Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

Donghua Gate seemed to be shrouded in a golden glow.

The civil and military officials present did not expect that the Empress Dowager would be like this. She attacked the emperor so eagerly as soon as she appeared, wanting to accuse the emperor of being unfilial.

Although everyone knew that the relationship between the emperor and the Empress Dowager was distant, the reason was that the emperor was determined to clear all obstacles in order to lead the Ming Dynasty to glory.

Not to mention that Zhou Shou, the Marquis of Qingyun, committed numerous crimes by virtue of his status as a foreign relative, and his words and deeds were disrespectful to the emperor, and even indirectly led the Zhou family, who was in charge of one of the twelve camps, to dare to kill the eunuchs sent by the emperor.

If the emperor is unfilial, it is actually not the case.

After all, the emperor did not do anything extraordinary to the Empress Dowager. Instead, it was the Empress Dowager Zhou who sent people to set fire to the Qianqing Palace. Now the emperor turned a blind eye to the Empress Dowager setting fire to the Qingning Palace and Guansui Palace.

Just as the Empress Dowager Zhou was getting more and more excited, a loud voice suddenly sounded, interrupting the Empress Dowager Zhou's complaint.

"Empress Dowager, the current emperor is a wise ruler, please be careful with your words!" Yin Zhi, the chief minister of the cabinet, stood up and interrupted the Empress Dowager Zhou's words.

Empress Dowager Zhou's face turned black immediately after being interrupted so rudely in her accusation of Zhu Youtang.

"The current emperor is a wise ruler, please be careful with your words!" Li Yu and other officials also had a scale in their hearts, and immediately echoed.

Although they knew that the relationship between the Empress Dowager and the emperor had completely broken down, they did not expect the Empress Dowager to look at the emperor in this way, and they did not expect that she would be so eager to label the emperor as unfilial.

But compared with the emperor who was labeled as unfilial by the Empress Dowager, they were even more disgusted with the Empress Dowager in front of them.

In the past, the Zhou family oppressed the good, and Zhou Shou, the Marquis of Qingyun, relied on his status as a relative to the emperor to constantly ask for rewards, and even placed many of his children in the Jinyiwei and the military camp, relying on the status of the Empress Dowager Zhou.

Empress Dowager Zhou not only failed to help the emperor's reform, but also was the fuse of the harem disputes, and even became the culprit who killed Jia Jun, an important official of the dynasty.

In terms of Jia Jun's death, although Jia Jun was only a juren, he was also reused through connections, but he was able to become the Minister of Works, which proved his ability, and he was able to enter the cabinet and become a prime minister in the Hongzhi Dynasty, which showed his extraordinary talent.

Especially on the Beijing-Tianjin Railway and the Ming-Myanmar Highway, it was Jia Jun who took charge of the overall situation. Now Tianjin Port has become the most prosperous port in the north, and the Ming Dynasty is also closely connected with the Indian Ocean through the Ming-Myanmar Highway.

Since ancient times, "it is easy to conquer a country, but it is difficult to defend it", but now the roads of the Ming Dynasty are unobstructed, which makes the Ming Dynasty not only more united, but also strengthens the control over the surrounding new territories.

This important official who made such a contribution to the Ming Dynasty should be treated well, and the emperor also put pressure on the medical school to develop penicillin, but this vicious old woman actually gave him seafood soup.

They saw themselves more or less in Jia Jun. If Jia Jun's incident happened to other people, they would probably not have to worry about their lives, but Jia Jun, who valued loyalty and righteousness, did not escape life and death.

Originally, they had a good relationship with Jia Jun, or many officials respected Jia Jun very much. How could they have too much respect for this Empress Dowager now?

Now this old witch did not reflect on herself properly. She burned the Qianqing Palace and Qingning Palace earlier, and now she took the initiative to set fire to Guansui Palace again, and now she is so impatient to accuse the emperor of being unfilial.

That's right, whether it's for the idea of ​​loyalty in their hearts or they don't want to see this old witch continue to harm the world, they have reason to unite to stop the Empress Dowager from talking nonsense.

Some conservative marginal officials looked at the behavior of the Empress Dowager and shook their heads secretly.

Although they felt that the emperor's behavior was somewhat unfilial, they felt that the emperor's behavior was not inappropriate, and they began to understand the emperor's behavior.

The face of Empress Dowager Zhou turned pale instantly. She never expected that all the civil and military officials in the court would protect the emperor together: "Do you know where I have been living these days?" Without waiting for others to answer, she threw out a truth that she thought was earth-shattering: "Do you know that I am imprisoned and no one is allowed to visit me?"

Ah?

As soon as this was said, the important officials present looked at each other in surprise.

Because Qingning Palace was burned, there were no other vacant palaces of the same size in the Forbidden City, so the Empress Dowager could only be temporarily placed in Guansui Palace.

Although the conditions of Guansui Palace were indeed far inferior to those of Qingning Palace, it was also one of the residences of the concubines, and the conditions were not too bad, so this was already the best arrangement.

