prosperous age

Chapter 833 922 The ten-year-old prince, how to rule the world

After Xu Jue left, Feng Bao sat alone behind the desk and thought hard, planning to write a memorial.

Of course, the eunuch's memorial does not need to go through the General Affairs Office. It only needs to be registered in the clerk's office and then it can be presented to the young emperor.

Arriving at the little emperor's place was equivalent to being in front of two nobles.

Zhang Juzheng was right. Although Empress Chen was upright and had ideas, she was soft-tempered. She was actually the same type of person as Emperor Longqing, but more stubborn than him.

Although concubine Li was given the title of Queen Mother and a title of honor, although it had an impact on Empress Chen, the impact was limited. Her identity as the emperor's legitimate mother could not be changed by anyone.

And the most important thing is that Queen Chen dotes on Zhu Yijun even more than Concubine Li.

As a biological mother, Concubine Li sometimes had to teach the young emperor a lesson, but Empress Chen never did. She only cared about and took care of him.

But there is still a difference between a biological mother and a legitimate mother.

If Empress Chen objects to this memorial, it will definitely pierce a thorn in the heart of the little emperor. After all, she will not lose the big for the small.

Feng Bao polished the ink himself. After thinking for a long time, he picked up the pen and started writing the memorial.

He has no way out, so he can only take a gamble.

At this time, Concubine Li had two urgent matters that needed to be dealt with, which also made her quite troubled. One was to fight for her position as empress dowager, and the other was to keep her son Zhu Yijun's position as emperor.

These two points are actually complementary to each other.

The basis for fighting for her position as empress dowager is to keep Zhu Yijun's throne.

Zhu Yijun is the third son of Zhu Zaijing. The eldest son and second son before him both died young. Zhu Yijun should be appointed in order, and there is no problem with etiquette and law.

But after all, Zhu Yijun is only ten years old and is still a child. The so-called master of the country is suspicious. As long as there is a little negligence, the mother and son are likely to be ignored by the powerful ministers. At best, they will become puppets and cannot control the government. At worst, they will be It may be scrapped or even cause death.

So when she saw Gao Gong attacking Feng Bao, Concubine Li felt a trace of hidden malice.

Feng Bao left a good impression on her and took great care of Zhu Yijun, so when she learned from Empress Chen that Emperor Longqing asked Feng Bao to become the Minister of Guan Ming before his death, she didn't think much about it.

He understood Emperor Longqing's painstaking efforts.

However, Emperor Longqing did not consider her position before his death, which made her somewhat resentful of the late emperor.

Based on these considerations, Concubine Li could not wait to find allies, political allies in the inner court and outer court.

In the inner court, she had a pretty good relationship with Feng Bao. When Feng Bao saw her, he seemed very humble and respectful. She was an ideal target, and he was also a minister appointed by Emperor Longqing to take care of his fate.

In the outer cabinet, Concubine Li did not have many choices to make.

Although Gao Gong showed his kindness to her, after judging the situation, she did not dare to accept the move.

After excluding Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng and Gao Yi were left. Gao Yi was naturally excluded. Obviously, the old man already had a somewhat complicated relationship with Gao Gong.

The remaining ones are Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde who has not arrived in the capital.

Both of them seem to be potential targets.

Li Caifeng focused on three people without considering Empress Chen, who was appointed by Emperor Longqing to have the power of president.

This is also because Queen Chen is too upright, indifferent to fame and fortune, and has no desire for power.

She will not take the initiative to interfere in the affairs of the government. She will only abide by her duties. She will only come forward as president when the foreign government finds her with unresolved matters, and she will never rush to intervene.

But Concubine Li couldn't do it. She wanted to help her son firmly control the power and not let the power slip away.

Concubine Li was really a decisive person. According to the historical trajectory, she drove away Gao Gong for her son Zhu Yijun, and later acquiesced to her son's raid on Zhang Juzheng's house. In fact, she just wanted her son to fully control the imperial power.

Retaining Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde in the cabinet was also a strategy to divide and rule the forces in the court in accordance with Emperor Longqing's thoughts before his death.

"Your Majesty, Eunuch Feng would like to see you."

Just when Concubine Li was thinking about how to deal with Gao Gong, a palace maid came in to report.

"Let him in."

Concubine Li replied casually.

Not long after, Feng Bao entered here with small steps, and first knelt down to salute Concubine Li.

After Concubine Li asked him to lie flat, Feng Bao stood up carefully and stood quietly.

"Feng Bao, what's the matter with you coming here at this time?"

Concubine Li asked.

"Your Majesty, I have written a petition. I am worried that the wording is inappropriate, so I would like to ask your Majesty to take a look at it first. If there is anything inappropriate, I can correct it in time."

Feng Bao replied.

It had been a few days since Zhu Yijun ascended the throne, and the outer court had already started discussing the matter of taking the title. Therefore, Feng Bao did not have much time to delay and could only let Concubine Li know his intention as soon as possible.

