prosperous age

Chapter 832 921 Problem

Tianshou Mountain, located in Changping County, the northern suburbs of Beijing, was the mausoleum site chosen by Emperor Zhu Di after he announced that he would move the capital to Beijing.

In order to choose an ideal "auspicious soil", Zhu Di summoned a group of famous Feng Shui masters from all over the country and asked them to travel all over the mountains and hills around Beijing.

These Feng Shui masters worked hard for several months, eating and sleeping in the open air, traveling through mountains and rivers, and finally selected five mountain tombs and drew a pattern for Zhu Di to delineate.

Zhu Di also asked his most trusted "prime minister in black" Yao Guangxiao and the prime minister Yuan Gong to participate in their opinions. After careful consideration, he finally selected the Loess Mountain selected by Feng Shui master Liao Junqing as the imperial mausoleum.

However, Zhu Di thought the name of Loess Mountain was inelegant, so he personally changed its name to Tianshou Mountain.

This Tianshoushan Mountain is indeed a rare piece of good auspicious soil. It is eighty miles from beginning to end and is a branch of the Yanshan Mountains. Its remaining veins are long and distant.

It is surrounded by mountains to the east, north and west, but the south side is open and unobstructed, like a large courtyard. At the end of the "courtyard", there is a pair of small mountain gates. The left side is called Longshan and the right is called Hushan.

In the middle of Tianshou Mountain is Zhu Di's Changling Mausoleum. After Zhu Di, there are eight mausoleums in total: Renzong Zhu Gaochi's Xianling Mausoleum, Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji's Jingling Mausoleum, Xiaozong Zhu Youtang's Tailing Mausoleum, Wuzong Zhu Houzhao's Kangling Mausoleum, and Shizong Zhu Houcong's Yongling Mausoleum. The emperor's tombs are all in Tianshou Mountain.

The Zhaoling Mausoleum of Mu Zong and Zhu Zaiye, which is under construction, is already the ninth imperial mausoleum in this mountain.

Ancient mausoleums were built in two parts: above ground and underground. The underground palace was where the emperor's palace was parked, and the above ground was also built according to the standards of the imperial palace. There were also some palaces built around it for people who came to worship to rest.

In the Thanksgiving Hall outside Zhaoling, Xu Jue met Zhang Juzheng.

"Hey, isn't this Xu Jue? What, you were sent here as an errand?"

Zhang Juzheng asked with a smile when he saw the person.

"Mr. Zhang Ge is joking."

Xu Jue answered hurriedly.

In fact, when someone below reported that Xu Jue was here, Zhang Juzheng knew that Feng Bao didn't understand his intention, so he sent someone over to take a look and wait for him to give him advice.

"I am here to ask for an audience with Mr. Zhang Ge on the orders of my master."

Xu Jue continued.

"What's the matter?"

Zhang Juzheng pretended not to know and asked casually.

"Mr. Zhang Ge must be aware of the situation in the capital in the past two days. My master was targeted by Gao Gong. I asked Mr. Ge to give me some advice. My master is very grateful."

Xu Jue replied hurriedly.

As a royal guard, he can certainly boss people around in other places, but in front of cabinet ministers, he still has no reason to be proud.

What's more, when he came out this time, it was Feng Bao who asked him to ask Zhang Juzheng for advice, so his attitude was also sincere.

"Have the money from the Ministry of Finance been allocated?"

Zhang Juzheng did not directly answer Xu Jue's words, but seemed to have a casual conversation.

The money from the Ministry of Finance naturally refers to the 200,000 taels of silver that Gao Gong asked the Ministry of Finance to allocate to Concubine Li. This clearly shows that Gao Gong wants to please Concubine Li, the biological mother of the little emperor.

In this, Zhang Juzheng actually saw part of Gao Gongyang's conspiracy.

After defeating Feng Bao, perhaps Gao Gong did not have the intention to take advantage of the victory and continue to target Empress Dowager Chen.

If Empress Dowager Chen falls, who will benefit the most?

That is of course the little emperor's biological mother, Concubine Li.

With the current situation in the court, he, the chief minister of the cabinet, should have come out to explain the situation and clear away the suspicion of Empress Dowager Chen and Feng Bao of tampering with the imperial edict.

But until now, neither Gao Gong nor GROHE has come forward.

Under such circumstances, if Empress Dowager Chen or Feng Bao came out to explain, no one would actually listen.

Moreover, the behavior of cabinet ministers makes it easier for some officials who do not know the truth to think that the cabinet is under pressure from the palace and does not dare to express its position.

"The money from the household department has been allocated."

Xu Jue was in Jinyiwei. Although he could not interfere in government affairs, he was indeed very well-informed about the news, so he answered immediately.

"Concubine Li should be very satisfied."

Zhang Juzheng smiled again.

"Uh"

Xu Jue suddenly didn't know what to say.

Concubine Li's attitude is of course happy. Anyone who has a large amount of money in their hands will not be happy, and this is filial to the outside world.

You know, the year before last, when Emperor Longqing flirted with Ma Sen, he only got 100,000 taels of silver from the Ministry of Household Affairs to make jewelry for the harem.

