When Emperor Deqing arrived at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, his expression was extremely solemn.
Today's court meeting is related to the abolition of the crown prince and the administration of the vassal kings, to the fate of the country in the next hundred years, and to the stability of the central and local governments. Emperor Deqing is naturally prepared to prepare.
In fact, not only Emperor Deqing fully understood the importance of today's court meeting, but most of the officials were also well aware of it.
A few days ago, Emperor Deqing's instructions after summoning all the cabinet ministers and six ministers in the imperial study room had already spread throughout the government and the public - with so many people involved, there was naturally no possibility of keeping it secret.
sex.
To this day, all the officials understand that the only issue at today's court meeting is the mutual impeachment of Prince Zhu Heyu and the feudal princes.
The court meeting has been suspended for nearly ten days, and many important government affairs have been backlogged. However, these government affairs are insignificant compared to the affairs of the prince and the vassal princes, so they can only continue to be delayed.
However, some wily people are able to sense opportunities keenly and dare to do the opposite!
This person naturally refers to Zhou Shangjing, the chief minister of the cabinet!
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Following the eunuch Zhang De's "I have something to report early", Zhou Shangjing immediately stepped out of the queue and said slowly: "Your Majesty, I have something to report!"
Seeing Zhou Shangjing's statement, Emperor Deqing initially thought that Zhou Shangjing wanted to be the first to express his opinions on the lawsuit between Prince Zhu Heyu and the feudal princes. He couldn't help but feel a little relieved, thinking that Zhou Shangjing was worthy of being the chief minister of the dynasty.
Although the old minister has been fighting openly and secretly with himself for decades, at the critical moment, he still has to rely on this old guy to take responsibility and set an example.
So, Emperor Deqing nodded and said: "Please speak, Zhou Shoufu."
Emperor Deqing deliberately used the word "please" and his attitude was very polite, but Zhou Shangjing's subsequent words made Emperor Deqing's expression change.
Zhou Shangjing said with a solemn expression: "Your Majesty, the former governor of Shanxi, Li Xun, has been escorted to the capital to wait for his sentence. It has been five days! At the same time, the former governor of the three sides, Wang Zheng, is also waiting for punishment.
For more than a month, they have not been convicted and punished... These two people colluded with each other to appease the Mongols and sued for peace in private. This can be said to be a serious crime that cannot be forgiven. I hope that His Majesty will judge these two people as soon as possible and declare their crimes to the world.
, investigate the responsibility of the relevant persons, kill one to serve as a warning to others, and serve as a warning to others!"
As Zhou Shangjing finished speaking, many "Zhou Party" officials came out to agree.
For a moment, Emperor Deqing couldn't help but his face darkened.
Zhao Junchen stood in front of the line of officials, glanced at Zhou Shangjing secretly, and said "old fox" in his heart.
Such a statement is not only adding insult to injury, but also adding fuel to the fire!
But the next moment, Zhao Junchen also stepped forward to support Zhou Shangjing's statement and said loudly: "Your Majesty, I second the proposal! The crimes of Wang Zheng, Li Xun and others have been delayed for too long, and it is time for the court to punish them.
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After seeing Zhao Junchen's attitude, the "Zhao Party" officials naturally stood up one after another and expressed the same attitude.
"Your Majesty, the nature of the crimes of Wang Zheng, Li Xun and others is extremely heinous. No matter how severe the punishment is, it cannot be too severe. Just delaying it like this is not the answer. I hope your Majesty will make a decision soon!"
"Your Majesty clearly knows that Wang Zheng, Li Xun and others colluded with Mongolia to appease and seek peace. It can be said that it is of great importance and has wide implications. In addition to these two people's principal crimes that cannot be pardoned, all relevant accomplices must also be found.
Let’s punish them together!”
"Your Majesty, I believe that the crimes of Wang Zheng and others have been determined for a long time. There is no need for a detailed investigation, and there is no need to delay the matter. I hope that Your Majesty will make your own decision!"
For a time, with the extremely rare joint statement of the "Zhou Party" and the "Zhao Party", the Hall of Taihe was filled with voices asking Emperor Deqing to severely punish Wang Zheng, Li Xun and others, as if this matter was the most serious matter for the court at present.
Urgent things.
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When it comes to his ability to act according to circumstances and go with the flow, Zhou Shangjing is truly unparalleled.
In this regard, Zhao Junchen's experience, acumen, and vision are all inferior, more than a step behind.
Obviously, Zhou Shangjing's sudden statement this morning was intended to use this opportunity to slightly suppress the "imperialist" forces that have been expanding in recent times.
Because of the several great victories in Shaanxi and Gansu and the great achievements of the imperial court in recovering the Hetao area, among the major factions in the imperial court, the two factions that benefited the most were undoubtedly the "Zhao Party" and the "Emperor Party".
