Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 635: Chapter 315: The fourth and the eighth spoil the youngest too much - Part 2

Duke Zhen also had this feeling. He slightly furrowed his brow and said, "The emperor is in such a hurry; this matter is no small affair."

The Princely Heir of Duke Zhen Country Mansion said, "What could possibly make the emperor so anxious to finalize?"

Prince Wei thought for a moment and said, "Before the court adjourned, apart from Prince Chu returning to the capital and Marquis Jingyang colluding with the Xiongnu, no other major events occurred."

He added, "Nothing major happened elsewhere either." Indeed, no major events had occurred.

The Crown Prince and Duke Zhen thought for quite some time but couldn’t figure out what the emperor was conspiring about.

"Once the court resumes, we will know what the emperor intends to do." Duke Zhen said this, but he internally disliked this feeling of not being in control, especially at such a time.

Seeing the Crown Prince still looking worried, Prince Wei comforted him, saying, "Big brother, no matter what Father intends to do, when the time comes, we will counter soldiers with generals and water with earth."

The Crown Prince forced a bitter smile and said, "I’m afraid Father will surprise us again." As he said this, his expression turned grim, and his tone became ominous, "I don’t want another situation like Prince Chu."

"Big brother, it’s impossible for there to be another Prince Chu, but it can’t be ruled out that this matter is related to him."

Prince Wei’s words hit right at the Crown Prince’s concern. His tone sharpened, saying, "I fear what Father and they are conspiring is related to Prince Chu." Suddenly recalling that before Prince Chu went to Shu, the emperor had called Zhang Gong and several generals into the Imperial Study for discussion, his face changed dramatically, "Father wouldn’t be paving the way for Prince Chu again, would he?"

Duke Zhen thought of another matter, and his expression instantly turned unsightly.

"Could it be that the emperor intends to make Prince Chu responsible for next year’s official recommendations?" Official recommendations were one of Great Zhou’s systems for nominating officials. Every year, the court would have officials nominate outstanding talents.

As he said this, the Crown Prince’s face immediately darkened. He said through gritted teeth, "It must be this matter!"

Prince Wei also thought it was quite possible. His expression mirrored that of the Crown Prince, equally unpleasant, yet internally he took a bit of schadenfreude. If Father indeed made Prince Chu responsible for the recommendations, it would be putting the fourth in the hot seat.

The Crown Prince and Duke Zhen were convinced that what the emperor had been conspiring about in recent days was making Prince Chu responsible for next year’s recommendations. They then discussed how to oppose this and dissuade the emperor from this idea.

Prince Chu absolutely must not be responsible for the recommendations!

Marquis Xuanping and Prince Dai also thought of this. Because after the court resumed, there generally wouldn’t be major affairs; the only significant affair was the recommendations.

Naturally, Prince Dai and his allies wanted to prevent Prince Chu from being in charge of the recommendations. Of course, they preferred that their people be responsible. However, this was unlikely since the recommendations each year were typically managed by Prime Minister He and his group.

The Crown Prince and Prince Dai both thought of the recommendations, so Prince Chu and Minister Li surely realized it too.

Before returning to the capital, many courtiers in the court supported Prince Chu, yet he paid them no mind. After returning to the capital, Prince Chu could no longer ignore the ministers who supported him. By now, he had established his own influence in the court.

Prince Chu had numerous ministers around him offering advice. They also believed the emperor would let him handle next year’s recommendations, especially since he had already been appointed Minister of the Right.

"Your Highness, we should consider who to recommend."

Prince Chu slightly nodded and said, "Grandfather, please draft a list first, then I will carefully select from it."

"Alright, I will give it to you before the Lantern Festival."

Prince Chu instructed, "Ensure the individuals on the list are thoroughly vetted."

"Rest assured, they will be thoroughly investigated, and there will be no mistakes." Recommending officials to the court was no trivial matter. The emperor would personally assess them. If any recommended officials had issues, the emperor would severely punish those responsible.

"Not all should be our people," Prince Chu said with a serious expression. "As long as they have real talent and knowledge, they can be recommended, regardless of whose people they are."

Minister Li understood Prince Chu’s intentions and nodded, saying, "Of course." Minister Li was not someone who would ignore state affairs to pursue power. In his heart, while Prince Chu was important, state affairs were even more so. Recommending outstanding talent to hold office in the court was no ordinary affair, as it concerned the nation’s governance and could not be handled with personal bias.

Since the founding of Great Zhou, Minister Li had consistently dedicated himself to cultivating talent for the court, training officials without ever indulging in favoritism.

"The recommendations hold great significance, and since Father has entrusted me with this, I fear I won’t do well..." Despite Prince Chu always presenting himself as mature and steady before others, he was ultimately just a young man in his twenties. Although he had done well in Liangzhou these past few years, Liangzhou couldn’t be compared to Great Zhou. With the emperor placing so much trust in him, he surely felt the pressure.