King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 722 Zhu Xianming: My son has the ability to shake the world!

The three women chatted for a while. Yang Jingting said goodbye and left first, but Daiyu took the initiative to stay.

"Sister Bao, are you really not worried at all?"

Baochai sighed and replied, "I'm not worried about the present, but I'm afraid of the future!"

"What do you mean?" Daiyu asked back.

"The prince is currently leading troops to the northwest to fight against the Eight-Nation Alliance for the imperial court. He is the pillar of the country... This storm cannot affect our palace!"

After pondering over this sentence, Daiyu said, "Sister Bao is worried that the good bows will be hidden away when the birds are gone?"

"Who can say for sure?" Baochai sighed.

After a few moments of silence, Daiyu said, "Sister Bao... I think you are confused by the situation!"

"Oh?" Baochai looked at Daiyu with a sharp gaze, waiting for Daiyu's opinion.

"The palace is now too big to fall. Your Majesty is wise... and will not destroy the Great Wall!"

“Too big to fail…”

After reciting it softly, Baochai said, "Sister Lin's words... are profound!"

Daiyu went on to analyze, "According to the prince's way, if he returns to the capital victoriously this time, he will of course close the door and not see guests. There will be a tacit understanding between father and son...there won't be any trouble!"

Baochai could also think of these principles, but if she always considered them alone, she would often get stuck in a rut and even become anxious about gains and losses.

"I hope so!" Baochai nodded.

The two chatted for a while, and then waited for Zhang Ping'an to come back and report that Wang Pei'an said that when he issued the amnesty order, he strictly reviewed the files of Qin Ye and his son.

And the most crucial point is that Wang Pei'an did not know the identities of Qin Ye and his son at that time, so there was no fraud in the pardon.

Another situation is that Wang Pei'an himself submitted a memorial in self-defense and was willing to voluntarily stop waiting for participation.

"It seems that this matter was resolved without any danger!" Daiyu said.

Baochai shook her head and replied, "If you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext... Since they have already targeted this matter, I think there will be more to come!"

Daiyu sighed and changed the subject. Talking about this matter all the time would only make her feel worse.

As for how to deal with it, according to their plan just now, they should just remain unchanged in the face of all changes. The emperor will have a scale in his heart.

At night, inside Kunning Palace.

The emperor was invited here to have dinner with the queen.

"You look... not very happy!"

Straightening his sleeves, Zhu Xianming replied, "That's impossible!"

"Is it because of those impeachments?" Yang Qingyin asked again.

Zhu Xianming didn't say anything, and Yang Qingyin didn't ask any further questions. Instead, she ordered all the palace servants to leave.

After the others were gone, Yang Qingyin no longer hid her feelings and said bluntly: "Old Thirteen is very strong now, you have some concerns... It's right!"

"But I also advise you to be cautious. The father-son relationship must be stable. Once... it will be difficult to save it!"

Yang Qingyin didn't say anything, for fear that her words would come true. After all, the Zhu family had not lived in peace for nearly a hundred years.

Lowering her voice, Yang Qingyin continued, "Earlier you said you wanted to make Old Thirteen the heir. There's still a lot of time to go... You need to think more about how to get along with him!"

"Yeah!" Zhu Xianming responded. He took these words to heart.

"You are already fifty-five this year. Let me tell you something you don't want to hear...how many more years can you still struggle?"

"The kingdom that I worked so hard to build must be passed down in a safe way. Firstly, it will not let my hard work go to waste, and secondly, I will be able to give an account to my ancestors in the future!"

Perhaps because she talked too much at once, Yang Qingyin couldn't help coughing.

She was trying to persuade the emperor and at the same time she was also making arrangements for her funeral arrangements.

Today, not only did she feel physically tired, but she also suffered from frequent severe abdominal pains, or dizziness and confusion, which made Yang Qingyin feel more clearly that she did not have much time left.

Seeing that she was coughing uncomfortably, Zhu Xianming quickly stood up and asked with concern, "Do you want to call the imperial physician?"

Yang Qingyin shook her head. If the imperial physician had been helpful, her health would not have deteriorated so rapidly in recent years.

