Chapter 63 Retrograde
Ding!
Amid the clear sound of jade chimes, Emperor Jiajing said, "Concentrate your mind."
There are three cushions in the hall, representing Emperor Jiajing, Yan Song, and Jiang Qingzhi.
Jiang Qingzhi closed his eyes.
Relax your brain and let your imagination run wild.
After an unknown amount of time, he slowly woke up and touched the corner of his mouth. Fortunately, he was not drooling.
"No need to touch it." The voice of Emperor Jiajing came, "Your spleen and stomach are not weak."
People who study Taoism have all learned some medical skills to some extent.
Jiang Qingzhi opened his eyes and felt refreshed. "No wonder your majesty likes to practice Taoism."
"You kid really understands the benefits." Emperor Jiajing glanced at Yan Song. Old Yan looked relieved at the moment, but pretended to be very happy.
At this time, someone sent a memorial.
"Xia Yan?" Emperor Jiajing took a look and there was a hint of impatience in his eyes.
Jiang Qingzhi became alert. Just as he was on his way to Beijing, Yan Song and others joined forces and successfully made Emperor Jiajing furious and executed Zeng Xin.
And according to the course of history, Xia Yan's life journey is about to end.
Xia Yan's death marked the beginning of the era when Yan Song would hold sole power.
In the following ten years, Emperor Jiajing watched from the sidelines in the Western Garden, focusing more on the secret struggle with his ministers. Yan Song and his party took power and gradually led the Ming Dynasty astray.
Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, started with a bowl. In the eyes of the literati all over the world, even after he ascended the throne, he was still a monkey in human clothing.
How can we work for such a poor family?
The scholars and officials looked north to the royal army for another year, but instead of counterattacking, the Mongols were beaten to a pulp by the powerful army under the command of Emperor Taizu.
The army marched out of the border.
Hit the Hu!
Time and time again, the scholars and officials looked forward to it with eager eyes, but the "Mongol Army" became increasingly weak.
Ok!
It looks like Master Wang can’t come.
Our wealth...
That country bumpkin... never mind, I'll just hang out with him for a while.
But Emperor Taizu's patience had long since disappeared, and he treated the civil servants like running dogs.
Corruption?
Peeling the last straw!
Officials had to say goodbye to their wives and children before leaving home every day, for fear that the old-fashioned man would find evidence and kill them.
After Emperor Taizu passed away with great difficulty, Emperor Jianwen, who had long been secretly misled by the literati, ascended the throne.
Our good days are coming!
Amid cheers, the Peking Army marched southwards...
When Emperor Chengzu ascended the throne, this powerful ruler once again suppressed the literati.
But after Chengzu, emperors of all dynasties no longer had the authority and means to compete with civil servants.
The power has fallen into the hands of others...
After Emperor Jiajing ascended the throne, the literati remained the same and prepared to give him a few blows.
——Hey! Do you know who owns this world?
Jiang Qingzhi glanced at Emperor Jiajing.
The cousin pointed at the civil servants and cursed them.
"A bunch of idiots! This is my world!"
Just as Jiang Qingzhi taught Zhu Zaigui, don't look at the surface of things, but see the essence through the phenomenon.
The so-called Great Etiquette Dispute was, on the surface, a dispute between the emperor and his ministers over the reputation of the previous emperor and Emperor Jiajing's father. In reality, it was a struggle in which a group of scholar-officials led by Yang Tinghe joined forces with Empress Dowager Zhang in the palace to force Emperor Jiajing to bow his head.
If Emperor Jiajing bows his head, then everything will be easy.
But from then on he became a puppet.
But Emperor Jiajing stubbornly fought with his ministers and Empress Dowager Zhang.
Fighting back and forth, both sides suffer.
Xia Yan was arrogant, so arrogant that even though he was the Prime Minister, when he was in trouble, few people spoke up for him.
As an official and a prime minister, Xia Yan is awesome.
But as a human being, he is not even as good as Sun Chonglou.
This is Xia Yan's petition for justice.
"Your Majesty, Prince Consort Cui and Commander Lu request to see you."
Emperor Jiajing nodded.
When the two came in, Cui Yuan glanced at Jiang Qingzhi and smiled slightly.
Light cloud and wind.