"Chen Qing, shouldn't that be handled by the cabinet or handed over to Queen Chen?"

Feng Bao's visit this time seemed strange, so Concubine Li did not agree, but asked instead.

Even if she wants to win over Feng Bao, there is still a more stable Queen Chen in the palace, so she must be careful in everything she does.

"If this petition reaches the cabinet now, I am afraid it will be rejected by Chief Minister Gao. After all, Mr. Wei Ge and Mr. Zhang Ge are not in the court now, and the old slave can't speak in the court."

Feng Bao hesitated slightly and said with an aggrieved look.

"Oh? Then the Ai family would like to see it."

Feng Bao's words aroused Concubine Li's interest.

When Feng Bao handed the newly polished memorial to Concubine Li, she couldn't wait to open it and read it.

Feng Bao's memorial made her feel itchy.

In his memorial, Feng Bao not only suggested that Empress Chen should be given the title of Queen Mother, but also that he should be given the title of Queen Mother.

She was happy in her heart, but Li Caifeng did not show it, but hesitated and said: "This seems to be against the rules.

When the emperor's biological mother is given the title of Queen Mother, it is usually in the absence of the legitimate mother. The country cannot live without a Queen Mother, so that the biological mother can have the title of Queen Mother.

But now Queen Chen is still here, and the Ai family is just..."

"The empress is the biological mother of the emperor, so she can naturally have a title. As for the fact that she has not appeared before, it is just a rarity here.

In Lao Nu's opinion, it is appropriate that both the emperor's aunt and biological mother should have the title of Queen Mother. As for the etiquette and law, there is no prohibition, but it is only between the two.

How the old slave treats the emperor and the empress has been seen by the empress for so many years.

The old slave only hopes to see the emperor grow up safely and take charge of the throne, and the mother and son can be harmonious. This is the old slave's biggest wish.

The key to this matter actually lies with the cabinet. As long as the cabinet does not object, this memorial should be passed.

It's just that Gao Gong, the first assistant, is too pedantic and stubborn. He is a stubborn old man, just like Yang Tinghe at the beginning, so the empress does not need to pay attention to him.

As long as Mr. Wei Ge and Mr. Zhang Ge return to the court, the old slave will immediately hand over this memorial.

With their character and wisdom, they will definitely approve this memorial. "

Feng Bao’s words have actually released a lot of content. He hoped that both the young emperor and Concubine Li would be fine. He had a problem with Gao Gong, and he was sure to persuade Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng to support his suggestion.

Moreover, he said that Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng would approve the memorial, rather than support it. In fact, he also implicitly revealed his intention to expel Gao Gong.

"This is a serious matter, please let the Ai family think about it again."

Although she wanted to agree immediately, Concubine Li did not agree immediately, but declined first.

Either this could be done, or if it wasn't certain, she didn't want to make a fool of herself.

"I have one more thing to ask of your Majesty."

At this time, Feng Bao suddenly knelt down and begged.

"What's going on? Get up quickly."

Seeing Feng Bao suddenly kneel down again, Concubine Li immediately said in shock.

"My queen, please save me."

Feng Bao did not get up, but fell to the ground and said.

"What mistake did you make?"

When Concubine Li heard what Feng Bao said, she stopped asking him to get up and asked directly.

"The old slave has been entrusted by the late emperor, and he has always been cautious in doing things, for fear of making mistakes, but some people don't like us servants in the palace, and now they have gathered a group of gang members to attack the old slave.

When the late emperor passed away that day, Empress Chen and several ministers of the cabinet were present. However, the foreign court impeached the old slave, saying that I had deceived the late emperor and made a cunning edict. They also said that I was the culprit who killed the late emperor. The old slave was unjust."

The more Feng Bao talked, the more aggrieved he felt, and he couldn't help but fall to the ground and cry bitterly.

You said he did those things and it was easier to be criticized, but he didn't do them at all.

Those things were all done by Teng Xiang, Meng Chong, and Chen Hongcai. Now that they were all thrown at his head, how could he not feel aggrieved?

"Okay, okay, the Ai family knows that those memorials from the outer court are all slander, and the Ai family and the queen will not believe them.

You have served the emperor with all your heart these years, and you have merit. You must not be influenced by those lies. "

Concubine Li understood that Feng Bao came to her to seek asylum, and she only asked her to speak to him at the critical moment.

"Your Majesty, that arrogant and arrogant ambition originally only instigated the party members to criticize the old slave. Today's memorial is to punish the old slave."

Political struggle is a life-and-death struggle. The previous memorial was relatively mild, only accusing Feng Bao of his mistakes and asking for punishment. Now he wants to accuse Feng Bao of killing the late emperor, which means killing people.

"And moreover"

By this time, Feng Bao was hesitant to speak, as if he wanted to say something but didn't dare.

