"If you become a carefree king, what about the throne?"
Looking at her conflicted and uneasy son, Ding Yun couldn't help but ask, exasperated. He wanted to be a carefree king as an only child; who would inherit this vast empire?
This wasn't a company,
where it could be managed by professional executives.
It couldn't be left entirely to the prime minister forever.
"I want to get married early in a few years, have a few more children, and Your Majesty the Empress can work a few more years. We can see if any of my children are worth nurturing, and then I'll directly abdicate to my son. That should be fine.
This is the best solution I can think of!"
Ji Ding hesitated,
but still frankly revealed his thoughts.
Good heavens, this was truly someone who didn't want to work hard himself but just wanted to quickly produce offspring so that the children would work hard.
"You're quite audacious. I've toiled for ten years guarding this empire for you. I thought I could finally relax and enjoy myself in a few years, but now I have to guard it for your son for another decade or more. Is this how filial you are to me?
You've truly filialed me to death.
Is this the result of all these years of nurturing you? Where did you learn this character of not daring to face problems, not daring to take responsibility, and just wanting to compromise and retreat? Was it from me? Was it from your father?
Are you going to pretend you don't see or hear these things and expect them not to happen?
You've truly disappointed me, you know?
When faced with issues, and when you have the ability to act and resolve them, you don't think of helping or appealing for the common people, but only of retreating. From now on, when you leave this door, don't say I ever taught you anything.
I'm too embarrassed to be associated with you!"
In recent years, Ding Yun had rarely spoken harshly to him, let alone hit him. Most of the time, she guided him. The words she spoke now
were already quite severe,
and they represented Ding Yun's deep disappointment.
Hearing Ding Yun's words, Ji Ding opened his mouth but neither argued nor admitted fault. For a moment, the room was so quiet that one could almost hear their breathing.
Clearly, Ji Ding had not changed his mind because of Ding Yun's words. He didn't want to bear too much responsibility, and that was that. In fact, by revealing his thoughts now, he had likely been agonizing and hesitating in private for a long time.
It was only then that he finally made up his mind.
And a decision that he had finally managed to make
would not be easily changed by a few words from Ding Yun.
After a long while, Ding Yun saw that he still stubbornly pursed his lips and remained silent. She could only sigh helplessly,
"If you are truly insistent on this, then I cannot spend another ten or twenty years slowly nurturing your son, who is not yet conceived. At that time, I will only do one thing: implement the policy of a nominal sovereign.
The imperial power will be completely delegated to the prime ministers and ministers.
The emperor will become a mere symbol of the empire,
no longer possessing significant real power.
You must understand that once some decisions are made, there will be no turning back. The decision you make today will not only affect you but also your descendants, and you might even be resented by them. Are you sure you want this?
Go back first.
I'll give you some more time to think.
Tell me your final decision before the ancestral worship this year!"
Ding Yun had already decided to live a more relaxed and carefree life in this world without worrying too much. Naturally, she wouldn't change her mind because of this. If one emperor was a failure,
she wouldn't bother nurturing a second one.
Since her own child wouldn't do, she would pin her hopes on someone else's child. What else could she do?
Besides, the original host's dying wish only involved her own son. Ding Yun was confident she could outlive her son with her own lifespan. As for her son's future grandchildren and other descendants, they were not part of the commission, and there was no after-sales service for such a long period!
Therefore, a nominal sovereign wasn't impossible.
It would simply be a bit troublesome to reconfigure the court structure afterward, but compared to ruling for several more decades, the slight trouble of restructuring the court and establishing new rules was nothing.
After all, new rules weren't conjured out of thin air. Many worlds had examples. A little integration with the realities of this world would suffice for localization.
Moreover, Ding Yun didn't need the new rules to be perfect. As long as they could maintain stability for a hundred and eighty years and prevent major issues, she would be satisfied.
And after a hundred and eighty years, she would already be dead.
Let it be whatever it would be then.
After saying these words, Ding Yun directly sent the still somewhat bewildered Ji Ding away, telling him to go back and ponder. She still had a mountain of state affairs to handle.
She wasn't as idle as he was.
Of course, after handling state affairs that evening, Ding Yun didn't forget to vent her frustrations in the red envelope group, lamenting her educational failure and discussing the feasibility of the nominal sovereign policy with others.
This was Ding Yun.
As for her son, Ji Ding, he returned in a daze. He truly hadn't expected his words to lead his mother to have such thoughts. Although he didn't want to bear responsibility, the idea of the emperor becoming a mere symbolic puppet in the future made him unwilling.
So, for a time, he was hesitant.
He stayed up all night, wondering if his father and ancestors would blame him if he agreed, if his future descendants would resent him, and even if the prime minister would usurp the throne if they gained too much power.
However, with his current age and experience,
he clearly couldn't figure things out or fully comprehend them.
He could only add to his own troubles.
For several days afterward, he remained restless. He couldn't explain it to others, so he could only agonize and hesitate in private, unsure of what to do.
Ding Yun observed all of this but did not intervene. To her, it didn't matter what choice her son made. While she couldn't guarantee other aspects, she could definitely ensure his lifelong safety. So why worry?
Let him choose for himself.
If she forced a path upon him,
he might resent her later for not being happy as an emperor.
Then, Ding Yun very rarely saw him poring over ancient texts, studying the ancient history of republican governance, and consulting with ministers about ruling through non-interference. He even tentatively inquired about ministers' views on the concept of a nominal sovereign, hoping to increase his understanding and facilitate his decision.
This continued for over three months. With less than a month to go before the ancestral worship, Ji Ding finally made up his mind. He found Ding Yun and said he was willing, willing to accept the concept of a nominal sovereign. However, the specifics of how to implement it, which powers could be delegated, and which could not,
still needed further negotiation and discussion.
To this end, he had prepared a wealth of materials and his own ideas and plans, intending to discuss them thoroughly with Ding Yun.