Chapter 196 Yang Wenyuan: I feel sorry for my good brother Chunchen
"What a sly fellow!"

Zhuang Xuejiu looked at Yang Wenyuan and thought to himself:
'Although he is a little immature, this young man from the Pingyang Marquis's Mansion is really a good material for being an official.'

Tactful and yet leaving room for maneuver, Zhuang Xuejiu seemed to see a veteran official sitting in front of him.

He waved his hand and asked Yang Wenyuan to sit down.

Then Zhuang Xuejiu looked at Changbai again and asked:
"Changbai, what do you think?"

Yang Wenyuan declined and said that Changbai would be disrespectful if he continued to do so, so he had no choice but to stand up and bow, saying:
"Sir, I think the eldest son should be crowned the heir."

Having spoken, Changbai immediately spoke directly from his heart:

"Without rules, there is no order. Students think that the word virtuous and capable is too broad, and there are many considerations but no exact standard. Today your group advocates virtuous and capable, and tomorrow I can cheer for them. How should we judge this? Do we have to bring in all parties to debate to reach a conclusion?"

"Moreover, looking back through history, many dynasties have changed because of the precedent of deposing the eldest son and enthroning the youngest son. This caused trouble and led to many unnecessary ambitions in the subsequent changes of power."

Hearing what her second brother said, Rulan's little face immediately showed a look of approval.

"Second brother is right, there is a difference between legitimate and illegitimate children!"

“Not necessarily.”

Chang Feng immediately retorted:
"Emperor Wu of Han was not the eldest son, but after he succeeded to the throne, he was able to enrich the country and strengthen the army, wipe out the Xiongnu, and established unprecedented meritorious services."

"From this we can see that not establishing the eldest son as the heir is not necessarily a bad thing."

Rulan couldn't hide her feelings and her anger showed on her face.

Hearing Chang Feng's words, he immediately frowned and looked up at Chang Feng with a look of disdain.

"Chang Feng, you only talk about Emperor Wu of Han, but forget the achievements of the reigns of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing."

Yang Wenyuan suddenly said:

"If the foundation laid by Emperors Wen and Jing had not been laid in advance, no matter how smart and capable Emperor Wu was, he would have been helpless."

"This..." Chang Feng was speechless.

Gu Tingye immediately took over the conversation and said slowly:
"But before Emperor Jing made Liu Che the crown prince, he also first appointed his biological mother, Concubine Wang, as the queen. This was the only way to make it legal and logical."

"From this point of view, Liu Che ascended the throne as the heir."

Rulan agreed with this statement very much.

Joy showed on her pretty face again, and her little head nodded quickly and lightly several times.

"Uncle, don't forget. Everyone in the court knew that Emperor Hui of the Western Jin Dynasty was stupid, but they still made him the heir apparent for the sake of his status as the eldest son. That led to the dictatorship of Jia Nanfeng and the Rebellion of the Eight Kings. If another prince had been made the heir, we wouldn't have had to retreat to the south of the Yangtze River." Molan suddenly spoke up.

Seeing that the "illegitimate" forces began to act recklessly again, Rulan immediately became unhappy.

In addition, since it was Molan who spoke up, she immediately retorted:
"How many fools are there like Emperor Hui of Jin? Could it be that in the eyes of Fourth Sister, all legitimate children are fools?"

Rulan had learned some generalizing skills from someone and immediately used them on Molan.

Moreover, she usually felt that Molan looked down on her and thought she was stupid, so she hid all this in her words.

"The eldest son is not a fool, but that doesn't mean the second son is not smart and capable. Emperor Taizong of Tang was not the eldest son, but he still created the prosperous Zhenguan Era." Molan replied softly.

"Then according to what Fifth Sister said, I also have something to say."

Gu Tingye saw that Rulan had nothing to say, so he immediately spoke:
"There are many cases where the second son was absurd and ruined the country. Emperor Yang of Sui is an example. He ruined the country, and everyone knows it."

"Young Master, where are you and the Sixth Miss?"

Zhuang Xuejiu suddenly said:

"What do you two think?"

Qi Heng stood up and replied:

"I'm still not sure about it. I want to learn from Brother Wenyuan and listen to other people's opinions. I'll see later."

Gu Tingye immediately helped out and said:

"Dong Huan and Yuan Ruo are both the only sons in their families, so they may not be very clear about the issue of appointing the eldest son or the most capable one."

