No Way to Pick a Side
"Your Majesty, Jiaojiao is your Empress, we are family..."
"Absurd! Even with His Majesty's magnanimity, it's impossible..."
The struggle in the main hall of Anle Palace lasted for a long time.
The new emperor stood silently in front.
Just as there can be disputes over inheritance after the death of an elderly person in an ordinary family, the royal family is no exception.
Regardless of the wording used, this is all about fighting for inheritance.
On one side was his mother, and on the other was his mother-in-law. The two sides were at odds over this, and even considered killing each other.
Although the new emperor has been on the throne for six years, it has come earlier than he had imagined.
The Empress Dowager did not foresee protecting him for ten years, and he never reached the point where he was fully capable.
From sixteen to twenty-two, this was the age of his growth. The new emperor did indeed grow up very quickly, but his growth was reflected in obtaining the legitimate succession to the throne and his personal bravery. However, he had not yet fully grasped many aspects, including military and political affairs, finance, and court officials.
Just like when he inherited the throne, he spoke as little as possible this time.
But upon hearing the data mentioned by the Empress Dowager, his heart couldn't help but ache.
Putting aside everything else, just considering the expenses the Empress incurred in seeking a child, that alone would be enough to provide relief for 120,000 soldiers.
The money spent by the Empress was only a small part of this.
From a pragmatic point of view, the new emperor had to support his mother, but according to Emperor Jing's dying wish, he was inclined to support Princess Dou's side.
This was a difficult choice, and it kept him from speaking out for a long time.
"Your Majesty, the Empress is not feeling well!"
Everyone in the main hall of Anle Palace was in a state of anxiety, except for Zhuang Qingdi, who remained relatively optimistic.
Having prepared for the loss of his official position and having invited experts to assist him, Zhuang Qingdi felt confident that he could safely withdraw even if he faced a purge.
The only thing that worried Zhuang Qingdi was that the Law Treasure cloth he had given away hadn't been there long, and he didn't know how much power 'Li Shaojun' could contribute, or whether it could withstand any unexpected events during the funeral.
His gaze swept over the empress, whose wailing was growing fainter, and then he looked at the solemn-faced new emperor and gave him a reminder.
"Jiaojiao?"
The new emperor swept his gaze across the area.
Among the many people in the Anle Palace, the Empress Dowager and Princess Dou were locked in a fierce confrontation, while the three dukes and nine ministers were as if they had lost their parents, mostly worried about their own future. The only one who was truly mourning was the Empress.
The empress's wailing grew softer and softer, and the new emperor initially thought she had simply cried herself to exhaustion.
Upon closer inspection, the new emperor discovered that the empress was both angry and dejected, and had fallen into a dazed and confused state.
Perhaps it was the immense grief of the Empress Dowager's passing, or perhaps it was the added stress of being scolded by the Empress Dowager in this situation, but the Empress, who was extremely robust, had a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth.
"The Empress is in poor health! Guards!"
The new emperor gave a shout, and several terrified old eunuchs immediately trotted over.
Taking advantage of the Empress's illness, the new Emperor was finally able to catch his breath.
He offered a little assistance, and then they moved to the rear hall, and from there to a side hall.
"Go and summon Sima Xiangru!"
After summoning the female physician to the Empress, the new Emperor paused to catch his breath and, as he was about to walk back to the turbulent palace, he called for an old eunuch instead.
"Summon Han Yan here, Wei Qing as well, and also Guo Sheren, Sang Hongyang, and Mei Gao. If Dongfang Shuo comes, summon him immediately as well!"
After pondering for a few seconds, the new emperor added several more names.
The new emperor trained nearly a hundred new talents, but their development was not in accordance with his wishes, and the short timeframe made their training extremely difficult.
Of the hundred or so people, only a few could truly enter the imperial court, and even fewer had outstanding cultivation; only a handful could keep up with him.
After calling out names repeatedly, the new emperor summoned almost all of his close associates.
He didn't wait long. Wei Qing was the first to arrive at the side hall, Sima Xiangru a somewhat unfocused gaze, and finally Guo Sheren, who hurried over with his head down and small, quick steps. Sang Hongyang and the others followed behind.
When the new emperor saw Zhang Xuezhou following behind the crane, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Among the many people, Wei Qing is the most honest and has the strongest personal strength; Sima Xiangru the most talented; Han Yan is the most considerate and close, and is good at cooperating with him; Guo Sheren is of average strength but extremely skilled in Fake Technique; Sang Hongyang is good at making money; and Mei Gao is the candidate selected recently. He is the son of the great Confucian scholar Mei Cheng, and is quick-witted and has the Confucian School Liangdi lineage.
Many people pleased the new emperor, but when it came to some difficult issues, he placed great emphasis on Zhang Xuezhou.
He was undoubtedly tormented in the main hall of Anle Palace, and he also had to step in and make a choice.
His indecisiveness clearly required analysis and advice from his ministers.
What is the solution to this situation?
After briefly explaining the problem, the new emperor looked at everyone.
"Money that doesn't translate into purchasing power is dead money. It's not a bad thing for Her Majesty to spend it; in fact, it promotes the circulation of money!"
Seeing that no one spoke, Sang Hongyang, who was adept at handling money, cautiously expressed his opinion, but did not touch upon anything outside of his expertise.
"This side frame is impossible to pull!"
Wei Qing murmured to himself, feeling that even the emperor found it difficult to take sides in the royal infighting.
"A son will naturally choose his mother," Sima Xiangru, his eyes darting around.
"There's a saying that goes, 'Once you have a wife, you forget your mother.' Your Majesty should still consider your relationship with the Empress," Guo Sheren disagreed.
"You all need to consider the impact on the Tian and Dou families," Han Yan cautioned. "The Tian family has Tian Fen, and the Dou family has Dou Ying. Any biased actions will affect their future standing in the court!"
Where is Mei Gao?
"Your Majesty, Mei Gao understands the principle that harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things, but he doesn't know how to maintain harmony in the family and ensure prosperity in all things!"
The new emperor asked Mei Gao, who was standing in the back row, and then looked at Zhang Xuezhou, who had not spoken.
"My parents and my new wife have been arguing incessantly for the past few days, and I still haven't come up with a good solution!"
Seeing the new emperor's attention, Zhang Xuezhou could only cup his hands in greeting, indicating that his own family was also embroiled in constant disputes.
"So you're just not going to try to solve it if you don't have a good solution?" the new emperor asked. "Then how should they get along?"
"My wife ran back to her own home in a fit of anger. My parents don't want to see her anymore, so they haven't been seeing her since," Zhang Xuezhou said.
"That saves you trouble!"
The new emperor made a sarcastic remark, then suddenly came to his senses.
The new emperor had many things he hadn't told these close advisors, and it was difficult for them to fully understand the complexities in his heart.
But the conflict between Zhang Xuezhou's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law undoubtedly pointed him in a certain direction.
He went from having to choose sides to ignoring both.
These two can't keep arguing indefinitely; they'll eventually stop.
The new emperor felt he had many legitimate reasons to either take care of the empress or push for the funeral of the Empress Dowager. He could use these reasons to avoid the conflict between the Empress Dowager and Princess Dou.
He had some ulterior motives in mind when he saw an old eunuch rushing over.
"What? They've started fighting?"
After being informed of the details, the new emperor gasped, realizing that his own family's conflicts were far more severe than those between Zhang Xuezhou's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.