Rule over Ming Dynasty

As night falls, the lights are on.

The city of Beijing looked even more charming under the light. The Hongzhi Dynasty brought new vitality to the city and made it a thriving imperial capital.

Whether it is day or night, Beijing exudes a unique charm.

During the day, it is a bustling street with a wide variety of goods; at night, it is an entertainment venue for wonderful dramas, operas and poems. It has become a postcard of China.

Just when the emperor had completely conquered the Queen Mother of Korea, the outside world was already in an uproar.

The Qianqing Gate arson case was not just a single case; it directly touched the sensitive nerves of countless people and even led to a sell-off of government bonds today.

More and more people in the capital believe that the reason they can have such a good life today is inseparable from the leadership of their wise and powerful Emperor Hongzhi.

If something unexpected happens to Emperor Hongzhi, the current good situation will not collapse instantly, but it will also directly affect the finances and national debt credibility of the Ming Dynasty.

That's right. When the news of the arson at Qianqing Gate spread, many people sold their treasury bonds and waited and saw what would happen, causing a rare plunge in treasury bond prices.

"Thank God, the emperor is safe!"

"Isn't this Concubine He too bold?"

"He Shang Gong? Are you really stupid or just pretending to be stupid? Do you think a female official would dare to burn down the emperor's bedroom?"

……

The people and scholars of the capital had been paying close attention to the Qianqing Gate arson case. They knew exactly when Song Cheng entered the palace and when he left. Now that they knew the arsonist was actually He Shanggong, they all pointed the finger at this female official.

But the matter could not have ended with Concubine He. After all, everyone knew that there could be no conflict of core interests between a female official and the emperor, so the greater possibility was that she was instructed by someone.

As for who was the person who ordered this, since He Shang Gong's master was the Empress Dowager Zhou, the first person everyone thought of was naturally the high and mighty Empress Dowager Zhou.

"The Empress Dowager is your Majesty's grandmother, so it shouldn't be like this, right?"

"Haha... Your Majesty has killed all of the Empress Dowager's family members in order to carry out reforms!"

"Although we can't make random guesses about this matter, I believe you know in your heart who did it."

……

There are many brave people among the people, and now, based on the known information, they all suspect that it was done by the Empress Dowager Zhou, and some have even directly named her.

If it was an ordinary grandson, he would naturally not have such speculation, but Empress Dowager Zhou's maternal family all died at the hands of Zhu Youtang, so Empress Dowager Zhou had a strong motive for committing the crime.

That's right. Even though the investigation has only linked Concubine He to the imperial concubine, everyone has already begun to suspect Empress Dowager Zhou.

"The latest news is that the emperor has stopped Song Cheng's investigation!"

"I was wondering why Song Cheng didn't come into the palace after he came out to change his clothes!"

"It seems that the emperor still wants to preserve this family relationship!"

"They have set the fire right in front of your Majesty's door. That old witch has really gotten away with it!"

……

This matter continued to ferment. After learning that the emperor had actually stopped Song Cheng from conducting an in-depth investigation, everyone realized that this was actually the emperor's way of protecting Empress Dowager Zhou.

The Minister of Justice Song Cheng has solved many strange cases, and his ability to investigate cases is well known to everyone. Some people even gave him the title of "The No. 1 Judge in the Ming Dynasty".

Now that the case has been traced back to Concubine He, the Emperor suddenly stopped Song Cheng from investigating the case further. This was obviously done to protect the Empress Dowager.

For a time, public opinion in the capital pointed to the Empress Dowager Zhou. Especially after the emperor stopped Song Cheng's investigation, it was determined that the arson was committed by the Empress Dowager.

Restaurants, brothels and teahouses are all places where public opinion ferments. Now their voices have become more consistent, and public opinion has determined that it was the work of Empress Dowager Zhou.

The next morning, winter was already high in the sky.

Forbidden City, Guanju Palace.

Empress Dowager Zhou was sleeping on the bed, looking very peaceful.

She was chosen to be a concubine and entered the palace when she was only fourteen years old. Although her situation as a concubine of the retired emperor was rather awkward during the Jingtai period, she was honored as a royal concubine because of her son's status when Emperor Yingzong of Ming was restored to the throne.

During the Chenghua Dynasty, she was ranked as one of the two Empress Dowagers, and during the Hongzhi Dynasty, she became the only Grand Empress Dowager. She enjoyed all the wealth and glory in the world over the years.

Her qi and blood were well maintained. She slowly woke up from her sleep, her hazy eyes gradually focused, and she habitually called out, "Liu Ying!"

