Chapter 1003: The Grand Transaction

The scene.

For a moment, it became quiet.

Xie Tianyao stopped speaking.

Liu Zheng naturally dared not speak either.

He knew full well what kind of person this old man was—capricious, and now terminally ill; once he was angered, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Constitutional monarchy... constitutional monarchy..."

Xie Tianyao suddenly burst into loud laughter again.

Liu Zheng still wanted to speak.

"A constitutional monarchy is possible..."

Suddenly, Xie Tianyao said indifferently.

"What?"

Liu Zheng's pupils contracted sharply.

Grand Eunuch Zhou was also startled.

He had never expected Xie Tianyao to say such a thing; no wonder Xie Tianyao had been so interested in constitutional monarchy lately, even having him collect all the systems and policies regarding constitutional monarchy from the Li Dynasty.

This...

Xie Tianyao nodded, a smile flashing across his face: "If Longyan can become strong, I am willing to try. However... I have one condition."

Liu Zheng was taken aback.

He almost instantly thought of what this condition of Xie Tianyao's might be.

"Let the Eleventh Prince ascend the throne."

As expected.

Xie Tianyao stared fixedly at Liu Zheng and said.

Liu Zheng immediately gave a bitter smile.

So today, Xie Tianyao had called him over to strike this deal.

Xie Ming would inherit the throne.

He would agree to a constitutional monarchy...

For a moment, Liu Zheng actually did not know what to say. Because he suddenly began to feel pity for the dying emperor before him; these problems had likely troubled him for a long time, hadn't they? As the emperor of such a great nation, he must have thought about so much. Always wanting to cover every base, always feeling that time was not enough, always wanting to arrange everything before he departed from this world.

Firstly, he worried that the strength of Liangzhou was too great; if Xie Chan ascended the throne, it would cause domestic instability, so a Female Emperor ascending the throne was not a good choice; his first preference still leaned toward Xie Ming.

Secondly, he also knew that Xie Ming was still young; if he ascended the throne now, power could easily be hollowed out by those scholar-officials, which had happened before in history. Therefore, a Cabinet System, or even a constitutional monarchy—as long as it could ensure that the political situation in Longyan remained stable and could continue to be strong, he was willing.

Thirdly...

That was his feeling that the person most likely to influence this struggle for the succession in Longyan was Liu Zheng; Liangzhou had such strength, and Liu Zheng had such means.

Difficult.

Thinking of this, Liu Zheng felt tired on Xie Tianyao's behalf.

This was also the reason why he did not want to be emperor—it was too tiring. Look at this Xie Tianyao; since ascending the throne, he had been considering these matters every day, not even having left the Imperial Palace a few times. Without such freedom, what was the point of being emperor?

Xie Tianyao continued to stare at Liu Zheng.

For a moment, Liu Zheng felt a surge of immense killing intent.

He knew.

If he rejected Xie Tianyao's proposal today, it was very likely that he would have the Secret Guard kill him right here.

But...

What he carried on his shoulders at this moment were the interests of the entire New Aristocracy.

How could he choose?

Xie Tianyao laughed aloud: "Do you know why I am putting on such a grand State Funeral this time?"

Liu Zheng suddenly looked up, his face full of disbelief.

"The military tally for the entire Capital defense force can be handed over to you; these Feudatory Kings, you can kill whoever you want to kill, and wipe out whoever you want to wipe out! How about that?"

Although Xie Tianyao's spirit was not what it once was, the domineering air in these words was still fully present.

"This..."

Liu Zheng was startled.

Because this condition from Xie Tianyao was truly giving him enough face.

He seemed to be saying to Liu Zheng,

As long as you New Aristocracy agree to this matter, then for this entire Longyan, whichever piece of land's Feudatory King you want, I will give it to you!

Domineering!

Xie Tianyao laughed heartily: "Is it fun? These Feudatory Kings of Longyan also need to be properly disciplined; I don't mind giving them some fresh blood!"

Liu Zheng gave another bitter smile.

So the old emperor had already arranged everything.

"This humble official has no objections!"

Liu Zheng bowed and cupped his hands.

"Hahahaha!"

"Hahahaha..."

Xie Tianyao seemed to enjoy seeing Liu Zheng so deflated, laughing until he could not straighten his back, and finally, he looked deeply at Liu Zheng: "Longyan still has to rely on you young people... Vice Minister Liu, I leave it to you!"

Liu Zheng was startled; he truly did not know what to say at this moment and almost fled in a panic.

Only after exiting the Yangxin Hall did he let out a long sigh of relief.

Grand Eunuch Zhou did not come out to see him off.

Therefore, he wandered through the Imperial Palace alone, under the guidance of a young eunuch.

The towering Imperial Palace spoke of the thousands of years of glory and history of this dynasty; since ancient times, how many people have broken their heads and gone mad, regardless of the chaos in the world or the suffering of the common people, all wanting to reach this position?

Supreme power is always something people yearn for and pursue for their entire lives.

But...

Just like Xie Tianyao, once you truly reach this position, what then? Staying in this Imperial Palace every day, you might not even know what is happening in the world; this place is nothing more than a very large cage.

At least.

Liu Zheng does not like it.

He had not yet returned to the Post House.

A piece of news spread throughout the entire Capital.

The Emperor had already issued an edict: Vice Minister Liu would be responsible for the security matters of the Lishan and the Crown Prince's grand funeral, and the Duqi Duwei in the city would be under his sole command.

Once this news came out, the entire city was in an uproar.

What does this mean?

The entire City Defense Army is now Liu Zheng's responsibility? This... how much power is this? More importantly, what are the other implications conveyed by this news?

Has this Vice Minister Liu received the Emperor's favor again?

Could it be...

That it is the Emperor's intention to lean more toward Xie Chan?

This...

All at once, all the forces and all the people active in Jinghua were stunned.

Whether they were Scholar-officials or Old Aristocrats, none of them could sit still.

"What are you saying?"

Just as Liu Zheng returned to the Post House, the Prince of Qin, the Prince of Wei, the Prince of Yong, and others were already waiting for him. What made Liu Zheng even more devastated was that the Tiger Tally for the Duqi Duwei had already been delivered to the Post House. Looking at the Tiger Tally on the table, Liu Zheng expressed Xie Tianyao's intentions.

The few of them jumped up at once.

"This..."

"The Emperor is..."

"The Eleventh Prince?"

Hearing this, the few of them felt very bitter in their hearts.

But...

This is the Emperor's will; can they still change it?

Moreover, Xie Tianyao had also made concessions... for this grand funeral, they could obtain the benefits they wanted.

Checks and balances.

The imperial way of checks and balances lies exactly in this.

Furthermore, a constitutional monarchy would also limit Xie Ming's power—of course, things always change, and whether it can actually be limited depends on whether Longyan will fall into chaos.

However.

Thinking about it this way.

It seems they are not at a loss either.

And, no matter how you look at it, the New Aristocracy is profiting.

"I want Youzhou! I have long found that fellow, the Prince of Zhao, an eyesore!"

"I think we must find a Method to secure the Geography of Yan Province!"

"And Jingzhou..."

After a brief moment of shock, these Feudatory Kings all became excited.

Liu Zheng could only laugh or cry. Recent pop-ups are severe; please click to download to avoid pop-ups.