Why did the emperor rebel?

Chapter 563

Night, cold plums and falling snow, auspicious for a prosperous year.

The most distinctive architectural features of the capital are hutongs. All kinds of hutongs are built according to squares, and they are gathered together in a haphazard manner, which has become a memory imprinted in the hearts of generations.

There are many alleys, and there are many doorways. Two years ago, it was popular in the capital to say that the east is rich and the west is rich, and the south is poor and the north is cheap. But in the past two years, more nobles have bought houses in the east city.

Of course, most of them are civil servants, like real nobles, families of honored relatives passed down from generation to generation, and of course they still live in Xicheng.

As for the reason, it is actually simple.

Because of the battle of Tumubao, the newly promoted officials from the imperial court were all relatively young officials, and many of them were promoted from the local area. Some smaller houses.

But the elders have been comfortable for a long time, and the feeling of being small and small is tight. In addition, although there are no real nobles in Dongcheng, there is a great god, the outer house of Shu Liang, the admiral of Dongchang.

Although this eunuch is an eunuch, his status should not be underestimated. Even if Wang Zhen's Yin Jian is in front of him, there will always be people who follow suit. , can also have a bit of thin noodles.

So, I don't know when, the originally dense but narrow Dongcheng Hutong began to gradually appear as a family of officials.

At the beginning, they were small officials of the seventh and eighth ranks, but later on, there were gradually more senior officials of the fifth and sixth ranks, and even senior officials of the third and fourth ranks. The most prominent representatives are Mr. Li Shi from the cabinet and Li Xian from the Ministry of Rites. grown ups.

Both of these two were promoted very quickly. They lived in Dongcheng when they were not making a fortune, and later became important officials of the court. Dongcheng is not as usual with only merchants.

Therefore, the two elders did not move at all, but purchased the left and right connected houses, and after renovation, they widened a lot and used them as a mansion.

At this moment, on the house of "Li's Mansion", there are several bright red lanterns hanging, reflecting the white snow on the ground, it is really beautiful.

A warm sedan chair came to a leisurely halt, and then an old man in a brocade robe got off the sedan chair, looked up at the signboard of the Li Mansion, and sighed softly.

In front of the door of Li's mansion, there was already a housekeeper waiting for him, seeing the sedan chair stopped in front of the door, he immediately came up to greet him, and said.

"I've seen you, my lord. My master is already waiting in the mansion. Please come in with me, my lord."

The old man in brocade robe nodded, and walked into the gate of the mansion without walking.

After passing the outer hall, they saw Li Xian coming out from a distance away, so they both quickened their pace at the same time, stood still in the courtyard, and bowed to each other.

Li Xiandao: "Tomorrow is the court's discussion on the officials of the Prince's Mansion. At this critical moment, why should Brother Yong Ming be distracted to come to the old man's mansion? It really makes the old man feel uneasy."

Zhu Jian, whose name is Jian Zhai.

That's right, the one who came to Li's mansion in the light of night was none other than Zhu Jian, a cabinet scholar who has been in the limelight recently.

At this moment, Zhu Jian was a little less rigid in the court and a little more gentle. He cupped his hands again and sighed.

"Yuan De has such a heart, but the old man has to come. Today's matter has wronged Yuan De."

Li Xian smiled wryly, but he didn't say much, he just said: "It's cold outside, please brother Yong Ming to accompany the old man into the living room to have a talk."

So, the two entered the flower hall and sat down respectively. A cup of fragrant tea was placed in front of them, and the faint tea fragrance was lingering. Both of them were a little silent.

After a while, Zhu Jian took the lead and said, "Yuan De, what happened today is because I am sorry for you. Originally, I just wanted you to use the ritual notes of the Winter Solstice as an introduction to bring up the matter of the East Palace, but who would have expected that?" Well, that old fellow Yu Shichao popped up suddenly, and it turned out... oh..."

Ever since the breakup with Jiao Jing, Ren Li and others that night, although Zhu Jian didn't want to admit it, he still had to say that Ren Li was right.

As time goes by, the situation is becoming more and more unfavorable to them.

In the cabinet, Yu Shiyue no longer blindly held a fierce confrontational attitude. The direction of public opinion in the court began to change vaguely. The empress in the palace gave birth to a princess instead of a prince. Their last hope, King Xiang was also given to two by King Min. The staff went back to the mansion to recuperate.

Except for the affairs of the princess in the palace, which cannot be controlled by humans, there are many signs that show that the emperor has become suspicious, and is still starting to countermeasures.

Among other things, the King Xiang incident was most likely the work of the emperor.

This is obviously bad news!

For Zhu Jian and others, if they want to promote the preparation of subordinate officials in the Prince's Mansion, the emperor will not be able to get around the hurdle. Will go down the drain.

And the only way they can think of is to let the emperor resist the attitude of treating the Supreme Emperor lightly, and show it in the court.

In this way, etiquette will become their weapon, so that the emperor must make concessions on the prince to show his respect for the emperor.

But, unfortunately, this opportunity is too hard to find.