The Empress Dowager Zhou seemed to have gotten used to the life in the palace. She had complained to Jia Jun about it earlier. This time, she personally burned down Guansui Palace and specifically asked to live in Renshou Palace.

If the previous complaint about living in the palace can be more or less understood, the later remarks about confinement made everyone confused.

After a moment of distraction, Li Yu was the first to react: "May I ask the Empress Dowager, I don't know where the confinement comes from. I have never heard of not being allowed to visit the Empress Dowager!"

If the emperor's confinement of the Empress Dowager was confirmed, the reputation of Emperor Hongzhi in history books would definitely be negatively affected to a certain extent.

"Isn't this obvious enough? During the Spring Festival, can you see any of my relatives enter the palace to visit relatives?" The Empress Dowager Zhou looked at the civil and military officials in the court, and decided to severely attack Zhu Youtang.

Although her current relatives have withered away, there are still a few in the capital, and these people rely on their status to achieve their current wealth, so they go to the palace every year to curry favor with her.

His daughter, Princess Chongqing, goes to the palace to see her every year. Even though her youngest son, who is far away in Henan, has not arrived, he will still send someone to pay her New Year greetings.

That's why she decided to uncover the emperor's numerous crimes under the witness of all the civil and military officials of the dynasty.

A group of important ministers immediately looked at each other, and then Wang Yue stood up and said: "The Empress Dowager, as far as I know, no relatives of the Empress Dowager came to the palace to ask for a visit during the Spring Festival!"

Snapped!

A slap sounded suddenly, like a slap on the face of Empress Dowager Zhou.

The surrounding middle- and lower-level officials couldn't help but whisper. Now the Empress Dowager was not only alienated by all the civil and military officials of their dynasty, but even her relatives did not dare to come over.

In fact, this is very common sense. If the Empress Dowager Zhou was still the powerful grandmother of the emperor, even her distant relatives would be eager to enter the palace, but now the status of the Empress Dowager is different from what it used to be.

Especially this year, it has become known to the whole world that she set fire to the Qing Palace, and personally forced Jia Jun, an important official of the dynasty, to death. Who dares to get close to such a crazy woman?

That's right. It wasn't that the emperor or the empress had the empress dowager under house arrest and no outsiders were allowed to visit her relatives. It was that the empress dowager didn't have any relatives to visit her at all.

"No... no, this is absolutely impossible!" Empress Dowager Zhou's eyes widened and she shook her head in disbelief.

Even if she is isolated by the emperor now, if even her relatives are far away from her, then she still has no confidence to compete with the emperor. This is a reality she is unwilling to accept.

Fei Hong, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, was a rising star among the Ci ministers. At this time, he stood up and said with certainty: "To inform the Queen Mother, the Ministry of Rites is in charge of the relevant rosters so that palace etiquette can be granted in advance. This is absolutely true!"

"You're talking nonsense! How is it possible that no relatives from the Ai family come to visit? Others don't care, but the Princess of Chongqing must enter the palace!" The Empress Dowager immediately argued loudly as if her tail had been stepped on.

Chen Kun, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, came out and reported with a hint of truth: "To report to the Empress Dowager, the Princess of Chongqing contracted back gangrene at the end of the year, but she was successfully treated with penicillin! But why she did not enter the palace, the ministers and others also did not know. I know the reason, maybe it’s because I’m sick!”

Originally, back gangrene was a disease that could easily kill people, but since the First Medical College developed penicillin, it has been regarded as a miracle drug.

During the Spring Festival, many dignitaries chose penicillin treatment, and the Princess of Chongqing was one of them.

Everyone also didn't understand why Princess Chongqing didn't go to the palace to visit the Empress Dowager, but all the civil and military officials present looked at the Empress Dowager with a hint of resentment in their eyes.

If there hadn't been such an old witch who gave Jia Jun his life with seafood soup, the current cabinet minister Jia Jun must be in good health, instead of the Ming Dynasty losing a pillar of the country who was good at fortifications.

"This unscrupulous woman is really a bastard!" Empress Dowager Zhou immediately gritted her teeth and cursed, then looked at the civil and military officials present: "If they don't come, why don't any of the civil and military officials in your court come to help the Ai family?" Happy New Year?"

Although the Ming Dynasty prohibited the harem from having close contact with foreign ministers, it was very normal to visit them during the holidays. When the Empress Dowager Zhou was in her glory, no one of the important ministers of the Manchu Dynasty was absent.

It's just that this year, not to mention the important ministers requesting to enter the palace to pay New Year's greetings, there are not even any ordinary officials.

this……

The officials present were speechless when faced with this rather tricky question.

Nowadays, all the civil and military officials in the dynasty do not know that the Empress Dowager ordered the Qing Dynasty to be burned down. At that time, Jia Jun was summoned to the palace to pay homage to the Empress Dowager and was isolated. Who dared to brave the world's disapproval and go to Beijing during the Spring Festival? Where is the Queen Mother's New Year greetings?

Unfortunately, this reason cannot be stated directly, otherwise it would be an act of disloyalty.

