The New Year is approaching, but there is no festive atmosphere at all in the entire court.
Three days have passed since the Supreme Emperor raised his troops to rebel. Everything has settled. The nine sects that were temporarily closed are gradually being lifted from control, and all yamen are starting to get back on track.
However, what made everyone feel uneasy was that since that morning's court meeting, the emperor had avoided seeing the ministers on the pretext of going to the Ancestral Temple to repent. As a result, there was quite a bit of panic in the court hall these days.
In the early morning, as soon as dawn broke, the palace was surrounded by civil and military officials.
Today is not the day when all officials should be present, but for the first time, all the officials from up and down the capital have arrived in an extremely orderly manner. The ones standing at the front are naturally the ministers from the six ministries and the cabinet. In addition, there are many others.
Duke Zhu Yi of Cheng State, Duke Li Xian of Feng State, and Bo Fan Guang of Jing'an were also prominently listed. Even Duke Dingguo, who had just turned thirteen and had never appeared in court before, was also listed.
Xu Yongning also followed the crowd with a sullen face, which showed that the ministers attached great importance to today.
The reason why such a situation occurs is because today is the day when the emperor will end his "repentance" from the Ancestral Temple, and it must also be the day when the Nangong Incident will come to an end. Although this matter has calmed down for the time being,
But everyone knows that there is still a lot of unfinished business, such as...
Zhu Yi, the Duke of Chengguo, was clearly a member of the Supreme Emperor's party before, but who would have thought that this incident not only did not harm him in the slightest, but instead made him the most popular figure among the nobles.
According to the current mainstream view from the outside world, after realizing that the Supreme Emperor had the intention to rebel, the Duke went to the East Palace to inform the Crown Prince, and then went to the palace with the Crown Prince to secretly report. Therefore, the Emperor hurriedly mobilized the imperial army to suppress the rebellion in time.
Put an end to this chaos.
It should be said that there is nothing wrong with this statement, and it is also logical. After all, although Zhu Yi was considered a member of Nangong before, it is not surprising that when faced with a matter of wealth and life like rebellion, it is not surprising that he would make any choice.
.
However, what made the ministers feel doubtful was that after the emperor learned that the Supreme Emperor was about to rebel, he actually sent Duke Cheng Guo to lead the imperial army to suppress it. Afterwards, the emperor even directly handed over the Central Military Governor's Mansion to Zhu Yi temporarily.
, this series of actions has to be said to be very thought-provoking.
Of course, compared with Zhu Yi, what people care about more is...Yu Qian!
In fact, anyone who is well-informed should almost know what Yu Qian did at the Tuanying camp on the outskirts of Beijing that day.
Wu Zhi mobilized troops without authorization and held court officials at knifepoint. No matter which one he did, it was enough to kill him. Although the final result proved that Yu Qian's decision was correct, his actions were against the rules after all.
Once this happens, the imperial court may not be able to live in peace in the future.
The most terrible thing is that unlike most of the rumors about Zhu Yi, Yu Qian's two charges are firmly established.
After all, when Yu Qian moved his sword, there were at least a dozen people in the camp watching, so even if he wanted to deny it, he couldn't justify it.
This is also the reason why Yu Qian did not appear here today. After the chaos was settled that day, although the palace never made any statement, after returning the talisman and Kanhe, Yu Qian immediately submitted an apology form and grounded himself.
At the house, waiting for disposal.
Because of this incident, there have been undercurrents in the court recently. Many people in the court originally felt that Yu Qian's power was too heavy, but he has been traveling abroad in the past few years, so these voices have calmed down a lot.
But now, not long after he returned to the court, something like this happened. Naturally, the voices of criticism in the court will not be small...
It's still early, so everyone standing outside is chatting more or less, but if you look carefully, you will find that all the important ministers present are closing their eyes and recuperating.
After a while, no one spoke.
Finally, the palace door was slowly opened. However, what greeted them was not the usual courtesy officers, but Shu Liang, the admiral and eunuch of Dongchang. They saw this big man walking out of the palace door and addressing the officials.
"Your Majesty has decreed that you will not be in court today."
This simple sentence made the officials present excited. However, before they could make any noise, Shu Liang continued.