"What about the Sixth Miss? What do you think about making the eldest and most capable one the heir?" Master Zhuang turned to Minglan and asked.

Minglan was also unwilling to get involved.

No matter which side she leans towards, she will not be well received by Rulan or Molan.

She wanted to hide under the table to avoid answering such a question, so she immediately evaded the question:

"The student is just a woman and has never thought about such a thing."

"Then forget about state affairs!"

Chang Feng saw that he and his sister Molan were at a disadvantage and were in urgent need of help. Minglan was also born out of wedlock, so Chang Feng naturally thought that Minglan would stand on his side, so he urged:
"Let's say there is a small family with a mediocre eldest son and a smart and capable illegitimate son. Who do you think should be the head of the family?"

Rulan became even angrier and her face looked very unhappy.

He thought Chang Feng was implying that his brother Chang Bai was incompetent, while he himself was extraordinary.

Minglan continued to decline:
"This is something the master of the family should consider. I am not in a position to make irresponsible comments."

Chang Feng wanted to force Ming Lan to express her opinion, but was interrupted by Ru Lan's slightly angry words:

"Third brother, how do you know that the eldest son must be mediocre? Maybe the illegitimate son is just a useless person!"

In Rulan's heart, her brother Changbai is much better than Changfeng, who only knows how to drink and have sex.

Molan was naturally on the same front as Changfeng and immediately replied:
"The second son is strong on the outside but weak on the inside, which does not prevent the eldest son from being mediocre."

"you……"

"Okay, okay, I already said it was a hypothetical situation."

Chang Feng was impatient to refute, and then continued:
"Besides, I'm asking Sixth Sister a question, what are you two arguing about?"

Chang Feng asked Ming Lan again:
"Sixth sister, you say."

Minglan was just feeling thankful that Rulan had led the war over there.

Unexpectedly, just after a moment, Chang Feng burned it back again.

"I...I don't know what to say..." Minglan said weakly.

"Sixth sister, tell me!" Rulan turned around and said.

Molan also urged: "Go ahead!"

Qi Heng was very concerned about Minglan, so he quickly came to her rescue:

"Everyone, don't make things difficult for Sixth Sister. She is young and doesn't need to take the imperial examination. This policy paper has little to do with her. She just needs to listen. Why force her?"

"Why not listen to Sixth Sister's opinion?"

Gu Tingye suddenly said:

"Although she is small and doesn't like to talk, I think she is very talented. Maybe she is laughing at us in her heart when she sees us arguing with each other."

"Uncle Gu, just say whatever you want to say. Why do you have to involve me?" Minglan said indignantly.

Minglan felt that she was being targeted by her Second Uncle Gu.

It was like this last time when he was playing pot-shooting. He clearly didn’t want to play, but Gu Tingye provoked him to do it.

Although it was for Sister Yanran's sake, I was the one who got hurt!

Minglan has already made up her mind:

"If Gu Tingye really wants to marry Sister Yanran, I must help and supervise him when the time comes!"

"Second uncle, why are you forcing her?" Qi Heng felt so distressed when he saw Minglan's weak and helpless look, and he quickly leaned forward to dissuade Gu Tingye.

"You know about the Sheng family's affairs."

Gu Tingye turned around and whispered:

"They care about you very much. The more you defend Minglan, the more her two sisters will argue and force her to speak. Just let her handle it herself. I think she can handle it."

Gu Tingye felt that Minglan was not as weak as she looked.

Otherwise, if Minglan was really weak and could be bullied by everyone, and had no scheming, then she would not have lived such a peaceful life in the Pansi Cave of the Sheng family.

"no!"

Qi Heng said quickly:
"She has always been cautious in this family. She can't do it!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Tingye just smiled and turned his head away without saying anything.

"Everyone else has spoken, so why don't you say something too, Miss Six?" In the end, it was Master Zhuang who made the final decision.

Seeing that there was no other way, Minglan could only stand up.

"Actually, I want to ask the young master, Second Uncle Gu, and my eldest brother-in-law."

"Hmm?" Qi Heng was stunned.

Unexpectedly, Minglan actually called out her name in public, and she immediately stood up with joy:
"I'm here, just ask me anything you want."

Yang Wenyuan and Gu Tingye were still sitting in their seats.

This makes Qi Heng seem a little too "outstanding". "You three are all legitimate sons. What I want to ask is, if you three have a very promising illegitimate son in your family, how would you deal with it?"

