Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

While the ocean is filled with the flags of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty is also performing wonderful stories on this land.

The moonlight is like a ray of light, falling on the simple and solemn courtyard of Yanshenggong Mansion.

Around the house, high walls stand, with blue bricks and gray tiles, revealing the vicissitudes of time. The layout of the courtyard is well-proportioned, with pavilions, rockeries and flowing water, each of which demonstrates the profound cultural heritage and prominent status of the Confucius family.

The shadows of the plane trees in the courtyard are whirling, as if they are whispering unknown secrets.

Kong Wenshi, a young boy of the Kong family. Although his face is a little childish, his eyes reveal a hint of maturity that belies his age. He usually relies on the fact that his father is Sheng Yangong, which makes him quite courageous.

But tonight he seemed worried and unsteady.

In the dead of night, he walked through the corridors and came to a luxuriously decorated wing.

The door opened slightly, and a gust of fragrant wind rushed towards me. It was Auntie's unique fragrance, which was both charming and dangerous.

Auntie, this is a gorgeous and beautiful woman, she is sitting on the soft couch in front of the window, gently shaking a round fan in her hand, and her eyes reveal an indescribable meaning.

"Wen Shi, you're here!" Auntie's voice was soft and charming, as if it could captivate people's hearts.

Kong Wenshi felt a throbbing in his heart, and he walked over involuntarily.

"I miss you so much!" She pulled Kong Wenshi to the soft couch and looked at her lover with charming eyes.

Kong Wenshi's rational defense collapsed instantly. Facing such a warm beauty, he finally fell into the gentle land.

He actually knew that this kind of behavior was wrong and very dangerous, but he could not resist his mother-in-law's temptation and repeatedly did dirty things that violated ethics and morals.

Afterwards, he felt extremely ashamed and regretful, but he couldn't resist the next temptation.

Kong Wenshi was ready to cut off this improper relationship, but it was already too late. When he came to his aunt's room again, he met his uncle Kong Hongxu.

Kong Hongxu was in his early fifties. Due to his pampering, he looked very young. In particular, he did not have much white hair, which gave people the illusion that he was just a Confucian scholar in his forties.

In his early years, he committed adultery and was very obsessed with women. Now even though he is old, he still takes some young and beautiful women as concubines.

But even if he was powerless, that was not someone Kong Wenshi, his nephew, could target.

Kong Hongxu's face suddenly became gloomy. The dagger in his hand shone coldly in the moonlight. His eyes were like a knife, piercing Kong Wenshi's heart: "My good nephew, you really are my good nephew!"

When Kong Wenshi heard Kong Hongxu's cold voice and saw the dagger shining coldly in the moonlight, he immediately felt an unprecedented death threat.

Although they are all descendants of saints, living in this deep house, they have already seen through everyone's ugly face and everyone's greedy face.

Even if his father, Yan Shenggong, was caught and interrogated in the capital, his crime might not be less serious than that of his uncle.

But among so many clan members, he knew how crazy his uncle was. Even though he had been demoted to civilian status over the years, he was still restless in the palace. At least he had watched him strangle a married woman to death with his own eyes.

Good music, good woman, and... good to kill!

Kong Wenshi's heart was beating loudly, and he was about to turn around and escape, but he immediately hit a wall of flesh. Kong Hongxu's follower Tieshan had blocked his retreat.

Kong Hongxu's notoriety had already spread far and wide among the Kong family. At this moment, he came over with a dagger in his hand and asked coldly: "Good nephew, are you going to live or die tonight?"

"I want to give birth. I beg my uncle to give my nephew a way to live!" Kong Wenshi had no doubt that Kong Hongxu would stab him and immediately knelt down and begged for mercy.

Kong Hongxu's hand hit Kong Wenshi's shoulder so hard that he was so scared that Kong Wenshi lost his soul. He only heard Kong Hongxu whisper a few words, and then a pack of medicine was stuffed into his hand.

Under the moonlight, Kong Hongtai's bedroom looked extremely peaceful.

In fact, God is not necessarily fair. After Emperor Jingtai snatched the throne, he probably never thought that he would go ahead of his brother, thus becoming the grievance for the throne.

Although Kong Hongtai is now in his early fifties, he has not gotten better after contracting the wind and cold this winter. Now it seems that he can see the end of his life.

It's just that he doesn't want to die. After all, he is still so young and has so much glory and wealth waiting for him to enjoy. What reason does he have to lose to the little Fenghan like Emperor Chenghua?

Kong Wenshi stood outside the door, took a deep breath, and mustered up the courage to go in. He saw his father lying on the bed, his face pale, but still maintaining a dignity.

