Chapter 28: According to Panhu, the drama begins

Gao Yi felt something was wrong, but he couldn't put it into words, so he frowned and said, "Prime Minister, if you have something to say, just say it."

Zhang Juzheng was visiting the mausoleum, so the cabinet was already short of one person.

Now is a turbulent time with heavy official duties, and Gao Gong actually wants him to take leave as well. Anyone can sense that something is wrong.

Gao Gong would not be easily deceived into telling the truth, so he said in all seriousness, "Zi Xiang, I will take some actions in the next few days, and I am afraid that it will affect you and Shu Da."

Gao Yi was startled: "Something has happened!? Yuan Fu, what are you going to do?"

He immediately became alert. As the Prime Minister, Gao Gong had taken many actions, but he had never been so serious.

Besides, it will not affect colleagues.

Now that this has been said, I'm afraid the commotion will be much bigger than before!
Gao Gong said in a deep voice: "Feng Bao and I have a deep grudge. If I keep him, he will definitely become my enemy and hinder my great government."

As he spoke, he stretched out his hand, clenched it, and spoke almost through his teeth: "I'm going to strike first!"

These words are both true and false.

What he wants to do is not as simple as just getting rid of Feng Bao!
Not only Feng Bao, but the entire Silijian has no need to exist anymore.

But I can’t say this to Gao Yi.

Zhang Siwei's words that day convinced him.

His subordinates did not trust these two ministers, and he himself did not want them to be involved in this vortex, which led to his words today.

Gao Gong's fearless look made Gao Yi vaguely see the overbearing Prime Minister who expelled Li Chunfang and Yin Shizhan.

I believed it immediately.

Besides, the civil officials had never had a good impression of eunuchs like Feng Bao, so Gao Yi didn't think there was anything wrong with what Gao Gong said.

If the Cabinet does not suppress the Imperial Household Department, will it continue to allow the eunuchs to dominate the scholar-officials?
Instead, it aroused a sense of common hatred for the enemy: "In this case, it is even more appropriate for me and the Left Prime Minister to assist the Prime Minister."

Gao Gong shook his head: "Feng Bao is deeply trusted by Li. If I act like this, I will definitely offend her."

"If all the cabinet ministers get involved, suspicion between the inside and outside will inevitably arise."

"It would be better if I were the bad guy and you guys stayed out of it, so as to ease the relationship with the Li family."

"I heard that Zixiang is very close to the new emperor, so he should keep his integrity and reconcile the inner and outer worlds."

This made sense, and Gao Yi thought about it and realized that it was indeed true.

If the cabinet wants to get things done, it cannot be on bad terms with the two palaces.

This arrangement is also like Gao Gong's style - he has never been afraid to be a bad guy.

Thinking of this, Gao Yi was already more than half convinced, and only asked with concern: "Are you sure?"

The current situation is sensitive, and he is afraid that Gao Gong will fail, which will affect the political situation.

Gao Gong laughed, looking very proud. He patted Gao Yi on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Zixiang. How does being the head of the Imperial Household Department for only half a month compare to Xu Jie who has been an assistant minister for more than ten years?"

"Even if it was Yan Song, how could I have been defeated?"

"There has never been a clear decree for Feng Bao to take over the position of the seal holder. It was just that we tolerated it for the sake of the country. As soon as the new king ascends the throne, it will be the time."

"The six departments, the censorate, and the six ministries are all my people. I don't believe the Li family can stop them."

After hearing this, Gao Yi felt relieved.

After all, this was not like the Great Ceremony Debate, where countless court officials cheered for Sejong.

The Cabinet wants to take action against the Imperial Household Department. Which civil official would dare to risk the disapproval of the world and stand on the side of the eunuchs?
Aren’t you afraid of being beaten to death in the hall like Ma Shun?

Gao Yi didn't feel that there was anything wrong, so he nodded and said, "Then Yuan Fu, please be careful. I'll take a few days off to rest."

Gao Gong laughed: "Take good care of yourself for a few days. When you come back, the new emperor will be about to hold the imperial lecture. You will be busy then."

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while.

Gao Gong sent Gao Yi out, and gave him one last word: "By the way, don't tell Shuda about this. The Imperial Household Department will also send someone to inspect the tomb. If too much is known, the news will easily leak out."

Gao Gong felt relieved only after he had completely coaxed Gao Yi away.

After watching Gao Yi leave, he returned to the desk with a puzzled look on his face, lost in thought.

What he was going to do next was naturally much more intense than what he had told Gao Yi.