She got two hundred thousand taels of silver for doing nothing, which was much more respectable than the late emperor.

"Your master has been close to Concubine Li when he was in Yuzhuan. He should know what Concubine Li wants most now. Only by giving in to her will can he have a higher status in the master's heart.

As for Empress Chen, she probably won't say much due to her temperament, so you can rest assured.

Just remember this and tell him when you go back. "

Zhang Juzheng said.

"But now officials from foreign countries are constantly reporting to impeach my master. They use fierce words and are completely fabricated and maliciously smeared."

Although Xu Jue didn't know what Concubine Li wanted, he came here this time not to ask Zhang Juzheng for advice on how to flatter the nobles in the palace, but what to do in the face of impeachment from a foreign court.

"The impeachment of those officials is just that, so there is no need to worry about it.

This is what I am telling you, the owner of the house, the deeper you dig a high-arch pit, the easier it is for you to fall into it.

In fact, when I left Beijing, I already gave him the advice and asked him to think about it.

Gao Gong wanted to kill two birds with one stone, but he put himself in danger. "

Zhang Juzheng said calmly, "Now, your master should focus on how to please the two nobles in the palace, and not let them get along with each other just for the sake of a false reputation.

To defeat Gao Gong, the attitude of the palace must be consistent, so as not to give him the slightest chance to make a comeback. "

Having said this, Zhang Juzheng shut up, stopped talking, and closed his eyes slightly.

Xu Jue was still memorizing Zhang Juzheng's words at first, but he didn't expect that Yunshan was shrouded in fog. He understood it, but he didn't seem to understand it, so he wanted to continue asking questions to clarify the matter and return to his life.

But when he looked up at Zhang Juzheng, who was sitting upright but with eyes narrowed as if he was asleep, he knew that Mr. Zhang Ge did not want to continue talking in depth. Xu Jue knew that this was an attitude. Zhang Juzheng did not want to continue the conversation. He did not want to get too deep into it. After all, although his master had contact with him, he had not formed an alliance and could not be considered an ally.

Having said so much, just giving a move can be regarded as the most benevolent and righteous thing.

When he got back, he told Feng Bao exactly what he said. Maybe he understood what Zhang Juzheng meant.

After saying goodbye to Zhang Juzheng, Xu Jue did not dare to delay for a moment and rode directly back to the city to inform Feng Bao.

The situation in recent days has been critical, and Xu Jue also knew that if he could not find a way to deal with it, his master would be unlucky, and he would not be much better.

After he took refuge with Feng Bao, he actually no longer had a place in Zhu Xixiao's royal guards.

Once there is a change of official in the East Factory, as the emperor and the courtier, I am afraid that Feng Bao's old man will be kicked out of the East Factory, and I will be forced to sit on the bench after returning to Jinyiwei.

Xu Jue was not someone who was willing to do this, so he was particularly concerned about Feng Bao's affairs.

The time to enter the city was just right. I left the city the day before and it was daytime when I came back the next day. This was the effect of traveling all night. I entered the capital smoothly.

If we stay in Zhaoling for one night before setting off, I'm afraid that by the time we get to the capital, all four gates will have been closed, making it difficult to get in and out.

Even if he is from Jinyiwei, it will be difficult for him to enter the city without a gold medal, not to mention that he did not arrange anyone to help him enter the city at first.

I was really in a hurry this time and left the city without making any arrangements.

After entering the capital, everything is easy to explain. Of course, we must go to see Feng Bao.

Although the burden on his shoulders was heavy, this time Feng Bao did not summon him as soon as he asked for an audience. He heard that Feng Bao was accompanying the young emperor at the moment, so he could only wait.

After waiting for almost an hour, the sky was getting dark. If no one was seen again, Xu Jue could only go out of the palace to wait. It would not be appropriate to stay in the palace.

Just when Xu Jue was gradually feeling impatient, Feng Bao finally came out of the palace.

Seeing Xu Jue, he didn't answer, but took him back to his room.

"Tell me, what Uncle Zhang said."

Feng Bao had been in a bad mood for the past two days, but when he saw the nobles in the palace, he had to change his mood and pretend to be nice, which was very uncomfortable.

After receiving the notice and knowing that Xu Jue was back, although he wanted to come out to see him immediately and ask if Zhang Juzheng had any advice for him, he still had the patience to serve the little emperor first before taking the time to come out.

"Eunuch, Mr. Zhang Ge said"

Thanks to Xu Jue's good memory, although he didn't understand many of Zhang Juzheng's words, he still recited the conversation between him and Zhang Juzheng exactly.

Feng Bao now became patient. After knowing that Zhang Juzheng had said a lot to Xu Jue, he had the patience to listen carefully.

This is his only life-saving straw. Although Sijiu City is big, he can't find anyone to help him and Feng Bao, which is a bit sad.

After this matter is settled, we need to gather some scholars who can write and write in peacetime, and can help him come up with ideas and think of countermeasures when encountering problems.

"What Concubine Li wants most. Gao Gong is digging a hole for me, and he is also digging a hole for himself. He has already made a move for himself."

