Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 24: Chaos and Refutation!
From the 20th year of Wanli to the 28th year of Wanli, the Ming Dynasty had experienced three large-scale battles in less than ten years.

The Battle of Ningxia, the Battle of Korea, and the Battle of Bozhou were all won.

Without hindsight, and speaking purely from the perspective of the time, the main theme among the people today is naturally to praise the emperor for his far-reaching reputation and the invincibility of his heavenly soldiers.

But the "upper class" cannot be considered the common people.

Wang Dewan is still recovering from his injuries and Xie Tingzan is visiting him.

"The Ningxia campaign cost more than 1.8 million troops; the Korean campaign cost more than 7.8 million troops; the Bozhou campaign cost more than 2 million troops!"

Wang Dewan lay on the bed and said, "For more than eight years, we have waged war. This alone cost more than tens of millions of silver. And now the three palaces and three gates are still empty. The people of the provinces are suffering! Although the officials and the people have won, the financial plan will be ruined. The foundation of the country is difficult to stabilize, and a great disaster is imminent! Can you say yes?"

Xie Tingzan's eyes were filled with tears: "Everyone in the court and the public knows that Lord Guang'an has a sincere heart! But today, all the officials cried and complained, but he was driven away like a dog or a pig!"

He was also hit twice on the arms and back with sticks, and spoke in great grief and anger.

But Wang Dewan was even worse off, lying on the bed unable to move.

In a short period of time, Wang Dewan, who had been beaten with a hundred sticks, had risen to the level of "gong" in Xie Tingzan's mind.

Wang Dewan no longer held an official position, so people began to call him by his native place "Guang'an Gong".

After all, the emperor said he would never be employed again.

His injuries haven't fully healed yet, so he hasn't left yet.

Wang Dewan was deeply distressed: "What the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan said is very true. Where do all these rumors come from? The Queen is in good health, and I am only happy because the rumors are self-defeating. If you want to punish me for making irresponsible comments on the palace, I will admit it! But now that the eldest prince has moved to the palace, he is still imprisoned. For this rumor, Your Majesty did not let go of the ministers' wishes and the people's hopes, but instead allowed the eunuchs to be driven away like dogs and pigs! It has never been heard of before, it has never been heard of before!"

"The mining supervisors and tax collectors have corrupted the locals, and none of the proceeds from the tax collection is deposited in the treasury!" Xie Tingzan was also extremely indignant. "If those eunuchs were really loyal to the emperor, how could the financial situation be like this?"

"I am no longer an official!" Wang Dewan grabbed Xie Tingzan's hand, "It is a major national issue, the mining tax disaster, you still have to make suggestions!"

Xie Tingzan smiled bitterly: "I am also a beast rebuked by your majesty! I have the will to kill the enemy, but I am powerless to save the situation! It is a pity that most of the ministers are cowardly. If I were as loyal and brave as you, how could this happen?"

The two "beasts" hugged each other and cried, each feeling frustrated in his own way.

For a person who was identified as a "beast" by the emperor, what kind of waves could he cause by submitting a memorial, a petition, or a notice?
The cowardly ministers they mentioned are now in a difficult situation.

"Lord!" Xiao Daheng said to Shen Yikuan, "Wang Dewan was beaten with a stick first, and then the Wumen Gate was beaten with a stick today. The ministers of the cabinet and the nine ministers cannot advise the emperor and comfort the people. Their prestige has been greatly damaged!"

Shen Yi Guan knew that what he said was true, but he said awkwardly: "The imperial edict clearly states: If you are the eldest son of the emperor, you must be careful not to disturb him; if you want to complete your virtue, then you can delay the enthronement for another year. But when this rumor came out, all the officials were angry because they cried in the imperial temple that day but did not see any decree from Your Majesty. This time, they all cried at the gate without waiting for the emperor. The public sentiment is overwhelming, what can I do? If I don't cry together, how can I be in the cabinet?"

"Alas!" Xiao Daheng sighed deeply, "Since the palace has been moved, the lecture has been postponed. There have been many twists and turns. I naturally know the difficulties of the old minister. But what should we do now? If your majesty acts like this, the officials will be worried and angry, and I am afraid that they will rise up and attack the old minister in a blink of an eye!"

"Fortunately, the victory of Bozhou has been reported to the capital, and Bozhou's commendation of meritorious service is still important after all."

"The Ministry of Revenue can't come up with that much money!" Xiao Daheng was in a heavy mood. "After the rebellion was quelled, the military officers were eager for merit and battle, and they immediately impeached the officers and soldiers who suppressed the rebellion for their mistakes during the war! Because of people, disputes arose, and considering what happened today, this fire will still burn to the cabinet!"

Shen Yikuan failed to protect Wang Dewan, and failed to complete the palace move and start lectures within the month as promised.

Although they all cried and complained today, the reputation of the government and the opposition is at its lowest point.

The warning of "postponing for one year" was repeated in the appointment of the crown prince. How similar is this situation to the 19th year of Wanli? Shen Shixing finally resigned because of this.

