Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 25 Success, Stone Out (4K+ Please Read)
"Neither this nor that will work!"

Zhu Yijun broke down his defenses and vented his emotions.

Empress Dowager Li still did not say what the matter was and waited for the results of the investigation by the last two people.

But the sins she carried seemed even heavier, so she suggested that the boy go to offer sacrifices to the ancestors.

Zhu Yijun was in a state of confusion and had just been reprimanded, so he sent an edict to the cabinet in a daze, and then listed five reasonable reasons.

"That's it!" Zhu Yijun sulked, "You can scold me if you want! There's no need for a few days! Don't bother me, tell Chen Ju to hurry up!"

At this point, he would rather Chen Ju bring the results quickly so that he can know why all this happened.

As for the noisy ministers, he was no longer bothered to care about them.

The emperor hid himself away and drank, and did not allow the imperial concubine to accompany him.

The atmosphere in the palace became unusually strange, and no one knew why.

Aren’t the people in Ciqing Palace who are guarding the eldest prince and not letting him out people from Cining Palace?

The atmosphere in the palace was like this, and there was also chaos outside the palace.

After all officials were driven out with sticks that day, although news of victory from Bozhou was brought into the capital, many officials wanted to leave.

Starting with Yu Jideng, others, including the Minister of Personnel Li Dai and the Minister of Works Yang Yikui, submitted their resignations one after another.

Among them is naturally Zhao Zhigao.

Of course, just as Shen Yikuan expected, there were still many people who were keenly aware of the changes in the court during the Bozhou meritorious service process and were keeping an eye on some possible positions.

And since the emperor had taken such measures to deal with the rumors about the imprisonment of the prince, Shen Yikuan was not afraid of any more trouble.

The meaning of the imperial edict was revealed by the cabinet, and Shen's consistent and resolute style of refuting it was able to save some face after all.

What was happening in the capital was unknown to the distant Bozhou.

Yang Yinglong, the chieftain of Bozhou, has been the local emperor for more than 700 years.

Since the Tang Dynasty, no matter who was the emperor, the Yang family always had a firm control over this place.

Now, the Yang family of Bozhou, which has been passed down for 29 generations, has officially perished.

Since March last year, the imperial court began to use Li Hualong as the Governor-General of Sichuan and Hubei with the title of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. After mobilizing troops from Sichuan, Huguang, Guizhou and even Zhejiang, Fujian, Yunnan, Guangdong and other provincial governments, the total number of troops in the eight provinces was 240,000. The battle to quell the rebellion was officially launched in January this year.

On the 18th of last month, all the armies gathered at Hailongtun, and since then the Bozhou rebels have become trapped beasts.

Now, the army that was suppressing the rebellion relaxed and waited for the arrival of the imperial edict and the next order.

Most of Hailongtun was destroyed. In addition to the attack and defense during the siege, there was also the fire that the rebel leader Yang Yinglong set when he committed suicide.

He wanted to burn his own body to avoid being mutilated after death, but he was dragged out from the highest point of the back hall which was engulfed in flames.

Now that the front hall has been spared, Li Hualong is entertaining generals from all over the country.

He himself had not drunk any alcohol and was still wearing sackcloth.

Last month, when the war was at a critical stage, news of his father's death suddenly came.

Under normal circumstances, one should naturally handle the funeral and begin mourning, but is that a normal situation?
"Thanks to your dedication, we have accomplished our mission." Li Hualong sighed, his eyes reddened, "My father passed away, and I was unable to fulfill my filial duty. In the face of the war, I can only take the initiative to petition and beg for the emperor's will. How can I feel at ease? Now that the bandit leader has been killed, the rest of the anti-bandit work is up to you. I have petitioned Your Majesty to return home to observe the mourning period."

"The commander-in-chief is filial to his country. It is really difficult to be both loyal and filial. The old man will surely smile in his grave when he knows that the general has successfully suppressed the rebellion!"

The civil officials, military commanders and generals in the palace all spoke up, either praising the emperor's merits, or eulogizing him, or encouraging him.

