After Qin Dewei withdrew from the side hall of Wanchun Palace, others said nothing and left Renshou Palace together and went to the East Palace to meet the prince.
Both the Prince's East Palace and the Ciqing Palace where the Empress Dowager Zhang is located are at the easternmost edge of the palace city. You have to cross the palace city from Xiyuan.
When I walked outside the gate of Renshou Palace, I saw Lu Bing again. But Commander Lu, who used to have an unimpeded flow in the past, was now blocked outside the palace gate.
For no other reason, Mr. Lu's status is too low. He is just a military attaché at the level of a commander and is not qualified to participate in the overall situation.
If Yan Song and Qin Dewei were powerful ministers who relied on the emperor's favor and had their own foundation and team, even if the emperor disappeared, the dissipation of authority would still take a process.
There is no emperor, Yan Song and Qin Dewei were also born in the second rank of Jinshi, with fellow villagers and party members in the same year.
But for a person like Lu Bing who was completely dependent on the emperor, as long as the emperor was gone, he would be nothing. Now he couldn't even enter the Renshou Palace and could only stand outside and stamp his feet anxiously.
Seeing the four civil servants, three eunuchs, and two senior officials coming out, Lu Bing took a few glances, immediately found the target, and said to eunuch Huang Jin: "Please let me go in to protect the emperor!"
It can be said that among everyone present, only Lu Bing and Huang Jin were most afraid of the death of Emperor Jiajing.
One is the brother-in-law of Emperor Jiajing, and the other is the eldest companion who has grown up with Emperor Jiajing. Regardless of personal feelings or interests, they are all afraid of Emperor Jiajing's death.
And they have one thing in common. Before their power has developed, as soon as Emperor Jiajing dies, they will immediately fall into dust from the sky.
When Huang Jin heard Lu Bing's words, he sighed: "That's all, I won't go to the East Palace, I will guard the emperor with Mr. Lu!"
Zhang Zuo and Huang Jin, the ceremonial chiefs, both came from the old family of Xingdi, so they reminded him: "You have to think about it carefully?"
This means, don't be arrogant. If you don't go to see the prince at this time, the queen mother will really step aside if the prince ascends the throne in the future.
Huang Jin said sadly: "We only know how to serve the emperor."
No one else raised a voice to object. It was obvious that these two people would never kill Emperor Jiajing, and their personal relationship with the emperor was the closest and purest.
If we object to these two people guarding the emperor, it would seem very abrupt. Doesn't it mean that we have other ideas about the unconscious emperor?
When the team going to the East Palace to meet the prince stood on the shore of Taiye Pool, waiting to prepare the boat, another eunuch, Bingbi Bao Zhong, the chief eunuch, hurried over. The number of the team was still nine.
Because Qin Zhongtang often traveled between Wenyuan Pavilion and Xiyuan, and was afraid of being thrown into the water, he requested a designated boat in Taiye Lake.
This time Qin Zhongtang was still very careful not to ride in the boat with others, and was only willing to let teacher Zhang Chao get on the boat.
The group passed Taiye Pond, entered the palace through Xihua Gate, and then walked all the way to Donghua Gate, and then to the north was the Prince's East Palace.
The six-year-old prince has a very good temperament. Although he is still young, his behavior is natural and pure, and he is a very delicate-looking little boy.
However, the attention of "knowledgeable people" such as Mr. Yan Ge and Qin Zhongtang was on the prince's side because there were eunuchs serving the prince on both sides.
If the prince can successfully ascend the throne, the future chief of etiquette, palm seal, Bingbi, and Dongchang admiral will most likely come from these people.
However, Qin Zhongtang looked and looked again and again, but could not see any father-in-law who looked like a historical celebrity.
It's normal to think about it again. After all, in history, the prince passed away eight years later, so the eunuch who accompanied him naturally lost his future and was silently lost in the long river of history.
Just as Qin Zhongtang was thinking about it, he heard the prince Zhu Zaihen on the throne say in an innocent voice: "Who is Qin Dewei?"
Although they knew that the emperor was in bad condition and should maintain a sad expression, after hearing these words, the ministers almost couldn't hold back.
Qin Dewei served as the Young Master of Zhan Shifu and the Bachelor of Zuo Chunfang. He was the nominal second-in-command of the Eastern Palace Officials. The prince actually didn't know who Qin Dewei was.
Of course, it is also possible that the prince was too young to remember, so he asked this question. After all, he was only four or five years old at the time, so it is normal that he cannot remember clearly now.
Qin Dewei quickly came out of the queue and said to him: "I am here!"
The crown prince said solemnly: "I am still young and do not understand the affairs of the country. I heard that Mr. Qin is a genius of the world and has the ability to understand the world. I have Mr. Lao to help me."
Hearing the attitude expressed like a little adult, and seeing that he was still naive at his age but trying to act mature, Qin Dewei felt a little ashamed.
After all, I had been an official of the Eastern Palace for a while, but I didn't have the slightest intention to teach the prince. I was really incompetent.
While thinking about it, he hurriedly said: "There are ministers assisting Bi, so don't worry about it, Your Highness."
