Chapter 2: A Loving Mother and a Filial Son, Their Scheming Hearts Grow

Seeing his behavior, Concubine Li didn't buy it. She knew her son best what kind of person he was.

She had a cold face and questioned in her tone, "Why? Are you going to be like you were last time when you met Jimen to persuade him to come in, and be afraid of all the officials like a tiger or a wolf, cowering in this Ciqing Palace and not daring to come out!?"

He did not give his son any face in his words, because this was not the first time Zhu Yijun had behaved like this.

A few days ago, civil and military officials presented a petition at Huiji Gate to persuade Zhu Yijun to take the throne. According to etiquette, Zhu Yijun should at least decline the offer in person.

But Zhu Yijun was so timid and cowardly that he was frightened into not daring to show up. In the end, he was in a dilemma and had to issue an oral order to end the matter hastily.

This almost pissed off Concubine Li to death, and she gave her a severe scolding afterwards.

Today, the regular court session was held in Wenhua Hall. Military and civilian representatives, civil and military officials were about to persuade Zhu Yijun to ascend the throne again, but Zhu Yijun was hiding in the hall and refusing to come out. How could she not be extremely angry?

Zhu Yijun, who has the memories of this life, naturally knows what is going on.

He sighed in his heart. No wonder Li was unwilling to return power after Emperor Wanli's wedding. This kind of character really made it difficult for Li to trust and rely on her.

He organized his words, and with a serious look on his face, he said, "Mother, my father was only thirty years old, and his reign was prosperous. Who would have thought that he would suddenly pass away and abandon the country?"

"My child was deeply hurt, as if in boiling water, and lost his composure for a moment, which led to his last loss of direction. After my mother's teachings, I have reflected on myself many times in the past two days, and there is absolutely no reason for me to make the same mistake again."

"It's really not my intention to delay today."

Zhu Yijun was being picky about words, not to show off. These were just some words he used in his previous refusal. He picked them out and quoted them now to show that he had really listened to the lesson. He would never say that in his daily conversation.

The technique is a bit crude, but it is suitable for the psychology of children of this age.

In short, his father died suddenly, and he was a crown prince, but in the blink of an eye he was appointed to the throne. It was normal for him to be a little flustered. Now he has come to his senses, and he will definitely do it next time! Mom, please stop scolding me.

Sure enough, when Li saw that his behavior and words were well-behaved, calm and composed, her expression also brightened a little.

But he still didn't let him go easily, frowning and saying, "The military, civilians and officials are all waiting in the Wenhua Palace. What reason do you have to linger in the palace?"

Concubine Li was born into a commoner family and later became a palace maid, so the way she was addressed and addressed naturally did not require much attention.

Her tone was stern, and it was obvious that she had to give a scolding without any valid reason.

The voice just fell.

Zhu Yijun raised his head and looked at her, his eyes slightly red.

As if he was trying hard to hold back his grief, he spoke clearly, "Mother, just now when the sun was eclipsed by the heavenly dog, I seemed to have been possessed by a nightmare."

"I vaguely saw my father in the palace. He was trying to hold my hand lovingly and smiled at me, but I couldn't reach him no matter how hard I tried."

At this point, although his expression was tense, tears flowed directly from his eyes, and he couldn't help crying while speaking.

This is the strength of the veteran actor, he can perform with ease.

When Concubine Li saw his condition, she was also stunned.

Looking at Zhu Yijun's sad face, she suddenly remembered in a trance that the naughty son whom she had been criticizing all these days was, after all, just a ten-year-old child who lost his father suddenly.

I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t get enough rest these days, but now I have a nightmare.

I felt a little soft-hearted for a moment.

Just when he was about to bend down and comfort her, he stopped himself and extinguished the thought.

He is about to ascend the throne as emperor, and the whole world and all the people in the world will be shouldered. How can he have the time to be timid?

In extraordinary times, one needs to be ruthless in nurturing their children so that they can shoulder greater responsibilities soon!

Thinking of this, Concubine Li frowned and sternly said, "You are so unbecoming."

Zhu Yijun certainly didn't want to play the victim, he immediately took a step back and bowed again.

Then he wiped his face randomly and said in a firm tone: "Mother, I am not crying out of self-pity, but thinking about what my father said just now, I can't stop my grief for the time being."

He answered again, leaving a hint for Li.

Sure enough, when Concubine Li heard his words, she immediately grasped the key point.

She realized it later and her face changed. She asked in doubt and surprise, "Does the late emperor have any other instructions?"

Concubine Li has been a Buddhist since she was young, and she has always been willing to believe in ghosts and gods.

In history, there were cases where people wanted to release all prisoners out of concern that the death penalty would harm the harmony of nature.

