Three Kingdoms: Take care of Lady Gan on behalf of Liu Bei at the beginning

Chapter 78 Liu Wu finally decides on the successor plan
How to determine the heirs?

The sons were still young, especially the fourth son, who was just born.

However, considering that several of his sons had committed treason against great historical figures.

When they grow up, they will all be outstanding people, but Liu Wu has to face this problem in advance.

He didn't want his sons to kill each other in the future like Li Yuan's sons.

In the end, although Li Shimin had the last laugh, it was not a glorious thing.

For Li Yuan, the father, it must have been even more difficult.

The Xuanwu Gate Incident launched by Li Shimin was an important event in the early Tang Dynasty with profound impact.

First, from a political perspective, the Xuanwu Gate Incident ended the political turmoil in the early Tang Dynasty, established Li Shimin's ruling position, and laid the foundation for the subsequent development of the Tang Dynasty. This coup brought relative stability to the politics of the Tang Dynasty and created conditions for the emergence of the Zhenguan Reign. However, this coup also brought instability to the succession of the throne. The status of the crown prince was often threatened in later generations, and battles for the throne were frequent, which caused repeated shocks to the political stability of the Tang Dynasty.

Secondly, for Li Shimin personally, the Xuanwu Gate Incident was undoubtedly a huge stain on his life. He forced his father Li Yuan to abdicate by killing his elder brother Li Jiancheng and younger brother Li Yuanji, which was unacceptable to the world in terms of ethics and morality. Although Li Shimin was praised as a wise ruler in later generations, the "Xuanwu Gate Incident" was always a historical shadow that he could not avoid. This incident also left Li Shimin with a heavy psychological burden. Even after he ascended the throne, he still often dreamed of his brothers and was troubled by nightmares.

In the struggle for power, ethics are often relegated to the back burner, but the consequences can be profound and lasting.

Liu Wu held his fourth son in his arms, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind, and it was quite complicated. He and Mi Zhu went into the delivery room to comfort Mrs. Mi.

In the end, Liu Wu named his fourth son "Liu Chen".

Both Mrs. Mi and Mi Zhu were very surprised that Liu Wu named his son Liu Chen.

In ancient times, the word "Chen" often referred to the residence of the emperor, and can be extended to be a symbol of dignity and elegance, implying that the owner of this name has an extraordinary temperament and status.

The name Liu Chen is rich in meaning and can be said to contain multiple profound meanings such as dignity, elegance, wisdom, talent, stability and responsibility.

Madam Mi and Mi Zhu were very happy, but Liu Wu was worried, especially after he gave this name to his fourth son.

"Go, have the Imperial Physician General and Military Advisor Pang come to see me."

Liu Wu gave an order and the attendant hurriedly responded and went to fetch Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong.

Compared to Zhuge Liang who was willing to engage in government affairs, Pang Tong prefers to stay in the army. Therefore, his current title is still Military Advisor and Lieutenant General.

Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong soon came in front of Liu Wu.

"Congratulations, my lord, for having another son!"

When they saw Liu Wu, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong congratulated him with a smile.

When they arrived, they had already received the news that Madam Mi had given birth to another son.

This brought a smile to their faces.

Compared to Liu Bei who was in his forties and had no children, Liu Wu seemed to have many children.

In just two or three years, they had four sons.

If a monarch has many offspring, it means stable inheritance and solid power, which is what Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong, his subjects, would like to see.

However, in the hall, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong both had smiles on their faces, but Liu Wu was shaking his head.

The smiles on Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong's faces suddenly stopped, and they were very surprised.

They didn't understand. Today was clearly Liu Wu's big day, so why was he in such a posture?
"My Lord, you asked us to come here. Is there anything you want to tell us?"

Zhuge Liang thought of Liu Wu calling them and couldn't help asking.

Liu Wu sighed and said:
"I should be happy that my son Chen was born, but there is something that I am undecided about. I would like to ask you two gentlemen to help me resolve the confusion in my heart!"

Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong were both very surprised to hear Liu Wu say this. After they joined Liu Wu, they had never seen Liu Wu like this.

"I wonder what confusion my lord has?" Zhuge Liang asked.

Liu Wu did not hesitate and said:
"As you all know, I already have four sons, but none of them were born to Wu's wife. So, I don't know how to choose a successor in the future?"

In the hall, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong were dumbfounded when they heard Liu Wu's words.

They didn't expect that Liu Wu asked them to come here to ask about the heir.

In an instant, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong were speechless.

In fact, in their opinion, Liu Wu didn't need to worry about this problem at all.

Liu Wu was still very old, still in his prime. His wife had no children, so he just tried to have one.

With the firepower Liu Wu has shown now, he will be able to give birth sooner or later.

However, although Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong complained subconsciously in their hearts, they were both wise men and felt that since Liu Wu had called them over and talked to them personally about this matter, it should not be that simple.

Pang Tong frowned and asked Liu Wu:
"My Lord, is it possible that Madam Wang is infertile?"