"What does it matter if they are legitimate or illegitimate?"

Gu Tingye said without hesitation:
"If the bastard is quite talented and has good character, that would be a good thing."

Yang Wenyuan also chimed in:
"That's right. There are very few males in my family. If I really have such a bastard, it would be a good thing."

"Yuan Ruo, what about you?" Gu Tingye turned around and asked.

Qi Heng was standing alone and felt a little awkward.

After hearing Gu Tingye's question, he quickly followed up:
"Of course, I share the same views as my two brothers, which is a good thing."

But as soon as he said this, Qi Heng thought of his mother.

"I'm afraid there is really no possibility for this bastard..."

"What if this talented and upright half-brother wants to compete with you for the title?" Minglan continued to ask.

Gu Tingye still did not hesitate at all and continued:
"If we exchange the eldest and the youngest for legitimate and illegitimate children, my brother is the oldest, followed by me. If my third brother is better than the two of us, he will naturally inherit the main family."

Gu Tingye really had no expectations for his own title of Marquis Ningyuan.

Because of this title, his mother died, and he was also plotted against by the vicious woman Xiao Qin since he was a child, and his elder brother also targeted him.

Of course, there is one exception, that is, he seized the title himself!

"Zhong Huai and I are somewhat different."

Yang Wenyuan said calmly:
"If my good half-brother really wants to compete with me for the title, then..."

"It's not a big deal if I don't have this brother. I still have the bloodline of the clan to continue."

You’re still a good brother if you don’t compete with me for the title.

If he really has such thoughts, then he is a bastard who came from nowhere!
These words immediately caused everyone present to look at him with attention.

Yang Wenyuan then added:
"If he really wants to fight for the title, he can't be considered to have good character."

Otherwise, instead of feeling sorry for me as his good brother, he would create trouble for me?
Yang Wenyuan's words immediately made Chang Feng and Mo Lan's faces look extremely ugly.

In contrast, Rulan was cheering and jumping for joy, as if she wanted to take off.

'Brother-in-law, you are right!'

"Yuan Ruo, what do you think?" Gu Tingye was also distracted by Yang Wenyuan's words at first, but after a moment he came back to his senses and asked Qi Heng.

Not surprising.

Gu Tingye just doesn't care about his own title.

Otherwise, if he really valued his own title, his choice would probably not be much different from Yang Wenyuan's.

Qi Heng was a little frightened by the other side of Yang Wenyuan that suddenly appeared. He sat down unconsciously just now. When he heard Gu Tingye's question, he came to his senses and regained his spirits and said:
"Although Brother Wenyuan's joke was a bit too much, it also made some sense."

Qi Heng also spoke up for Yang Wenyuan.

Then he said to Gu Tingye:

"What Second Uncle said is far from the truth. Your Third Brother is also a legitimate son, so he doesn't count."

"Besides, how can we joke about the important matter of family succession? It is not a big deal for you, Second Uncle, to be indifferent to fame and fortune, but if you let a bastard inherit the title, it will bring shame to our ancestors and the clan."

"Shame?"

Gu Tingye retorted:

"If a concubine's son is virtuous and talented, he will surely accomplish great things and bring honor to the family.

If the legitimate son is immoral and incompetent and squanders the family fortune, will the ancestors be able to gain glory?"

"The illegitimate son has talent, he can just assist the legitimate son, there is no need to mess up the status, isn't it the best of both worlds?" Qi Heng retorted.

"Young Master, you think too highly of people's hearts."

Gu Tingye said:
"A talented person is bound to be proud. How can he be inferior to others? If you say so, there will definitely be trouble within the family, and brothers will turn against each other. I'm afraid that by then, even the title will be lost."

Qi Heng said with a hint of mockery:
"Nowadays, many people judge success or failure by fame and reputation, which makes those illegitimate sons restless and have delusional dreams. If everyone in the world could strictly abide by the etiquette of status, distinguish between the superior and the inferior, and respect the eldest son, how could there be those brothers fighting and bringing disaster to the family?"

Gu Tingye immediately turned around and said, "speaking earnestly and earnestly:

"If Yuan Ruoruo really thinks so, then I advise you to do more good deeds in the future, and don't be reborn as a bastard, because that would be unbearable."

The serious face and sarcastic words are full of sarcasm.

