Chapter 19: Surrender and be alone

"Master, Jiang Keqian is here. I asked him to wait outside the palace."

Zhang Hong said softly beside Zhu Yijun.

Zhu Yijun hummed: "Let him in."

He was concentrating on copying Taoist scriptures, looking very casual.

He had just realized that the Yutianbo family was even more isolated than he had imagined, and was not well received even in the circle of nobles.

The reason is simple: it is the roots laid by Emperor Sejong.

When Emperor Wuzong fell into the water, his death was extremely sudden, and he had no son to succeed him. According to the ancestral precept of "the younger brother succeeds the elder brother", the 14-year-old Prince Xing Zhu Houzhao, who later became Emperor Shizong Jiajing, inherited the throne.

The matter of the succession of a vassal king involves a sensitive issue.

What kind of legal system will be used to pass on the throne?

Was it Zhu Houcong who was adopted by the eldest son, or was it the younger son who replaced the eldest son?

To put it more simply, who should the successor Zhu Houcong recognize as his father?

Some people believe that in order to show the continuation of the legal system, Emperor Xiaozong should of course be recognized as the father, and the biological father, King Xingxian, should be renamed the imperial uncle.

This was equivalent to adopting King Xingxian's only son, Zhu Houcong, as the son of Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty, thus officially becoming the younger brother of Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty, and thus inheriting the throne through the "brother's death and the younger brother's succession".

Among those who held this opinion were Yang Tinghe, the then Prime Minister, and even the empress dowager in the harem.

Zhu Houcong certainly did not agree. Not only did he insist on rejecting the cabinet's suggestion that he should move into the Wenhua Hall through the Dong'an Gate with the etiquette of a prince, on the grounds that "the will states that I will inherit the throne, not the prince", he preferred to accept the advice in the suburbs, force the cabinet to bow their heads, and enter through the Daming Gate and ascend the throne directly in the Fengtian Hall.

After ascending the throne, he posthumously honored his biological father, King Xingxian, as Emperor Xingxian and his biological mother as Empress Cixiaoxian, despite opposition from court officials.

The tablet of Emperor Xingxian was promoted to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, ranked above that of Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty. Because the number of tablets for worship in the Imperial Ancestral Temple was limited, Emperor Shizong even moved the tablet of Emperor Renzong out of the Imperial Ancestral Temple in order to make room for his biological father.

The Empress Cixiaoxian who was crowned during this turmoil was the elder sister of Jiang Keqian's grandfather, or his aunt.

The twists and turns of the Great Ceremony Debate naturally went beyond the issue of clan succession.

There were open and covert struggles among various parties, and there were more than ten officials of all ranks who were beaten to death just for bowing down in front of the Zuo Shunmen Gate.

The intensity of the situation is beyond description.

In any case, although Emperor Sejong finally respected Emperor Hyojong as his father and Emperor Mujong as his brother, in reality, the result of this disturbance was that the smaller clan seized the larger clan.

The status of almost all the nobles in the main clan plummeted.

It can be said that King Sejong's relatives, represented by Yutianbaek, were granted titles by stepping on the bodies of the nobles of the clan.

Conflicts of interest and the desire to achieve success overnight led to unbridled behavior.

After that, there are many daily incidents of nobles pretending to be cool, getting slapped in the face, and smiling with a crooked mouth.

Because of these and various historical issues, there were quite a few nobles who were descendants of Yutian Bo and added fuel to the fire.

After the decline, it was like a broken drum that everyone was beating.

No wonder Duke Cheng pushed Jiang Keqian out.

He was already unpopular among the civil officials, and was further bullied by the nobles. One can imagine his situation.

Because of this, Jiang Keqian had his family's wealth in front of him and Duke Cheng behind him, so he could be said to have no choice but to be loyal to the royal family.

Naturally, Zhu Yijun didn't need to spend any effort to subdue him, so his attitude naturally became more casual.

Not long after, a young man who looked to be in his early twenties, wearing a Feiyu suit, followed Zhang Hong into the hall.

