69novels Chapter 981 The Unavoidable Pioneer!
Chapter 981 The Unavoidable Pioneer!
Although the final choice of heir rests with the monarch, the queen, as the mother of the legitimate son, naturally wields immense influence and power in the selection process. This is an extremely clever and necessary means of preemptively eliminating potential instability and consolidating imperial power by establishing a "foundation." If the position of empress remains vacant for an extended period, the foundation of the state will be unstable, and those who covet the throne will inevitably harbor disloyal intentions, which is extremely detrimental to the long-term stability of the dynasty.
Secondly, it involves the balance of power within the court and the consolidation of political alliances through marriage. Throughout history, the position of empress has rarely been completely separated from politics. A monarch may naturally have women he deeply admires and may favor them above all others in the harem, but liking and suitability are often two different things. The choice of the empress often affects the entire court.
Behind her might lie a distinguished military force, a deeply entrenched family of civil officials, or a local power that needs to be carefully courted. Establishing a queen is often a profound political maneuver and a consolidation of interests. Through marriage, a monarch can more firmly bind an important faction to their side, securing their unwavering support and thus maintaining the delicate balance of power in the court.
The underlying principle is strikingly similar to Gao Yao's design of the power structure in the previous dynasty. Although Gao Yao trusted Han Xin implicitly and entrusted him with the power of conquest, he would never hand over all the country's troops to him. Similarly, while he relied heavily on Xiao He to handle government affairs, he also established a cabinet to appropriately disperse the power of the prime minister and introduce checks and balances.
This is the deep understanding of the horrors of excessive concentration of power. When a person's power expands to a certain extent, he himself may not have any disloyal intentions, but the forces under his command and the interest groups he relies on may drag him in an unpredictable direction.
Taking military power as an example, although Han Xin was a Grand General with unparalleled prestige in the army, the army he could command with ease and whose decisions he could make were primarily the First Army Group, which he had personally trained. While the generals of other army groups might respect his reputation and obey his commands, their core loyalty and direct subordinate relationships were not entirely monolithic. This was the check and balance that Gao Yao intentionally created.
If a general is nurtured without reservation, granting him unchecked military power, then even if he is utterly loyal, there is no guarantee that some of his subordinates won't take risks for the sake of "serving the emperor," fabricating evidence or creating trouble, ultimately forcing the general to defy the monarch's authority. History is replete with such tragedies, where generals, without any intention of rebellion, are often killed or their families exterminated due to coercion by their subordinates or suspicion by the monarch; the root cause often lies in this.
During the Chu-Han Contention, Han Xin's situation was so delicate that his power could influence the fate of the world, which in itself constituted a potential threat to the supreme authority. Liu Bang's suspicion and suppression of him in the later period, and even Empress Lü's eventual entrapment and killing of Han Xin, were all closely related to this.
The same applies to political power. The example of Zhang Juzheng from the previous dynasty flashed through Xiao He's mind instantly. Zhang Juzheng implemented reforms, turning the tide and earning the title of a renowned minister of the restoration, his achievements recorded in history. However, at the height of his power, the Grand Secretary's authority even surpassed that of the emperor; imperial edicts were practically meaningless without his approval.
This was essentially a usurpation of power. Even if Zhang Juzheng was acting in the best interests of the public, this extremely unbalanced power structure inherently contained enormous risks, and the consequences would be unimaginable if it were to lose its checks and balances. Therefore, Gao Yao had fully considered this point when designing the cabinet system, and through clarifying the scope of authority and introducing multiple cabinet ministers to cooperate and supervise each other, he made necessary differentiation and restraint on power.
The empress and her powerful maternal relatives often played a unique and important role in this system of checks and balances. Many people, when discussing maternal relatives, first think of the powerful and arrogant maternal relatives groups at the end of the Han Dynasty, such as Wang Mang, viewing them as a huge threat to imperial power. This is certainly one aspect of history. However, from another perspective, in most periods of peace, the existence of maternal relatives was precisely an important force in consolidating imperial power and restraining powerful ministers.
The power and glory of imperial relatives, who rose to prominence through the presence of empresses and concubines, were entirely tied to the imperial authority. Their fortunes were intertwined with those of the imperial family; their fates were intertwined. This close relationship made their loyalty relatively easier to guarantee in most cases.
When emperors faced powerful and deeply entrenched groups of nobles or civil officials, the maternal relatives were often reliable "insiders," serving as a wedge to break through the existing power structure. They could effectively share the pressure from other powerful ministers and monitor and check those forces that might challenge imperial power.
Of course, this requires the monarch to possess superb skills in managing subordinates, making good use of the maternal relatives while remaining constantly vigilant against their growing power and preventing them from transforming from protectors of imperial authority into gravediggers. However, it is undeniable that a carefully selected and appropriately utilized group of maternal relatives is a crucial piece in maintaining the absolute authority of the emperor and preserving the dynamic balance of power in the court.
There was another point, though Xiao He didn't explicitly state it, that was a tacit consensus among all the core ministers present—the issue of filling the power vacuum should a monarch ever appear. Gao Yao was exceptionally brave and frequently led troops into battle; his ferocity in charging into battle was rarely matched in the army.
Although he had promised that, now that he was king, he would spend more time in the central government and avoid taking unnecessary risks, this assurance likely had limited effect on his ministers, such as Xiao He and Han Xin, who knew his character well. Who could guarantee there wouldn't be unforeseen battles? Who could guarantee Gao Yao wouldn't again be unable to resist and personally go to the front lines? Furthermore, a monarch is also made of flesh and blood; although he had never been known to suffer from a serious illness, the scars left on the battlefield were real. In the event of a sudden illness or a temporary inability to govern, the machinery of the state could not be brought to a standstill, and the political situation and public morale could not be destabilized.
In such extraordinary times, it is essential to have a legitimate and authoritative figure step forward to exercise royal power and stabilize the situation. If the crown prince is too young or has not yet been established, then no one is more suitable than the queen. As the mother of the nation, she holds a revered position and possesses the natural right to act as regent according to the established rites and laws.
By having her take the lead and issue imperial edicts, at least during the transition period, the chaos of multiple authorities issuing conflicting policies and a leaderless state could be avoided to the greatest extent possible, buying precious time for a smooth transition of power. This was not only an insurance policy for the transfer of power, but also a crucial guarantee that the empire would not collapse in the event of a sudden crisis.
All of this highlights the extreme importance and urgency of establishing a queen as soon as possible. This has long transcended personal marital feelings and become a serious national political issue. As the Grand Secretary, Xiao He bears the responsibility of assisting the monarch and leading all officials. He cannot avoid this matter and must be the one to take the lead.