Why did the emperor rebel?

Chapter 515 The Stain of the Country
The Taimiao is the most formal place of worship in the whole country, symbolizing the Zhengshuo Dynasty. It not only enshrines the ancestors of the past dynasties, but also enshrines the ancient sages.

Even, some ministers who have made great contributions to the country can also receive the honor of being worthy of the Taimiao after their death.

In contrast, the Fengxian Hall, which is similar in function to the Taimiao, is more inclined to be a royal family temple, only dedicated to the ancestors of the past dynasties.

At this moment, outside Fengxian Hall, Wynn was standing by, with a rather anxious expression on his face.

It is already the third day.

In fact, since the news came from Datong and explained what happened when he entered the city, Cheng Jing vaguely felt that the emperor's heart was quite heavy.

Later, the emperor secretly summoned Shu Liang into the palace and ordered him to rush to Xuanfu overnight.

Immediately, the elders of the outer court received the imperial edict, the emperor mourned the civil servants, and stopped court for three days. Since the next court, the emperor has fasted and bathed, and entered the Fengtian Hall.

Burn incense every day as a sacrifice, eat vegetarian food and drink water, be pure-hearted and ascetic, and say nothing.

After three days like this, people are much haggard, so how can Wynn not worry.

The sun is setting and the clouds are rising darkly.

The eunuch Cheng Jing, the supervisor of ceremonies, hurried over, stopped in front of the Fengxian Hall, and said: "Eunuch Huai, there is news from the Xuanfu, you must report it to Your Majesty immediately."

Wynn hesitated for a moment, then turned around and quietly walked in from the side hall, saying.

"My lord, Eunuch Cheng is here, saying that there is news from Xuanfu."

In Fengxian Hall, sandalwood incense was wafting, and Zhu Qiyu was wearing a twelve chapter black dragon robe, sitting quietly on the futon.

Hearing this, he slowly opened his eyes.

The sandalwood was burned out at this moment, and a slant of the setting sun penetrated through the window, coating the people in the hall with a layer of light orange.

"Let Cheng Jing in."

Sitting on the futon without moving, Zhu Qiyu's voice seemed a little dry because he hadn't spoken for several days.

So, Wynn retreated quietly, and after a while, he turned around again, and there was more Cheng Jing behind him.

It should be said that this was Cheng Jing's first time entering Fengxian Hall.

Historically, only members of the royal family and the eunuchs responsible for cleaning can enter the Fengxian Hall. Except for the royal family, no one who enters is allowed to look up, so as not to be disrespectful to the previous emperors.

Cheng Jing was very careful and followed Wynn step by step, but a trace of doubt could not help but arise in his heart.

Fengxian Hall is a place for worshiping ancestors. To say that the emperor wanted to commemorate the officers and soldiers who died in civil engineering, but he was afraid that the sacrifice to Taimiao would be too powerful, so he chose Fengxian Hall, which is still in the past.

However, dealing with this kind of government affairs is still in Fengxian Hall, so it's inevitable...

Although he had doubts in his heart, he didn't stop walking. Just when he saw the hem of the emperor's clothes, Cheng Jing bowed down and said: "My minister, Cheng Jing, please greet the emperor."

Without too many greetings and foreshadowing, the emperor's plain voice rang in Cheng Jing's ears.

"What did Shu Liang say?"

Cheng Jing took out an official document from his sleeve, handed it up, and said.

"My lord, there are two pieces of news coming in at the same time, one is from Mr. Shu, and the other is from Yu Shaobao."

"The content of the two documents is almost the same. As you expected, after receiving the new note from the Ministry of Rites, the Supreme Emperor went to the Tumu Castle in person to pay homage to the dead officers and soldiers. Moreover, on the spot in the Tumu Fort, he also met with Marquis Yang. There were a few conflicts, but nothing major, but..."

"But what?"

Zhu Qiyu asked subconsciously, but without Cheng Jing's answer, he had already seen the exact same words in Shu Liang's and Yu Qian's documents.

"...The emperor's virtuous brother, please issue a decree to announce to the world that my title of emperor will be abolished, and I will be returned to the ancestral mausoleum in Fengyang. I will set off immediately..."

