Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 22: Crying Gate, Great Victory (Seeking votes for follow-up reading)
No matter how hard you try to weed the palace, the Forbidden City is still full of leaky walls.

It is true that the eldest prince has moved to Ciqing Palace, but it is tantamount to being imprisoned.

Rumor has it that Concubine Wang Gong was not allowed to meet his mother and son, and she cried all day long in Jingyang Palace.

Shen Yikuan was almost in tears.

The summer heat makes people irritable. The lecture was postponed and the crown prince was imprisoned.

Tolerable or unbearable?
Shen Yikuan could no longer suppress the surging public sentiment. Under the scorching sun, all the officials cried at their gates.

The towering Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City separated the inside and the outside. Over the years, no one could enter except Shen Yikuan, who was on duty in the cabinet, and a few low-ranking officials.

Everyone knew that the emperor was inside and the eldest son was also inside.

However, this towering palace wall separated the inside and the outside, and all officials lived mechanically in the panic of many unpredictable court affairs.

On the one hand, they still consult their superiors on government affairs, make suggestions or advice, whether out of public interest or personal gain.

Most of the time, we don’t get a response, and those that do get it are often delayed for a long time.

When they went to handle it again, they had to face the fact that many departments were short of staff, and the number of new officials was extremely slow and very small.

Perhaps more than a decade ago, the dispute over the foundation of the country had a deeper meaning. The relationship between the monarch and his subjects in the post-Zhang Juzheng era needed to establish a new order.

But now, the dispute over the foundation of the country also implicitly reflects the expectations of the ministers: Can the Ming Dynasty get better?
One cannot pin one's hopes on the emperor suddenly regaining his spirits and governing the country diligently, nor can one clearly express one's hopes for a new emperor or a different world.

So cry!
This time, Shen Yikuan also knelt down and cried.

He could no longer explain to the emperor the rumor that the eldest prince was imprisoned.

What is going on?

Cheng Jing stood by the gate of the Meridian Gate and said earnestly, "My dear ministers, Wang Dewan previously made irresponsible remarks about the palace, but it was later proven to be false. Now, it is nothing more than another rumor. Your Highness is just used to living in Jingyang Palace, and he feels a little uncomfortable after moving in. It is just a fever, and he will recover soon. When the lecture begins, the rumors will be resolved. Why do you have to do this, my dear ministers?"

Shen Yi Guan said nothing.

The Minister of Rites Yu Jideng was very old. He was sweating profusely under the sun, with tears streaming from the corners of his eyes.

"Why are there so many rumors? Your Highness has moved to a new palace, and Your Majesty has made clear all the instructions before. Why didn't you approve the three ritual edicts proposed by the cabinet and the three ritual notes drafted by the Ministry of Rites? Now we suddenly hear that the eldest prince has moved to a new palace but is being held prisoner. If we don't cry and ask Your Majesty for the truth, how can we be loyal?"

"Alas! How painful!"

There were cries everywhere.

This is crying because of the jealousy between the ruler and his subjects.

Crying for the future and destiny of the Ming Dynasty.

I also cried for the frustration I had felt over the years.

Under the scorching sun and in the excitement, some people suffered from heatstroke and some fainted.

In the Forbidden City, Zhu Yijun's face turned pale.

"All the servants in the palace should be killed! I have repeated this order over and over again, but who is so audacious?"

Tian Yi, Chen Ju and others knelt before him, but no one dared to say anything.

The emperor understood.

Apart from the people in Yikun Palace, who else would be so bold as to spread such a thing out of the palace and stir up public opinion?

But the emperor only vented his anger on his slaves.

"Drive them away with sticks, and do not disturb the Holy Mother Queen Dowager!"

Zhu Yijun felt a little dizzy again.

It is a great sin to imprison him temporarily. As soon as I knew that Xu Guangqi existed, I called him the prince.

Now that she knows that all the officials are crying at the gates of Ciqing Palace because the rebellious son is under house arrest, what will the Queen Mother do?
"Go quickly, drive them away!"

Tian Yi and Chen Ju hesitated to speak, but still accepted the order.

"Rumors stop at the wise! You officials, why are you creating trouble for no reason? His Majesty has ordered that you return to your office immediately!"

Outside the Meridian Gate, many people showed a trace of despair in their eyes as they looked at the eunuchs holding sticks pouring out of the doorway.

It was like despair for the emperor and despair for the Ming Dynasty.

In the Zhao Mansion in the capital, Zhao Zhigao sat on a chair in the bedroom, gazing at the sky outside the window.

"Severe drought... chaotic politics... war... How long can the Ming Dynasty survive?"

His son stood quietly by, listening to his father's treasonous mumblings.

At this moment, several riders galloped into the city gate in the south of the capital. "Great victory in Bozhou! The bandit chieftain surrendered! Great victory for the Ming Dynasty!"