After listening carefully to Xu Jue's words, Feng Bao murmured in his mouth.

These are all keywords that Feng Bao extracted from Zhang Juzheng's words. When it comes to giving himself advice, Feng Bao first thought of the note he received two days ago and what was written on it.

By the way, "How can a ten-year-old child rule the world?"

It seems that Gao Gong said it in the cabinet, but what else can he do besides punishing him with a serious crime of disrespect? To put it more seriously, the normal thing is to reprimand him, apologize, and admit his mistake.

Gao Gong dug a hole for me and himself, which means that the impeachment memorial also contains Gao Gong's fatal clues.

However, Zhang Juzheng reminded him to find a way to get what Concubine Li wanted most. This Feng Bao understood that it was the title of Queen Mother.

Queen Mother of Two Palaces

Empress Dowager is the honorific title given by the emperor to his mother. The term "Empress Dowager" first appeared in China during the Warring States Period. "Empress Dowager", or "Empress Dowager", generally refers to the emperor's mother, but not necessarily the biological mother.

According to the system, if the emperor succeeds to the throne with a concubine, the biological mother will be the empress dowager. If the aunt's mother is also there, she will also be the empress dowager, and the aunt's empress dowager usually ranks above the biological mother. However, if the biological mother's status is too low, she cannot be called the empress dowager. The Queen Mother can only be respected as the Crown Princess at best, but she can be promoted to the Queen Mother in the future.

If the emperor succeeds by a side branch, the stepmother will be regarded as the empress dowager and must be recognized as the legitimate mother. However, the biological mother will still maintain her original status and will not be named empress dowager.

This was actually the beginning of the great etiquette debate in the Jiajing Dynasty. In the end, Emperor Jiajing won, but in fact it was indeed inconsistent with the etiquette of this era.

Because Emperor Jiajing did not recognize that he ascended the throne as a successor, but as an heir.

If the succeeding emperor is of the same generation as the previous emperor, or even the elder of the previous emperor, the emperor's legal mother will still not be granted the title of queen mother.

For the first time in history, two queen mothers coexisted, dating back to the period of Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty.

When Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty died, he had no sons and could only adopt his nephew Liu Xin as emperor, who was also Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty.

Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty was actually unqualified as an emperor, but a very strange phenomenon occurred at this time. He was adopted by his uncle, Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty Liu Ao. Therefore, Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty's still living queen Zhao Feiyan was the mother of Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty in name only. His aunt, but at this time, Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty's biological mother, Princess Ding of Dingtao, was still alive.

After wrangling with the officials for a long time, Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty became the winner of the title battle. The officials respected the empress Wang Zhengjun (sister of Wang Zhaojun) of Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty as the empress dowager, and empress Zhao Feiyan as the empress dowager; Emperor Ai's biological grandmother, Mrs. Fu, was the empress dowager, and his biological mother, Mrs. Ding, was the empress dowager.

Then came the period of Tang Xuanzong and his successors. At that time, the queen mothers were in chaos, and there were even three queen mothers. Because the emperors changed too quickly, the emperor's inheritance was mostly passed down among brothers. The predecessor gave his birth mother a Naturally, the title of Queen Mother cannot be revoked by successors, so the number of Queen Mothers suddenly increased.

The most recent one was, of course, during the reign of Emperor Ming Jing. The civil engineering changes caused the succeeding Emperor Ming Jing to honor Yingzong's biological mother, the Empress Dowager Sun, as the "Shangsheng Empress Dowager", the empress dowager of his own mother, the Wu family.

This situation is actually very obvious. In history, the queen mothers of the two palaces were often caused by the emperor's death or abdication. But this time when the little emperor Zhu Yijun ascended the throne, the problems that arose were slightly different.

Later generations know about Cixi of the Qing Dynasty and the so-called East and West Palaces. In fact, tracing back to the origin, the source comes from the present.

You know, according to the system, Empress Chen is of course the Empress Dowager of the Wanli Dynasty, and no one can touch her. However, Zhu Yijun's biological mother, Concubine Li, should be Concubine Li and cannot be given the title of Empress Dowager.

Feng Bao knew that although Empress Chen and Concubine Li had not publicly discussed this matter, Concubine Li also wanted to be the Queen Mother.

After all, her son became the emperor, so it was natural for her to want to be the queen mother.

As long as Queen Chen dies of illness, she can be the Queen Mother.

But now that Queen Chen is well and the relationship between the two is good, Concubine Li is really at a loss.

Give Queen Chen and Concubine Li the title of Queen Mother?

Feng Bao understood that this was Zhang Juzheng's way of trying to please Concubine Li, and it would definitely be much more effective than Gao Gong's gift of 200,000 taels of silver.

However, in order to preserve his own glory and wealth, Feng Bao also secretly made a decision in his heart, that is, no matter whether this matter was successful or not, he had to be the one to make the memorial and make the suggestions.

Zhang Juzheng's proposal was actually very bold and unreasonable, which was why Gao Gong didn't think about it at all.

There is no reference example in history.

(End of this chapter)