Ming Dynasty: At the beginning, the house was ransacked and the ancestral temple was burned down.

Chapter 228 Wanli went to court! An embarrassing court meeting!

The Emperor, who had not attended court for more than ten years, suddenly ordered the convening of a grand court meeting, and the news soon spread to the six ministries of the cabinet.

The emperor's decree also clearly stated that all officials in Beijing must be present and must not be absent unless it is an important matter.

When this news came out, all the ministers were shocked. After all, His Majesty the Emperor had not attended court for more than ten years!

Suddenly he came to court. Could it be that the Emperor had come to his senses? Was he ready to work hard again?
No one knows yet whether Emperor Wanli will resume his work.

However, this sudden move to convene a grand court meeting made the officials in the capital nervous and excited, especially the new scholars who had won the imperial examinations in recent years.

Most of them had never even seen the emperor's face, and now they were finally able to see the emperor in person. It would be a lie to say they were not nervous.

Li Rusong originally only went to Beijing to meet the emperor. After the army stationed in Korea returned to the capital, he would lead his troops to Bozhou to quell the rebellion.

Unexpectedly, he happened to be the one to attend the Emperor's rare court session.

Perhaps it was to allow the ministers more time to prepare, or perhaps His Majesty the Emperor could not get out of bed in the morning.

Therefore, the time for this grand court meeting was set at 3:00 p.m., and the location was chosen at the Fengtian Gate, which is now in ruins.

……

Zhao Mansion.

On this grand day when His Majesty the Emperor convened a grand court meeting, Zhao Shizhen got up before dawn to wash and dress.

After all, he was still the chief clerk of the Honglu Temple, and the Honglu Temple was not only in charge of foreign guests, but also responsible for court ceremonies and other matters.

Zhao Shizhen thought he had gotten up early enough, but when he went out and walked onto the street, there were already many carriages and people passing through the streets of the inner city.

These were officials in Beijing who were rushing to their respective government offices to report for duty, and then rushing to the imperial city to wait for the court session.

Zhao Shizhen was already nervous, and when he saw his colleagues being so eager, he became nervous for no reason.

However, just as he was about to step onto the carriage, a familiar voice came from behind him.

"Father-in-law, wait a moment."

Zhang Chonghui came over quickly with a basket in his hand and said, "You haven't had breakfast yet, take some with you on the way."

Zhao Shizhen didn't want to accept it at first, but when he thought about his son-in-law getting up so early just to bring him something to eat, he couldn't bear to refuse and had to accept it.

"Speaking of which, father-in-law, doesn't the court meeting start at 3:00 p.m.? It's just dawn today, why are they in such a hurry?" Zhang Chonghui asked, looking at the hurried people on the street.

"Alas, you don't know." Zhao Shizhen explained: "It's just dawn now, and there are few people on the street. When it gets dark, there will be more people on the street, and sedan chairs will not be able to pass. By then, it will be too late to rush to the imperial city from the government offices."

"Is that so?" Zhang Chonghui nodded thoughtfully and asked:

"Speaking of which, the Emperor suddenly ordered a grand court meeting this time. What is the reason for this? Could it be just a rumor like the noon court meeting ten years ago?"

When Zhao Shizhen heard the words "the midday court ceremony ten years ago", he subconsciously twitched his mouth, and a not-so-pleasant memory suddenly emerged in his mind.

It was a day in early spring of the fifteenth year of the Wanli reign. News came from nowhere that the emperor rarely attended court and had temporarily convened a noon court ceremony.

This sudden news caused all the officials in Beijing to panic.

The news came so suddenly that all the officials did not even have time to dress up properly before rushing to the imperial city.

It was a cold day in early spring, but the tense atmosphere made many people sweat and gasp when they hurried to the imperial city.

At that time, Zhao Shizhen was still the chief clerk of the Honglu Temple. After hearing the news that the emperor suddenly convened a noon court ceremony, not only him, but even the Honglu Temple Minister and even the entire Honglu Temple were stunned.

After all, the convening of grand court meetings and other matters were always notified by the Honglu Temple to the officials of various government offices. But that time, before the Honglu Temple received the news that the emperor was going to court, all the officials rushed to attend the court first.

The result of the incident is well known to all. It was a huge misunderstanding. His Majesty the Emperor did not order the convening of any noon court ceremony. It was obvious that someone deliberately spread rumors and made false accusations.

In the end, the person who deliberately spread the rumors was not caught, but the officials of the Ministry of Rites who were responsible for court etiquette and the officials of the Honglu Temple were all reprimanded by Emperor Wanli, and some of them were fined several months' salary.

Although Zhao Shizhen had no shortage of that salary, he felt uncomfortable whenever he thought of that shady incident.

"Don't worry, my dear son-in-law. This time the emperor has really convened a grand court meeting." After Zhao Shizhen said this hurriedly, he quickly got on the carriage with the food basket.

Zhang Chonghui could see that Zhao Shizhen didn't want to talk about the past, so he stopped worrying about it. Anyway, his "love breakfast" had already been delivered. Whether his father-in-law was willing to stand up at the court meeting depended on his choice.

