68Chapter 68 What is an Emperor? Liu Zhi is crowned king
Chen Xi simply smiled faintly. He knew the emperor said so, but if he really agreed, the emperor would be angry again. So he pretended to be confused and asked, "Then why doesn't Your Majesty speak directly to His Highness?"
Emperor Jing looked at Chen Xi with a look that said, "Don't play dumb in front of me," and said with some distress, "You know I don't really like him. I've even been reluctant to issue the decree that would have made him Crown Prince."
"I just want to test him."
He sighed deeply, "Besides, what is an emperor?"
"The emperor may respect his mother, his elders, his relatives, and some meritorious ministers on the surface, but in his heart he should be ruthless."
"Liu Rong is a complete mess on this point."
"He thought he was observing the so-called filial piety, and he thought he was able to have the throne today because of his mother. But he forgot that he was able to have the throne today not because of these things, but because he is my eldest son!"
"He only needs to please me."
"As for Li Ji?"
Emperor Jing said with disdain, "He thinks he's observing filial piety, but what if he becomes emperor? Will he obey everything the Queen Mother says? He doesn't dare to resist Li Ji now, or even say anything. Will he dare to resist the Queen Mother in the future?"
"If that's the case, then if the world really falls into his hands, it will really be doomed!"
This made a lot of sense, and Chen Xi also expressed his attitude at this time: "Although this is indeed the case, Your Majesty, why should you worry? With Chen Shi here, such a thing will not happen."
"In the past, my father was able to help Your Majesty fight against the Queen Mother. In the future, I can naturally help Your Highness fight against the Queen Mother."
"The Chen family is loyal to the Han Dynasty. The Chen and Liu families will never betray each other. This is the oath our ancestors made. Your Majesty, there is no need to think that the Chen family will forget it."
Emperor Jing nodded slightly, picked up the ceramic cup in front of him, and drank the wine in it in one gulp: "I know, but this does not mean that he does not need to have this quality himself. How can an emperor rely on the Chen family for everything all the time?"
"If that's the case, why did I choose him and pass the throne to him?"
"With Chen around, anyone can secure the throne. So why should I choose him, who possesses nothing and is not favored by me?"
Emperor Jing's voice was filled with a hint of disappointment: "He thinks he has the advantage of being the eldest son, but in fact, this is not an advantage. The only advantage he can choose to use is ruthlessness and proving that he is indeed a qualified emperor!"
"In this way, I will naturally like him!"
"If he were capable, how could I possibly give up my position as eldest son and allow Zhu'er to take the throne?"
"Do I really want to break the rules of primogeniture?"
Emperor Jing shook his head calmly: "It's just that I have no other choice! He can't stand up!"
Perhaps because he was a little drunk, Emperor Jing blurted out everything he should and shouldn't say, everything he could and couldn't say, with sadness in his voice - he didn't even hide his wariness of Chen in his words.
This is also something that everyone knows.
After all, how could the emperor not be wary of the Chen family? If this were said to any of the Chen family members, they would not believe it.
Anyone with a little political literacy knows that the extreme trust between imperial power and ministers is nothing more than a fragile "exploitation". They must be wary of each other and exploit each other.
The moonlight fell faintly in the courtyard. After getting drunk, Emperor Jing left the Guandu Marquis Mansion with the help of his attendants.
After he left, Chen Xi sighed slowly, with a hazy and bleak look on his face. He looked at the shadows beside him and said, "Fourth brother, come out."
Chen Qing slowly walked out from the shadows, casually closed the door behind him, and sat down opposite Chen Xi.
"Brother, what do you think His Majesty means?"
Chen Xi curled his lips and looked at Chen Qing and said, "What do you mean? His Majesty wanted the Chen family to support the tenth prince to fight against the eldest prince, but I pushed them out without leaving a trace."
"Ms. Chen can be the Tenth Prince's teacher, but she will never stand up for him."
"Then the Chen family would lose their status as the 'Imperial Party', even if the Tenth Prince Party was requested by His Majesty."
There was a hint of silence in his eyes.
"Once we stray from our middle position, all the princes will begin to doubt the Chen family and no longer trust them. The Chen family will lose its current advantage."
"Look, even though I became the tenth prince's teacher, His Royal Highness the First Prince didn't have any 'prejudice' against the Chen family, right?"
"It's because the Chen family sticks to their own path."
Chen Xi looked at Chen Qing and slowly imparted his thoughts.
He could naturally "place a bet", but Chen could not, because he knew history and he also knew who would be the final winner of the battle for the throne - this advantage would prevent him from losing.
But Chen is different.
Chen did not have such foresight, so how could he gamble?
If you gamble for a long time, you will lose.
There is only one way to avoid losing from the beginning, and that is to never gamble.
Chen Qing looked at Chen Xi in front of him with an expression of approval on his face and a smile on his face: "Brother, I understand."
"Don't worry."
.... ....
In the spring and summer of the sixteenth year of Emperor Jing's reign, the emperor's health began to deteriorate again.
This did not surprise anyone.
After all, the emperor's health had already been diagnosed by the imperial physician. It was only because of the death of Marquis Guandu that the emperor had to hold on for a short while and then have a brief revival.
It rained heavily that year, making the whole world very humid.
The same happened to Emperor Jing's body, which became very wet.
"Cough cough cough cough——"
The series of coughs made Emperor Jing feel a little annoyed. There were some bright red bloodstains on the handkerchief he used to cover his mouth.
He sighed slowly.
"Why--"
"It's time, it's fate."
.... ....
In the winter of the sixteenth year of Emperor Jingdi's reign.
The emperor issued an edict, appointing the tenth son Liu Zhu as the King of Jiaodong, allowing him to divide the country and establish a kingdom, and allowing him to stay in the capital temporarily.
.... ....
The 17th year of Emperor Jing
Emperor Jing was so ill that he couldn't even get out of bed, so he had no choice but to order the appointment of a crown prince.
The Emperor's edict
The eldest son Liu Rong was made crown prince.
From then on, the dispute over the crown prince truly came to an end.
.... ....
In the summer of the seventeenth year of Emperor Jingdi's reign.
It rained heavily.
Liu Zhi has already reached a dead end.
At this moment, something unexpected happened