"Great victory in Bozhou! The bandit chieftain surrendered! Great Ming wins!"

Lu Bu flew swiftly and headed straight for the Heavenly Street.

The people of the capital cheered when they heard the news. The rebellion was put down, and perhaps the mining tax and new taxes that were introduced due to financial difficulties could be stopped.

Only when the riders who brought the good news arrived at Tianjie did they see the absurd side.

It was like a battlefield ahead, with some people carrying others out, and some people supporting others out.

There were few who were neatly dressed, and some ministers wearing vermilion official robes were clearly injured or had bruises on their faces.

"A great victory in Bozhou... The bandit chieftain was beheaded... The Ming Dynasty... Victory..."

Such great news seemed to have touched them.

"How fortunate! How painful!"

"Woooooooo..."

"Long live His Majesty, long live His Majesty, long live His Majesty!"

The riders who brought the good news looked at the scene in front of them in confusion. They didn't seem to be crying for joy. Why did some of them shouting "Long live the Chinese New Year" with gnashing teeth?
But the good news must eventually be brought to the palace.

Tian Yi rushed to Zhu Yijun anxiously, hoping that the good news could calm the emperor's anger.

"Your Majesty! Great joy! Great joy! Great victory in Bozhou..."

When they arrived at the place, they were told that the emperor had been summoned to the Cining Palace.

"Holy Mother Queen Mother! Your Majesty! Great joy! Great joy! Great victory in Bozhou..."

No matter what, everyone in the palace must announce the good news in unison and there must be great joy.

So Tian Yi continued shouting all the way to the Cining Palace.

Amid the cheers of the eunuchs and palace maids, Zhu Changluo, who was quietly copying something in the main hall of Ciqing Palace, raised his head and looked outside.

Some sunlight shone in through the tightly closed windows and doors. There was only one person and one desk in the huge main hall.

In the Cining Palace, Tian Yi didn't know why Empress Dowager Li's face suddenly turned pale when she heard the good news.

"...I understand. You go first."

As Zhu Yijun staggered towards the Buddhist temple supporting Empress Dowager Li, he felt that his mother's fingers holding his arm were very tight.

In the corner of my eye, the old man pursed his lips tightly, as if he was about to speak but had to keep a secret, so he was trembling slightly.

It was not until they entered the depths of the Buddhist temple that Empress Dowager Li knelt down in front of the Buddha statue and kowtowed tremblingly: "I have committed serious sins. Please forgive me, Buddha, and Bodhisattva..."

Zhu Yijun still didn't know what those three names represented, and his mind was almost on the verge of collapse: "Mother, what is it? Can't you tell me now?"

"...We can't lose the people's support. Go... send someone to comfort them. Take the silver from my palace..." Empress Dowager Li stood up after repenting for a while, "Quick..."

"Mother, how can this be possible? The prince just drove them away."

Zhu Yijun felt that Empress Dowager Li was really confused. He could not help but ask, "Is that rebellious son possessed by an evil spirit? Mother, why are you so frightened? I cannot bear to see you suffer any more!"

"Shut up!" Empress Dowager Li lowered her voice and shouted at him. Her expression was so stern that it made Zhu Yijun look a little ferocious.

"It was Zheng who spread the word, right? You didn't dare to say the important things, but you must have told him that it was my idea to let Chang Luo fast in Ciqing Palace! Seeing that the Ciqing Palace was full of my servants, she thought that Chang Luo also annoyed me?"

Empress Dowager Li directly criticized Zheng Mengjing for his wrongdoings, and her anger made Zhu Yijun feel that his mother's expression was even more hideous.

But the words that came out of her mouth proved that she was not confused.

"What kind of evil spirit is possessed? Even though you don't know why your mother did this, don't you know how much she cares about this? For the sake of the country, I had to temporarily put Chang Luo in the wrong. I took on a huge sin for you and couldn't sleep day and night! But you listened to her instigation and kept calling me a rebellious son?"

"Buddha, please forgive me. Bodhisattva, please forgive me. The emperor doesn't know. Ignorance is not a sin. All sins are the fault of this believer..."

"...Mother." Faced with a mother who spoke very logically but behaved like a madman, Zhu Yijun was a little scared, and his voice even had a hint of tears.

He did not forget his mother's reaction when she heard the news of the great victory in Bozhou, which was like hearing bad news.

"Ancestors, please bless our descendants forever... Ancestors, please bless our descendants forever..." Empress Dowager Li kowtowed a few more times, then came over and held Zhu Yijun's hand, "There are two more people, how are the investigations going? It's come true again, it's come true again!"

Zhu Yijun looked at his mother, whose face was filled with tears, at a loss.

When will these days end?

(End of this chapter)