harleyscars Chapter 138 Ineffective Parenting
Chapter 138 Ineffective Parenting
Chapter 138 Ineffective Parenting
"You-ge'er, didn't you become Hai Shilang's apprentice? Could you ask him to help you inquire about it?" Madam Wang grabbed Wang You's arm, her tone pleading.
Under normal circumstances, even the prime minister would not be allowed to stay in the palace for a day and a night.
Unless something really serious has happened.
Even if something extremely serious happens, Sheng Hong has no right to participate.
After the palace gates closed yesterday, Sheng Hong had not yet returned, so she wanted to come to the Wang family for help.
But Old Mrs. Sheng stopped her.
It wasn't that Old Madam Sheng didn't care about Sheng Hong's life or death. Sheng Hong was the pillar of the Sheng family. If something happened to Sheng Hong, even if the other members of the Sheng family were not implicated, they would still be greatly affected.
Putting aside everything else, the marriages of younger generations like Sheng Changbai will be affected.
The reason she stopped Madam Wang was because today was the day of Mei Yaochen's funeral, and Hai Wenqing was at the Mei family's place.
We don't know the exact situation right now, and if we make a big fuss, it might get even more serious.
This morning, after inquiring around, Old Madam Sheng learned that Sheng Hong was not the only one left in the palace yesterday.
There were also some nobles and court officials, and all of them except Sheng Hong had one thing in common: they all sided with the Prince Chong.
Upon hearing the news, Old Madam Sheng guessed that the government might have already made a decision.
But she didn't understand why, given Sheng Hong's cautious nature, he would even take the initiative to arrange a transfer to the Ministry of Works in order to avoid the struggle for succession.
Of the six ministries, the Ministry of Works now holds the lowest status.
The current officials are frugal; they have not undertaken any major construction projects in their decades-long reigns, and even the number of times the imperial palace has been repaired can be counted on one hand.
Most of the officials in the Ministry of Works were just coasting along. Even Prince Yong and Prince Chong looked down on the officials in the Ministry of Works, except for the Minister of Works and the two Vice Ministers, and were too lazy to win them over.
Sheng also took the initiative to transfer to the Ministry of Works because of this factor.
Under these circumstances, it would be impossible for Sheng Hong to secretly support Chong Wang.
"Aunt, don't worry, I'll go ask the teacher for help."
After Wang You finished speaking, he said goodbye to his mother and hurriedly left the house.
Although he knew the specific reason, he couldn't explain it and could only seek help from the Hai family.
When Wang You arrived at the Hai family home, Hai Wenqing had just lain down.
These days have exhausted him.
He had to preside over the imperial examinations and also attend Mei Yaochen's funeral.
Upon learning that Wang You was in a hurry to see him, he put on an outer robe and had someone bring Wang You in.
"Teacher!" Wang You bowed respectfully.
"What's the matter that's so urgent?" Hai Wenqing asked.
"Teacher, student—"
Wang You recounted the events in detail.
"Are you sure he didn't take sides and support His Highness the King?" Hai Wenqing asked, frowning.
Old Madam Sheng had visited the Hai family before, and her words implied that she wanted to ask Hai Chaoyun, the eldest daughter of the Hai family, to marry her eldest grandson.
Hai Wenqing had someone inquire about Sheng Changbai, and it was found that he was mature beyond his years and had excellent knowledge.
Moreover, the Sheng family has a good family tradition, and Sheng Changbai's grandfather was even a third-place scholar in the imperial examination.
Despite the fact that Old Master Sheng and Old Madam Sheng are at odds because of the women in the brothel,
But these are all family matters, and people try to keep them quiet, so they naturally won't make a big fuss about them.
If Sheng Changbai can pass the imperial examination with flying colors, the Sheng family can be considered a family of scholars.
Sheng Changbai is a good person, and the Sheng family's social standing meets the Hai family's standards for marriage alliance.
Despite the Hai family's high social standing, their daughter's marriage is actually quite complicated due to their unique customs.
A member of the Hai family can only take a concubine if he is forty years old and has no son.
This applies not only to the sons of the Hai family, but also to the daughters of the Hai family after they get married, whose husbands must abide by this rule.
This speaks volumes about the wisdom of the Hai family's ancestor.
By establishing such an ancestral rule, even if the relationship between husband and wife is just average, after being married for twenty years or so, their relationship should have improved.
This can avoid marital conflicts and promote family harmony.
Of course, this is only secondary.
The most important thing is to avoid marriage with top-level powerful figures.
Given the Hai family's social standing, any marriage alliances they would form would undoubtedly involve top-tier powerful families in the court, or at the very least, families of equal social standing.
Families that are a good match for the Hai family are naturally of high social standing.
However, if the Hai family were to form a marriage alliance with such a family, it would easily arouse the suspicion of the officials, which would not benefit the Hai family at all.