Kong Hongtai looked at the soothing soup brought by his son, and a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes, but he finally took the medicine bowl and drank it in one gulp.

The third day of March is a very important day.

Regarding the birthday of Confucius, ancient people have been discussing this issue for thousands of years. "Spring and Autumn" didn't mention it, "Zuo Zhuan" didn't mention it, but the imperial court would send officials to attend the ceremony every year on this day.

Confucius was originally a small figure who was despised by the political circles at that time, but with the rolling tide of history, Confucius was actually revered as a saint by future generations.

Unfortunately, not only did Confucius' status in the literary world become higher and higher, but the Confucius family, who were "seventy-two generations of domestic slaves and twenty-five ministers of the dynasty", became more and more mixed.

At the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, the Northern Confucius once became the vanguard of surrender, politically endorsed the Yuan Dynasty, and also contributed his strength to help the Yuan Dynasty enter the Central Plains.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang gained the country in a pure way, in order to save trouble, he also chose to win the hearts of scholars all over the world by respecting Confucius.

However, the more prominent Confucius' status was, the more unscrupulous Confucius' descendants acted.

"There are only three families in the world: my family, Zhang in Jiangxi, and Zhu in Fengyang. Zhang in Jiangxi is a Taoist; Zhu in Fengyang is a nouveau riche and petty."

Originally, it was a favor given to the Kong family by the Ming Dynasty court, but respecting Confucius had a very bad influence, so that the legitimacy of the Ming Dynasty regime still needed to be confirmed by respecting Confucius.

Of course, it was not just the power of the Kong family that was at work here, but the result of the guidance of the entire civil service group. The specific form was that the emperor became a puppet at the imperial lecture and sent important officials to attend Confucius' birthday.

A ray of spring sunshine shines through the ancient pines and cypresses, and the mottled light and shadows are sprinkled on the bluestone slabs, adding a sense of historical heaviness to this solemn ceremony.

The gate of the Confucius Temple slowly opened, the music was melodious, and officials dressed in the official uniforms of the Ming Dynasty entered one after another, their steps were steady and their expressions were solemn.

The magistrate of Qufu has always been a member of the Kong family, so the Kong family is like a chieftain. They have been entrenched in this place for a thousand years, not only in Qufu County, but have long become the local emperors in the surrounding area.

Walking in the front was Song Cheng, the current Minister of Justice, who was wearing a first-class official uniform. He was an old-fashioned minister with great weight in the court and held the title of the Prince's Grand Tutor.

Song Cheng is no longer the young man of the year, but has entered middle age now, especially his temples have turned white, but his eyes are getting more and more determined, as if nothing can destroy the justice he insists on in his heart.

In addition to coming to participate in the sacrifice this time, he also came with an imperial edict, but the imperial edict needs to be read out after this sacrifice.

Although he had been familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics since childhood, and was able to enter the officialdom only after participating in the Eight-part Essay Examination, he felt more and more clearly some of the shortcomings of Confucianism in his official career for so many years.

Especially in the actual governance process, no matter how beautiful the slogan is, it is indeed not as good as doing one thing well.

In contrast, the political concept of hard work to prosper the country advocated by the emperor, and now the entire officialdom is advocating a pragmatic spirit, which has led to the prosperity of the entire Ming Dynasty.

In the temple, the statue of Confucius is in the center, with a kind and solemn face.

On the black table, there are various animal sacrifices, from exquisite jade to fresh fruits and vegetables, all of which reflect the respect and reverence for Confucius, as well as the luxury of the sacrifices.

Although Song Cheng, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, no longer respects the statue in front of him as much as before, he follows the etiquette and goes forward to offer incense and wine in turn, with slow and solemn movements.

"The position of the Minister of Justice is still a little too low!"

"Don't be dissatisfied. He was a doctor of the Ministry of Rites a few years ago, or even a deputy minister of the Ministry of Rites!"

"If we really compare, in the Chenghua Dynasty, every time the cabinet minister was sent, even the Prime Minister Peng Shi came in person!"

...

Around the altar, there were many children of the Kong family who came to attend the ceremony. At this moment, they looked at the Minister of Justice Song Cheng from afar and talked about it.

The Kong family has been thriving until now, and has already multiplied to a number of teachers. This is why all dynasties are more willing to recruit scholars from all over the world by respecting Confucius.

In addition, the Kong family has countless sacrifices in a year, which makes the people of Qufu seem to serve the sacrifices, so there are special pig households, sheep households and cattle households.

The Minister of Justice Song Cheng ignored these voices, but had already begun to give instructions to prepare for the imperial edict.

The air was filled with the fragrance of incense and pine and cypress, which seemed to carry the weight of history, making people intoxicated.

