Chapter 32: Rubbing fists and preparing for battle
Feng Bao seemed to have expected this and went forward to meet him.

All the officials looked back in shock.

The person who came was Cao Xianyu, the eunuch in charge of writing in the Imperial Household Department. He held two imperial edicts but did not read them out.

Instead, he looked at Zhang Qi.

Zhang Qi subconsciously shuddered when he was stared at.

Cao Xianyu smiled gently and said, "Censor Zhang, Empress Dowager Li has a message for you."

His words were quite polite, but anyone with a discerning eye could tell that Zhang Qi was in trouble.

After Zhang Qi calmed down, he bowed frankly and said, "I respectfully listen."

Cao Xianyu restrained his smile and said in a pinched voice: "Guangxi Dao Yushi Zhang Qi! I was just passing by the Zhongji Palace and heard you roaring in front of the emperor. What exactly do you want to do!?"

After saying this, Cao Xianyu raised his eyelids and said to all the officials: "The emperor has just ascended the throne, and someone bullied me, an orphan and a widow. Is the correction official blind?"

"Zhang Qi, the Imperial Censor of Guangxi, was disrespectful in front of the palace and disturbed the young emperor. He was immediately taken home to reflect on his mistakes and fined bronze for one month."

After saying this, he bowed in the direction of the Cining Palace, indicating that he had finished his oral instructions.

After this oral instruction was read, the hall fell into an eerie silence.

Zhang Qi was mentally prepared for this. He was just testing the waters and acting as a vanguard.

The prime minister and the censors will definitely not protect him now.

You can only endure it on your own and then you will be rewarded in the future.

However, although he knew that this was a token of his allegiance, Zhang Qi couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

After all, he was facing the wrath of a queen mother in power.

"Let's go, Censor Zhang."

A voice startled Zhang Qi, and he looked up to see Feng Bao's kind expression.

Seeing that Zhang Qi was still not making any move, Feng Bao did not rush him. Instead, he asked, "Does Censor Zhang want to protest?"

He turned back to look at the ceremonial officer, and then at Gao Gong: "Everyone, you don't think that Censor Zhang's behavior just now was inappropriate in front of the palace, right?"

Even if they want to protect him, no one would dare to openly call a horse a zebra, as that would lead to the removal of the emperor's side.

When Feng Bao saw Gao Gong remained silent and the censor Ge Shouli turned his head away, he smiled.

As Cao Xianyu nodded, someone asked Zhang Qi to stand on his left and right.

Zhang Qi snorted coldly: "I will leave on my own!"

……

Zhang Qi was sent back home—he was dragged out of the Meridian Gate by the Jinwu Guards.

This is certainly not a big punishment.

After all, the dynasty has always had a tradition of allowing free speech and not punishing censors.

Not to mention that Gao Gong is now very powerful, and Empress Dowager Li really cannot use the excuse of misconduct in front of the palace to punish a censor lightly.

As for how to retaliate later, it depends on each person's means.

The punishment for Zhang Qi was a verbal order, and anyone with a discerning eye could see that it was just a casual act of swatting a mosquito.

The other two clear decrees are the highlights.

Cao Xianyu unfolded an imperial edict and read: "Since the former head of the Imperial Household Department Meng Chong has passed away, Feng Bao has served for many years and is loyal and sincere. He will take over the position temporarily. He will be transferred from the position of power to the position of actual power soon. The cabinet and various ministries are informed."

All the officials listened respectfully to the eunuch reading out the imperial edict, glancing at Feng Bao from time to time.

Don’t all the officials know how Meng Chong died?
Now that the matter has been settled, the cabinet has come to complete the formalities.

When it comes to shooting the arrow first and then drawing the target, only a cowardly person wouldn't need to worry about his face.

Zhu Yijun also looked at Feng Bao quietly across the crown.

This great companion was very experienced and never made any mistakes. After hearing the news that Gao Gong was going to cause trouble, he immediately knew to ask for the Queen Mother Li's order in advance to make up for his shortcomings.

An imperial decree directly improved the process of appointing the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department and corrected the position.

But what he cared more about was that Feng Bao's understanding of and influence on Empress Dowager Li should not be underestimated.

He actually issued the decree directly at the court meeting when he ascended the throne, without even waiting until the next day.