"In addition, we summon ministers from various ministries, censors of the capital, cabinet ministers, military governors, regiment governors, Duke Dingguo, Duke Feng and other important ministers to come to see you."
Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. At this time, what they fear most is that the emperor will not see anyone. As long as they can see the emperor, everything will be solved.
However, having said that, the emperor only summoned these important ministers to see him, obviously wanting to discuss it privately first. This was undoubtedly a bit disappointing to the officials who were already gearing up to show off their talents in the morning.
Of course, the emperor's decree has been issued, and even if the ministers are dissatisfied, they can only disperse. After all, the former imperial army closed the nine gates, and the scene of martial law in the whole city is still vivid in our minds. At this time, from the palace to the court
They are still in a state of nervous tension. If something happens again, it is not what they want to see.
So, some people left to go back to handle their official duties, while others stayed and continued to wait for the news. As for the important ministers who had just been called, they cheered up and followed Shu Liang all the way into the palace.
As they walked forward, what the ministers did not expect was that Shu Liang led them to Wenhua Hall. You must know that since the prince left the cabinet, Wenhua Hall has generally been regarded as the place where the prince gives lectures and readings.
, the daily affairs of the government are generally placed in the Wuying Hall.
At such a sensitive time, what would be the purpose of the emperor summoning them in the Wenhua Palace?
Everyone frowned in unison, and when they entered the palace, they saw the emperor already sitting on the throne. However, what surprised them was that right next to the emperor, Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen also stood with his hands down, his little face tensed.
For a moment, everyone present could not help but look at each other and stepped forward to salute.
"I will bow to Your Majesty and pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
After the etiquette was completed, everyone returned to their places, but suddenly they stopped talking about what they had said outside the palace. As for the reason... of course it was because of the Crown Prince who was beside the emperor.
You know, everyone knows that today's discussion is to solve the Nangong Incident. To put it more directly, it is actually how to deal with the problem of the Supreme Emperor. As the son of the Supreme Emperor, in this situation, Zhu Jianshen's appearance is indeed a bit strange.
Awkward.
Of course, there is another point that everyone is tacitly aware of, which is the issue of the East Palace reserve. Although the reserve should not be touched lightly, as long as you hang around in the court long enough, you will inevitably understand one truth, that is
, all rules can be flexible.
The fact that the reserve position cannot be moved lightly does not mean that it cannot be moved. In fact, ever since the emperor's sons were born one after another, especially after the birth of the emperor's legitimate son Zhu Jianzhi, although no one in the court publicly asked for the easy storage position, in fact, this trend has never been
It's never been interrupted.
It should be said that this is not difficult to understand. What the reserve seeks is stability. This stability is not only the stability of etiquette and law, but more importantly, the stability of the political order.
Under normal circumstances, inheritance from father to son will not cause any disputes, and it will also allow the prince to legally and completely inherit the political resources left by the previous emperor after he succeeds to the throne.
Generally speaking, this inheritance is multi-faceted, including the resources and ideas of the previous emperor, as well as some binding systems. This is the so-called taboo for the venerable. Under this inheritance system,
The new monarch will often try his best to maintain everything of the previous emperor in order to strengthen the legitimacy of his rule.
On the other hand, for the courtiers, this method can enable them to safely survive the chaotic period of the transfer of imperial power and maintain the stability of the entire court's operation.
However, this kind of stability was fragile from the beginning for the Jingtai Dynasty. The prince was not the biological son of the emperor, but the eldest son of the emperor. This abnormal relationship between the heaven and the family directly affected the entire Jingtai Dynasty.
political ecology.
In fact, although the emperor has always treated the prince as his own child and devoted all his efforts to cultivate him, this unstable state has only been covered up for so many years because of its natural existence.
This situation actually means that when many unexpected situations occur, there will be unforeseeable futures. For example, once His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ascends the throne, how to deal with His Majesty’s posthumous name? If the Crown Prince is still alive at that time, what should be done?
How to honor the Supreme Emperor? If the Supreme Emperor is still alive and makes some unreasonable demands, should the new monarch follow filial piety or etiquette and justice? If the Supreme Emperor has died, then whose legal system the new monarch should respect.
This series of issues are unpredictable for the courtiers, not to mention the custom of one emperor and one courtier in one dynasty. After the new emperor ascends the throne, what will he think and think of them, the veteran ministers of the Jingtai Dynasty? These are all
They are completely out of control.
