The best ring

It is no wonder that everyone has such thoughts in their minds.

The two people who stood up to express their opinions at this time are both important figures in the court. They have a high status and their words are very important. Now, both of them said so, which naturally made everyone doubt whether the old emperor really said similar words when he was alive.

Many people began to waver.

"I think His Royal Highness the Second Prince is indeed the best candidate for the new emperor."

"Yes, His Royal Highness the Second Prince is smart and honest. If he can sit on the throne, he will definitely be a wise ruler!"

......

At this time, several officials stood up to express their opinions and supported the Second Prince.

Watching these people express their opinions one by one, others were surprised. They didn't know that the Second Prince Zhao Ke had won the support of so many people without making a sound, and they didn't see it at all in normal times.

Others were surprised, but Yuanji and Hou Zhong were not surprised, because these people were all secretly contacted by them.

Hou Zhong had a lot of handles on officials, plus Yuanji's influence, the two cooperated, and under a lot of coercion and inducement, naturally many officials joined their camp.

Of course, the two of them secretly felt that it was a pity that the old emperor died too suddenly, leaving them with not enough time. If they were given some more time, they could win over more people.

The atmosphere at the scene was a bit weird. Only those who supported the second prince Zhao Ke spoke up. As for the others, they just watched silently, especially the other ministers, who were silent.

The eldest prince Zhao Xuan looked very unhappy when he saw officials expressing their support for his younger brother.

To be honest, Zhao Xuan did not take Zhao Ke too seriously before, and did not think that the other party would pose much threat to him, but now it seems that he still underestimated him. If there were no heavyweight officials to support him, the throne would probably be far away from him.

Compared with Zhao Xuan's anger and anxiety, the third prince Zhao Lun was unusually calm, as if what happened here had nothing to do with him. He just watched silently. Zhao Xuan and Zhao Ke saw Zhao Lun's reaction and thought that he had given up.

Although Zhao Lun had shown his ambition for the throne before, in the eyes of Zhao Xuan and Zhao Ke, Zhao Lun was the weakest and the least threatening to them. After the farce in the hall, Zhao Lun had been kicked out. No matter the old emperor or the ministers in the court, I believe that they would not like and support Zhao Lun.

Therefore, Zhao Xuan and Zhao Ke did not regard Zhao Lun as their opponent.

At this time, Zhao Lun's reaction seemed to verify their guess.

"This seems to be against etiquette." After everyone expressed their support for Zhao Ke, Qi Kai, the Minister of Personnel, suddenly spoke.

The atmosphere at the scene changed, and everyone looked at Qi Kai. Yuan Ji and Hou Chong narrowed their eyes, with a dangerous aura in their eyes.

Although the Minister of Rites did not have a high status among the ministers, he was still a minister, not an ordinary official. Therefore, Qi Kai's words still had weight, and his opinions were also very important.

Zhao Xuan also looked at Qi Kai, with joy in his eyes. Qi Kai's words undoubtedly gave him hope. When many officials expressed their support for the second prince Zhao Ke, Qi Kai's words were undoubtedly a ray of hope for Zhao Xuan.

Zhao Xuan knew very well that the atmosphere in the palace was very dangerous for him just now. Only the officials who supported Zhao Ke were talking, and no one else spoke. If this situation continued, the people in the palace who had not made up their minds would slowly tilt their hearts towards Zhao Ke. The longer the time, the more people would support Zhao Ke.

This was obviously not good for Zhao Xuan.

Fortunately, Qi Kai stood up at this time!

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Qi Kai was not nervous. This was all within his expectations. Before he spoke, he thought it would be like this.

"His Royal Highness the Second Prince is good." Qi Kai continued, "As a prince, His Royal Highness the Second Prince has done a good job, but I think that His Royal Highness the Second Prince is not suitable to be the emperor. Since ancient times, there has been a tradition of establishing the eldest prince instead of the youngest. This is also the case in our Yanfeng Kingdom. I think that in the absence of a will, His Royal Highness the First Prince is the most suitable to ascend the throne."

Wow......

Seeing Qi Kai's clear statement, everyone in the palace was in an uproar. They were shocked to realize that the struggle had already begun unknowingly, and that it had changed from a direct struggle among the princes to a struggle among the ministers.

There was nothing wrong with Qi Kai standing up to express his position. As the Minister of Rites, Qi Kai must express his position on the new emperor. The reason why everyone was surprised was that Qi Kai stood up early, and when everyone expressed their support for the Second Prince, he actually supported the First Prince, which was really beyond everyone's expectations.

Qi Kai looked at the surprised people with a calm expression. This situation was also within his expectations. He knew what kind of reaction his statement would bring, and this was what he hoped to see.

Now the situation of the second prince Zhao Ke seems to be very good. Both Yuanji and Hou Houzhong said that the old emperor had expressed support for the second prince. The words of these two people are also very important.

But this matter is only the oral statement of the two people after all. There is no evidence, let alone any imperial edict, so it is still difficult to distinguish the truth from the false.

If Qi Kai also supports the second prince Zhao Ke, then Zhao Ke will have a greater advantage, and it will be safer and more certain for Qi Kai, but Qi Kai did not do so, but chose to take a risk and choose to gamble!

Qi Kai is the Minister of Rites. Among the ministers, he ranks the lowest. If Qi Kai is just a person without ambition, it would be fine. The status of a Minister of Rites is already an existence that many officials can't reach.

But Qi Kai is obviously not satisfied with his current status. He had no chance before, but now the opportunity is in front of him. He is tempted and wants to take a gamble!

If he wins, Zhao Xuan will definitely not treat him unfairly. If he loses, his title of Minister of Rites will definitely not be kept. There are risks and opportunities. After some thinking, Qi Kai decided to take this gamble.

If he loses, the worst thing is to retire and return home. Anyway, he has been the Minister of Rites for a long time. But if he wins, the reward will be great!

"Minister Qi is right!" As soon as Qi Kai finished speaking, Zhao Xuan could not help but continue, "I am the eldest son of my father. According to the rules, I should inherit the throne. Minister Yuan and Lord Hou said that my father once wanted to make my second brother the crown prince and let him inherit the throne, but there is no real evidence. I also said that my father once promised me that he would pass the throne to me. Do you believe it?"