Originally, King Xiang was the most suitable one, but when King Min came forward, King Xiang couldn't even play, and his injuries haven't healed yet.

Therefore, Zhu Jian could only find Li Xian.

Speaking of this matter, I have to thank Zhu Yi, the young master of Duke Cheng's mansion. During the period when the Supreme Emperor was not in Beijing, if he hadn't been running around, even if Zhu Jian wanted to ask for help, it would be difficult for him to open the situation for a while. .

Li Xian was once highly valued by the Supreme Emperor, and now he is the minister of the Ministry of Rites. It is just right for him to come forward.

What's more, the reason why the Ministry of Rites has delayed the ritual note of the Winter Solstice is because of the endless debate on how to treat the Supreme Emperor.

Uncle Hu Wei didn't care about things, Wang Yining was more conservative, he didn't want to violate the etiquette, and he didn't dare to offend the emperor, so he hesitated and dragged on.

So, under Zhu Yi's lead, and after obtaining the consent of the Supreme Emperor through Yuan Bin, Zhu Jian approached Li Xian.

According to the original plan, what Li Xian had to do was to present the ritual notes of the Winter Solstice in the name of the Ministry of Rites. In this way, no matter whether the emperor agreed or not, there was actually a way to deal with it.

If the emperor is unwilling, then he can use etiquette to let the officials understand the emperor's resistance to the Supreme Emperor, and then win over the officials of the East Palace.

If the emperor agrees, it is not a bad thing.

One is that it is more legitimate to worship the Supreme Emperor afterwards, and the other is that since the emperor has made a concession, then if the emperor vetoes the matter of the East Palace being an official, the public opinion in the court will inevitably be unfavorable.

Of course, theoretically speaking, the former is the best state, because there are indeed etiquettes and rituals that can be debated during the Winter Solstice Festival.

But if the latter is the case, if the Son of Heaven does not have to veto it if he saves face, then Zhu Jian and others can only accept it.

After all, before the crown prince came out of the cabinet, the imperial court had already passed the discussion. If the emperor brought up this reason, it would be difficult to refute it.

Still, there is hope.

If he really got to that point, even if it was the worst outcome, it could pave the way for the next mention of the Eastern Palace officials.

Under this kind of calculation, the risk that Li Xian has to bear is actually not too big.

After all, although the ceremonial notes for the Winter Solstice might offend the emperor, they were discussed by the Ministry of Rites after all, and were approved by Dazong Bohu.

Therefore, even if Li Xian was the one who submitted it, he would not be too harshly criticized. On the contrary, he took the initiative to take on this drudgery, and he would still be praised for his courage.

If the emperor fails, he can gain a good reputation for persuading the emperor.

As for the future, Li Xian can retire, and the risk of actually bringing up the East Palace matter will be borne by Zhu Jian himself.

But who ever thought that the plan could not keep up with the changes.

Although there were a few surprises ahead, they were all expected until Yu Shiyue stepped forward.

Thinking of this incident, Zhu Jian's teeth itch with hatred.

After such a period of time, the confrontation between the two of them on various political affairs, no matter how there is no conflict, conflicts have arisen. Under the circumstances that they didn't like each other, Yu Shiyue made a fuss at this critical moment, and proposed Or what they happened to be talking about about the prince.

Originally, after Li Xian had finished presenting the ceremonial notes for the Winter Solstice Festival, no matter what the result was, Zhu Jian could take advantage of the trend of respecting the Supreme Emperor and propose to prepare subordinate officials for the East Palace.

However, after being interrupted by Yu Shiyue in this way, the courtiers' focus became that the Ministry of Rites delayed the crown prince's ceremony note.

The cabinet minister personally came forward to impeach him, and it was in the early court, no matter how arrogant the Ministry of Rites was, it was bound to respond.

Above the court, the one who can directly represent the Ministry of Rites is undoubtedly the Minister of Rites, Hu Wei.

But this old man has always guarded his own one-acre three-point land, aloof from the world, according to his character, even if he is impeached, he will not care too much, at most he will promise a few words and let it go.

This is nothing to courtiers.

But for Zhu Jian and others who planned to take the opportunity to prepare the crown prince's subordinate officials, it was a big problem.

There are three most important bases for preparing a crown prince to serve as an official. One is to respect the Supreme Emperor, to show the closeness of the heavenly family and order the throne;

Among the three, the first one was originally the most powerful, but after being beaten by the emperor, especially after he agreed to the ritual note of the winter solstice, its effect was limited.

As for the second, if this article was convincing enough, the court would not have passed the cabinet and not prepared the government. After all, His Royal Highness is at that age, and it will be too late to contact government affairs in two years.

So in the end, etiquette and ceremony are the most effective among these three.

However, once Hu Wei, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, made a statement in front of the courtiers, even if it was a perfunctory statement, it meant that the Ministry of Rites had no problems with the ceremony, and it would be very difficult to make a fuss about it.

Therefore, the situation will develop to such an unmanageable point.

The situation at that time, the Ministry of Rites must have someone to put forward a different opinion!

However, Zhu Jian had to say that he did not expect that Li Xian would have such courage.