Yan Song secretly cursed a few words in his heart. The little prince's words must have been taught by the eunuchs around him. It seems that these eggless people are more optimistic about Qin Dewei!
When the prince talked about himself just now, he only said that he was a "veteran virtuous person" and "experienced in planning the country", but he said that Qin Dewei was a "wonder of the world" and "a master of the world"!
Dogs look down on people, so don’t bully the old and the poor!
Thinking of this, Mr. Yan Ge couldn't help but snorted coldly, and came forward to say: "Your Highness, please go to Ciqing Palace and ask the Empress Dowager Zhaosheng to temporarily take charge of the palace affairs!"
So the civil servants, eunuchs, and relatives gathered around the crown prince and went to Ciqing Palace in the east to meet the Empress Dowager Zhang.
To be honest, for reasons well known to everyone, none of these people had been to Ciqing Palace before.
When I first entered Ciqing Palace, I saw at first glance that the palace was tall and of high standard, fully worthy of the empress dowager's distinguished status.
But after everyone entered the main hall, they were speechless. They saw that the floor tiles were covered with dust, and the palace people didn't even bother to clean it. Then they looked up and saw that the throne was covered with straw mats!
Not to mention the furnishings, they were rough and rough, and there were even missing items visible to the naked eye.
If you only looked at this scene, who would have thought that this is where the Queen Mother lives?
Qin Dewei looked around and mocked Zhang Zuo, the eunuch of the ceremony: "Everyone says that you eunuchs are cold-tempered and ruthless. It's really embarrassing to see this scene in Ciqing Palace!"
Your Majesty's benevolence and filial piety are absolutely indispensable for the supply of Ciqing Palace, but you eunuchs have managed it like this, without even the most basic dignity! The cold palace where the abandoned concubine lives is probably more than that, right?"
Zhang Zuo's face was livid, knowing that Qin Dewei was acting from the standpoint of a civil servant and deliberately attacking the eunuch, but he was speechless.
If it is a national government affair, you may be able to shirk the blame with the civil officials, but there is really no way to shirk the blame for palace affairs.
Finally, Zhang Zuo replied sternly: "There is no need for Qin Zhongtang to mention it. I will give an explanation to the court after I find out!"
According to etiquette, it was after Empress Dowager Zhang ascended the throne that all the civil and military officials should have come to see her. However, Empress Dowager Zhang did not come out at this time, and she was obviously very resentful.
Zhang Zuo then took Qin Fu, Bao Zhong and other eunuchs to the back palace to persuade Queen Mother Zhang.
Not long after, Qin Dewei saw an old woman with white hair walking tremblingly into the main hall, supported by the maids on the left and right.
This is another touching legendary woman in the history of the Ming Dynasty. She was extremely glorious and favored in the first half of her life, leaving behind the so-called "monogamous emperor and empress" legend in the Hongzhi Dynasty. She also served as the supreme queen mother for more than ten years in the Zhengde Dynasty.
The second half of his life was extremely miserable. He suffered the pain of losing his son in his middle age, and he personally chose someone like Emperor Jiajing to succeed him, who turned his back on his father.
Up to now, not only has Empress Dowager Zhang herself been given the cold treatment, but her brothers have also been imprisoned to death, their official titles have been deprived, and her family's property has also been confiscated.
The most ruthless emperor's family, everything is politics.
After taking her seat, Queen Mother Zhang glanced around with her old eyes. Perhaps because her old eyes were dim and could not see clearly, she asked: "Who is Qin Dewei?"
Qin Zhongtang: "..."
The old Queen Mother must have done it on purpose. There were only two young people in their twenties present, Qin Dewei and Zhu Xizhong, Duke of Chengguo.
Then Zhu Xizhong is not a civil servant just by looking at his clothes. How can he not tell who Qin Dewei is?
He could only go out and say: "I am here!"
Empress Dowager Zhang added: "I have admired your name for a long time, but have never seen it before. I heard that you have been advocating killing my second brother and confiscating my Zhang family?"
Qin Zhongtang replied in a neither humble nor overbearing tone: "I should put state affairs first, and this is not the time to discuss family affairs."
After listening to Qin Dewei's answer, Queen Mother Zhang said angrily: "If you want the Ai family to cooperate with you, first promise the Ai family to pardon my brother Zhang Yanling!"
The ministers below could not help but complain silently in their hearts. No wonder Queen Mother Zhang ended up like this. At this time, you are still worried about your Zhang family and their property?
As a politician, the first principle is to talk about politics!
All I can say is that in fact, this old queen mother is just an ordinary woman who is too partial to her mother's family. This means that even if I give you a chance, you will be useless!
It can be imagined from this that during the Hongzhi and Zhengde dynasties, how indulgent the old queen mother was to the Zhang family, and it took decades to accumulate so much wealth and crimes!
Don’t think that if you are asked to come out and “take charge of the work”, you can really say the right thing. Do you know what it means that government orders do not leave Ciqing Palace?