Naturally, some people thought: I was about to achieve a great achievement, but my father died at this time. If I were him, I would have no choice but to take the initiative to petition for a revocation of power.

In that situation, changing the head coach would not affect the outcome of the battle and the credit would be in hand.

But there was one person who was different, he was Liu Jing, the general of Qijiang Road.

"General! Although the rebel army has been defeated, many of the defeated soldiers have fled. These three provinces are rugged and rugged, with a mixture of barbarians and Han people. It will be a big problem to deal with the aftermath!" Liu Jing clenched his fists. "Without the general in charge, who knows how many people will become bandits? How many people will raise the banner of rebellion again?"

He didn't want to come here at first, but Li Hualong overcame all objections and requested him to be the commander-in-chief of Qijiang Road.

Among the four routes of attack from Sichuan, the Qijiang route was the most difficult.

Didn't Yang Yinglong know how powerful Liu Jing was? In the 13th year of Wanli, Liu Jing suppressed the Luo Xiong Rebellion and conquered three cities in a row, making his name famous in Sichuan and Guizhou.

He later took over as the commander-in-chief of Sichuan. He was an old acquaintance of the bandits and Yang Yinglong, and "Liu Dadao" was also a well-known name in recent years.

Hearing Liu Jing's words, Li Hualong shook his head: "This battle is unstoppable, who doesn't know the reputation of the officers and soldiers? Don't worry about the little bandit troubles, please don't let me misunderstand you."

After saying that, he looked at everyone and said, "The inventory is almost done. This governor will still handle things impartially. Let's sort out the merits first and submit them to the question book. Everyone is here. Among all the armies, which one has the most merits? Everyone must have a consensus."

It is not the turn of the leading commander to preside over the commendation ceremony.

But his report is also very important.

The generals had different expressions. Some looked at Liu Jing, while others lowered their heads and waited for others to speak first.

"...The Qijiang Road has the most difficulties." Someone finally said something fair.

"Defeating many strongholds is only one of the reasons. If Loushan Pass is not taken, or if it cannot be defended after being taken, it will be difficult to encircle Hailongtun." Li Hualong gave his opinion, "Qijiang Road should be the first to achieve success."

Liu Jing showed a bright and innocent smile.

Although he was laughing, Liu Jing immediately tried to hold it together.

He waved his hands repeatedly: "The commander-in-chief requested me to lead the troops, but it was because they needed to be reorganized after the Korean War, so I came a little late. The censors in the court impeached that I was an old acquaintance of the ungrateful man Yang Yinglong, and I accepted his money, so I dragged my feet, and the commander-in-chief protected me. If I don't fight bravely, how can I prove my innocence and repay the commander-in-chief's kindness?"

"Achievement is achievement." Li Hualong said and looked at him deeply.

Li Hualong was the commander-in-chief in the campaign to suppress the rebellion.

He has reached the limit of his martial arts skills in controlling all the armies.

Previously, he had taken the initiative to request to take away the power of the emperor, partly because he was unwilling to fail, and partly because he wanted to leave a stain that could be forgiven.

Now that he has achieved success, Li Hualong is already considering his future plans.

I wonder if Liu Jing will get furious later given his temper.

In the hall, Liu Jing's contribution was actually indisputable, so Li Hualong expressed his clear opinion so quickly.

However, Cui Jingrong, the imperial inspector who was supervising several armies including Liu Jing, glanced at Liu Jing, who looked very happy, without any expression, and then a meaningful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Among the military generals, Liu Jing was the first in terms of merit.

Li Hualong also believed that Cui Jingrong was the leader in the military supervision.

After years of war, the Ministry of Revenue could no longer bear it.

After years of war, the Han army's generals were increasingly in need of some repression.

Let’s talk about the merits first, then the faults!
This was the Ming Dynasty, which had just put down a rebellion and was facing many hidden worries.

At this time, the news from the secret investigation in distant Guangdong and Nanzhili finally reached Chen Ju on June 22.

After finding the drunk Zhu Yijun, Chen Ju only said: "I have already done what your majesty asked me to do after the Dragon Boat Festival."

