Chapter 69: Establishing the Heir?

  The King of Qin looked at the unusually quiet group of officials and smiled. No matter who was ultimately chosen as a hostage, he would be the ultimate beneficiary. If his eldest son Zhu were to be held hostage, he would have to give him the title of Crown Prince. If Prince Shi were to be held hostage, he could take advantage of his absence to eliminate his followers.

  Of course, the King of Qin would rather have his eldest son Zhu as a hostage, so that his own eldest son could make a great contribution to the state of Qin. This struggle for the throne can be considered closed. As for the danger of being a hostage, I suppose Chu State fears the power of Qin State and will not make things difficult for Zhu.

  Seeing all the officials lowering their heads and remaining silent, the King of Qin had no choice but to start calling out names one by one.

  "Chancellor, you are the leader of all officials. This time sending a prince as a hostage to the State of Chu, who do you think is suitable to be sent?" The King of Qin pointed his spearhead first at his own "uncle".

  "I am stupid and only know to obey the king and the empress dowager. As for sending a hostage, our court should have a precedent. I think we should ask the langzhongling." Wei Ruo was not fooled and kicked the ball to the official in charge with his most familiar Tai Chi move.

  "Ah?" The King of Qin couldn't help but smile, and turned to look at the Imperial Physician, asking: "Wang Qing, this matter is under your jurisdiction, you tell me, who should be sent as a hostage?"

  Lang Zhongling Wang Shuo was indeed shot while lying down, but he could only curse Wei Rang in his heart on the one hand and hold the imperial tablet "innocently" on the other, and stepped forward to report: "To report to Your Majesty, according to precedent, when two countries exchange hostages, the identity of the hostages should be agreed upon by both countries, whether it is a member of the royal family, a prince or a crown prince."

  Lang Zhongling kicked the ball back and said that the requirements for being a prince were jointly agreed upon by Qin and Chu, and he couldn't make decisions on his own. Such a big thing should be discussed with King of Chu!

  The King of Qin didn't get angry, but instead smiled and asked: "Marquis Wu'an, did the King of Chu ever mention sending anyone to our country as a hostage?"

  "It was not explicitly stated, but I think it is likely to be Xiong Wan, the crown prince of Chu." Gongzi Shi hesitated for a moment before continuing: "Or perhaps one of Yangwen Jun's sons, Xiong Huan or Xiong Guan."

  Nowadays, the King of Chu has only one son, that is, Crown Prince Xiong Wan. Yang Wenjun is just the half-brother of the King of Chu. After a moment's thought, the King of Qin continued to smile and asked: "Wang Qing, if Chu sends Xiong Huan or Xiong Guan as a hostage, who should our great Qin send to Chu? If Chu sends Crown Prince Xiong Wan as a hostage, what should our great Qin do?"

  Lang Zhongling, who had just let out a sigh of relief, suddenly tensed up again upon hearing these words. If he could complain at this moment, he would definitely say: "Big brother, don't play with people like this! This is too much bullying! Out of so many people, why pick on me!"

  But this is the Warring States, and this is Xianyang Palace. The Langzhongling could only stand up again and say: "If Chu uses Xiong Huan and Xiong Guan as hostages, it would be acceptable for the King to send a noble of the royal family as a hostage in return. If Chu uses Crown Prince Xiong Wan as a hostage, according to etiquette, Qin should also send its own crown prince as a hostage. But ultimately, who will be sent as a hostage is up to the King's decision."

  "Ah, I see!" The King of Qin feigned a look of sudden realization and spoke seriously: "I regard the State of Chu as a brotherly state. As long as Chu is willing to send Prince Xiong Wan as a hostage, our great Qin will certainly do the same with our own prince to Chu. I believe that Chu will attach importance to the friendship between Qin and Chu, and most likely, as Marquis Wu'an said, they will take Prince Xiong Wan as a hostage. My dear ministers, let us assume this is the case, who should we send as a hostage to Chu?"

  The King of Qin made a big circle and still threw out the heaviest topic - I just want to send the crown prince as a hostage to the State of Chu, who do you think should be sent? Whoever you say should be sent is supporting him as the crown prince!

  The king of Qin's words left no room for even half a turn, it was completely a showdown. The ministers had only two choices, either to choose the prince or the eldest son Zhu. The officials looked at each other, who did not dare to speak first.

  The officials of Gongzi City are the most difficult to deal with. If we choose Gongzi City as a hostage, on the surface it seems like we're helping him, but in reality, we're harming him. No one suspects that according to Qin Wang's temperament and character, once Gongzi City leaves for Chu, Qin Wang will immediately strike at Gongzi City's power. If we choose Qin Wang's eldest son Zhu as a hostage, Qin Wang will definitely be delighted, but Gongzi City might not be happy. Crisis, crisis, opportunities are hidden in danger! Although being a hostage is somewhat dangerous, once Zhu becomes a hostage in Chu, Qin Wang will surely give him the title of Crown Prince.