Xie Qian, the Secretary of the Propaganda Department, had the most flexible mind, but he suddenly stepped forward and said: "To report to the Empress Dowager, I heard that the Empress Dowager was a little frightened by the fire in Qingning Palace, and for fear of disturbing the Empress Dowager's rest, So I don’t dare to go to Guan Sui Palace to see you, please forgive me!”

The officials present nodded in agreement and asked the Queen Mother for forgiveness.

The Empress Dowager Zhou's face was ashen. It was not that the emperor had imprisoned her, but that she, the Empress Dowager, had been alienated by everyone in the world, and even her own daughter did not come to see her.

Her eyes slowly swept across the civil and military officials present. Looking at these familiar and unfamiliar faces, she saw a hint of ridicule in their eyes.

The fire in the heart of the Empress Dowager Zhou was ignited, and she still refused to give up and said: "The Ai family is the Empress Dowager of the Ming Dynasty. Now the Qingning Palace has been destroyed. How do you think the emperor should arrange it?"

this……

As soon as these words came out, all the civil and military officials present became very strange.

Liu Jin was slightly startled at first, and then stood on the side of the Empress Dowager and said, "My lords, is the Empress Dowager asking you a question?"

At this time, the officials in front of Donghua Gate were bathing in the golden sunshine, and many officials looked very strange on their faces.

Empress Dowager Zhou noticed something was wrong in the surrounding atmosphere, and suddenly realized a problem. Even if the emperor wanted to meet with his important ministers, he could just summon a group of important ministers into the palace. Why did the meeting take place at Donghua Gate?

Yin Zhi, the chief minister of the cabinet, and other officials silently exchanged glances, then knelt down and solemnly said: "I would like to invite the Empress Dowager to live in Nangong to rest in her old age!"

Nangong is located to the east of Donghua Gate, also known as Chongzhi Hall and Xiao Nancheng. It was the Taisun Palace specially built for Emperor Taizong Zhu Di after he moved the capital to Beijing.

After Zhu Zhanji ascended the throne, he expanded and added buildings to Taisun Palace to serve as a palace.

Although Taisun Palace is far inferior to the scale and magnificence of the Imperial Palace, as the Emperor Taisun Palace and the later emperor's palace, its scale is naturally not too small.

Yingzong Zhu Qizhen was captured and returned to Beijing. He was put under house arrest in Nangong by his younger brother Jingtai Emperor Zhu Qiyu, which was known as "Nangong House Confinement" in history.

Since this is a "trapped dragon" land, although Nangong and Xiyuan are both royal gardens, the natural conditions cannot be compared with Xiyuan at all.

As Emperor Hongzhi promoted Xiyuan to the center of administration and rest, the importance of Nangong plummeted, and it was even regarded as an ominous place by the emperor.

Now it is arranged that the Empress Dowager Zhou will live in the Nangong. Although the Empress Dowager Zhou cannot compete with the emperor for the throne, this palace will become the place where the Empress Dowager is imprisoned.

"Nangong? You want to settle the Ai family in Nangong!"

Empress Dowager Zhou's eyes widened, she never expected such an arrangement.

In this battle, let alone fighting for the Renshou Palace, now he is not even allowed to stay in the Forbidden City, but he is going to be imprisoned in the South Palace by the emperor.

What shocked her most was that this treasonous confinement arrangement seemed not to be the emperor's decision alone, but the common wish of all the civil and military officials of the dynasty.

The former is the emperor's decision alone, so it is naturally unfilial.

If it was the request of the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, the emperor would only accept the request of the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, and future generations would only look at himself, the Empress Dowager.

"I am here today to welcome the Empress Dowager to move into the Nangong Palace!" Wang Yue, the chief assistant of the Military Machine Pavilion, expressed everyone's position when faced with the shock of the Empress Dowager.

He was vaguely aware that the emperor didn't care about false reputations, at least he never cared about the title of tyrant, but as ministers of the Ming Dynasty, they naturally had to worry about the emperor's concerns.

Not to mention that the Empress Dowager Zhou had always caused troubles in the palace, but she appointed He Shanggong to burn down the Qianqing Palace, so it was unreasonable for them as ministers to allow the Empress Dowager to continue to threaten the emperor personally.

Empress Dowager Zhou found that all civil and military officials in the dynasty deserved death, and suddenly asked coldly: "Who came up with this idea? Are you really not afraid of leaving a bad name in history? He proposed that the emperor imprison the Ai family. Is there any loyalty to the emperor at all?" People with such vicious intentions should be killed!”

When the majestic Empress Dowager moved into the Nangong Palace, anyone with a discerning eye knew that this was a disguised form of confinement.

She did not intend to make things easier for this person. Although she might not be able to reverse the defeat, she would definitely make the person who proposed this plan lose his official position and even leave a treacherous name in the history books.

The chief minister of the cabinet, Yin Zhi, and other officials sighed silently in their hearts, looking at the Empress Dowager with complicated eyes, full of resentment towards the perpetrator. (End of chapter)