Chapter 274 Tao and Devil
East Palace.
Crown Prince Zhu Zaijian said to Qin Li with some trepidation: "Master Qin, I think it would be better to take things slow before we get married!"
Qin Li hesitated to speak, smiled bitterly for a while, and said: "Your Highness, the public sentiment is overwhelming now, and we can't stop!"
"Why are they so anxious?" The prince suddenly remembered that his cousin Jiang Qingzhi once joked to Prince Yu, saying that the emperor was not anxious, but the eunuchs were.
"Your Highness." Qin Li looked around and lowered his voice, "Your Majesty has been the enemy of the scholars and officials of the world for many years. Those people... By the way, I have an urgent matter... I will take my leave first."
"Master Qin!" the prince shouted, but Qin Li hurried out of the hall.
The prince calmed down and understood what Qin Li said.
"So this is not about my marriage, but a pretext for me to fight with my father." The prince understood and stood up and asked, "Where is my father?"
"Your Highness, His Majesty is in Wuyi Palace."
"Go to Wuyi Palace!" the prince said resolutely.
What he should do most at this moment is to stay still, remain silent, and wait for the outcome of the struggle between the two sides.
As soon as he walked out, several eunuchs came running over.
"It's someone close to His Majesty." Huang Wei said in a low voice.
The leading eunuch stopped and saluted, "Your Majesty has ordered that the Crown Prince be confined to his room today."
"Father!" The prince looked in the direction of Wuyi Palace and slowly knelt down.
That arrogant father!
At this moment, he was fighting alone with his ministers, and that seemingly frail body stood proudly in front of him.
Wuyi Palace.
"…Your Majesty, according to our ancestors' rule, the crown prince should go out to study at the age of 14. The current crown prince is well known for his intelligence and generosity, which is a blessing for our Ming Dynasty. I think it is the right time for the crown prince to go out to study."
"There are many women and eunuchs in the palace. How can a crown prince be in the hands of such people?"
Huang Jin's eyelids twitched.
"I second the proposal!"
"I second the proposal!"
One by one, the ministers came out in a threatening manner.
Huang Jin felt a little suffocated, as if a huge wave hit him in the face.
He glanced at Emperor Jiajing.
The Taoist priest sat on the throne with a calm expression, but the coldness in his eyes had not been seen in many years.
By the way, this was the expression on Emperor Jiajing’s face when he learned that Yang Shen and all the officials were crying outside Zuoshun Gate.
But today is different from the past. The ancestral rules, the rules of past dynasties, the rules of Confucianism... each rule is like a rope, binding Emperor Jiajing firmly to the throne.
The ministers seemed to be bowing their heads, but in fact they were all waiting for Emperor Jiajing to speak. Once Emperor Jiajing vetoed, they would use more intense words to criticize the emperor.
There is a name for this behavior, called "pi dragon scales".
The veins on Emperor Jiajing's neck flexed, and he raised his hand...
Outside the palace, the Jinyiwei and imperial guards were on high alert. From the moment Emperor Jiajing walked into Wuyi Palace, Lu Bing personally led a team to wait for orders outside the palace.
Rui Jingxian from the East Factory was leading his men down below.
At this moment, both Lu Bing and Rui Jingxian had murderous intent in their eyes.
At this moment, they shared honor and disgrace with Emperor Jiajing.
Yan Song roared at the ministers, "It is proper for the Crown Prince to go out to study, but Your Majesty needs to find a famous teacher and a good day. Are you trying to force Your Majesty?"
If something happened to Emperor Jiajing, Yan Song knew that neither he nor his son would have a good ending.
So he opened fire with all his might, and his old eyes swept over everyone with a strong sense of threat.
Someone said: "Five days from now will be an auspicious day, everything will be possible!"
Grass mud horse!
Yan Song was furious and looked up to find the man.
But several ministers spontaneously stood in front of that man.
Yan Song took a breath and asked, "What do you want to do?"
Someone said respectfully: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is fourteen years old and should go out to study."
Yan Song knew that there was no way to end this peacefully.
He looked back at Emperor Jiajing.
A feeling of weakness came over him, making Yan Song smile bitterly.
These people have been planning this for a long time, just waiting for this opportunity!