Again, Yu Shiyue impeached the Ministry of Rites, so the one who responded on behalf of the Ministry of Rites, as it should be, could only be Hu Wei.

Li Xian, a minister of the Ministry of Rites, directly stood up to express his position on behalf of the Ministry of Rites, which was very over the line.

To put it bluntly, this is slapping Hu Mei in the face!

Those who don't know, thought that the Ministry of Rites didn't have a minister, and it was all up to Li Xian, a servant, to make the decision...

As the second official, it is a big taboo in the officialdom to steal the power of the official.

Therefore, at that time, Zhu Jian actually did not hold out hope that Li Xianneng had the courage.

However, I have to say that the person recommended by the young master, the person trusted by the Supreme Emperor, is worth entrusting.

Li Xian knew the consequences, but he stood up resolutely.

As a result, Hu Wei, a veteran of the Five Dynasties, was really furious, and expressed on the spot that he would transfer Li Xian from the Ministry of Rites, but no one in the court spoke for Li Xian.

This is the consequence!
An dignified member of the third grade, and a Langguan of the Sixth Ministry, just a few words, he has settled on his whereabouts, which is unique in the court.

After all, at this point, there are not many old friends and students, friends from the same hometown, even if the result can't be changed in the end, a delay is definitely unavoidable.

But this time, everyone was silent.

Because Li Xian violated the taboo in the officialdom, no one would like to have such a subordinate, and no one would like his subordinates to follow suit, and would not pay any attention to the superior.

Therefore, Li Xian must leave the court.

However, facing such a result, to Zhu Jian's surprise, Li Xian was not overly depressed or unwilling, on the contrary, he seemed very calm, said.

"Ge Lao don't have to worry about this old man, the East Palace is the main line, the foundation of the country, and it is my good fortune to be able to do a little bit for His Royal Highness. We are scholars, and we should stick to our heart and follow our official career. It’s just a fleeting moment, no matter whether it’s in the imperial court or in the local area, they all serve the Ming Dynasty, there is no difference.”

After saying this, Zhu Jian felt even more uncomfortable in his heart.

Originally, he was the one who approached Li Xian about this matter, but now, he is still in the cabinet (although after tomorrow, I don't know if he is still there), but Li Xian was expelled from the court first.

And it is conceivable that with such an unknown reputation, it will be difficult for Li Xian to be promoted again in at least the next ten years.

Perhaps, only when the courtiers gradually forget about this matter, will he have the chance to return to the center.

A servant minister of the Ministry of Rites who had a bright future, but because he helped him, fell into the land of Yunnan and Guizhou like this, which really made Zhu Jian feel very guilty.

Sighing, Zhu Jian stood up, bowed straightly, and said.

"Yuan De's character is noble and pure, and he does not shy away from the axe for the country. Please be respected by the old man."

Seeing this situation, Li Xian hesitated for a moment, and subconsciously wanted to avoid it, but in the end he didn't move, just sat where he was, accepting it calmly.

The current cabinet is not as powerful as it was later. Zhu Jian, a cabinet minister who is not ranked high, actually has the same status in the court as the six servants. What's more, this matter was indeed done by him. sacrifice.

Therefore, Li Xian is not a big supporter.

It's just that when Zhu Jian bowed his body, Li Xian's eyes suddenly flashed a complex and incomprehensible look, which was fleeting and disappeared when Zhu Jian straightened up.

Immediately, Li Xian also stood up and returned the salute, saying.

"In court today, although I tried my best, I was unable to help Your Highness prepare the East Palace. Therefore, I am ashamed of receiving this gift from you. Now, I can do nothing about the court affairs. Everything is going well, the original source has been rectified early, and the security of the original source will be fixed. If this is the case, even though Yuan De is reprimanded, he is willing to do so."

Zhu Jian nodded, with a look of determination on his face, and said.

"Don't worry, Yuan De, I will do my best tomorrow. Besides, Yuan De doesn't need to underestimate himself. If you hadn't stopped me in the Eastern Palace this time, I would have been strangled to death in the bud. I will definitely report to you for such a contribution." Ming Taishang Emperor, Yuan De will first experience some experience in the local area, after a few years, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will definitely be able to recall Yuan De and return to the imperial court."

What he said was not cryptic, but it was exactly the same, which explained Zhu Jian's mood at the moment.

Li Xian didn't put on airs, he cupped his hands in thanks and said, "So, I would like to thank Brother Yongming."

…………

Zhu Jian left, as Li Xian said, tomorrow is the court meeting, tonight, he has a lot of things to do, it is not easy to find time to come to Li's residence, so naturally we can't delay too much.

However, after he left, Li Xian sat in the distance with a very complicated expression, looking at the flickering candle, lost in thought.

After a while, the hall fell silent. At some point, Li Xian was surrounded by a man in his early forties who looked like an official in a Confucian uniform.

He obviously had a good relationship with Li Xian, so he came out of the back hall and sat opposite Li Xian.

After thinking about it, he took a cup from the table, poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and asked.

"Just now, why didn't you introduce me to Elder Zhu Ge?"

(End of this chapter)