Zhao Junchen was the one who made the most of it. He took the opportunity to promote a large number of cronies, recruit many cronies, and extend the tentacles of the "Zhao Party" to the army. It was certainly a fruitful harvest!
But compared to the overall gains of the "Imperial Party", it is still slightly inferior!
Members of the "Imperial Party" have always been concentrated in the imperial army and factory guards. The imperial court must rely on them when fighting wars, and they cannot be avoided at all costs when discussing merits and rewards after the war.
Therefore, as the dust of the Hetao War has settled, the "Imperial Party" can be said to have gained a lot - Liang Fuchen has become the second minister of the cabinet, and the call for Wang Shou, Minister of War, to join the cabinet is also increasing day by day. A large number of members of the "Imperial Party" took advantage of the opportunity
Occupying important positions, the reputation of the government and the public has also been greatly improved.
If this situation continues to develop further, I am afraid that "imperial power" will completely overwhelm "ministerial power"!
As a representative of "subordinate power", Zhou Shangjing was naturally not happy to see such a situation and had to do something.
The breakthrough point chosen by Zhou Shangjing was Wang Zheng, the former governor of the three sides!
Wang Zheng had united with the governors of Shaanxi, Gansu and Shanxi to privately appease the Mongols and seek peace. No matter how severe the punishment for such a crime was, Emperor Deqing himself also hated his crimes.
However, Wang Zheng was once a confidant of Emperor Deqing and a core member of the "Emperor Party", and because most of the members of the "Emperor Party" came from noble families, it was extremely common for them to marry, get married, and cooperate with each other.
It is not an easy task for members of the "Imperial Party" to completely distance themselves from Wang Zheng, nor is it a task that can be completed in a short time.
Therefore, Emperor Deqing did not dare to punish Wang Zheng prematurely, otherwise it would hit the "Imperial Party" which was currently in full swing and affect the future of the relevant "Imperial Party" officials. He always suppressed his anger.
, deliberately delaying.
During this period of time, Emperor Deqing repeatedly stated in public that he wanted to punish Wang Zheng severely, but he repeatedly used various reasons to suppress the matter. Once, he had originally issued an imperial edict to convict and punish Wang Zheng, but it was temporarily suspended.
I changed my mind and took it back.
For Emperor Deqing, he had to wait until the impact of this incident gradually faded, and the "imperial party" and Wang Zheng were completely separated, before he had the best time to convict and punish Wang Zheng.
Faced with Emperor Deqing's deliberate delay, Zhou Shangjing never argued. Everyone thought that Zhou Shangjing had already given up this opportunity. Who would have thought that Zhou Shangjing was just waiting for the right time.
Today, Zhou Shangjing finally found the best time. He chose this moment to suddenly attack, just to force Emperor Deqing to express his stance, take action in advance, and severely punish Wang Zheng!
The focus of today's court meeting is to discuss the mutual impeachment between Prince Zhu Heyu and the vassal princes from various places. Emperor Deqing's attitude is also very clear, that is, both the prince and the vassal princes will suffer losses, and both will be severely punished. Then he can
It was justifiable to replace the crown prince and suppress the power of the feudal king.
Now, Zhou Shangjing was the first to mention Wang Zheng's conviction and punishment. In this way, due to the order of the two events, Emperor Deqing's conviction and punishment of Wang Zheng became
A bellwether for the next agenda item at today’s meeting!
If Emperor Deqing's conviction and punishment of Wang Zheng was too light, the subsequent crimes against Prince Zhu Heyu and the vassal kings from various places could only be punished lightly. After all, their status was more noble and their crimes were lighter.
Some of them should not be severely punished due to emotion or reason, and the goal of deposing the prince and suppressing the clan cannot be achieved.
But if Emperor Deqing chooses to severely punish Wang Zheng in advance, and because the relationship between the "Imperial Party" and Wang Zheng has not been completely cleared up yet, once Wang Zheng is severely punished, Zhou Shangjing can take advantage of the opportunity to implicate him in the future and attack the "Imperial Party"
"The momentum is growing day by day.
The most important thing is that Emperor Deqing is currently secretly promoting Wang Shou, Minister of War, to enter the cabinet to assist the government. Once Wang Shou is successfully admitted to the cabinet, the "Imperial Party" will have two cabinet ministers at the same time. Emperor Deqing interferes
The strength of the cabinet will also be further enhanced.
Wang Shou was the Minister of the Ministry of War. Although he had benefited a lot from the imperial court's illustrious military exploits some time ago, he also had shortcomings. He and Wang Zheng were distant relatives and friends. The two families owned many cooperative industries. Wang Shou's eldest son was the wife of his wife.
She is also Wang Zheng's niece, so she is deeply involved.
During this period of time, Wang Shou has been busy estranged from Wang Zheng. Not only did he forcefully drive away his daughter-in-law and annex the Wang Zheng family's shares, he also wanted to remove Wang Zheng himself from the family tree, causing a scene.
