Chapter five hundred and sixty: relying on the old and selling the old Hu Shangshu
After the emperor finished speaking, Hu Hui's eyes, which had been a bit confused, suddenly became clear.
Why is this different from the script I thought of...
Mr. Hu blinked his eyes, almost wondering if he was so old that he couldn't even hear the words clearly.
Otherwise, how could the emperor agree like this?
In fact, not only Hu Hui, but also other ministers in the court were very surprised.
With the incident involving King Xiang in front of them, all the ministers thought that the Emperor would never allow the Supreme Emperor to have another chance to contact foreign dynasties.
But now, the etiquette from the Ministry of Rites has been passed so easily?
"Hu Shangshu?"
There was silence in the palace, and finally the emperor's voice sounded again. Only then did Hu Hui wake up as if from a dream, without thinking about the intention, he bowed and said.
"I accept the decree."
Zhu Qiyu sat on the throne and had a panoramic view of everyone's reactions, so he naturally knew what they were thinking.
But in fact, no one in the whole court could guess what he was thinking.
The reason why he asked King Min to intervene in the matter of King Xiang was because King Xiang was a member of the royal family. If he was so blatantly involved in the court situation, it would cause unpredictable consequences in the court.
The clan in the Ming Dynasty is a stubborn disease, but at least it has not revealed its huge harm yet. Therefore, the clan must be managed step by step. Now that the clan has not yet established a firm foothold, it is not appropriate to attack the clan again.
Otherwise, this group of clans will be really annoyed. There may not be big troubles, but all kinds of small troubles can cause the court a lot of headaches.
As for the common speculation among courtiers that the emperor was afraid of the emperor's friendship with foreign ministers, Zhu Qiyu could only say that they took themselves too simply.
Having learned from his past life, Zhu Qiyu actually had no intention of restricting Nangong's contact with the outer court.
Because he has already tried to guard against clinging to this path.
After the Golden Knife Case in his previous life, he sensed that Nangong had evil intentions. Regardless of his reputation, he cut down all the trees around Nangong, prohibited anyone from approaching him, filled the iron locks with lead, and ordered the Jinyi Guards to keep a close watch on him.
But, what's the use?
Even now, Zhu Qiyu dare not say that everyone in Jinyiwei's huge network is loyal to him.
Even if you are loyal now, there is no guarantee that you will not be corrupted in the future.
As long as there are a few people in the huge Jin Yiwei who are willing to pass the news in the middle, all these measures will be in vain.
Just guarding against it is useless, so why bother doing useless work?
Only when the enemy is in the light can I be in the dark.
If I put everything on the stage, the person opposite me will naturally hide and wait for the opportunity.
Therefore, if there is anything in this memorial that makes Zhu Qiyu want to reject it, it is not that the ministers worship, but that he leads the ministers to worship.
Nothing else, he simply didn't want to see Zhu Qizhen.
The sacrifice at the Ancestral Temple completely severed the last trace of brotherly bond between the two of them.
If possible, Zhu Qiyu even wanted the ministers to go to Nangong to worship by themselves, but this was obviously impossible.
So, go ahead and go, anyway, it’s just the winter solstice.
The affairs of the court are sometimes so complicated that it makes people dizzy, but sometimes they are actually so simple that they make people dumbfounded.
But no matter what the courtiers thought, in short, the etiquette of the Ministry of Rites was finally settled.
However, Hu Hui had received the decree, but Li Xian was still standing in the hall blankly.
It should have been a good thing that the emperor approved his memorial, but at this moment, Li Xian's face seemed to be holding his breath.
It wasn't until Hu Bi glared at him that Li Xian woke up from a dream, cupped his hands and returned to the courtroom.
However, when he stepped back, his brows were furrowed tightly, and his eyes were looking in the direction of the cabinet intentionally or unintentionally.
At this moment, a person came out of the cabinet. It was none other than Mr. Second Assistant, Yu Shiyue, who had been at the center of public opinion recently.
He also had a solemn look on his face, moved to the hall, straightened his clothes, and was ready to speak.
However, just when all the ministers thought that he was going to bring up the matter of transferring Xiang Wenyao to the Ministry of War, Yu Cifu said something shocking.
"Your Majesty, I am impeaching the Ministry of Rites to delay and neglect the ceremony. I only follow the rules and regulations all day long. I am mediocre and delay the country's grand ceremony. This is really dereliction of duty. Your Majesty please punish me." ???
There was a burst of surprise in the hall, and low voices of discussion resounded.
No one expected that Yu Cifu would target the Ministry of Rites as soon as he came up.
It seems that the Ministry of Rites has not offended this master, right?
What's more, the reason for impeachment is also very strange.
What is meant by "continuously delaying the grand ceremony of the country"? This can be ignored at other times, but at this time, it is a bit inappropriate.
You know, the Ministry of Rites has just handed over the etiquette notes for the Winter Solstice celebration.
Although it is indeed not too early, it will not delay the Winter Solstice Festival. It is too much to say that it is delayed again and again, right?
The ministers were puzzled, but Li Xian's expression suddenly changed.
