Chapter 60: Which Prince Do You Lords Deem Fit to Ascend the Throne?

The next day, First Emperor Qin, who had talked with Li Nian far into the night, appeared in the court of Great Qin with abundant energy. Nobody knew how he had managed to rest the night before.

Yet the First Emperor was nothing compared to the ultimate workaholic, Emperor Hongwu of Ming, who abolished the prime minister system and decided almost all state affairs himself, operating like an untiring old ox.

It was said that within a span of ten days, Emperor Hongwu reviewed over a thousand memorials, which addressed more than three thousand matters—meaning on average, he handled over three hundred issues every day.

These matters were not of a single type; there were requests for disaster relief funds, approvals for official personnel transfers, and reviews of major death penalty cases...

No wonder he became the emperor. With so many complex affairs handled by Hongwu in such an orderly fashion, if he couldn't be emperor, who could?

Ying Zheng's majestic gaze swept over the ministers in the grand hall, and he directly dropped a bombshell: "Now that the realm is newly pacified and the four seas are at peace, to secure the foundation of the state, I intend to establish a crown prince. Which prince do you, my lords, deem worthy of the position?"

The dropping of this bombshell indeed stunned the ministers, stirring up towering waves within their hearts. They were utterly perplexed as to why the king suddenly desired to appoint an heir today.

It was not as though ministers had never petitioned the king to establish a crown prince in the past, but the king had basically ignored them. Today, however, the sun seemed to be rising from the north.

Yet the suddenness of the event caught them off guard. Had they known in advance that the king intended to establish an heir today, they would certainly have given it more thought and figured out which prince would be most advantageous to themselves.

Still, being the most elite group of individuals in Great Qin, though ambushed by Ying Zheng, they quickly regained their composure and began to analyze the matter.

The first to leap forward was Chunyu Yue, who stated: "Prince Fusu is resolute, brave, and martial; he trusts people and encourages scholars; he is magnanimous and compassionate toward others. He is fit to be the crown prince!"

Upon seeing Chunyu Yue, Ying Zheng's eyes narrowed imperceptibly. Having only heard about the "burning of books and burying of scholars" yesterday, he was currently filled with aversion toward these Confucian scholars.

Moreover, he had to consider whether, if Fusu were made crown prince, Fusu might pull some catastrophic stunts after his death, such as showing blind partiality to Confucianism and leading Great Qin astray.

Fusu could be established as the crown prince, but Fusu had to be changed, and Confucianism could no longer be the guiding philosophy for the rulers of Great Qin.

Prime Minister Wang Wan also said: "Prince Fusu is the eldest among the princes and enjoys a great reputation for virtue. He should be established!"

Grand Commandant Feng Jie stated: "This minister also believes Prince Fusu should be established. Prince Fusu is the eldest among the princes; appointing him as crown prince is both justified and proper, and can convince the hundred officials and all the princes, thereby securing the foundation of Great Qin."

What Feng Jie expressed carried the same meaning as what Li Nian had said about establishing the legitimate eldest son. Appointing Prince Fusu could reduce infighting among the princes, make the succession of the throne more stable, and benefit the nation.

In short, Feng Jie hoped to use the appointment of Prince Fusu as the starting point to fix a system of succession for Great Qin!

Meng Tian had already returned to Xianyang and was present in the hall, but he could not express his stance: First, as a commanding general representing the Meng family, any statement he made would have far-reaching implications; second, his younger brother Meng Yi had told him the previous night that he had already stated his position before the king.

Zhao Gao, Li Si, and several other ministers glanced at Feng Jie upon hearing his words.

What nonsense was this fellow spouting? What did it mean that appointing Prince Fusu was justified and proper, and capable of convincing the hundred officials and all the princes? Had anyone asked for their opinions? Were they not part of the hundred officials of Great Qin?

Although Zhao Gao had not yet colluded with Huhai at this time, he was equally unwilling to see Prince Fusu become the crown prince of Great Qin. He understood very well that if Fusu became crown prince and ascended the throne, he would never trust or employ him, and might even brand him a sycophant and execute him.

Yet, if Prince Fusu were ruled out, who else should be established?

His relationship with the other princes was not particularly good either!

