Chapter 190

Never mind why "Zhu Houzhao" was mistaken for something else.

Yang Tinghe could not miss this opportunity to pin a label on the matter, rushing to define past events as "wrong."

Yet clearly, Jiajing was not "Zhu Houzhao" and simply did not take the bait.

He sighed and said,

"I have ascended the throne for ten years and four, yet have not a single heir. I am truly sinful."

Yang Tinghe, who had been holding back a belly full of words, instantly froze in place.

Why did Your Majesty bring up this matter out of nowhere?!

Before Yang Tinghe and the others could recover their wits,

Jiajing slowly picked up a memorial and placed it on a wooden tray.

He signaled Zhang Yong to circulate the memorial among the ministers.

After merely one glance,

Yang Tinghe and Liang Chu turned deathly pale with fright.

The content written on the memorial was precisely the request from Qian Ning, Regional Military Commissioner of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, asking the Son of Heaven to adopt the Wang Shizi of the Prince of Ning and establish him as Crown Prince.

In that instant upon seeing the memorial,

Yang Tinghe's heart instantly grew half cold.

Could the Emperor truly intend to make the Wang Shizi of the Prince of Ning the Crown Prince?

Was it not just that you were not allowed to lead the army in person?

The war is already over; why play this game now?

If the lineage of the Prince of Ning truly succeeds to the Great Lineage,

how will the other feudal princes of Zhu Di's line view it?

Great chaos under heaven

is right before our eyes!

Without hesitation, Yang Tinghe knelt to the ground and shouted loudly,

"Your Majesty, absolutely not!"

"If Your Majesty can change your mind, we are willing to kneel to death in this hall!"

"Your Majesty is still in the prime of life; surely you will have heirs in the future. Moreover, the Huguang region still has the close branches of the Prince of Xing; under no circumstances should it be the Prince of Ning!"

"..."

Jiajing looked at the crowd of ministers kneeling before him

and helplessly said with a sigh,

"There are three unfilial acts, and having no heir is the greatest! Whenever I think of this, my heart aches with grief."

"If the foundation of the state is not settled for a day, how can I govern the myriad regions? What face do I have to face the common people of the world!"

"..."

Jiajing's words were filled with extreme sorrow, yet he refused to state his position clearly, desperately hinting to Yang Tinghe and the others that he intended to make the Wang Shizi of the Prince of Ning the Crown Prince.

By this time,

Yang Tinghe and the others were already so terrified that their minds were in chaos.

Yang Tinghe looked at Zhu Houzhao with absolute determination and clasped his hands, saying,

"Your Majesty, this matter is not Your Majesty's fault. Although Your Majesty has ascended the throne for a long time, Your Majesty is still young; with time, you will surely achieve success!"

"Yes, Your Majesty. When the legitimate heir of the Donggong is born, how will we then conduct ourselves!"

"..."

The assembly of court ministers looked at one another in silence.

Jiajing, however, looked at the crowd of ministers before him and waved his hand, saying,

"My dear ministers need say no more. I am sinful; I shall immediately enter the Taimiao to reflect on myself!"

At this moment, Jiajing appeared like a sage ruler, walking toward the direction of the Taimiao as if truly worried about the common people of the world.

As Jiajing walked out of the main hall,

he could not help but cast a glance back at Yang Tinghe and the others behind him.

These few Grand Councilors

were merely Jiajing's mouthpieces.

Such a small number of people

was far from enough for Jiajing to cast his net.

Jiajing left with a desolate air.

In the front hall remained only Yang Tinghe, Liang Chu, and the high ministers of the Six Ministries.

Yang Tinghe's official robe was already completely soaked with cold sweat.

Liang Chu, the Deputy Grand Councilor, looked at Yang Tinghe with his soul still unsettled and asked,

"Yang, Yang Grand Councilor, what exactly shall we do!"

"If the Wang Shizi of the Prince of Ning truly becomes the Crown Prince, you and I will be eternal sinners!"

Yang Tinghe's face was deathly pale.

His hands trembling slightly, he spoke in a low voice,

"Quickly, summon all officials to the Taimiao to remonstrate unto death! We must not let this edict go out!"

"Yes!"

After Liang Chu and the others dispersed,

Yang Tinghe, who had been kneeling on the ground, sprang up with a whoosh.

He gripped Zhang Yong's hand tightly, his face contorted, and demanded,

"Eunuch Zhang, what on earth is going on? What is happening?!"

"In the past, although His Majesty was unruly, he never went this far. Why would he suddenly want to appoint the Prince of Ning's heir as Crown Prince today?!"

Zhang Yong looked at Yang Tinghe helplessly and said,

"Grand Secretary Yang, if you ask this servant, who should this servant ask? His Majesty has been like a changed man the entire way back. This servant has no idea what His Majesty is thinking!"

Yang Tinghe clenched his jaw.

He stared fixedly at Zhang Yong and growled,

"It must be that Qian Ning! Such a treacherous villain — I will surely have him executed!"

With that, Yang Tinghe strode off toward the Taimiao.

Meanwhile, inside the Taimiao—

Zhu Houcong had not truly been "repenting."

After aiming the video feed at the open ground outside the Taimiao,

the Jiajing Emperor simply sat down cross-legged on a cushion inside the Taimiao and began to meditate.

Inside the chat group—

a crowd of emperors stared at Jiajing on the video call, equally baffled.

Zhu Qizhen looked at Zhu Yuanzhang in confusion and asked,

"Great-great-grandfather, what on earth is this child up to?"

"He can't really be planning to appoint the Prince of Ning's heir as Crown Prince, can he?"

Zhu Yuanzhang surveyed the ministers outside the Taimiao, the corners of his mouth curving up slightly.

Then, looking at Zhu Youjian, he asked,

"Youjian, didn't you say earlier that our seventeenth brother's descendants rebelled and destroyed the dynasty? Was that during the Zhengde reign?"

Zhu Youjian, who had been completely lost a moment ago, finally came back to his senses.

"Yes, Great-grandfather, it was during the Zhengde reign — the Prince of Ning rebelled and destroyed the dynasty."

Seeing this—

Zhu Yuanzhang could no longer hide the smile on his face.

He could not help but snort coldly and say,

"Good lad — sly, and underhanded too. Fine, let the ministers of this reign have a proper lesson!"

Zhu Qizhen stared at Zhu Yuanzhang, baffled, and asked,

"Wait, Great-great-grandfather, this kid clearly knows the Prince of Ning is going to rebel, yet he still wants to appoint the Prince of Ning's heir as Crown Prince? Isn't that just making trouble? If he simply handed the throne to the Prince of Ning directly, the Prince wouldn't need to rebel at all?"