Sure enough, the next moment, Yu Shiyue spoke loudly.
"His Majesty had issued an edict as early as January, instructing all government offices to prepare for the ceremony of leaving the East Palace. Now, the Hanlin Academy and the cabinet are all ready, the East Palace has been cleaned, and all the palace servants are ready. However, the Ministry of Rites
But I haven’t handed over the ritual note for a long time.”
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is the crown prince of the country, and the ceremony of leaving the imperial palace is also an important matter of the country. If the Ministry of Rites had not deliberately neglected it, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would lead the ministers to congratulate His Majesty at the Fengtian Palace during this Winter Solstice Festival."
"Therefore, I impeach the Ministry of Etiquette for being imprudent, dishonest, disrespectful, and indistinct. Your Majesty, please deal with it severely!"
After Yu Shiyue's words fell, the discussion in the palace not only did not stop, but in fact became even louder.
The appointment of a cabinet in the East Palace is indeed a big event.
Therefore, it should be said that the impeachment of this second assistant is well-founded.
From the perspective of the court affairs, the earlier the East Palace is established, the earlier the throne is stabilized, the more ethical the court is, and the earlier it is, it will be beneficial to the stability of the country.
What's more, this matter was indeed delayed by the Ministry of Rites.
Although the ceremony for leaving the imperial palace is complicated, His Royal Highness is young after all, so many unnecessary etiquette can actually be avoided if possible.
Relatively speaking, the Hanlin Academy and the cabinet have to prepare His Royal Highness the Prince's coursework, teach teachers, and a series of other things, which are really busy.
However, the Imperial Academy and the Cabinet had made preparations half a month ago, but there was still no movement from the Ministry of Rites.
It cannot be said that he was impeached for no reason.
But the question is, shouldn't this be the job of those stupid green censors?
When did this kind of frontal charge come to the point of dispatching cabinet ministers as soon as it started?
And, again, it’s the same sentence.
Yu Cifu, why did the cabinet offend you, so that you made such a direct attack on the palace in front of you?
In the courtroom, Mr. Hu, who had just stood firm, also looked surprised.
He blinked again, and suddenly felt that he should take leave today. Why, at this meeting, everyone came to the Ministry of Rites...
However, it is not difficult for Mr. Hu to deal with this kind of situation.
He has been in the officialdom for so many years, and if he wants to, he can find 800 reasons to prove that the Ministry of Rites is doing its best.
Sighing helplessly, Hu Hui was about to move out of the queue, but suddenly stopped.
Because, as soon as he took a step forward, he found that someone had moved behind him.
Li Xian!
Hu Hui's originally lazy look suddenly became sharp. In just a moment, he had countless thoughts in his mind, and finally, his eyes fell on a certain prominent cabinet minister in the cabinet queue.
It seems that in the past few years, not showing off his power for a long time, some people have forgotten what kind of person he, the eldest uncle, is.
Converging his gaze, Hu Hui stood quietly on the spot and made no move.
However, the ministers who were close to him looked at the oldest minister in the court almost at the same time. At this moment, they felt that the old man was angry.
It is a pity that Li Xian did not perceive all this.
He felt helpless at the moment, but he had to stand up.
Yu Shiyue's blow really caught him off guard. If he did nothing, all the preparations he had made during this period would be in vain...
After walking quickly into the palace, Li Xian opened his mouth and said.
"Your Majesty, the prince is the crown prince of the country. The Ministry of Rites must not dare to show any slightest care. The Ministry of Rites has discussed the ceremony for leaving the cabinet several times, but it has not been finalized for a long time. There are many difficulties in this, and it is really unreasonable for the Ministry of Rites to be a vegetarian.
Please give your Majesty a clear warning."
Yu Shiyue stood aside, glanced at a certain pavilion elder who could hardly stand in the courtroom, and asked with a sneer.
"Oh, please tell me what the difficulty is, Mr. Li, in front of the civil and military ministers. The Ministry of Rites has been discussing it for a whole month. The rituals for the Winter Solstice Festival have been discussed, but it is still difficult to get out of the cabinet.
Certainly?"
Li Xian's expression was a little complicated.
This sentence was finally asked in the court, but the person who asked the question was different from what they imagined.
Now that things have come to this, Li Xian no longer knows where the situation will develop.
However, he understood that this might be his only chance.
If he had not stood up just now, no matter whether Yu Shiyue's impeachment was successful or not, the ceremony for the prince's resignation from the cabinet would not have been delayed any longer by the Ministry of Rites.
Once the ceremony is held and the deal is done, it will be difficult to think of something easier!
Therefore, although he was driven by the situation to stand up, Li Xian had no choice.
Looking at Zhu Jian in the cabinet from a distance, he saw that he had the same complicated expression, but he nodded slightly and could not be detected.
So, Li Xian took a deep breath and said.
"Your Majesty, the ceremony for the crown prince's leaving the cabinet is a grand ceremony of the country. Many of the rituals involve Zhan Shifu, and Zuo Chunfang is an official. However, this time the prince's departure from the cabinet is for the purpose of enlightenment. He leaves the cabinet without preparing a palace or setting up any subordinates.
