Chapter 21: Shouldering Heavy Responsibilities (2)

  After saying the first three points, Zhou Wenbo was somewhat at a loss for words.

  The last two of his five strategies, whether it is gathering scattered soldiers or recruiting new troops, require a large amount of manpower, money, food and resources. A true leader of a force has the ability and prestige to do these things.

  However, all the power of the Zhao State Duke's Mansion is still in the hands of the Lü family.

  Just as when the Emperor had just passed away, the Empress became the Empress Dowager.

  If the emperor did not leave a will, Empress Dowager would have too much say in who should be the new ruler.

  The problems of the Gao family are no different from those of the imperial family.

  The inheritance of this great undertaking is forever the most central and important issue.

  But obviously this cannot be said by Zhou Wenbo himself.

  In ancient China, emperors ascended the throne, except for some founding emperors, mostly by being supported by subordinates or a few trusted individuals or several veteran ministers, and then succeeded in their position.

  In ancient times, when a powerful minister usurped the throne, he would always decline three times and make a show of reluctance, indicating that he was not bullying the orphaned children and widowed mothers of the old dynasty, but rather that the emperor of the old dynasty had voluntarily yielded to him.

  The ministers also got the merit of enthronement, which is a great achievement, basically equivalent to enjoying the treatment of "golden card for exemption from death" during the emperor's lifetime.

  It's not just China, the West is no exception.

  At Napoleon's coronation as Emperor, he took the crown from the hands of the bishop and crowned himself.

  This matter also became a surprising and incomprehensible joke circulating around.

  That's a basic rule of politics: never show your hunger for something.

  Although Zhou Wenbo is not within reach of the throne at present, it is also the highest title in the Later Tang Dynasty except for the imperial family - the first-class title of Zhao Guogong.

  Moreover, along with this title came hundreds of hectares of land, an army of 5,000 men, a large amount of gold and silver, and stored grain. Any one of these would be enough to drive countless people crazy in this chaotic world.

  As soon as he bumped into the pillow, Zhou Wenbo was thinking of how to wake up Lü Old Lady when Zhou Deyu began to persuade him.

  "Elder sister-in-law, as the saying goes, a country cannot be without a ruler for even a day. Now that my elder brother has passed away, this vast Zhao State's public office must also select a successor. Otherwise, how can we make everyone believe that there is still someone who can take charge of the Zhao State's public office? Please, elder sister-in-law, quickly decide on a candidate and report to the Emperor, so that they can inherit the title of Duke of Zhao."

  Although Zhou Deyu's words did not explicitly state that he wanted to establish Zhou Wenbo as the Duke of Zhao, now that he is still in Luoyang City, the only one who can compete with Zhou Wenbo is a two-year-old child. Who does not know where this trend is going?

  After hearing this, everyone's eyes were fixed on the old woman sitting at the top, and her next words would determine the fate of the entire Zhao Guo Gongfu in the future.

  "Third brother, you come and hold the pen. Zhou De, go to Old Master's room and bring back that treasured seal with 'Duke of Zhao' engraved on it!"

  Contrary to everyone's expectations, Lü made a decision in an instant.

  When everything was ready, Lü sat on the big chair, closed his eyes tightly, read aloud in a loud voice, and his two white eyebrows trembled inexplicably.

  Zhou Deyu on the side quickly wrote down according to Lü's words.

  "In the third year of Tongguang, both Zhou Deyan and his son Zhou Wenquan died in battle. The position of Duke was vacant. Only Zhou Wenbo, who was respectful, kind, pure and filial, could inherit the great title. All relatives agreed that Prince Wenbo should succeed to the dukedom."

  After the ink on the silk fabric dried, Old Lady Lü took over the "Zhao Guo Gong Yin" carefully presented by Zhou De. With trembling hands, she held the large jade seal, dipped it in the stamp pad, and pressed it firmly onto the lower right corner of the silk fabric.

