ebookland Chapter 471 Prepare for a rainy day
Chapter 471 Prepare for a rainy day
“Father, since Jiaojiao is to be the Empress of Yunli, it is the will of Heaven.”
"So now is the time for us to make some proper plans."
"We can't wait until the time comes to start preparing, otherwise we'll be in a panic and it will be too late."
Shen Tingzhi's mind is now filled with thoughts of how to prepare for Shen Tianjiao's future.
"Yes, it's time to start preparations."
Marquis Zhenbei was no longer troubled. Rather than worrying about things that hadn't happened yet, he figured it was better to focus on the things at hand.
"Back when the late emperor was still alive, the Imperial Advisor Xu Ziwu made such a prophecy, saying that a female emperor would appear in Yunli in the future. She would be the restorer of the dynasty and lead Yunli to unprecedented prosperity."
"Now it seems that Xu Ziwu's prophecy was indeed true. I just never expected that this restorer of the dynasty would be my daughter, Shen Lin."
"It's truly a cruel twist of fate. The late emperor planned and schemed, but unfortunately, he didn't foresee that despite his painstaking efforts to kill so many young girls, he still couldn't find the person he was looking for."
"As an emperor, he lost his benevolence and caused the deaths of so many innocent people."
"It's time for the Li family's empire to change hands again and establish a new order."
Shen Tingzhi was taken aback. He had heard about Xu Ziwu's prophecy and the late emperor's actions back then.
He was initially somewhat skeptical, but after hearing his father mention it, all his doubts vanished.
His father was completely uninhibited in front of the late emperor; the late emperor would never hide anything from his father.
It seems those rumors circulating in the streets are true. The late emperor was indeed that ruthless back then, killing so many children because of his suspicion and cruelty.
No wonder he suffered retribution in the end, dying such a tragic and painful death.
"Father, the most important thing right now is Mu'er."
"Although he has no complaints about his mother becoming empress, he is now the crown prince of Yunli."
“Those with ulterior motives will definitely target him first.”
“Once those people start to have wicked intentions, we can’t prevent them from doing so.”
"The best course of action now is to guide Mu'er properly and make him understand that no matter whether his mother becomes the Empress of Yunli or not, their relationship will not be affected, and his position as Crown Prince will not be shaken."
"Only in this way can we ensure that the relationship between the mother and son will not change due to the instigation and sabotage of those people, and that they will not become enemies."
Shen Tingzhi knew that his nephew, Li Muyang, was a very good-natured child.
He would never misunderstand or resent his mother just because she was to become the Empress of Yunli.
However, there are some people in this world whose hearts are always black. In order to protect their own interests, they will always come up with malicious ideas to destroy and ruin others.
Li Muyang's identity is special, so naturally, he is surrounded by the schemes of villains.
Instead of trying to defend against the relentless onslaught of evildoers, it would be better to address the problem at its root.
From now on, we will instill correct values in Li Muyang and solidify his beliefs.
In this way, even if they can't stop those people, it won't affect the relationship between the mother and son.
Even if the worst-case scenario occurs and a rift develops between the mother and son, with this foundation in place, they can still manage to control the situation and prevent it from escalating further.
"Yes, I'll leave this matter to you. He's your nephew and the future heir to the dynasty."
"The more you two, uncle and nephew, spend together, the stronger your bond will be, which will ultimately be beneficial for the future."
One should not harbor thoughts of harming others, but one must be wary of others. Marquis Zhenbei understands this principle better than anyone.
Throughout his life, he held military power and was a powerful figure. In other words, he was someone who could do whatever he wanted in Yunli.
But who knows how many open and covert attacks he endured from his political enemies over the years, and how much he paid to save his life and the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion?
Although his wife died during childbirth, it was actually the result of a conspiracy.
Therefore, he cannot and will not allow the same thing to happen to his daughter and grandson.
Prevention is better than cure; this is a very necessary thing to do.
