Several more months passed.
Emperor Huiyang had two more daughters.
Many scoffed at this, whispering privately that he was destined to have no sons, and any struggle was futile.
Certain princes of the imperial clan began to stir.
They lobbied to have their own sons adopted by him.
After all, he had been sterilized, and the concubines who became pregnant all bore daughters. With no heir, adoption from the imperial clan seemed inevitable. Could they really let his daughters inherit the throne? Even if he wanted it, the imperial clan would never agree, and neither would the court officials.
Now, it was all about whose son would be adopted.
And who would inherit his throne.
The court officials were also disappointed and had no hope of Emperor Huiyang having a son. They began to cooperate with the imperial clan, urging Emperor Huiyang to adopt a male heir.
"An early establishment of the Crown Prince stabilizes the foundation of the state."
The chaos caused by the late Emperor's failure to establish a Crown Prince had only subsided less than two years ago. The previous incident was merely a rebellion among princes. If another accident occurred this time, it could very well escalate into a rebellion of all princes, a far more dangerous threat.
In everyone's eyes.
Emperor Huiyang would ultimately have to compromise.
After all, he had no choice.
Could he conjure a son out of thin air?
However, Ding Yun, through the information channels obtained from the "Magu Kaxian Shou" lucky draw, saw Emperor Huiyang's unwillingness.
And his private actions and another possibility.
...
Rear Hall of Kunning Palace.
After all the eunuchs and palace maids were dismissed, leaving only Emperor Huiyang, the Empress, and his second daughter, Princess Pingde, alone in the hall, Princess Pingde once again said with resolve:
"Father, are you truly willing to accept this?
Are you truly willing to choose a member of the imperial clan with no blood relation to you to inherit the throne? I repeat my previous words, I wish to be the Imperial Crown Princess. If I can successfully inherit the throne, wouldn't it be better than selecting an adopted son?"
"Stop talking. What can we do if we are unwilling?
There has never been an Imperial Crown Princess in any dynasty. What use is it if only you and I are willing? Don't even mention me, even if Emperor Shenwu himself were alive, if he declared his intention to establish an Imperial Crown Princess, I'm afraid all the court officials and elders of the imperial clan would not agree!
You are simply dreaming impossibly..."
It would be a lie to say he wasn't moved. But Emperor Huiyang knew even better that to establish his daughter as the Imperial Crown Princess would be to go against the entire world, against millennia of tradition.
Besides his wife and his few daughters.
Probably no one else would agree.
"Alas, Pingde, I know you are unwilling, but this is how the world is. No matter how unwilling you are, there is nothing we can do!"
The Empress also sighed helplessly, trying to placate her daughter.
"Father, Mother, can you not negate me, not admit defeat before even trying?
Are there no households in the common folk that pass down to daughters?
Are there no common folk who take in sons-in-law?
Those who take in sons-in-law and pass down to daughters can still hold authority. Isn't our princesses taking consorts equivalent to common folk taking sons-in-law? It's just that the children don't take our surname. But if I wish, it's an easy matter to have the children change their surname. Isn't that closer than those outsiders?
When that time comes, if you establish me as the Imperial Crown Princess, and your grandson-in-law as the Imperial Grandson, I can serve as a transition. This way, there would be no problem, right? There are even cases in common households where, due to the lack of a male heir, the family fortune is passed to the grandson!"
If Princess Pingde had no intentions, she wouldn't have repeatedly come to the palace with such unwavering determination to become the Imperial Crown Princess.
She was gambling, gambling that her father would be moved.
No matter how distant the grandson's bloodline.
It was still closer than the bloodline of a collateral branch.
However, Emperor Huiyang still shook his head:
"You are thinking too naively. The imperial family and ordinary common families cannot be compared. Do you know how much effort I expended to protect the lives of your newborn sisters? It's fortunate they are girls.
If they were boys, they would be even more dangerous.
They might have already died.
Take, for example, the late Emperor's Thirteenth Prince.
Your idea sounds good, and for an ordinary family, it might even be achievable. But those who have ambitions within the imperial clan will not agree. They are waiting for me to have no heir so they can inherit the throne. Moreover, you just killed the consort not long ago, and now you want to establish his child as the Imperial Grandson.
Do you think that's safe?
Will they consider themselves descendants of the consort's family?
Or will they consider themselves descendants of our family?"
"Father, why can't you understand what I mean? I said that establishing one of my two sons as the Imperial Grandson is just a temporary measure, just to make certain ministers grudgingly accept my becoming the Imperial Crown Princess.
As for what happens later, that can change too.
It's not like I can't have more children!
Besides, once I am the Imperial Crown Princess, even if something happens to me later, you still have many daughters who can continue to be Imperial Crown Princesses. The hardest thing in this world is the beginning. Once there is the first Imperial Crown Princess, it will naturally be easier for the next ones to be accepted.
Father, no one is more suitable to be the Imperial Crown Princess than me.
Because my consort is dead.
And I killed him myself, so I will absolutely not be influenced by the consort's family. You can be completely assured. I have said all I can, please consider it carefully!"
Princess Pingde knew that it would be difficult to get an immediate affirmative answer from her father. So, after outlining all her advantages, she decided to use a strategy of retreating to advance.
After speaking, she got up, bowed, and took her leave.
After she left, Emperor Huiyang and his wife deliberated for a long time. In the end, unwillingness prevailed. He decided to take a gamble. Since everyone wanted him to have no heir and inherit the throne from him, he would keep the throne within his own hands and give it to his daughter rather than others.
However, although he had this idea, he could not implement it immediately. Because he was well aware of the immense resistance he would face, so of course, he had to make preparations in advance, win over some people, control some military power, and so on.
If he acted impulsively without any preparation.
He would undoubtedly fail.
Thus, what followed was a tug-of-war. Emperor Huiyang, while dealing with the imperial clan and the court officials, privately made promises, courted those who were not clearly aligned, reclaimed military power, and weakened the openly conservative factions, etc.
Preparing for the eventual establishment of the Imperial Crown Princess.
And this preparation took three years.
During these three years, Ding Yun successively drew the "Nine Heavens Profound Lady Maid Card," the "Orchid Fairy Card," and the "Electric Mother Card." It was in the third month after drawing the Electric Mother Card that Emperor Huiyang finally felt his preparations were sufficiently complete and formally mentioned it at the morning court.
That is, on the day of the court session.
He directly stated his intention to establish Princess Pingde as the Imperial Crown Princess.
After being shocked by the news, all the ministers, of course, excitedly voiced their objections, stating they disagreed, calling it a "hen crowing at dawn" and a violation of etiquette.
When the news spread from the palace.
The entire capital plunged into chaos.
Not only did the court officials, nobles, and imperial clan members mostly vehemently oppose it, but even the scholars in the Imperial Academy gathered to protest.
Some even demanded the abdication and re-establishment of the emperor!
Conversely, ordinary citizens seemed indifferent.
They were primarily interested in the gossip and drama.