Usually, Liu Ying would be waiting outside the bead curtain and would come at this moment.

However, today, it was unusually quiet outside.

After waiting for a while, there was still no sign of Liu Ying. The Empress Dowager could not help but frown. She raised her voice and called out again: "Liu Ying!"

"Your Highness the Empress Dowager, Liu Ying and Chen Jin have just been taken away." Just at this moment, a palace maid who was in a marginal position walked in timidly and reported with her head down.

Earlier, the old people in Qingning Palace were once again purged, and some, like Wu Shen, were taken away and never came back.

"What? Who dares to be so bold?" Empress Dowager Zhou sat up in astonishment, staring at the palace maid in disbelief, her eyes flashing with anger as if to devour everything.

The maid could sense the Empress Dowager's rage, but she still reported, "They are from the Shenjie Division!"

"Whose order is this?" An inexplicable anger surged in the heart of Empress Dowager Zhou. This sudden change made her feel unprecedentedly out of control and uneasy.

The maid answered carefully, fearing to offend the noble Empress Dowager: "The people from the Ministry of Discipline said that Liu Ying and Chen Jin were involved in the Qianqing Gate arson case, and the other servants were not aware of it!"

Various signs have shown that the Queen will no longer tolerate the misbehavior of the fallen Empress Dowager, or perhaps she intends to put an invisible shackle on her.

Although the emperor stopped Song Cheng's investigation and did not conduct an in-depth investigation into the Qianqing Gate arson case, the elimination of several confidants around the Empress Dowager made the Empress Dowager a "blind person" in the palace.

A Grand Empress Dowager who has no trusted female officials, eunuchs or palace maids is like a phoenix fallen into the water, and will not pose the slightest threat to the harem.

"They are simply rebelling!" Empress Dowager Zhou roared and stood up suddenly. After years of fighting in the harem, how could she not know the viciousness of this move? Once she had no one around her, it would be difficult for her to harm the emperor in the future, let alone protect herself.

Her eyes swept around the palace and finally fell on the coffee table not far away. She walked to the coffee table, grabbed a porcelain cup, and then threw it hard to the ground.

The porcelain cup instantly shattered into countless pieces on the ground, and the crisp sound of the shattering echoed throughout the palace, as if it was her cry of anger and dissatisfaction.

Then, still unable to calm down her anger, she smashed several pieces of porcelain and decorations in succession, and the whole room was suddenly in a mess.

The palace maids outside were trembling with fear, but no one dared to step forward to dissuade her. They could only watch as Empress Dowager Zhou vented her anger.

However, the more Empress Dowager Zhou threw things, the more her incompetence was highlighted. I'm afraid there will be no place for Empress Dowager in the harem in the future.

After venting her anger, Empress Dowager Zhou, who was after all a veteran of harem struggles for many years, suddenly laughed in anger and said, "Okay, very good. Since you, Zhu Youtang, are so ruthless, then let the world know how unfilial you are!"

It was a sunny day just now, but in the blink of an eye, the sky changed and a group of dark clouds gathered in the east.

The struggle in the court is often invisible.

Yongfang and Jia Mansion when I was a child.

cough cough...

Jia Jun is old after all, nearly 70 years old. He is lying in bed coughing, his eyes full of confusion.

He was a native of Northern Zhili. Although his family was not prominent, it was still a family of scholars. When he was young, he passed the imperial examination, but the competition was too fierce, so he entered the officialdom with the title of juren when he was thirty.

Even though he started from a humble background, he has now become a prime minister thanks to his outstanding talents, especially his strong management ability in construction.

Because of this, he is not only the first Juren Shangshu since the Ming Dynasty, but also the first Juren Cabinet Minister. Now he has become a role model for Juren officials all over the world.

"Master, are you okay?" The concubine, who was serving him personally at the bedside, looked very worried and said.

Pooh!
Jia Jun coughed up a mouthful of thick phlegm, then spat it into the spittoon. He waved to his concubine and suddenly felt a lot more relaxed.

If it weren't for the medical school under the Imperial College that cultivated several geniuses, especially Li Yanwen who was like Hua Tuo in the world who pulled him back from the gates of hell, he would have died long ago.

"Dad!" Jia Xiong came in from outside, looking worried.

With the help of his concubine, Jia Jun lay back on the bed and slowly opened his eyes and asked, "Why is there so much noise outside? What happened?"

"Your Excellency father, someone is coming from the palace!" Jia Xiong looked at his sick father and had to speak honestly.

Jia Jun's eyes lit up slightly, and he immediately raised his hand to get out of bed and said, "Hurry up and get your father dressed. You can't keep your majesty waiting for too long!"