"Yes, Father, there is something else I have been thinking about for a long time. I will tell you today so that we can discuss it together."
After saying this, Shen Tingzhi fell into a rare silence.
Marquis Zhenbei, who was waiting to hear what Shen Tingzhi was about to say, kicked him in frustration when Shen Tingzhi stopped halfway through his sentence.
"You little brat, just say what you have to say. This stammering isn't like you."
After being yelled at by the Marquis of Zhenbei, Shen Tingzhi looked up at the Marquis and said, "Father, what I want to talk about is Mu'er's marriage."
Upon hearing Shen Tingzhi's words, the Marquis of Zhenbei was stunned, but he quickly understood what his son meant.
Although Li Muyang was still young at this time, as the crown prince and the future emperor of Yunji, the choice of his principal wife was not only a matter of honor and disgrace for the royal family.
Rather, it directly relates to the future and stability of the entire Yunli.
Therefore, the selection of the Crown Princess must be of paramount importance and requires utmost caution.
This person must come from a good family; otherwise, they will not be able to gain the respect of the people, suffer injustice, or help Li Muyang.
However, her family background cannot be too high. If her family background is too high, the power of her maternal relatives will gradually replace the majesty of the emperor, thus affecting Li Muyang's control over power and his rule over the country.
Moreover, this person must possess both virtue and talent, having both a magnanimous spirit and the awe-inspiring presence to command respect in the harem.
They must also know when to advance and when to retreat, be a strong supporter of Li Muyang, manage the harem well, and assist Li Muyang in handling state affairs.
Most importantly, one must be able to weigh things clearly, know one's limits, take the greater good of the nation as one's own responsibility, and not have too many selfish desires.
If she is someone who is indecisive, narrow-minded, disregards national interests, only cares about personal feelings, and is biased towards her own family.
So even if Yunli is governed well in the future, it will still be ruined in her hands.
In fact, since the Marquis of Zhenbei returned, many people have come to him to test him, inquire, or directly recommend him, all in the hope that their daughters or those of their clans could become Li Muyang's future wives.
At that time, the Marquis of Zhenbei refused them all, citing Li Muyang's young age.
However, given the current unexpected situation, it is indeed time to carefully consider finding a suitable fiancée for Li Muyang.
Because this fiancée not only needs to be an ally of Li Muyang, but her family also needs to be an asset in Shen Tianjiao's future ascension to the throne.
Looking across the entire Yunli region, finding such a candidate is harder than climbing to the heavens.
“Tingzhi, since you’ve already asked this question, you must have a suitable candidate in mind. Tell me, let your father hear it.”
Shen Tingzhi put down his teacup, looked up at the Marquis of Zhenbei and said, "Father, what if Yunli's next empress were from the Cui clan of Qinghe?"
"Qinghe Cui family?"
Marquis Zhenbei frowned and fell into deep thought.
The Cui family of Qinghe is a century-old family, and most of its members are scholars, so their family traditions are quite upright.
Moreover, Cui Yi is Li Muyang's teacher and the future imperial tutor. With this relationship, the Cui family of Qinghe is practically already under their control.
"Yes, the Cui family of Qinghe."
Shen Tingzhi had actually been considering this matter for a long time, weighing all the pros and cons in his mind.
"The Cui family of Qinghe is known for its integrity and upright character, and most of its members are scholars. Daughters raised in such a family are unlikely to be anything less than outstanding."
"More importantly, Cui Yi is now Mu'er's teacher. As the emperor, the entire Qinghe Cui clan has already chosen to stand on our side."
"I'm also prepared to share both glory and loss with Mu'er."
"What we need now is to deepen the current relationship."
"Let us show our attitude and let the Cui family of Qinghe know that we have received their message."
"And we have also made a corresponding response."
"Promising them the throne of empress will put their minds at ease, making them willing to support Mu'er from behind. They will also be our strongest backing and supporter in matters concerning Jiao Jiao."
"The Cui family of Qinghe holds an extraordinary position, whether among scholars or among powerful clans."