As soon as he entered the palace, he prostrated himself on the ground and said, "Your Highness, Jiang Keqian, pays homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhu Yijun didn't even raise his head and continued copying the Taoist scriptures.

He asked, "Why did you come here, Mr. Jiang?"

Jiang Keqian can write books, even books on music theory, so he is not a fool.

After hearing this, he immediately knew that this answer would determine the relationship between the ruler and his subjects.

Jiang Keqian lowered his head and replied, "I have heard that the Jinyiwei are the eyes and ears of the emperor."

"Now that the late emperor has passed away and the successor is in power, I am serving in the Jinyiwei and guarding the East Palace, so I should come to pay my respects to Your Highness."

The Crown Prince asked why he came, whether he came on the orders of Duke Chengguo or for himself.

He answered without reservation, saying that he got the opportunity from Duke Chengguo and volunteered to serve him.

For Jiang Keqian, there was no need to hesitate at all.

Not to mention that this was originally what Duke Chengguo intended. Even if Duke Chengguo had any extra ideas, he would shake Duke Chengguo off and cling firmly to the new king!
Whether Yutianbo's lineage can be revived again depends on this, and he has no choice.

At that time, Zhu Xixiao saw that he was in a difficult situation and repeatedly advised him, saying that the crown prince was a shrewd man and would be rewarded handsomely if he surrendered.

Even though he looked reluctant at the time, he had actually made up his mind that even if there was a pig sitting on the throne, he would crawl over and flatter the king.

If there is a life-saving straw, he will grab it tightly!
Sure enough, after hearing this, Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "My dear minister, please stand up quickly! You and I are both monarch and subject, and cousins. In private, there is no need to kneel and kowtow."

He said this as if it was not him who had asked the man to kneel down and answer the question just now.

As for the kneeling ceremony, it can be said that it was established and abolished many times throughout the Ming Dynasty.

In private, whether to kneel or stand depends on the preference of the emperor of the time. Everyone has his own arguments to support him, and the court officials are all fine with it.

Jiang Keqian heaved a sigh of relief, stood up and said humbly: "It is my duty to be a minister, I dare not seek to be related to Your Highness."

According to seniority, the late emperor is of the same generation as him, so the crown prince has to call him his cousin.

He must be out of his mind to dare to claim to be a relative here and become the emperor's elder.

Zhu Yijun said gently and comfortingly: "Among the relatives of the emperor, your Yutian family was the most generous."

"Even if the younger generation occasionally fails to meet the standards, it will not bring disgrace to the Yutian Marquis's Mansion."

"I'll have to rely on you to cheer up in the future."

Jiang Keqian was overjoyed.

He quickly knelt down to thank the emperor: "I will remember your teachings and will not bring disgrace to the reputation of a royal relative."

The two men were like dry wood and raging fire. With just a question and an answer, they completed a political commitment and pledge of loyalty.

Jiang Keqian now inherits the descending order. In another generation, this lineage will be no different from ordinary people.

Now the only one who can pull him out of the quagmire is Zhu Yijun.

Zhu Yijun naturally made a generous promise. You are close relatives and have a good foundation. Even if you commit some mistakes, it is not a big deal. As long as you work hard, I will remember the lineage of Earl Yutian.

Jiang Keqian bowed without hesitation after hearing this.

He was in a hurry and didn't care about the cabinet's autocracy, the inconsistency of the Imperial Household Department and other messy things.

Jiang Keqian has never lacked a gambling nature.

Not to mention that this successor emperor had already started to contact nobles before he ascended the throne, and he looked like Emperor Wuzong, which further strengthened his idea.

Zhu Yijun nodded with satisfaction: "Duke Cheng has told you what I want to do, right?"

He didn't mind that Zhu Xizhong was only entering tentatively.

After the Ancient Literature Movement and the Qingli Period's Education Promotion, Dong Zhongshu was discarded.

The emperor was no longer the son of heaven who had a connection with heaven and whose power was granted by God and who was entitled to the loyalty of his court officials.

Today's loyalty is based on interests and personal connections.