Not only Feng Bao, the entire Imperial Household Department, the entire inner court eunuchs, and even the Li family, as well as the minions of imperial power, will all be his opponents!

He knew that if he took this step, he would either be doomed forever and be recorded in history as a man who threatened his master, or he would have to reorganize the government and restore the central position that had been missing for two hundred years.

People like Taizu dared to abolish the prime minister system that had existed for nearly two thousand years and treated court officials as family servants. This is truly disgraceful!
Look at the emperors of the Zhu family, how many of them are decent?

These people should bear half the responsibility for the bad situation!

What would happen if the emperor lost his restraints? Hanging out in the Leopard Room? Seeking the truth and cultivating the Dao? Obsessed with women?

Gao Gong had long been fed up with this!

Emperor, your bloodline is inherited, and your talent and wisdom are unlimited.

It's fine if he's wise, but what if he's stupid? A stupid person without anyone to restrain him will cause great harm to the world!
The world has come to this point, and the likes of Emperor Shizong and Jiajing cannot escape blame! It's a pity that no one can restrain them.

When Emperor Yingzong of Song was not upright, Fu Bi dared to say openly, "I can also do what Yi and Huo did." How dare the cabinet ministers today say the same thing?

If the cabinet had the status that Fu Bi had back then, how could Emperor Sejong dare to do this?
Because of this matter, Gao Gong often couldn't sleep all night and tossed and turned.

Liu Chan was just an average person. If he hadn't had the assistance of Zhuge Liang, how could he have been recorded in history?

If the emperors of the former Song Dynasty had not ruled together with the scholar-officials, how could the world be so prosperous?

Therefore, the emperor must have the assistance of prime ministers sent from prefectures and counties in order to assist the wise monarchs, supervise the unwise, and revitalize the country!
It is ridiculous that Taizu abandoned the two thousand years of precedent of prime ministers. It is really ridiculous.

Fortunately, Gao Gong finally saw this opportunity.

For 200 years, no one has restored order in this country. Now, it is up to Gao Gong to do it.

The world is in a desperate situation and the emperor cannot save it. It would be better to let the "Zhuge Wuhou" who have come one after another to give it a try!
Even if it fails, it can still leave a good story.

When Gao Gong thought of this, he strengthened his confidence again.

He summoned the official on duty and ordered, "Send the Left Imperial Censor Ge Shouli to see me."

When it comes to important state affairs, the censors are always the ones who take the lead.

The Left Censor-in-Chief was the chief official of the Censorate and one of the Nine Ministers, and Ge Shouli was Gao Gong's mouthpiece.

The new king will ascend the throne soon, and it is time for him to take action.

……

June 9th, early morning.

Zhu Yijun did not attend court as usual.

Because today is the day before the enthronement, and in preparation for tomorrow's ceremony, he must "rehearse" with the Ministry of Rites in advance.

Zhu Yijun was holding a long scroll of sacrificial text and reading it until his mouth was dry.

He roughly counted and found that there were 4,349 words, not even any punctuation marks!

I don’t know which ignorant person wrote this and doesn’t know how to be considerate of the leadership.

He secretly made up his mind that once he was able to influence the Ministry of Rites, the first thing he would do was to promote punctuation marks.

My eyes are almost blinded!
Zhu Yijun went through the motions in Fengxian Hall, Hongxiao Hall and Shenxiao Hall successively.

Apart from having more words, there is no other difficulty.

However, the two palaces were not available to come the following week, so he was left alone to recite the lyrics.

During the break, Zhu Yijun finally had time to call Zhang Hong and ask, "What did the two palaces do today?"

Although the rehearsal is just a formality, the two palaces will not be absent unless they have more important things to do.

Zhang Hong replied, "The Imperial Concubine and the Empress left the palace early this morning."

Zhu Yijun asked in confusion: "Leaving the palace?"

Zhang Hong lowered his voice and said, "Last night, Deping Earl Li Ming passed away."

"Not only the two palaces, but also the cabinet, the six ministries, the nine ministers, and most of the nobles went to offer their condolences."

Zhu Yijun suddenly realized.

Deping Earl Li Ming is dead, no wonder there is such a grand ceremony.

This is not just any nobleman, this is his mother's old father, commonly known as the great father-in-law.

Of course, it’s not the two mothers now, but the original wife of the late emperor, Empress Xiaoyi.

This original wife married the late emperor in the 31st year of Jiajing's reign and died of illness in the 37th year of Jiajing's reign.