"Three imperial tutors have emerged from one family. No, that's not right. Now it should be said that there are four."
"Looking across the entire Yunli region, which family can enjoy such an honor?"
"With their help, the path ahead will be much smoother for both Jiaojiao and Mu'er."
Shen Tingzhi sighed as he finished speaking, and then continued, "The imperial family is different from ordinary people's families. The marriage of an emperor is determined by politics and interests from the very beginning."
"As the future emperor, Mu'er's marriage must prioritize the interests of the country and cannot be based on personal feelings."
That's just how things are in this world; there are gains and losses, and you can't have your cake and eat it too.
As an emperor, one is destined not to be swayed by emotions. If an emperor is swayed by emotions, then the country is destined to suffer turmoil and misfortune.
Emperors cannot be swayed by emotions, and they may not even experience the simple joys of family life that ordinary people enjoy.
A true emperor has no heart.
Although Li Muyang has not yet ascended to that throne, Shen Tingzhi can already foresee what Li Muyang will be like as emperor.
Therefore, during the period when Li Muyang was still young, Shen Tingzhi would do his best to pamper and spoil him.
When he grows up, he will lose the right to be pampered and will have to shoulder the responsibilities that come with being an emperor.
"Hmm." After pondering for a long time, the Marquis of Zhenbei said, "It's best to be more cautious about this matter."
"After we finish dealing with matters in Xirong and Nanchu, I'll have a good talk with Jiaojiao."
"We'll make a decision after we've finished talking."
"Okay, son understands."
Shen Tingzhi, as the uncle, was also extremely worried about his nephew.
"Tingzhi, if Jiaojiao agrees to this, then which child from the Cui family of Qinghe should we choose?"
"Cui Yi, it seems he only has grandsons, no granddaughters, right?"
Although the Marquis of Zhenbei did not know much about Cui Yi's family affairs, he did know that the Cui family had always had more sons than daughters, and was often jokingly referred to as a "monk's temple" by the aristocratic families in the capital.
“Father, Master Cui does not have a granddaughter, but he has a great-granddaughter. That child is the only girl in their three generations, and she is very pampered at home.”
Shen Tingzhi looked at the Marquis of Zhenbei and suddenly felt guilty.
Although Cui Yi and the Marquis of Zhenbei were not of the same generation, that old scholar now had four generations under one roof.
But when it came to her own father, there was no four generations living under one roof, and he didn't even have a daughter-in-law in the family.
Thinking about this, Shen Tingzhi felt even more sorry for his father.
"This is my only great-granddaughter."
Marquis Zhenbei frowned. If there was only one girl in the family, then naturally the whole family would spoil her.
Before Shen Tianjiao was born, the Marquis of Zhenbei already had three sons. After Shen Tianjiao was born, the Marquis of Zhenbei wished he could pluck the stars from the sky and give them to her.
Therefore, no matter what mistakes Shen Tianjiao made or how much she hurt her father, the Marquis of Zhenbei, he could not get angry with her.
Even if Shen Tianjiao causes a huge disaster, the Marquis of Zhenbei will do everything he can to smooth things over for her.
At this moment, the Marquis of Zhenbei was somewhat worried about the fact that the little girl from the Cui family, who was pampered in the palm of his hand, was going to be Li Muyang's fiancée.
He himself is a doting father to his daughter, so he naturally knows what it's like for a daughter to be pampered at home.
If a child is too pampered at home, then their temperament will inevitably become spoiled, and such a temperament is not suitable for being the empress.
Moreover, even if she is capable of assuming the role of Empress, Li Muyang will still suffer injustice in the future.
People will always think their own child is better than other people's children.
Marquis Zhenbei naturally hoped that Li Muyang's future empress would be someone who could understand him, be gentle, and be tolerant of him.
After all, being a good emperor is not an easy task. We can't expect Li Muyang to finish his affairs in the court and then have to be a doormat in the harem, living a life of grievances and mistreatment.