In Fengtian Hall, as the emperor left, there fell into a brief silence.
However, a moment later, the pot exploded, and the discussion was so loud that it almost tore off the entire roof.
What does this mean?
It was obvious that such a situation had been reached, and the prince could be deposed with just one sentence, but in the end he left in such an inexplicable way.
Do you still have expectations for the prince? Or are you unable to make a decision on such a major matter at the moment? Or do you feel that it is not appropriate to depose the prince directly in front of all the ministers?
Countless speculations emerged, making Fengtian Temple noisy.
However, compared to the panicked ministers below, the important ministers in the palace looked at each other and quickly made a decision.
No matter what the emperor's attitude is, since we have reached this situation, today's East Palace matter must be concluded.
So, a few people got together and discussed in a low voice. Then, headed by Wang Wen, they collectively handed in the invitation message.
The emperor's departure meant the end of today's court meeting. Therefore, naturally, the ministers could not stay in Fengtian Hall any longer. Driven by the etiquette officials, everyone had to gather in the square outside Fengtian Hall. However, no one left.
All the people gathered together in twos and threes, waiting for the news.
Different from the low discussion below, His Majesty Dan in front of the palace was very quiet. All the important ministers stood silently with their sleeves rolled up.
As for the reason, it is very simple, because there is another person standing in front of them...His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!
The real owner is present, whether he supports or opposes the deposed prince. Under such circumstances, it is obviously not suitable for any communication.
Time passed little by little, and the ministers became more and more anxious. Until the snowflakes that kept falling in the sky gradually stopped, the dark clouds dispersed slightly, and the weak sunlight filtered through the clouds, making the world seem a little brighter. There was a team of internal servants, who
The apse came in a hurry.
Seeing this situation, everyone immediately cheered up. Even the important ministers couldn't help but take two steps forward. After saluting, they asked the leader Wynn.
"Eunuch Huai, your majesty wants to announce that we have an audience?"
However, to their disappointment, Wynn shook his head gently and said.
"I'm afraid you all have to wait. His Majesty has spoken and announced that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will have an audience. Prince Min and Prince Xiang will also be summoned to meet you."
As soon as these words came out, the ministers present looked at each other and were a little confused for a moment.
It’s enough to have an audience with Prince Xuan, but why summon King Min and King Xiang?
Could it be that you want to consult the clan?
But the question is, when will it be the clan's turn to intervene in the Ming Dynasty's crown prince position? Even if they are allowed to intervene, I am afraid that these two people will not dare to express any opinions on the East Palace matter.
So, after a moment's hesitation, Wang Wen took a step forward and said.
"Please let me know once again, my father-in-law, the throne of the Eastern Palace is of great importance. Now that all the ministers are here, at least we have to meet His Majesty and get a charter..."
Hearing this, other ministers also agreed. This appearance made Wynn feel a little embarrassed and he cupped his hands.
"Don't worry, gentlemen, our family is well aware of the seriousness of this matter. Those who should be informed will be informed. However, the matter is so important that it must be decided by His Majesty himself. Therefore, you should be patient and don't touch it at this time. It’s bad luck.”
These words are a bit harsh. Hua En often serves in front of the emperor. He can say this, which shows that the emperor's mood is probably not very good now.
Therefore, the ministers had no choice but to say nothing and continue to wait...
At the same time, Huaien came to Zhu Jianshen's side, bowed his hands, and led the Crown Prince towards the palace.
Not long after, Zhu Jianshen arrived at the Qianqing Palace. After attending the case, Zhu Qiyu changed into a plain robe and looked at him quietly.
"My nephew pays homage to Your Majesty."
At this moment, Zhu Jianshen no longer felt any nervousness or uneasiness. Even though he was facing the situation that his position in the East Palace was about to be deposed, he was still calm and calm, bowing respectfully.
"Get flat..."
Zhu Qiyu waved his hand and motioned for the people below to give Zhu Jianshen a seat. However, even though the chamberlain had moved the pier, Zhu Jianshen did not sit down and still stood beside him with his hands down.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Qiyu did not force himself, frowned and asked.
"What happened in the palace just now?"
Obviously, what he was asking was not about deposing the crown prince, but about Zhu Jianshen's proposal to marry in public.