Zhuge Liang's eyelids twitched suddenly. He glanced at Pang Tong who was frowning, and felt worried for Pang Tong.

How rude! Is it possible to ask questions like this?
Mrs. Wang was the wife Liu Wu married in Hefei in his early years. His legal wife, Wang Linger, was a beautiful woman with fair skin, gentle personality, and an introverted and simple character.

Of course, compared with Madam Gan, Madam Mi, and Sun Shangxiang, she is still a little inferior, and is only at the same level of beauty as Madam Cai.

At the beginning, when Liu Wu was in Hefei, he was attracted by Wang Linger's beauty and personality. He thought that having such a wife in his life would not be considered a rebirth, so he married Wang Linger without hesitation.

But plans are not changing as fast as they should.

Liu Wu didn't care about Pang Tong's recklessness. When he heard Pang Tong's question, Liu Wu frowned, then shook his head slowly and said:
"I don't know about this either, but I think she can have children."

Liu Wu's words immediately choked Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong.

What is this nonsense?

He doesn't know what it means, so he should still be able to have children, right?
Liu Wu was not talking nonsense. When he and Ling'er were in Hefei, Liu Wu did not plan to have a child so early.

After all, it was a time of chaos and wars were everywhere. At that time, he was just an ordinary person. Liu Wu would not have a child so early before he was sure that he could have a stable place to live.

His plan at the time was to wait for Liu Bei to take control of Yizhou, and then he would bring his wives and concubines to Yizhou, settle down, and have children.

So, although he and his wife Ling'er had sex a lot, they were careful to control themselves.

So, he didn't know whether he should be able to have children.

Zhuge Liang roughly understood what Liu Wu meant, but he was still quite confused.

Zhuge Liang frowned when he thought of the beauties Liu Wu now had, namely Madam Mi, Madam Gan, and Sun Shangxiang.

"My lord, do you not want to have children with Madam Wang?" "That's not a good idea. Although my lord likes the other ladies very much, they are not his legal wives. If he appoints one of his sons as his successor, the other ladies will not agree, and the other sons will also feel dissatisfied."

Zhuge Liang said to Liu Wu with a serious expression and bowed.

He suddenly understood why Liu Wu specifically came to them to inquire about the seriousness of the matter.

Liu Wu was stunned. He knew that Zhuge Liang had misunderstood him. It was not that he was unwilling to have children with Wang Linger, but in order to give birth to more talented offspring, he focused on the historical beauty.

This will make the family stronger.

However, Zhuge Liang said that he was unwilling to have a child with Ling'er, which actually had another level of understanding. Liu Wu did not deny Zhuge Liang, but frowned and asked:
"If I don't have a child with Ling'er, will it really cause a fight among my illegitimate sons?"

Pang Tong, who was standing by, also looked unhappy at the moment and interrupted:

"My Lord, this is certain. There is no legitimate son, and we are all illegitimate sons. Why can you be the heir, but not me?"

"This will definitely cause instability!"

Pang Tong said bluntly.

After a pause, Pang Tong looked at Liu Wu and said in confusion:
"My Lord, you should have more children with Madam Wang, even if it's just for the future."

It was not until then that Pang Tong realized that although Liu Wu showed a strong ability to have children, upon closer inspection, all of his children were from his concubines.

Zhuge Liang on the side also nodded, obviously agreeing with Pang Tong's words.

Liu Wu frowned. How many children would he and Ling'er have?
Liu Wu naturally had no intention of resisting. The worst that could happen was that he could disperse the firepower.

But this problem has not been solved.

Damn it, the sons born to Lady Mi, Lady Gan, and Sun Shangxiang, one pretended to be Li Mu, one pretended to be Li Cunxiao, one pretended to be Liu Bang, and another just pretended to be Liu Che. What kind of offspring can Ling'er give birth to compare with these geniuses?
Ling'er is not a historical beauty, and the offspring she gave birth to cannot be compared to historical celebrities. They are most likely ordinary people. How can an ordinary person compete for power and profit with these geniuses?
What's more, having obtained the system, Liu Wu was destined to make a difference in this chaotic world. He was reluctant to hand over his future foundation to an ordinary heir.

Liu Wu looked at Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong who were of the same opinion, and asked unwillingly:
"What if the illegitimate sons are all very outstanding, but the legitimate son is too mediocre?"

"This..." Liu Wu's words stunned Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong who had just advised Liu Wu.

What did they hear?
Liu Wu said, what should we do if the concubine's sons are all very outstanding but the legitimate son is too mediocre?
Zhuge Liang looked serious and suspicious at Liu Wu, then he clasped his hands and said:

"My Lord, we can take the emperor as an example."

Liu Wu remained calm when listening to Zhuge Liang's treasonous words.

Because all the senior officials under Liu Wu understood that Liu Wu would definitely want to get his hands on the throne in the future.