……

Fengtian Gate.

September in the capital was extremely hot, and the sun at noon was particularly scorching.

Civil and military officials had been waiting here since noon. Under the scorching sun, everyone was sweating profusely and looked completely awful.

Standing at the back of the crowd were officials of lower ranks, seventh and eighth. The Hanlin Academy's scholars also stood here.

At this time, Zhang Yunxiu in the crowd was also sweating profusely. He even suspected that the emperor deliberately chose this time to hold court to "expose" them.

Zhang Yunxiu was not the only one who thought so. Under the scorching sun, almost everyone was complaining in their hearts.

But there was an outlier in the crowd. This person happened to be standing not far from Zhang Yunxiu. He was also a new Jinshi in the 26th year of Wanli. His surname was Liu and his name was Guangfu.

There is a reason why Liu Guangfu is considered an outlier.

Although he was sweating profusely, he seemed not to feel the heat and kept muttering something.

He would glance at his cuffs from time to time, and then start mumbling to himself again.

Looking at Liu Guangfu's strange behavior, Zhang Yunxiu wiped the sweat off his forehead. At the same time, he was reviewing in his mind what he was going to say next.

His Majesty the Emperor has finally arrived.

Accompanying the emperor was the Crown Prince Zhu Changluo.

The father and son were seen holding hands, a touching picture of a loving father and a filial son.

This scene not only shocked the civil and military officials, but even the Crown Prince Zhu Changluo was at a loss as to what to do.

After all the officials had performed the ceremony of kowtow, Emperor Wanli Zhu Yijun did not waste any time and went straight to business.

"I convened a court meeting today because I want to tell you something." Zhu Yijun said, patting the hand of Crown Prince Zhu Changluo, but looking at his ministers, he said:
“As you all know, the Crown Prince is extremely talented. I love him very much and have high hopes for him. I regard him as a treasure.

The love between me and the Crown Prince is as deep as the sea. In this attack, the Crown Prince was accidentally killed. After hearing the news, I lost my appetite for several nights.

Who would have thought that the case of the assassination with a stick had not yet been resolved, and the matter of the evil book had caused a new wave of disturbances, and even implicated me!

This fact is due to your dereliction of duty!
From now on, the Eastern Palace will be guarded more strictly, and you, the ministers, should be more loyal to your duties, refrain from causing any more trouble, and do not cause any more disturbances in the palace!
In addition, Zhang Cha, the main culprit in the stick-attack case, is a mentally retarded person. The words of a mentally retarded person cannot be trusted, and further investigation will only lead to more unnecessary incidents.

I have made up my mind. After today, you are not to mention this matter again. If anyone disobeys, he will be severely punished. Don't say I didn't warn you!"

His Majesty the Emperor's words are very meaningful.

He first showed how much he, as an emperor, loved his son, the crown prince. Then he put the blame for the case of the assassination and the evil book on the ministers' "negligence".

Finally, he suddenly changed direction and said bluntly that the assassination case should not be investigated any further!
As soon as Zhu Yijun finished speaking, Crown Prince Zhu Changluo beside him also cooperated and gave a "speech" about how good his relationship with his father, the Emperor, was.

Although the officials were somewhat confused by this strange lecture, they understood it.

His Majesty the Emperor is simply telling his subjects - I have no intention of changing the Crown Prince, so you just be at peace!
However, the emperor only said that the case of the assassination with a stick would not be investigated any more, but he did not say that the matter of the evil book would not be investigated any more.

Almost all the cabinet ministers at the top of the crowd knew that the emperor was giving some of them opportunities.

A chance to resign with apparent dignity.

In fact, ever since Yu Shenxing and Guo Zhengyu were impeached by each other's parties, they had each submitted their resignation letters.

Although he didn't really want to resign, this was an old tradition in the Ming Dynasty officialdom.

Once a minister was impeached and before the emperor made a clear statement, they would follow the practice of their predecessors and submit a petition to resign.

And according to the old tradition, the emperor generally would not agree to the resignation requests of these ministers.

This meaningless back-and-forth is really boring, but people, whether in official circles or not, seem to be happy to be caught up in it.

His Majesty the Emperor has finished his speech, and now it is time for his subjects to give full play to their abilities.

Perhaps due to his age and farsightedness, Zhu Yijun, who was standing on the high platform, immediately saw Zhang Yunxiu standing at the back of the crowd.

Just when he wanted to retract his gaze and take the initiative to question the two elders in front of him about what the matter of the demon book was, he caught a glimpse of a figure beside Zhang Yunxiu, who suddenly walked out!

The man stood up and first knelt down and kowtowed, then he raised his hands high, and then he opened his mouth and talked incessantly like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube.

As the distance was quite far, Zhu Yijun could not hear what the man was saying at all, so he asked the person next to him:
"Who is this person?"

Zhang Cheng, who was standing by, checked it out and replied, "Your Majesty, this is Liu Guangfu, the new Jinshi this year. He is currently serving as a Shujishi in the Hanlin Academy."

"How can this be so rude?" Zhu Yijun was somewhat unhappy. After all, ministers had to obtain the emperor's approval before they could make their reports.