Besides, Eunuch Qin, who directly dealt with Zhang Heling and the person who was ordered to raid the Zhang family, is here. You, Queen Mother Zhang, dare not question Eunuch Qin, but only rely on Qin Dewei to talk things over. Isn't it too obvious that you "bully the weak and fear the strong"?
After all, eunuch Qin theoretically had the means to kill someone in the palace, making you, Queen Mother Zhang, afraid, but Qin Dewei, a foreign minister, was relatively "safe".
Although the ministers did not take Empress Dowager Zhang's anger too seriously, upon reflection, Empress Dowager Zhang's request was actually a bit difficult to answer.
Zhang Yanling's trial went through legal procedures, and the evidence was conclusive, so he was theoretically sentenced to death.
It was only because Emperor Jiajing wanted to use Zhang Yanling as a handle to guard against the political needs of the Empress Dowager Zhang who wanted to "abolish the establishment", and because some ministers blocked it, Zhang Yanling was always in a state of waiting to be executed. He was not killed, but he was kept in jail.
In prison.
Pardoning Zhang Yanling would be tantamount to overturning and violating Emperor Jiajing's imperial edict. No one wants to take this risk at the moment.
But if she refuses to agree to pardon Zhang Yanling, and the old queen mother is angry and refuses to cooperate, others will have nothing to do, and they cannot be hard on the queen mother.
Moreover, the old queen could afford it. She had already lost almost everything and had nothing to lose. It could not be worse than now.
For a moment, the ministers looked at each other in confusion, their eyes flying wildly.
Before arriving, no one expected that such a "political crisis" would arise because of Empress Dowager Zhang's unprofessionalism and lack of politics.
Originally, everyone thought that Queen Mother Zhang would happily accept the request and then settle down as a regent first.
Mr. Yan Ge looked at Zhang Zuo, the Chief of Ceremonies, and signaled that you eunuchs are all from the palace, so go and try to persuade the old Queen Mother not to think so hard!
Zhang Zuo then went out and said: "I hope that I will put state affairs first, and wait until the country is stabilized before distracting from other things."
Mr. Yan Ge was worried that the Queen Mother Zhang would not understand the meaning, so he also added: "The Crown Prince is young and it is difficult for him to manage the big affairs. I hope that the Queen Mother will respond to the request of ministers and others and assist the Crown Prince in supervising the country! Only in this way can we live up to the expectations of the world, and perhaps we can appease our relatives."
!”
If you want to get angry with Qin or fish out your brother, you have to wait until later!
Before you get the power, you have no capital to be angry! When you, the old man, have the title of false regent, you will have some capital to be angry!
Qin Dewei looked at Yan Song and then at Zhang Zuo, which seemed interesting!
When Queen Mother Zhang had not responded, Qin Zhongtang suddenly pointed at Yan Song and said to the Queen Mother:
"I learned that this is Mr. Yan Ge, the cabinet minister. He is very particular about strict laws and regulations in his life. Now he is mainly responsible for handling the affairs of the Ministry of Justice."
Ministers: "???"
Why did you, Qin Dewei, mention Yan Song so abruptly, and actually said it with praise? Does "the law is strict" really mean Yan Song?
Qin Dewei then added: "Because the emperor was kind and thought of the kindness of the Zhang family, although Zhang Yanling was sentenced to death, he was never executed, so Zhang Yanling has been detained in the Prison of the Ministry of Punishment to this day.
Now that without the emperor's grace and protection, as long as Mr. Yan Ge, who has strict laws and regulations, just says to clean up the accumulated prison, he can complete the legal process and drag Zhang Yanling to Xishi City to be punished!
It is human nature for the old lady to miss her brother, and I feel the same way, and will definitely help my lady to stop the strict law enforcement master Yan Ge from cleaning up the prison!"
Yan Song: "..."
You, Qin Dewei, want to take Zhang Yanling as a hostage and threaten the Queen Mother Zhang, so go ahead and do it yourself. Why are you using Yan Song’s name? It’s as if Yan Song is threatening the Queen Mother!
Is it the original sin to run the Ministry of Punishment? Who wants to run the Ministry of Punishment? Can you Qin Dewei do it instead?
The ministers were speechless for a moment. They were all smart people, and they had actually thought of a "method" to use Zhang Yanling to threaten the Queen Mother Zhang just now.
Don't you, Queen Mother Zhang, care about Zhang Yanling? If you don't cooperate with the overall situation, it's hard to say whether Zhang Yanling can survive.
But there is an ethical issue here. The queen mother's status is "king", and they are all "ministers".
It’s hard to say how a minister should use his words to intimidate the emperor like this. After all, in politics, one must always pay attention to what he says, and you can’t just roll up your sleeves and threaten directly.
No one expected that Qin Dewei actually solved this problem by "selling his teammates"!
Empress Dowager Zhang looked at Qin Dewei and Yan Song, and suddenly sighed in frustration, "That's all, maybe the emperor will wake up tomorrow, so what else are you going to do this week!"
If he doesn't wake up tomorrow and the country cannot live without a king for a day, please ask the prince to come to court in the Wenhua Palace and temporarily supervise the country on the emperor's behalf!"