Why did the emperor rebel?

Chapter 619 Take what you need
The inheritance of the throne has always been said to be "the father dies and the son succeeds, and the brother ends up with the younger brother".

In other words, under the normal succession of the throne, a new emperor will ascend the throne after the death of the previous emperor, which is very much in line with the feudal order where the imperial power is the only one and the emperor is supreme.

However, no matter how rigorous and complicated the code system is, there will always be unexpected situations.

The throne of the Supreme Emperor is a supplementary measure for the abnormal inheritance of the throne. However, because it is an abnormal inheritance, it means that the situations that arise are different, and there is no complete system that can be referred to for operation.

Therefore, when the Supreme Emperor really appears, he often can only refer to the past examples and the basic principles of etiquette and grope forward.

This situation is actually like a spring, which can be flattened or stretched, but whether it is flattened or stretched, it has its limit.

This limit is very clear, but within the limit, whether the spring is compressed or stretched depends on the specific situation.

The ancients talked about taking history as a mirror. To put it bluntly, the rise and fall of countless dynasties was a process of constant trial and error.

In the long history, some people are absurd, some are presumptuous, some are restrained, and some are cautious...

People of later generations, from these countless lessons learned from the past, sum up experience and lessons, and use various methods, such as systems and ideas, to make up for the loopholes and make the wheels of history roll forward.

There has never been a Supreme Emperor in Ming Dynasty, but Ming Dynasty has courtesy, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness. The courtiers of Ming Dynasty know what kind of king they want, and what kind of king the people of the world need.

Therefore, the limit of this spring between the emperor and the emperor is very clear.

For the Supreme Emperor, no matter how long this spring is stretched, it will not be able to return to the world and govern in power when the emperor is safe and sound.

Because in this way, the limit of the spring is exceeded, and the spring breaks, the two emperors will fight, and the world will be in chaos.

As for the Son of Heaven, no matter how tight this spring is, it will not be able to drive the Supreme Emperor to a dead end.

Because of this, the spring was pressed to the flattest, and the ruling and opposition parties, and all the people in the world could not accept an emperor who killed his brother and king without reason.

However, it is only these two limits.

Again, as an abnormal means of inheriting the throne, the existence of the Supreme Emperor itself does not have many historical precedents to refer to.

Therefore, between these two limits, whether the spring is pulled or compressed depends on the specific situation.

In the previous life, due to various reasons, Zhu Qiyu almost pressed this spring to the limit, from the initial prohibition of entry and exit, to the complete imprisonment, prohibition of inside and outside, waiting for Zhu Qizhen to fend for itself.

If he missed that one step, he would completely crush the spring.

As an emperor, of course he thought about exterminating them completely, but the risk of that step was too great, and no one could estimate what the consequences would be.

Although Zhu Qiyu didn't like this elder brother, it must be said that he handled the Nangong incident properly enough.

With the minimum cost, the purpose of maximum benefit is achieved.

However, the impact of that coup that broke the spring is by no means a star and a half, not to mention the long-term impact, let's say that the sky is in the sky.

The Supreme Emperor regained the throne through a coup, and the ambitions of the ruling and opposition parties are bound to grow.

Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, there have been many people who rebelled and rebelled, but the court ministers conspired against it only when the sky was right.

During the Zhengtong Dynasty, Wang Zhen covered the sky with one hand, and separated the inside and outside, and his words were like a holy order, and he could march hundreds of thousands of troops to it.

However, he stayed by Zhu Qizhen's side until his death, and he was never disloyal for a moment.

In the Jingtai dynasty, Yu Qian held great power and was the ultimate minister. He was responsible for saving the world, but he didn't have the slightest rebellion in his heart.

However, after seizing the door, there was Shi Heng first, and then Cao Jixiang, all of whom raised private soldiers wantonly, tyrannical, and conspired to raise troops and rebel.

The reason for this is nothing more than that they have seen before their own eyes, and even participated in it themselves, how to gain power through rebellion.

Once the awe in people's hearts collapses, it will never stand up again.

For Zhu Qizhen, he was driven to a dead end at that time, the spring was pressed to the limit, and he would naturally rebound with the most violent force.

Therefore, once the spring rebounds, it is stretched to the longest until one end breaks.

Of course, there is a price to be paid, but the price is nothing more than Tianshun's continued chaos and the stagnation of the court's operations.

Compared with what Zhu Qizhen is about to get, it is simply insignificant.

