Chapter 49: eclipsed, planning

Songjiang Mansion!
These three words kept churning in Gao Gong's mind.

He suddenly understood why Zhang Juzheng talked to him about Xu Jie in Songjiang Prefecture as soon as he went out this morning.

I also suddenly understood what the last sentence "If one ignores the political situation and fights for power, wouldn't that be an attempt to usurp the throne?" meant.

It turns out... all of this was prepared for this moment.

What a great Zhang Juzheng.

It turned out that at that time, he was demonstrating and warning in advance in the posture of a winner.

I'm afraid that last night, he joined forces with Li and Feng Bao and Li Jin to control Empress Dowager Chen.

Today, they are working together with the emperor to force him with imperial decrees.

Gao Gong held the imperial edict and remained silent for a long time.

He neither accepted the order to express his gratitude nor said that he would not obey the order.

At this moment, the field was completely silent.

They all looked at Gao Gong.

Gao Gong looked at the imperial edict in his hand and smiled to himself.

Honor, oh, what an honor.

The title of Shangzhuguo was often conferred when a country was founded, but that was an old tradition of the Yuan Dynasty and the official position had not yet been determined.

It’s not a good thing after that.

When Emperor Shizong wanted to confer the title of Grand Pillar of the State on Yan Song, Yan Song declined by saying, "There is no one higher than you, and the title of Grand Master is not appropriate for a minister to bear", which made Emperor Shizong "very happy and agreed to his resignation".

It can be said that these words set the tone for the title of Shangzhuguo, that only dead people can be granted the title - including those who died in their official careers.

Looking back, the last person to be conferred the title of Pillar of the State was Xia Yan, and his fate is self-evident.

Not to mention being conferred a title.

How many civil officials were granted titles during the Ming Dynasty?

At the beginning, Emperor Shizong offered the title of earl to Yang Tinghe, Jiang Mian and Mao Ji, but all three refused to accept it.

Why? For civil officials, the title is like shit, and even stepping on it is disgusting.

Avoiding the title is the norm for civil officials!
As the saying goes, if you go with the flow and strive for your own abilities, you will surely become a famous minister.

But if this is the case, because of one's rashness in advancement, even though one may be granted a title through the seal, which is a rare opportunity for a civil official, his reputation will be damaged and may even be stripped of his title. One's reputation is at stake and must be taken seriously.

In short, the title is a small matter, but losing one's chastity is a big matter.

Even if we take a step back and say that Gao Gong doesn't care about reputation and has accepted this title, can he still stay in the position of Prime Minister?
Accepting a title means ending one's official career.

This set of rewards is meant to put him in a position of power and make him admit defeat and resign.

It is easy to see through but difficult to deal with, this is almost an open conspiracy.

Could Gao Gong refuse?
A simple reward is certainly acceptable, but this edict has a sinister intention.

Didn’t you, Gao Gong, always say that you were doing this for the sake of the world and the government?
Now that the plan has failed, not only have you not been held accountable, but you have also been given an opportunity to continue to serve the court and die for the world. Will you obey or not?
If they don't obey, then no one will believe those high-sounding but heartfelt reasons for the previous power struggle.

Since he is not fighting for power in the court, what else could it be other than the intention of usurping the throne?
If the Prime Minister usurps the throne, there will be heavy casualties, and all his followers and disciples will not be spared.

This is naked blackmail.

In fact, after realizing that he had lost, Gao Gong was prepared.

In serious cases, the body will die, while in minor cases, one will be able to return home quickly.

But Zhang Juzheng now took things even further.

It would have been fine if he had only saved his own life, but they also used his good reputation, his students and friends, and the political situation of the Ming Dynasty to threaten him.

What a cruel heart.

Gao Gong held the imperial edict in his hand, his knuckles turned white, and he did not move for a long while.

Seeing that the Prime Minister did not move for a long time, everyone held their breath.

It seemed that what he was holding in his hand was not only the imperial edict, but also the breath of the court officials.

Almost everyone understood that if Gao Gong refused this decree, he would be killed.

It's not just Gao Gong himself.

It is still unknown how many people will be implicated.