Of course, taking a step back, since Zhu Xizhong has already placed the bet, how could he let the person get away?

Jiang Keqian bowed and replied, "I understand. I have already sent people out this morning. All the major wine shops and teahouses have started to move. Before the sun sets tomorrow, the news will spread everywhere in the city and the countryside."

This is the Jinyiwei, the secret service agency that court officials fear the most.

Zhu Yijun reminded: "You can go slower, it's okay." This is too fast. Others can tell there is a problem with just a little thought. Except for the Jinyiwei and the Eastern Depot, no one else has the ability to do this.

If we give it more time, it will seem like a natural outcome and the news will spread naturally.

Even if someone became suspicious, any court official with a little bit of family background could do it. When there were more suspects, the water would become muddy.

Jiang Keqian was, after all, a young man. He could not see this point and was eager for quick success and instant benefits, thus losing his maturity.

Jiang Keqian lacked experience but was not bad in talent. He immediately came to his senses after being told and quickly apologized: "Your Highness was right in your advice. It was I who was reckless."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but glance at the heir apparent.

Previously, he had been dismissive of Zhu Xixiao's praise, thinking that Duke Chengguo was deliberately creating momentum in order to get closer to the Crown Prince.

Now, after listening to the comments, he was shocked to find that the Crown Prince was so cunning and shrewd that he almost forgot that he was only ten years old!

His words were sharp and mature, and he seemed superior to him, almost like an elder.

Zhu Yijun didn't care what he was thinking and said, "There is one more thing."

Jiang Keqian bowed and listened.

Zhu Yijun asked, "Jinyiwei, can you still spy on the court officials' homes now?"

It’s not that secret police politics is not allowed, but we have to use appropriate methods and approaches.

Jiang Keqian was startled, and then said with some difficulty: "Your Highness, the Jinyiwei is no longer as strong as it was when the country was founded..."

In the early days, the Jinyiwei were able to be as powerful as mercury and penetrate every hole, and that was because they had the support of Emperor Taizu.

The situation took a sharp turn for the worse after that - without the pressure of Taizu, why should the civil officials have to endure the secret police politics?
Today's Jinyiwei is more like a royal guard office with the functions of the Ministry of Justice.

Zhu Yijun pondered for a while and said, "In that case... then help me keep an eye on the public whereabouts of several cabinet ministers."

"And Zhang Siwei, keep a close eye on him."

He didn't explain why, Jiang Keqian just needed to do the job.

Jiang Keqian lowered his head with a complicated look in his eyes.

It would be no problem to open a bun shop at the door and wait for the carriage to arrive, but... after inquiring the cabinet ministers, the crown prince was more surprising than he expected.

He suppressed his thoughts and answered with confidence: "Don't worry, Your Highness, I will do it as soon as I get back."

After finishing the business, Jiang Keqian thought it was time for him to leave.

Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince mentioned something he had not expected: "Mr. Jiang, I heard that you are writing a piano score?"

Jiang Keqian was stunned.

It is no secret that he writes piano scores by himself. Starting from his grandfather, three generations have been dedicated to completing this task. I just don't know why the crown prince brought up this matter.

The Crown Prince's intention was unclear. He was afraid of making mistakes by saying too much, so he answered cautiously: "I am sorry that your Highness has made a fool of myself by not doing my job properly."

Zhu Yijun shook his head: "The arts of music, chess, calligraphy and painting are all elegant and refined. How can it be said that they are not doing their job properly?"

Jiang Keqian paused for a moment, then said hesitantly, "I can offer you a song."

Zhu Yijun burst out laughing.

What does Jiang Keqian think of him?

He smiled and said, "No need for that. When your book is completed and published, could you please give me the manuscript?"

Manuscript?

Jiang Keqian was even more confused and could not help but test it out: "It will take some time for me to finish the book, so I am afraid I will not be able to present the gift to Your Highness when he ascends the throne..."

This speculation was too much, and Zhu Yijun suddenly lost interest.

He was somewhat bored and waved his hand in boredom: "Wait until the book is finished, you can go down first."

