Prince's best alibi, and Fang Xing needed him to counter any investigations.
...
Jingde Year 26.
Today's court session was different.
Early-rising princes, such as Prince Tai Li Ruzhang and Prince Kang Li Rujin, were present, their faces pale and weary despite their efforts to hide it.
The officials lined up, the civil officials on the left and the military officials on the right, the nobility and civil servants in their respective positions.
"Prepare the imperial procession!"
At the eunuch's command, a phoenix chair was carried to the side of the imperial throne, causing a stir among the officials.
"Pay homage to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager!"
The officials quickly knelt as the Empress Dowager, supported by the Crown Prince, entered, signaling a significant event.
"Last night... the Emperor suffered a sudden heart attack and passed away..."
The Empress Dowager spoke slowly.
"Father?!"
Li Ruzhang wailed, "I want to see Father! I want to see Father!"
"Enough, Prince Kang, Prince Tai... after the court session, you will naturally... now, let us discuss the affairs of the state. The country cannot be without a ruler. What do you think?"
Seeing the Crown Prince standing beside the imperial throne, every official knew the situation was settled.
Yuan Zhao stepped forward, "The Crown Prince is of noble character and divine appearance, rightful and legitimate. He should ascend the throne."
"Please, Your Highness, assume the throne."
The officials knelt like a field of wheat, leaving Prince Kang and Prince Tai feeling out of place, but they quickly suppressed their resentment and knelt, "Please, Brother Crown Prince, ascend the throne."
Fang Xing, as was customary, declined three times before laughing bitterly, "Ah... you have made life difficult for me."
He approached the imperial throne but did not sit, standing to one side, "Today, the most important matter is the late Emperor's funeral... as the saying goes, 'a son who does not change his father's ways for three years is filial.' I wish to follow this... starting today, I will govern, but all appointments and dismissals of officials above the third rank will be temporarily frozen until I am familiar with the situation."
Experienced emperors knew that the biggest taboo for a new ruler was making major changes immediately upon ascending the throne.
Especially for someone like Fang Xing, who lacked the prestige of a founding emperor. His only legitimacy lay in being the son of the late Emperor, a fragile position.
If he were still a minor, he could be easily controlled by the Empress Dowager or the Grand Empress Dowager.
Even if he were an adult and took personal control, declaring new policies, seizing power, and punishing enemies would still result in severe backlash.
With the new Emperor just established, seizing military and financial power was a pipe dream.
Ultimately, the key was control over personnel!
Fang Xing's influence was limited, and he had few loyalists.
If he could understand the palace guards and the imperial army within three years, it would be a significant achievement.
Therefore, before becoming emperor, he had to act decisively to break through the deadlock.
Once on the throne, he needed to maintain stability.
For example, the newly appointed Grand Empress Dowager was old; he could outlast her.
'To assume that being emperor means everyone will obey you is the most foolish notion... just as it is laughable to think all officials will unite like a hive mind.'
In fact, everyone at the bottom has their own little schemes. Even if you promote a new batch of people and overthrow the old ones, after many years, they will all become the entrenched interest groups, turning into the very people you despise the most...
Among the civil officials, there are the loyal and the corrupt, and they can even transform at any time. Some are purely loyal when the emperor wants them to be loyal, and corrupt when the emperor wants them to be corrupt.
Fang Xing glanced at the kneeling crowd below, starting with the princes.
This wasn't a big issue. The situation was already settled, and the titles were confirmed. If the other side rebelled again, they would be true rebels, and the whole world would rise against them.
Now that the people's hearts were settled, there would be no more chaos.
Next were the hereditary nobles.
Thinking about the hereditary nobles, Fang Xing sighed. Ancient battlefields were extremely brutal. Whether they were soldiers or generals, those who survived often had some form of post-traumatic stress, essentially making them mentally unstable, and they were ill-suited for peacetime.