However, for Zhu Qiyu, he couldn't predict the price he would pay after crushing the spring.

Of course, Daming will not collapse because of the death of one person.

However, an emperor who kills his brother and the king will undoubtedly lose confidence in the ruling and opposition parties, and will also give an excuse to the careerists in the world.

In his previous life, he took over a country where the treasury was empty, the people were exhausted, and the vitality was severely injured. It took eight years for the ruling and opposition parties to finally recover their vitality.

How long does it take to build up the broken awe after a coup?
Three years, five years, or longer?

Zhu Qiyu is not a saint, if he in his previous life knew about the seizure of the door in advance, he would certainly kill Zhu Qizhen without hesitation.

However, that is the helplessness after weighing the pros and cons, and it will never be an active choice when you have an advantage.

However, the same sentence, at this moment in time, for everyone, everyone only has a vague concept of the two ends of the spring.

Therefore, within these two ends, no one knows how much power the Supreme Emperor has. The only way is to cross the river by feeling the stones.

Even for Zhu Qizhen, it was the same.

Since the return of the Supreme Emperor, there has always been a sense of restraint between the emperor and Nangong.

The emperor treated Nangong with courtesy, as if there were no constraints, and he gave enough face and etiquette that an overlord should have.

Zhu Qizhen himself never violated the rules, drinking and having fun honestly, and never took a step outside Nangong.

On the surface, a balance is reached.

However, they all understand in their hearts that this balance is temporary, and it won't be long before this balance will be broken.

The blurred boundaries of power will not last long, and to make them clear, one must go through cruel struggle and sacrifice before they can be truly demarcated.

Now, it's just because the Supreme Emperor has just returned to court, and neither side is ready, so it's just a fragile calm.

Hiding under the calm, the friction and temptation between the two sides have gradually begun.

Empress Qian went out to congratulate Nangong as a test, Zhu Qiyu saw that the emperor did not kneel down, it was also a test; the emperor allowed the ministers to pay homage to Nangong, it was a test, Zhu Qizhen summoned the ministers in private, it was also a test...

As time goes by, this kind of temptation will inevitably have a meeting point of confrontation.

Although the Supreme Emperor has retreated to Nangong and became the emperor, how easy is it to really get out of the maelstrom of the imperial court?
What's more, whether the Supreme Emperor himself wants to get away completely is still unknown...

In Qinghe Pavilion.

Hearing the word Juntun, all the ministers immediately raised their spirits.

Except for Xu Youzhen, everyone present was counted as one, and all of them were from noble families, the only exception was Prince Consort Jiao Jing.

However, although the Jiao family is not noble, it is also a real military family.

Jiao Jing's elder brother, Jiao Yi, was only a commander of the guards, but he was a trusted general of the Taisun Mansion when Emperor Xuanzong hid his residence.

It is precisely because of this relationship that Jiao Jing was able to marry the royal family, Princess Qingdu, the daughter of Shang Renzong.

Since they are all honorable military generals, they naturally have something to do with the invading army. Even if they are not at the border and do not do it themselves, those frontier generals will either seek official careers or protect themselves. The meat is delivered to your door.

Therefore, if the imperial court wants to rectify the army, the most direct infringement is their interests.

Facing the eyes of everyone, Zhu Qizhen did not hesitate too much, and directly expressed his attitude.

"The frontier army is weak and the military settlements have been abandoned. It has been there for a long time. I have heard about it before I personally conquered it. However, I have never taken action to rectify it. It is because of the long-standing malpractice, so I can't act rashly. Even if it needs to be rectified, I should take it slowly. , don’t act too hastily.”

"Now that the court battle has just ended, and the officials in the court are incomplete, it is time for the soldiers and civilians on the border to recuperate. It is really inappropriate to go to war so much and shake the morale of the border troops."

"Although the captives are defeated today, their vitality is still there. When I returned to the court, there were still constant robberies and robberies. If the border was lost due to the rectification of the army, the captives took advantage of the vacancy and entered the city again. Small losses will cause big losses. "

This is of course just an excuse, the real reason is...

Zhu Qizhen had no other choice.

Once involved in the vortex of government affairs, it is extremely difficult to get out. In the complicated political situation, people's positions change more with interests. Personal opinions, the proportion of decision-making, is actually negligible .

For Zhu Qizhen, he has retired to Nangong now, and has already announced that he will no longer interfere in political affairs.