All the court officials hoped that Gao Gong would accept the imperial edict, even his students and old friends were no exception - except for Gao Gong's stubborn temper, everyone else would only think that this was a grace.

Time passes by.

Gao Gong still stood there, without saying a word.

Zhu Yijun looked at Gao Gong patiently.

Will Gao Gong accept it?
I won’t say it’s 100%, but at least 99% of the time it will work.

The only exception was that Gao Gong disregarded the kindness of the previous emperor, his good reputation after death, the fate of his students and former officials, and the life and death of his own children.

Oh yes, he even ignored the stability of the political situation.

That's why Gao Gong refused the order and went to his death bravely.

But Zhu Yijun did not think that Gao Gong's character would change drastically in such a short period of time. After all, the essence of human beings is still social attributes.

Since an imperial decree in history could send him back home, there would be no exception now.

Just as he was thinking, Gao Gong finally made a move.

He bowed slowly: "This edict has not been drafted yet."

"Other people's rewards and promotions can be re-drafted later, but for me and Mr. Zhang, I'm afraid it's difficult to let others do the rewards."

"Your Majesty, why don't you go with me to the cabinet? After I have completed the draft, you can let me receive the decree in person."

All the officials looked at each other, not understanding what was going on.

Is this a desperate resistance, or simply a reluctance to leave?

Instead, the person involved understood it.

Zhu Yijun looked at Gao Gong with a complicated expression.

Gao Gong's words were based on the fact that he was about to step down.

By then, once Gao Gong retired from his position and Zhang Juzheng became the Prime Minister, it would be inappropriate for him to draft the imperial edict to reward himself.

The same goes for Gao Gong's title.

Therefore, Zhang Juzheng could make some amendments to other people's proposals later.

But the procedures for these two edicts must be completed.

In other words, Gao Gong agreed to retire.

In the end, I still bowed my head.

However, I want to take advantage of this last chance to ask for a duet.

After Zhu Yijun thought it through, he nodded slowly: "Your mature and prudent words should be like this."

In fact, the situation is now determined, and it will be the same no matter what decision Gao Gong makes.

As long as all the court officials were rewarded, Gao Gong's followers would clearly see that the two palaces and most of the court officials stood together. Whether Gao Gong accepted the imperial edict or not, his resignation was inevitable.

But Zhu Yijun still gave him this face.

Because he had originally planned to summon Gao Gong one last time.

Now it is a coincidence.

At this time, Zhang Juzheng suddenly stepped out and said, "Since that's the case, I will go to the cabinet as well."

Zhu Yijun glanced at this guy.

Was he worried that Gao Gong had reached some tacit understanding with him that would be disadvantageous to him?
He remained silent and waited for Gao Gong to block it back for him.

Unexpectedly, Gao Gong only raised his head, glanced at Zhang Juzheng, and said sullenly: "Let's go, Prime Minister Zhang."

After saying this, he took the imperial edict and went to the cabinet.

Seeing this, Zhang Juzheng stepped forward and led the emperor to follow closely.

Zhu Yijun had no choice but to let him follow.

The court officials watched the three men leave with puzzled expressions.

……

On the way, the eunuchs, female officials and secretaries of the Secretariat followed behind consciously from a distance and did not dare to get close.

Gao Gong turned to Zhang Juzheng and said, "I have something to report to Your Majesty alone."

Zhang Juzheng readily followed suit, bowed, slowed down his pace, and moved a little further away from the two men.

Zhu Yijun looked at Gao Gong curiously to see what he wanted to say.

Is he trying to accuse himself of why he treated him like this?
Or surrender to me and make a final attempt?

After Zhang Juzheng was far away, Gao Gong turned around and looked at the emperor.

After pondering for a while, he slowly said: "I wanted you to be a peaceful and happy emperor, but I didn't expect that I was too sentimental."

"You would rather invite a wolf into the house than drive me out. I underestimated you."

"Please remember what I'm going to say next. It doesn't matter if you don't understand. Just remember it in your mind first."

He didn't care about the emperor's surprised and confused expression.