In her opinion, this is fate. Her hands were stained with so much blood, and now she is paying back the debt...

"When Old Thirteen returned to the capital from the previous campaigns, he always closed the door and refused to see anyone. This shows that he knows his limits and his responsibilities!"

"Ok!"

Zhu Xianming responded, and the gloom in his heart was reduced a lot.

The next day came in a flash, and the impeachment of Zhao Yushan and Wang Pei'an showed signs of intensifying.

But Zhu Xianming still ignored it. He had always done this in the past, and he was ready to suppress the officials.

But the situation this time was indeed different. On the third day, someone submitted a petition to resign, saying that he did not want to serve in the same palace with Zhao Yushan.

In order to achieve his goal, he resigned from the official position he had obtained with great difficulty. It can be said that this man spent a lot of money.

After the first one, there was the second one. Two or three days later, more than a dozen people resigned, but none of them got the emperor's permission.

But even so, Zhu Xianming is no longer calm. If such a trend spreads, it will cause great trouble.

After all, the war is still going on, and allocating food and military supplies requires officials to transport and deliver them.

Baochai ordered Chen Yuntai to investigate what happened, while Zhu Xianming asked the factory guards to investigate together in order to determine the scope of the disturbance.

If there are too many people involved, he will have to use both firmness and flexibility to deal with them.

This is how the court is. The civil servants may seem weak, but if they are truly united, they possess extremely strong power.

Normally, Zhu Xianming would not be afraid of these people, but now is a critical period of the national war. If something goes wrong, it will be difficult to make up for it no matter how many officials he kills.

Especially the military intelligence reported in the last two days, saying that the Eight-Nation Alliance was planning to advance eastward and a huge battle on the front was about to begin. He really didn't want any accidents to happen.

"The latest military intelligence report was sent out on June 14th. It has been about 20 days since then. Perhaps the war has already started!"

Inside the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Xianming was looking at the map and thinking.

He is a professional, so he understands that a war of this scale will involve a process of mutual testing in the early stages, and the scale of the war will be expanded step by step.

Some people accused Zhu Jinghong of not taking any big action, but Zhu Xianming naturally scoffed at the criticism.

"Your Majesty, outside the Qianqing Gate..." Cheng Ying appeared in the hall, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"What's wrong?" Zhu Xianming's face was gloomy.

Guessing that there was some bad news, he felt even worse.

"More than a dozen officials were kneeling outside, saying they wanted to make suggestions to His Majesty!"

It was obviously an organized behavior for everyone to come together to make suggestions at this time, which made Zhu Xianming even more unhappy.

As an emperor, the thing he hated most was collusion among his subjects.

Over the years, he has beaten, killed, confiscated properties, or exiled many people, but he still cannot stop some people from running into the muzzle of the gun.

In fact, this question itself has no solution.

Because this is a contradiction within the ruling class. Since there is a contradiction, there must be struggle. Living in harmony is only a state for a certain period of time.

Even a tyrannical and ruthless man like Zhu Yuanzhang spent his entire life fighting with his subjects.

Trying hard to suppress his anger, Zhu Xianming said, "Let the cabinet and the prince come forward and persuade them to leave!"

This is also his usual routine, which is called "first courtesy and then force". If there are stubborn people who refuse to leave, he will use heavy hands to deal with them.

After giving this instruction, Zhu Xianming continued to read the memorials, which was his main task every day. There were so many things going on inside and outside the Ming Dynasty, and even if he only paid attention to some major things, it would involve a huge amount of information, and it would be impossible for him to read all the memorials.

At his instruction, two cabinet ministers and the crown prince came to the outside of the Qianqing Palace to persuade everyone to leave, and the verbal confrontation between the two sides turned into a debate.

Strictly speaking, the officials who started the impeachment movement were in the right, and their large numbers left Zhu Jingyuan and the other two speechless.

Zhao Yushan’s draft was indeed unreasonable, but people asked us to act in accordance with national laws, and no one could find any fault with it.