In fact, Zhu Qiyu, Zhu Jianshen, and even some important officials in the court already knew what the final outcome of the Eastern Palace Reserve would be.
What happened two years ago was said to be that Zhu Jianshen fell into a coma due to excessive grief after suddenly hearing the news of Zhu Qizhen's death. After waking up, he suffered from madness.
But in fact, Zhu Jianshen was ill, but Zhu Qiyu knew very well that the so-called madness was most likely faked by him.
Of course, this is not what the imperial physician said, because most of the time it is difficult for the imperial physician to find the cause of madness. In fact, many people with this disease have normal pulses, so for the imperial physician Generally speaking, diagnosis can only be made based on symptoms. As long as Zhu Jianshen loses control of his emotions from time to time and behaves like a lunatic, then even if the cause cannot be diagnosed, it cannot be said that he is not ill.
The reason why Zhu Qiyu dared to draw this conclusion was because he sent people to investigate in the East Palace. In the past two years, Zhu Jianshen's madness has mainly manifested itself in two ways. One is that he would smash objects for no reason and even beat the palace maids. , and the second is that during those few sutra feasts, he would talk nonsense, or even suddenly jump up and run away.
There seems to be no problem with these two points, but judging from the information Zhu Qiyu received, there are two very suspicious points. One is that the objects Zhu Jianshen smashed every time were cheap goods, and his so-called beating of palace maids and chambermaids was actually not true. Most of them were chamberlains, and most of them were strong chamberlains. They said they were beaten violently, but at most they were punches and kicks.
Zhu Jianshen's body bones are not weak, but he has not practiced martial arts after all. His so-called beatings, for those servants, would only be superficial injuries at most. And when he wakes up, he will not only arrange for imperial doctors to treat these people's injuries, but also give them more rewards.
Of course, this is not unexplainable. After all, as Zhu Jianshen, since he knows that he has madness, then whether it is a strong internal servant to serve him, or a reward after he wakes up, he can regard it as his
A way to prevent yourself from causing too much loss when you lose control.
However, in addition to this, Zhu Qiyu also received another news, that is, Zhu Jianshen had basically secretly thrown away the medicines that the Imperial Hospital had sent to the East Palace over the years to soothe the mind and nourish the heart.
The specific cause of the disease was unknown, so the imperial physician could only prescribe some relatively general medicines. But if Zhu Jianshen was really suffering from madness, he would not even try to treat it.
Moreover, in addition to the medicines for treating madness, Zhu Jianshen suffered from other diseases in the past two years, such as typhoid fever, headaches, etc. He used the medicines sent by the Tai Hospital normally, so there is no such thing as him.
It’s a problem of not trusting too many hospitals.
Then, there can only be one conclusion... He is faking it!
The purpose is also very simple, that is, to voluntarily give up the position of prince...
So in fact, today's situation is a result that has been foreseen for both Zhu Jianshen and Zhu Qiyu, whether it is sooner or later.
However, what Zhu Qiyu did not expect was that Zhu Jianshen would suddenly make a request in the court to marry a palace maid as his concubine.
In Zhu Qiyu's view, this is completely unnecessary, because since he already has the reason of madness, he can already be deposed as a prince, and there is really no need to make such a request to smear his face...
Zhu Jianshen, on the other hand, was very calm about this question. He seemed to have expected that Zhu Qiyu would ask this question. He just pondered for a moment and then spoke.
"Reporting to your majesty, after my father rebelled, the imperial court became more and more aggressive against me, thinking that the son of a sinner should not be the heir to the throne. I also knew this, but I was young at the time and had difficulty distinguishing right from wrong. I always felt resentful in my heart.
, he was so angry that he refused to step down from his position in the East Palace."
"At that time, when the clamor for impeachment in the court was at its peak, Xu Youzhen, an official in the East Palace, rebelled against his ministers and accused them of being unfilial and unjust. At that time, public opinion in the court was fierce. All the important ministers came to the palace to inquire about the matter in person. At that time, I felt that this was
Your Majesty wants to follow the current and depose the minister from his position in the East Palace."
As soon as these words came out, even Wynn on the side trembled in his heart.
His Highness, the Crown Prince, really dares to speak... You know, his words alone can be used to accuse him of prejudging the emperor's heart and disrespecting the emperor.
