It was late at night, and normally the emperor should have gone to bed, but he really couldn't sleep tonight.
There have been a lot of things inside and outside the court recently. His three sons had just had trouble a few days ago, and now they are in such big trouble, which really makes him feel tired.
After all, he is already fifty-three-four years old, and his energy is always limited.
With the Book of Tang Dynasty in his hand, Zhu Xianming looked towards the roof. The depression in his heart made him not as calm as he seemed on the surface.
"Your Majesty, there is news from Dongchang that Zhu Jingting's son is missing!"
As for the cause of Zhu Jingting's death, Zhu Xianming has already figured out that he committed suicide.
According to his family members, Zhu Jingting committed suicide in shame and anger because he was embarrassed and humiliated.
Zhu Xianming knew very well the virtues of the royal family. How could Zhu Jingting, a prodigal son, have such a strong self-esteem?
Things were not right to begin with, and now that Zhu Jingting’s son has disappeared again, it seems that there is something fishy.
So he quickly thought that Zhu Jingting’s son might know something!
"Send an order to Dongchang and Beizhen Fusi to find Zhu Jingting's son for me!" Zhu Xianming said in a deep voice.
"Yes!"
Cheng Ying was about to turn around and give instructions when she heard Zhu Xianming ask: "In the past two days... Old Thirteen hasn't left the house? I haven't seen anything. "Human?"
Cheng Ying replied: "Your Majesty, His Majesty Prince Xiang studies every morning and has fun in the afternoon and evening."
Zhu Xianming nodded, no. What more questions to ask.
One night passed quickly, but many things happened during this night, and many things were developing in an uncontrollable direction.
In the middle of the night, Zhu Jingchun was sent back to his mansion. The clan's mansion punished him with a half-month ban in accordance with the clan's laws.
In this regard, Zhu Xianming did not express his position.
When the situation is unclear, as the emperor, he cannot express his position casually. If he makes a mistake, it will only be a mistake
The capital says it is big or small.
The news that Zhenguo General Zhu Jingting was "beaten to death" spread in the capital the next morning, and it indeed acted as a catalyst, making the original rumors even more popular.
Just because Zhu Jingting spread rumors, King Xiang ordered King Qingyang to beat him to death. This kind of thing was indeed outrageous in the eyes of the people.
Of course, some people believe it and some don’t, so they discuss it privately everywhere, and eventually a dispute arises, which affects the overall public security to a certain extent.
This is the perspective of the people at the bottom. From the perspective of officials, this incident is a completely different situation.
First of all, this is a great opportunity to criticize Zhu Jinghong, and it is also a good time to sow a wedge between him and the emperor.
March 16, the 14th year of Orthodoxy, was the second day after the incident happened.
At noon that day, a joint report was forwarded from the General Affairs Department to the Cabinet, and then appeared in the Imperial Cabinet.Emperor's desk.
A total of fifteen officials jointly petitioned the emperor to severely punish the murderer Zhu Jingchun.
The article fully discusses the necessity of rigorously examining this case from aspects such as family harmony, royal dignity, and world outlook.
As long as you check the details of these people, you will know that three of them are even disciples of the Donggong Bachelor.
In other words, these three people can be attributed to the prince's people, while these fifteen officials speak for the prince.
In fact, the prince just summoned a few bachelors in the morning and asked them to control their subordinates and not to take action at this critical moment.
Similar words were conveyed to Prince Rui’s Mansion to his disciples.
However, this memorial still appeared on the emperor's desk, which shows that the prince's prestige is indeed insufficient and he cannot effectively control his subordinates.
The sun was setting in the west, and in the study outside the East Palace, the prince's face was ashen.
In front of him, there were two officials standing and three others kneeling on the ground.
The following three people are the young officials who led the memorial, namely Hu Kegui Shizhong, the Censor of the Imperial Academy, and the Shujishi of the Hanlin Academy.
These three people are very motivated. Even if the prince once again declares his power, they still don't feel that they have done anything wrong.
Whether it is to safeguard national law or to safeguard the interests of the prince, they all believe that the memorial should be submitted.
So they consider themselves loyal ministers, even if they suffer some grievances and misunderstandings, they will not hesitate.
The prince had just been warned by the officials sent by the Supervisor of Ceremonies, and now he was trying to persuade them. Seeing how stubborn these people were, he was really angry to death.
"You...you..."
In anger, Zhu Jingyuan fainted, causing everyone at the scene to panic.
"You... why can't you adapt!" A bachelor lectured.
I heard one of the young officials reply: "Sir, we don't know how to adapt. Now is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You can..."
"Shut up!" The other one the maester shouted angrily.
Seeing these high-spirited young people, the two bachelors also felt a headache. They were also at this age, and they knew that it was too difficult to convince them.
As for Prince Rui’s Mansion, he knew everything about the East Palace, but Zhu Jingyuan had no time to be happy.
