After Zhao Junchen and other ministers filed into the imperial study, he habitually raised his eyes secretly, trying to observe Emperor Deqing's face and expression.
Then, Zhao Junchen was shocked to find that Emperor Deqing's eyes were staring closely at him, with an expressionless face, cold eyes, and a hint of inquiry and thoughtfulness.
Seeing this scene, Zhao Junchen was immediately shocked and quickly lowered his eyes, not daring to look any further.
Out of intuition, Zhao Junchen believed that Emperor Deqing's strange attitude during this period might have something to do with him.
Emperor Deqing's sharp eyes stayed on Zhao Junchen for a long time. After all the ministers saluted and greeted him, he finally shifted his gaze and said slowly: "My dear friends, there is no need to be polite! I summoned you today because I want to
Let’s discuss with you... Your Majesty’s impeachment of various vassal kings for violating the government and breaking the law this time!”
Having said this, Emperor Deqing couldn't help but hum, picked up a memorial from the imperial desk, handed it to Zhang De, the eunuch beside him, and motioned Zhang De to pass the memorial to all the ministers for circulation.
After the elders and six ministers read this memorial one after another, all of them had solemn expressions.
After the memorial was passed to Zhao Junchen, Zhao Junchen opened it and found that the memorial was the same impeachment memorial that Prince Zhu Heyu had submitted to Emperor Deqing not long ago.
Just like the self-defense memorials of the vassal princes, this memorial was also submitted directly to Emperor Deqing without going through the channel of the General Affairs Department. The ministers did not read it in advance. They only knew that the prince Zhu Heyu
In this memorial, more than ten vassal kings were impeached at the same time, and a large number of detailed evidence of crimes were listed, but no one had read the specific contents. Most of the news they received was transmitted to the capital from Luoyang.
Now, after reading the specific contents of this memorial, all the important ministers finally understood the seriousness of this matter.
Everyone knew that Prince Zhu Heyu had made a big fuss again this time, but they still underestimated his determination and actions.
In short, what the prince did this time was really too much!
In this memorial, Zhu Heyu not only impeached various princes for secretly colluding with court officials, secretly tampering with court accounts, forcibly annexing people's fields and houses, and other "misdemeanors", but he even impeached the princes for deceiving the emperor.
The emperor intended to interfere in the government affairs, secretly colluded with the Ming Dynasty's foreign forces to smuggle for profit, violated the rules and was disrespectful, etc. "serious crimes"!
But the crimes that follow should never be brought to the table!
These crimes were so serious that they would inevitably cause turmoil in both the government and the opposition, damage the reputation of the royal family, and even affect the historical evaluation of Emperor Deqing.
First of all, the scope of the people involved in the case was too wide. Emperor Deqing originally only wanted to target some vassal kings, but the impeachment scope of Prince Zhu Heyu's memorial directly covered nearly half of the clan, and also involved a large number of people.
Court officials! In this way, the resistance faced by Emperor Deqing and the court center will increase significantly if they want to properly handle this matter!
Secondly, the Ming Dynasty has always regarded the vassal kings as one of the "national foundations". If the crimes of the vassal kings are too serious, the officials and people of the government and the public will question - why do they support such a group of silverfish to oppress themselves? If the Ming Dynasty royal family
If there are all such silverfish in it, how can it be qualified to be supported by the world?
Finally, under the rule of Emperor Deqing, the vassal princes were so unscrupulous and did whatever they wanted. Does that mean that Emperor Deqing also had the responsibility of being lax in his duties, lacking in prestige, and indulging in neglect? What will happen to the history books?
Rate this matter?
After Emperor Deqing discovered the various crimes of the "Eight Kings Ship Company", although Long Yan was furious and furious, he still suppressed the anger in his heart and refused to hold the vassal kings involved in the crime accountable. He endured it for a long time.
After a period of time, until it was exposed that the feudal princes colluded with the Ministry of Revenue officials to tamper with the imperial atlas, they finally waited for an opportunity to investigate the crimes of the feudal princes. It was for this reason!
In short, Emperor Deqing and the central court really wanted to severely punish some vassal kings and take the opportunity to reduce the burden the clan brought to the court. However, the apparent crimes of the vassal princes must not be too serious, otherwise the gains would outweigh the losses.
A small loss brings a big loss!
Before Prince Zhu Heyu left the capital to investigate the case, both Emperor Deqing and Zhao Junchen had clearly mentioned these matters to him. However, they did not expect that Zhu Heyu still chose to expose everything publicly.
opened!
No wonder Emperor Deqing suddenly suspended the court meeting during this period and did not want to see anyone. He was caught off guard and didn't know how to deal with it.
After reading this memorial, Zhao Junchen's expression was as solemn and solemn as that of everyone present, but more of it was doubts in his heart.