In essence, most of the ministers in the court uphold etiquette and law because it is beneficial to them. However, if etiquette and law threaten them, then I am afraid that most of them will not have any benefit if they trample etiquette and law under their feet.
hesitate.
What's more, the situation today is different.
Whether Zhu Jianshen wants it or not, he is the eldest son of the Supreme Emperor, and he cannot escape this identity. In this case, can he continue to be the crown prince when the Supreme Emperor raises his troops to rebel?
Whether you admit it or not, in fact, Zhu Jianshen's biggest legal source and support as the crown prince is Nangong. Now that the Supreme Emperor has rebelled, the blow to the East Palace must be heavy.
Over the past few days, this trend has actually begun to prevail in the DPRK. Politics is cruel. From the perspective of important ministers like them, under the current situation, replacing the prince is undoubtedly the best choice for the interests of all parties.
.
Otherwise, not only will they have to continue to accept this unstable political ecology in the future government, but they will also have to worry about whether the prince will come back to settle accounts with them after he ascends the throne, which is not as good as supporting him.
What about a new prince?
In fact, some of them had originally planned to test the water and find out the emperor's intentions at this morning court meeting. However, who would have thought that the emperor first issued an edict to abstain from the court, then summoned the important ministers to discuss matters, and then called the prince
Came over.
In this situation, how can they speak?
However, they remained silent, but the emperor who was above him did not remain silent. He glanced at everyone for a week and said.
"I summoned you all to see me today. I think you all know what I am doing."
At this point, the emperor's tone paused, and with a hint of inexplicable emotion, he raised his voice again.
"The Supreme Emperor raised his troops to rebel. This is something unheard of in ancient times!"
"It is said that saints respect relatives and gentlemen show filial piety. Now that we see swordsmen and soldiers in the imperial city, and people in the same household engage in war, I feel extremely sad and have no shame to show mercy to my ancestors. This is all my fault."
"When I succeeded to the throne, I followed the will of heaven and the public opinion. Unexpectedly, this happened now, which really makes me sad and heartbroken. It is really not my wish that our brothers are fighting against each other. However, the matter has come to this, and you all think that this is
How should the matter be handled?"
Ah this...
Facing the questions raised by the emperor, the ministers who had already thought of the answers were a little nervous at this time.
According to them, this matter is actually very simple. Although there has been no precedent for the Supreme Emperor to rebel since ancient times, when the matter has reached this point, it is actually easier to handle.
After all, the Supreme Emperor is the Supreme Emperor. Even if the rebellion exhausted the last bit of love between the Tian family, after all, the blood relatives are still there. Of course, it is impossible to grant death, and it is not appropriate to demote him to a commoner. Therefore, the best result is
Imprisoned.
Of course, it is not difficult to say the result of this treatment, but what is difficult is that it is somewhat inappropriate for them to say...
After looking at each other, Wang Wen finally stood up first and said.
"Your Majesty, I believe that treason cannot be condoned. The Marquis of Ningyang, Chen Mao, the Commander-in-Chief, Zhang Shi, and the Commander of the Yulin Guards, Meng Jun, who participated in the treason this time, shall all be deprived of their official positions and titles, and their heads shall be beheaded in public. Their families shall also be deprived of their official positions and titles.
Exiled, if not pardoned, serve as a warning to others."
"In addition, those who guard the imperial guards of Nangong, mobilize without authorization, and rely on the rebel party should have their property confiscated and exiled to the nine sides. The other rebels should be handed over to the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple for detailed interrogation, and they should be questioned one by one. There must be no
A trace of tolerance.”
As the chief official of the Ministry of Personnel, Wang Wen's opening of the mouth at this time was naturally appropriate, and the angle he chose was naturally ingenious.
As a human minister, how the Supreme Emperor should be dealt with was not something he could discuss, so he only discussed how the other rebels should be dealt with.
However, when you are in the court, you must listen to what you are told. Wang Wen's first words set the tone. He said that the crime of treason cannot be tolerated. The implication is that the case must be severely tried and judged.
Although he did not mention the Supreme Emperor in his words, from his treatment of other people, we can already see the resolute attitude of this Lord Tianguan on this matter...
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This chapter has been completed!