Zhu Yijun didn't react at first, but then he suddenly came to his senses: "There's a result."

"Exactly."

"Show it to me... No! Let's go! Go to Cining Palace!" Zhu Yijun stood up shakily while being supported. "Give me the result, then go to Ciqing Palace and let those servants take the eldest prince to Cining Palace!"

"This slave takes the order."

Thanks to the excellent design, there is still some wind blowing through the corridors in the Forbidden City in midsummer.

As the breeze blew by, Zhu Yijun's eyes became a little clearer. While sitting on the imperial chariot, he looked at the results.

Zhu Yijun didn't know what this result meant, but he was deeply impressed by Empress Dowager Li's fear and anxiety during this period of time.

You should tell me about that matter now. There should be a result!

When they arrived at the Cining Palace, still in the Buddhist hall, Zhu Yijun handed over the three files.

People with the same surname usually live together in the same clan and have contacts with each other.

The reason why Chen Ju took so long to investigate was that his subordinates did not know why the emperor was investigating these three people. Therefore, except for Xu Guangqi, who was a little easier to investigate, the other two were also investigated in great detail, and they summarized as much as possible the findings into a file before reporting it.

At this moment, when Empress Dowager Li saw the three books, she shook them before she even read them, as if she was about to faint.

"Mother!" Zhu Yijun was so shocked that he quickly supported her.

Overwhelmed by the smell of alcohol on Zhu Yijun, Empress Dowager Li opened two of them tremblingly, and closed her eyes after taking the first look.

"Go... go and invite the prince... don't neglect him..."

Zhu Yijun's heart sank.

This name again...

And this time, he really wanted to "invite" someone, and he had already sent someone.

When he comes, the truth will be revealed!

……

There was originally a Dashan Hall where the Cining Palace was located.

This Dashan Hall originally housed a large number of Buddha statues and Buddha bones.

Within the imperial palace, the Dashan Hall was originally the Buddhist building with the largest number of preserved religious objects and the highest level.

In the 15th year of Jiajing's reign, Emperor Jiajing demolished this place and built the Cining Palace.

Today, Empress Dowager Li, who believes in Buddhism, lives here, and the scale of the Buddhist temple is no less than before.

The Buddhist hall of the Cining Palace naturally enshrines the statue of Jiulian Bodhisattva.

While waiting for the "Crown Prince" to be invited, Zhu Yijun was also pulled by Empress Dowager Li to kneel in front of the statue of Bodhisattva.

This Bodhisattva has a dignified face and resembles Empress Dowager Li in both appearance and spirit.

"Greatly Merciful and Most Holy Nine Lotus Bodhisattva, the believer Zhu Li brought her son..."

Zhu Yijun was the emperor, so it was okay for him to kneel before heaven, earth, and his parents.

Although he believes in Buddhism, he also worships Taoism.

Now, still unaware of the truth, Zhu Yijun knelt in front of the Bodhisattva statue, listening to his mother quietly begging for forgiveness for him. The drunken Zhu Yijun felt very aggrieved.

What crime have I committed?
What was so important about that matter that caused the Empress Dowager to send away all the slaves and servants in the Cining Palace and strictly order them to stay outside the palace walls and not set foot in the Cining Palace?
If that kid arrives, he can go straight to the Buddhist temple and knock on the door.

Empress Dowager Li prayed sincerely for a while, opened her eyes, looked up at the Bodhisattva, and spoke softly.

"In the past, I donated money to build Cishou Temple for the sake of the deceased emperor and his descendants. Then I had a dream at night. A Bodhisattva wearing a seven-treasure crown and robe, sitting on a golden phoenix with nine heads, taught me a sutra called the Nine Lotus Sutra. After the temple was built, the Nine Lotus Sutra was stored in the collection, the emperor got married and took power, and now he has many descendants. This can be regarded as my sincerity and the blessings of the gods and Buddhas."

"…My Queen Mother has done her best, and the gods and Buddhas will see it."

Zhu Yijun felt uncomfortable and didn't know why Empress Dowager Li brought this up.