It stands to reason that Prince Zhu Heyu has matured a lot during this time, and at least he can clearly distinguish the priorities of one thing. Even if he is instigated and used by others, he should never make such an obvious mistake! Could he?
Don't you know that this approach will only make Emperor Deqing deeply embarrassed and disgusted with him even more? If he didn't know this situation, why would he run into the south wall?
Zhao Junchen found that he could not understand Zhu Heyu's thoughts at all. This was the first time this happened.
Vaguely, Zhao Junchen thought that Prince Zhu Heyu had other plans hidden from him.
*
While Zhao Junchen was thinking secretly, all the ministers in the Imperial Study Room had already read the impeachment memorial of Prince Zhu Heyu.
Then, the prince's impeachment memorial was sent back to Emperor Deqing.
For a moment, everyone was silent and did not dare to speak at will.
Emperor Deqing originally did not expect them to take a positive stance. After everyone read the memorial, he took the lead and said slowly: "For so many years, I... have been patiently waiting for the growth of the prince! I originally thought that
, although the prince's character is a bit reckless, his nature is very good. After several beatings and setbacks, he will always grow, gradually understand the human heart and the world, and understand the priorities of things... But this
Once, the prince made me deeply disappointed. I just felt that he had not grown up at all over the years. He still did not know how to adapt and did not understand the world. He was so stubborn and stupid! He was like a stubborn stone! "
As he spoke, anyone could tell that Emperor Deqing had been suppressing the anger in his heart.
But at this point, the anger in Emperor Deqing's tone became more and more intense. Finally, he could no longer hold it in any longer. He suddenly raised his hand and threw the impeachment memorial of Prince Zhu Heyu to the ground, roaring angrily: "
Look at this memorial he wrote! It actually says that the vassal princes colluded with the courtiers, colluded with bandits, interfered in the government affairs, violated the rules and disrespected the government... Even if these charges are true, can they be stated clearly? Is there no other way?
Convicted the vassals for his crimes? By bringing these crimes to the table, does he want to impeach those vassals? Or does he want to embarrass me? If this memorial is spread, how will I clean up his mess?
How do the history books and the officials and people of the government and the public think of me? Doesn’t he think about these things in his mind? "
As Emperor Deqing roared angrily, all the ministers lowered their heads and became silent.
But Emperor Deqing's venting was still not over. He picked up a thick pile of memoranda from the imperial case, threw them directly in front of the ministers, and said again: "And these... they are all sent to me today by the vassal princes.
Ha! What a coincidence. The vassal princes usually guard various places, all over the world, but they sent the memorial to me at almost the same time. The content is almost the same. They refused to admit that the prince impeached them. On the contrary,
Do you think that the prince is deliberately suppressing the clan and wants me to severely punish the prince to appease the clan... Is this because he is afraid that I cannot see that they have secretly united and want to join hands to put pressure on me?
Although the prince's impeachment was unclear about the severity, some conclusive evidence was indeed found. At this time, not only did they not bow their heads and plead guilty, and beg me for leniency, but they wanted to join forces to put pressure on me and force me to give in! This is simply
It’s just treason! Who gave them the courage and confidence? Do they really think that I don’t dare to uphold the law and punish the public?”
All the ministers are familiar with Emperor Deqing's temperament, and they understand that Emperor Deqing needs to vent his anger at this time. Before Emperor Deqing's anger is completely vented, if anyone comes forward to express his position, he may attract Emperor Deqing's anger.
of anger.
Therefore, all the ministers just listened quietly to Emperor Deqing's angry reprimands, trying their best to show their awe, and no one took the initiative to speak.
However, after Emperor Deqing saw the performance of the ministers, his anger became more intense. He pointed at the elders and ministers in front of him and began to express his anger: "The prince has no progress and is stupid.
I am deeply disappointed by the change! The greed and unscrupulous behavior of the feudal kings also makes me deeply angry! But you... are you innocent? Don't show a face that has nothing to do with you in front of me!
With your connections and power in the temple, have you never known about the crimes of the vassals? You all know it! You have known it from the beginning! But have you ever thought of standing up to stop me and sharing my worries? In your hearts, you just worry about it.
For fear of bringing trouble to themselves, they just let the feudal kings do whatever they want! There are even people who directly collude with the feudal kings to make profits for themselves!
Don't think that I don't know these things! Now that the prince has exposed everything and the shit bucket has been overturned, you want to retreat behind the scenes and watch the fun again? I tell you, it is absolutely impossible! This mess, you guys
If you can't clean it up for me, I won't care about my old relationship. If I am asked to clean up this mess myself, I will clean it up with you!"
Hearing what Emperor Deqing said, all the ministers were shocked again.
They suddenly discovered that Emperor Deqing's angry expression at this time... seemed to be only half-truth and half-false?
