Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 64: Bullying the Imperial Power?

Xie Tingzan was also in the group outside who were cordially expressing their condolences to Cao Xuecheng. His eyes were still wet when he was called to the official hall.

Xiao Daheng only asked, "I heard that you submitted a memorial to the Ministry of Public Security today?"

Xie Tingzan was stunned for a moment, then said unhappily: "The Grand Secretary of Justice, don't you allow me to report to you?"

"…What is the matter?"

"If Your Majesty did not keep it in the cabinet and sent it to the cabinet to order the ministers to draft the bill, wouldn't the Grand Secretary of Justice know about it?"

"……you!"

Mr. Xiao is always troubled by the young men under his command. Isn't this a mockery of the fact that he and Shen Yi are in the same boat?

After thinking about it, he could only suppress his temper and asked, "Are you discussing the Shanhaiguan uprising?"

"There is nothing that cannot be said openly!" Xie Tingzan raised his head. "The tax collector's tyranny provoked a civil uprising. Gao Huai will never redeem his crime even if he dies. Colleagues in the Ministry of Rites also said that Gao Huai also forged an imperial decree to extort money from the King of Korea, which really damaged the reputation of Your Majesty and the dignity of the Celestial Empire! Now that Your Highness is known for his kindness, and since your request to remove the mining supervisor and tax envoy has been granted, and looking at the numerous crimes of the tax collectors that have been reported by various places before, you should request the dismissal or even the removal of all the external eunuchs, so that the Ming Dynasty can return to a bright and clear world!"

"...As far as you know, how many people have petitioned for this?"

"Humph, a humble official like me can petition His Highness to carry out such a benevolent policy. If the officials do not contribute, I will impeach them!"

Xie Tingzan's answer was irrelevant, and Xiao Daheng was a little confused, so he didn't ask him any more questions.

Do these people know that His Highness has secretly sent General Ti to Shanhaiguan to investigate personally?
He didn't care about anything else and rushed to the Ministry of Rites in person.

As soon as he saw Yu Jideng, Xiao Daheng's eyes were a little doubtful: "Lord, please don't tire yourself out."

"... cough cough..." Yu Jideng coughed repeatedly and said, "It's okay. The court is delayed and the ceremony cannot be delayed. I can only reluctantly take on the ministry duties for a few more days. What brings you here, Mr. Xia?"

"I heard that Gao Huai's forgery of the imperial edict had also spread to the Ministry of Rites..." Xiao Daheng was a little nervous, "Isn't it a bit too much to impeach the internal officials who were sent abroad?"

"These things have never been stopped. What are we talking about now? Gao Huai has committed many crimes, and now Chen Zeng and others have not returned to Beijing... cough cough cough..."

"Your Majesty is seriously ill after all, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been living in the Forbidden Palace, and even the outsiders don't know him..." Xiao Daheng hesitated for a moment, "Sending the Imperial Guards to investigate the case personally is already a bit of an exaggeration. Now that I think about it, it may not be because of Wang Zhizhen's status that he wants to make a big deal out of a small matter. As Your Highness said, Gao Huai is still an imperial envoy after all..."

Yu Jideng was stunned for a moment, and a strange redness appeared on his haggard face: "Xia Qing is saying... the impeachment memorials are pouring in, I'm afraid... I'm afraid... cough cough cough..."

"Before at the Ministry of Justice, Tian Xizhi mentioned that His Highness insisted on letting his son accompany the emperor to the Imperial Palace. It seems that he is very concerned about military power. He even showed favor to the Ministry of War regardless of the fact that some people would impeach him for this..." Xiao Daheng had figured it out a little bit, and said to Yu Jideng, "After all, the eunuchs are the eyes and ears of the emperor. If all of them request to dismiss them, it would be suspected of...overbearing the emperor's power."

He finished what Yu Jiden had not said, and Yu Jiden's face turned paler.

"We need to go to Wenyuan Pavilion earlier to discuss this with Yuanfu."

"…I am going…cough cough cough…I will go right now…"

Yu Jideng also realized the danger. Xiao Daheng felt even more uneasy when he saw how Yu Jideng was struggling.

Why did his health suddenly get worse and worse? Could it be that he was too exhausted these days?
However, officials of all ranks inside and outside the capital are not completely united.

As Yu Jideng said, over the years there have been people who have requested to withdraw the eunuchs who were sent abroad.

Now, it is only because the Crown Prince, after taking charge of state affairs, immediately issued a benevolent policy to remove the mining supervisors and tax collectors that many people have seen hope.

When the news of the Shanhaiguan uprising spread, Gao Huai's numerous evil deeds became known to everyone. Now that the trend had been fanned, it was probably too late for Shen Yikuan and Yu Jiden to suppress it.

And what will the heir think?
On the eighth day of September, another decree was issued.

"According to the imperial decree, a banquet is being held on the Double Ninth Festival. All ministers, nine high officials, dukes, marquises, and imperial sons-in-law, and officials of the seventh rank and above in the capital who are over sixty years old, are to attend the banquet at Ciqing Palace."

On the ninth day of the ninth month, people were first arranged to perform the usual ancestor worship. Zhu Changluo went to the Cining Palace and other palaces to pay their respects, while the Ciqiong Palace was extremely busy.