Zhang Qi, a mere vanguard, was slapped back home by Empress Dowager Li as soon as he stuck his head out.

How deep is the trust that Empress Dowager Li has in Feng Bao?
"Prime Minister, please accept the order." the eunuch urged.

Since Gao Gong did not express his opinion, no one dared to accept the order for a while.

His disciple, Song Zhihan, the Left Censor of the Ministry of Personnel, often looked at Gao Gong. As long as his master gave him a look, he would dare to charge into battle.

For a moment, all eyes were focused on Gao Gong.

Zhu Yijun was no exception.

Gao Gong closed his eyes slightly, and seemed to have just reacted. He said, "Your Highness, I obey your order."

Feng Bao secretly said what a pity.

Anyway, he has already sat down, and Meng Chong cannot be resurrected unless Gao Gong accepts the order.

He was even happy to see Gao Gong continue to be in a stalemate with Empress Dowager Li and disobey her orders.

When Cao Xianyu saw that this imperial edict had been sent out, he unfolded another one.

The song goes: "The new emperor has ascended the throne. I am an orphan and a widow. I am unfamiliar with the court officials. According to the old rules, all officials report their own gains and losses during their tenure to the emperor for his knowledge."

The other party finished thinking.

All the officials were immediately shocked and couldn't help whispering to each other.

That's not a nice thing to say!
The so-called reporting of gains and losses is certainly not as simple as giving a work summary to the emperor in the literal sense.

It is a euphemism for resigning!
This has been the precedent in the imperial court. When a new emperor ascends the throne, all officials must retire on their own accord. Whether to stay or not is entirely up to the emperor.

It is equivalent to giving the new emperor a step to reorganize the leadership team.

However, precedents are precedents. It would be fine if the emperor and his court officials had a tacit understanding, but now the imperial edict is urging them. Isn't it too impatient?

This is a naked attack on all officials!
Combined with the first imperial edict, it is clearly saying - if you have the guts to make things difficult for Feng Bao, then don't blame me for approving my petition to retire.

All the officials looked at each other in bewilderment.

Having said that, this decree must still be accepted. There is no need to resist this decree which does not contain any actual orders.

The Imperial Secretary took the two imperial edicts from Cao Xianyu without saying anything else.

Cao Xianyu bowed and retreated, as if he had never been there.

Only the eerie atmosphere in the hall reminded everyone of what had just happened.

……

The incident in the palace soon fermented.

Gao Gong and Feng Bao each began an open struggle.

First it was the censors, but within just two days, several imperial censors came and impeached Feng Bao.

It refers especially to Feng Bao's actions before the emperor ascended the throne.

Zhang Qi was the first to take the lead and said, "We have never heard of any imperial decree to dismiss someone and appoint someone else. Once the imperial decree was passed, it all came from Feng Bao. We, the ministers, looked at each other in shock." He directly pointed out that Feng Bao had taken office illegally before Meng Chong's death.

Soon after, an imperial censor followed up and said that Feng Bao was "a rebellious eunuch who abused his power to bully others, abused his authority and disrupted government affairs, bullied the emperor and flouted the law, acted without restraint day or night, greatly betrayed the emperor's grace, and violated the ancestral system."

The accusation of usurping the divine weapon and deceiving the master was slapped hard in Feng Bao's face.

In the past, these memorials could not even pass the review of the Imperial Household Department, but due to Zhang Qi's behavior in front of the emperor, the news could not be suppressed at all.

Soon, it caused a stir in the court.

The retention of memorials without sending them out further accelerated the collusion among the censors.

From a few people, it increased to more than ten people.

Immediately, they brought up a story from their ancestors, saying that in the tenth year of Hongwu during the reign of Emperor Taizu Gao, an eunuch relied on his seniority and the fact that he had served the emperor for many years to interfere in state affairs.

Then he quoted Taizu's sacred edict: "Although the disasters of the Han and Tang dynasties were caused by the eunuchs, they were also caused by the ruler's trust and love...Now these eunuchs, although they have served me for a long time, must not be tolerated and must be removed resolutely to serve as a warning to the future."

