Chapter 1327 - 1270: An Agreement Reached
As the court officials left the main hall, Xun Fan’s room was in disarray, and Ji Yuan, who had been hiding somewhere, stepped over the overturned tables and chairs to come in.
The servants looked at him in surprise and wanted to stop him from entering, but Xun Fan, leaning against the bed, said, "Let Ji Shizhong come in."
Only then did the servants lead Ji Yuan around the curtain into the inner chamber.
Xun Fan said, "All of you, leave now and guard outside, not allowing anyone to come in."
The servants responded and withdrew.
Ji Yuan picked up a chair from the floor and placed it opposite the bed, bowing to him, "Mr. Xun’s righteousness, I am deeply grateful."
Xun Fan’s expression was blank, "I’m not doing this for your gratitude."
Ji Yuan lifted his robe and sat down, "I know, Mr. Xun is doing this for the stability of the world."
Xun Fan said, "I hope you all will continue to assist the Great General in the future, and not become evil."
Ji Yuan confidently smiled, "Naturally, then let’s discuss the matter of abdication."
Xun Fan sat up entirely, his eyes staring intensely at Ji Yuan as he said, "Your Majesty is kind and gentle, even if he abdicates, he should retain the respect due to an emperor."
"Of course," Ji Yuan readily agreed, "The Great General is benevolent and will surely treat Your Majesty well, and we would not dare to disrespect Your Majesty."
Xun Fan: "The Langya lineage is after all part of the Imperial Family and should be treated well."
Ji Yuan agreed, "As long as they abide by the law and do not commit treason, the women in my family will not be stingy with wealth."
Xun Fan paused and said, "The Sima Family was after all once part of the Imperial Family, as was the Cao Family, and their ancestral rites should not cease."
Ji Yuan paused but agreed, "When Your Majesty matures, I will request the Great General to find him a worthy wife, but the Chenliu king’s lineage..."
He said, "Since King Chenliu passed away, Cao Guo, who inherited the title, is a collateral heir, having been at war for many years, his whereabouts unknown. I will advise the Great General to send someone to find him, and if he cannot be found, we can only search for Lord Cao’s descendants to choose a lineage to inherit."
Xun Fan pursed his lips and softly said, "King Chenliu’s fortunes were unfortunate; he didn’t leave behind any offspring. I hope Your Majesty will have heirs."
Ji Yuan heard his probing and, smiling, said, "Rest assured, Mr. Xun, compared to the Sima Family, the Great General is much more generous in this regard. As long as Your Majesty is healthy, he will surely have many descendants."
Xun Fan blushed, considering that while the reason for Cao Huan not having children is uncertain, he was a nobleman with wives and concubines, so he should have been able to father children; the chance of infertility should be small.
Not only others, even Xun Fan doesn’t believe that Cao Huan was exactly that person.
Moreover, the palace houses an assembly of Imperial Physicians, possessing the most advanced medical technology in the country, could they really not enable him to have a child?
What Xun Fan was doing now was finding another descendant of the former dynasty to share the Little Emperor’s burden, hoping Zhao Hanzhang would also treat them well.
Based on Ji Yuan’s understanding of Zhao Hanzhang, she would not refuse such an act, hence he could agree on her behalf.
Next, the two discussed some details, such as the specific honors the Little Emperor should receive after abdication, with land and slaves being the most important to ensure the Little Emperor’s future comfort.
And also, the specific operation of the Little Emperor’s abdication.
The Little Emperor reigned for a very short time, during which he did not commit any wrongdoing, and if calculating based on the achievements during his reign, he could even be considered illustrious.
During his tenure, he repelled the Xiongnu, recovered Northern Land, and reunited the North and South...
Therefore, one cannot say he wronged Great Jin, so his abdication must pin the blame on his ancestors, which, in fact, indeed belongs to them.
With occurrences of solar eclipses and floods, these were heaven’s warnings, so he is willing to abdicate for the sake of the nation’s stability and the people’s safety, to let Zhao Hanzhang bla bla bla...
Ji Yuan pursued, "When will it begin?"
Xun Fan lowered his gaze to his thigh, at this point, perhaps the entire city knew about the emperor proposing abdication, if not started soon, it might cause unrest and instigate rebellion in people’s hearts.
So he said, "Tomorrow is still a rest day, the day after tomorrow I will enter the palace early to draft the edict."
This edict must not originate from Zhao Hanzhang, among those close to the emperor, only he dared draft this edict.
Ji Yuan was satisfied, rose to bid farewell, but before leaving, couldn’t resist reminding, "Mr. Xun, Imperial Censor Xun seems to have a different opinion than you, living under the same roof, I ask you to take care."
Xun Fan’s face was tense, bluntly saying, "This is Xun’s family matter, no need for Ji Shizhong to worry."
Ji Yuan walked out of the main house, saw Xun Zu blocked outside the courtyard, smiled at him slightly, and directly bypassed him to leave.