Chapter 1932: Maintain Neutrality

Believe it or not?

Of course, everyone didn't believe it!

If the old emperor really had such a promise, how could he not make the eldest prince the crown prince until his death?

You know, when the old emperor was seriously ill, he had already asked Zhao Xuan to handle the government affairs on his behalf. If the old emperor really intended to appoint the eldest prince as the crown prince and let him inherit the throne, that would be the best opportunity.

But the old emperor didn't do that. Obviously, the old emperor probably didn't have this idea in his mind.

But now Zhao Xuan said that the old emperor had said it, and he only said it when there were only two people. They couldn't refute it, just like what Yuanji and Hou Zhong said before:

No evidence!

The old emperor is dead, they can say whatever they want, anyway, the old emperor can't stand up to refute it.

In this way, Yuanji and Hou Zhong's words once again made everyone wonder.

"I support what Minister Qi said! As the eldest son, His Royal Highness the Great Prince should be the first choice for the new emperor if he has no fault."

"That's right! His Royal Highness the Great Prince is the most qualified to inherit the throne among all the princes. If His Majesty has a will, then it is natural to follow His Majesty's will. Now that His Majesty has not left any will or oral instructions, it should be His Royal Highness the Great Prince who ascends the throne and becomes the emperor."

"The system of the ancestors cannot be violated!"

...

After Zhao Xuan finished speaking, many people stood up to express their opinions. This time everyone supported Zhao Xuan.

In fact, if the old emperor had not suddenly summoned the second prince Zhao Ke before his death, after the old emperor suddenly passed away, all officials tended to support the eldest prince Zhao Xuan. This is not to say that Zhao Xuan is so popular, but because of Zhao Xuan's identity as the eldest prince, he is the eldest son. In the absence of any will, he is the most suitable candidate to inherit the throne.

It was only because the old emperor had met Zhao Ke before his death, and Yuanji and Hou Zhong had both clearly expressed their support for Zhao Ke, that some officials turned to support Zhao Ke.

Yuanji's face looked a little ugly.

In fact, before entering the palace, he had thought that this situation would happen. After all, Zhao Ke was only the second prince, and the old emperor did not leave a will, making it very difficult for Zhao Ke to take the throne.

Yuanji only hated that the old emperor left them too little time. If the old emperor could hold on for a while longer, he and Hou Zhong could secretly persuade many people to join their camp. In that case, there would not be the current stalemate.

In addition, the old emperor did not have time to leave a will for Zhao Ke before he died, which also made Yuanji very dissatisfied.

The old emperor had already agreed to let Zhao Ke inherit the throne, and he only needed an imperial edict, but he did not have time to leave it, which was really hard for Yuanji to accept.

The atmosphere at the scene gradually became lively. One by one, officials began to express their opinions. Some supported the eldest prince Zhao Xuan, some supported the second prince Zhao Ke, but no one supported the third prince Zhao Lun, as if Zhao Lun did not exist.

Among the ministers, except Yuan Ji and Qi Kai, no one expressed their opinions. They just watched silently, as if they were watching a play.

Yuan Ji and Qi Kai were both anxious and even nervous. After all, they had already made a clear statement and suppressed their future. No one wanted to lose this time. This could be said to be the most important gamble in their lives.

They couldn't lose!

Yuan Ji's eyes wandered around several ministers, and finally locked on Zhou Yanfeng, the minister of the Ministry of Revenue!

"Minister Zhou, what do you think about the new emperor's candidate?" Yuan Ji asked.

"Yes, Minister Zhou, what is your attitude? Do you support the eldest prince or the second prince?" Qi Kai also asked.

As Yuan Ji and Qi Kai asked, everyone at the scene looked at Zhou Yanfeng, waiting for his answer.

Zhou Yanfeng cursed in his heart: Why did you drag me in when you were fighting among yourselves? I just want to watch the show now!

Zhou Yanfeng did not think about expressing his position, because he did not know who to support. Once he stood on the wrong side, his position as the Minister of Revenue would be over.

Unlike Qi Kai, Zhou Yanfeng was still very satisfied with his position as the Minister of Revenue. He did not have the ambition of Yuan Ji. He was already very satisfied to be the Minister of Revenue. He just wanted to stay in this position until he was old.

Therefore, he did not want to express his position on the selection of the new emperor. He just wanted to remain neutral. In this way, although he would not be rewarded after the new emperor ascended the throne, he would not be retaliated against either. In this way, he could continue to be the Minister of Revenue, which was the result he wanted most.

He was satisfied with everything now and did not want to take risks.

But now everyone was looking at him, and he could not help but speak, so he coughed twice and said, "I think the eldest prince and the second prince are both children of His Majesty and are qualified to inherit the throne. No matter who becomes the new emperor of our Yanfeng country, I will fully support them."

Old fox!

Hearing Zhou Yanfeng's words, everyone cursed in their hearts.

Obviously, Zhou Yanfeng's words did not offend either side, but wanted to remain neutral.

Everyone was very dissatisfied with Zhou Yanfeng's words, but they could not do anything about him, because there was nothing wrong with Zhou Yanfeng's words, and if Zhou Yanfeng was forced into a corner, what would happen if he supported the opponent?

Therefore, everyone could only give up questioning Zhou Yanfeng.

Yuanji turned his gaze to the other three Shangshu.

Without waiting for Yuanji to ask, Li Yang, the Minister of War, spoke first: "Don't ask me for my opinion. When His Majesty was still here, our army was not allowed to participate in political affairs. Our mission was to fight. We can't ask about other things, and we don't want to ask about them. My attitude is the same as that of Minister Zhou. I support anyone who can be the new emperor, as long as he is His Majesty's heir."

Old fox!

Everyone cursed again in their hearts.

When the old emperor was here, he said this, but in fact, as the Minister of War, Li Yang usually participated in political discussions, and he didn't avoid suspicion at ordinary times. He remembered it at this time.

However, Li Yang's words were reasonable and well-founded, and everyone still couldn't force him to express his position.

At this time, Hou Yi, the Minister of Works, took the initiative to say: "I support His Royal Highness the Second Prince!"

Wow...

Everyone was in an uproar again, with shock on their faces. Only the Second Prince was full of joy, and as for the eldest prince, his face was very ugly.

With Zhou Yanfeng and Li Yang's neutral attitude, everyone thought that Hou Yi would also choose to remain neutral. After all, maintaining neutrality is the safest and most reliable.

But Hou Yi's statement was beyond everyone's expectations. He actually clearly supported the second prince Zhao Ke, which was something no one had expected before.

In the crowd, Hou Zhong looked at Hou Yi with a faint smile on his face!

All this was within Hou Zhong's expectations. Others did not know, even Zhao Ke and Yuan Ji did not know Hou Yi's attitude before.