"As evidenced by the late emperor's edict!" Zhang Xi's shocking words caused the hall to fall into a dead silence. After a while, the nobles recovered from the shock, and their eyes were all focused on Zhu Zhanji.
, all of them asked: "Your Highness, is this true?" "Is there really an edict to pass on the throne?"
"..." Zhu Zhanji's throat trembled twice, and finally he nodded heavily.
"Great!" The nobles immediately burst into violent cheers: "Thank God, this is really the spirit of our ancestors, God bless the Ming Dynasty!" Just now Zhu Yong said rebellion, although the nobles were momentarily angry, they responded one after another and returned to custody.
After you get home, calm down, I'm sure someone will be a fool.
It's not that easy to rebel. If you fail, you will be beheaded! These princes and uncles with big families and big businesses are destined not to be complete revolutionaries, but only opportunists sitting on the fence...
Therefore, when Zhu Zhanji announced that he had a succession decree and was the successor designated by the late emperor, one can imagine the excitement of the nobles!
Everyone knows that forcing the emperor to abdicate, without the late emperor's edict, is forcing the palace to usurp the throne, which is no different from rebellion! It is difficult to win over the hearts and minds of the military and the people, and the probability of success is very low. If you fail, your reputation will be ruined, and your family will be ruined!
With the late emperor's succession decree, everything will be very different. They will become the executors of the late emperor's last wishes. They will confidently oust the pseudo-emperor who usurped the throne. They will have great righteousness and be famous! And in front of such a testament, the emperor,
The legitimacy of their position will be gone, and they are no match for them!
To put it another way, even if they don't succeed, the emperor can't do anything to them, because they are carrying out the imperial edict of the late emperor, which is natural and right!
Is there a better option for speculators?
Of course, the premise is that the edict must definitely exist and be authentic.
So the nobles gathered around Zhu Zhanji and asked questions, and finally focused on one question without any suspense - can you show us the posthumous edict?
"Okay!" Zhu Zhanji nodded and stood up. Zhang Fu walked to the door, closed the door, and personally looked after His Highness Taisun. Hu Hao also stood up with Zhu Zhanji to prevent anyone from snatching or damaging the edict.
After some actions, the light in the room dimmed, but the atmosphere became extremely solemn. Everyone stared at His Highness Taisun with their eyes wide open, not daring to breathe, watching him clean his hands, and then took out a bag from his arms.
Here comes the long and narrow gold box.
Zhu Zhanji held the gold box in both hands, with a pious and solemn face. He first bowed respectfully towards Changling three times, and then opened the gold box, and a roll of yellow silk appeared in front of the nobles.
Zhu Zhanji stood in the shadows, picked up the Huang Ling and showed it in front of everyone. The nobles' eyes widened, and they saw that the Zhu characters on it were slightly scrawled, but at first glance, it was undoubtedly written by the late emperor in his later years.
He wrote: "I am not hesitant. I will follow Emperor Taizu's system when attending the funeral. The emperor's grandson Zhu Zhanji is unparalleled in benevolence and filial piety, and is well-equipped in both civil and military affairs. He is the most respected among his children and grandchildren. I have raised him in the palace since I was a child and taught him carefully."
I know that he will be able to inherit the great unification. I will ascend the throne and become the emperor after me. I admire this.'
The red seal on it is dazzling, and it is undoubtedly the seal of Emperor Daxing.
After the nobles had seen it, Zhu Zhanji immediately put Huang Ling away and looked at everyone with burning eyes.
Without further hesitation, all the distinguished nobles knelt down in front of Zhu Zhanji and said loudly: "I will obey the orders of Emperor Daxing. I am willing to serve His Highness as Lord, and I will break my body to pieces, and I will regain the throne for His Highness!"
"Okay! I will never let you down!" Zhu Zhanji secretly breathed a sigh of relief and helped everyone up.
Zhang Fu also breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door with a smile. Zhang Fu himself came in carrying the wine jar and a big rooster in his hand.
Therefore, Zhu Zhanji and all the nobles made a bloody alliance and agreed to start an uprising at the court meeting in half a month!
"Although His Highness has the imperial edict in his hands, we are already in an invincible position!" Zhang Fu swept his sharp eyes over the nobles and said in a deep voice: "But if you want to be foolproof and win decisively, you must let the army speak for itself!"
"Of course!" The honorable nobles were full of ambition this time, and their minds were filled with the achievements of their support. They shouted one after another: "We have nothing else but the army! After His Highness Taisun gave the order, the children immediately went to Beijing.
, whoever dares to disobey will be killed without mercy!"
"Don't go on a killing spree unless it's absolutely necessary." Zhu Zhanji frowned and warned uneasily: "This is the capital built by Grandpa Huang. We just want to get back what we deserve. Is it best if we don't leave any blood?"
"
"Your Highness is kind, we know..." The nobles agreed one after another.
"The problem now is that the emperor is not wary of us for a day or two. Since last year, through the adjustment of generals, everyone has been transferred from the original army and replaced with Wang Xian's people." Zhang Fu said with a worried look: "
Can you still mobilize your old troops? This is a big question."
"Don't worry, sir!" How could the nobles give in when they behaved like this in front of their master, and they all boasted: "We have been in the army for many years, and we have all promoted the little brats. Wang
Xian's gang has only been here for a few days? Who will listen to them?"