He continued, "I know that Zhang Juzheng has bewitched your mother and made you obey Zhang Juzheng in everything you do. You are also afraid of me, so you use him to make me retire."

"You may feel happy now, but in the future, you will definitely be suppressed by this beast and regret it."

"Just wait and see. They will team up to blackmail Queen Mother Chen. They will become inseparable and one in the future."

He pointed at Zhang Juzheng behind him calmly.

"Remember, Zhang Juzheng is trustworthy in politics, but not reliable."

"I have figured it out in the past few days. He did not hesitate to collude with Feng Bao and gain the trust of Li Shi just to seize power and implement his new policies."

At this point, he sighed.

"Too hasty. His tactics are like medicine for tigers and wolves."

"I understand Zhang Cong's One Whip Method better than he does. It must not be used throughout the country. Otherwise, it will only lead to the demise of the country if it exploits the common people."

"You will certainly be sidelined by this beast from now on, but you will eventually be able to outlast him. Remember, once you take power, you must immediately abolish the One Whip Law."

"Opening the sea is the right way."

"With the help of the prosperity of Nanzhili and several surrounding provinces, and by opening up trade with foreign countries and absorbing silver into the Taicang warehouse, we can restart the One Whip Law."

"I have already done half of the work of opening the sea, you must keep the Maritime Customs Office in your hands."

"But we can't rush this matter, otherwise there will be another round of spontaneous destruction of case files."

"And there are those useless people in the Jin Party. Zhang Juzheng can't handle them. They will become a big problem in the future."

"When you are in power and the situation is out of control, you can have someone kill Zhang Siwei's father first and force him to mourn. When you have control over the Royal Guards, you can kill him directly. Don't be afraid of public opinion."

"Wang Chonggu can join the cabinet, but he cannot hold military power. You can use him to stabilize the Jin Party."

"Don't start a war with the Mongols lightly. With the current national strength, the Central Government will not be able to hold out if we fight two more major wars."

"We might as well wait until the maritime trade has achieved results, and then gradually reduce it through the Ministry of War."

"As for your relatives, you can no longer give them large rewards. When you take power, find a reason to kill a group of them and take back the land."

Gao Gong kept talking all the way.

From southern Yunnan to Lingbiao, and even to the Western Tartars and Eastern Barbarians, Zhu Yijun looked at Gao Gong with a strange expression.

He suddenly realized that Gao Gong had never looked at him straight in the eye before.

Even though it was so obvious today, he still blamed Zhang Juzheng for everything today.

I just feel like I was a child acting on impulse.

I might as well feel that I have been sidelined by the Trinity, just like in history.

Zhu Yijun subconsciously glanced at Zhang Juzheng behind him.

When Zhang Juzheng saw the emperor looking at him, he also bowed slightly.

Gao Gong happened to see this scene and snorted coldly: "This man has great ambitions but little talent, and his actions are fierce. He will definitely cause great harm to the world."

"Your mother, the Queen Mother, should be taken care of, but this cannot stop the Emperor. You can go and pay your respects to her more often, and it may have a miraculous effect."

"Since Ge Shouli has not been dismissed, you can seek his help if you have any problems. Remember, you must not write a confession of guilt or anything like that."

"Also, the military heroes after Yingzong are all wild dogs. They cannot be trusted. They will surround whoever has food."

"People like Zhu Xizhong will definitely side with Zhang Juzheng. Who knows, maybe he can even be given a title of prince, hehe."

Zhu Yijun listened to him chattering quietly.

I don’t know whether his words were kind because Quan was about to die, or because he was expressing his feelings for the late emperor at this time.

Gao Gong's words were all from the bottom of his heart.

Zhu Yijun listened in silence.

It took a long while for Gao Gong to finish speaking.

He looked at the absent-minded emperor again, frowned and asked in a deep voice: "Did you remember?!"

He was about to be expelled, and this was his last chance to present a memorial. If the emperor didn't listen at all, all his efforts would be in vain.

Gao Gong understood that his recent actions would inevitably make the emperor angry, and he was determined to expel him.

But he didn't care. After the little emperor was sidelined by Zhang Juzheng, he would regret what he did today.