"Hey, when we are joking and talking, we should be more friendly." As he said this, Zhuang Xuejiu glanced at Yang Wenyuan.

"Sixth Miss, you asked the three gentlemen these questions, but the idea of ​​whether to appoint the eldest son or the most capable one is still undecided."

"No conclusion is a conclusion."

Minglan said slowly:
"Virtue and unvirtue are easy to disguise and difficult to distinguish, but the difference between legitimate and illegitimate children and the elder and the younger is obvious, so there is no need to argue about it."

“If a bastard is truly virtuous, he will not destroy his family for his own selfish desires.

On the other hand, if the eldest son is in power and can restrain the illegitimate sons so that they dare not commit crimes, the dynasty can also maintain prosperity forever."

"A real man should be loyal to his king and his country. It is better to be a loyal subject. Why bother with meaningless disputes?"

"See, I told you she could handle it." Gu Tingye turned around and said to Qi Heng.

Qi Heng was not at all displeased by the rebuttal. Instead, he was filled with joy and pride:

"She's always so clever."

"Haha, Miss Six has such insight at such a young age, it's really amazing, good, good!"

Zhuang Xuejiu turned to look at Yang Wenyuan and asked:
"Young Marquis, what have you come up with now?"

Yang Wenyuan stood up slowly.

After everyone focused their attention on him, he slowly said:

"Sir, you want to debate the two princes. Should we choose the eldest son or the most capable one? Then let Dong Huan have his say."

"As far as the eldest son is concerned, if we talk about it individually, Prince Yong and Prince Yan are not legitimate sons, so naturally they cannot be considered the eldest sons.

If we choose one of the two, regardless of the eldest son, and instead discuss the two words "virtue" and "ability", then should we appoint the virtuous or the capable? Which is better?

This brings us to the discussion of the difference between virtue and ability, and which is more important.

Prince Yong has no reputation for virtue, but he has many sons and daughters. Although he is not in trouble now for the government, he can take over the country in the future without any trouble. He deserves the title of capable.

The King of Yan has always been known for his virtue, so he can naturally be called a virtuous person..."

Seeing that Yang Wenyuan was still talking, Zhuang Xuejiu interrupted and said:
"You are a good sophistry, but you are good at picking words!"

Zhuang Xuejiu wanted to see personal opinions and debate, not to listen to Yang Wenyuan's reading comprehension.

However, now Master Zhuang was even more certain that Yang Wenyuan would have an extraordinary career in the officialdom.

With all his efforts in smoothing things over and his family background, he will surely have a smooth career in the government in the future.

Yang Wenyuan: What a joke! Do you really think that I, Yang Wenyuan, don’t learn Zhao Buzhan’s quotes?

"If you have nothing else to say..."

Zhuang Xuejiu thought that this heated debate would make Yang Wenyuan "excited" as well, and he was happy to ask Yang Wenyuan to give a class summary, but in the end he ate a mouthful of dry and tasteless food, and immediately said unhappily:

"Then the others will not have any homework today. Little Marquis, you can stay for a while."

"Puchi~" Minglan was the first to laugh out loud.

Usually she was the one who was kept after school for extra practice, but she didn't expect that today it was her brother-in-law's turn. She couldn't help but laugh.

The others couldn't help laughing as well.

Yang Wenyuan didn't want to be kept after class by the teacher, so he quickly spoke some truthful words.

"Of course, those are just official words said outside."

Yang Wenyuan pondered for a moment and said:

"If you ask me, when it comes to appointing the eldest son or the most virtuous, most people look at the issue from their own standpoints, and it's hard for them to remain neutral. So there was a bias before the policy discussion, and all subsequent arguments were based on this, making it even more difficult to distinguish."

"That's quite interesting."

Zhuang Xuejiu slowly patted the ivory fan given by Yang Wenyuan in his hand and nodded:
"anything else?"

"If you want me to say..."

Yang Wenyuan straightened his sleeves and stood up straight with his head held high:

"If I were the eldest son, then it would be better to be the eldest son. I could list a lot of advantages of being the eldest son, and I could also list a lot of disadvantages of being a bastard's disrespect. If I were a bastard's son, then it would be vice versa."

"Thinking about it this way, all these excuses are just for one's own benefit. It's better to keep it simple!"

"Where I stand is where I stand."

"If you don't want to help either side, then just be a loyal subject as Miss Six said."

(End of this chapter)