After receiving Liu Wu's approval, Zhuge Liang continued:

"In the Han Dynasty and previous dynasties, when the king was faced with the situation that the legitimate son was mediocre and the illegitimate son was excellent, he did face a choice when choosing an heir. He needed to consider the political environment at the time, the patriarchal system, the king's personal preferences, and the distribution of power inside and outside the court. "

"First, most dynasties followed the system of primogeniture, which is the basic principle of the patriarchal system. The eldest son refers to the first son born to the wife (empress or queen), who has the natural right of inheritance. This system is designed to maintain the stability of the family and the order of the court, and reduce civil strife caused by the struggle for the throne."

"Of course, when the legitimate son is mediocre and the illegitimate son is excellent, the king will undoubtedly face a difficult decision. In this case, the king needs to consider a variety of factors to make a decision."

Zhuge Liang paused, looked at Liu Wu, and continued:
"Although the primogeniture system is the core of the ancient patriarchal system, kings sometimes make exceptions under special circumstances. If the eldest son is indeed incapable of taking the throne, the king may consider other options, but this usually requires sufficient reasons and strong support."

“When choosing an heir, the king usually focuses on the candidate’s ability and character. If a bastard does show outstanding talent and noble character, this may become an important factor in his succession. However, the king also needs to weigh factors such as the power of the bastard’s mother’s family to ensure the stable inheritance of royal power.”

"The king's decisions often require broad support from both inside and outside the court. If a concubine's son has the support of important officials and nobles in the court, he will have a greater advantage in the fight for the right of succession. On the contrary, if the eldest son has strong support behind him, the king will also face huge resistance when deposing and enthroning him."

"There is also the king's personal preference, but this also has hidden dangers, and he needs a bastard..."

……

In the hall, Zhuge Liang gave Liu Wu a detailed analysis of the choices to make when the legitimate son was mediocre and the illegitimate son was excellent.

In the end, Liu Wu felt that if he already had a legitimate son, it would be quite troublesome and full of hidden dangers to make a concubine's son the heir.

However, Liu Wu understood one thing, that is, when there is a legitimate son, the risk of a illegitimate son becoming the heir is much greater than when there is no legitimate son. There are also many more unstable factors, and it is also very bad for the legitimate son. It even seems that the birth of the legitimate son is a mistake, and it is extremely irresponsible to the legitimate son.

Liu Wu waved his hand and said directly:

"If there is no legitimate son, but only illegitimate sons, how should the heir be chosen?"

In the hall, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong were shocked when they heard Liu Wu's decisive tone.

Now neither Zhuge Liang nor Pang Tong dared to speak.

At this time, the two of them vaguely understood that Liu Wu seemed to no longer want a legitimate son.

This made them dare not say anything more, as it was a taboo.

"If there is no legitimate son, but only illegitimate sons, the way to choose an heir usually follows the principle of "selecting the son based on nobility rather than age."

"This means that among illegitimate sons, the son whose biological mother has a higher status will be given priority as the heir. If the biological mothers have the same status, the son's age, talent, character and other factors may be further considered to make the choice."

In the end, under Liu Wu's questioning, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong had no choice but to tell Liu Wu this.

Hearing this, Liu Wu fell silent.

When there is no legitimate son, priority will be given to illegitimate sons whose mothers have high status when choosing an heir.

It has to be said that Liu Wu really felt that the ancient patriarchal system was not very friendly to the status of the youngest son.

Even when choosing an heir from among illegitimate sons, the status of the biological mother still needs to be considered. After the calculation, it is necessary to start with the eldest illegitimate son and then the second eldest illegitimate son.

"So, I need to improve my son's status as a biological mother now?"

Liu Wu couldn't help but mutter to himself, but sighed in his heart, feeling sorry for his wife Ling'er.

That's right, to be responsible for himself, for Ling'er, and for the great cause, he can only choose not to have children with Ling'er for the time being. If he really wants to have children, it would be irresponsible for him. If it's a girl, it's okay, but if it's a boy, then he will be the legitimate son. A group of people around him will push him to the top, but with a group of talented half-brothers and younger brothers eyeing him covetously, I'm afraid it's really not a good thing.

Of course, Liu Wu also has a way to compensate Ling'er.

That is, after he has retired, his chosen son, the talented illegitimate son, will ascend the throne as the new emperor, and he and Ling'er will have children to make up for his wife Ling'er's regret of having no children.

At that time, when a illegitimate son was supported to ascend the throne in the absence of a legitimate son, the newly born legitimate son would generally not affect the status of the illegitimate son who had already ascended the throne, but the emperor might give him an honorable status through methods such as enthronement.

I just don’t know when Ling’er will be able to wait.

Inside the hall, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong watched Liu Wu's expression gradually become firm, and they looked at each other with bitter smiles.

In fact, they wanted to persuade Liu Wu to have children with his wife and let the eldest son inherit. After all, no one could guarantee that a concubine's son would be better than the eldest son.

(End of this chapter)