As things developed to this point, the demands of these people had shifted, and Zhao Yushan became the main target of attack, while Wang Pei'an's matter was hardly mentioned.

What Zhao Yushan had done in recent years had offended almost all the scholar-officials, except for his own followers and confidants. It was normal for him to be attacked by everyone.

A few minutes later, Zhu Jingyuan entered the Qianqing Palace and apologized to the emperor, but this not only failed to persuade the crowd to leave, but instead attracted more people to gather.

On the throne, Zhu Xianming looked at his son in front of him and asked slowly, "Fourth Brother, do you think Zhao Yushan's handling of Wang Pei'an's case was appropriate?"

"Reporting to the Emperor, my Thirteenth Brother is currently leading troops outside, and this involves matters in his mansion. Elder Zhao should be more cautious... This is also for the sake of the overall situation!"

The prince is indeed growing up, otherwise he would not be able to say these words at this moment, it’s just that he is growing a little slowly.

Zhu Xianming then asked: "Do you think... the incident between Wang Pei'an and Qin Ye mentioned in the impeachment is true?"

Zhu Jingyuan replied: "My son thinks it is a misunderstanding, so the court should investigate this matter thoroughly, firstly to clear my thirteenth brother's name, and secondly to calm people's hearts!"

"This matter has developed to this point suddenly. Do you think... is there someone behind this?"

This question is very sharp. Zhu Jingyuan thinks that his father is doubting him, but he was not the one who initiated this incident.

He just took advantage of the situation after the incident.

"Those who made this memorial are all censors, officials from the Hanlin Academy and the Five Temples. They are noble and do not socialize with others. I think... they are not here in collusion!"

This is going against the emperor's intention. Zhu Jingyuan would definitely not dare to do this in the past, but now he is bolder.

After all, before this, he was thinking about taking action in advance and driving away the old man who was in the way.

"Now that things have come to this, how should we properly deal with it?" Zhu Xianming asked again.

"Many people have resigned from their posts in recent days. I think... Your Majesty should prioritize the stability of the court and handle this matter impartially!"

If the case is handled impartially, Wang Pei'an will have to be arrested. Will this affect Old Thirteen?
If Wang Pei'an should be taken down, then should Zhao Yushan, who openly protected him, also be held accountable?
"Your Majesty, another official has come to make a remonstrance. Now, more than 50 people have gathered outside the palace gate!"

The eunuch's report made Zhu Xianming even angrier.

I secretly thought that these people really knew how to pick the right time to attack at the most sensitive and critical moment.

If it were not for such a crucial war, Zhu Xianming would have directly allowed those people to resign and leave, even at the risk of shutting down some government offices.

There are hundreds of people studying in the Imperial College, and they can be recruited into the official ranks at any time, and they will cherish the opportunity to become Beijing officials.

Zhu Xianming said in a low voice: "Fourth Brother... go tell them that their actions are threatening the emperor and father. I cannot bear to punish them. Let them return to their positions!"

After repeated consideration, Zhu Xianming still chose not to compromise. Firstly, it was due to his strong personality, and secondly, he did not want to abandon the major policies he had previously implemented halfway.

Therefore, he has made plans to get rid of a group of people and then prepare to recruit a new group of officials. "

After the prince left, he ordered people to summon the Minister of Personnel and the chief academic officer of the Imperial College. This was of course done for the troublemakers to see, in order to show the emperor's determination to risk everything.

What happened outside Qianqing Gate has now become known to everyone in the court and the country, and everyone is paying attention to this matter.

Although some people are eager to join this just crusade, most people are still unwilling to risk their official positions, so they wait and see and wait for the right opportunity to act.

As it was approaching noon, there were already more than sixty officials outside the Qianqing Gate. They took off their official hats and placed them at their sides, then kowtowed to the ground to put pressure on the emperor inside the palace gate.

On the steps outside the palace gate, Crown Prince Zhu Jingyuan, Second Assistant Minister Chen Jinyun, and Third Assistant Minister Zheng Zhiqing were already at their wits' end.

Behind them, in addition to the Qianqing Gate guards on duty, thirty more Dragon Guards were dispatched.