Therefore, if you want to intervene in the government, then you can only pass through these ministers who are still leaning on him.

Just looking at the lineup standing in front of him now, it can be seen that these ministers are basically honorable.

After staying in the north for a year, Zhu Qizhen is no longer that naive young emperor, and now he can better understand the ways of the world.

These people may not be hypocritical when they say they are loyal to him. After all, their fathers and brothers have all received the favor of the emperor, and many of them have also received their own kindness.

Especially the British government, when the former emperor reused the British government, and before he died, he entrusted the British government to assist him, this is all real.

However, loyalty alone is not enough. The honorable family values ​​inheritance first, and glory second.

The reason why they gathered around Nangong was complex, but the biggest reason was that apart from not being trusted by the new emperor, more importantly, the emperor would still belong to Zhu Qizhen's lineage after a hundred years.

Ten years, 20 years, even 30 years, a noble with a hereditary title can afford to wait.

What's more, it doesn't even take that long. In a few years, the East Palace will grow up and be able to have its own power in the court.

Then, the wings of the Supreme Emperor will naturally become the wings of the Eastern Palace. Taking advantage of the power of the Eastern Palace, those honorable officials who were excluded in the court will naturally have a place.

In order to achieve this goal, it is nothing to transfer some benefits.

However, the matter of the military colonization involved their core interests.

The reason why nobles can become the top forces of military officials, but they can affect the huge military generals' frontier army while sitting in the capital, is a very important part of the reason.

They not only accepted the military settlements offered by the frontier generals, protected and supported them, but also recruited poor but promising frontier generals through the military settlements, built an intricate network of relationships, and maintained their most detached status.

The closure of the army station not only means the disappearance of a large amount of financial resources, but also means that the nobles' control over the frontier army has been reduced, and the network of contacts they have accumulated over the years will be hit hard.

Therefore, we must resist. This is the consensus of the nobles during this period of time.

The nobles need Zhu Qizhen, the Supreme Emperor, to gather together as a banner. At the same time, Zhu Qizhen must also safeguard their interests.

On the matter of rectifying the army, he naturally cannot have other positions.

After all, now he is no longer a high-ranking emperor, but an emperor who has retreated to Nangong in name only.

Seeing the relief of everyone below, Zhu Qizhen's mood was a bit complicated, but he continued.

"However, I have already said that I will no longer interfere in government affairs after returning to Beijing, so it is inconvenient to intervene in this matter. I can only tell you what I think in my heart. Such a major matter still needs to be discussed by the court before it can be decided."

The voice fell, and the expressions of the people below were different.

Immediately, Hou Renli of Ning Yuan stepped forward and said.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. After I return to the mansion, I will start contacting all the nobles, and I will definitely not let such matters that endanger the community pass the court meeting."

The other ministers below also followed suit, and Zhu Qizhen waved his hand, and this meeting came to an end.

As far as Zhu Qizhen was concerned, there was actually nothing he could do. The first purpose of this summoning was to win over people's hearts, and the second was to show his attitude.

Once these two goals are achieved, that’s all. There’s no need to do anything else.

Even before the personal conquest, he was not the kind of person who had to worry about everything. The general direction was set, and the rest was left to the subordinates.

However, maybe he didn't even realize it, consciously or unconsciously, he actually didn't want to say more about this matter.

In the final analysis, although he lives in Nangong now, he was once the Son of Heaven after all.

He would not be ignorant of the benefits of rectifying the military settlements, so he felt a little guilty about making the current decision.

However, for Ren Li and others, this is enough.

What they need is just a banner.

For the relatives, the rectification of the military colony violated their common interests, but even in this situation, the attitudes of each mansion are not the same.

Those who are as radical as Ren Li intend to resist, there are those who intend to bow their knees in exchange for stability.

This is not the only family among the nobles who are as submissive to the emperor as the Changping Houfu.

The only purpose of their trip to the palace was actually to obtain the attitude of the Supreme Emperor.

In this way, for many vacillating Jingnan nobles, convincing them is much more certain.

What's more, the palace banquet didn't last long, and when the officials in the side hall left, if they didn't follow them out, it would be too conspicuous.

Because no noble person came to the banquet this time, it was relatively casual.

By the time Ren Li and others left the Qinghe Pavilion, several ministers had already finished their palace banquets and were about to leave.

So, after returning to the side hall, Xu Youzhen slipped into the civil servants while no one was paying attention, while the others mingled in the crowd and walked out...

(End of this chapter)