Especially these hereditary nobles, who had seen countless heads of rebels and false emperors chopped off. They naturally had little reverence for imperial authority, and once they held military power, they became an immediate source of instability.
It's no wonder that the founding heroes of each dynasty rarely had a good end.
Fortunately, the first generation was like a dragon, the second like a worm... and the third and fourth generations were even worse, slowly withering away.
Among the civil officials, although there were those who schemed and betrayed during turbulent times, they lacked the power... just cutting off their heads would solve the problem. A snake without a head cannot function...
The so-called snake heads are naturally those who control the discourse, forming parties is normal, but there shouldn't be only one party. Balance is needed... if someone cultivates a reputation for decades, with scholars and commoners alike praising them as a sage, it should be a cause for concern. They are trying to seize control of the discourse... a timely illness or death would be just right.
Keeping the hereditary nobles around prevents accusations of being ungrateful and harsh, and it also helps to pressure the civil officials... a balance between civil and military power is necessary.
If the Qing dynasty didn't have the Eight Banners to suppress the civil officials, how could the emperor have enjoyed such power?
The so-called empire of the emperor, before the invention of paper and the spread of civilization, had to share half with the noble families, and after education reached the lower classes, half had to be shared with the civil officials... the true commoners never mattered.
Because only the civil and military officials are the foundation of rule.
If the emperor wanted to educate the masses, everyone would become literate, and then the emperor's crown would be in danger, and possibly even their head.
The saying "the emperor governs the empire with the scholars" means that they only want half, but if the emperor were to promote universal education, the costs would be astronomical. Even if the treasury could bear it, the emperor would end up losing their head...
As an emperor, unless one wants to commit suicide, universal education is impossible...
In feudal dynasties, education was always for the elite. Of course, if a peasant's child studied and passed the imperial exams, they would be accepted into the elite, and the ruling class would also focus on absorbing new blood to maintain their rule, ensuring a continuous renewal...
Fang Xing looked down, his mind made up: "The most important thing for an emperor is to be the referee, never getting involved in the game, and thus never losing!"
Furthermore, he was more at ease than any previous emperor because his power came from within, allowing him to use people with confidence...
As long as someone was capable, he would use them without hesitation, without fearing that they might overshadow him or that he would have to get rid of them once their usefulness was over...
After these thoughts, Fang Xing calmly said:
"Rise, all of you..."
...
While Fang Xing was receiving the homage of his ministers in the imperial court.
In the palace.
"Please spare us, please spare us..."
Several eunuchs were dragged out and beaten to death.
Zhao Hu didn't even flinch: "The palace needs a thorough cleansing. How dare they leak information... truly unacceptable!"
"Report: Qinghe Hall has been cleared..."
A guard from the Crown Prince's residence quickly approached: "The Duke of Ying has received the imperial edict and is heading to the Imperial Guard Camp..."
"Good, we, as the guards of the Crown Prince's residence, must now take control of the palace's defenses..."
Zhao Hu felt a surge of excitement.
He was originally just a team leader of the Crown Prince's guards, a ninth-rank official.
Now, it seemed that even a third-rank general was within reach. This was truly a case of one person rising and the whole family benefitting.
"Those who excel in battle do not seek great glory. The old Duke of Ying has a significant influence in the military, and although the late emperor tried to purge him several times, it was never thorough. Now, with the new Duke of Ying in place, using the power of the hereditary nobles, we can at least ensure that the army remains stable..."
A stable army means no major upheavals.
As for palace coups or the like, Fang Xing had already made secret arrangements and contacts to preemptively eliminate any threats.
In short, he gave his opponents no chance, nipping any dangers in the bud.
Now, cleaning out the palace's internal operatives also severed any external connections.
Even if the noble concubine had any backup plans, with the loss of palace authority, most of her influence was gone. Isolating her from Prince Tai rendered her completely useless.
To outsiders, the coup seemed uneventful, with no military clashes.
But in reality, if actual fighting had broken out, it would have severely drained the nation's strength and caused widespread suffering.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