There was a lot of commotion, but the results have not yet appeared. If Emperor Deqing convicts Wang Zheng and severely punishes Wang Zheng now, Wang Shou's entry into the cabinet to assist the government will inevitably be affected!
Therefore, Zhou Shangjing's statement seems to be only directed at Wang Zheng, who has lost power, but in fact it is related to the dispute between "imperial power" and "ministerial power" in the temple, and its impact cannot be underestimated.
Zhou Shangjing's plan was not informed to Zhao Junchen in advance. Zhao Junchen was inevitably a little late-minded at this time, but he quickly understood this and naturally expressed his support actively.
Once the "imperial power" completely overwhelms the "subordinate power", Zhao Junchen and Zhou Shangjing will not have an easy life in the future. At this time, they must cooperate and do not care about Emperor Deqing's displeasure.
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Of course Emperor Deqing was unhappy!
He was good at imperial thinking and immediately sensed Zhou Shangjing's thoughts. After seeing the "Zhou Party" and "Zhao Party" joining forces to attack, he was quite angry, but he also felt deeply in a dilemma!
The timing chosen by Zhou Shangjing was really good. Emperor Deqing was of course unwilling to let Zhou Shangjing get his wish, but he found that he had no more choices!
After all, for Emperor Deqing, the matter of abolishing the crown prince had been planned for a long time, and it was related to the inheritance of the country! Taking the opportunity to suppress the clan forces could greatly reduce the burden on the court, and it was also related to the future national destiny of the Ming Dynasty! Moreover, these two
This matter also requires the active cooperation of Zhao Junchen and Zhou Shangjing.
Compared with these two things, the temporary victory or defeat between "imperial power" and "ministerial power", and the slight delay of Wang Shou, Minister of War, to join the cabinet, are just insignificant matters.
Therefore, Emperor Deqing glanced at Zhou Shangjing and Zhao Junchen with a sinister look, then gritted his teeth and said slowly: "What you dear ministers said is reasonable. The crimes of Wang Zheng, Li Xun and others are no different from treason, and they should be treated as such."
It is necessary to punish them severely. A few days ago, I was concerned about the morale of the front line and the hearts of the people, so I delayed it for a while, but today it is really time to make a decision! ... According to my will, Wang Zheng and Li Xun
The crime is extremely heinous and will be killed without mercy! The execution will be carried out immediately after the decree is sent, without waiting for the autumn! Within the three clans, all the family properties will be confiscated, and the clan members will be relegated to humble status! Within the nine clans, all official positions will be removed, and the court will never hire him!"
Following Emperor Deqing's edict, all the officials naturally praised Emperor Deqing for his saintliness and kindness.
On the other side, Zhou Shangjing and Zhao Junchen have achieved their goals and are no longer entangled.
For Zhou Shangjing, Wang Zheng's conviction and punishment is just a reason to attack the "imperialist party". There will be many methods in the future, but it is not the time to use them yet;
As for Zhao Junchen, he once promised Li Xun that he would secretly protect Li Xun's tribe, but now that Zhao Junchen has escorted Li Xun's tribe safely to Taiwan and successfully established a line with the Zheng family, naturally he will not
I will beg for mercy for Li Xun again.
However, taking advantage of the opportunity for all the officials to praise Emperor Deqing together, Zhao Junchen secretly raised his head to take a look at the change in Emperor Deqing's demeanor, and found that Emperor Deqing's face was already covered with a layer of frost.
Then, Zhao Junchen turned his head and looked at Zhou Shangjing again, and found that Zhou Shangjing still looked calm at this time, as if he was completely unaware that his actions had angered Emperor Deqing.
"Because of the incident between the prince and the vassal princes, Emperor Deqing was already in a very bad mood! Now that Zhou Shangjing has taken the opportunity to plot against him again, he may become even more furious!
And Emperor Deqing's emotions will undoubtedly affect his subsequent judgments and decisions... With Zhou Shangjing's sophisticated calculations, it is impossible not to have anticipated this!
In other words, Zhou Shangjing’s statement today is a deliberate attempt to anger Emperor Deqing, not just to rebalance the ‘imperial power’ and ‘subordinate power’, but may have other goals...”
Thinking of this, Zhao Junchen also made a decision quietly, thinking that he must be cautious and delay the time to take a stand to prevent Zhou Shangjing from taking advantage of him.
Before this, Zhao Junchen deliberately cooperated with Zhou Shangjing's actions, and it was considered a happy cooperation. However, if Zhou Shangjing wanted to take advantage of Zhao Junchen, he would never show mercy!
While Zhao Junchen was thinking deeply, Zhou Shangjing came out again, still using a slow and calm tone, and said: "Your Majesty, I still have something to report!"