Just now Zhu Yijun only said that she thought she had a nightmare and she didn't think much about it. But now she said that the late emperor left some words behind. This is a miracle!
Her thoughts immediately turned to the theories of ghosts and gods.

Thinking of this, Concubine Li looked at Zhu Yijun with a more serious look, waiting for his answer.

Feng Bao, who was standing by, immediately tensed up.

I was afraid that the crown prince was being seduced by a villain and was going to say something shocking.

He has been in political struggle for many years, so he naturally has a keen sense of smell. He has seen many such tactics!

You know, he had just pulled Meng Chong down from the position of the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department. This man had held power before, and seeing that the situation was going to be hopeless, there was no guarantee that he would not come up with some vicious plan!
There is also Meng Chong's backer in the cabinet, Gao Gong, who also regards Meng Chong as a thorn in his side.

This is the prime minister of the current dynasty! A veteran minister of three dynasties!

He has recently caught hold of something that is on this person's side and is planning to attack him. It is possible that Gao Gong has heard about it and will strike first!

Feng Bao's mind was full of thoughts for a moment. He stared at Zhu Yijun, regretting that there was no room for him to interrupt and could only feel anxious.

Zhu Yijun felt Feng Bao's gaze but ignored it.

There were still traces of tears on his little face, and he looked innocent and pitiful: "I vaguely heard my father telling me, saying... saying... that the three of us, an orphan and a widow, depend on each other for survival, and told me to be filial to my mother and the queen, otherwise, he would be worried."

The queen he mentioned was naturally the queen of the previous emperor, who was also his patriarchal mother, which is why there was a saying of three people, mother and son.

After hearing this, Feng Bao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

There is nothing unusual about these words.

Unfortunately, this was only because he was involved in the situation and had a limited vision. He had no idea that Zhu Yijun at this time was trying to win the favor of Concubine Li!

This is the way to moisten things silently.

It should be noted that power cannot be grasped in one's hands with just a few words.

In any case, now that he has ascended the throne, he is in fact just a puppet emperor.

There is no power vacuum. Since he could not exercise imperial power, this power naturally fell into the hands of the Li family.

Therefore, if he wanted to rule the country himself, the key still depended on his mother. If she insisted on entrusting him to the Imperial Household Department and the Cabinet, then Zhu Yijun would have to wait.

In history, this Li still did not hand over power to him after his marriage.

How can this be done?

He has not been involved in government affairs for ten years since he ascended the throne. How much can he do?
If he cannot stretch his arms and legs and take charge of political affairs as soon as possible, what is the point of his knowledge that is ahead of his time? How can he make the Ming Dynasty great again?
Since his predecessor was unreliable and made Li so worried, he naturally had to learn a lesson, start from the small details, and slowly give Li confidence.

Therefore, all his performance just now was done for Li to see.

From his measured behavior to his choice of words and conversation, and the final emotional card, he was trying to show it to Li and do some ideological work on her.

In short, she wants to let her know that her son is intelligent, knowledgeable about government affairs, filial, respectful, and righteous. In short, he is reliable!
For a woman like this who comes from a common background and has not yet been immersed in politics, playing the emotional card is the most effective way.

Historically, this Li was reluctant to hand over power, partly because he looked down on Emperor Wanli.

Secondly, it may also be because they have been in power for a long time and the political structure is stable, so they are unwilling to make changes easily.

So, start working early!
How can you trust an outsider and not trust your own son?

Fortunately, Zhu Yijun was different. He was very good at connecting with the old women in the unit. Plus, he had the face of an eight-year-old boy, which made him very deceptive. Even Feng Bao, who was most alert just now, only thought whether he was being fooled, let alone Concubine Li?

If you have an advantage, you should make good use of it.

Today is just an appetizer.

You have to perform better in the future!
For this reason, he laid the groundwork at the end.

He needs a reason, a reason to be enlightened overnight.

The crown prince mourned the late emperor, changed his usual behavior and worked hard. This is why he is so outstanding!

What a great deed! If it were in his previous life, he would have been able to write ten different articles.

Sure enough, under Zhu Yijun's series of attacks, Concubine Li was finally moved.

There was a trace of sadness in her eyes.

The previous emperor died suddenly of illness, leaving them with orphans and a widow, with a young ruler and a country in doubt. These words touched her soft spot and she felt deeply sad.

She moved her lips, but was unable to speak for a moment.

She just looked down at Zhu Yijun, slowly stretched out her hand, and vigorously wiped the tears from his face.

After a while.

Concubine Li said solemnly: "In this case, my son should study harder and cultivate his virtue, and not be idle and idle, so as not to disappoint your father's expectations."

"You have been studying for more than three months. When I asked you about your progress, all the lecturers were afraid to tell me. If you are really serious, you should read all the Four Books and Five Classics thoroughly before the imperial lecture."