The Crown Prince stopped abruptly and Jiang Keqian was confused.

Seeing that there was no more movement from above, he could only bow and turned away with a heavy heart.

Zhu Yijun said nothing more and continued to copy the Taoist scriptures quietly.

Now with the Jinyiwei, things became much easier. Jiang Keqian was on duty in the Eastern Palace, so it was easy to summon him.

It was this recital that made Zhu Yijun feel somewhat lonely...

He knew about the Complete Works of Qinshu written by Jiang Keqian, and he also knew that some of it had been lost when it was passed down to later generations.

There are many such lost books in the Ming Dynasty, including the highest achievement of the dynasty's writings - the Yongle Encyclopedia, which is known as an encyclopedia.

Since Zhu Yijun was a time traveler, he inevitably had the original intention of preserving classics, and he already had a rough idea in his mind about these lost books.

Although I am not in power and cannot implement it, today is always the right time.

It was precisely because of the idea of ​​preserving these classic works that I mentioned it casually just now.

The clinker was a mess.

Jiang Keqian kept trying to figure out his intentions, which made him somewhat bored.

Of course he couldn't blame the other person for his behavior. After all, they were the king and his subject, and it was their first meeting, so this reaction was normal.

Zhu Yijun just suddenly felt a kind of loneliness that no one understood.

He is not a person who only fights for power and profit. On the contrary, he has his own pursuits and ideals. Even though he has been vying for power these days, he has not forgotten who he is and why he is fighting.

Zhu Yijun was not willing to be assimilated by power and the throne.

But he looked through the people around him.

Previously, Zhang Hong regarded him as a conspirator to fight for power with Emperor Yingzong.

Today, Jiang Keqian regards him as Wuzong, who secretly allies with nobles and cultivates his own party.

This is really a humiliation for him.

If he didn't do great things, he would have great power, so why would he be here scheming all day long?

Except for himself, who else knows that he only cares about power and the throne.

This dynasty has been cursed for three hundred years, and who else in the world can try it except him?
The past of the Mongols and Yuan Dynasty is right before our eyes. If we do not eliminate the accumulated problems and carry out reforms with determination, will we be heading in the opposite direction again?

The Western Renaissance is nearing its end. How could the Chinese civilization, which has lasted for three thousand years, not make progress but instead regress?

Billions of years of resources are only enough for civilization to develop once.

The wheel of history rolls forward, leaving no room for maneuver.

Just like the arable land in the world, if it stops for twenty years, it will be wiped out by geological movements.

From the day humans learned to slash and burn agriculture, there was no turning back except to move forward.

He was born into the world and traveled through time. Who else but him can steer the Ming Dynasty?
The building is about to collapse, who else can open up a new path forward and shoulder the destiny of heaven? ?
It’s a pity that no one in the world can understand him.

His confidants Zhang Hong and Jiang Keqian regarded him as a cunning man; his fellow travelers Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng regarded him as an enemy.

Zhu Yijun is indeed a lonely man.

　PS: This should be the second round of recommendations. Let’s see if you can send me a text message at six o’clock. Thank you everyone.

　　I just saw the follow-up reading on Wednesday, and it is actually less than on Tuesday. My first reaction is that there are so many people who support the books? Cry.

　　But then I thought again, it's obvious that there are more readers on Tuesday than on Wednesday. Readers know that I'm going to recommend books on Tuesday, so they would rather start reading on Tuesday. This is their love for me, and I was suddenly moved.

　　Note 1: Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe and others requested that the emperor follow the rituals of the ministers of rites, enter the Wenhua Hall from the Dong'an Gate, and ascend the throne on a chosen day. This was not allowed. The Empress Dowager then urged the ministers to submit a letter of persuasion, and the emperor received the letter in the suburbs. At noon on that day, he entered the palace from the Daming Gate, sent officials to report to the ancestral temples and the state, and paid homage to the late emperor. He then went to the Empress Dowager, left the Fengtian Hall, and ascended the throne. ——"History of Ming Dynasty·Chronicle ·Shizong"

(End of this chapter)