Slowly closing the documents, Zhu Qiyu finally got up from the futon. However, he did not immediately ask for more detailed information, but took out one of the documents, put it in front of Cheng Jing and asked suddenly.

"You just said that this document was sent by Yu Qian?"

"Back to the emperor, it's Yu Shaobao."

After all, Cheng Jing was a person who had been in the Prison of Rites for a long time. Although he didn't realize it at first, but when Zhu Qiyu asked him this question, he immediately understood. Halfway through the sentence, his tone changed.

"My lord, could it be that the Supreme Emperor wants to..."

"My good brother, you can't fight externally, but you can fight internally!"

Zhu Qiyu sneered, unfolded the document in his hand again, read it again, Fang Dao.

"You came from outside, have you heard any news?"

Cheng Jing shook his head, and said honestly: "When the minister received the news, he immediately rushed to deliver it to the emperor, and he didn't pay attention to anything else on the way."

So Zhu Qiyu smiled and said: "It's okay, I'm afraid it's coming soon, Wynn, you go out and wait."

Wynn, who was confused, responded respectfully, and then backed out.

Although he didn't know what happened, but in the palace, his curiosity was too strong, sometimes it would kill people, he asked what he should ask, and he didn't ask what he shouldn't.

In this regard, Wynn has always done a good job.

As a result, the Fengxian Hall fell silent again.

Zhu Qiyu held the document in his hand and read it over and over again with great interest, while Cheng Jing knelt on the ground without saying a word or raising his head.

After a cup of tea, Cheng Jing suddenly heard the emperor sigh softly, and then Yuyin asked.

"Cheng Jing, what do you think of this matter?"

Compared to Yuan Bin, who was born in an ordinary Jinyiwei, Cheng Jing had experienced many turmoil and was naturally more sophisticated. He didn't hesitate, but said directly.

"Going back to the emperor, the ministers thought that the Supreme Emperor was coercing the court and threatening His Majesty!"

The emperor's tone was very calm: "How can you see that?"

This time, Cheng Jing was silent for a moment, Fang said.

"Ever since the Supreme Emperor set out from Yibei, he has been very wary of the people sent by the court along the way. It is also stated in the documents of Mr. Shu that on that day, according to the emperor's will, he wanted to arrest Liu Yongcheng. Blame those arrogant Mongols, the Supreme Emperor tried his best to defend."

"Later, when Eunuch Shu told the emperor's words to the Supreme Emperor and asked him to pay homage to the dead officers and soldiers, the Supreme Emperor also flatly refused. From these things, it can be seen that the Supreme Emperor has always been hostile to His Majesty and is on guard."

"Later, Duke Shu ordered the officials of the Ministry of Rites to present the latest ceremonies, in order to force the Supreme Emperor to attend the memorial ceremony in person, otherwise not only will he lose his reputation, but he will also lose his face."

As expected by Du Ning and others, all Shu Liang's actions in Xuanfu were ordered by Zhu Qiyu.

Of course, in some details, Shu Gonggong played his own hand, but it was harmless, and the final goal was accomplished very well.

In fact, if Shu Liang ordered someone to send that gift note, Zhu Qizhen would understand that he had no choice at all.

The core reason why he was unwilling to pay homage to the dead officers and soldiers was that once he came to the memorial ceremony in person, he would have to give these officers and soldiers an explanation, and he would have to admit the mistakes he had made.

Once admitted, the next step is to condemn oneself.

This is difficult for Zhu Qizhen to accept, not to mention how difficult it is to admit his mistakes in front of the world, if he really issued an edict of guilt, then in the days to come, he will be a solid handle, after all , You have admitted it in front of the world.

Therefore, when Shu Liang mentioned it, even if he knew it was the emperor's intention, he chose to reject it without even thinking about it.

However, the ritual notes from the Ministry of Rites revealed a cruel fact for him.

That is, this edict of sin against oneself, he will do it as well, and he will do it if he doesn't!
The imperial court now has a new emperor, the so-called heavenly position has been determined, no matter how difficult it is, it is easier. In order to avoid major political competition and cause the imperial court to fall into turmoil, the Supreme Emperor must avoid living in Nangong.