Now the prince is almost twenty years old. If he still can't make up his mind this year or next year, there is no doubt that Shen Yikuan's life will be over.

If he falls, can Mr. Xiao support the Zhejiang Party?
"Lord, you must not wait any longer!" Xiao Daheng advised again, "National affairs, mining tax, three palaces and three gates, rewards for the three armies, if none of them can be done, impeachments will come in a blink of an eye! The latter three are even more difficult. National affairs have caused hundreds of officials to cry and public sentiment is about to explode. Instead, only one decree from Your Majesty is needed! In this way, it can not only appease the ministers, but also resolve the doubts of the court and the public. And the prestige of the Lord will be boosted, and other things will be easy to handle!" Shen Yikuan thought about it for a long time, and finally nodded: "That makes sense. In any case, the ministers know that Your Majesty will find excuses in the end. The cabinet did not submit a memorial, and the hat of delaying the enthronement cannot be put on my head. It is the cabinet's fault for being cowardly and not daring to submit a memorial!"

"The Lord has figured it out!" Xiao Daheng was overjoyed.

"Now that Bozhou is pacified, people's minds are at peace, so let's use this as an excuse!" Shen Yi Guan made up his mind, "I will submit the memorial soon!"

While Shen Yikuan was still drafting the memorial, another written imperial edict arrived before dusk that day.

"...Eunuch Tian, ​​this is against the rules." After hearing the decree, Shen Yi Guan looked at Tian Yi in shock, "The eldest son of the emperor is offering sacrifices to the imperial temple?"

"Why is it against the rules?" Tian Yi asked.

Shen Yikuan's pupils shrank as he carefully considered his words.

We may not consider how the eldest prince suddenly recovered from his illness; the key issue lies in the sacrificial rituals.

Whether the eldest prince will preside over the sacrifice or accompany the emperor in the sacrifice, there are ways to compromise as he has not yet performed the ceremony of coming of age and does not have the proper sacrificial clothing.

The key issue is... In the past of the Ming Dynasty, apart from the emperor himself, the princes who were sent to offer sacrifices on his behalf were either the crown prince with a certain status or the prince with a certain status.

This practice of the prince offering sacrifices on behalf of others only existed in the early Ming Dynasty. After the prince was enthroned and performed the ceremony of coming of age, he would go to his own country and become a vassal. How could he have the opportunity to offer sacrifices on behalf of others?
Now the emperor actually ordered the eldest son to perform the sacrifice on his behalf, and just to accompany the sacrifice. Shen Yiquan couldn't imagine what kind of speculations this would trigger.

He thought of the current situation and shook his head without hesitation: "This is a chaotic order! I dare not obey it!"

Tian Yi was surprised by Shen Yiquan's determination and toughness this time.

The cabinet can refute the emperor's order and refuse to execute it.

The last time the cabinet used its power of sealing and rejecting was the year before last, when Zhao Zhigao, in order to protect the county magistrate Fan Yuheng, forced the emperor to re-draft the decree to punish Fan Yuheng three or four times a day, ultimately allowing Fan Yuheng to get away with it.

After that incident, Zhao Zhigao completely fell into a state of being "paralyzed by illness and unable to govern."

Now Shen Yikuan actually did the same.

"Your Highness has not yet been canonized and performed the ceremony of coming of age, so you do not have the necessary sacrificial clothing. This is the first reason. The sacrificial rituals are complicated, and Your Highness may not be familiar with them, and you may be worried about not following the rules. This is the second reason. The auspicious day is approaching, and Your Highness cannot fast for a full day according to the rules. This is the third reason. You must fast and stay overnight at the sacrificial site before the sacrifice, and Your Highness's title and position have not yet been determined, and the rituals are not clear, so it is difficult to prepare for everything. This is the fourth reason. Your Majesty has ordered the Marquis of Dingxi to offer sacrifices on your behalf to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Although the eldest son of the Emperor has not yet been canonized, he cannot be inferior to the Marquis of Dingxi and accompany the sacrifice. This is the fifth reason!"

Shen Yiguan quickly gave five reasons: "Please report this to the eunuch. There are five inappropriate things. I dare not obey the imperial edict and report it to the six departments of the Ministry of Rites for compliance!"

"...Okay, I'll report back right away."

Tian Yi looked at him deeply.

This time, she wanted to urge the emperor to give a definite answer through her words and deeds. Although the eldest prince had to leave the palace if he wanted to participate in the sacrifice, it was a rare opportunity for outsiders to get in touch with the eldest son.

Compared with this, Shen Yikuan seemed to be more inclined to choose not to let the eldest prince participate in this sacrifice, but to change the way to determine the title.

After Tian Yi went out, Shen Yiquan felt the imminent danger.

In his opinion, the emperor was being ambiguous again. It seemed to appease the ministers, but it made the future identity of the eldest son even more confusing.

Is this also a temptation?
The eldest prince is almost twenty years old. Not to mention his enthronement, it is unheard of that he is still unmarried at this age.

Since Shen Yikuan is not as determined as Zhao Zhigao to leave, the final outcome of this dispute over the foundation of the country is inevitable!
(End of this chapter)