  The officials of the Qin Wang's line also couldn't grasp the mind of the Qin king. Choosing either Gongzi Shi or Zhangzi Zhu as a hostage would be beneficial to the Qin king, but it was hard to fathom the will of heaven, and the high-ranking ministers were also uncertain which one the Qin king's heart inclined towards.

  Just as King Qin was about to start calling the roll and forcing the officials to express their views, Gongzi Shi stepped forward with a court tablet in his hand and said: "I have a memorial to present."

  "Speak!" The King of Qin waved his hand grandly.

  "I humbly report to Your Majesty, the establishment of a crown prince is a major event for the country. The reason why the position of the Great Qin's crown prince has been delayed and undecided is precisely because we are worried that the crown prince we establish will not be up to the task, shaking the foundations of the state. I believe this matter should be reported to the Empress Dowager; as long as Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager make a decision, there will certainly be no one in Great Qin who will not obey."

  "The words of Prince Wan are quite right, I concur." Chancellor Wei Ran immediately responded.

  The issue of who will be the crown prince can be delayed, and neither Prince Qin nor Prince Shi is fully prepared to show their cards. Even though King Qin seemed to be forcing the officials to take a stand earlier, no official would dare say that someone must be appointed. Prince Shi cleverly countered King Qin's words. Who among the court officials doesn't know that the power of speech in Qin country is currently in the hands of Empress Dowager? Whoever she supports will win.

  Perhaps both the King of Qin and Gongzi Shi have had enough of the Dowager's ambiguous attitude. This time, no matter what, they will let the Dowager decide who to send as a hostage. As for Gongzi Shi, the one thing he most wants to know now is whether his mother has abandoned him or not.

  If she is willing to speak for herself, formally establish herself as the crown prince, then this throne will be at ease. Compare with her own king brother who lives longer, and let her own son inherit the throne at most.

  If she still doesn't understand the situation and even supports the King of Qin, then I might as well give this opportunity to my nephew. After all, it's just a title of crown prince. I'll have a good competition with my royal brother in Xianyang, either becoming the king or the defeated one.

  "We concur." The other ministers also expressed their agreement.

  The King of Qin, who thought he had the upper hand, smiled and said: "Since all of you are saying this, I will consult with the Empress Dowager to establish the position of Crown Prince in Chu as soon as possible."

  Xianyang, Changle Palace.

  The empress dowager looked at Prince Shi, who was kneeling on the ground, with kindness and said: "You're not young anymore, don't kneel."

  "Thank you, Imperial Mother." The young master stood up with the momentum and walked to the Empress Dowager's side, massaging her shoulders.

  "Everyone get out!" The empress dowager waved her hand to dismiss the attending maidservants, closed her eyes and smiled as she asked: "Speak, what brings you to find this old woman this time?"

  "Mother, look what you're saying. Can't I come to see you if nothing's wrong? I'm really missing you, Mother. As soon as I returned from my mission to Chu State, I came straight here to see you!" Prince Shi said, massaging the Empress Dowager's shoulders while complaining.

  "You've had a lot of wicked ideas since you were young! How was it this time, did it go smoothly?" the empress dowager asked with concern.

  "It's all right! It's just that the long journey was a bit tiring. The State of Chu has already agreed to form an alliance, but the people are worried that our Qin state won't keep its promise, so the King of Chu hopes we can exchange hostages as soon as possible." Gongzi Shi finally revealed his intention.

  "You're not young anymore, running back and forth for thousands of miles is also hard on you." The empress sighed and still brought up the topic she least wanted to talk about, "Just send a prince as a hostage if you must! You all come and discuss it yourselves."

  "Empress! The king wants to send the crown prince as a hostage." Gongzi Shi's tone was somewhat resigned.

  "What? Why must it be the Crown Prince?" The Empress Dowager was displeased. At present, Great Qin still did not have a formal heir apparent. Was this not forcing her to set up an heir in accordance with their rhythm?

  King Wang said that in order to show respect for the State of Chu, he planned to exchange princes with the State of Chu as hostages. Gongzi Shi carefully observed the expression on the queen's face.

  "Oh dear! This is quite a nuisance." The empress subconsciously scratched her head, sighing. What's meant to come will come anyway!

  "What does the respected madam think is the most suitable person to be sent as a hostage?" Gongzi Shi gritted his teeth and anxiously spoke out the most crucial sentence.

  (Running with tears to ask for recommendations and collections. Only see clicks but no recommendations or collections. Amitabha! Please, please, please!)