Then the question is, if the Supreme Emperor did not do anything wrong, why should he not be allowed to interfere in government affairs? You must know that purely in terms of status, the Supreme Emperor is higher than the emperor.

Therefore, the Supreme Emperor must be at fault!
This point, like welcoming back the Supreme Emperor, is the consensus of the ruling and opposition parties.

Because of this, the emperor wanted to greet the Supreme Emperor with great fanfare, sacrifice to heaven and earth, and to the Taimiao, and none of the ministers objected too strongly.

Suppressing the authority of the Supreme Emperor is not only needed by the emperor, but also needed by the stability of the court.

In other words, he will issue this edict of guilt sooner or later.

So, instead of this, it's better to admit it in Tumubao, and win the reputation of mourning the death of soldiers.

This matter can be described as a real conspiracy.

Even if he didn't go to pay homage to the dead officers and soldiers, but entered the capital and went to the Fengtian Temple, he would still have to issue this imperial edict.

but……

Seeing Cheng Jing hesitated to speak, Zhu Qiyu sighed and said.

"Do you want to ask, why didn't I wait for the Taishang Emperor to return to Beijing, and then give him the ceremony?"

As I said earlier, the welcoming ceremony this time is extremely complicated, with a myriad of details, and the documents required everywhere are only a small part of it.

If Zhu Qiyu wanted to, he could pick a small problem and call it back for the Ministry of Rites to reform. This has been delayed, and as long as it is not confirmed, it will not be sent to Zhu Qizhen.

When he actually arrives in the capital, knowing this, it is impossible to do anything he wants to do.

But now, under the pretext of paying homage to the dead officers and soldiers in the civil fort, Zhu Qizhen pretended to feel guilty and remorseful, and in turn led the first army.

On the altar, in front of all civil and military ministers, officers and soldiers, he said these words, one is to gain a good reputation for knowing his mistakes and repenting, and the other is, as Cheng Jing said, coercing the court and threatening the emperor .

Since ancient times, the sages have said that knowing a mistake can correct it, and there is nothing good about it.

With such an attitude, Zhu Qizhen lowered himself and used the most decisive attitude. If he wanted to go back to Fengyang Ancestral Mausoleum for self-imprisonment, he had to do everything he could.

In fact, if he said that after returning to the capital, he would refrain from repenting in Nangong.

Then, the court might agree with the trend.

However, he opened his mouth to abolish the throne and imprison himself in the ancestral mausoleum, which is obviously over.

The so-called exaggeration is too much, after all, he is the Supreme Emperor with a noble status, and he has already put his attitude of admitting his mistakes so low, and he is aggressive towards him, which seems too unreasonable.

Moreover, from a procedural point of view, the matter of abolishing the emperor is very likely to involve usurping the throne and treason. For the courtiers, they can't touch it if they can.

Therefore, it is impossible for the courtiers to agree to this matter.

Zhu Qizhen deliberately said this in front of everyone, just to let the news spread as soon as possible.

The Xuan Mansion is not too far from the capital. With a fast horse galloping, it will take less than a day to arrive. With so many people listening, it is impossible to block the news.

I'm afraid that at this moment, when Zhu Qiyu received the news, the ministers in the court should also receive the news.

If there is no accident, Wynn should have seen all the ministers who came from outside the palace at this moment...

There was no one else here, Cheng Jing hesitated for a moment, then nodded boldly.

Logically speaking, he shouldn't question the emperor's decision.

However, doubts are doubts. For Cheng Jing, no matter whether he doubts or agrees, he will carry out without hesitation, but his doubts will not disappear because of this.

The eunuch, the supervisor of ceremonies, is not a person who can only execute orders and can't think at all, so he is competent.

In fact, in Cheng Jing's view, the real important thing is to implement the edict of guilt.

As for the conflict between the Supreme Emperor and the ministers who greeted him outside Datong City, whether he wants to use Mongolian guards is a small matter.

What's more, the more such things happen, the more the officials will be eccentric with the Supreme Emperor, which is actually a good thing for the Son of Heaven.

There is no need at all, just reveal the final ritual note and draft edict now, even if it is forcing the Supreme Emperor to go to the Tumu Castle to pay homage.