She paused, then added, "Don't be like before, working hard for two or three days and then falling into laziness again."

The so-called lectures given by the crown prince were just an introduction to reading, and reading was enough; while the lectures were for the emperor to analyze the classics and study political philosophy in depth. There is a difference between the two.

After hearing this, Zhu Yijun felt choked.

I sighed in my heart, thinking that intermittent ambition is a common crime for everyone, right? It's really a pit.

It seems that Li is not so easy to conquer. Although his attitude has softened now, the road ahead is still long and difficult.

Well, it has some effect at least. He still has time. This is not something that can be achieved overnight. Just like a drop of water wears away a stone.

He nodded heavily and said in a childish voice, "Mother is right. I will definitely live up to the expectations of Father, Mother, and Queen Mother!"

"In the future, I must study hard and cultivate my moral character, and learn the Four Books and Five Classics as soon as possible, so that I can be tested by my mother and the Queen Mother!"

After saying this, he bowed in the direction of his patriarchal mother, the empress, to show that he had remembered everything the late emperor had said about the three people, mother and son, in his heart.

Concubine Li did not comment.

"Let's go. A nine-story platform is built from piled earth. I'll take you to the outside of the Wenhua Palace. Later in the palace, you must show your dignity in front of all the officials. Don't shrink back like you did last time."

Afterwards, she took Zhu Yijun's hand and walked out. The two of them were surrounded by palace maids and eunuchs and went to the Wenhua Palace.

Wenhua Hall was the place for court meetings and the emperor's private hall. Due to years of political consensus, concubines in the harem were not even qualified to enter and could only be sent outside the hall.

When Emperor Yingzong of Ming Dynasty, Zhu Qizhen, ascended the throne at the age of nine, someone asked Yingzong's grandmother, Empress Dowager Zhang, to rule the country from behind the scenes. This sparked a lot of controversy, and in the end the situation was settled with Empress Dowager Zhang's words "Don't break the rules of our ancestors."

Now that Li is not even the principal wife, she certainly does not dare to overstep the boundaries of the ancestral system.

The group had just left Ciqing Palace.

I didn't walk a few steps.

Suddenly saw.

A eunuch ran over hurriedly with a lantern.

Concubine Li frowned immediately. She clearly saw that the person was coming from the direction of Wenhua Palace. Why was he in such a hurry at this critical moment? What happened?

But of course she didn't need to ask in person.

Feng Bao immediately stepped forward, grabbed the young eunuch, and slapped him: "You blind man, are you trying to offend the emperor!?"

The young eunuch was suddenly slapped in the face, but he didn't dare to argue.

He just covered his face, fell to his knees, and panted heavily, "My Lady Concubine, My Lord, I have something important to report to you!"

"The Prime Minister Gao Gong has been waiting for the Crown Prince for a long time, but he has not come yet. He just said to me in the palace, if this is the case again, the Crown Prince will definitely not come again. You should go and ask for an oral order again."

"I dare not take the initiative, so I hurried over to report!"

Zhu Yijun's heart skipped a beat, and he glanced at Feng Bao, who had retreated to the side, his eyes on the nose and his nose on the heart.

I secretly thought something was wrong.
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Note 1: The first time of persuading the emperor to ascend the throne was recorded in "On the st day of the fifth month of the sixth year of the Longqing reign, all civil and military officials, together with the army and civilians, met at Jimen to present a petition persuading the emperor to ascend the throne. The emperor replied, "I have seen from the letter you have presented that you are deeply concerned about the country. However, I am deeply saddened and am concerned about the succession. How can I bear to hear that your request is rejected?" - "The Veritable Records of Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty, Volume "

Note 2: Zhu Yijun's departure from the palace to study as the crown prince was full of twists and turns. When he was eight years old, the ministers (including Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong) petitioned the crown prince to go to the palace to study, but Emperor Muzong kept it secret until March of that year, when he saw that he was dying, and then he allowed Zhu Yijun to go to the palace to start his education. - "Records of Emperor Muzong of the Ming Dynasty" Volume

Note 3: Not only Li, but also the Ming Dynasty used more colloquial terms. You, you, me, and I were normal, and were even seen in imperial edicts. For example, before Wanli got married, Li kindly said, "Tell the emperor that your wedding will be held and I will return to this palace."

Note 4: (Li) was fond of Buddhism and built many Buddhist temples in and outside the capital, spending a huge amount of money. The emperor also donated a lot of money. During his reign, he once suggested it to me, but it was not implemented. - "Ming History·Biographies Volume "

Note 5: When the Empress Dowager was asked to rule the country from behind the curtain, she said: “Do not break the laws of our ancestors. Just stop all non-urgent matters.” - Ming History, Biographies, Volume

(End of this chapter)