Even Taizu would not tolerate eunuchs interfering in government affairs. Now you, Li, and the emperor, are going to violate the ancestral precepts?
He also advised the two palaces and the emperor to be more understanding of the painstaking efforts of their ancestors.

Empress Dowager Li had no choice but to order Feng Bao, in the name of the two palaces and the emperor, to confess his crimes and hold the seal while serving his sentence to see the results.

This is where a little scolding can help a lot. A warning is not a big deal.

As for Feng Bao, he also displayed the style of the director of the East Factory.

He got the evidence of Zhang Qi's corruption and dereliction of duty from somewhere.

Without waiting for the officials to intervene, he led people to raid Zhang Qi's house.

He even brought the imperial edict, tied up Zhang Qi, rode his horse across the street, and threw him directly into the gate of the Censorate, where he was demoted to a commoner.

Then he took the so-called confession of Zhang Qi and went around accusing other officials.

In particular, several people from Gaogongmen were frequently disturbed.

At this point, the situation escalated again.

The memorial impeaching Feng Bao floated into the inner palace like snowflakes.

From Feng Bao stealing royal treasures and paintings, embezzling tributes, accepting bribes, to privately withholding memorials and isolating the inside and the outside.

Even Feng Bao's underwear when he was working in Prince Yu's palace was turned out.

Not only should Feng Bao be deposed, but he should also be immediately investigated so as to resolve the affairs of the clan and society as soon as possible.

……

June 13th, at noon.

The summer heat deepened and the sun began to get scorching.

It not only exposed the Forbidden City to the sun, but also burned the current situation.

"What? A eunuch came forward and accused Feng Bao of murdering Meng Chong?"

Zhu Yijun was looking through the congratulatory letters one by one, and couldn't help but look up at Zhu Xixiao in surprise.

Zhu Xixiao pondered for a moment and said, "He was Meng Chong's former godson. After Meng Chong died, he was protected by Chen Hong."

"Now I don't know whether he was instructed by someone or saw an opportunity to take revenge on Feng Bao."

Since Zhu Yijun ascended the throne, Zhu Xixiao has personally guarded the Qianqing Palace.

He was also responsible for reporting important matters that Jiang Keqian was not qualified to know.

When Zhu Yijun heard the name Chen Hong, he suddenly remembered this person.

The chief eunuch in Prince Yu's Mansion had previously been the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department, and it seemed that he was also brought down by Feng Bao.

He remembered...it seemed to be Empress Dowager Chen's people?
So was this his own idea, or was it Empress Dowager Chen's idea?
He remained calm and asked, "Where did you file the complaint? The Ministry of Justice or the Censorate?"

This is the difference between pursuing a criminal prosecution and impeaching an official.

Although criminal cases are always handled by the Ministry of Justice, this involves officials, so the Censorate is more useful, since it is Gao Gong's territory anyway. Zhu Xixiao looked strange: "He reported it to our Jinyiwei."

Zhu Yijun was startled: "Jinyiwei?"

Zhu Xixiao then explained.

It turned out that the eunuch had intended to turn himself in to the Censorate, but the people from the Eastern Depot got wind of it from somewhere and started looking for him everywhere.

The eunuchs couldn't even leave the palace.

There was no way to avoid it, so he had no choice but to run to the Jinyiwei to appeal for justice and seek asylum, which also dragged the Jinyiwei into it.

After hearing this, Zhu Yijun asked with great interest, "What is Duke Cheng going to do?"

I guess Zhu Xizhong was almost angry to death.

At the moment, there are fights both inside and outside the country, and the Jinyiwei were shot for no apparent reason. I'm afraid they are also hesitating about how to deal with this hot potato.

Zhu Xixiao lowered his head and said, "I came here to ask for instructions from Your Majesty."

"Should we send him to the Censorate or return him to the palace..."

This is a question of whether to help Feng Bao or Gao Gong.

Now that you have placed your bet, there is absolutely no reason to be indecisive, especially when it comes to someone as worthless as a noble.

In short, it’s just one sentence.

When the emperor was still reliable, I would do whatever he said.

Zhu Yijun continued to look through the congratulatory letter and smiled faintly when he heard this.

Compared with the civil servants who have a strong sense of self, the nobles are much more sensible.

Since he had this attitude, he was willing to give advice: "No, you go and make the arrangements. Let Chen Shanyan take over and see what he will do."