"The emperor knows that there is a sentence in the Nine Lotus Sutra: 'It is so wonderful that it is hard to measure, and it reveals the image of the acquired world.'"

"…Mother, why did you bring this up?"

Acquired image?

The so-called acquired nature, isn’t that a term often used by Taoists?

The fact that it appears in the Nine Lotus Sutra only proves that this sutra was originally pieced together and compiled during the current dynasty, and it was only with the help of the Holy Mother Empress Dowager that this volume of scriptures was included in the compilation of the Continued Tripitaka.

Empress Dowager Li turned her head and looked at Zhu Yijun who was standing beside her. "I have ordered people to check the Jingyang Palace, and you have certainly checked it as well. Over the years, have any servants reported any state affairs or government affairs to the Jingyang Palace?"

Zhu Yijun looked at Empress Dowager Li in astonishment.

"Of course I can't say everything. After all, he is your eldest son, and he has been to school several times. People's hearts are hard to predict..." Empress Dowager Li muttered to herself again.

Zhu Yijun had some bad guesses in his mind.

"So I took on the huge sin for you, just in case, and took care of him first. Even if one or two of them have come true, I will wait and continue to wait..."

Empress Dowager Li's knuckles turned white as she held the three files.

"Emperor, you must swear in the name of the Son of Heaven and our ancestors, to the heavens, the Buddha, and the Bodhisattva. What is going to be known today must never be known by a fourth person in this world!"

Zhu Yijun shuddered all over and sobered up a little, while Empress Dowager Li stared at him fiercely.

The eldest prince was actually temporarily imprisoned. The news had already spread once, and caused all the officials to cry at the gate. Isn't it clear enough who this fourth person is?

"……I……"

Zhu Yijun also wanted to know the answer.

The answer to why Empress Dowager Li has been like this for more than a month.

The answer to temporarily confine that kid.

What was the answer fulfilled!

He swore an oath and looked at Queen Mother Li.

"Before Chang Luo comes, I have a few more questions for the emperor."

"Mother, please speak."

"Now, how is the court's financial situation?"

Zhu Yijun hesitated for a while: "...The financial situation is indeed a bit tight. We need to reward the soldiers for the great victory in Bozhou..."

“Are you worried about party strife?”

Zhu Yijun seemed to be forced by a strict teacher to hand in his homework: "As for the factional strife... Although the conflict of different opinions has been passed down from generation to generation, and there is no difference now, there are always two or three signs."

"What about natural disasters?"

"…Although there have been more reports in recent years, and there are signs of severe drought this year, my mother knows…"

What he said was: Local governments have always reported things in a "big" way so that they can get money and request tax exemptions.

"What unusual movements did the Liaodong Jiannu have?"

"Liaodong Jiannu?" Zhu Yijun was puzzled. After thinking for a while, he said, "In order to suppress the rebellion in Bozhou, the emperor did transfer a group of elite troops from Liaodong to Sichuan and Guizhou. Liaodong did report it last year. After the beginning of last spring, the Jiannu seemed to have compiled a written language. At the end of the year, they also wiped out a part of the Haixi Jurchens, and their prestige soared..."

"Editing the text?" Empress Dowager Li shuddered, her face becoming even uglier. "Among the ministers' memorials, are there many words that could lead to the country's demise?"

"Mother... I am used to exaggerating and making alarmist statements. Although we are having some financial difficulties, party disputes are inevitable, and natural disasters are unpredictable, my son understands. The three expeditions have been successful, and both the inside and the outside world have been awed. Although the Liaodong Jiannu have gained some prestige, they have not become a disaster. When your mother asked this question, it seems that you are worried that the country will be destroyed one day..."

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Li simply closed her eyes, breathing slowly and deeply, as if trying to overcome her fear and anger.

"One last sentence." Empress Dowager Li looked at him seriously, "Chang Luo is the emperor's eldest son, and the empress has no children. Why does the emperor dislike him so much?"

The content of more than ten chapters describes the current situation of the Ming Dynasty’s political struggle and the situation of the protagonist, and now it has officially entered the climax of breaking the deadlock.



(End of this chapter)