Official, therefore, many ceremonial details need to be revised."
"When it comes to the Crown Prince, every detail needs to be consulted in the classics and ancient etiquette must be followed with extreme caution. Therefore, the Ministry of Rites has been delayed for a long time. However, even so, there are still many ritual procedures that are difficult to complete. Please give your Majesty a clear review."
The hall was quiet for a moment, and then a burst of discussion started again, which was a bit more noisy than before.
The ministers had already anticipated that this morning's morning would be uneventful.
However, I didn't expect that it would be this unsettling method.
Although Li Xian's words were not stated explicitly, the meaning was actually revealed. From the etiquette point of view, it is difficult to be polite when leaving the cabinet without preparing the palace.
The Ministry of Rites has spent a lot of time straightening out the etiquette, but it may take more time.
So, if you want His Royal Highness to leave the cabinet as soon as possible, the best way is naturally...
During the cabinet sequence, Zhu Jian took a deep breath and knew that it was time for him to appear.
Although, it was a bit risky to bring up this matter in today's morning meeting, and it was not within the scope of their advance discussion. In fact, none of the 'general trend' they wanted was borrowed.
Yu Shiyue suddenly changed his temper. Even the emperor seemed to have seen through something. He didn't even reject the new note from the Ministry of Rites.
All signs indicate that the current situation is not the best time.
However, this is the last chance!
No matter why Yu Shiyue brought up this topic, as long as it was brought up, they would not be allowed to hesitate.
Just when Zhu Jian was about to step out and speak, a figure stood up first and said calmly.
"Li Shilang, is it really so difficult for the prince to leave the palace?"
Hu Ming!
The real person in charge of the Ministry of Rites finally stopped keeping silent. When he spoke, his calm tone was filled with awe-inspiring aura.
Li Xian immediately tensed up. To be fair, he had not been transferred to the Ministry of Rites for a long time, so he did not spend much time with this great uncle.
I have heard rumors about his old man, and am aware of his prestige in the Shilin court.
However, there is still no intuitive understanding.
However, at this moment, the eldest uncle put away his usual gentleness and stood in front of him. His tone was not harsh, but inexplicably, it made people feel a chill behind their backs.
After trying his best to calm down, Li Xian cupped his hands and said: "Uncle Zong, the subordinates have sent the minutes of several ministry meetings before..."
"That's because you are incompetent!"
Hu Hu raised his eyelids and choked Li Xian back.
Immediately, the old man stopped spending more time on Li Xian, turned around and cupped his hands.
"Your Majesty, the Second Assistant is right to impeach me. I am willing to accept the punishment. The ceremony of the Prince's leaving the cabinet has been postponed for a long time. It is a dereliction of duty. I have improperly controlled my subordinates. I have entrusted an unworthy person. I have lost your Majesty's trust. Please punish me."
At this time, the ministers also obviously realized something. They looked at Hu Hui who lowered his head, and then at Li Xian who had an ugly face in the palace, thoughtfully.
However, punishing Hu Hui definitely cannot be a real punishment.
This matter can be big or small. If we say big, it involves His Royal Highness, it is indeed extremely important. But if we say small, it is just that.
After all, since the general direction of the prince's departure from the cabinet was decided, the palace has not urged the Ministry of Rites, nor has it really set a clear deadline.
The Ministry of Rites postponed it, but if he was punished for it, it would be a bit like punishing him without teaching.
What's more, Mr. Hu's status means that the emperor will not punish him easily for such trivial matters.
Therefore, as expected, the emperor gently raised his hand and pressed it, saying.
"Uncle, you don't have to be like this. I know that the Ministry of Etiquette has been very busy recently. There is a ceremony for the Emperor to return to the capital, and he has to take care of the Winter Solstice Festival and the Zhengdan Dynasty. In more than two months, Spring will be here, and there are all kinds of things.
There are so many things going on, and there is some delay for a while, but it is not a big deal. Although the matter of the prince leaving the cabinet is important, it is not urgent. In these days, I will not blame myself."
It was just a formality, Mr. Hu didn't intend to play any kind of concessions, he cupped his hands and said.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration."
After that, he changed the subject and said:
"However, although your Majesty cares about your ministers, mistakes are mistakes. Your Majesty, please rest assured. After the court today, I will personally preside over the cabinet meeting. Before sunset, the prince's exit ceremony will be presented."
The old man spoke loudly, turned slightly sideways, glanced at the class, and then said unhurriedly.
"In addition, the matter of the ceremony for the prince's departure from the imperial court has always been the responsibility of Li Xian, the minister. Now, Li Xian has personally admitted that he is not very familiar with the ritual regulations. It has been delayed for a long time, and there are still many problems that are difficult to solve. He is really incompetent."
"I believe that it is difficult for Li Xian to be promoted to the position of Minister of Rites. I sincerely request that your Majesty transfer Li Xian to another place and choose another person who is familiar with the etiquette system and can handle things properly to be the Minister of Rites."