Starting with a Wei Wu soldier

Chapter 295 Establishing Ancestral Instructions

It was the eighth day of the first month of the fifth year of the Qiming era. The festivities of the New Year's Day court celebrations had just subsided, and Chang'an was still immersed in the afterglow of the festival. However, Chen Xing summoned Jia Wen, several senior officials of the imperial family, and—four imperial concubines—to the Wenhua Hall.

This is unprecedented.

Empress Murong Mingyue, Consort Su Xiaoxiao, Consort Lin Wan'er, and Consort Lan Fenghuang stood solemnly in the hall according to their ranks. Behind them were several white-haired elders of the imperial clan, as well as senior cabinet ministers led by Jia Wen.

Chen Xing sat upright on the throne, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and slowly spoke:

"I have summoned you all here today for a very important matter."

He paused, his tone turning somber.

"Crown Prince".

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly froze.

Murong Mingyue's expression remained unchanged, only her eyes were slightly lowered. Su Xiaoxiao's eyebrows twitched slightly, then she regained her composure. Lin Wan'er listened quietly, but her fingertips felt slightly cold. Lan Fenghuang blinked, somewhat puzzled as to why everyone was suddenly so tense.

Chen Xing continued:

"I have been on the throne for five years, and my sons are growing up. There has been discussion both inside and outside the court. I have heard some of it; I have not heard some of it, but I can guess what it is."

He stood up, stepped down from the throne, and walked slowly through the hall.

"I do not want to see my sons become enemies over the position of crown prince. Nor do I want to see my court officials become pawns in factional struggles because of which prince they bet on."

He stopped and his gaze fell on Jia Wen.

"Therefore, I have decided to establish a set of rules—a set of rules to govern the emperor, the princes, the empresses and concubines, and the court officials. I call this set of rules 'ancestral precepts'."

The moment the words "ancestral precepts" were uttered, everyone in the hall was shaken.

Throughout history, every dynasty has had its "ancestral precepts" or "family rules." But most of them are empty words, spoken but rarely put into practice. What Chen Xing is about to do is clearly not empty talk.

Jia Wen stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Please enlighten me, Your Majesty."

Chen Xing walked back to the throne, took out a thick manuscript, and handed it to Jia Wen.

"This is the Seventeen Articles of Imperial Ancestral Instructions that I have drafted. Take a look and discuss them. Add what needs to be added, delete what needs to be deleted, and revise what needs to be revised. Once it is agreed upon, I will officially promulgate it."

Jia Wen took it, unfolded it, and examined it closely. On it were seventeen regulations, meticulously written by Chen Xing—

Article 1: The eldest son of the legitimate wife shall be the heir, not the eldest son; the virtuous and capable son of the legitimate wife shall be the heir.

A slight commotion arose in the hall.

The practice of establishing the legitimate heir rather than the eldest son was a convention of the previous dynasty—the legitimate son had priority, regardless of age. However, Chen Xing added the phrase "establish the virtuous rather than the legitimate son," which changed the meaning: if the legitimate son was not virtuous, a virtuous and capable son from a concubine could be chosen.

Is this going to break a thousand-year-old tradition?

Chen Xing observed everyone's reactions and said calmly:

"My empire was conquered, not inherited. What's wrong with the capable ruling? But the standard for 'virtuous' is not something anyone can decide. That's the second point."

Jia Wen continued reading.

Article 2: The selection of the Crown Prince shall be jointly decided by the Emperor, the Empress, the Grand Secretariat, and the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs. The Emperor has a veto power, but cannot make a decision unilaterally.

Everyone looked at each other.

Is this a move to divide the power of choosing an heir from the emperor alone among several people? Does this mean the empress, the cabinet, and the Imperial Clan Court all have a say?

An elderly minister from the imperial clan couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, this...this is against ancestral rules. The selection of an heir is a matter of great national importance and should be decided solely by the emperor..."

Chen Xing looked at him and said calmly:

"Arbitrary? How many times in the past dynasties, because of an emperor's arbitrary decision, a useless crown prince was appointed, causing the foundation of the country to be shaken and the world to fall into chaos? I do not want my sons to be treated in the same way."

The old minister was speechless.

Article 3: After the Crown Prince is established, he shall enter the Chenghua Hall for ten years of instruction and shall not interfere in state affairs. Only after the ten-year period has expired and he has passed the examination conducted by the Emperor and the Cabinet may he participate in government affairs.

Chen Qi is already studying in Chenghua Hall. This rule was clearly set for him—and also for the future crown prince.

Article 4: All princes who have reached the age of six shall enter the Chenghua Hall to study, where they shall study together with the Crown Prince. No other tutors shall be appointed for them. Tutors shall be personally selected by the Emperor and shall not be recommended by officials outside the court.

This was to prevent the princes from being "corrupted" by different ministers, and also to prevent ministers from taking the opportunity to curry favor with the princes.

Article 5: Upon reaching adulthood, the princes shall be enfeoffed in distant territories and shall not remain in the capital. The fiefdoms shall be determined by the Emperor and the Grand Secretariat and shall not be chosen by the princes themselves.

This was to prevent the princes from forming factions in the capital and threatening the crown prince.

Article Six: Empresses and concubines shall not interfere in politics or associate with officials outside the capital. Those who violate this rule shall be stripped of their titles and imprisoned in the Cold Palace.

Murong Mingyue remained calm, as if she hadn't heard. Su Xiaoxiao lowered her eyes slightly, lost in thought. Lin Wan'er's fingers tightened slightly, then loosened. Lan Fenghuang blinked and muttered softly, "I don't want to get involved in politics..."