Chen Shanyan is the elder brother of Empress Dowager Chen and a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. This means that Empress Chen has already known about it.

It can be said that the spring breeze brings good luck and the wild geese pass by without leaving a trace.

Zhu Xixiao was stunned for a moment, then blurted out: "Your Majesty is not..."

Zhu Yijun closed the congratulatory letter and said expressionlessly: "I am nothing."

Zhu Xixiao quickly shut up.

According to his brother's guess, this holy monarch should be intending to eliminate Feng Bao, so he did not add insult to injury and sent him to the Censorate.

How to arrange an irrelevant person to take over?

But these are all speculations and cannot be said openly.

Otherwise, you will not be able to escape the charge of trying to guess the emperor's mind.

He stammered and was speechless for a moment.

Seeing this, Zhu Yijun shook his head and sighed, "Mr. Zhu, the Analects says that only the wisest and the most foolish are unchangeable."

"If you can't learn from Duke Cheng, you might as well learn more from Jiang Keqian."

He made such arrangements only because he suddenly realized that he had underestimated the position of Empress Dowager Chen.

As the queen, she has always been like an invisible person, so much so that everyone ignores her.

Now that I have a chance to test it out, how can I let it go?

He wanted to see whether it was Chen Hong's own decision or Empress Dowager Chen's intention.

These words are naturally not to be told to outsiders.

Poor Zhu Xixiao had neither the talent to figure out the emperor's intentions nor the determination to get things done, and he looked like a mediocre person.

Also considering that it was an angel round investment after all, he rarely said a word.

Zhu Xixiao didn't understand what the emperor meant, but he knew it was not a good thing, and he was immediately confused.

He immediately knelt down and confessed his guilt: "I know my crime!"

Zhu Yijun had no intention of pursuing the matter. Whether Zhu Xixiao listened or not was his own business.

He waved his hand: "Go ahead."

Zhu Xixiao was sweating profusely and walked out with a heavy heart.

Zhu Yijun looked up, then retracted his gaze and lowered his head to continue reading the congratulatory letter.

Although the congratulatory letter is empty, one can still tell whether it was written with care or not.

Those who have this attitude are not necessarily loyal to the emperor, but those who do not even have the attitude will inevitably be marginalized.

Zhu Yijun could get a rough idea of ​​the content after taking a look at it.

For example, Gao Yi's congratulatory message was particularly sincere and moving, and Zhu Xizhong's congratulatory message was also thoughtful.

Like the congratulatory letter from Zhang Juzheng, it was brilliantly written but obviously not very sincere.

Not to mention Gao Gong, he was extremely perfunctory.

In addition to these people, there are hundreds of other congratulatory letters.

I have taken the time to read them one by one in the past two days, and I have only read half of them so far.

Yu Youding? Zhu Yijun picked up another copy and roughly flipped through it. Hmm, the flattery was quite good.

I opened another book. Chen Dong? Do you have such high expectations for yourself?

Shen Shixing, wow, this guy doesn’t look like he’s thirty years old, he looks more like he’s fifty.

Zhu Yijun read through the books one by one and categorized these people in his mind.

Wang Xijue? The congratulatory letter from Nanzhili has also arrived?
The head of the Nanjing Ministry of Justice, Li Zhi! ?

Zhu Yijun was cheered up and silently put the man's congratulatory letter aside as a reminder to himself.

There is no rush now. We have to wait until the imperial lecture is held before we can put this person to use - the Ming Dynasty must have its own Confucianism.

Thinking of this, he simply sorted out in his mind the people he would need to take care of in the future.

Taizhou School, Li Zhi, Cheng Dawei, Hai Rui, Qi Jiguang, Lu Kun...

Just at this moment, Zhang Hong walked in quietly.

Seeing the emperor reviewing the congratulatory message, he called out softly, "Your Highness."

Zhu Yijun looked up and glanced at Zhang Hong.

He spoke first: "Have you collected all the congratulatory letters?"

Zhang Hong originally had something to report, but he swallowed the words that came to his lips and replied, "Your Majesty, the congratulatory memorials were all delivered yesterday."

Zhu Yijun frowned: "Where is Prince Zheng Zhu Houwan?"