If the prince gets married, he will easily become a puppet of the literati, who will then use the prince to fight with Emperor Jiajing... As for the Ming Dynasty, who the hell cares?
Yan Song remembered what his son Yan Shifan had said yesterday.
——These people are loyal to whoever feeds them. They say that my father and I are treacherous ministers, but we still have to consider the country's destiny when we act. These people... only have their own families in their eyes!
Emperor Jiajing looked at his ministers coldly, "Zhang Xiang, Ma Cong..."
He read out a few names, those of the officials who had spoken most harshly earlier.
"Get out!" The Taoist pointed outside and whispered. He suddenly shouted, "Get out!"
Several officials left their work and took off their hats on their own, looking surprisingly cheerful.
Then he took his leave.
This is the removal of the crown and the removal of the official
But from then on they became heroes in the eyes of scholars all over the world, and were guests of honor of local scholars and gentry wherever they went.
Moreover, their names will surely be recorded in history, which is the honor that scholars dream of.
"It's gone!"
Dispersed.
Emperor Jiajing returned to Yongshou Palace.
Yan Song and others followed.
Not long after, Zhao Wenhua asked for an audience. After entering the palace, he looked bitter, "Your Majesty, the ministers have submitted memorials again. I have read them and found that most of them are advising Your Majesty to let the prince go out to study in the name of ancestral rules."
The eunuch behind him was holding a wooden box. There was no need to look inside to know that it must be a memorial.
Cui Yuan's eyes were filled with coldness. "Your Majesty, how about... taking a few of them to prison?"
Yan Song shook his head, "Not appropriate."
"When Yang Shen brought hundreds of officials to knock on the door, His Majesty was furious and ordered the Jinyiwei to arrest them. Blood and flesh flew everywhere in the imperial prison, and the court was peaceful for decades since then." Cui Yuan said.
"Yang Tinghe and his companions were not in the right during the Grand Ceremony debate, so no one dared to say anything when Your Majesty punished the officials. But this time they brought up the ancestral rules!"
Yan Song sighed, "The ancestral system has many advantages for Your Majesty, but this time they used it to force Your Majesty."
Everyone was silent.
At this time, a eunuch came and said that someone from the Ministry of Public Security was looking for Zhao Wenhua.
Zhao Wenhua took his leave and came back soon after.
That face looked extremely livid.
"Your Majesty, memorials from officials from various places have arrived in Beijing one after another, most of which suggest that the crown prince should leave the palace to study." Yan Song smiled bitterly and said, "At this time, whoever does not speak out will become a traitor to the literati."
This is the trend.
"Those people have been patient for many years, and once they found an opportunity, they vented all the resentment they had accumulated over the past few decades." Emperor Jiajing said coldly: "I know what they want. I..."
The Taoist covered his forehead with his hands and showed hesitation for the first time.
Earlier in Wuyi Palace, he almost wanted to have those officials who made suggestions arrested, but in the end he held back.
After an unknown amount of time, Yan Song felt his legs go numb from standing, Cui Yuan was restless, and Lu Bing wanted to make some suggestions...
Ding!
The Taoist priest struck the jade chime and asked, "What are you doing, Prince?"
This question is like an antelope hanging its horns, which makes people completely confused.
Huang Jin quickly sent someone to ask.
Not long after, the eunuch reported back, "The Crown Prince had previously raged at several officials in the Eastern Palace, saying that he was not in good health and should recuperate for a few more years."
The prince wanted to share the pressure with Emperor Jiajing.
"Idiot!"
Emperor Jiajing regained his composure and said, "Tell them that the prince can go out to study, but before that, he must be crowned first."
"Your Majesty!" Yan Song lost his composure. What he was most worried about was that once Emperor Jiajing passed away, the first thing the prince would do after ascending the throne would be to settle accounts with them father and son.
In his opinion, there were only two ways to avoid this: one was for Emperor Jiajing to live a long life and outlive Yan Song, and the other was for the crown prince to stay away from the literati.
"go with!"
Emperor Jiajing waved his hand.
"Yes."
……
"I can't stop it."
Zhu Xizhong came to the Jiang family. Xia Yan came early today to take charge. After hearing the news, he said: "The other party has many people and is indeed unstoppable. But your majesty must have a way."