But the most eye-catching were the Jinyiwei on both sides of the palace gate, which numbered more than 150 people in total and were led by Chen Yuntai, deputy captain of the Beicheng Captain's Office.

It is now past 3:15 p.m., and there are less than ten minutes left before the emperor's deadline of 1:15 p.m. to clear the area.

There was no one outside and if all the things were taken, it would cause even bigger trouble. The emperor in the palace had no idea.

The officials gathered outside were all worried and conflicted. Was it really worth it to give up fame and fortune for the so-called great cause, which might even bring disaster to their families?
If something happens to all of us, will our colleagues do their best to protect us? Will they also have the courage to risk everything?
Every minute of waiting was a torture for the emperor and his ministers on both sides of the palace gate, and it was also a test of wills.

Outside the east side of the palace gate, Chen Yuntai, with a gloomy face, was following the two centurions and giving instructions.

"When you catch him later, beat him to death first, and vent the anger of our Lord!"

Although he said he was venting the emperor's anger, Chen Yuntai's actual purpose was to vent Zhu Jinghong's anger.

"Yes!" the two centurions answered.

This kind of gathering at the palace gate happens every one or two years, and in the end it is all handled by the North City Thousand Households Office. These people are familiar with the process.

It's very satisfying to beat up an official. There are many people in the Beicheng Qianhu Division and it's not always possible to get a turn. The captains who met him this time were all eager to try.

At this extremely tense moment, Dai Quan himself appeared outside the palace gate. His expression was extremely complicated, especially when he looked at the prince.

Of course, this happened in a flash. He hardly stayed at the palace gate and hurriedly entered the Qianqing Gate.

A few breaths later, the eunuch Dai Quan appeared before the emperor and carefully handed over the report.

Urgent military intelligence was delivered without going through the Tongzhengsi, but was directly submitted to the emperor by the Dongchang.

Dai Quan was the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot, and he personally delivered all important news.

"Your Majesty, Northwest..."

Before Dai Quan finished speaking, Zhu Xianming asked almost reflexively: "How is the northwest?"

The report delivered personally by Dai Quan must be very important news, either a defeat or a victory.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty... Great victory in the Northwest!"

Dai Quan kowtowed in reply, but his face, facing the floor, did not show much joy.

Upon hearing that it was a great victory, Zhu Xianming felt relieved and immediately opened the report to read.

"On June 15, our army faced the enemy, both sides were west of Wucheng..."

"At three o'clock in the morning, our southern wing engaged the enemy..."

"At 2:00 pm on the 9th hour, the enemy's main infantry corps is advancing, and our main force of the central army is meeting the enemy..."

"At three quarters past nine, the enemy's elite cavalry from Wucheng left the city, followed by their infantry, heading west to attack our rear..."

"At 2:00 p.m., our southern wing retreated..."

The content of the report was extremely detailed, describing the unprecedented battle on June 15th in a straightforward manner.

The brutal process of the battle was fully displayed in front of Zhu Xianming. Just reading the report made him sweat, fearing that his army would be defeated.

Especially the fact that he defended the Juesheng Slope to the end made him feel frightened and admired Zhu Jinghong's determination and calmness.

"At 2 o'clock in the morning, the enemy army will be defeated. I will use my cavalry to strangle them with all my might and kill most of the enemy's main forces!"

"On June 16, our army approached the enemy's main force, and the infantry and cavalry worked together to strangle the enemy..."

"In this decisive battle, our army lost 28,000 men, killed more than 83,000 enemy soldiers, and seized 32,000 horses and artillery..."

Looking at the summary of the battle results in the report, Zhu Xianming was overjoyed. Having experienced the battlefield on paper, he suddenly felt a hearty sense of satisfaction.

After closing the report, Zhu Xianming laughed wildly and said, "My son has the ability to shake the heavens!"

The ability to shake the heavens, this kind of evaluation cannot be higher.

Dai Quan and everyone in the palace knelt down to pay homage and congratulate the Emperor.

For a moment, the side hall of the Qianqing Palace was filled with shouts of "Long live the emperor!"

(End of this chapter)