"Don't talk nonsense too early," Zhang Fu frowned and said, "Go back and find your old subordinates, have a heart-to-heart talk with them, and touch their bottoms before talking!"
"Yes, I understand..." All the nobles agreed reluctantly.
"Let's all go, half a month is very tight, and I will report back as soon as possible after I have found out!" After Zhang Fu finished speaking, he waved his hand.
After the nobles saluted Zhu Zhanji, they filed out...
There were only three people left in the room, Zhu Zhanji, Zhang Fu, and Hu Hao. Their faces looked relieved, and they finally got through.
There is no doubt that the edict is genuine, but through the ingenuity of Ouchi craftsmen, a line of words in the middle has been folded off. If you look carefully under bright light, you can still see the long crease, so Zhang Fu and Hu
The pretentiousness that Lu just did was not to keep secret at all, but to deliberately dim the light in the room to make everyone feel nervous.
Zhu Zhanji deliberately stood in the dark again, illuminated the edict and put it away. As expected, the nobles did not notice anything strange, and their doubts were completely dispelled.
"However, after half a month, we won't be able to play this little trick anymore." Zhu Zhanji took out the imperial edict and gently pulled it, and the folded line read: "However, I am very worried about Wang Xian. If the emperor is too
If Sun Neng held it and beheaded it, it would appear on the yellow silk ribbon again.
"It doesn't matter, once they jump out, they can't go back." Hu Hao said coldly. In order to successfully ascend the throne, the edict must be flawless, so the words about Wang Xian cannot be hidden after all.
However, they didn't plan to keep it secret for long, they just didn't want to let the people below know before launching the project. After all, the name Wang Xian carried too much weight, and it would be difficult to scare those speculators.
After all, it's useless for those guys to know the truth. What's more, once Zhu Zhanji ascends the throne, are you afraid that his surname will be Wang?
"Yes, there is no need to worry about this matter. There are two things to worry about now. One is that our army must at least control the imperial city by then. If we can control the palace city, everything will be fine." Zhang Fu said in a deep voice.
"It's not easy." Hu Hao sighed. Although he, the Minister of War, was just a decoration, he also knew very well that after Emperor Hongxi ascended the throne, he learned the lesson from the rebellion of King Zhao in the late years of the late emperor and transferred a large number of troops out of the capital and the imperial city.
Only the three major battalions and the Jinyi Guards, collectively known as the Four Guards Battalions, were left to guard the four corners of the palace to protect the safety of the palace.
According to the plan, the rest of the army will all withdraw from the capital and station outside the city to prevent the generals from causing rebellion. However, due to insufficient barrack construction, most of the army has not yet moved out. This is what Zhang Fu and others rely on. But as just said
It is said that these troops have not yet left the capital, but their commanders have been replaced by Wang Xian's men.
Most of the nobles have been sent to lead troops outside the city. If you want to transfer troops from outside the city into the capital, the procedures are very complicated. According to regulations, without military symbols, the troops defending the city will never be let in. Of course, the troops guarding the city will not be allowed in.
If the city's officers and soldiers also defected, it would be a different matter.
"It depends on people. You can still do it if you bite the bullet." Zhang Fu reassured the two of them and changed the subject: "However, the premise is that Wang Xian will not return to Beijing."
The two nodded in agreement. Wang Xian was already a behemoth in the Yongle Dynasty. When Emperor Hongxi came to Beijing, the main force he relied on was his troops in Shandong. After he ascended the throne, some of his troops returned to Shandong, while others stayed in Shandong.
Under the leadership of Mo Wen and Liu Sheng, he joined the third battalion and the Jin Yiwei. Moreover, Emperor Hongxi didn't think it was enough, and he hired officers from Wang Xian's line. It can be said that as soon as he returns to the capital, he can control the entire capital in the blink of an eye.
Defense, how can you let others play?
"Speaking of which, Yang Pu should have arrived in Jinan..." Zhu Zhanji looked at Zhang Fu.
"We arrived a few days ago. It's almost time for the news to come back..." Zhang Fu said slowly: "If Wang Xian returns to Beijing, I suggest killing him on the road at all costs."
"Oh, this is the only way..." Zhu Zhanji also knew that at this juncture, Wang Xian must not be allowed to come back! He glanced at Hu Hao and said, "If necessary, please ask Master Hu to take action."
"That's natural!" Hu Hao nodded and accepted the job without hesitation...
In Qianqing Palace, as the weather gets warmer, Zhu Gaochi recovers a lot, and he and Yang Shiqi take a walk in the imperial garden.
"Shiqi, the ice on this lake has finally melted and the willow branches have turned yellow. Spring has really come." The action of depriving the nobles of their right to participate in politics went extremely smoothly, making His Majesty the Emperor a rare bright mood.
"Your Majesty, be careful of the early spring cold." Yang Shiqi also imitated the emperor and said with a pun.
"Yes, it's really unsettling that they accepted it calmly." Zhu Gaochi sighed and looked towards the south: "But as long as the swallows return north, no one can stop the pace of spring."
"That's true, I hope Brother Hongji can succeed immediately." Yang Shiqi lowered his head and said softly, hiding the jealousy in his eyes very well.