Chapter 103: Gongxiang Ruoheng

Although the dispute between the uncle and the nephew for being the heir of King Fuyang has never been put on the surface, the secret rivalry has never stopped.

Of course, the Prince Regent's preferred heir candidate should be as mediocre and honest as possible, and there must be no powerful people on the side of the blood relatives. Anyway, they are the ones who make a name for themselves and can't take on anything without causing trouble.

But Chunjia didn't have brothers to support him, so he wanted to use this opportunity to form an alliance in the clan.

It’s just that the emperor is young, and although he has gained the upper hand over the years, in the eyes of such time-honored and powerful vassals as the King of Zhou and Hanwang, it is not enough for them to make up their minds to bet—because the princes of the country and the kings of the county are the vassals, there is basically no edict. There is no possibility of returning to the imperial capital. Kings like them who were enshrined during Taizong's time have lived in fiefdoms for generations. No matter how bloody the battle in the central government is, it has little to do with them.

Unless it is the case of Xiaozong: the direct line is extinct, and it is necessary to select adoptives from their descendants.

However, this choice is often not their turn.

Therefore, although the title of King Fuyang's lineage has attracted the attention of these prosperous vassals, if they are involved in the struggle between the emperor and the Ji family, they are a little hesitant.

The main reason is that if they do nothing, neither Ji nor Chunjia will do anything to these vassals.

Once standing in line, it's fine if you succeed, but if you fail, the consequences can be imagined.

Relegation to Jue Na is a trivial matter, if one is not good, maybe this one will be finished.

The price inevitably made them hesitate.

At this moment, Chunjia took advantage of the situation to mention the choice of heir, not without the intention of euphemistically persuading the regent to soften: if the emperor chooses and the regent does not object, this candidate will definitely be approved.

Then even if the vassal king behind him didn't really want to wade into the muddy water, it's impossible for him not to express it.

This is actually a coercion.

"...Who does Your Majesty want to inherit the lineage of King Fuyang?" The Regent asked slowly after being silent for a moment.

Chunjia coughed dryly: "I think that the son of the King of Zhou, Gong Xiangruo, is honest, talented, filial and humble, and he can be the heir of the King of Fuyang."

Gong Xiangruo is the same generation as the regent, and is the youngest son of King Zhou. He is a descendant, but he is only a descendant of his stepmother. He is only seventeen this year and has not yet married.

Concubine Zhou Yuan of this generation died of illness after giving birth to seven children. Because she already had a son, the need for a legitimate son was not so strong. When King Zhou remarried, he let himself go—his second concubine Lin was not of high birth, but she was very beautiful, and she was good at singing and dancing, and was considerate. .

It's just that Lin's heirs are not abundant, there were two sons and one daughter under his knees, one of them died, and Gongxiang Ruochen was her only remaining child, so Lin's love is of course a treasure.

But Zhou Wang's son is the son's grandson, he was named the son early in the morning, his position is stable, he has many brothers and sisters from the same mother as his wings, and there are older sons to help him... The only thing Lin can do is not to offend Zhou Wang Shizi, um, to be precise, she still has to please this stepson so that he can take more care of her own son.

Under such circumstances, if Chunjia Ligong Xiang Ruoheng is the heir of Fuyang King's lineage, it is conceivable that the Lin family will also try their best to pull Zhou King onto Chunjia's boat for the future of his own flesh and blood!

The regent quickly thought about the status of the king of next week in the clan. This is the youngest son of Emperor Taizong. In terms of seniority, he is the uncle of the regent king. After several generations, he has managed the Zhou and the land without leaking. He is one of the most powerful vassal kings in the country. one.

For the regent, the most important thing is his seniority.

After all, in the battle between the Prince Regent and Chunjia, his own seniority is an advantage, and it is convenient to rely on the old to sell the old at critical moments. But what if the king of Zhou stood on Chunjia's side, and when the king regent pointed fingers at the emperor as an uncle, the king of Zhou also came out to gossip with the king regent?

Although the king of Zhou is not young, looking at the age of Gongxiang Ruoheng, one can guess that this man must be old and vigorous.

If he was still alive when Chunjia broke up with the regent, it would really be too troublesome.

And even if King Zhou is gone by then, wouldn't Lin still be there?

No matter how much Lin's background is criticized, she is also the continuation of Zhou Wangzheng'er's eight classics marriages, and she is the elder who the regent will call "Aunt Wang" when she sees her.

Zhou Wang is old, but she is still young.

It's fine if it's just Aunt Wang, but the key is that she will stand in Chunjia's place, and Chunjia will also protect her, just like the Queen Mother Yuan today, so no one in the clan can ignore her, and they have to look at this "wang aunt" Aunt" said various things.

"If Gongxiang doesn't have a brother from the same mother, his birth mother's natal heirs are not considered prosperous." The regent said, "He is not married yet, and I am afraid that the fate of the heirs may not be good after marriage. This candidate is not suitable. .Originally, the lineage of the King of Fuyang had weak heirs, but now there are no heirs. How can we find another one like this? What if the lineage of the King of Fuyang disappears after two years?"

"The rule of succession of kings and vassals of the country is that the country will be eliminated without heirs."

"But the lineage of King Fuyang is His Majesty's origin after all, so it's fine to make an exception for his adoptive heir and keep the feudal state."

"But again and again, I am afraid that other clans will have opinions."

"From an isolated point of view, it's better to choose Jian Changbo's nephew and grandson. That Gongxiang is also a pure and filial person with both talents and looks, and he has many brothers and nephews. He will definitely be able to prosper the Fuyang King's line."

Just by hearing the title of earl, one can tell that Uncle Jianchang is a distant branch of the clan, the kind that even the king didn't keep. And it's still a grandnephew, so it's even further away.