  Lü then took out her private seal from her bosom and stamped it on the silk, followed by Zhou Dexiu and Zhou Deyu who also stamped their private seals.

  After laboriously completing all this, Mrs. Lü seemed to have been emptied of her energy, weakly handing over the silk cloth and Zhao Guogong's seal to Zhou Wenbo, who was kneeling on the ground.

  "Wenbo, from now on, you are the master of this house. All internal matters will be handed over to you by Zhou De, and external matters will be discussed and handled together with your two uncles."

  Zhou Wenbo nodded sincerely after receiving the silk book and the large seal.

  "I'm getting sleepy. Xiahe, Qiuyue, help me back to the house."

  After handing over the silk book and the great seal, Lü Shi seemed to have been deflated, becoming somewhat soft and limp. For years, she had been full of energy and vitality, even when her husband and son's deaths were announced, she never hung her head or became despondent.

  However, at this time, she somehow lost all the pressure, put down all her persistence, and also put down a heavy burden. Now she is so tired.

  She just wanted to go and have a good sleep before considering these things that were bothering and frustrating her.

  At the moment when Zhou Wenbo got the silk book and the big seal, several high-ranking servants in the Zhao State Duke's mansion, including the housekeeper Zhou De, knew that the sky had changed.

  The second young master, who was not valued in daily life, suddenly became the new Zhao Guo Gong, and the old lady also seemed to have put down all her rights. This second young master became the decider of their fate, making them immediately become very respectful, showing the expression that only showed to the national couple.

  Zhou Wenbo had no time to lament the unpredictability of life and the drastic changes in the expressions of several servants, as the emperor's summons could arrive at the mansion at any moment, and he had to determine Liu Huang's attitude as soon as possible.

  Zhou Dexiu quickly took Zhou Wenbo's handwritten letter and gift list to find Liu Chengen, a close eunuch of the empress dowager. In this letter, Zhou Wenbo used the "Zhao Guo Gong Yin" seal for the first time, which represented his identity as Duke of Zhao.

  I believe that as soon as Empress Liu sees this seal and that heavy gift list, she won't refuse the proposal in my letter.

  Zhou De was arranged to go to the warehouse to retrieve gold, silver and jewels on the gift list, and Zhou De's third uncle also temporarily bid farewell.

  Third Uncle first congratulated Zhou Wenbo on his succession to the title of Duke of Zhao, and then immediately went out to visit some colleagues and old friends.

  The meeting hall, which originally had more than ten people, suddenly only had Zhou Wenbo left, and he slowly calmed down.

  He never expected things to go so smoothly, far better than the best scenario he had imagined. His third uncle, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, gave him full support, and Lü Shi, who was originally considered an obstacle, also cooperated surprisingly well. Just three days ago, he was still an unremarkable son of a public house, but now he has become the illustrious Duke of Zhao!

  Is it with the help of the "Holy Son System"?

  It's very likely, after all, being evaluated as having 85 charm is quite impressive, and the two charm derivative skills "Peach Blossom" and "Boastful Talk" should have both taken effect.

  It turns out that "Peach Blossom" is not the narrow skill of seducing girls as I imagined, but a versatile skill with many uses. If I can meet and talk to Empress Liu, I'm afraid the probability of getting her support will be even higher.

  However, Zhou Wenbo was not stunned by the pie that fell from the sky. He knew that he was not yet a true Prince of Zhao State, after all, Emperor Li Cunxu had not expressed his attitude. If Li Cunxu was extremely angry about Zhou Deyan's failure and vented his anger on the Prince of Zhao State's mansion, whether it was to strip him of his title or remove him from office, it would be a huge blow to the Zhou family.

  However, Zhou Wenbo was unaware that the situation was far more sinister than he had imagined. The eunuchs led by Ma Shaohong were eager to take down the Zhao Guo Gong Fu, which had repeatedly opposed them over the past three years.

  What's even more dangerous is that a venomous snake named Qin Shou has already infiltrated the Zhao State Duke's residence...