Secondly, the imperial court is dangerous. Powerful families are either fine, or if something happens to them, it will be a major incident that will also implicate the Hai family.
However, the Hai family couldn't directly refuse the marriage alliance, but this rule made things different.
Families qualified to marry into the Hai family must all have the eldest son of the legitimate wife.
Besides inheriting the family business, the eldest son has an even more important role: to carry on the bloodline.
It is impossible to accept such outrageous conditions.
This rule will keep those families that the Hai family finds difficult to refuse out of their homes.
The Hai family can choose any of the remaining households.
These families could hardly offer any direct help to the Hai family, so when choosing a marriage partner, the Hai family valued the person themselves more.
Wang You would have been a good choice, but Hai Wenqing never considered it.
After all, Grand Tutor Wang was entitled to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Although the Wang family has declined somewhat, it does not meet the Hai family's criteria for choosing in-laws.
If Sheng Hong really got involved, then he would never agree to this marriage no matter what.
"The students don't know the specifics either, but my aunt said that the reason my uncle was transferred to the Ministry of Works was because he didn't want to get involved in the struggle for the heir apparent," Wang You said.
"In that case, I'll go and try to find out. I can't guarantee I'll be able to get any information," Hai Wenqing said.
"Thank you for your help, teacher," Wang You said gratefully.
"Alright, you can go back now. I'll go to the palace right away," Hai Wenqing said.
"The student takes his leave!" Wang You bowed and withdrew.
After Wang You left, Hai Wenqing changed into his official robes and went to the palace.
After being informed, they entered the Longtu Pavilion.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!"
The emperor sat blankly behind his desk, lost in thought. Hearing the voice, he snapped out of his daze and asked in a hoarse voice, "Sheng Yu has been buried?"
"He has already been buried," Hai Wenqing replied.
"Baekhyun, do you think this is divine punishment for me?"
The emperor looked haggard and said to himself, "My birth mother was still alive all those years ago, but I didn't know it. I never got to see her until she passed away."
The new policies were also my idea back then, and I put them under the leadership of Minister Fan and others, but I backed down first.
All my princes have died young; it must be Heaven's punishment for me.
Hai Wenqing remained silent; how could he possibly respond to such a matter?
It's neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
The emperor didn't expect to get an answer from Hai Wenqing, and said to himself, "I possess the entire world, yet I don't even have a son. I can't even compare to ordinary people—haha—"
The official's laughter was tinged with endless bitterness.
After a long while, the Emperor wiped away his tears and said, "I've made Baekhyun laugh at me."
"Although His Majesty is the Son of Heaven, he is still a mortal being with his own emotions, which is perfectly normal," Hai Wenqing said.
The Emperor sighed, "Yes, I am only human. But which of my officials has considered these things? When I lost my son, they pressured me to establish an heir."
Hai Wenqing paused for a moment before saying, "Has the Emperor already made a decision?"
"How did you know, my dear minister?" the Emperor asked.
"His Majesty left more than a dozen nobles and officials who supported the Prince Chong in the palace. Among these people, the nobles are all from families with corrupt reputations, and the other officials are not of high rank. His Majesty is merciful and wants to give those officials who support the Prince a way out," Hai Wenqing said.
Upon learning that the emperor had left more than a dozen officials in the palace to support the king, he guessed the emperor's intentions.
Once you're involved in the struggle for the crown prince position, there's no turning back, not only for the individuals involved but also for the officials who support them.
Historically, even princes who rebelled, despite being in a weak position, still managed to gain some supporters.
Apart from a few gamblers who wanted to take a chance on the success of the rise to power, the rest were people who were too deeply involved and had no way out.
Take the Xuanwu Gate Incident as an example. When Li Yuan established the Tang Dynasty, he immediately appointed a crown prince.
The purpose was to establish a formal status as soon as possible to avoid conflict between the two sons.
One was the eldest son, and the other had military merits; both had a group of supporters around them.
Establishing a formal status early on would discourage those who supported Li Shimin and keep their distance from him.
This approach proved very effective, as most of those who initially allied themselves with the Li family were supporters of Li Jiancheng.
Unfortunately, Li Yuan needed Li Shimin so much when he was conquering the country.
At the beginning of the Li family's uprising, they promised high-ranking positions and generous salaries, which won the support of many powerful families.
These people were not loyal to the Li family, so he needed members of the imperial clan to command the army.
Even after the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, he still needed Li Shimin to lead the troops in battle.
Li Shimin's supporters were mostly those he recruited during this process.
For this reason, these people were all labeled as Li Shimin's associates and were targeted by Li Jiancheng.
Therefore, regardless of their motives, they could only support Li Shimin.
Even if Li Shimin didn't want to fight, they would push him to fight.
Because once Li Jiancheng ascended the throne, their fate was hard to predict.
They would either be executed by Li Jiancheng for various reasons, or they would be alienated and not given important positions.