"And what?"

Concubine Li frowned and asked.

"The old slave heard from the chamberlain on the cabinet errands that Gao Gong actually publicly spoke in the cabinet room about how a ten-year-old prince should govern the world, but neither Mr. Zhang Ge nor Mr. Gao Ge who were present at the time dared to say anything.

This is no longer due to Gao Gong's nature. He dares to speak so openly. This is because he does not take the emperor seriously at all and has evil intentions.

Now he is eager to punish the old slave, which is completely ulterior motives. "

Strictly speaking, the reasons for Feng Bao's impeachment were actually half true and half false.

When Feng Bao was in the palace, he would naturally not fail to cater to Emperor Longqing's preferences. He had never done anything like recommending alchemists, but he still offered treasures to Emperor Longqing.

But with the actions of people like Teng Xiang, Meng Chong and Chen Hong in front of them, the things Feng Bao did can really be ignored.

There is no harm without comparison. It is precisely because of the comparison that in the minds of Empress Chen and Concubine Li, those things have nothing to do with Feng Bao. If they want to be punished, Chen Hong and Meng Chong should be punished.

This makes the foreign court's impeachment of Feng Bao very ridiculous, and it is completely disruptive. Combined with Feng Bao's slightly embarrassing status as a minister who cares about life, it really makes sense that Gao Gong has evil intentions.

However, Concubine Li was not thinking about Feng Bao's affairs at the moment. All she could hear in her ears was the words "How does a ten-year-old prince rule the world?" This was a naked contempt for her son.

After the death of Emperor Longqing, the successor was the prince who was only ten years old. The arrogant Gao Gong looked down on the young emperor and said such a sentence without hesitation. Under normal circumstances, this is understandable and cannot be taken seriously. , will not be pursued.

But now that the words have reached Concubine Li's ears, the situation is different.

This was a fatal blow to the current orphan and widowed mentality of the Queen, Concubine Li, and the young emperor, and aroused great anger among them.

Under normal circumstances, they need to react more violently and severely punish Gao Gong to avoid future troubles.

"Are you serious?"

Anger appeared on Concubine Li's face at this time, and her pretty face was covered with frost.

If she just couldn't stand Gao Gong before and was worried that Gao Gong's existence would threaten her son's inheritance rights, now she's done it.

Gao Gong does have a disobedient heart and evil intentions.

"Old servant tells the truth and never dares to tell any lies. Your Majesty can ask Zhang Juzheng and Gao Yi about this matter."

Feng Bao also answered decisively.

"Get up, wipe away your tears, and follow the Ai family to Ciqing Palace."

Li Caifeng knew that she couldn't be good at this, otherwise Gao Gong would not know how to bully their orphans and widowed mothers after he succeeded.

Soon, Concubine Li took Feng Bao to Ciqing Palace and saw Queen Chen who was resting.

Suppressing her anger, Concubine Li handed Empress Chen the memorial that Feng Bao had given her.

In the past two days, she wanted to discuss the title with Queen Chen several times, but she was not allowed to say anything.

When she came here again today, she simply risked her life and took a gamble on Empress Chen's will.

At first, Empress Chen thought it was Feng Bao who was flattering Concubine Li, so she proposed the memorial of dual honorific titles, so she smiled and said to Concubine Li: "Sister, don't worry about this.

Now that you and I are the only ones close to each other in the palace, it doesn't matter if Jun'er calls his sister the Queen Mother. As for the title, "

Empress Chen paused slightly when she said this. She knew that the difference was not small.

According to regulations, Concubine Li can be honored as the Queen Mother, but she cannot be given the honorific title to show the difference from her eldest mother, the Empress Dowager.

Li Caifeng was born as a palace maid, and was later named an imperial concubine, but her status was low no matter what.

Although Queen Chen's family was also a commoner before, she was selected as a concubine to enter the palace. The situation was completely different from that of Concubine Li. She was drafted into the palace according to the standard of a princess.

However, after only a slight hesitation, Empress Chen said: "Let's just talk about it this way. When the time comes, the Ai family will go to His Majesty to talk about it and give my sister a royal title."

Empress Chen knew about the relationship between Zhu Yijun and her mother, and she did not want to interfere with it and embarrass the little emperor.

Being so generous is due to Queen Chen's character.

In fact, Empress Chen had been mentally prepared for this for a long time. After all, she had no sons, and Emperor Longqing's two sons were both born to Concubine Li Guifei, so she had to make a choice on this matter no matter what.

From now on, they will still have to live with their mother and son in the palace, so there is really no need to create a barrier over this matter.

Concubine Li did not expect that Empress Chen would be so open-minded and agree immediately. However, she also understood that it was not the time for her to be overjoyed, because there were more important things to discuss with her today, so in addition to looking gratefully at Empress Chen , and looked at Feng Bao again.

(End of this chapter)