It seems like something good is going to happen.
Lu Bing remained the same, unusually calm and composed.
Zhu Xizhong also came.
The small court gathered.
Emperor Jiajing raised the memorial in his hand and said, "Xia Yan has submitted a memorial to redress his grievances. How many times has this been the case?"
This memorial went through formal channels, that is, it first passed through the hands of Yan Song and others before being delivered to Emperor Jiajing.
Old Xia, Old Xia, why are you so anxious?
Jiang Qingzhi sighed inwardly.
Emperor Jiajing prides himself on being extremely smart, and your repeated petitions to redress your grievances are simply reminders to him.
——Your Majesty, you have wronged the loyal ministers!
Given the Jiajing Emperor's self-esteem, even if there were doubts in this matter, he would selectively forget them in the anger of being questioned.
I remember that in history, Xia Yan was executed in October, and it was only early summer now...
Jiang Qingzhi needs to confirm this matter, otherwise taking action too early will alert the enemy.
But how to be sure?
Memorial!
The memorials contain dates and even times.
Jiang Qingzhi glanced at Yan Song, and Yan Song smiled back at him gently, as if showing the kindness of an elder.
The strict and loving smile sent chills down Jiang Qingzhi's spine.
He felt more and more that something was wrong.
According to his understanding, if Yan Song and his followers felt unsure about taking action against Xia Yan at this moment, they would suppress this memorial and wait until the right opportunity to submit it.
If they felt the time had come, then this memorial would be delivered to Emperor Jiajing at the speed of light.
But how can I get the memorial?
Emperor Jiajing was reading the memorials and his expression became increasingly unsightly.
Jiang Qingzhi thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a solution.
Just...don't think about it anymore.
Jiang Qingzhi said, "Your Majesty, did Xia Yan slander the king?"
This is speaking from the perspective of Emperor Jiajing.
Emperor Jiajing waved the memorial, "Traitor! Traitor!"
The Taoist was really furious.
Jiang Qingzhi coughed dryly, "Your Majesty, calm down. Xia Yan has followed Your Majesty for many years. I have heard that he is arrogant. Now that he is in the imperial prison, does he dare to offend Your Majesty?"
He was betting that Emperor Jiajing would, in his rage, look for someone who agreed with him.
And this person, my cousin, is the most suitable one.
The timing can't be wrong!
If it is too early, Yan Song and others will be alert and will prepare in advance and not give him a chance.
But if it is too late, when Yan Song and others have finished their arrangements, Jiang Qingzhi can only sigh helplessly.
Cui Yuan felt that something was wrong with Jiang Qingzhi, but he found that this guy had an angry look on his face and was obviously on the side of Emperor Jiajing.
What's wrong?
Yan Song also felt that it was wrong, but he thought that this matter had been planned for a long time and there would be no mistakes. Lu Bing thought of the report of his subordinates.
Jiang Qingzhi was talking to Xia Yan outside Tongzhou City, and one of his sentences was: I believe in Mr. Xia's impartiality!
Thinking of this, Lu Bing quickly glanced at Yan Song.
——Pay attention to Jiang Qingzhi!
Yan Song frowned. Without his son Yan Shifan by his side, his reaction was slower.
What does Lu Bing mean?
"look by youself!"
Emperor Jiajing handed over the memorial.
Don’t be anxious, young man, don’t be anxious... Jiang Qingzhi pretended to be casual and took the memorial, and even had time to sneer at Yan Song.
What is he going to do?
An idea suddenly flashed through Yan Song's mind.
Lu Bing's reaction was even faster.
not good!
The two of them, one in front and one behind, secretly cried out in disbelief.
Jiang Qingzhi lowered his head.
He glanced at the memorial seemingly calmly.
"Memorials can only be read by Your Majesty." Yan Song said.
content!
Date, time!
Jiang Qingzhi closed his eyes and went over all this in his mind.
I only remember 30%.
However, the memorial was written this morning.
It's only an hour and a half away from now.
It was delivered to Emperor Jiajing so quickly, which shows that Yan Song and others are going to take action in the near future.
Seeing his expression, Emperor Jiajing thought he was worried about violating a taboo, and couldn't help but smile, "I allow you to watch it."