Although she died of illness, the original wife is still the original wife. Even if the two concubines die in the future, they will not be qualified to be enshrined in the Taimiao and worship beside the late emperor. Only the original wife can do so.

Therefore, when the father-in-law of the state passed away, the two palaces had to give him some face.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Zhang Daban, please go and express your condolences for me. Just say some polite words." It is difficult for others to stop someone from fulfilling his filial piety.

Once everyone got used to him sending people to their house, it would be considered a small achievement.

Zhu Yijun would not miss any opportunity to extend his power.

Zhang Hong accepted the order, bowed and retreated, just passing by Jiang Keqian.

Jiang Keqian and Zhang Hong met each other and nodded to each other to show that they had met.

Then she came to Zhu Yijun's side and was about to speak when Zhu Yijun interrupted her: "If you are not in a hurry, wait until I am done with my work."

We have been dealing with the Ministry of Rites for over an hour and it is already getting late.

Seeing that it was almost over, he didn't want to be distracted and just finished it before dealing with it. After all, he didn't have anything urgent to do now.

Jiang Keqian tactfully stepped aside.

Another two quarters of an hour passed.

Zhu Yijun had just become familiar with the Ministry of Rites' enthronement ceremony.

He walked to a nearby place, greeted the Minister of Rites, Lü Diaoyang, and said, "Minister Lü, I have learned all the details of the ascension ceremony. If there is nothing else, I will return to the palace first."

Lu Diaoyang's smile was very warm.

He bowed before saying, "Your Highness is indeed extremely intelligent. There is nothing to do at the Ministry of Rites now. Your Highness should not miss tomorrow's time."

Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "Minister Lu, you are joking. I am a history student and I have never heard of anyone who missed the time of ascending the throne."

He spoke a few more words to Lu Diaoyang, then left with the guards and palace servants.

After leaving the hall, he signaled his attendants to stay away and left Jiang Keqian behind.

Jiang Keqian got the look from the Crown Prince and immediately understood: "Your Highness, Deping Earl Li Ming died last night."

Look, your knowledge is not as good as Zhang Hong. He knows how to tell stories, but you just say death.

Zhu Yijun complained in his heart, but he also knew that he could not expect art students to have attainments in classics.

He interrupted Jiang Keqian: "I know about this matter, let me tell you the point."

Jiang Keqian nodded his head and responded.

Then he continued, "Your Highness, Zhang Siwei went to offer condolences, and arrived at the same time as Zhang Gelao."

"The two stayed at the Deping Marquis's residence for a while. Although they tried to cover it up, my people clearly saw them having several secret conversations."

Zhu Yijun was stunned.

Then he looked at Jiang Keqian with a serious expression.

Zhang Siwei is a member of the Jin Party, and the entire Jin Party should be working under Gao Gong.

For this reason, Gao Gong specially transferred Zhang Siwei to the Ministry of Personnel as a vice minister, which shows their close relationship.

How come he's involved with Zhang Juzheng now?
He always thought that it was because after Gao Gong was dismissed, the Jin Party had to curry favor with Zhang Juzheng, and that was why Zhang Siwei worked under Zhang Juzheng.

Now it seems that the time has come much earlier than he expected.

Jiang Keqian continued, "Afterwards, Zhang Siwei went to the residence of Yang Bo, the Minister of War, and did not come out until half an hour later. I think they discussed something."

Zhu Yijun frowned and asked, "Where is Lord Zhang?"

Jiang Keqian replied: "I went back to the cabinet and did not stop on the way."

Zhu Yijun slowed down his pace and began to think.

This posture is not directed at him.

To deal with him, Zhang Juzheng should have gone to Gao Gong instead of contacting Zhang Siwei without going through Gao Gong.

So……

Is Zhang Juzheng going to stab Gao Gong in the back?

He chose this time point, as he would ascend the throne tomorrow, and Concubine Li would suddenly become Empress Dowager Li.

Relying on Feng Bao's efforts in the Imperial Household Department, he urged his mother to dismiss Gao Gong, and then instigated the Jin Party to prevent Gao Gong from turning the table?

What about Gao Gong? Did he know nothing about it and just sit there and wait for death?

Zhu Yijun looked at Jiang Keqian: "Where is Yuanfu? What is he doing?"

Jiang Keqian answered quickly, obviously with something in mind: "According to people below, the Prime Minister met with the censor Ge Shouli yesterday."

"The two talked for a long time in the public room, and then Ge Shouli went back to summon the censor."