It just so happened that Ciqing Palace also had a fairly large courtyard, which could accommodate quite a few tables.

Today it is the heir apparent who is hosting the banquet, not the emperor.

The prince respects the elderly, which is commendable.

All signs were good: after the enthronement ceremony, he first summoned important ministers to the "Yan Dynasty", and then specially appointed Yu Jideng to the cabinet, and pardoned Cao Xuecheng.

The cabinet has already started filling vacancies, so how could other vacancies not be filled? Cao Xuecheng was pardoned, so how many others can receive grace?

After that, he became even more diligent and summoned old ministers every day to ask for advice on state affairs.

After the emperor fell seriously ill, the Ming Dynasty truly ushered in a new era and made rapid progress.

Because it was a banquet given by the Crown Prince, all those who were eligible to attend the banquet gathered outside Donghua Gate. They were roughly divided into three groups.

One group is for the Nine Ministers and those over sixty years old wearing red robes, one group is for the nobles and relatives, and one group is for others over sixty years old wearing green robes.

Finally, most of those green-robed officials are about to see their lives come to an end.

If you are capable, who would still wear the green official robe at this age?
On the side of the red-robed officials, Shen Yi Guan sighed to Chen Qi and others, "The grand ceremony is complicated and the court has postponed it again and again. Although the nine ministers are all here today, the other officials are missing. Everyone, are you willing to work hard today? After leaving the palace in the afternoon, take the time to select the chief and deputy governors."

Dai Li nodded: "That's a good idea."

"I'm afraid not." Wen Chun, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Metropolitan Censorate, shook his head. "Recently, many officials have impeached eunuchs for being sent abroad. Early this morning, His Highness sent an eunuch to the Metropolitan Censorate and summoned the Deputy Censors-in-Chief and above to present their opinions in person at 3 p.m."

"..." Shen Yikuan looked in the direction of Donghuamen with an unfathomable look in his eyes.

He has tried his best to appease and suppress the officials in Beijing who made memorials to the emperor on their own affairs, but the successor emperor already has a reputation for being "benevolent", and he really doesn't know how many people still want to gain a reputation for being upright in the new dynasty and bet on the successor emperor's wishes.

This is not the only thing to worry about.

"Why hasn't Lord Yu arrived yet?" asked Mr. Xiao.

Shen Yi Guan's expression became more solemn, and he smiled bitterly as he spoke of another worry: "Shi Yong sent his son to the palace early in the morning to report that he suddenly fell ill and could not attend the banquet today."

"Is he ill?" Xiao Daheng's face changed. "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince gave a banquet, and he..."

Shen Yi Guan sighed and said, "I sent someone to visit him, but I don't know how his condition is."

Unless it is an emergency, Yu Jideng would not have excused himself for not coming.

I'm afraid he is really sick. He looks more and more haggard in the past few days and I don't know how serious his condition is.

Really, he is not even sixty years old. Although he has to participate in cabinet affairs and take care of the Ministry of Rites these days, how come his health is so much worse than Shen Yikuan's?

Zhu Changluo, who had just returned to Ciqing Palace, was also surprised and asked Cheng Jing: "Is he really sick?"

Yu Jideng was really sick, and seriously ill.

Shen Yikuan received a report from the housekeeper before entering the palace, while Zhu Changluo obtained more information from Cheng Jing.

Yu Jideng has been ill several times this year.

Before, Zhu Changluo was fighting with Zhu Yijun in the palace, while in the outer court, there were also Zheng Guotai's request to get married first and two cries from officials.

As the Minister of Rites, Yu Jideng has always been at the center of the dispute over the national foundation.

He fell ill from those times, but recovered after the shocking changes in the palace at the end of June.

Perhaps it was his expectations for court affairs and joining the cabinet that supported him.

Another reason why he was in good health before was that he was taking medicine.

The Double Ninth Festival banquet to honor the elderly began in this atmosphere.

"Tian Yi, send someone to my house to deliver some good ginseng."

Zhu Changluo sighed again and said to Shen Yikuan, "I didn't expect that Lord Yu, who is so honest, would suddenly become seriously ill because he had no extra money and no tonic medicine."

Shen Yi Guan said sadly: "Shi Yong's reputation for honesty is well known to the government and the public. Now we are relying on his virtue and talent, but he was forced to support himself, and the disease came like a mountain falling."

He was very conflicted. He had originally wanted to recruit him as a support and at the same time help Xiao Daheng become the Minister of Rites. Who knew that Yu Jideng would suddenly become so seriously ill?
Only fifty-seven!

Shen Yikuan looked at the heir and couldn't help thinking: The edict originally drafted by Yu Jideng was equivalent to being completely rejected by the heir, and Yu Jideng couldn't help but think too much.

The successor emperor was still repeatedly proposing new revisions to the imperial edict, and these days he was also worried about his reaction to the ministers' impeachment of the eunuchs who were sent abroad.

Now that he is ill, I don’t know when he will recover.

Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue will arrive in Beijing and join the cabinet soon.

"Let's arrange the banquet first."

Zhu Changluo first followed his own pace and showed his kind side to the outside world.

I'll get angry later.

(End of this chapter)