At least, Emperor Deqing did not get carried away by the anger in his heart, nor did he abandon the emperor's mental skills that he was good at. His words seemed to be meaningless expressions of anger, but in fact they were to divert his pressure.
To all the important ministers!
It stands to reason that although the lawsuit between the prince and the vassal princes is serious in nature, in the final analysis it is just a household matter of the Zhu family, and it is also extremely sensitive. It involves the succession of the prince, the clan's ancestral laws, and the imperial family.
All the ministers in the study were inconvenient to participate too much, and at most they could only follow the orders of Emperor Deqing.
But the implication of Emperor Deqing's words is very obvious - before the matter develops to the point of getting out of hand, let the ministers take the initiative to work with him to settle this matter, otherwise, Emperor Deqing will
If you go out alone to investigate all the crimes of the vassal kings, by that time, you will inevitably be more and more involved, and all the powerful officials and major factions in the temple will be affected.
Emperor Deqing's angry outburst was not just to force the powerful ministers to take the initiative, but also revealed a lot of information.
For example, when Emperor Deqing evaluated Prince Zhu Heyu, his attitude was very contradictory. On the one hand, he believed that Zhu Heyu had made no progress over the years, which made him deeply disappointed, implying that his patience with Zhu Heyu had been worn away.
Although it seemed that it was inevitable to replace the reserve and abolish the establishment, he also said that he had high hopes for Zhu Heyu, and deliberately emphasized that Zhu Heyu had an excellent nature - if Emperor Deqing had high hopes for the prince,
Zhu Heyu was really disgusted to the extreme. Logically speaking, these expressions were impossible.
For another example, when Emperor Deqing evaluated the vassal princes, he used very strong words, even including words such as "conspiracy" and "respecting the law and punishing the people".
Considering these factors, Emperor Deqing's attitude seemed obvious.
Regarding the lawsuits between Prince Zhu Heyu and the vassal princes, Emperor Deqing was obviously on the side of Prince Zhu Heyu!
At the same time, Emperor Deqing wanted to use this incident to depose Zhu Heyu as the crown prince and officially install the popular seventh prince Zhu Hejian as the crown prince. However, Emperor Deqing still had reservations about Zhu Heyu.
Keeping in mind the past father-son relationship, I don’t hope that Zhu Heyu’s end will be too tragic!
These hints from Emperor Deqing were not complicated. The ministers in the imperial study were all wily and sophisticated people, so they naturally understood them!
After understanding the meaning of Emperor Deqing's words, the ministers were secretly shocked and couldn't help but look at each other.
Finally, under everyone's gaze, Zhou Shangjing slowly stood up and expressed his stance.
At this time, if we were looking for someone to express our views on behalf of all the ministers, Zhou Shangjing would naturally be the one to choose.
However, something unexpected happened again.
Emperor Deqing summoned all the important ministers this time, supposedly to discuss with each other, reach a consensus, and work together to settle the matter. However, when Emperor Deqing saw Zhou Shangjing coming out and wanted to speak, he actually did not give Zhou Shangjing a chance to speak at all.
, directly waved his hand and interrupted: "My attitude has been made clear to you! The day after tomorrow, I will reconvene the court meeting, and this matter will be discussed openly with the officials. After you return, you must also be serious.
Think about what you should do at that time! Now, I don’t want to hear any more of your talk about what you have and what you don’t have, so just retreat!”
After saying that, Emperor Deqing waved his hands impatiently, as if he didn't want to look at the crowd anymore, but his anger was still lingering.
Seeing Emperor Deqing's performance, all the ministers couldn't help but look at each other in shock.
In the imperial study room today, it seemed that it was Emperor Deqing's one-man show from beginning to end. At first, the powerful ministers were unwilling to take the initiative to express their opinions, and then they wanted to express their opinions but had no chance. In fact, they did not speak from the beginning to the end.
Chance!
Could it be that Emperor Deqing summoned them this time just to vent his anger and reprimand everyone?
Emperor Deqing's reprimand certainly hinted at his own attitude, but why didn't he go further to reach a consensus with the powerful ministers? He just let the powerful ministers understand and play their own roles? It's just unclear and unclear.
, if the ministers have different understandings and express different opinions after the court meeting resumes, wouldn't it lead to more chaos?
Regarding Emperor Deqing's strange attitude, the ministers became more and more puzzled. They felt that Emperor Deqing's various behaviors today seemed to have deeper meanings, and were to pave the way for a certain plan in the future. They were not as superficial as they seemed on the surface.
Usually just to vent anger!
For a moment, everyone was confused, but when they saw that Emperor Deqing was still cold-faced at this time, they did not dare to question, so they had no choice but to resign and leave.
At this time, Zhao Junchen also could not figure out the true thoughts of Emperor Deqing. He only felt that Emperor Deqing in this situation was simply more difficult to deal with than ever before. While following the ministers to leave the imperial study, all kinds of thoughts were surging in his heart.