Since he entered the cabinet and was appointed as prime minister, he also hoped to dedicate his remaining body to the emperor like Wan'an, and to serve the emperor diligently even if he lived to be eighty.

However, this time the cold came on so suddenly that he fell ill, so he had to take sick leave and rest at home.

Fortunately, the empire can now run without anyone, and the Ministry of Works is full of talented people, so the several projects he is responsible for will not be affected too much.

However, when he heard that someone was coming from the palace, he still felt nervous, worried that something might go wrong in the several major projects he was responsible for supervising.

"Dad, your health is important. This is the decree of the Empress Dowager! His Majesty has just asked the imperial physician to treat you, and he has always been sympathetic to us subjects. Why would he summon you into the palace at this time!" Jia Xiong hurriedly stepped forward and held down his father, speaking earnestly.

Although he is even less capable than his father and cannot even pass the imperial examination to become a juren, he has been able to enter the officialdom with the help of his father and is now the vice president of the Academy of Engineering under the Imperial College.

Not to mention that his father gave him an official position, it also gave him the opportunity to display his talents. Now that his father is related to the rise and fall of the entire Jia family, he naturally does not want his father to enter the palace while he is sick.

If the emperor summoned him, he would naturally not dare to stop it, but he could completely refuse the empress dowager's order. Besides, his father was indeed sick in bed.

"Grand Empress Dowager?" Jia Jun was stunned at first, then he seemed to understand.

"Dad, the Empress Dowager not only issued an imperial decree to our family, but also sent people to important ministers such as Yin Ge Lao and Wang Junji. However, they all refused on the grounds of poor health! The Empress Dowager must want to accuse the Emperor or the Empress of being unfilial, or convey other words that are unfavorable to Your Majesty. Our family cannot get involved in this mess." Jia Xiong was well-informed and advised seriously.

There is no wall that is impenetrable, and after the Qianqing Gate was burned, the entire city of Beijing was paying attention to the movements of the palace.

Although after the investigation led to He Shanggong, the emperor decisively stopped Song Cheng from continuing the investigation, intending to close the case as He Shanggong the culprit of arson.

However, when one plan failed, Empress Dowager Zhou would come up with another. Now she suddenly issued an imperial decree to summon important officials to the palace. Of course, it could not be for state affairs. She must be trying to accuse the emperor of being unfilial.

Anyone who dares to enter the palace and confront the Grand Empress Dowager now will become the enemy of the entire court. Even his father cannot withstand the pressure from the Imperial Guard.

That's right. Not to mention that his father was ill, even if he was not ill, he could not enter the palace to meet the Empress Dowager.

"Master, Xiong'er is right, your health is important!" The concubine next to him also advised.

Jia Jun couldn't help but sigh and nodded gently.

Although he was in bed, he knew the whole story. Not to mention that the Empress Dowager was obviously at fault, now that the Emperor had created a situation that had not happened for a thousand years, they, the ministers, naturally had to support the Emperor.

Empress Dowager Zhou has no idea how to govern a country, and she has no right to interfere in the political affairs of the Ming Dynasty. It is clear that she summoned their important officials into the palace to stir up trouble.

Just at this moment, a eunuch barged in and said in a sarcastic tone, "Lord Jia, is it so difficult for me to even see you now?"

When the two servants saw that they couldn't stop the people, they were about to apologize to Jia Xiong, but Jia Jun looked very dissatisfied and sent them away.

"Eunuch Jia, the Empress Dowager asked me to give you a message! If she hadn't personally greeted you back then, would you have achieved what you have today? We've only met once, and you're making excuses like this. Do you really want to be an ungrateful person?" Eunuch Chen seemed to be well prepared, and he directly scolded Jia Jun who was lying on the hospital bed.

Huh?
Jia Xiong couldn't help but turn his head to look at his father, and a vague answer came to his mind.

Originally, he was also puzzled as to how his father could rise so quickly as a juren official. Although his father did have extraordinary talent in engineering, the officialdom has never been one where ability is the only criterion for judging success.

Now listening to the words of Eunuch Chen, everything seemed clear. It turned out that his father had followed the path of Empress Dowager Zhou, so he had the opportunity to be promoted out of turn.

Jia Jun coughed violently, as if he had made a great decision, and said, "Forget it! Since the Empress Dowager insists on summoning me, as a subject, how can I not respond? Undress for my husband!"

"Haha... Lord Jia will surely be a famous minister of his time, praised by history books!" When Eunuch Chen saw that Jia Jun agreed to respond to the call, he also praised him. (End of this chapter)