Article 7: Relatives of the empress shall not hold important positions or command military power. Those who violate this rule shall be exiled three thousand li away.

This was to prevent the power of maternal relatives. So many troubles in previous dynasties were caused by maternal relatives.

Articles 8 through 17 cover matters such as the stipends of members of the imperial family, the marriage of princes, the marriage of princesses, the regulations of princely residences, and funeral rites, with detailed and comprehensive provisions.

After reading it, Jia Wen remained silent for a long time before raising his head to look at Chen Xing.

"Your Majesty, regarding these seventeen points, I...I have nothing to say."

Chen Xing looked at him and asked, "Is it too good, or too strict?"

Jia Wen smiled wryly: "It's a combination of both. It's good because it's thoughtful and preventative; it's strict because... His Majesty is trying to plug every possible loophole."

Chen Xing nodded.

"Yes. I intend to block it completely."

His gaze swept over the crowd.

"I am not afraid of people competing, but I am afraid of competing without rules. I am not afraid of people having ideas, but I am afraid of having ideas without any bottom line. With these seventeen articles, from now on, whoever wants to compete will compete according to the rules; whoever wants to fight will fight according to the rules. Those who go too far will be dealt with according to the rules."

He paused, his tone turning somber.

"Gentlemen, let me make this clear from the outset—these seventeen articles, set today, will be implemented tomorrow. I myself will also abide by them. Anyone who finds these rules in the way and tries to sneak around them, don't blame me for being ruthless."

The hall was completely silent.

After a long silence, Murong Mingyue was the first to speak:

"Your Majesty, I have no objection."

Su Xiaoxiao followed closely behind: "Your Majesty, I have no objection."

Lin Wan'er said softly, "Your Majesty, I have no objection."

Lan Fenghuang blinked and then said, "Your Majesty... has no objection either."

The senior officials of the imperial clan exchanged glances and bowed in unison.

"We have no objection."

Jia Wen bowed deeply at the end:

"Your Majesty, I second that proposal."

On the tenth day of the first lunar month, the "Seventeen Articles of Imperial Ancestral Instructions" were officially promulgated.

The imperial edict was mounted on yellow silk, stamped with the emperor's jade seal, and made in triplicate. One copy was kept in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, one in the Grand Secretariat, and one in the Empress's palace.

Chen Xing personally led his three sons to the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

Inside the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the ancestral tablets of Chen Xing, who was posthumously honored, are enshrined. The air is thick with the smoke of incense, creating a solemn atmosphere.

Chen Xing made his three sons kneel before the memorial tablet, while he stood to the side and said in a deep voice:

"Qi'er, Heng'er, Ke'er, listen carefully."

The three children knelt upright, their ears perked up.

"These seventeen rules are the regulations I have set for you. From now on, no matter who becomes emperor, you must abide by these rules. If anyone breaks these rules, I will be watching you from the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and our ancestors will be watching you from heaven."

He paused.

"But I must tell you something else today—rules are rigid, but people are flexible. Rules can control your behavior, but they cannot control your hearts. You must control your hearts yourself."

He looked at Chen Qi.

"Qi'er, you are the eldest son. Whether you become the crown prince or not, you must set a good example for your younger brothers."

Chen Qi kowtowed deeply: "Your subject will remember."

He looked at Chen Heng.

"Heng'er, you're smart. Smart people are prone to taking shortcuts. But some shortcuts are not to be taken."

Chen Heng lowered his head: "Your subject will remember."

He looked at Chen Ke.

"Ke'er, you are still young. But you must remember what I said today when you grow up."

Chen Ke said in a childish voice, "Your subject... Your subject remembers."

Chen Xing nodded and looked at the memorial tablets.

The smoke curled upwards slowly, dissipating into the high, spacious dome of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Lantern Festival.

Chang'an City was ablaze with lights. The East and West Markets were teeming with people; the Qujiang Pool was a sea of ​​lanterns. People of all ages came out to admire the lanterns, their laughter and chatter filling the air.

On the city wall of the imperial city, Chen Xing, accompanied by the Empress, the Imperial Concubine, the Virtuous Concubine, the Wise Concubine, and the three princes, looked down at the sea of ​​lights.

"Father," Chen Heng pointed to a huge dragon lantern in the distance, "what is that?"

Chen Xing looked at it and said, "That's a dragon lantern. The dragon is our totem."

Chen Heng then asked, "Why a dragon?"

Chen Xing thought for a moment and said, "Because dragons can fly to the sky and dive into the earth, and they can summon wind and rain. Just like us humans, as long as we have the ability, we can do many things."

Chen Heng nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Chen Ke leaned against the railing, his little face pressed against the cool stone, watching intently. Suddenly, he pointed to a rabbit lantern in the distance and excitedly shouted, "Mommy! Rabbit! Rabbit!"

Lan Fenghuang smiled and picked him up so he could see him more clearly.

Chen Qi stood aside, quietly watching all of this. His gaze shifted from his brothers to the sea of ​​lights in the city.

Those lights, scattered like stars, stretched to the horizon. Behind each light was a family. His father, the emperor, said that their lives depended on him and his son to protect them.

He suddenly felt that the burden on his shoulders had become even heavier.

But he wasn't afraid.

Because he knew that he had his brothers by his side, his father and mother behind him, and all those who loved him.

He took a deep breath, raised his head, and gazed at the dazzling night sky.

In the night sky, there are stars, the moon, and the glow of countless lights.

So lovely.