Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 357 Death Remonstrance
Here, Zhu Youjian was not in a hurry, he just sat back on the throne and waited.

After a while, Ruan Dayue walked over holding the imperial decree that had just been drafted and sealed.

Zhu Youjian ordered Lu Jiude: "Go and call Yongwang and Dingwang, and we will listen to the order later."

"Your Majesty, this matter," Lu Jiude wanted to persuade a few more words. He was born in the army and had a close relationship with Ma Shiying, but he also taught lectures for Imperial officials in the inner school. Knowing that deposing the prince is a major event in the world, he still I want to say a few more words of advice.

"This matter is a matter for me and the foreign court to decide. You are an internal minister, so there is no need to say too much. Eunuchs are not allowed to interfere with the establishment of the crown prince! If you want to stay in the supervisor of ceremonies, let me do things honestly. Whoever is appointed as the crown prince is up to you." Your future grandpa!"

After Zhu Youjian said this, Lu Jiude couldn't say anything more, so he had to pass the decree.

But here, Tu Guobao was still kneeling indifferently.

Chen Shiding shed tears unknowingly.

Prince Zhu Cihong looked around, showing panic, without a master to teach him, he didn't know how to deal with the crisis of being deposed.

Wang Chengen sighed, he knew that there was no need for him to participate in this matter.

As long as civil servants like Ruan Dayue get involved, and all the civil servants who support the prince are wiped out, almost no one can stop His Majesty from abolishing the reserve.

The only people who can stop it are the people in the palace.

But in the final analysis, I am someone close to the emperor, so naturally there is no need to confront the emperor.

Moreover, what Zhu Youjian said just now moved him. As a minister, whoever he establishes as the crown prince is his future emperor.

At the same time, Zhu Youjian ordered Ruan Dayue to gather all the officials from the six ministries of the cabinet and the nine ministers in the Qianqing Palace.

Gao Hongtu, chief assistant of the cabinet, Liu Wanchun, minister of the cabinet's scholar department, and Jiang Yueguang, minister of the Ministry of punishment, all gathered in Qianqing Palace.

Although Zhu Youjian took quick and clean military strikes against the Duan Literature Society and Guan Shaoning and other party members, these senior civil officials already knew what had just happened in the court, so when they came to the court at this time, they were all worried. Is silent.

They didn't know what His Majesty was going to say to them, and they didn't know why they were suddenly asked to gather in the Qianqing Palace. They even noticed that Guan Shaoning, Huo Da and others were missing at this time, so they thought it was still just about cleaning up the officialdom.

But when Zhu Youjian announced that he would depose the crown prince and ordered Ruan Dayue to read out the decree, all the officials in the court were surprised.

If it was true that Guan Shaoning and the others were killed for rebellion and were all wiped out, they would have no objection. After all, thunder, rain and dew are all the grace of the king, and not all officials who are still sticking to the court are only concerned with the self-interest of their own classes.

But now Zhu Youjian suddenly wants to depose the prince, which means that the system of establishing a crown prince that conforms to the Confucian etiquette order will be completely broken by the monarchy, and the Son of Heaven will override everything, including various national orders formed by Confucianism.

Zhu Youjian's purpose is naturally so. Now that he has completely broken with the civil officials, he naturally has to continue to challenge the constraints of the Confucian benevolence and righteousness that the civil officials rely on when he holds military power.

First of all, it is natural to start with the establishment of a prince, so that these civil servants have no chance to cultivate a clear prince to fulfill their political ideals and limit their imperial power.

If the reserve system is changed, Zhu Youjian will challenge the changes to the imperial examination system and even the privilege system of officials and gentry.

But now just to depose the prince has already caused a sensation in the government and the public!

He Ruixian, Shangshu of the Nanjing Ministry of Industry, expressed his opinion: "No, Your Majesty, the position of the crown prince is the foundation of the country, and it should not be easily moved. Deposing the prince rashly, I am afraid that the country will be unstable!"

"Your Majesty! What Shangshu He said is very true. Although the prince is not talented, he can be taught by a good teacher. How can he be abolished as soon as he is abolished? It is in line with the way of a sage to establish a heir and an elder!"

Jiang Riguang, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishments, also stepped forward directly.

This was followed by a series of officials who came out against it.

Zhu Youjian had already expected this ending, so he was not angry, he just said:
"I know that the crown prince should not be easily moved, but just because the position of crown prince is the foundation of the country, I can't hastily hand over the future of the Ming Dynasty to such a dull person. I am not the only heir. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a successor or a leader, those who are contrary to the actual situation of the country need to be corrected, I’m just notifying you today, not discussing this matter, the result of this matter has been announced, and no one can question it!”

When Zhu Youjian said this, the implication was very clear. He was just reporting the result to you, and he didn't intend to discuss it with you at all.

He Rui and other officials were quite angry when they heard Zhu Youjian's words, and even Gao Hongtu sighed with Liu Wanchun at this time. His Majesty wants to be arbitrary, and they can only accept it. If they can't, what else can they do? Guan Shaoning's fate.

But Jiang Yueguang is a very stubborn person, and he also thought that His Majesty really needs to be intimidating like Mr. Fan Ge, so he just knelt down:

"I have the guts to ask Your Majesty to take back my order. If Your Majesty refuses, I would like to ask Your Majesty to take back my order with death!"

"As the saying goes, a military officer's death on the battlefield is a well-deserved death, but there are also reasons for his negligence and lack of strategy. The death of a civil official is undoubtedly an act of abandoning the emperor and the people. There must be a foolish emperor who makes such an admonition. Jiang Aiqing, you are abandoning me. Where, no matter, if this is the case, if you want to betray your father and ask for an excuse, I will fulfill you, and you are not allowed to stop him and let him be killed. The Hanlin historian recorded it. On July 20, the [-]th year of Chongzhen, the Ministry of Punishment Shangshu Jiang Yueguang betrayed his father and invited his name with excuses, intending to blackmail me by ramming him to death on a pillar!"

Jiang Yueguang gritted his teeth and ran to the pillar, but he couldn't help but stop when he heard Zhu Youjian's words, crying and shouting: "Your Majesty, you are making me unable to deal with myself. I can't live if I can't die. ah!"

"I don't mind if you remonstrate with death or not, if you have the courage, you can bump into death at any time!"

Zhu Youjian was talking when he suddenly heard a violent shaking sound. It turned out that He Rui, Minister of the Nanjing Ministry of Industry, had hit a golden pillar at this time, his head burst out on the spot, and he died.

"Okay, very good, there are really people who are going to die, record it, today there is He Rui, Minister of Nanjing Ministry of Industry, who threatened the king in the palace, forced the king to death, abandoned the kindness of the king's father, and wasted the love of his parents. He is an unfaithful and unfilial generation. , it is specially decreed that all their descendants will be assigned to Taiwan as citizens, and their family property will be lost! Their descendants will not be allowed to participate in the imperial examination within three generations!"

As Zhu Youjian said, he slapped the table and stood up: "If you want to leave a clear name after death, there is no way! Is there anyone who wants to die?"

Jiang Riguang was horrified in his heart, he didn't expect His Majesty to do this, even if it was a real remonstrance, he would still be left with such a sum, the key is to confiscate the family, it seems that there is no benefit at all.

The rest of the officials also kept silent, not daring to say anything, while Jiang Riguang silently put down his black hat and walked out of Qianqing Palace.

In his opinion, since he can't admonish His Majesty to the death in this hall, then he should go back and drink poison to commit suicide secretly, so it shouldn't hinder anyone.

Zhu Youjian didn't stop him, nor did the officials.

(End of this chapter)