He secretly glanced at the emperor, and sure enough, after hearing the prince's words, the emperor looked a little sad. After a moment of silence, he nodded slightly and said.
"I know..."
"However, I soon realized that I was wrong."
Seeing this situation, Zhu Jianshen's tone became slightly melancholy and he continued.
"I still remember that at that time, all the important ministers were preparing to impeach me together with Xu Youzhen, but His Majesty only asked me if I was still willing to be the crown prince... I didn't speak at the time and didn't know how to answer."
"So, His Majesty suppressed all rumors, without asking other important officials what they wanted, and ordered the court not to discuss the matter again."
"At that time, I was still young. Although I could appreciate His Majesty's love and care, I could not fully understand the meaning of Your Majesty's questions. Later, as I became older, I gradually became more educated and sensible, listened to the government at court meetings, and personally took care of the affairs of the East Palace. Only then did I know how to deal with the court situation.
, In the midst of the hardships of governing the country, I recall your Majesty’s words. Although I was shaken, I still have unresolved resentments in my heart, so I still support you hard.”
"In the following years, the court was criticized and impeached, which made me understand that things in the court were not as simple as I thought. Even His Majesty had some things he could do nothing about. The criticism I received in the court was not His Majesty's intention, but stemmed from it.
The fact that I am the son of the common people stems from the fact that I occupy the position of the East Palace as the son of the common people."
Zhu Jianshen had obviously hidden these words in his heart for a long time. At this moment, he revealed them all. Unknowingly, he was also moved by his true feelings, and his tone became more complicated, saying.
"Therefore, if I stay in the East Palace for a day, I will inevitably have to face fierce public opinion, pressure from the court, my special status, envoys will also have to face the situation of brothers questioning me, and relatives being separated from each other."
"To occupy the reserve position and inherit the world, I need to put the community, family and country first, not to do anything wantonly at all times, and not to be limited by the love of my children... All of these are the price I need to pay."
As he spoke, Zhu Jianshen raised his head, met Zhu Qiyu's eyes and said.
"At that time, His Majesty had foreseen this incident and knew how much pressure I would be under, so he asked me if I was still willing to occupy the East Palace position. However, I was too stupid to understand His Majesty's intentions, which is why I have reached this stage today."
With a long sigh, Zhu Jianshen paused for a moment, as if he was hesitating, but then he continued.
"Now that I am old, I can understand your Majesty's wishes."
"If your majesty wants to depose me as the crown prince, you can do it after the Nangong incident. You can do it when Xu Youzhen submits the memorial. You can do it even more when the imperial grandmother wants to kill the Wan family. However, your majesty refused three times because you love me and don't want me to fall into resentment."
This is the end of your life."
"In that case, how dare I put your Majesty in a dilemma?"
"Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, shouldering the responsibility of the country. He is devoted to the country, and everything he does is for the long-lasting inheritance of our ancestors. I am the prince, the prince, and the descendant of the Zhu family. I cannot let down your majesty, let alone my ancestors."
"When ministers occupy the reserve position, the court and the court will continue to fight for the East Palace. If this trend becomes more and more intense, the court will be unrest and harm the country. The more ministers in the court now advocate the abolition of the reserve, if the ministers ascend the throne in the future, even if they are willing to keep them
In the dynasty, everyone must be in danger. If you are a prince, then a hundred years from now your majesty will have sycophants who will slander your majesty's name, defend the common people, and show the integrity of the rule of law."
"I am in the reserve position. I am responsible for the responsibility of the country, the family and the country, and the kindness of His Majesty. I have the power of life and death. How can I feel at ease?"
There was silence in the hall, Zhu Qiyu's expression was a little complicated, while Zhu Jianshen took a deep breath, lifted up the hem of his robe, knelt down on the ground, and spoke solemnly.
"A few years ago, Your Majesty asked me if I would like to be the Crown Prince. At that time, I didn't know how to answer. Today, I want to answer Your Majesty..."
"I... don't want to!"
The last two words were loud and clear, and as Zhu Jianshen kowtowed heavily, his voice sounded again without any hesitation.
"I invite your Majesty to issue an edict to depose the crown prince for the sake of the country, the people, and the heavenly family..."
"To reassure...the hearts and minds of the people of the country!"
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This chapter has been completed!