Zhu Houwan’s poor relative is not the point; the point is his precious son, who can be of great use to him.

Zhang Hong hesitated when he heard the question, "Your Majesty, Prince Zheng was convicted by Emperor Shizong and has been relatively reserved since he was stripped of his title..."

Being introverted means not liking to talk to others. Of course, this includes the emperor, or specifically the emperor.

Zhu Yijun understood, of course, and was stunned for a moment: "He still holds a grudge against me? Didn't my father restore his title of king?"

Zhang Hong didn't dare to respond, otherwise he would be accused of alienating the royal family.

it is more than words.

Zhu Yijun waved his hand: "Okay, I got it, let's talk about it later. What's the matter, Oban?"

Zhang Hong lowered his eyebrows and asked in a pleasant manner, "Your Highness, Mr. Gao will be on leave this afternoon, so you should review your lessons well in the next few days."

Zhu Yijun nodded but didn't respond.

Gao Yi is on leave, and Zhang Juzheng will leave Beijing early tomorrow morning to visit the mausoleum. Gao Gong is finally the only one left in the cabinet to make decisions, and the intensity of the situation is likely to escalate again.

Zhang Hong continued, "Also, the two censors will impeach Yang Bo and Zhang Siwei tomorrow. I want to ask whether they should report it directly to His Majesty or submit it according to the rules."

This is no simple form.

If the memorial was really sent directly to the emperor bypassing the cabinet, it would mean that some court officials had recognized the new emperor's ability to handle state affairs.

In other words, this is a signal of support for the young emperor to take power.

Once this precedent is set, a bloody storm will immediately break out in the court.

Zhu Yijun shook his head. This was just the beginning. Now was not the right time.

He said, "Just impeach him in court."

There's no need to create unnecessary complications.

Besides, there is no need to make a big fuss. It is only necessary to tie up Yang Bo and Zhang Siwei's hands and feet, let them report to the court and argue, and then they can take care of themselves.

Zhang Hong responded and then said cautiously, "Your Majesty, there is one more thing. Right now, outside the Meridian Gate, an imperial censor is kneeling to report."

Zhu Yijun was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted: "Kneeling to report? Impeach Feng Bao?"

Zhang Hong nodded: "It was Zhang Shouyue, the censor of Guangdong Province, who said..."

He paused, recalling and learning: "It has been a rule in our dynasty that censors are not punished for their words, but now they are being used to complain privately."

"A mere eunuch, relying on the power of the East Factory, tied up the censor and rode his horse through the street. How can this be possible!"

"Especially as the head of the Imperial Household Department, how can you also take on the duties of the Eastern Depot?"

"Violating the laws established by our ancestors is the beginning of disaster and chaos."

Zhang Hong's expressions and movements were so well-controlled that he looked as if the imperial censor had appeared in person.

After hearing this, Zhu Yijun stood up and paced back and forth.

This really hit Feng Bao's sore spot.

It would have been fine if Feng Bao’s identity was unclear before.

Now that the decree has been issued, it would be problematic for Feng Bao to still be serving as the head of the East Factory.

No matter how powerful Empress Dowager Li was, she might not be able to withstand the civil officials who banded together and used the big hat of "ancestral system".

The so-called ancestral system, no matter how strange or ridiculous it is, as long as it is the embodiment of common will, the pressure it brings is real and personal, and no one can ignore it.

This was just like the situation he was in charge of in his previous life. Whenever he encountered ridiculous public opinions, he couldn't even laugh. Even if he was not wrong, he could only hold his nose and publish a press release to admit his mistake.

Gao Gong has been the Prime Minister for many years, so it is natural that his actions are not simple.

Maybe he was waiting here on purpose. No wonder the emperor received the order so readily.

None of these old guys are easy to mess with.

It was not in vain that I had been advising Empress Dowager Li every day these days. For the sake of the stability of the court, she should not directly dismiss the Prime Minister unless it was absolutely necessary. She should wait for him to jump around for a few days and then ask for retirement.

However... since Gao Gong has done this much, he can't just sit there doing nothing.

Zhu Yijun waved his hand and said, "Come on, follow me to pay my respects to the Queen Mother. I'll tell you in detail on the way!"

(End of this chapter)