Zhu Xizhong sat down and cursed: "Those dogs are now cheering and celebrating the victory."
"I think the restaurants and brothels are doing brisk business today." The Minister of War Wang Yiqi also came.
"Don't worry, there is still room for discussion." Xia Yan said with a smile.
In the afternoon, news came that Emperor Jiajing ordered the Crown Prince to go to the Taimiao to offer sacrifices.
"This is the power of the emperor." Xia Yan smiled and said, "Wait and see, Your Majesty will definitely have other tricks up his sleeve."
Li Tian had people bring snacks and tea. Xia Yan ate a few pieces and said, "Too sweet."
Li Tian just came in and said, "Life is bitter, it's better to eat something sweet."
"That makes sense." Xia Yan then ate one more piece of dessert.
Zhu Xizhong's attendants arrived, "Duke, the news from the palace is that His Majesty has ordered that the day after tomorrow is an auspicious day for the crowning ceremony for the crowned prince. His Majesty will be present in person, with Cui Yuan holding the ceremony, Yan Song applauding, and the Minister of Rites Xu Jie announcing the imperial edict."
"What a big scene!" Xiao Zhuo couldn't help but be shocked.
Xia Yan stroked his beard and smiled, "Our Majesty! Once he strikes, his opponent will be speechless."
Seeing Xiao Zhuo puzzled, Xia Yan explained, "Your Majesty is in person, the Prime Minister, Cui Yuan, a veteran of three dynasties, and Xu Jie, the newly appointed Minister of Rites. Cui Yuan represents the royal family, Yan Song represents the Council of State, and Xu Jie represents all officials... Do you understand?"
Xiao Zhuo was surprised, "This is almost an imperial display."
Xia Yan said meaningfully: "This is what your majesty has to do, do it for the world to see, and do it for the prince to see. As long as the current situation is stabilized, your majesty will be able to free up his hands and teach the prince little by little."
……
The coming-of-age ceremony went smoothly. The Taoist priest was quite pleased and praised the prince many times.
Then the Taoist priest invited the prince to arrive at Fengtian Gate and ordered all officials to perform the ritual of five bows and three kowtows to the prince.
"Fengtian Gate is where the emperor summoned all officials to discuss matters, and the five bows and three kowtows are only performed when offering sacrifices to heaven or paying homage to the emperor." Xia Yan stroked his beard and smiled: "This is your majesty telling the prince..."
……
"I have no suspicion of the prince!"
Emperor Jiajing stood in Fengtian Gate, watching the crown prince accept the worship of the ministers, and said calmly: "How can those idiots persuade the crown prince to be alienated from me?"
It really is His Majesty... Huang Jin and others felt relieved.
Don’t you want to seduce the prince?
I told him directly not to listen to those monkeys’ nonsense and just be at ease.
The ministers dispersed, and Lu Bing, who was in surveillance, came to report.
“Most of those people looked ugly.”
"Idiot!" Emperor Jiajing sneered.
The prince watched his ministers go away before turning around.
"Father!" The prince knelt down, "Your Majesty, I am willing to serve you for eternity."
The prince understood Emperor Jiajing's painstaking efforts.
"My son..." With mixed feelings, Emperor Jiajing touched the crown prince's head and said, "I seem to be an emperor in the Western Garden, but in fact it is not a pleasure, but a torment. So don't be suspicious."
"Yes." The prince raised his head and looked at him with admiration, "Father is just worried that I, your son, can't control this world."
Emperor Jiajing said with satisfaction: "My son is smart, Huang Jin."
"exist!"
"Ask them to get some good wine and food. Oh, do you still have the bacon that we got from Qingzhi last time?"
"There are quite a few more."
"Bring some, Prince, you are old enough, please drink with me today."
On that day, the emperor and the prince had a very pleasant conversation.
That night, some people also had a good chat...
Day two.
Emperor Jiajing put down the last memorial and stood up to rest.
As soon as he closed his eyes, he heard hurried footsteps.
Emperor Jiajing opened his eyes.
A feeling from nowhere made him sit up suddenly and ask, "Is there something wrong with the prince?"
The door opened, Huang Jin panicked, "Your Majesty, the prince is seriously ill."
……
Asking for votes.
(End of this chapter)