Chunjia, Xiangyu, knew something about this man, he was strongly recommended by the Regent as a candidate for heir, he was really pure and filial, he obeyed his parents every word... Chunjia couldn't choose him because of this.

After all, people are so kind to their parents. When they adopt the Fuyang King's lineage, who knows if they will use the benefits of Fuyang King's lineage to betray their blood relatives?

Even if Chunjia didn't expect much help from the lineage of King Fuyang, he still had to take good care of Empress Dowager Yuan, Queen Mother Qu and Princess Kunze for him. Such a prince of the county was not given away for nothing, right?

He said gently: "Uncle, Gong Xiangruo is not yet married. Although his biological mother's children are not prosperous, but his biological father, King Zhou, has many children. When the time comes to choose a concubine who is suitable for him to raise, it is expected that he will not have no sons. If I have been passed down for several generations, and now I have four sons and a daughter, and there is still a concubine pregnant?"

"Furthermore, Gongxiang Ruohang was born as the son of a prince. He has learned the etiquette and rules that a county king should have since he was a child, so it is not difficult for him to adapt."

"On the contrary, Gong Xiangyu is just the grand-nephew of the earl, who is estranged from our direct lineage. Even though he travels frequently with the earl's mansion, he only learns the things of the earl's level. How can he support the dignity of the county mansion in a short while? "

"The two empress dowagers are already sick on the couch, if the heir wants them to worry about it now, wouldn't it make things worse?"

"Furthermore, the top priority is to eradicate the Ji family."

"The Wangling incident was the work of the Ji family. If this matter drags on for a long time, I'm afraid they will have trouble again."

The regent raised his eyebrows and said: "It is precisely because of Ji's cunning and ruthlessness that Gongxiang Ruohang cannot be selected. This person is young, and I am afraid he will not be able to handle it. When the time comes, why don't the two empress dowagers work hard?"

Chunjia said slowly: "Uncle, did you forget what happened to Wang Linglai two days ago? Wang Linglai was born as the No. Too low, if he is an heir, he might follow in the footsteps of Wang Linglai, who would be thrown into disarray by Ji's slight intimidation."

"On the contrary, Gongxiang Ruoheng, as the prince's first son, and whose mother is deeply favored by the king of Zhou, is naturally bold, and it is not easy for the Ji family to sway."

"Besides, it is the direct bloodline of the King of Zhou. Even if the Ji family wants to do something to him, they must consider whether it will anger the King of Zhou and Princess Zhou... Uncle, when we are now wrestling with the Ji family, the lineage of the King of Fuyang is suddenly What happened, is it necessary to spend energy specifically to protect the heir of this line?"

The regent's face was sullen, and he said in his heart that what you said sounds good, but in fact, don't you want to win over a helper?

He collected himself and said, "But there is no need to choose Prince Zhou. In fact, some heirs of the King of Han can also be considered."

Even if his most promising candidate, Gong Xiangyu, has no reason to continue recommending him, Chunjia will not be able to get his wish too much—although the King of Han is not close to him, and may not be on his side, but it is better than Gongxiang. Is Xiang Ruoheng a strong candidate?

This was decided by Chunjia after careful selection.

"The descendants of King Han also have suitable successors, but..." Chunjia smiled, and told him calmly, "The son of King Han accepted two beauties whom he honored a few days ago, but they have some relationship with Ji."

The Prince Regent's complexion changed slightly: "Really?"

"This is from the Imperial City Secretary's newspaper." Chunjia said calmly, "Uncle doesn't believe it, just ask him later and he will find out."

This kind of thing is indeed known after asking later, the emperor will never lie to his face... The regent's face was very ugly, and he said: "The son of the king of Han is also a child of my clan, don't you know why the emperor's brother died young?! What did he do? Dare to do such a thing?!"

Chunjia sighed: "It's also useless for me to make the clan feel that the Ji family is powerful and not easy to offend."

The regent knew that he said this on purpose, just pretending to fan the flames and arouse his anger towards the Ji family and the King of Han - but he really couldn't hold back!

As mentioned earlier, the regent has true feelings for Xiaozong.

At the beginning, Xiaozong and the Ji family fought to the death, but Xiaozong's biological mother was the daughter of the Ji family, and the empress was the daughter of the Ji family. The clan was in decline, the ministers were separated, and in the huge palace, almost no one stood by him. It can be said that at that time, the person Xiaozong trusted and relied on the most was the Prince Regent.

Otherwise, he would not refuse to be a step-heir while he was alive, and he would wholeheartedly establish the emperor's younger brother.

When the emperor died of depression, the regent was almost heartbroken with grief.

No matter how much Chunjia made him envious, jealous, and resentful, he was still better than the Ji family—if the regent had to lose, he might not be convinced if he lost to Chunjia, but he would die if he lost to the Ji family. I can't rest in peace.

"..." After a long silence, the regent finally gave in. "Since this is the case, please ask the two empress dowagers to come forward and choose the youngest son of King Zhou as the heir of King Fuyang, and go to Fuyang County as soon as possible to comfort the ancestors."

Considering the soft heart at this moment, what kind of trouble may it bring in the future.

He paused, and then added, "The collapse of the royal tomb is a major event. If the heir is really pure and filial, it is better to live in a hut next to the royal tomb. After three years of filial piety, the friendship with the heir is complete. It can also appease the souls of the ancestors under the nine springs, and pray for the two empress dowagers in the palace."

Now the conflict between the uncle and nephew and the Ji family can no longer be concealed, and it is basically impossible to drag it on.

If Gongxiang has kept his filial piety for three years, then the Ji family should no longer be the first to bear the brunt of the enemy... The regent should be able to deal with Chunjia and Zhou Wang Hanwang... right?