He said these heartfelt words out of consideration for the late emperor's kindness.

Seeing that his official career was over and he would never have the chance to realize his ambitions, he gave the emperor some instructions in the hope that things would be restored to order in the future, just to give it a try.

Zhu Yijun suddenly stopped.

He looked at Gao Gong and said softly, "Ding'an Bo, I will remember this."

"But... Earl Ding'an has wrongly blamed Elder Zhang."

Zhu Yijun turned around, faced Zhang Juzheng in the distance, and nodded slightly.

Then he raised his hand, signaling Zhang Juzheng and his followers to wait a moment.

As expected, everyone stopped and obeyed the order.

Gao Gong was stunned and didn't react for a moment.

Zhu Yijun continued what he had just said and said with a smile: "The title of Earl of Ding'an was given by me personally."

Gao Gong subconsciously let out a hint of doubt from his nose.

Then he suddenly realized something and his expression changed slightly.

Staring at the emperor, waiting for the next words.

Zhu Yijun patiently explained to Gao Gong, who was stunned, "The imperial edict of Earl Ding'an was dictated by me and drafted by the Secretary of the Central Secretariat. It was to kill Feng Bao and take the imperial seal. I went to Ciqing Palace last night and got the approval of my mother. Only then did it reach Earl Ding'an today."

He reached out and took the imperial edict from Gao Gong, who stood there like a fool.

While pointing at the contents of the imperial edict, he said in a serious tone: "Look, Lord Ding'an, this is about opening up the sea, which is my approval of your opening up the sea."

"It is to strengthen the border defense, which is my recognition of Altan Khan's tribute."

"In the future, I will compare you to Mr. Fan Wencheng, and I will also admire you."

"Everything is what I have learned after reading Ding'an Earl's memorials all night long. I am grateful to Ding'an Earl from the bottom of my heart."

Gao Gong was distracted.

It was not until the emperor returned the edict to him that he came to his senses.

He finally understood.

Staring at the emperor in astonishment: "It turned out... to be you."

He thought that the emperor was young and inexperienced, and never looked at him straight in the eye.

Even though he had just been forced by the emperor and Zhang Juzheng, he only felt that Zhang Juzheng was in the dominant position.

But now the emperor's sudden words caught him off guard!
Zhu Yijun nodded generously.

He raised his hand again and gestured for Gao Gong to continue moving forward.

He spoke patiently, "Just now I saw that Earl Ding'an was sincere and honest with me. I have nothing to pretend to be. I will just tell the truth to save Earl Ding'an from worrying about me."

"I also conferred titles on the Grand Tutor and the Grand Pillar of the State, and granted them the title of Three Dukes during their lifetime. I just want Ding'an Bo to retire so that I can vacate the position of the Prime Minister."

"As for the title of Earl, I have pondered it for a long time."

If Gao Gong wants to move his butt, the Grand Tutor and the Supreme Pillar State are actually enough.

As for the title of Earl, it was naturally for other purposes.

Gao Gong walked forward with his eyes completely out of focus.

He muttered to himself, "I thought Uncle Zhang had ruined the situation, and that Your Majesty was just bewitched or coerced..."

"I never thought that I underestimated the heroes of the world."

Zhu Yijun shook his head: "He is not a hero at the moment."

After hearing this, Gao Gong suddenly laughed at himself.

He never took the emperor seriously.

Otherwise, he would not have said, "How can a ten-year-old emperor rule the world?"

After that, he regarded people like Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao as his opponents and never turned his attention to the emperor.

But now it seems that I failed precisely at this stage!
I didn't expect that the earnest advice I just gave would turn out to be a joke.

If he lost to Zhang Juzheng, he would be half convinced.

The fact that he was defeated by a ten-year-old kid really showed his incompetence.

He suddenly realized how Yang Tinghe felt when he faced Sejong.

Gao Gong suddenly became insane and said with a silly smile: "What a good sage king! He is indeed a good sage king. This is why those who are good at fighting have no great achievements."

"It is fitting that I should be the one who brings disgrace upon myself, and that the mediocre people talk too much."

"In that case, I will be free. I will retire later."