In fact, he is also worried that his subordinates will act greedy for success and make the same stupid mistakes as the prince.
If it doesn’t happen today, there’s no guarantee it won’t happen tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. If they don’t participate, there’s no guarantee they won’t incite their fellow villagers or colleagues.
There is nothing that can be done about it. Most of the officials who follow the prince and Prince Rui are trying to maximize their own interests.
The prince and Prince Rui are just representatives of interests, not equal to each other.
To put it more seriously, even the emperor with the highest power cannot make officials work together.
Another day passed, even if the emperor left the memorial in theEven if he didn't send it out, he couldn't stop the violent discussion. On the same day, more than a dozen memorials came into the palace, asking the emperor to severely punish Zhu Jingchun.
On this basis, Zhu Jinghong, who was the instigator behind the scenes, was also mentioned as needing to be investigated together.
The emperor still kept the original copy of the memorial, and at the same time ordered the clan government to explain to the outside world that the "misunderstanding" about the circumstances of the case had been eliminated.
However, this had a minimal effect, and the discussion on this matter among the people in the court became more intense.
The focus of the discussion shifted from the case itself to King Xiang's "domineering".
To dare to take credit and be arrogant just because of the meritorious service, and to ignore the laws of the country and kill relatives is simply an outrage for both humans and gods.
With the impeachment and discussion, only three days later, a more exciting situation emerged.
Just because Zhu Jinghong’s “confidant” held office, some people found out.
The power behind His Royal Highness, Prince Xiang, who was confined at home, was clearly displayed, once again refreshing the understanding of the capital.
The commanders and ministers of the Beijing camp, the thousands of guards and commanders of the guards, the senior officials from the various places...the names were spread and discussed one by one.
As for the employment situation of Zhu Jinghong's so-called "confidants", as long as senior officials of the imperial court are willing to understand, they will have a more or less general idea.
But there are only a few people who are interested, so when these things were uncovered, the most shocked ones were the court officials, because they knew better what it meant.
Only four days have passed before things have reached this point. What the emperor has to do is no longer to find out the facts of the case, but to control the situation and stabilize it as soon as possible.
In fact, it is more accurate to call the so-called "confidence" of Zhu Jinghong "old friends".
Zhu Xianming has a more complete list for this. He has already started to make adjustments. The demotion of Shen Jinxun and others is the first step.
This kind of thing is done secretly, and it will be done slowly and eventually.
But now, the so-called "confidant" list has been revealed, which makes the people on the list think more, which in a sense promotes their unity.
In other words, if you want to make adjustments, you may encounter resistance.
Of course, Zhu Xianming still has absolute power and is still absolutely sure to control the situation.
After all, he has not only been the emperor for more than ten years, but also fought for more than twenty years before that. It can be said that everyone in the army is his confidant.
But things have changed after all, and if we want to make drastic personnel adjustments, there is the possibility of trouble.
Right now, there is a war in the northwest. Although North Korea is peaceful, it is still unstable. There is also unsettled chaos in Annan. There are also former enemies invading Luzon on the sea. Three provinces in the country are still implementing Qingzhang...
In this realistic situation, stability is always the first priority, especially the stability within the court, especially the stability of the army.
In Qianqing Palace, Zhu Xianming was dressed in casual robes. He looked at Cheng Ying who was standing on the side of the imperial case and asked: "In the past few days, Mr.What's going on with Thirteen? "
In fact, what he asked was nonsense. From the beginning to now, he has to understand the situation in Prince Xiang's Mansion every day, and it can be said that he is very clear.
"Report to Your Majesty, everything As usual! Cheng Ying replied.
"Well..."
After a response, Zhu Xianming continued: "Do you think I should meet him?" ”
Although Cheng Ying does not serve as the Supervisor of Ceremonies, he is the most trusted eunuch by Zhu Xianming. No one in the twenty-four yamen of the inner court dares to despise him.
But he can have such a status , relying not only on the emperor's trust, but also on his outstanding abilities. He just hid his clumsiness according to the emperor's needs.
What to say and what not to say, when to say and not to say, followed Zhu Xianming. He has been very clear for decades.
For now, he knows that he should tell the truth.
“Report to your majesty, this slave is stupid... and doesn’t understand the truth! "
Handing the tea cup to the emperor, Cheng Ying continued: "But this servant knows the truth of family and everything. Harmony and harmony in the family are the most important! ”
“If the family talks things out, the trouble will be resolved! "
Zhu Xianming smiled, and then said: "So let's meet Lao Shisan! "
"Yes... I will send someone to spread the word now!" "
When Cheng Ying answered, he was actually very disappointed. He knew the principle of "family harmony and everything prospers", but the emperor didn't listen at all.
Otherwise, he really wanted to speak out. The prince and Prince Rui should also come.