Zhao Gao had not even considered Huhai, because Huhai was not yet ten years old at this time and was utterly incapable of contending with his older brothers for the position of crown prince.

However, Zhao Gao took a different path. Since he could not think of a prince he wanted to support, he would simply dissuade the king from appointing any. He said: "Your Majesty is in the prime of your life and can continue to rule over the realm. What need is there to rush into establishing an heir? Once the alchemists find the elixir of immortality for Your Majesty, you will be able to reign for a hundred years, a thousand years, for ten thousand generations!"

His idea was to stall the king's plan to establish an heir; in any case, the king must not be allowed to appoint Prince Fusu.

Such was Zhao Gao's mindset, as he deeply knew that a person like him could never coexist with Fusu!

Ying Zheng glanced at Zhao Gao. While Zhao Gao's words appeared to flatter him by claiming he could live forever and rule Great Qin for ten thousand generations, how could the king fail to see through Zhao Gao's true objective?

From these words of Zhao Gao, Ying Zheng figured out how to deal with him: Didn't you say those alchemists could find the elixir of immortality for Us? Then you can be the one to test and eat it!

Withdrawing his gaze from Zhao Gao, Ying Zheng looked at Li Si and asked: "Li Si, which prince do you think should be established as the crown prince?"

Li Si did not want to answer, because he too did not wish to see Prince Fusu established. However, unlike Zhao Gao, his concern was that Fusu was too closely aligned with the Confucianism represented by Chunyu Yue; if Fusu ascended the throne, he would undoubtedly sideline the Legalists.

In truth, Li Si did not care which prince sat on the throne in the future, but he cared deeply about whether the prince who ascended the throne would make full use of his talents.

Clearly, if Prince Fusu ascended the throne, the probability of him not employing Li Si was higher than the probability of him doing so.

Yet, with the king watching him, he could not remain silent. Choosing not to follow Zhao Gao's path of flattery to stall the succession, Li Si selected one of the princes from his memory.

"This minister believes Prince Gao can be established as the crown prince. Prince Gao is diligent, eager to learn, strictly follows the laws, and possesses the demeanor of an heir!"

The specific prince chosen was not the crucial part; the key lay in the phrase "strictly follows the laws." Li Si was reminding Ying Zheng that although Prince Fusu was Your Majesty's eldest son, once he succeeded to the throne, he might not necessarily continue to enforce the laws of Great Qin. He might listen to the Confucians and restore the systems of the Zhou Dynasty instead.

Would Your Majesty be willing to see Great Qin turn into another Zhou? Would you be willing to see the commanderies and counties of Great Qin revert to a feudal vassal system? Would you be willing to see the realm you unified split apart once more?

If Your Majesty is unwilling, then please do not establish Prince Fusu as the crown prince, and instead choose a prince who supports Your Majesty's vision.

Ying Zheng naturally grasped the hidden meaning behind Li Si's words, and Chunyu Yue understood it as well, frowning slightly. He and Li Si shared a good relationship as friends.

However, friendship could not override differences in political views. Now that many major ministers supported Prince Fusu, their Confucian faction finally saw hope and a promising future; they could not allow Li Si to ruin it.

Chunyu Yue immediately retorted: "The Commandant of Justice is mistaken. According to the Commandant's words, could it be that Prince Fusu is neither diligent, eager to learn, nor respectful of the law?"

Ignoring Chunyu Yue, Ying Zheng looked at a Qin general in the grand hall and asked: "General Wang Jian, you are seasoned and prudent, often possessing great strategy. Which prince do you think can serve as the crown prince?"

Why does this matter fall on me as well?

I truly do not wish to answer, nor do I care to concern myself with it; I only want the court session to end early so I can go home.

Wang Jian replied: "This minister is advanced in years and does not know which prince is fit to be the crown prince. Your Majesty may decide as you see fit."

His achievements were simply too great. Aside from the state of Han, the other five states had all been conquered by him and his son Wang Ben.

Therefore, he and his son Wang Ben had discussed and decided that upon returning to Xianyang this time, they would gradually withdraw from the court politics of Great Qin, so as to avoid suffering the fate of having merits so great they overshadowed the ruler.