But Liu Guangfu jumped out without saying a word. During the period, he neither got the emperor's approval nor kept talking endlessly as if he was endorsing something.

The key point is that Wanli can’t hear!

Seeing that Liu Guangfu was still speaking, other officials around him also glanced at him sideways, and some even whispered to each other.

The Wanli Emperor, who was sitting on the high platform, could see clearly the ministers whispering to each other. Such a grand court meeting had become so disorderly that he inevitably became angry.

"Tell him to shut up!"

The eunuch on the side hurriedly passed on the emperor's words.

It takes time to convey the message, and during this period, Emperor Wanli reprimanded Liu Guangfu several times.

However, due to the distance, Liu Guangfu could not hear what his father was saying...

Liu Guangfu seemed to be "isolated from the world", and he kept on impeaching the Emperor for his inappropriate behavior over the years, such as not attending court, not offering sacrifices, not managing affairs, and indulging in wine and sex in the harem.

Judging from its fluency, it is obvious that it was memorized in advance.

Liu Guangfu finally shut up, but it was the big general of the guard of honor who finally took action and dragged the rude Liu Guangfu away.

The place waiting for Liu Guangfu was the Ministry of Justice prison.

After being troubled by Liu Guangfu, Emperor Wanli was obviously in a bad mood.

The emperor was unhappy, and the ministers who had something to report next would not be so lucky.

Zhang Yunxiu cursed his bad luck in his heart. He was about to stand up, but after just a moment of hesitation, Liu Guangfu standing beside him got there first.

It would have been fine if Liu Guangfu had gotten there first, but the key point was that this guy was like a madman, and he started cursing the emperor right away...

Now, the emperor was angry before he even started speaking. What was already difficult to accomplish was now even more difficult.

In the hot afternoon, the atmosphere became increasingly tense. Everyone knew that whoever stood up first at this time would bring bad luck to the emperor.

Even Guo Zhengyu, who was forced to resign, did not dare to do so. He was afraid that the emperor would be unhappy and agree to his resignation without saying anything...

Although Guo Zhengyu knew that he was doomed to fail this time, he was unwilling to give up and still wanted to struggle a little longer!
What if the person who left was Yu Shenxing?
Time passed by minute by minute, and seeing that no one had stood up to speak, the chief minister of the cabinet, Zhu Geng, became so nervous that he was almost soaked with sweat.

However, Yu Shenxing, the second assistant of the cabinet, was very calm. After all, he was not the one who made the evil book, and the one who was at a disadvantage right now was not him, but Guo Zhengyu.

Besides, he has already blocked for Zhu Geng so many times, it is time for Zhu Geng, the Prime Minister, to block for him!

Seeing that no one stood up to speak, the eunuch beside the emperor was the first to speak up and asked:
"Do you have any original music?"

No one answered.

Logically speaking, in this situation, the court should be adjourned.

Emperor Wanli, who had just held court with great difficulty, was disrupted by Liu Guangfu. In addition, the weather was very hot, so he had no intention of wasting time with his ministers under the scorching sun.

Anyway, everything that needed to be said had been said, and the purpose of his convening the court meeting today had been achieved.

As for the matter of the evil book, I will deal with it after I return and approve Guo Zhengyu's resignation.

His prince son has already 'returned' his biological mother, so he can no longer be so greedy and still want to have a caring teacher!
Seeing that no one stood up, His Majesty the Emperor prepared to adjourn the court.

However, at this critical moment, a voice came from behind the crowd.

Zhu Yijun still didn't hear clearly, but he saw the young minister who stood up and knelt respectfully on the ground, waiting for his approval.

"Your Majesty, this man is called Wen Tiren. He is also a newly-appointed Jinshi and also serves as a Hanlin Academy Scholar. He just said that he has something to report." Zhang Cheng took the initiative to introduce him very considerately.

Finally someone came out, and he was a minor official of the seventh or eighth rank. Zhu Yijun didn't think much about it and just nodded.

Zhang Cheng immediately understood what he meant and said loudly:
"Your Majesty, I approve it!"

I don’t know if it was because the hot afternoon wind blew upwards to where Zhu Yijun was, or if there was some other reason.

Even though the distance was a bit far and Wen Tihen's voice was not particularly loud, Zhu Yijun heard every word he said this time.

"Your Majesty is wise and wise. The Crown Prince was in danger in the past, but fortunately Zhang Chonghui stepped forward and saved his life!

I believe that Zhang Chonghui's rescue of the prince is truly a great achievement. In order to demonstrate Your Majesty's ability to see through details and clearly distinguish between rewards and punishments, you should reward Zhang Chonghui heavily!
If Your Majesty does not reward Zhang Chonghui generously, I am afraid that people will talk about it and think that Your Majesty is unclear about rewards and punishments, which will undermine the prestige of the Ming Dynasty!"

Wen Tiren's speech was neither hurried nor slow, and was appropriate and measured.

However, the silence brought about by this memorial was even more suffocating than Liu Guangfu's previous mad scolding of the emperor!

(End of this chapter)