But they dared not gamble, and could only support Li Shimin in fighting for it.
Of course, they could also switch allegiance to Li Jiancheng.
But at best, this would only get them initially promoted, to impress those who supported Li Shimin.
Even after Li Shimin was no longer a threat, he still wouldn't be given important positions.
The Prince of Yong and the Prince of Chong are now like this, irreconcilable enemies. Not only them, but also their supporters will suffer a terrible fate after the other side wins.
The emperor did not directly determine the heir apparent, but rather used this method to express his attitude.
Those who support Chong Wang will naturally distance themselves from him in order to protect themselves.
Although in the Song Dynasty, regardless of who won, the loser would have no chance to rebel.
Those who support their opponents will inevitably be held accountable once the victor takes over.
The government first makes its stance clear, giving them time to draw a clear line, and then decides on the successor later.
Meanwhile, the winner gradually calmed down.
While I wouldn't say I won't pursue the matter at all, I certainly won't go to extremes.
Not everyone has the magnanimity of Li Shimin.
If it were an ordinary person, driven to that point, they would definitely go on a killing spree after succeeding, slaughtering all those who supported their opponents to vent their anger.
Besides, the Emperor's actions may also be seen as giving Prince Chong an opportunity.
After Prince Chong realized his defeat, regardless of whether he was humiliated by Prince Yong or not, once Prince Yong had vented his anger and ascended the throne, he might not necessarily kill Prince Yan.
Although this situation was caused by the government itself, it was not easy for the government to have come to this point.
"You can understand it, but I don't know if some people can."
The Emperor sighed and asked, "What brings you to see me, my dear minister?"
"Your Majesty, I have come for this very reason."
Hai Wenqing recounted Sheng Hong's story, and then recounted how Sheng Hong had voluntarily transferred to the Ministry of Works to avoid the struggle over the succession.
After listening, the Emperor pondered for a moment and said, "It was I who ruined him, but he was somewhat incompetent in raising his son."
Sheng Hong's actions could be described as very tactful, but the emperor felt a pang of self-reproach upon hearing them.
The conflict between Prince Chong and Prince Yong can be said to have been caused by him.
That's why he did it; he felt he had wronged those officials.
To avoid being caught up in the succession struggle, Sheng even gave up his future and went to hide in the Ministry of Works.
How many similar incidents are there in the court?
"Very well, since that's the case, I will not pursue this matter further."
The Emperor said, "I will order his release shortly."
"Your Majesty is wise!" Hai Wenqing bowed and said.
Although everything was caused by the Emperor's indecisiveness, he was still able to prepare a way out for his ministers. In this respect, the Emperor truly deserves his reputation for benevolence.
"You'er, how are you?"
When Wang Youyi returned home, Wang Min and Madam Feng came out to greet him upon hearing the news and hurriedly inquired about his whereabouts.
"The teacher agreed to go to the palace to ask around."
Wang You asked, "Where is my aunt?"
"The Sheng family is still asking around for news, and your aunt has gone back to wait for news."
Wang Min said, "Go to the Sheng family right now and tell your aunt this news."
"Let's wait and see."
Wang You said, "Just send someone to the Sheng family to let them know. We'll talk again when we have definite news."
Wang Min thought for a moment and said, "Then let's send someone to inform them first."
There's no concrete information right now, so going there wouldn't make much of a difference.
"I'll go out and ask around."
Wang Min was still somewhat uneasy, so after giving the order, he hurriedly left.
This is why people in ancient times liked to use marriage alliances to bind the relationship between two parties.
Because if something happens to the in-laws after a marriage alliance, it will affect your own family as well.
Of course, this also depends on the size and severity of the matter.
If it's a minor matter, it won't have much of an impact. But if it's a significant issue, it could have a considerable effect on the Wang family.
Therefore, from any perspective, he cannot afford to be careless.
About an hour after Wang Min left, Hai Wenqing sent someone to the Wang family to inform them that they could send people to wait outside the palace to pick up the person, but it was unknown when they would be released.
Upon learning this, Wang You personally went to the Sheng family to inform them.
When he arrived at the Sheng family's residence, he found the gates tightly shut.
Stone stepped forward and knocked on the door. The doorman opened the door after verifying his identity.
After welcoming Wang You inside, they hurriedly closed the door.
The servants led Wang You to the backyard, where several rough-working women were standing at the entrance.
The maids, who did odd jobs, didn't recognize Wang You. When they saw the gatekeeper bringing people over, they quickly said, "Didn't the lady say that the courtyard gates are closed and no guests are allowed?"
"This is the young master of the Wang family!"
The gatekeeper hurriedly said, "Why haven't you brought the young master inside yet?"
Upon hearing Wang You's identity, the old woman did not lead him inside. Instead, she apologized, asked Wang You to wait a moment, and hurriedly went inside to report.
Wang You frowned slightly. What exactly was the Sheng family doing with all this fuss?