Of course, Cheng Ying also knew that this was impossible, because the Tian family was not a home for the common people, and even if the three legitimate princes were called together, they would just be acting brothers. It's just a joke by Youdi Gong.
What's more, this time the matter is very different from the past, involving an extremely sensitive matter such as military power.
Even the emperor who knows him best. Ying, at this moment, is not sure whether the emperor's suspicion of Zhu Jinghong has deepened.
"Also... if a strict order is issued, everyone in Kunning Palace must strictly keep the news, if the queen is informed of this matter. , the Yi clan is the one who leaked the news! "
The queen has been in poor spirits recently and spends most of her time in bed recuperating. Zhu Xianming didn't let her know about this incident because he was afraid that she would be worried about it.
"Yes! ”
Cheng Ying went to pass the message, while Zhu Xianming continued to read the report, his thoughts wavering for a while.
Besides, in Prince Xiang’s Mansion, the back garden was very lively. The ladies of the palace were following Zhu Jinghong, having a banquet and listening to music on the balcony.
Opposite the balcony where they were, a stage was set up by the water, on which several women were dancing, and some of them were dancing lightly. The clever Park Jin-young.
On the left and right sides of the stage, there were more than a dozen musicians playing beautiful music according to the score, adding a lot of joy to the scene.
Even the scene was full of joy. The eunuchs and maids on duty all devoted themselves to the banquet, watching the wonderful dances and music..
Zhu Jinghong sat in the main seat, humming the tune and beating the beat with his hand, which can be said to be deeply integrated into the performance.
Yang Jingting was sitting at his feet, leaning directly on his legs, explaining the story of this dance to Zhu Jinghong.
Yes, Yang Jingting participated in writing both the dance and the music, just to please Zhu Jinghong.
Pleasing Zhu Jinghong has become Yang Jingting’s only thought after she was “released from prison”.
Today Baochai went to the East Palace as a routine to complain. Yang Jingting had the highest status among the women in the palace, but compared with the others who were sitting upright, she seemed particularly humble at this time.
Squatting at Zhu Jinghong’s feet is not something ordinary people can do.
"My lord, look, this dance is inspired by the flying butterfly..."
Yang Jingting explained with a smile, which made Zhu Jinghong even more happy, and pulled him directly on a whim. , let her sit next to him.
This was the first time that Yang Jingting sat next to Zhu Jinghong in public.
The latter is just normal, but for Yang Jingting, it has a completely different feeling.
"You have worked hard, you are indeed very good!"
Hearing Zhu Jinghong's praise, Yang Jingting did not dare to hesitate at all, and quickly replied: "As long as the prince is happy, I can do anything." Yes!"
At this time, Zhu Jinghong was about to bring the wine, but Yang Jingting had quick hands and eyes. She took the wine glass from the maid first and handed it to Zhu Jinghong.
"Your Majesty, please!"
"Yes!"
Nodding, Zhu Jinghong looked at the girls present and said with a smile: "Everyone, please!" ”
The girls were placed on the left and right, and they all held up their wine glasses at this time. Only Keqing, who was pregnant, drank tea instead of wine.
After drinking it all, it’s the next track.
The singer was Zhang Xiaoyue. At this time, she dressed beautifully and refinedly, which firmly attracted Zhu Jinghong's attention.
The singing was still beautiful, and Zhu Jinghong was smiling all over his face. At this time, Yu Hai came to him and reported that someone from the palace had sent a message.
Hearing the news, Zhu Jinghong felt calm and said to himself, "It's finally here."
In the past few days, his life was as usual, but he paid close attention to the news from the outside world. The horror of the development of the situation made him feel frightened.
The current situation even made him suspect that the prince and Prince Rui had put aside their past grudges and joined forces to put him to death.
Farewell to the girls, Zhu Jinghong came to the front hall, where the eunuch delivering the decree was waiting in the Chengyun Hall.
Because it is an oral edict, it is relatively simple and only needs to be announced on the spot.
"The Lord has a decree and orders King Xiang to come to the palace to see you!"
"I accept the decree!" Zhu Jinghong bowed.
Then according to the rules, he should change his clothes before entering the palace, and if it is more strict, he should take a bath.
In the past, Zhu Jinghong would not have cared about these details, but things are different now.
Zhu JingHong went to change his clothes, but several eunuchs were waiting for him. Although they were some distance away from the back garden, they still heard the sound of music.
A young eunuch couldn't help but say: "This Prince Xiang's Mansion is really lively, and I didn't know that trouble was coming!"
Hearing this, the leading eunuch immediately changed his color and scolded Said: "Bastard... Who told you to talk too much?"
Seeing his reaction, the young eunuch quickly threw himself on the ground, kowtowed and said: "Godfather, please calm down, my son is talking nonsense!"
"Are you talking nonsense? I think you are desperate for your life!"
"Go back and slap Thirty, and go to the laundry department to do the laundry!" The leading eunuch showed a cold look in his eyes.
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