After saying this, he laughed at himself for a while, then smiled bitterly, and looked distraught.

Zhu Yijun glanced at him, somewhat worried that he might have been hit too hard.

I had to comfort him: "I have no intention of humiliating Earl Ding'an. I wanted to kill you."

For Gao Gong, a gentleman can be killed but not humiliated, so his statement was naturally a comfort.

Gao Gong's expression suddenly changed, and he said fearlessly: "Why should I fear death? Your Majesty can kill me now!"

Zhu Yijun stopped abruptly.

He just looked at Gao Gong quietly without saying a word.

Only after Gao Gong felt numb did Zhu Yijun slowly speak, "If my father had not told me to give you a good end, why do you think I would have kept you? Why did you get a title?"

"Do you really think I am nothing but you? Do you still need to give up a title?"

Gao Gong was stunned.

The words on the tip of his tongue turned around and he didn't say them out loud.

In the end, he just turned his head away and ignored the emperor.

Zhu Yijun continued, "At the beginning, my father highly praised you, saying that you were broad-minded, profound, and capable of great achievements, and that you were a famous minister for the country."

"I specifically told my mother and I to trust and use it."

"At that time, my mother had a prejudice against you and remained silent."

"When the emperor saw this, he finally spoke from the bottom of his heart, saying that when he was Prince Yu, you had the service of protecting him, and after he ascended the throne, you had the merit of assisting in the administration, so even if you were not used, you must be treated well."

Zhu Yijun looked at Gao Gong's turned away face and said softly: "My royal father really treats you as his father-in-law."

"Gao Gong, do you really have a clear conscience?"

Gao Gong's face turned red. After Zhu Yijun said this, he waited quietly for Gao Gong's reaction.

The two looked at each other in silence.

I was speechless for a moment.

Gao Gong suddenly regained his composure and sighed, "This old minister really underestimated Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, if you want me to deal with Xu Jie, just say it directly. Why do you have to say these words to control me?"

Whether these words were true or false, he could certainly accuse the emperor of lying.

But what he said was exactly the same.

He and the late emperor were indeed like father and son.

If you can't get over this hurdle in your heart, there is no point in refutation.

The emperor had such a keen insight into people's hearts that he suddenly felt that his defeat was not unfair.

Zhu Yijun shook his head: "Letting Xu Jie return to farming is just a matter of convenience."

Gao Gong was stunned.

No response: "Just for fun?"

Zhu Yijun turned his head and looked at Gao Gong: "If it was just for Xu Jie, I wouldn't have to go to such great lengths."

Although Gao Gong had already stepped down, he had been used to being here for many years. When he heard this, he began to think.

half an hour.

He suddenly realized something and exclaimed, "Your Majesty is going to attack Nanzhili!"

Zhu Yijun was somewhat surprised at Gao Gong's intelligence, but he figured out the reason after a moment.

He admired: "It is just one of the historical tasks of the Ming Dynasty. It will take a long time, so we have to make the first move."

Gao Gong didn't understand the meaning, but he suddenly felt an attitude that was more uncomfortable than humiliation - the emperor was actually looking down on him and admiring him! ?

I was willing to accept defeat in the first place, but now that it has fallen on the young emperor, he has to show an attitude of a winner, which really makes me uncomfortable.

Gao Gong turned his head away awkwardly: "What does your majesty want?"

It must be not without reason that the emperor brought up the previous emperor to control him.

Zhu Yijun turned his head and looked at Gao Gong: "The Governor of the Grain Transport and Military Affairs is Wang Zongmu, and the Salt Transport Commissioner of Lianghuai is Wang Ruyan."

Gao Gong looked deeply at the emperor.

He nodded, then shook his head: "I can give the people to Your Majesty, but it's useless. The Lianghuai Salt Administration is too complicated, and it is not something that a governor-general of the grain transport and a transport envoy can do."

Zhu Yijun suddenly smiled and said, "So, before Earl Ding'an retires, you need to make a statement to me and recommend Hai Rui."

"He was appointed to a post as the Chief Censor, in charge of the salt tax in Lianghuai and the management of the river."

(End of this chapter)