As the ceremony progressed, the sound of reciting the sacrificial text echoed in the Confucius Temple. The voice was ups and downs, as if conveying the Confucian ideas to everyone present.

After the recitation, Song Cheng led the officials to perform the ritual of three kowtows and nine bows to the statue of Confucius, expressing their respect and remembrance for this great sage.

The entire sacrificial scene was very solemn and dignified, yet solemn and harmonious.

"The imperial edict has been taken out!"

"Who do you think the unfilial emperor will choose?"

"He is from the lineage of Emperor Yingzong, so he will naturally choose Kong Wenshao!"

...

Many members of the Kong family are now absent-minded, but are concerned about the latest appointments of the court in advance, and are speculating on the latest candidates for the Duke of Yansheng.

Kong Hongtai eventually failed to survive the cold and died in the early spring of the 16th year of Hongzhi.

He is the 61st generation grandson of Confucius, the younger brother of the Duke of Yansheng, Kong Hongxu.

Originally, he was not the Duke of Yansheng, but his good brother, Duke of Yansheng Kong Hongxu, illegally tortured in Shandong, raped more than 40 women, and strangled four innocent people.

Committing such a heinous crime, Duke of Yansheng Kong Hongxu should be executed, but at this time the civil service group had gradually gained power, and the father-in-law of Duke of Yansheng Kong Hongxu was Li Xian, the Grand Secretary, so the civil service group chose to protect him.

Ming Xianzong Zhu Jianshen was an emperor with a strong sense of justice. After learning about Kong Hongxu's crimes, he was furious and ordered Kong Hongxu to be sent to the capital for questioning.

This edict immediately attracted criticism from civil officials. The first to submit a memorial was the Grand Secretary Peng Shi: Kong Hongxu is a descendant of the Great Saint and Teacher, and cannot be treated like ordinary criminals. He should be exempted from escort and the "shackles" should be removed.

At that time, Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty had just ascended the throne for a few years. Not to mention the West Factory that dared to challenge the entire civil service group, even the East Factory had disloyalty towards him.

Under the secret manipulation of the civil service group, even Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty failed to bring the evildoers to justice. Kong Hongxu, the Duke of Yansheng, was only deposed, and the position was replaced by Kong Hongtai.

It's just a pity for the four innocent lives that were killed! Poor for the more than 40 women who were abused!

Time flies, and the years are like a shuttle.

Kong Hongtai, the lucky successor, eventually could not escape the punishment of time. Now that he suddenly died, the Kong family is facing a new successor problem.

Unlike Emperor Jingtai of the year, Kong Hongtai now has sons, and several sons.

The Kong family attaches great importance to the eldest son system. Although Kong Hongxu is a scum, the elders of the Kong family still recommend Kong Hongxu's son Kong Wenshao to inherit the 62nd Duke of Yansheng.

Of course, Kong Hongtai's faction wants Kong Wenshi to inherit the title. After all, the title has already been passed to their lineage, and Kong Hongxu's crimes have tarnished the noble bloodline of saints, so Kong Hongtai's lineage has the capital to compete.

That's why they don't know whether the current emperor will choose to return to Kong Hongxu's son Kong Wenshao, or continue to appoint Kong Hongtai's lineage as the Yansheng Duke.

As early as the eleventh year of Hongzhi, Kong Hongxu planned to spend a lot of money to manage relationships in the capital, portraying himself as a "good and good" prodigal son, and requesting to be restored to the crown and belt, but unfortunately the current important officials did not buy his account.

Just looking at the imperial edict that Song Cheng took out, the corners of his mouth rose slightly. Whether it is his son Kong Wenshao or his brother's son Kong Wenshi, he will be the biggest winner.

As the sacrifice ended, Song Cheng stood on the high platform and read the imperial edict: "The Emperor of Fengtian Chengyun decrees: The former Duke of Yansheng, Kong Hongxu, committed serious crimes such as rape and murder in the past, and should have been sentenced to death. However, officials such as Peng Shi, the then chief minister, pleaded for him, so Kong Hongxu was stripped of his title and demoted to a commoner! However, after investigation by the Inspection Office of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, it was found that there were many dirty things in the deep house and courtyard of the Kong Mansion. Kong Hongxu, Kong Wenshi..."

The smug smile on Kong Hongxu's face disappeared completely, and he stared at Song Cheng who was reading the imperial edict in disbelief. Every crime could not escape the emperor's eyes, especially the things in the past three years were clear.

Ah? Is this a punishment?

When everyone thought that the court was going to appoint a new Duke of Yansheng, they didn't expect that things would take a 360-degree turn. It turned out that the court would announce the serious crimes of Kong Hongxu and Kong Wenshi over the years, and even took them back to the capital for trial. (End of this chapter)