Jiang Qingzhi shook his head and handed over the memorial.
"I have overstepped my bounds."
"Qingzhi has a good grasp of the big picture." Emperor Jiajing praised, applauding his cousin's calm and composed attitude.
In his memorial, Xia Yan protested for himself and Zeng Xin, saying that Yan Song and Cui Yuan had teamed up to frame him. He even found out from the timeline that Qiu Luan's report on Zeng Xin was wrong.
—Your Majesty, are you blind?
This was almost like pointing a finger at Emperor Jiajing and cursing him.
Old Xia, are you fucking crazy?
Jiang Qingzhi opened his eyes.
What will happen to Emperor Jiajing?
Emperor Jiajing took the memorial and suddenly stood up.
"Xia Yan, damn it!"
Jiang Qingzhi's heart sank to the bottom.
Yan Song looked hesitant, "Your Majesty, please think twice."
"Interrogate Xia Yan strictly!"
Emperor Jiajing looked gloomy.
The emperor was furious and everyone bowed their heads quickly.
Only Jiang Qingzhi.
He looked at Emperor Jiajing calmly.
At this moment, he completely understood the cause of Xia Yan's death.
It was clearly written in the memorial he wrote to redress his grievances.
——All the ministers agreed to the restoration.
Why did most of the officials agree with it later when there were many opponents at the beginning?
Xia Yan was aloof and had a similar temperament to Emperor Jiajing. After taking power, he would not tolerate anyone questioning him, let alone sharing power with him.
At this moment, the powerful minister Yan Song was suppressed by him like a servant and could not even touch the power that a prime minister should have.
After he was reinstated twice, the first thing he did was not to work diligently and reflect on his mistakes, but to retaliate.
So the ministers were afraid.
When Xia Yan expressed his support for Zeng Xin's restoration, how many officials dared to object?
When Emperor Jiajing saw it, he felt threatened instantly.
What the hell!
Is this Ming Dynasty still mine?
But Emperor Jiajing still didn't want to kill Xia Yan.
Go back to your hometown and eat your old rice!
Xia Yan went back home reluctantly.
At this time, Yan Song and others took action to punish the fallen dog. Qiu Luan submitted a memorial, accusing Zeng Xin of concealing the news of defeat and evading responsibility by bribing Xia Yan.
Lu Bing, who had been waiting for a long time, suddenly showed his killer move.
——Qiu Luan’s reports and revelations are all true.
Emperor Jiajing's anger was no longer under control.
Lu Bing took action again, and the Jinyiwei reported that Xia Yan had complaints on his way home.
—He is complaining about you, Your Majesty!
Melon rind!
Take it!
In this way, Xia Yan was arrested and brought back to Beijing.
At this time, Xia Yan's best response was to remain silent.
Waiting for Emperor Jiajing to change his mind.
After all, the emperor and his subjects had once gotten along well. The Jiajing Emperor valued friendship and might show some leniency.
But, Lao Xia's complaint is just asking for trouble.
What Yan Song and others have to do now is to hammer the final nail into his coffin!
At this time, Cui Yuan suddenly asked: "Does Chang Wei Bo have any suggestions?"
This is a goodwill gesture.
But Cui Yuan knew Jiang Qingzhi's attitude towards Xia Yan, which was forcing him to take sides.
Come, you support His Majesty in killing Xia Yan.
Still, stand your ground.
juvenile!
The old man is waiting for you!
Cui Yuan's eyes were narrowed, almost into a triangle.
It seems as if one can hear the sound of a poisonous snake crawling.
Yan Song looked at Emperor Jiajing calmly, but the corners of his mouth were slightly raised.
Lu Bing lowered his head, with a look of satisfaction in his eyes.
Jiang Qingzhi, what will you do?
Today's battle can be described as exhilarating.
Jiang Qingzhi will definitely bow his head.
Jiang Qingzhi took a deep breath.
Xia Yan’s death represents the disappearance of a kind of power.
The name of this power is.
Take the world as your responsibility.
Jiang Qingzhi stood up.
Everyone looked up.
I saw the young man standing tall.
In that pleasant voice, he said clearly:
"His Majesty."
Emperor Jiajing looked at him.
"I think Xia Yan should not be put to death!"
(End of this chapter)