He constantly speculated on Emperor Deqing's true thoughts.
However, just when Zhao Junchen was about to reach the door of the imperial study, Emperor Deqing suddenly spoke again, without any fluctuation in his tone: "Zhao Junchen, please stay for now, I still have something to ask you!"
Suddenly, Zhao Junchen was shocked again, but he also breathed a sigh of relief secretly.
At the same time, the gazes of all the pavilion elders and ministers also turned to Zhao Junchen. Everyone had complicated eyes, and Zhou Shangjing's eyes were especially meaningful.
If Emperor Deqing left Zhao Junchen to talk at this time, more information would inevitably be revealed. Although there are many risks involved, this situation is better than being completely unable to guess Emperor Deqing's thoughts.
Soon, all the cabinet ministers and the six ministers left the imperial study room one after another. Then they saw Emperor Deqing wave his hand, and several eunuchs in the imperial study room also left one after another.
For a time, only Emperor Deqing and Zhao Junchen were left in the imperial study.
Obviously, the next conversation between Emperor Deqing and Zhao Junchen was not only extremely important, but also extremely confidential, and he did not want to reveal any information.
Just like when Zhao Junchen had just entered the imperial study, Emperor Deqing's eyes stayed on Zhao Junchen for a long time, his eyes full of inquiry.
Zhao Junchen lowered his head and said nothing, waiting for Emperor Deqing to take the initiative to speak.
After a long time, Emperor Deqing finally spoke slowly and asked: "I remember that before the prince left the capital to investigate the princes of various places, he went to your house and talked with you in secret for a whole day! I want to know
, what did the prince and you talk about that day?"
Zhao Junchen hesitated for a moment and replied: "Your Majesty, the prince has misunderstood me a lot and has always had a bad relationship with me. He took the initiative to visit me that day. I was also deeply surprised at the time! The prince saw me.
After that, he took the initiative to resolve the previous conflicts and misunderstandings with me. Naturally, I was flattered and did not dare not respond...
Later, the prince said that after becoming the crown prince, he had encountered obstacles and achieved very little in the past few years. He hoped that I could cooperate with him in making some achievements in the future. Naturally, I quickly agreed! Then, the prince said that he was responsible for investigating various places this time.
The vassal king was a little unsure, so he asked his ministers for advice, and he also gave some suggestions...
But I hope your Majesty will be wise. My suggestion to His Highness the Crown Prince at that time was that this matter must be done step by step and in accordance with the rules. It only needs to be targeted at some of the feudal princes who have committed the most serious crimes. It must not cause too much trouble, otherwise it will be difficult to end it.
, I never suggested to the prince that he make too much noise! His Highness the prince also promised well at that time. Who would have thought that he would still go to war now, impeaching more than ten vassal kings at the same time, and the crimes listed were so serious.
I was shocked when I received the news, and I didn’t understand His Highness the Crown Prince’s thoughts at all!”
Although Zhao Junchen's words were not false in any way, they also concealed part of the truth.
At least, Zhao Junchen did not reveal the plan he had made for Zhu Heyu to seize the throne by retreating in order to survive.
After Emperor Deqing heard Zhao Junchen's explanation, he didn't believe it.
He once again picked up a memorandum from the imperial case, gently threw it at Zhao Junchen's feet, and asked: "So, the prince's confidential statement was not your idea?"
Seeing the memorial at his feet and hearing Emperor Deqing's statement, Zhao Junchen was shocked again.
Apparently, there were two memorials submitted by Prince Zhu Heyu to Emperor Deqing. In addition to one memorial to impeach various vassal kings, there was also a secret memorial!
However, everyone's attention was attracted by the impeachment secret book. In addition, the imperial study room did an excellent job of keeping secrets during this period, so no one knew about this secret book.
Obviously, the strange behavior of Prince Zhu Heyu and Emperor Deqing during this period is closely related to this close relationship.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Junchen bent down and picked up the manuscript, opened it and read it carefully.
Then, Zhao Junchen's expression couldn't help but change.
Why did Prince Zhu Heyu know that nothing could be done but still hit the south wall? Why was Emperor Deqing's attitude so ambiguous? What was the real goal of the two of them?
Just like Zhao Junchen's speculation, after reading this secret, he finally understood all the strange things about this matter.
"Prince, he has really grown up... I didn't expect that he would have such courage and courage!... His behavior this time seems to be reckless and without any progress, but in fact, he has other plans... including me.
, including Emperor Deqing, everyone underestimated his changes and was tricked by him once! ... Such a growth rate is really beyond expectations!"
After reading this secret, this was the only thought in Zhao Junchen's mind.
…
ps: Things are endless, and I have the urge to give up!