But at the same time, it also made the emperor fall into a passive state, and even, objectively speaking, restored some reputation for the Supreme Emperor.

Regarding Cheng Jing's question, Zhu Qiyu didn't say anything, pointed to his heart, and said.

"My heart is restless! The hearts of the people are restless!"

In the civil war, the most innocent people were those 20 soldiers who died in vain.

Of course Zhu Qiyu can calmly weigh the gains and losses of interests, but there are some things that can't just be based on interests.

Although it is often said that Taoist emperors are ruthless, as Taoism said, heaven and earth are not benevolent, and all things are treated as straw dogs, and saints are not benevolent, and people are treated as straw dogs.

The ruthlessness of the emperor does not mean that he is indifferent and selfish and only thinks about himself. It should be that he has great love in his heart to benefit all people, govern with virtue, cultivate all things with his benevolence, and correct all people with his original righteousness.

If the 20 officers and soldiers who died in battle couldn't touch the heartstrings of Zhu Qiyu, the emperor, then what is the difference between him and Zhu Qizhen?

Therefore, those 20 soldiers needed this sacrifice!
This is not only what Zhu Qizhen owed them, but also what Da Ming owed them. Zhu Qiyu took over the throne and became the king of Daming, and he also took over the karma.

In order to settle this karma, not only did he have to force Zhu Qizhen to sacrifice, but he himself also had to sacrifice, so for the past three days, he had vegetarian Xuanyi, burned incense and sat quietly, devoutly comforting the 20 souls who passed away.

Those who have done all this, but please be at peace of mind and body!

In the civil engineering battle, although the national treasury was stretched, Zhu Qiyu still insisted on giving generously to all the officers and soldiers who died in the battle. Those who deserved to be passed on to the positions were all passed on, and those who had made meritorious service were all promoted. All given.

All that was left was an apology that Daming owed them, and Zhu Qizhen had to say this sentence!

In this sacrifice, karma is settled, and the battle of civil engineering is truly complete.

As for the second point...

Still the same sentence, the emperor should be broad-minded.

Allowing Zhu Qizhen to embarrass himself all the way, and to avoid mistakes in different ways, of course, will further tarnish his image.

But is it only his image that has been corrupted?
No, what was really lost was the people's trust in the Zhu family and the court.

For Wan Min, the superior politics, the honorable Supreme Emperor, and the arbitrary Majesty are too far away from them.

What they saw was that the imperial court dispatched 20 troops, and the entire army was wiped out, but no one stood up, even if they admitted a mistake and gave an explanation.

The common people are easy to be satisfied, they look forward to justice, to the blue sky, to the Holy Son of Heaven, all they need is an apology.

The sacrifice of civil engineering will restore not only the image of Zhu Qizhen, but also the image of the Ming court.

So, even if this will make Zhu Qiyu fall into a little passive, what's the problem?
The dirt of the country is the master of the country, and the ominousness of the country is the king of the world!
Although the emperor said only eight short words, how could Cheng Jing fail to understand?
These eight words weighed a thousand ounces, causing Cheng Jing to have mixed feelings in his heart.

Kowtowing deeply on the ground, Cheng Jing's voice revealed a reverence from the inside out, said.

"Your Majesty, the king of holiness and virtue, has nothing to do with your majesty! Minister, congratulations to the world! Congratulations to all people!"

Zhu Qiyu did not speak, and placed the two documents in front of the burnt sandalwood incense burner, bowed three times to the tablets of the ancestors, then turned around and stepped out of the Fengxian Hall.

Outside, Wynn has hurried back and kept looking at the door.

"The emperor, the six ministries, the cabinet, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Dudu Fan, Marquis Ren, Concubine Jiao, etc., all went out to seek an audience. In addition, there were many more officials and servants from various families outside the palace. , all guarding outside, waiting for news..."

Seeing the emperor stepping out, Wynn immediately reported that when he went out, he was actually prepared, but he didn't expect that the scene would be so big.

However, the emperor only raised his hand, and the calmness and confidence on his face immediately calmed Wynn's panicked mood.

"Call!"

(End of this chapter)