Feng Pengju immediately stood up and bowed to Liu Xiangnan again, "Please rest assured, Marquis, Pengju will not fail in his mission."
Liu Xiangnan nodded, then looked at Fang Zheng, "Old Prime Minister, are you willing to temporarily hold the position of State Preceptor?"
Fang Zheng was stunned for a moment, then nodded in agreement, "Since the Marquis has spoken, I will boldly say that if His Majesty agrees, I will use this old body to help Da Cang get through this difficult period."
Liu Xiangnan finally showed a hint of relief, "As long as you two agree, I will immediately go to the palace to see His Majesty. I believe His Majesty will surely agree."
Liu Xiangnan was true to his word. After seeing off Fang Zheng and Feng Pengju, he immediately changed into his official attire and went to the palace to seek an audience with Emperor Xiao An.
Of course, he greatly valued Liu Xiangnan, as he was responsible for protecting the security of his country.
When Liu Xiangnan entered the imperial study, he was about to bow. Xiao An raised his hand, "Alright, this is not the imperial court, so you don't need to perform such a grand ceremony. My minister, what brings you to see me!"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, Feng Pengju and Fang Zheng have returned from out of town today. Feng Pengju said that he had previously requested leave to visit his family, and now his leave has expired!"
Hearing this, Xiao An was first taken aback, clearly he had not expected Feng Pengju to return.
"Oh, time has passed quite a bit, I had almost forgotten about this matter!"
"Your Majesty, the current situation is critical and it is a time when we need capable individuals. Your humble servant ventures to request that you appoint Feng Pengju as the Sima of the Department of Law and Fang Zheng as the State Preceptor."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Xiao An was stunned.
He had originally intended to leave these matters for his son, Xiao Jingyun, to handle, especially the appointment of Feng Pengju, which was meant to be an opportunity for his son to win over people's favor.
But now that his son had left this world, his arrangements had lost their meaning.
Thinking that it would be better to bestow this favor upon Liu Xiangnan, as a reward for his lifelong loyalty, he nodded slightly.
"My old minister speaks wisely. It was I who was foolish for a moment. Feng Pengju should have been heavily relied upon long ago. At that time, I saw his longing for home. Now that he has returned, he should contribute to the nation."
Xiao An found this reason for himself, which served as a way to save face. Of course, at this moment, Liu Xiangnan would not expose it. As long as the goal was achieved, it was fine.
Seeing that the Emperor had agreed, Liu Xiangnan quickly bowed, "This humble servant thanks Your Majesty on behalf of Feng Pengju and Fang Zheng."
Xiao An nodded, "My minister, since you are here, I have something to discuss with you. After Jingyun's unfortunate demise, what should be done about the position of the Crown Prince?"
This question stumped Liu Xiangnan. Indeed.
Xiao An was the only son of his generation, and Xiao Jingyun was of the fourth generation. In each generation, the old Xiao family had only one male heir. Now that Xiao Jingyun was gone, there was no backup.
However, Liu Xiangnan dared not speak rashly on such matters. He could only respond vaguely, "Your Majesty will surely live for ten thousand years. Under Your Majesty's leadership, Da Cang..."
Halfway through his sentence, Xiao An waved his hand, "Enough, you don't need to comfort me. Everyone dies eventually. You go back and think carefully, and help me come up with an idea. Thinking about this makes my head hurt."
Liu Xiangnan bowed and retreated.
He did not rush home, but instead turned towards Fang Zheng's residence. The Emperor had agreed to his nominations, and he had to quickly deliver this good news to Fang Zheng.
At the residence of the old Prime Minister Fang Zheng, after hearing Liu Xiangnan's account, Fang Zheng let out a sigh of relief. Of course, he was willing to be the State Preceptor; contributing to the nation was his greatest aspiration.
However, when Liu Xiangnan mentioned the Emperor's proposal regarding the Crown Prince's succession, Fang Zheng began to ponder.
Fang Zheng deliberately sighed, "But now, besides Princess Zhaoning, His Majesty has no other children!"
"Indeed!" Liu Xiangnan also shook his head and sighed.
Feng Pengju said from the side, "But we cannot enthrone a princess. For so many years in our Da Cang, there has been no precedent of a woman ascending the throne."
Fang Zheng, standing beside him, waved his hand slightly, "Pengju, you are right, there is no precedent. But you said that His Majesty has no other children besides the princess, and even the nearest Prince of the Xiao clan is far beyond the five degrees of mourning."
"I think it would be better to let the princess temporarily ascend the throne. After she gives birth to a son, let the son change his surname to Xiao and then inherit the throne."
Hearing this, Liu Xiangnan's thoughts stirred.
If the princess gave birth to a son and then ascended the throne, it would be equivalent to Chen Xiaobei becoming the Retired Emperor. After all, Chen Xiaobei was his son-in-law.
Therefore, this proposal would be beneficial and harmless to him!
With this thought, he nodded in agreement, "Old Prime Minister's words are reasonable. I think we should proceed as such."
Feng Pengju was also a discerning person. Hearing that both of them supported it, he quickly understood the implications. Fang Zheng's niece was the princess's mother, and Liu Xiangnan was Chen Xiaobei's father-in-law.
Chen Xiaobei was about to marry the princess.
Since these two agreed, there was no use for him to object. It was better to do them a favor.
However, he should also offer a well-intentioned reminder, "However, our agreement is not enough. There is also Old Prime Minister Chen Junyu and other civil and military officials. If they disagree, then all our efforts here will be in vain."
This statement did remind Liu Xiangnan and Fang Zheng, who exchanged glances.
Fang Zheng slowly said, "I will handle the civil officials. As for the military officials, Marquis Liu will have to trouble you more."
Liu Xiangnan clasped his hands and stood up to leave. Back in his manor, he immediately ordered Liu Kai to summon the generals who had fought alongside him for many years.
Soon, the generals of the second and third ranks arrived. More than a dozen people sat down, and the reception hall still felt a bit crowded.
Liu Xiangnan looked at those present, "I have taken the liberty of sending for you all today because there is an important matter to discuss with you."
"Marquis, whatever the matter, please just give your orders. We will certainly comply."
"Yes, Marquis, there is no need to discuss. You can just issue your command directly."
Liu Xiangnan was naturally pleased with such a declaration, but he still waved his hand gently.
"No, on this matter, I must hear your opinions."
"His Majesty and I are discussing the establishment of a new Crown Prince. What are your opinions and thoughts?"
Upon hearing this, everyone present fell silent.
This question was indeed difficult for them, these military men. After all, no one could easily guess the Emperor's thoughts.
A middle-aged man standing nearby cupped his hands in a salute and said, "Marquis, we cannot figure this out. His Majesty has no princes under him anymore. He can choose whomever he wishes. However, as long as Marquis agrees, I, Qiu Chen, will certainly support it."
"Yes, yes, I, Shen You, also agree."
Seeing the clamor of voices again, Liu Xiangnan felt more confident. He looked at everyone and said slowly.
"Gentlemen, I have discussed with several old ministers, and we wish to have Princess Zhaoning temporarily manage state affairs. Do you have any opinions?"