"As for what exactly it is...I am incompetent."

Zhu Yijun waved his hand, indicating that it was okay: "What about today?"

Jiang Keqian replied: "The Yuanfu went to the Deping Marquis's residence today to offer condolences. He did not meet anyone, but only met the two palaces, and they exchanged a few words on the scene."

After saying that, he remembered something and added, "Oh, right, there's news from Wenhua Palace saying that today the court is discussing the proposal of the Prime Minister, and that Zhang Ge Lao will inspect the mountain mausoleum."

Zhu Yijun listened carefully, his thoughts racing in his mind.

It seems that both sides have started to move.

What did Gao Gong instruct Ge Shouli to do yesterday? Perhaps it was related to Feng Bao.

He also sent Zhang Juzheng away, looking like he was ready to show his strength.

Later, Zhang Juzheng noticed something and prepared to stab Gao Gong in the back.

Inciting the Jin Party to rebel is one of them.

So by then Gao Gong would be in the open, while Zhang Juzheng would be far away.

Only Zhu Yijun was both in the dark and close at hand.

After understanding this, Zhu Yijun began to think about a question: what should be his position?
Which one should be kept, Gao Gong or Zhang Juzheng?
There is no doubt that it could only be Zhang Juzheng.

In terms of governance alone, Zhang Juzheng was far superior to Gao Gong. It could only be Zhang Juzheng, not Gao Gong, who could implement the New Deal.

From the perspective of his seizure of power, it should be Zhang Juzheng.

Gao Gong’s prestige was too high.

He was a figure like the late emperor's adoptive father. He had held the position of Prime Minister for many years and was also a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Personnel. The Censors were his running dogs, the Ministry of Revenue was his backyard, the local governors-general regarded him as their sponsor, and all parties in the court groaned under him.

Even with Gao Yi's assistance, he couldn't suppress such a character for a short period of time.

On the contrary, Zhang Juzheng's qualifications and noble character were both ambiguous.

Zhang Juzheng was the leader of the new law, and Gao Yi was also the leader of the clean stream. With Gao Yi's support, he could hold up the cabinet and would not let Zhang Juzheng dominate alone.

Therefore, Gao Gong must be defeated.

But how to lose is the question.

It can’t be too ugly, nor can it be too noisy, and... it’s best to skin Feng Bao!

The ideal outcome would be to seize the Imperial Household Department and the Eastern Depot from Feng Bao and kick them out.

Gao Gong stepped down from the cabinet, retired with dignity, and took good care of his health at home. When he was able to handle the situation himself, he would consider whether to resume his duties.

After sorting it out, his thoughts became clear.

Zhu Yijun immediately looked at Jiang Keqian and said, "Come back to the Palace of Heavenly Purity with me first. I want to write two letters by hand. You can deliver them for me."

After saying this, he quickened his pace and walked back to the Qianqing Palace.

To target Feng Bao, one cannot just rely on informing his own mother. After all, Feng Bao and Li have been master and servant for many years, and their trust cannot be completely eroded in a short time.

He could only lend a helping hand when Gao Gong put pressure on the court.

Gao Yi is needless to say who he can rely on, and Zhu Xizhong can't escape either - once you are entangled with him, you have to work honestly.

In terms of military force, he can secretly command the Jinyiwei.

In terms of people's reputation, he is now a benevolent monarch with profound saintly qualities.

In the inner court there were Zhang Hong and his godsons, in the cabinet there was Gao Yi and the upright people behind him, in the noble family there was Duke Chengguo, and among the civil officials there were a large number of people who were looking forward to him.

He is no longer the lonely monarch like his predecessor. He can still influence the political situation.

Isn't Zhang Juzheng going to visit the mountain mausoleum? If the situation develops as he expects, he may take the Jinyiwei with him, hold Feng Bao's head, and reward him with a red pill.

Let’s wait for Lord Zhang to come back and then we can discuss the affairs of state governance.

Trinity? The Queen Mother, the Emperor, and the Regent Cabinet are also a trinity. How can the middlemen make a profit from the price difference?
Thinking in his mind, Zhu Yijun walked along the way, looking at the eunuchs and officials from various departments in the Forbidden City who were busy preparing for the enthronement ceremony.

I have some strange feelings...

The enthronement tomorrow will not seem like a grand ceremony, but more like the opening ceremony of a big drama!

　Note 1: On the th month of the th year of the Longqing reign, Li Ming, the Earl of Deping, died. - The Veritable Records of Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty

　　
　
(End of this chapter)