Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 1206: Chapter 183: Rescued the Li Family

Ever since Prince Chu was brought out from the death row of the Zongzheng Temple, Prince Han no longer had any big shouting matches with Prince Wei in court.

The officials who liked to watch the drama found it a pity, since there was no more good show to see. The officials who wanted to save the Li Family, however, grew anxious. They knew very well that in this world the only person who could save the Li Family was Prince Han. If Prince Han gave up on rescuing the entire Li Family, then the Lis would truly be wiped out.

Quite a few officials wanted to beg Zhao Yao to keep thinking of ways to save the whole Li Family, but they did not dare go to Prince Han on their own, because the Han Prince Mansion was right next door to the Prince Wei Mansion. If Lord Wei learned that they had gone to ask Prince Han for help, he would likely fly into a rage, and by then even Prince Han might not be able to save the Li Family.

Since Prince Han no longer pleaded with Prince Wei on behalf of the Li Family, the others in court were even less daring to speak up for them, and thus the matter of the Lis vanished completely from the court.

These past two days, many officials at court felt that the realm could not go a single day without a King, and urged Lord Wei to ascend the throne as soon as possible. Of course, the ones to put forward this proposal were the officials in his camp.

As for the officials in court nowadays, the majority supported Prince Wei. A small faction had previously been neutral, that is, they were loyal only to the Emperor himself; these officials were headed by Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu.

Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu did not speak up in support, but neither did they oppose it.

Prince Wei naturally rejected this proposal, saying that the Great Zhou was not without a King—the Emperor still lived. He would wait for the Emperor to wake.

A few days later, the officials again proposed that Prince Wei ascend the throne, and again he refused. The officials refused to give up; they knelt at the gates of the Zichen Hall, bitterly begging Prince Wei to take the throne.

Prince Wei truly had no way out, and could only agree, for the time being, to act as Emperor, but not formally ascend. Once the Emperor woke, he would immediately revert to the status of a prince.

The officials felt that merely acting as Emperor was not proper, and continued to entreat Prince Wei to formally ascend, but he would not consent. With no choice, they had to agree to his request and ask him to serve as Emperor temporarily. However, even for a temporary Emperor, a lucky day had to be chosen for the accession. Prince Wei agreed.

The Chief Historian quickly chose an auspicious date; mid-next month was the most favorable day of the entire year.

Prince Wei felt that since he was only acting in the Emperor’s stead, the accession ceremony did not need to be too elaborate; a simple affair would do.

To the officials who supported him, this conduct showed his filial devotion. The neutral officials, however, believed that Prince Wei was merely using this as a stopgap. After a year or two, if the Emperor still did not regain consciousness, he would then naturally proceed to formally ascend the throne, and at that time a grand and magnificent enthronement ceremony would certainly be held.

The commoners, on the other hand, did not care whether Lord Wei was only a temporary Emperor. In their eyes, once Prince Wei took the throne, he was the Emperor. To them, who sat on the Dragon Throne was not important; what mattered was whether that Emperor would be a good one. Of course, most of the people in the capital still hoped in their hearts that Prince Han would become Emperor.

Setting aside what Prince Han had made and done in earlier years, just look at what he had accomplished in Lingnan these past few years. The Swamp Prefecture had originally been a poor, remote, wretched place, but since Prince Han went there, it had undergone earth-shaking changes, becoming extremely prosperous and wealthy, now even surpassing Yangzhou.

Many of their relatives and friends had gone to the Swamp Prefecture to do business, all earning so much that their bowls and pots were full. They had settled down there and could not bear to come back.

If Prince Han became Emperor, then their lives would grow even better—perhaps they would become like the commoners of the Swamp Prefecture.

Zhao Yao did not know that many commoners in the capital supported him as Emperor. Even if he knew, he would not care. At this moment, he was preparing to take a peerless treasure to present to Prince Wei and use it to plead for the Li Family.

Seeing Zhao Yao holding a brocade box in his arms, Prince Chu asked in puzzlement, “What are you carrying in your hands?”

Zhao Yao patted the brocade box against his chest and gave Prince Chu a meaningful smile. “A fine treasure that can save the entire Li Family.”

Prince Chu was slightly stunned, then asked curiously, “What treasure?” These past days, Zhao Yao had not mentioned saving the Li Family at all; Prince Chu had thought he had given up, and had not expected that Zhao Yao still kept it in mind.

“A peerless treasure,” Zhao Yao said to Prince Chu with firm conviction. “Fourth Brother, don’t worry. This treasure will definitely save the whole Li Family.”

“Tenth Brother, if it doesn’t work, then let it go,” Prince Chu said, not wishing to make things difficult for Zhao Yao, and even less wanting him to fall out with Prince Wei.